by Cora Brent
“I’m deleting some stuff.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Why?”
“You’re going to fuck up something I need.”
“Creed, I didn’t know you played Sugar Rush Village.”
“Knock it off.”
“If I’d known that I would have sent you a cupcake challenge.”
At that instant both men looked up and realized they had an audience. They stared at me.
“Hi, Curtis.” Chase’s greeting was friendly and he waved Creed’s phone in the air.
Creed took the opportunity to snatch the thing back.
Chase ignored him and kept his focus on me. “We were just talking about you a few minutes ago.”
“Yeah?” I said, wondering about the sudden mischievous glint in Chase’s eye. “Should I be worried?”
Creed stuffed his phone in his back pocket, crossed his arms over his broad chest and scowled at his brother before addressing me. “Don’t pay any attention to him.”
Chase was offended. “You were the one who was grumbling about what this young man’s long term intentions might be toward our precious niece. The least you can do is tell him to his face.”
Creed reddened. “Chase, has anyone ever told you that you really need to filter what comes out of your mouth?”
“You tell me that,” Chase shrugged. “Just about every time I see you. It’s actually kind of annoying. Thank god I’m not easily offended.”
Creed regarded me apologetically. “Sorry. I can’t take him anywhere.”
“No worries,” I said, feeling amused by the brothers’ banter. There was no doubt in my mind these men would do anything for each other. I hoped that in the years to come I’d have the same kind of relationship with my own brothers. Brecken and I already had a solid foundation. Tristan was another matter.
“I can assure you,” I told Cassie’s uncles, “that I have nothing but the most honest intentions toward your niece, and that I love her with all my heart.”
The words sounded sappy as fuck. I meant every one of them. Apparently they did the trick of convincing Cassie’s uncles.
“You’re okay, Curtis,” Creed said and shot his brother a warning look.
“Yes,” Chase nodded. “You’re free to join the family anytime. By the way, have you considered changing your last name to Gentry? I tried to talk Dalton into it but he gracefully declined.”
I chuckled. “I’ll think about it.”
Then I left the two brothers to resume their argument about Sugar Rush Village but I did wonder if my future with Cassie was a frequent topic of conversation in the family. I couldn’t blame them for speculating but there was nothing to speculate about. Cassie was my forever. I’d jump at the chance to marry that girl tomorrow.
The music was still going strong and no one in sight appeared remotely alarmed so maybe whatever was troubling Cord was no big deal. The room was hot so I stopped by the bar to get a cup of water and observed Hale was right in front of me ordering a Crown and Coke. Not that it was any of my business, but I wondered how many he’d already had. Maybe he was planning on sleeping off the effects tonight in a room at the resort.
Dalton was chatting with a table full of beautiful people who looked like they ate money for breakfast. I wasn’t sure if they were friends or business associates. He spotted me and excused himself for a moment.
“Is something up?” he asked. “I saw Izzy crying a few minutes ago. She left the ballroom with her parents. Then I saw Cord and Saylor follow.”
“Izzy was crying?” I asked, slightly alarmed. Isabella Gentry was Deck’s beloved teenage daughter. I couldn’t recall ever seeing her burst into tears before. I wondered what could have happened and whether it was related to Cord’s tense face.
Dalton nodded and I scanned the room for any hint of Deck and his family. I didn’t see them. Just when I was about to offer to hunt down some information, Cassie reappeared. Her face was pinched and she paused to speak to Chase’s wife, Stephanie. Stephanie’s hand flew to her mouth for a second and then she beckoned to her husband, who immediately went to her side with Creed on his heels. Cassie let Stephanie do the explaining to her uncles and headed our way.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
Cassie bit her bottom lip and looked around, probably searching for Cami, who was still out on the dance floor with no idea that anything had gone awry.
“It’s Izzy. Apparently she’s had severe stomach pain all day but didn’t want to miss the wedding so she didn’t tell her folks. But then after dinner the pain became so bad she broke down and started sobbing. She could hardly stand up at that point so Deck and Jenny are taking her to the hospital.”
“Shit,” I said. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Dalton asked.
Cassie shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. They left already and the hospital is less than five miles away. My dad wanted to follow them there but Deck told him they’d call right away with any news.” She craned her neck around. “I’m going to track down the rest of the family to let them know. Dalton, do you think you could pull Cami aside? She’ll definitely want to hear this.”
“I’m on it,” Dalton said and immediately started navigating the wedding crowd.
“Tell me what to do,” I said to Cassie, my stomach clenching as I thought about Deck Gentry and everything he’d done for me, for my brothers, for everyone who was lucky enough to call him friend or family. He loved his only daughter beyond words and he had to be worried sick right now. “I’ll make sure it happens. Anything anyone needs.”
Cassie gave me a small smile. “Izzy made us promise we wouldn’t cut the reception short. So let’s just keep the party going and stay positive.”
I nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” I said. “She’s Deck’s daughter so she’s made of tough stuff.”
“Damn right,” Cassie said.
