Laces and Lace (Assassins #6)

by Toni Aleo

  “We haven’t even started yet,” Nate said, glaring. “You have brainwashed her or something, but she’ll come to her senses and come home.”

  “She is home,” he reiterated before shaking his head. “I’m not going to fight with you, so just let it go.”

  “Never, not till I get my baby back,” Nate promised and it churned Karson’s stomach.

  Before he could say something though, Rachel said, “I just don’t get it though. If you love her and want to be with her, why was I the one at the doctor with her?”

  His brows came in. “I don’t know; why did you go with her?”

  “Well, when they say your best friend could have cancer, you tend to want to be there for support. So really, who loves whom?” she snapped, and when what she said registered in Karson’s head, he whipped to the side of the road, putting the car in park and turning to look at Rachel.

  “What?” he demanded. “What did you say?”

  “Whoa, asshole,” Nate yelled, but Karson shook his head.

  “No, what did you say?” he asked, looking deep into Rachel’s eyes. The cockiness and bitchiness were gone, and he could see the fear in her eyes.

  Good.

  “I said who loves—”

  “No, not that bullshit because I love her more than you ever will, but about the cancer. Lacey has cancer?” he asked, his heart pounding in his ears.

  She shook her head as her eyes bored into his. “Wait, are you really going to act like you don’t know?”

  His body trembled with anger as he shook his head. “I have no clue what you are talking about, but I have no problem in the world letting you walk.”

  Nate barked with laughter before shaking his head. “You really are worthless.”

  “Shut up,” Karson snapped, setting Rachel with a look.

  But before she could speak, Sabrina said, “They thought she had cancer, and you weren’t there for her. You were off playing hockey, leaving your wife to fend for herself. Thankfully, she had family to be there for her since you couldn’t.”

  Rage filled him from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet as he slowly turned, gripping the steering wheel. They thought she had cancer and she never told him? She lied to him? What the fuck? Clearing his throat, he put the car in drive and drove off as the betrayal ate him alive.

  “You can let go of the act, Karson. It’s obvious who really loves her.”

  “Fuck you, Martin,” he muttered, slamming his foot onto the gas.

  “Don’t talk to me like that,” he demanded, but Karson wasn’t listening.

  He wanted to think that they were just playing him. Working him up so he would lose his shit and ruin his relationship with Lacey, but that wasn’t going to happen. He’d keep his cool.

  Until he got Lacey alone.

  And then he would find out the truth.

  Ignoring them the rest of the way home, Karson’s heart didn’t slow down in speed. His hands were clammy, his chest ached, and he hoped to God what they said wasn’t true. Surely, she wouldn’t lie to him. Surely, she wouldn’t keep something so serious a secret from him. Why? He didn’t understand.

  Turning onto their street, Karson’s heart was about to come out of his chest. The knocking was killing him, but he couldn’t make it stop. Pulling up behind his truck, he put Lacey’s new car in park and threw the door open.

  “Wow, nice house,” Grady said as he got out of the other car.

  “Thanks, man. Can you help them with their shit? I gotta get inside real quick.”

  “Sure? You okay?” he asked and it was so weird.

  Karson shook his head. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  Grady shrugged his shoulders before looking back at where his wife and father were getting out of the car. Meeting Karson’s gaze, he said, “Because you make her happy, and I don’t want to lose my relationship with my sister.”

  “That makes sense. Thanks,” he said, letting out a breath. “But your wife and Dad can kiss my ass.”

  With that, he headed inside to find Lacey standing with his family with a huge grin on her face. Everyone was smiling, but when the door slammed behind him and Lacey met his gaze, her grin fell as a look of horror came across her face.

  “Oh shit, did you kill my family?”

  “Almost. We need to talk,” he demanded, coming toward her.

  “Are you okay?” his mom asked but he shook his head.

  “Not now, Ma,” he said taking Lacey’s arm in his hand. “Come on.”

