Insistent

by Kaylee Ryan

  Tristan takes Zach from Lauren and nuzzles him before kissing her hello and sitting on the floor between her legs. He better enjoy it while he can; I plan to steal my little bud before the night is over. All of them in fact. Uncle Gavin needs a fix of his nephews.

  Cole beelines for Stacy and sits next to her. I watch as he whispers in her ear; I’m sure checking on how she’s feeling. My eyes search the room and land on Cass. My beautiful girl is sitting on the chaise lounge with baby Riley in her arms. She’s staring down at him, looking content as hell, and my heart stutters in my chest. I can’t wait to see her grow with our baby. Needing to be next to her, I slide in behind her on the lounge and kiss her neck. “We need one,” I whisper. I want to align my body with hers, but I can’t chance her feeling the ring in my pocket. Plus, Drew doesn’t need to see that. The others can look away. I’ve witnessed the same with them and their wives.

  “We do,” she agrees, shocking the hell out of me.

  “Yeah?” I ask.

  “Yeah. He’s such a good baby. They all are.” She looks over her shoulder at me.

  “Tell me when, Cass. You can stop taking your pills tonight as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Okay,” she agrees.

  I squeeze her hip. “Baby, are you listening to me?” No way did she agree to tossing her pills. Not that easily.

  She giggles. “I heard you, Gav.”

  “No more pills?” I ask, my lips next to her ear.

  “No more,” she whispers back.

  “Sorry, Cass,” Cole says, standing to walk toward us. “I need some loving from my son. It’s been too long,” he says, reaching out for Riley.

  “There’s Daddy,” she whispers, handing over the sleeping baby.

  Once he’s out of her arms, I adjust us so she’s snuggled up against my chest. I’m mindful to keep her on my left side, as the ring is in the right. Thankfully, these jeans are not tight, and I can pass it off as my phone if she notices. I need to keep her busy. Better yet, reaching for a pillow, I set it on my lap.

  “My heart is yours,” I whisper into her ear. “I can’t wait to live this life with you.” I don’t have to elaborate; she knows what I’m talking about. Since our trip, I’ve been blunt about what I want, her, a family of our own, and after this conversation, it looks like I’m getting it all. “You’re like a genie,” I whisper just for her, kissing below her ear.

  She looks up at me, a confused expression on her face. “A genie?”

  “You grant wishes. I wished for you, and you granted that wish. I wished for you to be my wife, again you granted it. I wished to make babies with you and you also granted that one.”

  She smiles softly, and I kiss her. I don’t care who’s watching. Pulling back, she distracts me with pizza and a beer. We spend the next hour or so eating and talking with our friends. I’m the first to stand and call it a night. The guys smirk and the girls swoon when I tell them I need to get my girl home so we can celebrate. I’m sure as soon as the door closes behind us, the guys will fill them in.

  I keep both hands on the wheel, afraid she’ll notice how clammy they are. I can’t wait to ask her to be mine, this time with the ring, the symbol of my love for her, the symbol of the life we’re building. I press a little harder on the accelerator.

  Gavin holds on to the wheel like his life depends on it. Usually, he has his hand on my thigh, our fingers laced together, or even my hand on his thigh, with his covering mine. He’s always touching me, but not this time. Normally, I would be worried, but every time he glances over at me, there’s a smile on his face. A smile that is so full of love and promises of what’s yet to come.

  When we pull up in front of his house, he turns off the ignition, grabs his keys, and climbs out. I barely have a chance to get the door open before he’s gripping my hips and pulling me out. As soon as my feet hit the ground, his hands are cradling my face, and his lips descend on mine. He makes love to my mouth, slow, languid strokes of his tongue against mine. As far as I’m concerned, we can stay out here all night. His kisses are intoxicating.

  He pulls back, his eyes locking on mine. His chest is rapidly rising and falling as is my own. His gaze says so much more than words ever could. Love. Lust. Longing.

