by Elise Faber
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” She stroked her hands down his arms. “It was the right thing to do, obviously, but . . .”
“It blew back harder on you.”
Kate nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Eventually, we moved. The timing was good in a way. My mom had made the sale, was ready for a new job, and my dad could work remotely. But Ann and Jake were devastated.” She leaned her head back against the tile. “They had a hard time adjusting to the new school, to leaving their friends, their sports teams. I think they understood as we got older, but I knew they resented it at the time.”
“Your parents did the right thing.”
“I know,” she said. “I just hate that they had to, hate that even after the move I wasn’t even in any shape to go to school in-person. I home-schooled until I left for college.”
“You were violated, Kate. People don’t just bounce back to normal.”
She sighed. “I know.”
“Do you?” he asked quietly.
Her normal response would be to say of course she knew. But if the last week had taught her anything, it was that her first instinct wasn’t necessarily right.
“I’m working on it,” she admitted. “I think I spent so long trying to shove everything down and move forward like nothing was wrong that I didn’t realize exactly how much it had affected me, even now. Silly, huh?”
He shook his head, held her tighter. “No, Red. That’s normal.”
“Oh yeah?” she said, wanting to turn the page on this, to grasp on to something lighter, something not so painful.
Not that she was going to ignore it or pretend it had never happened.
Not any longer.
She was just going to put it behind her. To—in Jaime’s words—take away its power, wash it down the drain.
“Yes,” he agreed, pressing a kiss to her cheek, to the tip of her nose, to her forehead. “Completely, totally normal.”
“Well, what’s your quote-unquote normal that still haunts you?”
He didn’t hesitate, just offered himself up on a platter. “I wet the bed until I was eight or nine. Sometimes I still wake up in terror, thinking I’ve done it again, and it’s been more than twenty years.”
“Oh, baby,” she murmured.
“Pathetic, right?”
“No.” She kissed him.
“Not gonna tease me about Pull-Ups or a mattress protector?” he asked and though his tone was light, she picked up on the nearly hidden vein of embarrassment of a painful memory.
He’d given.
He’d given so much.
So, it took no effort at all to tell him the truth. “No, baby,” she said. “Not that. Never that.”
His eyes softened, and he held her tight for another long moment.
Then he leaned back, propped her back under the stream of water. “Should we finish getting cleaned up and then go back to digging your hole?”
Her lips tipped up. “That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one.”
A chuckle, hands pouring soap onto her loofa. “Well, then, we’re both wet and naked, whatever shall we do?”
She burst out laughing. He joined in.
Then she snagged the loofa. “I’ve got some plans.”
Oh boy, did she have some plans.
Twenty-Three
Jaime
It was Christmas Day. Well, Christmas evening, and Jaime was staring in shock at the crowd of people in the hallway of Kate’s parents’ house. “What are you guys—” A shake of his head. “How are you guys here?”
Tammy pushed past his parents and walked up to him. “I called Mom from the airport, told them about the girl, about your Kate and how you bought”—
This was the point he started making slicing motions with his hands.
Of course, his sister missed them.
“—her a big, fat diamond—”
More slicing motions. More ignoring.
“—and were going to ask her to marry you—”
For fuck’s sake. Half the crowd might already think he’d popped the question, but Jaime had plans. Plans he should have enacted that morning, but she’d distracted him with gorgeous red lace.
Then with green lace.
And . . . time had gotten away from them. So much that they’d barely made it to the party on time.
For Christ’s sake, they hadn’t even cleared the hallway before the knock had come.
“How did you—?” He blinked. “I mean.” He shook his head. “You’ve never been here before.”
Tammy held up her phone. “Find Your Phone family plan works both ways, buckaroo.” A grin. “We tailed your car.”
“And then barged into a house you didn’t know?” he asked.
He loved his family, but . . . for fuck’s sake. Were they trying to nuke his personal life?
“Hi,” Kate said, extending her hand to his sister.
Jaime sighed. “The wannabe spy is Tammy, my sister. My mom and dad—” He pointed to his parents, but Kate had slipped by him, closed the distance.
“I’m Kate,” she said to his mom. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Huntington.”
“Tawny, please. And this is my husband, Andrew.”
“So nice to officially meet you both,” Kate said. “Jaime talks about you all the time—”
“What’s this?”
The crowd turned to see Marabelle in the hall, her hair perfectly coiffed, a reindeer-printed apron wrapped around her slender frame.
Silence then, “Mom! Isn’t this great?” Kate said. “Jaime’s family came to town and surprised him.”
To her credit, Marabelle didn’t miss a beat.
She walked over, introduced herself to Jaime’s parents, then they completed the introductions with Jaime’s other sister, Penny, and his brother, Brad.
“Mom,” he said, tugging her a little ways away and sending death glares at his siblings for letting his mom bundle them all into the car and drive out. Not one of them appeared unabashed. Hell, they were all so nosy, they’d probably encouraged her. “Not that I’m not happy to see you,” he said quietly, “but . . .”
