by J. S. Scott
I pulled back as his arm reached out to the bedside table and he snatched something from his nightstand. “You forgot this,” he said in a slightly annoyed voice.
He had his mother’s ring.
“I couldn’t take that,” I stammered, surprised that he would ever think I wouldn’t have given it back.
He lifted my left hand and slid the beautiful ring back on my finger. “Take it now, then. I want you to marry me, Eva. Not pretend, but for real. Put me out of my misery and tell me that you’ll be my wife, that you’ll wear this forever.”
I looked from my hand to his face, not sure if I was elated or terrified. Then, because I couldn’t stop myself, I started to cry.
Chapter Eighteen
Eva
The thought of having Trace in my life forever as my best friend, my lover, and my husband was overwhelming.
Things like this don’t happen to women like me.
I hugged him again, whimpering against his neck.
“Hell, is the thought of marrying me that depressing?” Trace asked, as he wrapped his arms around me tightly.
“No,” I answered with a cough that sounded more like a sob. “It’s amazing. But for a woman like me, it’s pretty much a fantasy to have the man of my dreams ask me to marry him.”
“I’m an asshole, Eva. But if you agree to put up with me, you’ll make me the happiest asshole in the world.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Trace might be arrogant, bossy and determined to have his way when he thought he was right, but his positive qualities outweighed those things by a ton. Besides, sometimes I actually liked his bossiness. When I didn’t, we were bound to argue, but none of that mattered. We loved each other, so we’d always compromise somehow.
“You are a little bit bossy,” I mused aloud.
“Agreed,” he admitted readily.
“And I don’t like it when you do what you think is right for me without asking me.”
“I won’t,” he vowed.
My heart melted, and I couldn’t tease him anymore. “But you’re my Prince Charming, and you rescued me when I didn’t want to keep trying anymore,” I admitted tearfully. “You believed in me, and made me feel like a valuable person again. Pretty soon, I started to believe that I was, too. I have work to do if I’m going to find myself again and leave my past behind, but I know I want to do that with you. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my life, but I know where I belong now.”
“Where?” he asked nervously.
“With you,” I breathed softly into his ear. “Always with you if you really want me.”
“So is that a yes?” he asked huskily.
“Yes, please. I love you so much it hurts. I want to marry you.” Fat tears were still rolling down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. After what seemed like a lifetime of hell, I now had the most valuable thing I’d ever possessed in my life; I had Trace’s love.
“I don’t ever want you to hurt, Eva. I think we both need to put the past where it belongs: in the past. It’s history. You were never guilty of anything but working your ass off to survive.” His arms tightened possessively. “I’ll give you everything in my power to make you happy. What were your plans before you were arrested?”
I sighed and laid my head on Trace’s strong shoulder. “Culinary school. Isa was helping me get scholarships and finding me a school that allowed me to work while I was learning.”
“In Colorado?”
I nodded.
“Thank fuck!” he exclaimed. “The last thing I want is to have to be away from you to make you happy. Do you still want to go to school?”
“More than anything,” I said wistfully.
“We’ll find the best school in the area, and you can feel free to try out new recipes on me,” he said magnanimously.
I actually giggled because I was so happy. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you.”
“I’m a selfish bastard,” he corrected. “You’re an amazing cook.”
God, I adored this man who made me feel like I could do anything. “I love you,” I told him breathlessly, my heart hammering with the adrenaline of loving and being loved. “I’ll cook you anything I’m capable of making. It’s the only thing I can think of to give you something back.”
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you’re happy. Cook. Don’t cook.” He flipped me onto my back gently and covered my upper body with his. His dark jade eyes were intense as our gazes locked and held. “Just love me and marry me.”
The raw power that Trace always seemed to exude was still present, but the vulnerability that he was willing to let show in his eyes would have brought me to my knees if I had been standing.
I knew that it was time to let go, to release myself from my past. Everything that had happened was unfortunate, but karma had given me an unbelievable future, and a man who would never let me feel alone and afraid again. If I had to do it all again just to end up where I was now, I’d do it just to be with him. Maybe I’d still have an occasional nightmare, and I didn’t know how I felt about my grandmother, but I could figure that out later. All that mattered was living in the present, and be grateful that fate had thrown Trace Walker into my path.
He was right. I was guilty of nothing except trying to be a better person. From now on, I needed to let go of my anger and hold my head up as high as I possibly could. I was young. I was incredibly happy. And I knew I was capable of doing good things. The Britneys in the world could go to hell.
I lifted my hand and cupped his jaw, letting my fingers play over his lips. “I love you, too, Trace. We’ll let go of the past together.”
“Deal,” he agreed in husky voice. “I have something I want to give you, but I don’t want to make you cry again.”
He made it sound like me crying was worse than torture for him. Didn’t he understand that I was actually tearful because I was overwhelmingly happy?
“I won’t cry,” I promised.
“Good.” He grinned at me as he rolled out of bed and went to his closet and pulled out a framed picture from the bottom of his closet. “I didn’t get a chance to wrap it and put it under the tree.”