  “Let’s get you inside,” he finally says.

  With my hand locked tightly in his, we make our way inside. Gavin doesn’t bother turning on the lights; instead, he leads me through the house and up the stairs in the dark. When we reach his room, he guides me to the bed. “Sit, baby,” he whispers.

  Under his spell, I do as he asks. When the lamp on the nightstand comes on, I blink at the light, adjusting my eyes. “You take my fucking breath away,” he says, tucking a curl behind my ear. “I can’t believe I’m the lucky bastard who gets to grow old with you.”

  Goo. I’m a puddle of mushy gooey lovey mess, and it’s all because of the man standing in front of me. He’s this badass rock star, covered in ink and ripped in muscles. He’s cocky and insistent, and he’s all mine. “I could say the same about you,” I finally say.

  He smiles, then drops to his knees. “I have something for you,” he says softly. “Two somethings, actually.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but I wait patiently. “Watch this,” he says, turning his phone toward me and hits play.

  My mom, she’s on the screen lying in her hospital bed. She’s talking to Gavin, and I know immediately this is the day she was her, not the shell of the woman the disease has made her. Tears sting my eyes, and I look away from the screen to Gavin. “I missed it.” I laugh. “I was so caught up in seeing her, can you start it over? I was… I was lost in my head, and I missed what you all were talking about.”

  His hand behind my neck, he pulls me to him and kisses me softly. “I love you,” he says, releasing me and hitting play again.

  I keep my eyes on the screen and listen to their conversation. My tears fall unchecked down my cheeks and I don’t bother wiping them away. I know there will just be more. When the video ends, I reach for him and wrap my arms as tightly as I can around his neck. “G-Gavin,” I cry. “Ho-how did you do this? I mean, I know how, but….” My emotions get the best of me. His arms are around my waist, and he simply holds me as I squeeze the life out of his neck. After a few minutes, I have a little more composure and release my hold on him. Instead, I place my hands on his cheeks and stare into his eyes. “Thank you. You’ve given me the best gift imaginable. I don’t know how to tell you what this means to me. My heart—” I reach for his hands and place his hands over my heart. “—it’s racing, to see her like that again and to know…” I choke up. He stays silent, giving me time. “To know that she knows you love me, that we’re going to be married. God, Gavin. This… it’s everything. I love you. You are everything that is good in my life. You’ve brought me back to life and this, it’s unexpected, and I will cherish it, cherish you always.” Those blue eyes of his are shining brightly with love and happiness. I can’t look away as I commit this moment to memory.

  “I can’t remember the exact moment you stole my heart. I don’t know that it was one single moment, but lots of little moments. Anytime I spent with you, only made the yearning I felt more pronounced. Then one day, I realized that no one else mattered. It’s just you. You were all I could see, all I wanted. When Zach was born, I knew I wanted that with you.” He pauses, and his hands fall from my thighs to his sides. The next thing I know he’s holding up a little black velvet box. When he opens it, I gasp. The most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen before in my life is nestled inside. “I promise to love you, to honor you, to cherish you all the days of my life. Cass, baby, will you marry me?”

  I nod, tears clouding my eyes. “Yes. A hundred times over, yes,” I say, launching myself at him. He falls back onto the floor, and I land on top of him. His hands cup my face and he wipes my tears with his thumbs.

  “I didn’t get to give you your ring.” He laughs.

  Sitting up, I stradd
le his hips. Still on his back, he removes the ring from its case and slides it on my finger, placing a feather-soft kiss over it. I hold my hand out and admire it. “It’s beautiful,” I say, my voice barely audible.

  “A beautiful ring, for my beautiful girl,” he murmurs.

  “I don’t want to wait,” I blurt.

  He sits up with me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Tell me what you want, Cass, and I’ll make it happen.” He kisses my neck. “Gotta say, baby, hearing you say that makes me so damn happy. I want to be married to you yesterday.” He nips at my ear.

