Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons)

by Nicole Jacquelyn

  “Bad men attacked us,” I replied, unsure how much I should tell her.

  “But you’re okay,” she said. There was no accusation in her voice, only confusion.

  “That’s because your dad protected me,” I said, my voice catching. “He made sure I was okay.”

  “What if they come back?” she asked tightly. “Do they know where we live?”

  “No,” I said instantly. Jesus, I couldn’t imagine what was going through her head. How terrified she must be. “Those men are dead.”

  Kara jerked, her eyes widening.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said it. Maybe I should’ve sugarcoated it, or gave some bullshit answer to try and placate her. But I remembered being her age. She wasn’t stupid, and she saw way more than we gave her credit for. Knowing that, I couldn’t let her continue to worry about some faceless man coming after us if I could put her mind at ease.

  “Do you think me or your dad would ever let someone hurt you?” I said, leaning close. “Those men will never hurt our family again.”

  I almost stumbled as Kara suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist, her face hitting my collarbone with a thud. “I’m so glad you’re back,” she whispered with a shuddery sob. “Don’t leave again.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I replied, closing my eyes as tears fell down my cheeks. “You’re stuck with me, kid.”

  “Christ almighty,” Howie said from the doorway, his steps surprisingly quiet as he came into the room. He stopped next to us, and put his hand on Mack’s foot. “You’ve sure gotten your ass handed to you this time, son.”

  “Can I go out with Nana?” Kara asked quietly.

  “Sure, princess,” I said, letting her pull away. “You want me to walk you back?”

  She shook her head. “I remember the way.” She turned to Mack and lifted her hand, hesitating as she looked at all the wires. Then she laid her hand on his. “I’ll be back later, Daddy. Love you.”

  I walked her to the door and watched her until she rounded the corner to the waiting room.

  “They really did a number on him,” Howie said to me as I reached Mack’s side again. “You were there?”

  “Not officially,” I said cautiously.

  He nodded. “Yeah, talked to the boss man. He let us know what happened.”

  “He cut me loose,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But he wouldn’t let me help him.”

  “Not sure how you could’ve,” Howie said, his eyes on Mack. “You did what you had to.”

  “I’ll never forgive him for making me leave him there.” The confession seemed safe, there in the quiet room, the humming and beeping of the machines almost drowning out my voice.

  “You don’t have to,” Howie said simply. “You’re alive. He’ll gladly deal with anythin’ you can throw at him.”

  “You think so?” I said, exhaustion rolling over me in a wave.

  “If I know my son,” he replied, “he’d do the exact same thing a thousand times, knowin’ you’d be alright. Don’t matter how pissed you are.”

  “We weren’t even together,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “We broke up months ago.”

  “Heard somethin’ about that,” Howie replied, completely unsurprised. “Me and Lou knew it wouldn’t last.”

  “How’s that?” I asked dryly.

  “You don’t look at a woman the way my son looks at you and let her walk away,” Howie said with a small smile. “You do what you have to in order to make it right. I’m guessin’ it wouldn’t have been long before he was offerin’ you the moon.”

  “I didn’t want the moon,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Just babies.”

  Howie’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s what the fuss was about?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a fuss, really.”

  “Girl,” he said with a chuckle. “You woulda given him some time to wrap his head around the idea, he woulda came around. Boy played with dolls almost as much as he played with trucks as a kid.”

  “Really?” I said, tenderness welling up in my chest at the thought of it. God, the guys would never let Mack live that down.

  “Oh, yeah,” Howie said. “He wanted a whole house full of kids. He’d never say it, but I think he regretted that he and Mia didn’t have more.”

  My stomach twisted with jealousy.

  “But she wasn’t in no shape to take care of Kara,” Howie continued. “Much less any other babies that came along.”

  “She always seemed like a good mom when I was around her,” I said carefully.

