Betting on Stocks
Page 17
“What?” I asked. My cooking wasn’t the best, but it usually didn’t incite laughter. “Is everything okay?”
“Dinner is great. I was just thinking… when I sent you off to Seattle, I never imagined this would be the result. You just love to surprise us all, don’t you?”
Mom made a good point. Before the accident, I was a free spirit who spent as much time in the air as I could. Now, I was as grounded as they came, in a committed relationship and so tied down to a house full of girls it was difficult to find the time to squeeze in a date with my man.
Although, we’d choose Netflix and chilling over dinner and a movie out any day.
“I’m happy to see you so happy, baby,” Mom continued, beaming me a smile. “I’m just surprised that this is what you chose to do.”
“I don’t know what we’d do without her,” Lily said from across the table. “You should have seen this place when she and Stocks got here. They cleaned this place up, and Ladies First is helping us learn skills and apply for jobs. Mila is getting her GED, and Cari has a job interview tomorrow. That’s all because Monica decided to get involved. Thank you for raising her to be a queen who isn’t afraid to take on challenges like this one.”
Lily and I had gotten close over the past few months, but hearing her say all that still made my chest tighten. I felt like I was finally getting through to her and she was beginning to realize her value.
Mom looked impressed as hell. “That’s very nice of you to say, Lily.”
Lily grinned. “Queens shine each other’s crowns.”
Mom leaned back in her chair, enjoying every minute of this. “They sure do.”
***
Stocks
Monica’s dad was a big man who stood about my height but had at least fifty pounds on me. Monica said he used to be a heavyweight boxer, and after meeting the man close up, that didn’t surprise me at all. He was quiet during most of dinner, and after we ate, I took him outside to see the garage and the rest of the property.
His eyes widened when he saw my bike. “You take my daughter out on this death trap?” he asked.
I wasn’t going to lie to him, so I nodded. “Yessir.”
He eyed me. “She almost died in a car accident.”
This wasn’t at all how I’d imagined my first conversation with him going. “I don’t tell Monica what she can or can’t do. She rides on the back of my bike whenever she wants, and I’m a lucky man to have her there.”
He didn’t quite smile, but he didn’t kill me, either. “This old truck yours?” he asked, admiring my rusty old Chevy. With the help of the guys at the shop, it ran. Most of the time.
“Yessir. I bought it to help out around here. Couldn’t haul much gravel or lumber on my bike or in Monica’s car. I needed a truck to fix up the place, but didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on one.”
“You like doing that?”
“Fixing up the place?” At his nod, I continued. “Yes. Very much so. Never got much of a chance to work with my hands while growing up.” I took him into the portion of the garage that I’d turned into a shop. “Even bought some saws and tools I’m learning how to use. One of my buddies was a carpenter, and is now training to be an architect. He’s been helping me.”
Mr. Johnson’s brow furrowed. “What does your dad do for a living?”
“He works for an insurance company.” Worried that this heavyweight boxer would think holding down a desk job would make me a pussy, I plunged ahead. “That’s nothing I want to do, though, which is why I joined the Marines right out of high school.”
“You didn’t go to college?”
Great, now he thought I was an idiot. “I wanted to, but I never could decide on a major, and didn’t want to throw away the money. I liked serving as a Marine, and expected to retire in the service, so I didn’t give much thought to going back to school. I got a lot of certifications in the service, though. And after I lost my leg, I became a certified financial advisor, so…” So, what? I had drive? Ambition? The ability to retain enough information to pass a test? I couldn’t remember where I was going with that line of thinking, so I changed tactics. “My monthly disability check pays my bills, but I like to stay busy. Working for Monica’s organization is a good fit, because it allows me to be here to keep her safe.”
“You don’t think my daughter can protect herself?”
Everything I said kept coming out wrong. “I know she can, but she shouldn’t have to. We’re a team and—”
He held up a hand, silencing me and putting me out of my misery. “I get it.”
Shit. This was not going well at all. Needing to redeem myself, I tried again. “Sorry. I… I don’t usually ramble, it’s just that your daughter is the most important person in my life and I’d… I’d like your blessing to ask her to marry me.”
He’d bent down to inspect one of my saws, and his head popped up to meet my gaze. “What was that?”
Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to bring him into this room full of potentially deadly weapons after all. Still, I’d gone too far to backpedal now. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I want to marry your daughter.”
“That’s what I thought you said. What makes you think you’re worthy of my baby girl?”
“That’s definitely not what I said.”
“Don’t get smart with me, young man.”
“I meant that I’m not worthy of her. I don’t think anyone is. I’m a wounded veteran who only has a job by the grace of God and a non-profit organization your daughter sits on the board of. I know you don’t know me, but I love her. I’ll take care of her and respect her. I’ll do everything I can to keep her happy and healthy. That’s all I really have to offer, sir.”
He finally cracked a smile. “You have my blessing, Gage.”
Certain I must have misheard him, I asked, “I do?”