  “The girls and I talked about it today. They said they would help, but really, I just want something… small. Intimate. I’d like for my mom to be there, but taking her out really isn’t an option right now. She needs constant supervision, and taking her out of her element upsets her.”

  “Then we go to her.”

  “Get married there? In the assisted-living home? Rock star Gavin McIntosh ties the knot at Better Living Assisted Living.” I change my voice like one of those reporters on the gossip channels.

  “It’s our wedding, Cass. We can do whatever the fuck we want. You want your mom there, we can’t take her out, so we take the wedding to her.”

  “You’d do that?” I pause before he can answer. I’d do it for him. “Of course, you would. You’re an amazing man, Gavin.”

  “I’ll call them tomorrow and get the ball rolling. When?” he asks, kissing my chin.

  “As soon as possible. Just Mom, and our friends, your family. Oh, God, what must your parents think?” I ask worriedly.

  “They’re going to think I’m a lucky man. They’re off traveling the world enjoying life, but I’ll call them, and they’ll be here. Once we have a date, I’ll make it happen.”

  “We’re getting married,” I screech and hug him tightly.

  “And making babies,” he says huskily.

  “Babies as in more than one?” I laugh.

  “More than one,” he confirms, rolling over and switching our positions. He settles between my legs, rocking his hips.

  “We’re not the only ones,” I tell him. He raises his eyebrow in question. “Kacen and Logan.” I smile up at him. “Baby Warren number two is on the way,”

  “Really?” His eyes light up. “Good for them. But, baby, that means we have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “You better get started,” I say, wrapping my legs around his hips.

  “Let’s get you out of these clothes.” He stands and strips quickly and efficiently, then offers me a hand up. I start to remove my clothes when he tells me he’ll be right back. I finish stripping and hear him behind me. Turning, I see he has my purse in his hands. “Your pills, I need them,” he says, handing me my purse.

  I reach inside, grab the packet, and hand them to him.

  He grins, then goes to the bathroom. I wait and then I hear the toilet flush. “You have any more of these?” he asks from the doorway.

  “No. I get them filled a month at a time.”

  “They’re gone.” His grin lights up his face.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yep.” He pops the P and struts back to me.

  “You ready for what that means?” I ask him.

  “Fuck yes, I am.” With that, he picks me up and tosses me on the bed and proceeds to show me just how ready he is, all night long.

  When I called Better Living and told them what we wanted to do, they were hesitant. Then I told them it would be sixteen people, that’s including the kids and the minister, and promised to make minimal disturbance to the residents. When I offered a sizeable donation for their trouble, they caved. It was a small price to pay to give Cass what she wants.

  That was two weeks ago, and as of today, we have a date. We had to work around their activities they have planned for the residents. We’re using the back garden, which is tranquil, and Cass loves it there. We spend a lot of time there when we go to visit her mom. I made sure to tell her that all the residents were invited. My hope is that Margaret will feel more comfortable being there with the others. It won’t single her out.

  One week from today, I’ll be a married man. It doesn’t give us much time to plan, but Cass assures me that having her mom there is all she wants. As for me, I would marry her today if she would let me. I’m more than ready to make her Mrs. Gavin McIntosh.

  “I’m heading out,” she says from her spot behind the couch.

  “You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

  “No, you can’t see my dress before the wedding.”

  Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my Am Ex. “I don’t care what it costs, you get the dress of your dreams and make sure they have it ready by next Saturday,” I tell her.

  “I don’t have a dream dress,” she reminds me. “I just want something simple, no frills. I just want to be yours.”

  Her words turn me inside out. “I’m wearing jeans and a button-down, right? You sure you don’t want me in a tux?” I ask her again.

  “Positive. Dark jeans and your black button down are perfect.”

  “Anything you want,” I remind her as she slides into her flip-flops.

  Her eyes soften. “Love you. I’ll be home later.”

  “Hey, pick up some stuff for the house while you’re out,” I yell after her.

