“Hey, baby,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. Gotta keep Hulk happy.
I laughed under my breath. Some things never change.
“Hey, man. How are you? How’s the married life?”
“It’s good. It’d be easier if I could keep her in Eugene but damn, she loves this place.” Zach kissed the top of her head. Thoughts of Phoebe hammered me.
I held my hands out toward the beach. “I mean, what’s not to love.” I laughed.
“Phoebe here?”
“No, I’m not staying long. I’ll be back there soon.”
Not sure if they noticed I didn’t mention her by name. It hurt either way. Whether I said her name or whether I didn’t. The pain lingered. A chronic ache that nothing seemed to touch.
“You gonna knock her up soon?” I asked, pointing at Emma.
Emma broke free from Zach’s arm and punched me hard in the shoulder. “We are enjoying married life. I’ve burned most our dinners and I’ve turned his whites pink in the laundry when I accidently washed them with a USC sweatshirt I didn’t know was in the wash. I can barely take care of us.”
“Oh God. That sweatshirt should have been in the trash anyway.” Phoebe was a good cook.
Emma and I laughed as Zach pulled her closer to him than me.
“You guys are perfect together. You know that, don’t you?”
They both looked at each other and smiled. That is exactly how Phoebe looked at me. She loved me. I knew she did. What the hell was I doing here?
Raking my fingers through my hair, I picked up my phone to text Joe. As much as I loved it there, as much as this was home, I realized my home was Phoebe. She was my forever, I just needed to make her believe that.
When I stood, Emma and Zach stood. I offered my hand to Zach.
“It was good seeing you,” I said, and I meant it.
“You too, man.”
“Can you give us just a second?” Emma asked Zach. If I was a betting man, I’d have lost a lot because he hesitated, nodded then walked down the deck steps.
“What’s up?” I asked Emma.
“I’m guessing Phoebe isn’t here for a reason. I know that isn’t my business. Austin, you are more than special to me. I never want you hurt. When she was here, I saw something in your eyes that I’d never seen before. You love her. She loved you. Don’t walk away. If that is what is going on. Don’t let her go.”
“I do love her. Very much. I asked her to marry me. And I plan on jumping my ass on a jet back to Dallas today.”
Emma shook her head. “Congrats to you both though you’re so damn spoiled.”
I grinned. “So spoiled that you and Zach got to use the Cubs World Series tickets that I couldn’t go to last fall.”
In the cutest way, she flipped her red hair and waved at Zach, who waited for her down the beach. “Oh, I like you being spoiled and the benefits that come with that.” She came in for a hug. “I love you,” she whispered. I knew she did without her even saying it. It was just a different kind of love.
“I love you too. Now get your ass back to him before he loses his mind.”
She giggled and pranced off the steps to her husband. When I spun around, I saw Frank standing in the kitchen, brown eyes staring at me through the French screen doors.
“Why aren’t you with Phoebe?” I asked instantly furious.
“She walked into the house before me, Mr. Falsone.”
Ecstatic and shoving past him, my eyes searched the house much faster than my legs, but as I ran from room to room, my legs caught up. “Phoebe!” She was there. My lungs clung to life, clung to oxygen as I inhaled and exhaled with the increase of my pulse. “Phoebe!”
Frank shouted downstairs as I made my way upstairs.
Meeting back in the living room, my eyes murdered him. “What the fuck are you guys doing here? And, where is she?”
“She wanted to surprise you. We flew here just an hour ago. Drove straight here, sir. I saw her knock as I parked. I assumed she came in; she was at the front door.”
“Do you understand the gravity of why my parents are in Chicago?” I yelled.
“Yes, sir. I’m aware they called the family in.”
“I refused, Frank. You were assigned to Phoebe because of your history and experience. Does she know who you are?”
“She knows I was watching her, obviously.”
Spinning around, I rushed out onto the deck, scanning the beach. My mind fired in a hundred directions. Why would she have come here only not to have come in?
