Protecting His Brother's Bride

by Jan Schliesman

  “No one else should have to pay for my mistakes.” Her voice sounded convincing, even to her own ears. “You’ve lost enough.”

  “What about what I want?”

  She laughed. Dalton certainly must wish for a time when he didn’t know she existed. When his life was quiet, simple and free of constant drama.

  “You don’t want me,” she said. “We may have needed each other for a night, but nothing more.”

  “Does that happen to you a lot? You get lonely and find someone’s bed to warm?”

  “No!” She denied the question and immediately recognized her mistake. He knew their intimacy had touched her deeply. Knew she wasn’t experienced enough to believe what they’d shared was run-of-the-mill sex.

  “So which is it? You’re either lying to me or lying to yourself.”

  She released her seat belt and slowly stood, balancing heavily on the seats next to her. “There’s no reason for you to care about what happens to me.”

  She would have been fine if he’d nodded in agreement and then walked away. A smart man would have bade her farewell and run for an exit.

  “I can think of one.” He slowly eliminated the space between them until they were mere inches apart. “I remember what you said at the cemetery.”

  Kira’s heart beat erratically and she couldn’t force her eyes to do more than stare at the center of his chest. They stood that way for a dozen lifetimes. Her voice felt rusty, clogged with emotions when she finally said, “I didn’t want any regrets.”

  His hands gently framed her face and tilted it up to meet his gaze. “I’m brave enough for both of us.” His lips barely brushed against hers. “And I love you.”

  Then he was kissing her with enough tenderness that her body ached with wanting him. His lips roamed from her temples to her eyelids and cheeks, before returning to her mouth. He dropped onto the seat she’d vacated and pulled her onto his lap.

  “I love you.” He kissed her soundly, wiping the tears from her face with his thumbs.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered against his lips.

  “You don’t know how much I wanted to be with you at the hospital.”

  “You did?” Her hands latched on to his wrists and squeezed. “Why didn’t you call?”

  “I called. Believe me, I phoned morning, noon and night.” He shook his head. “Tate didn’t want me to raise your hopes about getting everything cleared up. He thought it was best if you focused on getting better.”

  “Dalton, I would have been better just hearing your voice.”

  “And if I heard your voice, I wouldn’t have been able to stay away. I’m sorry this was so hard on you, babe, but I know now it truly was for the best.” The tone of his voice changed again and she couldn’t quite judge what it meant.

  “I have to go to jail, don’t I?” She knew there would be repercussions for everything that had transpired in the past month. But allowing Dalton to shoulder any of the blame was out of the question. She would take whatever sentence the courts gave her, as long as he wasn’t held accountable for helping her.

  “There will be a court hearing,” he conceded.

  She’d go to court and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Everyone would know how Josh had played her for a fool. Oh, Lord, what if the press got wind of his affair with Lauren?

  “What if I plead guilty to all the charges?” she insisted. “We could keep some things private.”

  Dalton pulled her closer, pressing her face against his shoulder. “Trust me, nothing has been private. I only wish I could change that for my mother. She’s been through the wringer.”

  “I’m sor—”

  “No more apologizing, Kira,” Dalton said. “I mean it.”

  “Um, okay.” A habit from her old life she needed to break. Would break.

  The silence between them lasted a minute or so, long enough for him to shift her in his lap. Her cheek pressed to his chest, the steady beat of his heart resounding in her ear. She inhaled his scent, focused on the strength of his arms wrapped around her. Memorizing the moment would have to be enough to get her through what was sure to be a long separation.

  Then it dawned on her, the reason Dalton was being so quiet. It must be very bad news and he was trying to figure out a way to break it to her. She cleared her throat. “Just tell me.”

  “I want to marry you,” he said. His heartbeat suddenly raced beneath her ear.

  Kira didn’t move. Wasn’t even sure she’d heard him correctly, but his statement deserved some sort of answer. “I’m not very good at being married.”

  “No, you were married to the wrong person.”

  “But it’s not necessary,” Kira said. She’d read how traumatic events could bind two people together, but she also suspected he was trying to make up for all of Josh’s deceptions.

  “Necessary?”

  “Sure, we can love each other and not be married.”

  “What would that look like?”

  “I’m guessing it would involve a few visits a year at a women’s prison in Kansas City.”

  Dalton laughed and she immediately twisted out of his embrace. The action tugged uncomfortably at the stiches in her side and she winced while sliding into the seat across from him.

  “Kira, you aren’t going to jail, or prison, or even to Kansas City,” Dalton said.

  Her anger was quickly replaced with fear. What other options were left? “But you said I’d have to go to court.”

  Dalton shoved a hand through his hair and glanced to the ceiling. “This would be a whole lot easier if you’d agreed to marry me.”

  “I’ve already rushed into one marriage.”

  Dalton dropped to both knees between the seats and removed a small box from his front pocket. “Kira, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our family. Will you please marry me?” He flipped the box open and extended it to her.

