Sweet Burn

by Anne Marsh

  She’d worn a black mini-dress and motorcycle boots. One of her girlfriend-barfriends had brought her a long white tulle veil from Goodwill and she’d carried an armful of anthemis someone had liberated from a garden in a vacant lot.

  “You thought getting married was a joke?” Mack’s gaze burned into her and, God, she wished she could take those words back. “Because it sure seems like the joke is on me.”

  ***

  He’d married a woman who thought marriage was a joke.

  In fact, he probably wasn’t married at all because she’d already gone and got married and hadn’t seen the need to tell him that.

  “Let’s skip to the relevant part,” he said, realizing his voice was icy cold. Shit. How had a day that had started out to perfect turned so awful? “Are you currently committing bigamy?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She stared up at him, pretty blonde hair all mussed up because he’d had his hands in her hair, cupping her head for his kiss. Her brown eyes were wide and shadow-filled. He guessed she did care, that this was more than a joke, but right now all he felt was hurt.

  And angry.

  He preferred the angry part. That made him feel like less of a fool. He’d known from the first time he met her that she was a wild child who couldn’t or wouldn’t change her ways. He’d also known that, given his own past, he wouldn’t be able to live with someone bent on self-destruction. He’d tried that once and it had ended badly. Mimi was no Fancy Jane on the surface, but underneath… yeah. The similarities hit a little too close to home.

  “Did you get a divorce?”

  “His parents arranged for an annulment.”

  “I’m hearing a but.” He wouldn’t let the hurt in her eyes sway him. He needed to understand exactly what had just happened here. Or, rather, almost ten years ago.

  “They sent papers. I didn’t sign them.”

  “Jesus, Mimi.”

  He didn’t need her to be Suzy Homemaker, but he couldn’t have her pulling at his life, his heart. Not when she had the potential to hurt him this badly. “That’s not something you ignore.”

  “I’m good at ignoring things,” she pointed out.

  Fine. He’s married an emotional ostrich.

  “I need to think,” he said after the silence had stretched out a long, long time between them. “And you clearly have things to do. Without me.”

  “Right.” She reached out a hand to him, but he ignored it. He didn’t know what to say or do.

  “Let me know, why don’t you, when you figure out if we’re really married or not.”

  He swung his legs off the bed, reached for his pants, and got on with the business of leaving.

  ***

  How funny was it that Mack was the one running this time? She hadn’t been on the dumpee end of things since Eddie. Apparently, she should have stuck with that plan. Being the one left behind sucked every bit as much as she remembered.

  Mack pulled on his clothes with quick, efficient movements, lacing up his boots and then grabbing his jacket without once looking back at her. She got that. He had every reason to be angry.

  She’d wanted to make him happy and, instead, she’d spoiled everything. The time to speak up about her past with Eddie had been weeks ago. Like, say, the first time he’d proposed. It wouldn’t have been an easy conversation to have had, even then, but it would have been better. She’d let him make promises to her that she’d had no business accepting.

  She knew he was sorry.

  Not as sorry as she was, though.

  The door closed quietly behind him and she forced her legs to move off the bed. She had clothes to find, a baby shower to host. Just because it felt like her heart had walked out the door didn’t mean she could lie here all day. She’d keep going. She always did.

  Ten minutes later, she was standing in the parking lot, ready to ride. If she had a hotel towel tucked in her saddlebag, well, no one needed to know she hadn’t been able to chuck their wedding “blanket” into the laundry chute. It was just a towel. She knew that. But she wanted it, so she was keeping it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The ladies had come over earlier in the day and decorated the bar in yellow, pink and blue. Mimi didn’t ask how they’d gotten into the locked bar, but from the amused look on Sheriff Hernandez’s face, someone had mad lock-picking skills. Good to know. The results of the mad decorating frenzy looked like an Easter display had exploded, raining lambs, bunnies and far too much cute. Mimi’s teeth hurt. Since it was what they wanted, however, she’d live with it.

  Fancy drinks with silly names?

  Check.

  Party games?

  Check, check.

  Chicken wings and celery sticks?