For a moment, I’d been temporarily highly distracted by his naked form, my eyes glued to the hottest, tightest ass I’d ever seen. Until he turned around, and I was greeted by the sight of his cock standing at attention. My eyes devoured every defined muscle as he moved back to the bed. God, would I always be rendered mute and stunned just by looking at him naked? Dressed or undressed, the sight of him always took my breath away.
I smiled back at him as I reached out to accept the large frame. It was at least a foot wide and similar in height, and it was heavy, probably because of the ornate frame. I turned it around, and I froze as I looked at the face that seemed to be looking back at me.
It was a picture of my father.
I gasped in surprise, and contrary to my promise, tears welled up in my eyes. “Oh, my God. How?”
I didn’t have a picture of my father. I’d lost everything, including most of my personal items when I’d been incarcerated.
“I found it in public records, and I digitally restored and enhanced it. You look like him, Eva.”
The original photo might have been a work ID, or a picture taken by a coworker. It was a close-up, head and shoulders only, but my dad was smiling into the camera, his broad shoulders covered by one of his usual navy work shirts.
My fingers were trembling as I traced the outline of my father’s face inside the glass cover. “This is how I remember him. No matter how hard he worked, or how hard life was, he was always smiling.”
Trace sat back down on the bed and put his arm around me. “Then you’re very much alike,” he observed.
We were alike. The prominent picture gave me back a little piece of my dad, and made me remember how proud I was to be his daughter. “How do I thank you for something like this?”
“Kiss me?” he suggested hopefully.
I took the picture and caref
ully set it on my bedside table. It was really too big to set on a shelf, but I’d figure out where to hang it later.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I moved in closer and whispered against his lips, “Thank you.” Then, I kissed him, pouring every emotion I was feeling into the embrace.
It was funny how our Christmas gifts were so similar. I’d actually bought a very large frame and inserted the pictures of him, his father and his brothers into the spaces provided, photos that seemed to be shoved in drawers all over his house. I thought it would look good in his office. Strange how both of us seemed to want the other to remember happier times, a time before our lives had ended up in ruin. That gift, along with a few other small items, was already wrapped and under the tree for him to open in the morning.
We both came out of the kiss almost breathless. Trace stood up and pulled me to my feet, slowly undressing me as though he’d been doing it for years before he lowered me gently to the bed, and tucked the sheets and comforter around me.
He went to the closet and quickly donned a bathrobe and moved toward the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked from my comfortable cocoon.
“Making sure Britney is gone by morning.”
He left before I had a chance to say anything else, but he was back within in a few minutes.
Trace shucked the robe, turned off the light, and slid in beside me. “Done,” he affirmed as he gathered me up in his arms.
I almost purred with contentment as our bodies met skin-to-skin. “That quickly?”
“Sweetheart, she’s not as scary as you might think. She’s a woman who preys on rich men. The last thing she’d do is spill secrets. It’s not good for her future prospects.”
“Is Dane okay?”
“Having her leave early was his idea. Once I told him she was threatening you, he was ready to get rid of her. He likes you. So does Sebastian.”
“I’d like to tell them the truth eventually,” I told him hesitantly. I’d always wanted a brother, and I planned on making Trace’s family my own.
“Then tell them. You can decide whether or not you want to share your past. It doesn’t matter to me in any way except that I hate how much you suffered.”
I cuddled into his warm body, feeling so content that I couldn’t move if the house was on fire. God, I loved the way he trusted my judgment, the way he was willing to accept anything I decided to do. “I’ll think about it.”
I was tired, and my eyes closed as I relaxed against him. “I love you so much. Merry Christmas, Trace.”
“Merry Christmas, baby,” he replied as he kissed me tenderly on the forehead.
As I drifted off to sleep, I marveled at the fact that this Christmas hadn’t exactly gone the way I’d planned. I’d known that this job with Trace would change my life, but I just didn’t know how much.
I never imagined when I’d went with plan ‘A’ the day I met Trace, that not only would I be saved from the streets, but I’d end up truly being loved.
For a woman like me who had never known a whole lot of love in her life, it was nothing less than a miracle, and the best gift I could ever receive.
I feel asleep with a smile on my lips and my arms wrapped tightly around my best Christmas present ever.
Epilogue
Trace
Several Months Later…
Any man who thinks getting married isn’t stressful for the groom is a damn idiot!
I was a nervous wreck as I waited in the ante room assigned to the groom and groomsmen, waiting for what seemed like forever to be called to take our places.
Dane looked uncomfortable in his black tuxedo that was very similar to mine, but he wasn’t complaining. I knew it wasn’t easy for him to leave his island to stand up for me at my wedding, and I was damn grateful he was there. I knew he was doing it for me…and for Eva. My youngest brother had become very fond of Eva, and since she called him several times a week, he was starting to become a little more social. My sweet Eva could be stubborn, and she had been pretty damned determined to see me, Sebastian and Dane become as close as we were when we were young.
Little by little…she was accomplishing her goal.