  But before he could even direct her into the other room, her father called out, “See how your husband treats us, Lacey? Makes us fend for ourselves.”

  Karson gritted his teeth as Lacey said, “You obviously pissed him off. He’s shaking! What did you do?”

  Karl took a step forward and jerked a thumb toward Nate. “This your father, Lacey sweetheart?”

  She let out a breath. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I don’t know what is going on. Give me one second to find out and I’ll fix it. I’m so sorry.”

  “No worries,” he said, and before Karson could even stop him, Karl’s fist connected with Nate’s nose.

  “Oh shit!” JT called out. “Dude, your dad just decked your father-in-law!”

  “Oh my God,” Lacey cried.

  “Dad!” Kacey and Karson yelled.

  “Karl!” his mother screamed before pulling him away.

  “Oh my gosh, you barbarian! My Nate!” Sabrina cried, gathering him in her arms, but he pushed her away, standing up and glaring. Grady stood between him and Karl, holding his dad back.

  “Not here, Dad. This is Lacey’s home,” he said, but obviously Karl King didn’t care that it was their home.

  “He’s right. Jesus, Karl!” Regina yelled, smacking his arm. “Not here!”

  “No, that asshole hurt my son, so it’s payback time,” he said, shaking out his hand. Looking at Karson, Karl said, “No one hurts my son or my new daughter-in-law and gets away with it.” Meeting Nate’s gaze, Karson was horrified as blood gushed out of his nose. Before he could even move though, Karl said, “That was damn near ten years coming, Nate Martin. Leave these kids alone. They love each other.”

  “Burn in hell, you asshole,” Sabrina cried. “I’m not staying here!”

  “How dare you surround us with these savages, Lacey Arielle?”

  “You haven’t seen savage yet, dickwad,” Kacey warned. “That’s only one King who has it out for you. There are two more of us.”

  “That’s enough!” Karson yelled, shaking his head.

  “Great family to join, Lacey,” Sabrina scolded.

  “Don’t make me pull those extensions out of your hair. We are a wonderful family. You guys are the ones with a stick up your ass,” Regina yelled, and this time, Karl was holding her back. “We love Lacey!”

  “Well, you guys are nothing more than trash in my book,” Sabrina snapped with a dirty look on her face.

  “Don’t talk to my momma like that, you bitch!”

  “Man, this is better than Jerry Springer,” JT said, and Karson didn’t even know what to do.

  “Shut up, JT,” Lacey yelled before throwing her arms up. “Everyone just shut the hell up!”

  Lacey’s shoulders fell beside him, and Karson looked down at her. He was mad about the potential lie and really didn’t want to care about this, but he knew she was upset. This was a clusterfuck of bad. She covered her face, and he watched as her shoulders shook with sobs.

  “This was such a bad idea,” she whispered, and no matter how mad he was, he couldn’t let her cry. Before he could wrap her up though, his father came to her and raised her face so he could look at her. Wiping away her tears, he smiled.

  “I’m sorry, honey, but I protect my own, and you are part of that now,” he said, and before Lacey could say anything, he walked away with Kacey and Regina in his wake.

  “Ah, man! It’s over?” JT complained, and Karson swore he was going to kill him. But before he could, Lacey looked up at him,
her watering eyes begging him to do something, but he had no clue what to do.

  So he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Happy Thanksgiving?”

  “Really?” she asked and he could see that she was annoyed. Well, she was about to be even more annoyed.

  “No, but it’s only about to get worse,” he muttered and then met her gaze. “Can I see you in our room? Now.”

  And as he headed for the bedroom, her hand in his, pulling her with him, he knew that everything was a mess, and it would probably be better for him to wait. But he couldn’t wait.

  He had to know why his wife lied to him.

  Lacey couldn’t believe what was happening.

