Beautifully Done

Beautifully Awake - 2

Riley Mackenzie

To our two husbands and five children, our every-day bucket fillers.

Thank you for teaching us the meaning of loyalty … truth and trust.

Chapter 1 Barefoot

Why the fuck am I barefoot? The sand was cold, colder than you would expect in October, and the salt water spray only added to the chill in the air. At least I was in this monkey suit, could’ve been worse. Half the women lining the beach, waiting to get this show on the road, were freezing their asses off in glorified lingerie. Not that I minded the view.

“Why the fuck are we barefoot again?” I clipped Chase’s arm to get his attention and snap him out of whatever pussy whipped La-La Land he disappeared to.

“How old are you, man? Can’t you stand still for five minutes?”

If I didn’t know any better, the bastard sounded nervous.

“Ash, I’m with you,” Sierra chimed in from across the aisle. “This wind sucks. Don’t be surprised if my nipples cut straight through this dress.” Sierra was Lili’s best friend, maid of honor and probably the funniest chick we knew. I laughed and Chase’s face hardened, definitely not feeling our humor.

“Dude, you look like you’re gonna shit yourself. Sure you want to do this? There’s still time to back out.” Cue the look of death. That was more like it. I grinned and threw my hands up in surrender. “Just sayin’.”

Finally his brow relaxed. He was my best friend, but damn, was he one intense motherfucker.

“What the hell is taking her so long? I’m going back up to the house to make sure everything’s okay.”

There was the real truth. He couldn’t stand being more than two feet away from her for any given amount of time. Overprotective was an understatement; especially after everything they went through last year.

I clutched his shoulder. “No, you’re not.”

I lifted my chin toward the staircase slicing through the sand dunes and tall beach grass just as the music started to play. And not the traditional harp or cello, but acoustic guitar. Nice. Chase’s shoulders relaxed and I slapped him on the back. Lucky bastard.

Lili Porter was take-your-breath-away, instant hard-on beautiful. She was wearing one of those stark white strapless Greek goddess-looking dresses that hugged all the right places. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, covered by a simple white veil. Her long bangs blew in the wind; the ones she cut last year to help cover one of her scars. This was why I called her gorgeous.

Everyone stood from their white folding chairs and focused on the bride. Cameras clicked and the oohs and aahs briefly muffled the music. Chase struggled to control his breathing. As head over heels as he was for this woman, he would be pissed at himself if he lost his shit in front of all these people. Half the crowd worked for him.

“Really?” I leaned in, trying to sound nonchalant, pointing to the sparkly pumps dangling underneath her bouquet of blue roses. “What’d you pay for those fucking shoes? And she’s not even wearing them.”

He turned and elbowed me in the ribs. “You’re an ass.” Then he shook his head and chuckled. At least he made it five minutes without crying like a pansy. Best man duty fulfilled.

The ceremony went off without a hitch. The women all cried, because women cry. Hell, I even got a little choked up. Marriage wasn’t in the cards for me, but if two people were meant for each other it was these two. All the main points were hit: rings, vows, I do’s and a kiss, if you could call it that. More like a teaser clip of the honeymoon. If it was anyone other than the guy who slept over every time he lost a tooth in the second grade because the Park Avenue tooth fairy sucked ass, and the girl who earned honorary sister status, it would have been hot. Screw it, it was still pretty hot. Too bad I didn’t bring a date to share in the love.

Wedding dates were a huge no, bigger than Saturday night dates. It never just meant and guest, at least not to your plus one. So I didn’t do either. It was that simple. I was a player, but I wasn’t a heartless dick. If I stumbled across a beautiful lady who was already there, well, that was a completely different story. And luckily, this reception had no shortage.

“Forget about it.” Sierra sucked down half of her margarita.

“What? What did I do?”

Sierra’s eyes followed my line of sight. Standing alone at the bar, a petite brunette played with the straw in her pink drink. I wasn’t a boob man, but even at this distance, I couldn’t miss her rack bopping to the beat of the music. I was blessed with 20/20.

“Pick someone else. You’re the last thing she needs.” Lili’s pint-sized sidekick excelled at blunt. “No offense.”

None taken. I knew exactly what she meant.

But before I got the chance to defend my honor, Dodd snaked her waist and clinked his beer bottle against mine. “What’s up, Ash? My wife giving you a hard time?”

“How’d you guess?”

“Psst, I live with her, remember?”

Sierra was a handful and a half, but hey, that’s what he signed on for when he said I do. I laughed and we both drank.

“Hey, I’m standing right here.” Her hand shot to her hip, assuming the classic pissed off female stance.

I wondered if she realized that it didn’t have quite the same effect at a good foot shorter than everyone else. Pint-sized and feisty. It was fun having her around more since Chase and Lili moved up from Philadelphia six months ago. Those women were connected at the hip. No doubt, she would have Dodd’s ass destined for Boston in no time.

“You-” her finger jabbed my chest, “need to keep it in your pants. Kate’s off limits. Got me? And you…” Now it was Dodd’s turn. “If you want me to ever take it back out of your pants, you’ll back me up on this one.”

Come again? “That’s Kate?”

“Yes, so point your sexy green eyes in another direction. Like, ummm, there. How about her? I’m sure you’ll have no problem sweet talking her way-too-tight, wannabe couture dress right off of her.”

Dodd laughed at his wife. “Babe, I love you to pieces, but you can be a serious bitch sometimes.”

Her hand found its way back to her little hip. “Come on, if you want to wear size four Lycra, you don’t get double D implants. You know I’m right.”

“Wait, back up. That’s Kate? Kate, Kate?” Shit. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a hottie. Her ex was about eight months in on a three-year sentence for assault and drug theft. Got off easy, not nearly long enough for the damage he caused. Supposedly he was more distraught over losing his license to practice medicine than the fact he almost killed Lili. The bastard bashed her skull against a wall and tossed her down a flight of cement stairs for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I sat vigil with Chase in that claustrophobic hospital cube for the longest forty-eight hours, waiting to see if she’d wake up. It was pure torture. I couldn’t tell you which was worse, watching him circle a scary abyss again or staring at her unrecognizable face. It was a miracle she healed as well as she did, at least on the outside.

Sierra snapped out of whatever tangent she was on. “I forgot you never met her before. Probably because it took her weeks to face Lili—the poor thing was a hot mess after the accident. We all knew Lil would never blame her.”

Of course she wouldn’t.

“Anyway, my point is that Kate’s finally got herself together, even started dating again. Thus, you and your giant hot self stay far, far away.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I backed away with a raised hand. Kate was definitely attractive, but she screamed emotional disaster. I had no intentions of touching her with a ten foot pole. That woman needed way more than I could ever give her. Just because I had a dick didn’t mean I had to be a dick.

Scanning the massive beach tent, I eyed a second bar, then a third, and then a fourth. Another beer was calling my name, so I made my way across the dance floor, enjoying the occasional bump and grind along the way. Hey, you only lived once and I was never too shy to get my groove on. And leave it to my boy to do it right, sparing no expense for his bride. Who strung crystal chandeliers up in an outdoor tent? Chase would piss money away if he could; his disdain for the almighty dollar was bewildering. Good thing the loser had me watching his back. I made us both more money than he could spend in a lifetime.

I switched out my empty for a full one; meanwhile, smooth arms tackled my sides in a tight bear hug. The blinding blue rock on her finger gave her away.

“Your best man toast was perfect. We loved it. We love you.” Lili had a tendency to get affectionate when she drank, and it didn’t take much.

I spun and hugged her back. Chase was all of two inches behind with his typical me-Tarzan-her-Jane expression. I squeezed her a little tighter just to be a dick and mouthed aw, she loves me. Only I could get away with that shit.

“You can take your hands off my wife’s ass at any time.”

Who was I kidding? I never got away with it.

“Man, she married your needy ass. Think you can drop the whole caveman thing. Gorgeous as always, Lili.” I kissed her cheek and folded her back into her husband’s arms.

I loved her. She was all around awesome: sweet, fun, loyal to a fault, and not to mention ridiculously easy on the eyes. But it was her effect on Chase that solidified her spot in the family. She woke his sorry ass from years of misplaced guilt and gave me my best friend back.

“Not in this lifetime.” Chase was dead serious.

Lili looked up at him with her killer baby blues as if he parted the Red Sea. I couldn’t promise anyone until death do us part, but hell, I wouldn’t have minded someone looking at me like that.

“You guys psyched for your trip? Sucks every romantic destination in a twelve-hour radius was booked.” Who honeymooned in Japan? Lili laughed at my joke. Chase rubbed his face and cracked a smile. He did that a lot more since Lil.

“Just try not to get yourself into trouble the next three weeks. All right, asshole?”

“C, you trying to say you’re gonna miss me? Cause if so, that’s pretty lame.” The new Mrs. Colton laughed her sweet ass off. Her boobs jiggled too. Yup, I was an asshole.

We briefly shot the shit about work while Lili pointed out every single female at the wedding she deemed worthy of my attention. The woman was relentless, always spewing about me deserving a hay or HEA. I decided to feed into her good mood and indulge her a little.

“Hey, if you really think I deserve a happy ending tonight, who am I to question the bride?”

Chase buried his face in her hair but not before he half choked on his beer. He was too easy to rile, how could I not? Lili, on the other hand, fake rolled her eyes and winked right back at me. She was the bomb.

I tried to keep the joke going to circumvent the conversation returning to the why Asher should settle down topic, but Lil cut me off when she saw a bunch of people making their way off the dance floor. The band had just slowed things down a notch.

“There’s my baby girl,” she sweetly said, reaching for the doll-sized princess her stepmom was holding. Her little dress was a mini version of the bride’s with a big pink bow matching the obnoxious sparkly clip dangling from her still half-bald head. Rubbing her tired eyes, Lili showered her porcelain face with kisses and cushioned her snug against her chest. “Aww, Chase, look, she’s exhausted. Poor baby. I’m going to take Layla back to the house so she can get tucked in. Be right back.” She handed him her empty glass and gave him a peck on the lips before she carried the now sleeping child away.

Chase’s eyes were crazy glued to her every step until she disappeared through sliding glass doors. Then he ripped at his tie, unbuttoned his top three buttons, and took a deep breath. Shit.

“I’ll go find Sierra and let her know where they went, okay, sweetie?” Lil’s stepmother Sharon sympathetically patted Chase’s cheek.

“Thanks, Shar.”

I let the silence stew long enough to order us two fresh cold ones. “Sorry, C—sucks, man.” There was nothing else to say.

Chase stared at his beer with the intensity he stared at his patients’ brain scans. “Yes. It. Does.” Then he drained half the bottle.

Lili’s face lit up the room every time she was around that baby. It sucked for Chase, seeing how natural she was with Sierra’s daughter, and knowing it was all his woman wanted for herself. They had been trying to have one of their own since Lil miscarried a few weeks after getting out of the hospital. No luck so far. Life was fucking unfair.

The poor guy deserved to enjoy his wedding, not beat himself up over what couldn’t be changed, so I switched topic. “Could be worse, we could still be barefoot.” I followed suit, draining my bottle.

His steel armor cracked and he shook his head. “That was a fucking stupid idea, wasn’t it?”

Five hours later, my jacket and tie were nowhere to be found. Hell with it, I hated the damn tux anyway. It didn’t matter who designed it or how much you paid, those straight jackets never fit a guy my size. The party was winding down, and somehow I was left with the whole thanks for coming, hope you had a great time best man bullshit. Kissing every aunt, cousin and grandma on both cheeks, I needed a tetanus shot. People stuffed envelopes in my hand and I was tempted to ask, “Just out of curiosity, what part of the five thousand square foot oceanfront cottage with the Cirque du Soleil tent pitched in front made you think an envelope was an appropriate gift?” But I held back. No need to piss off the bride, and besides, it was all going to a great cause. As their wedding present, I set up a foundation for abused women and children in their name and I promised to match every donation they made. What else did you get for the couple that needed squat?

“What a beautiful party, honey. Where’s Chasey and Lili Blue?” This particular beauty got two kisses and a hug.

“Not sure, Ma.” But it was a good question. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell them you said goodnight. Where are Dad and the girls?” Saying the girls was easier than listing my three sisters, their husbands and my five nieces.

“Oh, the babies were getting cranky.” My youngest niece was three but that was beside the point. “It was getting late, so your sisters left a while ago. And I told them to take your father. He was starting to get a little confused, and I didn’t want him to be embarrassed about it in the morning,” she ended on a whisper.

We all lived in a bit of denial, especially my mom. Watching my grandfather and uncle suffer with Alzheimer’s for decades was devastating. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to believe he would remember in the morning.

“Okay, Ma, but how are you getting back to the hotel? I’ve got to stick around for a while, but I’ll get you a car.” The resort was less than a half-mile down the road, but no way in hell was my mother walking. I fished my phone out of my pocket to call a service.

“That won’t be necessary, darling. She can drive with me.”

She might have been trying to make amends for her life of poor choices and shortcomings since her husband’s death, but Chase’s mother was still an ice queen that made my skin crawl. I knew for a fact that Chase didn’t invite her, so the only logical explanation was that Lili hit her head a little harder than we all thought. Unfortunately, that didn’t explain my parents’ thirty-year friendship with the Coltons. Talk about day and night. Principled and indecent.

My mother’s soft wrinkled hand rubbed mine. “That would be perfect, Constance, thank you. Honey, don’t worry about me. Just make sure you give the newlyweds a kiss for me and tell them I expect a postcard from Asia. Now go enjoy yourself, there are some lovely young women chatting with Sierra by the band. Maybe you should introduce yourself.”

I kissed the meddler’s hand and said, “Goodnight, Ma.” Then, because I was my mother’s son, always a gentleman, I politely kissed the ice queen.

“Asher, good seeing you. Please do apologize to my son for me. It must have slipped my mind, but I have an early charity event back in the city tomorrow or else I would have loved to have attended brunch and seen them off.”

Right, because he wanted to spend any more time with your nasty ass. She half looked like she believed the bullshit oozing from her own mouth, as if she forgot Chase despised her. He would rot in hell before he ever forgave her for what she did. Maybe she needed to pay a visit to my dad’s neurologist or maybe the mortification of finding out your dearly deceased jerk-off husband had been far from faithful made her delusional. Either way, the woman never ceased to amaze me.

“Sure, I’ll pass on the message.” Ahem, bullshit.

After seeing them safely out, I inadvertently scoped out the crew my mother was talking about. She was correct about one thing—they were lovely. I recognized most of them as Lili and Chase’s hospital friends from Philadelphia, two of which gabbed about nothing but medical shit and were most definitely single. Completely irrelevant because they weren’t who caught my eye. The band behind them was busy packing up their equipment for the night. I smirked, remembering four teenage friends rocking out just for the sake of rocking out, back when life was fair. My temporary alcohol-induced nostalgia got interrupted when the lead singer, whose sultry voice grabbed my attention multiple times throughout the evening, leaned over to close a guitar case. Her tight black leather pants rode just low enough to see her inked stamp, while her long blonde hair kept slipping from its loose clip. Mmm. Now, she was someone who needed an introduction. After all, I was a son who followed his mother’s advice.

Chapter 2 Toilet Paper

“You should have told me you had a wedding last night, I would’ve gone with you.” Randi swiveled on her bar stool and looked me dead in the eyes. Oh shit, that was a sign of attachment. Guess I should enjoy her tonight because by tomorrow morning she was sayonara.

“Yeah, I don’t do wedding dates, sorry.” Just being honest. I could have said, ‘then I wouldn’t have been able to bag the gorgeous singer all night and this morning’ but I didn’t. She turned back to face the bar, but not before she pouted her extremely plump, over-injected lips. But, man, did they feel good around my cock. More like an honest asshole. “You need another drink, sweetheart?”

“I’m gonna hit the ladies’ room and then I’ll take another one of those yummy rum and Cokes.” She ran her obscenely long nail down my cheek before pressing her lips to mine. “Don’t miss me.” She flipped her streaky blonde hair, straightened her very short skirt, and left me to chug my beer while I admired her fantastic ass wiggle away. The one I would be watching my body slap against in a couple of hours. Ok, total asshole.

I tipped my head back¸ letting the remaining liquid slide down my throat and stuck up my finger to signal the bartender. He raised his brow from across the bar and nodded. He knew what I wanted; I had been coming here for years. It was conveniently located just a block from my apartment, so stumbling home with the chick of the night was easy.

“What’s up, Ash? You aren’t usually here on a Sunday.” Dave took care of business and slid down our drinks.

“My buddy got married last night out on the Cape. Figured I would take advantage of the long weekend since I get to sleep in tomorrow.”

“Nice. Congrats. And I’d be sleeping in if that hot piece of ass was in my bed, too.”

I laughed and raised my beer in acknowledgement. I kept my you-can-have-her-after-tonight comment to myself. I cringed thinking about that look she gave me earlier. It screamed ‘I want a relationship.’ That sucked. She was a good time, especially when we were on the same page. She seemed to have skipped ahead. A relationship was the last thing on my radar. I do drinks. I do dancing, I do gentleman-like things and I fuck—period. Life was short. I wasn’t making any promises I couldn’t keep.

I leaned back and glanced up at the game. No wonder the bar was packed, the Red Sox were on. Too bad they weren’t playing some pinstripes. Depending on my mood, I loved toying with Dave, feigning Yankee loyalty. Truth be told, I preferred sports that raised my pulse more than two beats above baseline. Boxing, football, hockey—hell, even sex. Now those were more my speed. Speaking of hockey, my girl Lil owed me one. She was probably a bigger fan than I was and I made sure Chase came through for her birthday last month with Bruins season tickets. Since he didn’t know the difference, a luxury box it was. God knew the loser could afford it.

We were going to be doing some serious hockey now that they lived in Boston, and more importantly, since Chase was back. His random Philadelphia stint never really made any sense anyway. I got that Boston held some serious baggage. Shit, we all felt that weight. It was a heaviness that never waned. His sister Kimi had been shipped here to rot after the car accident and ultimately left to die. It was brutal. No, it was just wrong. All of it. But even after she passed, Chase stayed to finish med school, residency, and fellowship. He buried himself in a lab and developed a medical device to honor his twin. And I worked my ass off, investing every leftover penny he had from being one of those ‘trust fund’ grandkids to make sure his little project turned into a whole hell of a lot more. As a son of a self-made businessman, that part came easy. Being a newbie junior associate at a leading law firm, not so much. I harassed and picked the brain of every senior tax, patent, real estate, and corporate partner. Not to mention stepping on a shitload of toes along the way. That being said, KimCore Medical stood a half-mile away and was a leading force in traumatic brain injury research.

It was a sick accomplishment for both of us, but I didn’t see it that way. Kimi would have done twice that for any of us, no questions asked, and most likely under the radar. Scratch that, at eighteen, who knew a damn thing about anything? She was all heart and never got a chance to be more. That was a tough pill to swallow, one that still singed the back of my throat, but choked the life out of my best friend until he couldn’t take any more. Thus, the random Philadelphia stint, which turned out to be the best thing for him. He learned to breathe again, and his new air turned out to be pure sweet. I would never say it to him, but Lili reminded me a lot of Kimi. Not in the looks department because that would have been weird and incestuous, but in personality. Lil was all strength, and all about everyone else, making her choice of profession very fitting. Sadly though, like his twin sister, life had dealt his new bride her own shitty hand that robbed her from finishing her masters in social work in Boston. Needless to say, two minutes after Lili woke up from a coma last year, Chase wasted no time burying his demons. He hauled ass back here, determined to give his woman back every lost dream. Lil enrolled in classes right away, Chase took a faculty position at Boston General, and reassumed his position at KimCore. I got my friend back and could finally increase my nightly sleep time back to five hours.

I wasn’t complaining. I didn’t mind looking after his interests in his absence. That company meant just as much to me and I would have repeated it all in a heartbeat. I owed the guy my life. Fortunately, all that toe stepping and brain picking to get KimCore up and running resulted with my name etched in the glass at my own firm. So yeah, it had been a seriously long year juggling all of it, and I was looking forward to having some time to take in a few Bruins games.

I took a pull on my beer as I watched a tall suited guy weasel himself between two hotties. He waved a fifty to get Dave’s attention. Typical Wall Street thinking his shit didn’t stink. Completely oblivious to his surroundings, the girls simultaneously leaned to the side and rolled their eyes. They grabbed their drinks and stalked away.

“Open seat, come sit, Talia, what can I get you? They’re out of Prosecco?”

I crinkled my forehead. He had my attention. That was not a common name and one I had not heard in … um … nineteen years. There was a swarm of people around the bar and I couldn’t get a visual on the woman with that name. I cocked my head to the right and the guy stepped back for her to pass and sit down. Perfect pin-straight, long blonde hair came into my view. No way. I would’ve known that hair anywhere. How lame did that sound?

She whipped around to face him and I choked on my cold lager. I coughed so hard that the asshole next to me actually asked me if I was all right. Fuck. I was not definitely not all right. Talia Prince was here. My Talia Prince, who I hadn’t seen or heard from in years, was sitting a couple bar stools down from me. Holy shit, if guys were allowed to freak out I was totally freaking out. I never thought I would ever lay eyes on her again after everything that went down.

The prick she was with ran a hand down her hair and kissed her cheek. She half smiled up at him and said something. My eyes were too busy drilling a hole in her left ring finger to catch what she said. It was naked and I released that swallowed breath. Wait, how old was I, acting like I was back in high school, wishing and hoping and never claiming?

Her caramel eyes widened slightly. Yeah, she recognized me. Six bar stools away, I saw her breath seize and her jaw clench.

After several long seconds she mouthed, “Asher.”

I smirked and tipped my beer up, totally trying to play the cool guy card. Now who was the loser? Wall Street whispered something in her ear and she nodded. Then the douche kissed her on the lips. My stomach churned. It was probably just a skunked beer.

She looked … she looked like Talia. It was as if time stood still. She was still Talia. Damn, I missed that girl. After the first few years I refused to let myself go there, but I also never thought this day would come. Douche left her side and blurred into the background. Maybe he’d bump into my date and get distracted by her cleavage. I took this as my chance and hopped off my stool to join her.

“Hey, you.”

“Hey. It’s been … a long time.” Her voice was identical to my memory, just tense. She almost looked embarrassed. I could tell I was the last person she expected to see tonight. We both had to be in shock, especially after the way things were left between us. I kissed her cheek—how could I not? It was a cheek I’d kissed a million times before. And Jesus, it was so soft. She smelled like a mixture of jasmine and mint. And yes, I deserved that eye roll you just gave me. But hey, I grew up with four women, three of them in my bathroom, and one who taught me the way around a kitchen. I knew my scents. Her face relaxed slightly, but she still forced a tight-lipped smile. All I really wanted to do was squeeze her to my chest and ask where she’d been. Instead, I tightened every muscle to hold back and allowed my eyes to make the infamous downward trek. She was all grown up, trading a ribbed tank and cut offs for a super sexy, sophisticated vibe. Her dark tailored suit was low-cut but not obscene, and her skirt was short but not too short.

My heart, the one that always picked up a couple of beats when she was around, started pounding. “You look incredible. How’ve you been? What brings you to Boston, don’t tell me you live here too?” My need to bombard her with fifty questions was unstoppable.

“I’m good, busy, but good. I’m just in town for a conference.” She broke our eye contact and swirled the straw in her drink. If it wasn’t so damn hot and stuffy in this bar I could’ve sworn her cheeks pinked. She didn’t let the silence linger. “So you live here now? I can’t believe it—Maggie let her prince leave the City?”

The sarcasm earned her a salute from my bottle. “Still funny, I see.” Born and bred New Yorkers couldn’t help being egotistical. It wasn’t our fault; there was only one City. We had that in common. After a quick swallow, I answered, “Moved here for law school.” Half truth. “Guess you can say I never left. But don’t worry, the queen sees her prince plenty.” A quick wink, and yup, she definitely blushed. “What about you, where are you calling home these days?”

Nineteen years of nothing and we were making stupid ass small talk. We were never about small talk. We might as well have been chatting about the fucking weather.

“I’ve been out in San Diego since, you know … I left.”

Yeah, I knew. Like I could ever forget. The summer after high school graduation was supposed to be a million different things for four best friends. It was supposed to be a few carefree weeks to party it up in the Hamptons and gear up for college. Kimi, Talia and I were Duke-bound, while Chase sported Columbia gear. One last summer of band gigs, road trips, and afternoon beach naps. It was supposed to be the summer to learn a little about life. And we did. We learned how unfair life could be, and we learned it the hard way.

The weeks following the accident were a blur. Bad news followed by worse. The driver of the car got lucky. His drunk ass died instantly upon impact with the telephone pole. Kimi, not so lucky. She was left wide awake, trapped in her own body with every muscle paralyzed. But no one figured that last tidbit out until three years later. Instead, we all believed she was permanently comatose. Beyond wretched. We all handled our grief and guilt differently, if you could even say we handled any of it. Five stages my ass, not when you were eighteen. And if we didn’t have enough to deal with, add in Chase’s fucked up parents’ decision to abandon their daughter, both physically and financially. For them, brain-dead equaled waste of time and money. Then Talia’s folks dropped the bomb that they were getting divorced. And to complete our misery, my dad’s only brother and best friend got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s one year to the day we buried my grandfather from the same disease. Yeah, the end of that summer we all struggled to see through the dark fog. My only clarity was the night before I left for college; the night Tal dropped a note with my doorman. I went to Duke solo.

“Cali, huh. Not much to dislike about San Diego. Gorgeous place. I’ve been out there a couple of times over the years.” I was rambling.

“Yeah, kind of hard to get used to this East Coast weather again once you’ve been gone for so long.”

Yup, there it was. We deteriorated to the fucking weather.

No use tiptoeing around the elephant that wasn’t just standing in the room, but directly between us, so I went for it. “Had Chase’s wedding last night on the Cape. He married a great girl and they just moved into Boston.” It was a borderline dick move, but Chase and Talia had their own history, and selfishly I wanted to see her reaction when I said his name.

“Oh, that’s great. You guys still close?” Her expression did not falter. One point: Talia.

“You can say I fulfilled my best man duties.”

Wall Street douche finagled his way between us. “Dr. Pryce, I see you made a friend.” His smug grin turned my stomach.

Hell, he just confirmed she was a doctor and married. I wasn’t surprised. She was a great catch. The bigger issue was what the hell was wrong with my stomach all of a sudden. I was never going to be marriage material to anyone, so why did I care if she was? At least it explained why when I Googled Prince a dozen times or so over the years I found jack shit. He straightened his pansy French cuffs, lifted his wrist just so, and flashed his diamond-studded cufflinks. Loser.

“It’s packed in here, let’s get going.”

She slipped off her stool and was eye to eye with the forever-dubbed douche. I forgot how tall she was, especially in heels. She always had the best legs and ass. I was definitely an ass/leg man. He looped his arm around her waist and she tightened imperceptibly, but I saw it.

“It was really great to see you ... Ash.” Her voice trailed off to a mumble. Something was off. Talia was never shy, not even close. Half the time I was lucky if I got a word in edgewise. And now she was ending our conversation. No introduction to the prick forcing her to leave. No ‘let’s catch up soon.’ Nothing.

“Why so early? Tomorrow’s a holiday.” I wanted her to stay. Of course I did. Missed her was an understatement of the century.

“Huh, a holiday?”

“Columbus Day.”

“Not for us, we have an early day.” At least her smile was back, but I wasn’t feeling the us.

Fuck me if he’s the reason her name’s Pryce.

“Later, bud.” No joke, the douche called me bud. He weaved his fingers through hers, turned toward the crowd and gave her a tug. I rested my back against the bar, rattled off a string of expletives under my breath and watched her slowly disappear. As quickly as she re-entered my life, she was gone again.

“There you are? I’ve been looking all over the place for you.” Randi’s seductive voice reminded me that I was still a horny male. This was the life I chose. And I liked it. I swung my arm around her neck and sucked right below her ear.

“Sorry, sweetheart, ran into an old friend.” I took one last swig and dropped the bottle down, probably harder than I should have. “So what’s it gonna be, your place or mine?” She bit her lip and smiled. We had more in common than I cared to admit. Lucky for me, a good fuck was one of them.

The sun was barely up and I was already antsy, wanting her out of my bed. I hated when they picked my place but that was what I got for offering. Randi’s blonde locks draped across my pillow and her naked body looked so comfortable. I let her sleep.

I threw on some gym shorts, and moments later, held a cup of joe. Last night’s five minute conversation was stuck on repeat while I struggled to flip through the paper. Always stopping on how I ever let Talia walk away again.

“Suzie, hey, it’s Asher,” I whispered into my cell, trying to avoid waking sleeping beauty. I had some heart even if I might break one today.

“Hey, Asher, everything okay? It’s ... um ... really early and I’m off for the holiday, and why the hell are you whispering?”

I glanced at my watch. Oops.

“Shit, Suz, I’m so sorry. I’m such an asshole, you already know that, though. Sorry to call so early, but I need your help.” Suzie, my executive assistant, was my second mother. But not in a weird love-my-son-more-than-life way. That was reserved for Maggie. One of the perks of being the baby, being a boy, and having three older sisters.

“Sure, what’s up? You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m totally fine. I just need you to look up a Dr. Talia Pryce. Practices in San Diego. Can you shoot me a text as soon as you find something?”

“Hey, baby, the sheets were getting cold.”

My eyes snapped up and so did my very responsive dick to a very hot naked body. Shit.

“Appreciate this, Suz. Got to go.” I clicked off my cell and dropped it on the counter.

“Sweetheart, listen, something came up and I have to head into the office for a couple of hours this morning,” I lied.

“Really? I thought we could spend the day together.”

No, no, no and no. We were teetering on the edge and definitely fell off the same page somewhere after round two last night. Time for this to end.

“Not today.”

She wrapped her arms across her bare chest and followed me back into my room. I willed myself to think of anything but tossing her tight ass back on my bed and banging her hard. Fat and ugly. Dimples and cottage cheese. I turned toward my closet and exchanged my shorts for jeans. I threw some gym clothes in a bag for later. I was definitely hitting the bags tonight.

“Take your time getting ready, shower if you’d like. Just make sure the door locks on your way out.”

She sat at the edge of my bed and I felt her eyes boring into my back. She knew. She wasn’t dumb. She knew my type. A good time. A good lay. On to the next. She screwed my type all the time.

“Later, sweetheart.” I kissed her cheek and made a quick exit. The door was barely closed and a wave of guilt passed over. Sure, I felt bad for letting it get this far with Randi, but she knew what she signed up for. But I couldn’t help but wonder what an old friend would think of my behavior, if she would be disappointed. Shit. I needed to get into my office. Screw that, Suzie had it covered. I needed to hit the bags.

It didn’t take much for the sweat to pour down my face and blood to ooze from my raw knuckles. It was hard to wrap my mind around how one chance encounter after nineteen years could have me so rattled. Those familiar brown eyes brought me straight back home. A place I didn’t frequent. She fell off the face of the earth, magically reappeared, and there was no way in hell she was running away again.

“La Jolla Dermatology, how may I help you?” A soft female voice bubbled through the line. Suzie, my savior had come through big time yesterday. My Internet double-checking confirmed Talia was definitely a doctor, a dermatologist no less, with a successful practice in San Diego. But what I couldn’t shake was that none of us had a clue for over a decade. I wasn’t sure if I was pissed or more disappointed. Whatever I felt ... was wrong. And I was going to find out why.

“Good morning. Is Dr. Pryce available?”

“She’s seeing patients—can I take a message please and I’ll have her call you back.” Fat chance. There was a fifty-fifty chance she was calling back if I left a message.

“I’ll hold.”

“Um, sir. It could be a while. She’s with a patient. May I ask who is calling?”

“No problem. I’ll hold. Tell her it’s an old friend.”

“Okay, sir.” The annoying advertisement listing every possible skin service looped over and over in my ear. She wasn’t wrong when she said I would be twiddling my thumbs. How long could shooting someone up with Botox take?

Twenty-eight minutes later.

“Dr. Pryce speaking.”

“TP?” I paused for effect. “Please tell me you’re the really ritzy dermatologist for the stars and you were freezing someone’s forehead?” The line was dead silent. I yanked the phone from my ear to see if we were still connected. Then I heard laughter. And a lot of it. Soft, familiar. Best sound in a long time. I wasn’t pissed or disappointed, I was relieved my friend was back.

“Ace?” Son of a bitch, she copied my pause. “I can play too, Mr. Monogram.”

Fuck, she remembered to use my childhood nickname. The one that embarrassed the shit out of me and was stitched on every backpack growing up. I didn’t care though. She could have called me Bambi if her voice stayed this relaxed.

“How lucky, you didn’t have to change your initials. Who would I think about every time I changed the toilet paper? Thank your husband for me.”

“Very subtle, Ace. Not. I changed my name for professional reasons … only.” Really, so she wasn’t married? “Anyway, why are you calling me? We bump into each other after a million years and now you’re a stalker? I’m in the middle of office hours.”

“Well, you see, Doctor, I have this rash and it’s in a place where, well you know, that place and I think I need an expert to—you know, examine it, maybe take a closer look, make sure I’m not contagious. You have any available appointments? I could be on the next flight out.”

“God, you never change-” She squeaked out in between bouts of laughter. “How’d I make it all these years without my Asher Evan Craig?”

Did she just say my? I’m such a sap.

“Don’t know, TP, but now that I found you you’re stuck with me and all my humor.”

“Says who?” Her suddenly very light voice got serious. “Listen, I’d love to catch up more, but I have patients waiting. I have to go.”

Click. She hung up on me. I hit redial. She wasn’t ready for our reunion, but unfortunately she had no choice. I was more than ready to dive in.

“La Jolla Dermatology, how may I help you?”

“Yes, I was just speaking with Dr. Pryce about a very urgent matter and our line got disconnected.”

“Please hold, sir.” Cue annoying advertisement. “Mr. Craig?”

“Yes.” She knew it was me. I smiled.

“Dr. Pryce wanted me to take down all of your contact information and she will call you when she finishes with her patients for the day.”

Score. One point: Ace. Even. It could have been embarrassing, good thing I was alone in my office. Now I looked like a Cheshire cat.

Chapter 3

HTs

She made me wait three days. Three whole days. Was I a girl or what? And when that text came through Friday evening, damn did she prove she knew exactly what she was doing to me. Worth the wait? Those three words had me so fucking flustered I was damn near ready to cancel my date, especially when the second text said, who’s the lucky girl you’re wining and dining? She reclaimed her title after all these years of Master of Pushing My Buttons. She rocked it back in the day and it was obvious she hadn’t lost her touch. Two points: Talia.

So when I finally texted her back I skipped over the date part and went with Girls. As in multiple. Five to be exact. I knew she probably had no clue what I meant. And I was sure she probably didn’t give two shits whether I had a fuck buddy or five. For all she knew I had a serious girlfriend or a fiancée, shit, I could have been married with four kids. The Wall Street Douche didn’t let us get that far. I hated that he knew her.

I walked into my living room and picked up the one and only framed snapshot I had of the four of us. Damn, we were young. And so happy. The candid photo captured our innocence. We were laughing like we did ninety percent of the time we were together. We had just rocked our first really big gig in The Village. Chase and Kimi had their guitars slung over their shoulders, I was twirling my drumstick, and Talia was smashed between Chase and me looking sweaty and sexy. With no cares in the world, we defined the word invincible. We lived for the moment. I have—fortunately or unfortunately—never stopped. My motto, good or bad, was live every day like it was your last. Because, it could be.

I placed the wood frame back on my shelf and slunk down into my couch. We had made it through that set without any mishaps, planned or not, that night. The following gig, not so much. I laughed out loud, breaking the thick melancholic silence around me. I would never forget that night. Sitting behind my drums doing my thing, Talia spun on her heel, her mischievous grin lighting up the dim set. We knew what was coming. Third song in our line-up, Chase had a guitar solo, and without fail, he made his way to the front of the stage. Same path every time, methodical even then. This time his pedal got moved ever so slightly and he went flying right off the stage face first. Not exactly our intention, but damn was that shit hilarious. Talia doubled over and laughed so hard tears streamed down her pretty face. Luckily he didn’t get hurt, just busted his ego, and deservedly so. He started off the evening being a demanding dick. Typical bossy bullshit. Talia and I decided we had enough and payback could be a bitch. Surprisingly, to this damn day Chase had no idea we caused the whole scene. TP and her pinky swears. I lost count on what we were taking to our graves. Too bad she didn’t trust me when it counted.

I went on my Friday night date but strayed from following my motto. Instead of partying it up, I spent the night stalking my phone for a text back, intermixed with some dancing. The whole time my head was buried in her long hair, I wished I were smelling jasmine and mint. Pretty sure the only reason I screwed the blonde from Chase and Lili’s wedding band again was because she reminded me of Talia. And when she hummed something sexy in my ear while we were banging, all I heard was Talia’s voice. How effed was that? I couldn’t help myself. Talia had a killer voice. Not only was she our lead singer, but she also wrote and composed most of our songs. And most importantly, she was never afraid to leave it all on the stage. Her raw passion seeped from her soul and infiltrated everyone around her.

I was fucked. Royally screwed. Something had to give. I didn’t do this. I didn’t pine. Hell no.

“Unkie Ashy Unkie Ashy, what tooks you so long?” My three-year-old niece attacked me at the front door.

“She’s been waiting by the window for you all freaking day. You’d think I’d told her Santa was coming. I should’ve waited to tell her, but damn, did that window prove to be a fantastic babysitter.” My youngest sister got on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

“Unkie Ashy, you haft to see my new baby, hers poops and pees.”

My sister Avery shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, ask your sister Molly, she didn’t want the crappy doll at her house anymore so now it’s at mine.”

No pun intended. I laughed and followed her into the kitchen with my niece super-glued to my leg.

“Come up here, baby, give me a kiss.” I unwrapped Emma from my leg and dragged her up my body for a quick peck. “You go get that doll, I’ve got to see this.” Back on her feet, she scampered down the hall.

“Where is everyone? No way I’m the first one here.” It was usually bustling by the time I arrived. Usually late, but I made it, every third Saturday. We pretty much stuck to it. One of my sisters typically hosted now that our parents were older. Since I was the only one traveling and they lived within a five-mile radius of each other, it didn’t really matter which house. My parents hightailed it out of Manhattan the day my dad retired, which happened to be a week after his diagnosis two years ago.

“Everyone’s out back. We just got one of those cool chimeneas. Drew started a fire. But, he may’ve just taken the guys to the basement to look at some stupid tool. Mom and Dad aren’t here yet. Come get a drink.”

My cell vibrated inside my jacket pocket.

78 and sunny

Just sayin

Who needs 78 and sunny

when u can hold a doll that shits itself

What?! Do I want to know?

Sounds like u need 78 and sunny

Maybe I do

And nothing. Shit.

“Who ya texting?” My oldest sister Molly was the biggest nag of them all.

“Hi Moll, nice to see you too.”

She laughed. “So it’s a woman. About freaking time.”

“Molly, leave him alone, he hasn’t even been here five minutes and you’re already giving him a hard time.”

“Thanks, Tar.”

My middle sister Tara was the laidback one. After growing up in the middle of those two you didn’t have a choice but to go with the flow. And her husband Charlie was awesome. For two reasons. One, he had his own name, and two, he owned a sailing school for kids. That was cool.

My other two sisters, on the other hand, married Andrew and Andrew. Can’t make this shit up. Avery’s spouse, Andrew Kent the second, also known as Drew, had zero personality and absolutely no substance. He sort of reminded me of gagging on Farina. Not sure what Ave was thinking that day. She totally did drugs in college. While Andrew Milton the third, Molly’s husband, sold insurance. That pretty much summed that up. Good thing they all had daughters or we would be on Andrew the 8th by now.

“So what’s new, Ash, heard from Chase?” Tara popped the cap of a beer and handed it to me.

“Nah, he’s probably so far up Lili’s ass they’re gonna come back as one.”

My sisters all chuckled. The guy practically grew up in our house. They had his number too.

“You’re just jealous. They’re awesome. Lili’s such a great girl; he really lucked out. The wedding was like a fairytale.”

“I agree. It was like right out of a storybook. Amazing and beautiful. But I want to know when my baby brother is gonna have his fairytale ending.” Great, first Molly, now Avery too.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m doing just fine, living life.”

Molly leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “That’s right, you are living. But it doesn’t mean it has to be alone. We just want to see you happy.”

“I am happy.” Something I never questioned until recently. “And I don’t know how many times I’ve told you I’m not getting married.”

“Who’s getting married?”

“Hi Ma.” I stood up and kissed my mother’s cheek. “No one. Molly is just bustin’ chops, as usual. Hey, Pops, how’s it going?”

My dad slapped my back and pulled me in for a hug. I watched my sisters’ smiles tighten imperceptibly. Since his Alzheimer’s diagnosis we couldn’t help but walk on eggshells.

“What’s happening? Where are the guys?” Everyone released the breath they were holding. My dad never forgot that when the air was suffocating with female hormones it was best to exit as quickly as possible. Today must be a good day.

“Good call. The basement, let’s go.”

Not two feet back into the house, Emma came bounding around the corner. “Pop, Unkie Ashy, see my baby, hers poops and pees.”

“She what?” My seventy-five-year-old father looked at me. I shrugged and rolled my eyes.

“Don’t ask, Pop. Emma baby, where are your cousins?”

“In the payroom doin’ dress up. I’s Tinkerbell, come see.”

So much for joining the testosterone.

“Head down, Dad, I’ll go with Emma for bit.” My dad appreciated the reprieve. He patted her head and bolted, while I let Emma tug me away. “Where to, darling?”

One step through that door and I knew I was not leaving the same way I came in. “Girls, holy … what the...” My voice trailed off before I dropped the f-bomb in front of my three to thirteen-year-old nieces. “Do your mothers know what you’re doing?” I coughed then held my breath. Between the colored hair spray, nail polish fumes and feathers floating through the air I was sure I was high. They were covered in every shade of eye shadow and lipstick showered with glitter and sequins. It was like Barbie vomited all over Tweetie.

“Hey, Uncle Asher. We’re just practicing for Halloween. What are you dressing up as? Mom said you had a cool grown-up party to go to?” the oldest chimed in.

“Don’t know, any ideas?”

One of my biggest clients hosted one of those over-the-top parties every year. It was stupid, but I still had to make an appearance. Remember where your bread was buttered bullshit.

“Come on, Uncle Asher, Halloween’s next week. You need a cool costume.”

“Cool, huh?” As for my costume, it didn’t matter as long as whoever was on my arm had fishnets and thigh highs. And then I cringed and wished those thoughts away because my five nieces were standing in front of me. Some douche would be drooling over them soon enough. I did not envy my brothers-in-law. All I knew was if I ever had a girl, not that I could or would, but if I did, I sure as hell would keep her locked in her room until she was twenty-five. “Well let’s not waste all this hard work. Get together. I want a pic of all of you in your costumes since I won’t see you next week.” I snapped a shot with my cell and decided I needed that testosterone ASAP.

“Unkie Ashy, wait, my wings is falling off. My wings is broookeeen.” Cue flail on the floor and sob, the kid went boneless. I peeled her screaming jellied body off the carpet and deposited her with my mother and fled the scene without a glance back.

Bet you can’t beat this.

I sent Talia the photo of my nieces. My five girls.

Wow. I see you sat this one out...

Afraid pink and feathers might ruin ur complexion

And I bet I can...

A second text immediately followed, a picture. A rock formation with water flowing into a spectacular crystal blue pool. But that’s not what I focused on. The picture was snapped from someone sitting on a plush lounge chair with bare legs and perfectly manicured crossed feet. Images of rolling my tongue up that silky smoothness while caressing those pale pink toes flooded my vision. Shit. I stepped into the bathroom and adjusted my jeans.

You win.

I joined the men in the basement and fortunately missed the lame tool discussion. Then again, it might have bored my dick back to soft. Damn picture. Charlie was talking about a new sailboat he was considering. A fifty-foot catamaran. Impressive.

“Man, that’s awesome. Congrats. Can’t wait to go out with you in the spring.” I grew up with a boat and definitely got the appeal. It wasn’t the adrenaline rush from a killer mountain bike ride or a rock climb, but I wouldn’t mind getting back out on the water.

“Yeah, I’m psyched. I’ve always wanted something like this, but I haven’t had the balls to pull the trigger. We need another vessel in the water, especially with the school expansion. Just hope we can pull it off.”

I assumed his sailing school was killing it. But what did I know? My sisters were as proud as my old man. To truly enjoy it, you needed to earn it. Stubborn family trait. Like I was one to talk. “Speaking of, I was talking about your sail school with one of my clients.” White lie. “He’s always looking for investments and write offs. Told him about the program you ran last summer with the special needs kids. He’s interested in funding it. All of it. Say the word. I’ll set it up.”

“Shit. That would be amazing. That’s a huge draw on the budget.”

“Done. I’ll make the call. One condition—you pull the trigger on the fifty-footer and I get to take her for a spin.”

“You got it. Thanks, bro.”

“You don’t have to thank me, man. Easy work for my firm and I just scored free sailing. Win, win.” We clinked our beers and I made a mental note to create another imaginary client, as well as make another deposit into the kids’ trust funds. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. They deserved it.

The familiar buzz interrupted and I excused myself. “Well, well, well. We were just talking about the king and his queen. Everything okay in the world of sushi?”

“Yeah, you ass. It’s awesome. You at dinner?” Chase questioned.

“What do you think?” He knew exactly where I was. Guarantee his sentimental ass called Maggie first thing this morning and checked in like he did every family dinner that he wasn’t parked at the table. “Wait. You miss me. You fucking miss me. I knew you would—can’t go three weeks without talking to me.”

“Oh, shut the hell up. Lili wanted me to call and make sure you’re behaving.”

“Blame it on the wife. Good, C. Mature.”

“You’re such an asshole. It’s confirmed you’re still a dick, so now I can enjoy the rest of my trip. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, asshole.”

“Yeah, yeah. Miss you too. See you in a couple of weeks,” I mumbled through laughter before I hung up the phone.

I was surprised by another annoying pang of guilt. Not that I would have told him on his honeymoon that I bumped into Talia Prince. I meant Pryce. Besides there wasn’t much to tell. We crossed paths, spoke once, and texted a couple of times. Right, keep telling myself that.

A crazy busy week with zero Talia communication just confirmed the fact that I had nothing to tell. Halloween came and I found myself with a sexy nurse on my arm. Decked in fishnets and black patent thigh-high boots. Score. Her skirt was so short that if she coughed I saw her ass, just how I liked it. Alone, preferably near a bed. But unfortunately, I was standing in the middle of a grand foyer made to look like an insanely realistic graveyard. If he weren’t a six-figure client who paid for a good portion of my livelihood, I would not have been here. This was not my scene. I did parties; I did women. I didn’t do sleaze.

“Craig, what the hell are you supposed to be?” This guy was kidding me dressed as Fred Flintstone. Really. “Actually, forget it.” He directed his attention to my date. “Lovely, this old man is in need of a personal nurse. Please say you’ll consider the job.”

My date politely giggled, but I didn’t miss her grasp on my arm tighten. Smart girl.

“Think you’re in capable hands.” I gestured toward Marcus Powell’s pubescent escort. Wasn’t Pebbles the daughter? Sick.

Marcus got my message. “Excellent point, counselor.” He pinched Pebbles’ ass. Dirtball. “Make yourself at home.” He waved his hand in both directions without lifting his creepy gaze above my date’s cleavage. I could have sworn I felt goose bumps rise over her flesh.

“Let’s get a drink, Asher.” She tugged on my arm, leading me away from Mr. Flintstone. This was why business should be left in the boardroom. Another five minutes in his company and he was going to need a new lawyer to close his next deal. Eighteen mill or not.

Surrounded by dirty old men with questionably legal arm candy, we ponied ourselves up to the spider web-covered bar and ordered a quick drink. Shocker, she ordered a fruity cosmopolitan, and so began the mindless chatter. Eyeing the candy fishbowl, my mind wondered to what a certain classy blonde doctor was doing tonight. No doubt, not this.

Trick or treating in Manhattan when we were kids was dumb. You were only allowed in your own building, and the nicer buildings (where we were lucky enough to live) discouraged guests so you couldn’t even hang with your friends. Really dumb, actually. We were probably nine or so when the four of us boycotted and opted for double-header movies. Every year, same theatre, same time. Until we hit high school and the Coltons forced Chase and Kim to show face at their annual masquerade event. Charity, my ass. But Talia insisted the two of us continue the tradition. She picked one flick, usually an action movie, and I picked the other, always a horror. Like it mattered. For a few hours straight, my brain would bounce between horny and rational. My dilemma was sitting in the dark next to the hottest girl I knew but unable to do jack shit because she was my best friend. Four hour hard-ons seriously sucked.

My patience for this mandatory appearance dwindled, not to mention my internal trip down memory lane had me a little tense and way more interested in seeing how fishnets and thigh highs were going to look on my bedroom carpet. So I tossed a Benjamin in the tip jar and stood up. “Come on, sweetheart, what do you say we get out of here?”

“No argument here, counselor.”

All right, she was pretty damn cute too. I helped her off her stool, but not before I pocketed a box of candy. We skipped the goodbyes; no need to degrade ourselves any further, the welcoming was plenty. Then I took her back to my place, relieved my tension, and proved my theory. Yup, they looked way better on my carpet. Even if they belonged to the wrong woman.

By six AM I was a puddle of sweat. Always an early riser. Didn’t matter that I got to sleep around three, after I drove nurse Jackie home. Clips from last night fueled my workout. I was usually pretty regimented in my routine, but upper body training wasn’t cutting it today, so I killed the rope for a solid hour. Still couldn’t shake it. Shit. I sent the rope sailing across the hardwood floor of my penthouse apartment, the crash of the handles echoing through the mostly empty space. Grabbing my pants off my bedroom floor, I fished through the pockets to find what I was looking for. A two-hour sexcapade last night and this was all that was on my mind.

I toweled my wet face, plopped down on the leather sofa, and shook the small box. Screw it.

Trick-or-treat?

You’re a few hrs late.

Fine, no treat for you, I’ll eat them all.

Why r u awake?

Nothing. I waited. Finally.

Couldn’t sleep- damn horror movies

And hot tamales can rot your teeth ;)

Fuck me. Two things. One, where was the douche whose job it was to make sure she was asleep? She always hated my horror movie choice but at least my shoulder was the perfect place for her to hide her eyes. And two, she remembered. Not a gig would go by that I didn’t feed that girl’s addiction. Addiction was putting it lightly—it was more like an obsessive-compulsive Hot Tamale disorder. If such a thing existed. To this day I held stock in Just Born. I kept that family-owned business afloat. This just reconfirmed why.

No shoulder to hide your eyes?

And only the HT expert would know that truth

Miss those little red spicy guys

That’s an easy fix.

ETA 2 weeks.

I hit send without thinking. Oh well, I guessed it was decided. I was going. Period.

Chapter 4 Bacon and Eggs

My plane landed at San Diego International Airport. I was here for business. Well, that was what I told Talia. I hadn’t done business in San Diego in ten years, but no one said I couldn’t. A conference call from my hotel room counted. Right? I could easily make that happen, piece of cake. And a quick lunch with an old associate from my firm. Done. Definitely in San Diego for business. But there was only one real reason my ass sat on a six-hour flight. Her. And after battling some reluctance, I finally got her to agree to drinks tonight. I wasn’t sure how I would have responded to flat out refusal. Thrilled I didn’t have to find out.

With my bag tossed over my shoulder, I stood in line for a cab. There was no rush. I definitely didn’t need a car service. I had five hours to kill before we were meeting.

“Where to, sir?” The cab driver opened the trunk for my bag.

“The Grand del Mar.”

“Nice choice.”

I nodded and slid into the back seat.

Still on for tonight?

Would suck if she canceled. I still hadn’t found the balls to ask about the Wall Street Douche. He never came up in a text over the last month, so I decided to play the ignorance and denial cards. They beat the hell out of truth you were hoping wasn’t true any day of the week.

Yeah- might be a few minutes late

No problem.

I’ll pick you up.

I went for it. Two and a half seconds later my phone rang with an unidentified number, California area code.

“Hey, you. You know they have this thing called GPS? An address would have sufficed. You didn’t need an excuse like directions to call me.” Point: Ace. Two-Two.

“Oh, um-”

Huh. She sounded on edge.

“Look, it’s probably a better idea if I just meet you. I have a full schedule of patients, and my office is already downtown. This way you don’t have to drive, or we can just reschedule another time, and-”

The Talia I knew didn’t ramble. She was nervous. Hell, about meeting me?

“Hey, no problem. Whatever’s easier for you.” She was the one who picked today because she said she only had morning office hours. But she was obviously wigged out, so I passed on reminding her. “Look, take your time, see your patients. I have back-to-back meetings, so later works better for me, too.” That shit just flew out of my mouth. Could I be any more of a pussy? I glanced down; my dick was still there. Just checking.

The line was quiet until she ended the awkward silence. “Okay.”

Her okay was far from convincing. Okay, at least we were still meeting. Not okay was how tentative she sounded about it. Forget everything else, forget that my balls squeezed every time my phone chimed since we reconnected, forget the pervy fact that I got off more than once fantasizing about her sick legs since she sent me that pool picture, and forget that she might have a serious boyfriend (douche or not)—we had almost thirty years of history behind us. You name a childhood memory and we shared it. The innocent, the embarrassing, the downright tragic. The confident free-spirited beauty who danced barefoot on stage wearing her favorite pair of my old jeans would have had no problem turning my ass down if she wasn’t interested, without it interfering with our friendship. Been there, done that. My Talia didn’t do awkward. But that was my Talia from twenty years ago. People change. Suddenly I was less concerned with relieving the throb in my pants and more concerned with finding that girl again.

“See you then.” I hung up before this Talia could say anything else.

I paused at the entrance of the dimly lit bar. I was happy with the vibe. Good music. Modern. Loungy. I liked it. After a quick scan because I was early, I strolled up to the edge of the bar and lifted my chin to get the bartender’s attention. I couldn’t help but smile, she wasn’t late. That drink could wait. She was here and looking sexy as shit. Sitting at the far end of the bar, I freely gawked. If anyone was watching me I would have looked bizarrely stalkerish. A few loose tendrils hung loosely around her model face. Her long lashes brushed gently against her cheeks as she sipped her bubbly and tapped away on her phone. She wore another one of her tailored suits that clung to every curve perfectly with hot as hell black heels. And her flawless skin still had a sun-kissed glow resembling an early summer day. The truth was I needed a minute to swallow down the small lump that had formed in my throat and regain my composure. I would have questioned my gender again if I hadn’t felt the swell. This woman seemed to unleash emotions I never knew existed. Bottom line, I was relieved—not that I didn’t think she was going to show up, but because she did. Her hesitancy and rambling earlier was, well—not her. My stomach tightened and filled with butterflies. The good kind. The kind that felt right. The kind I had only ever felt when she unleashed her killer pipes reaching those notes only she could, exposing that area inside, down deep. That vulnerable spot. I didn’t do vulnerable. And I definitely didn’t do emotional. I crushed hard as a teenager, but in nineteen years things change—I changed. This reaction wasn’t me. But I wasn’t sure how to stop it or even if I wanted to.

I stepped out of the bar lights and into the shadows, avoiding her eyes. Selfishly I was enjoying the quietness and simplicity of the moment. With her sculpted bare legs crossed, she rested against the back of the leather stool. She unconsciously clicked her loose heel to the rhythm of the music. I smiled, reminiscing about how she always used to do that. I guess in a sea of change there were some things that didn’t. But what held my attention was a thin line of faded black that curved along the arch of her foot. It almost looked like a design, but there was definitely writing immersed. This classy, sophisticated Talia and a tat almost seemed like an oxymoron.

“Hey, you, when’d you ink yourself?” I grinned when her head snapped up at the sound of my voice. Guess grins were catchy.

“No filter, typical.” She touched her glass to her lips and sipped while struggling to tame her smile. I grabbed her heel and brought her foot up into the light.

I did a double-take then traced the ink with the pad of my thumb. “You really etched our high school band name permanently into your skin? Oh Dr. Pryce, I bet you’re regretting that impulsive teenage decision.” Of course my mouth was jealous of my thumb, so I dipped down and kissed her cheek.

She jerked her foot from my grasp. “Leave it, Ace,” she muttered, not making eye contact. Not the reaction I was expecting. I knew she loved our band, we all did, but to permanently mark yourself with the name, after the fact, seemed a bit extreme. Just saying.

“Come on, TACK? No regret?”

“I regret plenty, this…” Her face morphed to serious, her softness tightened, and she re-crossed her legs. “This is not one of them.”

Ouch. Definitely touched a nerve. She was obviously very passionate about it. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I didn’t.

“Okay.” There was that stupid word again. This time from my lips. Not exactly how I envisioned the start of our first real conversation after almost twenty years. And I definitely didn’t want it to deteriorate any further. Maybe I needed that drink. I signaled the bartender.

We sat silent while he fetched my bottle.

“So what about you?” She sounded a tad more relaxed, more like … TP.

“What about me?”

Her iPhone whistled with a new text. She tapped the power button, quickly blackening the screen, before she even had a chance to read the message. Clearly, I was not invited to eavesdrop. Thoughts of someone else’s sexting was a definite mood killer anyway. She dropped the phone in her bag and nailed me with her big cinnamon eyes.

“Sorry. Work.” Yeah right.

“No hidden ink? You all tatted up under this muscley situation you have going on?” She waved her hands up and down the length of my body.

Somehow the tension from moments ago vanished and now the conversation was about me. Shit. How a woman could so effortlessly and brilliantly avoid a topic and complete a one-eighty boggled my mind. But I didn’t mind her acknowledging my body. That had to be a good sign, right?

“I pegged you for some completely over-the-top ink to get your chicks all hot and bothered.”

I shook my head for more than one reason. “I don’t need any help from a tat for that.” I loved that she blushed and tried to play it off hiding behind her clear glass.

“Whatever.”

“Don’t blush, TP. All you have to do is ask and you are more than welcome to check out,” I copied her hand motion down my front, “my situation.” I smirked and took a pull from my beer. Her attempt at a repulsed expression was hilarious. Hey, she started it.

“Hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“True.” She smiled. It was just like old times. My dick twitched. “So no tats then?”

“Nope. Virgin skin. Me and needles don’t mix. Never have. Never will.”

“Whatever. The Ace I knew was always such a tough guy. Scared of needles, my ass.”

If she only knew why I was so anti-needle. If I never saw another needle for the rest of my life it would be too soon.

“So something you never knew about me, and here I thought you knew everything, including my favorite color underwear and our favorite ice cream.” That was my futile attempt to lighten the mood and save us both from the conversation degrading to a depressive topic. “Need a refill?”

She nodded. “Prosecco, please. And god—what’s up with you bringing up all my favorite blasts from the past? Hot Tamales, now Grasshopper? Really? What are we, ten?”

“What? My boxers’ color doesn’t interest you anymore?” She eye rolled me. “And for the record, I’m not the one with the high school craving—but I do remember making you a promise.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a mini box of Hot Tamales.

“HTs,” she moaned, peeling open my palm, claiming her prize and unconsciously popping one in her mouth. I chuckled. Totally addicted. “So please tell me what’s up with all the nostalgia?”

“Hey, I’m not the one who inked myself with our band name, I just brought the candy.” Her light expression hardened ever so slightly, looking more like classy Talia than TP. Shit. Why did I go there again? Curiosity always kills the cat. I kept talking. “So you’re a Dr. Pryce. Would’ve never guessed that.”

“Really? And what would the high-powered attorney have guessed?” She emptied the rest of the box of candy into her perfectly manicured hand.

“Honestly, I pictured you slaying the music world, creating your lyrical masterpieces.”

“Pffft. No, no.” She backhanded the air and shook her head. Her silky hair slid from her shoulder.

“Too bad, music industry’s loss.” I was dead serious. Damn, she wrote some sick shit.

The bartender set her fresh drink down and she took a sip. “Very sweet, Ace, but that was the teenage years and in the very distant past. Besides, the music world’s loss, as you say, was the medical world’s gain.”

I fingered a Hot Tamale from her palm and smiled. “Let’s be honest, TP. You’re a dermatologist. That’s not a real doctor.” I tossed the spicy guy in my mouth and washed it down with a swig. Her expression was priceless.

“You’re such an ass.”

And there it was, that smile. I missed that huge grin. The only thing better was the genuine giggle that erupted from her soft mouth after. We sat at the bar in our own little world for a good two hours straight, drinking and making fun of each other. I could lie and say it was like old times. But this seriously trumped old times.

“One more round?” Unsure of when we would have this chance again, I wasn’t ready to end the night.

“I better not. It’s late. Besides, don’t you have meetings all day tomorrow?”

Nope. I was a shmuck and made that shit up. “No, all good. I got a lot more accomplished today than I expected.” Erasing nineteen years between us being the greatest accomplishment. “Come on, one more. For old times’ sake.” I tried out the puppy dog eyes. No shame in begging. This was the first time in a long time I was enjoying a woman’s conversation. Lili didn’t count.

She tied her hair back into one of those ponytail/messy bun things. Add to the fact that she shed the suit jacket after the last drink and my dick, which was under explicit instructions to behave and not ruin this reunion, ignored my brain and twitched. Twice. I blamed it on the black silk and lace camisole that did little to hide her hardened nipples every time the air conditioning kicked on. Talia always had small tits. They fit her lean physique perfectly. Even as a teenager, when all the girls were wearing those Victoria Secret super push-up bras to showcase their assets, Talia refused to wear a padded bra, if she wore a bra at all. What’s the point of false advertising, you get what you get and don’t get upset. Damn, I loved her motto. Especially in the summer, when her perfectly round rose-colored nips strained against her tanks.

“Fine, one more. But that’s it. Some of us have work tomorrow.”

“Tal, you pop zits for a living, how taxing could that be?”

“I hate you.”

“Didn’t we already play this game tonight? Now try that again with a straight face.”

“I hate you.” Her attempt was entertaining.

“No, you don’t.”

Her caramel eyes twinkled when she whispered, “No, I don’t.”

My hand involuntarily reached over to cup her cheek, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I missed you.” Understatement, but it needed to be said. Shit, I was getting all sentimental.

She pressed her hand over mine and brushed her thumb over my knuckles. “Me too.”

Her eyes clenched when she spoke, and I could have sworn her voice almost cracked. Maybe it was the alcohol. But my gut told me there was something else. Tonight was too perfect, so I decided not to push. Besides, there was plenty of time. No way this woman was disappearing from my life again. Period. Listen to me getting all possessive. Possessive of my family, yes. Possessive of my best friend, yes. Possessive of a woman, hell no. What was she doing to me?

We took our refills and moved from the uncomfortable ass-numbing barstools to a now vacant lounge cube. Simultaneously propping our feet on the leather ottoman, we clinked glasses.

“What’s up with the wannabe champagne?”

“I like it. Like you’re one to talk. Heineken?”

“What? It’s a solid classic. Never disappoints, always delicious.” Come on. Was there an argument?

She sat back and stared at me, her crystal eyes speckled with every shade of brown. Parting her lips into a half smile she whispered, “Hmm. Sounds familiar, like someone I know.” Yup, tomorrow I was looking into setting up a West Coast office. No doubt.

Time changes sucked. Hangovers sucked worse. Lucky me, I woke up to both. While my East Coast inner alarm pounded behind my still closed eyes, yesterday played back in high definition. Her hair, her smile, that unbelievable laugh, the bickering back and forth, midnight nachos, her bare feet on my lap when we laughed through last call, the uncomfortable bulge in my pants when I watched from the backseat of the cab when she closed her front door. Three hours of sleep and a significant headache ... totally worth it. I had my friend back. And since I was a guy, my temples weren’t the only part of me throbbing. My morning wood solidified I wasn’t falling back to sleep anytime soon. I opted for the cold shower. The intensity of a release, even self rubbed, after last night and last night’s dreams would have been lethal considering the bounding vessels threatening to rupture in my head. Reaching for a towel, my phone dinged in the other room. No way she was awake already. She held her own with her Italian bubbly, but she was half my weight, if that. She had to be hurting. That realization sliced through me. Nice job, jack ass.

Had to bail, shit came up.

Hit the bags Monday?

Disappointed that it wasn’t her, I felt like even more of a dick. Chase got back from Japan last week, but with work being insane and my focus on all things Talia, I hadn’t seen or spoken to him. Like creatures of habit, we sparred twice a week and had since we were kids. It was our thing. We saved the punch for each other and when the other wasn’t available, which was rare, we resorted to hitting the bags. It was our go-to release for pent-up frustrations. The fact that he bailed didn’t sit well.

Monday works.

I purposely left out I was across the country and not gonna make it anyway. Sort of happy I got out of the ‘I have to bail’ text. He never let me off the hook without twenty questions and that conversation—totally inevitable—wasn’t happening today. So I kept typing.

You alive??

Hate me??

Answered that one, twice if I remember correctly :)

And yes … still have a pulse...

Barely :(

She was too much, her and her sassy response.

Let me make it up to you.

Egg sandwiches make everything better.

U promising bacon?

Only girl I knew who appreciated bacon.

For you anything

Before I could think too hard about how honest that statement really was, the same California number from yesterday flashed on the screen. But instead of unknown, today it read TP Home.

“Hey, you, how are you feeling?” I whispered for both our sakes. But I really hoped she was up to another quick visit before I had to head home.

“Entirely too old to be feeling like this.” Wasn’t that the truth. Her voice was soft and a little raspy but infused with lighthearted humor. “If I drag myself out of bed and you don’t feed me crispy bacon, I’m never speaking to you again.” Yeah, like that was an option. “I’ll be there in an hour, that work?”

“You relax and stay put, bacon and eggs will come to you. Extra bacon, scout’s honor.”