“Yeah. But I’m not calling you Stocks. That’s a dumb-ass name. You’ll never be worthy of her. But you brought my champ back into the ring. She’s fighting again, and that means everything in the world to me and her mom. You’ll never be good enough for my baby, but goddamn if you’re not relentless enough to keep trying… that’s better than most men.”
He wasn’t wrong. I nodded for all I was worth. “I will keep trying, sir. I’ll never give up, and I won’t let her, either. Thank you.”
He clapped me on the back—a little harder than necessary—and we headed back to the house. “Seeing my baby girl in that hospital bed… I thought she’d never smile again. You make her smile, and my wife says you’re a good man. Just don’t fuck up. If you do, I’ll drag your ass back into that shop to use every single one of those tools on you.”
I laughed, but he didn’t.
Realizing he wasn’t kidding, I sobered and replied, “Yessir. I won’t fuck up.”
He let out a chuckle. “Good. I like you, Gage. Treat my baby girl good so I don’t have to kill you.”
***
Monica
A week after my parents went home, Stocks and the girls surprised me with a picnic lunch.
“Come on,” Stocks said, gesturing for me to join him at the door. “We found the perfect spot at the park down the street and the girls are waiting for us.”
It was a nice, clear day, so we hoofed it down the block to the park. Stocks led me to a clearing that had been enclosed by a circle of sunflowers and daisies. Wondering what my crew was up to, I said, “This is nice.”
“It was Stocks’s idea,” Cari admitted. “We just helped set it up.”
He shrugged. “It’s a nice day. Thought we could use a little sunshine and flowers.”
Somehow, I didn’t quite buy his excuse, but I held my tongue as he shook out a giant red checkered blanket, and encouraged us all to sit. We settled in, passed around sandwiches and drinks until everyone was happily munching. The crew was never quiet, so the way they silently shared glances while we ate made me hella suspicious. When I couldn’t take the suspense any longer, I finally turned to Sto
cks and asked, “What is going on?”
“You might as well ask her now,” Lily said. “You know she’s not gonna let up until you do, and none of us can withstand her inquisitions.”
My inquisitions? Damn, I had this job locked down. “Ask me what?”
Frowning at Lily, Stocks stood and offered me his hand. He hefted me to my feet and led me closer to the water.
“I had a lot of really amazing plans for this moment,” he said. “But nothing I’ve been able to come up with is good enough for you.”
It sounded a lot like he was calling me a snob, so I arched an eyebrow at him.
“See? Even that came out wrong.” Turning me so my side was facing the girls, he dropped down to one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. “Being around you makes all my best laid plans go sideways. Yet somehow, it all turns out better than I ever could have planned. I want this,” he gestured between us, “to last. Forever. What do you say you make me the happiest son-of-a-bitch on this planet and marry me?”
He popped open the ring box and showed me the beautiful diamond solitaire within.
Eyes watering, I fanned my face. “All right, butter, I’ll marry you.”
“Good, because if you said no, I planned to drag your ass to Vegas and get you drunk enough to tie the knot.” He stood and slid the ring onto my finger while the girls cheered. Then he settled his hands on my ass and picked me up.
I wrapped my legs around his waist as we kissed with the Puget Sound in the background and our crazy castle a little over a block away. Strangely enough, it was perfect.
I lost his lips for a moment as he pulled away to ask, “Girls, you got this mess?”
“Yep!” they all said together.
“Good. Might not wanna come home for a while.”
Stocks carried me like a front pack all the way home. Then he marched me straight into our room and tossed me on the bed where he proceeded to strip us both naked and kiss every inch of my body. Then he climbed on top of me on his hands and knees, with his hard cock inches from my mouth while his hot breath warmed my pussy.
“Winner gets to choose the next position. The first person to come, loses,” he said.
We hadn’t played this game since the first night we’d met. I lost that time, but felt I’d grown as a woman and a sex addict since then. Licking him balls to head, I said, “You’re on, white boy.”
His tongue slid through my folds, dragging a moan from somewhere deep within. “I got your boy for you.”
His mouth landed on my pussy as I tried to swallow his cock. The game was afoot, and this time, I had every intention of winning it all.
Hell, I already had.
Thank you so much for reading Betting on Stocks. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey. Please take a moment to write a review. They only require twenty words and help me tremendously. I appreciate your support!
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Harley Stone is a lover of animals, books, dark chocolate, and red wine. She's always up for a good adventure (real or fictional), and when she's not building imaginary worlds, she's dipping her toes into reality in southwest Washington with her husband and their boys.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would have never become a reality without the help and support of so many people. Special thanks to my husband, Meltarrus, our boys, and all my friends and family for putting up with my relentless talk about story lines and fictional characters. Thank you for always believing in me and encouraging me to keep going!
Thank you, Jack Davenport, for this beautiful cover layout.
Huge thanks to the incredible Gail Goldie, who once again saw my work first and saved the rest of the world from having to wade through my mistakes. I’m greatly indebted to friend and author Nicole Phoenix for her incredible edits and Brandy Glaser for her keen, capable eye. Thank you, beta and ARC readers for your edits, support, and love.
And, thank you, reader, for embarking on this journey with me!