She tossed me a half-hearted snort. “I’m pretty sure I have mud in places that there shouldn’t be mud. My feet hurt. My thighs are chafed because they’re rubbing together, and I’m fairly sure that I am going to devour a hamburger here in a minute and I’m not even going to give a fuck. And a beer. Well, maybe a Dr. Pepper. A beer doesn’t sound as good right now. I haven’t quite decided.”
I placed my hand on my pocket to make sure that the box was still where I’d left it and was about to unzip my shorts to get to the hidden pocket when my footing slipped.
I went down in the mud-stained, wet grass and landed on my back, staring up at the darkening sky that showed the impending storm that was about to roll through.
Honestly, I was glad as fuck that I wasn’t going to have to continue all the obstacles in the rain as well as the mud. Both would make the tasks just that much harder.
As I contemplated just lying here to die—because I really was that tired after all the helping and doing of the obstacles—I felt a soft toe tap into my side.
“Hey you,” Desi said. “Are you going to get back up?”
I grinned and opened my eyes.
“I guess,” I said, holding out my hand for her to help me up.
While she slipped one hand into mine, I slipped the other into my pocket and pulled out the ring.
And when she went to pull me to my feet, I stilled and looked back up at the woman that made me so happy I couldn’t freakin’ breathe.
“Desi?” I said softly.
A couple passed us that’d been staying with us the entire way.
We’d helped each other quite a few times during the long race.
They stopped just short of finishing and called our names.
“Come on!” the woman said.
I held up a finger and said, “Just one second. Since I’m already down here…”
“Since you’re already down… Callum, oh my God. What are you doing?” Desi breathed, seeing the velvet box in my hand.
I grinned at my girl.
“I’m asking you to marry me,” I told her. “Now shut up so I can propose.”
“You know how I like my steak cooked,” I said to her stunned face. “You know my favorite icing. You know what I like to do at the end of a long day. You know how I like my pants folded. You know how I like my shirts ironed. You know that every other Tuesday I cut my hair, and you know that I love my family. You know that one day it’s my dream to build a new house, and you also know that I want a whole bunch of kids. What you do not know is that I know everything about you, too.”
I licked my lips as Desi covered her mouth. “I know that you like your steak cooked medium. You like your icing with sprinkles in it. You like your pants hung in the closet, and that you don’t iron worth a shit. I know that you haven’t gone to the hairdresser in five years because you’re scared somebody might hack it off on accident, and I know that you want a two-story house in the middle of a hilly pasture with five kids making it a home. What I want to know now is if you’ll marry and share your dream with me, too.”
Desi started to cry then.
“I know that I love you,” she said. “I know what it feels like not to be loved. And I know that I can’t live without you,” she said softly, holding out her muddy hand.
She had dirt caked underneath her fingernails.
And she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“So, you’ll marry me?” I asked.
She shook her hand for emphasis. “Always.”
I slid the finger onto her finger and then scooped her up. “Now, let’s finish before any more people pass us. I didn’t mean to fall right there, but it seemed like a really good opportunity.”
She snickered and wrapped her hands around my neck.
“If you say so, baby,” she said. “If you say so.”
When we finally crossed the finish line, they took our picture together.
Desi and I were smiling big.
The only clean thing on her entire body and mine was the beautiful diamond ring that I’d just slid on her finger.
Chapter 20
Eat a bag of dicks.
-Desi to Callum
Desi
I walked up to Malloy and grabbed his hand, hating the way he looked.
Such a big, solid man shouldn’t look so frail.
But he did.
And it was more than obvious that Malloy wasn’t ‘under the weather.’
He was sick.
Really, really sick.
In fact, the hospice nurse that was sitting at his bedside, injecting medication into his IV, was definitely an eye-opener. There was no denying it anymore. Not even if I’d wanted to.
I’d seen him only four days prior, and in that time, he’d gone significantly downhill.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Malloy croaked. “How’d the race go?”
I swallowed hard before saying, “It went really well. Callum and I finished three hundredth.”
He blinked, then chuckled quietly. “I have no idea if that’s good or not.”
I grinned at my one-time father-in-law. “It’s good. There were over a thousand competitors. Codie and Ace finished five hundred and something. Over three hundred didn’t even finish.”
His smile brightened. “I hear that you beat Mal. I got that news from this young lady right here.”
I looked over at the ‘young lady’ and smiled at the nurse. She wasn’t young. She was in her mid-forties, but beautiful as could be.
“How’d that happen?” I wondered.
The nurse winked. “I asked Mal. He told me when he was here not too long ago. Though he still refuses to come in here.”
Malloy sighed. “He’s worried.”
I squeezed Malloy’s hand.
“He’s not worried,” I heard said from the doorway. “He’s an ass.”
I whirled around to see Malloy Junior standing in the doorway looking just as formidable as the last time I’d seen him.
“MJ,” I said softly. “Hi.”
MJ winked.
“Glad that you got smart and quit Mal,” he muttered. “Also, glad to see you engaged.”
