by Meghan Quinn
“You don’t need to be an ass about it,” Patty crossed her arms over her chest.
“The only ass is you. Pull the stick out, Patty, and lighten up. We are lucky to have each other and our friends are suffering a devastating loss. Just because we are getting married doesn’t mean we can’t put ourselves aside and help them. It’s called being a good friend.”
Marc’s phone rang just as he finished. Marc pulled it out of his pocket and read the caller ID.
Brady.
“Excuse me. I’ll see you in the house.” He answered the call as he exited the car. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“I’m in Atlanta. Just arrived. I have to leave at the ass crack of dawn, but I needed to come tonight. I have some things to say to Jane.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I need to know if she’s done or if I have a small shot. If I have no shot, I’m done. It’s time to move on.”
“I think you have a shot, Brady. Jane cried to Patty all night about what to do about you. She wouldn’t be crying if she didn’t have feelings for you.”
“Fuck,” Brady breathed out. “Okay, I’m getting in a cab now. I’m sorry I missed the party, man. You know I would have been there if I could.”
“I know.”
“Say hi to Patty for me. Talk to you later, Marc.”
They hung up. Marc walked into the house, knowing full well Patty was still in the car. He didn’t want to be fighting with her when they were supposed to be enjoying this time together before they got married, but he didn’t agree with her selfish attitude. She had a valid point of wanting to focus on them, he would give her that, but then again, she was viciously stabbed on Jane and Brady’s wedding day; he would think she would remember that and want to help them out.
The more he thought about it, the more he got mad.
In his bedroom, he pulled his clothes off, leaving only his boxers on and brushed his teeth. He didn’t care to stay up, so he got ready for bed.
The click of their bedroom door rang through the room as Marc dried off his mouth. He peeked around the corner to see Patty standing in the middle of the room looking angry.
Looks like they were about to hit round two in their fight.
**Brady**
“Keep the change,” Brady said, throwing a wad of bills at the driver.
He ran up the steps of their house and burst through the door. The entryway was dark and the party in the back was completely picked up. Lights were turned off around the house, only a little one was on upstairs, barely lighting up the stairwell. Taking the stairs two at a time, he sprinted up them and went straight to his bedroom.
The door was cracked ajar, and from the outside, he could hear the faint sounds of Jane crying. Slowly, he opened it to see Jane lying on their massive bad, curled in a ball with her head buried in his pillow.
“Jane?”
Startled, she sat up quickly and wiped her eyes, trying to make it seem like she wasn’t crying. “What are you doing here? I thought you missed your plane.”
“I did. I took a later one. I have an early flight tomorrow morning.” Brady stepped closer so he could sit on the bed next to her. “Why were you crying Jane?”
“No reason.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
“Don’t lie to me,” Brady said, his patience wearing thin. “I flew out here, the least you can do is tell me the goddamn truth. Why were you crying?”
The bottom of Jane’s lip trembled as she spoke. “I’m so lost,” she admitted. “I don’t know what I want. I know that I was sad when you weren’t there tonight.”
“You were?” he scooted closer, hoping he didn’t scare her away.
“Yes, Brady.” She sighed and took a deep breath. “I still love you, with everything in me, but we are different people now. Ever since we lost our girl, we’ve drifted apart, we’ve blamed each other and we’ve said some awful things. The love we once shared and breathed no longer exists.”
“I don’t believe that at all, Jane. I think our love is still there. I just think it’s been buried under the loss of our little one. We can still resurrect it.”
“But, will it be the same? Do you still want a baby? A family? Would you still love me the same if I said I didn’t want the same thing?”
“You don’t want a family anymore?” Brady asked, a little stunned.
When they first found out they were pregnant, yes, they weren’t expecting it, but they couldn’t have been happier. They talked many nights about having a large family, of spending family vacations down in Florida during spring training and having cocoa and cinnamon buns every Christmas morning wearing matching pajamas. For Jane to say she might not want a family anymore was a little mind blowing.
“I don’t know, Brady.” Her eyes were wet with tears when she made eye contact with him. “I know you want a family…that you want to have a baby with me, but I’m just not sure I can give that to you.”
“Of course I want a baby with you, Jane. I can see a little baby girl with your nose any my eyes. Just because we lost one doesn’t mean we can’t try for another.”
Jane shook her head now and slid away from him on the bed. “We can’t try for another one.”
“Why not?” Brady asked, his voice rising just a little. “Jane, losing the baby was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. That day will forever be engrained in my memory, but it’s no reason to quit, to quit our marriage and our dreams.”
“Those aren’t my dreams anymore, Brady. Like I said, we’re different people.”
She was closed off now. He could tell by her body language and the curtness to her voice. There was something he said that turned her off like a switch, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure it out.
“So that’s it? You’re just giving up on us?”
She shrugged her shoulders, not looking in the eye.
“Look at me, dammit, if you’re going to end this. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want to be with me anymore. I deserve that much, Jane.” She still didn’t look up at him, her gaze fixed on her hands in her lap. “Fucking, look at me!” he yelled.