She reached up to plant a quick kiss on my lips then paid a visit to a table where some other Gentry relations were laughing together. Stone and Conway Gentry were the owners of three local garages, although they were once small town Emblem boys who came from a shitty home situation. Like so many of us who had climbed out of bad circumstances, they’d gotten their start with a boost from Deck. Now they were fathers and husbands and successful businessmen. Stone’s pretty, petite wife Evie saw Cassie approaching first and rose from her chair with a smile on her face but the smile quickly fell away as soon as Cassie started talking.
I couldn’t really stand around staring at everyone helplessly. Plus my bladder was bursting. The closest restrooms were down the corridor where I’d escorted that nice old lady who I’d since learned was an ancient great aunt on Cami’s side. She’d made the trip up here from Emblem with Saylor’s dad.
After taking care of business I decided to look around for Cord since I hadn’t seen him return to the ballroom with Cassie. I just wanted him to know that I was around and glad to help.
Cord wasn’t anywhere in sight but I did run into someone else. Derek Gentry was seated on a stone bench in a half hidden alcove with no company but a half empty bottle of Schnapps as he stared out a picture window into the darkness.
“Derek?” I prodded because he didn’t seem to notice I was there.
He jerked, annoyance and a touch of guilt on his face, but relaxed when he saw it was just me.
“Hey, man,” he said, quickly tucking the bottle away as if I didn’t have eyes.
“Have you been sitting out here long?” I asked, curious why Derek, who always seemed like he ranked high on the sociability scale, would be draining a bottle in a quiet corner all by himself. It was possible he had a reason. A guy might look for a quiet moment like this if he was having a really crappy day. Or if he didn’t want anyone to know just how badly he needed a drink.
Derek shifted and coughed, obviously embarrassed. “Not too long,” he said.
It was none of my business but nonetheless
I felt sort of big brotherly in this situation. Even though Derek wasn’t a kid he was Chase’s son and Chase had always gone out of his way to be good to Brecken, tutoring him in school subjects, including him in trips to major league ball games and other events with his own sons.
I crossed my arms. “Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Shoot.”
“Are you old enough to be hanging out with that bottle?”
“Not quite. Does it really matter?”
From a legal standpoint Derek was technically a man even if he wasn’t old enough to drink. Anyway, I didn’t have the authority to throw much shade, not when a few years ago I was doing much worse than sneaking some drinks at a family function.
“You should go check in with your folks,” I said, avoiding his question.
Now he was curious. “Why?”
“Your cousin Izzy was taken to the hospital. She had some stomach problems and her parents wanted to get it checked out right away.”
He frowned. “Is she okay?”
“I hope so. Deck said he’d call if there was anything to worry about.”
“That sucks,” he said with a wince but he got to his feet. I noticed the way he was still holding onto the bottle and the way he looked at it. There was something in his expression that made me uneasy. I’d known plenty of addicts in my time and I knew that look, the thirsty look. I didn’t like seeing that look on Derek’s face and made a mental note to mention it to Cassie later.
“Let me take care of that for you,” I said, trying to sound casual and extending my hand to take the bottle.
Something flashed in Derek’s eyes but he shrugged and handed the bottle over like it was no big deal. “If you want.”
I held the bottle and scrutinized him. Derek must be twenty now and the last I heard he was living up by the university, going to school and working at one of Stone and Conway’s garages part time. He had the broad-shouldered, sun-kissed Gentry looks and I was sure he had no trouble collecting as much female attention as he wanted. He’d never been in any real trouble and there was no reason to think he’d ever find any. He was a decent kid who came from a good home. There was no need to worry about him, at least not tonight.
“You need a ride home later?” I asked him in what I hoped was a friendly tone.
He stretched. “Nah. I have my car.”
My tone hardened. “Which you absolutely shouldn’t be driving if you drank half this damn bottle.”
“Relax, dude,” Derek laughed before shoving me good naturedly. “Kellan knows how to drive. I’ll give him the keys.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and whistled as he walked away. I watched him go, noting that he didn’t stumble or appear impaired. Still, that didn’t always mean shit and I was glad he understood that he wasn’t fit to get behind the wheel.
I chucked the bottle in the nearest trash can and returned to the wedding reception.
Cassie lit up when she saw me coming. I was quick to slide my arm around her waist and lead her back to the dance floor to take advantage of moving back and forth to When A Man Loves A Woman.
I tried to concentrate on the moment of having my girl in my arms and dancing to the perfect song but my mind wandered and I thought of young Izzy. I offered up a silent prayer even though I wasn’t sure how to pray.
My eyes landed briefly on a table not far from the dance floor where Derek was hassling his brother Kellan in a way that reminded me of Chase and Creed. The younger Gentry teens and Brecken appeared to be entertained by the spectacle and I was satisfied that all was well in that corner.
“I love you,” whispered Cassie and I was reminded that there was plenty to be grateful for and hopeful about right now. Despite the worrisome situation with Deck’s daughter, the day had to have a happy ending.
“I love you too,” I said, noticing Cami and Dalton engaged in a deep kiss six feet away.
Yeah, this day was destined to have a happy ending.
I kept telling myself that.
I didn’t understand why I couldn’t quite believe it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dalton
“We did it,” she said, yawning as she rolled over to press her cheek to my sweaty chest.