  Check, check, and check.

  Her work here was done. She might have had to use duct tape to hang the decorations, but hopefully the resulting paint damage would be minimal. Screw it if it wasn’t. She could touch up.

  Little pots of hydrangeas stood on each bar table, dwarfed by the mountain of presents on top of the bar. Gia had better be packing quintuplets, because Mimi had no idea how the woman would ever use that much stuff.

  Abbie, Laura and Katie had flopped onto barstools to recover from the decorating frenzy.

  “It’s going to be your turn next.” Laura hugged Abbie, beaming.

  “It’s early days.” A happy flush painted Abbie’s cheeks.

  “But you peed on the stick and you got the magic line.” Laura high-fived her, then started oversharing ambulance runs to pick up pregnant women. Mimi made a mental note to never share any medical news with Laura. Listening to Laura, Mimi had a whole new understanding of the phrase with friends like that, who needs enemies? Stories of abrupted placentas and ninety-mile-an-hour ambulance rides were not what a new mommy-to-be needed to hear. Interrupting Laura’s excited chatter, she sent the other woman off to the storeroom to fetch another case of sparkling water. After all, she had one less drinker now that Abbie had come out of the closet about her pregnancy.

  She restacked Gift Mountain (since Katie’s stacking job seemed to have resulted in the largest boxes on top and the smallest at the bottom). “Have you told Will?”

  Abbie shook her head. “I haven’t had the chance.”

  “He’ll be in here buying drinks for the entire team,” Mimi assured her. She’d watched the two of them together. It was positively cute and nothing like her and Mack. She grimaced. Yeah. She’d screwed that one up. The only thing surprising about her mistake was that she actually wished things had gone in a different direction between her and Mack.

  A better, happier, maybe-we-really-could-make-this-work kind of direction.

  “He’ll pass out,” Laura said cheerfully, heaving the case of water onto the bar with a thud. “They usually do. And, if you turn out to be having multiples, you’re going to want to be really careful about how you tell him that. We had a call two weeks ago because some guy hit his head on the medical equipment when the ultrasound technician told him he was about to become the daddy of three.”

  “Must have been expecting girls.” Katie grinned. “Do twins run in your family?”

  “No.” Worried carved a little crinkle into Abbie’s forehead. “But I don’t know about Will’s family and he’s been out in the field, so I can’t ask him yet.”

  Right. The trapped hotshot team that had been mentioned by the firefighters at the Last Chance casino. Mimi had kept that news to herself. There were several hotshot crews fighting the blaze and it was unlikely that the trapped team was the Big Bear Rogues. Anyhow, since there was nothing Abbie could do and Mimi was fairly certain stress was bad for pregnant women (seeing as how it wasn’t exactly healthy for anyone), she’d kept silent. She’d be in the same boat, so to speak, if she stayed married to Mack.

  Not the pregnancy one, but the wait-at-home-for-your-man one. She tried to imagine herself pregnant. Nope. She looked down at her stomach, mentally inserting a watermelon.

  Lau
ra laughed. “Sympathy belly. I’ve been having nightmares myself. Wait until the contractions hit—then you won’t have any empathy left.”

  “You ever think about it?” She’d always felt that she and Laura had the most in common. Laura could be pretty damn bad ass managing her team of EMTs. She certainly didn’t take any crap and Mimi admired that.

  “Having kids?” Mimi clarified, when Laura just stared at her.

  “Sure. I also think about climbing Mount Everest, winning the lottery, and remodeling my bathroom. Home Depot’s having a special,” she added. “You can meet some really hot guys in the lumber aisle, plus they all know how to swing a hammer.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You think about it?”

  “Trolling Home Depot?”

  Laura punched her lightly in the shoulder. “No, silly. Reproducing.”

  “Not recently,” she said lightly. Like not since earlier today when she’d had sex without a condom. Granted, she was on the pill, but that only gave her body one chance to fight off any swimmers Mack had sent her way. A condom probably would have been excellent insurance. She looked casually down at her hands. She hadn’t taken off his rings either, although she’d twisted the stones inward and added a few decoy bands.

