by Loni Ree
Paramedics are waiting at the door to check us out. As they enter, I realize Zander and Rachel are arguing in the kitchen. It appears she’s explaining the negative pregnancy test, and he looks ready to explode. After we’re both cleared by the paramedics, Slater bundles me out to his truck. We’re on our way before I have time to react.
I look over, and Slater is gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers are completely white. I chew on my bottom lip while trying to figure out what to say to my man. I finally blurt out the only thing that comes to mind. “Are you mad at me for some reason?”
Because he thinks about his answer for so long, I begin to worry. Slater pulls the truck to the side of the road and stares at me for a second before sighing. “Every time I picture what could’ve happened, I want to throw up. After Trenton’s call, I was ready to shout from the rooftops I was so happy, but then that happiness turned to pure terror when I thought something might have happened to you. I just need some time to get over all of this.” As he leans his forehead against mine, I see a tear roll down his cheek, and I wipe it away. Slater kisses me then turns back to the road and swallows. “I may not let you out of my sight for a while. You know, ten years or so.” He pulls back onto the road, and we’re silent the rest of the way home.
The next day, I find out Slater wasn’t exaggerating. He isn’t letting me get more than a few feet from him. His handsome face is lined with stress and fatigue. We slept with the bathroom light on and a small crack in the door between our bedroom and the bathroom. I woke up in the middle of the night and found Slater staring down at me in the dim light of the room. This morning, I tried to roll out of bed without waking him, but he sat straight up and looked panicked as soon as I moved from his side.
Chapter 13
Slater
Yesterday, I lived through a nightmare, and I don’t know how long it’ll take me to recover. When Trenton Mills called me to congratulate me, excitement shot through me, but I immediately knew something else was up. Elyse wouldn’t hide something so important from me. She’d want me there to share the joy of finding out we were going to be parents. I immediately connected the dots of Rachel calling in and Elyse’s text about Rachel needing a favor. It just made sense.
I tried to call her and didn’t get a response, and then some sixth sense told me to call George Henderson. My heart nearly stopped when he answered the phone. His voice was so weak; I could hardly make out the words, “Call 911. Girls need help.” I know I roared something throughout the shop, and I remember driving like a bat out of hell with Zander furiously asking questions the entire way. I somehow managed to call 911, and evidently, Brock also called them from the shop.
We arrived seconds before the cops. I found George Henderson next to his truck. He had a weak pulse, and I prayed he made it, but honestly, I kept moving toward Elyse. The next few minutes were a blur. My heart nearly dropped when I rushed in the door and saw the lowlife holding a knife and threatening my girl. He had Rachel in a chokehold, but she’d been smart enough to go limp after the door flew in, and Zander grabbed him. By the time the officers pulled my friend off the much bigger man, Zander had pounded the fuck out of Dooley Daigle.
Zander and Rachel can figure their shit out, and Brock will have to find a way to manage the shop on his own for a little while because my ass is staying home with my woman for the time being. I know they all think I’ve lost my shit, but I’ve never been saner. Yesterday, I was shown exactly what I could lose. I’m going to slow the fuck down a little and take time to appreciate her. I’ve got tons of money in the bank. We’re going to stay home together and enjoy it while we both recover from this trauma. I know, at some point, I’ll want to return to the shop. That day won’t come for quite a while—like until I marry and knock up my girl and stop picturing my life without her every time I close my eyes.
After throwing on a t-shirt and pair of sweats, I look around and nearly have a heart attack when I can’t find Elyse anywhere. I was in the bathroom for five minutes tops, and now she’s fucking gone. Sweat breaks out all over my body, and my legs turn weak. As I’m about to roar her name, Elyse comes strolling into the bedroom with Duchess hot on her trail. I collapse onto the bed and drop my head between my knees to take a couple of deep breaths. Elyse runs her soft hand over my shoulders and through my hair. “Sorry if I scared you. I thought you heard me say I was taking Duchess out to potty. Poor thing was howling at the door.” Her lips touch the back of my neck, and I realize I need to get my shit together.
