And she wanted to get married soon so she wasn’t showing for the photos. I just hoped if Booth ever proposed, he and I could just elope together. I had no desire to put myself through this madness on purpose.
“We should call Deck. The bastard dropped us off and left like a scalded cat,” I replied. When the big, muscled, former soldier left us at the store, the tyres on his truck screeched. He’d made sure we got in safe, of course, and left a prospect with us, but he’d cut and run like buggery with a laughing Shiloh waving madly from her huge car seat in the back. Cowards. We all loved Charlotte. She was a wonderful person and my best friend along with Mia, but I couldn’t wait for this wedding to be over. Pregnant and planning a wedding wasn’t the best idea. Although I had jokingly called her a bridezilla, I think a bridecryer would be more apt.
“You know what we should do?” Rainn said. She was sitting on the comfy chairs in the formal fitting room of the bridal boutique. The chairs and chaise lounges were set in a semi-circle so when the bride-to-be came out from the changing rooms, she was the centre of attention.
“No, Rainn. We can’t do anything at all. I am still trying to get over the sex party,” Mia grumbled good-naturedly, but down deep, I had to agree. Although I got plastered that night and got a bit too involved in the items on display for sale, it was one of the nights when Ingrid went to Booth’s room. And even though I knew now what went on, at the time, my heart was shattered, and it was a feeling I couldn’t seem to forget, even with him declaring his love and loyalty to me. I felt that hurt down deep. Mia, I was sure, also felt her humiliation of Steel throwing Callie over his shoulder that night and taking off for his room.
Rainn poked her tongue out at us, a grin on her face. “Seriously, why don’t we put on our lingerie that we will be wearing under our dresses, and send them a group photo of all of us in a line, with each of us blowing our men a kiss. They will go nuts.” She jumped up and down excitedly. It was all right for her. Mannix wasn’t all alpha about her, and their relationship was open and casual since he held no claim on her. But for Charlotte, Vegas, and me, our men were a mite territorial.
Charlotte was attacking her bottom lip much like I was doing, but her eyes had a naughty sparkle to them. Oh, shit, no, Charlotte, no.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Oh, Lord, where had the shy, quiet day-care teacher gone?
“Yay,” Rainn squealed as she clapped her hands together. This woman really was a troublemaker but in the nicest and funniest way, and I did owe her after everything she did for me after Bradley assaulted me.
Reluctantly, I nodded my approval. As the president’s girlfriend, I felt I had to take some kind of leadership role amongst the women. I shrugged helplessly at Mia, who just looked sad.
“Why not, it’s not like anyone is going to go all gaga over me in lingerie,” she said, resigned.
Last night, Steel disappeared with Callie, leaving Mia to stare off after them, but I did notice that Creed stared at Mia with a little more than just interest in a friend. I wasn’t sure how I felt about those two being together. I was afraid this might be a situation of unrequited love all around.
“Come on, Mia. I am sure Creed will appreciate your goods, and who knows, maybe Steel will see the light and dump that idiot sister of yours,” Vegas added. Even though Darth hadn’t claimed her officially, everyone at the club knew she was off limits to anyone but him.
So twenty minutes later, I found myself dressed in the peach corset bra and matching panties that Charlotte had picked out for us to wear under our dresses. We were all dressed the same, but Rainn had on her usual high heels, which made her legs look amazing. We all looked the same but different, but it was Mia who had us all speechless. Who knew that under those funny T-shirts, she had the body of a sex goddess?
“Why are we sending it from my phone?” Charlotte cried after the poor sales lady snapped a shot of us and handed the phone to Rainn so she could send a group photo message to all the guys.
“Because you’re the bride,” Rainn answered like it made all the sense in the world.
I didn’t want to wear my new bra set before the wedding, so I went back into the dressing room and went about taking it off. Under the cups, I saw the marks Booth left on me this morning, and I blushed at the memory as I let my finger graze over one perfect mark. I rubbed my finger over it and started to giggle when I suddenly felt something odd.