“No, no.” She wasn’t whispering anymore. “It’s fine. I told you, my office is close to your hotel, and they have a great restaurant. I’ll just meet you there.” If I hadn’t dropped her off last night, I would have thought she was hiding where she lived. But that made no sense. Even in the pitch dark, I could tell she had a beautiful home.

“Whatever you want, Tal.” I meant it.

An hour and a half later, my head pain was down to a dull throb. But the ache in my pants only intensified when Tal strolled into the hotel lobby sporting dark grey yoga pants that made her legs look even longer and an off the shoulder long sleeve shirt with her black racerback sports bra showing. No crazy purse or bag, just keys attached to one of those small wallets dangling from her hand and a pair of oversized sunglasses that barely hid her bloodshot eyes. She left Dr. Pryce at home, while TP showed for breakfast. She was as low maintenance as I remembered back in the day, just ten times as beautiful.

I wrapped my arms around her, confident that a dozen or so drinks dissolved any awkwardness left between us. She folded in without hesitation. I inhaled the scent radiating from her damp hair, that smell was going to be the death of me. We were frozen like that for a few seconds before the humor of the moment hit us both. Long-lost friends, with a shitload of history and drama and a reunion resulting in killer hangovers. Her slim arms tightened against my back and vibrated from her laughter. What a sweet sound.

I kissed the crown of her head, then she headbanded her long blonde hair with her sunglasses. I loved when women did that.

“Come, let’s feed you some bacon.” I pinched her chin.

She squished her tiny little nose and said, “Think I might need hash browns, too.” She was so pathetically adorable I was ready to fry the potatoes myself.

A carafe of high test, two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, and a serious order of hash browns later, we felt human again. Talia even had color back in her cheeks.

Shaking her head, Talia chuckled to herself. “I haven’t felt like this or eaten like this since we were eighteen.”

Something about the way she said it, with a hint of sadness, I believed her. Granted I agreed that we were a little too old for the hangover half of the party, but we were only thirty-seven. And hell, after staring at her makeup-free face through breakfast she looked a good ten years younger than that. Made me wonder.

“Tal, don’t take this the wrong way, but I have to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“How is there not a ring on your finger?”

Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, avoiding eye contact. “What?”

“You heard me. You’re drop dead gorgeous, with a body that should be legally banned from wearing yoga pants in front of men, all men, of every age because it’s just cruel. You’re a doctor for god’s sake, and hands down the coolest female I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And I know A LOT of women. So forgive me, but something’s not adding up. Women like you aren’t just waiting for Mr. Right to come along. Women like you have assholes like me lining up and selling their souls for a shot at being Mr. Right.”

“Umm … I don’t know what to say.” She looked dumbstruck, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. For fucking real? “That’s really how you see … me?”

“You have a mirror? You’ve looked in it lately? Yeah, Tal, that’s exactly what I see. And I’d bet my last dollar that every guy in this room thinks I’m a lucky fuck, just for sitting this close to you. So do me a favor, and please tell me that your naked finger has nothing to do with that schlepp I saw you with at the bar.” Screw it, it had to be said. It was the truth.

She nailed me with those caramel eyes, like she was considering her answer carefully. Then she reached her hand across the table to cover mine. “God, you have no idea how much I missed you.” Her voice cracking surprised me, but not as much as the tears that glistened behind her lids. Five star restaurant or not, I pulled her to her feet and lifted her up into a hug. Good or bad, it was a place that was becoming very comfortable.

I needed confirmation for my own peace of mind, so I whispered, “You’re saying the douche is a non-issue then.”

Her not-so-quiet sniffled laughter was answer enough. “Paul? Nah. He’s a colleague I’ve dated off and on, nothing serious. And yes, he’s a bit douchey, but no, he’s not the reason I’ve never been married.”

God help the “reason” if I ever meet him.

Dropping her back down, and enjoying her body slide against mine way too much, I broke our embrace to see my gorgeous friend smiling up at me. Friend. I needed to check my dick for two minutes and start acting like that friend. “So you going to fess up and tell me what the hell Pryce is about, because last time I checked, doctors didn’t need pen names?”

Tears gone, smile wide and shoulders high, she gently tapped my cheek. “I don’t remember you being this pushy. Are you this protective of all your friends?” There was that word again.

“The ones that matter.” Like you. She wasn’t just a friend; she was a best friend.

“Remember when we were kids and things didn’t go our way, especially you and Kimi, we’d call do-over, like the words held some sort of magic or something?” She bit her lip, smiling. No doubt, remembering. “Let’s just say, Pryce was my do-over.”

Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that answer either, but her gorgeous eyes were sweetly asking me to leave it. Anything for you. I left it. For now.

We were still standing pretty close to each other when I heard the familiar buzz. “Um, Teeps, your tit’s vibrating.” Well, it was.

She pulled her iPhone out of her sports bra, took a two second glance, and shoved the damn thing back in. Lucky fucking phone. Ignoring whoever sent the message, she said, “I know—I know it’s a bad idea, breast cancer and all that, but my pants have no pockets.”

“Another reason they should be banned,” I said through a chuckle, even though I was stuck on whoever just sent that text.

“Hey, they’re super comfy, and I could be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure you said in not-so-many words that they were sexy as shit and men in general would be drooling over any female wearing them.”

Damn, was she cute when she was sassy.

“No. I said you wearing them was cruel. Trust me, the male species deserves any and all punishment. And I’m definitely not feeling exempt.”

She tried to play it off with a you’re-so-immature eye roll, but I didn’t miss her blush before she followed it up with a stolen gaze south. I couldn’t hide it if I tried. Feel free to ask my dick yourself. Any other woman I would have said it out loud, and meant it. But Talia wasn’t any other woman. Never was and never will be.

“On that note, funny man, I really have to head out. Someone’s got to work today. I’ve got to get home and dressed before my office hours. Clothes with pockets, promise.” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. “But I’m really glad we did this. Whatever this is.”

“It’s whatever you want it to be.” No filter, the words just tumbled out. I said it, but did I mean it? This was something I’d never done. Did I even know how to do this?

Our eyes locked and I had no intention of breaking our moment anytime soon.

“Can it just be this, for now? Just us getting to know each other again. Friends.”

All I heard was for now.

For now worked. For now sounded like the perfect place to start. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to offer much more. All I knew was she was back, our friendship rekindled, and I wanted her there.

“Anything you need, friend.” Because I meant it. She had weaved herself back into my inner circle, the circle I would walk over water for and give the shirt off my back to, the circle I now think she never left. I closed the space between us and tucked her back between my arms. She fit. Perfectly. “But just letting you know—you try and disappear again, I’ll find you.”

“Oh, I have no doubt.”

I kissed the top of her head, because that’s what friends do. Friends were what we needed to be. And I was going to be the best damn friend she could ever have. Then I squeezed her tight little frame harder and inhaled her smell again. Just because.

Three hours later my ass was back on a plane.

Chapter 5 Swimmers

Thank fuck it was over. Longest hour and a half of my life. Monday morning hospital board meetings sucked. Don’t get me wrong, I loved supporting the hospital in any way I could, I owed them. But nothing was worse than sitting around listening to crotchety old men bitch about policies and procedures and ways to save the hospital money at six fucking AM.

Hitting the trails

Thought of you :)

Girl after my own heart. If it weren’t freezing out, I would’ve been on my mountain bike too. That, and I didn’t want to miss out on a chance to ride behind my friend’s ass. Someone needed to appreciate it, might as well be me.

“Whatcha smiling about, asshole?”

I raised my eyes from my screen to a fast approaching Chase. I shoved my phone in my suit pocket. My Cali excursion was last week and I hadn’t exactly shared yet. And there it was again. Guilt.

Chase and Tal had a history that stemmed back to the night of his sister’s accident. And it wasn’t until three years after Kimi died, that I learned the whole story. For some insanely stupid reason, Kim was crushing on a total loser. Chase, being the overprotective twin brother, was pissed about it. I wasn’t too thrilled either. That night they drank a little too much, fought, and Kimi threw a bitchy I’ll show you storm-off that ultimately put her in the passenger seat of a death trap. Chase retaliated with sleeping with her best friend. Our best friend. Talia. Yeah, that part of the story I knew. Witnessed that shit go down with my own eyes. Stung like a bitch, too. But it didn’t end there.

Six years after the fact and a six pack in, Chase and I were shooting pool when I mentioned that I’d heard—through our loosely woven grapevine—that Tal’s dad passed away. He winced at the mention of her name, like he always did. Enough was enough. It had been six long years and we all lost Kimi that night, we all let her down. Hell, I saw Chase and Talia disappear upstairs together and I wallowed in my own private bong hit pity-party, too self-absorbed to consider watching out for Kim either. Yeah, guilt sucked. But Chase didn’t have a monopoly on it. So I let my alcohol-induced loud mouth ask what I was probably better off not knowing. Sick and tired of pretending Talia didn’t exist—even if that was more true than not—I called him out on it. His answer sucked-ass, but that was just how it was with us. Any one of us asked each other a question, we gave the truth. End of. Don’t want to know, don’t ask.

Turned out Talia got pregnant. And when she told Chase, who was barely holding his shit together at the time, he tossed her a few hundred bucks and told her to get rid of it. Not my best friend’s finest hour, far from, and one I knew he regretted to this day. But he still did it.

Talia never said a word to me about any of it. The note she left with my doorman the day she took off read:

I’m so sorry. It just doesn’t feel right without Kimi. Live the dream for all of us. xo, TP She never looked back. Not once. Not even for her girl’s funeral.

“C. What’s up? Looking good. Three weeks off improved your complexion.” Damn now I was saying shit like her, too. Who the hell used the word complexion in a sentence if dermatologist or female wasn’t somehow associated with your name?

His brow creased. “Thanks. I think. Why are you here, everything okay?” I hated hospitals, and he knew it.

“Fine. Just finished a long ass board meeting is all. You have a case?”

“I do, but had to push it back a couple of hours. Shit came up.”

“Okay, what’s up with this new fucking line…?”

“Typical. Always pining for gossip.”

He turned and attempted to stalk away in typical Chase fashion before I cut in with, “You don’t want to talk, that’s fine. But quit blowing me off and leaving me to wonder what the hell is going on. We’re hitting the bags tonight, right? Or are you bailing again with that shit too?”

He stopped mid-stride and glanced down at his watch. “I’ve got ten minutes. You have to be anywhere or can you come to my office? I’m sure as hell not talking about this shit in the hallway.”

“Sure, I have time.” Extracting information from Chase was like pulling teeth. So if he needed to spill something that sounded important, it didn’t matter where or what I was supposed to be doing, I had nowhere else to be.

I stopped by the floor to ceiling glass wall and watched the clouds twist through the gusty wind. This view was the same from my apartment. And one you never got sick of. Chase shuffled papers behind me, only confirming the fact that he was stewing on something. His tension radiated off my back.

“It’s the needles, man.” My stomach churned. “Every fucking day she grimaces in pain. Her stomach is so black and indurated it’s starting to look like the skin of a goddamn avocado.”

Lili. I knew it. They still couldn’t get pregnant. And you didn’t have to be a shrink to see that Chase blamed himself. When Lili was lying comatose, Chase had a decision to make. To use KimCore, his own equipment, would reduce brain swelling and give her the best odds of intact survival, but the near freezing body temperature was contraindicated in pregnancy. Chase made the call and Lili survived. The baby didn’t.

“When the hell did she start injecting herself? I thought she was just taking a pill and you were keeping track and shit.” Fertility and ovulation were definitely not what I thought I’d be talking about before my second cup of coffee, or ever.

“Yeah, well, several months of just Clomid weren’t working. She’s been doing the injections for a couple months now.” Typical, he rattled off meds and I just nodded, having no clue what he was talking about. “I wanted her to take a month off, enjoy our honeymoon. The wedding was stressful enough. But nope, she insisted on continuing.”

“Shit, C. I don’t know what to say. Sucks, man.” I sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk. I threaded my fingers through my hair and leaned back.

“And don’t get me started on her fieldwork. I know she’s a social worker and it’s part of her job, but they have her working with some serious lowlifes. I hate it. But I can’t say jack shit. She’s pumped with so many hormones, she’d go ballistic on me.”

“Man, I think you could take her on.” I wasn’t making light of the situation, just trying to calm him down. Chase took a deep breath. “Seriously, anything I can do?”

“Nothing. We’re doing what we have to do. Means I’ve got an appointment with a cup and some porn.”

I smirked, knowing exactly what he was talking about it. “Ha. Porn. Nothing wrong with a little self-satisfaction, but can’t Lil help you out with that? Just saying.” From his lethal expression I could tell he wasn’t feeling my humor. I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m just wondering. And listen, no need to jerk off in a cup. I’ve got that shit frozen already. Just take mine. I’m sure my swimmers would kick the shit out of yours any day of the week.” I kept trying to break him.

Unfortunately I remembered that day like it was yesterday. Not sure what was more embarrassing—knowing my mother was in the waiting room or the brunette nurse with a nice rack nonchalantly asking if I wanted a magazine or the binder to pick a video. No joke. The act, as I knew it, was supposed to be private and fun, not a job. Sure felt like it that day. Definitely the last thing a horny teenager thought he’d be forced into doing. The nurse tossed me a plastic wrapped sterile cup and my sweat drenched slimy-assed hands bobbled it. Shaking my head in pure mortification, I reached down and grabbed it off the floor. I came back up to a huge ass smile. ‘I think you’ll find everything you need, cup goes in the fridge when you’re done,’ she said, pointing to a room twice the size of a closet. Classy. I must have been the color of a tomato. Only saving grace was she was at lunch when I was done.

“You competitive dickhead, now you’re taking bets on the speed of our sperm. What the hell is the matter with you?” He half smiled. Yup, my job here was almost done. “My kid would be half you, just what I fucking need, another you running around.”

He was definitely spot on. I would never want to jeopardize an offspring with my shitty genetic history. But instead of going down that road, I continued on my mission to lighten him up. “Oh come on, C, when I look in the mirror I see … tall, good-looking, successful, fit, all-around great guy, a perfect catch. I’m sure Lili would be happy with my sperm.”

“You’re fucking crazy, and obviously in my absence your already big head has quadrupled … who’s the new chick stroking your ego?” I probably could have laughed at his joke, if guilt hadn’t pierced my gut. “But that’s not my point, I was just saying I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t already fathered several kids.”

“Whoa.” I held up my hand. “I practice safe sex.” Chase busted out laughing. I couldn’t help but join in. “I have five nieces. If that isn’t a reason to glove, I don’t know what the hell is.” I should’ve patted myself on my own goddamn back. I knew how to crack this intense mo-fo every time. Now I was definitely done. And since it was so far from an appropriate time to bring up Talia, I needed to leave. “So you gonna go jerk-off or what? Oh and say hi to the hot nurse who’s gonna give you your cup … I think her name is Jane.”

Shaking his head he continued to laugh. “Exactly my point … is there a hot nurse in this hospital you haven’t bagged? Don’t answer that. Just be ready to get your ass kicked. Gym at seven?”

I grinned and stood up to leave. “My only tip, pay attention. You wouldn’t want to miss the cup and waste your load. Dude, they’ll make you come back. Then you’d have to explain to Lil how you got distracted over some hot piece of ass in this month’s Playboy.” And with that I left. A string of expletives followed me down the hall.

I stepped onto the elevator and tapped a quick text.

Tear it up?

Yup.

Jealous.

Whatcha doing now?

Showering...

Alone?

Perv.

She thought I was joking. I wasn’t. Sure, I was jealous she got to mountain bike all year long, but the fact she was dripping wet and someone other than me might be enjoying the show, yeah, that thought made me crazy. That was one opportunity, if ever given the chance, I would never take for granted. Friends shower together, right? And there lied my problem—over the last few weeks I had become a jealous loser. Even though she told me straight out that the douche was a non-issue, I couldn’t seem to shake an overwhelming and completely foreign sense of jealousy bubbling deep in my gut. I wasn’t that guy. Never was and sure as shit never thought I could be.

I needed a plan to fix that. We had two lives. Two very separate, very different, very established lives. This was me contemplating a merge, aka, relationship. Since that word ceased to exist for me I needed to pull out a dictionary and read that definition. But the bigger question was would she even want that, or was she content with the friendship we had going?

The elevator doors opened to a sea of grey concrete. Sort of fit my mood. Dark and depressing.

“Asher? Why are you here?” Lili snapped me out of my fog as she closed her car door. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah fine—board meeting. More importantly, I just left your other half taking care of business as we speak.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, making me chuckle.

“Hey, don’t blush on my account.”

“Shut it, Asher. I can’t believe he told you. This sucks. I wish he didn’t have to do this.”

“I’m sure he’s making the best of it,” I said through a smirk. One she luckily missed, distracted by digging in the bottomless pit of a bag hanging from her arm. Talia’s wristlet thingy looked that much more sexy.

“I’m actually glad he told you, though. I hate when he bottles stuff up.” Unfortunately she knew that shit firsthand. “I wanted us to get pregnant and stay pregnant on our own so bad. Between my first miscarriage and emergency surgery after my accident, and then this last miscarriage, I think my body is just plain screwed up. I’m sad and discouraged and I shouldn’t be either because there are so many people so much worse off than me … ugh, sorry, I’m venting.”

“Lil, you had another miscarriage?”

Her blue eyes filled with tears. “Crap. I just figured he told you…”

“Come here.” I hugged her. “Everything will work out, you have to believe that. Promise me you’re not dwelling on what you have no control over. This is the time to live for the moment. You and Chase have been through so much, you deserve to enjoy your life.” Figured I should push my motto. What the hell did I know about any of this? I could only hope and pray a baby was in their future.

I fingered a loose tear sliding down her cheek. “Hey, I haven’t even seen you since you’ve been back. And I know this unnecessary stress sucks, but how was the honeymoon? Looks like it agreed with you, you’re gorgeous as always.”

“Thanks, Ash. You always make me feel better. It was awesome. You know Chase, a total perfectionist. It was insanely romantic and absolutely beautiful.” Her lips turned up through her glistening eyes.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, you know what they say about surgeons…”

“No detail goes left unturned, ya think?” She finished my thought and we laughed.

Chase was so fortunate to have found Lili. She was just plain awesome.

“Listen, I’ve got an appointment in a few, I’ve got to run.” She pecked my cheek and walked up to the parking garage elevator. Pushing the button she looked over her shoulder and continued, “Let’s plan something. You around the Wednesday before Thanksgiving? Sierra and Dodd will be in town—we were talking about dinner and drinks.”

“Sounds great, count me in.”

She smiled and stepped inside the elevator. “Bring a date,” she yelled before she disappeared between the closing doors.

Lil anticipated my answer, that’s why she waited until the last minute to throw it out there. Random social and work functions, absolutely. I loved the company of a beautiful woman. Close friends and family events, rarely. That’s why I always got harassed. But it worked. I’ve been satisfied and content for the last twenty years. So when those elevator doors shut and Talia was my only thought, I felt my boat rock. Damn, up until now I was lucky if I thought about a woman longer than it took to get her in my bed. Here I was obsessing about a woman, someone I’ve known a good portion of my life, have yet to kiss, let alone share a bed with, and I was completely undone.

Chapter 6 Turkey

“Hi Ace.”

I missed her voice. Texting, even if it was twice a day, wasn’t the same.

“Hey, you. How was your day?”

“Busy, you know popping zits, dermabrasions, a little Botox. Oh and when I have a little extra time, saving a couple of lives here and there. Ever heard of those pesky little skin cancers?”

“You know I’m just teasing. Without you we wouldn’t be able to bake in the sun, apply those browning oils, and bust out the tinfoil.”

“Asher!” She snapped.

“I’m kidding, kidding. You know I think you’re awesome.”

“Yeah well, thanks, I think.” It was hard to hear her through the blaring music in the background.

“Damn, Tal, that shit’s loud. You trying to blow an eardrum?” The girl still loved music. Sweet.

“Oh sorry, hold on a second.” And then dead silence. She totally muted our call. “It was a neighbor. I’m constantly telling them to turn it down.” Liar. “Better, right? So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?” I debated calling her on the music bit, but was content enough knowing Dr. Pryce and TP were still one and the same. Or so I hoped. I couldn’t let my mind wander to any more scenarios that fueled my green-eyed absurdity.

“Heading out East. Maggie would never go a single holiday without cooking a feast. What about you? Your mom still in New York?”

“Not anymore, she passed away a couple of years ago. Had a massive heart attack. I’d say it took us by surprise but it really didn’t. Even though my parents were divorced, she never really stopped loving him. After he died she let herself go—overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol—the perfect setup for heart disease.”

“Teeps, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I heard your dad had passed and I tried to find you and send my condolences… ” She was so young to be alone.

“Thanks for that. It was tough for a while. A little lonely. You never realize growing up how important it is to have a sibling until both your parents have died. Fortunately, I’ve made a great group of friends over the years who have opened their doors and adopted me and … and don’t mind an extra guest around during the holidays.”

“It sucks I’ve missed so much of your life, Tal.”

“We’re working on changing that…” She perked up a bit.

“Well, you’re one lucky girl, getting out of cooking every year. Maggie’s got me trained for that damn kitchen. She’s got three daughters, yet she’s got her only son rolling out pie dough at eight in the morning.”

She laughed. “Asher in the kitchen. I need to see this.”

Did my completely delusional mind hear her correctly? She wanted me in a kitchen. Done. I’d fly in shrimp from Aruba and handpick oysters in Wellfleet to see her at my table sipping her bubbly and savoring each bite.

“Not so lucky, this year I’m in charge of making the turkey … sounds like I need some tips from the Master Chef.”

“Hey, I like that show, don’t make fun.”

“Listen, I’ll take whatever help I can get. Thanksgiving is two days away and I haven’t even bought a turkey yet. First on the list for tomorrow morning.”

“Nothing like waiting until the last minute.”

“Thanks for rubbing in my procrastination, Ace,” she sarcastically retorted. “But seriously, send your family my best. How are your parents?”

“Mom’s great, Dad’s becoming a little forgetful, nothing crazy yet.” Without saying it out loud she understood what I meant. She saw my grandfather mentally deteriorate and knew my uncle had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s too. “It’s been two years since his official diagnosis, seems all the meds are slowing it down.” I never talked about this shit. Ever. And over the phone, no less. I hated the forced rhetoric that always followed.

They might find a cure...

Just because three generations of Craig men died from it, doesn’t mean…

I’m so sorry.

I was relieved she didn’t go there. “That’s a good sign, it is. Getting old just sucks.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

“That’s why we need to live for now. Period.”

Damn, this woman knew me.

“Just a reminder of how short life is.” Shorter for some. “Shit, first Kimi, my whole genetic pool, your parents, Chase’s dad-”

She cut me off. “What? Chase’s father?”

“Yeah, about six months ago. Dropped dead on the golf course, ruptured aneurism.” Too quick and too kind in my opinion. But who was I to judge? He had to answer for his sins. “Constance kept it all pretty hushed, claimed he would have wanted it that way. Ha, more like she didn’t want disgruntled investors resurfacing in hopes of an insurance policy.”

The line was silent. Too silent. Wait, was she crying?

“Tal, you there? You okay?” Hell, she might have been across the country when he reached the depths of despicable and wrote off his comatose daughter, but Chase’s dad was far from a saint when we were kids. And I knew firsthand that Talia’s parents, like half the upper East side, were screwed out of millions by the infamous Jack Colton Ponzi scheme. So much so, it was rumored Talia’s dad was broke by the time he died. So yeah, her tears confused me. Unless she was worried about… “Chase is fine, Tal.”

Sniffle. “Oh, I um … I hadn’t heard, and I just feel bad, you know. Even if there was no love lost, losing his father after Kimi, too. It can be a lot.”

“Yeah, it was a shock, but he had Lili to get him through it.” I was jealous.

“Lili must be his new wife. I’m so glad he found someone,” she said sincerely.

I felt like a dick.

“It’s weird, but she’s a lot like Kim.”

“Then I know I’d love her.” No doubt. “I miss her so much still … every day something reminds me of her. Every single day. I might have stopped torturing myself with what-ifs a long time ago, but I’ll never stop thinking about her. I can’t. And I don’t want to.”

Her sadness was palpable. If I could have jumped through the phone to hold her, I would have.

“Yeah, me too, Tal.”

Then she said something unexpected, “You ever see that Drew Barrymore movie, Never Been Kissed?”

I started to laugh and she joined in. “Josie Grossie. You ladies definitely had your moments.” Tal and Kim were the queens of self-deprecation, oblivious to how gorgeous they were. Hands down made them even hotter.

“I know, right? We defined Hot Mess.” She continued to giggle.

Not even close.

And that opened the floodgates pouring out tons of funny memories. She talked for at least an hour. I hated the phone, always did, but to laugh with her like that I would have glued that damn thing to my ear and pulled an all-nighter. When we finally hung up, I decided to follow in Chase’s footsteps, nothing wrong with a little self-satisfaction. Yeah, this friend thing wasn’t working.

The crew had already moved to the bar when I strolled in with a last minute redhead in tow. We obviously missed the dinner at one of my personal favorites for French cuisine. And damn did my stomach grumble, the food at Mistral was just that good. But nothing compared to the restaurant’s cool ass rustic ambiance. Sierra slid off her high-back stool and slung her loose arm around my neck.

“Lili said you were coming alone,” she slurred in my ear.

“Sorry we’re late, I got stuck in a meeting.” Bullshit, but I couldn’t use the traffic excuse. I lived two blocks away.

Dodd unwrapped Sierra and her tiny self from my neck and shrugged. “Can you tell we don’t get out much?” She was clearly enjoying herself sans the little one.

“Sierra, Dodd, this is Sam.” I lifted my chin behind them to finish introductions with Lil and Chase. She small waved them. Enough said. Who the hell scrunched just their fingers to wave if they didn’t have some sort of sash across their chest? And she hadn’t even had a drink yet. It was gonna be a long night. My sister owed me big time.

“I didn’t think you were gonna show.” Chase slapped my back.

Me either. I actually had no intentions on coming, but this was another attempt at normalcy. TP set up camp in my warped mind and was totally cramping my style.

I couldn’t keep the flashes from the other night from swarming my vision. It had been a normal late night in the office and I had stopped in for a quick beer. Typical routine for a Monday night and not surprising when one turned into six and the hottie on the stool next to me matched me beer for beer. But the part that has totally screwed with my head was when I was bagging her from behind and my cell chimed in the other room. I wasn’t prepared for the sick pit in my gut. I couldn’t finish what I started. It was like I was cheating on her, cheating on my friend. Yeah, the friend I wasn’t even dating.

“Nice to meet you, Sam. Your hair is gorgeous. Can I get you a drink?” Lili hooked arms with Sam and headed toward Sierra, leaving Chase and I to bullshit.

“Serious?” Chase nodded in Sam’s direction and handed me a Heineken.

“Ahem. No,” I spat. Damn, take a picture. This was me failing at normal miserably.

“I don’t read minds, asshole.”

“Yeah.” I took a swig, noticing his empty hand. “You drove?”

“Nah, Lil tests next week. She can’t drink.”

I nodded. “Gotcha.” I wouldn’t let my woman go through any of that alone either. Fuck. Did I just think ‘my woman’? I took another swig. It was ice cold but it wasn’t going down so easy. “You’ll never guess who I ran into?” He shrugged his shoulders. Now was as good a time as any. “Talia.”

“Yeah?” Just one word. Seemed to be the word of the night.

“Yeah. Get this—she’s a doctor. Crazy, right? Totally thought she’d go the music route. Anyway, she’s doing great and looks amazing.” More like drop dead gorgeous.

“Who looks amazing?” Lil and her seriously blue eyes interrupted. She handed Chase her empty soda and smiled, waiting for an answer.

“Just an old friend from back in the day. She lives out in California now, saw her while I was out on business a few weeks ago.” It was the partial truth.

“From that look on your face, she doesn’t sound like just an old friend.” Chase’s wife was more of a hound than my sisters. Luckily she left Sam at the bar with Sierra. Last thing I needed was this traveling through the Craig grapevine.

“You might be gorgeous, but you’re a pain in the ass. You know that, right?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very much.” She flicked my stomach. “You know I’ll get it out of you.”

Chase smirked and snaked an arm around her shoulder. “She’s got your fucking number, man.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“Soooooo?” She sounded like a musical note. She wasn’t dropping it.

“Talia Pryce.”

Lil’s eyes widened, but not in a you mean the girl my husband dicked over way. She looked genuinely excited. “Oh my god, that’s amazing. It had to be awesome to reconnect with her after so many years.”

Hell yeah.

Her name meant nothing to Lili, but Chase didn’t miss it. “She married?”

I shook my head. “Nah, long story.” One I didn’t even know yet.

“Do you think she’d come out here for a visit? I’d love to meet her. Wouldn’t it be nice for the three of you to catch up? You know, for old times’ sake. KimCore’s New Year’s party seems perfect. I’m sure she’d love to see what you two have done in Kimi’s honor?” Her excited baby blues ping-ponged between Chase and me. “You should at least just ask her.”

Chase leaned over and kissed her nose. “You’re pure sweet, baby.”

I couldn’t gripe. Lili was dead on. Talia would love KimCore, or at least I hoped she would. She belonged there. “I’ll ask her.”

Lil beamed like she just won the lotto. “Great. I can’t wait. In the meantime, what’s up with Sam? Don’t get me wrong, she’s seems really sweet, just not your type.”

You mean blonde hair, killer legs, small tits, tight ass, sexy ass tat on her foot.

“Cause she’s not. She’s Drew’s sister, lives up in Salem. Just broke up with her girlfriend last night or some shit. Molly called earlier, didn’t want her to be alone, and asked if she could travel home with me. Obviously I said no problem, told her I was heading out around five. Yeah, Sam took that as five PM, and showed up at my office, bags in hand.”

“Only you, man.” Chase was amused.

“You’re all talk, asshole. If Moll called your ass, Miss Massachusetts would be sleeping in your guest room tonight instead of mine. Don’t even try and deny it.”

Lil used my shoulders to pull herself up onto her tippy toes and kissed my cheek.

“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining, gorgeous.”

“Just cause. You’re awesome. And I love you.”

Shit, those injections were turning my sweet and sober Lili into a hormonal sap. And to think I was worried about dropping the Tal bomb on Chase. His hands were full.

Sierra and Sam drifted back, leaning on each other, arms entwined with matching fluorescent yellow drinks. Dodd brought up the rear, lugging a large pitcher of ice water. Smart guy. But he needed to start pouring and quit lugging if he had any chance of not waking up with the baby. Ha. I saw that shit go down with my brothers-in-law too many times to count.

Pain pierced my shin and I jerked back. “What the hell was that for?” I bitched at the half-pint spitfire, sporting auburn highlights this week. Sierra changed her hair color as often as her shoes. And my luck, tonight she was in some pointy fucking boots.

“You have a freakin’ plane? For real? You never told me you had a plane! Lil, did you know Green Giant had his own private plane? And he flies it?”

“Hold up, Green Giant?” I questioned, trying to get a word in edgewise. These two women spoke their own estrogen dialect, much like Kimi and Tal used to. It could get out of control, especially when Sierra went off on a tangent. And there it was, with both hands in the air, her drink—which I assumed was a margarita—splashed down the front of her light grey sweater dress. She didn’t flinch. Sam, on the other hand, jumped to pat the excess liquid off her C cups.

Can’t. Make. This. Shit. Up.

Chase buried his head in his wife’s shoulder to hide his laughter, Lil bit her fingernail, and Dodd feigned a coughing fit.

In her oblivion, Sierra manually removed the redheaded beauty’s hand from her chest. “I’m good, no really. Besides, it’s all padding, babe. Breastfeeding sucks the life from the girls.” If Dodd shook his head one more time he was in serious jeopardy of herniating a neck disc.

“What part don’t you get?” Sierra focused back on me. “Your eyes resemble those crazy contacts models wear and you’re a freaking giant.” Her contorted facial expression screamed, ‘Duh.’

“Um, Sier, we’re about the same height, sweetheart.” I thumbed toward the two six feet plus men standing on either side of me.

“Yeah, but he’s a quarterback.” She pointed to Chase. “He’s a linebacker.” She air kissed Dodd. “And you’re the sick ass wide receiver. You just look taller. Just cause.”

Since when did she follow football? My cell started ringing and luckily I didn’t have to find out. “On that note, excuse me.” I fished it out of my black suit pants and turned my back on the crew. TP CELL. My balls did a happy dance. I was so screwed.

“Hey, you.”

“You are something else, know that?”

The bar hum was louder than I thought, so I finger closed my other ear and made my way toward the lounge to sit in one of their high-back cushioned chairs. “If you say so, not gonna argue.” Three-hour time difference, she obviously got my delivery.

“I’ll have you know, I was fully prepared to cook.” She tried to be snarky.

“I don’t doubt your abilities, Teeps.” Hell no. “But now, you don’t have to. Happy Thanksgiving.” I had the best restaurant in Coronado cater a turkey spread for twenty. Leftovers never hurt.

“What am I going to do with you, Ace?”

Hated that damn nickname, except when it rolled off her lips. “You’re going to spend New Year’s with me, that’s what.” I expected a pause.

Nope. “You skipped a holiday, you know?”

Sassy, I loved it.

“I’ll be in France for Christmas, business.” If the trip weren’t KimCore related, the next phone call I would have made would have been to Suzie, telling her to cancel. All of December. As if nineteen years wasn’t enough of a bitch to swallow, now I had my insane work and travel schedule to thank for another five weeks.

She didn’t question it. “What did you have in mind?”

“You’re coming to Boston.”

“Are you asking?”

“No.” Because I wasn’t. “You objecting?”

Even with the background noise, I heard her exhale, and then she whispered, “Nah.”

“Sweet dreams, Teeps.” I ended the call and walked back to where my friends were, no doubt sporting a lotto winning grin of my own.

Dodd was explaining the difference between Cessnas and Mavericks to the ladies, but single turbine engines were the last thing on my mind. I was counting the sips until Sam finished her anti-freeze looking drink, so we could call it a night. Ironic how I spent most of my adult life trying to make every day longer, every second count, and this blonde beauty walks back in and I was praying for a damn fast forward button. Five fucking weeks.

Chapter 7 Inhabitable Chandelier

“Holy shit, you pulled it off.” Not that I doubted her for a second.

“Get out, get out!” Lili backhanded the air and then focused back on fluffing the flowers. “Ash, you’re ruining the surprise. Why. Are. You. Here?” No joke, she growled.

Last month after another taste of life’s fucking unfair, Chase swept her away for a last minute weekend in Sin City where Lili found all the inspiration she needed to recreate The Chandelier for tonight’s New Year’s Eve party. I hoped for her sake her newfound obsession for detail was a form of self-preservation or distraction and not the ball-busting surgeon rubbing off on her. Either way, the Cosmopolitan Hotel had nothing on KimCore’s two thousand square foot marble lobby. It looked spectacular, and sexy as shit. There had to be hundreds, maybe even thousands of ten foot shimmering strands of beaded crystals.

“Shouldn’t you be covering that up? It’s freezing outside and you’re walking around half naked.” She was cute when she was pissy.

I smirked and looked down at my sweat drenched t-shirt and running pants. I squeezed in a quick round with the bags, attempting to shed some pent-up energy. I’d been doing a lot of that lately. This was the longest I had gone since I was twenty. I tried a couple of times. I just couldn’t seem to get past the cheating on my friend part. Because that was what we were, that was all we were.

“More importantly, shouldn’t you be going to pick up Talia soon?” Her deep growl scaled up five octaves and she actually jumped a little, clapping her hands together. Hormone withdrawal was a scary beast. I felt bad for Chase. Lili’s moods were all over the place since she stopped pumping herself with all that shit. But I felt a thousand times worse for her. She wasn’t going to be getting pregnant any time soon, if ever, according to Chase. He called me in Europe, after the latest negative pregnancy test prompted yet another exam, and explained some rare fucked up uterine scar situation that sounded like it was named after me. It was a fine print risk of the surgical procedure she needed after all of her miscarriages. And because Lil’s had that kind of luck, she got her heart broken a week before Christmas. To say they both had a lot on their plate was an understatement. If executing our event gave her a bit of reprieve, so be it.

“Someone’s excited,” I winked. Screw it. I was just as excited. She was here, in a hotel a few blocks away. “Just making sure all the liquor we ordered came in.”

“Seriously if I didn’t know better I’d think you were the same person. Chase already called twice and stopped in just to be sure I didn’t miss a case of … whatever.”

We paid event planners handsomely for handling this stuff; we weren’t concerned about running out of booze. But we obviously both sucked at making excuses. Sierra had bailed on hanging with Lil today. Supposedly, Layla was teething and needed a ‘Mommy day.’ Unintentional but salt, open wound, ouch. So instead of going straight home to shower before I knocked on the Oriental Suite door in T-minus fifty-four minutes, I made time to “check” in. And since I was here, I snuck a peek behind the bar to secure a visual on the case of Prosecco I had shipped from Italy. Just where I left it. Good.

Lili whipped her hands in the air and scooted down the bar to rearrange the accent pieces that had been set down not two seconds ago. Dark blue and purple roses were draped by the millions on top of every reflective surface. Flowers were never my thing, but hell, they looked pretty good in this setting.

“You trying to kill my boy tonight? You look gorgeous.” I was a schmuck for just noticing that she was already glammed up, wearing a killer one shoulder blue satin dress that matched the flowers. It wasn’t my fault. I was a little distracted ... T-minus fifty-two minutes.

“Asher,” she snapped. “Get out! Go get dressed and pick up your girl.”

“Bossy and persistent, he’s wearing off on you.” But I liked her choice of words. Hell, I loved them. She eye daggered me and I held up my hands in surrender. “I’m going, I’m going.”

Lil was fine, holding it together, so I was sure as shit going, finally.

I valeted my nine-eleven Carrera in front of the Mandarin Oriental on Boylston.

“I’m only gonna be a couple minutes, can you keep the car running?” Sliding out of the driver seat, the wind cut through my white tuxedo shirt. It was freezing out. Even though KimCore was only a couple of blocks away I was glad I decided to drive. I opened the back door and closed it and then opened it again, finally grabbing my tux jacket. The valet attendant stood patiently waiting for me to make up my mind. “Thanks,” I mumbled in his direction.

I pushed through the revolving doors and opened her text for the tenth time. Ready when u are. Dangerous last words. I wanted to pick her up earlier but she made a last minute engagement with a friend. She didn’t offer; I didn’t ask. It seemed irrelevant, or so I hoped. I slipped on the formal black jacket and punched at the elevator button several times hoping to make the damn thing move faster. I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt like this. Lili’s last comment was stuck on repeat in my head.

I thought back to how Tal agreed to hang with me for New Year’s without questioning our destination. Even during subsequent conversations, she skirted the topic until she finally admitted she enjoyed the mystery, because no one—which I could only assume was a boyfriend—had surprised her in decades. That tidbit pissed me off. I was tempted to jump on the next transcontinental flight to surprise her with a fucking French croissant. If she knew me at all, she had twenty plus years of missed surprises coming her way. But a gala event at KimCore wasn’t one of them. I would’ve never done that to her. I only wished I could’ve told her face to face because the minutes of silence before I heard her resolve crumble sliced deep. I started from the beginning and talked until all her questions were answered. And by the end of the call she knew everything. Kim’s suffering, Chase’s development of the device, the struggles getting KimCore off the ground, even Lili’s accident. My chest constricted when she audibly sobbed.

The magnitude of walking through KimCore’s doors for the first time, on New Year’s no less, was not lost on me. No doubt this was going to be difficult for her. But her strength leveled me and her poignant words when we ended that call were still permanently ingrained in my mind. ‘Chase gave Kimi a beautiful life, Asher. Both of you have. You’ve poured your hearts and souls into a project that’s not only dedicated to our truly selfless best friend, but has given hundreds after her a second chance on life.’ I fell back on my hotel room bed that December night and squeezed my eyes shut. The last twenty years of my life flashed under my lids, a newly familiar sick feeling bubbled up from my gut. It finally dawned on me. Yeah, I lived in the moment. Yeah, I liked teetering on the outer edge of all boundaries. And yeah, I felt selfish half the time knowing I was given a second chance at life. But Talia’s perspective made me realize it wasn’t about being selfish. It was about being selfless. I had never given myself a chance to think about a future. I had barely given myself a chance to think about the next day, let alone the next year.

A long ass elevator ride and five wide strides later, I found her suite door propped ajar by the safety latch. She was waiting for me, but I knocked anyway. Always a gentleman. Or at least I was a gentleman, until she opened the door. I stood frozen and drank her in. All of her. I saw my future. Our future. For the first time in my life, I had to remind my lungs to expand. Who had to remember to breathe? Everything I had ever known, ever lived by, seemed to be spiraling out of control. Time had always been irrelevant, now it needed to slow down so I could memorize this moment. She was breathtaking. Her translucent brown eyes twinkled with flecks of champagne and gold, almost reaching my own; there was no chance she wasn’t wearing a pair of killer heels. Her makeup was subtle and showcased her perfect porcelain skin. The only contrast to her soft hues was shimmery eye shadow and a sparkly lip glaze that I had every intention of licking off. Her silky blonde hair was parted to one side and pulled into a high sleek ponytail. Classic, understated. Stunning. And all she did was smile. Sweet Jesus, those lips. She was mine tonight and here I was hoping for a whole hell of a lot longer than that.

The vessels in my neck pulsated and my heart matched them beat for beat. I was fucked. I rocked back on my patent loafers, providing some space to soak in her entire length. Whoever designed her dress hated men, hated me. The delicate sequin fabric matched the sparkles of her eyes and hit high on her thigh, showing off her sickly defined legs. It clung to the tip of her shoulders, loosely criss-crossing low in front. The neckline didn’t plunge—it just didn’t exist. There was nothing sexier than the deep triangle of bare skin between her small perky tits that were no doubt flying commando. We had that in common. Good thing my hands were already snaked in my pants pockets and responsible for pinning my arousal against my stomach. That might have disguised the evidence, but did nothing for the intense throb.

“Hey, you.” Her voice wavered, she sounded nervous.

“You used my line.” I smirked to help break the ice. It worked. She rolled her eyes and batted her long black eyelashes.

One hand braced on her hip, she shifted her weight to the opposite heel as my eyes flicked down to a strappy gold stiletto.

In the sincerest voice she asked, “What’s a girl have to do to get a hug from an old friend?”

“Not wear that.”

“Asher!” Her cheeks and chest blushed.

“You asked. I answered.”

I couldn’t tell what the expression on her face meant, but I loved it. She was a vision of sophistication and beauty. We stared at each other for another moment, before I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. I lightly ran my hands along her arms then turned my head so my lips hovered above her ear. “Teeps,” I whispered, inhaling the sweetest scent of jasmine. “You, my friend, are perfection.” She was.

Millimeters stood between her delicious ear and my tongue. Her breath hitched and the raised bumps on her skin told me she felt the same way. She wrapped her arms around my waist and stepped a little closer. The warmth of her body was enough to drive me crazy. I was as hard as steel and all I wanted to do was devour every inch of her svelte body with my mouth, starting with those legs that went on for days. I could only imagine they led to the sweetest treasure on earth. The air was thick with sexual tension. We were both breathing heavy. I pressed my lips to her temple and backed up before there would be no stopping what we started, at least not this year. I extended my hand.

“Shall we? As much as I’m going to hate another soul seeing you in that dress, I promised the girl who used to make me pinky swear, a New Year’s to remember. I’ve never disappointed her before, I’m not going to start now.” Besides, last I checked blue balls weren’t fatal.

She rested both her hands in mine, hooked our pinkies, and locked our eyes. “Who said she’d be disappointed?”

I bit my inner lip and willed my other head to take control. “We’re going to go pay tribute to our girl tonight, and celebrate like only old friends can. But then, Tal, so you know, I’m done with just being friends,” I said it for the first time in my life. And I meant it.

The softest smile parted her lips. She closed our gap and kissed my cheek. “No argument here.”

Thank you, God. She tossed her cashmere wrap around her shoulders before we walked out.

“You know it’s December. In New England, right?”

“I know, I’m good.”

This woman was going to kill me.

Her nervous excitement was palpable. She didn’t shut up, not for one second. She chattered our entire ten-minute car ride while I sat quietly listening, swallowing and nodding. I was grateful I didn’t have to participate, not that I could have. A list of distractions had taken over my mind and body. Topping that list was how a very short dress disappeared into nowhere land when sitting in a low riding car. To think I considered taking the Cayenne. Dumb. I white knuckled the steering wheel to keep from reaching over and running my hand up her silky inner thigh. The blasting heat blowing the scant material still visible also didn’t help. I adjusted myself in the seat yet again as I drove up to the front of KimCore’s entrance.

“Hey, Pete.” I lifted my chin toward Chase’s driver, who approached as I got out of the car.

“Happy New Year, Mr. Craig.” He beat me to the passenger door.

Suddenly I wondered if they would remember each other. Pete had worked for the Coltons since Chase and Kimi were in diapers. He toted our spoiled immature asses all over New York. Luckily when the parents’ corrupt little empire crumbled, Chase claimed his exclusivity. Pete was a loyal friend.

He leaned in to take her elbow. Talia shuffled back on her spikes and her eyes widened. “Pete?” That answered that question.

“Still kicking.” Pete chuckled and Talia beamed. I wasn’t sure who was pinker. Pete never lacked in charm. “My girl, I’d never forget that beautiful face. Ms. Talia all grown up. Wonderful to see you.” He graciously kissed her cheek, winked in my direction, and gave me a thumbs up. I joined them on the other side, shaking my head. He was another that had jumped on the nag bandwagon, especially now that Chase was hitched.

“Happy New Year, funny guy.” We shook hands, I patted his back, and we caught up for a few minutes.

“You two better get inside. It’s freezing out,” Pete commented as I watched his gaze drift below Talia’s hem. I couldn’t blame him, I was pretty sure I was gonna have a stiff neck by the end of the night.

I relaxed my hand on the small of her back and egged her inside. She could have chit chatted with Pete all night. But last I checked shriveled balls were definitely fatal.

“Oh my god, Ace, this looks amazing.” The lobby’s inhabitable chandelier transformation looked pretty damn good. A few guests had trickled in, but for the most part the venue was still barren. Her eyes slowly scanned the entire decorated expanse, landing on what I knew she was looking for. The massive black and white portrait of Kimi. “It’s perfect.”

I trailed behind as she walked directly for it, stopping only a couple feet away. Rubbing her hands up and down her slim arms she clung to herself, almost like she was chilled.

“She’s just how I envision her every day. Her eyes...”

I closed our gap and pressed her back into my front, wrapping her shawl around her arms a little tighter. “I know. It’s crazy how much they all look alike.” It wasn’t just a twin thing. All of the Coltons shared a strong physical resemblance.

“This picture is gorgeous. She was gorgeous.” She snuggled in and rested her head against my shoulder. She needed a minute. I had a lifetime. “I’m not upset, I’m relieved. I feel like she’s here with us,” she whispered, taking in a deep breath and sighing sweetly.

“Me too, Teeps, me too.” I kissed her cheek and let her go. She took her minute and turned back to capture my gaze. After a deep, satisfied breath, she blinked her pooled tears away and interlaced our fingers.

“You ready to show your girl a good time?” she said through the smallest sexiest smile. I stopped breathing when my heart landed in my throat. I sure as hell wasn’t expecting that. “Pretty sure you pinky swore this would be a New Year’s I’d never forget, so where’s that Prosecco you promised me?”

It was like the weight she held was lifted. I squeezed her hand then unlaced our fingers and tucked her against my side, securing my arm around her waist. Brushing my lips against her warm temple, needing her closer, I attempted to process your girl in my male pea-sized brain. This was foreign territory.

“Asher, Talia!” Lili shouted from across the lobby and over the music, snapping me out of my state of speechlessness. She weaved through the plethora of newly mingling guests carrying a glass of champagne. We met her halfway.

“Happy New Year’s, guys.” She raised on her toes and pecked my cheek then focused her attention on Talia. “I’m Lili, so great to finally meet you. I was so excited when Asher told me you two had reconnected and you could come tonight.”

“Wonderful to meet you as well. Asher has told me so much about you.”

Lili laughed. “You get Asher and Chase in a room together you never know what secrets or embarrassing stories are gonna slip. Hopefully it’s all good.” If I hadn’t had my arm around her, I would have missed Talia’s shoulders slightly tensing. “Come, let’s get you two a drink.”

“That’s right where we were headed,” I chimed in. “Where’s your other half?” He was always two steps behind her.

“He didn’t call you? Ugh. There was a terrible accident, multiple head traumas, said he’ll probably be in the OR all night.” It was hard not to miss Lil’s disappointment.

“Sucks he’s on call, Chief should have had some priority.” I leaned against the bar and caught Talia’s eyes. “Another nice thing about dermatology, huh, Tal, not too many emergencies,” I teased.

She bumped my shoulder and mouthed ‘hey.’

“Good sign, he’s already teasing you,” Lili said through a smile. If she only knew we had picked right up where we left off, like we never missed a beat. “Actually he’s not on call tonight. You know he’d never miss this, but the ER called in a panic. One of those Peter Pan New York to Boston express buses flipped over.”

“Shit, that’s horrible. He’s gonna be up all night in brains. I hope everyone’s all right.”

“Oh, Ace, seriously.” Tal rolled her eyes and Lil laughed.

“I can see how you fit in perfectly with the two of them, Talia.” Lili’s voice was laced with a genuine contentment.

They smiled at each other and Talia ran a hand down my back. Peering into her eyes I could tell she was a million miles away. I was too. I wondered if we were thinking about the same memory.

It was sophomore year. Chase’s parents were in the Hamptons at a black tie affair, leaving the Colton Manhattan penthouse the place to congregate for the weekend. Kimi’s idea, of course, the girl loved New Year’s Eve. Chase and I raided his father’s beer fridge and threw our first high school party. We had introduced the girls to Beirut and succeeded in getting them all wasted, but the highlight of the night was Kimi suggesting the hot tub. Enough said. Giggling, the girls ran upstairs and came down in, well, practically nothing, as far as my sixteen-year-old eyes could see. Let’s just say a hot tub hard-on was the least of my problems when Tal jumped out of the steamy pool and flew to the bathroom. Soaking wet, I held her hair as she puked her guts up and moaned in distress. She eventually passed out cradled on my lap on the cold marble floor, wedged between the clawfoot bathtub and the toilet. We not only missed butchering Auld Lang Syne, but five hours later I was convinced my back was broken. Not that I cared, it was the first night I ever slept with a girl. Who the hell was I kidding? That was the highlight.

“Asspuck, this place looks freaking awesome. It came out perfect. You didn’t need me. It’s probably better I didn’t come. I would’ve tangled the crap out of those gorgeous strands of beads, me and Christmas lights ... total effing nightmare.” At this point Dodd and I ordered drinks since Sierra hadn’t come up for a breath yet. “Besides Layla was a whiney drooling disaster, but Dodd owes me now, so I’m feeling a Lili-Sierra day, and soon.”

Talia stood off to the side witnessing the spunk, sass, and nonsense spewing from Sierra’s mouth. I warned her.

I handed my blonde beauty her Prosecco and interrupted the stream. “Uh-hmm, this is Talia Pryce, our old friend.”

Dodd introduced himself and politely shook her hand and Sierra did what Sierra does. “Talia, oh my god, how rude am I blabbing away. It’s so nice to meet you. And wow, my god, that dress is to die for.”

“You must be Sierra, it’s lovely to meet you. And you look beautiful tonight.”

Sierra shoved past me and took her elbow. Talia followed her pull and glanced in my direction. I shrugged and smirked. Good luck with that. Instantly the women turned their backs on us, forming a perfect triangle. I chuckled to myself. Lili hit the nail right on the head, my TP fit in seamlessly. The muffled chatter jumped from dress designer who, nail polish color what, join us for spa day when. Dodd and I discussed a few deals he was working on in the area, several that had longterm potential.

“Give you six months, my friend.”

Ha, if that. I pointed my bottle at Sierra.

“Let me know when you need a realtor.” He shook his head and gave me a yup, no sac eye roll.

Men were good like that, certain things never needed to be verbalized. A simple chin salute said enough. While we drank as a sign of XY camaraderie, I couldn’t help but zero in on the gossip.

“No, you’re lucky. My girls would be spilling all out of that dress. I would look like I was working the party, if you know what I mean.” Only Sierra could carry on what sounded like a polished civilized conversation about her tits. Or Talia’s tits for that matter. “Double sided tape?” And just like that tit placement became an art project. My ears perked up waiting for that answer. That dress hadn’t budged.

“No, actually, it’s a tighter fit than it looks.” No tape, no bra. Was it time to leave yet?

“Hun, Stella McCartney could have hand sewed that dress on me, it wouldn’t matter. You only get away with that when you look like you ... one kid later my boobs are around my waist, wait—that’s right, I don’t have a waist. Crap, I need to get back to Zumba. Speaking of, you-” Sierra pointed to Lil, who raised her eyebrows as if to say what did I do. “You better pace yourself. You promised you would give it a try and come with me tomorrow. It’s a new year, no freaking excuses. Besides I could poke my eyes out running. Come on, Talia, you agree with me, right?”

Tal raised her hands up to plead the fifth. Ha, she looked like me. “You ask me they both sound pretty painful.”

Sierra contorted her face in a really unattractive way. “Don’t even tell me you’re one of those genetic freaks, I can’t...”

Lili almost spit out her champagne.

No offense, but women were stupid when it came to body image. Sierra was bent over her supposed baby weight. I couldn’t tell the difference. She was a beautiful woman. And from the way Dodd spent half the night eye fucking his wife, my guess was he wasn’t complaining about any new curves. Probably the opposite.

Talia laughed at Sierra’s candor. “Umm, well, I guess there’s that, but I try and get to the yoga studio as often as possible.”

Spandex yoga pants, ass-shaking Zumba, bare tits taped or not taped to dresses … male torture. Before I lost my gentleman status and my pants tented, I cut in on the estrogen pow-wow. “Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’m going to steal Talia. We have a date with the dance floor.”

Talia cocked her head to the side, discreetly bit her lip, and smiled. I surprised her. This was only the beginning; I was just getting started.

“Huh. I wouldn’t have taken you for a Maroon 5 fan, Ace?” No shit, I had balls, not a vagina. I wouldn’t have taken her for one either. She loved classic rock as much as I did back when, but I distinctly remember this song blaring the night I called her. Guess some things changed.

“What’s not to like? Have you seen Adam behind the drums? Enough said.” The half-pint spitfire chimed in and then looked to her husband for affirmation. Really? Dodd petted Sierra’s chunky highlights, shook his head and kissed her. Smart guy.

Talia slipped her fingers between mine. “No argument, he’s attractive. But I’ve seen better behind the drums.”

No one would have noticed, but her eyes spoke volumes. The room suddenly got ten degrees warmer, tightening my shirt collar and pants. This woman had the ability to make me feel sixteen again. Un-fucking-real.

On that note, I glided my other hand down her back to its new favorite spot on earth and led us away. I couldn’t care less if we danced to the Jeopardy theme song, I was done sharing and wanted her body pressed against mine. And now.

Lili clocked our joined hands, goofy smiled, and air mouthed, “Go get ‘em, ACE.”

Son of a bitch, I really had four sisters.

By the time we made it underneath the illuminated glass beads, the club version of “This Love” was almost over. That was a good thing. A really good thing. Tal and I fell into step immediately. Chest pressed to chest, her sweet breath bathed my cheek as my mouth hovered over her ear. I positioned my right leg high between hers while her right arm roped around my neck, mine guiding our rhythm from her lower back. This girl knew how to dance. Always did. Her movements were soft and fluid, not overly provocative. They didn’t need to be. Her long lines accentuated every sway of her hips and every curve of her back. Our bodies radiated enough steam to heat a sauna and not from our energy exertion. As close as we were, her pelvis never grazed mine, but there was a fire in her eyes, making the tease that much hotter. My dick was hard as a rock and all I could think about was how exactly I was going to tease this woman as soon as I got her alone. Slow then fast, then slow again, sinking my fingertips into every inch of her until her naked body danced like she was right this second. If the song hadn’t ended it would have taken all of two beats pressed against her and I would have been sixteen again. And I sure as shit didn’t need lyrics to tell me what I already knew. I had no choice, I was never saying goodbye to this girl again.

I massaged my fingers up her damp bare back. If her hair weren’t tied back in that sexy ponytail I would’ve fisted it to turn her head to look at me. I didn’t have to. Keeping her arm around my neck she arched her back and found my eyes. Her breathing mirrored my own, quickened but deep, fighting for control. Any doubts I might have had about us being on the same page were gone. This was a new, unfamiliar page, actually a page that never existed, but damn, I was ready to write it.

Her cheeks were flushed. She was glowing when she parted those dark pink lips into a cheeky smile. “I think I just became a Maroon 5 fan. You?”

“Not fair, Teeps, you’re playing with my manhood.” It would be downloaded by tomorrow.

She glided her right leg up my thigh, grazing my stiff package. “Yeah, don’t think you have much to worry about in that department.” The words barely escaped and her pink face blushed crimson, her eyes breaking our lock. She was sexy, she was confident, but I could tell she was stepping out of her own comfort zone. With me.

My free hand palmed her warm cheek. “Hey.” My eyes willed hers back. “Not with me, Tal, never with me.” Her pulse in her neck bounded against my fingertips and the air between us continued to sizzle. It was possible she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

“I’m gonna run and freshen up.” She released her hold around my neck and backed up, dousing our flames. Damn. “All that dancing made me work up a sweat. Excuse me a moment.” More like all our sexual tension bubbling to a head. No pun intended.

She clicked her heels across the dance floor in such a way she could have been on a catwalk, gaining the attention of multiple lingering pricks. I was ready to give them a reminder to keep their goddamn eyes to themselves. She was mine. But instead, I briskly matched her stride and brushed my hand across her very low lower back. She tilted her head to the side and curled her lips. She knew exactly what was running through my head. She stopped at the bar to pick up her tiny gold clutch.

“I’ll hang here.” I lifted my chin back toward the dance floor. “Enjoyed the bump and grind out there, good practice.” For later. She bit her lip and glanced around. The confident doctor had a shy side. “Don’t worry, no one heard me,” I laughed. I pointed her in the direction of the ladies’ room and ordered another round of drinks. I lifted my cuff to check the time. Midnight couldn’t come soon enough.

“Looked like a little more than your average bumping and grinding,” Lili blurted, coming out of nowhere. “What? I’ve seen you dance before?”

“Ha.” I took another sip.

“I’m happy for you, Asher. She’s so sweet, has an awesome career, seems to tolerate your immaturity—I mean, sense of humor. Sierra and I clicked with her immediately. We already planned a girls’ day for the next time she’s in Boston.”

I ran a hand through my damp hair. Lil was spot on, Tal was all of those things. Everything she mentioned was awesome, except … three thousand miles. Three thousand miles sucked. Remove one part of the equation and it looked perfect on paper. Problem was—nothing’s that easy.

“It’s too far. She has a thriving dermatology practice. How the hell do I ask her to drop everything she has worked so hard for to come here?” I drained my bottle and motioned for a new one.

“First of all, you don’t. You wait. Start a relationship. Have you ever dated someone you actually care about before?” she rightfully questioned.

Ouch, that stung.

“Damn, Lil, you’re killing me.”

“What? With the truth. Listen. You know as well as I do that this is the first woman that has your panties in a bunch.”

Hell yeah. But somehow hearing it out loud from someone else made it real.

I was done with that conversation. It was real. I wanted Talia. End of conversation. I just needed to figure out how to make it happen.

“Have you talked to Chase? Think he’s going to make it for midnight?”

“Changing the subject, huh?” She didn’t pry any further and I was appreciative. “He texted a couple minutes ago, said ‘Happy New Year’.” Lili’s blue eyes dulled and her shoulders fell with disappointment. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head.

“You think I can get away with this a little longer without Tarzan around?” I teased. She chuckled into my shoulder. I could only imagine what Chase planned to make up for missing tonight.

“Ash, she’s mine.” Now I laughed, if it wasn’t Chase it was Sierra. She broke our embrace and took Lil’s champagne glass from her hand. “Time to get our groove on, chica. Last dance before it’s a new year. Let’s shake our pretty little asses, get you ready for Zummmmmba,” Sierra sang as she tugged Lil to the middle of the dance floor. And some shaking they did. I snagged my phone and took a quick clip and forwarded it to Chase in an attempt to better his shitty night. Then I sent a group message to the fam, who were undoubtedly all together and pajama’d up at Molly’s for champagne and charades.

My phone illuminated eleven fifty-five. I glanced toward the hall leading to the bathrooms. No sign of Talia. My beer lost appeal, so I waited a minute or so more then ventured off to find her. I hadn’t realized how loud the music was in the lobby until I stepped into the long desolate corridor. The sound was buffered by the lower ceilings and wall to wall carpet, so when I heard her voice as clear as day, I froze. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, or maybe I did, either way I heard every word.

“Of course we’ll meet tomorrow. I’m not getting back on that plane without seeing you again.” She laughed and my stomach lurched. “Happy New Year to you too … okay … I love you, too. Wait, just so you know, today was so much fun … can’t wait to do it again. I’m really happy you decided to come here … okay ... bye.”

What was that? Or more importantly, who was that? I wasn’t going to assume shit. I was going to find out. I needed to trust her. Trust her to tell me the truth.

“10, 9, 8, 7…” bellowed through the lobby.

She turned on her heel and flinched. I rested one shoulder against the wall, my foot crossed over the other and snaked my hands into my tux pant pockets ... waiting.

“There you are … everything okay?”

She squeezed her iPhone back into her clutch, avoiding eye contact.

“3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year!” rang out in the distance.

“TP.”

She lifted her long lashes and our eyes collided, the flames from earlier still burned. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not. Talia had no family and sharing I love yous with old friends seemed questionable. My unfounded jealousy brimmed to a head and I decided if this was the last moment I needed to live in then I wasn’t going to ruin it. I buried the previous minutes’ conversation, pushed off the wall, and walked toward her. She didn’t waver. I slid one hand from my pocket and skimmed the pad of my thumb across her silky soft cheek. My fingertips lingered on her neck and slipped around her back. I gently coaxed her closer until I felt her breath mingling with my own.

“Do you have any idea how bad I’ve wanted to do this?” I whispered just inches from her mouth. Her breath hitched and her focus dropped. The seam of her lips parted slightly as her tongue lightly moistened them. “Happy New Year, Teeps,” I muttered with now only millimeters separating us. She repeated my sentiment without uttering a sound. My mouth found the corner of hers and I kissed her lightly. Her lips were even softer than I imagined.

With a deep inhale I pulled back. “Not here, not now, because once I start, there’s no way I am stopping.” A tremble spread through her body and she ceased to breathe. If I weren’t so close I would have missed the quiver in her bottom lip.

“I can’t…” she mouthed through a labored breath. “I need to leave.” She withdrew, leaving my mind to race. Why? I couldn’t formulate a thought fast enough. “Thank you for tonight, Ace, I’m gonna call a cab.”

“Tal, hold the hell up?” What did I just miss?

“Asher, please.” Her voice was hard and detached. I knew enough about women that I recognized she was climbing into her head.

“Who was on the phone?” I thought it and it came out. Harsh.

“What?” She shook her head, utterly befuddled. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You tell me.”

“Absolutely nothing.” She meant it, but I waited for an explanation anyway. “My old roommate moved out here last year, trying to get into med school. We met up today and are going to try and squeeze in another lunch before I head home. End of story. That quick phone call has nothing to do with us.” Talia never lied. Shit, I was a dick.

“Tal, I’m sorry. I-”

She cut me off. “Ash, it’s fine. I can see how it looked. One second we’re dancing like we are the only two people in the room, the next I’m … I don’t know what I’m doing.” She closed her eyes and exhaled. When she opened them all I saw was confusion. “Ash, please. It’s been a long night, I’d like to go back now.”

“Lil’s in no rush, so I’ll get Pete to drive us back to the hotel. I wasn’t planning on driving anyway. And before you even say it, you’re not going alone.”

“You don’t have to do that, really, but thank you.”

We plastered on fake smiles and entered back through the lobby to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The girls confirmed they would be in touch to plan a spa day, while I stood and stewed trying to figure where the hell I went wrong. Fortunately the drive back was short because she spoke not another word and neither did I. The tension was thick and did nothing to melt the chill in the back of the car. I wanted to bombard her with a million questions, ending on—why? We were done being friends, or so I thought.

“Talk tomorrow?” she asked.

Her eyes barely moved from the far more interesting hotel carpet. The elevator doors had yet to open. At this point she was so far retreated into her head I didn’t know what to say. I nodded. Yeah right, I wasn’t going anywhere. She stepped inside and slowly turned around.

“Tonight was beautiful, thank you.”

No, she was beautiful.

Chapter 8 Stuff

I paced the lobby like a caged animal debating on my next move. I didn’t do this. I didn’t do complicated. When did this get complicated?

“Bourbon,” I barked louder than I should have at the hotel bartender. I hated bourbon. The liquid burned the back of my throat, bringing me back to the dance floor. The way she felt in my arms, the heat between us, the look in her eye. I slapped a fifty on the bar and pushed that damn elevator button.

“Ace, I thought we said we’d talk tomorrow,” she said, opening the door and leaning on the jamb. She had changed out of her dress into grey lounge pants and a tiny pink tank. Her taut nipples pierced the thin fabric, making everything in my lower region swell. Her styled ponytail was gone, leaving her blonde locks loose around her shoulders. She wound a strand with her finger and shifted from foot to foot. Her face was free of makeup, but there was a hint of red in the whites of her eyes and circling the rim, almost like she had been crying. “You shouldn’t come in.” Her voice was hoarse.

