When I'm with You (Hope Town #3)

by Harper Sloan

  That is until a tiny little angelic voice screams out.

  “OH! Mommy! Nate has his tongue in Ember’s mouth! That’s bad. Mommy and Daddy said so. You have to keep your tongue in your mouth and only when you are married can you do that! Oh, boy. You’re in trouble! Mommy!”

  I regrettably break away from Ember and give her shocked eyes a wink before looking down at Molly. I’ve loved this kid since the day I met her, but right now, I’m having a hard time remembering why. I give her a smile before bending down. Not willing to give Ember a chance to freak out again, I grab her hand and pull her to my side. She almost stumbles but keeps her hand in mine while standing next to my crouched form. Molly’s eyes move from my face to our joined hands. Her mischievous expression gets a little wonky before she replaces it with a sickeningly sweet smile. Her little angelic act isn’t fooling me, though; I know she’s up to something.

  “You have spit germs in your mouth now,” she scolds. “You could be sick.”

  “I’m used to spit germs in my mouth.”

  “You had your hand on her booty. That’s a no-touch place. Daddy said so.”

  “I can touch her booty.”

  “You might put a baby in her belly if you keep putting your tongue in her mouth, and Mommy said you have to be married to tongue touch spit germs and put babies in bellies. That’s how I got my baby Jack. Daddy told me so.”

  “I think we’re going to be okay, Molly-Wolly.”

  She tilts her head and studies my face. “I don’t like that lipstick on you.”

  I look up at Ember at that, confused, and see her giggling. She points to her own dark pink lips before I realize what Molly means.

  “My apologies, your highness. I vow to never wear another woman’s lipstick other than the one you deem worthy of my complexion.”

  Molly giggles.

  “Molly? Why don’t you let Nate and Ember come in now?”

  I look up and see Molly’s mom, Megan, a few feet away. Behind her, I see my sister, Cohen, and Molly’s dad, Lee, losing the fight to keep their laughter in.

  Assholes.

  “It’s not that funny,” I tell them after Megan had taken Molly away from the group.

  “It’s freaking hilarious,” Dani wheezes through her laughter. “Oh, Nate, I sure hope you didn’t tongue a baby into Ember.” She doubles over, and I narrow my eyes at her.

  “Danielle Cage.”

  She still doesn’t stop.

  “I mean maybe you could keep wearing that pretty lipstick and your ‘tongue spit germ baby’ can call you mommy too.”

  My jaw ticks.

  “Mommy Nate,” she snorts.

  Cohen backs up with one look at me, knowing that if he sticks behind his wife, he’s going to take a foot to the balls when I pick her bratty ass up. Ember lets my hand go, and I make a mental note to spank her ass later for laughing along with Dani. The second my shoulder goes into her stomach, she lets out one ungodly loud scream, but I just stomp through the entryway and into the kitchen before turning and depositing her on her feet right inside the living room. Her shoulders are turned first, and then I push her nose against the wall.

  “Five minutes. Time-out, brat.”

  Turning from my sister, I see Ember standing behind me with her chest still moving in silent laughter.

  “Keep laughing. You’ve earned my palm later, Emberlyn.”

  Her jaw drops at my growled words, and I take way too much satisfaction in seeing the blush that crawls up her chest. The minimal coverage of her sundress is not hiding how much she loves my words.

  “Hey, you guys,” Maddi calls, walking from the back porch into the kitchen. “Why is Dani in the corner?”

  “Because she doesn’t know how to keep her damn mouth shut,” I respond, still looking at Ember as she licks her lips. I have to bite my tongue to keep my cock in line.

  “Rightttt.” Maddi laughs. “Well, I was sent to drag you outside before Molly had a chance to tell anyone other than Lyn and Lila that you two were in here making spit germ babies.”

  “Oh my God,” Ember gasps in embarrassment. I, with no other option, throw my head back and laugh.

  “Let’s go,” I tell her, taking her hand in mine and walking out the door.

