by Mia Carson
When he leaned on the island counter, he watched Harley’s hips move as she swayed to the music and fried the meats on the stovetop. Unable to keep his hands off her for long, he hurried to her and wrapped his arms under her pregnant belly as he kissed her neck.
“Morning,” he murmured, and she reached for the volume on the Bluetooth speakers.
“Morning,” she replied and tilted her head to the side so she could kiss him properly. “Sleep okay?”
“If I said yes, would it make you feel better?” he asked.
She sagged in his arms. “Sorry. I can only sleep in one position.” She rubbed her hands over her large, pregnant belly. “Hence the breakfast to make up for it. I know it’s been rough.”
“It’s fine. I tell you this every morning. Quit worrying so much.”
“I can’t help it. I’m making you miserable, and I couldn’t help you guys move anything in here,” she complained, and he turned her around in his arms. “I’m trying not to make things more difficult.”
He hugged her, and the feel of their baby cradled safely between their bodies warmed him. “You could never make things more difficult. We’ve been through so much together. Do you really think me having to move extra boxes is going to drive me away?”
“You never know,” she muttered. “Oh! Here.” She took his hand and slid it around to the side of her belly, grinning in awe. “Right there.”
He waited, and when he felt the hard kick, he bent down so he was level with her belly. “Damn, he’s got one hell of a foot. I’m calling it right now, kicker.”
“You think so, huh?” She massaged Sam’s scalp as she beamed down at him. “We made a human. I’m still trying to get over that. We made a human and helped take down a major drug dealer in the city. What a pair we make.”
“We’ve done quite a bit besides that,” he reminded her as he straightened.
The fundraiser she started in Lillian’s name had grown over the past few months. Three shelters were opening in the next week, and they had another two being renovated. The money raised would help get children and their parents what they needed to ensure they still had a chance at a bright future despite what they’d been through. He only wished they could be in the city to see them open, but being here with Harley was good enough. Her sister and Karen lived in the next town over in a cute little house he’d helped them purchase. Sam wasn’t going to take any chances of Ricky’s guys going after them so he moved them all out of Vegas, though at the moment, Bri was out of town, as was Marcus.
Sam couldn’t be happier with this new life. He was so proud to call Harley his girlfriend, but he wanted her to be so much more than that. “Is that the mail from yesterday?” he asked as an excuse to walk to the entry hall table and pull a small black box from the drawer.
“Yeah, there’s a postcard on top from Bri and Marcus. You know, I still can’t believe those two hit it off so fast.”
Sam smirked, thinking of Marcus and her sister Brianna. She’d turned twenty-one a few months ago, and Marcus whisked her away for a week on a beach in Miami. He hadn’t expected his friend to fall for her so fast either, but the night of the set-up with Devois and Delugio, he was there to comfort her when she needed it. They had been inseparable ever since. Harley was hesitant, at first, since Marcus was seven years older than her baby sister, but he treated her with so much love it was hard not to approve. Harley warmed up to the idea after a few weeks. It also helped that she threatened to beat the crap out of him with her fists of fury if he hurt Brianna.
“It looks like they’re having a good time,” he called as he read the short letter on the back of the postcard. “Do you think they’ll ever come home?”
“I’m not sure. Bri talked about going to school there in the fall,” Harley replied. “I think I’d be okay with visiting her there, just feel bad about the house you just bought.”
“It’s just a house. And what about your plans?” he asked as he clutched the box behind his back and returned to her side. “Have you decided what you want to do with your future yet?”
She picked the bacon out of the skillet and set it on a plate to drain. “Besides figuring out what to do with all the money we raised? You know, I actually considered hiring some full-time teachers and doing some sort of home school program. Do you think that’d work?”
“I meant your future, Harley, with me and the baby.”
She faced him and frowned. “I enjoy decorating our house,” she said slowly. “What else would I be—oh!” she exclaimed and covered her mouth with her hands when Sam showed her the box. “Sam.”
“Harley Smith,” he said as he lowered himself to one knee and opened the box to show off the beautiful white band encrusted with dark blue sapphires and diamonds, “we’ve been through hell apart and together, and now I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life with you. Marry me? Be my wife? Help me grow a family that will do some good for this world?”
Harley nodded as she held out her left hand. “Yes! Yes, Sam!”
He slipped the ring onto her finger and hugged her as they kissed through her tears of happiness. “Are you up for planning a wedding on top of everything else?’
She smiled mischievously down at her left hand, wiggling her finger so the stones glittered under the lights. “You know, Sam, we might not live in Vegas anymore, but…”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Would you be opposed to a Vegas-style wedding here in Montana?”
He blinked a few times, wondering if he heard her right. “You’re telling me you want to get married soon?” She bobbed her head. “How soon?”
“I was thinking after breakfast. There’s that cute chapel in town and I’m sure if you made a nice donation, they’d be more than willing to accommodate us.”
He pressed his hand to her forehead. “You sure you’re feeling okay?” he asked as he felt the rest of her face and shook his head. “You want to give up the chance to have a huge wedding with everyone we know there for a quick afternoon shindig?”
