by Allie York
She came in from work, tired and dirty, quickly stripping to get in the shower. While she was in there, I left the dress and shoes by the bed with a note to meet me downstairs. I got dressed in Amelia’s room, texting Reese and deleting the texts from an anonymous number. Every time I blocked one, another started, then he moved to an untraceable number. If I ever ran across the bastard, I would kill him myself. I adjusted my tie and brushed down any stray hairs. I had kept my tight curls short, but Jovie liked to run her hands through my hair so I had been keeping it longer. Whatever made her happy. She kept hers long for me, so I could return the favor.
I had to hold my breath when my woman came down in the dress I bought her. The skirt stopped at her knees and was full. The top had lace detail along her chest, and the straps hung off her shoulders. The midnight-blue made her skin look even creamier and caused the freckles on her shoulders to pop. I nearly threw her over my shoulder and dragged her ass back to bed like a caveman, but I kept my composure. At the bottom of the stairs, she held her hands out, spinning around for me to see the full effect. I nodded my approval, eating the space between us in two long strides and grabbing her up.
“You look amazing.” I kissed the top of her head. “Ready to go?” Jovie pulled my face down for a kiss, and I gave in gladly. Her tongue stroked mine, making me hard, and making it even more difficult to leave the house.
She grabbed my tie. “What’s the occasion?” The look in her eyes made me need to take a step back. “Did I miss something?”
“No, we haven’t been out alone since our first date. Amelia is with Tia, and I thought it would be nice. Just us.” We went out with Amelia all the time, but rarely got out alone. Jovie nodded, looping her arm with mine. I opened her car door, bracing for her to tell me off, but she only smiled. I drove with her hand in mine between us to her first surprise for the evening. We pulled up in the parking lot across from the Historical Bijou theatere and I let her out, leading her across the street to the theatre and through the door. It was a beautiful place. The blood-red covering the floors and seats accented the cream and cold walls and ceiling. Our seats were a couple of rows back and in the aisle. Other people trickled in, and I checked the balcony, making sure everything was in place.
“What is going on?” Jovie crossed her legs, adjusting to face me.
“A surprise.” How she didn’t know what I had brought her to was beyond me. It was on the radio and on Facebook for weeks before the event. I was actually shocked as hell that she hadn’t already planned on going. The seats filled up, the lights dimmed, and the crowd hushed.
A woman in a cream dress clicked onto the stage and introduced herself. “And without further ado, Andy Cline.” Jovie’s mouth fell open and she squeezed my hand. She clapped, bouncing on the edge of her seat. Andy walked out on stage waving and the crowd exploded again. He talked for a while, discussing his newest book and Jovie watched with more attention than anyone in the room. Andy’s book came out three years before and was quickly snatched up to be a feature film. The sci-fi thriller was one of her favorites. I met Andy in college when the author spoke at a lecture and we ended up at the same bar later. Jove talked about him like the guy created the moon, not just wrote about it. Andy and I really didn’t keep in touch, but when I found out he was coming to our town to speak, I reached out. He remembered me and sent me a set of tickets. I asked him for a huge favor and he agreed without hesitation.
Then he asked for questions. I stood, scooted past her, and strode up to the stage. I tried to look confident, but I was a mess. Or as Andy would say, “A fucking wreck.” I stopped at the microphone facing him; Andy gave me a nod to begin and I did.
“While I’m thrilled to be here, I don’t have a question for you, Andy.” He smirked. I took the mic, turned back and dropped down in front of a wide-eyed Jovie. My hands were shaking as I pulled the velvet box from my pocket and she covered hermouth. We hadn’t talked about getting married, ever. The subject hadn’t come up at all in the months we had spent together, so I was being daring as hell asking her in public. “Jovie Reed.” I flipped the box open, but she didn’t even look. Instead, she was shooting daggers at me and moving her gaze to Andy every few seconds. Her face was stained bright red and her hand covered her mouth. At least I had gotten the surprise factor. Through my pulse pounding I could hear my photographer taking pictures.
“Get on with it, motherfucker! We’re at my show, and I have books to sign later,” Andy shouted at me, the audience laughed, and I cleared my throat.
