He leaned on his elbow. “Do you think Zeke will let me in the house?”
I smiled at him. “He’d better.”
It was crazy how fast things moved after that. We didn’t have seats together, but Max shot a pointed look at the guy next to me while he pretty much demanded—rather than asked—that they switch, and it happened. I rested on his shoulder and watched movies on my phone.
Then he was in my apartment, poking around at my things for a minute before he threw me on the bed and took me first fast and then slowly. Then both again. I woke up tangled in both the sheets and Max the next morning.
Packing sucked, but he was better at it than me, and we were halfway through my apartment in no time. Max did things I hadn’t thought about. He called movers, arranged for my car to be transported, and only grumbled a little bit about not coming with me to quit my job. I didn’t want him sitting in the car while I was in there for however long. Plus, I had a surprise I wanted to do without him with me.
My hair stylist was thrilled to put my hair back to red. It wasn’t my exact color but it was close, and growing it out would be less startling. My boss wasn’t thrilled with me. There was nothing I could do. I’d pick Max anytime, I just knew I would. I lived a year of my life without him. I didn’t want to anymore. Unenrolling from my certificate program was fast, and I arrived back home to find he’d packed my whole apartment.
Max actually stumbled when he saw me with my red hair before the smile stretched his lips. “There you are, my redhead.”
I wanted to be his whatever. His anything.
“Forgive me?” he asked before we went to sleep, still panting from making love once again.
“Yes,” I told him again. His nod was the same as it had been in Portland. He wrapped me against him.
For two insomniacs, we were both falling asleep at night, which was such a gift unto itself.
The trip to Layla’s was familiar to me by then, and Max chatted with me about the upcoming menu and his signing on with the Food Network. “I wanted to be able to give you the life you deserve. I knew that this would push me over the edge. We’d be able to have whatever you wanted.”
I stared at him. He’d insisted on driving. “You know I don’t care about that. It’s so much less important to me than anything else.”
“I do know that, actually. That doesn’t mean I didn’t want to give you the life you should have. The restaurant is paid off. You sold your mom’s painting to give that to me. We should be able to live really well now, not worrying about things the same way I had been.”
I sighed. “Max…I think we’ve both proven we can express our love in dramatic ways. If you want to compare who did what, I think you win in the acts of love game. What you gave me…I still can’t fathom what it cost you.”
“Nothing. It cost me nothing. He didn’t deserve to keep living.”
I smiled at him. “I was actually thinking about the Russian mob thing.”
Max winced. “Yeah…that cost me nothing new. Those were old costs.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done, but if you hate filming, don’t do it.”
He shook his head. “We’ll see.”
The vineyard was hopping with activity, but inside the house, it was quiet. Zeke shot Max a look when we arrived, but then he extended his hand which, after a poignant pause, Max accepted.
“A year. You could deal with the Russians faster than you could find Hope?” Zeke walked into the kitchen to get some wine.
“You knew?” I practically shouted at Zeke, while Noah ran up for me to pick him up in my arms. He always did that when I came over. Much to Bridget’s chagrin, I was his favorite auntie, but what was he supposed to do when he saw her almost never?
Layla leaned against the wall. Her pregnancy was showing now. She cradled her swollen stomach.
Zeke shot me a look. “Who else was it going to be, if it wasn’t me or Michael?”
I’d asked Michael to start the process of bringing me back to being me and not Amelia anymore. He was working on it.
“Do you know how many times I called you over the last year?”
Zeke smirked. “Why should I make it easy on you? If you could find the Russians, you should have been able to seek out Hope. Looks like you worked it out. Good job with the Food Network move.”
“Thanks.” Max took the wine from him. “You know I sell your product at my restaurant.”
Zeke grinned. “Thanks for that.”
I groaned, and Layla shook her head. “They’re working it out. Go sit down. He’s out.”
It was Noah she motioned toward, and I realized that yes, he’d conked out right on my shoulder. This was the second time he’d done so upon my arrival. Last time, his nap lasted for two hours. I loved his trust, and my heart clenched with my love for this little boy—the cutest boy ever born, I was convinced of it.
I sat down on her couch and realized the room had fallen silent. They all watched me. My gaze met Max’s. I really had no idea what he was thinking right then, but it was intense. His gaze was heated. I didn’t look away. He was mine, alongside all the intensity that came with him.
“What if we went to Vegas? Right now?” Max asked me while we drove back to Seattle.
“What?” I stared at him. “Why? Are you feeling like you want to go gamble?”
He shook his head. “Never. I’m not a gambler because I know sometimes you can lose. No, I want to marry you. Right now. Tonight. Or tomorrow really early in the morning. Do you want a big wedding? If you want that, we can have that, but that means my family, as you know. I’d love to see you in a dress. Don’t get me wrong. I would. However, I’d rather have you be my wife tonight.”
