by Jacie Lennon
“Yeah, I did. But we can’t fight this on our own. Today showed us that. You have to talk about it. I’m not enabling you anymore. I’m not giving you any more money. You have to stop gambling.”
Ben looks at me with a nod, and I stand, walking to the side of the bed.
“Hey, Mark. I’m Pepper. We haven’t officially met, but I’m Ben’s girlfriend.”
“I gathered as much,” he says with a smile.
“I have a proposal for you,” I say. Ben’s arm goes around my waist for support. “My mom does charity work in Texas, and one of the charities she’s highly involved with is a rehab facility.”
“Rehab?” Mark’s brows drag in, and I can tell he’s about to refuse.
“Just hear me out. Yes, rehab is generally thought about in terms of drug and alcohol abuse, but your gambling is also an addiction. An abuse of the pastime. I—we think you could benefit from the program. It would help you get a start in the right direction, where you could make a better life for yourself. I mean, you just got shot by really nasty guys, Mark. This is a way to start over.”
Mark is silent, and my heart pounds, as I’m nervous about his answer.
I want this for him and Ben. I want them to have a good relationship, and if Mark continues how he’s been going, they won’t. Mark might not even come out of this alive if there is a next time.
“You should consider it,” Ben prompts, gripping my waist, and I turn to smile at him.
“Yes, please consider it, Mark. I can call my mom right now and see if she has a spot for you.”
“I don’t know,” Mark says, shaking his head a little and not looking at either of us.
I can feel Ben tense up, and I rub his neck.
“Why don’t I go ahead and call her? Then, if you do decide to go, you’ll have a spot,” I ask, trying to reach a happy medium.
I can tell how much Ben wants this for his brother, and it’s breaking my heart to see the hurt on his face when Mark doesn’t immediately say yes.
“I’ll just go out and make the call, give you two some time together.” I lean over and press a kiss to Ben’s cheek before walking out of the room.
32
Ben
“You need to go to rehab. If you won’t make the decision, I’m going to make it for you. You are a danger—not only to yourself, but also to your family. Did you know those guys sent a letter to Mom and Dad?”
Mark’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Yeah, Mom was hysterical. That’s what you’ve done to them with these games you’re playing. You’re being so selfish.” I’m breathing heavily with the force of my words, just leveling Mark with a glare that I hope he takes seriously.
“Mom and Dad know?” Mark asks, his head dropping a little in shame.
“Yeah. Would’ve been kinda hard to hide something like this from them even if they hadn’t gotten notified. But I called them when we got here and let them know you’re okay.”
“Okay.” Mark drums his fingers against the stark white cover lying across his lap. “I’ll go.”
“You’ll go?”
“Yes. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I know that I have a problem. It’s just hard to face it.”
“Yeah, but it would be even harder for us to face your funeral or, God forbid, you disappearing and us not knowing what happened to you. You can’t be selfish anymore.”
“I know.”
“Good.” I lean forward and wrap my arm around his good shoulder, pulling him just a bit and tapping him on the back. “I love you, and I can’t lose you.”
“I love you too,” he says after a few moments.
A knock on the door pulls us apart, and I look up to see an officer standing in the doorway.
“Mark Johnson?”
Mark sits up straighter, and I stand from the bed.
“Mom and Dad are coming soon. I’m gonna take Pepper home and rest. I’ll be back tomorrow to drive you home.”
Mark nods, and I glance at the officer again.
“I’ll let y’all talk in private,” I say with a squeeze to his good shoulder and head out to find Pepper.
She’s sitting on a bench placed in a small garden area outside the hospital. She smiles when she sees me, and I sit beside her, rubbing my forehead.
“How did it go?”
“He agreed,” I say.
Pepper’s smile grows wider. “I’m so happy. I think it will help him.”
“Me too,” I say, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You ready to go home?”
“Absolutely,” she says, standing.
Before I even know what’s happening, she reaches down to grab my hand and pulls me up too. I bring her in for a hug, so happy that today didn’t turn out any worse.
“I love you, Pep.”
“Oh, yeah? Wanna show me how much?” Her response causes a chuckle to burst out of me, and she pulls me toward the parking lot. “If you need to rest first or whatever, we can.” She gives me a teasing smirk as we arrive at the truck, and I open the door.
“To hell with resting. I’ve got a woman who wants to ravish me,” I say, climbing in the driver’s side and turning the ignition.
“Anyone I know?” she asks with a wink.
I lean over, pulling her head toward me. “She’s my roommate,” I say before touching my lips to hers.
“I love you, Benjamin,” she whispers against my mouth.
And my heart is lighter than it’s ever been before.
“I love you too.”
Epilogue
Ben
Five Years Later
I can’t take my eyes off my wife as I watch her throw her head back, a laugh splitting her mouth wide open. She turns and says something to her parents before leaning forward and snipping through the shiny red ribbon held in front of Peppen’s Pastry with scissors that are as big as her.
