Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6)

by Maree Green

  Chapter 41

  Jess

  It was a Sunday morning when Kaeli told me the news that Adam and Kara had welcomed their beautiful little daughter into the world. By the time I found out, she was already two days old and at home with her momma and daddy, being spoiled with love. I didn’t know how it was possible I was so out of the loop, but, seeing as I’d been trying to avoid all things Murphy, I could understand.

  As I listened to Kaeli ramble about how gorgeous she was, I couldn’t help but feel so happy for them. The whole family, really. Not only was she the first baby in their family, she was the first girl in the family, and, as much as they all loved their tough guy exteriors, they were all soft-centered pushovers. That little girl was going to have them all wrapped around her little finger for the rest of her life. I actually pitied the poor boy who won her heart when she was old enough.

  Walking up the path to Adam and Kara’s house behind Noah and Kaeli, I felt a lightness in my soul I hadn’t felt in a long time. I loved it when good things happened to good people. I knew I was a tagalong here, but I didn’t care. I liked Adam and Kara, and I loved babies. It was going to be my job, after all.

  Adam’s eyes sparkled as he opened the door, surprise flickering in them when he saw me loitering in the background. “Hey, guys. Come in.”

  I grinned as I stepped up to the door and gave him a hug. “Yes, I’m a shameless tagalong. Congratulations!” Passing him the wrapped present I bought for his daughter, I followed Kaeli inside.

  “How are your girls doing, man?” Noah said, standing back as Adam closed the door.

  Adam shook his head, amazement gleaming in his eyes. “They’re both incredible. I feel so blessed,” he said, his smile like a permanent fixture on his face. “Come into the den. Kara’s just feeding her, then you can give her a cuddle.”

  His happiness and excitement were contagious. I felt it move through my veins as we made our way toward the den. Kaeli and Noah had already seen her at the hospital, so they weren’t too giddy, but I was super freaking thrilled. Now that Amy spent most of her time following Daniel around with Josh, I didn’t get to see Mae anywhere near enough. I needed some baby cuddles.

  Kara beamed as we quietly filed into the room. “Hey, guys.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Kaeli murmured, leaning forward to give her a loose hug. “Look at you two. You both look so great.”

  “She’s so perfect,” Kara gushed. “She’s been a little angel so far.”

  Adam dropped down onto the arm of the chair and smirked. “Four hourly feeds. She’s a little legend.”

  Edging my way forward, I leaned over and gave Kara a little squeeze. “Congratulations, hon. You did so well. She’s beautiful,” I said, gazing down at the tiny half sleeping angel. “Oh my gosh, she looks so tiny. How much did she weigh?”

  “Six pounds six,” she said, gazing down. “But she sure didn’t feel small, that’s for sure. Thirteen inches of head circumference is not easy.”

  “Didn’t look pretty, either,” Adam said, laughing evilly.

  Kaeli gasped. “Adam! You can’t say that,” she admonished.

  “Of course I can,” he said, chuckling. “It was my balls she was crushing while it was all happening.”

  Kara pressed her lips together, trying to smother a smile. “He may not be exaggerating.”

  Noah shook his head. He was smiling, but he looked kind of horrified while he was doing it. “So, have you guys decided on a name yet?”

  We watched Adam and Kara glance at one another, secretly grinning, then Adam met Noah’s gaze and twitched an eyebrow upward. “We have.”

  I groaned. They better not be keeping it a secret. I was not good with that kind of stuff.

  Kara smacked Adam’s leg with the back of her hand. “Stop teasing them. Her name is Harper. Harper Quinn Murphy.”

  “That’s beautiful, Kara,” I said, letting my gaze sweep over Harper’s face. “It suits her perfectly.”

  Kara shuffled the now-sleeping baby, covering herself back up as she held her outwards. “Who wants burping duty?”

  Kaeli laughed. “I think that might be Jess. She’s jealous we’ve already had a cuddle.”

  “I so am,” I said, reaching out to carefully take her out of Kara’s hands. “I’m not going to lie. I’m so excited I get to do this as a job soon.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Kara said, fixing up her buttons, “I forgot you’re going into child care. We might have to employ you when I go back to work. That’s the biggest thing that terrifies me. I’d feel so much better if I knew the person who was caring for her, personally.”

  Positioning Harper over my shoulder, I gently patted her on the back. Her little legs wiggled up and down as she squirmed, obviously feeling a little pain in her tummy.

  Kara’s eyes widened as she turned to Noah and Kaeli. “Ooh, you guys have to come and see the nursery. Adam put the mobile you bought Harper up, and it looks so cute,” she said, pushing to her feet. “She loves it too. Every time we change her, she just stares at it with wonder.”

  As the three of them disappeared from the room, Adam settled into the couch properly and shook his head with amusement. “She’s so in love,” he said, obviously smitten with his girls. “We both are. She’s just perfect.”

  Harper’s tummy rumbled, and a little burp bubbled up her throat. I smiled as I glanced down at her peaceful face, letting her body slide down my shoulder a little so we were both a little more comfortable.

  “So, how have you been?” Adam asked, his expression turning slightly more intense.

