“Oh, whatever,” Emma scoffed. “You have no idea how charming I can be. Plus, I’m betting Darcy has already bonded with Mandy.”
“What makes you say that?” James asked, surprised. He’d already noticed Darcy clinging to his wife and was surprised by the bond building between the two women.
“Because Mandy made me trust her when I was a frightened teenager and she’s the entire reason I decided to believe in your family,” Emma answered. “People know when someone is genuine … and Mandy is genuine.”
James cast a fond look in Mandy’s direction and smiled. “My baby is genuine,” he agreed. “You guys can offer Darcy anything you want to offer her. I want to make her feel safe, too. Do what you think is best.”
“Great,” Emma said, exchanging a triumphant wink with Mandy.
“Don’t think I don’t know that you two just ganged up on me, though,” James added. “I’m not an idiot. I know when I’m being manipulated.”
“You’re definitely not an idiot,” Mandy said, rolling up to the balls of her feet and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, though.”
James’ expression softened. “Thank you, baby. Your good heart is one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”
“I thought it was because of my looks and a shark fetish that allows you to talk me into crazy bedroom games at the drop of a fin.”
James’ grin was so wide it split his face. “That, too.” He dropped a soft kiss on her lips and hugged her close for a moment, Avery squawking when Mandy got close. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, though. I know you want to protect Darcy, but she might not want our help.”
Emma made a derisive sound as she patted James on the shoulder. “You leave that to me.”
“WHAT ARE you doing?”
James found Mandy sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of their bedroom shortly before ten. They’d spent a quiet evening together – er, well, for them – and watched two shark movies fully clothed and only let their hands wander once or twice. After the events of the day, they both seemed happy to merely touch one another.
Emma handled the discussion with Darcy like a champ, and not only was the girl open to hiding in the extra room if things got too rough on the home front, she was also exceedingly thankful. That made James realize exactly how intuitive the women in his life really were.
On the flip side, James felt a sense of anger that he couldn’t quite explain when he thought about Darcy. She wasn’t his child … or sister … or even a friend. He remained furious about what happened to her, though, and the anger he felt about the way her parents turned on her was keen.
Even though James and Mandy were generally tactile (and lived their lives naked whenever possible), the couple opted to simply be together tonight. James was just as happy holding her while watching a shark movie that made absolutely no sense as he was making love to her. Er, well, mostly. One activity was clearly a favorite, but quiet nights with his wife were a rarity so James basked in their closeness whenever he could.
“I’m debating the meaning of life,” Mandy answered, her expression unreadable as she extended her hands and gestured toward James. “Sit with me.”
James pressed his lips together, uncertain. “Are we about to do something filthy? If so, I should probably get naked first, right?”
Mandy made a face. “We’re not getting naked.”
“We’re not?” James couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
“Okay, we’re not getting naked yet,” Mandy clarified, smiling. “We’ll get naked in a few minutes. You were extremely patient with the shark movies earlier so I think you’ve earned it. I want to do something else, though.”
James happily acquiesced, taking her hands as he sat across from her. He had no idea what she was doing but he was more than happy to play whatever game she was fixated on as long as it made her happy. That was the one thing he wanted above all else – a happy wife.
Mandy linked her fingers with James’ and slid closer so their knees touched. James watched her, interested in the way she moved. Once they were close, Mandy leaned forward and pressed the side of her head to James’ chest, sighing.
James watched her for a moment, the need to hold her briefly overwhelming him. He reminded himself that she didn’t ask him to do that. She wanted to hold his hands and sit like this – for whatever reason – and he was determined to go out of his way to follow her lead. After a few minutes of watching her still form, James couldn’t take the silence.
“What are you doing, baby?” His voice was quiet, barely audible, but Mandy smiled when he spoke.
“You lasted longer than I expected,” Mandy said, grinning. “I thought you would immediately release my hands and take control of the situation … maybe even force me onto your lap.”
“Hey, I don’t force you to do anything,” James countered. “I’m not going to lie, though. My first inclination was to put my hands on you and pull you on top of me.”
Mandy didn’t move her head from the spot above James’ heart. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why was that your first inclination?” Mandy asked.
James knit his eyebrows together as he regarded the thing he loved most. “Is this some elaborate way to get me to talk about my feelings?”
Mandy giggled. “No. I just … had the overwhelming urge to listen to your heart and I was already on the floor. I didn’t know if you would do it or not, but I wanted to see if you would.”
“Have I ever denied you?” James challenged. “Have I ever told you no?”
“I believe you’ve told me no many times,” Mandy said. “You’ve told me I can’t leave the house … or go to work … or go to the bar … or even walk between the house and guesthouse at times.”
“I only do that to protect you,” James argued. “I never tell you no unless I have to do it. Don’t accuse me of anything else because it bothers me.”
