Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series

by Laramie Briscoe

  Behind him, he heard a door open and the voice of the family friend who would be marrying them.

  “Dalton, if you’d get up and move backwards, I’ll direct Mandy to you so the two of you almost touch.”

  He shook as he backed up, doing his best not to trip over his own two feet. He wanted to see her, wanted to turn around and get a good look at the woman who held his heart. He knew without a doubt that she’d be beautiful, she’d take his breath away and make his heart swell, but he wanted to tell her all of that.

  “Okay, give me your hand.”

  He did as the man instructed and almost gasped when he felt her smaller hand in his larger one.

  “Whenever the two of you are ready, go for it.” He walked away, giving them a moment alone.

  “Are you ready?” Mandy asked him. He could hear the tremble in her throat, the waver in her voice, could feel the shaking of her hand in his.

  “Damn right I am.” And those words were the truest ones he’d ever spoken.

  The journey they’d taken to get to this moment hadn’t been easy. There had been times when he’d wanted to give up, knew there were times when she’d wanted to give up. After what he’d pulled when he’d found out she was pregnant with Walker, he was beyond lucky to be here, in this situation, and he knew it. He’d spend the rest of his life making that dumb decision up to her.

  She’d taken him back, welcomed him with open arms, and if he would turn around, she’d be his forever.

  “On three?” he offered, wanting them to see each other at the same time.

  “On three,” her voice echoed back, running through him. Her voice always calmed him, always let him know whatever storm of emotion he was feeling was almost over.

  “One,” he started the count.

  “Two,” she continued, her fingers gripping his tightly.

  “Three.”

  The word was said in unison and they turned, using their clasped hands to turn one another. She gasped when she saw him, and he felt a lump in his throat as he saw her.

  “You look hot,” she grinned at him, tears in her eyes as she ran her hands over his suit jacket, moving them up to his hair and mussing it up a bit.

  He couldn’t form words for what he saw when he looked at her.

  “You’re so beautiful,” his voice was hoarse as he cupped her cheek in his hand. “Even more beautiful than I could have imagined,” he leaned in, running his nose along hers. “And I can imagine a lot.”

  She laughed, blushing bright red at his words.

  The dress she wore wasn’t intricate at all, but it showcased every part of her he loved. It showed off just enough of her chest, nipped in at her waist, and let him see her neck. The off-white color she’d gone with went well with her coloring too, making it look like she had a tan, even in the dead of winter. “I want to kiss you, you’re so gorgeous, but I want to save that for when he tells us we can.”

  She nodded, breathing deeply against him as his nose continued to run along her face. “Me, too. It’ll mean more.”

  He wasn’t sure anything could mean any more than this moment did.

  Mandy’s knees were knocking as she made her way down the aisle on Liam’s arm.

  “We can make a break for it if you want to,” he joked as he walked her slowly towards the man who would take her hand.

  She giggled softly. “No, Dad, I know exactly what I’m doing.”

  “I know you do, but I want you to know if you ever need me, I’m here for you. It’s never too late at night, never too early in the morning, and I sure as hell am never too busy,” he finished as they made their way to the front of the tent.

  Grasping him in a fierce hug, she pulled back. “You’ve always had time for me, Dad. Even when you didn’t have to, and even when I was scared of you. Thank you for having me.”

  Dalton walked towards the two of them, sticking his hand out to Liam, holding Walker in his free arm. Their son wore the cutest suit that matched the rest of the guys. They met in just a few more steps and Dalton gave Walker to his grandfather.

  Liam cleared his throat roughly. “I’m giving you one of the people I cherish the most in the world I still remember when this little girl was so scared of me that she wouldn’t say anything. I’m trusting you with her, and by God, if you screw it up, I’ll make sure you know it.”

  Dalton glanced at both Liam and Mandy before he spoke. “You have my word. I know exactly what I have, and exactly what I’d be missing if I didn’t have this woman in my life anymore. She’s safe with me.”

  Liam gave him a clap on the back before giving Mandy a hug.

  “Who gives this woman?”

  Liam glanced at Mandy, grinning. “Her mother and I do.”

  She’d never been so proud of her dad.

  Walker’s little voice piped up. “Me too!”

  Laughing, she leaned in to kiss her son on the cheek. “You definitely do too.”

  In minutes she’d moved to the middle of the room and faced Dalton, both of them repeating words she’d heard many times before. She’d watched her parents take these vows. What she wasn’t prepared for was Dalton’s added vow.

  “I promise to love, honor, cherish, and know when to take her for a ride on my Harley, because this one likes a little horsepower,” he winked as the crowd snickered and yelled.

  She threw her head back, laughing loudly. “He’s right; I do like a little horsepower.”

  Before she knew it, they had their rings on, they were being pronounced man and wife, and they were being told to kiss each other. That’s when time stood still. Everything around her stopped and the scene played out in super sharp focus, almost like a movie. She could even make out the tilt of Dalton’s head as he swooped in to take her lips with his. He was gentle, yet demanding, soft, yet hard as he bent her to his will, showed her how he wanted to take her mouth. She couldn’t even bring herself to care that it was in front of all the people they loved. It was the sweetest, hottest, most sincere kiss she’d ever experienced.

