When he finally leaned back, setting his forehead against hers, they were both breathless, and she had no clue how long they’d stood there kissing.
“I told Mia I’d call her back.”
“You talked to Mia?”
“She called me while I was in my room. She reminded me that this was my second chance to be with the woman I loved. Taking forever to sort out how I felt would have been stupid since I knew how I felt the second I saw you. As much as I wanted to keep you at arm’s length, I knew that wasn’t possible. Not when I love you as much as I do.”
Taylor brushed her lips across his. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed those words.”
He pressed little kisses on her cheeks and across her eyelids. “We need to find out who is threatening you.”
Taylor was soaking Elijah up. His kisses, his warmth, his everything. Millimeters would be too far a distance at the moment. “Do we have to do it now?”
“Let’s put this behind us so we can start planning the future.”
The smile on her lips wasn’t big enough to represent the song in her heart. Forever with Elijah. “Okay, let’s call Mia. I want to get to the future-planning part as soon as humanly possible.”
His lips quirked up. “That’s the idea.”
Hope. Something she’d been missing since he’d left. Even with a hitman looming over her, she felt more peace at that moment than she had since the whole thing started. Once that was solved, Ruth would be behind them…and they’d have each other from now on.
Chapter 23
When Elijah left his bedroom, he’d planned on getting answers from Taylor. A way to put all those questions he’d had to bed, but on his way to her, he’d decided he didn’t care. The secret was out, and that was all he’d wanted. The past was over and done. His feelings for her had never changed, and they would never change. He wanted and loved her more than he ever had, and now that God had given him another chance to be with her, he was taking it.
It was easy to forgive her. Even if the answers hadn’t been ones he wanted to hear, he would have done it. Knowing that his mom was in Taylor’s home, listening to her break his heart only made it that much easier. With what Taylor’s family was going through, thinking that his mom had the ability to put her dad in jail…if the circumstances were reversed, he’d have done the same thing.
In Elijah’s mind, the whole thing was over. At least, that part was. The last thing to take care of was the hitman his mom had hired. Once that was done, he was getting on one knee, asking Taylor to marry him, and finding the nearest church. He was done living without her.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the front door of his home and grinned. “Hey, Noah.”
He’d been waiting on them since he’d phoned Mia after he and Taylor were done talking. The team was already on their way there, and once he realized what she was discussing, he thought it would be better if everyone heard it all at the same time when they arrived. That way a plan could be formed and acted on right away.
“Hey, man.”
Mia leaped forward and hugged Elijah. “I’ve missed you!”
Elijah hugged her back. “Missed me? You’ve talked to me on video chat almost every day.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same without you there.” Without another word, she stepped inside the house and gathered Taylor in a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”
Taylor beamed. “Thank you so much for all your help.”
Mia shot a glance at Elijah. “No problem at all.”
Elijah caught sight of Ryder behind Noah and reached a hand out to him. “Hey, Ryder. I didn’t think you’d make it.”
“We wouldn’t miss this.” Ryder smiled.
“Gunner?” His friend had quit the Guardian Group… “But?”
Gunner laughed. “When I needed you, you were there. You need help; I’m here.”
“Kolby too?” Elijah asked as his friend passed by him. It had been months since Elijah had seen him. With Ivy’s new book tour starting up, he was rather surprised Kolby was there.
Kol rubbed the back of his neck, grinning. “Yeah, I thought I’d step in. I figured I owed ya.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Mason asked as he walked inside, shutting the door behind him.
His friends—no, more family than anything—stood in the foyer of his home, and he was suddenly overwhelmed. Each of them had dropped everything to help. Not that he was surprised, really. Just grateful to have friends like them. Elijah rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m just shocked Ivy let Kolby out of her sight.”
“Shut up, you jerk. My wife doesn’t tell me what to do.”
Elijah lifted an eyebrow, and each of the guys stared at Kolby.
“I hate all of you,” Kolby said and chuckled. “There might be truth to that, but she’s just wanting me safe.”
Mia nodded. “In her defense, he was held at gunpoint right in front of her. So was Noah, but he insists on being macho.”
“I am not macho. I’m the guy in charge. Can’t send my guys into the field and hide at home.”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “I love messing with you.”
Shaking his head, Elijah sighed. “Guys, this is Joseph, Lucas, and Taylor Mabrey.” He slid his arm across Taylor’s shoulders.
They shook hands with one another as Elijah introduced each of his buddies to his family. Once the introductions were done, he waved for them to follow him to the study where they could talk.
Mia crossed the room to the desk, pulled out her laptop from her bag, and began setting up. “I’ll be up and running in a second.”
Kolby slapped Elijah on the back. “All this time you were some well-to-do fella, and we never knew.”
Elijah pulled his arm from Taylor and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Aw, it’s no big deal. I think if I were in your shoes, I might feel the same way,” Kolby said.
“Mia told us a little about what’s going on,” Gunner interjected. “Your mom doing all this. We’re sorry, man.”
Shrugging, Elijah said, “It’s okay. I’m still a little shocked.”