  “She was,” Howie said firmly. “And she loved Kara more than anythin’.” He leaned his hip against the foot of the bed, his hand still absently rubbing Mack’s foot. “But somethin’ broke inside her when she had Kara. Poor thing was afraid of everything by the end, even herself.”

  “Why didn’t she see a doctor?” I asked.

  Howie scoffed derisively. “She did. Told him she was havin’ some anxiety and he told her, well, there’s nothin’ to be anxious about.”

  “What?” I blurted, horrified.

  “Old school doctor,” Mack said in disgust. “He’s lucky my son had his hands full at the time. Course, after that, Mia refused to see anyone else. Thought she needed to just—hell, I don’t know—suck it up, I guess.”

  “That’s insane,” I whispered.

  “Wasn’t right,” Howie replied. “But they were so young. They were wingin’ it and Mack didn’t want to make it worse for her, so he just tried to keep her happy. Me and Lou were on the road and missed a lot of it.” He gave me a sad smile. “Easy to put on a brave face when your man’s parents come to town for a week and then leave again.”

  “That’s terrible,” I murmured. Poor Mia.

  “Can see why he’d be hesitant to go down that road again,” Howie said knowingly.

  “It wouldn’t be the same,” I replied.

  “No way of knowin’ that.”

  “Yes, there is,” I said instantly, surety making my voice firm. “Because Mack would never let it get to that point, even if I couldn’t see it happening. And if he somehow dropped the ball, there are about fifteen people in the waiting room right now that wouldn’t let it happen, either.”

  “Well,” Howie said looking at Mack. “Thank Christ, you two still have time to make those decisions.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said, letting out a sigh. “As long as he’s okay, I’m happy.”

  Howie laughed. “I’ll ask you if that’s still true next year when he’s had the chance to piss you off again.”

  He rounded the bed and leaned down to kiss Mack’s forehead gently, avoiding the row of stitches that bisected his eyebrow. “I’ll be back later, son. I have a feelin’ your mama’s dyin’ to get back in here and take my place.”

  “I don’t think Kara’s eaten,” I said as he straightened up again.

  “I’ll take care of it, darlin’,” he replied. He stepped toward me and rested his hand on my shoulder. “You should sit down before you fall down.”

  “Do I look that bad?” I asked tiredly.

  “Worse,” he said, giving me a wink.

  “Gee, thanks,” I called quietly as he left the room.

  I couldn’t deny the truth in his words, though. I was quickly losing whatever energy I had left. Grabbing the chair in the corner, I dragged it next to the bed and sat down heavily. Relief and gratitude filled me as I lay my head next to Mack’s hip, threading my fingers through his. Maybe I’d just close my eyes for a while.

  * * *

  I woke at some point later to the most awful choking noise I’d ever heard in my life.

  Chapter 18

  Mack

  My first thought was that something was choking me.

  Second, was Rose.

  Hands pinned me down as my eyes flew open.

  “Jacob,” a woman said. “Jacob, you’re okay. You’re in a hospital.”

  I didn’t give a fuck where I was. There was something in my goddamn throat
. I gagged violently as my eyes searched the faces leaning over me, not recognizing any of them.

  I didn’t want to hit the pretty woman leaning down in my face, but I would if I had to. I jerked my arms and fire spread through my chest, almost making my eyes roll back in my head.

  Then I heard Rose’s voice and everything stopped. I searched the room, trying to see past the medical personnel doing their damnedest to keep me still.

  “Hey, baby,” she said, pushing her way between the man holding my arms and the nurse.

  She looked like shit.

  Jesus Christ, she was beautiful.

  “You had to have surgery,” she said, glaring at the nurse who wouldn’t move from her spot by my head. Then Rose’s eyes met mine, and my shoulders relaxed. “That’s why you have a breathing tube.” The minute she said something about it, I was hyper aware of the tube in my throat again, and I gagged so hard that it felt like I was going to vomit up my balls.

  “Stay still and they’ll take it out,” Rose said.

