Dropping the petal-less daisy he’d mutilated, he stuffed his fidgeting fingers in his pockets. “I kept coming back so that you’d punish me for what I did, I guess. But you gave me smiles, which made me feel even worse. I am sorry, not that it changes a damned thing. I can tell you I’ll never drive drunk again, and I’ve gone back to school. It changed my life, that night, maybe not in the same ways, and certainly not as horribly, as yours. I guess I wanted to tell you that. You mattered, it mattered, and I’m sorry.”
Walking back to the tree, she wasn’t surprised when he followed her. Touching the tree, she glanced at him over her shoulder. “It is still alive. It is growing in a different way, but it isn’t necessarily a bad way. Like both of us, I guess. My life changed, too. I went back to school. I’m hoping to help people like me who survived this sort of thing. I figure I will understand, you know? What it’s like to have your brain not work the way it should and have to relearn how to swallow. I’m different. I don’t hate you, by the way. I chose to get in that truck. You didn’t make me or coerce me in any way….”
He laughed, but the sound lacked humor. “You told me not to rush. I remember that, dumb as it may be. You told me not to rush right before I lost control of the truck.”
“It is good advice.” Considering how slow her recovery had been—and, according to the doctors, would remain since it could be years before she got back most of what she’d had before the accident—she’d likely never be at one hundred percent again. “Don’t rush is really good advice.”
Advice she could take herself. Especially in regard to school since she’d found most of her frustration seemed to root out of her need to do things as quickly and easily as before. If she simply went slower, she could do most things. The challenge always seemed to lay in remembering to just slow down….
“Things could have gone differently for both of us.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to put that part to words but thought it needed to be said. “We’re both lucky we walked away from it.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but you didn’t walk away.”
She chewed her lip. “Would you feel better if I punched you in the junk or something?”
Tilting his head, he smiled a bit more steadily. “Maybe.”
“Well, then I’m not going to. You should feel bad. I have brain damage, dammit.”
He choked a little, and then they were both laughing in a hysterical, we-faced-death-and-didn’t-die kind of way. “I wish it had gone differently, that I’d made it home with you. You’re a helluva lady, Roberta Jacobs.”
Blushing, she glanced up the hill again. “Thanks, but it’s Robbie. And not Jacobs for much longer. Speaking of which, I have a date. Thank you for meeting me, Jason.”
She reached out to shake his hand, but he pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for not dying. And I’m sorry. For everything.”
She hugged him back awkwardly. Before climbing back up the hill, she glanced at the tree once more.
“Do I need to kick his ass for you? Because it would truly be my pleasure, Robs.” Rowdy’s moon-shaped face seemed quite serious, and she hugged him with enthusiasm.
“Nope, Rowdyman, you do not need to kick his ass. I’ve got a date. Can you get me to the church on time?”
Once she’d clicked her seatbelt, he turned over the engine. “Well, I’m not speeding, if that’s what you’re asking me. No more car accidents for you. I don’t think any of us could bear going through that twice in one lifetime.”
She didn’t answer, instead watching as the broken, but still alive, tree and the shiny new guardrail disappeared in the rearview mirror.
Searching deep inside, she looked for fear, for horror at that place and what the broken tree represented, but she couldn’t find any. Maybe that was what life was about….
Maybe everyone buried parts of themselves, and the headstones were all shiny guardrails and broken trees, discarded toys and other markers of the past lives folks lived. Millions of headstones, graves where people buried who they were so they could become who they would be and who they could be in the future.
Turning, she faced forward, looking toward her own future. She’d buried part of herself on the side of the road, but that part had been ruled by fears, by impulsive decisions, and by the ghosts of a bad childhood haunting her every choice.
The Robbie she became afterward? She was proud of this Robbie. This Robbie had reclaimed her life, one step at a time and by holding the hand of the man she’d always loved.
The church loomed on the horizon, and she sat forward, anticipation making butterflies dance in her stomach. “Today is a new chapter, Rowdy. And I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.”
Rowdy snorted. “The same thing as yesterday, dummy. You and Gray, against the world.”
Smiling, she agreed. It would always be her and Gray against the world…and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Epilogue
Just like when they were kids, he recognized her dandelion fluff hair from a distance as she got out of the car. The air conditioning in the church didn’t manage to cool the room, but he wasn’t convinced his palms were sweaty due to the balmy heat of the summer day.
Today, he’d make the woman he’d loved for most of his life—the one person who saw him when the world didn’t care about him—his wife. She’d be his to protect, his to love and cherish, for the rest of her lives.
Then again, that’d be true with or without the ceremony. Leaving the window, he moved to his position at the front of the small chapel and looked at the small group who’d gathered to watch them do the deed. A few genetic family members were scattered among the heads in the wooden pews, but mostly it was his Pack…and their wives and kids. Seeing Rowdy rush down the side aisle to take his place as one of the groomsmen slash male bridesmaids, Gray couldn’t stop the grin that split his face.
He and Robbie had made their family from the other oddball kids who needed someone to care, but they’d chosen well. Their family was stronger than a lot of families—tied by bonds of friendship and loyalty rather than just blood.
