Love Rerouted

by Leddy Harper

  Apparently, I had missed the eleven other stab wounds along my back and side, obviously from the other inmates who’d surrounded me. And somehow, I hadn’t felt the sharpened scrap of metal pierce my neck…or the warm blood that had poured out from my carotid artery. All I’d noticed were his eyes, and how it felt like I was staring into the eyes of a dead man.

  My body grew heavy, tingly, and frigid. Light flashed behind my closed lids, and for that split second before it all went dark, images of Maggie and Mandy flickered through my mind. Their smiles, their laughter, the hugs Maggie used to give when she was little, and the sound of a young Mandy calling me her “bubba.” And the very last thought I had before it all disappeared was…

  I’m sorry.

  Epilogue

  Talon

  “You smell so good, sweetheart,” I whispered against her skin while I stood behind her.

  “Love you, too, babe.”

  I smiled with my chin set in the crook of her neck and watched her through the mirror. “No, I really mean it. Whatever lotion you used after our shower, I like it.”

  “Oh…” She giggled and her eyes lit up. “It’s something I picked up in Texas when we were there—from that shop next to the bookstore you took me to.”

  I ran my nose along the curve of her neck and hummed. “Makes me wanna take you back there and get a stockpile of this stuff.”

  She laughed and then gently shoved me away with her elbow. “If you keep this up, we’ll never make it to the fair.”

  We’d been in Mississippi for close to two years, and this was the first time we’d been able to make it to the fair since we moved here. On our way to New Orleans, we’d decided to stop in again, referring to it as “our” place, and it was then that May and George, the owners, propositioned us.

  May had remembered us from before and offered to buy us dinner. We’d told her the gist of our story—minus her psycho uncle and the drug money—and the next morning, before we took off for Louisiana, they offered us both a job. George’s health had started to deteriorate, so they had been looking to sell. Maggie’s eyes lit up, and there was no way I’d tell her no. The only thing we asked for was six months to travel. And in that time, we went everywhere either of us had dreamed of seeing.

  The next year and a half had been spent here, improving the rooms with new carpets, window dressings, and bedding. We’d added internet and offered breakfast at the bar. Maggie continued to impress me every single day with her new and fresh ideas, all of which had been noticed by many. Our small motel was now recognized as one of the best places to stop in a fifty-mile radius…all because of Maggie.

  I often thought about her saying once that she didn’t want to spend her whole life in a small town. Somehow, this small town didn’t count. And it made me realize that it wasn’t the population of a place that mattered…it was the people who made the difference.

  “I can make it quick.” I wagged my brows in the mirror. “Promise.”

  “You’re so romantic, Mr. McNeil.”

  “You should know, Mrs. McNeil.” We hadn’t officially gotten married, though that hadn’t stopped us from wearing rings or believing that we were. During the six months we traveled the country, we exchanged vows on the top of a mountain in North Carolina. Granted, it wasn’t ordained nor recognized by the state, but that didn’t matter to us. Nothing about our relationship had been traditional, so there was no need to change what wasn’t broken.

  However, we’d decided we would make it official once we started a family. Less than a month after taking over the motel, Maggie learned she was pregnant. I couldn’t have been happier. She’d mentioned her desire to legally share the same last name as our child, so we decided to get married before she gave birth. However…that never happened. At the time, the situation with her uncle still hadn’t been resolved—the FBI had taken over the case since his crimes had crossed state lines, and apparently, it took longer to draw up federal charges. Either the stress over the motel or the anxiety over her uncle caused her to miscarry.

  It had devastated both of us.

  But I refused to let it get us down. We were free, and there was no reason we should’ve lived like criminals on the run. We’d decided to stop worrying about it and just continue to live our lives. And when her uncle had pled guilty to several counts of murder—they’d scoped the entire lake and found more bodies—as well as drug trafficking, forgery, and a slew of other charges, I assumed things would get better. That’s when I actively tried to get her pregnant.

  And every month, she’d get her period.

  I was done waiting. Whether we had children or not, I refused to go another day without her legally being my wife. So tonight, I’d planned to make it official. She had no idea. And even though I desperately wanted to stay in and succumb to my need to be with her, I was far too excited to get the ring out of the box and slip it onto her finger.

  “How about we go to the fair, and when we get back, you won’t have to rush.” Her sly smile made my heart skip a beat.

  Over the last four months, something in her had changed. I wasn’t sure if it was because we’d taken the pressure of a baby off the table or if she’d finally accepted that she was safe. Whatever it was, I never wanted it to go away. Her eyes were brighter, her smile bigger, and her sex drive was through the roof. Granted, there never seemed to be a lull in our need for each other, but lately, it was like she couldn’t get enough. So it was a little surprising that she wouldn’t take me up on a quickie now. Then again, I couldn’t complain. I didn’t care to wait any longer to ask her to marry me, and this way, I would be able to make her come as many times as I wanted.

  “Deal. But hurry. I would like to win you another badger before they all get taken.”

  “It’s a bear, Talon,” she said with a laugh filling her voice.