  Laura’s eyes followed her. “You lose the mood ring?”

  “I decided it was time for a change.” She fought the urge to hide her hands beneath the bar.

  Laura nodded casually. “The guys want to buy me one. They claim I’m a cranky bitch and that, no matter how much they love me, they want a heads up about my mood before I emasculate them. Picky bastards.”

  Before Mimi could stop her, Laura grabbed Mimi’s hand and turned it over.

  “Somebody spent his trust fund. Or knocked over a bank.”

  The smile snuck out, betraying her. “No theft was involved, although there may have been a poker bet gone bad.”

  “Do tell.” Laura leaned in.

  Mimi glanced around, but Katie and Abbie were making last minute repairs on an AWOL balloon, and the other guests were peering out the window, looking for Gia. The guest of honor was due to be rolling up any minute now, if her husband had done his part.

  “There’s not much to tell,” she said, stalling for time.

  “You got married?” Laura got straight to the point.

  “Sort of. We had to shelter in place because of a fire last night and Mack thought we should get married.”

  “You must have agreed with him, at least at one critical part.”

  Well. Yeah. She had. That I do kept ringing in her ears. She did. She had. She just wasn’t sure about… now. “I don’t know if it’s going to stick,” she admitted.

  “So you’re taking him for a test drive.” Laura smiled. “I’m betting he’s a keeper.”

  It might not matter. “I think he’s done with me,” she admitted.

  “Why?”

  Mimi stabbed the cherries in the bar tray with a toothpick. “We had a wedding morning, then I kind of got cold feet. And there may also have been a few revelations about my past that he wasn’t expecting.”

  Laura grinned at her. “Have you knocked over a bank recently?”

  That might have been easier for Mack to accept. “I was married before,” she admitted.

  “Bigamy?” Laura held up a hand to high-five her.

  One man was clearly more than she could handle. “Annulled. Maybe. I think.”

  “Let’s assume it’s water under the bridge.” Laura waved a hand. “The question is, if you’re free and clear: What do you want?”

  “You don’t think Mack gets a say in this?”

  Laura snorted. “He’d be lucky to have you. I’m on Team Mimi and that means you’re driving this marriage train. As long he ticks off all the important boxes, I’m willing to give you to him.”

  “Thanks,” Mimi said dryly.

  Laura ignored her. “First item: is he hot?”

  “Check.” When she was ninety, she’d still remember the sight of Mack stripping off.

  “Is he good in bed? No.” She made a zipping motion across her lips. “That’s a simple yes or no answer. Do not give me details. Abbie has already traumatized me by over-sharing.”

  “Let’s go with yes.” Her toes were still curling from Mack’s attentions earlier. That had to be a good sign, right? She came back around the bar and sat down on the stool next to Laura. When Gia made her grand appearance, she’d be ready.

  “So check and check. Does he make you feel all gooey?”

  “I don’t like gooey.”

  “Neither do I.” Laura elbowed her gently in the side. “But for the right guy, I’m planning on making an exception. And I applaud you for skipping the big shindig. I still have nightmares about the pink strapless number Abbie dressed me in. You can still do the wedding registry thing, even if you’re already hitched. Pick out dishes and blenders and stuff. Unless…” Her gaze dropped to Mimi’s stomach. “Are you planning on a two-for-one and following in Gia’s footsteps?”

  Mimi’s horrified “Oh, no.” was drowned out by Gia’s arrival and the hullaballoo of her surprise greeting. Mimi couldn’t tell if the smoke jumper was genuinely surprised or not, but she blinked, then a broad grin spread across her face. Glowing. That was the only way to describe Gia. She wore a snug maternity T-shirt (announcing Baby Firefighter On Board with an arrow just in case anyone could miss the enormous bump beneath the cotton), jeans, and a pair of battered flip-flops. Her short spiky hair was tousled, like she’d just rolled out of bed. Based on Rio’s satisfied smile, she probably had.

  Breaking free of the massive group hug that had enveloped her, she elbowed her husband hard in the stomach. “I thought we were making a CostCo run.”

