by Jess Bryant
“Link was sorry he couldn’t be here. He knows you want to talk and will be by tomorrow to see ya.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“No problem.”
“Any idea what it is he wants with Rachel?”
Ford shrugged.
“Is that a no?”
Ford scratched his beard, “He wants to talk to her about Bug.”
“What about him?”
Ford shrugged again and Remy fought the urge to snipe at him. The whole quiet and mysterious thing worked with the ladies but he knew it wasn’t an act. Ford had always been that way. He knew unless there was something Ford thought he could add to the conversation, he didn’t bother opening his mouth. This time though, he couldn’t be sure if Ford was quiet because he didn’t know what Lincoln was up to or if he was quiet because his twin had told him to stay that way and it bugged the hell out of him that either of his cousins knew something about Rachel and her situation that he didn’t.
“Look, if it’s about what I think it’s about… Rachel doesn’t know anything.”
Ford raised an eyebrow but remained quiet again.
“If she knew anything about what her brother was up to, she would’ve told me by now. She’s been living with me for a week. We’re together. She’s mine.”
“I know but…”
Whatever Ford had been about to say was cut off by a noisy racket near the door. They both turned to see what was going on, as did several of the wedding guests. The first thing he saw was Bentley arguing with someone and he frowned, wondering what the hell the kid was doing, but when the other person shoved the younger man, Remy’s breath caught in his chest.
Decker. Decker was here. His father had somehow found out about the wedding and decided to show up. He’d shown up drunk and belligerent, as per always.
It wasn’t the first time Remy had seen his father since he moved back to Old Settlers. He’d spotted his old man once or twice in town the past few months. Every time, he’d been able to slip away without being noticed, avoiding the confrontation he’d known was inevitable, but he knew that wouldn’t be an option this time.
Decker was here to ruin Cash’s wedding day. It was the only reason for him to show up when he hadn’t been invited. He hated the twins, wanted them dead, blamed them for everything that had ever gone wrong in his life. So he was here to destroy the happiest day of Cash’s life just like he’d tried to destroy the son he swore wasn’t his every day since he was born.
Remy started to stand, to go and help Bentley, to keep the twins from seeing the bastard and letting him harm them in any way, but a heavy hand landed on his arm. Ford shoved him back into his chair and gave one firm shake of his head. He watched his cousin stand and blinked in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting him out of here.”
“He’s my dad. I’ll deal with him.”
“No. Not this time. You’ve managed to escape him this long. I’ll get him out of here before Cash sees him.”
Remy gaped at his cousin, “You don’t have to do it alone. I can help you. He’ll go if I…”
“No, Remy.” Ford glared down at him, “You can’t take everything in this family on your shoulders. I’ll take care of Uncle Deck. You stay here with your brothers and your girls. This is where you belong.”
That tightness was in his throat again so he couldn’t find the words to thank his cousin. Remy simply nodded and Ford did the same before walking away. He’d forgotten, because Ford usually chose to stay quiet, that when he did speak, his cousin usually said a mouthful.
Ford would get Decker out of here. He’d take him away. He wanted Remy to stay here with his brothers and with his sisters. He wanted him to stay here with Rachel because this was where he belonged.
Not in some dilapidated shack on the edge of town. Not in some fight with his father. Not hiding in the shadows. He belonged here, with his family, in the light. So that’s where he was going to stay even if he knew he would owe Ford a favor for this after.
Rachel turned from the bar and smiled at him so he pushed to his feet again. Staying away from her this long had been an absolute feat in self-control. He moved towards her and didn’t stop until he had her in his arms.
“Dance with me, love.”
She smiled, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Twelve
It had been the most amazing, utterly perfect, beautiful day. Rachel let Remy lead her onto the dance floor, past their friends and family, to a spot in the corner where they were mostly alone. She let him pull her into his arms, wrapped herself around him and rested her cheek against his chest. She’d never felt more at home than she did here and now in this place and with these people… with Remy.
She’d spent all day with Jemma and Skylar. They’d all taken off work today, closed the salon and spent hours getting ready for the wedding. Skylar had done all their hair while Jemma worked on their makeup and they shared stories and laughter until she’d worried they’d all be late to the wedding.
Then she’d gone home to put on her dress, the dress that Skylar had given her, the one her friend had clearly bought for her. And as soon as she slipped the black velvet and lace dress on, she’d known that she couldn’t reject the gift because it was perfect. It was perfect and it made her feel all of the things she’d never felt before. Beautiful and special and sexy. All of the things that Remy had told her she was, repeatedly, over the last week. So much so that she’d started to believe him and tonight, here, in this beautiful dress and in his arms, she felt more like herself than she ever had.
The woman she’d wanted to be for so long. Not the girl that was scared of everything and everyone. Not the girl that hid from her problems and ran away. She felt like a smart, capable woman for the first time in her life. Like someone worthy of being loved and willing to open herself up and love in return. A woman that knew what she wanted and asked for it, demanded it, and then took it if need be.
