Banded Together (Rebel Walking #2.5)

by Storm, Hilary

  "You ready to see your room? Tell Mommy to come see your brand new bedroom." We make our way down the hall to the doorway of her nursery. I can smell fresh paint about halfway there and I know what he's done, but nothing prepares me for how breathtaking the room looks. Everything is put together and completely perfect. The walls are painted with glittery paint that illuminates the room. The crib and furniture that I wanted to get her is all here. My emotions get the best of me and I tear up, AGAIN. Seriously. I need to check these tears at the door.

  "Taron, when did you do all of this?" He’d been with me almost the entire time at the hospital so I know there is no way he did this by himself.

  "We did most of it when you were trying to look at dresses with Ev. We had the room painted and most of the furniture in when Ev called me. Luke and Lilly finished it up for me." He's holding Heaven like a football in his arm, trying to show her everything. I can't hold back any longer. I step right in front of the man who is trying so hard to make me happy in life, wrap my arms around his waist and lean in to his chest.

  "Thank you."

  "For what, Ivy?"

  "For already being a great father to our baby."

  "You don't have to thank me; this is one of the moments that I've been waiting for." I know exactly what he means.

  This would be a nice moment if my boobs didn't hurt like a big bitch right now. No one prepared me for the sensitive nipple issue. I pull back and hold my hands over each one to try to rub out the pain. "Damn, my nips are killing me!"

  "There's that cream they gave you."

  "Yeah, I'm going to shower and try to take a nap. Can you wake me when she's hungry?" He nods in approval as he leans down to kiss me.

  I leave the room and it’s a matter of moments before I hear her crying. Taron brings her to me so I can feed her and we sit on the bed enjoying our new baby girl. He begins to talk to her and runs his finger over her cheek while she's breastfeeding. His tattoo is so blatantly obvious and reminds me that we need to talk about this.

  "You really should have talked to me before you got that tattoo."

  "And what would you have said? You'd have told me no and that doesn't work for me. Ivy, get over it. I can tattoo your name all over my fucking body if I choose to. Just because you want to hold back doesn't mean I have to."

  "I just want us to agree on what's going on here."

  "Yes, we both want forever. I've already committed to that and I'll wait for you to do the same." This is getting out of control. I love this man and he's obviously hurt by my reaction to his odd as hell proposal.

  "I love you and I want to spend forever with you, but like I've already said, I don't want either of us to feel trapped. Your life is just beginning with Rebel Walking and you need to focus on that."

  "Uh, no. My life is just beginning as a father and my family is more important than any of that shit. I'll only do all of that if it doesn't mess up what we have. The second I see it tearing us up, I'm walking." I take in his words and watch his demeanor. He isn't bluffing in the least and I see his determination to make our family work. I want to do this with him, but on my time.

  "Okay. I understand. I still think you're an ass for asking me the way you did." His laughter startles Heaven and I work to adjust her so she can continue eating.

  "I agree. That was probably the worst proposal in history! You can't say I wasn't original! How about I do it the right way one day when you're ready?" Original is exactly right, but that’s why I love him. We are both so sporadic and unpredictable that life is always going to be a roller coaster with us.

  "I can live with that. What are we going to do for this bachelor/bachelorette party? I'm so damn tired but we can't let them down."

  "I think they wouldn't mind if we did a small get together somewhere. Talon called while you were resting and asked when you could get together with Ev to get the dresses picked out."

  "I'm the worst bridesmaid in the world. Thankfully, she understands my situation and doesn't hold it against me. Did you tell him I could do something in the morning?"

  "Yeah, we're going to spend part of the day over there tomorrow. Luke and Lilly will be there along with Holden for sure, that I know of."

  We spend our first evening at home as a family. The way Taron makes me feel is really undeniable. I know one day I'll take him up on his offer, but for now this works well for us. I love this man. How can I not? He gave me the best gift in the world.