  I didn’t bother to pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about. Neither of us was that stupid. “I’ve been okay,” I said, tilting my head side to side. “It’s been a little hard to get my head around the fact that my ex-boyfriend is actually gay. To know that everything someone said to you and all the promises they made were complete lies is a really difficult thing to swallow. It’s taken me a while to not feel used, if you know what I mean?”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  Harper wriggled again, a little cry letting me know she had another pain. Re-positioning her, I gave her back another pat, trying to ignore the intense look I could feel emanating from Adam. I knew where his mind was taking him, and it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.

  But I should’ve known he wouldn’t leave it alone. It was something the Murphy brothers were incapable of. Unless it was Eli, and I needed him to explain to me what was going on with him.

  “You really like him, don’t you?” he said, his tone making it sound more like a statement than a question. “Eli,” he added to clarify.

  I met his gaze and smirked to cover up the hurt. “It doesn’t really matter what I feel, Adam. Eli’s the one calling all the shots. I don’t get a say in it at all.”

  He pressed his lips together into a sad, disappointed kind of smile before he sighed. “Eli would kick my ass if he knew I was talking to you about this, but can I offer some advice?”

  Internally, I groaned. I was over talking about Eli. I was over thinking about him. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that since we’d slept together, he’d managed to creep under my skin more and more with each day that passed. I actually felt like he’d taken a piece of me with him when he left that day. I’d heard people say that kind of thing before, and I always thought it was kind of stupid, but it was true. It really did feel that way. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, I cautiously nodded.

  Adam sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching me intently. “Don’t give up on him, Jess. It might be taking him a long time to come around, but he’s going to get there.”

  I shook my head. “But that’s just the thing, Adam. I don’t want to be part of a sacrifice. I don’t want to be a difficult choice that has a possibility of becoming a regret later on.”

  Adam smiled, kind and patient. “I know what you’re saying, and I get it. But we men are not smart like you girls are. It’s true,” he said as I started to laugh. “We�
�re really not. You girls have this ability to look at an emotional situation and be able to see all these wonderful possibilities in it. We can’t do that. We have to experience it first before we can start to see just how good it can be.” He pressed his fingers together as he watched me. “But Eli’s even more stubborn than that. He and Micah have always been a little more analytical and strategic than the rest of us. But in a way, it makes them more passionate about what and who they invest their time in. When they find something that means something to them, they need to give themselves to it, one hundred percent. Their passion and dedication is fierce. It’s something I’ve always been in awe of. But, as you can see, it has its downside.”

  A mixture of frustration and hope swelled inside me. “What do you suggest I do?”

  He sat up a little straighter and pinned me with a heated gaze. “You have three choices, Jess. You can walk away and move on. You can wait until he works it all out and comes to you. Or you can take control and tell him how it’s going to be.”

  I blinked at him stupidly. I couldn’t imagine anyone telling Eli how it’s going to be.

  Adam shook his head. “You said he’s calling all the shots, but that’s only because you’re letting him, Jess. Take the decision out of his hands. Don’t give him a choice. Trust me. You’ll be surprised.”

  As Kara moved back into the room, still chatting with Kaeli and Noah, I searched Adam’s gaze. He seemed so certain that I had this power, but I wasn’t nearly so confident. I just couldn’t see it. But maybe he was right. Maybe I could take control. I just needed to work out how.

  Chapter 42

  Eli

  Pocketing my keys, I moved between the parked cars and stepped up to the curb. As much as I knew it was a bad idea for me to see Jess, I also knew I had more of a chance getting through to her than anyone else. Regardless of what the judge thought, I knew Zac had become unstable over the last couple of months, and I needed Jess to see that. For her safety, and my sanity.

  Walking up to her door, I knocked and waited. A second later, Emmy answered the door. She blinked at me, surprise making her mouth open and close without a sound. I grinned a little. “Hey, Emmy. Is Jess home?”

  “Uh . . .” I could see her brain working overtime. “She is. I’ll just get her.” Leaving the door open, she walked over to the bottom of the stairs and leaned around the corner. “Jess! There’s someone at the door for you!”

  Turning back toward me, she gave me a smile and picked up her purse. “I was just on my way out to see Mia. Tell Jess I said bye.”

  Stepping to the side to let her pass, I breathed a sigh of relief. I really didn’t want an audience for any sort of discussion I was going to have with Jess, but somehow, I thought Emmy knew that. I’d have to thank her later.

  As I heard Jess’s footsteps on the stairs, I watched Emmy close the door behind her, a slight mischievous crook to her mouth. But then Jess stepped around the corner and all other thoughts evaporated.

  “Eli,” she said, her brow creasing as she glanced around the room. “Where’s Emmy?”

  “She said she was just leaving when I got here.”

  Jess rolled her eyes before moving toward the kitchen. “Of course she did, the traitor. Why are you here, Eli?”

