Rule Breaker By Accident

by Parker, Ali

  “Well technically,” Will retorted. “You are dead. For a ghost, you’re pretty damn annoying.”

  Rayce tipped his head back and laughed, dark hair gleaming in the sun. “Don’t you mean to say that for a ghost, I’m pretty damn good with children? I haven’t heard you complaining about how annoying I am when I spend time with the little man so you can drown yourself in your fiancée.”

  Will cocked his head, then lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “True, I am going to miss having a live-in babysitter when you leave.”

  Rayce flipped him off, but he was smiling. “Fuck being a live-in babysitter. I’m a loving godfather, is all.”

  I shook my head at them, chuckling into my almost empty beer bottle. “Can’t say that I haven’t missed being around you two all these years.”

  “You’re the one who left and got yourself a fancy-ass degree, bro,” Rayce said, lifting his bottle to point at me. “Got to say, you picked a hell of a time to make a comeback.”

  Will rolled his eyes. “No one’s making a comeback.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” Rayce grinned. “I meant that he came through for me, and I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I said, clinking the neck of my beer against his before draining the last sip. “You know I’d do anything for you, just don’t fuck it up. There are no third chances in this life or any other.”

  Rayce’s expression sobered and he nodded. “I know. I’m done with all that bullshit. Consider my lesson learned and my head out of my ass.”

  “Figured out what you’re going to do yet?” Fulton joined us, two fresh beers dangling from the fingers in each of his hands. “Here. Noticed you guys were all running on empty.”

  “Thanks.” I tossed my bottle in the trash and took the new one from him.

  The other guys did the same, all waiting on Rayce’s answer. He took a long drink before meeting each of our eyes in turn. “It’s been good living with Heidi and Will, but I reckon I’ve got to get my own place and get my life back on track.”

  “That identity we got you still holding up then?” Fulton asked. Obviously, I didn’t have the same history with him that I did with the other guys. The better I got to know him, the more I liked, though.

  We were fast becoming friends and despite our respective connections to the girls, I thought we’d have been friends anyway. Fulton was a stand-up guy and Will had become the same.

  Rayce was the wild card, or at least he had been. I’d been worried that he would go back to his former ways, but so far, so good. He claimed not to be tempted to mess with the wrong side of the law again, and I believed him.

  For a large part of his life, he’d only known crime. With all of us helping him, I knew we could guide him to stay on the straight and narrow. It didn’t hurt that he’d gotten a small taste of where he would end up if he fell off the wagon again, and he’d assured us all that he had no intention of going back there.

  “Yeah, it’s holding up. I have some money saved up,” Rayce said, his expression still serious, “from legit jobs that I did, bets I placed, and investments I cashed out. It should be enough to set me up until I get back on my feet.”

  My eyes dropped from his face to his chest. Beneath his shirt, I knew there was a wound that would still be healing. “How’s that feel? All good?”

  Rayce nodded. “Yeah, man. It’s all good.”

  “He okay to move out yet?” Will asked me, concern written all over his face. “If he’s not medically fit yet, I don’t want him finding a place of his own.”

  “No, he’s fine.” I had recommended Rayce move in with someone immediately after the surgery. The drugs he had been given to mimic the heart problem that had landed him in my OR had necessitated opening him up.

  It was all part of the plan, but the man had still undergone heart surgery. We might have faked his death, and I might not have performed any surgery on him, but having your chest cracked open was no laughing matter.

  “As long as you remember all the rules for your recovery and abide by them. Just don’t move too far away, okay? I still need to be able to see you for at least one more checkup in two weeks’ time.”

  Rayce nodded, his eyes narrowing as he thought. “I won’t, but I do need to get out of Tampa. I know too many people here to be able to make a new life for myself here.”

  “We’ll look into the surrounding areas,” Will said. “He’ll be at his checkups and hopefully, he’ll still come to these little get-togethers when it’s just us.”

  “Of course.” Rayce grinned, genuine fondness coming into his eyes when they dropped to eye a now sleeping Adam against Will’s chest. “I want to spend as much time as I can with you guys, but especially with that little guy.”

  Had anyone told me that Rayce Phillips was going to end up being the most doting godfather on the face of the planet, I’d have laughed them right out of town. I’d have been wrong, though. The man was infatuated with that baby.

  Although even I had to admit, he was a pretty fucking cute kid. Thinking about babies wasn’t exactly a large part of my day, but spending time with Will, Heidi, and Adam, I had realized that wanting children wasn’t just some hypothetical “someday” anymore.

  I really did want babies, as long as the gorgeous blue-eyed, brown-haired girl coming toward me right now was their mother. She jogged up the couple of wooden steps leading off the beach with Valerie in tow, looping her arms around my neck and planting a smacking kiss on my cheek.

  “Hey there, sexy.” Her eyes lit up with her smile. “Want to come help me in the kitchen for a minute?”

  “Is that a euphemism for something?” Will wrinkled his nose, then winked. “If so, do you have another kitchen Heidi and I can borrow? Adam’s asleep, I’ve got to go lay him down anyway.”