  Chapter Nine

  Eaven

  I can feel him start to stir behind me. Waking up in Talon's arms every morning is my life. He makes me complete and I think I do the same for him. Seeing him like he was yesterday reminded me what all he's been through and it honestly broke my heart to see him hurting like that. Even big tough guys have demons that haunt them. Sometimes it takes just stopping to relive the horrors to move on with life.

  His happiness is so important to me and I know Taron having a baby has to be affecting him in some way. My instinct is to fix everything and this is something that can't be fixed. His tragedy will somehow always live with him, but I hope to bring him memories that help put some shine into his darkened past.

  "Mornin'." I roll over to snuggle with him and place my chin on his chest to watch his face. Damn, just enough scruff to be sexy as hell.

  "Good morning. What's the plan for your last day of freedom?"

  "Well, I really need a dress. This dress thing has not worked out at all. Every time I try to go it’s a complete fiasco."

  "I have that taken care of."

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "Today, Taron is bringing Ivy over and I'm having dresses delivered for you to choose from." His thoughtfulness always amazes me. Who can say their man thinks about things like this?

  "How did you manage that one?"

  "Let's just say the girl at the dress shop had a hard time saying no to me. Actually, come to think of it, she had a hard time saying anything to me." His sexy laughter fills the room when I begin to pinch at his sides for flirting to get me a wedding dress delivered.

  "Are you kidding me?" My pinching turns into him pinching and tickling me back, which leads to more laughter and screaming on my part. Can every morning be like this? It takes him no time at all to pin me down so that I can't move anything. He's straddling me and holding my hands against the bed over my head. I'm not losing at this game, you see, because I have the best view I could ever ask for. He realizes my victory when I lick my lips and give a little moan of appreciation.

  "You like what you see, Mrs. Walker?"

  "MmmHmm."

  "So do I." And just like that, it's on. His mouth covers mine and he releases his hold on my arms, which I appreciate because I like to explore and let my hands travel over every inch of him. He starts to slide down my body, leaving a trail of kisses along the way. I know where he's headed and so does my tingling body. His tongue runs up the seam of my core, just as he wedges his shoulders under my legs. Damn he is so good at this.

  A breathy exhale releases from my lungs when he uses more pressure to quickly bring my 'O' to the surface. I wrap my legs around him and let him work his magic over and over. He slides his finger inside me and I can't help but want more.

  "I need you, now. Please, Talon." He slides up my body, stopping to devour my breasts before his face meets mine.

  "Where do you want me?"

  "Everywhere. Just please hurry!" That sexy as fuck grin of his flashes across his face because he knows how he affects me. He knows I need him like I need my next breath.

  I wrap my legs around his hips when he moves between my legs. His movements are sensual and his restraint is perfect to bring out all the sensations yet again. The slow, deep thrusts have forced me to the edge of the bed and I let my head hang off the side. The blood rushing to my head makes for a completely different experience as my orgasm flows through my body all over again.

  "You. Feel. So. Fucking. Good. Damn, Ev." The clench of my inner muscles helps
send him into his own ecstasy. I can feel the heat of his release deep inside just as he reaches for the floor to stop us from falling.

  "I'm going to love lovin' on you for the rest of my life. Promise you'll always look at me like this." I wrap myself around him completely and devour his lips, reminding him just how much I love him with every kiss. He guides us to the floor during my attack and before I know it, we are both breathing heavily and sprawled out on the floor.

  "Thank you, Mr. Walker."

  "You're welcome, Mrs. Walker." His response lands him a few extra pinches to the side and me wrapped up in his arms again. We stay there for a little while and talk about our future together. Knowing that our life will be full of adventure and love makes me eager.

  We shower together when we finish; knowing people will be over shortly makes the shower go a lot quicker than usual. The muscles all over my body are sore from his mission to make me orgasm so many times, but that is a sweet soreness that I'll take any day.