Nothing, it was as if she was dead inside.
Brady got off the bed and paced the length of the room, frustration and anger pouring off of him.
“What do you want from me? Do you want me to beg to have you in my life? I will fucking beg, Jane, I have no problem doing so. Is this about having a family? Fuck it; I don’t want one. I don’t need one.” He kneeled in front of her, grabbing her hands, and forcing her to look at him. “I don’t need kids, Jane. I need you. Don’t you see that? I’m a broken man without you in my life.” His voice caught in his throat as emotions poured out of him. “I fucking need you.”
“You don’t mean that. You want a family, Brady.”
“Not if you’re not included, Jane. My life is empty without you in it. There would be no point in having a family unless you’re by my side.”
Jane shook her head, pulling away again. “Just leave, Brady. Sign the papers and leave me be. Move on.”
His anger boiled over as he stood up. His hands ran through his hair, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Fuck!” he kicked the bed and then dropped down on it, his hands holding his head, as tears streamed down his face, completely frustrated and spent. “You’re breaking me in half, Jane. Why are you doing this?”
“I’m doing this for you,” she said softly.
“Fuck that!” he screamed, barging out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He needed to get as far away from Jane as possible before he did something he regretted.
**Patty**
“I’m being selfish? This is my wedding day, Marc. I have the right to be just a little selfish, don’t you think?”
They were mid-fight, Marc in his boxers, patty still in her engagement dress. Marc was the first to raise his voice, Patty was the next. She couldn’t remember ever getting in a screaming match with Marc, so she m
arked this down as their first.
“They were with you while you were in a coma, Patty. The day after their wedding. I think you owe it to them. “
“I said I appreciated that, Marc, but all you can fixate on lately is helping Brady, saving Brady’s marriage, making sure Brady is okay. You have a fiancé too.”
“Believe me, I know.” Marc rolled his eyes.
“Wow, and here I thought I was going to be marrying a nice guy.”
“Oh, so, I’m not a nice guy anymore? Excuse me if I’m wrong, but I thought putting aside myself for a second to help out my best friend was being a nice guy.”
“I’m not talking about them right now. I’m talking about us, Marc. Let’s focus on us.”
“Why? We’re fine, well besides the fact that apparently I’m going to be marrying a selfish woman who finds it an inconvenience to help out her friends.”
Patty felt like he slapped her in the face. “Is that what you really think of me, Marc?”
“Of course not, Patty. I think you’re a beautifully kind woman with a heart of gold. I just think right now you’ve stepped away from your true self. I don’t get it, actually.”
“It’s because I want you to focus on us during this time, Marc. What’s so hard to understand about that?”
“Why can’t you just do both? Focus on the wedding and Jane and Brady?”
“Because at every special event we have, the topic of conversation is about them. I mean, what happens if Jane doesn’t want to get back together with Brady? He set a deadline by our wedding date. Is my wedding going to consist of you off with Brady, making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid while I dance alone?”
“Of course not; I would never do that!”
“Really? Because just the other night you about pushed me off of your lap in the middle of foreplay when Brady texted you.”
“That was different,” Marc said with an irritated voice.
“You’re unbelievable,” Patty threw her hands in the air out of frustration.
They were getting nowhere with this argument, and every second she was with Marc, she could feel herself get angrier and angrier. So, she went to the closet, grabbed a bag and filled it with clothes, followed by a quick trip to the bathroom to grab her cosmetics.
“You’re leaving?” Marc asked in disbelief.
“Yes, because honestly, I can’t even be around you right now.”
“That’s great, just fucking great!” Marc yelled, as he walked out of the bedroom. Calling over his shoulder, he said, “Happy fucking engagement, Patty.”
Pulling out her phone, Patty dialed the one number she could count on.
“Hey there, beautiful. You miss me already?”
“Albert, can I stay with you for a bit?”
“All the ladies want to. Come on over, Patty. I’ll get the vodka chilled.”
Patty hung up, grabbed her suitcase, and walked out of the house. Maybe the time apart would help them, at least she hoped it would.
**Nash**
The sun blared through the janky blinds in Nash’s bedroom, but that wasn’t what woke him up. It was the blinding pain that was shooting up his leg from not removing his prosthetic last night.
Fallon lay naked, in his arms, her hair tickling the bottom of his chin. He was still in his pants—thank you insecurity—and his leg was throbbing, begging for some relief.
Looking back at the night, he would have done it all over again if he had to. He would take the next morning’s pain, because right now, he couldn’t be happier. Fallon fully accepted him for who he was; he only wished he could have been completely open with her. He felt like a coward for not being able to show her his leg, but what he loved best was that she didn’t care. She didn’t pester him about it; instead, she honored his wishes and made love to him several times last night, never bothering to push his pants any further than his thighs.
She was absolutely amazing.