She knew what she wanted now. What she’d always wanted. Who she’d always wanted.
Remy.
He was the reason she’d begun to push past her limits. He was the reason she’d started to trust her instincts and was learning to stand on her own two feet. He was the reason she’d opened her eyes enough to realize she had two amazing women that were her friends, who had her back and were there to listen to her and help her through anything. He was the reason that she was learning what it truly meant to be loved and to be a part of a family that would do anything to protect each other.
She loved him.
She’d loved him since that first day on the street when he managed to distract her from her fears. She’d looked up into that handsome face and those dark blue eyes and fallen for him. She’d been falling ever since. Every word, every touch, every single time he told her how special she was, how much he wanted her, how he needed her, she fell even more in love with him.
And he’d told her that he loved her earlier. She’d felt it since the first time he touched her. She could see it in the way he looked at her. It was in every way he made her the center of his universe but tonight he’d given her the words for the very first time and then he’d told her not to say them back until she was ready.
She’d been ready to say them right then. She’d been holding them inside her, afraid of saying them too soon, too fast. She’d still been scared but she wasn’t scared anymore. Saying them wouldn’t be clingy or crazy since Remy had said them first. She would have said them back right then, told him she wanted all of the same things he wanted, forever and a family with him, but she’d known they were running late for the wedding and there hadn’t been time for what she’d known would come next.
When she told him how she felt, they were going to make love. Finally. He’d stopped them from going that far time and again and to be honest, it had been frustrating. Not because he hadn’t made her come, he had. Over and over and over again, he’d touched her and kissed her and done things to her body th
at she hadn’t even known were possible. But he’d refused to truly take her, claim her, and she thought he was waiting for her to say the words that would bind her to him before he bound her to him in return.
Not just those three little words either, but the truth.
He needed to know the things she was keeping from him. No more secrets. No more lies. No more half-truths. She had to tell him what she’d overheard Craig plotting with his friends. She had to come clean about what she knew, about what her brother had done, and she had to do it soon.
It was the last barrier between them, the thing keeping them from truly being happy and giving them the future Cash and Jemma were living. When they’d exchanged vows and sworn to be honest and true to each other, she’d felt her heart clench painfully in her chest. Because she knew if she wanted a day like this with Remy with the white dress and the happily ever after, that honesty had to come first.
She didn’t think he would throw her out. Hate her. Push her away. But the fear was still there, so much a part of her that she knew it wouldn’t be easy. She had to do it… just not tonight.
She wasn’t going to ruin this day with that drama. It had been too perfect. Too magical. Too everything for it to end badly. She only wanted it to end one way and that was with her in Remy’s bed, in their bed, with their bodies as intertwined as their hearts and souls had become.
“Remy?”
“Hmm?” He stroked a big hand up and down her back before settling it right above her ass again.
“This is nice.”
He tugged her even closer, which she hadn’t thought was possible, “Mmm, it’s a lot better than nice.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I just watched my little brother get married. He’s happy and he’s gonna be so good to Jemma and that baby. I’m here with my family, with you, and that makes me happy. Life’s not just nice… it’s damn near perfect.”
She cuddled her cheek against his chest, “Damn near?”
“Damn near.” He chuckled and she knew it was because she’d cursed.
He’d told her this week that she sounded ridiculous when she cursed. He said she was so sweet and innocent that the words didn’t seem threatening at all. She’d made a point of throwing more of them into their conversations just to hear that laugh of his she loved so much.
“I think I know what would make it perfect.” She bit her lip and then leaned back enough that she could look up into his handsome face.
He was looking down at her and her heart immediately jumped at the heat in his dark eyes. He was so good looking it was a little intimidating. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve someone like Remy looking at her as if he was the lucky one but she hoped he never stopped.
“What’s that, baby?”
“There’s something I want to tell you, something I’ve wanted to tell you for… well, for a long time.” She pushed forward when she saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, “I’m not saying it because you said it. I’m not saying it because I feel like I owe you for all that you’ve done for me. I’m saying it because it’s true and because I don’t want to go another day or even another hour without you knowing that everything you feel is what I feel and everything you want is what I want.”
Remy’s grip on her tightened momentarily, as if he wanted to hold onto her, “What are you saying, Rachel?”
“I-I-I’m saying…” She took a deep breath, let it out and tried to calm her racing heart because she didn’t want to stutter when she said this, not this, “I love you, Remy Bomar.”
He sucked in a sharp breath and one of his hands moved to her face, cupping her cheek and tilting her head back so she had to look him in the eye, “Say it again. Look me in the eyes and say it again.”
She realized then that she’d been talking to his chest. Because she was shorter than him, sure, but also because it was easier to get it out if she didn’t have to look into those intense blue eyes of his. She met them now and felt herself falling into him all over again but since she’d always trusted him to catch her, she didn’t hesitate to keep right on falling.