  “Let’s go,” he whispered as he pulled away.

  They turned and she followed him down the aisle, knowing that with the white gold band on her hand, she’d follow him anywhere he led.

  At the end of the aisle, they turned to each other, both grinning.

  “Best Christmas ever?” he asked.

  She nodded, her eyes shining. “Best Christmas ever.”

  Part Six

  Tyler & Meredith

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Tyler Blackfoot paused as his palm made contact with the metal knob of his front door. Sometimes before walking in, he would take a minute to compose himself and prepare for the craziness that often greeted him.

  If anyone had told him ten years ago this would be his life, he would have laughed in their faces. Not for the first time, he realized how different his life had turned out, compared to how it began. He’d been a John Doe. Hell, the name Tyler Blackfoot didn’t mean a whole lot to him as far as history went, but he’d serve the name proudly, no matter what.

  But that was neither here nor there tonight. Behind the door were two little kids who made his world go ’round. He was used to dealing with chaos in his life but as the father of a four-year-old daughter and almost two-year-old son, he knew that his kids brought chaos to a whole new level. It had been a rough day at work but he knew that as soon as he entered the house, he’d put all that behind him and focus on his family. Something else the old selfish Tyler wouldn’t have done, but the dad of two toddlers switched gears without even thinking about it.

  Giving them attention wasn’t hard, because he loved his family more than anything in the world, but every once in a while, it took a little time for him to turn off the part of his brain focused on business and turn the other one on. He had no idea how his wife, Meredith, did it but she went seamlessly from businesswoman to wife and mother in sixty seconds. It was sexy as hell – the way she could take in a situation and figure out which hat to put on so quickly
. Meredith never handed responsibility over to someone else, she relished it the way he did. Another reason they were so good together.

  He squared his shoulders, exhaling deeply, finally ready to face what was behind the door. Opening it up, he prepared himself for the onslaught.

  “Daddy!”

  Meredith grinned as she heard their daughter’s excited squeal. Tyler had gotten home at least five minutes earlier, but she knew sometimes he needed to decompress and she let him have that time. Many days the kids were sure they heard Dad’s bike, but she just said it was someone on the road; that was her and Tyler’s little secret.

  Reaching over the bathtub, she tipped the cup she was using to rinse the shampoo from Caelin’s hair over his head one last time. Then she reached into the bathwater and pulled the stopper. When the tub was almost fully drained, she stood Caelin up as she reached for a towel.

  Moving so that she could look around the bathroom door, she gave her husband a smile. “Welcome home. I had to give Caelin a bath early tonight,” she explained when he greeted her with a lifted brow. Bath time for the kids was usually after dinner and before bed. “He had an unfortunate incident with some nail polish he found today.”

  Her heart skipped a beat when Tyler smiled at her. Even years later, his smile could get to her. Teeth glowed impossibly white against the backdrop of a perpetually tan face. When they’d met his skin had been flawless, but lines surrounded his mouth now and they didn’t detract from how handsome he was at all, they added. They were hard-fought smile and laugh lines. Something he’d known very little of before he’d met her – he’d told her that numerous times. His long hair was still midnight black and thick as always; no thinning or graying on her man. If anyone wore pushing forty well, it was her husband.

  “Do I have to clean up anything?” He asked as Addie used him for her own private jungle gym. She grasped hold of his hair, pulling tightly to keep herself from falling off his back. “Ouch! Son of a…” he trailed off, realizing his audience quickly.

  “Mom said that earlier!” Addie told on her mom as she pushed Tyler’s cheeks together, and then pulled them apart. Giggling when he made a sound and stuck his tongue out at her.

  “She did, huh?” He flashed a gaze over at his wife along with a pure bad boy smirk.

  She didn’t even make an excuse for it. “If you’d walked into what I walked into – those would have been the same cuss words spoken. But no, you’re off the hook, I already got it cleaned up,” she lifted Caelin out of the bathtub, wrapping him in the towel. The memory of the mess she’d walked into, nail polish on the floor, on the walls, and all over her son was enough to give her sleepless nights for weeks. She still wasn’t sure how she’d get it off the wall. “Someone’s going to bed early tonight though.”

  Tyler looked down into his son’s eyes. There wasn’t any way he could ever deny this kid was his. He looked exactly like Tyler, right down to the long eyelashes. When Caelin didn’t meet his gaze, he hitched Addie further up onto his back and used his free hand to cup Caelin’s chin. The soft pressure upwards forced the little boy to meet his gaze.

  “You understand why you’re going to bed early don’t you?”

  His lip jutted out as far as it would go, but Tyler didn’t succumb to the tears he saw swimming there in his eyes. It broke Tyler’s heart, but he knew they had to be strong with their kids, had to teach them right from wrong. It wasn’t up to one of them to punish, it was up to both of them and he never let Meredith discipline on her own.

  Caelin nodded before speaking softly. His voice was almost too small for either of them to hear. He hated getting in trouble, and he hated disappointing his parents more than anything. It almost killed the two of them to punish the soft-hearted boy. “Yeah.”

