by Marci Bolden
When Jenna returned, he ordered the same, just to show Annie a bit of solidarity in their meal. He watched her closely as the noise in the restaurant surrounded them. She was getting better—being around a houseful of O’Connells once a week was turning into great practice for being in larger groups—but she was still clearly uncomfortable with the volume and confusion that too many things happening at once caused.
Reaching across the table, he took her hand, trying to get her to focus on him. He smiled when she met his gaze. “Between lunch and dinner, we used to come here several times a week. I think this is a great place to get back into our habit of dining out.”
She nodded. “I came here for lunch with Paul and Matt last week. Remember?”
“You guys came early to avoid the crowd, though. I think it’s safe to say, this is more like what we should expect when we go to restaurants. How is it?”
She squeezed his hand lightly. “I’m okay, Marcus. Stop worrying about every little thing.”
“I love worrying about every little thing.”
“Yes, I know. To add to that, I wanted to talk about the trip to San Diego. Are you sure about driving?”
“Yeah. And you know, that’s the perfect time to take Mallory her stuff. We’ll take a moving van out, attach my car to the back, and haul it with us then drive back in it.”
“It’s a long way.”
“Are you concerned about the drive?”
“No. I’m not allowed to drive anymore. I’m concerned about you driving. And the weather turning.”
He glanced at a group of teens headed toward a booth close to theirs. He wasn’t exactly going to ask them not to take the free table, but he was hoping they’d move on and sit elsewhere. They were loud coming in, and he expected they’d be just as loud sitting around a table. The added noise was sure to disturb Annie.
His spine stiffened when one of the kids turned and adjusted his cap. The hat—white with a Harley Davidson logo—flashed into Marcus’s mind. The shaggy hair was longer now. But the square jaw was the same. His build was the same.
“Marcus?” Annie tugged at his hands.
The kid smiled at something one of his friends said as his gaze met Marcus’s. It should have only been for a split second, but the way he stopped and his eyes grew wide told Marcus what his gut already knew. That was the bastard who’d shot Annie.
“Don’t move,” Marcus said to Annie as he stood.
“Where are you going?”
Marcus had just taken a step when the kid turned and ran, just like he’d done from the scene of the shooting. This time, however, Marcus was right behind him.
“What the fuck, man?” one of the other teens asked as Marcus pushed through the group.
The kid was almost to the door when Jenna inadvertently stepped in his way. He plowed into her, knocking her down. The tray she was holding crashed to the floor, and glasses broke as sodas mixed and ice cubes scattered with the shards of glass. The kid jumped over her, stumbled, and tried to steady himself, but Marcus was on him a second later, slamming him to the floor. First he’d shot Annie, and then he’d knocked Jen to the ground. There was no way in hell this kid was getting away again.
Marcus grabbed a fistful of his shirt, flipped him over, and slapped the hat off his head.
“I didn’t mean it,” the kid said. “I swear, I didn’t mean it.”
Slamming his back to the ground, Marcus glared at the young man who couldn’t have been older than twenty. “You shot her.”
“It was an accident.”
Marcus wouldn’t ever consider himself a violent man, but the rage inside him took over, and he pulled his fist back and punched the kid when he struggled to get free. “It’s not an accident when you aim a loaded gun at someone’s head.”
Hands pulled at Marcus’s shoulder, but he clung to the kid. He wasn’t letting him go again. He grabbed his shirt and shook him. “Do you have any idea what you’ve put her through? What you’ve done to her family?”
“Sir,” someone said firmly, “I need you to back down.”
Looking over his shoulder, he realized one of the cops who had been sitting at the counter was behind him. Hand on the butt of the gun at his hip as he pulled at Marcus. Annie was standing with Jenna, holding her hand as the other officer who had been waiting for dinner looked Jenna over. The wide-eyed fear on their faces made him ease his hold. He was pulled back, and the officer put himself between Marcus and the kid.
Annie was immediately at Marcus’s side.
Her lips trembled as she looked into his eyes. “He shot me?”
He nodded and pulled her to him. She buried her face in his chest, and he held her tightly as he answered the officer’s demand to know what was going on.
Annie rolled over when Marcus sighed. He’d been making that sorrowful sound about every two minutes if her calculations were correct. Putting her hand on his back, she rubbed gently. “You okay?”
“Am I keeping you awake?”
“Not really. I can’t sleep either.” She scooted closer, spooning him from behind, and slid her arm around his waist and up his chest.
His hand instantly covered hers, and he sighed again. “I’m so sorry.”
“About what?”
“Losing my temper.”
She kissed his back and pressed her cheek against his warm skin. “I told you not to apologize for that anymore. If you hadn’t gone after him, he would have gotten away again.”
“I shouldn’t have hit him like that.”
“Well, since the police wouldn’t let me have a go at him, I’m glad you got your hit in.” She smiled, but he didn’t respond. “Marcus, he deserved it. Look what he’s done to us.”
“But I upset you.”