I’d kept the wedding small since Dane was acting as my best man. Sebastian was walking Eva down the aisle, a responsibility he was taking very seriously. In fact, my middle brother had become a model partner, which was giving me some extra time to spend with Eva before she started culinary school in the fall. We were departing for a very long honeymoon shortly after the wedding, a vacation where I hoped we’d spent a lot of time naked.
Even though I was nervous, I smiled just a little because I knew Eva. She’d be determined to see the sights in places she’d never been before. I’d be just as stubborn about wanting us naked and fucking until I could get rid of the constant erection I sported whenever I was near her.
We’d reach a compromise.
We always did.
“I’m off to go find the bride. It’s almost time,” Sebastian mentioned anxiously.
Hell, he sounded almost as nervous as I was. I looked at my middle brother, grateful for all the discussions we’d had about the past. We didn’t talk much about it anymore, and I think we were past our differences. I hadn’t known what he wanted, and he hadn’t spoken up. We’d both taken our share of the blame and came out closer because of it.
“Don’t scare my bride off,” I grumbled as I looked at Sebastian who was dressed almost the same as me and Dane.
“I’m actually hoping she’ll dump you at the alter and run away with me,” Sebastian said mischievously.
I glared at him, but refused to let him goad me. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching me get irritated and possessive. Honestly, I knew Eva was safe with Sebastian. He didn’t poach in another man’s territory, and he wasn’t about to steal away with my bride. Besides, I knew that Eva loved me. Still, I didn’t appreciate his humor right now.
“Just go find her and Isa, smart ass,” I growled.
Sebastian just grinned and ambled off to find my bride and her Matron of Honor.
I’d gotten to like Isa and her husband, Robert. They’d both come over to the house for dinner several times now, and I found myself looking forward to those casual nights with company. Isa was a sweet woman, and her husband was a rich guy with a sense of humor. The two of them were always welcome, pleasant guests.
“Are you okay?” Dane asked curiously.
“Fine,” I answered abruptly.
“You’re looking a little nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you anxious before.”
“I’ve never gotten married before,” I replied drily. “I just want to get this over with. I just want Eva to be mine.”
“Do you think she’s going to run away? She’s already yours, Trace. Relax.”
Easy for him to say. He’s never had a woman who had him by the balls. Not that Eva ever took advantage of that fact. But sometimes it was fucking terrifying to love someone that much.
“We’re ready gentlemen,” the wedding planner said from the doorway.
“Showtime,” Dane said unhappily.
I followed the wedding planner, with Dane close behind me. We stepped into our places in the front of the church, and I finally looked out at the attendees.
Many of them were casual friends or distant relatives, but my gaze landed on an elegant woman in the front row, an older female. Nora Mitchell. She was sitting with her three stepchildren near the front of the church, and I knew Eva would be happy they were here. I couldn’t say that everything was perfect in the relationship between Eva and her grandmother, but they were slowly working through the pain of the past. I was pretty sure that they had more happy times together than they did sad ones, and I knew that Eva had become fond of Nora’s stepchildren.
My cousin, Gabe, and his wife, Chloe, were both grinning in the front row. I was wondering if my cousin wasn’t enjoying my nervousness just a little since I’d teased him about how intense he was with Chl
oe before they’d gotten married. Now, unfortunately, I understood exactly how he’d felt. I glared at him unhappily before I shot Chloe a weak smile. Really, I was grateful to my cousin’s wife, and the fact that her friend had gotten caught up in the holidays and hadn’t showed up at my office to talk about being my fake fiancée. Indirectly, Chloe was responsible for me being with Eva now.
My heart started to speed up as the music fired up and Isa made her way gracefully down the aisle, shooting me an encouraging smile as she took her place across from me and Dane. As the guests stood for Eva, my gaze never left the door that I knew she’d enter from.
I held my breath as I saw her walking elegantly beside Sebastian, looking incredibly beautiful in the white wedding gown she’d chosen.
I didn’t release my breath until Sebastian had brought her to me and she was safely at my side. I felt a strange, poignant ache in my gut when I saw that she was wearing the pearl necklace and earrings I’d given her. It had taken a while, but she’d finally learned how to accept the jewelry I bought her, taking one step further away from her fears of the past.
Strangely, my bride didn’t look nervous at all, and her face was lit up in an enormous smile.
We turned forward, and I reached for her hand. “You don’t look nervous,” I said in a low voice that only she could hear.
“I’m not,” she whispered. “This is my fairy tale. I’m going to enjoy it.”
I grinned as I remembered that Eva considered herself some kind of Cinderella. And I continually reminded her that I was no Prince Charming.
I felt myself relax. I might not be some hero in a fairy tale, but as long as Eva kept looking at me like I was, it didn’t really matter.
“I’ll get my wish later,” I said into her ear.
“Pervert,” she said in a hushed voice, admonishing, but so full of teasing affection that I was no longer nervous.
Hell, I was marrying the woman that I loved more than anyone else in the world. Now that she was beside me, everything was all good.