  I don’t know how I differentiated between all the hands gripping me, but I knew the instant Rose wrapped her fingers around my arm. Okay. Yeah, okay. I’d be still. I nodded and forced my body to relax again.

  It only took a few minutes to take the tube out, but it was seriously fucking unpleasant. My mouth was dry and my throat burned as the nurse packed up her supplies. She was speaking to me, and I probably should have tried paying attention to what she said, but all I wanted was for her to get the hell out of my face.

  I opened my mouth to speak when the nurse moved away, but no sound came out.

  “Hey, you,” Rose said, smiling wide as tears ran down her cheeks.

  I thought everyone had left the room, so when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, I startled, jerking my head to the side.

  “It’s just me, Jacob,” my mom said soothingly.

  I looked at Rose questioningly.

  “They called your parents when they couldn’t find us,” she said. “They got here a couple hours after you were brought into surgery.”

  Rose lifted a cup of water and swabbed my mouth with a little sponge.

  “You okay?” I rasped as she turned to put the cup back down.

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  I didn’t believe her. I ignored my mom as she spoke and reached out to catch Rose’s wrist as she fidgeted with my blankets. I needed to look at her, really look at her.

  I’d never forget the moment I heard shots outside, knowing that I’d sent her out there, defenseless. I’d done the right thing—the only thing I could’ve done. We hadn’t had any other choice—I knew that. But I’d still cursed and yelled and tore at my bindings, crazy with fear and rage. All of the movement and strain had made the bleeding worse and I’d only gotten to the bottom of the stairs by the time asshole number one had come barreling down them.

  “I’m okay, Mack,” she said softly, bringing me back to the present. “Just tired.”

  How long had I been in the hospital? What day was it? Had she gotten any rest at all? I knew just looking at her that she hadn’t had a chance to shower yet. Her hair was greasy and pulled back in a knot at the back of her head, and I wasn’t sure whose clothes she had on, but they weren’t hers.

  “I’m going to go grab Kara,” my mom said. “She’ll want to come back to see you.”

  “Give us a minute, first,” I said painfully, clearing my throat when I was done. Damn, my throat was sore.

  “Sure, son.” She smiled at me and squeezed my arm before walking away.

  Then, all my attention was on the woman next to me, staring at me like I was going to disappear at any moment.

  “You’re okay?” I asked again. I couldn’t quite believe that she was there, that I could feel her smooth skin under my fingertips.

  I’d thought she was dead. It was the only thing that had kept me on my feet when I’d ambushed the asshole in the basement. I thought he’d killed her.

  “I’m okay,” she replied, putting her hand over mine on her wrist. “I was able to get to the clubhouse and tell the boys where you were.”

  I smoothed my fingers over her wrist and paused when I felt the edge of a bandage.

  “Just a cut,” she said. “Molly cleaned it and bandaged me up.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I murmured, relief and guilt warring inside me. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “For what?” she asked in confusion. “It was an accident. It’ll heal in a week.”

  That’s when I remembered the blood that had poured over my fingers when I’d cut the tape binding her wrists. “I did that?” I asked, knowing the answer.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I shoulda seen them comin’,” I said, staring at her beautiful brown eyes and the hollows beneath them. “Shoulda never let that happen.”

  “I didn’t see them, either,” she said softly.

  “Not your job to,” I replied in disgust. “I fucked up.”

  “You saved me,” she said, leaning down so our faces were only inches apart.

  “Wouldn’t have needed savin’ if I woulda been watchin’ our backs.”

  “Mack,” she breathed, reaching up to trace my jaw with her fingertips. “It’s over.”

  It was then that I realized I could feel her fingers on my bare jaw.

  “Shit,” I said, raising my hand to my face.

  Rose giggled and it was one of the best sounds I’d ever felt in my life.

  “They shaved my goddamn face?” I asked incredulously. “All of it?”

  Her eyes twinkled as she nodded. “I think they needed to see what they were working with. Your face is a mess, baby.”