“You saw her at the door, or you saw her come in?”
“Sir, she stepped in the house. I couldn’t tell if you opened the door or if someone else did.”
A whistle floated through the air and both Frank and I spun to see Zach waving. I jumped off the tiered deck, landing hard in the sand, sending a twinge of zing up my spine. Before another second past, I was in an all-out sprint.
ZACH
Standing and waiting for my bride to leave the conversation with her ex and join me on the beach took absolutely forever. Deep breaths are what got me through the hug, then she jumped down the stairs and walked my way. The most beautiful girl in the world was mine and flashed me a sexy smile. I wasn’t really afraid of losing her anymore. But she was talking to the guy that she had loved once, and I knew that. They had a history. A past that mattered to her. Thankfully, she just loved me more.
When Emma reached my side, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of red hair distracted me from Em.
“Was that Phoebe?” I asked.
Emma punched me in the stomach. “You heard him. She’s not here.”
Running up a head of Emma, I watched between the houses to see if I spotted the girl again. There she was with a small suitcase in tow.
“Emma. It’s Phoebe.” I pointed.
“What?”
“I swear. Come on.”
Darting between the houses, we hit the sidewalk, and both saw the light rosy hair fighting with the wind.
“Phoebe!” Em yelled. Phoebe spun around wide-eyed and her entire face crumbled into a hurt mess.
“What’s wrong? Does Austin know you’re here?” Em asked, rushing to her side.
“Does he love you still?”
“Who? What?” Em asked.
Deliberately, I backed away and hustled back out to the beach. If she were my girl, I’d want to know. The mere thought of Emma running away from me when she was hurting…
Austin stood on the deck where we’d left him. When I whistled and waved, he charged toward me. Something was up. He ran just like I’d have run if I knew my girl was not ok. I jetted my thumb behind me.
“Phoebe, she…”
“Where is she?” he spat out desperately, huffing and puffing.
Completely confused by the whole she-wasn’t-here-and-suddenly-she-is fiasco, I pointed inland. Before I could start walking to show him, he bolted in the direction I pointed.
Chapter 17
Austin
Finally…My Forever
WHEN I HIT the pavement, my neck snapped both ways. Then I saw Emma sitting on a curb with my girl. A tremendous amount of relief flooded through me as my lungs caught up. Seeing her. Knowing she was there to see me. Neither of them noticed as I strode up beside them.
“I will always love him but not like you love him. He’s crazy about you,” Emma said.
My shins nudged Phoebe’s back and her head tilted back, her red, splotchy face peered up at me. I mouthed her name—seeing tears on her face destroyed me. I glared at Emma as my brows pulled together.
“What did you do?” I asked softly, looking at Emma. None of this made sense.
Phoebe stood, laying her hand flush with my chest. “It wasn’t her,” she whispered.
Zach stepped up next to Emma, dropping his arm protectively around her shoulder. Fate still played a role in this foursome.
“Everything ok?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “After you left us on the deck, I was
trying to give Austin a pep talk and as we said goodbye, I said I love you and he said I love you too. Phoebe overheard that part of the conversation. I think she thought…”
My eyes focused on the watery, mossy orbits looking up at me.
“I don’t love Emma like that. I never loved her like I love you, Phoebe.”
Phoebe’s eyes flickered over to Emma. I’m sure my comment made them both uncomfortable. I didn’t give a shit how it made Emma feel. My mission was to make sure Phoebe understood.
“It’s ok, Phoebe,” Emma said. “I love Zach in a way I never loved Austin. That’s how it should be.”
“I’m sorry,” Phoebe whispered to me.
“I’m sorry,” I added.
“Well, it appears everybody loves everybody around here, but Em and I are out of here. Phoebe, it was good to see you,” Zach whisked Emma off the ground.
“I love you, Zach,” I teased laughing, hoping Phoebe saw the silliness in getting upset.
“Fuck off, Austin and make things right with your girl,” he chuckled with Emma waving over his shoulder.