  Maggie had held onto that thing, planning to give it to our child. We’d kept it in the spare room, which had remained empty since buying the house. I’d mentioned several times over the last few months that maybe we should do something with the space, rather than keep it empty for a baby, but she didn’t want to do that. She said that would mean we’d given up hope for a family. I disagreed, yet I didn’t push. There was no reason to bring her to my side—accepting that it would only be the two of us for the rest of our lives. Which I was okay with…though I wasn’t sure she would be.

  “Bear, badger…same thing.” I left the bedroom to sit on the couch and wait for her.

  When we’d first taken May and George up on their offer to manage the motel, we’d lived in our room—number seven. But when we’d lost the baby, it no longer held the same power it once had, so we’d decided to move out. With George’s health, they’d relocated to a nearby retirement complex and had offered us the housing unit around the back of the building. It made sense to stay close, considering there was still so much work being done to the place, but in the end, we’d chosen to find our own house. And when we’d walked into this one, her eyes lit up. I had put an offer on it before the realtor left. Using the shop as collateral, I was able to get a loan, and less than thirty days later, it was ours.

  About two months after that, she had been notified about the house in Florida. With her mother gone, it had been turned over to Maggie. We’d just bought this place, and we were moving along with the motel, but if she had wanted to live on the lake, then I would’ve packed everything up and figured it out later. However, in a puddle of tears, she’d admitted that she had no desire to have the house—it came with too many bad memories that she didn’t want to hold onto forever.

  Maggie stepped into the living room in a pair of jeans and her black hoodie. It made me laugh because she hardly ever wore it anymore. For a while, she never went anywhere without it—except when she had to work the front desk—saying it made her feel safe. But at some point, she must’ve no longer needed its protection, and slowly started leaving it at home. I didn’t think I’d seen her wear it in about six months…ever since she’
d gotten the news that her uncle had died in prison.

  “You’re wearing that? It’s not even cold outside.” And it wasn’t. Winter in Mississippi this year had been unseasonably warm. “Are you getting sick?”

  “No. I just wanted to relive the second-best night of my life.”

  I fought the smile…and lost. “Second best? Really?”

  “Well, yeah. The best night of my life was the first one. As long as I don’t count anything about it after we left the room.”

  I shook my head, trying to understand her logic. “If you take into account that entire night, I wouldn’t think it would be the best. What makes that better than the other one…you know, the one that didn’t lead to a four-year-long separation or jail time, or anything else?”

  Her bright-blue eyes darkened a few shades. “Lots of reasons. It was our first time, the night I realized how good you smell, and we…we made a baby that night.”

  I slid off the couch and went to her. With my arms wrapped around her, my mouth close to her ear, I whispered, “We’ll make another one, sweetheart. When the time’s right, it’ll happen.”

  “I know.” She sniffled and then pulled away. “Let’s go. It’s almost dark.”

  I wanted nothing more than to take away her pain. But rather than do that with my body here at the house, I decided to try it at the fair with a diamond. After all, the woman who sold it to me guaranteed it would make her happy.

  The best part about the house we found was its proximity to the motel—within walking distance. Which meant we didn’t have to drive to the fair. We held hands and set out on foot toward the zipping lights and faint screams of the small-time roller coasters.

  As we grew nearer, her disposition had changed. Her smile returned, as well as the light in her eyes. And once we stepped through the gate, surrounded by all that had brought us together before, it was like nothing bad had ever happened. We were simply two people in love, sharing a night at the fair. We had funnel cake—well, she did; I only had a few bites—cotton candy, which she threw away after eating less than half, and a snow cone.

  When we made it to the Ferris wheel, she pulled back and shook her head. This was where I planned to ask her to marry me, at the top, all romantic and shit. Yet she refused to get on. “Why don’t you want to go?”

  “I ate too much and now my stomach is feeling gross. I don’t want to vomit over the side and shower everyone with cotton candy-flavored funnel cake.”

  Laughter rumbled through me. “All right. Do you want to go home?”

  “No…yes. I don’t want to ruin our one night out. We can stay and walk around, maybe play some of the games. I just can’t do any of the rides.”

  I took her hand and led her to the booths lined with stuffed animals. If she truly didn’t feel well, I wouldn’t make her stay. I would’ve been perfectly happy spending our night together balls deep in her, but before I dragged her back home and made that happen, I’d promised her a prize.

  We skipped the ones that were obvious scams—the ball that never stayed in the bowl, or the milk bottles that would never fall over. Instead, I took her to the easy ones, knowing I had a better chance of winning so we could leave faster.

  After two rounds of shooting the water gun at the clown, I’d finally won. I let Maggie choose which deformed creature she wanted, and she chose the eagle. Her entire face lit up when she said, “Look, it even has talons. How fitting.”

  “You gonna put that in the other room with the badger?”

  “Yeah. And I was thinking we could—”

  “Sweetheart,” I interjected, my voice rough and forced. When she looked at me, concern furrowed her brow, but when I dropped to one knee, her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth to hide the gasp that escaped. “I know we agreed to do this when we started a family, but I’ve changed my mind. I no longer want to wait until we have a baby to make this official.”

