When he walks past he leans in and kisses my cheek.
“You couldn't pay him to leave you now, Joslynn.”
I smile and sit down at the table as Marshall walks in and kisses me.
“Mom wants to know when we plan on moving.”
“Today,” I say laughing.
This house has been my home for years but after everything that has happened the last few months I would walk away from here, set a match and never look back.
“We could go today.”
“What are we going to do for jobs?”
“Mom's coffee shop?”
“You’re going to serve coffee?” I ask Marshall laughing.
“Hell no, I actually had a tattoo shop there. I think you need some gunk on you somewhere,” he says laughing.
“Tay?” I ask once she sits down.
She and Trevor made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. She used to make fun of her mom for making me a pancake with a smiley face on it every time I would eat at their house. She would always do something different each time. Sometimes she would be missing an eye, nose or mouth. She would always hide the part that wasn't on the pancake on each other's plates. It was always so much fun to us as children.
“When do you want to move?”
“Joslynn, let me remind you we have been best friends since we were kids. I would move to Egypt if it would keep you safe and away from your father and his goons. Whenever you say move I'll start packing.”
I look to Trevor and wait.
“I already have my shit packed.”
“I guess we can start packing after breakfast,” I say and shrug my shoulders.
When I look down to my plate I bust out laughing. Taylor giggles from across the table. When I look up the guys are looking at us like we are crazy. I lift up my pancake and throw a piece of bacon at Taylor.
“Give me my eye, TayTay.”
She lifts her pancakes and throws a small piece of bacon at me. We both bust out laughing as the guys lift up their pancakes and look under them.
“TayTay?” Trevor asks confused.
“I used to call her that when we were kids,” I say
“Ah. TayTay I like it.”
***
Packing the house is a lot more fun than it should be. I feel like everything has fallen into place and all of us moving together is just one more puzzle piece fitting together. Marshall and Trevor got a U-Haul to put all of our things in. With everything in boxes, I walk around the house and take one more look at my old life and make a promise to myself- Georgia will be a new us.
I am in the room packing when Taylor yells from the living room.
“Jos, come here look at this!”
I run to the living room and stop. My hands cover my mouth as tears run down my face. The living room is full of Happy Birthday balloons and Marshall is standing there, a smile on his face. When I walk up to him, he grabs my wrist and moves my hand.
“I know your birthday wasn't what it should have been, but we are going to change that so happy birthday, baby.”
He bends down on one knee in front of me and kisses my hand pulling a ring from his pocket and holding it in front of me.
“Joslynn Nethers, I have loved you since the day I met you and I will love you until the day that I die. Remember my heartbeat, baby, and know that it is yours. I will protect you and love you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”
I nod my head and he slides the ring on my finger and stands up wrapping me in his arms. Taylor and Trevor start to whistle and clap.
Chapter Ten
Marshall (A week later)
Getting to Georgia was just the beginning of our week. Taylor and Joslynn have dived into wedding plans and Trevor and I have started setting up the tattoo shop. Joslynn promises that she will be my first customer. My phone dings bringing me out of my thoughts and I don't recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Uhm is this Marshall Andrews?”
“It is. And who is this?”
“Uhm...”
She is quiet for so long I begin to wonder if she hung up.
“Hello?”
“I'm here. This is Josie.”
“What? I'm sorry did you say Josie? How did you get my number?”
“I went to the police station looking for Joslynn. I heard what her father did to her.”
“So, after twenty-four years you decided to finally check on your daughter? Why not call her phone?”
“I, uh, I have no excuses for what I did. I was scared when I left. Her father beat me every day, he said if I took his daughter he would hunt me down and kill us both.”
I can't help but laugh.
“Let me let you in on a little secret, he used to drink every day and beat the shit out of Joslynn. He blamed her for you leaving. He did try to kill her and me too. Twice!”
I can hear her crying on the other end of the phone and to say that I felt sorry for her would be a lie. I felt nothing for her tears or her pain and I wanted her nowhere near Joslynn. She walked out on her daughter and never looked back. She never cared what was happening to her, never checking on her to make sure she was okay.
“I kn...know. I just wanted to talk to her and explain my side of things.”
“I don't want you anywhere near my fiancée, but since I can't speak for her I will let her decide.”
I walk to the door and yell for Joslynn. My parent's house is off in the woods away from any other houses. My dad bought the house saying this place was for when we got tired of the outside world, and we needed somewhere we could come and just be us. My mom spent many hours in the yard planting flowers and scattering bird feeders all around the yard.