She lifted her chin. “You were too busy to come home, so we decided to come out and meet this girl,” his mother finished for him. “Do you know how expensive last-minute flights are? We ended up driving out.”
“From Utah?” Kate’s mom exclaimed, tuning into the conversation. “Gosh, you guys must be so tired. Please, come in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Oh, we wouldn’t want to intrude,” his mom said.
Jaime snorted.
And got a smack on the back of the head for his trouble.
But Marabelle ignored them both. Instead, she took his mom’s arm and led her down the hall. “There’s always plenty of food. We’ll just bring in some more chairs. Harry! Dave! Jake! I need chairs.”
“We’ll help,” Brad said, snagging Penny and Tammy and hauling them down the hall after the moms.
Hell.
The moms.
“Welcome to the family, Kate,” his dad said. A shake of his head. “For the record, I tried to stop them.”
Kate giggled.
And Jaime? He decided to roll with it. What choice did he have otherwise? “At least we won’t get sweaters from Aunt Janet this year,” he said hopefully.
“Oh no.” His father patted his shoulder. “Your mother packed those.”
Kate giggled again, and with another shake of his head, Jaime’s dad followed everyone else down the hall.
“They drove out?” she whispered, wide eyes meeting his.
Jaime rubbed his suddenly throbbing temple. “Apparently.”
Kate turned, wrapped her arms around him. “They love you.”
“I circle back to my original statement,” he muttered, “and repeat apparently.”
Warm whiskey eyes slid up to his. “I think we need to come clean about the engagement.”
“Why?”
She frowned. “Jaime, I don’
t want to lie anymore.”
“Neither do I.” He stepped back.
“Exactly,” she murmured, turning for the kitchen. “So, I’ll just go in there and let everyone know—”
He snagged her hand, tugged her back to face him.
“Wh—?” She began, brows drawn together.
Probably because he wasn’t on his feet any longer.
Instead, he’d sunk down onto one knee.
“Jaime.”
He reached into the jacket he hadn’t even had a chance to take off yet and pulled out the ring he’d bought with Tammy. More plans gone askew—he’d thought to sneak Kate out back, to snag a quiet moment and make her truly his.
Instead . . . family.
Instead . . . give and take.
Instead . . . he found he didn’t give a shit if it was the perfect moment. He just wanted this woman in his life.
Forever.
“I didn’t ask you to marry me properly the first time,” he murmured and opened the box. “Will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me, Kate McLeod?”
“After a long engagement,” her dad muttered.
Kate jumped, he blinked, and they both turned, saw that both of their families had crowded into the hall. She sighed and shook her head, a slow smile curving that luscious mouth before she dropped down next to him, leaned close, and whispered in his ear, “If I say, yes, will you grow your hair back and share all your man-bun secrets?”
Jaime burst out laughing.
“What?” his mom said. “What did she say?”
Kate turned, smiled at their respective families gathered around, at the nosy and love-filled hallway, then turned back to Jaime and threw her arms around him. “I said, yes.”
A cheer went up as she pulled back, turning away from him again, her gaze going to her father’s. “And yes, for the long engagement.”
Harry nodded approvingly.
But Jaime wasn’t paying attention to any of them. He had Kate in his arms, albeit facing the wrong way.
Spinning her, he tugged off the moonstone ring then slipped the diamond on her finger and used the excuse of mistletoe overhead to kiss her senseless.
He kissed her as the doorbell rang, as voices echoed in the hall behind them, as bodies shuffled by them because they were blocking the path to the rest of the house.
He kissed her as her father cleared his throat, clearly telling him it had been long enough.
He kissed her until his head spun, until she pushed against his chest, and broke away for air.
But he still didn’t let her go.
“I love you,” she said, cupping his jaw.
“Hey, that’s my line.” He nuzzled her throat.
Behind her, the sounds of the party intensified, and Jaime knew their moment was almost over, but he still couldn’t get his hands to release her. Though, realistically, he wasn’t trying very hard, not when it felt so damned good to have her close.
“You sure about this?” she asked as he helped her to her feet, and though she looked up at him with love, with trust, Jaime knew she still needed time and affection and patience and care, knew she’d give him the same back.
“More sure than I’ve been of anything in my life,” he said.
Kate tucked herself into his side. “Good,” she said. “Because you’re stuck with me.”
He laughed.
And then because he could, he kissed her again.
Being stuck with Kate wasn’t a bad place to be at all.
Epilogue
Part One
Kate
“I didn’t get a chance to give this to you,” she told Jaime two days later, setting the small package she had tossed in the direction of the Christmas tree after that day at the mall on his chest.
They were naked in bed.
A common occurrence around the man.
Giggling to herself, she tugged up the blankets and nudged the package at him when he didn’t immediately move to open the present. She’d forgotten about it in her excitement in showing him the lace. Then forgotten again in the rush to get to her parents’ house and once more after the excitement of his family showing up.
The McLeod crew had hit the pause on presents, not wanting Jaime’s family to be left out.