“But I want to.” I removed my hands from the top of the door jamb and held the door. She inched to the side, indicating her reluctant approval. I stepped inside and walked toward the fireplace to flip the switch. The flames roared to life and settled into a perfect glow. I felt her presence right behind me.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Of me?”

“No … yes. Of this.”

I slipped my tux jacket off and slowly turned around. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. Her stare was emotional and penetrating. A tingle ran up my spine.

“Do you trust me?”

“What?” She looked confused. It was plain and simple as far as I was concerned.

I repeated, “Do. You. Trust. Me?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Of course I do, you are so … you are-”

I closed the mile between us. “You’re more, and I’m starting to realize you always have been. Friends is impossible, I want more. I want you. I want everything. I have no idea what it looks like or how it’s going to work. I’ve never done this before, hell, I’ve never wanted to. But I know I want to give us a chance, I want to try.”

“I want that too, all of it…” I breathed again, encasing her in my arms. “But I’m not that same teenage girl. Not even close, there’s so much stuff, so many years, I don’t even know where to begin, if I even can.” She buried her face deeper into my chest and clung to me.

“Look at me, Tal.” She lifted her head. “I have stuff, too. We’ve spent twenty years building separate lives, of course there’s gonna be stuff. No one said we have to spill out every last detail the first night we’re together. We have time.” We have a lifetime. I walked her back to the sofa and led her down onto my lap. Her warmth pushed down on top of my cock. “I’m gonna kiss you now. It’s gonna be slow and soft and then it’s gonna be hard and hungry.”

She inhaled sharply and widened her eyes, that was my sign she wasn’t going to stop me. I moved her legs to straddle my lap. Cupping her cheeks I brought her mouth down to hover just above mine. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip and sucked. She slid her hands up my chest kicking my heart into high gear. I had waited long enough. I continued to explore her lips as promised, soft and slowly before inching my tongue inside. She opened without hesitation and I dove deep. I gripped her hips and crushed her body against mine, pinning my cock right where it wanted most. Every drop of blood in my body pulsed inside. She tasted of her bubbly mixed with fresh mint. I was starved for more. Desperately, and as promised, our union turned raw and full of passion. She matched me stroke for stroke as she rocked against my groin. My hands abandoned her riding hips to find bare skin under her tank. I massaged my way up her toned back and fisted a handful of blond silk. Pulling back I broke our kiss to expose my next target. Her eyes were still closed and she was breathing heavy. My tongue tasted her neck and she quietly moaned. It was the sexiest sound I ever heard. My cock throbbed but this wasn’t a race to the finish. No way, I waited too long.

“Fuck, you taste delicious.” Conscious filtered thoughts were gone, and I was no longer responsible for what came out of my mouth. “I wanna taste all of you.”

Her hands must have made their way to my hair because I felt the tug before she said, “Wait … we should wait.” Her forehead rested against mine while my heart jackhammered in my throat. We both marathon panted trying to regain some semblance of composure which involved me mentally talking to my dick. Baseball, baseball, I hate baseball. Whoever says this works—lies. Damn baseball. Shit I’m thinking—ah fuck. Monkeys regurgitate food to their young, dolls can shit themselves, slugs make slime trails.

Shit, it wasn’t working. Stupid dick.

She moved first, shifting herself off my lap and collapsing next to me on the couch. I took a deep breath, hoping the extra oxygen might turn my other head back on. I needed to say something, needed to make sure she was okay, but I couldn’t formulate a single coherent thought, other than my current state of arousal. I had a J.D. summa cum laude, for god’s sake.

“I um, wow, I’m sorry … wow.” She was flushed with fuck me hair, stumbling over her words. So it wasn’t just me. She was adorable. I probably looked like a fool.

“I’m a lot of things right this second, but sorry isn’t one of them.” My head finally kicked back on. She laughed at my candor. I pressed my palm to her warm cheek and she kissed it.

“I didn’t mean to say that, I’m definitely not sorry either.” Phew. “I um, just thought we should maybe consider taking things a little bit slower.”

“I can do slower.” I can do anything you need.

“Besides, I wouldn’t want you to think I put out on the first date.” She wryly chuckled and played with the hem of her tank. “I told you I’m not that promiscuous high school girl with daddy issues anymore.”

I never saw her that way. “Psst, look at you all self-reflective. Was psych your back-up plan if the whole acne healer thing didn’t work out?” She hit me in the face with a throw pillow. We both laughed.

“You sarcastic ass, ha.” She rolled her eyes, but they radiated genuine affection. “More like a few dozen hours and few thousand dollars in therapy to point out the obvious. I was pissed at my dad for cheating on my mom, so I slutted it up for a summer.” Her facetious tone didn’t mask the disappointment in her eyes, a look that needed to be erased.

Hell, as far as I knew, I thought she only slept with two guys the summer before she left New York. Far from slut territory.

“Some friend you are. You were putting out back in the day and didn’t hook me up?” I caught the pillow mid-air this time and tickled her back on my lap. Her laugh sounded almost as sweet as her singing.

When I was sure I tickled the nonsense out of her, I showed some mercy and released.

“What am I going to do with you?” she challenged, winded from giggling. Her body laid draped over mine, and her head rested against the arm of the sofa. Her eyes sparkled something fierce.

“You’re going to date me.”

“Date? How old are we?”

“Old enough to know I was the moron not to ask you out when we were kids, so yeah, we’re going to date.” I brushed a stray hair off her face and she bit her lip. I wanted that job.

“I like bossy Ace.” She laced our fingers. I kissed them.

“As opposed to?”

“My perfect gentleman.” All I heard was my.

“Trust me when I say that I will always treat you with respect, Tal. Always. No promises I’m going to be a gentleman in the bedroom though.” I might have winked, but I was serious. Her eyes widened, she knew it. And undoubtedly she liked it. I leaned over and gently touched our lips together.

“So we’re officially dating then,” she whispered with genuine happiness behind her grin. Beautiful.

“Yup.”

Her fingers ran the pleats in my shirt. “You do realize we live three thousand miles apart?”

“I’ll get a bigger plane.” Her smile reached those damn eyes and she licked her lips. That combo was going to be the fucking death of me. Then she raised her head and kissed me. And I let her. But not for long, once her tongue sought entrance, I took over. We made out like horny teenagers for entirely too long. No doubt our mouths were going to be chapped tomorrow. Somehow I managed to keep my hands on her waist, but any and all conversation with my arousal was futile.

“You know this counts as the first date,” I murmured between kisses. “Just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

She shifted back an inch, panting, and opened her eyes. I already had them pinned. “Oh, we’re on the same page.” Something about the way she said it stirred an unfamiliar tight sensation deep in my chest. This was seriously unchartered territory.

I sat us upright and kissed her forehead, not wanting to push my luck, especially after she got spooked earlier. I couldn’t blame her. We were risking a lifetime friendship. “Happy New Year, Tal, I have a gut feeling it’s going to be a good one.” Then I stood to get ready to leave. It was almost three AM.

Talia tucked her lean legs underneath her. Her voice was laced with promise when she said, “Do you know what I’d really like?” I put my jacket back down on the desk and turned to give her my full attention. Of course I wanted to know. “I’d really like to know what it feels like to wake up in your arms.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and almost looked embarrassed. “Well, without vomit in my hair this time.” She remembered.

Done. I toed off my shoes and undid my tie. She stayed put and clocked my every move. I unbuttoned my cuffs and then my shirt. Her eyebrows rose when I slipped it off, clearly enjoying the view. That once-over alone solidified I would never skip a workout.

With two strides back to the sofa, I held out my hand the way I did when we started the evening. “Time to sleep, Teeps … don’t get any ideas.” I smirked. “Sweet dreams only.”

She smiled and unfolded herself off the couch, steadying her rise with my hand. She released her grip almost immediately and traded it for a tight embrace. Barefoot and much shorter, her head nuzzled right into my shoulder. She was so small in comparison to me, soft, but not waify. Even though we were separated from skin on skin by her paper-thin tank, her tits felt amazing pressed against me. Suddenly I felt cheated by the night and not from my lack of release. “You owe me a slow dance.”

She squeezed tighter. “There’s no music.”

I wanted it that way. “Sing for me.” There were few things in this world I would beg for, hearing her sing again being one. She didn’t make me.

The vibration heated my chest before I heard her quietly humming. The sound was unmistakable. Perfectly controlled and smooth with a simple raspy rawness that was sexy as hell. Just like her. Our bodies swayed in unison, small movements, our feet never leaving the floor.

Then she started to sing, in a hushed tone, but I knew it instantly. Aerosmith. That was my girl. There was no point in hiding my hard-on, it wasn’t budging anytime soon, and I wasn’t wasting a second of holding her this close. I wasn’t missing another thing. She was perfect.

But before she finished the second verse, this moment was interrupted by her phone bouncing around the glass coffee table.

“Who’s calling you at three AM?” We both looked down at the table, Paul flashed on the screen.

“It’s midnight in California,” she responded. As if that answered the bigger question.

“Want to answer it?”

“No.” She wiggled her nose against my chin. “Since I know you’re a gentleman and won’t ask, Paul’s the um, douche—I think that’s what you called him—that I ended things with months ago, who still doesn’t get it. But he’s harmless. And since I’m technically on a date, probably the best first date of all time, by the way, no, I don’t want to answer it.”

Fan-fucking-tastic answer. My chest puffed out a little, a completely primal and involuntary response to male ego stroking. Honest.

“This gentleman is taking you to bed now.” I kissed her temple and led her into the bedroom. “Wait a sec. I do believe I just got to hear your sweet pipes...” She crawled under the fluffy white covers and waited for me to finish. I jogged back out to the living room and dug in my jacket pocket.

“I’d know that shake anywhere, Ace,” she yelled from the bedroom. I laughed. Totally addicted. I sat at the edge of the bed and put the box of Hot Tamales in her hand. “You are the best. God, I missed you.” She rested her head against the cushioned pillow. “You always had them for me, after every gig, every single time. You never forgot, not once. Thank you for that.” She looked a million miles away as she reminisced.

I ran a finger down her cheek. “Never gonna forget, Tal. Sweet for sweet.” I peeled her fingers back and placed the box on the nightstand. “Save them, don’t wanna rot your teeth.”

“Looking out for me.” She giggled and then pouted.

Those puckered lips were far too tempting to leave without a kiss. A little moan escaped from her mouth. Ah, screw the Hot Tamales. I could have devoured her. Instead, I circled to the other side of the king-sized bed and turned off the lights. Her eyes were already half closed.

“You don’t have to wear your dress pants to bed, you know. We made it this far and I trust you.”

We barely made it this far and the night wasn’t over.

“Trust me, no choice here.” One commando to another, she got me. An explanation of the boundaries to my cock was another story and I figured a layer of fabric was essential. This was so far from the way I envisioned tonight ending, but somehow any and all preconceptions I might have had were surpassed ten fold. I untucked the sheets and climbed into pure heaven, and not the twelve hundred thread count. Talia molded perfectly against me and hummed a little more Aerosmith as she dozed off. I, on the other hand, didn’t want to close my eyes and I sure as fuck didn’t want to fall asleep. I squeezed her tighter as I watched the slow rise and fall of her chest. I brushed away the loose blonde wisps from around her face and lightly kissed her eyes. I didn’t want to miss one thing. Never again. Even if it went against every motto I had ever lived by.

Chapter 9 Dating

So I had the simple fix. New weekend, new place. Fuck the ten states that separated us. No one said we had to date like everyone else: do dinner, and a movie, hold hands, and gaze into each other eyes. Nah, we weren’t everyone else. Never would be.

The first weekend we hiked the Grand Canyon and explored the spectacular Havasu Falls without another soul in sight. Vigorous, but romantic. The hundred foot plunge into the blue green waters were asking me to strip her bare. I tried and failed at getting her naked. My argument that the water temperature never deviated from seventy degrees all year long didn’t stand. That was what I got for attempting to woo in the winter. By the time we trekked back to the cozy warmth of our resort, we were no longer alone. Talia’s unexpected friend paid a visit. I couldn’t have cared less, that’s what towels were for, but she wasn’t as enthused. The only upside was her disclosure that she had an IUD that made her friend’s visits extremely short and infrequent. Sweet. Even sweeter was the conversation that followed. I never rode bareback. Ever. The risk wasn’t worth it, and to be brutally honest, I never got to know any of the women I was with well enough to trust them. Trust wasn’t an issue with Tal. I almost shot in my pants when she shared my sentiment.

“I trust you, Ash.” That was all that needed to be said. Eight thousand, six hundred forty minutes and counting.

Six days later, I made sure our weekend date was a little warmer and less rugged—Sonoma Valley, celebrating all things olives. Bring on the Martinis. We had a different type of olive in every damn glass. We got drunk, laughed our asses off, and stumbled to our room. We kissed, holy shit, did we kiss … until she incoherently mumbled about sharing something before she passed out. Cold. Luckily there was no hair holding required, but the only banging Tal experienced the next day was her head’s not-so-gentle reminder of her golden rule: Prosecco only, and in moderation. Wished she would’ve ‘shared’ that little detail sooner. Poor thing, I was a schmuck. Another hangover was not the gift I intended on giving her or us, for that matter. I loved kissing and touching every inch of her body, but damn, by the end of the weekend I could have dipped her pretty little ass in a martini and licked her dry. We were dating and taking things slow, I got that. And in my opinion we had done a fucking brilliant job at it. So at this point I was left with four words. So. Fucking. Over. Dating.

My turf this weekend. Tal took the red eye, but Lili insisted on picking her up to squeeze in their mani-pedi-soak-in-mud-rub-me-down naked day. And why did these spa days only involve women? I would have happily partaken in soaking and rubbing. Hell, I could have helped out. As much as I was jealous of sharing our limited time, I was psyched she was bonding with Lili and Sierra. And I had a shitload of stuff to catch up on at work anyway, or so was my excuse for why she was minutes from me and not within my grasp. I couldn’t complain, she fell back into my life and made me reevaluate everything I thought I was about. I wasn’t gonna lie, it still felt foreign.

Tonight was going to be a little more low-key, more normal. Dinner was at eight. My place. I was cooking.

“Ash, I can smell it through the door. Hurry, open up.” I grinned like an idiot at the sound of her voice. “I’m starved.”

Me too. For one thing only. She was a craving I had no intentions of ever satisfying.

“For what?” I swung the door open to a huge ass smile. Fuck me, if this was what came from a spa day—fucking live in a spa. I thought there was no way she could ever look more beautiful. I was wrong. My breath seized and I grabbed the top of the jamb to steady myself. She didn’t have one stitch of makeup on, yet the glow radiating off her skin was blinding. Her hair was blown pin straight and she was dressed in skinny jeans and a short black blazer over a tight white T-shirt straining against her tits. Her impeccable simplicity made it that much more seductive.

She poked my chest. “Hey, you. Miss me?” Without a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me softly. Her silky lips against mine weren’t enough. I picked her clear off the ground and buried my head in her neck, inhaling the only scent that mattered.

“You didn’t answer my question, hungry for what?” I mumbled into her neck, licking and sucking back up to her lips.

“You,” she murmured against my mouth. Hell yeah. “But first food.” The sexual tension burst and I laughed out loud and squeezed her ass. She giggled.

“Tease.” I stole another kiss.

“Good things come to those who wait.” Her smile went a little crooked and she batted her lashes. The last month was filled with the hopes of this dream coming true. Hell, I might be able to shower at a normal heated temperature. She stepped around me and headed toward the kitchen. She peeked in the pot. The waft of steam went up into her face. She inhaled deeply and moaned. Top two sexiest things she has done thus far. And I was doing so well controlling my situation. I poured her a glass of Prosecco—not making that mistake again—and popped the top of my beer for distraction. “Better things come to those who feed me.” She spun around looking dead serious. I roared. “Ace, I’m serious. I soaked in mud and sucked on lemons all day. Look at me. I’m wasting away. And Sierra made me do Zumba too. What the hell is that?” she hissed. I laughed harder. “I love them both, I do, they’re great and I can’t wait to hang out with them again, but I’m not in my twenties anymore. Cucumbers on the eyes can only last so long before they get nibbled on.” I shook my head. She was too fucking much.

“Sounds like spa day was a blast, cheers.” I slid her glass across the counter and lifted my beer. I ignored her age reference, well, because it deserved to be ignored. No offense to Lili and Sierra, but Tal gave sexy new meaning at thirty-seven. There was something about the faint creases where her smile met her eyes that highlighted her sparkle and screamed life confidence, not to mention her killer body with a perfect distribution of firm and soft in all the right places. Our ‘dating’ gave me enough of a preview, but even without the unrestricted access, I was hoping to score tonight. Bottom line: thirty-seven trumped twenty-nine. And if Chase hadn’t practically declared Lili’s birthday a fucking national holiday I would’ve never known their ages. Age never mattered to me, still doesn’t. But for Tal, her September birthday made her the baby of the four of us, and while growing up, her life mission revolved around bitching about being last for everything. It was ironic how when you’re younger you would do anything to hit those crucial numbers, eighteen, twenty-one, but when you’re older—and you weren’t me—you wanted to slow it the fuck down. Finally I got it. Finally I wanted to fucking savor it too.

We clinked and sipped, and then I finished my original thought. “Ha, still crabby when you’re hungry.” Something else that hadn’t changed. “Go sit. I’ll dish it up.”

As much as I knew my way around the kitchen I hardly ever cooked. The perpetual bachelor stigma held true … until now. Witnessing that orgasmic look on her face when she smelled my food was enough to make cooking my new favorite hobby. And she had the perfect palate. She looked like she lived on rabbit food, but she loved everything, especially seafood, a serious bonus from growing up on the coast. So a quick stop at the fresh fish market downtown while she was draped in seaweed led to a seafood paella.

“God … mmm … I can’t … this is so amazing.” The furthest thing from my mind was the dinner. The food was good, but watching her eat it was better. She lifted her eyes to mine and must have caught my smirk.

I raised my palms in the air. “Don’t stop on my account, please keep going.” If she sounded like this now, help me wait until it was time for me to eat.

“What-”

I finished her question since I knew what she was going to say before she opened her sweet lips. “What are you going to do with me? I have a few ideas, but ladies first.”

Her high cheeks pinked, but she didn’t break our stare. Then she took a quick sip of her bubbly, like it was liquid courage. “Sierra asked the craziest thing today.”

She had my full attention, not that she hadn’t before.

“Oh yeah?”

Her blush turned crimson, and she finished her glass. I definitely wanted to hear this.

“She wondered how many times the Green Giant could rock my world in a night.”

I busted out laughing for the twentieth time tonight. She followed suit. She was even more beautiful when she laughed.

“I thought Lili was gonna drown from mortification.”

“And your answer?” I was dying to know.

“I told her I didn’t call you Ace for just your monogram.”

I hoped she was full because we were done eating. Now. I slid my chair out and stalked around the table. She tipped back, startled at first, but smiled.

“We’re done.” And not just with dinner.

“What about the paella?”

“I guarantee you’re gonna taste a whole hell of a lot better than this paella.”

“Hmm.” She grinned against my lips and I lifted her into my arms, her body molding against mine.

That was answer enough. She was done with dating too. Thank fuck. Her hand inched around the back of my neck and her fingers slid into my hair. I guided us to my bedroom. Her lips brushed my neck and I turned my head. Our mouths collided and her small throaty moans reverberated deep inside my chest, encouraging me to explore further. My heart drilled against my ribs, no doubt working overtime to keep any blood flow up north. In the name of all things holy, she tasted so delicious.

I placed her down and walked her backwards until her knees bumped the bed. She scooted back without hesitation, propping up on her forearms with one knee bent. Her black blazer hung open, revealing the thin material of her white shirt stretched tightly enough across her perfect tits to expose her hardened nipples. I took a small step back to linger on her sexy as shit body. Whatever bra she was wearing fit like a second skin. Nothing padded, nothing fake.

Just like Talia. What you saw was what you got and I was starved for it. The honest expression on her beautiful face conveyed her matched hunger. I fisted my light thermal sweater up and over my head while I wrestled with my breathing. Her eyes unapologetically roamed down my abdomen and darkened to the color of chocolate, feeding fuel to my already fiery blaze. The strain against my zipper burned, surely embedding track marks along my cock, I was so engorged for this woman. Blushed and beautiful, she inched back further, inviting me to a fantasy twenty years in the making. I snapped a mental photograph and closed my eyes to permanently burn the image to memory. Picture fucking perfect … except. Hold up, what the hell was I doing? Unwelcomed visions blurred my perfect snapshot, all sharing the same pages from my old book. I never wanted anything as much as I wanted Talia, but not here, not like this. Everything here was used, overused. Shit. I couldn’t do it. As stupid as it sounded, if this was the beginning of our story she deserved a fresh page.

“Ash?” She sat up, confusion widening her eyes.

I exhaled a lungful and braced my hands against the edge of the bed, trying to figure out how the fuck to explain my sudden psychotic break, since that was the only reasonable explanation. “Umm, not here.”

She glanced quickly around the room before the realization of my dilemma washed across her face. Her lips curved up slightly and she lifted her chin toward my bathroom. I blinked and shook my head. Nope. Her smile grew wider and she pointed out through my bedroom door. I followed her line of sight out to my pool table and thought, hell yeah, that was my girl, but not tonight. I smirked and shook my head no. “Soon.” Her head cocked to the side and she laughed. Gorgeous.

Her gaze was plagued with desire, her voice almost pleading when she said, “It’s fine, really.” She patted her hands along my bed. “I don’t care.”

“I do.” She was not just another woman to share my bed, my shower, my couch, my carpet, my closet, my pool table. Shit. And then it dawned on me, my guest room. I didn’t even remember what the damn room looked like. Perfect. With enough adrenaline coursing my veins for a one-punch knock out, I swept her up, tossed her over my shoulder and jogged down the hall.

“You’re crazy,” she huskily whispered as her panting wet mouth found my chest and skimmed across my collarbone, driving me crazier.

“About you, yes.” It was the truth. I pushed her back on my guest bed. It was smaller than my king. Even better. I slid my fingers underneath the bottom of her white T-shirt, needing skin on skin almost as much as I needed my next breath. “Tal, I need this off.” Now. She complied willingly, slipping her jacket off then lifting her slim arms over her head. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” The sheer lace of her bra barely concealed the top of her round hard nipples, causing the ache in my balls to intensify and the drill in my chest to morph into a jackhammer. Her blonde locks spread across the dark grey comforter in a million different directions while her heated stare never wavered from mine. I crawled between her long legs and traced her smooth torso. Small shivers traversed her body and her breath became ragged beneath me. I lowered myself down, connecting our heat, feeling her pulse match my own. Done, I was done. I devoured her mouth, licking and sucking every inch, claiming ownership. Pure fervor shot straight to my swollen cock when her teeth grazed my lower lip. I mercilessly ground my hips against hers and cupped her breast, circling her nipple.

She arched her back and moaned, a deep sultry moan. And loud. Hands down, it topped the list as the sexiest fucking sound to ever bathe my eardrums. Her fingers gripped my hair, hard, urging me on. I nipped and sucked down her neck and chest until my mouth covered her taut nipple. The thin fabric separating us had to go now.

“Perfect.” I couldn’t control my lust filled growl if I tried. “So perfect.” Because they were. Small, soft and pliant, a perfect handful. I raised her hands over her head and gave her other breast the attention it deserved. Molding my mouth over her delicious nipple I feasted until she writhed below me.

“Asher.” Barely coherent, she wiggled from my firm grip and fumbled at my belt. “Waited ... too … long.”

I couldn’t have agreed more. I kicked off my shoes and helped her shaking hands loosen my buckle. Screw that, her jeans were what mattered and only had a button. I kissed a path across her smooth stomach, thoroughly investigating the dip of her hips with my tongue before peeling her jeans down her legs. Fucking-A, better than the fantasy. Left in black racy boy shorts, I traced the sexy as shit tat on the arch of her foot, relishing the permanence of my emblazoned initial. Possessiveness squeezed my gut. I continued my assault and tongued my way up her silky skin. Inhaling her sweet scent, there was no question—I had to taste her. I hooked a finger on each side and she raised her hips granting me all the access I needed to absorb every inch of her. Naked, smooth, bare. A crazy desperation overwhelmed me, like I had waited this long and couldn’t wait one second longer. Kneeling before the sexiest woman alive with her gaze clocking my every move, I tugged my fly open and freed my aching cock. Her breath hitched and her eyes widened.

“Please,” she whimpered. Fuck no, my girl didn’t need to beg.

I slammed my ravenous mouth back down on hers, sucking her tongue and clamping down on her bottom lip before I slipped a finger through her warm folds to circle her clit. She arched her back and thrust her tits forward, abandoned and honest. She owned me and was going to get everything I had to give. And then some. I eased my finger deep inside her tight pussy. My jealous cock shuddered. Her hips shamelessly bucked against my hand and another moan escaped her lips. I swallowed her cries, assaulting my grip on control. I withdrew just long enough to tug my aching balls; otherwise, this was going to be over before it started.

Breaking our kiss, I demanded her eyes. “I’m gonna taste you now, slow and gentle. Then I’m gonna fuck you with my tongue until you shatter.” The hitch in her breath was all the confirmation I needed. I trailed kisses along her chest and squeezed her breasts into my mouth before moving toward my prize. Spreading her legs a little wider I palmed her ass and lifted her hips. In long, slow strokes I swept my tongue across her silky folds. She smelled like fine aged single malt scotch mixed with buttercream and tasted like dessert. She squirmed and twisted her hips, stuttering and gasping for breath. I thoroughly savored every sweet spot but she needed more. I wanted more. I shifted onto the floor, kneeling, and dragged her hips to the edge of the bed. My thumbs held her open while my tongue drove in and out of her clenched core, rhythmically matching my pulsing cock. Her cries of pleasure escalated and before I knew it she was thrusting her hips against my face and screaming my name. I lapped up every drop until her last wave pulsed through.

“Fuck, Teeps. So hot. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that. Ah fuck.” I climbed her body to rest my chest against her tits and buried my face in her hair. The throb in my cock heightened and I shifted, avoiding any light touch. I was on sensory overload and needed to be inside her. I kissed a spot on her neck that I hadn’t yet tasted and lifted my head. “I need eyes.” I needed to make sure she was ready. She opened her lids and met my gaze. Flushed and aroused she whimpered and palmed my ass pulling me closer. Question answered.

“Oh god, please, Ace, please.”

I guided my naked pulsing cock to tease her entrance, not wanting to hurt her. She was tight and I was pretty sure the majority of her wetness was my saliva, but her arousal was never a question in my mind. With eyes at half-mast and tiny whimpers leaving her lips, she forced her hips up. Yup, not a question. I waited no longer and slid my rock hard length inside her tightly cinched walls. We moaned and cursed in unison. She was so warm, so tight, an addiction in the making. Once fully buried, I stilled to allow her to adjust and keep me from ending this too soon. I inhaled deeply and attempted to slow my ricocheting heart. She gripped my biceps and tangled her long legs around my back. A haze of lust, longing, and something I couldn’t describe, clouded my vision as I created our tempo. Our mouths were open, breathing heavy, while our tongues seductively mingled. Her small throaty moans of pleasure drove my unrelenting need. I surged in and out of her, worshipping our skin on skin, another first for me. A thin sheen of sweat covered my chest and her breasts. I pushed up on my arms and dipped my head to lick her straining nipples. Her hands found themselves tangled back in my hair, forcefully raking it while she bucked her hips. Un-fucking-real. I watched her sick abs tighten and release and her tits move with my motion. Her brown eyes nailed mine with something unrecognizable. There was a passion, a trust, but also a peace. Un-fucking-forgettable.

Her breaths shortened and her gasps and groans grew louder, I knew she was close. I ground my hips against her thin frame and listened to her shatter into a million pieces. Her pussy clenched and quivered around my straining cock. My muscles tightened and spasmed struggling to gain an ounce of control to revel in the pure bliss that washed across her face. She was beautiful, she was sexy, and she was mine. I thrust deeper, staking my claim. Unable to stall any longer, pleasure wracked through my body and I exploded inside her with the force of a geyser. Every eruption sent me further into oblivion, and the only thing I knew for sure … I was done.

Collapsing on her damp chest, we lay still just like that, tangled and sated for god knows how long, the magnitude of the moment consuming us. The echoes of my guttural growls dissipated, replaced by only our synchronous breathing. I could’ve not moved for an eternity. With her warm naked body under mine, my cock twitched inside her.

Her smile tickled my shoulder before she even spoke. “Definitely worth the wait.” Her giggle was going to kill me. Fuck the refractory period.

I rolled to the side and easily flipped her on top of me so I could see her face and said the only thing controlling my thoughts since the night I saw her at the bar. “Where’ve you been half my life?”

A small sadness clouded her eyes. Not the reaction I was going for, but she blinked it away immediately and smiled.

“I’m here now.” She was.

I kissed her forehead and the slight change in our position reminded me of the slickness still between our legs. Our slickness. This stirred something deep inside. The unfamiliar feeling that I was beginning to expect and that only she could give me. And this time it felt amazing. This woman gave me a part of her trust.

“Come, let’s get cleaned up.” I gently tapped her ass and led her into the guest bathroom. I flipped the switch, but instead of the overhead chandelier glow, five hundred watts above the huge mirror reflected everywhere. We both flinched, adjusting to the blinding change. “Shit,” slipped out of my mouth as I played with the switch plate.

Tal chuckled. “This room new to you too?”

Actually. “Yeah.” That earned me a sweet kiss. Maybe I needed to move.

I adjusted the water and we spent the next thirty minutes discovering my guest shower together.

Chapter 10 Dating Over

We had a shitload of making up for lost time and didn’t succumb to sleep until somewhere after two. You would’ve thought I could’ve slept in. No such luck. The sun was barely up when I cracked an eye open. Even at this early hour it was bright, too bright. The lack of window coverings combined with the pale ivory color of the bare walls reflected the early rays straight toward the bed. Note to self, my guest room needed some blinds. Actually if I was being honest, my whole apartment needed an overhaul, or more importantly, my master. Ridiculous or not, I wanted to give her that clean slate.

I rolled on my side and propped up on one arm. With blonde locks splayed across the pillow and her face turned away from me, I watched the gentle rise and fall of her naked back and listened to her soft rhythmic breaths. In the light of day, all you saw was sexy, tall confidence. But here, nestled in the silence of the sunrise she looked almost … fragile. Stupidly, my mind wandered. She had pillows clutched against the length of her bare front, as if she slept in this position every night. A woman like her had no business spooning goose down. She deserved a warm body ensuring her sweet dreams. That in itself was still a mystery I couldn’t wrap my head around. Not that I was complaining the job hadn’t been taken. My thoughts of anyone else sharing her bed pissed me off anyway. I made a conscious decision to be grateful for the stupidity of West Coast men. Not that it mattered, as far as I was concerned, the job was now taken.

I jostled the sheet slightly to admire the gradual sway of her back and the two small dimples at the base of her spine extending up into her perfect round globes. The ones that I had only begun to discover. Already waking at half-mast, it didn’t take much to reach full attention. Fuck me, she was gorgeous. I slid a little closer and tucked my body around hers. And she fit … almost too well.

At the touch of our skin she sighed, “Hmm.” Lips curved up and eyes still closed, she turned to face me and released her pillow death grip. I kissed her forehead and selfishly rolled her onto my chest, wanting her closer, wanting her warmth. She wrapped a leg around mine and snuggled in. I must have dozed because I woke to soft sweet kisses trailing across my chest. Now it was my turn to sigh.

“You awake, sleepyhead? It’s a little after nine.” I twitched at the time and she giggled. “Never in bed this late, huh?”

“Umm, maybe once when I … had the flu … a long time ago.” Flu sounded good. After my bout with the flu, never had another real reason to stay in bed.

“Well, I like it. And if we do what we did last night again, get used to sleeping in.”

“Not going to argue with that.” Hell no.

She lifted up, her perky tits grazing across my chest. She captured my eyes with a sudden seriousness and poked at my chest. “Why are we really in the guest room?”

Because I was a player. Lived for the moment and fucked for fun. Because I never believed in second chances until you walked back into my life. The litigator could have gone on and on, but the gentleman had too much respect for this beautiful woman.

I answered, “Because.”

“Listen, neither one of us is a saint. I know you’ve had other women here, I’d be ignorant not to. And I would be blatantly lying if I said it didn’t skeeve me a little, but we’re not kids anymore, not even close. Actually, it’s kind of ironic how we flip-flopped. I was the one who started too early, while you waited and made up for lost lust later in life.” She flashed her pearly whites, giving me an out for my male slut behavior. Tangling her long fingers in some loose hair that hung across my forehead, she scooted up, planting a big kiss on my lips.

She massaged my scalp and my eyes rolled closed. “You’ve got a thing for hair. Mmm. Not that I’m complaining.”

“You’ve got great hair.”

“It took forever, but glad it grew back then, because this feels so good.” Her finger dance slowed to a stop. “No one tells you those details when they’re injecting all that shit directly into your vein,” I blurted. She released my hair and reached directly for the thin faint line marring my groin. Most women never noticed. She wasn’t most women.

Her voice cracked. “No chance you’re going to tell me you had a hernia repair, huh?” I wished.

“Not so lucky.” I kissed her temple, reflecting on her fitting word choice. Chance. “Did you know ninety percent of the time you find it in your neck?” Not me. “And ninety percent of the time one round of poison does the trick.” Not me. “Go figure, what were the chances?” Just another couple cards in my shitty hand.

“Hodgkin’s?”

I brushed away the tear she let slip. “Guess dermatologists are real doctors after all,” I joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

The last thing I wanted was to upset her, hell, I wasn’t sure why I opened my big mouth in the first place. I guess I didn’t want any secrets between us. Tal had that effect and I wanted our trust to travel further than just the bedroom. It seemed like this earned me a failure mark at morning pillow talk, but how would I know? I’d never experienced morning pillow talk. Until now.

She kissed my palm that lingered at her cheek while her sad eyes roamed my face for answers. “Will you tell me about it? When?”

“Sophomore year of college. I was busy drinking with the guys, flirting with the girls, studying even. Too busy, I guess. The lump came and went, didn’t think too much of it. By the time I noticed it again I couldn’t lift my eyelids long enough to get out of my sweat-drenched bed. Ten pounds and three trips to student health, even I knew the flu didn’t last a month. That was a fun phone call home.” I sighed remembering. “I watched my father bury both his parents and his brother and I never heard his voice crack like it did that day. Fucking sucked. And being the level-headed, macho nineteen-year-old I was, I suggested I see a specialist in North Carolina to make sure there was even anything to really worry about.” Tal cracked a half smile; she knew my family enough to know how that worked out. “Yeah, he was on the next plane, had my dorm room packed in an hour, and I was back in New York by midnight with three appointments lined up the next day.”

She smiled through her glistening eyes. “Mags doesn’t mess around. I love that about her.”

“You’re not kidding. My mother was scarier than the fucking cancer.” I kissed her forehead and brushed away another tear. “Needless to say, I had surgery that week and spent the next four months learning firsthand why chemo got a bad rap. Luckily, by the time the fall rolled around I was all clear and went back to Duke sporting a crew cut. And you know, because I’m brilliant, I graduated on time, regardless. I was fine.” I winked and she almost chuckled. Almost.

I hated the heaviness in the room. She massaged my scalp harder and asked, “Until?”

“Until I wasn’t.” She bit her lip, hard. “I’ve got to tell you I was tempted to say fuck it. The thought of going through it all over again-” I shook my head.

“What changed your mind?”

“Chase can be one intense son of a bitch. Convinced me to come up here for treatment. Second round of chemo made the first look like a trip to fucking Disney, bone marrow transplant, the whole nine.”

“I’m so sorry, I...” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Look at me, Teeps.” The sadness in her eyes punched me in the gut. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Shit happens, that’s life. We’ve all had our share. But that’s the past, okay?” You’re my future. Wow, I just thought that. What the…

My mental tangent was abruptly interrupted when soft lips crashed down on mine. Damn, this woman could kiss. When we finally came up for air, her cheeks were tear soaked. “I hate that I wasn’t here for you, I hate that you went through all of that, I hate all the years that were stolen, I-”

“Hey, hey, hey. No. We’re not going to do this. Look. I’ll admit my live for the moment mentality is probably some fucked up way of avoiding the future, but reliving the past, dwelling on what ifs, yeah, that’s just as unhealthy. None of it matters. I just didn’t want it to randomly come up one day. Plus…” It was time to end this little trip down memory lane. I needed that smile back. “I just thought you should know why I hate doctors.” I kissed her. She moaned. Thank fuck.

“Mmm ... is that so?” She mumbled against my lips.

“Detest.” I tangled the hair at her nape this time, kissing my way down her neck. Her pulse quickened beneath my mouth. My dick responded in kind.

“Ooh, two best friends, both doctors, must be torture?” Her raspy voice sent tingles down my spine, yet her back arched.

I flipped her over in one fell swoop, loving how pliable she was. I held my weight with locked arms while her legs automatically pretzeled my waist. Her warm core sandwiched my rock hard erection against my abs. I smelled her arousal and felt my own wetness trail over my stomach. Fuck, I loved yoga. My eyes said that and a dozen other ungentlemanly things. Her breath caught and she bit her lip. Any and all thoughts of lymph nodes ... GONE.

“You want to know torture?” I wasn’t asking. “Dating was fucking torture. And since we’re over that, I’m going to fuck you now.”

She didn’t answer, she just moaned.

Sleeping in just edged its way to the top of the list of firsts this woman gave me.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” She covered my right hand that rested on the gearshift and turned down the traffic report playing on the radio. It was only a few miles, but we couldn’t afford any delays since we didn’t leave ourselves much time to get her to the airport.

I took my eyes off the road for a second to glance her way. She sat sideways, facing me with one leg tucked beneath her, looking awfully cozy in the passenger seat of my Cayenne.

“Not a thing,” I answered. Other than the fact that Sundays sucked.

“Then why do you seem a million miles away since we got in the car?”

“Not a million, Teeps, just three thousand.” I brought our joined hands to my lips and she cocked her head to the side.

“Hey, do you remember when we were kids, that one Labor Day weekend we moped around because summer was over? We had to schlep back to the city and we could only hang out on the weekends. What were we, in seventh grade? God, we were so dramatic, huh, I was probably the worst. Only child syndrome, I guess. I was so jealous that you lived a few avenues apart and were family friends. I hated being further uptown. I made it my job to come up with any reason to sleep over at Kimi’s, even on school nights. I was lonely, which was ridiculous since I saw her every day at school. And you and Chase were just across the street. You know my California friends think it’s hysterical that we went to single sex schools. The concept is completely foreign to them, like we were deprived or something.”

I raised one eyebrow in amusement. “I’d probably still be stuck in tenth grade if you were sitting next to me in class. Honest. It should be a law or something. The only thing I would’ve been deprived of was an education.” We both laughed.

When the silence returned, she sighed. “Remember the following Friday night, back in the Hamptons? How serious Kim was—had some big announcement Chase didn’t even know about?”

It was crazy how easily you forgot little things, the random stuff. I would’ve never thought twice about that September night, but when reminded the memories flooded back. We had just finished a doubles match on the Coltons’ tennis courts and we were soaking up the last of the rays before the sun went down.

“You mean when Kim threatened to rat us out to Pete for the dented fender on the town car? As if he didn’t know we took turns backing in and out of the hundred yard driveway.” I shook my head. “Remember how simple things were and how fucking stupid we were not to appreciate it?”

“Yup. Her only stipulation was that we couldn’t mention Sunday at ALL. She was tired of us ruining an entirely perfect day because of its proximity to Monday.” Her smile reached her eyes, reminiscing. “Her words, ‘there are only seven days in a week and only two belong to us, make a choice. Bitch about it being Sunday, or pretend that word never existed and make it our day.’”

“Talia, Asher, Chase and Kimi Day.” I rolled my eyes as I mumbled it, but not because I was annoyed. “TACK day.” My own stupid grin widened. Seemed cheesy as all hell at the time, but Kimi was pretty fucking smart. Besides eventually naming our band, she was the reason my initial was inked on the foot resting on the passenger seat of my car. So actually, she was brilliant.

“She was a smart cookie.” She read my mind.

“So is her best friend.” I kissed her hand again. I got the message. “Hear you loud and clear. But I’m not going to lie, I just got you back and I’m already not loving this weekend situation.” I flashed my blinker and got off at Logan Airport. No traffic. We flew here. Fuck.

I double parked at the departure gate and grabbed her small rolling suitcase from the trunk. She was already standing on the curb, shivering. I tucked her in close.

“Do me a favor, grab a pint or two of Grasshopper, and eat a cheeseburger this week. Little body fat goes a long way with insulation. Have to break you back into North East living.” She grumbled at my asinine remark and I laughed. Truth be told, she could probably have benefitted from a pound or two, which I was smart enough not to verbalize. Three sisters, hell yeah, I knew better. Not that I gave two shits what size pants she wore, as long as they were laying next to my bed. Which they wouldn’t be for another six days. Fuck, I hated Sundays.

The cabs started honking. I didn’t move; they could wait. Tal unwrapped herself, her caramel eyes locking mine, and said. “It’s not ideal, you’re right. But it’s what we’ve got right now, and I for one have no complaints about what we’ve got.” My gut lurched and I suddenly felt like an immature douche. She was right. “And the best part about being older, all seven days are ours.” She rose up and kissed my chin. “Did I forget to mention that starting this week, I’m extending my Tuesday evening office hours so I’m off Fridays?”

“Yeah? And when did you make that decision, Doc?”

“This afternoon, right after you let me sink the eight ball, and right before you bent me over the pool table.” Her eyes danced with sass.

“You trying to kill me? You obviously don’t want to get on that plane.” Our private conversation was interrupted by the lead pipe growing between us.

She went hysterical, erasing any residual heaviness surrounding her departure.

“Thought you’d appreciate the longer weekends,” she said through giggles.

“Of course, I will. To start.”

“Good. Done.” She didn’t hesitate, using my word. “Not so bad being a dermatologist and owning your own practice, huh?” Her flirtatious tone didn’t help my situation. Another cab honked louder.

“I hear there’s a shortage of skin specialists in the greater Boston area. Might be worth looking into, you know, from a business perspective.”

“Thank you for your unbiased professional insight, I’ll take it under advisement.” She tiptoed and brushed her frozen nose against mine. “But let’s start with this first, ease you in. You just figured out you wouldn’t combust on a Saturday night date. Wouldn’t want to send you into shock.”

Ouch. Guess I deserved that, but it stung like a bitch. My expression must have said it because her playful tone got more serious.

“Hey, I meant that in a good way. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t throw caution to the wind and rush into anything. You said it yourself, we just found each other again, let’s not do anything to jeopardize it. Okay? Ffffor now, ookayy?” Her teeth were chattering.

I stroked the length of her arms to warm her up and kissed her forehead. “You’re freezing, let’s get you inside. Long weekends sound great.” For now, it was obvious I didn’t have a say at this point. “I’ll speak to Suzie, she’ll lighten my Friday.” Or cancel it.

“Don’t do that, it’s harder for you to adjust your schedule. Besides, the earliest I can fly out is Friday morning. I’m a big girl; I can fend for myself. When you’re done with whatever it is you do, I’ll be waiting.”

Whatever it is you do, I chuckled. The woman stared at god knows what all day, yet looked grossed out mentioning my choice of profession. Most women swooned when they found out I owned my own law firm. Again, not most women. Not to mention I liked that she’d be waiting. It sounded perfect. She was perfect.

“Perfect.”

She took her suitcase handle from me and said, “Now that we’ve settled that, you’ve got five days to buy a new set of sheets, because as lovely as your guest room is, I’d like to sleep in your bed when I come back.”

I stole my word back. “Done.” Then I kissed her like she deserved to be kissed, not like we were standing in public. “Call me when you land.” She nodded but that wasn’t good enough. My brow raised when I said, “Promise.” It wasn’t really a request.

“Pinky swear.” She shrugged her shoulders and I swatted her corduroy-clad ass. She walked toward the revolving glass doors and waved behind her.

Sorry, Kim, HATE Sunday.

Halfway through Sumner Tunnel, our conversation played on repeat, and my frustration mounted by the second. I couldn’t help but obsess over it. I scraped my hand over my face and took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the road. Radio on, radio off. Shit. Coming off possibly the best weekend of my life, I should’ve been flying high. After all she said ‘for now’ twice, alluding to a future. What the fuck, I was psychoanalyzing. Who overthought shit like this? Not guys. Wouldn’t want to send you into shock.

Did she think I was going to change my mind or get bored and toss her aside when I had my fill? She knew me better than that. Fuck, who was I kidding? That was exactly my M.O., why wouldn’t she think that. The realization that she didn’t trust me settled as an uneasy pit deep in my stomach. And this time the unfamiliar feeling sucked, except I didn’t trust me. Selfishly I wanted her to uproot her life and roll the dice on me. Even if I stayed true to this new page, the future held no guarantees. Hurting her was not an option. The tears she shed when I told her about my battle with Hodgkin’s were already tears too many. And what if it came back, or worse, I followed in my family’s genetic pool?

The phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth system.

“Yeah, talk to me,” I bit out.

“Hey, Ash. Umm, this a bad time?” It was Lil.

“Nah, sorry, gorgeous. Caller ID assumed it was your other half. What can I do for you?”

“Oh nothing, I was just calling to see if Tal made it off okay. And I wanted to tell you we had such a great time yesterday. Thanks for setting it up.”

“My pleasure, glad you ladies had fun.”

“Oh, we did. And it was nice to get to know Talia. She’s so super sweet. I can see why you’re crazy about her. I have to admit though—and it’s not one of my finer moments—that stupidly there was a tiny little part of me that wanted to dislike her. You three have so much history. But I know now my completely irrational jealousy was silly, so I’m going to chalk it up to hormone imbalance.” She chuckled. Lil didn’t have a dishonest bone in her body. She was probably stewing over this for days.

“That’s ridiculous. You have nothing to be jealous of, but speaking of, sorry I haven’t asked lately. How’re you doing with everything?”

“Eh, but I didn’t call to talk about me.” Mental note, I needed to check in with Chase. “I’m crazy happy for you. And by the way, Sierra mercilessly interrogated Talia yesterday. And she handled it like a freaking champ. She gets our stamp of approval.”

“Thanks. I love that you think she’s the one in need of a stamp when we both know it’s really the other way around.”

“I completely disagree. You’re one of the most handsome, trustworthy men I’ve ever met. Any woman would be beyond lucky to have you. And from the way Tal was talking yesterday, I’m going to go out on a limb and say she feels the same.”

“Yeah, well, the trustworthy part is questionable.”

“Maybe she needs to see that you trust yourself. You’re a resourceful guy, I’m not too worried.”

I let her words sit for a minute. My text signal chimed.

Just boarded, have some sweet dreams lined up ;)

7200 minutes and counting...

Maybe Lil wasn’t just spewing shit. Maybe I needed to man the fuck up and go for it. The future was beyond my control, I’d give it that, but today, right now—that was mine. I knew what I wanted, and she was sitting on the tarmac at Logan International.

I turned right at the light. I lived left. “Whatcha doing right now, gorgeous?”

“Right now? Not much. Was going to order myself some dinner. Chase just started a case, won’t be home for hours. Why?”

“I’ve got you covered for dinner. Pick you up in five...”

“Ooh, fun. But no sushi, don’t tell Chase, but I’m sushi’d out.”

I chuckled. “No shit. I’m surprised he’s not riddled with fucking mercury poisoning.” She laughed—she was adorable. “But first we need to make a stop, and I need your eyes.”

“No problem. Where are we going?”

Good question. Again thankful for three sisters, I answered, “Restoration Hardware.”

Chapter 11 Diamonds

“You still ski?” I zipped my suitcase and rolled it into the living room. She had no idea where we were going, nor did she know how we were getting there. I toyed with alternate arrangements, which would have never crossed my mind before. The weather looked perfect though and I was fanatical with maintenance, so I couldn’t really explain my sudden concern about safety. But I loved surprising her so today she was going to be sitting copilot. Aside from a few random occasions and mostly as transportation favors, I usually flew alone, never wanting to share the sacred air time. I craved the rush of the take off, the solace, and freedom mid-air; the accomplishment once you reached your destination. Tal was as much of an adrenaline junky as me, and she’d been dying to take a ride. Done. Boston to Vermont and directly into Stowe was less than an hour, just long enough for her to get a taste.

“Funny time to ask.” She rolled her suitcase next to mine, headbanding her loose hair with her aviator sunglasses. I loved that my barefoot daredevil went nowhere without eye protection and no doubt sunblock. Ha, staples in her line of work. “Maybe you should have questioned before you sent me a winter jacket, which I love and thank you again … and how did we never discuss the boxes of HTs surrounding it?”

“What? It was Valentine’s Day, you needed a little something red.” And cut flowers were out of the question.

“You thought by me eating all those HTs I’d have my layer of insulation. You forgot to mention to pack warm and that I was going to need Bogs and ski goggles.”

I wasn’t sure how to read her cues, whether she was annoyed with the impromptu ski trip or not. Well, it wasn’t exactly impromptu since the whole family met at the same house every President’s Day week since my oldest niece started kindergarten and my sisters informed me it was a mortal sin to pull kids from school. I hadn’t mentioned the family reunion tidbit yet either. And now didn’t seem like a good time so I held my tongue.

Her lips softened and she smiled. Maybe she wasn’t annoyed.

“Can you believe with all the years I’ve lived out on the West Coast, I haven’t been once? Tahoe, Park City, Mammoth, none of them. I guess with school, then my practice and all…” A wordless wave of something rolled over her and it was obvious her conversation was with herself. I wanted to press but she mastered the quick recovery with a smile and a subject change. “God, it’s been so long, I hope I don’t suck!” She pouted adorably and I kissed her puckered lips.

“No worries. I’ll drop you at the bunny slope.” I smirked and squeezed her into a hug. “If that doesn’t work, you can be my sexy as shit ski bunny.” I squeezed her tighter. “Seriously, Teeps, you’ll be fine, it’s like riding a bike.”

She laughed. “Yeah, okay, maybe if you look like this.” She slid her hands over my abs and chest and down my biceps. Fuck it, if my dick didn’t swell.

“You rocked those diamonds back in the day,” I mumbled, trying to concentrate on something other than her touch. I sure as fuck wasn’t deprived. It might have been a long week apart, but we thoroughly reacquainted ourselves last night in my brand new Cal-king, which she thoroughly appreciated, and again this morning in my tub. I still had an issue with my overused shower, but I realized the free-standing cast iron tub my designer insisted upon was good for more than just resale value. Her slippery wet form had molded against my chest and my dick sat perfectly between her ass. If I had anything to say, we were going to be spending some quality time soaking in there. Fuck, my mind so easily wandered.

“Hey, you keep that up,” I removed her hands from their downward track and kissed her palms, “and that flight I’ve been promising you isn’t gonna happen.”

Her eyes widened. “Today, really?”

“Yup. You and me.” Another first. “And don’t stress, the house is full of ski equipment. If the jacket doesn’t work, I’m sure Avery will have extras. She’s all about looking the part, has a new jacket yearly, and I’m sure this season won’t be any different.” Her eyes went wide and her brow crinkled, questioning me. “Or I’ll just buy you whatever you need on the mountain.” I shrugged, she didn’t. Oops.

“Oh, your sister is going to be there? That’s, um, great. Why didn’t you mention it?”

“What? You love surprises and just the other night you said how much you missed Maggie. Surprise.” I shrugged, she didn’t. Oops.

“Maggie, too? Why do I feel like there’s more?”

“Because you’re brilliant.” I planted a chaste kiss against her forehead, unsure how it was going to fly. She didn’t blink, so I spilled. “Annual Craig getaway, the whole fam treks up, kids and all. My nieces are getting older with more and more shit going on. My parents, too. We don’t know how many more years Dad will have it in him to make the trip. Trying to keep it up as long as we can. That being said, it’s been a great excuse to get everyone together. Hit the slopes, enjoy après-ski, cook some good food, laugh and reminisce. Super relaxed and a lot of fun. I promise.” I was rambling, laying it on thick, fully expecting a little hesitation. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about her springing an imminent family reintroduction on me, but then again she was an only child and her parents were both dead. Shit, I hadn’t taken that into account.

She cupped my cheeks and cocked her head to the side, making her smile a little crooked. “You want me there, you want me to be a part, then there is nowhere I’d rather be. Craig Family ski getaway it is.”

Her smile got bigger and I felt lighter, like a small weight had been lifted. I had never, not once introduced a woman to my family, and more importantly, to the only four women that—up until now—mattered. This was a page I never planned on writing, let alone actually following through with. And oddly enough, I was bringing my woman home to re-meet them. Son of a bitch, what was I getting myself into?

“We’ll see, Tal.” It was the probably the fiftieth time she asked about lessons since we landed and got into our rental car. No shock, she loved flying. It was exhilarating, technical, and tranquil. And dangerous. There it was again, shit, this was foreign. Risk never crossed my mind—I never cared.

“You do realize, I’m not asking permission, right?” Her sass redirected my mind’s random safety tangent. I needed a topic change since her learning to fly wasn’t an option. And for some reason I wasn’t looking forward to breaking that news.

“Top three unexplored warm destination picks. Go-” She cocked an eyebrow, but no answer. “Somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Besides changing the subject, where are you going with this? I know you.”

Hell, I liked the sound of that.

“Just shoot.”

She paused for a moment then lifted her thumb. “The Italian Riviera, I’ve always wanted to hike the five points.” Then her index finger. “The Great Barrier Reef, wouldn’t it be amazing to scuba dive there?” Middle finger joined. “And can you believe I’ve never been to Hawaii? Practically right around the corner from me, just no time. I heard hiking through some of those waterfalls can be very secluded.” Her lips curved up seductively. Both of us flashed back to our last waterfall hike; both knowing that the next time was going to end very differently.

We weaved through the mountains and charged up the last incline before turning onto the snow covered pebbled road that led to the house. A few snowflakes began to fall.

“It’s snowing!” She beamed.

“Gotta love that about Vermont.” My smartass response earned a backhand to my bicep.

“True, good point.” She chuckled and focused forward. “Oh, this is gorgeous.” Snow covered evergreens flanked the long driveway giving way to the slopeside cabin. But I guessed she was referring to the panoramic views of Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch, not the chalet. “It’s the quintessential ski house, like the HGTV dream home.” Or not.

Stopping the car in front of the garage, I laughed at her remark before opening my door. Of course she watched HGTV. A rush of cold crisp Vermont air filled in around us. She wiggled her light blue hat down a little further over her ears and smiled. Her straight blonde hair trailed out the bottom and her cheeks pinked. She was wrong—she was the gorgeous here. Her hand weaved its way into the back of my hair, sending a surprising tingle down my spine, not surprisingly landing in my groin. I leaned across the console and captured her lips.

“Happy,” I mumbled. She knew what I meant.

“Me too.” She grinned.

“Come, let’s go inside, it’s cold. Since you didn’t follow my advice and skipped the ice cream and burgers, and the HTs didn’t work, you might be in need of some warming up.” I leisurely dragged my hands along her sides.

She eye rolled me. “Lame.”

I rounded to her side and swatted her ass. She squealed and I chased her back to my side and hugged her. “Lame, huh. We’ll see later when you change your tune.” I captured her warm lips and tongue. That was a promise I had every intention of following through on. “You ready?” I lifted my chin toward the front door.

“Can’t wait,” she answered sincerely.

It had to be weird to revisit a part of your life you thought you left behind. Hell, it was a little weird for me too. I gave no advance warning. My family had no clue either.

We stepped through the front door. The fire was burning. The music was playing; otherwise, it was quiet. Too quiet. We continued into the open living room and kitchen facing the floor to cathedral ceiling stone fireplace. Encased by mirrored wood railings, the second floor housed the nieces and their giant loft consisting of multiple bunk beds, a giant flat screen, and foosball. A kid’s dream, in my opinion. Three separate wings separated the main living area on the first floor, each with two bedrooms and private baths. There was no shortage of space.

“Bet they’re out back on the deck—hot tub, and a perfect hill for the kids to sled.”

“Asher?” Maggie’s voice echoed through the mudroom.

“Hey, Ma.” She turned the corner unhooking her scarf and removing her coat. She stopped in her tracks. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Talia?” Maggie recovered without hesitation. “Oh my goodness, it’s so great to see you, dear. Wow, it’s been a long time. Did you two just run into each other? Asher, you didn’t mention you and Talia were back in touch.”

“Mrs. Craig, so nice to see you. Actually Asher and I bumped into each other a couple months back and have been spending some time catching up.”

My mother shot me lethal eye daggers for the first time ever. I laughed out loud and was pretty sure Tal elbowed me.

“That’s wonderful. And please call me Maggie—I tried when you were kids, now I insist. Take off your coat, and make yourself comfortable. I’m thrilled you’re joining us, are you staying for the week?” Maggie was dying inside, had to be. First time her son ever brought a woman home, let alone an extended stay, she wanted to bombard her with fifty questions. Or me. Selfishly, it was the exact reason they hadn’t been privy.

“Oh, I wish I could but I have to get back to work.”

“Talia has a dermatology practice out in San Diego,” I interrupted.

Maggie’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. Guarantee all she heard was San Diego, undoubtedly worrying about the distance. Well, so was I. Then my mother said, “What an accomplishment, sweetie, I can’t wait to hear all about it, but please say you don’t have those god awful hours like our Chase.”

Tal smiled back. “I’m definitely busy, but luckily derm is a far cry from neurosurgery. Fortunately for me, not a lot of emergencies.” She slipped off her new white North Face. Mom in the room or not, I couldn’t help but stare. Her calf high brown riding boots accentuated her long legs, while her dark skinny jeans tugged at her perfect ass. And I might have just learned what a cowlneck was this morning, but it suddenly became my new favorite style. All I wanted to do was suck and nip at the exposed strip of skin along her collarbone. She continued with removing her hat and lifting her hands to throw her hair into a quick, messy ponytail. My focus moved to the smooth tease of skin above her waistband and where it led. I had zero fucking clue what she and Maggie were gabbing about while I was off in TP-La-La land until she poked me.

“Restroom?”

Snapping back from undressing her with my eyes, I pointed her in the direction.

“Where’s everyone, Ma?” I spoke first, not giving her a chance to go there.

“The boys took the babies ice skating down the road, they should be back shortly. Girls are in the hot tub and your father is lying down.”

“How’s he doing this week?” She shrugged her shoulders, defeated, and I felt like shit for being preoccupied lately. “Ma, say the word and I’ll get you whatever help you need. Sorry I missed dinner last month. I need to be around more.”

“Asher, stop it. You do more than enough, too much. We’re fine. Our good days still outnumber our bad ones. Besides, we know you’re a hop, skip and a jump if we need you. But this,” her eyes lifted in the direction Talia left the room, “is more important.” She circled the large island and ran her hands down my cheeks. A small amount of moisture had collected behind her eyes. “I’m going to let your sisters know you’re here before they prune and then go check on Dad.”

She fled the kitchen struggling to hide her emotion. My mother looked tired, really tired. She had enough on her plate and definitely didn’t need to worry about me and my relationships. Fuck, a pang of guilt shot through me. I leaned my elbows against the counter and dragged my hands through my hair. I sighed, knowing moving any further from my family than I was now wasn’t an option. Not now, who knew if ever.

“Everything okay?” Her warm touch brought me back to reality.

I nodded slightly and tucked her against my side and kissed her temple wondering if she’d ever consider moving. My gut twisted. Stupid fucking thought. I might have planted the seed and half joked about it at the airport last week, but I couldn’t ask her to uproot her life or her career. For what? For me, for this? I couldn’t even tell what this was. It was all fucking new to me and just because she was all I thought about twenty-four-seven since she walked back into my life, I couldn’t guarantee her anything. There were no guarantees, period. Being willing to write a new page didn’t mean it was destined to be part of my final book. Or did it? Fuck, maybe this meet the family was a bad idea. Tal pulled back, her eyes concerned.

“Ash? Talk to me.”

Luckily the chatter of my sisters interrupted us and I got a reprieve on talking. I figured the I’m crazy about you and need you within an arm’s reach or my head might explode chat should wait until we weren’t holed up with my entire family for the next two days. Just saying.

“Hey, Mol, Tar—hey, Avery.” I released Tal and hugged my robeclad sisters.

“Oh my god, a little warning, little brother,” Avery whined. “Might have been nice to, I don’t know, have some clothes on when you bring guests home.”

Talia laughed. “No worries, a hot tub sounds wonderful.”

“She’s not a guest.” Molly stole the words right from my mouth. “She’s Talia. It’s been forever, you look amazing and-”

Tara chimed in, “And all grown up. Wow, that made me sound old.” The four women chuckled.

My sisters were off in college by the time we were in high school, but I expected they’d remember her. They didn’t disappoint. “Glad we can skip the introductions.” Tal smiled at me, a sweet smile and my gut relaxed.

“Of course we remember, you and the Colton twins were inseparable,” Tara said. “You guys had that awesome band and Talia had that amazing voice. Do you still sing?”

Tara wasn’t asking me, but since I had recently heard it firsthand, I answered. “Her voice, like her, got even more amazing with age.” Tal’s jaw dropped first, then my sisters’. All of them. “But she thought a medical degree was a more responsible career choice. Go figure.” I smirked at Talia, whose cheeks were now a shade I’d yet to see on her. She huffed and jabbed my arm. Molly, my second mother, was grinning like a fool.

“What kind of doctor are you?” Tara asked.

“Dermatologist.”

“Oh that’s so cool … then you would know…” Within seconds Talia held a glass of wine and the vultures consumed her. I hadn’t popped the top on my beer and the four of them had retreated to the living room, cozied up to the fire chit chatting while Molly gave me a thumbs-up and mouthed ‘she’s gorgeous.’ The entire vibe made me smile, but what put me over the fucking moon was overhearing Talia tell the girls how ‘delicious’ I was for sending her office staff dinner Tuesday night. It was takeout, far from delicious, but if something so small made her happy it was going to be a weekly event. Hell, her staff changed their schedule at the drop of the hat for Tal and made it so her ass was napping on my couch when I got home Friday. I owed them a whole lot more than Chinese.

“Hey, son, want to grab me one?” My dad pinched my shoulder, pointed to my beer and sat down on the kitchen stool next to mine.

“Hey, Pops.” I caught my mother out of the corner of my eye shaking her head no. Guess it wasn’t a good day. I grabbed two seltzer cans from the fridge, leaving my Heineken behind.

“You too, huh. What does a guy need to do to get a beer?” he grumbled, clearly not happy about it. Symptoms worsened with alcohol. It had only been about six weeks since I saw him last and he looked different. His face was drawn and his normal jovial eyes were dulled and glazed. My throat tightened, feeling like a little piece of my father was missing.

“Up for some skiing tomorrow?” If anything was going to brighten his eyes, a ride down the mountain would. Man lived for it. My sisters and I were on skis the year we walked. “Would love to hit the front four with you for a couple runs. First tracks?”

He nodded, attempted a half smile and then his eyes bounced toward the living room. Talia was the only blonde; he couldn’t miss her. I ushered us over, planting my father on the nearest chair since he seemed unsteady. Maybe skiing was off the table. “Dad, this is-”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’d know that sweet face anywhere.” Dad’s bellow grabbed the room’s attention.

“Hey, Mr. Craig, it’s so wonderful to see you.” Talia crossed the living room, leaned over and hugged him so he wouldn’t have to stand. Cowlneck. Lucky Pop. When she parked herself beside him, he was still holding her hand. Smart Pop.

“I didn’t know you’d be here.”

Mom cleared her throat a little louder than necessary. “None of us did, darling.” My sisters cackled in my direction like they were five. Point made, whatever. “It was a surprise, a lovely one at that,” Mom continued. There was no mistaking her genuineness. No one could miss it, least of all Talia, whose liquid eyes shined brighter, stirring that unfamiliar warmth behind my chest again.

Pop squeezed Talia’s hand. “Are your parents up here, too?” The room quieted. No one knew about Talia’s mother, but I was fairly certain everyone would have remembered her father’s passing. It was years ago, innocent mistake, considering.

Talia’s smile never faltered, answering with a simple, “No.”

My family was well versed with Alzheimer communication strategies, including steering clear of ‘do you remember’ questions. Luckily my father was still in the early stages of his disease and mostly struggled with finding the right words, organization, or forgetting recent events, but we still tried to avoid anything to trigger more confusion. I quickly changed the subject.

“Pop, I think we’re in for a good laugh, Talia’s going to try and conquer the bunny slope.”

Tal smiled brighter in my direction and I winked to thank her for handling the awkwardness like a pro. She turned back to Pop and said, “Your son is quite the comedian.”

“He takes after his old man.” The room eye-rolled. Ha, hadn’t heard that one before. Dad took a second to pat himself on the back then asked, “So when is she getting here?”

“Who?” Mom questioned.

“Talia. I’m surprised she’s not with you. You two could be the twins. For that matter, where’s your brother, already on the mountain?” The quiet from moments ago was nothing compared to the deafening silence that engulfed us. The knot in my throat stung like a bitch. Avery and Molly’s eyes ping-ponged back and forth. Tara’s face drained of all color while she death gripped my forearm. We all watched Mom’s eyes well in slow motion. Because we knew. We knew all too well. This wasn’t a little confusion. Dad thought Tal was Kimi, which meant he had no idea what year it was. This was a serious change in his cognitive function. And a sickening punch. We knew our two years of luck had run out and next year at this time, we’d be lucky to see a glimmer of the man we loved. Goddamn it, we’d be lucky to see him at all. You’d think firsthand experience and two years of preparing ourselves would lessen the blow ... it didn’t.

