by S. C. Adams
He says my name over and over with increasing frequency as his movements speed up. I try to turn and run but find myself backed up against a wall. I pound my fists against it, willing it to crumble and let me out of this godforsaken place.
“Please, please! I don’t want to die!”
It doesn’t work, so I turn around, but Brian is gone now. It’s silent. I take a deep breath, relieved that I got away from him. I lean against the wall, still breathing heavily.
Something viscous and cold drips onto my cheek. I wipe it off and look at my hand to reveal a black substance.
“What the hell?”
My eyes travel to the ceiling, and blood rushes to my ears. The skeleton didn’t disappear; he merely climbed onto the ceiling.
“Nellie!” he screams, his mouth turned into a Cheshire grin as he descends on me.
I scream, and then I’m sitting upright in a bed. I slam into a massive chest, and strong arms envelop me. I start to struggle, still thinking Brian’s dead body is out to get me.
“Get off of me! Get off of me!”
“Nellie! Nellie! It’s okay. It’s me. It’s Nash!” He pushes my shoulders back so I can see his face.
It is Nash.
“Oh my god!” I wrap my arms around his neck, tears streaming down my face.
“It was Brian,” I babble. “He was dead and chasing me and he wanted me dead.” I’m gasping for breath, gripping onto Nash for dear life.
“It was a bad dream. No one is in here besides you and me.” My cries get less frantic, and I pull away from Nash, nodding.
“I know, I know. He’s not here. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“No, don’t apologize. You went through a lot. It’s traumatizing.” Nash is looking at me with so much compassion and understanding that my heart breaks. He’s been the perfect man throughout all of this, and I was a complete bitch.
I look down at his clothes, and it looks like what he was wearing yesterday. I stare at the clock and realize that I must have conked out and slept through the night.
“Did you sleep in your jeans?” I ask with confusion. He looks down and half smiles.
“I guess I did. I fell asleep without meaning to, so I never changed.” I look at his side of the bed, and it looks undisturbed.
“But where did you sleep?”
“On the chair,” he motions with his head.
I blink.
“Why? This is your bed.”
He nods.
“I thought you might not want such an intimidating presence in the bed after what Brian did to you yesterday.” I bite my bottom lip, feeling like absolute shit. He’s so thoughtful and generous, and I feel like I’ve given him nothing.
Nothing worthwhile anyway.
“You’re not like my brother. Your presence could never make me feel unsafe. Never, you hear?”
I look down at the bed, a tear falling. Nash tilts my head up by lifting my chin with his finger. He wipes away the tears that have started.
“You were right about everything,” I say in a broken voice. “Brian is a drug addict and a thief. He admitted to everything. He wasn’t even remorseful.”
Nash looks at me with understanding.
“I didn’t want to be right, sweetheart, but sometimes we have to face the truth about the people we love.”
“I know,” I tense my shoulders. “I’ve been protecting him from consequences for so long that he thought there were none, so he got more and more reckless. I’m not going to blame myself for the path he chose, but I shouldn’t have been so quick to clean up his messes in the past.”
Another tear escapes my eyes, and I quickly wipe it away.
“He needs to take whatever punishment is coming his way,” Nash soothes. “For once in his life, Brian is going to have to be an adult without your help, Nellie. You’ve done everything you can, and then some.”
Nash is right. It’s the only way. I can’t keep protecting my brother at the expense of myself or his wife. And the people who deserve to be protected the most are his daughters. If Brian doesn’t grow up now, they’ll be the ones who suffer the most.
Nash pulls me into his arms, and I rest my head against his chest. He’s warm and solid, and his hold feels like the safest place in the world.
“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, honey. You only did what you thought was best.” He strokes my hair, and it actually makes me feel a little better.
“I know, but it’s hard not to assign any blame to myself. I failed my brother, and I’m all that he has.”
“You were just a kid yourself when you had to start taking care of him, Nell. I think you got so used to being his big sister, that you lost sight of who exactly it was you were protecting. He’s not a little boy anymore, and you can’t shield him from his mistakes.”
I blink back tears as Nash perfectly encapsulates it all.
“Your brother has to learn his lessons and take his lumps. He’s a grown man who made his choices. He decided to try crystal meth, to cook it, to steal, to be a bad husband, and a bad father. No one made him do any of those things.”
“I know, but –”
“It’s not your fault, Nellie. I need you to understand that.” I start to cry because Nash is right. What Brian did wasn’t my fault, but still, there are things I could have avoided as well.
“It’s my fault for being so blind. I should have realized sooner. I should have been more discerning. I let the fact that Brian is family cloud so much of my good judgment. He walked all over me with his lies, and I ate them all up because I just wanted my little brother to be successful and happy.”
Nash nods, but I continue.
“I thought I had to do a whole bunch of growing up fast, but so did Brian. The only problem is I didn’t let him. I let myself take on all of his responsibilities, and why? I guess I wanted to preserve who he was after our parents’ death. If one of us could remain the same, I thought it should have been him. But that’s not how life works. We have to grow and mature in order to become the best versions of ourselves.”
Nash strokes my back.