“I wasn’t accusing you,” Mandy soothed. “I know you live to take care of me. I know protecting me is the most important thing to you.”
“Not just protecting you,” James clarified. “Loving you is the most important thing. Protecting you is a part of that, but making you happy is in there, too.”
“I am happy,” Mandy said, her tone breathy as she pressed her eyes shut and listened to James’ heart. “I never knew it was possible to be this happy.”
“Okay, baby, that was so sweet that I need to hold you now,” James said, giving up any pretense of doing what she wanted. “We can still sit like this, but I need you to climb on my lap and let me hold you.”
Mandy didn’t speak. She simply did as he asked, releasing his hands and shifting her body so she straddled him. James ran his hands up and down Mandy’s back as he tugged her close, his lips fluttering over her cheek as he rocked her back and forth.
“So much better,” James murmured, loving the way her body melded against his.
Mandy giggled, catching him off guard. “You like to be in control.”
“So do you.”
“And yet somehow we fit,” Mandy murmured. “We’re both people who like to be in control and yet we always manage to compromise so we’re both happy. Why do you think that is?”
“Ah, I guess we’re being existential tonight,” James teased, rocking back and forth. “As for the rest, I don’t know. I just know that I’m happiest when I’m holding you. It’s as if you were made for me. Your body fits mine perfectly. My favorite sound in the world is your laughter. I don’t know how to explain it. I just know I wouldn’t change a thing about you or our life together.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but … there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and panic because I think you’re gone,” Mandy admitted. “It takes me a moment to realize you’re only in the bathroom, but for some reason my subconscious recognizes your absence and it doesn’t like it.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, baby,” James a
dmitted. “Do you want me to stop going to the bathroom in the middle of the night? I guess I can stop drinking fluids before bed.”
Mandy snorted. “No. That’s not what I was saying.”
“What were you saying?”
“My heart recognizes your heart even when we’re asleep,” Mandy replied. “My heart yearns for your heart. People say we’re codependent – and we probably are – but I never want that feeling to go away. I always want to yearn for you.”
It was a sweet sentiment, but James’ heart hurt at the words. She was so open and vulnerable it almost caused him physical pain.
“I yearn for you, too, wife,” James said, stroking the back of her head as he kissed her neck. “All I’ll ever want is you. The house is beautiful … and the money is nice … and the family members are okay when they don’t give me heartburn. I can’t live without you, though.”
“You’ll never have to live without me,” Mandy said, tightening her arms around James’ waist. “We’ll be together forever. In fact … yeah … we’ll even die together.”
James smirked. “Are you going to kill me before you go?”
Mandy shook her head. “I think our hearts need each other to beat. When one goes, the other will go.”
“As long as neither one of them goes for at least sixty years, I think that’s a marvelous idea,” James said, licking the ridge of her sensitive ear. “Hey, baby?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m feeling the need to be codependent.”
Mandy’s giggle was so delightful James was convinced he would never hear a more melodious sound. “I guess we should do something about that, huh?”
“Five minutes,” James said, tightening his arms around her. “I want five more minutes of this before we codependent the crap out of each other.”
“You have such a way with words,” Mandy teased.
“I can live with that,” James said, pressing his eyes shut. “Baby, I love you more than anything in this world. That will never change.”
“I love you, too.”
James waited a beat. “I love you more.”
“It’s not a competition.”
“Of course not. I’ve already won.”
Mandy sighed. “James?”
“Hmm.”
“I love you most.”
“I just said I’ve already won,” James said. “You said it wasn’t a competition.”
“That’s because I’ve already won.”
Now it was James’ turn to sigh. “How about we split the difference?” he suggested. “Let’s just say we both won and leave it at that.”
“Okay.” Mandy dug her fingers into James’ back. “I still love you most.”
“That did it!”
Mandy squealed as James tipped her over and climbed on top of her, his eyes flashing with need and desire.
“I’m about to show you how much I love you, wife,” James said. “I’m going to be the winner when we get done. I’m just making you aware before we get started because … well … it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Mandy’s smile was so flirty and happy it caused James’ stomach to flip. “Bring it on.”
“May the best husband win.”
James lowered his mouth to hers and swallowed her response. The time for talking was over. The time for two hearts beating as one was just beginning. This life, this wife, was all he would ever want and he planned on showing Mandy exactly how he felt. His wife deserved nothing less than the best, and he was going to make sure she received it.
12
Twelve
“Ah, summer school,” James intoned the next morning, staring at the daunting facade of one of Macomb County’s most affluent high schools as he trudged through the Washington Heights High School parking lot with Jake. “This brings back fond memories.”
Jake snorted. “I never would’ve pegged you for a summer school kid,” he said. “I would’ve thought you were popular and prone to doing what your teachers wanted because you were a good boy.”