  “Doesn’t feel too bad,” I replied, moving my jaw around. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but pain exploded in my cheek.

  “The bone’s broken,” she said, grimacing. “Careful.”

  “Yep,” I replied. “It definitely is.”

  “Your hand might need surgery,” she said quietly. “But they took care of the wound in your thigh and the one in your chest.” Her breath hitched. “They had to remove part of your lung.”

  “Must be why it hurts to breathe,” I joked.

  Neither of us laughed.

  Rose’s face crumpled.

  “Hey,” I said, frustrated that I couldn’t pull her against me. “It’s alright, baby. I’m fine. We’re fine.”

  “I just kept thinking that we wasted so much time,” she said, her words garbled. “And I was so stubborn, and—”

  “I’ll give you as many kids as you want,” I said, cutting her off. “Fuck, Rosie, I’ll give you anything.”

  “We can talk about it later,” she said with a watery laugh.

  “Kiss me,” I rasped, unable to wait any longer to feel her against me, even if it was just her lips.

  My mouth tasted like shit and neither of us had brushed our teeth in days, but it was the sweetest kiss we’d ever had by far. I wanted to pull her into bed with me and feel her skin against mine, trace every part of her to make sure she was as okay as she said she was. Hell, I’d be happy to just lay with her in the quiet for a while.

  “Child present,” Kara announced as she walked into the room.

  As Rose stepped back and I got the first glimpse of my daughter, I felt a lump lodge in my throat, making it impossible to speak.

  “I couldn’t wait any longer,” Kara said as she came toward me.

  “It’s alright,” I choked out, lifting my good hand so she could hold it.

  “I was really scared,” she whispered, staring at me the way she always had, silently asking me to make it better.

  “I was too, princess,” I confessed. “Did Trix take good care of you?”

  “I’m not four,” she said, the sarcasm in her voice softened by the smile she shot me. “But, yeah. All the kids camped out at the house while I was there.”

  “You look tired,” I said, soaking in the sight of her face. While we’d been held, I hadn’t been able to stop
myself from imagining her in my mind, all the expressions she’d made when she was a baby that I still saw on her face now, the way her thumbs were double jointed and how she thought it was hilarious to show people, the way she still spun her way around the house, even though she’d stopped taking dance classes when she was seven. The idea of never seeing her again had damn near killed me.

  “I’m okay. But Nana says she’s going to take me back to the house so you can get some rest,” she complained.

  “Probably a good idea,” I replied. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sleep, but I wasn’t too fired up at having her hang around the hospital while I was laid up. Shit had been crazy and she deserved a little normalcy.

  Kara wrinkled her nose, but didn’t argue.

  “Take Rose with you,” I said, glancing at my woman. She was swaying a little on her feet, but she still shook her head.

  “No way in hell,” she said. She looked at Kara. “Sorry, toots.”

  “I’ll come back later, okay?” Kara said, her hand tightening around mine.

  “Sounds good, princess.”

  With a sigh, she let go. “Love you, Dad.”

  “Love you, too. Be good for Nana.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  The room was quiet after she left, and I felt my eyes growing heavy, but before I could fall asleep, the sound of heavy footsteps had me looking toward the door.

  “Hey, brother,” Dragon said as he strode into the room, Will close on his heels. “Rose.”

  “What, no flowers?” I joked.

  Dragon smiled and Will chuckled.

  “You up for a chat?” Dragon asked, glancing at Rose. She glared back mutinously.

  “Rose,” I called, bringing her attention back to me.

  “I’ll go to the waiting room,” she said, leaning down to kiss me. “Even though it’s bullshit since I was there.”

  “Go home,” I ordered. “Take a shower and a nap.”

  “Not happening,” she shot back.

  “Baby, you’re about to fall on your face. Go get some rest.” Her expression didn’t change, so I tried a different approach. “I’m gonna try and sleep for a while as soon as they leave, anyway.”

  “Will’s my ride,” she said stubbornly.