  It isn't long before the house fills with our friends. The guys start up the grill and break out the beer. All of the girls surround Heaven and enjoy how precious she is. She has more color today and is absolutely adorable. I'm not going to lie, holding her gives me a little bit of baby fever and I look forward to the day we will have our own.

  "How are you feeling?" Ivy's painful expression when she moves kind of worries me.

  "I'm doing alright. My milk came in today, and holy shit, why don't they warn you of the pain?"

  "I'm sorry. Do you need anything?"

  "Yeah, I need to feed her again already." We move to the spare bedroom and she begins to feed Heaven just as the dresses arrive. Lilly and I guide the delivery guys into the living room until they have them all inside. Each one is in a clear bag and it's overwhelming seeing all that lace. After the delivery guys leave, I grab a couple and move them so that Ivy can see, too.

  "You know you have to try them all on."

  "There’s an ass load of them out there."

  "It doesn't matter. We need to see them all. It's not like I'm going anywhere any time soon." With Lilly's help, I start trying on each dress. I'm quick to decide I don't like the real poofy skirts.

  When I try on the dress, we all know it’s the perfect one. It's the one that takes our breath away and brings tears to my eyes. Ivy moves to hug me, even with a baby breastfeeding on her. My dress is simple, yet perfect. It hugs me in all the right areas and will make the perfect beach wedding dress.

  Looking in the mirror confirms it all for me. I absolutely love this dress and it’s in this moment that the reality of everything comes to surface. I'm getting married to the love of my life. He chose to spend his life with me and there is nothing greater than that. I plan to spend forever with him, no matter where life takes us.

  There's a knock on the door and Talon's voice carries through the room.

  "How's it going? You need help with those zippers?"

  "We have it under control. Don't you know it's bad luck to see a bride's dress before the wedding?" Lilly moves quickly to block him from entering. His laughter fades as he moves down the hall.

  "Oh, Ev, you’ll make a beautiful bride! I can't wait to see his face tomorrow." Ivy grabs my camera to take a few pictures of us. When Macy arrives, the guys demand to send us off for pampering while they take care of Heaven. Spending time with my girls is all I could ever ask for in a bachelorette party.

  We don't stay gone very long because Ivy needs to get back for the baby, but it’s the perfect day. My girls are very important to me and that's why each of them will be standing on the beach with us tomorrow. They all have their dresses ready to go for our big day. Luckily, Macy was able to find a perfect style for them when Ivy was in the hospital. To be honest, I don't care what people wear. I refuse to get caught up in all the bridezilla emotions about everything needing to be perfect. It will be perfect because everyone I love will be there.

  Our evening goes just as fast as the day did. It's usually really easy with our group. I’ve been watching Luke to see how he interacts with Lilly. I can tell there is something going on and I take the opportunity to interrogate him the second we're alone in the kitchen."

  "Watch yourself, big guy."

  "Why Cuz, what do you mean by that?"

  "You know exactly what I mean."

  "It's all good. We're just having fun. Nothing to worry about."

  "Tell that to the Walkers who will have your ass if you fuck her over."

  "I won't fuck her over. Besides that, we're friends and I don’t want to mess that up."

  "I'm going to hold you to that, Luke. Be nice to that girl." He seems amused by my warnings so I'm just not sure how this is going to go. He really is a great guy but he has zero intention of settling down. His focus on his music and the gym usually puts a stop to any type of relationship anyway.

  "Oh....... I plan to!" He's trying to use his teasing tone to lighten up this conversation, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I'm going to have to face that he's going to do what he wants. I'll just have to keep the Walkers in check if they try to interfere with those two.

  The night goes so well, yet totally different than I expected. To be honest, we can have fun anywhere as a group. I watch our friends interact and the smile on Talon's face lets me know that this is the perfect party for us right before our wedding. The bachelor party scene is a continuous possibility out on the road, but a night like this is completely rare. I move in to stand beside Talon as he tells the story of the first night he met me. That damn body shot that started it all. Who'd have thought?