Looking up at her, I try to smile. “I’m working on my shit. Give me some time.” She kneels in front of me and wraps her arms around my chest. After pulling Elyse tighter to me, her fragrant hair surrounds my face, and I breathe her in. “I love you so much. I need time to get over the thought of losing you,” I whisper into her neck. Elyse rubs her delicate hands up and down my back soothingly, and some of the tension leaves my body.
She kisses my neck, and her warm breath feathers against my ear. “What can I do to help you?”
Leaning back, I look into her beautiful eyes. I can’t resist kissing her, and then I sigh against her lips. “Just stay close to me and put up with my craziness. I’ll get over it eventually.”
“I love you, craziness and all, so staying close isn’t a hardship.”
As we’re eating breakfast, she looks over at me and bites her bottom lip. I know she’s about to hit me with something, so I prepare myself. Elyse walks over and wraps her arms around my waist. Looking up at me, she asks, “Could we go to the hospital and see George and Edna? I’d like to make sure they’re okay.” There’s no way I can deny her. I know it’s perfectly safe, but my stomach still knots at the thought of taking her away from the security of the house.
After pulling myself together, I paste a smile on my lips. “Okay. We’ll go by the hospital, and then we can stop by TBD so I can check on everything on our way home.”
When we get to the hospital, it takes a little convincing to get in to see Edna Henderson. Since she was the victim of a violent crime, we have to wait until we’re cleared to see her. George is still in ICU, so they inform us only family is allowed at his bedside.
After Elyse knocks on the door, we barely hear Edna’s call to come in. We enter the room and find Edna sitting in the hospital bed playing solitaire. Besides the bluish bruise covering the side of her face, she looks unharmed, and I breathe a sigh of relief. The older woman smiles brightly when she sees us and waves her skinny arm to point at the chairs over by the windows. “Come in and sit down. I’m bored to tears in here.”
Elyse walks over and hugs her while I sit in one of the chairs. As Elyse sits next to me, the two women chat about George. “The old goat’s too mean to die.” Edna laughs, and Elyse looks over and rolls her eyes. I’ve heard the couple is eccentric, but this is the first time I’ve ever really talked to Edna. “They let me in to see him this morning, so I could keep him from running the nurses off. The doctor told me they’d move him to a regular room tomorrow.”
We stay for a while longer and promise to visit the couple after they are released. Before we leave, I promise Edna I’ll take care of Elyse. It’s an easy promise to make since Elyse is everything to me.
We find a disaster at TBD Auto. The shop is hopping, and Zander and Brock are at each other’s throats. Rachel is ignoring the men and smiling sweetly at the customers, which seems to set Zander off even more. Elyse walks over to chat with Rachel, and Dennis signals for me to follow him out back.
My feet hardly clear the shop door before he pleads with me, “Think your girl has PMS medicine to give Zander? ‘Cause that boy is seriously fucked up. One minute, he wants Rachel to take care of the customers, and the next, he tells her she’s too fucking friendly.” Dennis looks through the peek hole on the door and shakes his head. “Brock tried to point this out, and Zander threatened to feed his balls to him, so I’m staying the fuck out of it.”
I rub the back of my neck. Zander is going to h
ave to figure his shit out, or he’s going to lose Rachel, but he’s a grown fucking man. Since it’s his business, I have to take care of the shop and let him deal with his personal life. I pat Dennis on the back. “I’ll talk to Zander and try to straighten this shit out.”
Dennis looks skeptical but shrugs and heads back to work. I walk back into the lobby and wink at Elyse then step between Zander and Brock. After Zander turns on me, I pull him into my office.
He opens his mouth to blast me, but I shove my arm into his throat. Shock runs through my best friend’s eyes, and I take the opportunity. “Look. You have lost it. Take a few fucking days and figure your shit out.” His eyes flash like he’s about to spew, but I press harder on his throat, choking off his words. “It’s not a suggestion. You can’t go on. Either go after Rachel or give her up, but this in-between is killing you both.”