Taylor linked her fingers in his. “And hurt. She hurt him when he was in high school. None of us knew.”
Kolby shook his head. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
Elijah curled around Taylor, wrapping his arms around her, and smiled. “I’m all good now.”
Mason rolled his eyes. He was the last guy in Elijah’s company to still be single.
With a quick glance upwards, Elijah sent up a silent prayer that someone worthy of him would come along. Out there was a woman needing Mason. Elijah wanted his buddy to find happiness too.
“Can we get this show on the road?” Mason asked.
Noah chuckled as he glanced at Mia. “Okay, sweetheart, tell them what you know.”
She winked as she looked at him. “Okay, so, that hitman was hired three months ago. Now, I’ve worked to track him down, but he has several aliases. And he’s good. I’m thinking he has to be good with a computer, especially with the way he’s able to hide. Nothing about who he really is can be found anywhere online. I don’t have a presence on social media for that very reason. So, if he’s doing that, then he sees the security threat there too.”
“What’s that mean for catching him?” asked Elijah.
“It means we’ll need to set a trap, but I’m not sure what kind of trap we’d need,” Noah replied.
Joseph frowned. “A trap? This is my little girl we’re talking about.”
Lucas nodded. “And my baby sister.”
“I’m right here, you two,” Taylor grumbled.
Her dad looked at her. “And I’ll say it to your face.”
Elijah dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“So, what kind of trap?” asked Lucas.
Mia held up a finger. “I did a little more digging on Ruth’s computer. Now that the mystery of the
money is solved, I thought maybe there might be something about her thoughts on setting this whole thing up. Most of the diary she had was gibberish, which I’m guessing was due to the tumor, but I was able to decipher a little. The hitman won’t get paid if you two get married, and I doubt the hitman knows she’s dead. I suspect the arrangement was that after he’d kill Taylor, he’d get paid or come after Ruth. You don’t exactly double-cross a hitman and get away with it.”
Elijah blinked and then chuckled. “For all her effort, deep down she knew she couldn’t keep us apart. It was her last-ditch effort.”
Rolling her lips in, Mia’s eyes twinkled as she looked from Elijah to Taylor. “I agree.”
Kolby set his hands on his hips. “And the trap?”
“How about a wedding?” Mia asked.
Snapping his attention to Mia, Elijah asked, “What?”
“A wedding. Your mom wanted you as far from Taylor as possible. She hired a hitman to make sure you’d never get to be with her.”
Taylor shook her head. “No way. I’m not having a wedding like that. I’ve waited for years to be with Elijah. I won’t let something like this taint it.”
Noah rubbed his chin with his hand. “Mia has a point. I’m not saying it’s a great way to get married, but that hitman will be doing his level best to stop it.” He turned to Elijah. “As much as your mom didn’t want you being with Taylor, I’ll bet money that she believed Taylor would find you and tell you as soon as she found out your mom had passed away.”
Lucas let out a long breath. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree.”
Her dad cleared his throat. “That has Ruth written all over it.”
“Are you serious?” Marrying Taylor, all the while waiting for someone to attack? He wasn’t sure he liked the idea, but at the same time…it was probably the best way. As much as his mom went through to keep them apart, it was very much in line with something she’d do. He turned to Taylor. “I want to catch this person, but we’ll find another way if you’re dead set against it.”
Taylor chewed her lip. “Not how I pictured it, but then again, the last time I was marrying you, we were counting on Elvis to do it.” She grinned.
“Elvis?” Her dad asked.
“We were eighteen and thought it’d be funny.” She snickered.
Her brother rolled his eyes. “Oh, good grief.”
Elijah laughed and dodged as Lucas reached over to punch him on the arm.
“Do you ever tell her no?” Lucas asked.
Elijah smiled wider as he looked at her. He’d never had a reason to tell her no. She was his other half, and they worked in sync. They’d always been like that, and there was no reason to think they couldn’t keep working that way. “We work. What can I say?”
They’d keep working too. This wasn’t how he envisioned asking her to marry him again. He’d wanted to plan something romantic and grand, but if this is what it took to move on with their lives, he was on board.
* * *
Taylor’s heart was in her throat. Marrying him under the threat of someone trying to kill her? It’s not what she wanted. Not at all, but if this was the chance to catch the man Ruth had hired, then she’d do it. It would be her choice this time, and she wasn’t letting Ruth take Elijah away again.
Elijah caught her gaze and held it. “So, we’re doing this?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Ruth is not taking you away from me again. If this is how we can catch that guy, then I’m all for it,” she said.
She gasped as he went to one knee. He pulled a chain from beneath his shirt that held dog tags and…the engagement ring he’d given her years ago. “You kept it?”
He smiled up at her. “I guess I always knew I’d need it again.” He took her hand, slipping the ring, still on the chain, onto her finger. “Taylor, I have loved you for so long. I left the ring on that chain for a reason. I give you my past, my present, and my future. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Her gaze dipped to the tiny ring he’d used many years ago and the dog tags dangling from the chain. His past, present, and future. He could have hers too. “You can have mine too. Yes, I’d love to marry you.”