  We stand on the deck, overlooking the backyard, and I give her a reassuring squeeze. Her smile comes instantly, even if she still looks slightly self-conscious from her sister’s comment.

  “I love you,” I express, offering her that reassurance to us if she needs it.

  With a deep breath, her plump lips spread and she gives me one hell of a blinding smile. “I love you, too.”

  “Yeah, yeah … everyone loves each other. Jerk.” Dani brushes past me with a shoulder bump meant to knock me off balance, but she stumbles against my unmoving body.

  We walk down the steps, together, hand in hand.

  Chelcie and Asher give us both a wave when we walk past them. Their boys, Zac and Jax, stop tossing the football around to call out a greeting before returning to their game.

  Dani, now standing next to her husband and in-laws, is still glaring at me. I ignore her and give Cohen a lift of my chin.

  “Hey, Melissa.” I address his mom, bending down to kiss her cheek.

  “Hey, honey.” She grins at me before looking at Ember, her happiness spreading to her eyes, which squint slightly. She steps away from her husband and I’m forced to let Ember’s hand go when Melissa wraps her in a hug.

  Looking over at her husband, I give Greg the same lift of my chin that his son got.

  “Give me a damn hug, boy.”

  I shake my head but give him the hug he demanded with a slap of my hand against his back.

  “I’m sure her father already told you, but you make her cry and I’ll kill you,” he says before pulling away, giving me a stern smile to cover up the fact he just threatened my life. “Good to see you, Nate.”

  “Yeah, likewise, Greg.” My chest moves with my silent laughter.

  Ember pulls from Melissa, and I see a slight wobble to her chin. Melissa cups her cheek. “You wear love beautifully, honey.” Her words are low, and I know she didn’t mean for anyone to overhear them, so I just wait for Ember to step away before taking her hand back in mine.

  When we turn, Beck and his wife, Dee, are right behind us. They give their hellos much like Greg and Melissa did. By the time we step away from them and walk to where Liam is standing, I’ve already had two men threaten to kill me if I hurt Ember. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I somehow hurt her, I would welcome their anger.

  Lyn, Lila, Stella, and Maddi are laughing with Megan and Molly. By the glances they keep sending my way, I’m sure there is still talk about spit babies by that girl.

  “You sure do know how to make an entrance.” Lee laughs. “Hey, Em.” He gives her a hug.

  “Yeah, seems so.”

  I look around and see Cohen’s brothers have now joined the Cooper boys with the football; they’re too wrapped up in their game, so I skirt my eyes around them to see my and Ember’s parents standing by the grill looking at us. Both our moms have big smiles on their faces, and if I’m not mistaken, tears in their eyes.

  “Well, aren’t you looking handsome today?”

  I look away from our parents and laugh at Sway.

  “I always look handsome.”

  “Just as cocky as your father. Come wrap those big strong arms of yours around Sway and give me a proper hello.”

  I bend, giving him the hug he wants. “Hey, Davey,” I tell his husband over his shoulder and wait for him to finally let go.

  Finally, he does, but not before I get a kiss on my cheek. Ember is at my side laughing at his antics, and I would gladly let that man kiss me again if it means she’s no longer feeling unsure about how we will be received today.

  “I think we should probably go finish the rounds,” I whisper in her ear after stepping away from Sway.

  She looks up before following my eyes to our parents and gives me
a nod. This time, she takes my hand before leading the way. You couldn’t have stopped the grin that came over me at her claim of ownership. My mom passes my nephew, Owen, to my father before walking from their foursome and meeting us halfway. Instead of giving her baby boy a hug, though, she approaches Ember.

  She places her hands on Ember’s biceps and says, “Hey, sweetheart. You look beautiful.” I clear my throat and raise my brow when she looks up at me. “What? Do you want me to tell you that you look beautiful too, son?”

  “That would be lovely. Yes, you can tell me how beautiful I am.”

  She shakes her head and looks back at my girl. “I’m so happy for you two.”

  I don’t need to look at Ember to know that her happiness does, in fact, make her look beautiful.