Then she appeared at the other end of the church. Her dress wasn’t long and flowing. She hadn’t been sure if her coordination, still not perfect nearly a year from the accident, would allow her to make it down the aisle without face planting, so she’d chosen a short dress that swung around her lovely knees in soft, layered fabric. The top was a halter, tied in a cute bow behind her head and echoed by the white scarf she’d tied around her short hair. The only color he saw on her, past her creamy skin, was the slash of bright red on her smiling lips and the dark sunglasses with leopard print that hid her eyes.
Realizing she still wore them, she yanked them off and gave him a rueful shrug before looking around for someplace to stash them. Giving up, she stuffed them in the middle of her bouquet—bright red gladiolus. She’d picked the flower because she liked the name and color. Sword lilies, strong and brave looking. She said she felt strong and brave, especially with him at her side.
He wore a sword lily, too, tucked into his pocket. When she’d been researching things, he saw that the name of the flower meant “pierced with love.” Since every time he looked at her, that was how he felt, it seemed apt.
Music flowed through the church as she made her way to his side, and he counted the steps until she stood with him. Glancing down to her face, he reached for her hand.
“Are you ready?”
“Shit, Gray, I’ve been ready. You would’ve saved us both a ton of time if you’d just asked years ago.”
Bringing her fingertips to his lips in what would look like a kiss to the crowd, he nipped her knuckle. “I think my timing is perfect.”
She snorted, going up on tiptoes to kiss him while the minister cleared her throat in reprimand. “You would. Men.”
“Some of your best friends are men,” Twinkle pointed out, earning a glare from the minister, who spoke over him loudly. “If everyone is ready?�
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“I’m ready.” Robbie smiled at her, not looking even a little repentant. “Go ahead, minister. We’ve got a reception soon, and I can’t be late.”
Giggles erupted from the front row, and they both repeated their vows and exchanged rings as tradition dictated. Although they might seem relaxed, they’d exchanged much more personal vows earlier in the morning, as dawn touched the sky and they lay naked together in their bed.
Robbie had whispered, “So, you’re going to make me a wife today, huh? And I’ll have to spend the rest of my life correcting people about the whole Smith-Smythe thing?”
Hugging her, he’d decided nothing in the world felt better than post-coital Robbie, all liquid-boned and flushed pink from her satisfaction. “I am.” Tugging her to her knees, he’d looked right into her bottomless eyes and whispered, “Do you remember how we had the secret vow?”
Lips turning up in a smile, she stroked his cheek. “Yeah, I helped you write those out, remember?”
“I think we should have a secret vow.”
She’d laughed at him, but when she leaned her head on his chest, her arms had been tight around his waist. “Okay, I, Robbie, take you, Gray, to be both my husband and friend. I promise to argue with you, to stubbornly refuse help even when I need it, and to give you truly masterful oral sex on a somewhat regular basis—unless, of course, I don’t feel like doing it.”
Stroking her soft hair, he leaned close to her ear, cupping her breast with his free hand. “I, Gray, take you, Robbie, to be both my wife and friend. I promise to argue back, to carry you around whenever you’re tired, even if you bitch like a raving psycho. I also promise to give you truly masterful oral sex and, when you don’t feel like doing it, change your mind. I promise to be forever devoted to you, my stubborn friend, if you’ll stay forever devoted to me.”
She’d kissed him then, sealing the deal before she answered. “Forever devoted, because I don’t know how I’d do it without you, my blockheaded man.”
So the vows in the church made it legal, but they’d already sworn.
When the minister declared them husband and wife, Gray kissed his bride. As he raised his head, he glimpsed a figure at the back of the church and froze.
Noticing his stiffness, Robbie turned and saw him, too. “Oh, don’t pay attention to him. We talked. He doesn’t mean any harm. That day changed him, too.”
“Yeah, well, it nearly killed you.” Gray wasn’t proud of the growl in his voice, but he’d still like to lunge after the man who’d almost destroyed the one thing in the world he couldn’t live without.
Her fingertips touched his, and he gripped her hand. She was safe; they were together.
She was right. Jason didn’t matter. Kissing her again, Gray only released her once her eyes were glazed with need and her smile was distracted. A hoot and holler went up from the crowd, but he didn’t care about them. The one who mattered? She was in his arms.
She’d danced until her feet ached, and then she’d sat with her head leaning on his shoulder. Once they’d toasted about a million times and eaten cake, he finally took her home.
They weren’t going anywhere fancy for the honeymoon, just taking some time off from school and work to be together at home without interruptions. Gray offered to take her somewhere exotic, maybe drink some fruity drink out of her belly button, but she hadn’t wanted to go. Aside from the inconvenience her random and unexpected headaches could create during travel, she couldn’t think of a thing she wanted to see besides him.
So they went home, and nothing changed there. No magical illusions, no romantic fairytale, just home and the man she loved.
It was perfect.