I gasped. “Max…um. I think you have to ask me first before you plan the wedding.”
His smirk was stupidly adorable. “Yes, there is that. Hope, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man there ever was? Will you let me make you happy every day? Will you be my wife? Tonight?”
I dramatically sighed. “So what you’re saying is you want to ask me what I want for dinner and discuss vacation plans with me?”
“Hope, I would cook you anything you want, anytime you want it. And I’ll go anywhere in the world with you. Please just let me come. Anything you want. Anywhere you want.” His expression was serious. “I want all the things that married couples do. I never want to argue with you, but if we do, then I want to make up right then. I want to plan a future. I want to wake up with you. I want to see you holding our baby like you held Noah. Our baby. In your arms. I want to see you get big with that baby. I want to get old with you. You know I’m older than you, so I’m going to go first. I want to look at you at the end, know you’re there with me, and—”
“Stop,” I said, interrupting him. Tears had hit my eyes. “I can’t…I can’t think of that. Okay? Not that. Not ever that image. I already live with a ghost. I’m not going to add some sort of future anticipatory grief to that. Don’t ever say that again. None of us know what’s going to happen. You know that I’m never going to be entirely…normal. I still sometimes have to lock and relock my doors. Things like that. Are you sure you want a wife who does that kind of thing? The mother of your children to do that?”
He let go of the steering wheel to tangle his hand in my hair. “I want you, Hope. Everything that comes with that. I’m fucked up too. I could start listing what that is again if you need. I love you, Hope. Everything about you.”
“You don’t want to take a breath and get used to having me around again before you commit to this?”
He scrunched my hair harder. “Because you think I might change my mind? I know who you are. This is your self-doubt rearing up. Do you need some time? To decide about me? It’s okay if you do. I am going to work every day, married or not, to be worthy of your love. To be at the point where you can say unequivocally, yes, Max, I’ll marry you.”
“Yes, Max. I’ll marry you.”
He audibly caught his breath. �
��Thank you, Hope. Thank you.”
“In Vegas. Tonight.” I didn’t need or want a white wedding. There wasn’t a thing about that experience that I wanted.
I just wanted Max.
“Even if the food I asked for was frozen fish sticks?” I’d developed a little bit of a taste for them over the last year.
He made a face. “Maybe I draw the line at that.”
When he kissed me that night in a wedding chapel the concierge suggested, and I officially became his wife, I was home.
“Forgive me?” he asked in my ear.
I nodded. “I do, Max.”
“Love me?”
I kissed his cheek. “In every way. Love me?”
“Completely.”
Epilogue
Max
I hated traveling because it took me away from home, but I had to do it to film and so I did it. Anna handled the restaurant just fine when I was away. Maybe better, in some ways, since she had no temper. And my beloved Hope was a superstar at home with our babies. Still, it was like hell to be away from her. From them.
As quietly as I could, I opened the door to enter our home and closed it just as quietly. It was midnight. I hoped they were asleep. Of course, if Hope were out cold, I’d have to wake her in one of the ways that she liked.
There were many, many ways.
Only she wasn’t asleep. In fact, she was wide awake, on the couch, with both girls attached to her breasts. This was very unusual. Nicole and Chloe had both been sleeping through the night for three months. We’d been really lucky that they were such good sleepers and started doing that at four months old.
Hope lifted her gaze to meet mine, her eyes wounded. I strode toward her, dropping my bags. “What’s the matter?”
My heart pounded hard. If something had happened when I was out of town, I was going to freak the fuck out. My daughters’ eyes were both closed as they nursed, one on each of my wife’s breasts. This was basically sleep feeding. In the dim light, I could still see their red hair starting to form curls.
“They’re sick. I’m sick.” She winced. “Keep a distance. You don’t need this, trust me. They can’t get comfortable, and I don’t blame them. This…this feels terrible. Bad cold. I took them to the doctor this morning.”
I knelt, ignoring her statement to stay away, and placed my hand on her forehead. Luck or genes or whatever it was, I had a really good immune system. I almost never got sick, and if I did, so be it. Hope was hot, and so were the girls.
“Did you take yourself to the doctor? And why didn’t you tell me? When did you get sick?”
She shifted slightly. “Yesterday. I didn’t want to worry you. What were you going to do from New Orleans?”
“Come home.” I sighed. This was the shit that kept me up at night when I was away. Something could happen.
“You had one day of filming left. It’s a cold, it sucks, but it’s not terrible.” She closed her eyes. “Seriously, my love, stay away.”
I put a hand on Chloe’s back and moved her until she let Hope go. “Give her to me. Both of them.” I did the same thing to Nicole, and Hope didn’t fight me on it. They were going in their crib, the one we kept in our room for times like this. They didn’t wake when I set them down, and I felt their heads again. Not too hot. Warmer than they should be, but not scary.