Dad kept talking, blending past and present, struggling to find words, flustering himself in the process. He was getting more agitated by the second. Tal suggested we find a more comfortable spot, so we moved to the couch in front of the fire. It gave me a chance to tug Molly into the kitchen and calm her down after she lost her shit. It took a lot longer than it should have, but then again we just watched our father deteriorate before our eyes. With this fucking disease there were no two steps forward and one step back; it was full steam ahead from this point on.

I joined them back in the living room, my jaw tight, and my fists itching to meet a wall for release, expecting a bad scene. But that’s not what I found. Mom was sitting next to Dad, dry-eyed and calm, her smile aimed at Talia. Even at the tail end of the conversation there was no mistaking what was going on. Tal was cool as a cucumber, going with the flow and answering Dad’s jumbled questions, pretending she was Kimi. Her eyes were soft, her posture relaxed, and her hands had never left Pops. The tension was half of what it had been. Because of her.

Mom and I silently exchanged glances then she fake yawned and convinced Dad to join her for a rest. He needed it. They both did. The breath everyone had been holding released when our parents left the room. First thing Monday I was hiring a full-time nurse to help my mother.

My sisters went to change out of their bathrobes and I took the vacant seat next to Tal, running my hand down her thigh. “You okay?” Guilt stabbed at me. She didn’t sign up for this, any of it.

“Me? Oh my goodness, I’m fine. I’m more concerned about you and your family. I can only imagine how hard this is.”

“Not exactly the carefree good time I promised. Sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up. You’re something else, you know that? You never worry about yourself. Are you ever not taking care of everyone around you? Please let me return the favor.” Her voice was sincere. Too sincere. “Life is what it is, can’t change it, just have to live it … I’m glad I’m here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, actually.”

Son of a bitch. She blew every instinct I had to pieces. I should have told her to not only run in the other direction, but sprint. I should have reminded her that the shit-storm my father was facing would inevitably be headed in my direction. Instead I kissed her. “Did you ever consider psych? You’re pretty smart for a dermatologist.”

She laughed against my lips. “You’re an ass.” When she sat back her hands found their favorite spot in my hair. “And for the record, I don’t think you’ve broken a promise a day in your life, especially not to me, and definitely not today.”

I shook my head, feeling something I hadn’t in forever and borderline inappropriate given the circumstances … lucky. How fucked up was that?

The front door rattled and a range of little voices brought us back to the present.

“The magic of kids. They make you plaster on that smile, get up and move on,” Avery mumbled as my sisters walked back through the living room and toward the door to meet their husbands and kids.

“Unkie Ashy!” Emma ran past her mother and leaped into my arms. “Who’s dat? You brought Barbie?” And this was why they were magic. The thick melancholic air evaporated almost immediately and the entire house erupted into laughter. “Hers Barbie, yay!” She left my lap and crawled onto Talia’s. Ha, never crossed my mind, but I saw the resemblance immediately, long blonde hair, perfect tits, ass and legs. Yup, Barbie.

“Who’s a silly girl, thinking I look like Barbie? Well, I’m going to take that as a very big compliment. Barbie is super cool. Do you have one here?”

Emma leaped down and literally jumped up the stairs. My other four nieces said their quiet hellos and followed behind the Tasmanian devil.

Talia met Charlie and the Andrews briefly before my sisters took them away to explain what was going on with Dad. But it wasn’t long before everyone was congregated back in the living room, beverages in hand, and trying to make the best of the evening. Everyone rallied for my mother, kept the conversation light, and welcomed the giggling and silliness from my nieces.

“What do you think, Teeps, you and me on a fifty foot catamaran? I bet we could think of something fun to pass the time.”

Talia had clicked with Charlie immediately. It was fun to talk sailing and he was always good for a few crazy stories. Tal loved the idea of his school expansion and since I had already funded his account the ball was rolling.

Tara laughed and her eyes bugged a little. “Oh wow, girl, what have you done with my brother? Asher talking about the future. Great sign.”

I rat-tailed her with my eyes even though Tara was spot on. Talia’s eyes questioned me.

“But don’t let him fool you, he’s a softy when it comes to tradition. He won’t let a year go by without planning our dual family vacations. This week is a given, but August’s trip is always a last minute surprise. We love that about him.”

Any time she could zip it. Nope.

“Can’t keep that Craig family stubborn trait at bay though, he won’t let us pay a dime. It’s seriously annoying.”

“Well, there’s no way you can turn that down.” Talia laughed, squeezing my hand. Her eyes flitted in my direction, clouded with something that made my heart pick up. She’d been giving me these looks all night and I was starting to welcome that warmth beneath my chest.

I returned her hand squeeze and surprised the room. “Speaking of, how does Hawaii sound?”

“Thank you.” That was a complete understatement.

The way she handled my father and comforted my mother and sisters later in the evening deserved way more than a simple thank you. I fell back on the bed and pulled her down on top of my chest. My mother and sisters were all mentally exhausted, hell, we all were. So when someone suggested we turn in early, everyone was in agreement. Besides, I was done sharing for the evening.

“I threw you to the wolves and you handled it beautifully,” I teased, attempting to lift the heavy air. “Not that I would’ve expected anything less.”

“Your family’s awesome.” She giggled while I nipped her bottom lip and licked down her exposed neck and shoulder.

“I’ve wanted to do this all night.”

“I’m glad you held your tongue then because tonight turned out to be really nice. I loved catching up with your mom and your sisters.” She paused and ran her hands through my hair. “I know you weren’t expecting to see your dad’s confusion deteriorate so soon, but you have to remember he’s still gonna have his good days. And now those good days are going to be that much more important and that much more memorable. Every single one will count. If there’s something you want to ask him or something you need to tell him … there’s no more holding back. You have no reason to wait.”

I flipped her to her back and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. Resting on my hip and forearm I hovered above her. She stared at me while I traced her lips, her cheekbones and along her jaw. Her poignant words settled in my chest and touched a nerve. A nerve that was undeniably still raw. But these were the words I needed to hear. My family had done denial; without a doubt it was easier to live there. We mastered ignore and avoid too. We learned firsthand that it ate you from the inside out. Nothing but an empty shell left. This was how we quietly handled watching my strong-headed grandfather dwindle to a mere child. And sadly, I witnessed the anguish on my father’s face when he finally realized it was too late, he was too late. So when my uncle was diagnosed with the same filthy disease a couple years later, my father, the successful businessman, took a step back and made his brother his priority. In the beginning the changes were subtle, a quick phone call or an extra get together during the week with a couple extra funny stories, or a few more intellectual conversations. But as my uncle’s symptoms worsened our stops were more frequent. I was a teenager so I wasn’t there all the time, but I didn’t miss the few times I watched my father sit and read passages from my uncle’s favorite books and flip through old black and whites from when they were kids. Without fail his favorite music always played quietly in the background. His actions were his unspoken words. He was making every day count. Now it was my turn. Not only for him, but for me. And I knew without a doubt that this woman lying beside me was going to be my strength. I wanted her to be.

“I need you, Tal. I want you. And not just tonight. Yeah, I want you naked and I have full intentions on making that happen, I will always want that. But I want you more. All of you. I want you there every morning. I want you there every night. I want to watch you sleep. I want to breathe what you breathe.”

I was pretty sure she knew what I was asking, without saying the words. And if I didn’t want to get lost in her so bad, I would have talked it out. But I didn’t want to talk. At least not right now. I wanted to forget, even if it was just for a little while. She was the only one who had that power. I needed her with me. I wanted her with me. Across the country was just too far. I knew she was going to resist, I knew she wasn’t ready yet, but I was going to fight through her nerves and gain her trust. I wasn’t that playboy anymore and she wasn’t my next good time. She changed me. Or maybe she brought back who I really was.

I slid my fingers through the side of her hair and crushed my lips on hers. She moaned into my mouth and sunk toward my chest. I yanked at the hem of her shirt and she willingly lifted her arms straight up. I ran my thumb across her peaked nipples straining through her bra. In one smooth motion I sent the lace fabric to the floor. My sweater joined the growing pile. She trailed her fingers across my chest and abs, hooking her fingers at the top of my jeans. She traced the line running to my hip, sending a jolt directly to my groin. My cock painfully pressed against my zipper. Lust and desperation consumed her wild eyes. Her hand tracked down further and she palmed my thick erection.

“Fuck, Tal.” I wanted inside her more than my next breath. I popped the button of her jeans and pushed her back onto the bed. She unveiled her long sexy legs in record time only to sit up and work on mine. She was as frenzied as I was. She purposely tugged my boxers down, watching my cock spring free. Her silky thumb found the most sensation spot and she gripped my shaft. The tips of her fingers brushed against my aching balls and her thumb continued to stroke me. I growled and sucked in a sharp breath and pushed against her hand. Fuck, it felt so good.

Our mouths connected, starved, the need frantic and ravenous. I lowered her back and climbed on top of her. My hands were everywhere, her breasts, her abs, her clit. She writhed beneath me, begging me with her moans. Fuck, I loved the sound of her moans. I licked my fingers and dragged them across her warm entrance. She thrust her hips forward and I took that as my cue to slam into her heat. The earlier night’s events blurred to the pure passion of the moment. I rocked against her and listened to her labored breath. The pulse in her neck accelerated beneath my tongue.

“Ah, Ace,” she harshly whispered, obviously conscious we weren’t alone-alone. Avery and Drew were in the other bedroom in our wing.

“Let it go, Teeps.” She pulsed and clenched around my swollen cock. She gripped my back and ass so hard I was sure she left marks. I quickened my pace and let her ride the wave. “Fuck, you’re sexy.” In one swoop, I pulled out and flipped her over. She peeked over her shoulder, her eyes glazed with the aftermath of her orgasm. She rose to her knees and dropped her chest to the bed. Her whimpers and moans egging me on. I couldn’t do it. Every other woman had always been from behind, never looking in their eyes. Less commitment, no connection. Not with Talia.

“No. I want you to ride me. I want to watch you.” I needed to see her. I craved our connection. I rolled onto the bed and slid her on top of me. “Sit up.” Complying immediately and not pushing me on why I changed my mind, she filled herself with my stiff length and started an excruciating pace. I cupped her tits and rolled her nipples. Her hair fell in front of her face when she leaned forward, clutching my shoulders. My tip was buried deep rubbing on the spot that drove her wild. I tucked her hair behind her ears and captured her gaze. “Fuck, I never want this to end,” I groaned. Rocking against my pelvis she squeezed me and quivered, setting off my own climax. Together we shattered, our eyes glued, while I spilled inside her over and over again.

“Wow, that was … um … intense,” she gasped against my sweat drenched chest. I kissed her hair, unable to form a coherent thought, realizing how rough I just was. She peeled herself back, looking serious. Shit. Then she shrugged and bit her lip trying hard not to smile. “But … I’ve had better.”

Her sass was off the charts. I fucking loved it.

“Are you teasing me, TP, cause I seriously doubt you want me teasing you.” I smirked, appreciating her effort to keep me from retreating into my own mental stress. I tickled her abs, which were as tight as my own, and she started to giggle. She squirmed and wrapped the top sheet around her body. “No chance. Skin on skin.” I wasn’t asking.

The laughter behind her eyes melted into something warm, something delicious. She dropped the fabric and molded into the crook of my arm. Her eyes found mine, this time asking, “You know you’re crazy, right? And super generous.” Her fingers drew circles across my chest. “And so insanely amazing to your family. They’re so lucky to have you...”

I tasted her sweet lips and cut her off. “It’s just a couple vacations, not a big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal and it’s not just a vacation. You care so much. You’d do anything for them. They all know it and love you for it.”

She was right. I would do anything for them. They were my family, and I’d do the same for her. I didn’t say that.

“It’s just money, Tal. Can’t take it with you.”

“It’s way more than that and you know it. Yeah, the vacations are an added bonus, but you take care of everyone, always have. I’ve admired that about you since we were kids. But I have to wonder, who takes care of you?”

Was she for real? I felt beyond taken care of in her sated arms. Again, I didn’t say that. “Make you a deal, you can take care of me when we explore those secluded waterfalls in Hawaii this August.”

She smiled against my shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, Ace?”

“Sleep, Teeps. My bunny needs her beauty rest.” I felt her smile get wider.

Tap, tap, tap … tap, tap, tap.

“Shit it’s early,” I whispered groggily. The faint tap against our bedroom door changed rhythms. I dislodged the pillow from between Talia’s arms and tucked her back into my front, burying my face in her neck.

“For real?”

“Mmm,” she moaned, wiggling her ass against my cock. A small voice interrupted what was sure to be the start of another round.

“Ignore it.”

Tal’s moan shifted more towards a giggle, finding the now incessant knocking amusing. “Let her in, it’s so early she’ll fall right back to sleep.”

Tal didn’t know that three-year-olds never went back to sleep. Ever. I learned that lesson last summer in St. Martin when I let the bugger crawl into my bed every morning, trying to give my sister, who looked like a scary sleep-deprived zombie, a break. But that was then and this was weird. Besides the fact that my sister looked like she made up for all her lost z’s and now there was a hot naked woman in my bed and this wasn’t gonna happen.

“Emma, baby, we’re sleeping.” I raised my voice toward the locked door. The handle jostled again and she called my name again. “Go find Mommy. We’ll be up soon.” I was going to have to talk to Avery. Talia wasn’t used to early morning visitors.

“Emma, darling, we’ll be right there.” Before I could argue, Tal was out of bed putting on her pajama pants and tank. She tossed me my gym shorts. “Don’t want to scar your niece for life, do ya?”

I groaned and looked down. She had a valid point, that wasn’t going away anytime soon. Talia cracked the door, picked up the baby and laid her down in the middle of our bed. Emma snuggled into my side. I couldn’t stay annoyed. She was too adorable. Tal hummed and drew small circles over her forehead, cheeks, and in her hair. Emma’s eyelids were instantaneously heavy and within four minutes she was back asleep. Four minutes.

“Someone has the magic touch?” Not that I hadn’t experienced her magic touch firsthand. Yup, my mind went there again. I extracted my arm from under the comatose child wedged between us, because now it was just really fucking weird, and circled to Tal’s side.

“What are we doing?” she whispered as I grabbed her hand.

“Time to shower.”

“Oh my god, Talia, I’m so embarrassed. What time did she come down from the loft? She desperately wanted to sleep with her cousins last night. I knew she wouldn’t make it. Asher, why didn’t you wake me? Ugh. I feel terrible.” Avery poured herself a cup of coffee, grabbed a pancake from the stack of five hundred. “Wait, you made breakfast?”

“Talia did. Hours ago.” I enunciated hours to be a pain in the ass brother. Who was I kidding? I loved having the quiet morning to ourselves. The fire crackled, while I watched Tal move effortlessly around the kitchen in her gonna-be-the-death-of-me yoga pants and a white long sleeve fitted Henley. She debated—while I kept my mouth shut and breathed her in like the fresh air she was—over the need for a refresher ski lesson. In the end, she said ‘fuck-it’ to the lesson (that a girl) and whipped up pancakes for fifty like Wonder Woman. Damn, it’s eight months away, what I wouldn’t give to swap St. Patty’s Day for All Saint’s Eve.

Talia chimed in, “Ave, it was no big deal. Honestly, she was adorable and fell right back to sleep. Ignore your brother.”

“I can’t believe she went back to sleep.” My sister was as shocked as I was. Then again, she hadn’t heard Talia’s lullaby rendition of Pearl Jam.

“Tal had her asleep in record time. It was a win—I got to hear her sexy voice again and I didn’t even need to beg.”

“Asher.” Both women said in unison, Talia slapping my chest and blushing before she turned back to Avery. “I think snuggling right into her Uncle Ashy did the trick. They have the sweetest bond, don’t they?”

“Yeah, it’s called he spoils her rotten.” Avery rolled her eyes and laughed.

“I can’t help that your daughter thinks I’m the shit.” Yeah, that little girl had me wrapped around her little finger, and I loved every second of it. Speaking of, Emma flew around the corner and leaped into Talia’s arms. “Huh, looks like I’ve been replaced with Barbie though.” I winked.

“Emma, baby, why didn’t you come find Mommy and Daddy when you woke up?”

“I wanted Unkie Ashy and Barbie.” Emma slid out of Talia’s arms and went to Avery. “Mama, you know what, hers sings.”

“I heard she sang you right back to sleep. That was so sweet of Talia, but next time you need to come find Mommy and Daddy. Uncle Asher and Talia were still sleeping.”

“Theys not sleeping. Hers awake. I heard hers. Hers moans a lot.”

I fucking spit my coffee across the kitchen island before my sharp inhale caused me to choke and laugh my ass off to the point of tears coming out of my eyes. The color of Tal’s face didn’t exist in the crayon box. It was somewhere between a ruby red grapefruit and a cherry tomato. My sister’s face was only a shade lighter. And here I thought Maggie’s eye daggers were lethal, Talia’s annihilated me.

“Emma, baby, you’re one silly, silly girl.” I picked my niece up and kissed her before sending her off to find her cousins. “This one’s going down in the history books as quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Talia disagreed. “You’re an ass.”

“Heard that one before, not original, Tal.” I started to laugh again and this time Talia’s daggers softened and she started in too. How could you not? It was priceless. Before I knew it Avery and Drew had joined in and we were all hysterical. “Leave it to the three-year-old to keep it light.”

“What’s so funny in here?” My dad rounded the corner looking surprisingly refreshed and happy. I thought Tal’s eyes were going to pop out of her head, like anyone would repeat what Emma just said. I watched as Avery’s smile slowly faded and her breath ceased. I felt my own breath get caught in my throat. The only thing we could do was wait and see. “No more smiling from the four of you, skiing is a serious matter, we have some diamonds to get after,” he teased.

We sighed in unison. Today was a good day.

Chapter 12 Trust

“You look good in my bed,” I whispered.

I planned for a Cali weekend but she called earlier in the week and said she’d rather head back here. She left the reason vague, but I was just psyched she took Thursday off as well. I leaned in closer, dislodged her pillow, and kissed her temple. She was definitely awake. Her breathing had changed and I was becoming used to her subtle tossing and turning. I liked that I could tell.

“I could get used to this, and not just long weekends.” Since Vermont, I’d casually implied a move a couple more times, but quickly learned it was impossible to accomplish anything over the phone. And to say we failed at making any headway on this matter was an understatement. She perfected ignore and avoid, laughing it off most of the time. I knew what that was all about, but I wasn’t joking. Actually, I was dead serious.

With arms folded over her head, she tucked her cheek into her elbow seemingly to avoid my gaze. “Mmm, I like being here.” Her response was flat.

Okay, not the enthusiasm I had hoped for. She kept her eyes sealed shut while her top teeth grazed her lower lip.

“Tal, look at me.” I propped up and unfolded her arms. She cracked her lids. “You’ve been dodging this for weeks. I’ve given you time, but we need to talk about this. I’m done making jokes. It’s plain and simple, black and white—I’m over this long distance situation. I want you.”

She stiffened with my bluntness and her eyes bounced directly to the ceiling. Maybe I did need that lesson on morning pillow talk, it seemed this was fail number two.

“Listen, it doesn’t have to be tomorrow, or next week, but I’m not feeling a long drawn out plan either. We’re not getting any younger, so-”

Her eyes bulged on the age reference. Bad approach.

“Let’s just explore some options. I would move out West in a heartbeat, but my family is here and you get why that’s not an option right now. But since it’s only you-”

Her lips pursed and not in a good way. I sucked at this.

“I’m just saying there are a plethora of great hospitals here and we both have connections. I’m sure we can come up with something.” I completely backpedaled.

Now wide awake and obviously annoyed, she rolled away and scooted to the edge of the bed. Tagging her tank and pants, she covered her gorgeous body, the body I should have been exploring with my tongue. Shit. I fucked this up.

Aimed straight for the window, she tugged open the curtains and stared into the rising sun. “You make it sound so easy. I wish it were.”

Not the response I wanted, but at least she was finally engaging. Not to mention, it was that easy. I could have her moved and set up with a sick new office in two weeks. All right, I knew from Chase and from sitting on the hospital board that medical licensing and credentialing might take longer. Two months, tops. I bit my tongue, silently stewing, thinking I might want to hold off on interjecting my ideas.

“It’s just … there’s more … I mean…” Her voice cracked and she ran both hands through her hair, squeezing her head.

I was already up and out of bed turning her around by her shoulders. “Tal, I didn’t bring this up to upset you.” That was the last thing I expected. “I’ll say it again, I want you. Just you. Never thought I’d say that to a woman, but it’s the truth. I’m done. Done with meaningless sex, done with a life of no commitment, no obligation. Call me selfish, but I’m done with the distance, too. Actually, I hate it. That being said, I’ll take you any way I get you.”

“You don’t think I hate it, too? I love what we have. I’m so happy. You make me happy. It’s just a big change, I can’t just pick up and leave … you just don’t get it … there’s more.”

No, I didn’t get it. She admitted she loved what we have and she was happy. Argument was over in my book. Unless…

“Do you trust me?”

She stepped back, shock behind her eyes. “What?”

“You heard me. Do you trust me?” It was a simple question and one I had asked before.

“Of course I trust you. What kind of question is that?” Her answer was the same too.

My arms fell from her shoulders when she began to pace. “A logical one. You just admitted you love this and you’re happy. So I’m having a hard time understanding the problem. Unless you don’t trust what I’ve just laid out for you, unless you think I’m the kind of guy that’s going to ask you to give up everything and play you-”

“Don’t do that.” She shut me up momentarily.

“Do what?” I barked back.

So this was fighting. Aside from being frustrating as all hell, it was kind of hot.

“Twist this around. You know I know exactly who you are, and you know I trust you. I’ve trusted you since I was nine years old. Not everything is cut and dry, as you’d like to say. Sometimes there’s more to consider.”

“What more is there? I can’t read your mind, talk to me.” I raked my scalp, hard. “If you’re scared or nervous, you’re not alone, I want to help. I want you and I want this. I’m determined to make this work more than anything in my life, Tal.” Damn, I sounded like the woman. She had me practically begging. “Let me be the person you turn to for everything … and for nothing. What do I need to do to be that person?”

I was desperate to break through to her. She was shutting down, and for some reason I knew this wasn’t nerves. This had nothing to do with being scared. My TP was fearless.

“I can’t do this right now.” She stalked toward the bathroom, pausing at the jamb to look over her shoulder. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

What the hell, my flip switched. Where? She was here a day early for a reason.

“You don’t want to talk about it right now, we won’t. But it doesn’t mean I’m not gonna bring it up again. Actually, you can be sure as fuck I will.” I was fuming.

“Thought the only time you weren’t a gentleman was in bed?” Her eyes matched mine.

Bitch slap, direct hit. I might drop expletives in jest, but she was right, I never cursed at a woman in anger. Ever. Could be because this was the first time I was ever actually angry with a woman.

“Maybe I thought we could have a conversation like two adults?” Maybe my tone was a bit harsh, but it was probably the most serious conversation I’ve ever had in my life with a woman and she walked away. I laid it on the line and she walked the FUCK away. What did I get myself into? Relationships—too goddamn complicated.

With no response, she closed the bathroom door. I had zero practice with this shit. My instincts were to bang down the door and plead my case over and over. Then again, my argument was pretty explicit the first go round. Instead I took a deep breath to slow my pounding heart, the ball was in her court. This was her decision now. As angry as I was at what just transpired, I was even more pissed at myself for starting the whole damn episode. I ruined our morning (after a night that challenged the record books I might add) and put a strain on our relationship because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Son of a bitch. I’d always been the closed off and guarded guy and now I was open and exposed. I was questioning my change.

I paced for several minutes; it did squat. I dropped to the floor. A hundred and fifty push-ups did less. The shower water continued to beat against the tile and all I really wanted to do was strip down and join her. But I wasn’t stupid enough to think that would fly. I needed a solid hour with the bag to work out some of this energy. I glanced at the clock. I had to be at the office by nine to deal with a huge client—Fred-fucking-Flintstone to be exact, followed by a mandatory hospital board meeting at eleven. Shit, the gym wasn’t an option either. Back to being a gentleman, I used the guest room shower. How was that for irony? This whole time I thought she was only a chapter behind and slowly catching up, but now I wondered if she was reading a completely different book. Maybe a move wasn’t ever in her plan. Maybe a long distance relationship was enough for her. What the hell ever happened to ticking clocks and shit like that? Oh right, she wasn’t like every other woman. Fucking irony. We cordially left my apartment a little after eight. Before we went our separate ways, she suggested we continue our conversation tonight. I hoped for the chapter.

“How was Stowe, good powder? Blue said you brought Talia with you, seems serious.”

I stopped by Chase’s office after my board meeting.

“Yeah, it was fine, good, whatever.” I was distracted, replaying our fight from this morning. It was a fight, right? I didn’t know. I didn’t do fucking fights. My mind swirled. Are we serious? Good question. “Sorry man, got a lot on my plate. Work’s been insane, Dad seems to be getting worse, and yeah, Tal and I are getting closer.” Unsure why, I was still a little hesitant about talking about Talia with him. It was odd, but even more odd was the fact that he and Tal hadn’t seen each other yet. Especially since his wife and Talia hit it off and were occasionally texting back and forth for a few weeks now.

“His confusion more noticeable?”

“More than that. His cognitive function significantly deteriorated. He was in the wrong year, bouncing between the past and present. Happened in Vermont, in front of all of us, Maggie, my sisters, Tal. Thankfully, my nieces weren’t home at the time because Molly fucking lost it.”

“Ah shit, Ash. Sorry, man. Wish they were making better advances with the disease progression. Most of the research is still focused on early detection.”

When Chase got uncomfortable, he got all medical. My father considered him a second son, and vice versa. This blow cut Chase almost as deep. He knew better than the rest of us that research wasn’t making any difference. At least not for Dad’s case. It was too late; we’d entered the beginning of the end.

“How’d Maggie handle it?”

“You know Ma, she was upset, shaken at first, but Talia completely took over the situation and calmed everyone down. I’m not sure if we would have gotten through it without her.” It was the truth. She was amazing with my family. She was amazing, period.

“Talia?” he questioned.

I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but I blurted it anyway. “When Dad saw Talia, he thought she was Kimi. Even asked where you were.”

There was a time, pre-Lil, when I steered clear of all topics Kim with Chase (unless it was KimCore related). He’d come a long way.

“Oh wow, okay.” He seemed as shocked as we all were. “Fuck.”

“Yup.” I was done with this conversation. I sure as hell didn’t feel like fucking rehashing it. I wasn’t sure why I even brought it up in the first place. “Listen, hitting the gym later, you free to go a few rounds? Say four?”

He glanced down at his computer, clicked a few buttons. “Yeah, see you there.” He didn’t push any further. We had an unspoken understanding. He got it, he knew what it was like to beat the shit out of himself more times to count over the last couple of years.

I took the stairs two at a time, not caring that I was in my suit, and stopped on the third floor to grab a coffee from the Starbucks cart. The morning’s fiasco killed java time. I also bought Suzie the disgusting latte she loved and continued down the clinic corridor to the back staircase leading to the parking garage. I had a shitload of work back at the office—including the Flintstone deal—to bury myself under and hopefully distract me this afternoon.

Did I say distraction? At the far end of the hall, Talia tapped away, focused on her iPhone screen. I stopped mid-stride. An unexpected but pleasant surprise. She actually never mentioned where she was going this morning, but then again we said all of two words to each other after we showered. I was a dick. This had to mean she was exploring her options. Visions of our heated conversation became an instant blur, as my new focus was her ass and legs in her light gray tailored trousers, short blazer, and heels. Like an idiot, a smile crept up on my face. I passed the stairs and continued down the long corridor. It was time to make nice. I needed to apologize. I was an ass this morning.

Several clinic doors down, it dawned on me. I rarely came from this direction. I actually made a point to avoid it, but I was familiar enough to know that dermatology was the other direction and not here. My heart lurched and coffee slid back up my esophagus, burning my throat. Why was Tal standing in front of the oncology suite?

“TP?”

She spun on her heel at the sound of my voice. Her cheeks drained of all color and not in a you-startled-me way. She wrapped her arms around her waist as if she needed to support herself. My gut twisted and my appetite was gone.

“What are you doing here, everything okay?” I decided not to jump to conclusions, even though my mind was spinning full throttle.

“Yeah, fine,” she squeaked out.

I needed to know what the hell was going on. Something was so wrong. The door opened and a tall young man walked out and joined our party of two. Dressed in a lab coat he concentrated on his handheld tablet. Talia’s eyes left mine and went to his.

“Mom, you’re early.”

I turned to look behind me. There were three of us standing in a very empty hallway. My eyes snapped back. What the fuck did he just say? There was no way. His eyes were aimed directly at Talia. The burn in the back of my throat intensified to the point of fire. My pulse skyrocketed as I pinballed between the two.

“Um, Tack,” her voice cracked.

My brain raced but obviously wasn’t processing fast enough. My focus finally settled on the doctor. No, he was too young to be a doctor. Equally confused, he looked straight at me. His fucking eyes nailed me worse than a double blow to the kidneys. I ceased to breathe as the pain became unbearable. I knew those eyes almost as well as I knew my own. I was staring into them not fucking ten minutes ago. No one else in this goddamn world had those grey eyes. I stepped back, refusing to believe what I saw. Talia hadn’t budged. Her jaw was open and her eyes bulged with who the hell knew what emotion. She looked like she saw a ghost. I was pretty sure I had.

He extended his hand, breaking the thick and palpable silence. “Hey, I’m Tack. You obviously know my mom?”

Obviously, I do not. I stood frozen several beats too long before I unconsciously tucked the extra latte under my arm and raised my hand to meet his grasp.

“Asher.”

“Great to meet you.” He turned toward his mother, his mother, and said, “Mom, I just need to stop by the research lab and have my mentor sign off on my hours. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes. Do you mind?”

She barely nodded in agreement. He kissed her cheek and lifted his chin in my direction, another all too familiar sight, and was gone.

Tal’s mouth moved, but I heard nothing.

“Don’t.” I raised the coffees in the air and slammed them into the trash nearby. “Just. Fucking. Don’t.” Yes, I cursed at her. Still trying to process what just went down, I stayed motionless and watched as tears streaked her cheeks. The last time I saw her cry like this was nineteen years ago. If this was what it was like to feel numb, I was paralyzed. Her shaking hand reached for my arm. “Don’t touch me.” I hissed between my locked jaw.

“Asher, please-” Her voice quivered, low and broken. I could tell she was trying to hold it together. “Please, let me explain.”

“No need. I’m done!”

She gasped, pain seared over her expression. I didn’t care.

I intentionally walked slowly toward the stairs and stopped. I yanked open the door, banged my fist against it, and uttered just loud enough for her to hear over her own sobs, “And I was worried you couldn’t trust me. Fucking joke.”

I never looked back.

Chapter 13 Balance, Cock, Torque, Strike

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, sweat stung my blurry vision, and blood oozed from my torn knuckles as I punched the cylindrical bag repeatedly. The vision of Talia’s son burned in my brain. Talia and Chase’s son.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. The son my best friend believed she aborted and then spent a decade torturing himself over.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Tack: the tattoo that had little to do with four best friends and everything to do with her son. ‘I regret plenty, this is not one of them.’

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Her secrets unraveled one by one in my mind—mysterious phone calls and texts, including the random New Year’s ‘I love you’ scene—old roommate my ass, it was Tack.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Always too agreeable to fly here, making it obvious why she never wanted me to see her house, the one she shared with her son.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Befriending your son’s father’s wife. Shit, Lili.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Lies.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. My punches were coming faster and stronger. All of it, lies.

Balance, cock, torque, strike. Nineteen years of lies.

Balance, cock, torque, strike.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I sucked in a deep breath but the oxygen had little effect on my burning lungs. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

Chase wasn’t amused with my response. His problem, not mine.

“Last time I checked, you could tell time.”

I glanced at the gym clock overhead. “Yeah, well, I didn’t feel like waiting until four.” Two hours felt like ten minutes. I unwrapped the blood soaked towel from my hands and drained my water bottle.

Chase glared at me with those fucking eyes. “Any chance you want to talk about what’s eating you?”

“Nope.” I didn’t. I couldn’t. Besides how the hell did I tell him I just met the son he didn’t know he had?

“You have anything left?” Taking note, Chase looked almost as pissed as I felt. I knew him well enough to not even bother asking.

I raised my chin toward the ring and said, “Let’s do it.”

Forty minutes later we were sitting on the bench, drenched, catching our breath. I was mentally no better. Forty minutes of beating the shit out of one another and I was still breathing fire and battling the burn beneath my chest.

Chase started talking at the cement floor. “Lil came by the hospital right after you left. Remember that douchebag that she testified against and helped put away last year, that child abuse case from her hometown?” Hard to forget that scumbag’s lawyer. In an effort to discredit Lil, he exposed the fact that she was brutally raped years earlier in front of a room of gawking strangers and Chase. That was the last time Chase and I traded three minute rounds for ten minutes and ended up looking like we did right now.

“Yeah.” I remembered.

“The asshole’s up for parole. She’s heading home next week to speak at the hearing. Not to mention one of the families she’s been working with sent her threatening mail. I’m not fucking thrilled about either. And you know her, totally unfazed. Just part of the job. Chalking it up to an extra visit with her father. Taking Sierra and Layla with her, like it’s a goddamn vacation.”

He shook his head in disapproval. I couldn’t blame him. The only reason Chase was even tolerating the idea of her stepping foot back in her hometown was because the douchebag lawyer and the ex-boyfriend that violated her now spent their days tossing ribs a thousand miles away. We made sure of that.

“So fill me in … little confused here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m tempted to put my fist through a wall every time I think about what Lil’s been through. But you said it yourself—she’s made of steel. So do you want to explain why you almost let me break your nose?” This uncharacteristic heart to heart served as a better distraction than two and a half hours of self-torture.

Chase bent over, elbows to knees, eyes still on the floor, hands raking his hair. Not a good sign. “She can’t let it go. As many times as I’ve tried to convince her we’re enough. She can’t.”

I sighed, searching for some inner strength. It was all spent. This day couldn’t get any more twisted. He was really about to confide in me about their fertility issues. Now. Like right fucking now. This was another one of life’s sick jokes. Approximately three hours and twelve minutes ago, I accepted the fact that Chase and I had an intense, life-changing conversation coming down the pike. That was about five minutes after I shook his son’s hand. No way I would ever keep this from him. But right now it was too raw and he had a lot of shit on his plate.

“What are you going to do?” Obviously I was referring to the situation with his wife and not life’s latest punch in the face.

“Whatever I have to.”

Usually I had patience for his cryptic dialect, but I wasn’t feeling it. “Try that in English, dickhead.”

He looked up, attempting to read me. Good luck with that. I couldn’t even read me. He paused then said, “We need a surrogate.”

Fucking A, this day just kept getting better.

I drained a second water bottle. “As in another woman … and Lil’s okay with this?” Shit, that was impulsive. I was losing it and fast.

“What the hell’s up with you?” he asked, scowling.

I deserved it. But that was a question he wasn’t ready for me to answer. Hence the reason why my left eye was swelling as we spoke.

“It’s not like I’d have to fuck a stranger.”

Ouch. Shit, okay I knew what a surrogate was.

“We need a gestational carrier. It would be our embryo, just someone else to carry it.”

Yup, he thought I was an idiot. He stood and started to pace. Seemed I had that effect on people today.

“Until Blue realizes she has to put all her trust in a stranger, forty weeks completely out of her control. And worse—she misses out on every little kick and movement. What if something happens, because let’s be honest, bad shit happens. What then? How the fuck will I make that okay for her?”

I had nothing. “Sorry, man. I’ve got nothing. But knowing Lil and knowing you, you’ll figure it out.”

He stopped to lift his chin, the universal sign he heard me and nothing else needed to be said. Damn if his son didn’t do the same exact motion to me. We tossed our sweat and blood stained towels into the laundry bin. Since neither of us showered at the gym, we grabbed our duffels and headed for the exit. I tried not to think about my cell buried at the bottom of the bag, and what, if any, messages were waiting for me. Surprisingly my fists, cheek, and left ribs throbbed like a mother. Unexpectedly, the burn behind my chest had turned to an intense deep ache. I wasn’t sure which was worse: anger or disappointment.

We did our fist bump, hand shake, but before he split Chase asked, “So, that bad, huh?”

I nodded. He left it at that. Worse for you, brother.

Six texts and three voicemails all said the same thing—Please call me. I ignored them long enough to shower, pop four Ibuprofen, return the two hundred emails I missed during the afternoon, and touch base with Avery. She was my safest bet, filling me in on Dad’s condition, but fortunately, too overwhelmed with the drama of her life to notice I avoided all questions Talia, aka Barbie, aka Tack’s mother.

I popped a cold one and sat on the couch wearing a clean pair of running shorts. The beer was more to ice my hand and cheek than anything else. I flicked through a few channels before shutting the TV off and tossing the remote. Silence … until my phone chimed again. This text wasn’t from Talia.

Hi stranger, long time no PLAY.

Nightcap? Like old times.

Stop by *kiss face*

I considered it. I probably didn’t even need to walk down the block. If I picked up the phone, she’d be here in five. No questions, no strings. Two consenting adults needing and willing. If I recalled correctly, Angie, or was it Andie, rivaled my stamina and liked to take control. The state I was in, that sounded pretty damn appealing.

You know where I live.

My finger hovered over the send button while my head mind-fucked itself. Why not? I had nothing to lose. Nothing else to lose, at least. Except not being able to look myself in the mirror. My current page was torn to shreds, but I had no intention on creating a new one that involved using women for anger release. I wasn’t that guy and I wasn’t about to begin now. I chucked the phone to the other side of the couch and took a deep breath, wincing at the sharp pain behind my right ribs.

I fetched a new beer, intent on drinking this one, and grabbed a pool stick from the wall. New distraction. Unable to avoid the giant mirror that hung in my dining room aka billiard room, I surveyed the damage. My cheek had a small cut and my left eye was already bruising. Not bad, considering. Barely able to breathe, I wasn’t sure how I was gonna lean over and shoot. I didn’t give a damn. I positioned myself in line with the cue and cracked, pocketing the eight ball and … scratch. Of course. Just that kind of day or life.

The doorbell chimed, followed by a soft knock. Cursing, I realized I must have accidentally hit send. Time to man up.

“Sorry, sweetheart-” I swung open the door to familiar caramel eyes.

She cringed. Must have been my banged up face. “Guessing that endearment is not for me.” Or not, it was her turn to look over her shoulder. Yup, just the two of us in the empty hall.

“What are you doing here, Talia?” My body betrayed me as I felt the tightness in my chest relax, breathing easier despite the bruised ribs. “The doorman told me you already came by and picked up your bag.”

When I got back from the gym and all her stuff was gone, I was even angrier if that was possible. But her in front of me now left me questioning my brain’s betrayal as well.

“Are you okay?” Her gaze focused on my left eye.

“No,” I snapped. She blinked. “Again, why are you here?” I was still pissed. I wasn’t sure if pissed was even the correct adjective. All this talk of betrayal … seemed fitting.

“We need to talk.”

“No, we needed to talk five months ago—make that—you needed to talk nineteen years ago. I’m done talking.” My grip on the pool stick tightened.

“Please, Ace, please. Just hear me out. Don’t be like this.”

“Like what? By all means, share. What exactly am I being like?” I questioned sarcastically.

I hurled the stick across the room. Balance, cock, torque, strike. She jumped at the sound of it crashing against the wall. I didn’t fucking flinch.

“A stranger.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “Can I come in and talk to my friend? Please?” The way she said friend sliced deep, was I being a dick? This conversation was inevitable, so I backed up, giving her space to enter.

I closed the door and watched her walk to the pool table, dropping her coat and bag. With her back to me, I noticed the slow rise and fall of her shoulders giving away her struggle to calm her breathing. I kept my distance with my arms crossed. She wanted to talk then she needed to talk. When she finally turned around, she pretended her cheeks weren’t wet, straightened her blouse, and squared her shoulders. Great, Dr. Pryce was ready to talk. That should have been a small relief, knowing that my TP still had the power to question my resolve. But it wasn’t. It fueled my fire.

“Asher, I wanted to tell you, so many times. I did. You have to believe that. I’m so sorry I hurt you, but I had my reasons. And I know it sounds convenient, but I was going to tell you this weekend, I swear. That’s why I came a day early.”

“Last night, this morning? What, it didn’t seem like a good time, with me laying my heart out for you?”

“I … I needed to talk to Tack first.”

The mention of his name singed my already raw esophagus.

“So there wasn’t a single opportunity over the last five months to tell him about us? I don’t know, Tal, he seems like a smart kid. You mean to tell me it never came up during the half dozen times you’ve been here, the reason why you’re in Boston? I get it now. I get why you were always more than willing to fly out here. Bullshit it was easier for me. It was easier for you. You know that old saying ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Really? Do you really want to go there—talk about fucking fair?” What was this, romper room? Share your toys, kids. Shit, this was turning juvenile.

“I was afraid … I was afraid of seeing that look, of having my best friend look at me like you are right now.”

“You should probably be more afraid of the look our other best friend is going to have when you tell him he has a son you kept from him for almost twenty years.” My body seethed with anger, but my eyes were cold as ice.

“Asher!” she snapped. “It’s not what you think. Tack is-”

“DON’T lie to me, Talia. Don’t. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to put two and two together.”

Talia didn’t miss my choice of expert, flinching again. She rubbed her temples, feigning a headache, and shook her head back and forth. Was she kidding me, was she honestly going to try and deny the obvious?

“I was there that night, remember? Besides seeing you and Chase with my own eyes, he told me, Talia. He told me you got pregnant. He told me how he reacted, he told me about the abortion. Far from his finest moment, I’ll give you that, but then again I don’t think I need to remind you his twin sister had just gotten a life sentence to being a vegetable, thanks to a drunk driver and the three of us not having her back that night. Add that to the years of ripping himself apart with guilt over what he did to you, I think he gets a pass on his knee-jerk reaction to finding out he was gonna be a father at eighteen. Then again, you didn’t stick around to see any of that, did you? So do me a favor, and stop lying!”

She wiped the fresh stream of tears and took two steps toward me. I raised one hand and she heeded my warning.

“He’s not-”

I wasn’t listening to one more lie. “Talia.” I spoke through my gritted teeth.

“Please, listen to me. He’s-”

“Stop! Nothing you say will take this away. Just stop!” I picked up the pool stick and cracked it over my knee before picking up my beer and heading for the couch. I needed a fucking minute. I needed to get away.

“I tried!” She roared back, following me into my sunken living room. “I tried. I went to Planned Parenthood, twice. But I couldn’t make it past the waiting room. Both times I sat there, alone and terrified. No one wants to be a teenage mother, but all I could think of were my parents. They tried forever to have another baby after me—so much so, it freaking killed their marriage. Made them miserable, so miserable my dad felt the need to screw his twenty-five-year-old intern … in our house where his high school daughter could walk in and catch him in the act. I was so mad at him for everything, for hurting my mother, for ruining my high school graduation, for leaving us. Being the spoiled brat that I was, I wanted him to suffer, like I was suffering. I wanted to make him miserable. God, I was so stupid. Do I regret some of the choices I made? Yes, most of them. But sitting there, in that waiting room, that was not one of them. It didn’t matter how it happened, and it never will. I would have never been able to live with myself. I could never go through with something like that. It was my first adult choice and the best choice of my life. I won’t ever apologize for that. He is everything, he’s my son.”

I knew most of what went down with her parents and how it messed with her head that summer, but it didn’t explain a twenty-year lie. “That was one hundred percent your choice to make, Tal. No one should ask you to apologize for that. But he’s not just yours. What about his father’s choice to know his kid, Tal? What about that? There’s no explaining that.” Some lies were inexcusable.

“I told my mother I was pregnant that morning. She cried, she yelled, she held me, she told me everything would be okay ... she was amazing. She promised to stand behind my decision, but demanded I tell the baby’s father. I begged her to drop it. I couldn’t bear the thought of this baby being his … huh, ten thousand dollars and a few years of therapy, I’m still dealing with it. I went to the party that night, more to escape her interrogation. I was emotionally exhausted and more terrified than I had been, for different reasons. I saw Kimi storm off, I wanted to follow her. I should have. But then I saw Chase downing shots. He never drank like that. God, if I could take it back, I would have. It was the biggest mistake of my life, but I had no choice … god, god, god.” Talia covered her eyes and cried, making no sense. Where the hell was she going with this?

I closed our gap and lowered her hands so I could see her face. Her eyes begged to be believed, as if she was telling the truth or maybe she just wanted her skewed timeline to be true. “You’re not making any sense, Talia.” My tone was softer, urging her to keep talking.

“I pretended to be just as drunk. God, the things I said to him, the lies.” She pulled away from me and went to the window. The thought of her and Chase sleeping together made me nauseous, but I wanted her to finish. This wasn’t adding up. “He was one of my best friends, he was the brother I never had, and I lied to him. I used him. I swear on my son, I really thought I had no other option. Please say you believe me, Asher?”

“Tal, I don’t understand what the hell you’re talking about.” I followed her to the window and turned her around. “You’re confusing me?”

“Chase was so drunk, he passed out right away. I thought for sure he wouldn’t remember any of it. I could only hope. There was only one other time I felt even more worthless, dirtier than I did that night. I bawled uncontrollably, completely consumed by guilt and fear and utter disgust with myself—I fell asleep too. At first I thought the screaming was just part of a nightmare ... he was screaming for Chase like a lunatic, demanding to know why Chase let Kimi get in the car, screaming about getting to the hospital, there not being much time. I am haunted by the look in Chase’s eye when he realized what he’d done ... with me … when his twin sister, my best friend ... plowed into a telephone pole. I will never forgive myself for that, ever.”

I don’t think one kid walked away from that Hamptons’ high school party unscarred by the vision of Chase’s father frantically searching for him. I sure as shit didn’t. We all knew instantly it was bad. Just how bad was incomprehensible. But this didn’t answer why she was rehashing this nightmare? We were both there to live it, and have been ever since.

I sat on the arm of the couch and leaned on my knees. “I get how messed up that night was, trust me, I do. We all made mistakes we have to live with and I know how much Kimi meant to you. But what does any of this have to do with why you lied to her brother about having an abortion? This does not justify why you didn’t tell him. It never will. He’s been robbed from a life with his son. You have no choice now. You need to tell him.” My tone was re-approaching irate.

“Tack is NOT his.”

Was she really going to play this game? “I saw Tack with my own two eyes!” I grabbed the back of my head and squeezed. “Goddamn it, Tal!”

“You said it yourself. They all look the same!”

What.

The.

Fuck.

She shook and sobbed. The sounds escaping through her lips were gut wrenching. But not enough for me to feel anything. My breath that had been coming in short, fast bursts, ceased. I was numb and paralyzed. Again. After several long seconds I had to remind my brain to breathe before calmly uttering, “What?” As in, what the hell was she talking about?

She attempted to pull herself together; it was futile. She began to speak almost incoherently through her crying. “The day my parents told me they were getting a divorce, I was beside myself. We were supposed to have our last gig at that place on Mott Street that night, but Constance made Chase and Kimi go to one of those debutant things out of town, so we canceled at the last minute. You wanted to take me to the movies, god, I wish I would have gone with you.” Her tears began to slow, but she was a million miles away. “Instead I decided to try out self-destructive, huh, and guess what … I succeeded. In grand fashion. I went to one of our over-the-top graduation parties—parents rent the club, the whole nine—the ones we swore we’d never go to, we hated that scene. So freaking entitled … so stupid. I had no business being there. I mean really—the one and only time I drank more than two beers, I ended up puking my guts up cuddled on your lap, feeling like death. But that memory didn’t stop me from wanting to drown in self pity that night.” She shook her head, her face expressionless. Her emotions were all over the place. It was hard to keep up. “Let’s just say it didn’t take much to twist my arm. I barely took half of it. But I also didn’t really care. It probably wasn’t even a full effect, but it was enough to send me soul searching. I wound up down on Mott anyway. I loved that place. I loved the acoustics and how our music sounded there. That stage gave off such an intimate vibe. I was always pinned up against your drums, like you were holding me up. I loved how I felt on that stage … confident, invincible, and beautiful.”

“You were all of those things.” My response was involuntary, it just slipped out.

Her glassy eyes widened for a second before she cinched them shut. She leaned against the window and wrapped her arms around her thin waist.

“Ricky, the manager, saw me sitting alone and made a comment about being underage unless I was ‘on the clock.’ You remember him, right? Nice guy, always knew how much I loved to sing.” She looked over at me for acknowledgement. “Well, I got on that stage … and it was amazing. Of course it wasn’t the same without you guys, but being up there, uninhibited and hypersensitive; the lyrics poured from my soul. It was probably the performance of my life ... and my last.”

I didn’t know why, but I walked toward her and wiped a few remaining tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes again. But this time when she spoke, she sounded completely detached, as if the words were not her own. I thought she was far away before, but now she seemed to be in another universe.

“When I stepped off that stage and he approached me, I was shocked. Mostly because he was even there. The place wasn’t exactly up to Jack Colton’s standards. Not to mention he and Constance hated that Kim and Chase were part of the band. He always gave me the creeps, but that night it was oddly comforting to see a familiar face. It was obvious I was upset and he was actually … nice. I spilled my guts in between tears. I told him about my parents and how I had acted like a slut in hopes it would get back to my father and make him feel like shit. It felt good to say it all out loud. And he was just … nice.”

Chase’s father was a lot of things, but nice was not one of them. The man did not have a kind bone in his body. I swallowed hard, feeling sick to my stomach, not wanting to process where she was going.

“I remember feeling guilty for all the times we badmouthed him, thinking that Chase and Kim parents were the worst. Can you believe that?” She wasn’t asking, more like scolding herself. “He convinced me to stay the night at their apartment since I was probably not in the best shape to go home. Said he hoped another father would do the same for Kim. So when I found myself at their kitchen island, just like I had been a million times before, I felt safe. It felt comfortable. I remember being relieved that my high was coming to an end, or so I thought. He handed me a glass of wine to calm my nerves, said we were close enough to twenty-one. And well, the rules never did apply to him, did they?” She exhaled with disgust. “Instead, two sips added to my already altered state and intensified the high. Everything was accentuated tenfold. And somewhere along the way his supportive words turned into something else ... he turned into someone else. He wasn’t my best friend’s father anymore. I didn’t know who he was, but he was whispering things I’d never imagined in my ear, promising to take away the pain.”

The intense pressure behind my eyes started to pulsate. Any moment a vessel was going to rupture, leaving my pooled blood to boil.

Jack Colton was lucky he was already dead.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but I heard every word.

Crystal fucking clear.

“I knew it was wrong. It felt wrong. I hated it. Every single second. I was screaming at myself on the inside, but I never said no … I never said no.”

She slowly peeled open her eyes, terrified to look at me. Time stood still.

“Please, Asher, say … something. Please,” she gasped like she was in physical pain. Her shaking legs buckled and she sank to the floor.

I had no words. Not one syllable. Instead I clutched her against my chest as tight as humanly possible and carried her to the couch. The ache of my bruised ribs was nothing compared to the pain in my chest, the devastation—on so many levels.

When her quiet sobs ended, she touched my torn cheek and said, “I’m so, so sorry that I lied to you. I never wanted to hurt you. But you have to understand, I’ve spent a lifetime protecting my son from the truth. I couldn’t risk rocking his world until I knew what this was between us. It was never about trusting you. I have always trusted you, I needed to trust in us.”

My fury was no less, but it was aimed in a different direction. I believed her, every word.

“I believe you.”

Talia sighed and dropped her shoulders, relief written all over her face. But I was far from relieved.

“Why?”

Her tortured eyes told me she knew exactly what I was asking. I needed to know.

As screwed up as it was, I followed Talia’s logic. I got that she refused to believe that piece of shit raped her, based on a technicality. I got that in desperation she seduced Chase, knowing that their entire family were clones and there would be no denying the relation. I got that losing Kimi shredded her, and she needed to disappear after Chase’s reaction to her pregnancy bomb. I got that she blamed herself and had accepted responsibility for her entire situation. I didn’t agree with any of it, but I got it. I got her, I knew her.

What I didn’t get was why she stayed away. The Talia I knew was exactly how she depicted herself on stage—she was confident, invincible, and beautiful. Confident enough with time to tackle her pain and humiliation. Invincible enough to survive her mistakes and forgive herself for deceiving Chase, and recognize who was really to blame. And beautiful enough, inside and out, to make things right with us—her best friends, her son’s brother. More than anything else, I knew the woman holding my face was still that same woman. That woman didn’t keep a twenty-year secret. That woman wouldn’t share my bed for months and lie to me. So the question remained, why?

“California was Mom’s idea. She thought it would be a fresh start for both of us. And even though I never told her who he was, well, at least not right away, she supported me. I couldn’t have done it without her. I wish I could say the same for my father. We barely spoke. It was really hard at first, being the disappointment, being the pregnant girl on campus. But the moment I held my baby in my arms, nothing else mattered. Nothing. He was perfect. Sweet and innocent, trusting, and fun. He was Tack. He was my world. And still is.” A breathtaking glow radiated from her face when she talked about her son.

“I still don’t understand why you never came back? As pissed as he would have been at first, you know Chase would have had your back.” There was not a doubt in my mind that Chase would have stepped up and pretended if he had known the truth. And he would have been the first in line to deal with his perverted piece of shit of a father, after me.

“I did.”

I expected anything other than those two words.

“At first I was embarrassed, then life got crazy, juggling college and a toddler. I had to take summer courses to make up the time I missed. Time just kind of flew by, but when Kimi…” She paused, her pain was raw. “It was the first time I saw my father in three years. He actually came to California to deliver the news in person. In a way, Kimi’s death gave me back my father and gave Tack his grandfather. Once he laid eyes on Tack, he saw what you saw. At two and a half, it was already obvious. He broke down, but never asked. In the end it was my father’s words that changed my mind. ‘That young man has to bury his twin sister next week, and god knows I haven’t been a good enough father or earned the right to give you advice, but if there was ever a day to let him see Kimi’s smile again, the time is now.’ My father was right and not just about their identical smiles. Every day a little more Kimi came out in Tack, as if God handpicked all of her best qualities and gave her back to us, wrapped in a tiny little person. Chase deserved to share in that gift. And I knew you both would help protect my little boy from that monster. Deep down, I knew Chase would eventually forgive me...” Yeah, she knew him. “After you made him.” She knew me better.

“I didn’t see you at the funeral. And not because I wasn’t looking, Tal, because I was.”

Her eyes pooled with tears again, but she didn’t let them spill, rather she blinked them away and took a deep breath before she delivered the final blow. Or so I thought.

“It broke my heart … not being able to say goodbye, not having the chance to make things right with Chase, not seeing you. He stole that from me, too.” She tried to shift her gaze from mine, but I captured her chin between my fingers.

“Talia?” My voice was not my own, it was steady and controlled. I didn’t want to lose her.

Her answer sent chills down my spine. “I. Hate. Him.”

“Talia?”

“The day before the funeral, without me knowing, my father called Jack. He thought he was doing him a favor, father to father; giving him time to prepare his family, lessen the shock. He still assumed Tack was Chase’s. When that monster walked in, he took one look at Tack and one look at me and screwed me worse than he did the night he stole my virginity.” Her words knocked the wind out of me and I ground my teeth, because it was better than the alternative. “Yeah, you surprised? I wasn’t as slutty as everyone thought—good cover for my immature daddy issues. I was just a whole bunch of talk and no action.” Talia sensed my irrational rage. My blood officially boiled. She palmed both of my cheeks and forced me to look her in the eyes. “Stop. Don’t give him the satisfaction. He’s dead. He can’t hurt me ever again. Please stop, you’re shaking. You have to calm down.”

“Tell me what he did to make you disappear and change your name, and I’ll consider not exhuming his corpse to rip what’s left apart piece by piece.”

“Please, don’t. It was years ago. It’s over. It’s done, Asher, please.”

“Tell me,” I hissed.

“He knew, the whole time, he knew … he didn’t even wait for my mother to usher Tack out of the room before he unapologetically announced that screwing me wasn’t worth the trouble of dealing with this shit.” Her voice quivered, but she paused to rein it in. “Those were his words, he referred to my son as ... shit. It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I’m haunted by the look on my father’s face when that bastard said he did me a favor, said I was a tease who was begging for it the way I performed on stage, that he saved me from going home with some random low-life trash that night.” She cringed when she enunciated the words ‘begging and performed.’ “In the same breath, he cursed me for being stupid and not taking care of my situation when I had the chance. He was furious that I had the audacity to show my face back in his circle and told me if I knew what was good for me I’d take my bastard child and go back to California. He knew about Tack all along. I didn’t know how he knew, but he did...”

I interrupted, needing clarification, because I was about to spit fire. “And your father just sat there?” Another man lucky he was already six feet under.

“God, no. Actually the complete opposite, my father was completely crazed. He looked seconds away from having a massive coronary. I had to physically refrain him from attacking him. I had never seen my father so distraught. See by then, I had three years to come to terms with how sick and twisted Jack Colton was. I already hated him. My dad had no idea. I was actually relieved he wanted nothing to do with Tack. I wanted him nowhere near us. I told him he didn’t need to worry, that I’d rather die than tell my son who his father was, and that after Kim’s funeral, he would never see me again. He could forget we even existed … but that wasn’t good enough. I never dreamed he could do or say anything else to make me hate him more … I was wrong. So wrong.”

She leaned her head against the back of the couch and turned her head to face me. She looked vacant. Like she could see through me. Her voice was raspy and strained. “He said if I knew what was good for me and Tack, I would go back to California and change my name. Not just stay away, but disappear, as in off the grid, his grid. My father cursed him and threatened to make him pay. That monster didn’t even blink when my dad used the word statutory rape. Just stood there like he held all the cards … because he did. So much for empty threats. Jack rambled on about some investments they were involved with together and how the pyramid was about to crumble. He mocked my dad for how stupid he was not to realize his name was inked on every fraudulent document.”

“The Ponzi scheme.”

“Yep. Then he said the fate of my life, Tack’s life, our life together was in the palm of my father’s hand. We either disappear or he would let the whole thing fall. They’d both lose a fortune, but my dad would face prison time. Prison! I couldn’t let my father go to prison.”

“Son of a bitch. When it all finally came down, Chase bailed his sorry ass out from that pile and I helped keep HIM out of prison!” The irony of the sick situation twisted the knife already in my gut.

“My father was ready to take the fall, he didn’t care. He was willing to do that for me. He said I sacrificed enough and he was proud of the woman and mother I had become. I would’ve never let him do that. I couldn’t. And it wasn’t until the monster’s final words that my father finally agreed. We had to leave; there was no other option. He…” She tucked her knees to her chest and began to rock slightly. Her eyes welled yet again, but this time they were full of fury. “He had evidence.”

I didn’t think my insides could burn any hotter. My fists ached to meet contact with something, anything.

Balance, cock, torque, strike.

“What if it’s still floating around? I know he’s dead, but what if he didn’t destroy it, what if it’s still out there? Oh god, what if Tack ever saw it? Oh god.” Her fury turned to panic. She was losing it. I knew the feeling.

“Tal, stop. Please. Look at me.” Her wild eyes were frantic and searching. “Look at me, Teeps.” I cupped her cheeks just like she had done to me not just a few minutes ago. “Calm down and tell me.”

“He took pictures of me, that night, ahhh! I remember so clearly his beady grey eyes turning almost black as he spoke. His glare was so intense I felt it penetrating my bones. He threatened to expose them to the world if I didn’t go—we didn’t go.”

“That bastard not only violated you, he documented it, son of a bitch! And then he forced you to change your identity, taking you from us.”

Her spacey eyes caught mine before she collapsed like a lead weight against my chest, trembling. Her erratic heart beat in time with mine. Inhale. Exhale. We both struggled to regulate our breathing. I thought maybe she was done speaking, she seemed like she had nothing left. I wasn’t done. I was far from being done. I gently swept beneath her eyes to wipe away the sorrow, the anguish, the fear my Talia had lived with for so long. Too long. No more. I squeezed her tighter reminding myself she was here now. But I wasn’t sure I was going to get past the fact that he singlehandedly stole nineteen years away from us and from us knowing Tack.

She sat up a little, begging my fiery eyes to meet hers before she continued, “He gave us twelve hours. He actually set a time stamp ... he said if we were to ever walk on his sidewalk, let alone come within a hundred mile radius of the air he breathed, or if I betrayed him to stay for Kimi’s funeral, he would screw us over even harder. The scary thing was we had no idea what he was capable of. There was no way I could risk calling his bluff. Not when there was more than just me involved. Tack and I had to disappear. It was easier. It was the only choice. There was no way I would allow him to grow up anywhere near that monster. He deserved better, we both did.” Her voice was quieter now. She took my hand in hers and gently stroked across my tender knuckles. At this point I had nothing else to say, my mind was made up. I knew what I had to do.

“My dad arranged for us to go back to California the morning of the funeral, promising that he would fix everything, that he just needed a little time. I never got to say goodbye … she was my best friend. We may not have shared blood, but I considered her my sister, and I never said goodbye. That devastation was hard to get over, I’m not sure I really ever have. But I had the support of my parents, and even though they weren’t together, in their own way they were both instrumental in helping us. My mom was there for me emotionally. She was my rock when I was surrounded by nothing but piles of scattered pebbles. That’s how I felt a lot of the time, scattered and overwhelmed. I had so much on my plate. I never knew if I was coming or going. My mom grounded me. Honestly, if it weren’t for her I’d probably still be floundering. She forced me to pursue my goal. There were so many times I wanted to give up. I mean really—a single mom raising a toddler while in medical school was unheard of. Tack was my only true motivation. I wanted him to have what I had been lucky enough to have and more. I always felt I had to overcompensate because he never had a real male role model. I made a decision early on that I would keep my personal relationships away from him. He didn’t need men coming and going. I don’t know if that was the right decision or not, but I never wanted him to get attached to someone and then it not work out between us. As he got older he did meet a couple of my boyfriends, but at that point he was doing his own thing and didn’t pay as much attention to what I was doing. In the end, it seemed I did better single, or I guess I just never found the right person.”

Was I the right person?

“Fortunately, my dad was there for me financially. You know better than anyone, he wasn’t able to fix Colton’s mess—it was too far gone. It might have been the only decent thing he ever did, but Jack must have kept his word, because when it finally came out, my dad was dropped from the investigation almost immediately.”

She was right, I did know, but instead that pompous bastard tried to cover his own ass and Talia’s dad got lucky that most of the evidence had been shredded.

“He may have escaped an indictment, but he still lost everything, like every other investor. He knew it was inevitable. He insisted that Tack and I weren’t starting out in debt, so he not only paid my college tuition in full but set up a trust to cover medical school. God, the guilt and stress he carried on his shoulders his last few years.” She inhaled deeply. “It had to contribute to his heart disease.”

I kissed our joined hands.

“With Dad gone, I needed to provide for us and my mom, and I couldn’t bear missing out on any more of Tack’s childhood. Derm might not have been my first choice but it allowed me that flexibility. Tack was my life, still is. I would never change my decision to go. We did what we had to do at the time and never looked back. My life in New York just could no longer exist. Talia Prince no longer existed.”

Chapter 14 To TACK

We finally peeled our bodies from the couch and made it into the kitchen, downing two water bottles. Dehydration had set in, Tal from crying, me from losing half my body weight in sweat. It didn’t stop me from opening a bottle of wine. We needed that, too. Luckily the pizza joint around the corner delivered because neither one of us were in any frame of mind to go out.

“You need to tell him, Tal. I know it’s a given and it didn’t need to be said. But now he’s got a research internship at the same hospital. They could run into each other. It can’t wait. Chase needs to know he has a brother.” I tossed my water bottle in recycling and picked up my wine.

“They’re so similar, it’s scary.” She followed suit, sipping her wine. If she was referring to resemblance, they could have been triplets. “Tack’s the perfect combination of the two of them. He’s sweet and kind and wears his heart on his sleeve, just like Kimi, but then there are times, I swear that I’m speaking with Chase. He’s bossy and overprotective and can be intense as all hell."

I couldn’t help but laugh. Talia missed the worst of it, thank god. She doesn’t know Lil worked Chase over and did a damn good job at bringing out his soft side. The asshole actually used words like pure sweet and baby, like all the time.

“His smile and those eyes, they were a daily reminder of everything I left behind. I missed you all so much. You don’t know how many times I wanted to contact you. I even looked you up … you were easy to find. I saw you won Boston’s junior associate of the year.”

She smirked and something stirred within me. She looked me up, not Chase, not her son’s brother. Damn, I wished she’d made that call. I received that stupid award years ago, around the time I heard about her dad passing. Maybe we wouldn’t have lost all this time.

“But even with the threat to my dad gone, I couldn’t do it … I couldn’t risk Tack’s happiness. He was so well adjusted. I couldn’t risk that bastard screwing with his life. Besides so much time had passed I was sure you and Chase were settled. To be honest, a part of me was afraid you might not want me traipsing back into your lives.”

“You could have, I wish you would have-”

“Believe me when I tell you, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t somehow weave you all into our lives. I shared an infinite number of stories with Tack. Some funny ones, some serious. But all focused on the importance of hard work—nothing comes easy, finding a passion and pursuing it, and the significance of friendship and how valuable it is. He hasn’t really met you, but trust me he already knows you.” Moisture built behind her eyes. “You know how Kimi loved Chase so much, they had this pure and selfless love that only a brother and sister could have? It was beautiful; it was something that could never be broken. I think she would have loved Tack just as much. I miss her. I wish she were here to meet her brother.”

“She knows, Tal, I believe that.” My own eyes welled. The sheer magnitude and range of emotions released from both of us was both physically and mentally exhausting. We were spent and needed a break. This day from hell needed to be over.