“Yes, well, I was popular and naughty,” James explained. “I couldn’t quite keep my nose out of trouble. I got sent to summer school one year because I got caught making out with my girlfriend in the gym when I was supposed to be in algebra. Instead of apologizing, I compounded the mistake by then getting caught making out with her in the girls’ locker room.”
“What happened to Mandy?”
James stilled. “It wasn’t Mandy.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I’ve only ever known the two of you together. It’s hard for me to imagine you with other people. You dated the girl who died last summer when you were in high school, right?”
James made a face. “Ann. Yeah. It was her.”
“I’m sorry if I brought up a touchy subject,” Jake offered. “Even though you’d moved on at the time of her death, it must be difficult for you to think about her because of the way she died.”
James shrugged, noncommittal. “I never think about her,” he said after a beat. “I didn’t think about her once I broke up with her. I know that’s awful to say because I was with her for two years when I was a teenager, but … I never loved her. I didn’t even like her.”
“Still, she died,” Jake said. “She died when you were in the same building.”
“With Mandy.”
“Is that distinction important?”
“I don’t know,” James replied, rubbing his chin as he resumed walking toward the school. “When I was with Ann, Mandy was this cute little shadow. She was always watching me and flirting, although her version of flirting at fourteen was extremely odd.”
Jake snickered. He loved hearing stories about when the Hardys were younger. “She was fourteen. What did you expect?”
“I certainly didn’t think I would end up with her,” James said. “I mean, I knew there was something different about her, special even, but if you would’ve told me back then that I would marry her and be happy … well … I would’ve laughed in your face.”
“Did you think you would marry Ann?”
“Never.” James shook his head. “I didn’t picture myself ever marrying and settling down. That only became an option when I met Mandy as an adult.”
“I never pictured myself settling down either,” Jake admitted. “Even after meeting your sister, I did my best to stay away from her because she was giving me ideas. Sure, those ideas were sweaty and sexy at first, but in the back of my head I always knew that if I opened my heart to her, that would be it.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Of course not,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Why would you ask that? Do you regret going after Mandy?”
“I could never regret anything associated with my baby,” James said. “Well, I guess that’s not true. I regret walking out while she was sleeping that first night. I would take that back.”
“You’ve more than made up for it. Mandy is over it.”
James wasn’t so sure. “Last night she admitted to a sense of panic when she wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes that I’m gone,” he said. “She says it only lasts for a second – until she figures out that I’m in the bathroom – but it still happens. I can’t help but think she wouldn’t feel that way if she hadn’t woken up to find me gone after that first night.”
“You can’t go back in time and change things,” Jake reminded him. “You can only move forward. Mandy knows that you love her. She knows that you’re the best thing that ever happened to her. Why can’t that be enough?”
“Who says it isn’t enough?”
“You do,” Jake answered, not missing a beat. “The two of you enjoy manufacturing drama because you like to fight and make up. It gets old after the thirtieth … or fortieth … or, heck, fiftieth time you do it. Why not just be happy?”
“Have you ever considered that we are happy?” James asked. “Perhaps the game is what keeps us happy.”
“I know you’re happy,” Jake said. “I s
imply don’t understand the game. The game makes no sense to me.”
“You play games, too,” James reminded him. “You and Ally play all kinds of sick games. Don’t think I don’t know about them either.”
“We don’t play games.” Jake was affronted. “Our relationship is strong and mature. I love your sister more than anything. We don’t play games, though.”
“Oh, really?” James cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Didn’t you start a fight about what color you were going to paint the kitchen? I believe three days ago Ally wanted berry red and you wanted maroon red. You fought about the color and gave in when she stripped naked and let you try out the colors on her skin while she rested on the drop cloth in the middle of the kitchen.”
Jake’s mouth dropped open. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Our hens cluck to one another all of the time,” James answered. “They do it on speaker phone, too.”
“But … that was private.” Jake was mortified.
“Yes, and if you weren’t due to marry my sister in a few days, I would kill you,” James said, his lips quirking. “Since you are about to take the plunge and make an honest woman of her, though, I’ve decided to let it slide. I figure you’re almost married so you’re kind of married. That’s one of the games I play in my head to keep you alive despite the absolutely filthy things you do with my baby sister.”
“To be fair, that wasn’t really a game,” Jake clarified. “I really didn’t like the color red she picked.”
“And yet you let her keep that color. Why is that?”
“Because … it made her happy.”
“And that’s why Mandy and I manufacture little things to fight about,” James offered. “It allows us the chance to vent before anything turns into a big disagreement. Sure, we still have the occasional big blowout, but they’re rare. We fight about the little stuff and enjoy making up. It keeps our marriage strong.”
“I guess I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” Jake said after a beat. “How did we even get on this topic?”
“We were talking about high school students and dreams,” James answered. “I didn’t know what I wanted when I was in high school. I thought the life I’m living now would be the worst possible outcome. I was wrong.
Deadly Forever (Hardy Brothers Security Book 24) Page 10