As I step back, he rubs his throat and flips me off. “All of you fuckers need to leave me the fuck alone.” Zander slams out of my office, and I look up at the ceiling. I don’t know why he’s fighting this relationship so hard, but he’ll have to figure his shit out on his own.
Rachel and Brock are relieved to have a break from the tension. Brock promises me he’ll stop by and check on Zander later. Hopefully, my friend figures his shit out before he loses Rachel for good.
Chapter 14
Slater
A week later, I’m about to pull sweats out of my drawer when Elyse stops me. “Why don’t you get dressed in work clothes? I’ll go to the shop with you.” I turn, ready to argue, but she puts a finger to my lips. “You’re going insane in the house and taking me there with you. Look, I already talked to Brock. He’s getting a computer set up so I can work at the shop with you. I’ll do some of the paperwork and take a little of the workload off of you.”
Warring emotions run through me. Her suggestion makes sense, but I’m still leery. Dooley Daigle admitted to stalking Rachel, but he swore he didn’t break into our shop. If the fucker is telling the truth, that perpetrator is still on the loose. My desire to make Elyse happy is fighting with my need to keep her safe. “I’m not sure it’s safe for you to be at the shop until they catch whoever broke in.”
The little shit rolls her eyes as she steps over to wrap her arms around my waist. “That was some kids screwing around months ago. Plus, you’ll be with me the whole time.” When she looks up and pouts a little, I sigh, knowing she’s won this time.
Elyse begins working at TBD Auto with me three days a week and stays home with the new security system armed on the other two. After our run-in at TBD last week, I went to Zander’s and finished my fight with the fucker. He still isn’t talking about his relationship with Rachel, but we’ve developed a delicate truce around the shop. Zander, Brock, and I have gotten our relationship back to normal, but Rachel and Zander’s battle has turned into a cold war. They don’t speak to each other at all, making the tension in the shop almost unbearable at times. Elyse told me Emerson is helping Rachel search for a new job, and as much as I’d miss seeing my sister every day, I know the separation from Zander would be a good thing.
The next three weeks pass at such a slow pace, but I’m finally beginning to sleep a few hours at night since the nightmares are getting less frequent. A few days before our wedding, Rachel gives her notice, and Zander hardly bats an eyelash. Their war has turned into a cold war at work, and we all walk on eggshells around the two of them. This is going to relieve a ton of tension in the shop. She tells us Sunny and Sue hired her at the diner, and she’s looking forward to her new job.
When Zander doesn’t show up the next day, Brock takes me aside to explain he had to drag his drunk ass cousin home last night and drop Zander into bed. He doesn’t expect to see Zander for a couple of days. Since my wedding is in two days and that fucker is my best man, he’d better pull his shit together.
It’s the day of our wedding, and I’m ready. Thursday night, I went to Zander’s house and had a long talk with my best friend. The asshole denies having feelings for my sister, but he’s been drinking his weight in Jack Daniels every day since she announced she’s leaving TBD Auto. I finally told the fucker to man the hell up and go after her or let her go. I’m not sure I got through his thick skull; we’ll see what happens. Brock and I did manage to get him sober and clean his ass up for the wedding. Then Brock ended up with babysitting duty. I owe Brock big time when we get back from our honeymoon.
I look around my backyard and blink to clear the purple haze from my vision. The girls covered every available surface with purple bows and flowers. Judge Smith is standing behind me, waiting for the ceremony to start, and there’s an arch around us covered in purple flowers. It’s actually fortunate because Zander is slightly leaning up against it. Brock only half-succeeded at his duties last night. Both the fuckers are on my shit list. We only invited our closest friends, and I hired the best security. I’m getting better, but I’m a long way from being over the trauma.