  “It’s not euphemism.” Olive’s cheeks flushed. “I really do need him in the kitchen.”

  “Where you need him is none of our business,” Fulton said, his voice thick with laughter.

  I smirked and raised my middle finger, pointing it at both Will and Fulton. “If you didn’t want to know, you shouldn’t have asked, assholes. We’ll be back.”

  I grabbed Olive’s hand and dragged her into the house with me. Her cheeks were still red by the time we got to the kitchen. “They don’t think we’re going to … you know … in here, do they? With all of them right outside?”

  Sliding my hands to her hips, I pulled her close and walked her backward until she stopped against the counter. “Who cares what they think?”

  I lowered my head to her neck, planting soft kisses on her skin. She shivered, bringing her hands to my shoulders. “Anyone can walk in at any time, Rylen. We can’t do anything here. Besides, I really did need your help. We need to take out the snacks.”

  Smiling with my head still in the crook of her neck, I breathed out a mock sigh. “Fine, but only if you promise to make it up to me later.”

  She used her grip on my shoulders to push me away, but then rose up on her toes to press a long kiss to my lips. “I promise, but I need you to help me with the snacks. Deal?”

  “Deal.” I grinned, reluctantly letting her go. “I’ll get the stuff in the fridge, you set out the crackers.”

  Olive and I worked like a well-oiled machine in the kitchen now. Gone were the days where I cooked and she watched, or she cooked and I tried to insist on doing dishes. We did everything together now, and we kind of kicked ass at it.

  We’d spent the night last night preparing the snacks so we wouldn’t be stuck inside while everyone else had a good time outside today. Within ten minutes, we had a spread fit for kings and queens set out on the dining room table.

  Olive came by to give me another kiss before she went to call everyone in. “You did a good job on the snacks. You definitely deserved a reward.”

  “A reward and a promise to make it up to me later? When can we start booting people out?” I was only half joking, but Olive laughed and went out onto the deck.

/>   “Right, if you want to get something to line your stomachs with, I suggest you come and get it while it’s hot. Or cold. Some stuff is just better cold.”

  “Like beer,” Valerie called out, but she was the first to follow Olive back inside. As always, Fulton was hot on her heels. Will and Heidi went to lay Adam down in the folding cot they had brought along for him, then came to join us at the table.

  Rayce came in last, seeming reluctant to come inside. I crossed the room and went to stand next to him, joining him where he was still facing the beach. “You okay, man?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed, the corners of his mouth turning down. “I just never thought I’d have a view like this again, you know?”

  “No, I honestly can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. Want me to stay out here with you for a few more minutes before we go grab some food?”

  “Thanks.” He sipped his beer in silence, taking in the view for a few more minutes before turning his head to me. “Thank you for what you did for me, Rylen. I know you’ve said not to mention it, but I can’t not mention it. You’ve worked so fucking hard for this life and you put it on the line for me. You hadn’t even seen me for years. I don’t know how to thank you for that.”

  “You just did.” I inclined my head in acknowledgment of what he’d said. I hadn’t done what I had for the thanks, but I knew it was important to him that he get it out. “I worked as hard as I did because I wanted to help people. That’s always been the only thing that I wanted to do. You’re a person, and I helped you. You’re more than a person to me even, you’re my brother. I couldn’t let the opportunity to repay you for everything you’ve done for me pass me by.”

  “I don’t think you did it to repay me. If you did, you really didn’t have to.” He slung his arm around my shoulders, giving me a familiar squeeze that I hadn’t felt in years. “You’ve always been the best of us, Rylen. Never lose that.”

  “I won’t,” I promised, then grinned at him and shrugged his arm off me. “Now mop up all these tears and go get something to eat. Olive’s pretty serious about getting to the food while it’s still at its intended temperature.”

  He laughed, his head bouncing up and down. “Sure thing.”

  “I’ll see you in there in a minute,” I said, noticing Heidi making her way toward us. She came to stand beside me in the doorway, watching the general merriment and banter going on around the table.

  “It’s something to see, isn’t it?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Sure is. It was definitely worth every risk we took to get to where we are today.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled, her eyes lingering on Will and the cot standing just a little ways behind him. “I didn’t think I’d get to see Will this happy or carefree. There was a time I thought for sure that we would always have to share a part of his heart that was stuck in prison with Rayce. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m glad he’s out.”

  “So am I.”

  “So.” She nudged me with her elbow and nodded discreetly at Olive who was in a playful debate with Valerie. “When are you going to pop the question?”

  I chuckled. “I should have known there would be a sneak attack launched for that information today. I’ve got to admit, I kind of thought it would be Valerie, but since you’re here, I’ll tell you my secret.”

  Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Is it today? Please tell me it’s today.”

  I winked but shook my head. “No, but I am going to do it. One day.”

  Epilogue

  Olive

  “Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not complaining, but you do know you don’t need to keep taking me on these fancy weekends away, right?” My eyes were wide as I looked around the latest cruise ship Rylen and I were on.

  Our cabin had a balcony this time. It was small, barely big enough to hold two chairs and a low, round table, but we had our own balcony.