“No.” She leaned back and pulled at him. “Roll over. Please.”
After a moment, he turned onto his back so she could look down at him in the dimly lit room.
“You didn’t upset me. I was confused at first, but once I realized what was going on, I got it. I get it. He got away with what he’d done to us for too long.”
“I was almost arrested for assault. If you hadn’t called Paul…”
“Hey,” she gently teased. “What good is it having a criminal defense attorney in the family if I don’t get to use him every now and then?”
He sighed and sat up, leaning against the headboard. “I’ve never lost control like that before. I just…I saw that damned hat he was wearing, and that moment came back. I remembered how he had it down on his face, like it was going to disguise him. His eyes. I remembered his eyes. He had that same shocked look, like he couldn’t believe what was happening.”
“He’s ruined the rest of his life.”
Marcus’s face tensed. “He ruined the rest of your life.”
Annie frowned and pushed herself to sit. She pulled her knees under her and kneeled beside him as she stared into his eyes. “I felt that way for a while. For too long. It took a lot of time to realize that you were right when you told me that I needed to be thankful to be alive. I finally am. I finally get what you were saying. My life is different. My life is more difficult. But my life isn’t ruined.” After stroking her hand over his hair, she rested her palms on his cheeks. “My life would be ruined if I lost you. If he’d shot you instead of running, then my life would have been ruined. But we’re both here. We’re both alive.” Tracing his laugh lines with her thumbs, she smiled softly. “He’s going to get what is owed to him. And so are we. Because from this point on, we’re not looking back. We’re just going forward. We’re going to focus on us and the life we said we were going to have.”
“You amaze me,” he whispered. “Every single day I am amazed by you.”
She grinned. “Well, I’m amazing.”
“Yes, you are.”
“You’re pretty great yourself.” Leaning in, she kissed him lightly before resting her forehead against his. She considered only for a moment before kissing him again, this time letting it linger.
She waited for the inevitable moment when he shut down, but instead, he put his hands to her hips and lifted her to his lap. She straddled his thighs and wrapped her arms around his neck as she parted her lips and let his tongue in. His fingers pressed into her, pulling her closer. Fire lit inside her at the feel of his body reacting to hers. Grinding into him, her breath caught as he moaned.
Breaking the kiss, Marcus exhaled slowly, warming her face with his breath. “Annie.”
“I’m not going to break,” she whispered. “I promise.”
He brushed his nose against hers, and she kissed him lightly.
“I promise.”
“If you start to feel overwhelmed…”
“Oh, honey. You’re good, but—”
He gently bit her lip, causing her to giggle.
“You’re a smartass,” he said.
“You love that about me.”
He ran his hand over her hair, and the teasing left his gaze. “I love everything about you. I really do.”
She softened her smile as well. “I love you. We’ve made it this far down the path. We’re going to make it to the end. Together. Like we said.”
Pulling her to him, he kissed her, and this time, she knew he wouldn’t stop.
Chapter Nineteen
It wasn’t easy for Annie, but she sat at her kitchen table while her daughter, sisters-in-law, and Jenna took control of Thanksgiving dinner. They bustled about the room, mixing, spilling, and laughing as they went. She used to be in the mix, but now that she was sitting on the outside, she had to admit she kind of enjoyed it. It was nice to be able to watch and actually see the happiness her family felt. Seeing them together like this filled her with her own sense of pride.
This was her family and after so many years of emotional turmoil and hardships, they were finally coming into their own. Matt and Donna were as happy as ever. Paul and Dianna were content with their lives, and she and Marcus were settling in as a couple. Mallory would be leaving for California over the weekend. Once she got to San Diego, she’d find a home and officially be on her own. Everything was growing and changing, but unlike before the shooting, Annie didn’t feel a sense of loss at the changes. Life wasn’t being lived if it wasn’t changing. She understood that now. She embraced it now.
Hands on her shoulders pulled her from her thoughts. She smiled when Marcus bent down to kiss her head. Funny how seven months before, she would have hated how he constantly did that. Now it was one of the most comforting things in her life. He never missed a chance to press his lips to her head, and she’d come to expect, and appreciate, it.
“Okay?”
“Better than okay,” she said.
He kneeled in front of her and took her hands. “You were a million miles away.”
“No, I was focusing on that.” She nodded toward the women.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Making sure they don’t mess up dinner?”
“Soaking in the happiness.”
He lifted his brows. “Oh?”
“Can we take a walk?”
“Do we have time?”
“They won’t eat without us.”
He stood, held his hand out, and pulled her to her feet. “We’ll be back,” he said to the three women cooking. Leading Annie through the living room, he made the same declaration to Paul and Matt.
Paul looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “Where you headed?”
“I need some air,” Annie said.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect.” And she meant it. Bundling in her scarf and coat, she struggled with her gloves until Marcus reached for her hands and helped her pull them up. She’d figure it out, she’d learn how to put them on without him, but until then, she’d learned to accept his help.