“Is that crazy? Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s the hormones talking,” she mumbled.
“Something tells me it’s not. Is this really what you want? Just the two of us?”
“Why not?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You know, I think it is.” She kissed him on the cheek and waddled as fast as she could back to the bedroom.
Sam walked behind her and watched as she tore through the closet, looking for a dress to wear and muttering about whether anything actually still fit or not. He stopped her after she tore through half the closet and handed her a pair of maternity jeans and a t-shirt.
“How about we get something to wear on the way?” he suggested.
“We’ll have to. I’m too big to fit into anything I have.”
He finished dressing as she changed and they left the house, stopping on the way to the old chapel in Billings. She disappeared to her side of the only clothing boutique in town as he was led away by another woman gabbing excitedly about the wedding about to happen. Sam only half listened, trying to catch a glimpse of Harley from across the store, but he couldn’t see her. The woman with him dressed him in a snazzy grey suit with a black shirt and a shining silver tie and found him a white cloth rose to stick in the lapel.
“There. Now you’re ready for a wedding,” the woman said and clapped her hands.
“Grace! The bride’s ready,” one of the other women called out, and the woman named Grace gasped.
“Oh, honey, you are one lucky man.”
Sam opened his mouth to agree with her, but the sight of Harley striding towards him left him speechless. The ivory dress flowed over her body, making her a stunning vision of black-haired beauty. The soft fabric clung to her heavy breasts and hugged her pregnant belly. Even the lacy flats helped complete the outfit. Two sapphire studs were in her ears and a sapphire hung around her neck.
“So, what do you think?” she asked, smiling shyly.
&nb
sp; Sam reached for her and kissed her sweetly as the women in the shop clapped and cheered for them. “Let’s go get married,” he whispered.
“Are you ready to officially start the rest of our lives together?”
“I’ve been ready since the day you stole my heart.” He offered her his arm, and she wrapped her hand around it as they left the store and made their way to a chapel and the beginning of their new lives.
BOYFRIEND
The first time I bump into her, I knew I owned every inch of her perfect body.
I just had to break it to her gently.
I leave the city to get away from my crazy past.
Life’s now perfect – new home, new town, new me.
Then I run into her and she’s more lost than I am.
She’s not part of the plan, but for those curves, I will rewrite the plan.
Whatever it takes to get her tangled in my sheets…
Chapter 1
The pendant glistened in the afternoon sun, the sapphires and diamonds glittering as they always did when the light was just right. Iris held the old family heirloom tightly in her hand, hating herself for what she was about to do. Wherever her parents were, in heaven or not, she hoped they would forgive her for it one day.
Iris rubbed her forehead at the headache blooming there and glanced down at the stack of bills on the desk. “Damn it,” she whispered harshly. “You just couldn’t manage to keep Dad’s antique store open, and look where you are.”
She needed to get to the pawn shop before it closed today to sell the heirloom, and after that, she had to get to the hospital to check on her eighteen-year-old brother, Sam. He’d been in and out of the hospital for the last three months, and the medical bills only added to the pile of late and unpaid bills for the house, the utilities… everything. There was no money left, and Iris was running out of options fast. She hadn’t been able to find a job because of Sam and his condition. The lung cancer had hit him hard, and so far, remission seemed impossible. She pushed back from the desk, snatched up her stained canvas purse, and stormed to the front door, ready to walk the few blocks into the center of town. It always felt longer than it was, getting there, the weight of her decisions falling heavier on her shoulders with each step, but what could she do?
Steeling herself for another hard afternoon of wondering where she’d gone wrong, she had her hand on the front door when the phone rang. Hoping it was a call for a new job, she rushed to answer it. “Hello?”
“Iris? This is Dr. Wallace at the hospital,” a gentle voice said.
Iris’s heart sank and she fell into a nearby chair. “Sam… is he alright? What happened?”
“Nothing happened. Sam’s just fine,” Dr. Wallace said, and Iris gripped the table in relief. “I need you to come in sooner than you were planning so we can go over a few things that have come up. Do you have time?”
Iris swallowed her bitter laughter at the idea of having anything better to do. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Good—and Iris? It’s good news for a change, so don’t worry yourself sick.”
“It's too late for that, I’m afraid,” she said and let out a heavy breath. “I'm not sure I know how to do anything else these days.”
“Your parents would be proud of you both for fighting so hard,” he assured her.
“Yeah, I’ll just bet they would.”
Iris hung up and glanced around their home until her stormy gray eyes landed on a family photo on the wall across the room. It had been taken four years ago, just a few months before Iris’s world had crashed down around her. She stood and walked to it, running her fingers over the glass and glared. “Why did you leave us?” she whispered, her words echoing in the empty house before she turned and walked out.
The hospital wasn’t far away—nothing in this town was—so she walked. It was a small town, and the hospital was located in the center. When Sam was first diagnosed with cancer, they had to drive all the way across the state for a doctor, but Dr. Wallace moved to town—their first oncologist—and Sam was able to stay closer to home. It helped the family, or at least Iris’s parents, but none of that mattered now. She doubted they’d be able to stay here much longer. The only family they had left was a distant aunt who lived in California. Iris was a Newton, and Newtons never took charity, but if her luck didn’t turn around soon, they wouldn’t have a choice.