  “Thanks, Izzy,” she says softly. “You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that.”

  I give a mock gasp. “You mean you doubted my own mother thought her baby boy was beautiful?”

  Ember pulls her hand from mine to give me a playful smack against my chest at the same time my mother does, and we all three laugh.

  “Go on,” she tells us before turning and calling Owen’s name. He jumps from my dad’s arms and starts rushing to his grandma. “Don’t let those big men intimidate you,” she warns before walking away.

  “Let’s go, baby.”

  We move until we’re standing in front of them. My dad reaches out and hooks my shoulder before pulling me to his body. With just a few inches separating our height, his mouth turns to my ear. “Don’t make me hurt my own boy by doing something stupid as fuck to his woman. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir,” I lament, shoving off him playfully and turning to Ember’s dad.

  He has his arms crossed over his chest and his face gives nothing away as to what he is thinking. It doesn’t matter that he knows about us. It doesn’t even matter that I have his blessing to be with his daughter. Right now, he’s playing the part of a father that is, in a sense, letting go of the daughter he has loved and raised for twenty-one years and giving her to the man who will spend the rest of her life being the one to make sure no harm comes to her heart.

  “Maddox.” I nod.

  “Nate.” He doesn’t move.

  “Mind if I have a word?”

  His nostrils flare; the only tell he gives me before nodding. I step back and watch him wrap his arms around Ember before giving both her and Emmy a kiss on their foreheads. Ember looks up at me, worried, but I just smile. Then enjoy the fuck out of the growl that I hear from her dad when I pull her into my arms and give her a deep kiss.

  “Be right back, baby.”

  WE WALK TO THE SIDE of my parents’ house, out of view and earshot, and I turn to stand tall in front of her frowning father.

  “I love her,” I blurt without any lead-up.

  I wait for him to speak, but he doesn’t.

  “You gave me your blessing once, but I need you to understand just what you were giving me when you did. I love your daughter with every fiber in my body. Her happiness is the only thing that matters to me. Her smile will never die again if I have anything to do with it. I promised myself that I would prove to her that I was worthy of her love, and even though her opinion is really the only one that matters, I’m asking you again to respect the love we share and let me have her.”

  “What exactly are you trying to say, Nate?”

  I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to spend another day without her by my side. The same goes for her. I will be her supporter in every aspect of her life personally and professionally. No cheerleader in her corner will yell louder. I will make sure she never doubts the love we share and her choice to give me a chance. I would give my life for her, Maddox. One day soon, I pray to God that I’m lucky enough to have you walking her down the aisle. But most importantly, I want all of that to happen with you not only giving me your blessing to make sure it does but with you being happy that you did.”

  “If I told you I would cut your arm from your body if you caused her a second of pain, what would you say?”

  I stand a little straighter and keep my face as impassive as his. “I would hand you the knife.”

  “If I told you that you didn’t deserve her?”

  “I would agree. She deserves the world, but she’s just getting me, and with me, she’s going to get a man who works his ass off to hand the world to her.”

  He continues his stare down when I finish speaking, and then he gives me something that not once in my damn life have I been on the receiving end of.

  His smile.

  “I always knew this day would come. Out of my two girls, Ember was the one I always knew would use her head and find a good man. Still, I thought I would hate the bastard. You’re a good kid, Nate. You always have been. I can’t say I’m happy that you’re asking to take my girl from me, but I am happy that she’s found a man who will always make sure she comes first daily and goes to sleep knowing that she’s got a blessed life. The only thing I’ve ever wanted for her.”

  My shoulders drop some when I let out the breath I had been holding.

  “I’m going to marry her,” I declare and raise my hand to stop him when he opens his mouth, smile gone. “Don’t tell me I couldn’t possibly know that after only having her love for just under two months. I just want you to know that this is where it’s heading, and it’s heading there real fast.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.” I raise a brow and he gruffs out a chuckle. “Time is a fickle motherfucker, Nate. I had my own experience with it before I made Emmy mine, so if anyone gets you, it’s me. I realized not too long ago that this—you and Ember—has been a long time coming. You had your reasons for pushing her away the first time, and I can respect the hell out of them, but now, you know what you’ve spent years missing out and you would be an idiot to waste a second more now. That being said, if you think I’m happy about my girl being under your roof without you taking the steps to make her yours completely, you might actually be a dumb shit.”

