“Don’t forget to bundle her,” Joss whispered.
With a nod of acknowledgement, I bundled my little pumpkin like an Eskimo and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Joss turned out the light as I was crawling back into my bed.
“Night,” she whispered.
“Night,” I whispered back.
It took at least five minutes for my heart to stop racing and for me to comfortably settle. I was on the verge of sleep when we were suddenly serenaded by the wet, gurgling sound of our daughter shitting her pants. Joss broke into peals of laughter, which in turn scared Emma, who immediately started shrieking.
Welcome to fucking fatherhood.
Chapter Nineteen
Piper and Gage
‡
Piper
“Why are you here, Piper?” the therapist asked. I referred to her as Shrink Nancy, or Shrinkidink for short.
I contemplated my answer before deciding on total honesty. “Because I promised my husband I would see you.”
“Is that’s the only reason?”
“Yep, pretty much.”
“Okay, then why does your husband want you to see me?” Again, I contemplated my answer.
“Gage wants to start a family, and I wanted that, too, it’s just…”
One black, very pointy eyebrow shot up in question. “Wanted?” she asked. Tricky woman.
Waving my hand in the air, I said, “Want, wanted, whatever.”
“No, want is present tense and want-ed is past, meaning you once did, but no longer do. Correct me if I’m wrong,” she stated in that monotonous tone she used only when she was in shrink mode. “Let me ask you this. When you married Gage did you want children?”
“Yes, very much.”
“So what do you think changed?” Everything, I thought, but didn’t dare voice out loud.
As if sensing blood in the water, she went in for the kill. “Do you think your decision not to have children might have something to do with what happened to you?”
“Not everything has to do with what happened to me,” I petulantly replied. “Plus, I didn’t say I wasn’t going to have children. I’m simply pushing pause for a moment, and, for your information, I’m reconsidering my stance on the matter,” I corrected.
“What would you have done differently that day?” Her question caught me off guard.
“What day?” I innocently asked.
“You know what day,” she answered.
After letting out a sigh of irritation, I answered her pain-in-the-ass question. “I would have told Ellie to hold off on the pickles. I would have grabbed Reyn before she charged across the parking lot. I would have… I don’t know. I would have done everything differently.”
“From what I understand, you did try to stop Ellie and you did try to stop Reyn. You even went after Reyn in that parking lot, correct? Let’s say you’d managed to stop Reyn from running to Bobby’s side and you both had stayed with Ellie, would that have stopped those three people from kidnapping you? The answer is no, Piper. None of you had any control over what happened that day, and the only thing that probably would have come from you interfering, would have been you getting shot earlier than you did.” I heard her, but I needed for her to hear me.
“Say what you will, but both of those girls almost died because of me. I was Dooley Shane’s obsession. I taunted him and then escaped. He was coming after me because I got away. Reyn and Ellie were innocent, and I almost got them both killed.”
“Oh, Piper, give it a rest,” she huffed. “That man was unstable and unpredictable. If it hadn’t been you, it likely would have been someone else.”
“But it was me!” I shouted. “It was me!” I slapped my chest for emphasis.
“It was you, and it was them, and none of you had any control over it,” she argued.
“Fine!” I threw up my hands. “I had no control! But that doesn’t change the fact that I almost got two people killed. Why in the hell would I bring a child into this fucked up world, when I can’t even protect myself or my friends?”
“You did protect them, Piper. Tell me, if you had been pregnant that day would you have done things differently?”
“Of course I would have,” I answered.
“You would never have put your child in danger, right? If there had been a choice to make, you would have chosen you and your child, right?” We both knew I would have, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. “Whether you want to admit it or not, you saved lives that day. Yes, Dooley Shane may have been obsessed with you, but there was nothing you could have done to change that. Selina may have been obsessed with your husband. Do you blame him? She shot you, and where was he? Are you worried that he’ll be a bad father because he won’t be able to protect you and your children?”
“What? No! That’s ridiculous!” I snapped. Her lips tilted up into a smile, and I knew she had me. Bitch.