“I love you both!” Emma shouted.
Phoebe waved as I leaned down and picked up her suitcase. “You coming home with me?”
She nodded. “I need my driver’s license.”
“Is that why you came here?” My brows rose.
“No,” she grinned bashfully.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Back at the house, I closed the door behind her. I didn’t worry about Frank or Joe still out looking for her, I had no doubt they saw us and weren’t far away.
“Did I embarrass you with your friends?”
With my fingers, I navigated the mess of hair away from her face and tucked the curls behind her ears. “Our friends. And don’t be ridiculous. You could never embarrass me.”
Christ. Seeing her made me want to hug her. Hold her. Kiss her. Touch her. Fuck her. I tugged at my hair when I ran my fingers through it fighting for composure.
“We need to talk,” she said softly.
I swallowed. “Yes. I have one preliminary question.”
“Preliminary? You sound like an attorney,” she whispered, glancing at her feet. “What?”
“How was the flight?”
A beautiful smile flitted over her blush colored lips. “My first ever. Frank was very kind. I thought the anxiety of flying was going to kill me before the flight did.”
“I wish I could have been there,” I said softly, truly disappointed I’d missed it. I took her hand, guiding her into the living room where we sat.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
I had to think that she didn’t come all this way to say goodbye. The unknown was awful.
“Are you done with us?”
The damn hypnotic freckles and dark green eyes mesmerized me. Fuck, I was screwed every which way possible. I’d do most anything for this girl.
“Listen,” she said as if I wasn’t listening. Trust me, I was all ears.
“I allowed you into my home. Told you about my parents. My family. All of our crazy hang ups. You dealt with my psycho ex. You knew I’d stolen things in my past.” She stood up and knelt in front of me, taking my hands. “I was poorer than dirt and don’t have the best credit mainly because my stupid parents used my name and social security number for things. But,”
Nervously, she licked her lips.
“Never once, did you hold any of those things against me. Never once, did you judge me. You accepted me and loved me through every single thing I just mentioned. And suddenly when I was faced with a decision, I did exactly what I never would have wanted you to do.”
Phoebe’s eyes closed, and I took the opportunity to brush a kiss over her forehead in an attempt to make the crinkles on her forehead relax or better yet go away.
“I’m not sure how to wrap my head around some of the things, but I do know that you never held my parents against me so how can I possibly hold your parents against you.”
“I need you to believe that I have my own job and my own life,” I defended. “At the hands of my parents, comes security though, Phoebe. Someone will always be very close to you. Do you understand that?”
She swallowed. “I want you in my life however that has to happen, Austin. Luck has never played a role in my life, but the day you walked into that Braums, my life changed. I don’t ever want it to change back. I love you.” She kissed my hands and rested her head on my thigh. “You are the forever I’ve only dreamed about. Hell, the forever I was afraid to dream about. And now…now you’re my forever. I can’t tell you I won’t get mad at you over the years. I can’t tell you that I’ll always say the right things. I can’t tell you that I’ll always do the right things. But I can tell you that I will be the most loyal wife and friend for as long as we both shall live.”
The damn adorable nose scrunch only turned me on.
“That sounded cheesy didn’t it?” she asked.
I shook my head from side to side, brushed a kiss over her forehead, stood taking her hand and navigated us out to the deck.
“Where are we going?”
“This is just a moment I never want you to forget.” I turned my back to the ocean so she could catch the view. “Walking into that Braums and hiring you to be my date was a game changer for me. That drive to Oregon. Seeing the world through your eyes changed me. You make me a better man. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted kids, Phoebe. That is until I saw you take care of your siblings. I know you wanna finish college and I know you are not ready to be a parent, but as soon as you’re ready, you say the word. Until then, we practice, practice, practice.” I winked. “If you want to be a stay home mom, you say the word. If you don’t, that’s great too. I will be your biggest fan helping your dreams finally come true.”