“I believe it, too. I have to. It’s gotten me through a lot of rough patches over the years. I wanted Tack to know the truth. He deserves to know he has more family than me and I don’t want him to miss out anymore. I’m done living this lie, this secret. Jack’s dead and I don’t have to and I don’t want to. I want us ... and if I made you question us before, I am so sorry, I never meant to. More than anything, I want all of us.”

Was this her way of telling me what I’d been dying to hear? I sighed and finally breathed without the crushing pain shooting through my ribs. I loved this woman.

“I think you’re going to love Tack. He’s us.” He’s you, that was enough. “All of us in one, well, not-so-small package.” I smiled for the first time tonight. Her description of her kid was adorable. He towered over her. But then again, he wasn’t really a kid anymore. She just kept rambling, nothing but pride in her eyes. “Everything. Including all our favorite obsessions. I taught him everything. Guess what his favorite candy is?” I smiled. “Yep. And guess what’s the only ice cream he’ll eat?” I smiled a little bigger. “Yep. And guess what instrument he plays?” My damn cheeks hurt. “Yep. And the craziest thing … he wants to be a surgeon.”

“Not crazy, Teeps,” I grinned even wider. “You brainiacs all seem to stick together. Falling from the same tree and shit.”

She laughed.

Best sound ever.

“I love you, woman.” It needed to be said.

She swallowed her laughter, her eyes drinking in my every word.

“You are it for me. I’m done. It’s been the two of you long enough; I’m squeezing my way in. Being that Tack’s gotten nineteen years of your undivided attention, I’m thinking he’s not going to mind, especially seeing how he looks at you like you hung the sun. And if he does, trust me, I’ll convince him otherwise. I’ve had plenty of practice with his personalities.”

That beautiful smile turned to lip quivering, eyes wide and full-blown tears. I tucked her into my chest, kissed her forehead, and this time, I laughed.

“Stop laughing.” She mumbled into my tear soaked shirt.

I laughed harder, and it felt great. She squeezed me tighter. She didn’t need to say anything back. I knew she loved me. Some things never changed.

“Lili’s called me twice and texted me double that. You think she’s nervous?”

“It’s dinner.”

“It’s more than dinner.”

“It’s dinner, Teeps. With friends.” It was more; we both knew it. She circled the kitchen island and refilled her glass of Prosecco. She was nervous. Hell, I was nervous.

True to her word, Talia had confessed everything to Tack the day she met him at the hospital. Well, almost everything. Some things a son never needed to know. She admitted that her greatest fear had always been that he’d resent her for growing up without a father, not to mention a sibling. All things considered, Tack handled the truth better than she expected. He was furious at first, but not with her. He was having a harder time swallowing what his mother had been through and sacrificed than accepting his DNA. Join the club, kid. Her eyes had an indescribable weightlessness when she shared his reaction. ‘I never needed a father. I never knew I missed out. I didn’t care, you were more than enough for me, Mom, and still are.’ She described Tack as overprotective when it came to her. Yeah, I liked him already. Unfortunately he wasn’t feeling as “Kumbaya” about his new extended family, especially after the revelation that Chase was old enough to be his father. But no one could be shocked by his fiery stubborn trait; he was a half brother to Chase after all. Luckily there was female DNA shining through and he promised his mom he would think about the whole let’s-meet-and-be-one-happy-family event. This was a tough one, I felt for the kid. The whole situation sucked. For everyone involved. Tal believed he just needed a little time to digest and would eventually come around. Who was I to question? And since we both knew what would happen as soon as Chase found out, boundaries not being part of his vocabulary, I agreed to give the kid the time he deserved and keep their secret.

The last two weeks had dragged like two months, especially since I hadn’t seen Tal since our talk. We hadn’t missed a weekend since New Year’s, but she had a speaking commitment at a medical conference, and I wasn’t able to fly out to see her. Damn work and high maintenance clients cramped my weekend. I was also stuck avoiding my best friend and his wife like the plague. Torture. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t exactly known for my ability to keep my mouth shut. I actually sucked at it. And Chase liked to remind me often how bad I sucked at it, since every time I was left alone with Lili I pretty much proved it by letting shit slip, especially that first year when they were getting to know each other. I always had good intentions, but I couldn’t help myself, diarrhea of the mouth. If I got started, shit just poured out. I liked to blame it on my livelihood. I did solemnly swear to always tell the truth, nothing but the truth, yada yada. Whatever, it all worked out in the end and now she was family. Luckily time was up, I didn’t have to worry about spilling the beans on this situation to them anymore. They were coming over tonight for dinner, Tal’s idea. She called it; enough was enough.

I peeked down at my watch, an hour and twenty-three minutes. I tried to keep chopping, but the jasmine and mint radiating off her scrumptious body was too distracting.

“Ace,” she whined when I slipped my garlic stained fingers under her silky robe. “I’m going to smell like garlic and ginger.” I found her mouth and tongue and took my time. “Let me go,” she mumbled into my mouth, but did nothing to push me away.

“Nope,” I groaned back. “We have time.” Kind of. Not really. Her desire to ‘soften the blow’ involved asking Lil what their favorite foods were. I bailed on rolling my own sushi, well, because that was just dumb. With my luck I’d serve bad raw fish and everyone would wind up puking and shitting their brains out. No thanks. But I made a mean teriyaki sauce. Add in a few dumplings that I had yet to roll and we were serving a full Japanese spread. Wasn’t my first choice, nor did I think either one of them was going to stomach eating after Tal said what she had to say, but it didn’t matter. Menu prep kept Tal busy and distracted most of the day, now it was my turn.

“I just dried my hair.”

“Not a problem,” I chuckled, loving that she couldn’t turn me down, “that’s what a genital shower is for. Won’t mess up a strand.”

She burst into laughter. “The huh?”

I loved her laugh.

“You’re wasting time. I’ll show you in a few.” Because that was about how long I was gonna last with her looking so sexy. Did I mention it had been two weeks? Two really long weeks. I carried her back to my room. Her giggles slowly diminished to an open jaw when she saw how hungry I was and not for a bento box. Or well—I meant not that type of box. Um, I meant for her box. Fuck, you know what I meant. She coaxed me closer, pulling me down on top of her, connecting our mouths. Damn, she was just as starved and more than ready to get down to business. I slipped the silk material down her shoulders and kissed her neck.

“I like that you’re not dressed yet.” Her pulse quickened under my lips.

“I should be, they’re gonna be here soon.” I nipped and sucked my way toward her tits. She arched in response. I smiled. She wasn’t worried, or at least not right this second. I continued my downward track. Her nipples peaked under my warm breath. I traced her sexy abs with my tongue and dipped below her lace underwear. She lifted her back off the bed forcing our eyes to meet. She cupped my chin and connected our mouths. “Let’s do this together.” I felt her smirk against my lips. “Saves time.” Hell yeah. She flipped her body and pushed my sweats down my thighs. “Mmm, I like that you’re commando.”

“I need you the same.”

“Not a problem.” She smiled, parroting my words.

I rolled to my back and made her just as commando as me. Positioned her knees on either side of my head, I inhaled the only smell that mattered. Screw Heineken—bring on the single malt scotch. She rocked back slightly, giving me better access as she gripped me at my base. She dragged her thumb up and down my underside before swirling her tongue along the tip. Her long blonde hair brushed against my thighs as her head dipped up and down, taking my dick deeper into her mouth. An incomprehensible curse left from somewhere in the depths of my throat. I tugged her thighs back and lifted my head, starved for her taste. Forget finesse, I lapped and plunged as if it were my last meal. Her taste, her smell, the sounds of her stifled moans, the feel of her warm mouth working my cock. Sensory overload. I was so close. But there was zero chance I’d let go before her. I dragged my thumb through her wetness and back toward her tight ring. Seeking entrance, her entire body tightened and her movements stilled. Her moan vibrated against my dick and her thighs started shaking. Somehow in my frenzied haze, I made a mental note. I followed her cues and continued my assault. The ache in my balls intensified while my hips unconsciously bucked begging for her to continue.

“Yeah, TP, I’m close.”

Her wet hot mouth started sliding over my pulsing erection again and I felt her smooth slick walls begin to clench. I clamped down over her sweet spot and that was all either of us needed to fall over the edge. The edge where slipping over always ended in complete ecstasy. We swallowed each other’s climax without holding back, shuddering and moaning in satisfaction. The arm she was holding herself up with gave way and she rolled off of me, collapsing on her back, her hair tangled between her arm and my thigh.

“How’s your hair?” I couldn’t help it.

“Fuck it.” She panted.

I burst into laughter. “That a girl.” My girl.

She bounced back from her bliss and hopped up looking so serious, yet frazzled. “Shit, how much time do we have?” She hardly ever swore. Her eyes were glassy, her high cheeks were rosy, and her lips were a little swollen and cherry red. I loved that I made her that way. “Get up, we’ve got to hurry.”

“What? No post sex cuddling? I’m missing out on you telling me how amazing that was.”

“Asher,” she snapped, obviously not feeling the post cuddle.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming. Well, not really. I already did that.” I laughed again. It was just too easy.

“God, Ace, seriously. This is important.”

“Just trying to keep it light, Tal.” I might have been able to erase her nerves temporarily, but they were back with a vengeance. “You go rinse off and get ready. I got this. It only takes me five minutes to shower and dress. We’ll be ready, promise.”

“Thanks.” She smacked my lips with hers and ran toward the bathroom. “Hey, Ace?” She stopped at the jamb and turned around. “That was better than amazing.”

She closed the door, and damn, did that smile creep up my face. Together, we had come so far. We were in a good place right now. Strike that, we were in a great place. No more secrets, no more lies. We had a few obstacles ahead—me winning Tack over being one of them, the other getting through tonight. But I knew once it was off her chest we would both feel lighter. Chase was one intense son of a bitch, but with a heart of gold when it came to those who mattered. And Tal mattered, no doubt. He’d eventually forgive. My only concern was how much of a prick he was going to be in the meantime. Best friend or not, he wasn’t getting much leeway. None, to be precise. Tal was mine. He’d just have to deal.

I threw on a pair of shorts and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. The lingering scent knocked me right back to reality. Sex and garlic. Yup, I had a job, back to dinner prep. On second thought, I joined my woman for a quick shower.

Talia paced the kitchen on her second glass of Prosecco when the bell rang. “I’ll come with you. It’ll be weird if I just sit in here. Or should I hang in the living room, or should I…”

“Talia.” I interrupted her total ramble freak out. “It’s Chase. You know him. Stop it. Just come to the door with me.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.

“Hey, guys … come in.” Lili wasted no time enveloping Talia in a tight hug.

“You look amazing. I love this.” She fingered Tal’s long necklace while grabbing a white box from Chase.

“Thank you. What happened to not bringing anything?” Talia lips curved up finally and she took the box. Chase stood back, unreadable, watching the small talk transpire between the women.

“We couldn’t resist. Everyone loves Mike’s cannolis.”

“Yum, maybe we should skip dinner.” Talia smirked at me, knowing I slaved in that damn kitchen—mincing, filling and frying the damn dumplings. “Let’s go right to dessert.”

Chase stepped around his wife. “Nice to see some things never change. Still got your sweet tooth I see.” He kissed Talia’s cheek. No one else noticed her freeze, but I didn’t miss it. “Great to see you, Tal. It’s been way too long, not that you could tell. You look exactly the same. Sorry I missed New Year’s. My wife said you guys had a great time.” Between his awkward use of the word ‘wife’ and his Tarzan grip on Lil, he looked just as uncomfortable as Talia. Hmm, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“Great to see you too. I know it’s been too long. But I’m glad I’ve gotten to hang with your wife. It’s been fun to have some girl time again.” Her voice drifted when she said again. She obviously regretted it the second it slipped. If we weren’t all thinking about Kimi, we were now.

Chase flinched but quickly recovered. “I can only imagine, especially if she subjected you to Sierra.” We all laughed. Okay, that wasn’t so bad.

“Drinks?” I asked because I sure as hell needed a double. Everyone nodded. Good. “I’ll grab some, meet you in the living room. Go get comfortable.”

“I’ll help you.” Tal didn’t hesitate. We both retreated to the kitchen. I popped the top off two beer bottles and grabbed the edamame and cheese tray. Tal poured Lili a glass of Prosecco.

I stepped in front of her and kissed her forehead. “Look at me. I’m here. It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”

“I just need to tell him. I feel like I’m acting awkward.”

“You’ll find the right time.”

We joined the happy couple in the living room and thank God for small favors, we easily fell back into old times. Lili was a trooper, listening to us reminiscing. She actually encouraged us to keep talking. She loved hearing Chase stories. And there was no shortage of those. At first we subconsciously avoided stories involving Kim, but that didn’t last long. The first time we mentioned her name, the air felt heavy, but we breathed deeper and it felt … right. She belonged here, in more ways than one. The alcohol flowed and the conversation stayed light. Sensing that my woman was finally relaxed, I headed for the kitchen and finished up dinner. And since my pool table inhabited the dining room area of the loft, I set the granite-topped island that jetted between. Whatever, it worked. After all, this was technically my first dinner party. I made my second mental note of the day, after Tal enjoying anal play of course, to ask Tal if she wanted me to change out the pool table for a real table.

“Guys, this smells delicious.” Lili stuck her face in the dish of steak teriyaki.

“Not me.” Talia pointed in my direction. “This was all Asher’s doing.”

“When did you become so domesticated, asshole?” Chase joked.

He knew me. My kitchen looked great, partly because I never touched it. I hadn’t shared that cooking for Tal was a new favorite pastime, among other things.

“Ooh, let’s toast.” Lili interrupted, waving her husband off and raising her glass. We all followed suit. “To TACK!”

My head not-so-subtly jerked toward Talia, who had just lost all color in her cheeks. Ouch, wasn’t expecting that. Of course she wasn’t talking about Tack Tack, but it hit fast and it hit hard, covering that raw, gaping wound with a layer of unwanted salt. If my heart sunk, Tal’s must have been in her stomach. What happened to ‘To friends’? Lili must have noticed our shift. Chase was too busy gazing into his wife’s eyes. He was rod straight as well, obviously for different reasons. Old stories were one thing, but reminders of Kimi’s missing presence were another and would probably always be a trigger for him.

“Wait, that’s the name of your old band, right?”

“Yeah, that was our name, baby.”

Chase’s answer surprised me. But I was happy he spoke up since Tal and I were trying to swallow past the huge lump that had taken up camp.

“I know it was a long time ago, and I know it wouldn’t be the same without Kim, but I would love to hear you guys play something. For old times sake? Please, maybe?” Lil sounded hopeful.

“Maybe, Blue.” Chase kissed the tip of Lil’s nose.

He really had come so far. After Kimi died I never thought he would ever consider his guitar again. I looked back to Tal who seemed to be frozen and still not breathing with her glass in the air.

“I’m sure we could work that out,” I finally chimed in. “To friends. Cheers.” My words were repeated.

Tal’s mouth moved, but I never heard her voice. We clinked and sipped.

“Oh, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to hear your voice, Tal. Ash and Chase both rave about it.” Lili literally bounced in her seat and quietly clapped. I cringed for Chase’s sake; Lili still seemed a bit too chipper. “On another note, any plans on coming this way? We just moved to Boston a few months ago, and we love it.”

Yup, leave it to her to dive right in.

“Um ... working on it.” Still white as a ghost, Tal gave her a small smile and picked up her drink.

After her last visit here we had finally discussed a possible move. She hadn’t shut me down and now that everything was out in the open, she was seriously considering it. Halle-fucking-lujah. I was breaking her down layer by layer, and I wasn’t averse to begging if needed. She assured me she had some calls into some of the larger dermatology groups. Hell, if it were up to me, she never needed to work another day in her life. I had us covered. But that wasn’t Tal, and never would be.

“Not fast enough for me,” I teased. Even though I wasn’t teasing.

“That’s awesome. Then we just have to get Sierra and Dodd here, too.” Lili beamed.

“I’ve been considering selling my derm practice for a while—been wanting to spend more time teaching. I’ve dabbled in it over the years and have really enjoyed it. I’d like to get involved with some research too. Now seems like as good a time as any.” None of what she said was a surprise to me, but Tal’s eyes were glued to mine as she struck a chord. “And I have to admit, I’ve missed home.” Home, make that a really sweet chord.

“I bet Chase could help with that, right?” Lili asked, looking at Chase to agree. “You must have some derm friends at the hospital.”

Chase’s demeanor shifted, he finally looked comfortable. Medicine was safe ground. “Of course. University hospitals are always looking for faculty wanting to get involved with research, and we have a pretty large derm residency, as I’m sure you already knew. I can put out a feeler, if you’d like?”

“Thanks, I appreciate it, but I’ve already been in touch with the chairman.” Good answer. I would’ve been a little perturbed, to say the least, if she accepted his help. I might not have been a doctor, but I sat on the board and was responsible for half the donations rolling in. Jealous much? I never knew what jealousy was until Tal. And this was one trait I wasn’t feeling particularly proud of.

Chase half smiled, half laughed. “Tal, don’t take this the wrong way, but how the hell did you pick derm? I don’t see it.” His wife backhanded his stomach.

“Could you be any more egotistical? Not everyone wants to be a surgeon.” Lili huffed, shaking her head and frowning at Chase.

“No, it’s okay. I probably would’ve chosen surgery, he’s right, but quality of life was more important. It wasn’t just about me.” Her breath hitched and she blinked a second too long. Oh fuck. “A mother’s priorities and all.”

“Oh wow.” Lili didn’t miss a beat. “You never mentioned it, and I can’t believe I never asked. I just assumed … that’s amazing. How many kids do you have? How old?”

“Just one, he’s eighteen.”

“Eighteen? That’s crazy. You don’t look like you could have a child that old. He must be, what, in college now?” Lili continued the conversation, oblivious to Chase’s sudden rigidity and ticking jaw. It was like watching a train derail in slow motion.

I squeezed Tal’s thigh, hoping my strength said it all. I got you. Her fingers found mine. Yeah, she heard me. She was done carrying this load alone. Lil kept talking, about what I had no clue. I was busy watching Chase’s abrupt exit from the room, screeching chair and all. The terrace French door opened and slammed shut. Talia tensed. Lili finally stopped talking, the silence filled in around us. Her wheels were turning as fear crept in, darkening her baby blues.

“He’s not his.” The words erupted from Tal without warning, fast and sharp, slicing through the silence. Lili stared with wide eyes. This. Sucked. “I know what you’re thinking, I lied about having an abortion, why wouldn’t I lie about this? But I swear on my life, he’s not Chase’s son, he’s his brother.” You could’ve heard a pin drop. Lil’s jaw dropped open. It took me a second to get my bearings. Tal’s verbal diarrhea approach took me by surprise as well. Didn’t see that coming.

“What … wait ... you never had an abortion. Chase’s thought all these years … do you know what he put himself through … the guilt.” Lili’s voice was punctuated and deliberate, like she was trying to process what the hell was going down. For a minute I thought she didn’t even hear Tal’s last statement. “What do you mean they’re brothers?” Lili’s wide eyes welled with tears. Talia’s were already dripping down her cheeks. “Oh my god. No, Tal. Oh my god.”

“Lil, I need you to calm down. I’m going to grab Chase. He’s not gonna want to hear this, but he needs to. He needs to know the truth.” I lifted Tal’s chin to meet my gaze and whispered, “Okay?”

“Okay.”

The terrace door closed behind me, but Chase didn’t budge, his sights were fixed on horizon. “How long have you known?”

“You need to calm yourself down and hear her out.”

“How long? It’s a simple question.” He was seething. “The sex that fucking good, worth stabbing me in the back?”

Now I was seething. Leeway passed. “I’m going to try and forget what you just said. This time. Disrespect the woman I love again and we will have a problem. To answer your question, two weeks and NO ONE stabbed you in the back. I get you’re in shock, I’ll give you that. But you need to check it and get your ass inside and hear what she has to say. The only person who got royally fucked in all of this is Tal.”

One look and he saw I was telling the truth. Without a word he stalked back in. Jack Colton better have been rotting in hell.

The women were back in the living room sitting across from each other when we came in. With one knee bent against her chest and the other tucked beneath her, Tal silently massaged her bare foot.

Lil rushed to calm Chase. “Babe, please just listen, please.”

He said nothing. His angry eyes did not waver from Talia. I stood in between and not because of torn loyalties. I had Tal’s back, no matter what. But I also needed to be at arm’s length to shut Chase down if he was too stubborn to rein it in.

Tal’s eyes met mine. She didn’t need encouragement, the woman redefined brave. I nodded anyway, letting her know I wasn’t going anywhere.

“His name is Tack…” She spoke uninterrupted for a good five minutes, reliving her nightmare all over again for Chase. She opened by admitting she was already pregnant when she slept with Chase, that there was no possible way he was Tack’s father. Her genuine remorse was undeniable. Lil quietly sniffled against Chase’s shirt, while he shook his head, confused. There was no mistaking his moment of clarity. The second Tal uttered Jack Colton’s name, the tension exploded. Chase raked his hands through his hair, his eyes cemented to the floor. His telltale sign that he was losing it. Lil’s sniffles turned to sobs, but Tal stayed focused on me and finished. Her recap was almost identical, without disclosing the pictures. That was her decision to make and I gave her that.

When Chase finally spoke, I didn’t recognize his voice through his gritted teeth. “My father raped you?”

Tal broke and started to cry. I moved to where I belonged, next to my woman, pulling her in close. I had two weeks to process all this shit, but my insides still burned and the bile still stung the back of my throat.

“I never said no, it was my choice. I have to live with that.”

“No, Talia. That sick, sick bastard!” The disgust and anger on Lil’s face as she spoke mirrored my own. “You were a child, he was the adult. He knew exactly what he was doing, HE was wrong. You can argue the semantics all you want, but he violated you.”

We shared the same sentiment. How could that pathetic waste of a life do that to a young and innocent girl? Lili’s horrendous rape had to be flooding her memory and Chase looked to be doing everything in his power to control his emotion. You could have bounced a ball off of his intensity. I knew the rage he bottled inside was combustible. And aimed at his dead father. I could guarantee he was as close to exhuming his body as I was, if not closer.

Tal wiped her eyes and sat straight up. “Thank you for your support, Lil. I might have been vulnerable and impaired, but I wasn’t innocent. And in the end it doesn’t really matter how it happened, just that it did. As much as the vague memories from that night haunt my dreams, there has never been a single day, in nineteen years, that I haven’t woken up and thanked God for my greatest blessing. I regret plenty, oh god, you have no idea, but my decision to keep my child, never, ever.” She took a deep, shaky breath and continued. “My deepest regret … is what I did to you, Chase. I am so, so sorry. I wish there was a more powerful word than sorry, because it doesn’t even begin to cut it. If I could take it all back, what I put you through, I would in a heartbeat. I lied and broke your trust, but worse, I abandoned you when you needed us the most. I have to own that and live with it, and one day in another life, face your sister for it. The day I came to you and told you I was pregnant … please just know, that in the sea of my lies, my only truth was saying that I loved you. You were the brother I never had.” Her voice crackled with sincerity. She laid herself bare.

Lili’s gaze shifted from Chase to me, unsure of what to do next. As if there was some unwritten etiquette on handling fucked up situations. Tal’s grip on my hands tightened. We waited. Chase remained silent, then moved to the window. I mentally started counting down, my stomach churning. The only other time I had seen this look in his eyes was when he found out there was nothing he could do to save his sister. He was helpless and empty, much like he was today. There was no quick fix, no altering the past. What was done was done. Nothing could be changed; nothing could be reversed.

Lili joined her husband, securing her arms around his waist and laying her head against his back. I tucked Tal against my side and kissed her forehead.

“You know he’ll come around, right?” I whispered. “He’s the same guy, he’s us.”

Tal knew this, but it didn’t stop her lip from quivering. God, I just wanted to make it better—make it all go away. I felt her pain deep in my chest.

“Tack’s here in Boston, Chase. He’s a sophomore, pre-med. Ironic, huh? He knows about you.” Her voice wavered and a single tear slid down her cheek. She was trying so hard to keep it together. “I told him a few weeks ago, everything. At first he was mad—furious, actually. I’ll never forget the look on his face, he looked ... he looked just like you. But he’s coming around, slowly. He’s working that heart of gold of his, reiterating how upset he is for me. I know he’s struggling with finding out his biological father was anything but the amazing person I disillusioned him with throughout his childhood, my own wishful thinking. I told him his paternity means nothing, doesn’t define him, and has no bearing on the man he is. When he asked me how I could be so sure, the answer was simple ... you.”

The single tear turned into a full stream. I thumbed her cheeks and kissed her wet lips, mumbling, “I love you.”

Lili hadn’t moved, her head was still buried against Chase’s back. I could see her body trembling with her silent sobs. I watched him release Lil’s hands from around his waist as he pulled her to his chest and turned around.

“I want to meet him.” His words were simple. Yet poignant. The only ones that mattered. Tal let out an audible sigh as her entire body went limp against my chest. She uttered an incoherent thank you or thank God as her tears continued to roll down. I just held her. We still had a long way to go, but this was a giant step in moving forward. I figured Chase deserved a pass this once. But it was close. I was teetering on that edge where beating the shit out of him was in the realm of possibility for prolonging Tal’s pain. But I’d come back from that edge only because my woman felt a whole lot lighter.

Chapter 15 Stop Talking

“Thank you.”

I walked toward Tal’s curled body hidden underneath a mound of blankets on the couch.

“For what?”

“Somehow making everything okay, believing in me. I would have never had the strength. I’d still be living the lie. I feel lighter; those secrets are finally off my chest and out of my mind after so many years. I forgot what it feels like to be me. And all because of you. But most importantly, thank you for letting me earn your trust again.”

No surprise the evening ended early. Chase and Lili took off shortly after the women whispered and sniffled a little more, planning another get together. It was clear a new bond had been formed between them. They had more in common than they ever imagined. They both had figured out a way to play their shitty hands and come out on top. Pure strength.

All parties involved were emotionally exhausted. And even though Chase didn’t say anything I knew he was headed straight for the bags with a picture of his father as the target.

I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “First of all, you never need to thank me. It’s not a choice to believe in you, to trust you. I just do and I always will. You’re Talia, you’re mine. That’s our story, there’s no rewriting it. Got me?” Her smile melted her eyes. Good, she got me. “It’s time to trust in us.”

“I want Tack to get to know you first, because I do trust in us. I want it to be the three of us. I want us to be a family. Do you think you have room in your life, room in your heart for my son?”

“He’s part of you, he’s already there.”

“How can you be so perfect?”

“I’ll take that as you’re moving.”

“You sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, Ace? No backsies. I come with a lot of baggage. You may want to turn back now. Take your perfect gentleman status and go and pick any woman you want to start your own family with. I don’t want to take that from you.”

“I have the woman I want. I have my family. You and Tack are it. Case closed.”

“But what about kids of your own? You’re amazing with your nieces—you’d be a great dad. You deserve that experience.”

“You want more children?”

“Me? I haven’t really thought about it. I guess I dreamed of having a daughter for a while, to give Tack what I never had, a sibling, but that was years ago. I have Tack and he’s more than enough. Besides, I don’t know, I know I’m technically not old, but…”

“Let’s start with the fact that we’re the same age. And we sure as shit aren’t old. But, I’m going to be brutally honest with you, Tal. Kids were never part of my plan. I scratched that idea right about the time the oncologist rambled on about unknown long-term effects and handed me a sterile cup, because my pre-chemo genetic material was such a prize. I don’t need to pass any of that on.” I wondered if she knew that I wasn’t referring to cancer. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m on borrowed time. So don’t worry, you’re not taking anything from me. If anything, I’m being selfish asking you to roll the dice on me.”

“Hey, stop that.” Her hand massaged my hair. “You’re healthy, you’ve had clear scans for over fifteen years, you beat it. And we’re all on borrowed time, so what? The important part is making the best of that time.”

“I’ll try and remember you said that one day.” Now look who was talking who out of us.

“Asher Evan Craig, I know you and I know your greatest fear. Trust me when I say, you will remember, and if one day life screws us over and takes that from you and you don’t remember me, I promise I will spend every day reintroducing us.”

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” I found her lips and kissed her deep, proclaiming my love. She matched me with the same passion.

Pulling away slightly she spoke against my lips, “Think I have a pretty good idea. I can only imagine it’s as much as I love you.” She leaned back a little further and took my breath away with her heart-stopping smile. “I always have. Always. I can’t remember not loving you. I loved you when you were that awkward kid with the monogrammed backpack, spinning your drumsticks and slurping Grasshopper ice cream straight from the container. I loved you. It’s only ever been you.”

For the first time ever, I lost all ability to think. I had said it to her countless times over the past two weeks, but hearing her say the words out loud leveled me. She rocked my world and rendered me speechless. All I could do was feel. It was a sensation that started deep within my chest … a pressure, a heat, a tingle, a release. If your heart had the ability to orgasm, I came a thousand times over. Her smile grew with my reaction, her eyes melting into the sweetest pools of chocolate.

“Remember when you asked me why there wasn’t a ring on my finger—why I never got married? It’s true that I was consumed with being a mom, and Tack was my priority, but it was also because they … they weren’t you.”

“Tal, stop talking.” My heart beat so strong that I felt my pulse in every single artery. I kid you not, I felt it behind my knees and the tops of my feet. My fucking thumbs bounded. Was that even possible? Whatever, it was euphoric. I felt … alive.

“I can’t tell you how many times over the years I dreamt of you, being with you, laughing with you, singing to you, touching you. I’d wake up clenching my pillow, trembling. The best kind of tremble. I went to bed countless nights with a smile, willing those dreams to visit. You made my loneliest moments better. There’s never been a time you haven’t taken care of me.” She mischievously bit her bottom lip, arousal pinking her cheeks. “But I have to tell you, the reality kicks the fantasy’s ass.”

“Stop talking.”

“So, yeah, I’m definitely moving.”

My mouth descended over hers and took ownership. She was done talking; my control couldn’t handle one more second. There was nothing sweet or gentle about my assault. She met me stroke for stroke, bite for bite, growl for growl. Our clothes carpeted the floor in record time, some intact, most not. I buried my mouth between her legs, fixed on my goal—wet and ready. I’d owe her plenty of soft and sweet later. I needed the tourniquet around my dick to release, finally understanding the term bust a nut. With a bruising force I dragged her hips down, wide and open, thrusting balls deep into her heaven. Screw the white cloud, harps and flying angels. There was no coming back from completely immersing myself inside the woman I loved. Her perfect legs vice-gripped our union and her sweet moans filled in around us, as the world ceased to exist. I held nothing back, pounding with all my strength, starved for more. Starved for everything. Raw, uncontrolled, and abandoned. We dripped with sweat and ached with need, the scent of our arousals permeated the room. I couldn’t get enough. We couldn’t get enough. I wanted deeper. We changed our positions over and over, frantic and desperate to find that deeper place. Together we craved for our lovemaking to mold us into one.

This … right here, right now … was pure bliss.

In the heat of the moment I couldn’t help but think about ‘making love.’ It was such a loose term that I always despised. It was stupid and never meant anything. So why the hell did I think it? Good fucking question. It was actually a huge turn off—cock deflator—when a woman asked you to make love. Confident it was because of the vision it conjured: candles, white sheets, hand holding, transfixed gazes in the presence of excruciatingly slow sex. That wasn’t real love. And anyone who thought so was even dumber than the expression itself. Love wasn’t planned, it wasn’t a conscious decision, and it sure as shit couldn’t be made up. And unless you were in love and that feeling hit you like a Mack truck going a hundred, like it did to me, you had no idea. Making love didn’t exist. You didn’t make love, love made you. Made us.

“Ace?” Somehow between tumbling off the couch, knocking over lamps and crying out in ecstasy, Tal managed to utter a coherent word through her panting breath and swollen lips. Me, not so much. I grunted. “So, I think it’s fair to say we can add the couch to the mix.” Her giggle started deep, I would know, I was still inside her.

“Smartass.” I smacked those gorgeous globes and joined in with her. We were sweaty, sticky puddles tangled on the floor. Screw making love, this was epic. “So just to be clear and make sure I heard you right and wasn’t in a state of delirium … those three little words that left your cherry red lips and took front row in my flaming red heart … yeah, I might need to hear them again.”

She tipped her back and her giggle turned into full-blown hysteria, laughing her pretty little ass off before satisfying me with a “I love you, Asher Evan Craig” at the top of her lungs.

Chapter 16 That Smile

“Hey bud.”

Tack stood from the sidewalk table and shook my hand. Three months later his uncanny resemblance to Chase still blew my mind, down to his mannerisms and facial expressions. No question, he was a Colton.

“What’s up, Ash? How’s unpacking going? Mom’s got a lot of shit, huh?” The waiter handed us our menus as soon as we sat. Tack picked a pub downtown, a typical college hangout. Talia was thrilled that Tack initiated this lunch, just the two of us. She felt like it was a big step. This meeting and getting along were only the logistics—he already secured a spot in my life. He was a part of Tal, which meant he was a part of me. I was never worried. He was a great kid with a solid head on his shoulders. And not only did he have the pressures of being a type A personality pre-med student, but he had a toxic dose of life can suck dropped on his already full plate. It was going to take a while to swallow it down, never mind, digest. He was handling the situation like a champ, in my opinion.

“No, you got a lot of shit. And more than half the crap is from when you were a baby. I wouldn’t be surprised if I open a box and find a dirty diaper.”

He laughed. I was serious.

“You’re too chicken shit to tell her to toss it all.”

It was my turn to laugh. He hit the nail on the head. There was no way I was saying anything to Tal about saving all his stuff, she’d rip me to shreds. Our first fight living together was not going to be over stained bibs and sippy cups. Instead I kept my mouth shut and rented another storage space in my building for everything ‘sentimental.’ Nominal price to pay when it meant she was officially a Bostonian … with my address.

After twelve long weeks of dealing with almost twenty years of stuff, the moving truck arrived yesterday and my once fairly empty bachelor pad was getting a feminine touch. Fine by me, as long as it was Tal’s touch. We just needed to tackle the fifty plus boxes sitting on and around our billiard table—which by the way, she didn’t want changed out for a dining room table. Sweet, especially since it was getting plenty of use and not from shooting pool.

Turned out that packing was the easy part for Tal. She had enough complicated decisions to contend with regarding her practice and her house that discarding and donating didn’t make the cut. Obviously.

In the end she decided to keep her place in San Diego and rent it out. There was no reason not to. It was a great investment and she wanted Tack to have the option of going back if he ever wanted. I had her number; it was sentimental. As for her practice, she had no problem finding a buyer. One of her junior partners jumped all over it. She was sitting on a goldmine, one she worked her ass off to build—as a single mother, no less. She deserved every pretty penny she got and I couldn’t have been prouder. So that only left her with deciding which job to accept here. Yup, she had multiple offers. Of course she did, she was brilliant and successful. After weeks of negotiations, she bucked the elite private groups and signed with the hospital: Dermatology Residency Director. Impressive. Turned me on.

Tal was extremely self-sufficient and handled all her transactions sans me. Every so often she’d throw me a bone and ask for my two cents, but it was obvious she was being sweet and stroking my ego. She knew it wasn’t in my nature to not get involved or not assume some sort of control. Turned out, we’re much the same. And if it was even possible, that independence and confidence made her that much more sexy. So while Tal was out strutting in her chic business suits, I had some time to get to know her son. And I was feeling pretty damn lucky to have another afternoon with him.

“Um, have you met her? I’m scared shitless.”

Tack laughed again. We both knew you never messed with a woman on a mission.

“So how’s it feel to have another year under your belt? Just that much closer to the goal.”

Tack finished his sophomore year last month in the top of his class. No surprises there. And he was continuing with his research straight through the summer. I was pretty sure his new girlfriend who landed a spot on his research team only played a small role in the motivation factor. We’d luckily—according to Tal who said Tack was very secretive when it came to introducing her to any of his girlfriends—gotten to meet her twice. Tal liked her, commenting on her intelligence and manners. I agreed, she was smart and polite, but I also saw what Tack saw and she seemed to fill all those features out very nicely too. So after a couple of high fives and several fist bumps, Tack knew I approved.

“Pretty awesome, looking forward to some time off.”

“I’ll have to get you and your girl out on the boat with us. My brother-in-law just dropped a fifty-footer in the water. Promised I could take it for a spin.”

“Sweet. I haven’t done much sailing, but Paige has. She grew up on the water.”

“Good to hear, she’s a beauty and it would be nice to have another set of hands that know what they’re doing. We sailed as kids, but your mom’s got to be pretty rusty,” I teased. “Let me know a couple weekends you’re free, we’ll pick a date. So besides your research, do you have any other plans for the summer?”

“MCAT prep starts in two weeks. Other than that, not too much.”

“Isn’t it early for that?”

“Not really. I’ve already taken all the pre-reqs. If I secure a solid score then I get it out of the way and it leaves next summer open to figure out where I want to go.”

And I thought Chase was hardcore. Damn.

“Intense much?”

“Oh, cause you’re one to talk. Slackers all have a top five firm by the time they’re thirty. Just saying.”

I crossed my arms and leaned my back against the chair with a shit-eating smirk plastered to my face. I guess smartass was hereditary. And his delivery of “just saying” killed mine.

“Touché. So where are you thinking?”

“Not sure. East coast preferably, especially now that Mom’s out here. Would rather stay close, in case she needs anything.”

“What am I, chopped liver?”

This time he leaned back, his grin mirroring my own. “No disrespect, but she’s my mom.”

Point made. The kid was not only loyal to a fault and overprotective, but he had a set a balls. I liked him. In fact, I couldn’t have handpicked a more perfect stepson. Who would have thought those words would ever leave my mouth? Kids were never a glimpse on my radar, yet here I was watching him, listening to him, and shit, I’d be lying if I didn’t wish he was mine.

I lifted my chin, acknowledging his not-so-subtle message. “None taken. You know you’d make her day if you stayed in Boston? Besides, sounds like you’ve already set yourself up pretty well, not to mention your mother was just appointed a faculty position. Sure you’d be a shoo-in.”

“True, but I want to be accepted on my own accord, not family connections.”

“I hear ya, but you really should speak to Chase.” He brought up family, so I went there. “He might have gone to med school here, but he trained in New York and worked in Philly for a while, too. I’m sure he has some good insight on the med schools there. Pick his brain a little. He’s not getting you into med school, but he’s a great guy to bounce some ideas off of. Not to mention both those cities keep you close to home.”

He didn’t flinch when I referred to Boston as his home, but he definitely flinched when I mentioned Chase’s name. Having a half-brother twice his age was the part of his plate he was having the hardest time digesting. They still hadn’t met. And not from a lack of trying on Tal’s part. Tack was conveniently always busy or had exams to study for. Shockingly, Chase read between the lines and respected his need for space. It had to be tough though, since the kid spent a good amount of time only two flights down in his hospital. When the semester ended and Tack was out of excuses, it seemed like it was finally going to happen, but Chase got stuck in the OR and missed dinner. Not surprising, Lil and Tack hit it off effortlessly that night.

“Yeah, maybe.” Not an overwhelming response, but he didn’t shoot the idea down either. Progress.

“Your brother’s actually got a sick place on the Upper West Side, sitting there empty. Just another perk to keep in mind. You’d just have to hint at wanting to go to med school in Manhattan and Lil would have a set of keys in your hand that day.”

Tack tipped his head, raised his brows and glared. Fine, I let it go.

Our waiter dropped off our lunch and refilled our waters.

“Gotta love the loaded burger, nothing better really.” I shifted to small talk, giving him a break—last thing I wanted was him shutting down. But I wasn’t lying, a good burger did wonders. One whiff and I flashed back to my own college days, the healthier ones obviously. Burgers, beers, and chicks. Hell, what was I talking about? Up until eight months ago I was still living under that heading. “Paige eat burgers?”

“Yeah, she’s cool like that.” His response made me laugh, reminding me of my own bacon eating girl. Yeah, he picked a good one. “So I’ve been thinking...” So much for a potential shutdown.

“Uh-oh. Should I be worried?” I half joked, knowing he wanted to meet for a reason, the extensive burger menu not being it.

“Nah.” His jaw tensed and he looked serious. Tack and I usually kept it light, current events, sports, cars, technology—typical guy talk. I wasn’t sure I was ready for Tack doing serious. “You know I grew up thinking my dad was the shit.” Yup. He was diving in. “And when she told me she made it all up—she created him for my benefit—I’m gonna be honest with you, I was crushed.” Fucking headfirst. I sat quiet, there was no sugarcoating Jack Colton. “Don’t get me wrong, I get why she did it. I get she was protecting me, but I basically grew up idolizing a huge lie, a figment of her imagination. At least that’s what I thought when she first told me the truth. That sucked. The more I thought about it, something didn’t sit right. It’s not like she ever shied away from talking about him, afraid she’d slip up. She could have easily played the whole it’s too sad, too painful, too tragic how he died without knowing me card. Nope. Instead she reminded me, daily, how much he would have loved me, talking about him constantly. She retold so many stories and filled my life with so much of his love I didn’t need to miss him. She made him so present in our lives and filled both parent roles seamlessly, I didn’t need a physical father. She was all I ever needed. So when I learned the truth … when I learned who he really was, I was angry. It scared the hell out me, I’d never been that furious. Ever feel like you’re going to implode?”

I nodded in response, been there. The silence thickened. I waited. He had more to get off his chest.

“I’m glad the bastard is dead, too bad it wasn’t years before, and not only for what he put her through, but for the fear in her eyes when she told me about him. It made me sick. And then to think I saw that same look on her face when she bumped into you at the hospital. You can see why I wasn’t exactly feeling the let’s get to know each other. Sorry, it’s the truth. But I’ve had some time to let it all settle, and in doing so, I’ve paid closer attention. I see the relief in her eyes. I can’t explain it, but she’s lighter, softer, she’s happy. And I know it’s not just the freedom of not carrying around the secrets, it’s you. You do that for her. So I’m glad we’ve gotten to know each other and we’re cool…”

I nodded and mumbled, “We’re cool,” unable to get out anything more. His understanding leveled me, but I still wasn’t quite sure where he was going with this. Like mother, like son.

“The other thing I’ve noticed is the change in her smile. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up with a happy mom and this might sound dumb, but that smile is back. The one she reserved for when she talked about my dad, or my imaginary dad or whatever you want to call him. It doesn’t really matter now, does it? Anyway, she made him sound awesome. He had a sick sense of humor and great taste in music. Our house never lacked rock and roll with a kickass beat. I’m pretty sure I celebrated my first birthday with my first pair of drumsticks.” He smiled and tapped the table with his fingers mocking a drumbeat.

My lips raised, remembering how his mother loved to rock out and couldn’t help but ask, “You still play?” Tack on the drums, god, I loved this woman. But I wondered how much she told him, if he had any idea where his name came from.

“Not much anymore, no time. But I’d definitely consider getting back into it. Every time I jammed, she’d talk about your band.” That sounded vague. “And then her face would light up with that smile. She always said my dad loved a good time and never sweated the small stuff. He rolled with the punches. He was the guy who’d have your back, no matter what. He considered his friends family.” He paused for a swig before he kept going.

“You know she was a nut when it came to fresh air? Serious. She harped on how he’d always pick the outdoors any day of the week over inside. Only chance I had to stay inside was if I was studying or practicing. No joke, my ass was hiking, biking, and surfing by seven. Most of how I grew up, what I learned to be important, it was all a reflection of him. Mom made sure of it. And I have to give it to her, she created a kickass role model. It was obvious she loved him—you can’t fake a smile like that.

“Look, I’m not going to lie. As a kid, I never really thought too hard about my mom’s love life. Hell, I don’t really want to think about it now, or ever for that matter.” He involuntarily shuddered and I chuckled. I had Maggie, yeah, I got it. “That being said, I get that she’s gorgeous and she’s cool, my buddies not-so-subtly reminded me daily, yet she rarely dated. Or at least if she did it couldn’t have been that serious, since I never met any of them. Besides, between work and how involved she was in my life, she barely had time for herself. The past few years I started feeling guilty about it, but I guess my consolation was knowing she’d get her life back once I left for college, and the fact that she had at least had my dad. Part of me thought it was awesome that she wouldn’t settle for less. The next guy would have to be worthy of that smile. So finding out all of it was nothing more than a fantasy … or maybe not. I guess you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you any of this. My point is … she smiles at you that way.”

He raked a hand through his dark hair and dropped his eyes to the table. His relaxed expression faded as I watched him concentrate on swallowing what I could only assume was the same damn lump I was struggling with. I briefly scanned his face before I looked away to give him some time. In that brief second I saw vulnerability, a youthful innocence I had yet to notice. Yeah, he was eighteen, big-time college student, ambitious, driven and most likely going to be a sick surgeon rivaling the likes of his brother one day. But right now in this moment, he was just a kid. A kid looking to find his way.

“At first I was just relieved to see it again, that she finally found someone real who could make her smile like that.” His voice was softer, he sounded embarrassed. “Sorry it took me so long to put the pieces together,” he lifted his eyes and met mine, and there may have been a thin layer of moisture that had formed, “but I finally figured it out. Turns out my dad, my real dad, wasn’t imaginary after all … it was you.”

This time my throat closed and robbed all my ability to speak.

Chapter 17 Vulture

“Hey, you.”

“How is she?” Tal’s voice affected me even over the phone. Yup, I was whipped.

“Physically fine, no pain. But she was seriously pissed when she heard she had to spend the night.”

“That bad, huh? I spoke with King a little while ago, reassured me it was clean break. The case was smooth, textbook actually. She should be good as new in about six weeks. He technically could have discharged her, but I may have mentioned how she could use the rest. I hope you don’t mind?”

Mind? I loved how she took over.

“Mind, not even close. Just the opposite. I can’t thank you enough for pulling strings and taking care of her. Mag’s not exactly the easiest patient, not to mention Molly and her fifty questions. King was great. I’m gonna owe the guy a case of Napa’s finest by the time she gets released.”

The minute we got the call from the emergency room informing us Ma broke her wrist and they were recommending surgery, Tal snapped into Dr. Pryce mode, instructing, ‘no one touches her, tell them to splint it and make her comfortable.’ An old med school friend of hers happened to be a well-known orthopedic surgeon and happened to work at HSS, the premiere Orthopedic Hospital in NYC. That was yesterday. They just served my mother breakfast in recovery; my woman didn’t mess around.

Her breathy chuckle filled the line. “Nah, I’m sure he’s dealt with worse. It’s part of the job. But I’m glad it went well. She was really lucky. It could’ve been so much worse.”

“No shit. King couldn’t believe she didn’t crack both her hips as well. He called her on it when he saw her bruising. She reneged on her first story and fessed up to falling down an entire flight, in the pitch black no less. I can’t believe she didn’t tell us Dad started sundowning. And to think I let her talk me out of round the clock care. Totally my fault, well, it’s no longer up for discussion. It’s done. It starts tonight. She should have known better than anyone she couldn’t handle this solo, but she’s too damn stubborn.”

“Maggie’s not stubborn, she’s a woman in love. It’s what we do.”

Ummph, her words hit hard and deep. I loved her for where she was going, but there was zero chance she’d ever experience this nightmare firsthand. Zero. That’s what living wills were for. But this was not the time or place for that conversation. And definitely not over the phone.

“How’s it going there?”

“Everything’s fine, don’t worry about us.”

Bullshit. As far as timing goes, Mom’s accident couldn’t have been more inconvenient. Dad’s daytime nurse had the day off, so Tal volunteered to stay with him so my sisters and I could all be here. It might have only been hand surgery, but that’s how we rolled. And Charlie, Drew and Andrew didn’t exactly have the same calming touch. Somehow, Tal inherited Emma as well, since nursery school—the one you pay double for, according to my sisters—apparently ends like a month earlier than regular school. Who knew?

“He’s been asking for Maggie, but I’ve been able to distract him. He ate a decent amount and just sat down with Emma to watch a little TV.” It sounded like she was watching two kids instead of one. Damn, this sucked.

“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, where I want to be.” She was amazing. “Besides the kiddos don’t technically start until July 1st. It’s all logistics this week. Someone else can give them a pep talk and make them feel more important than they are. All they really need is the twenty-five cent tour so they can find the bathroom when they need to vomit after they learn what they’re really in for.”

“Real nice, tough girl. Although, the whole bitch thing is kind of a turn on. Tell you what, when I get back you can practice your pep talk on me, remind me just how important I am while my mouths on-”

“Really, Ace?” Her tone was playful. Who was she kidding—she loved it when I talked dirty. “Is your mind ever NOT in the gutter?”

“Nope.”

She laughed at my candor. I was honest.

“Leave me be and go do the gentlemanly thing and grab your mom and sister’s lunch. Ooh and make it good, you’re in the city, for goodness sake. Mmm, remember Jackson Hole’s burgers?” Like mother, like son. Maybe iron deficiency was hereditary. Ha, she sounded like she was ready to salivate. Actually I was pretty sure she drooled on the phone. I couldn’t help but laugh, she was adorable. “Anyway, I’m sure they’re starved, you were all up so early.”

“What about me? I can tell you for a fact, I’m starved. I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“I’m hanging up, Asher.” I wished I could see her face, I swore I felt the heat of her blush through the phone. “Send Maggie my love.”

“I will.”

“Love you.” Click. The call dropped.

For a guy who dreaded hospitals and whose elderly mother needed metal plates screwed into her wrist because his father’s dementia now posed a physical threat to them both, I was surprisingly relaxed. In fact, I was pretty sure I was standing in the middle of the waiting room sporting a huge grin. Tal did that for me.

I listened to my woman and walked toward the lower east exit. First, it was a gorgeous Manhattan day, and second, there was zero chance of getting a cab at this hour. I should know, I grew up not far from here and spent more time than I cared to remember across the street. Oddly enough, I didn’t flinch when I strolled past Memorial Sloan Kettering, I must have been too focused on a work call.

By the time I made it back, Mom was settled in a private room. “Who’s hungry?” I asked, holding more than a few plastic bags up high.

“Yum!” Tara and Molly squealed in unison, each grabbing for a Jackson Hole bag, while Avery practically pried the sweets bags from me.

“I love Baked by Melissa. Say you got the red velvet, say you got the red velvet.”

Yup, too much time with her three-year-old, she was beginning to whine just like her. Or maybe it was my fault for feeding her addiction. With now empty hands and an unobstructed view, I realized Mom had company. Time to muster the fake charm.

“It looks like you’re planning on feeding the entire hospital.” Her voice alone was like nails on a chalkboard.

“Constance, what a surprise.” Not a good one. I turned toward Avery before she emptied the bag. “Hey, addict, try and save a few dozen for the floor nurses.” She rolled her eyes then smiled. She knew I knew what she was thinking, fat chance. I grinned back at her. Yup, addict.

“Always the gentleman, Asher, good to see you, too.”

Even her half ass compliment annoyed the hell out of me. I snapped my head back in her direction and saw she had her chair bellied up next to my mother’s bed, like she cared. Her glaring smile was plastered to her overly taut face. You could’ve bounced a penny off her forehead and gone diving off her lips. And I wasn’t just saying that, it was a fact. As far as I was concerned all she was doing was showing face and being nosey. Because that was Constance.

“Although I wish I would have known earlier about your mother’s condition, I would have come right over. I’m just around the corner.”

She fell and broke her wrist, there was no condition. And like we didn’t know where the witch lived. But I said none of that out of respect of my mother’s, albeit unexplainable, friendship with said witch.

I walked around to the other side of the bed and kissed Mom’s silk white hair, choosing to ignore Constance. “How are you feeling Ma? Any pain?”

“I’m fine, sweetie, stop fussing. It’s only a broken wrist. Besides, this is crazy, I was just telling Constance how this is all unnecessary. I was chatting to someone else in the recovery room who just had a full knee replacement and she was going home. What a sweet woman, we exchanged numbers. She lives in Long Island too, we might try and set up our physical therapy together.” Of course she made a friend in recovery. Only my mother. She was the sweetest woman on earth and only saw the good in people. Maybe I needed to be a little more like my mother, but for some reason I couldn’t rise up for Chase’s mother. “My doctor is only making me stay … who knows why.” She looked back at Constance. “Whoever called you really shouldn’t have. I do love the orchid, truly, but you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”

“Actually, who told you Mom was here?” I interrupted out of curiosity, being that the plan was still tentative when Tal and I flew in late last night.

“Chase, of course.” Bullshit. This woman lied with a straight face.

“Funny, I just spoke with him. Filled him in. He was stuck in the OR all night, had no idea.” I hadn’t actually spoken to him. Okay, I lied too. But I had spoken to Lil, and Chase was in fact stuck in the OR all night.

“I do hate the hours my son keeps. It’s too much, I worry so much about him.” Her performance wasn’t winning her an Emmy with this crowd. Even my sisters, who were more interested in ketchup versus aioli rolled their eyes. The extended Craig clan adopted Chase years ago. There was no masking Constance’s lack of motherly nurturing. She might be harmless in comparison to her dearly deceased, but she was as self-absorbed as they came.

“No, really, who told you?” Screw it. I wanted to know.

“Actually, when I called Chase this morning, Lili answered and informed me. She was beside herself with worry.” Now that I believed.

“Well, as you can see, Mom’s just fine. Her family’s got her covered, but thank you for stopping by.”

Constance flinched. Somehow she made it easy to be rude in her presence.

“Of course. Maggie, you should rest. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call the nurse manager and tell them you’re a friend of the Coltons, they’ll take care of you.”

Yup and there it was, the reason she was here, I called it, showing face and flaunting her shit as if her name or status still meant anything. It stopped meaning anything about the same time she had to surrender her Amex black, which was about the same time her husband robbed half of Manhattan. And that was a long time ago. Constance had yet to figure it out.

“No, no, I’m good. Thank you.” Mom waived Constance off and looked at my sisters. “Actually, you all should get going. The babies will be getting home from school soon, you don’t want to hit rush hour.” Then she turned toward me. “And you need to get home to Talia, my poor girl. It’s too much all day by herself.”

I could’ve sworn Constance fake coughed.

“Ma, we’re not leaving you, so just stop. The men will figure it out. Constance, you’re more than welcome to stay for lunch, there’s plenty, but Mom needs to eat a little. Mushroom swiss, bacon cheddar, or spinach feta, Mom?” Tara was on the same page.

“No thank you, not exactly my cuisine of choice. I’m actually late for a luncheon at The Met, in my honor. Wonderful catching up.” Constance air-kissed Mom. No joke, her cheek was a good three inches from skin. What the hell was that? She brushed at her linen lint-free skirt and then graced me with her attention. “Now Asher, could it be true, is Boston’s premiere bachelor off the market? Wait until I tell Chase, he and Lili will be thrilled. So who’s the lucky girl, Maggie, what did you say her name was, Tally?” She flipped her rock hard bob back toward Ma.

I had zero patience for this woman. She heard exactly what my mother said. Talia was not a name you heard every day, or ever, for that matter. I got she wasn’t in the know, contrary to what she believed. Her relationship with my parents, post Dad’s diagnosis, extended to maybe two social engagements a year, and even though Lili brokered an olive branch, neither she or Chase divulged anything personal. This was a fact. And she sure as shit didn’t know about Tack. Tal and Lili argued it would be better that way, not wanting to add salt to a grieving widow’s wounds. They gave her too much sympathy. Chase and I didn’t give a fuck. Hell, Chase hadn’t even met his brother yet.

As for my family, they met Tack at our last Hampton Saturday get together and took to him instantly. No shock there. Also no shock was my mother and sisters’ facial expressions when he walked in the door—they weren’t blind, recognizing the resemblance as quickly as I did. But they respected Tal’s privacy and kept quiet, knowing we’d share in time. So bottom line, Constance feigned ignorance. Why, I didn’t exactly understand.

“I said Talia, Constance. Talia Talia, the kids’ Talia, our Talia.” I loved my mother. Even in her little hospital gown and bright yellow cast, she was a force to be reckoned with. But why she entertained this nonsense was beyond me. “She moved to Boston to be with Asher, she works with Chasey at the hospital.”

“I wondered what happened to her. Sweet of my son to give her a job, I’m sure she’s a very competent secretary. From my memory, she was a pretty girl. I’m sure you make an attractive couple.”

From her memory … she was her daughter’s best friend. I had an urge to smack the smug look right off her face. Obviously I refrained, but I had a maximum of five minutes of tolerance for this woman and she exceeded that about five minutes ago.

“She’s a doctor.” If looks could kill, there were probably handcuffs in my future.

“Interesting. The criteria for med schools are just not what they used to be.”

My blood pressure rose, I was sure of it. She had to be kidding me. I consciously decided to zone her out, unfortunately she kept jabbering.

“But don’t worry, I’ve heard wonderful things about your orthopedist. My friends on the board assured me that he was heavily recruited. King has a great reputation...”

“I wasn’t concerned, our Talia made all the arrangements. She trusts him, that was good enough for me.” Seventy-two and spot on, go Ma.

“Well, he’s the best, she chose well, I’ll give her that. Must have been a California connection. Well, I hate to cut our visit short, but it’s tactless to be more than an hour late to your own lunch. Feel good. Girls, Asher. Ta-Ta.” She air kissed the room and small waved this time. Then poof, the wicked witch was gone.

I silently stewed; the wake of her shit-storm was not sitting right. At all. I knew she was rude, self-absorbed and for all intents and purposes completely heartless, but what the fuck was that?

Molly broke the silence, “Ma, you really need new friends.” Tara and Avery didn’t bother commenting because nothing else needed to be said.

“I’ve got to go.” I was abrupt, but I couldn’t help it. “Business.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Go, go.”

I looked at my sisters, who looked at each other and mimicked our mother.

“Go.”

“Go, we’re good.”

“We’ve got this.”

They knew I wouldn’t bail without a good reason.

A round of kisses later and I was in a taxi. Screw walking, no time. First I called Tal to make sure the evening nurse got there early to give her a break, and then I dialed Chase.

“How’s Mags? Lil told me. Why the hell didn’t you page me?”

“She’s okay—ORIF or some shit like that, came through like a champ, already bitching to get home. Dad not so much, looking at twenty-four-seven care now. Sorry, it all went down pretty fast. Tal had a connection, all good.” I gave the bullets.

“Sure, you’ve got an MD with shaved legs in your bed, you don’t need me.” I could tell he was relieved about Maggie by his attempt at humor, but I wasn’t feeling it. And he sensed it. “Ash, talk to me, what’s up?”

“I need you to go to my office.”

“Just finished rounding. Can be there in fifteen.” Just as I expected, no questions asked.

“Suzie’s waiting. Call me when you get there.”

“No problem.”

I ended the call and stared out the window lost in thought with Central Park filling the glass square. My jaw was tight, my spine tense. This had to be a sick fucking joke.

The bang of the brass against the mahogany door got louder with each knock. The doorman announced me three minutes before. I went with my gut and called bullshit on the lunch in her honor. I knew she’d be home. I banged harder.

“Asher, twice in one day, to what do I owe this pleasure? Please say it’s not Maggie?”

“Wow. Done with lunch already, guess there wasn’t much to say about you, huh?” Her eyes widened and her brow twitched. Not sure how it was possible with all the Botox she had injected, but her own semi-flaccid facial muscles betrayed her. “I’m not going to stand in the doorway and exchange meaningless pleasantries. I’m obviously here for a reason. You gonna let me in?” I left my gentleman back at the hospital; actually he was pretty much gone the moment I first laid eyes on her.

“You know you’re welcome in my home,” she said through a clenched jaw, ignoring my accusation and solidifying my gut feeling.

I opened the door wider and stepped inside. She waved her pointy finger in the direction of the library. I strode through the open door— no surprise it was much the same from the last time I was here. Elaborately framed pictures cluttered the dark wood bookcases. Different was I only spotted two of Kimi. Two, of her only daughter. But then again, what purpose did Kimi serve other than a reminder of her failings as a mother?

“You mean Chase’s home, right?” My voice was steady and calm.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m a stickler for the details, can’t help it. It’s in my nature.” I rested a hand on the fireplace mantel and turned around to meet her beady stare.

“Asher Craig, you better get to your point and quickly. I’ve had a very long day and I’m exhausted. I have no time for your games. Your mother would be appalled at your manners right now.”

“First, don’t mention my mother, and second, how long?”

Constance’s already frozen face cracked with my question. Fitting for the ice queen.

“I have no idea what you’re speaking of?”

“Simple question, Constance. Very simple, actually. How. Fucking. Long?” Her eyes bulged with the intensity and condescension of my tone. “This…” I swatted the air in front of her face. “This bewilderment is very unbecoming, Con. I’ve already caught you in two lies today, you going to go for three? Or are you gonna start talking?”

“Your behavior is atrocious.” She flipped her perfectly manicured fingers up, turned her back on me, and tugged at the partially closed drape blocking the floor to ceiling window. “Distressed or not, your language and tone are beyond offensive. A woman of my stature doesn’t deserve to be spoken to in this manner.”

“Stature? What stature? What exactly have you achieved? You don’t have any more prestige than the homeless guy on a corner begging for his next meal. Chances are, he’s most likely had shit luck, while you, if we’re being honest,” her glare bounced off my anger and I smirked, “you’re no better than your bastard husband who’s already rotting in hell.” She blinked and her face flushed with something unreadable. I demanded again, “How long, Constance?”

“Asher, you have completely overstepped your bounds. Your complete disrespect for my deceased husband is abominable. You need to leave, now. Or I’m calling the police.” She stalked toward the phone sitting on the huge mahogany desk.

“Go ahead. I’m sure New York’s finest would be interested in hearing just how aware you were of your dearly deceased husband’s affinity for the underage.” She didn’t blink, didn’t flinch, didn’t react. At all. Son of a bitch. If I wasn’t sure before, I was now. “In fact, why don’t we call Chase first? How do you think that will end?” She pulled her hand back and dropped her arm. Good choice. She was about to learn that life as she knew it, courtesy of her estranged son, was over. Done.

“I’m Chase’s mother. I’m all he has, the only family he has left. We’ve had our differences over the years, but he would never turn against me or believe whatever fabrications you’ve concocted.”

“Like hell he wouldn’t. You obviously don’t know your son at all. Lili is his life, his family. And turns out he has a brother, but you already knew that, didn’t you? You … you are nothing to him,” I hissed, feeling my rage pulse with each beat of my heart.

“That boy is a bastard. Chase will never accept him.”

“How do you fucking sleep at night?” My vexing tone, even unfamiliar to me, echoed off the walls of the mausoleum. Constance’s jaw dropped open, but I wasn’t done. “For the first time in twenty years, I’m relieved Kim’s not here to witness how grotesque you are. How long have you known that your husband raped her best friend, in your own house no less?”

“Please-” She threw her head back and rolled her eyes. “Is that the story the singing slut is telling?”

“She was intoxicated and seventeen!” I roared.

“A seventeen-year-old whore,” she bit back. “A victim, I think not.”

“How long did you know your husband was fucking underage eye candy?”

I knew she knew about Talia when she slipped about California. Her callous demeanor sold her out. I could almost guarantee she played the betrayed widow card when the barely legal ones started crawling out of the woodwork after Jack bit it. There was no way Talia was the only teenager that pig took advantage of.

“How many times, Constance? How many times did you catch your husband screwing a teenager? Too many to count, huh? And what did you do? Absolutely nothing. You stood by his side and let him get away with it. God forbid you jeopardized losing your clout, your fortune—god forbid anyone found out about his dirty little secret and keep you from your next black tie affair.”

“Don’t you stand there and judge me. You know nothing about my life, my marriage, what I’ve been through!”

“What you’ve been through? Do tell, Constance, what exactly have you been through? You know, don’t answer that. I’m not interested in your warped version of history. I’ll lay it out for you. You threw your only daughter to the wolves and let her rot until she died to keep your tennis membership, all the while keeping your husband’s perverse secrets. Stop lying for once in your goddamn life. How long did you know Talia Prince was living in California, struggling as a single mother because your fucking pig couldn’t keep it in his pants? How. Long?”

“Don’t you mean Pryce?” Constance crossed her Chanel-clad arms.

The thought of hitting a woman had never, ever crossed my mind. Ever. Until now.

Balance, cock, torque, strike.

I pulled the folded papers from my back pocket and slammed them down. “It doesn’t matter how long. Take a good look around.” My left arm braced my two hundred pounds of rage against the desk, while my right gestured toward the room. “Hope you’ve enjoyed it. Hope it was all worth it. You have thirty days to get out.”

“What is this?” She eyed the contract with disbelief. “You cannot sell my apartment.”

“Last time I checked, Chase’s name was on the deed, I should know. I handled the transfer when he bailed your ass out of foreclosure. And that’s his signature on the bottom of the sale contract.”

“My son would never evict me from my home!”

“Your son hates you more than I do. And your monthly little allowance, done.”

Her beady eyes bulged from her sockets. “That is ludicrous, how am I going to live? I’m calling my son.”

I tossed my cell on the desk. “Go ahead, call him. Better chance he’ll answer my call than yours.” She knew this was true.

“You don’t have the power to do this.”

“Beg to differ. I have the power to do a whole lot worse. Your son’s not feeling as gentlemanly as I am. He couldn’t care less if you wind up in a shelter resembling the shit hole you sent Kim to. I’m sure you’re unfamiliar with the concept of security, first and last month. I might be willing to arrange your rent as long as you’re far enough away.”

“All this for that gold digging tramp. Seriously, Asher!”

“Talia never asked for or wanted a dime of your dirty money. She worked hard and provided for her son. She is pure class. Unlike you.” I nailed my index finger into the mahogany and bent over to eye level. Through gritted teeth, I made sure Constance heard me, loud and clear. “You ever disrespect my woman or her son again, I will ruin you. Shelter life will look like a luxury. Do you understand me?” It was not a threat. It was the truth. And from the change in her expression, Constance knew it.

“Don’t do this, Asher. Your mother didn’t raise you this way.”