“It is, isn’t it?” she drawled. I slumped back into my chair and sighed. The bitch had talked me into a corner, and the worst part was that she was right. “There was nothing you, your husband, or anyone else could have done that day to have changed the outcome. It’s because you fought so hard to protect your friends that you will make an excellent mother, Piper. Don’t let fear ruin that for you. Now, I’d like to continue seeing you. How about Friday at the same time?” she asked.
On my way to work I thought about our session. I had to admit, the woman was good. She’d made some very valid points. Had I been pregnant that day the outcome might have been the same, but I sure as hell would have done things differently. And no, I didn’t blame Gage for Selina. He could no more have controlled that psycho nut-job than I could have controlled…Dooley. Damn.
That night, for the first time in my history of working at Dragonfly, I didn’t enjoy it. The music was too loud, the people ruder than usual, and my heart wasn’t in it. All I kept thinking about was what Shrinkidink had said. I kept coming back to the same thought. I was an idiot. I knew if I told Gage I’d changed my mind after only one session, he would question my sanity, but what if I simply took matters into my own hands? That got me thinking, and pretty soon, I had a plan.
I arrived home around two. Gage had left the front porch light on for me, the sweetheart. For once I was glad he hadn’t stayed up to greet me. I quietly closed the door to the bathroom, so I wouldn’t wake him while I changed and got ready for bed. Before exiting the bathroom, I pulled my birth control pills from the drawer and dumped them into the toilet. Whatever will be, will be, I thought as I made my way to our bed.
* * *
Gage – earlier that day…
“What the hell happened to you?” Garrett asked Tut.
While we were at the hospital visiting Kurt and Joss, Tut called Garrett and told him he was on his way to LASH. Garrett called Max and asked us all to meet them there. Piper took the truck to her appointment with the therapist, so I caught a ride over to LASH with Max. On our way there, Max explained that Garrett and Cas were freaked because Tut had failed to report back in after planting the camera at Garrison’s.
Tut scrubbed his hands over his face, and let out a dry, humorless laugh. “You’re not going to fucking believe this. I got there around one-thirty, and, just like we’d planned, I parked out of sight. Behind the building is a small parking lot and one large bay that spans most of the back.”
“Did you see any cameras?” Bobby asked.
“There was one on the back left corner facing the entrance to the building, but that was all.”
“Keep going,” Cas encouraged.
“I’d just pulled off my backpack and set it on the ground when I heard the sound of a truck heading down the drive. I thought what the fuck? Why is there a truck coming in at this time of the morning? I’d barely made it around the side of the building to safety, when it rounded the corner and stopped in front of the bay.”
“Could you tell where the truck was from?” Cas asked.
“It had Garrison’s logo on
it,” Tut replied. “I waited until it pulled completely into the bay before moving closer. It sounded like there were three guys, but I wasn’t sure. Once their voices faded deeper into the building, I slipped in and hid behind some shelves.”
“You went in?” Bobby asked. “Dude, that’s ballsy.”
After shrugging off Bobby’s praise, Tut continued, “Within minutes they were back, and I was right, there were three of them. One of the guys was clearly the leader, because he kept barking out orders to the other two. I expected them to unload and reload boxes, but instead they unloaded motorcycles, fifteen to be exact, and we’re not talking dirt bikes, here. We’re talking top of the line Harleys, BMW’s, and Indians.”
“What were they doing with them?” I asked.
“At first I thought they may be unloading them for servicing, but then I noticed none of them had plates, except for one. When the guy giving orders saw it, he freaked and started screaming about how they were supposed to leave no traces. That’s when I realized the bikes must be stolen.” You could have heard a pin drop, the room was so quiet.
“Say that again,” Max said.
“I’m pretty certain those bikes were stolen,” Tut repeated.
“Fuck, it now makes sense,” I hissed.
“Please tell me you’ve got evidence,” Garrett said. A wicked smile appeared on Tut’s face as he bent down and unzipped his backpack. When he sat back up, he had a license plate in his hand.
