I’ve been with you every step of the way, cheering you on when you succeed and crossing my fingers when you try again. This is how I know that, like Brantley, you’re terribly lonely. So, please, go to Alaska. Have an adventure. Fall in love. Make memories, and know that even though I’m gone from Earth, I’m still with you in spirit, cheering you on when you succeed and crossing my fingers when you try again.
I love you, Eva
Grandpa.
“Eva?” Char calls my attention softly. I startle a little, but recover and look at her. “You ready?”
At her question, I look back down at the letter and reread the last paragraph. When I look back at Char, I’m smiling. “I’m ready.”
After I put the letter back, I stand and take my rose bouquet from Char before walking out into The Tavern, where I see Gilbert looking handsome in a tux, his gray hair brushed back. “Hi, Gilbert.”
“Sweetheart, you look gorgeous,” he says softly.
“Thank you.” I blush.
“I was hoping, since your grandpa couldn’t be here, that you would let me do the honor of giving you away?” he asks me, hopeful but sheepishly.
“I would love that.”
“Okay, no one else says anything else to her! If she cries again and ruins her makeup, I will lose it,” Char says. “Okay, places!” she yells like she’s talking to a room full of people when it’s only the three of us.
She walks me to the back door of The Tavern. “Okay, I go out first. You remember your cue, Gilly?” With a nod, she looks at me and winks. “See ya on the other side, sister.” Then she disappears behind the door.
Thompson Square, “If I Didn’t Have You” begins playing when Gilbert looks at me. “You ready, darlin?” I nod. The knot in my stomach gets stronger when the doors open.
I gasp and start crying. Not because of the mountain view behind the pastor. Not because all of the people I’ve come to love in this town is here to witness me marry Brantley. I’m not crying because of the red carpet lined with candles and rose petals over the fresh blanket of snow in the center aisle.
I lay my eyes on Brantley. He looks more handsome than I’ve ever seen him with his black tux and his hair down. His eyes instantly meet mine and well with tears.
I’m crying because, as soon as the door opened, I realized everything I ever dreamed of is happening. I’m marrying the man of my dreams and the love of my life.
Any nervousness I may have been feeling vanishes. I let Gilbert lead me down the aisle to the love of my life, to the most beautiful song, and I never look back.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
I NEVER SAW IT COMING
I wake up laying on my side, my husband’s hand between my legs. It’s been two weeks since we said ‘I do’ and I’ve loved every minute of being his wife.
“Lift up your leg, baby,” he whispers in my ear. He doesn’t wait for me to obey, just lifts my leg for me and hitches it up over his hip. As soon as he has me in the position he wants me in, he slides inside me. We both moan at the same time.
“God, baby, you feel so good.”
“Ahh. Faster, Brantley.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Sweet Eva,” he insists but picks up the pace anyway.
“Feels…so good,” I pant when the pleasure starts to build.
“Play with yourself, baby,” he orders before sucking on my neck. I snake my hands down and over my belly until I reach my pulsing clit. I start pinching and rubbing.
“Aw fuck, you’re so close. I can feel your pussy walls clenching me. So fucking wet. Let go, baby.”
“I can’t,” I moan. The pleasure is too much.
“Fuck yes you can! Let go, baby. I’ve got you. Give it to me. Come on my dick.”
“Ahhh!” I scream out through my orgasm.
“Fuck, I’m coming, baby,” Brantley says.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me after we calm our breathing while rubbing my stomach.
“Good. He or she kicked a lot last night. I’m tired.” I sigh.
“Won’t be long until he’s here.” Brantley smiles.
“You don’t know if our bean is going to be a ‘he’. We agreed to let it be a surprise.”
Brantley snorts. “The bean is a boy.”
“Oh yeah? What makes you say that?”
“Because it’s my baby. It’s a boy.”
“You’re a dork.” I laugh.
“A dork you love.”
“Well, duh, that’s why I married you.” To that, I receive a kiss.
“We gotta be at The Tavern in an hour, baby. Wanna take a shower with me?”
Taking a shower with Brantley sounds amazing, but I’m still stuck on, “We?”
“Yes. We. Charlotte and James are still in Snowridge until this afternoon, and the rule still stands. Until Pearl is behind bars, where the crazy bitch belongs, you’re not alone. So, up you go, and hurry. You shooting that attitude just makes my dick hard.”
After a slap to my ass, he jumps off the bed and walks into the bathroom. I watch his tight ass as he goes. Damn, my husband’s hot.
***
“Ooooh, look, our pictures from the wedding came.” I rush over to Brantley excitedly. We don’t have a store to get pictures printed, so we had to order them online and have them delivered.
Brantley is wiping off glasses and putting them up behind the bar but stops when he hears me. I waddle over to him and wait. No surprise, Brantley knows exactly what I’m waiting for. He smiles, grabs my hips, and lifts my big ass onto the bar. “What do you got for me, babe?”