Malloy’s eyes went from his son to me, and then down to the hand that was holding his.
His eyes widened.
“Oh,” he breathed.
I pressed my free hand over the top of Malloy’s.
“Callum went to the jewelry store the day before our race,” I said softly. “And he found this. He bought it… and I don’t think he even knew how much I loved it. He just knew that it used to be yours, and that I would love it.”
“I tried to give it to Mal…” Malloy coughed. “But he said it wasn’t something he was interested in. Said you wanted your grandmother’s ‘stupid’ ring, and he didn’t want anything to do with an old family heirloom. Told me to pawn it.”
“You did the right thing, Dad,” MJ said. “Stop covering for him. Mal’s a big boy.”
What MJ said was right. Mal was a big boy. In fact, he was an adult that needed to start participating in life.
Malloy’s eyes turned sad. “Could you give us a few minutes, MJ?”
MJ didn’t hesitate, instead going out just as quietly as he’d come.
The nurse left seconds later as well, offering me a pat on my shoulder.
And when we were finally alone, Malloy looked me straight in the eye and said, “Are you happy, Desi baby?”
I smiled. “I’m happy.”
“Are you going to be happy for the rest of your life?” he pushed.
I thought about that.
I had everything I could ever want. How could that not make me happy?
Which I told Malloy moments later.
“I’m so happy that I have to pinch myself every day just to make sure that my life is real,” I told him. “The only thing that would make it better is knowing that you’d be here just as long as I am.”
>
Malloy smiled. “Wish that could be true. Even more, wish I could see your babies grow up and turn out to be exactly like you… or exactly like Callum. That kid’s a good kid.”
I tangled my fingers with Malloy’s and sat down beside his bed.
And together we talked about Callum. Ace. The Valentine boys, and then me.
“Wish you were it for my boy,” he said as his eyes started to get heavy. “But I also know that my boy’s not the best for anybody right now. One day, maybe. Now, not so much.” He opened his eyes. “Callum is one of the best people I could’ve ever hoped for for you. I’m glad, if it’s not Mal, it’s him. He knows what it’s like to lose. He will hold on to you so tight that sometimes you’ll forget how it is to breathe without him. But you’ll also get him out of the shadows and into the light where he belongs. Hopefully, one day, all of them will have what Ace and Callum have in you and Codie. And each of them will help bring joy and life back into their hearts.”
I would try my damndest to make sure that happened.
Every single day, until there were more smiles than frowns.
“Thank you, Malloy,” I told him. “I’ll take care of him. Mal, too, if he’ll let me.”
Malloy laughed then. It sounded rusty.
“Mal doesn’t need anybody to take care of him. Never has. What he needs is a good woman that’ll smack some sense into him.” He grinned. “One day, honey. One day, I’ll see that from up there. And I’ll be laughing my ass off.”
With that, he closed his eyes, and I stayed with him like that for a good five more minutes before I left.
I was halfway home when the call came in that he’d passed away.
I wasn’t even in the door of the Valentine house for seconds before Darby saw me, caught my expression, and threw his arms around me.
“I’m sorry, Des,” he said. “Malloy was a good man.”
I hugged Darby tight. “I hate it.”
He squeezed me for a few seconds longer and then turned me until I was in Callum’s arms.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
I shrugged.
It hurt.
It hurt badly.
What hurt even worse was knowing that this world was a sadder place without Malloy in it.
Chapter 21
Fuckity, fuck, fuck, FUCK.
-Callum’s secret thoughts
Callum
We attended the funeral for Malloy on a Sunday. The following Monday, we were in the lawyer’s office.
MJ had at first been unwilling to participate in the estate proceedings.
Desi hadn’t been all that interested either, but I’d urged her to go anyway, despite her misgivings at seeing Mal.
Knowing what I knew, I also knew that she would be getting quite a sizeable payment from Malloy, and I wanted to make sure that she didn’t give it all away.
Not because I was after the money, but because Desi had a soft heart, and I knew that she’d feel bad for Mal.
Which led us to now, sitting at the lawyer’s office, waiting for the lawyer to get on with the program.
“This is crazy,” Marjorie said. “What’s taking so long?”
The lawyer, Todd Masterson, shot her a quelling look.
“I’m trying to sort through this in order to read it off to you exactly how Malloy wanted it read off,” Todd snapped. “Now, sit down, shut up, and be patient.”
Marjorie crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Mal impatiently.
Mal looked sick to his stomach.
Neither one of them were close enough to speak.
“Okay,” Todd said. “Mal has left everyone in this room something.”
Marjorie’s eyes lit up like dollar signs.
“To my son MJ, I leave my house in Bermuda, my house in Virginia, and my house in New Jersey,” Todd read. “To my son Mal, I leave the house in Kentucky and eight million dollars. Eight million dollars of which will not be delivered until the birth of his first child.”
Mal sucked in a breath.
