by Kennedy Fox
“I know, Liam,” I say softly. “Use me, baby. Take out your frustrations on me. It’s what I’m for.”
Liam lets out a breath and slows his rhythm. “Not happening. I’ll save that for kicking Mason’s ass in the ring.”
A giggle escapes from my throat, and Liam picks up his pace. “All I want to do to you is love you, so let me.”
I suck in my lower lip and nod. His hand slips from my hip as he smacks my ass with a loud crack, pushing me forward. With a yelp, I catch myself and lower my body as Liam drives us closer to release. A few months ago, I told Liam I wanted us to sometimes be rougher during sex. Being that he’s the only man I’ve slept with, I still want to try different positions and experiment. Though most of the time when he gets rough, he ends up slowing down and showing his sweet side. Even in Tahoe City, we experimented with the blindfold, but it turned romantic. He still thinks I’ll break, but I’m ready to prove him wrong. I love it when we make love, but I also like changing things up too.
“Harder,” I beg, lying on my cheek. “Don’t be gentle.”
“Maddie…” His tone is a warning, but I don’t care.
“Harder,” I press.
Liam grips both of my ass cheeks in his palms, parting them and pounding into me like I asked.
“Yes, like that,” I say around a moan.
“Put your hands behind you, Mads,” he orders. I quickly do as he says, and he reaches up, then wraps his fingers around my wrists, holding them there. “Fuck, baby. You look so damn sexy right now.”
I smirk, looking over my shoulder. “Don’t stop.”
“Goddamn,” he grunts. “So beautiful.”
He keeps going, climbing us closer to the edge, and just when I’m about to unravel, he slides his palm up my back and yanks my hair so hard my pussy tightens, and I explode.
Liam follows me within seconds and then releases my hands before collapsing on top of me.
That was the best goodbye house party ever.
Dear Tyler AKA Beanstalk,
Your new cellmate, Archer, sounds like a douchebag, to be honest, but I guess I can’t blame him. I’d probably be one too being locked up with you 24/7 : ) Haha, kidding! I’m glad you have someone you can talk to and hopefully trust.
Liam and I just moved into our new apartment, and it feels strange not having to go to classes and dance practice this fall. I still can’t believe I finally graduated three months ago! I’m like an adult now. How’d that happen? (Don’t answer that!)
Oh, guess what? Sophie announced a couple weeks ago she and Mason are expecting! Which means I’m officially the only Corrigan sister NOT knocked up. I’m in no hurry, though. Being around them just means double the hormones and double the cravings.
I’ll bring their sonogram pictures when we visit you next month, though I’m sure you don’t care, but I don’t want your wall to be bare. You’ll be Uncle Tyler and love it.
Liam has been working a lot lately. Well, he always works a lot, but more than usual. I think he’s nervous about money and making rent now that we’re out on our own like a bunch of big kids. Though I told him not to stress because I’m getting more hours at the dance studio now that it’s the middle of August. I’d like to save up and eventually open my own studio, but that’s years down the road. Hell, I’m putting it out into the universe. By the time you get out, I’ll have Maddie’s Dance Studio, and you’re going to come visit me, okay?
Even though you say you’re never coming back here because of The Devil and the memories, you can make one exception for your favorite hostage. You did make me eat spicy sausage after all, so you owe me!
In all seriousness, I miss you and your ability to dodge my questions, though you did slip a few times. Like about Gemma ;) I expect you to go back to Alabama and get your woman. No exceptions! I know you’re rolling your eyes at me right now, but I don’t care. I have a sixth sense for these things.
Well, I’ll let you go now. Love you, Ty.
—Maddie
I stuff the letter into an envelope and then seal it. Once I write out the prison’s address I’ve memorized and put our return address sticker on it, I place it on the table to send out later. Tyler was sentenced to federal prison three hours away, so we visit him at least once a month. I wish he was closer so we could go every weekend, but between Liam’s work schedule and getting settled into the apartment, it just isn’t feasible to make the six-hour round trip. We only get thirty minutes of visitation with him, which sucks, but it’s better than nothing.
“Baby, you ready?” Liam asks from the bathroom. I can hear him shoving shit into a bag. He totally surprised me when he told me this morning to pack some clothes and be ready by noon.
It’s eleven fifty-five, and I haven’t packed a thing yet.
“Almost!”
I scramble to the bedroom and see Liam’s duffel bag is full and ready to go. He didn’t tell me where he was taking me, so I have no idea what to bring. I unzip his bag that he’s used for hundreds of work trips and notice it’s starting to fall apart. I really should just buy him a new one and throw this away.
Pulling out his items, I see jeans and button-up shirts. Well, these aren’t helpful. Liam always wears jeans and button-ups.
I wonder if he packed his swim trunks?
Maybe he’s taking us to the beach.
When I don’t find any, I look into the front pockets and then the deep side ones. My fingers brush against something hard, but also…soft? What the hell?
I pull it out and immediately gasp when I realize it’s a velvet box.
Oh my God.
Is he…going to propose?
Blinking, I contemplate what to do as my throat goes dry. If I pretend I didn’t see anything, I’ll be totally obvious, and he’ll think something’s wrong with me. Acting coy isn’t my strong suit.
