by Megan Bryce
“Fast cars and hot sex?”
“Yes. Those figure prominently. But also a home. Arms to crawl into when I need them.”
“Love?”
“Always love.”
She raised her hand, looking at her wedding ring. Remembered Shane and Christian shanghaiing her, stuffing her into a wedding dress that was…gorgeously purple. And even though she’d never tell them, they knew without her saying a word that it was just perfect.
The families had been there, both sets of them, inside the hotel’s reception room.
Mackenzie and Ethan. Their three boys running around and smiling charmingly at anyone who got in their way. And there had been a little glimmer in Ethan’s eye that said this time it was a girl. The look in Mackenzie’s that said it had better be.
It hadn’t been. But maybe this time it was. Or the next.
Ethan did want six, after all.
Brady had stood at the front, waiting for her, and she’d shaken off her two men, stomping up to Brady.
“You really think I’m going to say yes?”
Brady smiled that sinister smile that made her shiver and Shane fan himself. “When have you ever said no?”
He had a point.
But she made him sweat a little when the official asked her. Made him, and everyone, wait.
And Brady just waited. Until she was good and ready. Until she was sure this wasn’t her second choice. If she could have the world exactly as she wished, this is what she would have chosen.
And she said, “Yes. The end.”
Brady smiled. Not a little smile, not sinister.
He showed her the braided wedding band, tipped it to show her the inscription inside.
The End.
And then slipped it onto her finger.
She turned her head on the pillow toward him and said, “I wanted Shane. I wanted children. I need you. I have everything I need.”
Brady closed his eyes, smiling, because he believed her. Because she didn’t need to say it anymore. Life was hard, some harder than others, but they’d both pick it to be exactly like this.
They lay there together until the door opened back up to Christian and Shane comparing Tibby most favorably to all the other babies on the floor, at how she must be the most beautiful girl in the whole world.
Shane kissed Christian goodnight, took one more picture of Tibby with his phone “because a whole night without her is going to be excruciating!” and leaned in to peck Cass on the cheek.
He whispered into her ear, “No better friend ever lived, Cass.” He looked up at Brady. “Thanks for sharing her.”
“I don’t think it was me who was sharing.”
She took Shane’s hand on one side and Brady’s hand on the other, closed her eyes and listened to the five heartbeats inside this little room, and smiled.
Her family.
When they’d left, and the nurse had brought her some pain pills, and they’d turned off the lights and turned on the nightlight that Christian had brought, and he’d settled into his uncomfortable-looking bed, Christian said softly, “Cassandra?”
She kept her eyes closed and whispered, “Yeah?”
“Thank you. Thank you for my family.”
She opened her eyes to look over at him. “I was just keeping them warm for you.”
He made a soft sound, and another, and Cassandra listened for a minute, not knowing if he was laughing or crying.
And then she made a soft sound herself, not knowing if she was laughing or crying. Maybe she was laughing and crying.
The baby woke up, squirming and chuffing. Christian jumped up, picking her up and patting her back, his face filled with worry and concern. He gave Tibby the tiny dropperful of milk Cassandra had managed to pump earlier, tried to get her to suck at a little bottle. He rocked her, soothing her, until the baby finally quieted.
Christian wrapped the baby back up in her blanket, an expert already, put her back in her little bed and smiled at Cassandra.
She smiled back, because she knew there was no one more careful than Christian. No one who would be more gentle with the two people she loved and couldn’t have than him.
And Cassandra finally realized. She was laughing.
They were all laughing.
* * *
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Copyright
It’s Only Temporary - The Collection
Copyright © 2014 by Megan Bryce
To my husband-
because I still think,
ten years later,
that I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
www.meganbryce.com
[email protected]