We spend ten minutes going through every photo before coming to my favorite. The background is the snowy mountains. Brantley is standing behind me, his arms wrapped around me and his hands on top of mine, resting on my belly. Both of us are looking at my bump.
“I think we’re pretty beautiful,” Brantley muses.
“I think you’re right!” I smile and give him a kiss.
“I love you, wife.”
“I love you, hubby. Now, can you help me down?” For some reason, he finds this hilarious.
“Where are you going off to?” he asks when he sees me waddle to the front door.
“I’m going to go show Mrs. Cummons these pictures.”
“Can you wait ten minutes? I’m almost done here and then I’ll walk you over.”
“Brantley, she’s at the library right across the street. I will be fine,” I say slowly, my voice full of annoyance.
I glare at him, and he glares right back. I know I’ve won when he sighs and rolls his eyes. “Fine, but I’m watching you.”
“Whatever.” I laugh.
I’m about to cross the street when I hear Brantley yell out for me to look both ways. “I’m not a child,” I yell back, looking behind me. Brantley isn’t looking at me, though. His face is turned to the side.
It seems like everything happens in slow motion. I hear screeching tires and Brantley’s facial expression morphs into horror. I look to see what he’s looking at and see a black SUV coming at me full speed.
“Eva!” I hear Brantley scream, but it’s too late. I never saw it coming.
***
I hear voices before I fully come awake. The pain in my head is the first thing I notice. I have no idea where I am or why I’m here. I’m trying as hard as I can to open my eyes, but they just won’t open. The only thing keeping me from completely panicking is the sound of Brantley’s voice. It washes over me and calms me. I hold on to it like an anchor.
“How long is she going to be asleep?” Brantley asks someone.
“It could be any time. This is just her body’s way of dealing with the trauma. Just keep talking to her. She’ll come back to you when she’s ready.”
“And you’re sure the baby is okay?” I can hear the fear in Brantley’s voice. Baby? My baby! Please Lord, let my baby be all right.
“Yes, Brantley, all the tests we did showed that the baby is fine,” the voice responds.
> “How can that be? I tackled her to the fucking ground.” He sounds mad at himself. Then it all comes back to me. Someone tried to run me over. He saved my life! I want so badly to reach out and touch him, to be able to open my mouth and tell him this.
“Brantley, a car was coming at your wife full speed. You did what you had to do. Beat the guilt back, because if you didn’t do it, she wouldn’t be here right now. The baby is fine, and she is fine. We can do another ultrasound when she wakes up if that will make you feel better.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
I hear a door softly close, then the room falls silent. It’s only when I feel cold liquid dripping on my hand that I’m finally able to crack my eyes open. It takes a couple seconds, but my eyes adjust to the light.
Looking to where the water is coming from, I see Brantley hunched over the side of my hospital bed. His head is down, but I can tell from his shaking shoulders that he’s crying.
“Brantley?” I croak. His head shoots up so fast it’s a wonder he doesn’t get whiplash. He gives me a small smile and wipes his eyes.
“Hey, pretty girl. It’s about time you opened those eyes.”
“What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” His eyes narrow out of worry.
“I remember you screaming my name and the car driving at me, but that’s it.”
I know I’m not going to like what he’s about to say by the look on his face. “It was Pearl,” he spits out.
“What was Pearl?”
“She’s the one that tried to run you over, baby.”
“She tried to kill me?”
I cry softly. As soon as Brantley sees my tears, he leans over me, using his thumb to wipe them away. “Yeah, Eva. She tried to kill you, but the good news is they got her. It took them all night, but the police got her.” Even through all the pain I’m feeling right now, after everything I’ve been through, the relief I feel surpasses it.
“It’s over?” I croak.
“It’s over, baby.” He smiles.
“What about the baby?” I reach down and touch my belly as I ask.
“The baby is fine. The doctor said we could do an ultrasound when you woke up. Let me go get him.” He gets up to leave but I grab his arm.
“Don’t leave. Please, just lay with me a little while,” I beg. The need to feel his arms around me is so strong. I scoot over slowly so he has a space to lay. He looks at the empty space sadly.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Please?”
He debates a second longer before nodding his head and taking his shoes off. Once he’s settled next to me, I lay my head on his chest. I continue to cry as Brantley runs his fingers through my hair. To think that my life could be over right now if Pearl had accomplished what she set out to do…
“The whole family is in the waiting room. They can’t wait to see you. They’ll be relieved to know you’re okay.”
“You saved my life,” I tell him softly. I think I surprised him because his hand pauses.
“I’d die for you.”
“Why?” I don’t know why I ask. I already know the answer.
