Fault Lines

by Rebecca Shea

  It isn’t the life we planned, or the broken one we thought we’d always have. It’s somewhere in between, and I have to trust that it’s the one we were supposed to have .

  * * *

  "Y ou ready, man?" Carter asks as he rolls up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to his mid-forearm .

  "Ready as I'll ever be," I say, taking a deep breath. I'm not the type of guy who gets nervous or emotional very often, but my nerves are on edge today and nothing will put them at bay until I see Frankie .

  "Calm down, man. She'll be there." He lets out a small laugh. "I never thought I'd see this day—all the booze, the ladies — "

  "Carter," I bark, stopping him mid-sentence, and he lets out a hearty laugh .

  Once he composes himself, his expression shifts to something more serious .

  "I'm happy for you guys—but if you do anything to fuck this up, I'll take you outside of town and kill you myself ."

  I huff and straighten my tie in the mirror. "Not gonna happen, man. Never letting her go this time." I know our breakup was hard on Carter, too. He respected Frankie and he didn't like what I did—because for nearly ten fucking years he had to pick up the pieces of my wreck of a life. When I finally pulled my shit together, I saw the toll it took on him .

  It wasn't easy being my friend, but he stayed. He picked my drunk ass up off the floor more times than I can count. He drove me home. He punched me in the face when I'd fuck up, but mostly he was just there for me. Whether it was his silent presence at the shop, or listening to me bitch like a little girl, he was always there for me, and I’m grateful .

  He claps his hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "Good. Now let's go get you married !"

  * * *

  W ho knew a vineyard in Temecula, California, would be the place that I'd get married? Frankie found this place and it's perfect for our small, casual bunch. The chapel sits out in the middle of the vineyard, surrounded by green vines full of grapes. It's simple yet beautiful with its twinkling lights and rustic feel .

  This isn't a traditional ceremony—the only one walking down the aisle will be Frankie. Faith is standing to my right and Martha is sitting in the front row with Melinda, who we hired to come with her to make sure she's well cared for .

  Faith is holding a small bouquet of flowers and wearing a simple navy dress. Frankie wanted causal and comfortable and that's exactly what she got. Aside from Faith, Carter, Martha, and Melinda, there are only a handful of other people in the chapel. Ashley and her husband, Maggie and Matthew, Frankie's niece and nephew, and Eduardo's husband, Jeremy, all sit with smiles on their faces. It's small and intimate, just what we wanted .

  There's no music, but it doesn’t matter because it's as if I've gone deaf when I see Frankie at the back of the chapel. She's gripping Eduardo's arm and holding a larger bouquet of cream roses with greens filling it out. Eduardo looks down at her and presses a sweet kiss to her forehead. Normally I'd want to rip the man's head off, but once I met him and knew he wasn't a threat, I actually found his relationship with Frankie endearing. He's been a great friend and mentor to her, and I'm thankful she has him .

  They begin to walk the short aisle, and it's as if time stands still. A million little moments flash before my eyes—Frankie at the fault line, her hair blowing in the wind; Frankie kissing me on her front porch as she sits with her head in my lap .

  When her mouth stretches into a large smile, my heart stops .

  Everything I feared I’d lost is walking down the aisle toward me, and I can't keep the tears at bay. Eduardo gives me a little wink as Frankie and he come to a stop right in front of me .

  The pastor clears his throat and takes a deep breath before he starts. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Eduardo squeezes Frankie's hand and leans in to give her cheek a quick kiss .

  Martha stands with Melinda's help and answers, "I do ."

  As Frankie reaches for my hand and steps up to me, everything else in the world becomes non-existent. Tears openly fall from my eyes, and she reaches up and swipes them away with her finger before she rests her hand on my cheek for a brief moment .

  The entire ceremony maybe lasts seven minutes. As much as I'd like to say I remember every second, I don't. I only remember looking into Frankie's eyes, knowing she's mine. Forever .

  Today is a new beginning for us. For the rest of our lives, we'll be bonded in love and marriage. This is exactly how I wanted our story to end—together, us against the world. Mr. and Mrs. Cole and Frankie Ryan. Except it's stubborn Frankie we're talking about here…so she's actually Mrs. Frances Callaway-Ryan .

  Epilogue

  Four Months Later

  "B abe," Cole mumbles against my neck as he nibbles the sensitive flesh. I was sleeping until he woke me up, his hard erection pressing against my back .

  "So tired." I manage as he rolls me to my back and inspects me .

  "You okay?" He presses his hand to my forehead, checking for a temperature .

  I curl into a ball, my entire body aching. "Everything aches ."

  He gently massages my neck for a minute. "Let me go run a bath for you and then I'll make coffee and breakfast. We'll just relax today and watch some movies in bed." He kisses my forehead and slides out of bed .

  Suddenly, my stomach flips and nausea hits me. I inhale sharply, drawing a deep breath into my lungs. I mentally tick off every symptom as I recall them. Nausea, check. Exhaustion, check. Tender breasts…check .

  We've been unsuccessful in getting pregnant the last three months and I was beginning to worry. With a hopeful smile, I push myself up from the bed, careful to steady myself as my head spins from the nausea. Hearing the bath water running, I slowly make my way to the bathroom .

  Cole is sitting on the edge of the tub, pouring bubble bath into the running water when he catches me come in. "Get in," he says as he stands up and places the bubble bath on the bathroom counter. “I'll bring you some coffee and toast ."

  "Tea," I tell him .