  First JT was driving her up the damn wall, then she was entertaining Regina, Karl, and Kacey while trying to get JT from flirting with her sister-in-law, and then her husband walked in, pissed as hell, but that wasn’t even the kicker. Her father-in-law probably broke her dad’s nose, and now, Karson wanted to talk.

  Happy-fucking-Thanksgiving, Lacey!

  Wiping the tears from her face, she tried to keep up as Karson dragged her through the house, up the stairs, and into their room. Before the door could shut though, she asked, “Do you think it’s a good idea to leave them alone?”

  “I don’t fucking care,” he said before slamming the door. “I want to know what the hell happened in Chicago!”

  Her head cocked to the side. “Chicago?”

  “Yeah, apparently you thought you had cancer again, and instead of calling your husband, you called upon your fucking cunt of a best friend.”

  Oh. Shit.

  Only able to blink at Karson, she sucked in a deep breath.

  “Talk, Lacey! Tell me why you lied to me. You told me you were fine! Why would you keep something like that from me? What the fuck?”

  Her palms started to sweat before the last word left his mouth. Her heart jackhammered against her ribs, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. This was something she should have been the one to tell him, and she hadn’t. She fucked up.

  “I’m so sorry, Karson. I totally forgot to tell you when I got back.”

  “When you got back!” he practically yelled. “I would have been there for you. I would have held you and been the rock you needed.”

  “You were, though,” she tried to say calmly, but her voice was shaky. “Even without knowing it, Karson, you were. All I needed was your voice, and I knew I was going to be okay.”

  “No! You should have told me.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I should have and I am so sorry, but when I called, you were at the hospital with JT and already going through so much. I figured I’d tell you later that weekend, but I just couldn’t put any more stress on you.”

  He shook his head, his face red with anger. “No, JT is not my wife—you are. Yeah, I was worried about my friend, but you would have come before he did.”

  “I know that, and you’re right, I should have told you. But I kept putting it off, and then finally, I went and they said I was fine. I just have a blood issue that made my levels all messed up. I figured I’d tell you once I got home, but then we had our amazing week together, and then I was nervous about this, and it just slipped my mind. I’m so, so sorry.”

  He bit into his lip before looking away. She took a step toward him to comfort him, but he put his hand up, stopping her. “No. Give me a second. I am so fucking mad.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  As he looked down at her, she could see the tears in his eyes and they honestly devastated her. Ignoring his outstretched hands, she pushed them aside and wrapped her arms around his middle, nuzzling her nose in his chest. He wouldn’t put his arms around her like he usually did, and soon the tears were falling in buckets down her cheeks.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “Do you know what it was like to look into Rachel’s and your dad’s eyes and feel like the lowest piece of scum on this fucking earth? They made me feel like I didn’t deserve you, like I was worthless because I wasn’t there for you like I should have been. I am your husband. I am supposed to be there and be your fucking rock, and you didn’t give me that opportunity.”

  “I’m so sorry, Karson. You’re right, I was wrong. I should have told you,” she cried, hugging him tighter. “You are worth so much more than they’ll ever admit, and you do deserve me.”

  Taking her face in his hands, he tipped her head back, looking deep into her eyes. His caramel eyes were swimming with tears and everything inside her just hurt. She never wanted to hurt him; she was only trying to protect him from worrying about her. “No, I don’t. No one does, but somehow, I convinced you to marry me and now you are mine.”

  “Forever,” she swore.

  “That’s fucking right, for-damn-ever, and don’t forget it,” he demanded, and when his voice broke, she almost came undone. Swallowing back her own sob, she couldn’t believe she had done this.

  “I won’t,” she promised as his thumbs caught her tears, wiping them away.

  “Don’t ever do that to me again. Tell me next time. Let me be there. I don’t care what the hell I am going through. You are it. My number one priority. Nothing matters but you.”

  Her lip wobbled as she slowly nodded her head. “I promise and I’m so sorry.”

  Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her softly and she held on to him like a life preserver. She never wanted him to look at her like that again. Like she had stabbed him in the back, over and over again without a care in the world. She really had forgotten and was just living life with him, but it would never happen again. She wanted to be mad at her family, throw the blame on them, but it was no one’s fault but her own, and she would accept the blame. She should have told him back when she talked to her doctor. Instead, she stressed and worried when she could have handed some of that over to him.

  “I really am sorry,” she whispered against his lips as her hands snaked around his neck, her eyes searching his.

  He shrugged. “This is going to happen, Lacey. We are going to do dumb shit, and one person is going to be there to knock sense into the other. It’s what marriage is. We are going to fuck up, but it’s okay because I love you, and it’s easy to forgive something like this.”

  Bringing him down to her, she rested her head against his, kissing his nose. “I’m sorry that I’m a dumbass.”

  “Stop saying you’re sorry,” he demanded. “It’s over. We fought, we’ve made up, and now we get to go downstairs and face the clusterfuck of crap that is our families.”

  “Can’t we just stay up here?” she asked, dusting her lips along his.

  “Don’t tempt me,” he said roughly against her. “Plus, I’m pretty sure my mom is going to be the next one to hit someone.”

  “Probably Sabrina,” Lacey supplied, but Karson shook his head.

  “I’m hoping for Rachel. I don’t trust her,” he said, his eyes telling her the same thing.

  “Why?” she asked. “She has been so good to me.”

  “I’m telling you, she is conspiring with your dad or something.”

  Lacey smiled. “No one is conspiring against us. They just don’t like you.”

  He scoffed. “Oh, really?”

  “What? You knew that,” she said with a grin, knowing that he didn’t give a damn if they liked him or not.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “But,” she said, her fingers pinching his chin. “I don’t care. I love you.”

  His grin grew as he squeezed his strong arms around her. “Good, ’cause I love you too.”

  Her heart sang for him as her lips met his for a long, drawn-out kiss. As his tongue moved along hers, he stole her breath by deepening the kiss, his fingers clutching her face. Pulling away suddenly, he shook his head. “If we don’t stop, I am going to take you right here, not caring that both our families are down there at each other’s throats.”

  With a sneaky grin, she stepped out of his arms and then slowly lifted the dress she was wearing up and over her body,
taking the apron she wore with it. With her eyes locked on his, she undid her bra and let the cups fall away and onto the floor before slowly sliding her lace thong down her thighs. She used to be embarrassed by her body, but in front of Karson, she loved her body. Because he did. Biting her lip, she beckoned him to her.

  “Isn’t it said that after you have a fight, you have makeup sex?”

  He swallowed loudly as he slowly nodded. “I’ve heard that’s how it works.”

  “Then come here,” she said in a throaty way. “Let me make you forget why you were ever mad or hurt.”

  Taking a step toward her, he took her naked body in his arms, and against her mouth, he said, “I forgot the moment you said you loved me.”

  And as her husband slowly lowered her onto their bed, everything that was going on downstairs was a distant thought.

  She had better things to do.

  Her husband being the obvious choice.

  But they couldn’t stay up in their room forever.

  No matter how much they wanted to.

  Cuddling into his side, she said, “I don’t know what is going to happen when we get down there.”

  “Nothing good, probably,” he whispered against her hair. “But if we don’t go, they are going to come after us.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t yet.”

  And right as she said that, a knock came at the door. “Guys, um, sorry to bother you, but Lacey, I think your dad is wanting to say bye.”

  “We are coming down now,” Karson called out to his sister. Looking down at her, he said, “Time to face our happy family gathering.”

  She groaned as she got out of the bed, finding her underwear before sliding her dress on. “You should have told me no to inviting them.”

  He scoffed as his threw his shirt on and then pulled his jeans up. “No way, you wanted this.”

  “But it was a bad idea.”

  “But it was supposed to make you happy,” he answered back and she smiled.

  “You really are a great husband.”