The cold air bit at her cheeks when they stepped outside. “It’s going to snow.”
“Supposed to start anytime now.”
She drew a deep breath as he took her hand. “It’s still beautiful out.”
“Was it getting to be too much noise?” he asked as they started down the sidewalk.
“No, actually, I was just thinking about how lucky I am. Funny how it took a bullet in the head for me to finally start to get what you’ve been telling me for so long.”
“Everybody needs a wake-up call sometime.”
“I was sitting there feeling so happy, so complete. That’s a good way to put it. My life is finally complete. And I realized there is one thing that will make it better.”
“What?”
“I want to do it.”
He lifted his brows and looked around. “Right here?”
She laughed as she tugged at his hand. Pulling him to a stop, she drew a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I want us to get married.”
The surprise on his face made her giggle.
“I know this isn’t the most traditional marriage proposal, but when have we ever been traditional?” she asked. “I don’t want the fuss, and not just because I’m not about all that, but honestly”—she touched her head—“I couldn’t handle it. If it’s okay, I thought maybe we could just elope, like said we would. Just a quiet ceremony in San Diego when we visit our girl. Like we joked about.”
He smiled. “You called her our girl.”
“She is our girl. You’re the closest thing to a dad she’s ever had. That she’ll ever have. And we’re a family, right?”
“Damn straight we are.” He put his gloved hands to her face and kissed her. “Don’t move.”
“Hey,” she called as he started back toward the house. “The last time you told me that, you punched a guy.”
“There will be no hitting this time,” he said. “I promise. Just don’t move.”
She watched him trot to the house then looked up at the sky as snowflakes started to fall around her. Holding her hand out, she used the strength she’d been gaining to almost—but not quite—straighten her fingers so she could catch a few pieces of the white dusting. She grinned as the snow rested in her palm for a few seconds before melting.
A moment later, the front door closed, and she looked back to the house. Marcus was running back to her. By the time he reached her, the front door opened again and a flock of curious family members were peering outside.
“I have been wanting to do this for so long,” he said before kissing her again.
Annie creased her brow, confused until he opened his hand and revealed a silver band with a single diamond sitting atop. It was simple, but it was beautiful. It was perfect.
He eased down on one knee before her, and Annie laughed at the sound of gasps coming from the house.
“Annie O’Connell, will you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife?”
She forced a scowl. “You always have to outdo me, don’t you?”
“Always have. Always will. Forever.” His smile widened. “Now say yes.”
She took a moment to pretend to ponder. “Fine. Okay. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He tugged her glove off, slipped the ring onto her finger, and then stood and scooped her against him. She barely heard the squeals of the women on the porch over the pounding of her heart as he kissed her.
Marcus smiled at his bride as she scrunched her face with frustration. She’d been expecting a simple ceremony, but then Mallory got ahold of her, put her in a knee-length lacy dress and pearls, primped her hair, and was now adding a light application of makeup.
“I don’t need all this,” Annie said as Mallory dabbed on a bit of what used to be Annie’s favorite eye shadow. She didn’t wear much makeup these days. She had better control of her hands but still had too much difficulty with tasks that required such fine detail.
Marcus didn’t mind. He thought she was beautiful without all the fuss makeup added. Even so, he couldn’t help but come to Mallory’s defense. “Leave her be, Annie. It’s the only time she’s going to see her mother get married.”
Mallory smiled. “I just want everything to be perfect for y
ou, Mom.”
“It will be.” She pulled Mallory’s hand away. “Hey. You and Marcus are here. That makes it perfect.”
Mallory smiled. “I’m so happy for you. You have no idea how much it means to me to know you and Marcus are taking care of each other.”
“Don’t get soft on me, kid,” she said, closing her eyes. “I’ll ruin the face paint you just put on me.”
“No running mascara. I don’t want her to look like a hooker in our wedding photos,” Marcus said, putting his hands on Annie’s shoulders. He chuckled as she nudged her elbow into his ribs. He assured her he was kidding and kissed the back of her head. “Are we about to get this show on the road?”
“You have the license?” Annie asked.
He patted one pocket then the other. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped, but he smiled and pulled the paper from his inside pocket.
“Of course I have the license.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Is this how things are going to be once we’re married?”
“This is how things have always been.” He kissed her cheek before walking to the clerk and handing her the paper. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she still wants to get married.”
The woman smiled. “The judge is ready. Come with me, please.”
Marcus could barely contain his excitement as they followed her to a courtroom. He grabbed Annie’s hand. It was trembling. “Okay?”
“I can’t believe I’m about to get married.” She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. “Never thought this would happen.”
He kissed her forehead. “Me either. You sure didn’t make this easy for me.”
“Never will.”
The clerk opened the door, and Annie squeezed his hand as her smile spread.“Ready?”
“Ready.” His heart filled to damn near overflowing when they stepped into the room and she gasped.
“What the hell?” she demanded but didn’t sound the least bit upset. Instead, she pulled away from Marcus and went straight into Paul’s arms.