“The dumb fucker ripped it off the bike and threw it away right in front of where I was hiding.”
“Run it,” Garrett told Bobby.
“I’ve also got pictures,” Tut added. While we looked at the pictures Tut had taken with his phone, Bobby ran the plate.
“Bingo,” Bobby said. “This plate belongs to Zed Bollen of Denver, Colorado. He reported his motorcycle missing ten days ago.”
“This is fucking IT,” I all but cheered.
“This is jack shit,” Cas stated. When he saw my confused expression, he explained. “We illegally obtained this evidence. We know what’s happening, but unless we want to explain how we got this,” he pointed to the plate, “we’re fucked.”
“I’m calling J.D.” Max announced.
“And telling him what?” Garrett asked. “This could land us in a world of shit, Max.” Ignoring him, Max pressed the speaker button on his phone.
“J.D. Harness,” J.D. answered.
“Hey, J.D. This is Max. I’ve got you on speaker with Gage and the guys at LASH. We have a situation we wanted to run by you. Hypothetically speaking, what if we happened upon proof that Neel Garrison is stealing motorcycles, stripping them, and selling the parts?”
“Well, I’d ask if this proof was legally obtained. If it was, then we could probably help the police establish probable cause for a search warrant. If it wasn’t, then even if a search warrant were issued the search would probably be found to be illegal and anything found would be inadmissible in court.” My stomach dropped. Here we were sitting on evidence that Garrison was as crooked as they came and we couldn’t do shit about it. “Buuuuut, I might still want to take a look at it,” he added.
“Hold on, J.D.” Max held his hand over the phone and told Tut to email him the pictures. Once Max received them, he forwarded them to J.D.
After a long, silent pause, J.D. whistled. “That sure is a pretty bike. I would be mighty unhappy if someone had stolen that beauty from me. Hang tight. I’ll be in touch,” he said. Then he hung up.
* * *
It wasn’t until I felt Piper slip into bed later that night that I realized I’d fallen asleep.
“How did your session go?” I groggily asked. She snuggled up beside me and cradled her head on my arm.
“I now remember why I hate her,” she dryly replied. Her disgusted tone made me laugh.
“I take it she got to you?” Her head turned and I could feel her eyes on me.
“She helped me realize there was nothing I could have done to change what happened the day Dooley kidnapped us. I felt like such a failure because I couldn’t protect the people I cared about. I kept thinking I could have done more, but now I’m not so sure.”
“How do you think I feel? My inability to find and protect you that day still haunts me,” I quietly confessed. She squeezed my arm.
“She asked me if I would have done things differently if I’d been pregnant that day. When I told her yes, that I would have done everything differently, she said that alone proved I would make a good mom.”
I turned on my side and cupped the back of her neck with my hand. “Look at me, Princess.” She titled her head back and I could see tears glistening on the tips of her lashes. “You will be the best mom. You know why? Because you love with every fiber of your being. You hold nothing back. Our children will be the luckiest kids in the world to have you, just like I’m the luckiest guy to call you mine.” Before I could say anything else, her lips were on mine. She let out a sexy, little moan as I pulled her close and deepened the kiss. The next thing I knew, she was sliding her hands into my boxers and wrapping those crafty little fingers around my swollen cock. I let out a grunt of surprise, and dropped my head back onto the pillow when she did that squeeze, twist, pull thing I liked so much.
“I take it the conversation is over,” I rasped.
Her answer was to sit up and strip off her clothes. Once she’d relieved me from my boxers, she straddled my hips and sank down on top of me. Damn, she felt so fucking perfect. I let her move at her own pace until I couldn’t stand it any longer. That’s when I sat up and took over.
“Fuck, Princess, you feel so good, “I growled. Her hair brushed over my hand as her head dropped back onto her shoulders. I grabbed a fist full of it, and tugged until she gave me her eyes. With my eyes locked to hers, I both praised and punished my beautiful wife with stroke after stroke of my cock. One day she would believe that she was my everything. Until then, I would enjoy proving it to her.