“You’re being too hard on yourself, Nell. Again, you were just a kid, and you didn’t know. Plus, it’s all in the past. Brian’s a grown man now. He has to learn.”
But then I jerk myself back because I let myself be a total bitch to Nash, and it was something he didn’t deserve. What I don’t deserve now are Nash’s kind words and soft touches.
I sniffle loudly.
“I should apologize.”
“For what?”
“For how I treated you. I was so mean and horrible to you. The things I said to you, I can’t even—,” I choke up, unable to finish my sentence. I swallow and restart. “What I’m asking is if you’ll ever be able to forgive me. I understand if that’s impossible for you. I wouldn’t blame you if you never want to see me again.”
Nash tilts his head, placing his finger under my chin. I had my eyes turned downward, but he forces me to look at him. I was worried I was going to see the eyes of someone full of anger and disgust, but instead, there’s warmth in those blue depths.
“I couldn’t stay mad at you if I wanted to, Nellie-Bellie. You bring too much light to my life.” His hand goes from under my chin to cup my cheek. My fingers wrap around his wrist as I press my cheek further into his palm.
“Really?”
“Of course,” he growls like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Do you know what my life was like before you walked in?”
“What?”
He shakes his head.
“Full of things that didn’t matter. The only thing in life that gave me purpose was Jaybird. I thought that being a business owner somehow made me superior because I was all about my work and nothing else.”
I smile a little as Nash continues.
“But then in sauntered this beautiful, curvy, fucking amazing, amazing at fucking, girl. When I first saw her, I was literally blown away. I couldn’t belie
ve my eyes or my heart. I thought that maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, and all these emotions were not real. I thought, ‘I’m Nash Keller. I don’t go all head over heels for any woman. Especially one I had just met.’ But, boy did you prove me wrong.”
“Did I?”
“In so many ways. Some you may never understand, but I’ll make sure you never feel anything less than loved when we’re together, okay?”
I sniffle again and smile because his words heal my heart. This man is everything that I’ve ever needed, and it seems that even with my shitty family and this whole fucked-up situation, Nash doesn’t care. He loves me and is telling me right now in plain English.
“Do you mean that?” I ask in a small voice, still needing to be reassured.
Nash tilts my chin to look into my eyes again, and his gaze is so serious that it pierces my heart.
“I love you, Nellie Newman. You were mine the moment we met at that block party. You just didn’t know it yet. But now I’m telling you in no uncertain terms. You belong to me sweetheart, always and forever. We may have come together in unusual circumstances, but what we feel? It’s real.”
I smile at him through tears and nod.
“It is real, Nash. I love you too, and I want to be with you.”
With that, his lips swoop down to capture mine, and I dissolve against his broad chest as my heart beats with happiness. Despite everything that’s happened, I know that somehow, Nash and I will work this out together. Maybe I started as his kept woman, but he swept to my rescue when I was in danger, proving his determination to have me. I owe everything to this alpha male, and now, we’ll find our way forward together.
Epilogue
Nellie
Two Years Later.
I’m sitting in Nash’s home office, spinning around in his chair. I think about the many times we’ve had carnal relations in this very room. I place my palms down on the hard wood, wondering if today is going to be another fun day in the office.
After all, today is Valentine’s Day, so I’m wearing some of my favorite lingerie, a matching black lace set. Nash is going to get a surprise because I’ve paired the lingerie with slinky thigh-high stockings and four-inch stilettos. I think he’ll enjoy this Valentine’s surprise very much indeed, thank you very much.
As I’m rubbing my hands along the wood thinking naughty thoughts, the door opens and the man of the hour stands there himself.
“What are you doing?” he asks. He looks at me curiously but stays by the door frame.
“Um, I was waiting for my boyfriend,” I smile teasingly.
“Me?” He walks in further, the door closing behind him.
“I didn’t say I was waiting for you. I’m waiting for my other boyfriend. You know, the old man who wears a hairpiece.”
“Very funny, sweetheart,” Nash chuckles. He starts moving a lot faster, and I jump up from the chair and shriek. I do a little halfhearted running around the office before Nash scoops me up in his arms.
“Nash!” He pulls me into his chest, cuddling me. One of the great things about loving such a big man is how small he makes me feel when he carries me in his arms. I’m literally like a person-bundle.
“I’m going to have so much fun,” Nash begins, but he isn’t able to finish his sentence because we’re interrupted by a baby’s wail from outside. We both look towards the hall, rendered silent for a second before laughing again.
“I think we’ll need to hold off on whatever fun you were planning.”
“I think you’re right. Baby Bree calls when Baby Bree wants to call.” Nash sets me down and we both head upstairs to our daughter’s room. By the time we get to her, she’s stopped wailing and has gone back to sleep.
We look into her crib, Nash carefully swiping the downy hair from her face. She’s as peaceful as an angel, her tiny fists curled up right next to her head. I rub her back gently, and bring her blankie up to her waist.
Since Bree’s gone back to sleep, we decide to leave her alone, grateful for the temporary peace and quiet.
Once we’re out of the nursery, we head to our bedroom.
“I wonder what woke her up?” I ask.
“Maybe she was having a particularly exciting dream,” Nash says wryly.