In one swift movement, he stood, took her by the waist, and lifted her in the air as everyone cheered. When Taylor pictured a proposal, she’d never expected one like this, but it was perfect to her. She circled her arms around his neck and kissed him.
When he set her feet on the floor, they removed the chain from her ring, and his friends congratulated him. Mia hurried from behind the desk, and the second Taylor’s dad and brother finished hugging her, Mia was jumping up and down as she threw her arms around Taylor.
“I’m so happy for you!”
Taylor eyed Elijah. “Me too.”
“And this proposal is so much better than lying next to the man you love because he’s been shot and then beaten.”
Taylor knitted her eyebrows together as she looked at Noah. “What?”
“It wasn’t that bad!” Noah grumbled loudly.
“Oh, it was stupid,” Mia said, hooking her arm with Taylor’s. “You went to that warehouse without backup.”
“I was doing what I thought was right.”
Mason snorted. “It was stupid, man.”
Ryder lifted an eyebrow. “It was so beyond stupid.”
“You guys are never going to let me live that down, are you?” He looked at each one of the guys.
They all shook their heads.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Ryder shook his head. “Nope.”
Mia cackled and began pulling Taylor into a walk. “Come on, I’ll tell all about it while we’re looking at wedding dresses.”
“Wedding dresses?”
“Well, sure. Gotta have the gown.”
Taylor stopped dead, right at the doorframe. “I don’t know that I can afford all that.”
Elijah winked as she caught his gaze. “This is your wedding. Our wedding. You have the freedom to do what you want with our money.” He turned to Joseph. “That reminds me. I’ve talked to a few builders this past week. I’m having your house rebuilt. I figure if you want to make changes, now’s the time.”
“The house?” Joseph asked.
Lucas chuckled. “I’ve been talking to the estate attorney. Elijah hired me when the house burned down and we found out Taylor was in danger. He’s keeping the company as is and letting the CEO that’s in place continue to run it. He has enough money that I’m sure he could have the house built by tomorrow night if he wanted.”
Mia patted Taylor’s arm. “Billionaires…we got the good ones.” She smiled at Noah.
His cheeks bloomed red. “Go help Taylor plan a wedding. Make it awesome.”
Taylor smiled. It was a dream she didn’t want to wake up from. A wonderful, amazing dream. She only hoped they would be able to catch whoever the hitman was before they ruined her wedding.
Chapter 24
Planning a wedding was difficult enough. Doing it in two weeks was nearly daunting. Add a hitman to the list, and it was a recipe for almost more stress than could be handled.
Elijah had split duties with Taylor. He was in charge of the security, and she was taking care of the rest. Of course, he helped with some of it. It was his wedding too, and he did want a say in the invitations, cake, and reception food. Of the things he didn’t want, he didn’t want dry chicken being served. And no rice. None of his buddies were good with rice, Elijah included.
What he didn’t realize was that on the day of the wedding, all those stressful moments would be worth it. As he stood in front of the mirror, working on his bowtie, he smiled. He was marrying the love of his life. Someone he’d carried in his heart since he was fifteen. After all they’d been through, here they were, in God’s perfect timing, saying I do.
He turned to his buddies who were standing in his room with him. They’d decided to have the wedding in the garden a
t Elijah’s home. The consensus was that they knew the layout, and it would be easier to control the situation. The guest list was small, fewer than a hundred. Mostly it was Taylor’s family coming in, their church friends, and some of Elijah’s friends and family—people he wasn’t really close with but felt like he should invite.
“If that hitman doesn’t show today, I’m not sure what it’ll take to bring him out,” Mason said.
Noah nodded in agreement. “With announcements in every paper we could think of, I can’t see them staying away. This is their last shot to get the rest of their payment.”
“And with bulletproof windows, they’ll have no choice but to sneak in,” Kolby added.
Taking a deep breath, Elijah smiled. “Getting local law enforcement involved and wearing plain clothes was a good idea.”
“Thanks,” Kolby said.
Mason crossed his arms over his chest. “And we’ve got Taylor’s dressing room covered too. Two female LEO’s are in there with her now.”
Noah walked to Elijah, gripping his shoulder with his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“I think we have things covered,” Elijah replied.
“No, I mean, you’re getting married. You good?”
Gunner smiled. “Oh, he’s good. No guy has a goofy grin like that if they aren’t good.”
Elijah’s gaze dipped to the floor as he grinned. “I’ve never been better. Even with this hitman somewhere out there, I’ve never been calmer.”
Kolby grinned. “She’s a good woman. Talented too.”
“I’m just glad she’s okay with you staying on with the Guardian Group,” Noah said. “I really didn’t want to lose another guy.”
Gunner held up his hands. “I’ve said I’m sorry.”
Rolling his eyes, Noah said, “You are not, and you shouldn’t be.”
“Yeah, I’m not. I was being nice.” Gunner flashed a wide toothy smile.
The Ranger's Forgiveness (Army Ranger Romance Book 5) Page 15