After they were settled next to each other the way they always wanted to sleep, I took a second just to make sure all was well. I’d been terrified when I heard there were two, because…fuck. Multiples obviously ran in Hope’s family, although Layla hadn’t had any yet. Two boys, born years apart.
My daughters were perfection, like their mother, and even though people seemed to think that other than the hair color, they looked like my side of the family, I knew it was bullshit. All I could see when I looked at them was their beautiful mother. My Hope, who had, for some reason, decided I was worth taking back into her heart. Her love wasn’t something I ever took for granted.
I went back into the living room to find her asleep on the couch. She was a lot hotter than our daughters. I picked her up, and she stirred. “Thanks for taking them. I might have just let them stay there all night. I don’t have the wherewithal to move.”
She was way too hot for my liking. “Did you take something for your temperature?”
My life, who I held in my arms, shook her head. “Can’t.”
“Why can’t you?”
Her sigh moved through me. “I’m pregnant. Surprise!”
“What?” I stopped abruptly. “When? What?”
Her smile was fast and then gone as she closed her eyes, pressing her head against me. “I’m pregnant. Surprise.”
Well…so much for breastfeeding acting as birth control. My heart swelled. Another baby. They were going to be so close in age to our twins. Fuck. It could be twins again. Or triplets. I couldn’t go there in my head right then. Whatever we were facing, we were facing it together. I did all the filming so we could get help if we needed it. Hope never wanted it, but if there were more than one again, I would insist.
“Thank you, my love.” I kissed her cheek. “Thank you for this family.”
I meant it in every fiber of my being. I’d never thought I could have our life or even thought I wanted it. This was everything.
I laid her down on the bed. “You can take something. I know you don’t want to when you’re pregnant.” I remembered it from the last round. “But you’re going to right now because I don’t like how hot you are. The baby will be fine.”
She was basically unmoving while I took off her socks until she spoke again. “This is Trina’s fault.”
Well, that wasn’t surprising somehow. Hope had spent part of the week at my mother’s so that she could have company and my family could fawn over the babies. I liked that she’d been with them. Most of her work was virtual, so she could do it anywhere. “What did my sister do?”
“She brought her sick kids to your mother’s house. Who brings sick kids to babies? Who does that?” She groaned.
Things were never going to be peaches and cream between Trina and Hope. Trina had a lot to make up for, and she knew it. Hope was kind to her, but damn if there were tense undercurrents, and I was on my wife’s side. Trina could earn back Hope’s trust or not.
I wasn’t sure I would ever really believe in her again. I handed her some pills that were okay for her to take, and she swallowed them down with the water next to the bed.
I climbed in next to her and turned off the light. Our daughters snored in the corner in their crib. Hope rolled toward me. “I’m going to get you sick. Go in the other room.”
“No.” I ran my hands through her hair. This was my happy place. My love.
My phone dinged, and I picked it up to look. Hope officially snored against my side. I kissed her forehead, looking at my phone.
Going to Russia to get Bridget.
It was from Michael. What? Why was Bridget in Russia? “Baby?” I said, but Hope didn’t budge. I stroked her back. “Hope?”
She slept comfortably next to me. Tonight would be one of those times I didn’t sleep. That was fine. I was used to it. The girls needed me, Hope might, and now I had to worry about her sister.
Why is she in Russia?
I waited for the answer.
I’ll text more later. This is Justin’s fault. Tell Hope not to worry, I’ll bring her sister home.
That wasn’t likely. Hope was going to worry, so I wasn’t going to tell her until her fever went away. She was mine to take care of. Period. End of story.
I texted Zeke.
How freaked out are you?
It took him a moment to answer. How do we convince them they don’t want to go to Russia?
Fuck if I knew. I’d figure it out. I held my wife. My everything. Nothing was coming near my family. Not ever.
Thank you so much for reading Redheaded Redemption (Redheads #2). If you have a moment and could leave a review for this book, I’d be so grateful. Be on
the lookout for Real Men Love Redheads, Michael and Bridget’s story coming soon!
And please turn the page for a complete list of my books.
Please Turn the page for a complete list of my books
About the Author
As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework.
I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.
I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
I'd love to hear from you! Please visit my website at www.rebeccaroyce.com to sign up for my newsletter and learn about my books!
Here’s where you can find me online:
Rebecca’s Randomness Reading Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/RebeccasRandomness/
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Cheers!!
Rebecca
Other books by Rebecca Royce…
Contemporary Romance
Redheads:
Redhead on the Run
Redheaded Redemption
Real Men Love Redheads (coming soon)
Reverse Harem Story (completed series)
Unconventional
Redheaded Redemption (Redheads Book 2) Page 25