“Maybe, but I don’t mind. I’ll take any opportunity to go and look at my little girl. I’ve only known her for a year, but she’s the most important person in my life next to Madison and Mackenzie.”
After all, when I told Nash I was pregnant, he was overjoyed. After my confrontation with Brian, we decided that we wanted to try and have our own child. Everything was out in the open, and the two of us had committed to one another. Our lives had finally begun, and we were ready to move onto the next phase.
And then, about a year later, our dreams came true. Our baby was born, and everything fell into place. Even if Bree can be the most demanding little tyrant, she still deserves all the love that we can give her.
Plus, she has the best support system a girl could have. There’s me and her daddy; Colt and Amy, who have their own little bundle of joy now; and Vivica, Madison, and Mackenzie. We’re one big happy family.
The only person missing is Brian. After the truth came out about his misdeeds, Nash and Colt decided to press charges. We ended up avoiding a trial because my brother pled guilty. I have a feeling that Brian’s actually starting to feel genuine remorse for the things he’s done, but one small act isn’t enough to wipe away his sins from my mind.
But still, I feel bad that Brian’s in jail. He and I have been alone in the world for so long, that it feels strange to have him in the slammer. Nonetheless, I feel like it’s the best place for him. It’s the first real consequence he’s had to face, and maybe going through this hard time on his own will teach him a lesson.
Not to mention there’s also an excellent on-site rehab in his correctional facility. I think once Brian has detoxed, and his mind is clear, he’ll be able to see how he’s gone so wrong in so many ways.
Maybe then I’ll be able to visit him. So far, it’s only been a couple of letters back and forth.
We get into the bedroom, and Nash and I get into the bed together, lying next to one another.
“Do you want to take Bree to hang out with Riley next weekend?” Nash asks, referring to Colt and Amy’s little girl.
“I don’t think we’ll have time. Remember, it’s Madison’s birthday next weekend. But Amy and Colt are supposed to be there, so I’m assuming Riley will come too.”
Ever since Amy had her baby, and I’ve had mine, it’s been harder to see each other as regularly. But every so often the four of us get together to socialize, and we’ll bring our daughters to play with one another.
There are also times when we get together, just the four adults. Our last big to-do was at Amy and Colt’s wedding. Colt proposed right before Amy gave birth, and they had their wedding a few months after Riley came into the world, so that their daughter could be in all the wedding photos. I just have to say that that little girl was absolutely adorable in her frilly white dress. She was probably the only one able to upstage her momma.
“Right, right,” Nash nods. “I’m going to have Brenda pick up a gift. Madison is into ponies now?”
“Yes, but promise me you won’t buy her one. You’re always going too far with your gifts.”
Nash feigns surprise.
“But their home has the space for a mini-stable!”
I giggle. Ever since Brian went to jail, Nash has been taken care of Vivica and the girls financially. He bought them a small house, and it has a huge yard that Maddie and Mac love to run around in.
I shoot him a mock warning glare.
“You are going to spoil those girls. You are going to spoil all the girls in your life. Madison and Mackenzie have you wrapped around their pinkies, and I’m sure Bree will too once she learns!”
He grins at me.
“Okay, I promise not to get them a pony, but that’s the only promise I’m making.”
I roll my eyes because I know he’ll get them something overly extravagant, but I’m not mad about it.
“You should do whatever you want. It’s not like I can stop you,” I say. I cross my arms and fake pout, acting like Nash has upset me.
Nash grins.
“Well, you know, I can spoil you too, baby. What do you want?”
He looks at me again, his blue gaze suddenly serious. I melt and smile at him.
“I have everything I could possibly want, Nash.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have my beautiful baby girl, my nieces are safe and happy, and I love the greatest man in the world. Everything is absolutely perfect.”
But then my man gets a gleam to his eye.
“But what if I could somehow make it better?” he asks with a smile.
“What does that mean?” Nash looks at me with a fire in his eyes. His hand goes to my hair, tucking the loose tendrils behind my ear.
“Well,” he starts, moving his hand down to my shoulder and pushing my bra strap down, so that it’s hanging off. “Since Bree is still sleeping, I thought Mommy and Daddy could have some alone time fun. You know, it is Valentine’s Day.” He goes to my other bra strap, pushing that off my shoulder as well. My huge creamy mounds come falling out, the tips already hard and rosy. Nash looks at them hungrily, his blue gaze flaring with heat.
“Is that what you want, Mr. Keller?” I coo. I scoot closer to him so I can reach for the hem of his shirt, pushing it up and revealing his rock-hard abs. I get to see them almost every day, and still, his body makes my eyes go wide.
“Oh, it is,” he answers while pulling his shirt over his head. I flatten my palms on his chest, digging my nails into his skin. I’m feeling extra frisky today, so I straddle his body, wrapping my arms around him. I pull him closer for a kiss, pressing my curves into his hardness.
Nash brings his hand up my back and threads his fingers into my hair. His erection pokes into my center, pressing my most sensitive spot. I move my pelvis against him, trying to relieve the pressure, but all it does is inflame it. I dig my nails into his back, my body tight.