  "I think this calls for a shot! Taron, you and Ivy need to do it up like you usually do!" Luke decides to encourage Taron for a toast.

  "I'm not drinking, but I'll toast!" One of these days, Ivy and I are going to have to go out and celebrate everything we have to be happy about! Taron grabs the shot glasses and begins to pour a round of tequila.

  "Raise your glasses to the bride and groom! Brother, I'm so happy you let us keep her!" Taron bumps into my side with a teasing grin. We have come so far. Who'd have known I'd bond with that vulgar male and my best friend would fall in love with him.

  "No really, let’s do this right! I want to toast to the women! Is everyone ready? Get your glasses in here." We all lean in close to tap our glass in the center of the circle. Ivy's is filled with water and everyone else's is filled with tequila. "Here's to those who sit when they pee. We love 'em in leather, we love 'em in lace, but we love 'em best when they sit on our face!"

  "I'll drink to that!" Talon speaks up very quickly to accept the toast. I watch his face while we all drink our shots, loving the smooth taste of this tequila as it slides down the hatch. The glasses are all filled again and we turn to face Ivy, because we know another one is coming.

  "My turn! I have one for all of us! Here's to lookin’ like movie stars, livin’ like rock stars and fuckin’ like porn stars!"

  "Hell yeah!" I notice Lilly smile at Luke as she downs that shot. Well, hell.

  "This one is mine!" Talon takes over the spotlight and finishes pouring a round.

  "Here's to Eaven, the only thing that rhymes with her is Heaven and I can't quite go there, so this one won't rhyme. Here's to the love of my life, the woman who gets me inside and out, the only girl my eyes search for and the only girl my heart beats for."

  "Awwww." I'm not even sure who said that because I'm so lost in his eyes right now. His words make me a mushy mess and I don't even care. I wrap my arms around his neck and let him pull me up for a very long kiss. Our audience moves away sometime during our kiss.

  "Thank you, Talon. I love your toast. Do you have your vows ready for tomorrow?" I start to panic a little because I haven't even thought about mine.

  "No. I want us to say what comes to mind in that moment. That way we both know it's completely genuine."

  "Okay. I hope I can actually think at the time."

  "If not, I'll know." We hear the others start to retu
rn and little Heaven begins to cry. Ivy and Taron decide to go home and the others follow shortly behind them. Tomorrow is the big day and I can't wait.

  Chapter Ten

  Talon

  This day has been so damn exhausting. Getting everything to the lake house has totally worn me out. I can only be thankful for the huge support group we have helping us so that we can even have the wedding today. I had no idea how much goes into these things. The caterer has everything in place and our mothers have made the deck and lake front perfect for our ceremony. I have Rebel Walking set up to play a little tonight and we brought in a DJ to cover the rest of the evening. Ev and I will have a great wedding and I know the night to follow will be even better.

  The guys have all arrived in their tuxes and the guests are starting to show up. The preacher is even here, ready to make this official. I try to keep busy while we wait for the girls to signal that they’re ready to go. I feel like I'm preparing for a concert, trying to make sure every single thing is perfect, but in all honesty I know it will be. We are both easygoing and will be able to go with the flow of any disasters that may arise.

  We get the signal that the girls are ready and I watch as one by one the most important women in my life begin to be ushered out of the lake house. All of the mothers and grandmothers are seated first. The groomsmen work their way to the steps to begin ushering the bridesmaids to the shore. The sound of the waves rolling onto the shore behind me drowns out the music just slightly.

  Luke begins to walk with Macy. Holden follows with Lilly. Taron helps Ivy down the stairs with Heaven and they walk together down the aisle. I laugh when Ivy takes a picture of me as she walks. Taron is holding Heaven in his arms and I can't think of a better place for her to be. Little Avery tosses petals down the aisle and walks right up to me for a hug. I lean down for this precious little girl and let her hug my neck.