  “Surprise?” Rio ran a hand down her spine, rubbing the small of her back. Mimi didn’t know much about pregnant women, but Gia looked ready to pop.

  Ten minutes the party was well under way. Mimi had no idea how twenty women could make so much noise, but the volume level in Ma’s had already exceeded Friday night decibels. She considered protesting, because she was probably supposed to be the responsible party here, but then abandoned the idea. Sheriff Hernandez was bobbing for nipples, laughing when she got water up her nose and over her face. No worries there. She could handle anything that got too out of hand.

  Looking slightly desperate, Rio made his way over to her and Laura. “Sitting on the sidelines?”

  “Girding our loins,” Laura informed him cheerfully. “And we’re fully prepared to share details about our loins.”

  Rio grimaced. “I’ll pass. Let me sit here?”

  Mimi shrugged. “I’m feeling nice today.”

  Laura patted the empty bar seat beside her. “Join us in the safety zone.”

  Ten minutes later, when the gift opening started, Rio groaned. “Please tell me you have alcohol behind that bar.”

  Mimi considered making him suffer, but there was probably some unwritten lover’s code that said she had to cut him slack. Or maybe it was girl code. She slid off her stool, went around the bar, and opened the fridge. “You want a beer, or were you planning on hitting the hard stuff now?”

  Gia held up the first present: a truly enormous pair of maternity panties. Someone shrieked as she pretended to model her gift. Rio shuddered and held out a hand.

  “Whatever’s closest,” he said. “I promised to stay for an hour.”

  She slid the beer across the counter to him, then opened a second for Laura, when her friend held out her hand wordlessly. On the other side of the room, Gia got busy with the wrapping paper and bows. Four yellow rompers and one pink dress later, Mimi leaned over the bar.

  “Are you and Gia working on Rio Junior or Gia the Second?”

  He took a desperate swallow of beer. “We decided to be surprised. Nonna’s being optimistic with the dress—she’s already decreed that there are more than enough Donovan males. I have strict orders to provide a girl.”

  “And if baby has a penis?”

  He
grinned and tipped his bottle towards Nonna. “Then we have strict instructions to try again.”

  “You’re going to be busy.”

  “Probably.” He leaned back against the bar.

  Laura slid off the stool. “One of us has to be brave,” she said. “Wish me luck.”

  With a clink of her bottle against Rio’s, she strolled off to join the present-opening frenzy. Gia was holding up a set of sheets printed with yellow giraffes and little red fire trucks.

  “Someone’s thinking ahead,” Rio said.

  “Or conceding to the force that are the Donovan brothers.” Mimi grinned.

  “How about you?” he asked, not turning around.

  “I’m definitely not procreating,” she said, amusement leaking into her voice. “Laura already checked and it’s a definite negative.”

  “You’d be good at it,” he said, surprising her.

  “I’m not the most maternal person,” she pointed out.

  “You could be.” He shrugged. “If you wanted to be.”

  Well. She definitely didn’t know what to say to that. “Mack and I—”

  “Yeah?”

  “We’re figuring it out.” Okay, that was quite possibly wishful thinking on her part but she hoped they were. She’d take whatever help the universe could send her way.

  Rio’s smile broadened. “That’s good to hear. Mack’s a great guy.”

  “So’s Gia. A great gal.” Damn. She sucked at this.

  But Rio didn’t seem to mind. “We’re both lucky,” he agreed, eyeing the drink she presses into his hand. “I’m on a one-drink limit. Just in case baby comes early.”

  “I can fix that.” Grabbing the drink back, she drank half of it for him.

  He blinked. “That wasn’t the solution I had in mind.”

  “That’s what friends are for.” She grinned at him.

  He smiled back and that was when she spotted Mack coming into Ma’s.

  Mack managed to look tired, rumpled—and hot as hell. Big body in worn jeans and steel-toes. She didn’t think he’d come to join the party (the lack of a present being her first clue, and his gender her second), so when he scanned the crowd of women and then came over to her, she wasn’t surprised.