  She laughs and then I hear the click of the door. She’s meeting Stacy, Lauren, and Logan at Logan’s to go dress shopping and whatever else shopping she needs for the wedding. I’m sitting in the living room of our new house; we’ve lived here a week but already with her here with me, it feels like home. We have nothing on the walls, and scarce furnishings, but we’ll get there. We bought a bedroom suite and a living room suite, and a few more pieces are to be delivered next week. Everything is coming together.

  When my cell rings, I see Kacen’s name flash across the screen. “Hey, Kace,” I greet him.

  “What are you getting into while the girls are gone?” he asks.

  “A whole lot of nothing.”

  “I need to run down to the dealership and drop off my truck for maintenance. You mind picking me up and taking me home?”

  I stand and grab my keys from the entryway table. “I’m leaving now. You got my man Drew with you?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, we’ll have to switch his seat over.”

  “I’m on my way.” When I get to the dealership, I take Drew from Kace while he talks to the guys about whatever it is he’s getting done. “Hey there, little man,” I say, holding my fist up for him to bump. He doesn’t disappoint and then proceeds to give me a sloppy kiss right on the lips.

  “You can thank his mother for that,” Kacen says with a laugh. “Let me get his seat.”

  “Did Mommy teach you that?” I ask him.

  He nods. “Suga,” he says proudly.

  I throw my head back in laughter, and the little guy does the same, mimicking me. “You ready for some more cousins to play with?” I ask him.

  “We play?” he asks.

  “You know it,” I tell him, knowing he doesn’t really understand what I’m talking about. He heard the word play and his concentration is solely on that. We wait while Kacen gets the seat strapped into the back seat of my truck.

  “Dada.” Drew reaches for his dad and Kacen grins.

  “We’re having another one,” he says with pride in his voice.

  “I heard. Congrats, man. I hope to not be too far behind you.” He straps his son into his seat, and we head back to his place.

  When we get there, I take Drew out back and push him on the swing. I promised him we would play and, with Cass out with the girls, I’ve got time on my hands. Besides all I have to do is drive across the street to be home. I can’t describe how much I love that. I finally feel like I’m home.

  “So, a week?”

  “Too damn long if you ask me,” I reply.

  “Now you’re starting to sound like Cole.”

  I laugh. “All you fu—future husbands felt the same way,” I s
ay, correcting myself. I almost dropped the f-bomb in front of Drew. Logan would have my ass. If the little guy has a potty mouth, they are not going to be blaming it on Uncle Gavin.

  “True.” He chuckles.

  “Did you think we’d ever get here, man? To the wife and kids, and homes, not just houses but real homes.”

  “I hoped,” he replies. “Although, I wasn’t sure about the three of you. I wasn’t sure any of you would settle down.”

  “Just takes the right woman.” I grin.

  “No truer words have ever been spoken.”

  We spend the next hour pushing Drew on the swing and playing tag, chasing him around the yard. When he starts to get cranky, Kacen deems it’s time for a nap. I give my little buddy a hug and drive across the street to my house. Correction, to the home that Cass and I are building together. I sit in the driveway and think about how fast it all came together. I’ve wanted her from afar for longer than I can remember and suddenly every wish I’ve had for us has come true.

  I busy myself shopping for a pool table for the basement until Cass comes in with a huge smile on her face. “Hey, baby.” I stand to greet her. “Did you find a dress?” I ask.

  “A dress, shoes, jewelry. We stopped at the local florist and picked out my bouquet. I even had them make small arrangements for the residents of Better Living. I know it’s extravagant, but I thought they would enjoy it.”

  “I like that idea.” I kiss her soft lips. “It’s not extravagant. I want this day to be everything you want it to be. It was a sweet thing to do. This way your mom will not feel like she’s singled out. My fiancée is so smart,” I say, kissing her again.

  “You only have one more week to call me that.”

  “I know. I need to get my fill, but I’ll gladly trade it for wife.”