Chapter Twenty
Cas and Sarah
‡
Sarah
“Joss, she’s even more precious than she was two days ago.” As I stared down at baby Emma with her big blue eyes and her precious thatch of white blonde hair, I seriously contemplated running off with her.
“She looks more like you every day,” Ellie mumbled through a mouthful of food.
“I take it you’re feeling better?” Isabella asked Ellie.
Ellie held up a cookie. “Today I am.”
“Have you told Max, yet?” Joss asked.
“Yep,” Ellie nonchalantly replied, and all eyes shot to her. She paused mid-bite to ask, “What?”
“Spill it,” Piper ordered.
After finishing off her cookie, she told us about her conversation with Cole, and how Max had been listening in. She rubbed her hand over her flat tummy and smiled. “After being a total dick, he was really awesome about it.”
“So all is good in house McLellan?” I asked.
“All couldn’t be better. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Ellie asked.
“Yeah, I told Max I had the runs, so he let me leave early.” The room exploded in laughter.
“Good job,” Piper praised.
Ellie glanced at Piper, and asked, “What about you, Pi? How did your first session go with Doc Nancy?”
“Shrinkidink is gooooood,” Piper drawled.
“I told you,” Ellie said.
“In fact, she was so good that I decided to toss out my birth control pills after I got home last night.”
“What?” everyone screeched. Emma startled in my arms and started to cry, so I handed her back to Joss.
“Wow, Joss, she has some lungs on her,” Isabella commented.
“Tell me about it,” Joss said. “Watch this.” She lifted up her shirt, unsnapped her bra, and popped Emma on her boob. She then smiled up at us, and said, “Voila! Magic tits! Now, please continue, Piper.”
Without getting too deep into it, Piper told us
a little about her session with the shrink. This got us talking about what an evil man Dooley Shane was, which then got us talking about Dana Harkins.
“I will never understand what Dillon saw in her,” Isabella grumbled. Nobody bothered to comment.
Joss mentioned how Isabella was looking better, and the conversation drifted to postpartum depression and sleep. According to Isabella’s doctor, she was right on the edge. Without the proper amount of sleep she could tip right over. Joss looked skeptical, but Isabella swore she was feeling a hundred times better. Finally, all eyes turned to me.
“Soooooooo,” Piper said.
“So what?” I responded.
“Don’t give us that. How’s married life? Is it everything you expected?”
“Married life is good.”
“That smile on your face tells me that married life is real goooooood,” Piper teased.
Joss let out a snort of laughter. “Good my ass. I bet you two are humping like rabbits in heat. It won’t be long before you’re making tiny little Cas’s,” she teased. Her words hit closer to home than she realized, and I thought back to last night and my conversation with Cas.
After dinner, I could see that Cas was still stressed from work, so I ran him a Jacuzzi bath. At his insistence, I happily joined him. We crawled into bed after the bath. While drawing circles on my back with the tips of his fingers, he gave me a detailed account of the conversation he’d had with Sally.
“Did she look okay?” I asked.
“Not really. Her hair was longer and she looked strung out. I can’t tell if it’s pills, booze, or both. Whatever it is, I’m not sure whether or not she’ll be able to pull herself together in a week’s time. After everything that’s happened, I feel as if I owe her this chance, though.”
“I know you do, and I hope she doesn’t disappoint you.” I loved Sally, but the way she’d mishandled things after the incident with Cas’s ex-wife, I’d lost a lot of respect for her. Not in the mood to talk about Sally anymore, I said, “Hey, did you by chance see baby Emma? She might be the cutes thing I’ve ever seen.” When Cas failed to respond, I glanced over my shoulder at him. He had a contemplative look on his face. “Uh, oh, what did I do?” I teased. He lifted his blue eyes to mine and I swallowed my sarcastic remark.
The Last Call (MMG Book 5) Page 17