  She nearly fell out of her seat as she leaned forward to stare at the massive diamond-and-emerald ring nestled there. Dalton reached for her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. She sat and stared at the sparkles of light reflecting from the stones.

  “Dalton, it’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Emerald is Brandon’s birthstone.” Tears clogged her throat again.

  “I think you mentioned it.”

  Dalton was giving her permission to remember her son every day. When she looked down at the ring, she could see her future and her past.

  “A piece of paper isn’t going to make much difference.”

  “I’m making a commitment. You deserve to finally have a family.”

  Kira tried connecting all the pieces in her head and something still wasn’t adding up. If they got married, wouldn’t they be a couple? Why did he keep stressing the fact they would be a family? “Dalton, what aren’t you telling me?”

  “Do you love me? You said you did, but maybe you’ve changed your mind.”

  He was stalling and they both knew it. But she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. “I do love you, but can we be engaged for a while? I’ve already had one quickie wedding and I don’t want to rush into this.”

  “Yes.” He reached for her hands. “If you want to be engaged, then we’ll be engaged. But if you want to get married tomorrow, I can make it happen.”

  Kira may have been too harsh in judging him. There were many moments in the past month where she’d felt like a passenger on the train of life instead of the conductor. Hadn’t she promised herself things would be different if she survived Josh’s final attempt to kill her?

  “I love you, Dalton. I’m not taking another day for granted.”

  “We’re going to make every day count,” he said, as he slid into the seat next to her and hugged her tightly. “Give me a chance.�
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  “I think the whole happiness thing is a partnership, though. Right?” She giggled as he gently kissed the column of her neck.

  “Definitely.” He planted another string of kisses along her jawline before jumping to his feet. “We can do better than this.” He took her hand and led her toward the rear of the plane.

  A smile tugged at her lips. “Refresh my memory.”

  He pulled her into the bedroom and quickly shut the door. “Gladly.”

  Chapter 21

  An hour later, they were both naked underneath the covers when Tate made an announcement via the intercom. “Checking to see if we’re on schedule.”

  “Yes, everything’s a go,” Dalton responded. The intercom went silent and Kira rolled to her side.

  “On schedule for what?”

  “We’ll be making an important stop later, nothing to worry about right now,” he assured her.

  “A secret stop? Like maybe someplace warm with a sandy beach?”

  He laughed. “I really have turned you to the dark side if you’re pondering tropical vacations instead of letting me keep you warm.”

  Kira slid closer to Dalton, gliding one hand down his rib cage to rest upon his hip. “How warm?”

  He repositioned her hand a bit farther south. “Hot, maybe even steamy.”

  * * *

  Kira awoke to an empty bed, with Dalton’s scent lingering on her skin. She slowly stretched beneath the covers. Were they in the air?

  No, it was too quiet.

  She yanked the sheet from the bed, wrapped it around her body and padded to the window. Sliding the blind up a bit, she peeked outside. No snow.

  Wherever Dalton had taken her, it was bright and sunny and probably close to noon. The plane was parked near an airstrip, but Kira couldn’t see anything else through the small window.

  She closed the blind and stepped into the bathroom. There on the counter was a duplicate of the cloth tote bag she’d gotten the night they’d met. She laughed. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of goodies, including chocolate mini doughnuts, a travel mug and a fancy assortment of tea bags. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over her as she spied her reflection in the mirror.

  It was real.

  This was real.

  Dalton loved her and they were going to be together forever.

  In two weeks’ time, everything wrong in her world had righted itself. She paused, stared down at the beautiful ring he’d chosen.

  Almost everything.

  She flipped on the tap and splashed water against her cheeks, hoping to distract herself from the errant notions. She knew it was okay, probably normal, to ponder all the what-ifs, but it didn’t make the questions any easier to think about.

  Focus on the positive. She had Dalton, and they’d both earned a second chance at happiness.

  * * *

  “Stop doubting yourself.” Tate walked through the plane’s living room and closed the hallway door, offering them a small measure of privacy.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t spring this on her until—”

  “Until what? She’s already lost three years of his life.”

  “I know, I know.” Dalton paced to the couch, tried sitting and immediately popped up.

  “And you’re sure it’s him?” Tate asked.

  “I pulled some strings, got a DNA test pushed through.” He reached for his briefcase and removed a dog-eared folder. “Here are a few pictures Grayson took.”

  Tate flipped through them. There were several photos of a small yellow bungalow with leaves piled high in the front yard. Next came a twenty-something girl, taller than average, her long blond hair pulled into a ponytail.

  The remaining pictures were those of a little boy, maybe three. He was wearing jeans and a purple Panthers sweatshirt, and he was having a blast playing in the leaves.

  “He’s not a baby anymore.” Dalton flipped through a few more items in the folder and pulled out another page. “The girl is Lacey Connor. She’s a senior at North Carolina State, and from all indications, she’s been his nanny from the start.”

