Aflame

by Penelope Douglas

  I looked down at Tate, barely hearing his words. “I love you,” I whispered.

  I love you, too, she mouthed, smiling.

  The people around us listened to the officiant’s short speech about love and communication, trust and tolerance, but I didn’t take my eyes off Tate for a single second.

  It’s not that we didn’t need to listen. We knew we didn’t know everything, and we knew we were going to fight. We’d learned too many lessons the hard way to take for granted how far we’d come.

  But I couldn’t not look at her. It was too perfect a day.

  The officiant passed it off to me as Jax handed him the rings, and he handed me Tate’s.

  I put in on her finger, sliding it only halfway as I spoke only to her.

  “As my friend, I liked you,” I whispered. “As my enemy, I craved you. As a fighter, I loved you, and as my wife”—I slid the ring the rest of the way on—“I keep you.” I squeezed her hand. “Forever,” I promised.

  Silent tears spilled down her cheeks, and she smiled, even though her chest shook. Taking my ring from the man’s hand, she slipped it on my finger.

  “When you left me the first time, I was devastated,” she said, speaking of when we were fourteen. “And when you left me the second time, I was defiant. But both times I regret,” she admitted, keeping her voice low. “I always fought with you instead of fighting for you, and if I commit to doing one thing differently for the rest of our lives, Jared”—she inhaled a deep breath, steadying her voice—“it would be to make sure you always know that I will fight for you.” She blinked, sending more tears down her cheeks. “Forever.”

  I knew it without needing to hear her say it, but it still felt good to hear. Being a kid was hard. Being a kid with no one to count on changed my life. And hers. She knew how much I needed her.

  I saved the officiant the trouble and took the back of her neck in my hand before pulling her in for a kiss.

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pressed her body into mine and kissed my wife for almost longer than necessary, getting lost in her taste and scent, before pulling back slightly to lean my forehead into hers.

  Laughter and snickers erupted around us, but I didn’t care. I’d waited long enough, in my opinion.

  After the ceremony, Madoc slapped me on the shoulder as we all trailed toward the cars. “I’ll lead,” he instructed, meaning what, I didn’t know.

  We had a lot of cars between us all, but I saw no reason to make a parade.

  But whatever.

  Climbing in the black limo behind Tate, I closed the door and instructed the driver to follow the GTO. He then closed the privacy glass, and I wasted no time hauling Tate into my lap.

  I bunched up the dress to allow her legs to straddle me, and the poor girl sank into a cloud like it was a patch of quicksand. I saw just her face.

  “I really love this dress”—I slid my hands up her silky thighs—“but it’s a pain in the ass.”

  I took her hips in my hands and pulled her in for a kiss, not caring that she was messing up my hair, which my mother had made me style to perfection today.

  The limo took off, following the GTO and trailed by everyone else.

  “Our wedding turned me on,” I admitted, slipping my hand inside her underwear. “Will you let me get to third base right now?” I teased.

  She nuzzled into my neck, kissing and playing, and—I closed my eyes, groaning—fuck dinner. We needed a room.

  But horns sounded outside, and Tate sat up, peering out the window.

  “What the hell?” she breathed out, sliding off my lap.

  I winced, my cock stretching painfully against my pants.

  Looking out the window, I immediately rolled it down, seeing the city street littered with all of our friends. All of them not invited to the ceremony, because it was family only.

  What? Horns honked, people whistled, and I even noticed a few of Tate’s old track teammates clapping.

  Although it was a surprise, it was kind of touching to see the people we’d grown up with sharing this.

  “Oh, he did not . . . ,” Tate seethed, thinking the exact same thing I was.

  Madoc.

  He’d told everybody.

  And speak of the devil. I leaned out the window, seeing that Madoc had done a U-turn and cruised past us, grinning from ear to ear.

  “I lied,” he admitted, all too proud of himself. “Huge fucking party at my house.” And he sped off laughing.

  Tate’s wide eyes met mine, and she shook her head, amazed.

  All of these people were going to be there, apparently.

  I rolled up the window, and Tate slid back onto my lap, sighing.

  “He’s got rooms,” she taunted over my mouth, looking at the bright side. “Lots of rooms for us to get lost in.”

  And I leaned up, grabbing her lips with mine as I shucked off my jacket. “Who needs a room?”

  Chapter 19

  Tate

  One Year Later

  “You need to relax,” Pasha scolded, standing next to me. “It’s his last race, so stop fussing.”

  I craned my neck while fidgeting with my hands, seeing Jared weave around all the twists and turns, and I really hated how his bike always looked like it was about to tip over when he leaned into a curve.

  “I can’t,” I choked out, sticking my thumbnail in my mouth. “I hate it when he’s out there.”

  All of us stood off to the side—Pasha, Madoc, Jax, Juliet, Fallon, and me—lucky enough in not having to stay in the bleachers with the crowd, but unfortunately, we didn’t have as great a view, either. Jared’s mom and stepdad were up there, and Addie, Madoc’s housekeeper, was back at the hotel with Quinn and Hawke, Jax and Juliet’s infant son. The speedway in Anaheim was packed with fans wanting to see Jared’s last race, and although he was going to miss racing, we decided he needed to focus his full attention on the business, JT Racing.

