Kels joins us. “Yes, yes they do. We’re some lucky bitches. To have those men in our beds at night.”
“And our kitchens during the day.” I wink.
“Look at you,” Stella laughs. “Just wait until you have kids, there will be no more fucking on the kitchen table.”
“Wasn’t exactly the kitchen table, more like the chair.”
They giggle as we watch the guys do the individual events, along with the team ones.
“They just pulled into the lead.” Rina whistles, clapping loudly. “My husband may not be on that team, but my son is,” she explains to anyone who looks around.
Glancing up at the leaderboard I see they’re in the number one spot. Calvert City in second and Paradise Lost in third.
“Let’s go, Laurel!” We clap as we come up to the last event. It’s a foot race, but set up like a relay. Each man wearing all their gear.
“Let’s go, Laurel!”
Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap.
“Let’s go, Laurel!”
“Fuck,” Rowan groans from where she stands next to me. “Sully’s going against our brother.”
I have yet to meet Braylon, but I will tonight at the family dinner that’s been planned. Looking further down the track they’ve set up, I see the two of them standing next to each other. I’d know Sullivan anywhere, but the man standing beside him would look familiar in a crowd.
They look to be close to the same height, but Sullivan is taller, and a bit more muscular. That hair of his hanging in his eyes is the sexiest thing I’ve seen. Especially since I know it’s wet with the sweat of hard work.
Paradise Lost is slightly ahead as Braylon is passed on the baton, taking off quickly.
“C’mon, Laurel Springs!” I scream, stamping my feet on the bleachers we’re sitting in.
After what feels like a year, Sully grabs hold of the baton and my man takes off like a shot. His long legs eat up the distance between him and his brother.
“C’mon baby!” I yell. “You got this!”
He’s close to his brother, so close I can’t tell the difference between the two of them anymore. He’s breathing down his neck. Rowan sits next to me, her fingers clasped tightly over her mouth. I can tell she doesn’t want to cheer for either of them. She’s in a bad spot.
“It’s okay, I’ll cheer loud enough for the both of us.”
She grins, and we start jumping up and down, as they get closer to us.
“C’mon, Sully!”
When they get right in front of us, I pick the perfect moment. “If you want that apron, you better run!”
He hears me, and he kicks it into high gear, crossing the finish line right before his brother. The crowd erupts in hoots, howls, and screams. We’re all down the bleachers within a few seconds.
I take off at a run, throwing myself into Sullivan’s arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. His strong grip holds me tightly.
“You won!”
“I did,” he gasps out his breath. “I won.”
Someone comes up behind us, but he doesn’t put me down.
“Good game, bro.”
I try to disentangle myself from him, but Sullivan refuses to let loose. “You too.” He holds me with one hand. I feel him offer his other out to his brother.
“This the woman who finally got you?” a female voice speaks.
This time he does let me down.
“Candice, I’d like to introduce you to Shelby Bruce.” He sneaks his arm around my neck. I lean into him, not caring about the sweat sticking to his skin.
“Nice to meet you,” she says.
I notice her and Braylon don’t stand together like we do. Maybe they aren’t as happy as they’d like people to believe.
“Nice to meet you too. I do have to thank you.” I look up at Sully, kissing his jawline.
“Thank me?”
“You let this one go, so I could scoop him up. Your loss, but he’s the best luck I ever had.”
Rowan snorts from behind us, and Sullivan chuckles. “C’mon, Counselor, let’s go get some water.”
“With pleasure.” I hug him tightly, letting him lead me over to the refreshment table.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” he asks after he gulps a bottle of water.
“I think I know.”
“You can’t know.” He tucks his hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Because no one’s ever stood up for me with my brother the way you just did.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I purr into his ear.
“What’s gonna be my pleasure is seeing these bare-asscheeks bending over as they make me double-chocolate brownies.”
I laugh, not able to ignore the heat between my thighs.
“You want it tonight?” I ask as I move back, biting my lip.
“Yes. Every. Single. Night.”
This man?
Those words?
Best I’ve ever heard.
Epilogue One
Sullivan
My heart swells in my chest as Rowan walks down the aisle toward the man who will be her husband. Standing in front of the church, along with the man who she’ll give herself to, I swallow hard. The dress I helped her pick out looks incredible as it sparkles in the candlelight of the chapel.