“Will you marry me?” Her eyes snapped to mine, someone let out a whistle, and Jovie choked out a breath. It was silent for a beat, but it felt like an eternity. The realization that I had made a huge mistake snaked into my thoughts, but then she nodded, dropping her hand from her mouth. I slid the ring on, stood, and jerked her up into me. Andy whooped from the stage, motioning us to come up to the front. He jumped down and the people I had positioned in the audience took pictures for us. I was beaming like a damn fool, holding onto her waist for dear life. Poor Jovie could barely smile for her shock.
We sat back down, and Andy started talking again. Jovie kept looking from the ring on her finger to me. She looked completely dumbfounded. “Everyone knows.” I whispered to her. Her mouth fell open. “It’s engraved too. Do you like it?” Jovie reluctantly slid the ring off to study the engraving and her shoulders slumped. The canary diamond in the center was circled by rubies and a sapphire adorned each side. The inside of the band said, “Tale as old as time.” She nodded, crying again, and leaned into me.
The show went on another hour or so and we stood in line to get her an autographed copy of his book and Andy took more pictures with us, congratulating us and making Jovie cry all over again. I took her hand, leading her to the car in the misty rain. Once we got to the car, she stopped me and looked up at me through her lashes. I slammed my mouth to hers, and her hands slid up my chest to my neck. I fisted her hair gently, easing her head back, and kissing her harder. I needed her to feel what I felt, to understand how much I loved her, so I put it into a kiss. I was hers, Jovie owned me, all of me, and nothing was going to stop her from being mine.
Chapter Twenty-One
JOVIE
I leaned my head against the glass, watching the rain as Ewan drove us home. His phone was buzzing in the cup holder, but he ignored it. It had been doing it for a week, and while I had my suspicions, I didn’t ask. He didn’t want me to worry, but I was. Nightmares plagued me, popping up at least three nights a week, and they always ended with everyone being dead and me being raped. I kept it a secret, so I couldn’t be angry with him for keeping the texts from me. When he caught me staring at his phone, Ewan kissed the back of my hand. I looked down at the huge ring on my finger. I hadn’t even had a wedding the first time, much less an engagement ring. I was dragged down to the courthouse in a daze of shock and shame where my mother watched us get married. She made a point to tell everyone we came across that we were getting married because I was pregnant. When Davis was supposed to say “I do” he grumbled an “I guess”, and I threw up the rest of the day. It took me years to forgive my mother for everything and to forgive myself. A few days after we were married, Davis tossed me a ring with a casual, “Here ya go.” It was a plain gold band, hideous and cheap looking. I glanced down at the ring on my hand; it was neither hideous nor cheap. The man had literally bought me an engagement ring based on my favorite bookish movie and had proposed with the help of my favorite sci-fi author. Andy had to be in on it; there was no way an award winning author just let random people take over his talk like Ewan had. I tried to picture me in a wedding dress, but it was hard to do. Now Ewan in a tux was easy, the tux on the floor was even easier. I had to think of colors and guest lists, and we had to set a date. I was getting married.
We pulled in the driveway right after eleven. “So everyone knows?” Man, my family is a bunch of secret-keeping liars. He nodded, leaning across the car to kiss me before we climbed out.
“I asked your dad weeks ago. Mike promptly told me to talk to your mother. I talked to her and Reese and Lydia and then Nick. It was a lengthy process.” Ewan pushed his key in the lock, letting us in, and quickly punched in the code to keep the alarm from going off. Before I could make it to the stairs, he snatched my hand, tugged me backward, and shoved me into the wall. Ewan pressed against me, gripping my waist as I tugged on his tie, loosening it. Ours tongues tangled, his hand slid into my hair and he pressed his erection into my hip. Then I snapped out of my Ewan-induced fog and shoved him off. Something was wrong. The alarm didn’t chirp when the door opened, and the dogs were too quiet.
“What?” Ewan looked over my face and a chill ran up my spine. I felt the blood leave my face and move to my quickening heart rate. “Jovie?” He said my name then his back stiffened. I slid my hand into his pocket and pressed the button on the side of his phone, slid my finger on the screen and held down the screen. Hopefully, I engaged the auto-dial for someone. My pulse was ringing in my ears, and I could barely breathe through the dryness in my throat. You could have heard a mosquito buzz from a mile away in the quiet. Ewan caught my eyes, keeping himself in front of me, and dropped his hand from my hair to reach for his pocket.