She didn’t put on lingerie to meet him in their bed. She stripped off her clothes, and then she stripped off his clothes because her favorite feeling was his hot skin against her own. Curled into their bed, she stretched against him and whispered, “I’m tired. Getting married sure does take it out of you, doesn’t it?”
“You’re already testing my vows, aren’t you? Because even if you’re not in the mood, we’re having sex tonight. Probably twice. I think my wife is pretty hot, so it is going to take you a minute to wear me out, bride.” Gray’s grumbling tone didn’t match his face, which seemed happier and more relaxed than she’d see him look for quite a while.
She didn’t comment on that though, instead nibbling his chin. “I guess if we have to….”
But then his hands were roaming over her skin, igniting a hundred tiny fires, and she tried to focus on returning the favor. “Gray,” she whispered.
Intent on his task, her husband didn’t slow his steady torment, driving her up and over the edge with ease before stroking her back down to earth. Never satisfied so easily, he continued to play her body like a musical instrument, each touch a blend of pleasure and sexual torment.
“I love you, Robbie.”
He said the words as he dragged open-mouthed kisses up her thigh, and she dug her nails into his scalp, pulling him back up her body.
“Love you, too.” Gripping him, she positioned him at her opening and then slid her hips up to take him deep inside. “Thank you. For being you. For loving me even when I can’t think or talk right and….”
“Shhhh,” he whispered, kissing her mouth until she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Could only rise up with him and ride the wave of pleasure cresting over them both. He hugged her a little too tight afterward, his arms shaking and legs wrapped around her. “Sometimes, I still wake up and think this is all a dream. That you never woke up and I’ll find myself back in that hospital chair waiting to see if you will ever look at me again.”
And that was the crux. No matter how long they were together, no matter how much she recovered, that night changed all of them—Jason, herself, Gray, Rowdy, Twinkles. One mistake and it reached out like ripples on a pond to change so many lives. “I’m here, though. And you’re stuck with me now. You married me.”
Their hands met under the blanket he’d pulled up to cover them, fingers linking together in silent promise. “I married you, and you’re never allowed to scare me like that again.”
“I promise to try.” Kissing him, she rested her head on the spot in his shoulder that had a natural dip—as if his body had literally been made to fit hers perfectly. “Any regrets?”
“None. You?”
She thought about the accident, about the dumb choice. If she could go back….
She wouldn’t change a thing. Not one bit of the struggle mattered if it had gotten her right there, in his arms and loose with easy contentment. “None.”
“Good.” He whispered the word, and she closed her eyes. Warm with his scent, wrapped in his arms, she agreed. It was good.
“Forever devoted,” she whispered.
The words were both a confession and a promise for their future.
A Thank You from Fated Desires
Thank you so much for reading Forever Decoted! We’re so happy that you had a chance to look at our new line, The Set Up. We do hope if you liked this, that you would please leave a review from where you purchased this or on another platform. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us.
Forever Devoted is a special novella in the Tempting Signs series. The series is written by twelve authors for each sign of the zodiac. Forever Devoted had the Taurus sign in mind and dove right into the ideals of what happens when someone with that sign falls in love. Make sure you find all twelve stories throughout the year! Some are interconnected so you will see cameos from characters you love.
If you’d like to know more about Fated Desires, check out our website or email us at [email protected].
You can also find out more through our MAILING LIST.
Also, join our Fated Desires Book Club to interact with our authors.
From Virginia:
My father died in a drunk driving accident. H
e smashed into a porch and died alone, chest crushed by a steering wheel. Don’t drive drunk. Call a cab. Call a friend. Walk. Too many people die or hurt others in what is a completely avoidable and senseless way. There isn’t anything fun or cool about hurting someone and, as far as I know, even less fun in dying.
– xoxo
mama virg
Make sure you read the complete Tempting Signs Series from Fated Desires
Each title will be released in 2015 and 2016 during the time of their Zodiac Sign
Aries:
Lust Actually
By Heather Long
Taurus:
Forever Devoted
By Virginia Nelson
Gemini:
Gemini Rising
By Ranae Rose
Cancer:
Finally Found You
By Carrie Ann Ryan
Leo:
Before the Rain
By JoAnna Kenrick
Virgo:
Under the Lights
By Rebecca Royce
Libra:
All’s Fair
By Kate Richards
Scorpio:
Dark Sky
By Katalina Leon
Sagittarius:
Into the Night
By Virginia Cavanaugh
Capricorn:
Her Captain
By Taryn Kincaid
Aquarius:
Buried
By Cassandra Carr
Pisces:
Once Upon a Fantasy
By Lia Davis
About the Author
Virginia Nelson believed them when they said, “Write what you know.” Small town girl writing small town romance, her characters are as full of flaws, misunderstandings, and flat out mistakes as Virginia herself. When she’s not writing or plotting to take over the world, she likes to hang out with the greatest kids in history, play in the mud, drive far too fast, and scream at inanimate objects. Virginia likes knights in rusted and dinged up armor, heroes that snarl instead of croon, and heroines who can’t remember to say the right thing even with an author writing their dialogue. Her books are full of snark, sex, and random acts of ineptitude—not always in that order.
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