“My mother raised me to protect my family. And I am.”

Defeat settled into her shoulders. “So be it. I’ll be in touch when I procure a new residence so you can tend to the particulars. The harsh winters have been taking a toll on me as of late and I have friends in the Naples area. I take it Florida is an acceptable distance.”

Unbelievable, she thought I was going to trade out her over-privileged life for the warmer weather version.

“I’d get familiar with Craigslist. You’ll need to sell most of this to cover, hmm, six months maybe. Price of real estate down there’s a bitch.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Serious as cancer and I would know.

“Security, first and last.”

“ASHER!” Her nasal whine bested that of any vulture vying for a spot on a carcass. She was unraveling.

I wanted to revel in it, but then I thought of my woman and how I could use this opportunity to possibly shed more weight from her shoulders.

“You want me to consider putting you into a one bedroom condo, I need something.”

“One bedroom…” Her repugnance unfazed me and she saw it. She readjusted her attitude before finishing with, “What do you want?”

It was a long shot, but then again this witch was so money hungry I bet she had overturned every drawer, safe, and deposit box she could find looking for any unseized assets. If the bastard was stupid enough to hide them, there was a possibility she still had them.

“Pictures.”

“What pictures?” Her plastic facade betrayed her.

“Fine. Good luck with a rental. Let me know how that works out for you.”

“You moron, there are no pictures, never were. Do you really think Jack would be stupid enough to document his indiscretions, that he would risk everything? For what? A visual he could easily find in a gentleman’s magazine.”

“EXCUSE ME.” Make no mistake: there was nothing polite about my words. They were lethal.

“Asher, your ignorance disappoints me. The pictures were my idea. Did you honestly think I’d let his little whores threaten our livelihood? Please, give me some credit. Naivety is a weakness in itself. The threat of humiliation was more than effective.”

It was no longer a fleeting thought or passing urge, it was an internal struggle to hold back.

Balance, cock, torque, strike.

I might not have used my fist, but I delivered the blow.

“Not one fucking penny is coming your way. Not one. This is me ruining you. You. Are. Done.”

She gasped, realizing her fatal error. “But you said-”

“I lied.”

Chapter 18 Lucky

“I have an idea for tonight.” Tal still didn’t know. I stood in the steamed-filled bathroom in my parents’ house and listened to her shower, which in itself was almost nearly impossible, but I managed. Barely. We decided to spend one more night in the Hamptons before heading back home. Ma was discharged after breakfast and we finally got her situated a few hours ago. Tal had her casted arm propped up on three pillows and a cup of tea in her other hand. But that wasn’t what was even bothering her. King wasn’t kidding—her entire right side was twelve shades of purple. Of course Tal whipped out some homeopathic shit from her purse, called it Derm Gold. Five sublingual tabs later and a layer of cream, and Mom was set. What did I know, as long as it helped. Come to think of it, I probably could’ve benefitted from a little under the tongue Arnica when I busted up my face and hand a couple of months ago. No need to rehash the past, that drama was over. Typical though, one shit-storm passed and another arises. Whatever, life’s latest excrement was going to wait. Right now I just needed my girl and I needed a way to let her know her twenty-year hurricane was over. (Or typhoon if she was still feeling her West coast roots.)

“I don’t mind if we stay in, your mom may need us. Besides, aren’t we heading back early tomorrow morning since you have that big meeting?” Tal tiptoed out of the shower, toweled off, and wrapped her hair up into one of those twisty things.

Talk about challenging my self-control. Damn, she was gorgeous and just an arm’s length away.

Mom’s cast, Emma’s doll, baseball. Yeah, one hundred percent, baseball did jack. Back to Mom’s cast. Mom-anything … that worked. Every time.

With my lower half in check, I leaned against the vanity and freely gawked. “Tal, I love you. I love how important my parents are to you. But tonight you’re mine. Non-negotiable. As for tomorrow, we’ll get back in time or we won’t. Suzie can handle it. She might kill me, but it will be worth it. Tonight’s about you. This,” I waved a hand down my front and pulled her now towel-clad body toward mine, hugging and grinning against her lips, “is all yours.”

“Your situation,” she smirked.

“Yup.”

Her sass earned her a brush of our lips. Face-wash mixed with toothpaste mixed with straight up natural Tal, sweet Jesus, I could eat her. Without even trying she made everything better. Not just tolerable, but better.

“So really, how was today? Dad seemed more with it when we got home this afternoon. Just left him and Mom in the kitchen polishing off some kickass meatballs. You…” Kiss. “...can seriously cook. Anything you can’t do?” Kiss. “My real life Wonder Woman. Seriously, though, I can’t believe all the food you made. They’ll be set for the week. Thank you.”

She broke free from my grasp and unwound her hair. With her wide comb she began her post shower ritual. Same thing every time. With Tal I noticed everything.

“When I mentioned a trip to the grocery store, you had to see his list of mandatory meals.” She laughed, now moving onto the lotion, first arms, chest and stomach, then legs. De-lic-ious.

“Guess the appetite is the last to go.” I laughed with her. It felt good keeping it light, shit if we didn’t we’d all go insane. I reminded myself to be that guy, the one Tack described, the one that rolled with the punches, dealt with the good and the bad. “And Mom can deny it all she wants, but you couldn’t miss how relieved she looked when the night nurse got here. I caught her yawning between every bite.”

“No, you definitely did the right thing. Poor thing’s exhausted. Actually, just let me throw on some clothes and get the kitchen cleaned up. That’s the last thing she needs to worry about. And then I’m yours.”

“Kitchen’s done, Mom’s set, and it’s already been established, you are mine. So your only job is to slip on something easy, I don’t want to have to struggle later.” She eye rolled me and pinked. I loved that I could still do that to her. “Now let’s go stare at the stars.”

“Stare at stars, huh? Yeah, that’s exactly what you had in mind.”

“What? Now whose mind is in the gutter?” I laughed.

“Wow.” We emerged from the spacious galley with full bellies and a little buzz. I tucked her against my side and led her to the bow. After a quick call to Drew and a fish market stop, we had a delicious dinner and a great bottle of wine on his new catamaran. Sweet boat with all the amenities, my brother-in-law did good.

“God, Ash, you’re right. I can see every single star. Do you remember when we were kids and we would lay on the tennis courts trying to find shooting stars?”

Yeah, if she only knew what I had wished for. I pulled her down onto the open air trampoline and laid her head against my chest thinking how this might have been one of them. It was pitch black this far out. I’d have to remember to thank Drew later for securing the dock at the very end. There wasn’t another soul in sight.

“Look, there’s one. Make a wish!”

I buried my face in her golden silk and inhaled all of her; she could transfix me with her scent alone. Her concerned gaze lifted to seek out mine. My only guess was that she misread my silence.

“Oh, Ace, I’m sorry. That was insensitive. I know how much you’re struggling over your Dad-”

“Hey, shhh. I might be an insensitive ass, but my dad is the last thing on my mind right now. Tonight is about us, about you, and I’m not going to feel guilty about it. Okay?”

She lifted her head from my chest, caught my eyes and smiled.

“Can we get back to wishes now?” She grinned. “Good. Mine’s more of a two-parter. I’m lucky the first part’s already come true. You’re here.” My lips instinctively found their way to my favorite spot on her forehead right between her brows. “As for part two, feeling pretty confident luck’s on my side for that one tonight, too.”

“Hmm,” she giggled.

I rolled on my side and flexed my hips so she could feel my luck. Her laugh was infectious as she followed suit and wiggled her pelvis over mine.

“Same wish I see.” I raised a brow and lifted up onto my elbow. She fell onto her back and stared up at me. I swore her eyes twinkled brighter than any of the two million stars overhead. The light of the moon reflected off her blonde hair. I tucked a loose strand the wind caught behind her ear, as the last seven months flashed before my eyes. Was this luck?

“You are it for me,” she whispered.

Luck, fate, coincidence, happenstance, call it what you want. I didn’t care. I liked the sound of that. Screw that. I loved the sound of that.

“This is perfect, no, we are perfect, and I can’t think of one other thing I could possibly want. I’m not wishing tonight. I don’t need to. Besides, I don’t want to tempt lady luck, she hasn’t exactly been my biggest fan, I’d like to keep her in our good graces.”

And just like that reality joined the dark ocean, rippling around us. There was no escaping that we both had our fair of shit luck, Tal’s far outweighing my own. But she was right, the tide had changed and we both were swimming in it. We were lucky and I wasn’t going to let anything or anyone screw it up.

“Do you trust me?”

“Oh Ace, not this again. Yes, of course. Why are you asking me that?”

“I’ve been contemplating how to tell you since last night—whether to lay it all out or just give the bullets. And not because I don’t think you can handle it. I know you can, they don’t come stronger than you. But selfishly I don’t want you to have to.”

“Now you have to tell me and don’t sugarcoat it.” Her back tightened and she sat up, tucking her knees into her chest. I hated when she went into her protective ball. I could only hope that after I delivered this final news I would never see her defensive armor again. She was too beautiful, too confident to be frightened of the past.

“You know my greatest fear, and I know yours.” I spread my legs and cocooned her tiny frame firmly against me. Her eyes widened with understanding, tightening the knot in my chest. Son of a bitch, there weren’t ever any pictures. She never needed to know that. This I would take to my grave. “I ran into Constance yesterday, it’s over. You don’t ever have to worry. It all died with him.”

She flinched and I tightened my hold. “Constance ... Constance Colton?” She tipped her head to the side with confusion wrinkling her beautiful face. “What did she say? Wait … she found out? Oh my god. She must hate me.”

“She may hate you, but you have it backwards, Tal.”

A sickening realization spread across her face. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she uttered, “She knew?”

I wanted her to be angry. To yell. To scream. To cry. Nope, not Tal. She dropped her head against my shoulder, completely defeated. My heart cracked for her. She was betrayed by a woman, a wife, and most importantly, a mother. Her best friend’s mother. Someone who should have been there to protect her. This was nothing more than another devastating blow to my woman. But I was damn well going to do everything in my power to make this the last. She deserved this and so much more.

“She will answer for her sins one day. Her husband has an open seat right next to him in hell. Until then, she’s not yours or Tack’s problem.” The rage I was trying so hard to keep at bay for her sake was percolating. I hated that woman.

“What about…” Her voice trailed off.

“Look at me.” I captured her cheeks in my hands and connected our eyes. “You need to know I’d never lie to you. If you ask, I will tell you. But right now I need you to trust me on this. It’s over; it’s done. Nothing’s coming back to haunt you. Let me carry this one for you.” The light from above reflected off her shimmering eyes as several tears pooled behind her lids and slid by. My thumbs instinctively brushed them away before I linked our lips and breathed into her, “I love you, Teeps. I promise it’s done.”

She inhaled a deep breath and buried her face in my neck. Her shoulders sagged and she melted into me. I would take her weight now and forever to feel her relief. I would’ve never thought twenty-year-old pictures, fabricated or not, would have had the power to consume and dictate. Well, not anymore. Now—with cameras phones and social media bullshit—no one would blink twice at a successful single mother’s teenage mistake. But Talia wasn’t most people. Dignity was irreplaceable.

I held her until we gave in to the motion of the boat. She wiggled free from my grip and the relief I saw from moments ago had morphed into something else, something I never wanted to see in Talia’s eyes again … embarrassment.

“Did you ... see them?” she mouthed.

“No,” I said without hesitation. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. As much as the guilt of my nondisclosure burned my gut, I’d swallow this fire again to save her from knowing that every sacrifice she made was based on a calculated deception, a bluff. “I pinky swear.”

A slow smile erased her embarrassment and softness traveled down the length of her. I watched the remaining weight lift from her shoulders.

“You don’t know how to not fix everything, not take care of people. Forget stars and wishes, you already make me feel like the luckiest woman alive. Thank you.”

“Don’t have to thank me.” I smirked remembering our phone conversation yesterday. “It’s what a man in love does.” She took my hands and led me back down to the trampoline. I slid on top of her and she palmed both sides of my head. “Have I told you lately how stunning you are?”

“Stop talking, Ace.”

“You’re perfect.” Understatement.

“Stop. Talking.” Her face was so close I felt her flush and tasted her breath.

I loved her reaction to me. I took a deep breath, pride expanding my chest. My woman. My TP.

It wasn’t going to take much. “My woman want to get lucky?”

She mumbled an incoherent response against my lips. And I dove in deep. Her fingertips gingerly slid under my shirt, electrifying every nerve in my body. A chill ran down my spine as the opposing heat from her core ran across my chest and stomach. She tightened her bare legs around my thighs when she tilted her pelvis to meet mine. I craved her like nothing else. I wanted to feel her silk and smoothness. Shedding my shirt, I continued my exploration across her jaw and down her neck. Sweet Jesus, was she edible. I slipped her spaghetti straps down, exposing the top of her perfect handful. I loved when she wore no bra.

“I like that you follow instructions.” I saw her lips curve up even through the blackness. “You bare under here too?” I slid my fingers under the edge of her shorts and she nodded. “You trying to kill me, woman?”

“Never. You made a wish tonight and I have a responsibility to take care of you. So quit asking questions and start getting me naked because I have every intention of making that one come true, too.”

I grinned and did as I was told.

I got her naked and did it fast...

I slipped inside her and claimed her mouth. I wasn’t sure if it was the wide open sky above us and the ocean below us or the cool fresh air invading our inferno, but something was different this time. We had fucked. A lot. We had made sweet love. We’d done raw and gritty and we’d done gentle and passionate, discovering every inch of each other. But this was different. This I couldn’t explain. I locked on her molten caramels, attempting to process this feeling. Our bodies synced with the undulations below us, while our intimate sounds interrupted the surrounding silence, her moans creating the sexiest melody known to man. This man only. Ripples turned to swells and our breath became more ragged. A thin sheen of sweat developed across our skin. She whispered nothings and everythings against my mouth and squeezed me tighter with her toned legs. We were frenzied, the pressure was immeasurable, and the blast wave inevitable. She wanted closer; I needed deeper. With every penetration I dug deeper and deeper, but the depth of our connection was endless. We were endless. Talia and I may have had a beginning and a middle, but together we had no end.

Chapter 19 You

“Asher, Ms. Pryce is here. Want me to send her back?”

“Suz, you like your job?” I stared at the speakerphone waiting for a response. Pretty simple question, if you asked me.

“No need to be an ass.”

My office door opened and pure beauty walked in, one heel at a time. I felt my stupid grin creep across my face. Talia in a cream colored pant suit. Smoking hot. And something I wished I was doing right about now.

Completely distracted with eyes glued on the love of my life I almost forgot Suzie was still on speaker. No way I was letting her get the last word. I snapped out of my TP daydream and spit back, “You do realize I’m your boss, right?”

“Pfft, pfft,” she returned instantly.

Seriously? She pfft’d me. Over a damn phone. Oh hell no.

“Ignore him, Suzie, he’s an ass.” Tal chimed in from over my shoulder before she made her way between my open legs and leaned back on my desk. So much for abolishing my daydream and getting in the last word, this was a porn moment in the making. Talia depressed the speaker button. “No chance, counselor, mind out of the gutter.” I could only imagine how my face looked. She probably needed to wipe the drool threatening to drip. She leaned over and brushed my lips. What a damn tease, she was so not getting away with this. I wanted more and now, but she wasn’t having it. “Don’t pout, gives you wrinkles.”

“Whatever, you’ll Botox them or some shit.” My hands wandered up her designer silk-clad legs. She batted them away. Torture. Might as well set me up with the Chinese water kind. I collapsed back, my high-back leather chair absorbing my weight. Taking her in I realized my desk never looked so good.

“You do realize that I’m an actual doctor, right?”

Smartass. I loved her.

“Har, har.”

“Mature, how old are you?” she sarcastically spit.

“Two months older than you.” She shook her head still not really feeling me. “Fine. So if you’re not here for an afternoon quickie, to what do I owe this pleasure? And make no mistake, it is a pleasure.”

“Focus, lover boy. I have to get back, I’m covering afternoon clinic. Was just running errands and wanted to make sure we were all set for tonight. I know Tack’s nervous, would never admit it, but this is a big deal for him. Mostly because … well, it is kind of a big deal. Doesn’t help that Paige went home for the long weekend. So you know, he’d feel more comfortable with you being there. I checked with Suzie and she said you had a four o’clock. Do you think you’ll be out on time?”

Hmm. This was rambling Tal. Sounded like my woman might be the one who was nervous.

With the help of speed dial, the ring echoed twice before Chase filled the line. “What’s up, man?”

“You’re home? Don’t you doctors work?”

Talia’s eye roll was perfectly timed to Chase’s buffoon response. “Fuck you.”

“Real nice, would you speak to my mother with that mouth?” I sure as shit wasn’t asking if he’d talk to his own mother with it. I knew that answer, hell yeah. But neither one of us were wasting another breath on that woman, she was dead to us.

After we got back from the Hamptons a couple of weekends ago, I laid it all out for him. I would’ve carried this burden, but some things a man needed to know. His mother, the carrion-consuming vulture being one of them. When I called him from New York and shared my suspicion that Con had known about Tal and Tack living in California all those years, he said he was done with her. Gave me full rein to do whatever the hell I wanted. When he learned she was part of the blackmail that kept Tal away, he declared her dead. It sucked seeing that bitch slice him open again. She never deserved the title of mother. And as far as Chase was concerned, she not only lost Kimi, but him as well. This was irreparable. I offered to go toe-to-toe, let him work it out, because that’s what you do for family, but Chase shocked the hell out of me and opted for a good old fashion boys’ night out instead, claiming we were getting too old. A bottle of Patron and a six-pack of shit the bartender graciously sent our way kept us there to close. When I found the strength to pry my eyes open late the next afternoon, I begged to differ on the age reference. Beating the shit out of each other seemed like the better way—even at our age. We decided to take our chances back in the ring in the future.

Talia kicked my shin, not so lightly I might add, keeping me from zoning out. Shit. Another pointy heel to the shin reminded me how much it sucked the first time. Tal was spending too much time with Sierra. She ignored my dirty look and mouthed, ask him what time?

“Dude, what time are you inviting us again? Tal’s being a pain in the ass, I mean shin.” That shit hurt. I only spoke the truth. Her lips moved with Aw poor baby while she simultaneously rolled her eyes again.

We heard Chase yell through the phone, “Blue, what time tonight?” Pause, Lil matched his scream, coming through loud and clear, “Five-thirty.”

“Heard her, sounds good. Looks like good weather, probably no chance of bus accidents or ruptured aneurysms or anything, right?”

“No, dick. I’m manning the grill. Why? You bailing?” If I didn’t know better, he sounded nervous too. Actually I did know better, he was nervous. “Way Lil talks about him, sounds a lot like Kim, sounds like a good kid.” Solidly confirmed chicken shit.

Tal bit her lip and wiggled off my desk, she heard it in his voice too. Taking the closest chair, she crossed her legs and unconsciously began to bop her foot. Shit, rambling, now bopping, she was definitely nervous. However, I was stuck on the fact that she moved. And I liked her on my desk. Mental note: we were posing for the camera today. I needed a TP pic front and center when I couldn’t have the real thing.

“He’s a great kid. But do me a favor, relax, man. It’s a barbeque. Bad enough Tack’s got to see what he’s gonna look like in twenty years. Let the shock of the grey hair settle in before you spook him with your laidback personality.” Grey hair might have been a cheap shot, but my personality dig wasn’t too far off from a little salt and pepper variety. Just saying.

“Ass,” he grunted.

Tal’s nervous face faded and she smiled. Then she whispered something about dessert?

“Yup. Anyway, got that you’re doing the whole cookout thing, but now Tal wants to know what kind of dessert to bring. Obviously there’s some unwritten vagina rule somewhere about what goes with what. And for the love of God, don’t say something made with that bean paste shit.” I grabbed her hand and planted her ass back on the edge of my desk between my legs. Perfect. And way better than a framed version.

“Smartass. Lil wanted traditional barbeque for the fourth—burgers, dogs, chicken.” That dickhead would’ve ordered sushi. Poor Lil, he was going to turn her into a fucking rainbow roll if he had his way. “As for dessert, you think I know what goes with that shit? No clue. And I’m not getting bitched at for answering wrong. Hold on, I’ll get Blue.” Tal grinned and mouthed, smart hubby. His muffled bellow was still loud. “Oh … and Tal, I’ll see you tonight, blondie. Looking forward to finally meeting your boy.” He knew she was listening in on speaker the whole time. Of course he did.

Tal shrugged her shoulders and laughed. “Hey, CC.”

See, all was good. Who was I? All glass half full. That’s right, that’s what Tal did to me.

“Hi guys!” Lil’s cheery voice popped through the line. An octave higher and she could be Sierra.

“Hey, gorgeous. Tal’s feeling a dessert. What would you like? And don’t say nothing. Not happening.”

“Hi Lil!”

“Hey, Talia. Any chance you want to play earlier, come on over. Sierra and Layla just got here.” That explained the giddy.

“Wish I could, I’m covering clinic until four. Then I’m picking up Tack before we head to you.”

“No biggie. You’ll be seeing plenty of Sierra, she has some good news to share.”

“Awesome, can’t wait! But please tell me your dessert vision?”

“Oh my goodness! Stop! This fruit arrangement you sent is amazing, we don’t need anything more.” My woman always thinking ahead, she rocked. “Oh wait, I spoke too soon, Sierra is whining behind me, requesting chocolate. Anything chocolate. If it’s not too much trouble, otherwise I can always send Chase out.” Those words left her lips like she spoke them a million times over. Like he was a fucking dog.

Who was I kidding? We both were pussy whipped Chihuahuas. Damn, I had graduated to his level. No. If I was being honest that shit went down somewhere around the ninth grade.

“Chocolate it is, gorgeous, now say goodbye. Save your estrogen pow-wow for later, when I’m properly prepared with an alcoholic beverage or seven as my buffer. Besides I have some business to take care of on top of my desk.”

“TMI,” Lil bit out through a laugh.

Tal didn’t flinch—she was over my stupid humor.

“Have fun, see ya later. Bye, guys.” We said goodbye and I ended the call.

“Now she thinks we’re screwing in your office.”

“Well, now we have to…” Sounded convincing, I thought. “Besides what are you gonna say when Sierra asks? She’s gonna want to know if the Green Giant rocked your world on a desk. You wouldn’t want to lie.”

“I’m leaving now.”

Yup, totally over me. I couldn’t even get her to engage. Damn. I still grinned.

“One sec, Teeps.” I rang Suzie.

“Yes, bossman?”

“Need you to reschedule my four o’clock. I’m out by four thirty. That group’s never on time anyway. Make sure you tell them-”

“Got it covered, you’re stuck at a closing. Funds got held up. You wouldn’t ever leave a client mid-deal, yada yada. Their closing is the day after a bank holiday. Oh, they’ll understand. No worries.”

Damn, she was good.

“You’re the best, Suzie-Q.”

“That’s why you pay me the big bucks. That and I pick out awesome birthday gifts for those yummy nieces of yours.”

Traitor. On that note I hung up. Tal crossed her arms and dug her pearly whites into her delicious bottom lip, lost in thought.

“We’ll get Tack together.” She nodded, but held strong to her stance. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. Want to try that again? This time remember who you’re talking to.”

She could eye roll me all she wanted, she wasn’t leaving my desk without spilling. I was pretty sure our high school speakerphone session did the trick of calming everyone’s nerves about tonight’s almost Fourth of July BBQ slash Colton brother meet and greet. Maybe I was wrong.

“Just a random observation. Do you have a nickname for every woman in your life? Suzie-Q, beautiful, gorgeous, sweetheart. Just wondering? Not that hey you isn’t endearing.”

Fuck me, my woman was jealous. She tried to play it off by adding a little sass but failed. She asked so I intended to answer.

Standing, I cupped her chin along the way, wanting, no needing her eyes when I spelled it out. “First of all, Suzie Q doesn’t count, it’s practically her name. I call my mother and my sisters beautiful because they are. Lil is gorgeous because, well she is, but more importantly, what she did to pull Chase from his hell, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. As for sweetheart, it’s generic, means nothing. I’m not going to lie and I’m sure as hell not proud of it, but I’ve had a lot of sweethearts share my bed. But none of them were you. There’s only ever been one you. You are the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Sexy doesn’t begin to cut it. Passionate, confident, brilliant—all you. The fierceness you love your son with levels me. All I have to do is hear your beautiful voice and I’m done … I’m done. You’ve tilted my axis and given me every first that matters, but more than anything, you make me want to hold on tight and live this crazy ride—with you. Only you. You crawled under my skin so long ago I can’t remember a time it wasn’t about you. So yeah, you is the only endearment that fits until you’re ready for me to call you wife. You say the word, that title’s yours.”

That lip biting sassy face vanished, replaced by glistening eyes and pure love.

“I love the … you,” she whispered, swallowing past her emotion. “And all its reasons.” Her little fingers trembled when they found my face. “God, Asher, I love you so much, sometimes I don’t know what to do with it all. I feel it in every part of my being.” I knew what she meant. “It’s endless.”

I kissed my woman, long and deep, thinking about those simple words that have played over and over in my head but had yet to be spoken out loud. The word forever wasn’t part of my vocabulary eight months ago. Not because I couldn’t imagine wanting it, but I didn’t believe it existed.

I was wrong.

We weren’t just forever; we were further.

Her chest pressed against mine and I tucked her to the only place she fit. I continued to devour her, savor her, and cherish her like I would every day until forever. That was my vow. The rest was a technicality, one I would gladly partake in for now. But Tal made me realize my patience for what I wanted was limited. And I knew what I wanted. Her.

Chapter 20 Seven Minutes

Layla non-stop babbled on the other side of the door, for a peanut she was loud. Like her mother. Talia grinned and raised her brows toward Tack. For a second, I wondered if I missed an inside joke, or not. Tack had a taste of my nieces recently, or should I say they tasted him, or more like ate him up, especially Emma who dropped me like yesterday’s Barbie and clung to him like he was Ken incarnate. But make no mistake, I think it was my oldest niece who crushed hard that day. The amount of giggling and blushing and the insistent piggybacks rides were the first clue. Drew was screwed.

“Like mother like daughter. Wait until she puts some words with all the jabbering ... there will be two of them.” If Drew was screwed, Dodd was royally screwed.

“Yay!” Lili opened the door beaming. Jesus, we were fun and all and she was excited to see us, but this smile was right up there with her wedding day. “Everyone’s out on the patio, come on.” She zeroed in on Tack and pulled him through the door. I shrugged back at him, who knew what crazy plan she had concocted.

“Midnight chocolate.” Tack raised his cake-filled hand, breaking the awkwardness. Smooth kid.

“Oh my god, you went to Flour.” She came out of nowhere. “That’s the devil’s food cake with the chocolate buttercream!” Sierra bounced from the cake box to Talia and back. No, she seriously bounced. “Girl, I love you. You have no idea.”

“Delicious, I’ve never been, but the girls at work rave about it. Thanks, guys, maybe now she’ll quit bugging me when she gets her fix.” Lili teased her BFF.

“Flour is one of the best. I made Dodd Google every freaking chocolaterie in ten square miles, just in case. And I may have memorized the menu—don’t judge, I need to be prepared.” Mental note to introduce Dodd to the bags, he was going to need the escape.

“T ... T…” Layla squeezed past her mother, who I could only assume was hormonally jacked, with eyes for only one. I couldn’t blame her; my eyes were on the same target. She toddled up to Talia and raised her arms. Worked every time. Tal scooped her up and swung her in the air.

“How’s my sweet girl? TT missed you.” She snuggled Layla into her chest while I silently imagined all the years she held Tack that same way. No doubt they had so much fun together. And I missed it.

I tickled behind her chubby thigh and she giggled that adorable baby laugh. “Hey, I’m stealing a kiss from my princess. TT told me all about your last girls’ outing. You lucky girl and you even got to meet Tack at the park—heard I missed out on feeding some ducks.”

“I feed fucks … feed fucks … wack, wack.” Layla quacked.

Tack may have shared Layla’s choice words for ducks, but I couldn’t contain it. I busted out laughing, ignoring the evil eyes from the two women to my right. Not sure what was worse—the fuck or the wack wack. Only Sierra’s daughter.

“Don’t encourage her,” Lili mumbled.

I searched for a little back-up and saw Tack turned around, clutching his side.

“So much for the D sound being the first.” Sierra shook her head, looking way too serious. “And we’re going to interview for nursery school in a couple of weeks. We are so effed.”

I laughed harder. Perfect timing, Dodd emerged from the kitchen, beers in hand. With a quick chin raise, one was now in my hand. The guy mastered the tune out.

“Hey, you must be Tack. Dodd. My daughter keeping it lively out here?”

Layla wiggled free from Talia’s hold and made a beeline for Dodd. A true Daddy’s girl and you could tell Dodd loved it.

“Are you showing off your potty mouth, pretty girl?” Dodd flung her over his shoulder, suspending her by just a leg.

“Dodd, she just freaking ate, she’s gonna puke.” Sierra righted her gravity defiant daughter.

Dodd shrugged. “Never win, man.” Yup, Dodd could use a few rounds in the ring.

Lil grabbed the cake from Tack and corralled us toward the terrace. “Enough hanging by the door, it’s awesome out today.”

Lil poured some bubbly for her and Tal, while I did a quick scan. The terrace was empty. You had to be shitting me. “Gorgeous, where’s your other half?”

“Oh, he had to run back to the hospital a couple of hours ago. As soon as he hung up with you he got a call. Nothing crazy, he promised. I just spoke to him. He’s already out of the OR and getting changed. He’ll be here in fifteen, twenty tops.” Lil emphasized the promised. We were on the same page.

“Good.”

Sure that he overheard, I looked to Tack first. He seemed—for lack of a better word—good, casually chatting it up with Dodd. My woman, on the other hand, gave me a weak smile, her simmering nerves bubbling up.

I met her on the other side of the terrace, kissing her forehead before I mumbled against her ear. “You okay?”

“I’m good,” she whispered back, smiling. Hell, if good was the sentiment of the night, I’d take it.

“So I can’t wait, sorry. Chase will have to get over it. It’s not our fault he has to be some fancy-ass mega important neurosurgeon. He can be pissed at me, but then again, can he really?” Sierra made no sense half the time, but we were used to it. “I’m telling. Cause I want that cake, and I want it before dinner. And that’s weird. So guys, I bet you never thought it possible, but this chick knocked me up.”

The shriek that exploded out of Tal was so not like her, it threw me. The three women collided into a giant bear hug, giggling, and for all intents and purposes, purring lots of affectionate words at each other. Honestly, it was kind of hot. Actually women touching in general was hot, and because I was in love didn’t mean I lost my routes.

Tack pulled me from my fantasy, asking, “What’d I miss?”

He may have agreed with me that women touching was hot, obviously not these three, but he missed the telltale sign of a pregnant woman. It was a given after the chocolate cake orgasm, but her pass on bubbly sealed the deal. As for the over-the-top excitement regarding her second pregnancy, I chalked that up to Sierra drama. I stopped trying to figure that out.

I slapped Dodd on the back, congratulating the crazy bastard. “So Layla’s gonna be a big sister?” Three pairs of eyes simultaneously bulged, all female. Sierra looked at Tal and Tal looked at me with her fiercest you’ve got to be kidding me face. Feeling as naive as Tack, I echoed him, “What’d I miss?”

“Your Green Giant brain is full of freaking peas, huh? Hell no, Layla is not ever gonna be a big anything. What do you think I’m crazy? This family is complete, finito, capped, ideal, perfect.” Sierra smiled at Dodd and they exchanged glances. I swore Dodd shoulders broadened with pride. “Cousin, yes; big sister, no.”

“Holy Shit.” I wasn’t sure what my face looked like when I finally figured it out, but it must have been priceless because the three women in front of me were grinning like fools.

Shocked into silence, Tal had to spell it out for Tack. “Sierra’s carrying Lil’s baby.”

What the hell did you say to that? The pint-sized spitfire never failed to shock me. But today she amazed me. Dodd deserved every inch of pride. His woman took generosity to a whole new level.

“Wow.”

“Yep. Sure, just when I got my body back. I’ll have you know I wouldn’t eff this shit up for just anyone.” She winked at Lil, whose baby blues were pools of glass, watching her best friend ramble on as if she did something as simple as loaning her a car. “My ass has been shaking at Zumba since January and living on freaking rabbit food. I’m finally skinny. Give me a month, then poof it’ll be gone. Not to worry, I now have my personal nutritionist counting my calories and making sure I eat enough protein. And Chase will be on the hook for my personal trainer and tummy tuck if needed. I might even tack on a lift for the girls. And I’m putting it out there—just because I’m housing your kids for nine months, don’t think I’m squishing out any milk for them. You’re on your own for that one. Love ya, but these puppies’ G rating expired with Layla. NC-17 from here on out.”

“Them?” Tal questioned, looking as surprised as I did two minutes ago.

Lil’s smile reached her eyes and she lost her battle, happy tears spilling down her cheeks. Damn, the lump at the back of her throat had to be huge. The entire room felt it.

Sierra, being Sierra, swallowed past it. “Crazy, right? These twins better be Lili-sized, otherwise I’m effed.” She picked Layla back up, pretending not to have just dropped the pseudo f-bomb twice, and switched on her Mommy voice. “Right, sweetie pie? Yes, Mommy will kick Uncle Chase’s booty. Okay, we both need to work on our potty mouths.”

“I’m so happy for you.” Tal squeezed Lil’s hand. “And Sier, what you and Dodd are doing for Chase and Lili so they can have a family is beautiful. It’s the most selfless thing a woman could do for someone she loves. You are amazing. Wow, I can’t believe this, this is so exciting!” The women hugged again and I remembered the afternoon Chase and I last kicked the shit out of each other, him swinging at the fear of Lili wanting to go the surrogate route, while I swung at the pain of discovering Tal had a son I believed was his. Terrified and powerless, we dealt the only way we knew how, unsure which side of the coin would be facing up in the end. Go figure, about time we both landed heads.

Another generation of Colton twins. As if that thought weren’t sobering enough, an unfamiliar feeling tugged at my chest and I imagined giving my woman the only thing she was missing. For a nanosecond I wondered if she would even consider adopting a little girl. Before my mental crazy train skipped another rail, I blinked back to sanity and moved to hug Lil.

“So two, huh? Means double of all the shit.” I wiped her wet face. “So happy for you, I knew you two would figure it out. And Sier, wow girl, I don’t know what to say. You just elevated yourself to gorgeous in my book. Thank you for doing this for them.” Tal smiled and squeezed my hand, telling me she agreed with Sier’s well-earned nickname. I was confident Lil wouldn’t mind sharing the title.

“Well, over my dead body was a random stranger carrying these beans. We were in the middle of a laser touch up session when Lil casually dropped the surrogate bomb. Granted, you can’t always control your thought process when your cooch is getting electrocuted. But, I was tempted to rip off my goggles and zap her in the forehead with the damn torture tool. Seriously, she deserved to lose her eyebrows for starting that interview process. Can you imagine, she was going to trust a stranger with Layla’s cousin?”

And that was Sierra spewing shit causing you to decipher through her run-on-rant what was TMI and what was important. This time I decided to focus on what she didn’t say. Lil never even asked, didn’t have to. Because it’s what you do for family. Sierra and I had more in common than I thought.

“You too?” Sierra waved at Talia, who joined the tear fest. “Really? I’m the one who’s hormonal and you two are bawling like babies. Lil’s been crying since I peed on the stick. Tack must think we’re all nuts.”

The room shot toward Tack.

“Hey, no, no.” He held up his hands in surrender, laughing a little. “Good stuff, this news is awesome. Just trying to figure out who to congratulate. Seems like it’s in order for all.”

Like I said, Tack was smooth. I looked at my woman who was grinning through her tears at her son and had to be thinking the same thing. Forget good, tonight was turning out to be fan-fucking-tastic.

Lil elbowed Tack’s arm. “You know what that makes you, right?” He raised his brow, his expression screaming, No, but I know you’re gonna tell me. “An uncle!” Talk about insta-family. The kid had no idea what was coming down the pike.

Tal raised her glass. “To healthy babies and a non-eventful pregnancy for Sierra!”

“Wait. Wait. I need my seltzer. Let me grab my wine glass.”

Before Sierra had a chance, Lil was up and out. “Sit, sit. I’ve got it.”

The doorbell chimed three times in a row, followed by a knock heavy enough to hear out on the terrace. Asshole forgot his keys, but was just in time.

Sierra and Tal started babbling about random pregnancy stuff. I heard “itching” and “cream” and I exited the conversation pronto, grabbing another beer and sneaking Layla an ice pop, just because. “Our little secret.” Her high pitch squeal totally sold me out. Dodd chuckled and tipped his bottle at my ballsy disregard for his wife’s crazy rules—before dinner, after dinner whatever. He didn’t care; he resumed his conversation with Tack.

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what went down in his head during this whole process. That was for another night and another bottle of Patron. I know what I said, but come on, his wife was carrying another man’s children, plural. If hangovers were ranked in order of worthiness, this was up there as deserving.

Out of nowhere, Layla’s excitement was interrupted by an ear piercing what-the-fuck shrill.

The kind of gut-wrenching sound that caused my heart to hit my throat.

It was Lili.

The glass bottle slipped from my hand and cracked against the slate while I scanned the landing. The sheer panic radiating from Sier and Tal pointed toward the doors. They had a better view inside the house from where they were standing. My legs were already in a full sprint. At the far end of the entryway, Lili was cowering against the wall with both arms raised in the air. The front door was wide open. The scene played in slow motion, yet it was moving so fast I couldn’t stop it. Tack and Tal were frozen behind to my left, while Dodd forced Sierra and Layla down behind the couch. Without thinking, I pinned myself in front of Lili.

“Get down.”

“What the fuck?”

“Who the fuck is this?”

Adrenaline took over, my mind racing the jackhammering against my chest. My stomach sank and I bit back the urge to puke my guts up. Confusion rattled me. Was this guy really pointing a gun at us? At Lil. No way. Not on my watch. This was a warped joke. We’d all come too far. We had too many awesome things on the horizon. This asshole wasn’t gonna ruin that.

“Whoa, man.” I held up my hands, barely recognizing my voice. It was the voice of reason—calm, rational … both of which I was not. “Put the gun down. Talk to me, man. Let’s work this out.”

Large drops of sweat dripped into his bloodshot glazed eyes. His dark hair was plastered to his skull, drenched with grease, and his clothes were filthy. Digging through dumpsters and sleeping in alleys kind of filth. Torn and disheveled, he was a fucking mess. Plain and simple.

Of all the townhouses in all of Boston, this degenerate picked here and now. First thought was drug addict. Yet something didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel random.

“You want money? I’ve got money, what do you need?” He had to have a price.

Lili clung to my back, her incoherent mumbles getting louder in between small outbursts every time he waved the gun in our direction. Tal and Tack were able to retreat a few feet deeper into the living room, but the open layout of the space didn’t furnish many hiding spots.

“I knew I’d find you. Can’t hide, can’t hide. Lili Porter, all Lili Porter’s fault.” The lunatic’s voice was hoarse and spewing disjointed nonsense. He swiped at his beading perspiration with his pistol-waving arm. “You ruined me. You and your fucking big mouth. Think you’re better than everyone, don’t you? Better than Wrangel, better than me. No better … no better. You’re NO better!” His free hand smacked himself across the face twice.

This wasn’t an addict in search of his next hit; it was a psychotic break unfolding before us. And it wasn’t random.

“Lil, who is this?” I hissed over my shoulder, pushing backward, trying to distance us from point blank range. But there was nowhere to go—Lil was already against the wall.

“It’s him ... Rrroyy Wayne. Oh my god, he got out, he got out,” she stuttered, completely panicked.

“Can’t hide behind your man. Come out, bitch. Your speech didn’t work this time, did it? Did it!”

My eyes snapped from the barrel of the gun back up to his face. I’d seen his ugly mug. The fuzzy picture became crystal clear. He was the asshole who Lil testified against last year during a child abuse case, the psychopath who burned his own kid. Chase mentioned Lil going back to Wrangel for his parole hearing a few months back. Son of a bitch.

“Oh god, Asher. He’s gonna kill me … he’s gonna kill us all. Get the baby out of here, you have to get Layla.” Lili’s body stiffened and then slowly sunk to the floor behind me.

“Shhh. We all need to calm down. Okay. Now why don’t you give me the gun? You don’t want to do this. I’m a lawyer. I can help you. You haven’t done anything you can’t take back yet. Just give me the gun.”

The look in this madman’s eyes justified Lil’s hysterics. This wasn’t just a vendetta. There was no reasoning with this freak. All ties with reality were already severed. My calm turned desperate. This was my best friend’s wife. And I was running out of time. But he was gonna have to get through me first, even if it was the last thing I did on this earth.

I just needed an opening, just one more sloppy wave of his gun, just one more freak out. He was going down.

Balance, Cock, Torque, Strike.

“You see what you did to me? Look at me, BITCH. You’re gonna watch!” His growl was cut off by the deafening sound of gunfire. The first shot up in the air, the second straight into his open mouth.

Blood curdling screams followed the thud of his lifeless body.

Ignoring the growing crimson ring on the hardwood, I dropped down and rocked Lili’s face against my chest, my hold suffocating. “I’ve got you, it’s over. It’s done, shh ... I’ve got you.”

Thank you, God.

Layla’s cry snapped me from my internal chant. My pulse was in overdrive, attempting to return flow to my brain. Dodd murmured similar words, trying to sooth his girls. Tack had Tal in his arms. Everyone was good. The asshole was dead.

Breathe.

Inhale. Exhale.

Lil’s quaking slowed enough for me to reach into my pocket to call for help.

“911. What is your emergency?” was overshadowed by Tack’s monotonous reciting of “Mom.”

I pushed away from Lil and flew across the room.

“She’s not moving, Ash, Mom’s not moving.”

My heart locked.

Cracked.

And stopped beating.

Tal.

Tack was kneeling, bent over and brushing the hair from her closed eyes. “Ash, I think she’s been shot.” His panicked words were like a knife to my chest. The pain was indescribable.

I shoved my cell in his hand and cradled Talia’s beautiful face, kissing her, immediately searching for her breath. I needed to feel her breath. I needed it more than my own breath.

It was shallow and shaky, coming in short spurts, but she was breathing. She was alive. Thank God.

I slid my fingertips along her thin neck. “Tack, tell them she’s breathing, but her pulse is slow, I can barely feel it.” I was used to it bounding under me. I was used to it matching my own. A million thoughts swarmed my brain, all landing on how the fuck did this happen, why? I was staring at the only reason I have a future and she was slipping away.

How the fuck did I let this happen? I was helpless. I hated it.

Tack turned and screamed over his shoulder “Where are we, I need the damn address?” Dodd grabbed the phone and took over.

Sierra wailed, “They’re coming, Tal, they’re coming.”

“Hold on, Teeps.” I tried my best to control my emotion. But I was breaking. No, I was broken. “I love you, stay with me, Tal. Stay with me. Help is coming, you’re gonna be fine.”

Talia’s eyes drifted open at the sound of my voice. “Tack?” she choked out. “Lili?” she whispered.

“I’m here, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Here, Tal. I’m right here,” Lili cried as she sunk down next to me.

“Everyone is here, baby. We’re okay. He’s dead.” I began scanning, searching for where that motherfucker’s bullet hit her perfect body.

My fingertips stilled when she said, “Don’t move ... me, Ace.” Her voice was weak and raspy. I barely made out “back.” Her eyes closed and she no longer responded to our pleas. I felt her at my fingertips. I felt her in a way I never wanted to feel her. I gently slid my hand from under her and choked back the vomit burning my throat. Warm, wet and sticky. Her blood soaked my palm.

The next twenty minutes passed like a lifetime in purgatory. Paramedics and police descended in droves, barking orders and moving like practiced robots. Yellow tape secured the scene immediately, while pictures flashed incessantly. Gauze wrappers and needle caps littered the floor, walkie-talkie chatter was nothing but static. Chaos didn’t begin to describe it. But as I watched them cut off her clothes with blunt bandage scissors, brace her neck, poke and prod her, all noise ceased to exist. All I could concentrate on was the gentle rise and fall of her naked chest now covered in sticky monitors. The rhythmic beeps reminded me that my woman was asleep. Alive and asleep, because the alternative was never an option.

This wasn’t a drill.

This was my life.

This was real.

The motionless woman strapped to the stretcher was my life. My everything.

Detectives sequestered Dodd, Sierra, Lil, and Tack on the terrace for statements while paramedics speed-fired off questions I had no answers to. It was all a blur. Never in my life had I felt so ill-prepared.

“Does she have any medical problems, any surgical history?”

“Does she take any medications? Anything at all?”

“Any allergies? This is important, sir.”

I knew I should be focusing, trying to pull some answers out of the depths of my brain, but all I could hear was the growing impatience of the medic working on Tal.

“More pressure, I can’t stop the bleeding. We need to move, people…”

“Sir, stay with me, does she smoke? Drugs? Alcohol?”

“Any family history?”

“Last menstrual period?”

What? Why was he still in my face, why was he asking me this? Didn’t he hear the other guy? They needed to move. Can’t stop the bleeding. Fuck, that sounded bad. The crimson saturated gauze being pressed against her wound by the full weight of the taller medic looked worse. His blue gloves were now dripping in red blood. Tal’s blood. I could only focus on the growing ring soaking the white sheet lining the stretcher.

“No, no … I don’t know. What the hell does it matter? She’s bleeding—he can’t stop it. She needs to get to the hospital. Now. ”

Right now the only thing I was certain of was we were wasting precious time, minutes were ticking by because I knew jack about jack. The answers weren’t going to magically appear. What did it matter if she ever had surgery? That was then and this was now. My woman needed to be in a hospital. Now. Actually forget that, she needed to be there twenty minutes ago. I took a deep breath, praying like hell the extra oxygen would keep me from imploding. I needed to keep it together. Tal needed me to keep it together.

Another paramedic who looked younger than Tack came out of nowhere. “Mr. Craig, we’re getting ready to move.” About fucking time. “We have space for one, two at the most, do you want to ride with us?”

Balance, Cock, Torque, Strike.

“She goes, I go.”

He got the message. “Of course. And so you know, we got in touch with Dr. Colton as you requested. He’s been updated on our ETA. He’ll meet us in the ER.”

Autopilot clicked on. The others needed to know what was happening and I wanted to check on Tack. He was pacing the terrace, arms crossed, shaking his head at the officer. His anger and frustration were palpable. Yet when his familiar grey eyes nailed me, I saw through his stoic presence and composure. He was just a boy. A terrified and lost boy. Tal’s boy.

“We’re done here. You need more answers, meet us at the hospital.” I abruptly ended the questioning, not caring if they were finished. How much detail was necessary? Psycho’s suicide put a stray bullet in my woman. End of story. “Tack, bud, we have to go.”

Lil managed to do a one eighty, pulling herself together. She stepped right in. “My car’s out front. Tack can drive with me, we’ll follow right behind.” She grabbed his hand and forced his gaze. “Your mom wouldn’t want you to see them working on her in the back of an ambulance. She’s going to be fine, I know it. You don’t need that image burned in your brain.”

Seven minutes. What did you think of? Heaven.

I always did.

The ambulance ride lasted all of seven minutes. Seven minutes of roaring sirens and radio calls relaying vital signs and medical details. Seven minutes of staring at Talia’s closed lids and soft lips. Seven minutes of replaying every song she ever sang, every laugh that stole my breath away. Seven minutes remembering how a few hours earlier I asked her to be my other half, my forever plus one, yet I couldn’t answer a single damn question about her medical history. Because I never bothered to ask. Seven minutes of regret. Seven minutes of holding her IV pierced hand, wondering how the night went from good to great to horrific, all within a blink of an eye. Seven minutes of serious bargaining with the man upstairs.

We needed more time. We planned for a lifetime of more time. And now the clock was ticking. Every minute counted. Hell no, these were not our last seven minutes. She was a fighter. She was strong.

Seven minutes. What did you think of? Hell.

I always would.

It was the longest seven minutes of my life.

Chapter 21 Cast Iron Armor

When the claustrophobic rig pulled into the ambulance bay, I blinked and tried to refocus. I was in the middle of, no, I was living a sick nightmare. Only a twisted mind fuck would explain the army of masked faces standing gloved and crossed-armed with fluorescent yellow gowns layered over their scrubs. For a split second I could have been on my couch watching a shit episode of Grey’s Anatomy, but then the metal double doors swung open and the small battalion engaged in force.

There was a three count and Tal’s stretcher was up and out. Everyone wore clear plastic goggles, warping their faces, but it didn’t matter as soon as I locked eyes with the only person I trusted. More meaning was exchanged with that look than could ever be said with words.

“Go,” Chase barked and the medic holding IV fluid bags above his head instantly started spewing coded information. “Thirty-seven-year-old female GSW to the mid-back, no exit wound, standard nine millimeter per officer on the scene. Bystander reported brief verbal and mobility before LOC, EBL twenty-five hundred, BP sixty over thirty, heart rate fifty and thready, respirations thirteen. Immobilized on the scene, two sixteen gauge ante-cubes placed with two liter bolus’ of LR. Unknown past medical surgical, no known allergies, unknown meds.”

It was the fastest hand off in history, and I prayed whatever he just said meant something to someone, because it meant shit to this bystander.

Two yellows flanked her on both sides; one plugged in equipment and repositioned big red carts around her stretcher. The other went straight for the only piece of fabric still remaining, her underwear. With one last cut she was completely naked and exposed. I hated it. The small EKG leads were affixed to her chest and a mask pumped oxygen into her lungs. She looked even paler against the bright white backdrop. She lay so still as the room swarmed around her, matching the feeling in my gut. My eyes jutted back and forth, watching the monitor, then her chest, then back to the commotion of people constantly touching her. The same medic from the house was holding pressure over her wound. He hadn’t budged. Someone tried to replace him, but he insisted he had ‘good compression.’ He was the only one as still as she was. I watched as the clear liquid that had been pouring into her vein was replaced with a tube filled with a dark red substance. That swarm in my gut began to sting. Blood. She lost too much blood. I nervously clasped my hands behind my head, never feeling more useless.

“You.” Chase pointed at a ponytailed yellow blending into the periphery and hissed, “I want two units O neg, and two more type and crossed as soon as it’s ready.” Before she picked up the wall-mounted phone, Chase’s venomous tone stilled her. “As in, fucking RUN down to the blood bank and get it. NOW.” He turned his focus back on Tal. “Move. I need to see.”

The medic backed off under Chase’s instruction and the two yellows rolled her on her side. Chase tore the heavy bandage from her wound, dropping it to the ground and splattering the white tile with blood. Her blood. My eyes shifted focus and panic punched my gut. I wasn’t prepared for the sight of the round gaping hole torn through her flesh or the violent spurts of fiery blood. I slapped a hand over my mouth, forcing back the flaming sickness rising up. My heart pounded in my throat, threatening to cut off what was left of the air still squeezing through. The surrounding half glass walls started closing in, increasing the temperature to near sweltering. Yet I was frozen in hell. My feet were cemented.

I bent over, fighting for more oxygen, the approaching darkness coming fast. Just breathe, I chanted to the accelerated thud deep in my chest. Come on, Teeps, not like this. Not like this. No way I would ever leave her alone, she needed me. And as long as I was alive, I would fight for her. This was not our story, hell no.

Voices started echoing in every direction.

“Where’s portable X-ray? I need c-spine, chest, and pelvis.”

“A-line’s in.”

“Her hemoglobin’s four, we need that blood.”

“Get me a Foley cath.”

A taller guy grabbed a sealed square kit off the top of the cart and ripped it open. Now on her back, he bent her knees up and spread her legs. The cement beneath my feet cracked and I jolted forward. I was consumed with an irrational anger. My woman was not just another trauma, a ragdoll open for the room to see. Oh hell no. My already flaming insides were now an uncontrolled wildfire. I cursed that Roy Wayne was ever born. The intensity of this terror, the rage brimming to a head was crushing. It was choking me.

“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to wait outside.” A nurse half my height stepped in front of me thinking she was halting my progression. Good luck with that.

Chase saw I was about to lose my ever loving mind, snagged a gown off the shelf, and loosely covered her. “Go, Ash.” He wasn’t asking, and I wasn’t listening. He pulled down his goggles and ripped off his mask. Then my best friend said, “I’ve got her man, I’ve got her.”

Trust. It was all I had.

I hated hospitals—did I mention that?

“Over here.” I raised my arm so they could see me.

“What did they say? Is she okay, did she wake up, did they call Chase ... I tried to get him on the ride over, he wasn’t answering. He always answers me, always.” Lil was spiraling back into hysterics. I selfishly wanted to tell her to get a grip because my only focus was what was going on in the trauma bay. But then I remembered that she just had a gun pointed at her face and witnessed a psycho with a grudge off himself in the middle of her living room. We all deserved to be hysterical.

This wasn’t real. None of it. Wake me the fuck up.

Tack silently lowered himself into a linked waiting room chair. Leaning forward with his elbows to his knees, he raked his hair. I squeezed the back of his neck because I had nothing else to give him. Lili was right—he didn’t need what I just witnessed burned in his memory. Our combined tension made the small private waiting room deathly claustrophobic. He needed to hear that she woke up, that his mother was going to be fine. Hell, I needed those words too. I paced. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Lili stood next to Tack and rubbed his back. “Chase has to be with her, he’s got to be,” Lili whispered, comforting him. My frustration built and burst.

“He is,” I hissed. “That’s why he didn’t answer. And since we only got here less than five minutes ago, I have no update. Give them a chance to do their job.”

“Okay.” She bit her lip and wiped under her eyes. “I’m just gonna go outside and make some calls. It’s the last thing you need to worry about and I’m sure you’ll want your family here for support.” She paused at the door and turned back around. “And, um, I really am …” her voice cracked but she fought for control. “… I’m so, so sorry this happened.”

I was a dick for how I snapped. She’s the one who deserved an apology—one I’d owe her later. She had nothing to be sorry for. None of this was her fault. It was Roy Wayne’s fault and his alone. Knowing that didn’t free the weight from my shoulders, though. I should have stopped him.

Tack had yet to utter a word. He was putting up the bravest front. Talia always talked about how much he reminded her of Chase and Kim. Right now he was all Tal. They shared their own coat of armor and his was out and in full force. I could only pray that Tal was back there utilizing hers because I had the sickest feeling she was amidst the fight of her life.

The silence was maddening. We had no answers. Time seemed to have stopped as we waited. I slowed my pace and sat next to him.

“She’s gonna make it,” I said out loud. Maybe to myself, maybe to Tack. Not sure if it made either of us feel better, but we were in this together. We had to be. Considering the possibility of alone was excruciating. God forbid things went wrong today and the unthinkable happened, this kid, Tal’s boy was my family. Is my family.

He didn’t break his stare from the floor tile when he mumbled, “Good to know you added psychic to your credentials.”

He tipped his head and caught my eye. There were enough unspoken words radiating off of him to fill a book. There were so many things we wanted to say, probably starting with why the hell did this happen? If giving me an iota of his humor was his outlet, who was I to judge?

I gave him his reprieve, even if only for a second. “Smartass,” I muttered back.

There was a commotion outside the door, abruptly ending our nearly wordless conversation.

“I get you’re an intern, but let me clarify it for you. When I say now, I mean now. I don’t care what the scheduler told you, she’s in next. Got me? Go make it happen.”

I was up and standing with a thousand less pounds, hearing him bark. Chase stalked in with his typical intensity. And as much as I hated taking the ride to hell and back with him, I learned to read his tone. Arrogant, powerful, superior—yes, but there was no fear in his voice. My woman was still alive.

“Talk to me.” I braced my legs and crossed my arms, prepared to take what he had to give. The small hitch in Chase’s breath was not lost on us as his eyes did a double take when Tack flanked my right.

Without hesitation, Tack extended his right hand. “I’m Tack. How’s my mother?”

“Chase.”

The significance of their first handshake was only as important as the health of the woman who tied them together. Tal was our only focus. I lifted my chin, signaling Chase to start talking. My patience was nonexistent and Chase knew it.

“The bullet penetrated her back and severed a blood vessel causing excessive bleeding. That and the trauma resulted in shock and rendered her unconscious. X-ray shows the bullet lodged lateral to her spine, it needs to come out. Now. I need to repair the damage and stop the bleeding. We’ve transfused her, stabilized her with pressors, and started steroids for the swelling. She should be finishing up in CT shortly. I wanted to make sure there were no surprises before I go in. I don’t expect any.”

Tack exhaled the breath he probably didn’t realize he was holding. I knew I did.

Chase wiped at his face, switching gears from surgeon to pissed off friend. “Man, she got lucky. The way she described it, my guess is the first shot ricocheted off the ceiling and possibly the floor before it struck her. Since the bullet wasn’t through and through it must have lost significant velocity. It could’ve fucking landed anywhere and caused a hell of a lot more damage.”

“Wait, what did you say? Tal told you what happened, she’s awake?”

“Yeah, she’s moving now, alert and oriented.”

“You don’t think you could have started with that tidbit?” Tack must have read my mind.

I could tell Chase wasn’t sure how to handle Tack. The situation was unusual, to say the least, we were all on edge. Chase accepted the dig with a nod then looked me square in the eyes. “You stepped in front of a loaded gun aimed at my wife?” He wasn’t asking, like he wouldn’t have done the same thing.

I clapped Tack’s back and changed the subject. “We want to see her before she goes anywhere.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“So you’re saying she’s going to be all right?” Tack needed reassurance, something more definitive.

“I’m saying I’ve got her.” Curt and to the point, Chase might have been answering Tack, but his eyes were on me and they said it all.

There were no guarantees in life, we’d aced that lesson years ago, but he’d rather take the bullet before he let anything happen to my woman on that table. Because it’s what you did. And that was as much reassurance as we were gonna get.

“Dr. Colton. I came as soon as I was notified.” The hospital Chief of Staff made a fast approach interrupting our conversation, obviously coming from something casual, dressed in jeans and a polo. I wasn’t surprised to see him since Tal was faculty, but I couldn’t help feeling like he had another motive. “Asher?” Obviously, he was surprised to see me. Sitting on the hospital board, Michael Kenny and I were professionally well-acquainted. He was aware of my longstanding friendship with Chase, and I assumed he knew Talia and I were involved, but I was positive he had no clue how intimately overlapped our lives really were. “ER chief gave me an update and I just looked at the CT. Trauma team can handle it if you want.”

Chase’s eyes imperceptibly bulged when he clipped, “I’ve got it.”

“I was just suggesting. I know you and Dr. Pryce are old friends, if you think you’re too close?” Those last two words were not lost on either of us.

“She’s not family, Mike. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a scan to review before my case.” He turned and started to walk away before he looked back over his shoulder. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll take you to her.”

I nodded and Tack said thanks.

“Michael Kenny, medical Chief of Staff. ”

Tack shook his hand and introduced himself as Talia’s son. He was noticeably disappointed by Chase’s cold response, but did his best to cover.

“Your mother’s an asset to this institution, we’re lucky to have her. I’m sorry this unfortunate accident happened, but she’s in excellent hands. The best, actually.”

Tack inhaled sharply. He might have been ignorant to the hidden meaning behind Kenny and Chase’s exchange, but he definitely picked up the Chief’s compliment.

“Asher, please let me know if you need anything. Anything at all. Let’s pray for a quick recovery.”

“Thanks, Michael. I appreciate it.” And I did. It was his job to oversee hospital policy and procedure. He easily could have pulled the ethics card. I appreciated his blind eye. He was no fool. He’d want the best taking a scalpel to his significant other as well.

Alone once again, I once-overed Tack who was deep in thought. “Let’s get a drink, bud.” Hesitantly he agreed, but was relieved to stay put when Lili walked in with a cardboard container holding three cups of coffee. “Perfect timing.”

“Thought you could use this.”

Tack took his cup and parked himself back in a chair. It was obviously a waiting room for one purpose. To wait. And Tack had no intentions of going anywhere.

“Is he okay?” she whispered, pulling me into the hall.

“He will be. On the other side. Once it’s done.”

She nodded, not pressing any further. Nothing about this whole messed up situation was okay. None of us were okay. And we wouldn’t be. Until Tal was home in our bed, bulletless, biting her lip and getting all sassy, I was not going to be okay.

“I talked to Avery.” Lil stopped there, and I got the gist. The Craig clan would undoubtedly be descending in a few hours and I had zero say about it. It’s how we rolled. And I loved them for it, but right now I wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t feeling anything other than spending time with my woman.

“Mr. Craig, Mr. Pryce, Dr. Colton asked me to come get you. Of course, Mrs. Colton, you’re welcome as well. The OR is ready and we’re getting ready to move Dr. Pryce upstairs.”

The sick pit in my stomach churned as we followed the young nurse down the quiet corridor. The nervous energy at my back fueled the bile threatening to rise. Tack wasn’t going to trust anything until he saw her with his own eyes.

She escorted us down a few long halls, away from the craziness. I wasn’t familiar with this part of the hospital. It was quieter, more private than the hectic trauma bay. From a distance, I saw a lone stretcher in front of a massive steel elevator that had direct access to the OR. Several varying-sized bags of fluid still hung from poles attached to her bed, while the blue monitor at the bottom broke up the monotonous sea of sterile white surrounding her. This time nothing was tainted red. The blankets were tucked in such a way that her already slender frame looked tinier, leaving only her face exposed. A few blonde strands had escaped from beneath a thin blue cap and needed to be tucked behind her ears. But the tubing securing the nasal cannula feeding her oxygen was using that space. The mask was gone. Her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful.

She heard us silently approach, lifted her lids, and smiled. A heart-stopping beautiful smile. My woman had a bullet lodged in her goddamn back and this was her way to comfort us, make it easier for us. Sweet Jesus, her armor was made of iron. She was bulletproof.

Tack flew directly to her side. “Mom. I love you.” No how are you, no don’t worry, no you’re going to be fine. Nope. Straight to the point, he needed to put it out there, saying the only thing that mattered. I stilled with burning eyes. At nineteen he had already figured it out. It was the only thing mattered. “They say Chase is the best, you’re in good hands.”

“He tell you that?” Tal half-smirked, struggling to keep her eyes open to look past us. I cringed thinking about how much pain my woman was in and wished it on myself a million times over, but at least they made her comfortable. I followed her gaze to find Chase now standing at the foot of the bed. Even through her sass, her soft eyes were searching his. He answered her question with a barely there smile, but it was enough. He and Tack were good. Content, she moved her eyes back to her son. “Now listen to me, I know this is scary, but I’m okay. His ego doesn’t need to hear it, but you’re right, I’m in good hands. And ... I love you too.” She spoke slowly and calmly. Tack rapidly blinked and stiffened his spine, struggling to control his emotion. His armor was not as strong. Yet. The vice that had taken up residence in my chest from the second he said ‘she’s been shot’ managed to squeeze even tighter witnessing his raw vulnerability. Tal unburied her arm from the waffled blanket and egged him closer whispering, “It’s gonna be okay, baby.”

He kissed her colorless cheek, nodding to convince himself and walked away. He needed his minute.

Lili stepped up. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll go with him. You just hurry up and get back here. I need you healthy, I can’t handle hormonal asspuck without ya. I love you.”

“Thanks, Lil, see you later.”

Lil swiped her tears, exchanged a meaningful glance with her husband then squeezed my shoulder as she walked by.

Chase followed her halfway down before he wrapped her up. When her muffled sobs echoed down the hall it dawned on me that it was the first time they were seeing each other. Fuck you, Roy Wayne. I shut it down; I’d deal with that anger later. That bastard wasn’t stealing one more second of our time. It was just me and her.

My turn.

I went straight for her lips. She was warm and tasted like my Tal. “Teeps, god, you’re beautiful.”

“I know you’re lying, Ace, but thank you. Putrid yellow’s not exactly my color.” She bit her lip and jostled the blanket to show her gown. She gave me two of the three and I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved her more for it. Now I just needed her bulletless.

“Promise me you won’t give the asshole any surprises in there, okay? I want him in and out. And I want what’s mine back in one perfect piece.”

Her smile spread to a grin, and her chocolate crystals pooled. “I love you. You know that, right?” Her voice was so raspy and frail. I wanted my vibrant Tal back.

Don’t you dare go there.

I swallowed the blade in my throat. “You get back down here and we’re gonna talk about changing that last name of yours.” I kissed her again, memorizing everything about it. “I love you too, more than you know,” I whispered, not because Chase was back, but it was all I could manage to get out.

It was time.

One last kiss and I stood up, wiped my face, and smacked Chase on the back. “Fix her, man. She’s my everything.”

His team wheeled her onto the elevator and I prayed to God her armor didn’t crack.

Chapter 22 Wait

The relief on Chase’s face was the cure better than oxygen. My lungs expanded wide and I could finally breathe again.

It was over.

My family hung back while Tack and I met him at the door. Over the five and a half hours of waiting hell, the administrative conference room had become the Craig family respite. They arrived like clockwork, staking claim and parking it for the long haul. All of them, except for my parents. Luckily, Molly convinced Ma to stay home with Dad by promising hourly updates. Add Lil, Sierra, and Dodd and we outgrew the waiting room. Coffee cups and tissue boxes were scattered, chairs were shuffled, and a fresh fruit and sandwich platter lingered in the middle of the table. Leave it to my sisters to never arrive empty handed. As much as I wasn’t feeling it earlier, I was happy they came.

“All fixed.”

Two words. That’s all it took to loosen the jaws of the vice around my heart. Thank you. I accrued some heavy debt with the big man over the past several hours. Debt I’d gladly repay. Hell, he could take whatever, whenever.

Tack bent in half, braced his hands to his thighs. He wouldn’t have been any less of a man in my eyes if he upchucked right on the spot. Hell, I was tempted.