I should put it back. Yes, put it back, Maddie.
“Mads, where’s your—”
I spin around before he can finish his sentence, and his eyes immediately fly to my shaking fingers.
“Sorry! I wasn’t trying to snoop, I just wanted to see what you packed so I knew what to bring and then I felt something weird, so I pulled it out, and oh my God, I’m sorry.”
Liam chuckles at my ramblings. “It’s fine. I’d rather surprise you with it later, but you can have it now.”
Wait, what? Why is he so calm and cool?
Why isn’t he freaking out with me?
“Huh?”
Liam steps closer and grabs the box from my hand. “It was five years ago this month we first met, and I wanted to take you somewhere special, but then I saw these earrings and thought how beautiful they’d look on you. So I got them too.”
What?
I swallow hard and blink again. “Wow, five years.”
I hold my breath as he opens it and reveals gorgeous sparkling studs. “Blue, to match your stunning eyes.”
Earrings?
“Earrings?” My voice comes out rough. As much as I’m freaking out, I really thought there was an engagement ring in there. Why isn’t he proposing?
What is the man waiting for? Five more years to pass?
I force a smile so he can’t sense my disappointment because they really are beautiful.
“Wow,” I say a little too eager. “I love them.”
Liam’s face drops, and I know he sees it written all over my face. He steps closer until the space between us is gone and tosses the box on the bed. “Goddammit, Maddie.” Cupping my face, he rests his forehead against mine, chuckling.
I’m very confused. My heart is pounding so hard, he can probably hear it over my harsh breathing.
“What?” I ask softly.
Then he retreats, grabs something from his back pocket, and gets down on one knee.
Oh my God.
What’s he doing now?
“Didn’t you learn from the last time you dug through my things?” He smirks, holds out a different velvet box, and opens it, revealing a di
amond ring. “I should’ve known you’d find the decoy box.” Shaking his head, he reaches for my left hand and rubs the pad of his thumb over my knuckles. “I should make you wait since you snooped, but now I can’t.” Then he winks.
A gasp releases from my throat as I cover my mouth with my hand.
“Madelyn Grace Corrigan, my beautiful girlfriend, the love of my entire existence…” He leans in and kisses my knuckles. “You mean more to me than I could ever express, and I hope by now you know how much I love you. Before you, I wasn’t really living, and it wasn’t until you became mine that I had a real purpose. You gave me that. To look forward to every day just to wake up to your beautiful smile. To hear your contagious laugh. To kiss your soft skin. I can’t think of how life can truly get any better than you agreeing to marry me. So baby, will you take morning showers with me and let me kiss you to sleep every night for the rest of our lives? Marry me, please.”
“I don’t even know what to say…” I wipe tears that escaped from the most heartfelt thing I’ve ever heard. “Except yes!”
Liam immediately swoops me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist as I hold tightly around his neck. He lays me on the bed and covers my mouth with his. “This was supposed to be so much more romantic, just so you know.” His lips trail down my jawline. “Think roses, champagne, and being under the stars.” He moves down my neck. “But I knew you’d have a bad attitude for the next twenty-four hours if you thought I brought you up there to give you a pair of earrings.”
I laugh because he’s right. I would’ve been in a sour mood.
“Smart man,” I tell him, grabbing his face and planting my lips on his. “I can’t believe you just proposed!”
“I can’t believe it took me six months to find the courage.”
“Six months!”
“I had to ask your dad,” he says, leaning back. “So I flew out there.”
“What?” I squeal, sitting up on my elbows. “You flew out to Utah and asked my dad for his permission?”
I’m shocked.
Not that Liam would do the right thing, but that I had no idea. He does travel for work a lot, so it was probably easy to deceive me.
“Yep. Had a nice little chat.” Then he coughs. “Intimidating chat if I ever hurt you.”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around him and bring him closer. “I can’t believe how sneaky you were.”
“But apparently not sneaky enough.” Liam playfully rolls his eyes.
“That’s right. Remember that if you ever try hiding a secret from me again,” I tease.
“Next time, I’m blindfolding your ass and handcuffing you so you can’t see, touch, or snoop.”
“That sounds rather hot…We should practice that just in case.”
“Fuck, baby.” He palms my breast and squeezes. “I don’t want us to be late, and we have the next two days all to ourselves, so let’s go and enjoy being newly engaged.”
My eyes widen at the word. “Engaged. Wow. That sounds…so grown.” I laugh and think about the letter I just wrote Tyler. “Dammit, now I need to write Tyler another letter.”
Liam presses a kiss to my nose. “Don’t worry, he already knows.”
“What?” I screech, and Liam stands, pulling me up with him. “So I don’t even get to surprise him?”
“Don’t worry, I told him to act plenty surprised.”
I roll my eyes. “Please tell me my sisters don’t know. Can I at least tell them?”
“You really think I called up Sophie and Lennon and said, ‘Hey girls, I’m proposing to Maddie this weekend, but do me a favor and don’t tell her, okay?’” He arches a brow, and I chuckle. “I know neither of them can’t keep a secret to save their damn lives.”