What was that?
Did Booth suck too hard and cause some sort of lump? My hands were shaking as I felt around the strange lump that was hard and just off to the side of my nipple.
Oh, my God. My body went into involuntary shakes. My mum died of cancer. She had the more serious ovarian cancer, which I’d had tests for and had come back clear, but what if I had the breast cancer gene? Quickly, I moved closer to the mirror and looked at my breast. There was definitely a lump. Oh, God, I was going to die. Booth had just claimed me and declared his love, and now I was going to wreck it all by dying. Oh, Lord, I couldn’t breathe. My chest was aching, and I felt like I was going to throw up.
I didn’t know when I started crying, but I looked at myself in the mirror again and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks. Racking sobs heaved from my body as I dropped to the floor. I still didn’t have on a bra, but my arms were crossed over them. I needed Booth. He would know what to do. Booth would get rid of it. He protected everyone he loved.
I needed Booth.
“Stella, are you crying in there, honey?” I heard Charlotte and Mia at the curtain of the dressing room, but there was no chance I could answer them. My tears were falling so fast I was sure I was going to be sick.
“Oh, my God, Stella. What is wrong sweetie?” Mia cried as she came through the curtain and saw me on the ground naked except for my panties.
I tried to get myself under control to say something, but I couldn’t seem to stop crying. The painful memories of seeing my mother go through cancer and the treatment flooded my mind.
Oh, God, I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t put Booth through months and months of treatments, of being sick and putting life on hold, waiting, and praying for a miracle.
Vegas and Rainn joined us in the room. Vegas got down on her haunches and tipped my head up with her finger.
“Stells, what is it?” Her soft but firm voice penetrated my overwhelmed brain.
I looked at her and then around to each of my friends. My best friends.
“I found a lump,” I whispered. My hands were still wrapped tightly around my chest. Protecting it? I had no idea, but I couldn’t seem to take them away.
“Fuck, no way,” Rainn muttered from the curtain. I could hear Mia and Vegas gasp in shock together, but Charlotte understood what I needed most.
“Call Booth.”
29
BOOTH
This run was necessary for the club, but I wished I were somewhere else right now. Only ten minutes ago, three phones went off all at once. To be honest, I thought it was something to do with Rogue, but when I swiped the screen to open the message, I nearly fucking swallowed my own tongue. It was a group photo of the women of the Wounded Souls, all dressed in the same peachy coloured bra and panties. All of them were in one photo—all of them. I mean, seeing Stella like that was a real turn-on for me, but I could have done without seeing Mia like that. Damn, that chick had a fucking rocking body. Of course, she was like a little sister to me, so I had quickly stopped looking at her perfect form. I noticed that Creed and Steel got the same message but had very different reactions.
“Fuck me, brother, I can’t stop thinking about those perfect tits on Mia,” Creed said again for the fiftieth time in the minutes since opening the photo. Fucking tormenting arsehole. I smirked as I finished off the last of my coffee. We were only forty minutes from home, but we stopped at our favourite truck stop to get the best pancakes ever made. I would never tell Stella that, but they were better than hers but only just.
“I will fucking smash that phone into
a million fucking pieces if you don’t stop looking at that fucking photo, Creed. I shit you not.” Steel’s menacing threat was growled from the other side of the table. His face became a thundercloud when he opened the message on his phone. Something told me the man was not as in love with Callie as he believed.
“Brother, you got a woman, remember? Now Mia and I might need to get together tonight for a little ole date,” Creed taunted, a smirk gracing his face.
I was glaring at the idiotic pair I called my brothers when my phone started to ring in my pocket.
If that was Stella to talk dirty to me, I might have to visit the men’s room for a quick pull. The picture of her in that lingerie had me on edge as it was. Looking at the caller ID, I saw that it was Teach’s number.
“Hey, Teach, your flock looks like you are having fun,” I said laughing, but I stopped when I heard a soft, feminine sob in the background.