As much as I thought she was beautiful then, she’s gorgeous now. The wide smile across her face, the wetness in her eyes, and the sparkle that radiates from inside competes with the one she wears on the outside.
Our dad is like the rest of us in our dress uniforms. Even though he and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, I’m still proud of the awards he wears on his chest.
As they step to the altar, Cutter comes down, holding out his hand for Rowan.
“Who gives this woman to this man?”
“Her family and I do,” Dad answers, before kissing Rowan on the cheek and heading over to where Mom sits.
She wipes at her eyes, which means she’s crying. Mom always cries at important moments in her kids’ lives.
“We are gathered here today...” the preacher starts, and as I listen, I look across the way. My eyes connect with the love of my life.
Shelby smiles softly at me, and I answer it back with one of my own.
The two of us have grown closer since Frank killed himself. It’s a wonder I ever let her out of my sight, but I’ve learned to trust her. She got herself out of the situation as best she could, and then I cleaned it up. Together we’ve worked through the nightmares and fear.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cutter, you may now kiss your bride.”
We watch them go down the aisle, and then we start pairing up with our bridesmaids to make our way out of the chapel. I come together with Shelby, holding my arm out to her.
“You look beautiful.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she sasses back.
For hours we pose with the rest of our friends, taking wedding picture after wedding picture. I don’t mind though, because I’m with Shelby.
“It’s been a great day,” Shelby whispers as we dance later at the reception. Her arms are around my neck and we’re swaying to a slow beat.
“Can you see this being us one day?”
She puts her head on my shoulder. “I can, but only when it’s the right time.”
“So you’re in no hurry?”
She shakes her head. “Not at all, I’m ready for whatever you’re ready for.”
“Come with me?”
“You know I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
Grabbing her hand, we dash through the crowd out to the balcony. It’s lit up with soft outdoor bulbs, a couple of drinking stations, and what will later on be a packed dance floor. Walking her over to the ledge, we face one another.
“You look beautiful.” I grasp her chin with my forefinger and thumb. “My mind kept wondering throughout the ceremony.”
“Wondering about what?” She beams up at me.
“It kept thinking how much I adore you.” I bend down
, capturing her lips with mine.
“Sully.” The name comes out on a whisper before they touch.
It’s a slow possession, one filled with passion and promise. I’m careful to not let it get out of hand. “I have something for you.”
“Do you?” She lifts her eyebrows up in question.
“Yeah.” I grin. “You know you’ve become my best friend, right? I hate sleeping without you, I don’t do well if you aren’t around to wish me a good shift, if possible, I wanna have my lunch and dinner with you. Breakfast too.” She laughs when I add on that little tidbit. “But what I want more than anything is to make that shirt you wear when I’m having SWAT events come true.”
“What?”
I reach into my suit pocket. “When you wear that jersey with the name Baker on it. I want that to be true, Counselor. You’re already my family, but I want to make it official.”
Bending down on one knee, I open the box to the ring that screamed her when I first saw it. “Shelby, will you marry me?”
Her hand covers her mouth, her green eyes sparkling in the night with unshed tears. “It’s beautiful.”
“As beautiful as you are.” My voice shakes as I wait for her to answer. “It’s morganite,” I ramble. “Learned a lot when I was searching for the best for you.”
“Sullivan Baker, you are the best man I’ve ever known. I love you more than I thought possible. Yes, Sully, yes!”
Launching off the ground, I wrap her tightly in my arms, twirling her around. And while we spin, I see the entire reception is watching us through the windows.
“She said yes!” I yell.
The group erupts, family and friends coming out to congratulate us, and as I look across the balcony, locking eyes with the woman of my dreams, I know our future is going to be everything we’ve always wanted. And everything Shelby Bruce deserves.
Epilogue Two
Devante
As has become my habit when I’m working the morning shift, I park the ambulance in front of A Whole Latte Love. “You want anything?” I ask Cutter who’s feverishly texting. Ten bucks says it’s to his brand-new wife, Rowan.
“Black, one cream, two sugars.”
“Then it’s not black, is it?”
“Don’t give me shit this morning. Ro gained two pounds and she’s convinced she won’t be able to fit into any of her clothes now. Never mind we’ve already gotten married.”
“This is why you got married, and not me,” I remind him. Marriage isn’t my deal. Never has been, probably never will be.