  “We already talked about it,” Meredith ruffled the hair on his head. “I think we’re good, aren’t we Cae?”

  He nodded, reaching up for Tyler to pick him up. His small hands reaching for the much bigger hands of his dad. Meredith loved to watch them together, loved to watch her husband’s hands, so sure and strong with their kids.

  “You’re gonna hurt yourself,” Meredith reprimanded him. Even if almost forty did look good on him, it didn’t mean his body always agreed. He’d worked with his hands most of his life, and while he was in good shape, his back hurt sometimes. “Put Addie down first. You aren’t as young as you used to be.”

  “Woman, I’ll show you just how young I am later,” he groaned as he leaned down and picked his son up, too.

  Meredith liked the sound of that. She absolutely loved when Tyler felt like he needed to prove his prowess to her. She let her eyes devour him from the top of his straight black hair to the boots on his feet. Everything about him screamed manly man and she liked to be his damsel in distress.

  Tyler gave Caelin a kiss on the cheek, catching sight of something in his hair. It was a color he’d never expected to see in his child’s hair, at least until he was a teenager going through a phase. “Why is your hair pink right there?”

  “That would be Hotter Than You….it’s an OPI nail polish…and it sticks. He’s gonna have a pink streak for a while. I’ve washed his hair three times and it hasn’t even faded.”

  She giggled, seeing the horrified look on Tyler’s face.

  “I like it,” Addie piped up from where she hung onto his back. “I wanna get my nails painted that color when we go to Christy’s shop again,” she told her mom. “Please, Mom! Make sure she knows this is the color I want. For my nails and my toes.”

  Meredith was beginning to think she’d maybe made a mistake – taking Addie with her all the time. “I will Addie, calm down,” she told her daughter.

  Tyler blew out a breath, hoping to calm his own nerves. This was one situation that had never happened before with them. Their kids were usually so well behaved. “I guess it is what it is.”

  She nodded, pushing back their son’s shoulder-length hair. Dreading what she was about to suggest. They’d never taken a pair of scissors to Caelin’s hair, and it almost gave her a panic attack to say the words. “Either that or we cut it.”

  At the mention of cutting it, Caelin went into complete melt-down mode. He wanted hair as long as his dad’s.

  Tyler gripped his son tighter, as he started fighting against his hold. Having his hair cut seemed to be much more distressing than having a little bit of it pink. “We won’t cut it. It’ll come out eventually, right?”

  They could all only hope so.

  Chapter Thirty

  Meredith breathed a sigh of relief when she looked at the clock. Nine PM. This time of night was hers and Tyler’s alone. Dinner, bath time, and bedtime were done and they could just be with each other.

  Towel-drying her hair, she had a seat on their bed, exhaling deeply. It’d been a long day, one of the longest she could remember in the past couple of years. Probably since she first started working at CRISIS. With Christmas only weeks away, CRISIS was filling up. They’d taken in more women and children in the last two weeks than they had the previous six months combined. Something about the holidays brought out the worst in some people, and relationships that were on the brink through most of the year hit their breaking point come December first. It was almost as if a switch flipped and there were no more compromises in marriages or dating couples, instead they spoke words meant to get a rise and acted on things meant to hurt.

  She could understand it. Too many families lived paycheck to paycheck and then came the stress of how are we going to pay for this? Kids didn’t understand the balancing act most parents had to perform in order to give them a Santa miracle or even any Christmas presents at all. Moms and dads felt the pressure and sometimes, they snapped, just like a rubber band. Too much pressure broke it in half. Especially when most of them were trying to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head. Forget extra expenses, many of them were doing their best just to meet basic needs. That feeling of inadequacy did nothing to help prevent the situations that
brought women and children to CRISIS. A prevention program was something Meredith wanted to explore after New Year’s. Like everything else, even in her personal life, she lacked the time to get everything done. She used herself as an example all the time: life didn’t pick and choose, it flat-out gave dumped you into situations and forced you to react. Sometimes those reactions weren’t so good.

  “Hey babe.”

  She looked up at the sound of her husband’s voice. Her eyes followed the movement of his body as he came into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Not much had changed about Tyler Blackfoot from the first time she’d seen him all those years ago. He still wore his authority like a suit of armor. His eyes were still the darkest pools of emotion she’d ever gotten lost in, and his body would always be the most magnificent piece of artwork she’d ever seen. Letting her gaze travel down, and then back up, she focused on his mouth, which was smiling at her, the motion drawing attention to the laugh lines she loved so much.

  Getting up, she walked over and put her arms around him, snuggling in close to the warmth of his skin. “Today was a long day,” she sighed, letting her worries wash away as she settled against him.

  Tyler’s big hand came around, cupping the back of her head, and holding her for a few breaths. Carefully, he asked. “You wanna talk about it?”

  Sometimes she shared her days with him, sometimes she didn’t. Many days she saved her worst cases for Doc Jones. There were things he couldn’t help her with, and they both accepted that. She exhaled heavily against his chest, inhaling immediately after because she loved his scent. It centered her and gave her the courage to continue. “This girl,” she started and stopped. Her mouth snapped shut as she struggled to find the words.