by Becky Flade
“Henley and I are okay,” Aidan assured. “We’re friends. Aren’t we? Tell him you forgave me, ’cause then he will.”
“Of course we’re friends, Aidan.”
They stared at her. I guess no one expected me to agree with him. She hid her smirk.
“See?” Aidan offered. They laughed.
“Hey, A. Remember that thing that happened at Errol’s bachelor party that you made me swear I’d never tell Maggie?” Carter asked.
“What thing?” The redhead dug her finger into Carter’s chest. She pointed menacingly at her husband. “What thing?”
“Dude, that’s a complete violation of the man code.” Aidan pouted. Henley was amused. She’d needed this. She needed them.
“And leaving bruises on my woman isn’t?” Henley hadn’t expected that. She’d thought the awkward moment had passed. Based on Maggie and Aidan’s shocked expressions, they hadn’t expected it, either. The silence grew.
“That’s fair,” Aidan conceded. “You want to hit me again? You can, you know. I’d hit you if the situation were reversed.”
“Nah. You got shot. And still tried to come with me to save Henley. We’re solid.”
“I’m a hero!”
“Yeah, you’re a fucking hero. We heard. What I want to hear now is what happened at that bachelor party?” Maggie swung the privacy curtain closed around her and Aidan. But Henley could hear the whispered interrogation and Aidan’s goofy responses.
These were her people. They linked to her past, colored her present, and she couldn’t imagine a future in which they didn’t feature. But what she valued most was their acceptance of her.
“You didn’t have to tell Maggie anything. You know that, right?”
“I know. I wanted to.” Henley lowered her voice. “You don’t think she’ll tell people, do you? Other than Aidan, I mean; I know she’ll tell him. But I don’t want the people in town treating me like I’m a freak.”
“I can keep a secret; relax,” reverberated from behind the curtain. “And obviously so can my husband.”
Henley giggled. “You got him into trouble.”
“He’s lucky that’s all I did.” Carter leaned in close. Henley could feel his breath against her earlobe as he murmured, “I have pictures.”
He nuzzled her neck. Henley sighed. The clarity of his emotions took her breath away. She had thought she’d acclimated to them. But it was more than that. She was in sync with them. His soul made her a whole person.
“Do you think you’ll enjoy being the wife of a small-town sheriff?” he murmured against her skin. It was as though he’d heard her train of thought. Had she spoken aloud? Henley met his eyes. They sparkled; a grin tugged at his mouth.
He wasn’t teasing.
“We’re not getting married.”
“Of course we are. Why wouldn’t we?”
“This is crazy.”
“I told you already; you didn’t understand the breadth of my meaning. You weren’t ready. Here it is: There is no one else for me. I don’t just love you, Henley Elliott—I’m in love with you. And I intend to marry the woman I love.”
They ignored the soft “aw” from behind them. He sat on the edge of the mattress. The heat of his thigh warmed her chilled skin. His eyes compelled her to accept his words as truth. He was speaking from the heart, and hers yearned to take that leap of faith. He threaded his fingers with hers, sharing his love and commitment through that connection more clearly than words ever could. Her heart swelled.
“Carter, that’s beautiful. I’m honored. But we can’t.” The regret was razor-sharp. Now he’ll leave. But she had to explain. “I don’t want children.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? Okay?” She shook her hand free of his. The man radiated understanding, compassion, and, damn it, mirth. “You can’t tell me you hadn’t planned on having children. I’ve witnessed your family firsthand. The McAlisters are serious about their ‘go forth and multiply.’”
Maggie snorted behind the curtain.
“Mind your own business,” Henley snapped at the striped fabric. Carter’s smile widened. Aidan hooted a laugh. She struggled not to grin. She couldn’t have imagined a time she’d have snapped at someone without fearing rejection.
“I’ll admit I thought I’d have kids someday. But it was only ever an abstract idea to me, no specific yearning for a child of my own. I’ve made it all these years without fathering any children, and the world continues on its merry way. It’s not going to stop turning because I’m off the ‘he’ll have kids eventually’ list.” He tugged on her hand. “I enjoy being an uncle. You’ll be a fantastic aunt.”
“But what about your mom?”
“I’m sure as hell not going to reproduce solely to satisfy my mother’s obsessive need to spoil tiny humans. I have enough brothers and sisters who enjoy doing that. This isn’t a deal-breaker, baby. Not even close.” He rubbed his thumb across her palm. The innocent caress tantalized her. If the room were dark, she’d have seen the sparks. “In my opinion, the only drawback is the condoms.”
Aidan and Maggie were blessedly quiet, but she knew the peanut gallery, and God knows how many other people, had heard his statement. His openness about their sexuality embarrassed her. She muttered, “There are other options, you know. Like the pill.”
“Yeah? Yeah. When can you start those?” Forgetting to be embarrassed, she laughed at his enthusiasm. The nurse bustled in, and Henley shot him a look that she hoped he interpreted as a request for silence. She checked Henley’s chart and the IV pump, making appropriate noises.
“Your doctor has requested a plastic surgeon come work on the damage to your calf. They’ll reduce the shoulder then. In the meantime, orders have been placed in your chart for pain medication, which I’ll be in with shortly.” Nurse Williams, as indicated on her nametag, stared at Carter, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer to him. “Mr. McAlister, are you aware that you’re wounded?”
Henley’s gaze flew to the bloodied tear in his shirt. She had thought the blood on his clothes belonged to her, Aidan, or Dubs.
He shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
Nurse Williams advanced on him and, taking his arm in hand, inspected the flesh on his bicep. She tsk-ed. She hmm-ed. And when she released his arm, she explained that he would need to be moved to his own treatment room.
“If it needs to be treated, it can be done here.” He stood tall beside Henley. “I’m not leaving her.”
“Sit. We’ll work on getting your ‘nothing’ bullet wound cleaned and stitched.”
“You were shot?” Henley asked. “Jonah shot you, and you didn’t say anything?”
“My deputy shot me, and I didn’t say anything. It would have embarrassed him. And I didn’t want to worry you. It’s a flesh wound. It’s nothing.” His expression dared the nurse to disagree.
“It is a flesh wound that, if not properly treated, can lead to infection,” the nurse chided him. “At the least, you’d have an unnecessarily ugly scar. Sit.” Carter sat.
“I don’t think she likes us,” he stated.
“Be thankful your family isn’t here,” Henley said.
“They’re on their way.” Maggie’s sexy bass seemingly came from nowhere. Henley had forgotten the Gaels were there. Carter leapt from his chair and threw back both curtains.
“What do you mean they’re on the way?”
“Your parents are catching the first available flight. They’re worried about you and Henley.”
“When did you find the time to call them?”
“On my way here. Why are you upset?”
Henley observed as Maggie and Carter engaged in a heated discussion, talking over one another as they tended to do, and Aidan looked on drowsily. She wasn’t an outsider anymore; she was part of their dynamic. Their family. But she’d always enjoy watching them. The nurse stepped between Maggie and Carter, her fisted hands resting on her hips.
“Mr. McAlister. Please sit down so I can finish treatin
g that arm.” Nurse Williams closed the curtain around Henley’s bed with a snap of her wrist, effectively blocking Maggie from view as Carter returned to the chair at Henley’s bedside. Nurse Williams wasted no time ministering to his arm.
Suddenly, Henley was overwhelmed by the myriad shifting emotions from the day’s events. But the fact that she possessed the strength to deal with those feelings and she was finally safe struck her deeply. Henley wiped the tear that threatened to fall from the corner of her eye. I have people who care about me. Who believe in me. A family, she thought again. I’m going to be okay.
“I’ve been thinking,” Carter commented, his fingers linking with hers. “A lot of people living in the Cove commute to Brandwyne for work. We should find out what it’ll take to get you licensed to practice in Minnesota.” He eyed the nurse. “Hire a no-nonsense assistant with medical experience?”
“You’re not as charming as you like to think, Mr. McAlister.”
“I’ve heard that before, but I still don’t think it’s true. You’re warming up to me, and you know it. She is.” He looked at Henley. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to be a doctor.”
She hadn’t known until that moment. For years she’d told herself that Jacob had taken her life from her. But she hadn’t yet begun to live. Now that she had, she felt as though the last twenty years had been a form of purgatory. Having found her place in the world and a life worth living to its fullest, she didn’t want to reclaim her past.
“Okay.” Carter said it simply. No questions, no second-guessing or expectations. “Whatever makes you happy, baby. But if that includes moving back to Cleveland, I’ll need to give the county time to find a replacement.” He peeked at the neat bandage the nurse had applied over the row of stitches. “I don’t think Doug is ready for the big chair yet.”
“You’d do that?” Henley barely noticed the nurse’s quiet departure.
“I go where you go. I have to.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest, his palm spread over hers. “You’re my heart.” He laid his head in her lap. She stroked his hair.
“I love you, Carter.”
“And I love you, Henley.” He gripped her wrist. “Do you have any idea what you might like to do?”
She shook her head. “Whatever it is, I want to do it here with you.”
“All right. And what about marrying me?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Nurse Williams will be back any minute with drugs, and they’re going to take you to surgery.” He sat up and skimmed his lips over hers. She melted. “Wouldn’t you like to give me an answer first?”
“You haven’t asked, therefore I’ve no answer to give.”
Carter laughed. “Wasn’t that presumptuous of me?” Henley nodded. “What do you think the answer will be when I do ask?”
“That I go where you go. I have to—you’re my heart.”
“Good answer.”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to these incredible people that make my life rich and helped bring Fated Hearts into reality: Nicholas Page, Morgen McGeehan, Casey Woolerton, Gary Woolerton, and Shaina Page. Thanks to beta reader and bestie Jennifer Ashcroft McGahan. Thank you to the CR Sisters for their support, encouragement, and laughter. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Julie Sturgeon and the entire team at Crimson Romance.
And my favorite fella, Mason: This is why Mom-mom writes, bud!
Copyright © 2015 by Becky Flade.
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
Published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street
Avon, MA 02322
www.crimsonromance.com
ISBN 10: 1-4405-9429-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9429-8
eISBN 10: 1-4405-9430-9
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9430-4
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover art © shutterstock/Studio10Artur; iStockphoto.com/aniszewski.
About the Author
A city girl born and bred, Becky tends to place her stories in and around southeast Pennsylvania, or at least include a character or two from that area. Home is where the heart is, and she makes hers with her very own knight in slightly tarnished armor, three beautiful daughters, a charming son-in-law, and her grandson, with whom she shares a birthday.
When Becky’s not busy living her own happily ever after, she’s writing about someone else’s. Visit her at beckyflade.blogspot.com, Facebook, or Twitter.
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
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