“I’m gonna call her, try and talk her down from the damn ledge.”
“Good luck with that my man.”
Gratefully, I leave him in the ambulance by himself. I might be happy for him, but he’s driven me crazy talking about this wedding the last few months. Walking into the coffee shop, I expect to see Eden at the counter with a smile on her face.
That’s how I’ve seen her almost every day since she opened. Today though, it’s different. “Eden,” I yell out, expecting her to come from the back.
When she doesn’t, I decide to go do a little searching for her. Something isn’t sitting right with me, and there’s a tingle in the pit of my stomach telling me to find her. Going behind the counter, I enter the cooking area, and that’s where I see her. She’s sitting down, bent over at the waist. “Are you okay?”
Brown eyes full of pain meet mine. “I feel like a have a knot in the middle of my chest.” She shifts around. “I haven’t been able to get comfortable for the past few days. My back is killing me.”
One of the things I’ve taken to doing is carrying my stethoscope with me. Walking over to her, I have her lean back. “Deep breath.” She can barely do what I’m asking, but I can hear movement in her digestive track. I’ve seen this more than once. “Do you have your gallbladder?”
“Yeah.” She tips her head back, grabbing hold of my hand. “My God, the pain just keeps coming in waves.
“C’mon.” I pull her up from where she sits. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“Devante, no.” She tries to fight against the pull. “There’s no way I can close the shop. I’m barely making it, as is.”
“Listen to me.” I grab her cheeks with my hands. “If you’re as sick as I think you are, you’re gonna need surgery. You mess around with this? You can get sepsis and then it won’t matter, Eden.” There’s a fear I don’t like to see in her eyes.
Tears spring, and I want nothing more than to tell her everything is going to be okay. Unfortunately, I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know it for sure. “Okay.” She wipes at the tears. “Let’s go.”
Slowly, we walk toward the ambulance and as soon as Cutter sees us, he gets out, running over. “What’s happening?”
“I think it’s her gallbladder.”
“We need to lock the doors,” she protests.
“Oh my God, Eden. Are you okay?” Shelby yells as she pulls up and gets out of her car.
“I’m sick.” Her voice is pitiful.
“Sick enough that I’m taking her to the hospital,” I interject.
“Shelby,” her tone begs, “as a small business owner, I can’t stand to not have a day of sales.”
“I get you.” She reaches over, grabbing her hand. “I can’t cook, but I’ll figure out how to run the cash register.”
“Things are already made up, and there are directions on how to prepare it. Please just keep it open as long as you can.”
“I’ll help too.” I hear Leigh’s voice chime in.
“You have your own restaurant to run,” Eden protests.
“And I have so many people I can call in to help both of us. Don’t you worry, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Are they for real?” she asks, looking at me.
“They are. There’s one thing you’ll learn about this town. They love to help their own.”
“I’m not one of their own,” she cries.
Grabbing her hand, I put it against my chest. “You are now, trust me. You are now.”
Preorder Devante - LSERT #6 November 5th, 2021
About the Author
Laramie Briscoe is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of over 30 books.
Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie has appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Her books have been known to make readers laugh and cry. They are guaranteed to be emotional, steamy reads.
When she's not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on Netflix. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband (the Travel Coordinator) and a sometimes crazy cat named Beau.
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Also By Laramie Briscoe
The Haldonia Monarchy
Royal Rebel
Royal Chaos
Royal Love
Heaven Hill Series
Meant To Be
Out of Darkness
Losing Control
Worth The Battle
Dirty Little Secret
Second Chance Love
Rough Patch
Beginning of Forever
Home Free
Shield My Heart
A Heaven Hill Christmas
Heaven Hill Next Generation
Hurricane
Wild
Fury
Hollow
Heaven Hill Shorts
Caelin
Christine
Justice
Harley
Jagger
Charity
Liam
Drew
Dalton
Mandy
Rockin’ Country Series
Only The Beginning
The Price of Love
Full Circle
Hard To Love
Reaper’s Love
The Nashvegas Trilogy
Power Couple
Breach of Contract
The Moonshine Task Force Series
Renegade
Tank
Havoc
Ace
Menace
Cruise
Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team
Ransom
Suppression
Enigma
Cutter
Sullivan
The MVP Duet
On the DL
MVP
The Midnight Cove Series
Inflame
Sullivan (Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team Book 5) Page 19