“Charlotte, what’s wrong?” I asked sharply. Creed and Steel stop their arguing immediately and looked at me. Their faces were serious now.
“Vincent, Stella needs you.” Charlotte’s words sent a chill through me, and my first thought was Rogue had gotten to them.
“Are you safe? Where is she? Is that her crying?” Christ, what was going on? I was so far away from her. Why the fuck did I leave her today?
“We are at the dress shop. Deck is here trying to get her to go back to the compound, but she won’t let him into the dressing room. Vincent, she needs you. We were getting changed back into our clothes, and Stella—” I could tell Charlotte was trying to control herself.
“Stella what? Jesus, Charlotte, what the fuck is wrong with her?” I yelled into the phone louder than I’d intended, but she had me freaked the fuck out. I could see Creed was on the phone talking to someone—Deck maybe? His eyes met mine, and I could see something I didn’t like. Pity? Sadness? What the fuck? A small sob escaped from Charlotte, and I just knew it was bad.
“Vincent, Stella found a lump in her breast when she was changing.”
My gaze collided with Creeds, and I knew what he was told. I swore my heart stopped beating. I couldn’t hear what Creed was saying to Steel that had him up and moving so quickly. His wallet was out, paying for our meal. I couldn’t hear because an orchestra of drums had taken up residence in my head. No way. No fucking way. This wasn’t happening.
“Vincent, she won’t come out. She kicked us out of the room, and she is still half-naked, crumpled on the floor.”
My strong Stella was broken and scared, and she needed me.
“You tell her I’m on my way. Did you hear me, Charlotte? Tell my honey I’m coming.” My frantic yelling had many of the patrons of the diner looking over at us. Like I gave a fuck.
I heard Charlotte relay my words to Stella, who was obviously still in the dressing room, and I heard her response as plain as day. “I need you, baby.”
That was all I needed to hear to get my arse up and make my way to my bike.
30
STELLA
I could hear a commotion outside the dressing room where I had banned anyone from coming in. Loud voices, shouting, but I stayed where I was. I hadn’t even put on any clothes yet. I think I was in shock or something, but I felt chilled from not having any clothes on for so long. I just couldn’t find it in myself to get out of my head to put my clothes back on. All I could think about was what Booth and I hadn’t done together yet.
Marriage, kids … Hell, I hadn’t even given him a blow job yet. Charlotte and I got some great lessons from Vegas a few weeks back, and I had been pretty good with the banana.
“Get the women back to the compound. Vegas, get that phone number and call it.” The powerful, commanding voice of my man filled me with relief.
“Stella,” I heard him call out, his voice frantic. Oh, God. Thank God he was here. Then the curtain pulled back, and he was there—tall, handsome, and mine. My relief was immediate.
He reached me in two strides. Booth fell to his knees, and in seconds, I was in his lap, his strong, capable arms wrapped around me, and finally, I could breathe.
“Honey, you’re cold,” he scolded me gently. He went to let me go, but I held tight. I didn’t care that I was freezing and my whole body shivered. My man was my warmth, and I needed that more than anything right now. I needed his warmth, his strength. Being in his arms would make this nightmare go away even if it was just for right now.
“I found a lump,” I whispered into his chest after a few minutes of silence. I knew he was probably freaking out and had a million questions, but he was letting me take the lead.
“I know, Honey. Let me see, Stella,” he said gently, then pried me away from his chest just enough so he could see me.
Taking his hand in mine, I placed it where the lump was. I knew exactly where to find it after having touched it so many times since I’d discovered the horrible thing. I hoped and prayed it had all been in my imagination, but… The blasted thing was in the same place every time my fingers sought it out.
“Do you feel it?” I asked, praying that he said no.
His warm fingers had a slight tremble to them as they ran over my cool flesh. His eyes never left mine as he did. “Yeah, Honey, I feel it,” he confirmed, his voice low and gentle still, calming me. He was so good at that. He had been like that on the phone the day Rogue was hitting us from behind. He’d kept me from losing my shit more than once.