  I shake my head. “No, sir. She’s an independent woman, but I hope that I can rectify this situation by the time her house is done. If I have it my way, her storage unit full of belongings will just be making one stop, and that’s to my house.”

  “I’ve enjoyed watching you turn into the man standing in front of me, Nate. You have a good head on your shoulders and your heart’s in the right place. You want my blessing, all the cards now on the table, well … you’ve got it.”

  Hearing those words from him and knowing that he means it fills my chest with happiness. “So do we hug now?”

  “Jesus Christ,” he grumbles. “Seems like her sass is wearing the fuck off.” He uncrosses his arms and tags the back of my neck, and shockingly, Maddox Locke gives me a hug. “Welcome to the family,” he rumbles and lets go.

  “Thank you,” I tell him after pulling back. “Thank you for letting her go and trusting that I’m going to make sure you never regret that.”

  His throat moves, but he doesn’t speak. With a look demanding I follow and a small smile on his face, he starts walking.

  When we walk around the side of the house, I see Ember standing with our mothers and wringing her hands in front of her. The second she sees the looks on our faces, though, she drops her hands to her side and starts running. Maddox stops and I move to the side so she can go to him.

  But to my utter shock, and everyone else watching, she passes him with a huge smile and leaps into my arms. I curl my arms around her back as her legs wrap tight around me and contentment like I’ve never known settles over me.

  “I love you,” she repeats over and over, not giving me a chance to say a word.

  I look at her dad, expecting to see his fury, but instead, I once again find myself on the receiving end of his smile.

  “I’M SO EXCITED TO GO to Dirty with you!” I exclaim, pulling one of my black heels on and jumping off the bench in front of Nate’s bed.

  He takes a long sweep of my
body, spending a little time on my dress, before looking back up at me, the hunger in his eyes shining brightly.

  “You can’t wear that.”

  I look down and try to see what about my simple black lace dress is so offensive, but I come up blank, so I look back up at him.

  “You really can’t wear that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if you wear that, the only thing that is going to get done tonight will be you, and as much as it pains me to say this, I really have to get some work done.”

  I toss my head back and laugh loudly. When I look back at him, he’s licking his lips and staring at my legs. “You’re crazy.”

  “Baby,” he groans, adjusting himself. “You can wear that any other night, but please not tonight. If I can get all my shit done, that means I don’t work all weekend and I have plans to lock you in this room and not leave for forty-eight long, sweaty hours.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah,” he gulps. “Please change?”

  “All right, honey.” I walk over and stand on my toes to give him a kiss before walking to the closet and looking through what clothes I have here. I settle on a pair of leather leggings and a black halter-style top. Surely, he can’t complain about every inch of skin except for the top of my back being covered.

  Hobbling on one foot, I pull on the other black heel I had discarded to change and step back into the bedroom. He groans again, and I snap my head up to see what his problem is now.

  “Now you look like a sexy dominatrix.”

  “You going to let me tie you up later?” I joke.

  “Not a fucking chance, but if you want some rope play, I’ll make sure you get it. Come on, we need to leave.”

  “Take Bam out, please!” I call after him. “I just need to finish my hair.”

  He calls out to Bam, and I walk into the bathroom, pulling my hair into a high ponytail as I go. I add a little dark shadow to my eyes to give them more of a smoky look to what had been subtle before when I was wearing the dress. These leather pants have always made me feel like a different person. One who wears her self-assurance. Before now, I had worn that confidence and faked the hell out of it, but now, I don’t need to fake a thing. And I have Nate to thank for that. The way he looks at me added with the way he worships my body—all of that has turned me into a whole new person.