  “Talon…”

  “Let me finish.” I held up my hand to stifle her commentary. “It’s not that I’m giving up on the idea of having one, or that I no longer want to have children with you. I just can’t wait another second without you legally being my wife.”

  A tear slid down her cheek, and by now, a semi-circle of onlookers had formed around us, all holding their breaths with their hands over their hearts. She glanced around, taking notice of the attention we’d garnered, and then returned her smile to me.

  “Will you marry me, sweetheart? With or without kids—biological or otherwise?” I pulled the box from my pocket and opened the lid, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold it still.

  She leaned down just enough to be heard and whispered, “Do you know?”

  “Know what?”

  The way she observed my reaction, studied my eyes, told me there was something she hadn’t told me. And as much as I wanted to find out what that was, I needed an answer first. I took the ring out of the cushion and grabbed her left hand.

  With the band poised inches away from her fingertip, I asked again, “Maggie Abrams, I would love nothing more than to give you my last name, give you every beat of my heart, every breath from my lungs, and every second of the rest of my life. Will you let me do that?”

  “Of course, Talon. Yes.”

  The growing crowd hummed and aahed as I slipped the ring past her knuckle to join the gold band I’d placed there almost two years ago. And when I stood, I captured her mouth, not caring who saw us, not caring that we were in the middle of the entire town.

  “Is nothing private to you?” she teased.

  “Keep it up and I’ll drag you to the porta-potties and show you just how private I can be.”

  Her cheeks turned crimson, probably because she knew I wasn’t kidding. I couldn’t explain it, but there was something about the way she came when anyone could’ve seen us. It wasn’t that I liked fucking her in public places just to say I did it…it was how hard she came that I couldn’t get enough of. Hell, just the idea of it turned me on.

  Instead of arguing with me, she took my hand and began to pull me toward the exit. Every twenty feet, we’d pause, unable to keep our hands off each other. And by the time we made it to the house, I was so hard I couldn’t wait another second.

  Too impatient to get inside, I led her into the carport. She didn’t fight me when I stripped her of her jacket, or when I tugged her shirt over her head. When I unfastened her jeans, she leaned back on the hood with her arms stretched out above her head—just the way I loved to see her. And when I had her completely naked, I didn’t hesitate to bury my face between her legs, needing to taste her desire for me.

  There were so many things about this woman that drove me wild—her eyes, the way she whimpered when I’d tease her, her desperation for me. The way she always stretched out, as if letting me know I was hers, that she felt completely safe with me, that she trusted me. But what got me every single time was how she reacted to my touch, whether it was my fingers, my mouth, or my dick…she acted as if nothing came close to the pleasure I could bring her.

  As I kissed her from her bellybutton, to her lower stomach, down to her hip, on my way to the spot I knew would drive her wild, I couldn’t help but notice all the ways she’d changed over the years.

  She’d gone from an innocent eighteen-year-old to a broken yet determined woman. And now, over the last two years of us both being free from the confines in Iowa, she’d blossomed into a strong powerhouse who knew what she wanted and went for it without letting anything get in her way.

  “Why tonight, Talon?” She had clearly been dying to ask, because even though she could barely breathe through her desperation, she couldn’t hold back her question.

  “Sweetheart, can we talk about this later? I can’t think of anything other than being inside you and making you come on my dick.” Which was true. If anyone asked me my name right now, I wouldn’t be able to answer them.

  “And I would love to only think about that, but I can’t until you tell me why.”

&n
bsp; Maggie had a way of doing this to me—asking questions while I had my head between her legs. And then she’d say she wouldn’t be able to enjoy what I was doing to her because she couldn’t stop thinking about whatever her issue was. Last time, it was my decision to share Tony’s Auto Body with Jarrod fifty-fifty. She just had to know why I hadn’t sold him half, and waited until I was beneath her, her ass in my hands while I had her perched over my face. But like then, I gave in and answered her, knowing I could elaborate once we finished.

  Somehow, she could use sex to both shut me up and get me to talk.

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. There are a million reasons.”

  “Name one.”

  I took a deep breath and stood up straighter. My balls were tight and ached, but until I had her undivided attention, I wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the release she’d give me. “You’re happy. I can tell. Happier than I’ve ever seen you, and it made me realize that nothing else matters. There was no reason to wait. So I didn’t. Now…” I gripped her thighs and lowered my face again. “Let me make you even happier.”

  I was able to flick my tongue once against her clit before she said, “That’s because I am happy.”

  “That’s good, sweetheart.” It was nothing but strained words as I tried to focus on her.

  “Aren’t you going to ask why?”

  I stopped. Didn’t slow down, didn’t multitask, just completely stopped and stared at her. “Maggie…you’re killing me here. This can’t wait?”

  She pushed up on her elbows, and then wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling her body to mine. She had her legs around me, holding me close, and thank God for that, because when she broke the kiss and shifted her face until her mouth was close to my ear, I nearly lost my balance. She whispered, “It’s because I’m pregnant.”