“Mum had cancer and died,” I said. Why, I had no clue. I just had to say it. Get it out there.
“You aren’t dying. Do you hear me, Stella Hogan? There is no force on this earth or anywhere else that will take you from me,” he promised, his hands moving from my breast to my face, which he held between them, holding me captive so I had no choice but to hear him.
“I haven’t even given you a blow job yet.” Word vomit! I had word vomit. Verbal diarrhoea—I was sure it was a condition and treatment was needed. Booth’s soft laugh filled the room.
“Well, we will remedy that as soon as possible, but first, we need to get your clothes on and get to the doctor. Vegas knows someone, and they can see you as soon as we get there.” Looking around the small room, Booth found my bra, jeans, and top. “Come on, Honey, put your clothes on, and if you are a good girl, I will let you cop a feel of my cock while we are on my bike,” he joked, which, of course, made me laugh. It was a hollow one, but a laugh just the same.
I allowed him to pull me up, and he started to dress me. He was careful with my bra, and his eyes stayed focused on my face, never looking at where the lump was. He gently tucked my breasts into the cups and fastened the hooks. It was not until he had my shirt back on that he looked down at my chest. His grey eyes clouded over for a split second, but when he brought them back up to me, I saw nothing but love.
“You are my light, Honey. You aren’t going anywhere without me. I love you, Stella, so fucking much,” he declared softly but firmly, and I believed him.
“I love you, too, baby, and I don’t want to go anywhere without you.” Going up on tiptoes, I pressed my lips against his and held them there for a moment, breathing him in before I pulled back and took his offered hand. I laced our fingers together, his warm to my cold, and let him lead me out of the dreaded small room that had become my cave for a short time. I was going to make sure when we came back for the last fitting, I would not come back to this particular room. I did not like it.
31
BOOTH
My mind was going fucking crazy. My body craved sleep. My heart, well, my heart ached.
After I got to Stella and got her up and moving, things went quickly. Vegas had a sister who was a doctor in a practice that had their own oncologist, and she helped us get in to see him without a referral or going on a waiting list. I really didn’t think Stella would have been able to handle waiting for an appointment. Fuck, I couldn’t handle it. The very thought of something being wrong with Stella was making me fucking crazy. Shit, I just got her, and now this. But the appointmen
t with the specialist gave us some hope. He set up an appointment for a biopsy first thing the following week.
It was Thursday today, so we had the weekend to just be together and enjoy each other, and I planned to do exactly that.
After we got back to the compound, Stella’s flock swamped her, and I took the opportunity to get in some Shiloh time.
“Unca Vinnie, can you throw the ball really far for Trigger? I’s can’t.” This was Shiloh’s favourite thing to do other than dance and throw tea parties. The dogs loved her and protected her fiercely.
“Sure can, baby girl,” I agreed, taking the tennis ball and hefting it fifty metres across the property, and the German shepherds both took off like rockets, making Shiloh giggle.
“Oh, you like that, do you, Squirt?” I asked, picking her up and tossing her onto my shoulders. Her squeal of glee hit my ears, and I smiled for the first time since I’d received the phone call from Teach.
“Unca Vinnie, your phone is ringing,” Shiloh yelled, tapping me on the side of my face to get my attention.
“Huh? Oh, okay, Squirt. Hold on tight because Unca Vinnie has to grab his phone,” I said, warning her I was taking my hands off her legs. Usually, she was great just to sit up there, but with her broken arm, I didn’t want to take any chances.
I reached into my pocket, grabbed my phone, and slid it open without looking at the caller ID. I gave the specialist my mobile number, too, and told him if he couldn’t reach Stella, to call me.
“Booth.”
“Have someone come and take the little girl because what I have to say might scare her,” said the disembodied voice across the line, chilling my blood. After dealing with this prick for the last few months or so, I knew by now he meant business and didn’t mess around. Looking around me, I saw Ford walking over near the playground. I let out a shrill whistle that grabbed his attention straightaway, and I motioned with my head to come over.
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