I played with the ends of her long hair and then let my fingers trail along the bare skin on her lower back in a slow, deliberate way that I knew from experience would make her shiver.
“We did the fuck out of it,” I agreed, feeling rather proud over what had transpired in this room over the past hour.
I’d grown impatient for the reception to run its course so we could make a beeline up here. The honeymoon suite had been heavily accented with fresh rose petals per my orders and was the most luxurious room available but that hardly mattered. Once I carried my bride over the threshold we didn’t spend a whole lot of time checking the place out. We were too busy with each other.
Cami lifted her head and smirked. “I wasn’t making a sexual reference, though it’s true that in the old days a marriage wasn’t legally binding until it was physically consummated.”
“By my count we physically consummated in four different positions thus far so I’d say we’re legally binding.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “It seems there’s no getting rid of me now.”
I let my hands travel lower. “I guess I’ll just have to keep you.”
A sound escaped the back of her throat, the breathy kind of half moan she made when she liked what I was doing.
“I think I’ll like being kept by you,” she said.
I shifted her closer and leaned forward, kissing her long and slow.
My wife.
I liked the words so much I whispered them out loud. “My wife.”
“My husband,” she whispered back.
If the day hadn’t been so long and if we hadn’t already exhausted ourselves with sex sports we would have kept going. But then Cami yawned again and settled back on my chest. For now I was content to switch off the bedside lamp, hold her close and wait for sleep. We had the rest of our lives together.
Images from today kept marching through my mind after I closed my eyes. There was the breathtaking vision of Cami walking toward me on her father’s arm, the way her face looked cupped in my hands as I leaned in for our first married kiss, the sight of Cami’s eternally romantic parents embracing in the middle of the dance floor, the rare hug from my only brother as he choked out his heartfelt congratulations.
The only stain on the day was the news about Cami’s young cousin, Isabella. In the middle of the reception her parents had rushed her to the hospital with intense abdominal pain. An hour later we got the news that poor Izzy was suffering an appendicitis attack and required emergency surgery. Fortunately, she was expected to make a full recovery. Cami asked if I was okay with stopping by the hospital tomorrow before we traveled to our honeymoon destination. Of course I was okay with it. I loved how close the Gentry family was. I would have gladly postponed the trip if anyone needed us to stick around.
My thoughts started wandering into less PG rated territory as I recalled the sexy picture of my bride shedding her wedding gown as soon as we were alone together.
All those rounds of energetic fucking should have tapped out my dick by this point but the memory of Cami pushing her dress down her hips was getting me hard again. Too bad she was already in dreamland. I talked my dick down by mentally reciting the lifetime batting averages of my favorite Hall of Fame players. I got stuck on Roberto Clemente and made a hazy promise to myself to look it up tomorrow. That’s the last thing I remembered until the phone started ringing.
Cami had one of those retro ring tones that sounded like a warbling old-fashioned bell so I knew it was her phone, not mine. The noise didn’t wake her up. She simply rolled to the other pillow while I climbed out of bed to locate the thing.
My sense of unease rose as the phone continued to bleat. A quick glance at the bedside clock said it was nearly two a.m. No one should be
calling Cami right now. Not on her wedding night.
Not unless it was an emergency.
The phone had been left on a round side table by the door. I picked it up, my eyes objecting to the brightness of the screen, my heart objecting to the name of the caller.
“Cord,” I said into the phone. “What’s wrong?”
“Dalton?” My new father-in-law sounded surprised to hear my voice. He exhaled loudly. “Dalton, I’m sorry.”
Cold fingers crept up my spine. “Is it Izzy? Is she okay?”
Cord paused. “Izzy’s in her hospital room recovering. I talked to Deck again after the reception. She’ll be fine.”
“That’s a relief,” I said. But there was still a question. One I didn’t want to ask. “So who won’t be fine, Cord?”
Because there had to be a reason why Cord Gentry was calling his daughter on her wedding night at two a.m. There had to be a bad reason for him to do that. My mind raced through all the faces of Cami’s large extended family, the people I’d long since started thinking of as my own family.
“There’s been an accident,” Cord said and I had the feeling they were the last words he wanted to say. There was a thickness in his voice, a profound sadness. He wasn’t crying though. Cord was the ultimate family man and surely if something terrible had befallen someone in his family he’d hardly be able to speak through his grief.
“An accident,” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“It’s your brother. It’s Hale. You need to come down to the hospital.”
Life took on a rather fuzzy quality for a little while. With composure that sounded robotic I asked Cord the name of the hospital. I thanked him for calling. I found a pair of sweats and a t-shirt in my overnight bag and gently shook Cami awake, explaining why we needed to go.
I was calm until we reached my truck, which was still adorned with streamers and signs, the windows lettered with liquid chalk reading ‘Just Married’. Then when I tried to stick my key in the ignition my hand trembled. Cami offered to drive but I shook my head. Holy Samaritan hospital was only a few miles away but I didn’t want to spend even a short amount of time in the passenger seat staring out the window and thinking the worst. A few minutes ago while Cami hurriedly threw some clothes on I’d called my brother’s cell phone. There was no answer. I didn’t think there would be.