Peerrrrrrrrrffff
A small, itty bitty sound of a toot came from a sleeping Fallon. Nash clamped a hand over his mouth and tried not to wake her with laughter, but the shake of his chest jostled her too much, and she pressed up on his chest and looked around, figuring out her surroundings. When she made eye contact with Nash, she smiled brightly, and then threw her arms around him to hug him.
“Good morning!” she said cheerfully. “Was that me that farted?”
Laughing harder, Nash nodded his head. “It was you.”
“Check that off the list of firsts. Mmm, you’re so warm.”
“And you rubbing your naked body against me is making me hard again.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” She pressed her lips against his, propping herself on his chest.
Nash adjusted himself under her and cringed when his leg didn’t move properly with his prosthetic. Blinding pain shot through him.
“Fuck,” he mumbled with his eyes shut, trying to breathe through the pain.
“What’s wrong?” Fallon asked, pulling away now and assessing his body. “Are you okay?”
“Yup, just a little sore.”
“That didn’t look like being a little sore.” Fallon reached over the end of the bed and pulled Nash’s shirt off the ground and over her head, covering up her delectable body. She then turned to Nash and assessed him. “Is it your leg? And don’t lie to me.”
Nash just nodded his head.
“Are you supposed to take off your prosthetic at night?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay.”
“Clearly, it’s not. I’ll leave so you can take care of yourself.” She bent down and kissed him on the lips, not lingering too long. She got out of bed and searched for her dress. Nash watched from his position…her little body running around frantically, trying to leave as quickly as possible.
This wasn’t how he envisioned his first morning with Fallon, her running away so he could adjust himself. It was time to man up.
“Don’t leave.”
Fallon placed her hand on her hip and pointed her finger at Nash. “Don’t tell me what to do. You need to take care of yourself and I’m going to let you do that in private. I know you’re not comfortable yet, so I’ll just take off.”
“I don’t want you to go. You can stay.”
“Nash, you have to…”
“I know what I have to do, and I will do it while you’re here. Stay.”
“Nash, I promise I’m not mad at all. I just want you to feel better. It looks like you’re in a lot of pain.” Her concern was endearing.
Nash held out his hand. “Come here, Fallon.”
Hesitantly, she walked over to him and kneeled next to him on the bed. Nash sat up and pushed the bedding down past his legs. His button and fly were still undone, so all he had to do was remove his jeans.
Nerves shook his hands as he pushed his jeans down. She wouldn’t judge him, he knew she wouldn’t, not from the look of concern in her eyes.
With one last deep breath, he exposed his legs. His wrap first appeared, and then the socket of his prosthetic; after that, the leg and then the foot. He was completely exposed to her.
“Wow, I’m kind of surprised.”
Nash’s head whipped to hers, feeling self-conscious. “Why?”
“I was expecting a prosthetic wrapped in American Flag decals.” Her smile spread across her face as she teased him with ease.
Only Fallon would make this moment light and fun. He should have counted on her for that.
“It wasn’t an option at the time. Would it turn you on if I had one?” Nash wiggled his eyebrows.
“Oh, yeah. I would get such a huge lady boner.”
“Noted,” Nash laughed. “So…this is my leg.”
“It’s sexy, may I stroke it?” Her voice was full of humor.
“By all means, go ahead.” He motioned for her to do so.
She went to his foot and observed it for a second before she pulled on the fake toes. “This little piggy went to market…”
Nash burst
out in laughter and shook his head. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” she ginned. “It’s kind of bad ass, I must admit. I know you hate it, but I actually like it. Makes you seem even more human than I thought.” She scanned his body and then met his eyes. “You’re so sexy, Nash. I mean it.”
How did he get so lucky? Never in a million years did he think when he first met Fallon that they would be sharing a moment like this. They’d come a long way and he couldn’t wait to see what their future held.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Nash asked, holding out his hand. She obliged and sat on his lap. He gripped her hips and said, “Thank you for being so accepting.”
“No need to thank me, Nash. From the moment I saw you at the grocery store, I knew I was going to get you in this position.”
“Is that right?” Nash asked with a rakish eyebrow raised.
“It is. You were putty in my hands.” She winked. “But seriously, you’re mine now, so if I catch you with someone else, I’ll chop your dick off and sell it on eBay as a unique and wildly rare Christmas ornament.”
“Damn,” Nash chuckled. “Wouldn’t want to do that. But you don’t have to worry; I have no intention of looking at any other woman besides you. You’ve kind of stolen my heart.”
Fallon placed her forehead on Nash’s. “You’ve stolen mine, too.” She lightly kissed him on the lips and then pulled away. “Okay, let’s get this leg feeling better. What can I do?”
Nash looked down at his lap. “You can take care of this problem first.”
Fallon studied his erection. “Why do you have a prosthetic when you’re practically a tripod?”
“You sure know how to please a man.”
Giggling, Fallon hopped on Nash and started rocking against him. Nash’s head hit the back of his headboard and he got lost in Fallon’s touch.
Chapter 16
**Luke**
“Do you need water?” Dr. Drake asked Luke, who was slightly rocking back and forth and sweating profusely.