Joslynn walks outside and I hand her the phone. My anger is clear on my face.
“It's Josie.”
Joslynn's eyes fill with tears and she shakes her head handing the phone back to me and backing away. She looks at the phone like it might catch on fire..
“N...No. I don't want that.”
I nod my head and hang up the phone wrapping my arms around Joslynn.
“Okay, baby, listen. I didn't want to make the decision for you. That was something you had to decide yourself.”
“No, never ever. She left me. I didn't leave her. I want nothing to do with her- ever”
“It's okay. Come on let's sit down.”
We walk to the porch swing and sit down. Joslynn lays down in my lap and wipes her eyes.
“Why did she leave me, Marshall?”
“I don't know, baby.”
“I always dreamed of the day she would come back in my life and tell me this long story about how and why she left. We would make up and be best friends. But that was when I was eight and my father would always say she left because she couldn't stand to look at me.”
“Joslynn, you don't need her or your father you have Trevor, Taylor and me.”
“That's all I need.”
I run my hands through her hair and smile. Having been through so much she is the strongest woman I have ever met.
“Tell me about the wedding,” I say changing the subject.
Joslynn sits up and smiles wiping the tears from her eyes.
“How soon can we get married.”
“As soon as you want, baby.”
“I want this last name long gone.”
I nod my head and smile. I am just as eager to see her walk down the aisle as she is to walk down it. I used to sit and wonder what kind of life we would have when we got older. I guess I was different than most guys. I wanted to know what kind of dress and flowers she would want.
“I love it here, Marshall,” she says looking around. “Do you think your parents would let us get married here? In the backyard? I just want you, Tay, Trevor and your parents here and Luca too. I want to meet the man that helped save my life.”
My smile falls slightly at the request. Luca and I went down the wrong path together, and it took him longer to find the right one than it did me
. He did help me find the love of my life and get her to safety, so if that's what she wants then I think it would be a small price to pay.
I nod my head and once again wrap her in my arms.
“I think we should get married June 18th.”
“Baby, you know that is in like three weeks right?”
“Yep. That gives us enough time. I don't want a huge wedding. I want everyone to show up in summer dresses and shorts.”
I smile and say a silent thank you to the heavens that I won't have to wear a tux.
“Okay, well I will call everyone.”
She leans over and kisses me. Her hands weave their way in my hair, and she moans. I pick her up and take her to our room laying her on the bed. I undress her slowly and pull her to the edge of the bed. After taking my clothes off, I slide into her slowly and throw my head back and moan. She yells out my name, grabs the sheets on either side of the bed and wraps her legs around my waist. I lean in and kiss her eyes, nose and chin leaving her lips for last. I lick her bottom lip, and she opens her mouth letting my tongue in.
I can feel my orgasm coming and picking up pace we are both moaning and yelling out our orgasms together. I lean over Joslynn and catch my breath. Once we are both breathing normally I pick her up and take her to the shower.
Chapter Eleven
Joslynn
“Trevor, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, sis,” he says and smiles.
He's been calling me sis since we moved here. It makes me smile each time knowing that no matter what happens I will always have a big brother. I walk to the porch swing, sit down, take a deep breath and turn towards him.
“Uh, will you...will you walk me down the aisle?”
As soon as I ask the question I see tears form in his eyes and hear Marshall take a shocked breath behind me. I swear these two men are some of the most sensitive men I have ever met. They both walk around covered in tattoos and are two of the toughest men I know but neither of them has any problem showing emotion. That is one of the many things on the list of things I love about them. In the time that we have been here, I am starting to think Taylor may love that about Trevor as well.
Trevor wraps me in a hug. When he pulls back he has a huge smile on his face.
“You know I will.”
“Thank you.”
He nods his head and gets up and walks in the house slapping his brother on the back on the way through the door. Marshall comes and sits down beside me smiling.
“Thanks for asking him that.”
“There couldn't have been anyone else.”
“Mom and Dad will be here in a few days. And Luca said he would love to come.”
“Great!”
It seems like the wedding plans are falling into place. My mother hasn't called since the day Marshall hung up on her and I hope she never does. I don't care what happened then or if she thought she was keeping both of us safe by leaving me. I don't think there is anything she could ever do or say that would make what she did any better.