“That’s true. They pretend they can, but they’d be dying to text me all weekend, waiting to hear the news.”
“Exactly.”
“I kinda want to mess with them…” I pause, placing a finger on my lips. “Tell them we got hitched on a whim or something.”
“You’re evil.” He shakes his head, then grabs my hand. “Let’s go before you conjure up more ideas.”
“You’re no fun,” I tease.
“Don’t worry…we’ll be having plenty of fun this weekend.”
Epilogue
LIAM
FIVE YEARS LATER
“Mrs. Evans?”
“Yes, Callie?” Maddie responds gently.
“Can you tie my shoe for me?” Callie flutters her eyelashes.
“Oh, uh…sure.” Maddie attempts to kneel and struggles the whole way down. The little girl puts her foot on Maddie’s knee, and once she’s done tying, the little girl says thanks and runs off.
I’m positioned where she can’t see me and softly chuckle as I watch my wife try to stand. After a moment, she gives up.
“There’s a special place in hell for a man who laughs at their pregnant wife instead of helping her!”
Shit. She heard me.
“Would you like some help, baby?” I walk over and hold out my hand.
Maddie narrows her eyes and scowls. “No, I thought I’d stay down here for a while and enjoy the view.”
Fuck, she’s feisty when she’s hormonal.
“C’mon, let’s get you some tacos.” I take her hand and help her up.
“Tacos? You act like I’m a hangry baby-oven crazy person.”
I cup her cheeks and press a kiss to her lips. “I’d never think that.”
Maddie walks toward her office, and I follow. At seven months pregnant with our second child, I’d wish she’d take it easy so she doesn’t end up in preterm labor like she did with our first son, Tyler. Luckily, they were able to stop her contractions, but she spent the final six weeks of her pregnancy in a hospital bed. She’s already considered high risk, but until her doctor demands it or she’s forced, she won’t slow down.
She grabs her purse, then shuts off her computer. “Okay, fine. Feed me tacos.”
I smirk, knowing I was right.
“Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face right now, Mr. Evans.”
Almost five years after we said I Do, and I still love hearing her call me that because I love being her husband. We got married on New Year's Eve the year I proposed, and it’s been the best five years of my fucking life. We found out she was expecting two years later, and instead of getting back on birth control after Tyler was born, we decided not to take precautions. Just a little over a year later, we found out baby number two was on his way.
“We’ll eat on the road,” I tell her.
Once we found out Maddie was pregnant again, we started house hunting and bought something bigger that was closer to Maddie’s dance studio. She opened it right before we found out she was pregnant again and has been going nonstop to keep it running. Considering she’s been chasing after a toddler at the same time, I’m proud as hell with everything she’s accomplished in such a short amount of time.
Every class of hers has a waiting list. She’s hired three other dance instructors to help teach classes.
The most important thing is she’s happy as hell doing what she loves. She gets to dance, teach choreography, and be around kids. I didn’t even groan when she told me she hired Joel to fill in for when she goes on maternity leave.
I’m still a bounty hunter, but I stick to the local area, so I’m home every evening. Only once in a while will I take jobs out of state, but I’d rather spend time with my perfect little family.
I drive us home, and once we’re inside the house, Tyler comes running into my arms. Catching him, I throw him up in the air before hugging him to my chest. He’ll be two next month, which I can hardly believe.
“Hey, buddy. Were you good for Auntie Sophie?”
“He sure was!” Sophie singsongs, waddling over from the kitchen as she holds her daughter’s hand. Layla turned four a few months ago and is the spitting image of her mom with dark brown hair and eyes. I like to give Mason shit and ask how he contributed, which usually ends in a
punch to my ribs. “I got him all dressed and ready to go for your guys. Then he decided the dog’s slobbery water dish was a bath, so after I found he dumped it all over himself, he had a real bath and got re-dressed.”
Maddie chuckles, taking him from me. “You’re a little stinker, aren’t you? Just like your father.”
I press a hand to my chest. “I was an angel. Just ask my dad.”
Maddie snorts. “I did. He didn’t tell me the same story.”
Scoffing, I steal my kid back and walk into the kitchen for a bottle of water. Maddie shouldn’t be carrying him anyway, but like always, she never listens.
“Thank you again for watching him today,” Maddie says, and when I got back to them, I see Sophie’s hand on Maddie’s stomach.
“He’s kicking,” Sophie says, smiling at me.
Maddie then presses a hand on Sophie’s big bump. “C’mon, baby girl. Kick for Auntie Maddie.”
“She only kicks for her favorite uncle,” I taunt.
With furrowed brows, Maddie turns and drops her hands. “You touch my sister…a lot?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not stepping into that trap.”
Sophie chuckles. “Wait, she’s moving now.” She brings her hands to her stomach, and Maddie’s follows.
“Told ya,” I singsong. “The kid loves my voice.”
“The kid thinks you’re Mason. Don’t flatter yourself,” Sophie says with a smirk.
“How crazy that you’re going to have two girls, and I’m going to have two boys,” Maddie says.
“Unless you try for a girl next?” Sophie says. “Keep going until you get a little ballerina!”