“Morning, Iris,” Jackie, one of the front desk greeters called out after Iris reached the three-story hospital and stepped inside. “Here to see Sam?”
“Yes. Dr. Wallace called, said he had good news. Do you know anything about it?”
Jackie shook her head, but the smile on her face gave her away. “I think you need to hear it from the doc for yourself, honey.”
Iris nodded slowly, uncertain as she climbed the two flights of stairs to the small oncology wing. Dr. Wallace paced at the top, a clipboard in hand, and when he spotted Iris, a smile broke out on his middle-aged face as he hurried forward.
“Iris! You won’t believe it,” he announced and drew her into a tight hug. “Your brother… He’s in remission!”
“What?” she asked, hugging him back as tears stung her eyes. “He’s… he’s going to be okay?”
“Not a speck of cancer,” he confirmed and let her go, holding her shoulders as he stared down at her from behind his small glasses. “Sam will be able to go home by Sunday evening, so he’s got a few more days to rest here. We’ll have to go over what he’ll need to do to keep up his strength, as well as medications, but we’ll talk about it later. Why don’t you go see him? He’s been waiting since I told him an hour ago.”
Wiping the tears of joy from her eyes, Iris nodded and ran down the short hall to Sam’s room. She didn’t knock as she burst in. “Sam?”
“Iris! Did he tell you?” Sam yelled excitedly. “Remission! Six years fighting this shit, and I’m finally in remission!”
Iris dropped her purse and rushed to his side, hopping on the bed to hold him in her arms. He was so small and fragile, but the cancer was finally gone. He held her just as tightly, and they cried together on the hospital bed as Dr. Wallace and Sam’s regular nurse, Ben, stood in the doorway, watching with bright eyes.
“Too bad Mom and Dad aren’t here to see it,” he said through his tears, wiping hastily at his face, a face that was the mirror image of Henry’s—their dad's. “Can you imagine what they’d be saying?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I could,” she said and forced a smile, pushing his brown hair from his face. “That you need a haircut and some fresh clothes to come home in.” The rest of the words caught in her throat, and she choked up, turning away from Sam before he saw the immense worry flooding her as she tried to figure out how they were going to start paying off the medical bills and whatever else he needed to get by.
“Iris? Why don’t we talk a little now, and then you and Sam can talk some more about your plans for getting him home?” Dr. Wallace suggested.
“Sounds good. Don’t go anywhere, kid,” she said and kissed the top of Sam’s head.
He rolled his eyes. “I'm eighteen now, Iris, not a kid.”
“You’ll always be a damn kid to me,” she teased and followed Wallace out the door as Ben stepped in to check Sam’s IV and chat with him, probably about the local high school football team.
“So, how bad is it going to be for him at home?” she asked when they were out of earshot.
“I’ll give you a detailed list for his diet and what medication I want him to stay on,” Wallace told her. “He’ll need lots of rest while he recovers, and though it might be hard for him, he can’t just go gallivanting around town like he used to. He’s healing, and it’s going to take time.”
“How long do you think it’ll last?” she asked so quietly she wasn’t sure Wallace heard her, but his heavy sigh told her he had as he glanced with her towards the room.
“Hopefully, years, but sometimes, it can only be months. We need to be prepared for that,” he sa
id quietly. “I never want to think of it happening, but there’s always a chance.”
Iris nodded, hugging herself tightly as she listened to her brother laugh cheerfully.
A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to see Wallace smiling at her. “But there’s also a chance it will never come back.”
“I know, I just… I want him to be a normal teenager now,” she said, smiling as Sam and Ben joked loudly, their laughter spreading out into the hall. “I just want everything to be perfect for him, and it won’t be. Not even close.”
“What do you mean?” Wallace asked.
Iris sighed as she forced a smile. “Nothing, just big sister over-worrying again. Everything’s fine. I’m going to say bye to Sam. I need to run a few errands. You said he’s good here until Sunday?”
“Yes,” Wallace said, eyeing her closely as he removed his glasses. “Iris, I don’t want you to worry too much about the bills.”
Her bark of a laugh was loud, and she quickly reigned in her frayed emotions, thinking of the necklace tucked in her purse. “Sorry, it’s just hard to do that when we’ve lost so much already and I’m still out of work and—” She cut herself off, sucking in a breath, and Wallace walked her over to a pair of chairs. “I’m sorry. I promise I’m not unstable.”
“I think you’re allowed to be after what you’ve been through,” he said honestly. “Listen, if you ever need someone just to talk to, you can always give me a call.”
“Thanks, but you’ve already done so much for us. If you hadn’t come here, I’m not sure where we’d be right now,” she said and puffed out her cheeks. “Actually, I do, and I have a feeling I would not be with Sam, not as much as he needs me to be.”
“Stop being so hard on yourself and just take it day by day,” he said and patted her shoulder. “And please, call me if you need anything, alright?”