“To my first grandchild, I leave a matching eight million dollars to be paid out when he reaches the age of twenty-five,” Todd continued. “To the Valentines, I leave you all equal shares of the land that I’ve acquired since moving to Kilgore. Five hundred and forty-two acres. All taxes and property finances will be covered for the first seven years through a separate trust that my lawyer, Todd Masterson, manages. Upon that time, y’all can either sell it or continue to own it but take over the taxes.” Todd looked to Desi. “To my darling ex-daughter-in-law, Desi. I leave you the house, the new bakery, the vehicles…” and on and on he went. Overall, he listed her old house, his house, all of the vehicles—tractors, side by sides, four-wheelers, tractor accessories. Everything and anything that a person who owned acreage could acquire. He also left her mineral rights to another two thousand some odd acres that were in the city of Kilgore as well. In essence, she was a millionaire, almost billionaire.
And I couldn’t breathe.
“And to Marjorie, I leave you the keys and the title to the car you’re currently occupying.” Todd paused. “And this is from Malloy. ‘Please use the car to find your way out of my son’s life.’”
MJ snorted out a laugh.
Even Mal cracked a smile.
Desi was busy shaking.
***
Desi
“Why did he leave me that much?” I tore my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know what the hell to do with all of that!”
Todd Masterson had waited to talk to me privately—though privately also came with the Valentine boys—and smiled at my reaction.
“He said you’d react like this.” He grinned. “He also said that you were going to have a hard time of it, but that you had four strapping men at your back that were more than capable of helping you with anything that you needed help with. And he also said that when Callum asked for his permission to marry you, that he promised to help if the need ever arose. Apparently, Callum didn’t know that he was promising that at the time, but he was.”
Callum started to laugh, then tossed his arm around my shoulder.
“I’ll help, baby. We all will.”
I knew that he would.
Even more, I knew that I wouldn’t be doing this alone.
Not anymore.
“Okay.” I breathed out a slow breath. “I’m okay now.”
Darby plopped down next to me. “Doesn’t Malloy own a Bentley?”
I nodded.
“Do you think that it’ll make it down our dirt road?”
I laughed. “I have no idea.”
Chapter 22
Probably whiskey.
-Coffee Cup
Desi
Two months later
When I told Callum that I wanted a wedding at home, I hadn’t expected him to make it as beautiful as he did.
I also hadn’t expected him to pull it together in two months.
But I was more than happy that he’d been able to manage it.
I’d been so busy with the opening of the store that I hadn’t had time to plan my own wedding.
Then again, if I’d had any idea that Callum would be able to pull it off like he had, I wouldn’t have said ‘I’ll marry you whenever you can pull the wedding together.’
But he had pulled it together, and now I was staring at my wedding dress that my husband had picked out for me.
“Do you think,” Codie said as she too stared at the garment bag. “That it should be white? I mean, you’re no longer virginal, and you’ve been married before.”
I flipped her off.
“Yes,” I snickered. “I also think that it won’t fit. Look how small the bag is.”
Codie pushed me and said, “Reach in there and open the zipper.”
There was a knock on the door before I could.
I looked down at my mostly dressed state.
Honestly, the only thing I wa
s missing at this point was my dress.
My makeup was done, my undergarments—which Callum had also picked out for me and happened to fit like a glove—were on. My jewelry, which, you guessed it, Callum had also purchased for me, was in place.
And I had a white silk robe hiding everything from view.
Codie, who was similarly attired as me, looked at the door.
Then walked to it and opened it wide.
I smiled when I saw Callum on the other side.
“Hey,” I breathed.
He pulled me in for a hard kiss on my mouth.
“Knew you were probably almost done, so I wanted to come help you into it.” His eyes lit. “That okay?”
“I’ll just take my dress and get dressed in the other bathroom,” Codie said, understanding what was going on here.
I giggled when the door closed behind her.
“You scared her off,” I teased.
“I did.” He shrugged unrepentantly. “I don’t care, though.”
I didn’t either.
Neither did Codie.
He walked me backward until I had my backside pressed against the vanity.
When I had nowhere else to go, he laid another wet one on me.
And that was when I was fairly sure that he didn’t come in here just to get me into my dress.
“Callum Valentine,” I said softly. “What are you doing?”
He pressed a kiss to my collarbone and then lifted the silk up over my ass.
“I’m dying,” he said. “I’m horny. And I don’t want to wait until tonight.”
I didn’t have the ability to deny him anything.
So, when he unzipped the front of his black skin-tight jeans and pulled his erection free of the confines of the denim, I did nothing but spread my legs wide for him.
“These panties look good on you,” he said as he stroked his cock against the delicate lace. “I want to rip them off of you later,” he paused. “But not yet.”
So, very carefully, he pulled them down my legs. He didn’t stop until they were dangling around my ankles.
“Kick them off so I don’t break them,” he ordered.
I did, kicking them to the side of where he was standing.
Moments later, he had his cock pressed up against my entrance, and he was pressing inside.
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