When the music starts, everyone stands and looks at the back of the aisle. Emerson comes down the aisle first, and I hear Zander’s “Fucking son-of-a-bitch.” I look for the reason and turn to see Rachel standing at the back of the aisle. My sister looks beautiful in her pale turquoise dress, with her fancy hairstyle and more makeup than I’ve seen her wear. She looks like a totally different person. After she walks by, the music changes, and I forget all about Zander and Rachel as my stunning bride floats down the aisle on Brock’s arm. My mouth waters at the sight of her in the pure white, off-the-shoulder, fitted gown. Elyse’s hair is pulled up into some fancy style that leaves her gorgeous neck bare, and my lips tingle with the need to taste her soft skin. The tiny white flowers arranged in Elyse’s hair give her an innocent look, and plans to make sure she’s well defiled tonight run through my mind. We turn to face the celebrant, and I’m forced to discreetly adjust my cock so the judge doesn’t see my straining hard-on. I’m so caught up trying not to embarrass Elyse at our wedding; the entire ceremony is a blur.
After Judge Smith gives me the go-ahead, I grab my girl and pour all my love into our first kiss as man and wife. I hear Zander whisper, “Fuck, man, go easy. I can see your wood from five feet away.” And I decide I can live with one best friend. This one is going to die soon.
As we’re about to cut our cake, Elyse leans into me and whispers, “Zander just drug Rachel into the house. Do you need to go check on her?”
I lay my head against hers and smile. “He may be an asshole, but he won’t hurt my sister. They need to figure this shit out for themselves. Now, cut this cake so we can finish this up, and I can carry your little ass out of here. I have plans to keep you occupied for the next two weeks.”
Elyse’s eyes widen for a second as a blush moves over her face and neck. She swallows and leans over to touch her soft lips to my ear. “I like your plans. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Turning my face, I kiss her lips and smile. “I love you so much. I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you.”
Epilogue
Elyse— Five Years Later
“Vroom, Mommy. My car goes vroom.” Amelia shows me her toy car, and I smile. I’ve bought hundreds of dolls for my little girl, and she smiles then tosses them aside to play with her cars. Of course, my husband loves it. Slater can’t wait for Amelia to be a little bit older so he can teach her how to work on real cars.
As we hear the garage door, Amelia screeches, “Daddy’s home,” and poor Duchess buries her head in the sofa cushions. The older animal is still adjusting to life with a little munchkin in the house. Soon, there will be two little ones, and Duchess will really have a tough time. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle a three-year-old and a new baby, but I know my husband will be with me every step of the way.
Heavy footsteps thunder through the foyer before Slater appears in the family room entrance. He smiles at me then laughs when Amelia screams and runs for him. Lifting her up high on his chest, Slater kisses Amelia’s cheek. “How are my
girls doing?” He listens intently as Amelia talks non-stop about our day.
While he’s still cradling her close, he walks over and leans down to kiss me. “Daddy, you’re squishing me,” Amelia complains, and Slater stands up and laughs at her pout.
After kissing her forehead, Slater sets Amelia on her feet. “Why don’t you go get all your stuff and show me what you did today?”
As she runs off to grab all her artwork and toys, Slater takes the opportunity to kiss me again. After he lifts his head, I take a second to catch my breath then smile. “That’s a sneaky trick, Mr. Torrey.” When he winks at me, desire still floods my system, even after all these years. He leans over and places both hands on my chest and gently massages my breasts. When he pinches my nipple through my shirt, I lay my head back against the sofa and groan. “You’re an evil man, torturing me this early in the evening. She isn’t going to go to bed for another three or four hours, at least.”
He sits next to me and puts an arm around my shoulders. Slater runs his hand around the side of my huge belly, and the baby gives him a hard kick. When I glance down, the bulge straining the front of his jeans is obvious. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he sighs and murmurs, “We’ll suffer together.”
A little later, I’m staring at the clock again, and it doesn’t appear to be moving. Amelia doesn’t seem to be slowing down any, either. Every few minutes, I see Slater glance down at his watch, and I know he’s thinking the same thing. After dinner and her bath, we watched her favorite movie and have read six books. I’m starting to lose hope when I glance over and see Amelia sound asleep on Slater’s chest. I wave my hand to get his attention and point down.