Leaning forward, she kissed me softly. Our lips calmly apologizing for their absence.
“Do you want to live out here?” she asked as our foreheads rested together.
“I would love to have you here. But, that’s just geography. As long as I’m with you, that’s all that matters.”
“I do have one question. It’s kind of serious.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I finally watched ‘The Godfather.’” Her lips twitched as if she were going to smile but she didn’t. “Have you ever hurt anyone?”
Immediately, my thoughts shifted to the death of Bernard Coffman and my mind shifted into protective mode. I lifted her chin so our eyes could meet. “Never,” I whispered, knowing all it would take is one phone call and Nick would no longer exist. I didn’t want that on my hands any more than Phoebe did.
Releasing a pent-up breath, her cheek rested against my chest and as my arms wrapped around her, my soul surrendered to hers—making every wrong in my life come undone. The softness and innocence in her touch slayed me. Yet, at the same time, a reconciliation in my mind came to fruition that I would indeed kill for this woman.
Epilogue
STANDING IN THE courtroom with the biggest, most content smile on her face, Phoebe and I stood before the judge hand in hand. Jake and Sloan stood next to us.
Claire and Heather stood in their dresses that Phoebe picked out for them for the monumental occasion. Their attorney stood with them. The judge was finishing her conversation with the girls.
“And you girls understand that Mr. and Mrs. Falsone will be your adopted parents. You will assume the last name of Falsone.”
“My name will be Claire Falsone!” Claire squealed. Heather nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”
The Judge turned toward me and my bride of three years. “Mr. and Mrs. Falsone, you understand and will assume all responsibilities for these two children. That includes all financial responsibilities.” It had taken quite a while to get their mother and father to sign off their parental rights to allow the judge to move forward with adoption. Finally, after the threat of parental right termination, they agreed. Sloan had aged out and Jake decided to keep his legal name.
“Yes, Judge,” we both answered in unison.
“Excellent. I need all parties to sign here and then let’s get some pictures.”
Sloan hugged Phoebe from behind, Sloan’s hands patted Phoebe’s distended belly. “Three more months and we will have another addition to the litter.”
“Tribe.” Phoebe directed at Sloan.
“Litter. Tribe. Whatever,” she chuckled and flashed me a shit-eaten grin. “Come here, dad?”
With adamancy, I shook my head. “There’s eleven years difference between us. Let’s stick with Austin,” I laughed but still embraced Sloan in a hug.
Phoebe rubbed my shoulders. “We are both going to be prematurely gray, you know that, right?” she whispered.
“We are going to be a party of seven once junior is here. Eight if we have another. Gray hair is the least of our worries.” Moistening my lips, I brushed a kiss over her forehead then on top of her head.
Never had I ever seen a more beautiful, glowing pregnant woman in my life. Phoebe’s perfection was a ray of sunshine in a world of dreariness. Her hair a strawberry mess. That delectable nose scrunch. The way her lips parted as if she’d lost a breath when she saw me.
After a series of pictures, we all walked out of the courthouse together piling into the Escalade. The tribe-mobile is what Phoebe called it.
“Ice cream, right?” Heather asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” She high fived me as she got in. God, I loved these kids.
Phoebe’s phone started ringing. After she buckled around her belly, she held the phone so I could see the screen. Emma’s name lit the screen.
“Hey, you,” she answered.
After pulling out of the stall, I drove toward the kid’s favorite ice cream spot when suddenly, Phoebe squealed. Instantly, I hit the brakes.
“What?” I mouthed, panicking.
“Boy or girl? How much does it weigh? Details!”
Zach and Em must have had their baby. A slow smile crept over my face. I was happy that we’d all been friends for so long and Phoebe fit right in. After that day in Cannon, she never questioned Emma and me ever again. There was no reason to. Even with Mom and Dad wanting to downsize where they lived and the possibility of raising our kids in Cannon.
Finally...My Forever (Just One of the Guys Book 4) Page 17