Everyone shuffled around us, and the collective sighs of relief made Chase speak louder. “She’s in recovery, surgery went well, took a little longer than anticipated, but I was easily able to evacuate the hematoma, repair the damage to the vessel and stop the bleeding. The bullet was lodged in between some very important structures so the dissection to free it was time-consuming. She required additional transfusions and pressor support. Because of that, she’ll spend the next hour or two down here, and then I’ll move her up to the ICU. Once she’s settled there, you’ll be able to see her. All and all, she was very lucky.” Dr. Colton’s technical recap was fine and dandy, but I wanted more. I wanted details from friend to friend, brother to brother. And he knew it. “She’s good, man. She’s good.”

Good.

There was that word again, talk about full circle. Although, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that word anymore.

“How much longer?” Yeah, seemed Tack and I shared the same page. Until she was in our sights, we weren’t feeling assured by anything or anyone, not even Chase. Tack was done. He was done pacing, done waiting. He was pale, hadn’t eaten a thing, and was visibly crawling out of his skin at hour four after Chase’s case manager came down to let us know how things were progressing, sharing a whole lot of nothing and only adding to the stress. Tal was probably going to kick my ass, but Tack was joining Dodd’s intro to the ropes when this was all said and done. She wasn’t kidding when she said he had an intensity to rival his brother.

“Don’t worry, bud, he knows we’re not waiting. ICU my ass, what bed is she in?”

Mid-eye roll his focus broke toward a young woman jogging down the hall. “Dr. Colton, we need you back in recovery now, please.”

Leaving my question unanswered, his jaw tightened while he ripped off his sweat-drenched cap, locking his eyes with mine.

So much for good.

Whatever relief we experienced was gone and replaced with a new sickening foreboding. Something had to give. It was all too much. I clenched my teeth to stop from screaming. “Go.”

The only question left to ask reeled my mind. But there was no time. He was already halfway down the hall. I let the thick silence slowly suffocate me as I stood and did the only thing I could. Wait.

Shock

Sensation changes

T12

Incomplete injury

Motor strength

Altered reflexes

Sacral sparing

Weeks

Months

Permanent

Simple words, all with easily accepted definitions, yet when spoken as a stream of medical jargon they were fuzzy. In this moment they blended together and got lost. Not so much lost as buried somewhere deep. I wanted to bury them deeper. She didn’t need them. No one needed them. They needed to be eliminated from our vocabulary. I gripped my skull and cursed. Why? Why was this happening?

“Enough!” I growled. I heard or hadn’t heard enough. “I need to see her. Now.” My heart was jackhammering and I was fighting for air again. The knife in my chest was making it difficult to breathe. Chase said nothing more.

Behind a thin white sheet she lay flat on her back. Monitors beeped and chimed from all directions. People in varying colored scrubs, some with white coats, some not, busied themselves around us. The giant open room’s perimeter was lined with patient bed after patient bed. I leaned on one bed rail, Tack on the other. This time she didn’t lift her eyes and give us her beautiful smile. This time nothing sassy escaped her lips. This time her mouth was back to being covered by an oxygen mask. This time she lay comatose.

“I just gave her something for pain to make her comfortable and help with the anxiety, it will probably be awhile before she wakes up again.” A quiet voice spoke to my back.

“Pain?” Tack fired at her nurse. “Why was she in pain? Dr. Colton promised to keep her comfortable.” His choice of addressing Chase sliced straight through me. As much I felt it, Tack did too; it was the neurosurgeon who came to deliver the devastating blow. Chase was detached and factual, referencing literature and statistics. I got why—he was as gutted as me. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t waiting for my friend to surface.

“She was having some nerve pain, but mostly feeling anxious. It’s very common after this type of trauma. We’ve given her the proper medications to give her relief. You can touch her, hold her hand, we just don’t want her body jostled too much.”

Common. Nothing about any of this was common. My woman was not common. I white knuckled the rail and squeezed my eyes shut.

“I’m okay, baby. Come … here.” Her raspy weak voice was muffled by the mask, but it was the shot of adrenaline my lungs needed to keep breathing and to shut down the swirling tornado in my head. That sound, her sound … it could have been lost forever. She could have been lost forever if the night’s events ended differently. But they didn’t. And she was here.

Alive.

Thank fuck.

Her lids were barely open before they fluttered closed again. Tack reached for her hand that was struggling to free her face. “Let me help you. Relieved it’s over, Mom,” he sighed. “Love you.”

“I’m sleepy,” she mumbled.

“You rest. We’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She fought her eyes back open and whispered, “I need a minute with Asher, honey.”

Tack’s expression narrowed. He wanted to object, but instead he murmured, “I’m back in ten, Mom, I’m not leaving you.”

“Thanks, bud.”

Like before. It was just me and her. Exactly the same, yet completely different.

I found her lips. I needed to feel her breath mix with mine. “Hey, you, welcome back. God, I love you.”

“I … I … I’m scared.”

The bile rose so fast I almost couldn’t choke it back down. Only other time she uttered those words was New Year’s Eve when I asked her to take a chance on me. She hadn’t told me the truth yet, so understandably she was nervous, not scared. This was different. Tal didn’t do this kind of scared. She was a rock. Tack’s rock. My rock. And now she was crumbling. And there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop this landslide.

“I can’t move … I’m … scared … my legs. I’m paralyzed.”

Time stood still.

The pain was indescribable.

I had felt heartache before, a cracking and splintering. This was a full shatter.

Into millions of tiny fragments.

For her.

“Hey, hey. Look at me.” Her eyes were clenched but not tight enough to stop the tears from falling. I frantically tried to kiss them away. I wanted to kiss it all away. I wanted to promise her everything was going to be okay. I wanted to go back in time and tackle Roy Wayne to the ground before he fired that first bullet in the air. Screw the second, he deserved it. Hell, I wanted to switch places with her. “Shh … shh. I’m here. I’m right here with you. We’ll get through this together. I promise.” She sniffled, barely moving her head to nod. “Teeps, please look at me. We don’t know anything yet. We’ll wait, take it day by day, and do whatever we have to do. It’s me and you. You can do this, okay?”

Her eyes finally crept open and her fear hit me square in the chest. I had never seen fear in her eyes before and it was crushing. She lived most of her life tormented by a mistake, but she overcame the odds as a single parent. She faced the hand she was dealt and rose to the challenge. She proved she was stronger. She was Tal.

“Okay,” she mouthed before losing all ability to stay awake. She sighed one last time, allowing the medications to lull her to sleep. A sleep that would give me time. Time to process. Time to research. Time to figure out exactly how our lives were going to change. Time to figure out my next move.

I had nothing but time. All the time in the world to wait.

It was just before sunrise and she was settled into the ICU before originally expected. A perk of being on staff. We had more privacy here. It was quieter. Tal had a private nurse. And she was still comfortably sleeping. I stood from the chair and walked to the window. Practically on the top floor, the view of Boston Harbor was amazing. I was sure there was some type of bullshit survey that stated that the sicker you were, the better the view you should have. Ironic how they rubbed that beauty, that freedom in your face. I turned back around and scanned the sterile room. Only beauty here was my woman. The quiet rise and fall of her chest and the tiny spike of her heartbeat splayed across the monitor gave me the confirmation I needed to know she was full of life. But somehow the last image of her eyes was burned in my brain. That fear of the unknown, the angst wrapped in that one flicker was haunting. What would it take for me to erase it and show her alive again?

“You get any sleep? I can sit with her.”

“Not going anywhere.” He should have known better than anyone, they’d have to drug me to get me to move.

The unit had a strict policy on visiting hours. But it didn’t apply to me. Or Tack, for that matter. His long legs were stretched and crossed at the ankles, while his head rested against the back of the wannabe recliner. He was finally dozing. His chair was parked next to the window and hadn’t budged, and mine was soldered to her bed rail. I’d yet to blink.

“Yeah. Figured, just thought I’d offer.” Chase sat at the bed past her feet.

The last time we were together in a room like this, his everything was lying there and fighting for her life. And his ass didn’t move for three days straight. I would know. I had the window seat. Watching him spiral into a black hole while we waited for Lil to wake up—there wasn’t a worse feeling. Until now.

“Man, I did everything I could. The surgery … there was a lot of bleeding, swelling, but it was clean. It went … as it should have, what I expected.”

Damn, he left the neurosurgeon and brought my friend. This wasn’t his fault. I knew that. He knew that. Yet he didn’t know I knew that. There wasn’t a solitary thing about all this that didn’t suck.

I peeled my eyes from Tal’s and met his penetrating gaze. “I know.” Simple as that.

“I should have told you, warned you. Any spine trauma there’s a possibility, a slim chance of impairment. She’s a doctor—she knew the deal. But I should have told you. I just wanted to fix her. Ah fuck, Asher, I’m so sorry, man, so sorry.” He grabbed his head and gripped his hair, palming his eyes. He was sick, so was I, but I would never blame him. Slowly, he stood up and pulled in a deep breath. “The nurse will call me … when she wakes I want to do another extensive neuro exam.”

“Where’s Lili? Go be with her. Fucking traumatic doesn’t even begin to describe that scene. I heard her cry with you earlier, but she’s been a rock ever since, glued to our sides. She’s gonna break, C. She needs to. That shit can’t be bottled up.”

“Thanks. Thanks for...” I waved him off. No thanks were necessary. Not ever. I only did what I would’ve done for any of my family. “Well, she insisted on going to your apartment. Pick up some things for you and Tal. We’ll bring them by later. I’m gonna meet her there. You mind if we stay in your guest room? I don’t want her anywhere near our place. Not until I get back in there first.”

“What’s mine is yours, you know that. Stay as long as you need. Appreciate you grabbing our stuff.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze and circled up to kiss Tal’s head. Lingering in thought, he brushed a knuckle over her cheek before he glanced back at Tack. “So twins, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Good stuff.”

Probably the worst congratulations in the history of congrats. Roy Wayne was to thank for ruining that as well. Chase just mouthed ‘yeah’ under his breath before he added the words neither one of us ever wanted to hear, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Chapter 23 Clockwork

The obnoxious scent of bad flowers was starting to make me sick. After four days in the ICU, we were now on day four in a regular room. Crazy, but I liked the ICU better, if liked was even an appropriate word to use in the same sentence as ICU, anyway … couldn’t have flowers there. For as many times as I was in and out of hospitals I never got the full experience without flowers. You’d have thought I would be sitting here thanking God I wasn’t sick enough to make it to the ICU. Nope. Instead I was reliving repressed memories through Tal’s constant delivery of cut flowers. Vases covered every damn surface. I never understood why this was the go-to feel better gift. And obviously still didn’t. For all intents and purposes flowers were dead, or silently awaiting their death as someone watched on. Awfully morbid, but then again I was a teenaged boy who had nothing else to think about while the chemo infiltrated his system. Shit, we’d been in this hospital too long.

“These flowers suck, Teeps. I’m gonna start tossing them.”

She cocked an eyebrow at me and smirked. The smirk made me think she was catching on to my flower/hospital disgust. I tossed a couple of bouquets in the trash, only to be replaced moments later by the exact same arrangement sent by the hospital. Carnations, cheap fuckers. But what killed me was it arrived the same time every day, like clockwork. Everything in the goddamn hospital was clockwork.

“What’d the flowers do to you?”

“Remind me how much I hate hospitals and how badly I want you out of here.” It was the truth.

“Chase said my last scan showed no new changes, my neuro exam remains unchanged, and my incision looks good. As long as I can manage the wheelchair on my own this afternoon, I should be able to get out of here.” She beckoned me closer and kissed my lips. She was doing well so far, or as well as you could from getting shot, having a major spine surgery, and discovering life as you knew it was changed. Her initial fear was replaced with a determination. The strength I knew she would find. “I love you and everything you’re doing. I can’t wait to go home, too.”

I kissed her again, taking my time to explore her delicious mouth until a cleared throat interrupted us.

I glanced at the clock, one minute after eleven. The nurse arrived. Like clockwork. Asked for her pain level. Like clockwork. Checked vitals. Like clockwork. Squished the goddamn IV bags to check the fluid levels. Like clockwork. Lifted the sheet and asked her to wiggle her toes. Like clockwork. Every. Single. Time. It was me, not her who was losing it.

“Ash, it’s okay. It’s just the way it is. It happens.”

Was she kidding me?

“There’s nothing okay about it. You’ve been here nine days, and she’s gonna start organizing your discharge now, after Chase medically cleared you to go last night? What has she been doing all week?”

Talia shot me a look of death, but I didn’t care. The useless care coordinator needed to know I wasn’t screwing around.

“Mr. Craig, as I explained, it takes at least twenty-four hours to get prior authorization and to set up home services. They need to review all of her studies and consult reports before she is accepted. Besides, going home directly from discharge is very unusual. Typically the short term rehab facility takes care of this.”

I was losing patience. Correction, I lost my patience one hundred and forty-five thousand minutes ago when a room full of white coats sat me down and tried to explain ‘incomplete spinal injury of unclear etiology.’ The bullet was lodged next to her spine at the level of T6, but didn’t actually hit it. (And yes, now I was so well versed in nomenclature of vertebrae and spinal levels that I could probably teach a fucking anatomy course.) She was moving her legs before and immediately after surgery. Her MRIs and CT scans, for all intents and purposes were normal with ‘standard post-operative changes,’ none of which contributed to or were even localized to the level of her spinal injury, which was determined to be T12. Yet she had full sensation below her waist and had what they called sacral sparing, meaning she was fully continent. But she couldn’t move her legs at all. It made no sense. It was an enigma only documented in a dozen case reports, each with different outcomes. Ten of twelve were unacceptable.

The real kicker was risk management’s pseudo-friendly visit day two to reassure Tal that outside Neuro specialists were consulted and found no correlation to the actual surgery. Like she was going to blame Chase. There was one person to blame, and half his brain matter was still probably splattered on Chase’s living room wall. So yeah, my patience for hospital administrators was non-existent.

I looked straight through Theresa Whatever, because I was done looking at her and said, “Let me get this straight, you’re upset I’m taking my fiancé home instead of to an inpatient rehab because you have to do a little extra paperwork. Are you really telling me that I was able to coordinate an entire renovation from here, make our place wheelchair accessible in a week’s time, and you couldn’t fax a few reports or pick up the goddamn phone to make sure her physical therapy was set up? Please tell me you’re not saying that.”

“Ace.” Cue second look of death. “Theresa, I’m sorry, he didn’t mean it like that. We’re all just a little on edge.”

Damn well I meant it like that.

“It’s fine, I get it. I do, Mr. Craig. I feel your frustration-”

“No,” I cut her off from continuing her condescension, “I don’t think you do. She’s going home and she’s going home today. I’ve given you the team of therapists we’ve chosen. With simple coordination they’re all on board. You’re the patient coordinator, correct? If you can’t handle it, print up the necessary reports and my assistant will gladly take over.”

“It is not that simple, Mr. Craig. Prior authorizations need to go through-”

If she mentioned prior authorization one more time I was going to implode.

“I couldn’t give two-” I swiped my face to get a grip before I lost my shit. I refused to sleep on the couch our first night home. And the way Tal’s lethal eye daggers were drilling into me, I was close. Not to mention she worked with these people. “Money is not an issue at all. Understand?”

“So you’ve said-” Her tight-mouthed sneer screamed must be nice, but I honestly didn’t care. I wasn’t apologizing for working hard and being financially secure. “Fine, if you don’t want to go through insurance, your prerogative. Give me an hour. I can’t guarantee PT today, but you’ll definitely have your home health aid.”

“I didn’t request an aid,” I snapped. Why the hell would she need an aid?

Tal placed her hand over my arm. “I did.” She looked from me to Useless. “Thanks, Theresa. We’re all set here.” Tal held back on apologizing and reiterating that I was an ass. But I didn’t get it.

“Why would you ask for an aid? We don’t need that—you just need therapy. With everything else you’ve got me.”

“I know. But you can’t stay home all day. And until I strengthen my upper body and can, well, help myself more, an extra pair of hands will be helpful.”

I wasn’t letting her go there. Oh hell no. It was this hospital. The walls were suffocating us both. We needed the hell out.

“First of all, this isn’t permanent, so get that out of your head. And second, I’m not going anywhere. I will be home with you until you’re better.” My pep talk had the opposite effect of what I’d hoped. Her eyes softened and glassed over.

“Ash, I can’t even shower… ” She fought to keep her composure. My chest tensed. She hadn’t shed any tears since that first day in recovery. Not a single one. In nine long days. “I’m not strong enough to lift myself from the chair.” The crack in her voice made my chest tension turn to a full constriction. “I, um, can’t go to the bathroom by myself.” A single drop escaped and rolled down her cheek, leaving me to fight my own.

I palmed her face so she couldn’t look away. “Then I will carry you.” I hoped my eyes said the million other things the knot in my throat wouldn’t let me.

Our moment was interrupted with a loud knock.

“Dr. P, what’s up, girl? Hope I’m not interrupting, but I heard you’re springing the joint. Thought you’d like your fancy new wheels.” Julius was director of inpatient Physical Therapy and the newest member of her home rehab team. An athlete-turned-physical-therapist after a helmet to the spine ended his pro ball career and left him in a chair of his own for seven months, he was six and a half feet of tough love and just what Tal needed. Or so I thought. He was pushing the small-framed black chair around as if it were the next item up for bid on the Price is Right. “Ultra-lite, tita-nium. Whoa, girlfriend, your man’s got some deep pockets. This is the Cadi-llac deluxe.” That was it, he was fired. “I told him not to waste his money, told him he could lease one of these bad boys. Did he listen to Julius? Hell no. Now Doc, we gotta show him up. How about we make a pact to get you out of this chair before his Amex bill comes in next month?” Then the son of a bitch winked at her. “What do ya say?”

Tal swiped under her eyes. “Sounds like a plan, Julius.” And she laughed.

He just got a raise.

Three hours and another clockwork carnation arrangement later, we were home.

“Something smells delicious,” Tal said with a weak smile, the kind that didn’t quite meet her eyes, but it was a smile just the same.

And she was right—a waft of goodness smacked us in the face as I pushed her through the door. Lili. Must have explained the five texts earlier about Tal’s favorites. She didn’t need to go to this trouble. I made sure the entire fridge was stocked, including several containers of Grasshopper sent directly from Cape Cod’s best.

“It does. Someone’s been busy.” I genuinely laughed, feeling so fantastic to be back in our apartment. “Lili and Chase have been sleeping here … I wouldn’t be surprised if we have fifty pre-made dinners.” We stopped just beyond the door where a new ramp, stained to match the dark finish of the hardwood, led into the sunken living room. It was still an eyesore.

“I really can’t believe you already got all this done.” In the hospital, we had discussed the changes the apartment would need to make all the rooms wheelchair accessible, including widening some of the doors. She didn’t need to watch our home transformation. It was hard enough coming in and seeing it finished. Of course it was done. “Good to be home.” Her small smile widened a little. “Feels like forever.” Because it was. “I can’t wait to sleep in our bed.”

Damn, that sounded perfect.

“I just can’t wait to hold you, feel you in my arms, I’ve missed you so much.”

She sucked in a small breath and closed her eyes for a beat too long. Shit. What flashed across her mind was so not what I meant.

“Tal, you know…”

“Ash, stop.” She took control of her wheels and moved a little bit away from me. This was not the tension either one of us needed right now. “I’m good, and just so we’re clear, your arms around me sounds perfect. Let’s get something to eat and then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

I leaned down to kiss my perfect woman when a tiny movement caught my eye from out on the terrace. You had to be shitting me. That welcoming waft was immediately replaced with a smack of irritation. Emma, who don’t get me wrong, I loved to death. But where Emma was, the entire Craig clan was. Fuck.

So much for a quiet night to ourselves in each other’s arms.

Tal immediately switched gears and gave out hugs left and right, making everyone else feel better about the fact that she was the one sitting in a chair. Somehow my gears didn’t shift as fast.

“A welcome home fiesta, really?” I hissed. Molly had already cornered me, like clockwork, concerned how I was doing.

“Yeah, we might have gotten carried away.” Ya think. In a matter of minutes, food for fifty lined the middle of our pool table. A tablecloth didn’t make it a table, people. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to stay long, we just wanted to be here for her, for you. You’ll both have more time than you’ll ever want to process this, it’s not gonna be easy-”

“She’s alive, that’s all that matters. We’ll be fine. No, we are fine.”

“Okay.” She stretched up and kissed my cheek. She knew when to drop it. “I’m gonna go check on Emma, Avery has her on the terrace still.”

“Why, what’s up, she all right? Little terror’s usually couch diving or putting on a show by now. She hasn’t even come in to say hello yet.”

“Give her a little time to adjust, we’ll get her in here, she’s just scared.”

“Scared? Of what?” The pip squeak had been here a million times. She loved my place.

“It’s a lot for a three and a half year old to understand, heck, it’s scary for adults to see someone they love not themselves.”

Tal in a wheelchair, of course she was bugged out. Tal would be devastated if she knew. So first stop was to make sure my woman was distracted while I did a little preemptive damage control out on the terrace.

I made it all of two feet on my mission before I got slapped on the back. “How ya holding up, bro?” Drew was looking at me like he may have missed the memo on who got shot.

“Uh, I’m good, man. Thanks. Go grab a beer or something, make yourself at home.”

He didn’t budge; he just continued to stare at me, like he was waiting for some bomb to drop. Hate to break it to you, buddy, the bomb exploded nine days ago. Luckily the doorbell rang and let me break free from his wacky trance. Lil, Sierra, Dodd and Layla strolled in.

“Now we’re ready to get this party started, the gang’s all here,” I shouted, dishing out two more kisses, a peck for the little lady and another handshake. I was met with a couple more eye bulges, several more how are ya’s and a strange expression or two. I could have sworn we were in the Twilight Zone.

“Um, Ash, hey, um … Chase is on his way. He’s just finishing up afternoon rounds, you know he doesn’t trust any of the residents in July.” Like I needed the reminder. Of course, our luck, Tal got hurt during the most dangerous time to be in a hospital. My thirteen-year-old niece looked older than half the new interns. Luckily, between Tal being on staff and Chase being a dick, they knew to stay the hell away.

“It’s fine, Lil, we just saw him this morning. You guys didn’t have to rearrange your day or miss work.”

Dodd coughed under his breath. “It’s Saturday, man, no problem.”

“Uh … yeah, right. Sorry.” I did a quick calculation. Shit … nine days … it was Saturday. “Days were starting to blur. Glad to be out of there.”

“Hey, sweetie.” Lil beamed, walking around me to meet Tal, who obviously heard the commotion at the door.

“I’m so glad you guys came. This is so nice.” I felt bad for my initial reaction. She didn’t seem to mind the company at all. Actually, I think she was really enjoying it. “And seriously, you’re crazy, you must’ve been in the kitchen for hours. You better know, I will expect you for dinner. We need help eating all that food. Thank you so much.”

My suspicion was correct, we had at least a dozen individually wrapped dinners in our freezer.

“Hey, what about me? I’m feeding two here,” Sierra chimed in, coming around to kiss Tal too.

“Of course.” She giggled. I missed that giggle almost as much I missed her smile. I was a total dick. All her family and friends’ support was exactly what she needed. “We need to fatten those babes up.”

“Oh, don’t you worry.” Sierra pulled her shirt tight. “I already got the bump.” Tal reached for Lil’s hand and squeezed.

My woman’s life was completely turned upside down and she had every right to be spinning around that deep dark hole, but instead she was beside herself with joy for her girlfriend. She caught me gazing at her in awe. I moved to her side and squatted down to eye level before I reminded her how much I loved her.

She returned my sentiment then lowered her voice to a whisper, “Would you mind helping me onto the couch? My back is getting a little sore and I don’t want to spook the little ones.”

My chest tightened, I hated that she had to ask. I should have known. Without saying a word, I scooped her up and squeezed her tight. This was what I meant. I wanted her in my arms, nine days was too long.

Now with her comfortable on the chaise end of the couch, I kissed her like she deserved. Screw our company, we were all on borrowed time and I was taking every single opportunity I got to kiss her.

“Thank you.” She brushed my cheek with her hand. “You okay?”

Not Tal too with that question. I was fine.

“Fine. You need any pain meds, you hungry?”

“No, I’m good.”

She was good. I was fine. Fuck.

We were finally settled and her head was lying on my chest where it should have been hours ago. The crew had left a little after seven and the aid I never wanted in the first place was supposed to arrive around eight, but I canceled her. Tal disapproved, but she got over it. No one could blame me, I just got my woman back home where she belonged, and dealt with sharing her all afternoon with our family. No way in hell I was sharing again, least of all with an aid—a stranger whose job was mine. Tonight needed to be about us.

“I think the shower went well, you?”

“Huh?”

“The shower, Tal. Did you like the seat? Was it comfortable enough? There were several choices. I went with the one with more back support. But now I’m thinking the padded seat would’ve been better.”

“They’re plastic, Ace. I’m sure they’re all about the same. It was fine. I’m not in there all that long.”

“Right.” I was on to the grab bar placement by the toilet. “I’m gonna have the contractor stop in tomorrow and adjust the bar, it seemed low. He should’ve realized when he installed the taller toilet, you’re gonna need it a little higher when you’re transferring.”

“Do we have to talk about this right now? I’m finally in your arms, let’s just enjoy this.”

“Yeah. Fine. You’re right.” I tried to take a deep breath, but my chest just wouldn’t expand. I tried again. Nope. And I couldn’t shut my brain off. I kept bouncing from room to room thinking of ways to make her life easier. The dishes and glassware needed to be moved to the bottom cabinets. Then I remembered the swivel Lazy Susan thing my sisters had on the pool table today. How did I not think about those? They would work in the fridge too. Actually the whole bottom freezer situation had to go, a side by side was a better idea. And the coffee pot was definitely pushed too far back, too.

“Can you rub my back, please? Help me fall asleep.”

What was I doing? We were home, in our bed, Tal tangled in my arms—no IV poles, no recliner chairs, no stiff white sheets, no pungent Lysol smell—and I was moving shit around in my head. I just didn’t want to forget. Damn, the area rug in the guest room needed to come up. Tomorrow.

“I’m sorry.” My fingers started in her hair, finding her scalp, working my way down across her neck and shoulders to her back, doing it in the way I knew she loved, but gentler. When my fingers brushed over the ratty edges of the Steri-Strips still covering her incision, my breath lodged in my throat. This time it wouldn’t come free. Her ear was positioned over my heart, there was no way she missed it or my spiking heart rate. God, what was wrong with me?

“I’m glad Tack finally caved and listened to us, not that I love the idea of my son spending a night at the Cape, alone in a hotel with his girlfriend, but he needs this time. It’s a lot to take in … all of this. When he called before I told him to spend the day, no need to rush back. What are the chances he’ll listen to me? He’s so stubborn sometimes.”

I knew exactly what she was doing. And it was working.

“No shit, he’s all you.” She pinched my nipple and I squealed like a girl, “Ouch.” How did she do that? Her legs were dead weight beneath her and she was making this normal. For me. I owed her the same. “Teeps, I hate to break it to you, but Tack’s nineteen, with two years of college under his belt. He’s spent more than just tonight, alone, with Paige and whoever else.”

“Eww, stop. I can’t … no … really? You think … no.” I felt her little nose scrunch against my bare skin. She was adorable. She was Tal. She was the same person.

“I’m a guy, I was his age. I don’t think, I know.”

“Uhhh ... great. A lunatic goes postal on us, I get shot, who knows what’s going to happen with my—by the way who gets shot in real life—and I haven’t had a nightmare yet. You go and plant that … um … seed, uh, no pun intended. Now I’m definitely going to have a nightmare.”

I shook my head and we both let out a little nervous laughter. Nothing about what we were going through was normal, yet normal felt right. And even though that fear of the unforeseen future was still a heavy blanket weighing on our shoulders, it felt an ounce lighter.

She snuggled a little deeper into my chest, sighed, and began to hum. Like clockwork. But this one I liked. Scratch that—I loved and had missed it like crazy. Brushing her hair off her face, I kissed her forehead and wrapped her in my arms a little tighter. Her breathing slowed and her humming faded away within moments. My stubborn woman was too exhausted to admit it, but I knew the truth. She slept like shit at the hospital and I spent most nights watching her. I needed this as much as she did. I began to drift off and inhaled deeply, this time feeling my chest relax enough to expand. And it felt … good.

Chapter 24 The Exception, Not the Norm

“Dr. P, you’re getting some guns, girl, damn.”

Tal smiled at Julius as she continued to curl the free weight into her chest. We were five and a half weeks into our six-week daily home rehab routine. And my woman was driven.

“Looking good, Teeps. You guys working on abs or legs today?” Julius was strict when it came to keeping Tal’s legs as strong as her arms. Not only did he continually stretch her to avoid spastic contractions, he also made sure she put her entire body weight on her legs as often as possible. Two weeks in, we invested in parallel bars where she would stand unassisted while his assistant moved her legs, mimicking the walking motion. This exercise was extremely important, not only for preventing muscle atrophy, but posture enhancement, as well as to increase circulation and maintain joint integrity.

“Legs, big man. We’re good here. I’ve got her. If you need to run some errands or something I got an extra hour for her today.”

“Nah, I got some work in my office. Thanks, though.” We had our entire day mapped out start to finish and this was when I caught up on emails and made some calls. Suzie was holding down the firm while I focused on my more important job. Yeah, the health aide never happened, and Tack definitely took that as his opportunity to tease me about my credentials’ exponential growth. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“Ace, why don’t you go? Julius and Karry will stay till you get back. Go to the gym.” Tempting, but I wasn’t leaving her. Not yet. It was too soon.

“I’m good, Teeps. Really.”

Instead, I retreated back to my new home office that took up most of the guest room and banged out three sets of fifty push-ups. I needed to keep up my arm strength, too. I never wanted Tal to think I couldn’t lift her with ease. I wiped my brow and plopped in my chair, tapping on my screen. Funny how Chase just texted a few minutes ago asking me to hit the ring. He’d have to deal. We needed a few more weeks at least. I wasn’t ready to mess with our routine. It worked. Up before seven, showered and dressed by eight, breakfast over by eight thirty, physical therapy nine to eleven thirty, lunch by noon. A stroll outside, but back by two for round two. Some days, massage; others, occupational therapy till four, then time to start dinner. During the week it was usually just the two of us, but weekends were generally filled with the fam. Our night routine varied—sometimes a show, other times a movie, some nights we read, but we always ended in each other’s arms.

A week and three days ago, Tal had a breakthrough. A good one, no, actually a great one. It was after dinner but before our TV time, Tal insisted on a second shower. I walked away to grab a new bottle of shampoo when I heard her shrill. I flew back to meet a humongous smile. She said she wiggled her right big toe. We were both ecstatic, to say the least. This often meant that the brain may be starting to transport signals through the nerve pathways connecting to the muscles. Unfortunately, she’d had nothing since. Tal avoided the topic altogether and whenever I brought it up she fired back with, ‘Doesn’t mean anything, Asher. I did it once, but it might never happen again. I have to live with that—more importantly, be okay with that.’ That one wiggle seemed to have really set us back. Tal was shutting down.

“Your girl rocked today, my man. Getting stronger and stronger. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s benching me soon.” Julius winked at Tal and flashed his peace out goodbye.

His PT aid, Karry, rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind them. I laughed. Julius was so over-the-top positive I got the reason behind the eye roll. Tal didn’t seem to mind, whatever made her happy.

“Let’s eat at that new little cafe down at the end of our block. It looks so nice today.” She was in a really good mood today. I looked at my watch, already twelve forty-five. We needed to be back for OT at two.

“We don’t have much time before OT. I don’t want to be rushing.”

“Fuck OT.” I stopped mid-stride and felt the circumference of my eyes dilate. Number one, Tal hardly ever swore, and number two, we had never canceled a therapy session.

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m canceling it today. I want to put on a tank top, burn the top of my shoulders, and eat like a normal person on a sidewalk in August. It’s practically Labor Day and I have yet to enjoy summer.”

I continued to stare at her, trying to process this very convoluted statement with more meaning than anything she’d said in weeks.

“You don’t burn your shoulders. You’re crazy about sunscreen.”

She angled her chair toward our bedroom and wheeled away. I sucked in a sharp breath and rattled off a string of expletives in my head.

Normal. Normal was stuck on repeat.

I followed her, stopping at the jamb to our bedroom. Her back was to me as she crossed her arms and lifted her pale pink t-shirt and sports bra over her head. The definition in her upper back and shoulders was sick. I felt a shudder ripple through my body while I envisioned my tongue running along each carved line. I welcomed the ache in my chest as my heart slammed against my ribs. This part of my brain had been sacrificed. Shut down and turned off. It was the only way to keep my sanity and focus on what really mattered, getting her better. For some reason, maybe because normal was echoing loudly, I was losing the lockdown battle.

She removed her ponytail and shook her head as a cascade of blonde locks fell around her bare back. The act so sensual, so sexy, I could barely breathe. That subtle movement of her torso exposed the perfect silhouette of her tits. Hell, I saw her tits every day, even helped her wash them. But this was different. This was normal. This I missed.

“Ace.” She must have heard my heart ricocheting because I was completely silent otherwise. “I wanna try.”

“Huh?” I said it. She slowly turned around and I was done. One head turned off and the other turned on. My body’s reaction to her partially naked form—Lord help me if she asked to take a shower right now—was completely overpowering my brain. I had no clue what she was talking about.

“We have to try. I want you … and you want me … I think.” Her voice trailed off to a barely there whisper.

Wait. What? Hold the fuck up.

Every one of my senses was on overdrive. I heard her crystal clear.

She was asking to … whoa.

“Tal,” Two strides and I was kneeling in front of her, “I miss you too, like crazy.” No way was she gonna think I didn’t want her. “But we don’t have to do this. Not now. Not like this. If you are worried about me, don’t. I’m fine. I love you so much. I’m not going anywhere. You are my life. There is no me without you, got it? Tell me you know that.”

“Asher, stop.” She cupped my cheeks. “I’ve been thinking about this for awhile. We need to try. I need to know. You deserve to know, you have your whole-”

I cut her off mid-sentence because I had no intention of listening to a second more. She shut her eyes, sealing me off. I spoke louder to compensate. “Oh hell no, don’t you start. You wanna try? We’ll try. It doesn’t work? It doesn’t work. I don’t care. Open your eyes, Teeps.” She was shutting down so fast, this felt like Fort fucking Knox. Hesitant at first, she finally connected with my fiery gaze. “I. Don’t. Care. You are it for me. Always was and always will be. No matter what.”

She did what Talia does and mouthed, “Okay.” I wasn’t feeling it. She needed to see, needed to believe that I was not going anywhere.

I cradled her legs under one arm and rested her back against the other. I splayed her gorgeous body out on our bed. “You are so fucking beautiful.” My mouth found hers in a way we both had buried. Of course we kissed and spent a lot of time doing it, but our intimacy was about comfort and safety, both of which she needed to start healing. From the inside out. Yes, it was different. Different from what we shared before, but no less special. It was ours. It was what worked. And up until now, up until she shared with me her desire, I would have lived with that forever.

“Please.” She dug her fingers into my hair and pulled me closer. Raw and desperate, she matched me movement for movement, tongue for tongue, as we equally devoured each other’s mouths. My hands instinctively wandered, kneading and rediscovering her new physique. Her arms, shoulders, and pecs were all tighter, more defined. I palmed her firm breasts and fingered her taut nipples. My mouth left her lips and kissed a path down between her cleavage. I moved and circled her perfect buds with my tongue. She gasped and arched her back in response. Damn, she was hot. She was mine.

“You’ve got to tell me what you need. God, I missed this. You are so hot. I can’t wait to be inside you. What I want to do to you.” There was no thinking—my sex mouth took over. Our ragged breathing was all I could hear, my pulsing dick all I could feel. It had been so long, too long.

Kneeling above her, I paused to appreciate the sick view before I gently peeled down her yoga pants and tiny black thong. She couldn’t lift or shimmy so it took more effort than before. Whatever, this was now. And she was just as perfect. Her eyes were locked on mine, self conscious and searching.

“I’ve got you … it’s still just us. I want you more right now than I ever have. Trust me.” I placed one of her hands over my thumping heart and her other over my raging hard-on.

She drew in a sharp breath and before she let it out I was there, tasting her sweet mouth. Her hands grabbed at my tented track pants. She didn’t need to ask twice. Gone. My heart pounded like a seventeen-year-old virgin. Naked and panting against her lips, after everything—despite everything—I never felt so close to another human being in my life. Yet this was uncharted territory. A first of all firsts. Definitely causing more anxiety than my actual first time. But when she uttered, “I love you,” I relaxed and the last few shards in my chest mended.

I wanted her so badly it fucking hurt. Real pain. Love wasn’t supposed to hurt. But this wasn’t love. This ... we … were so much more. “Love’s not even close, Teeps. Not even close.”

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t researched, hadn’t scoured the web and online support groups. This was trial and error, case by case. Yet this wasn’t just another case report for someone to publish in a cutting edge medical journal. This was us.

Tal’s deficits were strictly motor. Her sensory functions were intact. She felt pain, she felt pressure, she felt heat and she felt cold. Some areas were more diminished than others, but she had feeling. Even with sacral sparing, there were no guarantees as to sexual function, though. And from everything I read, she was the exception, not the norm.

But that was Tal in life … the exception, not the norm.

After thoroughly exploring every inch of her mouth, I slowed my assault, reluctant to sever our connection. Every nerve ending in my body was humming. I knelt back up and gently maneuvered her legs apart one at a time using small, even movements. With wide eyes, she bit her bottom lip, cautiously accepting my control. For as dominant as she was in life, she had always been submissive in the bedroom. But this was different. This was a trust like no other. My chest swelled while my dick begged to seize.

“Ash-”

“Shh.” I lingered at her foot, kissing her tatted arch. Tiny whimpers were escaping from her swollen lips. “Shh.” I brushed my mouth against her left calf. “Shh.” I licked her upper right thigh. Now splayed open, my face hovered above the place I craved. She wasn’t that wet, but then again she never was. According to Tal, just another unwelcomed reward of childbirth. Never mattered to me because remedying that situation was my greatest pleasure. And this time was no different.

My first taste was exquisite. “So fucking delicious,” I groaned, realizing how much I had missed my fine scotch. Her silky folds were like a mirage that I was greedily lapping and sucking for every last drop. “You have no idea how much I missed this … missed you.” I wanted inside. Using my saliva, I wet my fingers and eased deep inside her warm tunnel, stretching and curling to reach her sweet spot. She moaned my name and fisted my hair. Tonight her sexy noises were all I had. I was used to the way she salaciously rode my hand and face searching for her release.

Tonight her hips did not twist.

They did not unashamedly buck.

They did not thrust to match my rhythm.

They were silent.

“Ash …” This time it wasn’t a moan. Instead it was a shaky almost melancholic tone. I hated it.

“Relax, let me take care of you.” I lifted my eyes to meet hers, letting her know I was not giving up. I would spend all night—or eternity—between her legs discovering exactly what she needed now. I feverishly alternated my penetrating rhythm from gentle to punishing by adding another finger while my mouth teased her delicious bundle of nerves. My cock throbbed and my spine tingled, but my desire to give this to her overshadowed my own need. It was all consuming. Despite my constant lubrication, the friction was increasing with each pass. Hoping I still possessed the key to her detonation and knowing how she had grown to love it, I pressed my thumb against her tight ring, seeking entrance. I strained to listen for spikes in her breathing and changes to her melodic tempo. And I waited for her moans to crescendo.

But I heard nothing. Her song was over.

She was silent.

She cupped my chin and coaxed me to eye level. “I love you. So much. You know that will never change. And thank you so much for trying.”

Wait. She was giving up. No.

“It’s our first try, Teeps. Doesn’t mean anything. We have forever to try again.”

Even though she soothingly held my face between her palms I saw nothing but pure devastation cracking her brave facade. “I’m fine. Really.” There was nothing fine about the look on her face. She must have seen an equal amount of devastation on mine. I felt like I failed her. “You need to know that I love being this close to you again, that’s enough for me … but it isn’t enough for you.”

“Tal-” She pressed a finger over my lips, sealing them. I did not like where this was going.

“No, listen to me. I know you love me, I know you will take me however you can get me, but I also know you’re a man. So please, I don’t want to stop yet. I need this. I need to know that I can do this for you. Let me taste you.” She reached for my cock and bit her lip.

“What. No.” I clipped way harsher than I meant. But if she thought she was going to suck me off while she lay there, she had another thing coming. She flinched and a wave of anguish and disappointment flooded her beautiful face. “Shit, Teeps, that didn’t come out right. Of course I would want you to … just not like… I mean … I wanted you to … I don’t know.” I clenched my lids and raked my hair so hard, a bald spot wouldn’t have been surprising.

This was a complete clusterfuck. No, I was the complete fuck up.

“I am so sorry.” Her voice cracked. “I know … I know this is hard.”

Hell no.

She was crying.

I braced my weight on my forearms and leaned so we were chest to chest. Heart to heart. Lips to lips. Breath to breath. And said the only thing that mattered. “Let me make love to you.”

“But-”

“No buts, Teeps. I am going to make love to you.” I moved my lips from her mouth to her cheeks and began to kiss away every tear that continued to flow. I couldn’t explain with words how this was good enough, how she was all I’d ever need. So I showed her.

Careful to not hurt her, I widened her legs some more and reached for some lube. Then I closed the distance between us, shut out our fears and made us one. I made love to her mouth at the same pace as to her body, slow and rhythmic with no end point in sight.

I was wrong, it wasn’t good enough.

It was everything.

We never made it to that little cafe.

Chapter 25 Rounds

Something changed between us that day, and not for the better. We didn’t discuss it and we certainly didn’t try again. It was one of the giant elephants we pretended wasn’t there. I figured Tal would let me know when she was ready. Though I hated to admit, I felt like it might be never. We fell back into our normal routine, but there was nothing normal about it. And even though Tal was the exception, I was realizing she wanted nothing more than to be the norm. And I wanted to give her that.

I brought up wedding planning a couple of times since we left the hospital, thinking this would pull her from her funk, get her excited, but she skirted that topic as well. As far as I was concerned, it was a done deal. She was already my wife, my forever. Granted, it was far from a traditional proposal and if she wanted to be Kurt and Goldie, fine by me. But after everything and knowing what I knew, we needed that piece of paper. I’d prefer the marriage certificate emblazoned with the name Talia Craig, but I’d settle for a health care proxy. Definitely not as romantic, but got the job done. I’m yours, you’re mine, as long as we both shall live—or more likely in my case, remember. Because one day we might not have Chase, Tal might not be on staff, and I might not sit on the board of trustees. And no one was going to question my place at my woman’s side or vice versa.

What sucked more was I tried to make plans for her birthday late next month, knowing a surprise wouldn’t go over well, and she kept telling me to wait, ‘hold off for now, let’s see how I’m feeling.’ After the sick mountain bike trip she surprised me with back in June, I owed her big time. Whatever, I wasn’t taking no for an answer, she still had plenty of time to change her mind.

But what topped the list of suck was she wasn’t even feeling a trip to Harry Winston’s. What woman didn’t want to shop for bling? I got that I’d probably never snag a lead in any romance novel, but we weren’t twenty-two. Tal was a sophisticated woman with an opinion. And watching her eyes sparkle picking out the ring of her dreams was a fantasy I could only wish would come true.

Despite my best efforts, Tal was pulling a little further away with each passing summer day. She stopped asking me for help with daily tasks. She showered by herself, dressed herself, and transferred to and from her chair without assistance, even when I was always right there happily willing to lift her. Truth be told, I would have carried her anywhere. I wanted to carry every ounce of that bullet’s burden. But life didn’t ask me what I wanted.

Last week she made arrangements with Julius to continue her therapy at the hospital facility instead of at home. When I questioned why she would add an unnecessary inconvenience to her life she said, “Because it’s what people do. You wake up, you go to work, you go somewhere … you live. Otherwise you’re just wasting precious time. We only get one shot at this.”

I hated how much pressure she was putting on herself, physically and emotionally. I also hated that since she ‘was already there’ she felt obligated to help out her interim replacement by preparing the residents’ afternoon lecture. She had officially taken a leave of absence for the academic year. If the new guy couldn’t hack it, it was the department’s problem, not hers. I made sure the board knew it.

And I really hated that she insisted on traveling back and forth alone. Or more accurately, without me. When I gently pointed out that Bostonians drove like maniacs and anything could happen in the quarter mile, Tal said, “This chair already owns some of my independence, I’m not letting fear have the rest.” I respected her idealism, I did. But I didn’t agree. And I may have not-so-gently put my foot down and possibly said (in a slightly louder tone than an inside voice) something along the lines of, “over my dementia ridden dead body will I let something ever happen to you again.” Needless to say, that didn’t go over so well.

After an hour-long shower, which I assumed she set on cold, Tal ended the silent treatment and calmly laid it out for me. “Sierra’s new place is around the corner from the hospital, and since she convinced herself Zumba might harm the babies, she’s now some crazy speed walker. Anyway, when she passes here, I’ll go with her. Besides, I’m worried about her. She’s struggling with everything that happened. I’m hoping spending some time together will help. As far as the afternoon, Tack has a few early days this semester, he won’t mind, or if you happen to have hospital business, then great. Otherwise, I’ll figure it out. This will give you a chance for you. Okay?”

Not okay, any of it. But she wasn’t asking and I sure as shit didn’t want to argue. Again. Been there, done that. A lot lately.

Tal was more concerned about Sierra and how everyone else was handling the aftermath that she was deaf to her own justified cries of anger. She deserved to be irate. Life dealt her another shit hand. Enough was enough already. So when she started picking meaningless fights, I felt relieved almost. And I tried not to take any of it personally.

The first time caught me off guard. I never met snippy Tal. She had hung up the phone with Lil, rolled over to the couch where I was working on my laptop and snapped it shut. “Um, why is Tack Chase’s new sparring partner?” No smile, no sweet, just pissed.

“Teeps, he’s a grown man, it’s good exercise, and in comparison to a lot of other ways he could be letting off steam, it’s safer. Chase can be an ass in the ring, but you know he’d never let him get hurt. Besides, I thought you wanted them spending time together.”

“That’s not my issue. Why are you not with them? In fact, why am I just finding out that you haven’t been to the gym since ... you know? And don’t say it’s because you haven’t had time to work out. I feel you get out of bed before sunrise, and I’m not blind to the fact that you’re more ripped than ever. You’d probably bust out of your dress shirts, that is if you ever put one back on.” Shit, she was riled.

“What’s that supposed to mean? No, forget it. You’ve got to be tired. Julius worked you hard today. Want me to draw you a bath?” I could tell her mind was reeling but she shut it down and let out an exasperated sigh.

Snippy Tal retreated, and my Teeps was back. “Just do me a favor. Please, go back to the gym.” She stretched the word please, almost begging. I kissed her forehead and nodded appeasingly. I had no intention of schlepping halfway across town to work out when I could bang it out downstairs before she even woke up. But she didn’t need to know that. Especially since her eyes were twinkling again. “Besides, Lil says Chase is a little bit of a hot mess lately, the surrogacy thing is taking its toll. So I’d rather my son not be on the receiving end of that. The Green Giant, on the other hand, my money’s on you.”

So round one with Tal, not so bad. Just some bruising.

Unfortunately it wasn’t just Tal busting my balls about going to the gym. Chase clearly fired off his concerns as well.

“Listen, I’m gonna say this once. For your own fucking sanity, get out of the house. It’s time.”

Time for what? We were living just fine. What we had worked and I wasn’t about to screw that up.

“If you don’t want to meet Tack and me, don’t. But do fucking something. Go to the office, catch up on all your bullshit. And mine. Get off your ass and make sure my shit is making money. I’ve got two kids on the way. Besides, that high rolling douche can’t be happy you’ve been MIA?”

He was so full of shit. Money was something neither of us had to worry about, and he knew it.

“First of all, I’m taking care of my woman, dickhead. And Powell? Got rid of that scumbag weeks ago. I didn’t have time for him blowing up my phone when I have more important things.”

“What the hell? Now you’re jeopardizing your firm, your reputation. Fuck, Asher. Get your life back.”

“She is my fucking life. And who are you to judge? You’re so far up Lil’s ass...”

“Don’t you turn this on me. Lil and I figured our shit out and we’re good. Can you say the same? You and Tal good? You wouldn’t know good if it slapped you in the face, you’re so far up your own ass.”

Round two with Chase, I didn’t fare as well. Black eye and cracked ribs, but I was still standing.

Since my woman and my best friend seemed to have their panties in a bunch over my lack of cardio, I started running again. I liked it. Thirty minutes and done. I didn’t see why they were making such a big deal out of nothing. I was keeping in great shape. And the parallel bars served as the perfect place for dips. Good thing, otherwise they were doing nothing but collecting dust in our living room. Anyway, I had just gotten back from a run and found her on the terrace, deep in thought. Her long hair whipped in the gusty breeze. The humidity felt like a wet towel slapping across your face, we needed this rain. I glanced at my watch and realized she was home early. If I’d known her resident lecture had been canceled I would’ve picked her up myself and probably avoided the shit-storm that followed. Literally.

“Hey you.” I bent over to kiss her head. If sweat wasn’t dripping from my face I would have gone for the lips. “Why didn’t you call? I would have met you.”

She avoided eye contact, her eyes stayed glued to the bluish grey horizon. Damn, I probably should’ve gone for the lips.

When she finally spoke, her voice was calm. Too calm. “Why aren’t we going to the Hamptons this weekend?”

“Huh?”

“Maggie called. She wanted to make sure everything was okay. Wanted to reassure us that the girls totally understood about Hawaii if that’s what we were worried about, why we weren’t coming home for the holiday weekend and missing Emma’s birthday.”

I toweled my face with the bottom of my drenched Under Armour shirt. Half to wipe the burning perspiration from my eyes, half to buy some time. It didn’t matter how I responded. Tal already took this round on a technicality. My pause was a beat too long.

“Funny words—us and we. Plurals. Implies more than one person’s involved in the decision making process.” She finally lifted her eyes to meet mine. I got anger, hell, it had been camping out in my gut for the past eight weeks. But what I saw in her eyes wasn’t anger. It was hurt.

I sat on the teak bench, refusing to have this conversation towering over her. As overheated as I was from my run, the look on her face made me sizzle. “I made sure Suzie took care of Emma, her gift should already be there.” Tal crossed her arms across her chest and bit the inside of her cheek. Bad answer. I tried again. “As for the trip, I offered to reschedule, send them anywhere they wanted to go. They passed.”

“They passed because they don’t want to go without you.”

“Well, that’s not gonna happen. It’s too long of a flight, the doctor’s said-”

“I am a doctor.” Her jab hit below the belt. I walked right into that one.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, Tal.”

“I know what you meant.”

“Look, I don’t want to argue about this. The vacation’s a moot point. The kids are going back to school anyway. You really want to go to the Hamptons—we’ll go. But we’re driving. Flying is out of the question. It was too risky the first time, no way am I taking you now. Actually, I have a buyer.”

“Wait, you’re selling the plane? Asher, you love the plane. That’s your freedom, your hobby, why would you do that?” No way I would jeopardize her safety under my care. “Your mind is made up.” She huffed, looking disgusted. “Whatever, your plane, your choice. But it still doesn’t explain your callous disregard about this weekend. And don’t give me any ridiculous excuse about the car ride. I can sit. That’s all I do is sit … twenty-four hours a day. The six freaking hours in a car instead of my chair makes no difference.”

“Fine, I said we’ll go. I just didn’t want to see you upset if we get there and Emma pulls the same shit she did last time she saw you.”

“Oh my god. I’m an adult and she’s almost four. I think I can handle a child who is allowed to be freaked out. News flash, wheelchairs and paralysis are scary concepts, terrifying actually. So what … what’s your grand plan? Now that the initial shock is over and your family is back to living their own lives, not trekking up here on weekends to see us anymore, what … we’re just going to avoid them? For how long, Ace? Because I hate to break it to you, I might be in this chair forever.”

I dropped my head and pulled my hair, my adrenaline matched what it was at mile six. A million different thoughts raced through my mind, none of which amounted to anything. “What do you want me to say, Tal?”

“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to start doing. I want you to go home. I want you to visit your family, like you always did. I want you to make up this time you’ve lost with your dad. Make him a priority again. Cherish the time you have left and don’t have regrets. Trust me, there are no do-overs in life and second chances are overrated. Firsts are everything.”

“You’re my number one priority.”

She grabbed the back of her head and lifted her face to the sky and opened her mouth like she was going to scream. The electrically charged skies opened up with a loud crack of thunder and cold sharp drops of rain began to snap our skin. Neither one of us moved for several long seconds.

“Let’s get inside. I don’t want you catching a cold.” She ripped her arms from her chest and wheeled inside, spinning around so fast I thought for sure she was going to tip the chair. “Whoa.” I reached out to grab her.

“Stop, Asher. Just please stop.” She thrust her palms up in front of her. I froze in place, swallowing back the crackling air between us. “You’re scaring me. You have completely lost touch with your life. And I don’t understand why. Not only did you completely disregard my comments about your father, now you aren’t taking care of yourself. I heard the message. And I know you did too. Why were they calling to reschedule your yearly oncology visit? That is not acceptable.”

“It’s no big deal, Tal. I can reschedule. You had therapy.”

“Asher, no. It’s a huge deal! And what is making me out of my mind is that you are completely disregarding it, like you missed a teeth cleaning.”

“I’ll call now. Make the appointment for next week.”

“You are missing my point. AGAIN. You need to worry about you, take care of you. If not, you won’t be around to take care of anyone else. Stop worrying about me. Stop treating me like a fragile piece of glass. I am not going to shatter. I wasn’t before and I am definitely not now. If anything, this chair has made me stronger. You know better than anyone what it’s like to go through hell and back, and God knows this isn’t my first trip. Yeah, this is hard, it sucks and some days I just want to scream at the top of my lungs. I. Hate. This. I hate that I’m stuck in this chair, I hate that every morning I wake up and forget until I try to move, I hate that my son has nightmares but wouldn’t dare tell me, and I hear about it from his girlfriend. Most of all, I hate what all of this is doing to you. But you know what? I’m here and I’m alive. If that doesn’t give you perspective, what does? You need to live your life. Every single day. You always talk about borrowed time. Guess what, we’re all on borrowed time. And I love that you want to fix everything for the people you love, I truly do. But you can’t fix this. You can’t fix me.” She paused, looking like she was having her own internal bout. “I love you. So much. Don’t ever forget that.”

A sick empty pit filled my stomach as my vision flooded with her parting words as she wheeled into surgery. Oh hell no.

“I’ve made a decision. And it has nothing to do with us. Everything to do with me. And don’t think I haven’t weighed every single alternative, I have. Over and over, to the point I can’t think about it for one more second.” My jaw clenched so hard I couldn’t open my mouth soon enough before she continued. “You’ve been by my side, at my beck and call, and honestly because of you I have made it to where I am today. And I’m not just talking about the shooting, I mean with everything. You have given me this strength and shown me just how sweet life can be. But right now, we can’t do this anymore.”

“What’s this?” I hissed, feeling my blood pressure rise and my insides burn.

“Live like this anymore. I can’t stay…” Her eyes welled and her voice caught. The fireball lodged in my throat made it impossible to utter a word. “I have to go.”

“Go where?” I desperately breathed through the flames, my blood now at a rapid boil.

“I need to do this alone. I need to prove to myself I can do this … without you.” Her tears flooded her face. I didn’t move to catch them. I didn’t move to soothe her. I saw red.

I had an iron chin, could absorb just about any shot. But round three with Tal was a complete knock-out.

Unconscious.

Chapter 26 Clarity

“Asher, what a surprise, honey.” She looked up from the kitchen sink as I strolled in the back door. “Everything ok?” she instantly asked.

“What? I can’t stop by and check in?” I snipped a little harsher than I wanted to. I wasn’t ready to field a shitload of questions with no answers. My attitude needed to be checked or I wasn’t gonna have a choice. Ma never put up with my bullshit. She finished rinsing the soapy dish and placed it in the drying rack. It was good to see she had full mobility in her wrist with no residual limitations. You’d never know when my sisters were around. They didn’t let her lift a finger. I pulled the sunglasses from my eyes and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Asher Evan Craig, who do you think you’re fooling? It’s Wednesday at noon, honey. Why aren’t you at work? Where’s Talia?”

She wanted to me to visit you, so here I am. I decided six hours alone with my thoughts, replaying every detail of her walking out of my life, wasn’t a healthy option.

“She couldn’t make it. I flew.” Partial truth. The sale of the plane wasn’t finalized until the weekend and seemed like the safer way to go. Last thing my mother needed to hear was that the love of my life just boarded a plane to go halfway across the country for an undisclosed amount of time. And the only reason I didn’t head West—the only reason I let her slip through my fingers—was her final words sitting like a lead pipe in my chest. She gave me no choice but to stay behind. Nothing I said or did would have stopped her, nothing. Tack loaded her into the back of a cab and she was gone, leaving that lead to slowly corrode, eating me alive. Literally cell by cell I was dying inside.

“Well, Dad will be happy to see you.” She took a glass from the cabinet, dipped it under the tap and handed it to me.

“Thanks.” The water acted like an acid singeing my open wound. I fisted my sternum and rubbed to soothe the burn. It did nothing. “Sorry I haven’t been in awhile. Too long, actually. I figured I’d come now, since we aren’t gonna make it this weekend after all.”

“When I spoke to Tal the other day she sounded surprised when I mentioned the party, but said she would talk to you, that you’d try.”

“Yeah, well, something came up last minute.” That wasn’t a total lie either.

“Oh okay.” She leaned against the counter and squinted her softly wrinkled eyes. She wasn’t going to tolerate my edginess much longer. “By the way, it was so wonderful to hear her voice light and cheery again. She seemed happy, excited to be getting around more. And she’s even back to work a little. That’s amazing. After everything, she’s persevered…” Ma shook her head and replaced her smile with a look I couldn’t pin down. “So I was surprised to hear that Constance moved to Florida.” Shit, I really didn’t want to go there. “Good, hopefully she’ll stay. Your father and I never condoned their disgusting behavior, and I’m sure you’ve questioned over the years why we were ever friends. There’s an old saying: ‘Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer’…”

Revulsion—that explained the look on her face. And I was sure my expression was a mirror image.

“We want you to be aware that we don’t know all the details, nor do we need to, but if we had known-”

“That’s the past, Ma.” That part was done; it was history, and as far as I was concerned, it could stay there. But I appreciated my mother’s clarification, and even though she feigned naivety, she was a sharp knife. She knew Tack wasn’t Chase’s and she obviously knew Jack Colton’s reputation.

“We agree—never to be discussed again.” I was relieved she tied together the loose ends. And it made sense. My dad was one of the only ones who wasn’t dicked over by that bastard. My blood boiled just thinking about him, the only thing slightly cooling was hearing her say “we.” Dad was barely coherent these days, definitely not having reflective conversations over tea and biscuits, but they’d always be a we to Ma.

“Anyway, back to your incredible, beautiful woman, you must be so proud of her. A lesser person could have easily slipped into a deep depression, but not Tal. She’s always had such a positive outlook on life.”

She had no idea she just inserted her very sharp knife and twisted. She was going to be devastated to learn that Tal and I were no longer together, but that wasn’t happening today.

“Isn’t this Emma’s actual birthday?” I changed the subject.

“It is and I’m picking her up in a couple of hours from nursery school. I’m sure she would love to see her Unkie Ashy. Listen…” She went for her purse dangling on the chair. “I’d love to chat longer, you know I would, but I have book club with some ladies. Dad should be in the family room, why don’t you head down?” It was nice to see my mom still took part in things she enjoyed and her life didn’t completely revolve around my dad.

“Sounds fun, Ma. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Good, sweetie.” She smiled and blew me a kiss.

I sighed deeply and went in search of my dad. With one question lingering … good day or bad day? I stopped at the doorway and listened. His voice was strong. He seemed relaxed. He was carrying on a conversation with his nurse. She lifted her head at my approach and smiled. Standing immediately, she went to Dad’s side, waited for him to finish speaking and leaned over to gain his full attention. “Mr. Craig, you have a visitor, your son is here.”

“Hey, Pop.” I gave his shoulder a squeeze, but instead of muscle, all I felt was bone. The physical decline was steadily following the cognitive. I rubbed my sternum again and looked toward his caretaker. “I’m sorry I don’t remember your name.”

“It’s Susan. What kind of lawyer are you, your memory is for shit?” Dad joked. I grinned. Good day.

“Hey, Susan, nice to see you again. Hope the big man’s behaving.” She giggled and seemed completely smitten with her patient. “I’ve got it covered here if you’d like to take a little break.”

“Thanks, Mr. Craig, he’s been asking for you.” She gave that knife another three sixty. Guilt sucked. She rubbed my dad’s arm again. “I’ll be back in a little while, enjoy your time with your son.”

I needed to make sure we were paying her enough. She was so sweet and perfect for him.

“Haven’t seen you much,” he mumbled, focusing back on the television.

“Busy, Pop, but I’m here now. What’s going on lately?”

He was still focused on the static in the background.

“Same old. Maggie’s always on my case, telling me I work too hard.” I chuckled at his dig. He never missed an opportunity, yet we all knew he didn’t mean a word of it, he worshipped the ground Mom walked on. It was refreshing to see his humor still coming through. I missed our time together. I missed him. “Got the girls ripping through here like tornadoes most days.” I laughed out loud this time. My nieces were driving him crazy. “How’s the business?” My dad always liked to check in on how things were going at the firm. He always enjoyed throwing a business strategy tip or two my way. I socked those away and damn did they come in handy.

“Pretty good. Cut back a bit to take care of Tal, but I’m coming into some more time on my hands.” I left out that this time was not my choice. I didn’t give a damn about the success of my firm or lack thereof. I was focused on how each passing second sucked more than the last. And each minute without her was like reliving the last vertical incline on your bike over and over again, never reaching the apex.

“I left you in charge. I don’t want you slacking, you’re responsible for making money for both of us.” He laughed.

What? My stomach sunk. Shit.

“What’s going on with Trish? I thought you two were better.” Double shit. Trisha was my uncle’s wife.

“Dad-”

He cut me off. “I’ve told you before, Joe. Life is a balance.”

Fuck, he bounced back, way back. He was speaking to his brother. “Dad, it’s Asher. I was talking about Talia. She was hurt.”

“Of course she’s hurt. You’re hurting her. You aren’t giving her the balance she needs. You’re the only one to blame, Joe. Trust me I know it’s easier said than done, but she will love you more if you back off,” he rambled, obviously giving my uncle marriage advice. I had no idea my aunt and uncle ever had any problems. This was my cue to nod and agree. He didn’t need to be corrected. There was no reason to fluster him. “You’re smothering her.”

“Smothering her,” I repeated, speaking over the piercing echo inside my head replaying Tal’s final words as she left for Arizona. ‘Let me go, so you can find yourself, Ace.’ I clenched my eyes shut, those two words stabbing deep into my already raw erosion.

“You have to let her have her own life. She needs freedom. Let her try, fail, and try again.”

Smother.

To choke, to douse, to overwhelm, to strangle, to suffocate.

To extinguish.

A light, a flame, a blaze, a heavy foot stomping it out.

He continued, “There will always be a speed bump or two, even a road block, but if you concentrate on moving forward, moving past that obstacle, continue on your path, your love for each other will pave the way.”

I stared at my dad, trying to remind myself that he was speaking to my dead uncle, giving him advice on how to fix his relationship, not mine. Yet I found myself answering anyway, “But my path ended.” It ended when Talia left. She was the only way I moved forward. She was my ride. Where was she now? Not trying to overcome this hurdle.

“Your path never ends, son. It just heads in a different direction, just keep following it, it will always bring you back.” I blinked. I was so lost in my own thoughts and my father’s words, wanting his advice to hold true for my relationship that it could have been minutes or hours, I had no clue. “Asher!” he snapped, “where’s your gorgeous blonde?”

My chest constricted. ‘Find yourself, Ace.’

“I was wondering the same thing.” My mom sat down on the couch next to me.

“Unkie Ashy, Unkie Ashy.” I blinked again and I was nose to nose with Emma. Her eyes were as big as saucers. They were back already. How long had my dad and I been talking? “Unkie Ashy?” Her bony little knees were digging into my thighs and her hands were resting on my shoulders, when she cocked her head to the side and asked, “Where’s hers?” She wiggled down from my lap and spun around in a circle scanning the whole room in search of Tal. “Where’s hers?”

“She’s not here, baby.”

“Yes, she is. Hers is here. I have her. I have Barbie.” She jumped around waving her little arms. “Hers is here.”

“Come here, come here, you silly girl. I need to give the birthday girl a big kiss. Did Mommy let you open the present I sent you?”

“Yes,” she shouted and spun around again.

“What did Uncle Asher get you, Emma? You didn’t tell me!” God forbid Grandma wasn’t in the know.

“A huge,” she spread her arms as wide as they would go, “Barbie castle and it even fits Unkie Ashy’s Barbie. Yeah!” She twirled again and ran out of the room.

“Where are you going, darling? Stay here.” My mom went to chase after the little bugger.

I waved her down. “I’ll go, you stay with Dad.”

I followed the pitter patter down the long hall and into one of the guest rooms, now turned playroom.

“Here hers is. See. Hers is here. Unkie Ashy’s Barbie is the most beautiful Barbie ever.”

There in her little hand was a Barbie. But it wasn’t just any old Barbie. This Barbie was securely fastened to a bright pink wheelchair with sparkly silver rims. “Momma said her name is Becky. I don’t call her Becky. I like to call her Teeps.”

“What do you mean you’re not coming? It’s opening day.” Lil was hard to say no to, especially when she talked hockey.