  The bed faced the windows and the balcony, but I’d already checked and I couldn’t see inside if the sliding doors were closed. The cabin was designed so we weren’t able to see anyone else from inside or from the balcony.

  It was like we were in our very own floating bubble. Crystal-blue waters stretched out as far as I could see, almost seamlessly blending in with the sky on the horizon. It felt like we were on top of the world in every way possible.

  It had been five months of bliss since Rylen and I had gotten back together. Some days I still felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but then I realized that it already had, and that we had gotten through it.

  We’d been threatening for the last couple of months to take another cruise, but I hadn’t been expecting him to surprise me with one when he came to pick me up from the office at lunchtime. He’d told me he was taking me to a special lunch and had arranged everything with Shane, then he whisked me off to the port, my bag already packed and in his trunk.

  Lunch had been special, that was for sure. But it was nothing on the cabin he’d gotten us for an extended weekend cruise.

  The ship was more luxurious and much bigger than the first one we’d been on together—not that I would have imagined that could be possible. Despite the thousands of other souls on board, though, it felt like it all belonged just to us.

  I turned away from the window to face Rylen. He was standing next to the bed, looking like a freaking supermodel again, even though he wasn’t really doing anything. Just him, just standing there, was a gorgeous sight.

  I still couldn’t believe that he was mine sometimes.

  Black sunglasses hung from the shallow V formed by his opened top button. The white button-up shirt clung to him like a second skin, except that the fabric stretched tight in some places, which was incredibly sexy as far as I was concerned.

  Light-blue jeans only just clung to his hips, a leather belt regretfully keeping the pants from falling down. I was all for keeping them on while we’d been checking in and having lunch, but now that we were in the privacy of our room, with the prospect of four whole days alone together, I wasn’t so partial to them.

  Rylen smiled and raised his hands. “What can I say? I like spoiling you. I know you don’t need or expect me to, but that’s what makes it so much fun.”

  “Is that what makes it so much fun?” My gaze caught on his and I slowly moved toward him, sliding my hands into the waistband on his jeans when I reached him. “I thought there were other things that made it fun.”

  He released a low groan, nodding in agreement. “That makes it fun too. Everything makes it fun.”

  When he slid his hands into his pants to catch mine, my breath hitched and anticipation coursed through me—red and hot. “But we’re going to have to put a pin in this, babe. The porter’s going to be here any minute and room service is sending up champagne.”

  He wound his fingers around mine and then pulled them out of his pants. My only consolation was that he looked as disappointed to have to do it as I was. Heat smoldered in his hazel eyes and his touch was insistent, even if it was innocent.

  “Why is room service sending up champagne?” I asked, sighing as I took a step away from him. I had to if I was going to cool down. “What’s the special occasion?”

  “It comes with the room,” he replied.

  Before he could say anything else, a knock sounded at our door. I walked up to our sliding door and opened it, sucking in a deep breath of fresh ocean air as I stepped out onto the balcony. I heard Rylen dealing with the porter and the door closing shortly after.

  A few seconds later, he came outside too. He stood behind me, his chest firm and hard against my back. His arms snaked underneath mine to cage me in, strong forearms resting on the warm railing on either side of my hands.

  “What are you thinking about so hard out here?”

  I turned to him, tilting my head back so I could look into his eyes. “What makes you think I was thinking about anything?”

  He lifted an eyebrow, lips pulling into a knowing smirk. “I know, sweet love of mine.
What’s up?”

  Taking him in, from the five o’clock shadow on his jaw to the tilt of his lips and light in his eyes, I smiled. “I’m glad we’re getting to do this again. I wasn’t sure we ever would.”

  “I know what you mean.” He leaned his head down to touch his forehead against mine, planting a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Fuck. It nearly killed me when you walked away from me, Olive. I didn’t fully understand what the term heartbreak meant until that moment.”

  “I’m sorry.” I’d said it so many times, but I’d keep saying it for the rest of my life. “I can’t believe I got that close to throwing everything between us away.”

  He sighed, his eyes leaving mine to fix on a point on the horizon. “I gave you good reason to. I should have just told you why I had gone to see Shane in the first place. Or at least given you the option to know.”

  “I understand now why you didn’t.” Despite the amount of time we’d had conversations very similar to this one, there was one last question I’d never gotten around to asking. “You never told me what you went to speak to Shane about. If the plan was already in place and everything, why did you need to meet with him?”

  Rylen’s eyes returned to mine. “I had a lot of questions that I needed answers to. Obviously, I knew that breaking someone out of prison was illegal. I also knew that faking someone’s death was both illegal and unethical. I just needed to talk the realities through with someone.”

  “That’s a heavy conversation.”

  “Very,” he agreed. “In the interest of full disclosure, I also needed to make sure that I had all the right paperwork for the loss of Rayce. The hospital has forms and stuff, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”

  “Shane helped?” My brows rose. “Really? I can’t imagine him being complicit in something like that.”

  He shook his head sharply. “No, he wasn’t. Our entire meeting was based on hypotheticals. He drew up some paperwork for me and let me know that he would have it ready for me by that Monday when it was set to happen, but it was all drafted as templates in the event of the loss of a patient.”