***
The wedding is here so fast. It feels like he just asked me yesterday. I stand in the mirror and look at myself. My hair is curled and up in a messy bun. I think Taylor put a whole box of hair pins all over my head. She joked that maybe it would take Marshall half the night to take them out and she and Trevor could finally get some sleep. Marshall's mother bought me a white summer dress with a slit to my knees and it reaches all the way to the floor.
A knock on the door brings me from my thoughts and I turn to see Trevor walk in.
“You look beautiful, sis. My brother is one lucky man,” he says.
I smile and walk to him bumping him with my hip.
“TayTay is pretty lucky too,” I say and wink.
He blushes and holds his arm out. We decided I would walk off the porch and down the aisle to Marshall. When I walk to the porch and look up, my heart starts to race. I want to run down the aisle and wrap my arms and legs around Marshall and beg the preacher to hurry up.
We walk down the aisle surrounded by our small family and finally make our way toward Marshall. I am standing in front of Marshall and my hands are shaking, I have never had so many emotions running through me at once. I am excited and happy and nervous all at the same time. He grabs my hands and smiles. We asked the preacher to allow us to say our own vows.
“Joslynn. From the day we met I thought you were the prettiest little girl in pigtails on the block. You are one of the strongest women I know. I made you a promise when we were kids and I mean it more so now. As long as my heart is still beating I will protect you. I will chase the bad things away and you will be safe. I loved you then and I love you now. To call you my wife is going to be an honor.”
“Marshall. We have been through so much since day one. I have never felt as safe and loved as I do when I am in your arms. I know that with us being together we have already beat the bad things. I loved you then and I love you now. To be your wife is going to be an honor.”
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Andrews.”
Marshall leans in and kisses me and the whole world disappears. There is no one but Marshall and me and we are now married. It feels like all my hopes and dreams I wanted to come true have and some that I didn't even know I had.
Marshall pulls back and wipes the tears from my face smiling.
“I love you, Mrs. Andrews.”
“And I you, Mr. Andrews.”
“Welcome to the family officially, sis!” Trevor says kissing my cheek.
“Thanks!”
“I want to introduce you to Luca.”
Luca looks nothing like you would imagine a computer genius to look like. He fits right in with Marshall and Trevor. His hair is spiked up in a Mohawk and his arms and legs are covered in tattoos.
He holds out his hand and smiles.
“It's nice to finally meet you, Joslynn.”
“Uh, you too, Luca. Thank you for helping, Marshall.”
“Any time. Congratulations you two.”
“Thanks, man,” Marshall says shaking Lucas' hand.
***
Laying in bed in Marshall's arms is the best feeling ever. I have never been this happy. It almost feels like it should be illegal to be this happy. I was never one for girly squeals, but I can't help but want to girly squeal right now.
“Say it again.”
“Say what again.”
“My name, say it again and again and again.”
“Ah, Mrs. Joslynn Andrews,” he says laughing.
I run my hand down his stomach to his boxers pulling them down and throwing them to the floor. Sliding my clothes off, I throw them to the floor and climb on top of him. Kissing him from his neck down to his stomach and putting him in my mouth.
“Oh Jos…Joslynn.”
I smile as his hands find my hair. His hands tighten around it with each stroke of my tongue.
“Baby...”
I lightly run my teeth over him and his screams fill the room. I swallow him down and smile.
When I sit up, his face is nothing but a huge smile. I kiss my way back up his body and slide him inside me so hard the headboard hits the wall and his eyes roll back slightly. My pace is nothing but fast. We have been taking it slow for so long I can't help it. He feels amazing inside me like nothing I have ever felt before.
I lean down and kiss him roughly matching his moans with my own. Our orgasms hit at the same time and I know the whole world can hear us. I lay across his stomach and catch my breath.
“What the hell was that?” He says laughing.
“I was tired of slow and easy, oh husband of mine,” I say and smile.
I get up and walk to the shower making sure to put a little extra sway in my hips and giggle when I hear him run up behind me. As soon as we step in the shower he shoves me against the shower wall and pins my hands above my head.
He kisses me with as much force as I kissed him before.
“T
ime for round two, baby, and this time I am setting the pace,” he says.
Chapter Twelve
Marshall
“Have you found them yet?” I yell into the phone.
It's been a week since the wedding and Joslynn got the papers yesterday to testify against her father. I don't want to take her back to Alabama knowing Frank and Tank are free on the streets somewhere. Here she doesn't have to worry or look over her shoulder. Going back there makes me feel like I am helpless.
Forgive Me (Say Something Book 2) Page 4