Then she’d had her time with her friends yesterday, and Jaime had spent Boxing Day with his family doing their own exchange and traditions . . . and she’d forgotten until she’d spied the palm-sized package on the carpet earlier. But his family had headed home earlier that day, her family was planning on a New Year’s Eve present exchange, and she didn’t want to wait to see his face when he opened it.
A little gift.
But one that was sure to make him smile.
“What’s this?”
She rolled her eyes. “Open it.”
He waggled his brows. “Is it a ring?”
Another roll of her eyes. A kiss pressed to lips she loved kissing. “Long engagement, remember?”
“Mmm,” he said, winding his fingers into her hair and transforming her light kiss into one that had her heart pounding and moisture pooling between her thighs.
And circling back to naked. Mmm.
She pulled away when his fingers slid up, brushing his hand away. “Behave.”
He nipped her bottom lip.
She nipped back. “Open it,” she demanded. “Then you can get back to kissing me.” A beat. “Everywhere.
The wrapping paper disappeared.
The box was open a minute later.
And then Jaime was laughing. That warm, slightly rough chuckle that slid down her spine and made her pussy clench. He glanced from the watchband printed with roosters up to her eyes. “We’re going to have a Barry, aren’t we?”
She grinned. “Yeah, we are.”
A quick, hot kiss. “On that note,” he said, pulling back and getting out of bed.
“Hey! Where are you—?” Her question cut off when he disappeared into the hall, and not that she minded seeing his sexy ass striding away from her, but he was naked, she was naked, and they were supposed to be getting back to sexy naked time.
Then he was back, a present in his hands.
He crossed over to her, plunked it in her lap. “Open it, Red.”
Since Kate loved presents, she didn’t bother prevaricating. She tore open that paper, pulled the lid off the box, and . . .
Laughed until tears poured from her eyes.
It was a leash and harness. The same type as she’d seen Barry wearing in the picture Jaime had sent to her.
“Think you can teach him to carry our rings down the aisle?” he asked.
“I’m not sure roosters are trainable.”
He tugged the box from her lap, dropped it to the floor. “My money’s on you.”
“No.” Kate shook her head. “My money’s on us.”
Then while he was still smiling, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed the man she loved with everything she had.
She tasted that smile in her soul.
Yeah, her money was on them.
Epilogue
Part Two
Heidi, Eighteen months later
She was wearing a violet bridesmaid’s dress and holding a leash.
Not the strangest sentence ever uttered.
Unless, perhaps she included what was on the other end of the leash.
Because she’d been escorted down the aisle by a rooster name Sir Fuzzy McFeatherston, or Fuzz for short.
He was cute. He was cocky—ha—and he was not happy to be on a leash.
Thankfully, though, the ceremony was wrapping up. The bride and groom—her best friend, Kate and her almost-husband, Jaime—were kissing. Soon she’d be able to put the rooster in the cage and she could get to drinking.
Because her best friend was getting married.
After an engagement she had promised Heidi would be extremely long, but had ended up sort of average because Kate hadn’t been able to wait to make Jaime officially hers.
Barf.
She loved Kate, loved Jaime and how he treated her.
But she was losing her best friend.
So, yeah, maybe she was feeling a little mopey, but she wasn’t going to let her funk ruin her friend’s night. She was going to be the best rooster-wrangling bridesmaid there was.
Not maid of honor.
Kate hadn’t wanted to hurt Kelsey or Cora’s feelings, so they were all bridesmaids, all with different jobs.
But that was Kate.
The absolute best.
And now she was married.
God, they were growing up. Heidi sniffed and dashed away a tear as the officiant declared the newlyweds officially married before they strode down the aisle hand-in-hand.
And she strode—hand-in-leash?—with a rooster.
Well, if that wasn’t an apt description of her dating life . . . she didn’t know what was. She could find a man who wanted to sleep with her—cough, cock—but couldn’t find one with staying power.
“Not the point,” she muttered under her breath, somehow getting herself and Sir Fuzzy McFeatherston safely down the aisle, the rest of the bridal party pairing off and following her.
They snapped some pictures, but eventually the Fuzz got tired of the paparazzi and Heidi wrestled him into her arms and took him to the crate Kate had ready for him.
She was just bending to stick him inside, trying to slip off the harness without letting him escape when she felt someone come up behind her. Assuming it was Kate, she said, “I’m fine, Katie girl. Go enjoy your husband. I’ve got your”—she giggled, a twelve-year-old at heart—“cock well in hand.”
Silence instead of her friend’s cackling.
Shit.
Heat stained her cheeks, and Heidi yanked the leash and harness out before slamming and locking the cage. Then she shored her spine and spun around.
Tall. Dark. A smirk on a gorgeous mouth.
One that grew as his gaze traced her down then up. “Sure you can handle that cock, baby?”
She had handled that cock.
Six months ago, Jaime’s brother Brad had stopped in the Bay Area for a quick visit, and she’d had a few too many glasses of wine. He’d offered her a ride home . . . and then he’d given her a fucking ride.