“Don’t do that.” We both jerked our heads toward the voice in the kitchen. Mason was standing in the shadows with a gun pointed at us. Ewan pulled his hand from his pocket with the phone in it and raised his hands over his head. Then he stooped, placing the phone on the ground and stood, stepping in front of me. I noticed movement over his shoulder and was relieved to see Merlin and Clark playing outside. “You don’t seem to understand do you, Jovie?” Mason waved the gun, stepping into the light. His normally clean-shaven face had a full beard and his eyes were red, surrounded by circles. He did something to the gun, making it click and I yelped. “Answer me!” Mason roared.
“What don’t I understand?” My voice came out as a whimper. I wanted to think of a way out, wanted to think clearly enough to help us out of the situation, but my brain had come to a screeching halt. All I could think was that Ewan was going to die and it was my fault.
“You. Are. Mine.” Mason punctuated each word by jabbing the gun at the air. “Now, walk your ass over here.” Before I could move, Ewan dropped his hand, blocking my path. Mason stormed toward us, shoved the gun into Ewan’s forehead, and grabbed my hand.
“I’m coming, Mason. Just don’t hurt him.” My voice shook, but I let him pull me away from Ewan. It was a mistake, and I knew it, but Ewan was not going to die trying to protect me. Mason kept his eyes on Ewan as he jerked me back toward the kitchen.
“You love him?” Mason waved the gun. “Huh? Which one fucks you better? This guy or the one with a wife? Does your fiancé know about you and the big guy?” Mason jerked me around in front of him by the wrist when I didn’t answer. He watched Ewan over my shoulder, but at least I was between them. “Tell me, you fucking whore! Who does it better?” I stood, shaking in front of him as he screamed in my face. I tried to will Ewan not to move, silently begging him to stay still. Mason’s wild eyes settled on me and he turned the gun, aiming at my temple. “If you move, asshole, I will kill her. Now, Jovie. You belong to me. Not him, not the other guy. Me.” The cold metal pressed against my hot skin. I was sweating profusely, shaking all over, and trying not to cry. If I was going to die, I was not going to die crying. Mason pressed the gun harder into my head, and I squeezed my eyes closed. There was no way out, not without one of us dying. I heard Ewan make a sound and the gun moved away from me. I threw myself forward into Mason. The gun went off, there was screaming. It may have been me. Mason and I fell back into the island, something hit my head, something clattered to the ground, and the screaming faded, my vision faded. I tried to get up, to help Ewan, but everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EWAN
The bastard was going to kill her, so I cleared my throat, taking a step forward. If anyone was dying, it was not going to be her. I would beg him to shoot me before I let her get hurt. Jovie had other plans. I screamed when she threw herself into him. The gun went off, hitting the kitchen lighting, and a bar holding the lights fell directly on top of them. Jovie’s scream stopped instantly, and all I saw was blood. Mason scrambled up, tossing Jovie off of him, searching for the gun, but he was disoriented, and I was faster. I kicked it across the floor and slammed my elbow into his temple, making him crumple to the ground. I heard sirens, but went for Jovie. Her forehead was cut from the corner of the island and the back of her head had a gash from the lighting. I pulled her into my lap, her head lolling to the side, and cradled her. I whispered to her, checking her pulse and smoothing her hair. Tears stung my eyes, rolling down my face and into her hair. I should have protected her, should have kept her safe. I begged her to wake up, to open her eyes.
Police flooded the house, guns drawn and wearing vests. They asked me questions I didn’t answer and shouted to each other. I could only stare at Jovie, watching the blood from the back of her head coat my sleeve as I rocked her. The paramedics came in and pulled her away from me in slow motion. No one would let me ride with her. I shoved Samuel off of me when he tried to hold me back outside and dove for the door as it slammed and the ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring. Then the world slammed back into me. The sounds, the people, the rain. It all hit me full force, and I got dizzy, stumbling back into the steps on the porch. Sam sat next to me, asking what happened and I rehashed the story. It made no sense to start with our date, but my friend let me talk.