“I don’t know, gorgeous. I’ve got a shitload of work to catch up on. Not making any promises.” I wasn’t lying. I had two months worth, to be exact, and I wasn’t promising anything. Who knew how the hell I’d be feeling in six hours? Each day without Tal was its own shit-show.

“Ash, I’m not taking no for an answer, you love the Bruins as much as I do. You got us the box! And you’re not gonna come?”

“Tarzan bought you the box. And I said I’d try.” Somewhere along the line Tara and Avery got bumped down, and Lil assumed position right behind Molly on the pain-in-my-ass scale.

“Maybe in theory, and I love him for it, but we both know he’s lucky he knows there’s a puck involved. I know you picked it out. Besides … Tack and Paige are coming.”

Not cool, she was fighting dirty. And Tack was too stubborn to admit he was struggling with Tal’s decision. It would be good to see him. Even if it was only two weeks ago, I still missed the kid.

“Fine. I’ll be there.” I hung up, pissed that I caved so easily.

Twenty minutes after face-off I strolled into the arena, straight from the office and still in my suit. The crude smell of the ice mixed with tap beer failed to affect me for some reason. I was here to make an appearance, check in with Tack, and get the hell home. I wasn’t feeling it. In fact, I wasn’t feeling much of anything since Tal left.

Lil’s executive suite was on the sixth floor past the Lounge, a scene beyond scenes. “Asher Craig, is that you, stranger?” A familiar voice called after me. I turned around and smiled, my gentleman kicking into gear. “Yeah, I’d know that killer smile anywhere.”

Angie or was it Andie? Shit.

“How’ve you been?” In this situation I usually went straight for the cheek kiss. I opted for the fake hug.

She sipped her red wine, swiped her side bangs, and batted her seriously long lashes. She was prettier than I remembered. Auburn red hair, dark emerald eyes, and a rack that would make any dick twitch.

“Busy, business is finally taking off. In fact, I could probably use a little representation, if you’re interested.” The way she folded her arms, careful not to spill her wine, propping her already bountiful cleavage in my face, I doubted she was asking for help with her… “Remember I’m a personal shopper. I have several girls working for me now.”

“Right. Sure, call the firm, one of my associates would be happy to help you out.”

“What? I’m not worthy of your attention?” She seductively licked her full lips and I realized how easy it would be to take her home and fuck her seven ways from Sunday. Wouldn’t even need to waste the cab ride or miss the game, there were a dozen private bathrooms on this level. It would definitely be a way to snap me out of this funk. After all, Tal left me, gave up on us. Tal.

“Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I owe you an apology, counselor. I never meant to stand you up that night. Of course I know where you live.” She repeated my text response. “I got a little caught up, you know how that happens sometimes, I’m sure I can make it up to you.”

Holy shit, I hit send after all. That was the night Tal came to my apartment and clarified everything. The night she taught me what true courage was, the night I learned what it meant to fight for someone’s love. Could I be any more of a moron? If Angie/Andie showed up when Tal was over, it could have changed everything. Scratch that, it would have ruined it all. The trust that I had worked so hard to gain from Tal would’ve been gone. We would have never gotten to where we were today. Wait. Where were we today? We weren’t, that’s right. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t fighting our battle. She ran, pouring more and more acid on my gaping wound with each passing day. I was fucked.

I politely said goodnight before I fucked myself further, literally. Not that I had any interest in what Ann was offering (just easier to lump her name). She wasn’t Tal. End of story.

“You made it!” Lil squealed and attacked my side. “We scored and you missed it. How amazing is this place. Thank you so much! Let me buy you a shot.”

My mood might have been rancid, but Lil’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Gorgeous, food and drink are included.”

“Whatever, party pooper.” Oh lord, she was half lit. I scanned the room, taking inventory. “He’s not here. Go ahead, one guess … yep, shocker, he’s stuck at the hospital.” Something was off, Lil never complained about Chase’s crazy hours, if anything she raved about his commitment to his patients. I’d have to deal with that in a few because out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tack at the far end of the suite helping Paige with her coat.

“Whoa, bud, where you headed?” I lifted my chin. “Third period hasn’t even started.” Tal and I were screwed up, but I wasn’t prepared for any awkwardness with Tack. He gave me nothing. Shit, I was losing him too.

“No, Mr. Craig. It’s my fault. I have a sorority mixer tonight, we’re already late.” Paige was the furthest thing from a sorority chick, reminded me of someone else I knew who was always full of surprises. I couldn’t help but smile. Tack had great taste. “I’ll wait for you outside, Tack. Night, Mr. Craig,” she said, politely tipping up and I kissed her cheek.

“Asher.”

“Right.” Her slight blush and genuine smile told me she wasn’t using my first name anytime soon. Her expression for Tack said a whole hell of a lot more. He really was lucky to have her.

I was done wasting time so I spit out, “How are you doing? You talk to her?” Tal wasn’t answering my calls or returning my texts. I was sure the rehab center was keeping her very busy, but I knew she wouldn’t go a day without some form of contact with Tack.

“Yeah, she says she’s doing okay. Wanted me to let you know she got all the gifts you sent for her birthday.” The messenger who dropped them confirmed receipt, that wasn’t what I wanted to know. I needed some insight into what was going on in her head. Tack knew full well what I was looking for. He snaked his hands in his pockets and said, “She’s more worried about you.”

And that wasn’t it, in fact, that shit was getting old. If she was so worried, she’d be in my bed. I wasn’t shot. I wasn’t rolling around in a chair. Tack gave me the minute to stew, and then squeezed my shoulder on his way out. “Gym tomorrow? Gotta see this iron chin I keep hearing about. And it’d be nice to see someone knock my long lost brother off his high horse. Wow, you weren’t kidding, he’s an arrogant motherfucker.”

I shook my head and smirked, partial relief settling in. Yeah, Tack and I were still solid. “You got it. See you at six. And have fun tonight.”

He cockily raised his brow in an all too familiar way. “Oh, I will.” Son of a bitch, he might’ve been a Colton clone, but he sounded just like me. And I wasn’t too proud to admit that I loved it.

He strode out and I was left wondering, again, why Tal was doing this to us. A firm hand smacked my upper back, pulling me from my reverie. Not them too—since when was I the party killer?

Dodd bumped my fist and rolled his eyes. “Sorry man, we’re out too. Long day.” Man code for his woman said let’s go. “You got Lil?”

He obviously knew the answer, but I couldn’t blame him. I would’ve asked too.

“Definitely, man. I’ll make sure she gets home.”

Sierra popped out of the suite’s private bathroom in time to put her two cents in. “That’s the least you can do.” I would’ve been taken back by the harshness of her tone, or not because it was Sierra, but I was momentarily distracted by the bump that was now crazy visible. “I know, I’m freaking huge. Don’t remind me.”

She rubbed her protuberant belly and I almost laughed. Almost. Instead I said, “You look gorgeous, Sier.”

“Well, no offense, but you look like shit.”

“Umm … good to know.” What else did you say to that? She wasn’t wrong. I felt like shit too.

“How about you do something about it, like dig your head out of your ass? We miss our girl.” Nothing like kicking a guy when he’s down. Sierra half walked, half waddled and pulled me down for a peck on the cheek. In a softer voice she said, “We miss our Green Giant, too.”

I filed that whole exchange away to process at a later date, helped myself to a Heineken, and joined Lil on the open air balcony. We were high above the crowds, with only a short wall of glass separating us from the screaming chaos, yet we sat in silence. I glanced down, taking it all in. Two-two. It could go either way.

“Go figure, Bruins-Rangers. Kind of ironic,” I said to no one, thinking of how it reminded me of my life, and not just the NY and Boston part. It could go either way.

Lil stood on her spikes, wobbled a second then clicked her way up the two stairs.

“Where ya going?” I called after her.

She gave me the one minute finger, so I sunk into the leather and tried to lose myself in the blur of the puck.

When she returned she handed me her wine glass (women and their total disregard for barware) with a familiar amber liquid. “Try this instead.” Her other hand held the half full bottle.

“Don Julio 1942, hmm, when did you start drinking Tequila neat?”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the ice. “When I lost my margarita partners.” The Don Julio explained her buzz. Her answer explained her mood. I shot back the Tequila and poured another. I needed to catch up.

“Want to talk about it?”

Her sad eyes said more than her words. “Not so much, you?”

I kicked my feet out, swirled my last sip, appreciating the sweet aroma of agave and oak. It went down smooth, I’d give her that, but it wasn’t scotch. Nothing else was.

Lil broke first. “Dodd won’t have sex with Sierra because she’s pregnant, meanwhile Dr. Sexy can’t seem to keep his hands off me. How’s that for ironic? Because if he distracts me with sex for the next five months, maybe I’ll forget that I’m not pregnant.” Lil was almost as bad as me, get us alone and shit flew from our mouths.

“Wow, I’m not gonna even pretend to have a clue what you guys are dealing with, but you’ve got to know he only wants to-”

Lil cut me off before I had a chance to finish. “Oh, let me guess—protect me.” Good guess. “Yes, I got a little choked up the first time the babies kicked and saw Chase’s hands on Sierra’s belly, not mine. It was a natural response, my god, of course I wish it were me carrying our twins, but it’s not, and I have to deal. And I am. Hell, I’m the one who grabbed his hands to feel … but it doesn’t mean it’s okay to make excuses, miss ultrasound appointments, and avoid Sierra like the plague. How is that protecting me? He’s just missing out on this part of us. Not to mention Sierra is my best friend and giving us the most amazing gift.”

Her voice was laced with pain and I suddenly felt like a selfish prick. “Lil, I had no idea. But don’t worry, I’m sure Sierra gets it. She knows Chase.”

“Of course she gets it.” Lil rolled her frustrated eyes and re-poured like it was in fact wine. “She gets that Dodd doesn’t want her to blame herself if anything happens with this pregnancy, just like Tal gets that you want to make everything easier for her. We get it. We freaking get it. Maybe, just maybe, all of you need to get that we don’t need a savior, we need a partner.”

The roar of the crowd fell on deaf ears. I might as well have been the skater helmetless and bleeding on the ice, I felt like I got checked from behind. Having Tal thrown in my face pummeled me.

Lil gasped and her hand immediately covered her mouth. “Ash, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean … I shouldn’t have brought up Tal.”

“It’s fine.” Fine.

“No, it’s not.” Her eyes welled, tugging at my heart. “God, it’s so not fine. Everything is so messed up and it’s all my fault to begin with. Tal would’ve never been hurt, he was after me.”

“You can’t be serious.” She needed to vent, fine, but she was not going down this road. “I’m gonna say this once. What happened that day in your apartment is one hundred percent on that psycho. Got me? You saw firsthand what guilt can do to a person, your guy almost drowned in it. It’s a wasted emotion so don’t even go there. If anyone should be dishing out apologies, it should be me. They say you treat the people you’re closest to the worst during times of stress. Well, that day in the hospital, it’s no excuse—I was way out of line. It should’ve never taken me three months to say I’m sorry.”

“No, no, no. You can’t go and apologize to me. Fuck, I’m a shit drunk and a worse friend … what in the world, you’d think I was hormonal.” She stared at me with unwarranted remorse.

“Did you just drop the f-bomb, gorgeous?”

Surprise replaced regret and Lil broke out into a fit of laughter. I joined her. And it even felt good. I took the glass from her dainty hand and pounded it. Why not.

My back squished into the plush stadium couch and I relaxed for the first time in who knows how long. Who was I kidding? I knew exactly how long. Thirteen long ass weeks.

Lil wiped her tears and she slunk a little deeper too. “It’s gonna work out, you know that, right? For all of us.”

Damn, she sounded like she believed, but then again, there wasn’t any other option.

“Mr. Craig, there are two minutes left for this sequence, you’re doing great.” The voice through the speaker interrupted the rapid firing clicks, tinks and bangs. Screw drums, it was like listening to someone wail on an industrial steel can, repeatedly. And did she really need to keep counting down minutes—who thought that was a good idea? “Ok, we’re going to inject the contrast now, you may feel a cool sensation in your arm, please hold still. There are three more sequences to go, then your MRI will be complete.”

Cool sensation, my ass.

I hadn’t been in one of these claustrophobic tubes in years. My visit usually consisted of a shitload of blood work and some poking around. But my oncologist retired and the new guy insisted on the pelvic MRI after feeling me up, even though the thickened cardboard area in my groin hadn’t changed in fifteen years. If he wanted to ‘make sure nothing was hiding,’ who was I to balk with an expert.

So after remaining virtually motionless for thirty minutes, alone with my thoughts and only one person on my mind, I was relieved when the drums fell silent and the narrow table slid out.

Exactly a year ago I left my old life behind and dove headfirst into one I never considered possible. That one chance encounter, a coincidence you could call it, a fluke, maybe fate, a stroke of luck that we crossed paths.

Paths. Pop’s words came flooding back. Two very different paths merged, hit a few bumps then fused into one. Until that path came to a screeching halt, the impossible blocking its way, one saw beyond it and took the chance and kept going and the other came to a dead stop.

This was me trying like hell to catch up.

“Thank you. Have a nice day, ladies.” I waved to the women behind the reception desk, checking off another square on the to-do list. Good for another year.

“Mr. Craig, if you’d like to wait, the radiologist is reviewing your scan now. We’d usually send the report to your oncologist, but since you’re, umm, you know…”

Yeah, I knew what she was getting at. I sat on the board, so they were kissing ass. I should have appreciated the VIP treatment, but the last thing I wanted was to sit and wait. Now I had to.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I planted myself in a seat and immediately checked my phone. Habit. An obsessive one since Tal veered off our path. A tiny red circle lingered at the top of my messages and my heart skipped a shitload of beats, not just one, like it did every single time. Hope did that to a person.

Fine here.

Good to be around others in the same boat.

Weather’s nice.

I leaned forward and raked my hair, I couldn’t breathe. It felt like an elephant parked itself on my chest mid-sprint. Fine. Good. And the fucking weather. Twenty-eight goddamn days, she finally returned a text and this is what it said. So much for playing catch-up.

“Mr. Craig, you okay?”

Without realizing, I stalked halfway to the exit. I needed to get the hell out of here before I made a scene. Not sure how I would explain pelting my iPhone through the receptionist’s glass divider.

“I’m gonna grab a coffee, I’ll be back.” That was a lie. I was beyond pissed and had no intention on sticking around. Once I hit the open hallway, I sucked in air and pinched my brow, attempting to bring my eyes back into focus. I was not fine. I was the furthest thing from good. And I didn’t give a fuck about the weather.

I was so wrapped up I didn’t hear Chase approach. “What the hell is going on, why do you look white as a sheet?”

“What?” I hissed back, not in the mood to deal. “Give me a minute, man. I need a minute.”

“You see the oncologist today? Why are you coming out of radiology, they scanned you?”

“What gave it away—the fact that I hate hospitals, and I’m standing outside of the MRI suite on my day off? Doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure it out.”

“You’re a dick.”

“That’s fair.” Our little exchange distracted me long enough to pull my shit together. “What are you doing here? Thought you were going away for your anniversary.”

“Leaving tonight. Took your advice, took the rest of the week off. Now you going to answer my question—you get scanned?”

“Just got done.”

“Good, I’ll take a look. First, talk to me.”

Yeah, okay. He thought it was that simple. He thought I was going to make sense of these last four months in a couple of sentences when my mind was a jumbled mess of disjointed fragments. But what was scaring me the most was how they were all being pieced together.

“Just go read my scan so I can get the hell out of here already.” The scan was the least of my worries, but if this made him feel useful and bought me some time to figure out how to get rid of the deafening fight taking place in my head, so be it.

“Meet me in my office, I’ve got some KimCore contracts for you to look at. And do me a favor—go get yourself a drink and preferably something with sugar in it. You’re so white you’re fucking green.”

First Sierra, now Chase. How was misery supposed to look?

The coffee smell added to my nausea and since I had gotten used to the acidic burn I opted for an OJ. I found the stack of contracts on his desk and dropped them into my bag. My to-do list just got a little longer. Not that it mattered. The only thing I cared about topped that list. Fixing things with Tal.

I watched familiar grey clouds twist through the gusty wind, reminding me of the last time I was in this chair. It was Chase who was uncertain, had no clue what the future held and whether children would be a part of theirs. It sucked big time, watching them mourn miscarriage after miscarriage—Lili a hormonal disaster, and Chase beating the crap out of himself because he couldn’t fix it for her. But they figured it out, yeah it wasn’t ideal, but who the hell determined ideal? They were together and had two beautiful lives on the way. And when all was said and done, neither would remember what couldn’t be fixed, they’d only remember that they lived through it. That would be their story. Not ideal … lived … done.

“Son of a bitch.” I cursed myself for being so oblivious. Everything didn’t have to be ideal to be beautifully done in the end. Things were rocky and nothing was certain, but this was our story and Tal and I just needed the chance to live it.

“Who you talking to, asshole?”

I jerked forward and dragged the back of my arm across my damp forehead.

“Your scan, it’s all clear.”

Clear.

“Clear,” I repeated. Because it was … crystal clear. The reality I was blind to, refused to see, and avoided since Tal lay in a pool of her own blood was now center ring. A total knock-out would have been a walk in the park compared to the vicious beatdown of clarity.

It was never her.

It was me.

She left so I could figure this out. She left so I would start living again.

Crystal fucking clear.

Chapter 27 Perfect

“Follow the corridor to the left, it weaves a bit, then straight through the sliding doors.”

I nodded at the woman behind the concierge’s desk and followed her instruction through the marble lobby.

“Rehab, sure it’s not the Ritz?” I mumbled under my breath. The walls might as well have been plated in gold. This place was over the top. Only problem, it was covered in flowers. I rounded the last corner to face a wall of glass separating me from the breathtaking deep red rock contrasting against the bright blue sky. Reminded me of that time Tal and I hiked the Grand Canyon. A great memory that involved that simple act of placing a foot in front of another one that should never be taken for granted.

The automatic doors slid open, allowing the warm dry air to mix with the ice cold air conditioning and I squinted against the sun. I cursed my sunglasses that I threw on the dash of my rental car, but it didn’t matter because my eyes were magnets, jumpstarting my legs and leading me right where I belonged.

Plush lounge chairs lined the crystal blue pool, all facing the spectacular rock formation waterfall. The magnificent desert backdrop extended to the horizon. It was quiet, still early. A lone chair in the far right corner had two bare legs with perfectly manicured crossed feet. I’d seen this photo before; in fact, it was etched into my memory from the second I opened that text. But this wasn’t a moment captured and recorded in time. This was live. This was real.

A thick lump formed in my throat as I blinked away the sting in my eyes. My heart drilled against my ribs, spinning in complete three sixties. This was the moment of truth, a battle I wasn’t willing to lose.

God, it had been too long. Way too long. I walked up alongside her chair, casting a shadow along her gorgeous body. Her thin frame looked even more defined if that was even possible, covered only by a tiny black triangle bikini top and a matching sarong. I focused on every single ab that was staring back at me, and fuck me, if I didn’t want to run my tongue across all six of them. Her hair was pulled up off her face in a high ponytail and she was radiating a sun-kissed glow. Her eyes were covered by her shades but I could tell they were closed and her breathing was even. She stole my breath away; she was stunning. A quick ripple of jealousy rolled through me knowing every asshole at this place had probably appreciated her beauty and gawked at what’s mine. What I could only hope was still mine.

I smothered that question, not willing to dwell on the past. It couldn’t be changed, but I’d be damned if I lost one more second of our now. Not wanting to wake her peaceful nap, I rounded the other side and reclined in the adjacent chaise. I waited.

“Hey, you.” Her voice was the music my world had been missing for too many weeks. Her choice of words melted my heart.

“Hey, you,” I said back. Because she was my you.

She turned her face so her cheek rested on the pillow-topped lounger and her eyes found mine. “You shouldn’t squint, Ace, you know it causes wrinkles.” Her lips curved into a life altering smile and the burn that took up residence in my chest twenty-nine days ago evaporated. I grinned so big I wouldn’t be surprised if the stretch was permanent, just like that damn cat. “What took you so long?”

Her whispered words barely left her lips and I was up and kneeling beside her. I entwined our hands and brought them to my mouth, silently praying this was real, that I was getting my woman back. Hope coursed through my bounding veins and I could barely control my breathing. I had a million things to say, so much to explain. But I knew I needed to win back her trust first. She needed to understand she was my everything. I rehearsed my grovel all last night and the five hour flight this morning and in the end I spoke straight from my heart.

“I love you. God, I love you so much.” These were the only words that seemed important. The only words that mattered.

I leaned up and thumbed her cheeks and she lifted her sunglasses so I could see her eyes. They were molten and glistening. “Show me,” she breathed.

“I’m gonna kiss you now, it’s gonna be slow and soft and then it’s gonna be hard and hungry. There’s a good chance I’m never gonna stop.” I hoped those words sounded familiar. I watched as her chest froze and her jaw opened, inviting me in. My mouth descended on hers like it was the first time and the million times after knowing that these lips were never not gonna be mine. She tasted better than I remembered, mint and sweet, soft and warm, she tasted like … home. The only reason I stopped was when her tears wet my thumbs. I pulled back slightly and pressed my forehead against hers.

“Teeps, you’ve got to promise me something,” I uttered against her lips, trying to slow my ragged breath. “Next time I fuck up and you decide you need to fix us, please—don’t leave. I’m gonna trust you to knock some sense into me instead. I won’t survive that hell again. I don’t want to. I know you said it to me and you definitely showed me, but I was too blind to see and too deaf to hear, but you were right. We’ve got one shot at this. Only one. And without you, without us, it all means nothing.”

She swallowed back her quiet sob and whispered, “Pinky swear.”

And I breathed, a huge deep cleansing breath. The first one since the night of the accident. This right here, right now was the start of our new chapter.

“Damn, I missed that sassy mouth, I missed this face, I missed you. You’re going to kill me, you know that?”

Her tiny smirk told me she knew exactly what she was doing to me. She blinked back the remains of her tears and not only was her gaze full of love, but I saw desire. Oh hell yeah. She repeated her wish, “Show me.”

My woman didn’t need to ask twice. I glanced around searching for her chair, screw it, I’d come back later, she needed to be in my arms. I scooped her up and she instinctively wrapped around my neck, resting her head on my chest. My heart jackhammered against her ear, there was no way she could miss it. I squeezed her tighter, wanting her closer. Her warmth seeped into my skin, causing desire to course through my vessels—every single one … the swell was uncontrollable.

“Where are we going? Please say your suite is in this building?” I groaned. With each step I prayed I wouldn’t lose it. It had been way too long. Then again a premature release would give me time to focus on her every need. I was willing to take the hit to my manhood, if it meant I could concentrate on loving my Tal.

She giggled against my neck when the elevator door closed. I was so excited I forgot to ask what floor. “Third floor, three eleven.” She read my mind. Didn’t matter though, I could have carried her back to Boston I was so pumped. I’d carry her forever. With her squirming in my arms and kissing my neck I was practically running down the hall. By the time I jimmied the handle I was ready to crawl out of my skin. Locked. Son of a bitch, her key card had to be in her wheelchair back by the pool.

“Shit,” I muttered beneath my breath. Come on, could you blame me? I was starved to have my woman naked and beneath me. I needed to love her, feel close to her, and be inside her, however possible. And I wasn’t about to wait a second longer.

I was ready to stalk back when Tal said, “I’ve got the card.”

Thank you. Relief must have washed across my face because she gave me another knowing smirk. But I was confused. She was in a small ass bikini—which only continued to add to my frenzied state—and her hands were now palming my cheeks. Where the hell was the card?

“Ace, put me down.”

“Where? I’m not putting you on this floor. What do you mean?” I questioned, staring into her beautiful milk chocolate eyes. Then it hit me like a ten-ton brick, squeezing every molecule of air from my lungs to the point my heart physically ached. I could have sobbed. How did I not see it? Crossed feet. How did I not feel it? Squirming. The golf ball-sized knot in my throat made it impossible to speak.

“It’s okay, put me down,” she whispered through a cascade of tears.

“Teeps.” My voice cracked as my own eyes pooled and spilled over. There was no stopping the floodgates. What was the point? “Are you sure?” I barely uttered as I felt my arms begin to tremble. I was terrified to let her down, to let her stand—what if she fell? My heart would be shredded.

“I can’t wait to show you.” She beamed through her wet face. Her smile gave me the strength I needed to place her bare feet on the ground. I realized in that moment that if she fell, she’d get back up, she always did. She was strong enough to handle it and always had been. And holy hell, did I love her that much more.

I lowered her to the floor and she braced her arm against the door jamb. She straightened her back and legs and started to giggle. Shock and elation rocketed over me. Hell, my legs were shaking so hard it wouldn’t have been surprising if they were the ones to give out. I had no words. None. Months of praying and hoping for a miracle and it was standing in front of me.

“You’re standing,” I mouthed and swatted away some of my tears.

“It feels real now. With you here, it finally feels real,” she whispered, wobbling a little and gripping the door. My first instinct was to reach for her. But I tightened every muscle in my body and held back. I wouldn’t do that to her. “Can you believe it? I can lift my foot too and shuffle a little.” She looked down at her feet and my eyes followed her gaze. I held my breath then she wiggled her toes a couple times and I grinned.

She had this.

She had us.

In a very slow and shaky movement, she lifted her right foot off the floor. It looked like it took a Herculean effort, but she did it. My woman took a step. Then she inched her left foot forward too. She regained her balance and met my watery eyes. Her left hand gripped the railing lining the wall, but her right hand was now outstretched and reaching for me. With two more small shuffles she was in my arms again. And I was spinning her around like a fool.

“You walked,” I yelled. My woman fucking walked. To me. I wanted to scream it at the top of my lungs. I could’ve punched through steel. I could’ve dove headfirst out of a plane. I was ready to drop to my knees and thank every God, superpower, or spiritual entity that made this possible. I thought I knew what it was like to experience joy and true happiness. I had no clue. Or maybe I had and this feeling—right this very second—had yet to be named, because I couldn’t imagine many people had ever felt this surge of overwhelming, all encompassing emotion.

I thought it was impossible to love this woman any more. But I was wrong.

Nothing was impossible.

I crushed her against my chest and showered her hair with kisses and tons of I love yous. There was no way I could ever tell her enough but I was sure as hell gonna try. Pulling back, she swiped at her fresh tears and lit up the hall with her smile again.

“PTs say I’m getting stronger every day and you know what’s crazy, I can actually feel my muscles working. This wasn’t exactly my vision of how I was going to show you, though.” She laughed, glancing around at the elaborately decorated corridor. If my chest swelled any more I was going to crack ribs.

“It’s perfect.” She knew I didn’t give a fuck about the location. “You moved your legs. Teeps, I just watched you move your legs. That was the hard part, making them stronger … that’s the part we have forever for. You’re perfect.” This was perfect. Everything was perfect.

She mischievously bit her bottom lip and my lower half whose blood supply was abruptly cut off with her first step sprung to life. “Forever sounds perfect. But if I recall, before I interrupted your male mission with my little walking escapade, I think you were looking for this.” Her long fingers disappeared into the miniscule triangle of fabric covering her right breast, revealing enough skin to drive me wild before magically whipping out a credit card sized key card.

“Well, that was one hell of a perfect interruption. But if I recall, you promised me clothes with pockets.” I raised my brows to see if she remembered.

She chuckled. “Yoga pants and hash brown morning.”

“Yup. And now that I have you back in my arms, let me tell you something else. The next time you decide to wear this, I better be there, or I can’t make any promises on what might happen to the assholes’ jaws I’m picking up off the ground. You hear me, Tal? I’m serious. This bathing suit is for when my ass is on the chair next to you.”

She ran her tongue across her bottom lip. “Fine. I won’t wear the suit … without you. Promise. Besides I bet you’d like it best on the floor anyway.”

“Ah, Tal. Fuck. We aren’t even gonna make it to the bedroom if you keep that sassy mouth up.” We had some serious celebrating to do.

In one swoop the door was thrown open and she pointed in the direction of what I could only assume was the master. Her suite seemed more like a penthouse. She could have been in a closet, it wouldn’t have mattered—I wanted these bits of fabric gone.

I lay her down on top of the bed, and she was a sight to behold. Her bronzed skin was a sharp contrast to the crisp white comforter beneath her. And her blonde hair looked just like the sun. I kicked off my shoes and crawled on top of the bed. I watched in awe as she bent her knee with the help of her hand to scoot back. It was like she had been maneuvering herself like this forever. And as crazed as I was to have skin on skin I needed to know, “When? How long?” I asked as I continued up and over her, supporting my weight on my arms. We were mere inches apart and just where I wanted to be. Well, almost where I wanted to be, other parts wanted to be closer.

“It was kind of all of a sudden.” She looked up at me and scanned my face, landing on my eyes. She pushed some hair from my forehead and I smiled. She loved my hair. “I bent over and picked up the weight ball Julius and I were tossing back and forth, and I lost my balance in the chair. It had happened a dozen other times before then and my first instinct was always to put my foot down, but it never moved. That day it just did.” She wiggled her legs beneath me. It was the way it should be. The way it should have always been.

I peppered her face with soft kisses, I was so happy for her. For us. And I was torn between wanting to hear every last detail of her recovery or wanting to hear every last detail after I stripped us bare and made love to her. I found the sweet spot on her neck and trailed my tongue along her jaw, sucking her soft earlobe into my mouth. When her back arched off the bed needing more contact and my pelvis returned the favor, I decided after was the way to go. And since I was unable to really think or compute with the majority of my blood perfusing the wrong head, I simply asked, “Julius?” Mentioning another man was not usually part of my foreplay, but to my knowledge Tal hadn’t worked out with Julius since before she left.

The calm in her eyes turned to a slight panic. I hated and instantly regretted saying anything. “Please don’t be mad, I wanted to tell you ... I did. But I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I knew it was a good sign, but we were excited before, and I couldn’t bare for my recovery to monopolize any more of your life.”

I lightly brushed her lips before I set her straight. “First of all, you’re my life, get used to it.” This time my tongue sought to taste, there was nothing quick about my second kiss. When I spoke again, our breathing was labored. “Second of all, I’m done with being mad or hurt or any other useless waste of our time. All I care about is here and now and the fact you can do more than feel those beautiful legs. I’m so happy for you, Teeps.” It was true, forget the how, it was irrelevant.

“Me too,” she whispered with genuine elation. Her electric smile set fireworks off in my spine. “But we still have a long way to go, I won’t be skiing black diamonds anytime soon.”

I loved that she said we. We were perfect and I used my mouth to show her just how perfect we were. Slow and soft was done and it was way past time for hard and hungry. This time when my tongue sought entrance to dominate our dance, Tal beautifully submitted, allowing me to find our passionate rhythm. She writhed under me, feeding fuel to my already scorching fire. I pulled at her hair tie, releasing her ponytail. Digging my fingers through her blonde silk and massaging her head, she let out the most erotic moan.

Starved for air, I pulled away mumbling, “Fuck the diamonds, they’re overrated.”

“What, no gentleman?” she panted. Her sass made my rock hard cock twitch.

“Fuck no.”

“Thank God.”

In no time we were stripped bare and Tal was right, the tiny scraps of fabric were much better on the floor. Her already sun-kissed skin was darkened by the Arizona sun, highlighting her most intimate flesh triangles. I loved that these were reserved for my eyes only. I gawked at her beautiful body, memorizing every tiny detail all over again.

“I need you so bad, Teeps, I’m gonna explode. Tell me you want this. You’ve got to tell me.” With one hand she clawed at my back, and with the other she reached between us to palm my cock. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Fuck, I missed you touching me, so much.”

Her hips shifted as she struggled to lift up off the bed and pull me to her entrance. She was as crazed as I was. I swiped my fingers through my mouth to wet her silky folds. Her head shot back when my finger dipped inside her warm channel, swirling to find her sweet spot before I moved to tease her clit. Every little sound that escaped from her lips had my dick begging for release. But not yet.

“Inside, I want you inside,” she groaned when I released her hold on my throbbing cock and raised both of her hands above her head.

“I can’t wait to fuck you, Teeps. But first you, you’re gonna come for me.” The memory of the last time we attempted sex was too vivid—the outcome unacceptable. The fact that my woman never orgasmed had been eating me alive. Never again. And it damn well would never be after me either. Lifting her back, I began exploring her perfect chest, circling her taut nipples with my fingertips before letting my tongue have just as much fun. I kneaded and savored each breast before moving down. The pulse of my straining length sliding against her sick abs reminded me of how bad I wanted to lick each one. I had a shitload of time to make up for and I was in no rush. I might blow my load before I actually got inside but that was why we weren’t stopping after round one. Finally I arrived at what I’d been craving for weeks. I buried my face in my fine aged scotch and breathed her in. “You have no idea how much I missed this. All of it. Your touch, your taste. So fucking sweet.” I wrapped my arms around her legs and shimmied her to the edge of the bed. “Can we open you wider? I need more. Fuck, I need more.”

“Yes,” she whimpered. “Help me a little.”

I carefully bent her legs up a little more and her muscles contracted against my fingertips. She was working so hard. For us.

“Fuck, Tal. You level me. I love you so much. I wanna hear you scream as I make you shatter.” My tongue took charge and made long smooth strokes from her tight ring to her sweet bundle of nerves. With every lap I pressed a little deeper, relishing in every movement or tiny thrust of her hips. Her small moans, which lacked a crescendo last time, were coming faster and louder. “Yeah, Teeps, give it to me, let me feel you.” I caught her eyes and held her hooded gaze. She repositioned, bracing her weight on her forearms so she could watch. Fuck yes. Her mouth was open, her chest heaved, and her stomach muscles tensed. She was close. I could feel it. When I reached for her tits, she pushed them up against my hands and I rolled and tweaked her pebbled nipples. She began to clench. I dipped my tongue harder and faster, I wanted to give this to her so bad.

“Ah, Asher. Don’t stop, please don’t stop. I’m so close.”

Like fuck I was stopping. I continued my ravenous assault and she moaned the sexiest sounds to ever bathe my ears. Yeah, I might have said that before, but these sounds didn’t exist before. This beautiful music was a mixture of relief, ecstasy, and complete satiation. And together we were making this happen for her. I lapped every last drop of her climax and waited for every last spasm and twitch to pass before I gently unfolded her legs back onto the bed, kissing each thigh before doing so. Then I kissed her stomach, each nipple, her neck, until landing on her lips.

“Thank you,” she breathed into my mouth.

“Don’t you ever thank me, Teeps. Ever. Feeling you writhe beneath me, listening to those sexy sounds leaving these suckable lips. Feeling your sweetness strangle my tongue. Get ready. Because if you think I’m not gonna make that happen every day for the rest of our lives, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Her eyes bulged and I absolutely loved it, but her next words had me spinning. “Quit talking about what you’re going to do to me for the rest of our lives and make it happen all over again right now.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, I see my gentleman is back,” she giggled.

“Fuck no,” I hissed, burying my entire throbbing length. A deep throaty groan left my mouth when I reached her core. I knew I wasn’t gonna last long, it felt too good. Warm, wet and so tight, I rocked into her, creating a punishing pace. She gripped my ass, pulling me closer. “Come for me again, Tal.” I watched as her caramel eyes glazed over. With every thrust she milked my cock, driving me wild. Our mouths met again and I devoured every cry of pleasure she released. Her fingers slid up my back and forcefully dug through my hair as she began to clamp down around me. Pure bliss washed across her beautiful face when I ground my hips against her and staked my claim once again. She was never running from us again. Hell no. This union solidified that we were in this together. We were on the ride of our lives. “Come with me.” She gasped and with every bit of strength she had left she lifted her tiny hips one last time before allowing the intensity of her climax to roll through her. Each spasming ripple caused me to erupt over and over again, matching her tidal wave of ecstasy. “Mine,” I groaned, spilling the last of my seed.

“Forever,” she mouthed.

“I love you.” She grinned as I collapsed some of my weight against her slick chest. “Wow,” I mumbled, unable to come up with anything else to describe the magnitude of this moment.

“Rendered speechless, huh, counselor? Doesn’t happen too often.” She laughed.

“Umm.” My other head had yet to turn on. Shit. She giggled more and kissed me.

“I love you so much. I knew you just needed time. Look...”

I lifted my heavy head and followed her finger to the side of the bed where her suitcases were sitting open on collapsible racks—fully packed.

“I wanted to be ready when you came to take me home.”

Was she kidding me? She was waiting for me to dig my head out of my ass this whole time. “I’m sorry it took me so long. God, Teeps. I’m so sorry. But I will tell you this: I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You thought I was clingy before…”

Her brows creased and it looked like she was going to say something. I didn’t let her because I learned my lesson a thousand times over.

“I’m kidding, kidding.” Her face relaxed and she smiled. “But I’m not kidding about making it up to you. I’m glad your bags are packed because we are leaving, but we’re not going home ... yet. I promised to strip you bare under a secluded Hawaiian waterfall and I’m done breaking promises.”

Her eyes lit up with surprise and she gave me a heart-stopping look, one she reserved just for me since we were kids—like I parted the Red fucking Sea. Shit, how had I had it all along and never realized?

“And while we’re there we’re gonna do something about that last name of yours.”

“Talia Craig ... sounds perfect.” It didn’t seem possible, but her eyes twinkled even brighter, especially when she said perfect. My sentiment exactly. “But if I remember correctly, our deal was I would take care of you under that waterfall.”

“Woman, you are gonna kill me.” And just when I was starting to feel the blood circle back up through my brain.

“When are we leaving?”

“After round two, or maybe three, I could promise four … and maybe five…”

There was no rush.

We had a lifetime.

And because this was us, we had further.

Perfect.

Epilogue

I loved the salt water spray off the ocean and the way my toes felt wiggling in the warm sand—actually, I just loved being able to wiggle my toes. The sun was over the horizon but was still strong enough to keep the breeze from giving us chills. At least those kinds of chills—I had plenty of the other kind. Standing among family and friends, my heart warmed, but I only had eyes for him. He was nervous. He would never admit it, especially not to me, but I could tell. He shifted from barefoot to barefoot, but his smile and those eyes told me everything I ever needed to know. He was head over heels in love.

“Love you,” I mouthed as the acoustic guitar began to play. Because I did, more than anything, more than walking, more than life itself. Tack gave me the greatest gift the day he was born. He made me a mother and introduced me to unconditional love. Loving him and watching him grow (way too quickly) taught me that life was short and there’s no time to waste on regret and fear. And the beauty of unconditional love, once you recognized you’d been blessed with it, was that it was not just reserved for the one who bestowed it upon you ... oh, how I knew this, madly and deeply. Tack was on his way to finding it and nothing made me happier as a parent.

Chase and Lili had started the beach wedding tradition, not that I was there, but Ash and I followed suit with my surprise Hawaii wedding. Of course he pulled it off, there was nothing that man couldn’t do. The day after he found himself and came back to me, we arrived in Maui and a week later on a very similar beach day to this, I became Mrs. Asher Craig. I could still barely stand, but with Tack carrying me, and Asher waiting for me at the end, there was no other path I felt so secure on. It was perfect, he made sure of it. Everyone who mattered looked on as I promised my heart to the only man I ever loved. Even Pop made it for his final trip. Unfortunately, the following year we suffered his loss. But he was and always would be forever inked on our hearts.

Now twelve years later, my Tack was doing the same.

Everyone turned to gaze up. Ava grinned from ear to ear as she floated down the sandy aisle. Her gorgeous sky blue silk dress was fit for a princess and highlighted her porcelain skin. With her thick black hair twisted and loose curls framing her face, she looked beautifully mature for her ten years and I knew I was in trouble. Luckily she, too, only had eyes for her brother, at least for now. I could only pray I had a few more years.

After witnessing his five nieces grow up, Asher warned me that we were going to keep her locked away until she was twenty-five. I laughed and scoffed, but in this moment I thought he might have been on to something.

I heard a sniffle beside me and I looked over to see my dear friend’s smile and sweet blue eyes light up when her twin sons took their places standing tall next to Chase. One a complete Colton clone like his father and uncle, the other a spitting image of her. Both undeniably charming. And although Lili had more than her share of testosterone to deal with, I knew she wouldn’t have had it any other way. In fact, she loved when Asher teased Chase that God gave him boys for a reason, because ‘he only had time to be one Tarzan to his Jane.’ Ash was not wrong. Chase’s intensity could be a bit over the top, always had been, but that didn’t take away from how amazing he was with his family.

The music slowed and Pachelbel Canon in D began to play. My soon-to-be daughter-in-law emerged at the top of the staircase slicing straight through the dunes. Flanked by tall green sea grass, her stark white gown glowed against the bright blue sky. The sheer lace V-neckline was overlayed with a classic organza that clung to her slim frame and fell in open waves to the ground. As she began to descend the stairs, the fabric opened, exposing her long legs. The dress reminded me a lot of mine.

At the time I was still very much dependent on my wheelchair, and it was a good thing I at least had the ability to cross my legs, otherwise the thigh-high slit Asher drooled over when he took me shopping for my wedding gown—right after he chartered a plane and flew us to Honolulu to peruse Harry Winston’s ring display—might had proved indecent. Not that I would have cared. He requested to see ‘my sick legs while I made him the happiest man alive’ and I decided—two point two seconds after he slipped the most stunning princess cut diamond on my left hand—that I would never begrudge him anything. Ever. If you hadn’t figured out—Ash was obsessed with legs and ass. His hands were glued to mine most of the time.

It was August and we were on the serene beach behind Chase and Lili’s Cape Cod home. Tack and Paige couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Gorgeous as ever, she tried so hard to hold herself together, but those happy tears betrayed her and streamed down her beautiful face when her father lifted her veil and kissed her cheek. Fathers and daughters … it pierced my soul every time. But I buried that deep and watched with pride as my grown son shook his hand before linking his with Paige’s. My eyes welled and I reminded myself to breathe when Tack mouthed the only words that ever mattered to his stunning bride. The words that Ash repeated to me over and over again, enough to last a lifetime.

It was a traditional and simple ceremony but they chose to write their own vows. We listened as love poured from their young souls, bringing me right back to when Ash and I recited our own promises. Yes, we vowed to love, honor and cherish, but for us that was easy. It was a given. Neither of us knew what it was like to not love the other. We finally saw it for what it was, unconditional. The true promise we made that day and every day after was to live life on one unified path. And if that path curved or came to a bump we would only take the next step together.

We had paved a beautiful life.

“And by the power vested in me, by God, and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

The cackles and hoots filled the warm air around us. I smiled through my glassy eyes as Tack cupped her cheeks and kissed his wife. Then I glanced at my girl who had giant crocodile tears rolling down her sweet cheeks. It was perfect.

“And now it is my honor to introduce to you for the very first time as husband and wife, Doctor and Mrs. Tack and Paige Craig.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer, through my stretched cheeks, I let my tears spill down my face. For so many reasons.

“Hey, Ma, Tack wanted me to find you. It’s almost time for the mother-son dance. Then Paige is gonna dance with her dad.” I loved that Ava copied her father and called me Ma. She was definitely an ACE, our Ava Evelyn Craig. And despite his objection, her grandmother made sure she had the monogrammed backpacks to prove it.

“Okay, honey, thanks.” I grinned from the depth of my soul.

Our beautiful daughter was life’s ultimate gift. Two years into our marriage, and after Ash insisted we start the process early, we flew halfway across the world to complete our family. Adoption was an extremely lengthy process, full of delays, disappointment, and added stress. So much so, at times our family questioned why we didn’t just try the good old fashioned way. But Asher had his reasons, and Tack, Chase, and Kimi were indisputable proof that love was thicker than blood. And we had more than enough love to go around. In fact, I’d pick nurture over nature six days a week and twice on Sunday. When our sweet baby girl was placed in our arms, we were done. Everything we thought was stressful or time-consuming evaporated into thin air. She was ours and we were madly and completely in love. Unconditionally.

“Where are the kids, Ave? Go find them and bring the herd to the dance floor to watch.”

Our little girl was lucky she had a slew of honorary cousins. Between Layla, the Colton twins, and Asher’s older nieces, there was no shortage of family. I loved that for her. I loved that for me. When my parents died, I accepted that it was going to be just Tack and me, and honestly, that would’ve been enough. It was enough. But once loud holiday dinners and fun family vacations become your norm you couldn’t imagine life without it. Ash gave me that. He gave Tack that. He gave us the family we never knew we were missing.

Sierra knocked my elbow and pulled me from my thoughts. She sipped her margarita through a huge grin on her face. I was too curious not to ask, “What are you cheesing about?”

“The first time Asher pulled you out on the dance floor at the KimCore New Year’s party. I thought for sure he was gonna bang you right in front of everyone.”

“Sierra,” I snapped. “Shh.”

She was never quiet. Ever. And to this day I never knew what was going to fly out of her mouth. I’d come to expect the unexpected. And it was fabulous.

“What? You were humping his leg. Don’t even try and deny it. It was hotter than porn, seriously. Tell her, Lil.”

Lili walked up to us, rolling her eyes at her BFF. Some things never changed. “Aww, he was so in love with you even then.”

“Aww,” I cooed back. I couldn’t help it. Sierra was so right. “That was the night we decided we were done being just friends, god, that feels like yesterday.”

The music switched and I heard the first couple notes of our favorite Dave Matthews song. Traditional mother-son it wasn’t, but neither were we.

“Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but from everything that man ever told me, you were never just friends, not to him.” Lil took the Prosecco from my hand and swatted me away. “Now go. Go dance with your son so Sier and I can cry our eyes out and get it over with.”

“Okay.” I left the two best girlfriends in the history of all girlfriends, and slid through the guests congregating at the edge of the dance floor to join Tack in the center.

He looked so unbelievably handsome, my heart flipped. No longer small, no longer playing under tables. I could only pray he’d never stop dreaming. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and sang in his ear, Take these chances, as we sailed across the floor. My right leg never regained full strength, but you would never know the way my son half held my weight. He was a smooth and great dancer, just like Asher.

I laughed as he practiced his fancy moves on me. “Taught from the best,” he whispered. Asher loved to whirl me around any chance he could get. “Let’s get Ava up with us.” He finger curled for his sister and she practically ran across the floor to squeeze in between us. Her infectious smile was contagious as she stared up into her brother’s eyes. Unconditional … have I proved my point yet?

“Having fun, sweetie?” I asked.

“This is the best night ever. Tack, this is so awesome. I can’t wait to get married,” Ava giggled. Tack’s grey eyes went wide and when his brow creased, I had to laugh. Like father, like son. I loved when I thought that.

“You have time, baby. Lots of time.” He spun us both once more while the song came to its closing chord. Tack picked her up and kissed her forehead.

“Thanks, Tack-ers.” Ava skipped her patent leather mini heels off the dance floor. Yup, all Sierra.

Tack slung his arm over my shoulder and dipped his mouth to my ear. “Mom, you keep telling me this is our day, but will you please reconsider performing the song? It would really mean so much to Paige and me, everyone actually.”

“I don’t know, honey.”

“Not taking no for an answer.”

Ahh. Bossy and persistent, yet so full of love and compassion. The mixture of all of them, it was frightening. Tack walked away to mingle with his guests and I squeezed my eyes shut for a minute. How could I not sing it?

A warm hand slid into mine and I blinked open my eyes. “A beautiful evening for two beautiful people. Everything is just lovely, darling. You should be so proud.” I quietly returned Maggie’s loving squeeze because any other response was unnecessary. She was a mother; she knew exactly how I felt. “You know, people always say that a son’s wedding day is harder, because you lose part of him to his new wife. Don’t listen. It’s not true. The day Asher married you, we not only gained a daughter, but you put a light back in his eyes we hadn’t seen in years, thought was lost forever. Hope and promise … nothing hard about that day, nothing at all. We loved every second...”

It had been over a decade and she still spoke in plurals, we. I understood it now. God, did I.

“You look beautiful, Ma. Did you have anything to eat?” I changed the subject. I couldn’t engage her right now.

“Does it look like I’m wasting way? Molly made me a plate.”

I chuckled. Asher was the first to say Molly was his second mother.

Chase came around the other side and kissed Maggie’s cheek. “How’s my beautiful Mags?” She beamed at him, absolutely loving his endearment. “Tal, I need you for a minute, it’s time.”

“Go, dear. I’ll check on the girls.” With one last squeeze she released my hand and walked away.

“Not you too.” Chase had the same look as Tack. Who was I kidding? Chase never didn’t have this look.

“Come on, Tack wants us to go on now, before speeches. They just announced for everyone to take their seats for dinner.”

“I still haven’t decided,” I said that out loud, but my heart told me the opposite.

“Yes, you have.”

Ugh.

The band slipped off to the side, abandoning their instruments. Lili was at my side whispering words of encouragement, while I fought with the swarm of butterflies, maybe bees that took up camp in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this. It was part Asher’s fault for making me sing at our wedding, and part Lil’s fault for insisting we try the ‘band’ thing one last time at her boys’ first birthday bash. Right, one last time.

I tried to take a deep breath, but it wouldn’t make it past the thick lump in my throat. Tack had already slid in behind the drums, and Chase was onstage tuning the guitar and plucking a couple notes. Lili handed me a cold glass of water and whispered, “It’s gonna be perfect, Tal. It is perfect.”

Perfect.

She had no idea just how perfect it was.

I took center stage and picked up the microphone. I knew if I spoke, if I introduced the song or its meaning, the first note would never make it out. So I just nodded at the guys. Tack tapped the rhythm on the drums and Chase strummed the opening chords. I closed my eyes and found that warm and cozy place I had grown to love.

Our world came crashing down

Only one of us walking away

Scared, only one of us running

Strong, only one of us fighting to stay

Only one of us believing ... yeah

I tossed aside your love

Numb to your power inside

Instead I cowered in the corner only to look above

Searching for the answers I knew I would never find

Now I’m done

I’m beautifully done

Your green sparkle wit and charm is all I need

All I’ll ever need

Now I’m done ... yeaaaah

I’m beautifully done

Our worlds came colliding together

Only two of us taking on it all

Teetering, only two of us on the edge of forever

Falling, only two of us left standing

Only two of us stepping side by side

You showed me an undying love

Together, trust was our lifelong test

Each day happy or sad you’ve become my above

No touch left, only the warmth of you

Making my broken heart seamless

Now I’m done

I’m beautifully done

Your green sparkle, wit and charm is all I need

All I’ll ever need

Now I’m done … yeaaaah

I’m beautifully done

As my breath pushed out the last note and I opened my eyes, I was met with tears and smiles from our family and friends. Wet faces with heart-stopping smiles. The love emitting from the room was beautiful and overpowering. I breathed in deeply and let it consume me. I let it soak into every part of my being. I could only feel lucky. The emotion I struggled to keep at bay while I sang finally overflowed, and Tack was around the drums in a nanosecond to wrap me in his arms. His hold was the strength I needed.

Leaning down, he kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, “I love you, Mom, you sounded so beautiful. It was perfect. Thank you … from all of us.”

“Love you, honey.” I paused a moment to take another deep breath. “Thanks for the push to get up there, it was special. I wish you and Paige all the love and happiness that we’ve been lucky enough to have. Congratulations, baby. Now promise me you won’t make me cry too hard.” I handed him the mic and left him chuckling as I made my way to my seat.

“Uh-hum.” Tack cleared his throat and I felt my own tighten. “My lovely bride and I would like to thank all of you for coming and sharing our special day with us. Yeah, yeah, don’t roll your eyes, we know it took us forever, but it was a technicality. We’ve been married in our eyes from day one. Today is not just about us, though, it’s about family. And that’s what all of you are—family. We’d also like to thank my brother and his gorgeous wife for hosting today. I do believe Lil missed her calling as a full-time party planner, don’t you agree?”

The room cheered and hooted, missing when Tack lifted his chin with sincere appreciation toward Chase, who had found his place next to Lil. But I didn’t miss it, I never would.

Tack looked my way, took a deep breath and continued on. “I asked my mom to sing this song for two reasons. First because she has the absolute sickest voice…” The tent erupted again, cutting him off this time and my cheeks pinked. “But more importantly, there was no way I could let a day as important as today go by without paying tribute to the greatest man I’ll ever know … a man who showed me how to be a brother, a son, a husband, and God willing, a father one day. A man who only knew about family and only knew loyalty. He taught me that being a man means your word means something. And I can tell you, as can half the people in this room, that Asher Craig was a man of his word. He looked me in the eye and promised he would love my mother and our family until the day he died and he did just that. And he didn’t just do it—he did it like he lived life, in grand fucking fashion. Sorry, Mom-” His eyes cut to me, knowing I always disapproved of cursing. But at the same time, he sounded just like Asher, and I’d never disapprove of that. Tack’s eyes softened and I knew I needed to brace. “Not many men would change their last name, especially not at twenty-one, but then again, not many men had Asher Craig as their father figure. Proud doesn’t begin to cut it. It’s not a legacy I’d ever let die and I just hope I’m man enough to do it justice.” Tack picked up two amber filled glasses, bending down to hand me one. The room stood as he lifted the other above his head, “To Asher Craig … Pop, this one’s for you, beautifully done.” Tack closed his pooled eyes before they spilled, tipped back his head and drained his scotch. The emotion-filled room followed suit, raising glasses and toasting, “To Asher.”

I couldn’t begin to describe the feelings that coursed through me as I stood there watching and listening to my son’s beautiful tribute to the love of my life. It was as close to an outer body experience as I thought possible. For a second I thought my weak leg was going to give out, but then I felt it.

I felt him … he was holding me up. Like he always had.

The barbed wire knot in my throat released, the squeeze around my heart subsided, and the static in my head cleared. All I heard was music and I relished in the love. His love. He was there with me, my ace in the sky, my protector.

He physically left me two years ago, but I was not alone. I could never be alone, not when my heart and soul belonged to him. People sometimes say that when you love that deeply, part of you dies with your soulmate. They’re wrong. He was alive in me. And I would carry him with me along our path until we met again.

The glow from the lanterns lining the beach and the moon high in the sky was the only illumination we had on our sparkly toes. Lil, Sierra, and I had left our insanely high heels back in the tent and walked down to the Adirondacks, beach side. Sitting side by side with our feet crossed and resting on the small table in front of us, we were admiring our pedicures. Because that’s what best friends did.

“I’m thinking I’m finally getting the courage to do it. If I drink enough it won’t hurt, or you can just give me some numbing cream or something, right? You’ve done it twice now, Tal, it can’t be that bad.” Lil was rambling, but I knew exactly what she was talking about.

“What the hell are you talking about, Asspuck? Geeze, too much champagne and you’re freaking bumbling.” Sier obviously did not.

“Tal’s tats. I wanna do it. I love them.” Lil pulled up her foot like she was admiring her boys’ names already there. I bent my knee and traced the three letters on my other arch. ACE. I felt the heat of their stares on my finger. “Tal, you okay?” Lil whispered. “I mean I know you’re okay, but tonight was a lot. It was emotional. For all of us.”

“You know I could say that I’m not. That I’m a mess. That I want to crawl into a black hole, under a rock and never come out. That I would do anything to bring him back to get just one more minute. But I don’t need to. Our time was enough … it was what we were given.”

Lili sucked in a sharp breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Did I tell you the story about when Ash and I were scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef?”

“Umm. Who knows? Pretty sure I lost track after your fiftieth trip.” Sierra haphazardly huffed and dragged a finger under her wet eye. Typical Sier comeback, pissed she was getting emotional.

“Well, too bad. It’s a good one.” I loved that I could so easily slip back into my memories. “The sky and the water were the same vibrant blue, it was crazy how when you looked out to the horizon it was completely seamless. Anyway, we had just stripped off our wet suits from the dive of our lives. I had taken my seat at the stern and lifted my face to the sun, reliving what I just witnessed moments before. It was beyond anything you could have ever dreamed—spectacular, breathtaking, completely redefining my perfect paradise. I truly had never seen anything more beautiful.”

“Oh Tal,” Lili croaked, wiggling into my chair and draping her arm around my shoulder.

“He wrapped me in his arms,” I smiled at her as she squeezed me tighter, “and cuddled me to his chest, breathing me in like he had done so many times before. And instead of ogling the peaceful waters below, he turned my face, tucked my hair behind my ear and said, ‘Screw seven, there are eight.’ I stared into his penetrating green eyes and mumbled, huh? He had that small Ace smirk tugging at his lips—you know the one—like he was so proud of himself. Then he whispered, ‘You are the eighth wonder of the world, TP.’ I remember totally puckering my lips and shaking my head at his romantic nonsense.” Sierra and Lil chuckled, no doubt remembering how smooth my love was. “His next words, though. Those are the ones that blew me away and I replay a hundred times a day. They keep me warm at night and fill me up when I’m missing him so much it hurts. He asked me, ‘Do you know what it takes to have that label? It is amazement, uniqueness, beauty, and pure strength—that’s you. I don’t need anything more, this’—he looked past my face and stared out into the open water—‘this landscape means nothing without you in it. You are my wonder. You are my everything.’” Lil and Sier’s now streaming tears were turning into audible sobs. I couldn’t feel sad. He gave me a million more moments like this one, enough to last this lifetime. His love was like the ocean around us that day. There was no end and I was like a sea sponge completely immersed in it. My tears were done. My bucket was full. Ash made sure of it.

I leaned my head against the chair and kept remembering. It had been a quiet Saturday morning. Ava and I were snuggling in our bed. Ash was already up and out, bringing back her favorite birthday breakfast. My heart skipped a little beat—god, I loved when it did that—thinking about those way too early hours and how I had been completely sated in his arms, dozing, when he kissed my temple and whispered something about getting bacon for his two favorite girls. And not only had he brought us the most delicious bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, he had wrapped Ava’s gift himself. He couldn’t help himself, he loved surprises. And I’m sure he figured her brand new bike sitting in the living room just wasn’t enough.

“Daddy,” she shrilled, throwing the covers back to cling to his neck in the tightest hug.

“Happy Birthday, baby. You’re five. Wow. How’s it feel to be such a big girl?”

“Good.” Like any child she zeroed in on the flat present sitting on the bed next to us. “Is that for me?”

“Yup. This one’s from Daddy.” She tore at the paper and squeaked the book title out loud. “Have you filled a bucket today?”

“Come here, let me read it to you.” And like every day since she was ours, Ace snuggled her into his chest and began to read the story that would be forever nestled in our hearts.

Through Asher’s actions, Ava learned early about compassion, kindness, and what it was to be generous with love. Now it had a label.

“I fill buckets, Daddy.”

“Of course you do, baby. You fill Mommy and Daddy’s every single day … this beautiful smile.” She grinned at him, the kind of grin that melts your heart and makes you want to be a better person. A happy child’s grin. “The yummy squeezes you give us every morning and the kind things you say to your friends, baby girl, you are the best bucket filler.” She turned in her dad’s lap and squeezed tighter.

We could almost see the wheels turning in her little brain when she said, “Sometimes the little girls are crying when we visit. I like to let them play with my dolls and then I brush their hair.” From the time Ava was small, Ash made it a point to bring us to the abused women and children’s shelter. He had set up this foundation as a gift for Chase and Lili’s wedding and never let a single donation go by without a match. “I feel good when I make them smile.”

“You fill their buckets, and you fill yours at the same time. Don’t forget that, Aves.” He gently ran a finger down her cheek and gazed in my direction.

When she crawled off Asher’s lap to climb onto mine, she asked, “Why are you crying, Ma?”

“Just happy, baby girl. So happy.” Nothing more needed to be said. The simplicity and wonder of the moment was enough.

Ace, Tack, and Ava were my wonders. For always, because forever wasn’t long enough. And even though he wasn’t here in the physical form anymore, Asher still filled our invisible buckets.

I looked at my two best friends and smiled. They were both transfixed on the waves crashing against the shore, lost in thought.

“You guys remember when Ava turned five?” I grinned, thinking about how my wonderful morning went a little haywire later in the day.

“Ah yeah, and the shit show that followed, literally.”

“Come on, Sier, it was the most adorable tea party in the history of tea parties, you know it was.” I did have to agree with Sier, party planner Lil took the Mad Hatter theme to the next level.

“Who thought it was a good idea to have bunnies? I mean, fake ones, yeah, I get it. But these were live freaking rabbits hopping around their penthouse. And not just one, but a shitload.”

“Ava was so happy, a little bunny poop never hurt anyone.” Lil would defend that party to the day she died. Ash and I didn’t give a crap (no pun intended), Ava’s squeal of joy made every turd worth it.

I was grateful. Grateful for our crazy, silly jam-packed life. Grateful for the family he had given me. Grateful for our time together. Grateful for the two beautiful children he left me with. And most importantly, grateful he never had to suffer. There wasn’t a cure, or a quick fix to beat his disease, there was nothing to save him, no chemo or radiation, no experimental trials were going to extend his life. But he escaped his greatest fear. He remembered. He remembered and got to savor every single second until he closed his eyes for the final time. Stage four malignant melanoma of the brain was scary, a petrifying cancer that was unbeatable, but Asher still won by living life rather than letting his disease consume his final months. Our final months … at least here.

Only days after his diagnosis we boarded a plane to Italy. We were hiking the five points in Cinque Terre when Tack pulled me aside. Ash and Ava had run ahead to snap some photos of the vibrant cliffside villages overlooking the sea. This was our final family trip abroad.

“I’m living proof, Mom. You did it with me, and you can do it with Ava, too. I went eighteen years thinking my dad was the shit. You know why? Because of you. You made him that way. You talked about him constantly, about how much he loved me. You retold so many stories and made him such a huge part of my life I never even knew he wasn’t there. And you’re gonna do it all over again for Ava. Best part is … she got him. She knows him. He’s so far embedded in her little heart, she will never ever have a chance to forget him.”

My tears were interrupted by my girl skipping down the trail, yelling, “We need a family picture. I want one for my room. Ma, look! Daddy set up the timer on that shaky rock. Come quick.”

Taking a prime spot over our billiard table in the dining room was that priceless photo. Tack was right. Ava got him. And even though she got him from me every single day, Ash had made sure she got him at all her crucial numbers too, as he liked to call them. Asher loved to tease me about age, knew it pushed my buttons, when he couldn’t have cared less. Age never mattered, for him it was always how you lived out the time you were given. Only took me thirty plus years and one chance encounter to figure that out. But that argument was futile with a ten-year-old girl who just hit double digits, or a sixteen-year-old who would be dying for her license, or an eighteen-year-old who was psyched she was officially an adult, or a twenty-one-year-old legally taking her first sip. Ace embraced that to a girl growing up, those were the numbers that mattered, so he filled a box and tucked it away in a safe place. Inside held gifts for each and every one of Ava’s crucial numbers. They were pre-wrapped and ready to be delivered. Some were small squares, others were flat, one was long and skinny. I had no clue what was inside of any of them, but under the elaborate bow—he so had them professionally wrapped—always sat a single envelope that read: To my beautiful ACE. I love you. To Asher those were the only words that mattered. I could sleep at night knowing our baby had lived, dreamed, and felt him with every step along her path thus far. A path that would undoubtedly wind, hit bumps, and veer off, he would always be with her.

In the end I could have selfishly fought for a few extra pain-filled months with him. Why not? We didn’t need it. Our time on earth was complete.

It was our eternity that was endless.

So here I was sitting next to my girlfriends sipping our bubbly and munching on Hot Tamales, living out my promise to him. We had one path, one life, and now it was my turn to live it for both of us. Tonight we witnessed our son marry the girl of his dreams and watched our daughter spin around the dance floor and giggle with her cousins. Tonight our children gave us too many firsts; I would never jeopardize missing out on any of them. Not everyone gets a second chance. Asher would argue I taught him that, but he taught me to live in the moment because it’s the only time you own. You only have one shot at life—why waste your chance?

Sierra wiped her running nose with the back of her wrist, yes, her wrist, and mumbled, “You two are like a tragic romance novel. I can’t.”

I tipped my head back and smirked at the sky. “Tragic, nah. That’s a cop-out for when you don’t have enough story to fill the pages. We filled novels...” I smiled on the inside, comforted by the truth to what I was about to say. “And our final chapter may have been written two years ago, but I know in my heart, our epilogue is still to come. Until then I’m going to live each borrowed day and love our children and our children’s children enough for the both of us.”

Barefoot and unsteady, Lil sauntered over and grabbed the half empty bottle Tack had left behind. Her drunken brow scrunched and I said, “No. I think we’ve had more than enough.” But she ignored me and remedied our empty wine glasses with the infamous amber liquid.

Sierra went hysterical, almost choking on her words, “Ya think Tack knows why Asher loved scotch so much? Bahahaha.”

“No! God no! Ewwww. Sier, what’s wrong with you?” I shook my head back and forth, trying to not vomit between the fits of laughter. Lil was bent over almost hyperventilating.

There was going to be no yoga, no Zumba, and no running tomorrow. For sure.

But that was okay.

We were good.

Everyone would be fine.

You only live once.

Content

Beautifully Done
Beautifully Awake - 2
Riley Mackenzie

Chapter 1 Barefoot

Chapter 2 Toilet Paper

Chapter 3 HTs

Chapter 4 Bacon and Eggs

Chapter 5 Swimmers

Chapter 6 Turkey

Chapter 7 Inhabitable Chandelier

Chapter 8 Stuff

Chapter 9 Dating

Chapter 10 Dating Over

Chapter 11 Diamonds

Chapter 12 Trust

Chapter 13 Balance, Cock, Torque, Strike

Chapter 14 To TACK

Chapter 15 Stop Talking

Chapter 16 That Smile

Chapter 17 Vulture

Chapter 18 Lucky

Chapter 19 You

Chapter 20 Seven Minutes

Chapter 21 Cast Iron Armor

Chapter 22 Wait

Chapter 23 Clockwork

Chapter 24 The Exception, Not the Norm

Chapter 25 Rounds

Chapter 26 Clarity

Chapter 27 Perfect

Epilogue