  He’d made good connections during his time here, and while I finished medical school—when I finished—he had every confidence that we’d be able to take the business back home and his clients with us.

  “And it could be a bad one if he has to worry about you worrying,” Pasha complained. “Let him enjoy it.”

  I tried to, but racing on the bikes always put me on edge. At least the car offered some sort of protection. Like armor. Biking wasn’t like that, and racers fell into two groups: those who had been in accidents and those who would be in accidents.

  It was only a matter of time. Which is why I was ecstatic that Jared was retiring.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “I just feel sick.”

  Fallon came over and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, trying to soothe me.

  “Beer, please!” Pasha shouted into the stands, and I looked to see her going over to one of the guys selling in the bleachers. “Want one?” she asked, looking back at us.

  “Water,” I shot back. “Thank you.”

  She brought back the drinks, and the motorcycles whipped past us, the high-pitched whir buzzing in my ears as my hair went flying.

  I couldn’t look.

  “And you know”—I continued talking to Pasha—“as well as I do that he’ll jump in for a sporadic race here and there. He’s still so young. He’ll want to do this again.”

  “You both are coming home next week, right?” Jax asked, looking away from the race at me.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “We’re driving. We should be in by Thursday.”

  It was summer break, and although I had lots to do to get ahead for my classes, we were excited to head home and relax with our family and friends.

  “Good.” He looked back at the race but kept talking. “I signed Jared up for some off-roading stuff at the Loop next weekend, so don’t plan too much, okay?”

  I twisted up my lips. “You k
now Jared hates off-roading,” I reminded him. “If it’s not fast—”

  “I just want him to learn the lay of the land,” he shot out, appeasing me. “Juliet and I will be off to Costa Rica in a few months, and I trust him to look in on things better than I trust anyone else.”

  That’s right. I’d almost forgotten.

  Jax and Juliet weren’t letting a baby slow them down. Their son would be coming on their adventures with them. Juliet had a yearlong teaching contract—which she’d delayed when she got pregnant—while Jax had secured a job with Outward Bound down there and also continued to perform computer work on the side. Legal computer work.

  Jared would be keeping an eye on the Loop operations in his place when we were in town.

  “I’m bringing Lucas,” Madoc told Jax. “If Jared is willing, he can take him with him off-roading. The more mentors the kid has, the better.”

  I smiled, thinking of how great Lucas had it. Madoc and Fallon treated their “little brother” like one of their own, and I had no doubt the kid had a promising future ahead of him with the support system he’d gained. He had a good mom and great friends.

  “Come on!” Everyone started screaming, seeing Jared in his superflashy red-and-white racing suit, which he was forced to wear.

  He tore across the finish line, and it felt like those tires were driving over my heart.

  “Yes!” Jax and Madoc roared, shooting their arms into the air and then doing double high fives.

  I put one hand over my heart and another over my stomach, aching from the worry.

  The crowd cheered as the race ended, and I smiled, seeing Jared ignore everyone who tried to talk to him as he ran up to me, dumping his helmet on the ground.

  “You see?” He lifted me in the air. “I’m always safe.”

  And then he brought me down, crashing his lips to mine in a way that sent me reeling. I almost cringed, hearing cameras go off as we kissed, but I looked at it as a step up that I wasn’t in a towel this time.

  He set me down, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Eh”—I shrugged my shoulders—“I’m not so worried about your safety anymore,” I lied.

  He raised his eyebrows. “No?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Just that you win.”

  I leaned in, threading my fingers through the back of his hair and inhaling the scent of his body wash.

  “And I wanted you in a good mood,” I told him. “I can’t give you happy news on an unhappy day.”

  He cocked his head, looking at me, confused.

  “And the prize money will help,” I continued, “since you’re the only working member in the household, and I’m about to cost you a lot of money,” I teased.

  He shot me a cocky grin. “And why’s that?”

  And when I leaned in to tell him why I needed him safe, why no obstacle could keep me from being happy right now, I felt his breath give way and his chest cave.

  And tears immediately sprang to my eyes when he knelt down in front of everyone—cameras flashing in the background and gasps from our friends going off around us—and kissed my stomach, saying hello to his child.

  Epilogue

  Tate

  Seven Years Later

  Fanning myself with the copy of Newsweek, I grunted as I bent down to pick up Dylan’s shoes off the carpet.

  The July heat had me so aggravated that I was tempted to staple her shoelaces to the floor if she kept dumping her belongings everywhere.

  Jared was next to no help when it came to building our daughter’s sense of responsibility. Yeah, she was only six years old, but we didn’t want her spoiled, did we? I constantly had to remind him that she’d be a teenager someday, and then he’d be sorry.

  But Dylan Trent was a daddy’s girl, and heaven help him when she started wanting boyfriends and late curfews instead of candy and toys.

  “Why’s it so cold in here?” I heard Madoc bellow from down the hall.

  I shook my head and tossed my daughter’s shoes on top of the hamper in our private bathroom, shutting off the light as I left. “It’s hot as hell,” I grumbled under my breath so he couldn’t hear.