She laughed as she told me the name she’d picked, pointing out that it was our celebrity name. Thank goodness she didn’t go with her original idea of Bepper’s Pastry.
The grand opening of her dream has truly made her exuberant, and I have the urge to strip her out of the light-blue dress she’s wearing and tell her to keep the heels because her legs look fucking amazing.
Smiling, I look around at all our friends and the kids running around, and I’m happy.
“Hey, man.”
I turn at the hand that rests on my shoulder. Mark is standing there, a woman by his side, and I wrap him in a bear hug.
Mark lives in Texas now and works for Pepper’s family. After he was shot, the Feds were able to track the money, infiltrate the gambling ring, and put away the men responsible for hurting Mark.
“How are you? You look good,” I say as he steps back, placing his arm around the woman beside him.
“I’m great. This is Marianne, the woman I’ve been telling you about.”
Pepper walks up, and I lean over, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
“Pep, this is Marianne, Mark’s girlfriend,” I say, making the introductions. “Marianne, this is Pepper, my wife.”
After the two meet, I turn my smile toward Mark. “It’s so good to see you. Are you still at Stratten Enterprises?”
Once Mark completed rehab, Pepper’s mom took him in as an intern on a trial basis. After proving to them and us that he was clean and trustworthy, he finally got an entry-level job, and over the past three years, he has worked his way up within the company, paying me and Pepper’s family back what he owes, little by little. He enjoys working in the corporate world and has turned his life around.
“Yep, I love it there. I can never thank Pepper and you enough for getting me down to that rehab facility.”
Marianne leans her head over on his shoulder for a second, a huge smile on her face, and I’m glad he’s finally found someone for himself.
“We’re happy that you’re happy,” Pepper says, her hand resting on her stomach. “Please, enjoy all the food and sweets that you want.” She gesture
s to the table set up in front of the pastry shop, and we watch Mark and Marianne walk over to it.
Pepper turns an infectious grin on me, putting a smile on my face as she rises on her tiptoes to put her arms around my neck.
“It’s finally open,” she says, one hand playing with the small hairs at the back of my head and the other lowering to my chest.
“You did it,” I whisper, placing my lips on hers. Then, I lean further down to plant a kiss on her round belly.
Pepper wasn’t planning on getting pregnant right in the middle of the craziness of opening a pastry shop. But she told me she wouldn’t change it for the world. And I agree. Pepper is going to be the most amazing mother, and I can’t wait to see her take care of our babies. She’s only four months along, but she’s showing because we are having a boy and a girl.
Hanna, Jules, and Nora—Craig’s wife—have been busy planning a baby shower for us, and I know we are blessed beyond belief to have the friends that we do.
“We are killing it at all this adulting stuff,” she says, a laugh sneaking out, and it makes me chuckle.
I went back to school and graduated with a master’s in psychology, and now, we are both doing what we want to do. I’m still volunteer firefighting, but I also get to help people on the inside as well.
“I can’t wait to get you home, Mrs. Johnson,” I say, turning her to pull her back against my chest, pushing my lower half into her ass and rubbing back and forth.
“Benjamin,” she hisses, “we are in public.” She reaches back to playfully swat my leg, and I chuckle. “I can’t wait to get home either.” She gives me a long wink and then saunters off to greet more people who have come to celebrate her.
A hand claps on my shoulder, and I turn to find Mason standing beside me. Craig and Ezra walk up behind him, plates of food held in their hands. Ezra holds a beer out for me, and I grab it, taking a swig and relishing in the coolness during this hot, humid day.
“Shop looks good, man,” Mason says, glancing around at the bright, cheery inside, the tables covered in a lavender gingham with white chairs.
“It’s Pepper’s vision,” I say, taking another drink of my beer. “She worked hard for it and made it come together.”
The guys nod, and we fall silent. Each of us watching our respective families.
“How’d we get so lucky?” Ezra asks, shaking his head.
“Don’t know. But we all hit the jackpot.”
Everyone hums their agreement, and we go our separate ways, scooping up kids, wrapping arms around wives, and hoping that our luck never runs out.
Pepper
I sigh contentedly as I lie back on my pillow, the fluffiness cocooning my head in the most wonderful way. My heart is so full, and so is my belly. I reach down to caress the bump before pausing.
“Hey, babe,” Ben says, walking into the room and stripping his shirt over his head in that sexy, effortless way guys do with one arm.
I bite my lip and stare up at him, focusing.
“What’s wrong?” he asks when he notices I haven’t said anything.
“Come here,” I say, grabbing his hand when he’s close enough to me and laying it over my stomach.
We are silent for a few moments, hardly daring to breathe, and then I feel it.
“There. Did you feel it?” I ask, and his smile is huge.