  He nods. "You got it, babe. Tea and toast, coming right up!" He takes off for the kitchen and I grab a pregnancy test from my drawer .

  I stockpiled these from the pharmacy last month right before my period arrived. I was three days late and was so hopeful that I'd be pregnant, only to be disappointed by my monthly visitor .

  With a bit of nerves, I slide the test from the box and tear open the foil packaging. My hands are trembling with anticipation of what I already know. Needing privacy, I close the door to the private toilet room and sit down on the toilet. Following the directions on the box, I place the test in my stream and wait .

  It takes less than fifteen seconds for the test to display a giant plus sign and my heart leaps in my chest. A baby. Ours .

  Tears prick the back of my eyes as relief washes over me. I know people wait much longer than we have to get pregnant, but after it happening so unexpectedly for us so many years ago, it was becoming worrisome that it might not happen again .

  Cole has reassured me that, regardless of what happens, we'll be fine. That we'll always be fine as long as we're together. I agree with him, but now we don’t even have to worry about it .

  Hiding a grin, I tuck the test under the towel on the bathroom counter and slip into the hot bath that Cole drew for me. Bubbles surround me and my body begins to relax in the hot water .

  I rest my head against the back of the tub and close my eyes, my hands running over my lower stomach under the water. We're going to have a baby…So many emotions hit me all at once—happiness, relief, and a tinge of sadness that it wasn't like this with my last pregnancy, the feelings of happiness and relief .

  "Tea and toast, madam," Cole says, pushing through the bathroom door with a large wood serving tray with tea and a plate of wheat toast. He's wearing nothing but his boxer brief
s and every defined muscle in his abs and arms are on full display. Pushing the towel with the pregnancy test under it aside, he makes room for the tray, and my heart leaps in hopes that he doesn't see the test yet .

  "Sip," he says, handing me the small porcelain tea glass. "It's hot, though ."

  I nod and pull the glass to my lips, drawing in the hot Earl Grey tea .

  "Mmmmm…" I hum as the tea makes its way down my throat and into my belly. "Thank you for taking care of me." I look up, my eyes meeting Cole's .

  He leans against the bathroom counter, his arms crossed against his chest .

  "Always, Frankie. I'll always take care of you ."

  I hand him the tea glass and sit up, getting nervous. "Can you hand me that towel ?"

  I watch him set the tea glass down and reach for the large towel. Unplugging the drain, I stand up, the bath water whirling around my legs. When he lifts up the towel, he notices the test stick on the counter, then hands me the towel without even looking at me. His eyes are fixed on the giant plus sign staring him down .

  I wrap the towel tightly around me, tucking the edge so that it stays put. Cole's shaky hand reaches for the test stick and he picks it up before turning to me. My eyes fill with tears, happy tears, when Cole lunges at me and scoops me out of the tub, spinning me around .

  My arms wrap tightly around his neck, and he hugs me tighter than he's ever hugged me before .

  "We're having a baby?" he asks, his mouth pressed against my neck. I can feel his heart racing against my chest as his entire body quakes in excitement .

  "We are," I answer as he sets me down .

  "Is that why you've been so tired ?"

  I nod and readjust the towel as it starts to slip off of me. Cole stops me, flicking the edge of the towel and watching it fall to a pile on the floor .

  With a grin, he lifts me into his arms, carrying me back to our bedroom and setting me carefully in the middle of our bed. He pushes his boxers off and kicks them aside before nudging his way between my thighs .

  His hand trails a soft line from my hip up to my ribs, finally stopping as he cups my breast, giving it a gentle squeeze. My breasts are sensitive, but Cole handles them with care, pulling a nipple into his mouth and gently sucking, causing my core to instantly react .

  His cock probes my entrance before sliding right in, accepting him fully. I gasp at the outburst of emotions my body is feeling right now. All of my senses are heightened and Cole knows how to expertly work every single one .

  I wrap one of my legs around Cole's lower back, allowing my other leg to fall open as I pull him further into me. I'll never have enough of him. Our lovemaking is slow this morning, attentive and emotional. So many unspoken emotions and words pass between us, but mostly love .

  A single tear falls from the corner of my eye as Cole brings me to release. This is what we always dreamed of, and while we took a long, bumpy road to get here, we made it. This is what home will always be to me, Cole and our baby—and Libby someday. But no matter where we're at, with him and our family by my side, I have everything in the world .

  Acknowledgments

  I t takes a village to write a book, from the sacrifices my family makes, to the help and support I get from my friends, family, and peers along the way. I could not have written Fault Lines without the following people :

  M i Familia. I love you dearly. Thank you for supporting my dreams even when it means sacrifices for you…like shitty takeout instead of home cooked meals. There aren't words adequate to express my love for you .

  K .L. Grayson. Your help and encouragement pushed me to the finish line. Thank you for helping me plot, forcing me to write when I wanted to quit, and reading and finessing Fault Lines. I love you .

  S arah Arndt. Your help, opinions, and critical eye made Fault Lines better. Thank you for your help .

  A .L. Jackson. Thank you for always being there…to listen to me bitch, pushing me to write when I just want to sleep, and to lend your eye and opinion to my stories. They are better because of you .

  T o my "Fab Four". Your laughing keeps me going in this crazy business. I love us .

  also by Rebecca Shea

  Bound & Broken Series

  Broken by Lies – Book 1

  Bound by Lies -Book 2

  Betrayed by Lies - Book 3

  Unbreakable Series

  Unbreakable -Book 1

  Undone -Book 2

  Unforgiven - Book 3

  Dare Me - Standalone title

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