“I love you. It scared me at first just how much I wanted you, how I could want you at all after everything… I-I don’t want to be scared anymore. I’m not scared anymore, not so long as I have you. I love you.”
Remy sealed his lips to hers and she kissed him back with all of the love that swelled in her heart. She loved him. He loved her. They were going to be okay. So long as they were together they were going to be okay. She expected him to deepen the kiss so when he kept it sweet and simple and then pulled back to stare down at her she whimpered.
“I love you too, Rach. God, I love you. Say it again.”
“I love you, Remy.” She smiled softly when he closed his eyes, as if he was soaking in the words, “I love you. Take me home. Take me home and make love to me.”
His eyes flipped open and then narrowed on her, “Rachel…”
“Take me home, Remy. I want to go home, to our home, to our bed, with you. I want you to make me yours.”
Those dark eyes searched her face, “You already are.”
“Make love to me.”
“Are you sure?” He cupped her face again, “Be sure, Rachel, because there’s no going back. Once I take you to bed, you’re never leaving it. No matter what else happens, I’m never letting you go.”
She smiled at that because it was those words she hadn’t known she even needed. He wasn’t letting her go. No matter what happened. Did he know how much she needed to hear that? To know that no matter what she told him, what he found out, that when she gave him the secret that would most likely end her brother’s life and mean she had nowhere else to go, that she wouldn’t be alone. She would still be his. They would still be together. Because he loved her and she loved him.
“Never?”
“Never.” He confirmed.
“Take me home, Remy.”
A small smile flickered over his lips, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Rachel giggled slightly as he used her earlier words but the sound faded as he grabbed her hand and all but dragged her off the dance floor. They went past Colt and Skylar who were wrapped around each other, all but making out as their bodies slid against one another in an intimate dance. They went past Cash and Jemma too, the newlyweds dancing slowly, their arms wrapped around each other but with joined hands on the swell of Jemma’s pregnant belly. The happy couples were so deeply lost in each other that they didn’t even notice Remy and Rachel leaving the reception early and neither did anyone else.
Once they were outside, Remy paused and looked around. She didn’t know what he was looking for, or who, but he continued on a moment later without a word. She’d thought maybe he was trying to remember where they’d parked but he headed straight for the car and when they go to it, he pushed her against the door.
His mouth captured hers again and she moaned when his tongue lapped at her and then pushed inside to tease her. It was a little rough and a little desperate and she loved it. This was the kiss she’d been certain she would get inside but he’d saved it for when it was just them. Because he was still protecting her, always protecting her, even when she didn’t realize it.
Remy kissed her long and deep. He kissed her until she was writhing against him, pushing her hips against his to feel his hardness. She needed more and now she knew what that more was. She knew that this man was the only one that could give it to her.
“Please…” She begged when he dragged his lips from hers.
“God you’re so sweet. I can’t get enough of you. I’ll never get enough of you.” Remy was panting, out of breath, but he pulled back from her, “Let’s go home, baby.”
“Home.”
There was that word again. What he’d given her. What he’d become for her. Home.
It didn’t take Remy long to get them home. The man had been raised to be a getaway driver after all and he controlled the Challenger like a professional. Through a
ll of the winding turns and gravel-sliding hills, he never stopped touching her. He kept her fingers intertwined with his on the gearshift and she knew that if this muscle car had been an automatic his hand would have been doing a lot more than just holding hers.
When he parked the car, he took a deep breath then blew it out and stared at her, “If you’re having second thoughts, I need to know now, Rach. Once we get inside, once I take you to bed… I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop myself anymore.”
She smiled in the dim light and then leaned over the console to kiss him. His words were intimidating, or they should have been, but she didn’t believe them for a second. He would stop. If she asked him to, he would. She’d never doubted him and she wouldn’t lose her faith in him now.
He kissed her back softly, “Baby…”
“Hmm?” She licked at his bottom lip.
“Get your cute little ass inside. Now. Before I lose control and take you in the backseat of this car.”
She giggled, “Mmm, the backseat? That could be fun.”
“Not your first time.”
“Maybe the second or third?”
He growled at her teasing, “House. Bed. Now.”
Rachel grinned and opened her door when he pushed her towards it. Almost as soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard him doing the same. Since she’d already taken off the heels Skylar lent her, she darted towards the trailer and felt him chase her. Her heart was racing when he caught her just inside the door, slamming it behind them and then pulling her back, flush to his chest.
“You runnin’ from me, love?”
“Never.”
“Mmm,” Remy licked her ear, “You want me as much as I want you, don’t you?”
“More.”
“Impossible.” He nipped her with his teeth, “This dress is beautiful. Take it off. I don’t want to rip it.”
He released her and she stepped back enough to turn and face him. The dress had a small zipper in the back but in reality, it wasn’t necessary. She supposed a more experienced woman might have played coy and let him unzip her but her hands were already shaking and he was the one that was experienced here so she just did what he said.