He climbs up on the bed, laying another hand next to the one already on my stomach. One of the babies kicks again, and he laughs.
“I did. It’s amazing.”
He finally removes his hands after a few more kicks, and then he looks down at me as I give him a serene smile, pointing down with my finger.
“Again?” he groans.
I smile and nod, continuing to motion with my hand. He moves to the end of the bed. I put one foot up, resting it in the middle of his chest, and he grins.
“Your wish is my command.” He reaches up, plants a thumb in the arch of my foot, and pushes down, rocking back and forth.
I groan in ecstasy, closing my eyes. “God, that feels wonderful. I should make it a law that you have to rub my feet every single night for the rest of our lives.”
“I can do it,” he says.
I crack one eye open to look at him. “Don’t you lie to me,” I say.
He chuckles. “I’m not, but I get to make a law for you in return.”
“What’s your law?” I ask as he leans down to pick my other foot up, thumbs making circles on the arch and moving outward. “I shouldn’t have worn heels today. What was I thinking?”
“You should always wear those heels. You looked fuckin’ sexy as hell.”
“Language, Benjamin. The kids can hear you.” I cover my stomach with a mock stern look on my face. “Anyway, what law would you pick?”
“I’d take a good old-fashioned blow job,” he says, collapsing beside me on the bed.
“Saw that coming,” I say, rolling my eyes and then turning to face him. “Thanks for everything you do for me, baby.”
I reach up to run my fingers through his hair, and he hooks an arm around my waist, pulling me to him. He dips his head down, laying a kiss right in the crook of my neck. Pulling back, he blows slightly on the wet spot, making goose bumps ripple down my arms. He moves his mouth down, planting a trail of kisses down my shoulder and arm. He stops to push me on my back and raises my thin T-shirt up and over my breasts before pulling it over my head.
“I wish I could see you like this every minute of the day,” he whispers.
Lowering his head, he takes one nipple in his mouth and sucks lightly, but it makes my back arch off the bed.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say, pushing on his shoulder and climbing on top once he lies down.
I line myself up with his cock and lower down on him, not able to wait any longer. My body is aching to feel him inside me. My breasts bob with each grind, and I watch his eyes track their movements, his teeth biting his bottom lip as he concentrates on me. I can see the worship in his eyes, and it’s enough to almost make me come on the spot. I lean back, rocking my hips, and plant my hands on his thighs. With my body on display for him, he grabs my hips, keeping my rhythm.
Our moans intermingle, and we pant. The push and pull of his hands make me hot before he reaches with one thumb and presses down on my sensitive clit. The feeling travels up my body, and I see stars, throwing my head back at the climax made so much more intense by hormones.
He pulls me to him once I come down, breathing heavily. He grabs my bottom lip in his mouth, sucking on it as he pumps into me faster and faster until he, too, finds his release.
Our sweaty bodies collapse together, and we grin at each other, sated and exhausted and utterly happy. So. Damn. Happy.
Ben pulls me against him, spooning me as he wraps his hand around my belly, holding our family together. Danger trots in, climbing on the end of the bed, using his doggie ladder we installed. He’s getting a little older, and it’s hard for him to jump as high as he once could.
Right before we both drift off, he kisses right behind my ear and whispers, “Truth or truth?”
“Dang, that’s a hard one,” I whisper with a giggle. “Truth.”
“Do you love me?”
“I’ll love you forever and always,” I murmur.
“Always and forever,” he agrees before I let sleep take me.
THE END
Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank my family for allowing me to pursue my passion in writing. For all the time that my hubby has taken care of our kids so that I could type away on my keyboard.
I also want to thank Kat and Katherine for their continued support and help throughout my writing meltdowns.
I want to shout out my Boujee Book Babes, thanks for being there for me!
Thank you Jovana. Without you, my book would be an unedited mess and you take it and work your magic on it, making it so much better!
Thank you Alora Kate for creating my beautiful covers for the Slow B
urn series. You are a gem to work with!
Thanks to my beta readers, this story is so much better because of you!
Thank you Katherine and Sandy for proofing, I am so thankful for the extra pair of eyes on my manuscript.
Thank you ARC team, for being excited for my new releases! You make an author feel great!
And finally, to my readers: thank you for taking the time out of your lives to read words that I have written. It means the world to me that you pick my book up in the first place!
Love you all so much!
XO, Jacie
Also by Jacie Lennon
Burning Love - Slow Burn Book 1
Love Ignited - Slow Burn Book 2
An Alpaca for Christmas
Boys of Almadale #1 - Coming July 2020
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About the Author
Jacie Lennon is a stay-at-home mom whose guilty pleasure is writing romance. She lives with her husband and two kids. Her home is fiercely protected by a basset hound, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and a tabby cat. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, playing with her kids, or devouring an entire container of Oreo Thins in one day.