  “Was she involved with Josh?”

  “Grayson interviewed some of their neighbors here in Raleigh, and it doesn’t sound like it.”

  Tate reached for a bottle of Scotch and poured a good measure into a glass.

  Dalton jerked the glass from his hand. “I thought you gave up drinking.”

  “If I had, a good friend wouldn’t have a fully stocked liquor cabinet,” Tate said.

  Dalton downed the liquid. “Then let me pour you another drink while you explain exactly how Josh found us.”

  Tate quietly capped the bottle and exited the room without another word.

  “Yeah, thought so,” Dalton mumbled, semi-tempted by the empty glass. He tossed up a silent prayer and headed to find Kira.

  The bed was empty and the bathroom door was closed. Dalton sorted through the bag of Kira’s new clothes and quickly chose the least wrinkled ensemble for her to wear.

  He wanted her feeling as confident as possible when he told her about her son.

  Together they’d escaped two attempts on her life and together they’d learned about Josh’s deception. It only made sense that together they would put all the pieces in place and make a family of their own.

  “Dalton?”

  “Yeah, babe, it’s me.” He watched her exit the bathroom draped in a towel.

  “I wanted to help you choose an outfit for today.”

  She eyed him skeptically before sauntering toward the bed. “Isn’t your goal to keep me undressed as long as possible?”

  He grinned. “Normally, yes, but today we need to stick to a schedule.”

  She let the towel slip farther south. “Are you sure?”

  “Stop tempting me or you’ll miss your surprise.”

  “It’s a good surprise, right?”

  “Very good.” He inched toward the door. “If I were you, I’d choose the red.”

  She smiled and dropped the towel. “Thanks, Santa.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he said and frowned. “I’m adding your name to the naughty list.”

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Kira primped one last time in front of the mirror and then slipped from the bedroom in search of Dalton.

  He was on the phone when she walked into the living area, and she patiently leaned against the wall. Hearing his voice brought calmness into her world and gave her a sense of belonging.

  He winked at her, motioning her over to sit next to him. When she got within arm’s reach, he pulled her onto his lap.

  “Yeah, Grayson, thanks.” He ended the call and set the phone on a nearby table. “You are so damn cute.” He pressed his lips to hers.

  Kira returned his greedy kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands slipped beneath her blouse. She laughed. “You had your chance, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” He kissed the tip of her nose and sighed, adjusting her top. “This isn’t how I wanted to do this.”

  Kira immediately tensed and tried to stand. “More bad news? Were some charges against me reinstated?”

  “Babe, it’s nothing bad.” He pulled her closer.

  “Are you sure? Please tell me the truth.”

  “Just remember, we couldn’t do this until right this minute. You had to be here. And I thought if you knew before, there’d be more complications or the court would want a waiting period.”

  Whatever the truth was, Dalton was acting less confident than she’d ever seen him.

  “Dalton...tell me. I don’t understand, so just tell me.”

  “Josh lied to you.”

  “That’s not new news,” Kira retorted. She really didn’t want to ruin the
day with more talk of what Josh had done to both of them.

  “Kira, Brandon is alive.”

  She must be dreaming. She’d watched his lips move and heard the words, but they didn’t make sense. It was the only explanation. Maybe she’d never left the hospital, and they’d given her a strong sedative and her mind went haywire. She was rewriting the ending because she couldn’t face the reality of losing everything again. Or she was dead, and being in heaven meant nothing but happy endings.

  “How is that possible?” Her voice sounded remarkably calm and reasonable.

  “Kira, look at me.”

  She glanced over to Dalton and choked at the emotions painting his features. He was dead serious and obviously having trouble breaking the news to her.

  “Are you certain?” she asked.

  “Absolutely certain.” His hands framed her face and he pressed a kiss against her lips. It was a kiss promising they were a team. He wasn’t leaving her side and he’d already taken care of everything. If she trusted him.

  “I don’t want to understand anything. I don’t need to know any of the details,” she insisted. “I want to see my son.”

  The rational part of her brain was taking over. When she saw the child Dalton found, she’d know if it was true. A mother could tell, right?

  Dalton stood and pulled her to her feet. He intertwined their fingers and squeezed her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

  “I knew you were an aggressive risk taker.” He winked.

  * * *

  Dalton parked across the street from the house at 112 Hanover Drive and lowered the windows on the rented SUV. The afternoon breeze shook a few more leaves from the maple tree shading half the perfectly manicured yard where Brandon lived.

  Dalton tapped the steering wheel nervously before turning to face Kira.

  “Where is he?” she asked.

  “He lives in the yellow house.” Dalton pointed across the street.

  The front door opened and Grayson stepped onto the porch, quickly followed by a little boy with a mini football clutched in his hands.

  “That’s Grayson, a new member of Buckshot’s security team.” Dalton unlatched his seat belt and did the same to hers.