  I took a long look around the room, finally satisfied that it was clean and the laundry was put away. I knew Madoc and Fallon didn’t care about messes, but I did when I was staying in someone else’s house.

  I pulled Jared’s long-sleeved blue-and-white pinstripe dress shirt away from my chest and continued fanning cool air down through the opening at the neck as I sat down on the edge of our bed. His mom had bought him a bunch of stylish Brooks Brothers dress shirts for his business trips, but he’d wear only the black or white ones. The blue- and pink-striped ones were mine, and they, along with my cotton pajama shorts, were my uniform these days.

  Madoc pulled up outside my bedroom door, scowling at me with his hands on his hips.

  “It’s cold in here,” he accused, eyeing me as the culprit, since I was the one burning up these days and keeping his house at subzero temperatures.

  I let out a fake sympathetic sigh as I continued fanning myself. “Don’t make your problems my problems, man,” I replied sarcastically.

  He’d just gotten back from his office in Chicago and was still dressed in his black pinstripe suit pants and white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His silver tie hung loose around his neck, which always looked like it had been yanked to near death by the time he got home every day.

  Madoc loved his job, but it was also hard on him. Going against the grain, he’d decided to work in the public sector, putting away the criminals his father worked to keep free. You would think it would be hard on their relationship, but actually, both Caruthers men thrived on the “game,” as they called it. I think going head-to-head in the courtroom or conference room brought them closer together.

  He rolled his eyes at me and then shot me a snarky little look as his eyes raked up and down my body. “Does Jared tell you how hot you are even though you’re overweight?”

  I straightened. “I’m not overweight. I’m pregnant.”

  “Nice try.” He sneered. “But you only have one kid in there.”

  I flung the magazine at him just as he ducked back into the hall.

  Splaying my hand across my stomach, I huffed a breath. Jerk.

  Being a doctor, I knew what an acceptable weight gain was during pregnancy, and I was in fantastic shape, thank you very much.

  Madoc shot his head around the corner again. “Jared’s on video chat, by the way,” he chirped. And then he was gone.

  I smiled, loving the sound of those words. I put my arm behind me to push myself up off the bed.

  Being nearly nine months pregnant with my second child, I agreed with Jared that I shouldn’t be at our house—the house I grew up in—alone with Dylan. Since Fallon was taking a year off from her work at an architectural firm in the city to nurture some independent projects she wanted to explore, she was the perfect babysitter if I “decided” to go into labor ahead of schedule. With Jared away for several days, he didn’t want to take any chances.

  I waddled down the stairs, the weight in my stomach making my legs and back ache. I once again vowed to myself that this was the last time I was going to be pregnant.

  I’d made the same promise to myself after Dylan, but Jared and I knew how lonely being an only child could be, so we decided to have another. Of course, he’d had his brother, Jax, but that wasn’t until later.

  I heard growling somewhere in the house and footfalls above, and I looked up, knowing who it was. I was going to have to go up to the third floor after the call with Jared and get the kids under control. Madoc’s twin sons, Hunter and Kade, had Dylan bouncing off the walls these days. Fallon and Addie had run out for groceries, and I was hoping Madoc was upstairs trying to reel the kids in.

  With Quinn here, too, the house was a den
of madness and noise today.

  Pulling out the chair at the kitchen table, I sat down in front of the laptop.

  Jared smiled at me. “Hey, babe.”

  My stomach fluttered. “Hi.” I smiled back, loving his wrinkled white dress shirt, messy hair, and loose necktie. “God, you look good,” I teased, ready to eat him with a side of fries.

  Someone in the background gave him a clipboard to sign, and he glared at me as he took it. “Don’t start with me,” he warned. “I’ve been craving you like crazy. I’m tired, hungry, and horny, and I can’t wait to get on that plane tonight.”

  “Shhhh . . .” I laughed, looking around for Madoc and the kids. “This house is full of people. You can talk dirty to me later,” I told him.

  Jared was in California, and from the view of the background with large crates and forklifts, he was in his warehouse. He had an office there, which Pasha normally ran, but he had to make visits every few months for meetings and quality-control checks for JT Racing—JT standing for Jared and Tate, as I later discovered.

  He stood at a table with the bustle of the warehouse behind him, and I couldn’t get enough. Even at thirty, my husband was hot.

  Hotter, actually. Why did men age so well?

  “So how’s my son?” Jared handed the clipboard back to the guy at his side and looked at me with his full attention.

  “Sitting defiantly on my bladder,” I joked, patting my belly. “Other than that, he’s doing well.”

  “And you’re in the clear?” he asked. “The hospital has all of your appointments covered?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “My full attention is on my family for the next few months.”

  I’d only recently gone on maternity leave, since the hospital was shorthanded. But as we were getting down to the wire now, I was glad when they finally took on extra staff. Now I could take my time off without worry.

  Screeching hit my ears, and I winced as I twisted around, seeing Kade and Hunter chasing Dylan with a—I squinted my eyes—was that a plunger?

  Dylan swerved around the island, her soft brown hair bouncing over her shoulders as she hurried away from their advance.