“Because. I already told you, baby. The love I feel for you, it’s wild. It’s a love untamed.”
Epilogue
BRANTLEY
I’m freaking the fuck out. Why am I freaking out? Because my wife is lying in a hospital bed, about to push out a tiny human. Yes, I realize that I’ve had time to come to terms with this fact, but thinking about it and experiencing it are two different things.
It still amazes me that I’m here, that this is my life. A year ago, I was a brooding, pissed off, mountain man living in the woods and trying to run a failing bar. Love was the last thing on my mind. It wasn’t for me. Not after the shit Claire put me through.
Then Eva walked into the bar, and life as I knew it changed forever. My Sweet Eva. I took one look at her and I was a goner. Her long brown hair and smooth tan skin was just begging me for me to taste it. Her big brown eyes drew me in from across the bar. I tried to deny it. I tried to put up a front, but I knew the second I looked into those eyes that Eva was about to ruin me. And did I mention her ass?
I’ll always hate myself for treating her the way I did. I was such a dick. I was so focused on never letting myself go there again, I kept her away by hurting her. If I, for one second, would have pulled my head out of my ass and paid attention, I would have seen that my girl was hurting already.
I will never forget that night at The Tavern when my baby looked me in the eyes and told me she just wanted to belong. The strongest feeling of possessiveness entered me, and the need to protect her took hold. I knew, from that moment on, I would do anything in my power to make that girl belong.
And I did, until fucking Pearl walked into my bar and planted doubts in my mind. As evil as that fucking troll is, I can’t put the blame on her. It’s on me. I knew the kind of woman Eva truly was. She’s sweet, caring, giving, loving, loyal, and so much more.
I shouldn’t have listened to Pearl’s lies, but I let what happened in the past dictate my actions and I almost lost her. The pain I felt with Claire was nothing compared to losing Eva. Eva is the one, the love of my life, and I would have done anything to get her back. Then I found out she was carrying my baby, and there was no fucking way I was leaving without her. I would kidnap her ass if need be. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.
We’ve both been through our ups and downs, separate and together, but I would go through it all over again, even the day Pearl tried to take her away for good, if it meant I would end up right here, in this hospital, about to pass out.
“You’re dilated to ten, Momma. It’s time to start pushing,” the nurse who just had her head up my wife’s nightgown says, dragging me from my memories. That nausea I was fighting back? Yeah, it just came back with a vengeance.
I’m about to be a dad. Holy shit, I’m about to be a fucking dad! My throat all of a sudden feels like I swallowed a cup of sand. Worry after worry floats through my mind.
I look down at Eva to see her already looking at me. Her face is sweaty and pale. Her eyes are wide. “I’m scared, Brantley,” she whispers through her tears, and just like that, all my worries disappear. It’s time to man the fuck up, Brantley.
I give my baby an encouraging smile and kiss her forehead. “Don’t be scared, baby. I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you. Just a little pushing, Eva, and we finally get to meet our little bean.”
Eva gives me the best smile she can muster right as the doctor walks in. “Let’s have a baby, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
After thirty minutes of pushing, we welcome our baby girl into the world, Kimberly Maria Smith. I’m crying like a bitch when the doctor hands her to me. She looks exactly like her momma, head full of dark hair and all.
Later that night, while my wife is asleep in her hospital bed and my baby girl is snuggled up to my chest, I thank three people for my miracles. Robert, Maria, and God. Without any of them, I would never have had a love so strong, so untamed.
Acknowledgments
Limitless Publishing—Thank you for taking a shot on me and Love, Untamed! Your company has been so amazing to work with. I feel so blessed to have met such wonderful people.
My hubby and daughter—Thank you for loving me through my craziness and supporting me through this silly and fun ride! I love you!
Mom and Dad—I love you guys! Thanks for procreating such an awesome child.
Tiffany—Thank you for sticking with me! And always having the best synonyms to the dirtiest of words! Love you!
Boom—Seriously, I would be lost without you. Thanks for the brutal honesty. I love you!
Lori Whitwam—You’re amazing. Thanks for answering all of my questions and not thinking I’m crazy for asking them.
Beta Readers—I love you all! I can’t express how much I appreciate every one of you!
Also, to anyone who has ever supported me with kind words, reviews, or just a l
ike or share on Facebook, you’ll never understand how much it means to me and how much I appreciate your support!
About the Author
Ra’chael Ohara was raised in small town, Bellevue, MI. She married her soul mate at nineteen and moved to Lansing, MI where they raise their beautiful daughter. Her love of reading is what eventually drove her to sit down and write her very own alpha romance series. When she’s not typing away on her computer she loves being surrounded by her loud, rambunctious, but sweet nieces and nephews.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorOhara
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https://twitter.com/AuthorOhara
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13619362.Ra_chael_Ohara
Love Untamed Page 18