Once I was done, he led me to his car and insisted on driving me to the hospital. Samuel swore the officers would all be gone before I brought her back home and he would lock up the house for me. I felt foggy. My head was clouded until we pulled up in front of the ER. Then I had to scramble out of his car to puke in the bushes. Sam kept his distance, letting me empty my stomach with some dignity before he walked me in.
The receptionist sent us to the triage room Jovie was in, but the nurse outside stopped us. “The doctor is with her now, but you can’t go in.” Then she pointed to the waiting room behind us. I tried to shove past her, but Sam caught my arm. “I can’t tell you anything, but we will come get you when she can be seen.” Sam dragged me back, shoving my ass down in a seat just as her family rushed in. I stood to catch Amelia and held her while she cried into my chest. My shirt was still soaked with rain and Jovie’s blood. Amelia settled next to me and Nick rushed in, using his cane, with Rae by his side. I told everyone what happened, starting again with my proposal, and then we waited.
“We gave her a light sedative to put the staples in so she didn’t wake up, but those should be wearing off in the next hour or so and she will wake up. Her pupils are reactive, so it’s probably a mild concussion, and the babies have nice strong heart rates, but we can do an ultrasound once Miss Reed is feeling up to it if it makes you guys feel better,” The doctor looked up from the laptop, obviously catching the confusion on my face. Has she mixed up Jovie’s chart with someone else’s? Is she in the wrong room? Did I hear her wrong in my fog and panic?
“I think you have the wrong patient.” I stepped closer, trying to check the name in the computer, but the doctor shook her head, blocking my view.
“Jovie Elyse Reed. D.O.B September twenty-sixth nineteen-eighty-seven.” She glanced up at Nick and me to confirm. We both nodded. Louise was clinging to Jovie’s hand at her bed side, looking from the doctor to me.
“Jovie’s pregnant?” I finally blurted out. The doctor’s smile faded instantly, and she nodded, “You said babies.” I groped behind me for the bed and lowered myself slowly as a wave of dizziness hit me.
“The Doppler picked up two heart beats. It’s customary to run blood work before any tests and the results puts her at about ten weeks. You didn’t know?” The doctor typed, refusing to look at me. Nick rested a hand on my shoulder, and I could feel Louise’s eyes burning into me. My mind scattered. I shook my head, unable to answer, an
d tried to let the new knowledge sink in. I dropped my head in my hands and bit back the urge to cry. Without looking at her mother, I climbed in bed with my fiancée and our babies, stretching out next to her as the doctor pushed the cart out of the room. I rested my hand gently on her stomach and kissed her cheek. The place on her forehead had turned an angry purple, but the cut was clean, and it probably wouldn’t scar too bad. Louise put her hand on mine, making me glance up to see her smile, and we went back to waiting.
Chapter Twenty-Three
JOVIE
Waking up in a hospital was disorienting. Waking up in a hospital after being attacked and being told you’re pregnant is like a bad movie. But it happened. I was only out a few hours and woke up to a room full of people and a fiancé crying like an idiot. They sent me home the next day with the instructions to take it easy and rest. Ewan barely let me leave the bed, and Amelia was no better. Our friends cleaned the house up, Mason was gone, hopefully in a psyche ward, and Erica had roped Cori into helping take care of the shop while I was out. Within a week, life was back to normal except I was making midwife appointments and wrapping my mind around the idea of twins. Our nights were spent on the couch or stretched out in bed watching movies with Amelia. Ewan made it a habit of talking to my stomach and it melted me every time he did it. He also started begging me to get married, but I refused. I would not be part of another shot-gun wedding, no matter how much I loved him, or how much the man begged. Davis and I had walked into the courthouse and got married after my mother found out I was pregnant. Her words were, “If you can make a baby, you can get married or you won’t get a bit of help from me.” So, we got married. I was wearing blue jeans and Davis went back to work once we left. Then I threw up the rest of the day, and not because I had been dumb enough to get myself knocked up. I would never be in that situation again. The idea of living together forever was more appealing than the court house, and neither of us had time to plan anything big. He knew why, But Ewan still asked on a daily basis, thinking I would change my mind. I would never tell him, but it was working, he was wearing me down.