  I watched her grab a glass out of the cupboard before retrieving a carton of juice from the fridge. Walking around the counter, I stopped in front of her, trying not to let the way her eyes widened affect what I had to say. “Jess, I know you’re a strong woman. That’s one of the things I like about you most. And I know you have amazing friends who’ll do anything to protect you.” Her eyes narrowed a little as she tried to work out where I was going with my speech. “And I know sometimes it’s good to be determined to not let shit that comes into our lives affect the way we want to live it. But I need to make you understand just how unpredictable Zac is right now.”

  “Eli—” she started, but I shook my head, stopping her short.

  “No, Jess. Just listen to me. Please. I’m not saying this out of jealousy or any other ridiculous emotion. I’m telling you this because I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. Zac isn’t the same guy you saw last semester, Jess. He’s a guy who feels like he’s lost everything. He’s lost his boyfriend, he’s lost his career, and he’s lost his reputation and credibility. As far as he believes, he doesn’t have anything left to lose. He’s a loose cannon, and most people that are loose cannons need someone to blame. That’s you, Jess. You’re the easiest person for him to blame for this. You’re the one he drugged, just so he could get you out of the way. What’s to stop him from still thinking the same way?”

  She shook her head. “I just don’t think he’ll do anything, Eli.”

  I took her face in my hands, exasperation filling every part of me. “I know. And that’s why you drive me crazy. You might be right. He might do nothing. But what if I’m right, Jess?”

  She looked like she was searching for answers, as her gaze held mine, but to what, I didn’t know. “What do you want me to do, Eli? How do you suggest I handle the situation?”

  Dropping my hands from her face, I sighed, but I didn’t step back. “Just, no more partying, Jess. Just until he’s put away. And try not to go anywhere on your own for a little while.”

  Stepping away from me, she poured herself a cup of juice and returned the carton to the fridge. Leaning back against the counter, she assessed me as she sipped. “Why?” she said, pursing her lips. “Why do you care so much?”

  I threw my hands in the air. She was outright impossible. “You know why, Jess. It’s not like you haven’t heard me say it before.”

  Her gaze narrowed dangerously as she stood, one arm across her stomach, and the other gingerly holding the glass in front of her chest. “All I’ve heard is you saying you care about me, and then a whole bunch of excuses why we can’t be together, and I’m refusing to listen to it anymore.”

  “So, you’re saying you’re not going to take my advice and be more careful? You’re just going to be stubborn—just to make a point?”

  Slowly, she lowered her drink to the counter and placed her hands on her hips. “No, I will take your advice, and I will be more careful, but this shit,” she said, pointing her finger back and forth between the both of us, “is stopping right now. I like you. A lot. And I know you like me too, so the fact that both of us are unhappy doesn’t make sense to me.” She took a step toward me. “I know you think that I’m going to be some great distraction and I’m going to somehow make you fuck up your career, and I’m flattered you think that much of me, but it’s just stupid, Eli. What do you think I’m going to do? Tie you up in bed for days on end so you can’t study or go to class? I mean, I’ve got college too. I have exams I need to study for, and assignments I have to get done. It’s a given that there might be times where we might not see each other for days on end, but that doesn’t mean that the times in between can’t be spent together. It’s bullshit, Eli. And if you can’t tell me that you just don’t want to be with me, then you don’t get a choice anymore. I say that we’re going to give this a shot.” She stopped in front of me, her gaze dark and dangerous. “Starting right now.”

  Instincts told me to resist—that this was some kind of trick to throw me off, but there was some part of me that knew she was right. I just didn’t know if I could take that chance and let myself go like that.

  Placing her hands flat on my stomach, she leaned toward me, her gaze as fiery as her hair. “I mean it, Eli. I’m not playing this bullshit game anymore.”

  As she stood there before me, her head tilted back and fire in her eyes, challenging me with every breath she took, I felt it happen. All the walls I’d carefully built to keep her out, were starting to crumble around me. I had nothing left to argue with. Between one breath and the next, I gave in.

  Chapter 43

  Jess

  As Eli’s hands slid over my jaw, his fingers burying deep into my hair, I closed my eyes and exhaled. I was still skept
ical that Adam’s suggestion would actually work. The Eli I knew was so stubborn, I was doubtful he would be willing to bend at all when it came to me. But here he was, seemingly bending. I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax and just let myself enjoy him like I wanted to, until I could see him smile when I was in his arms. But for now, I was going to hope.

  Sliding my hands up his chest, I moved my body closer, pushing up onto my toes until our mouths met, hot and breathy, open and needy. His breath shook, letting me know just how affected he really was. The sound of it sent a pang of need right through the very core of my body, driving me closer, pressing me harder.

  Gripping the back of his neck in my hand, I moved my lips over his, my tongue slowly sliding, seeking, hungry for more. As his hands moved down my back, his fingers pressing, massaging, molding my body to his, I arched into him a little more, welcoming his tongue as he explored and tasted.

  My fingers tensed, my nails biting into his skin, desperate for this to never end. Grabbing my butt, he bent his knees, pulling me against him, lifting me until I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips.

  “One day I’m going to fuck you down here, Jess,” he said, biting at my earlobe. “But right now, I need to spread you out. I need to taste your pussy again.”

  Clutching him tighter, I kissed him hard. There were so many things I loved about those words, but none more than the promise of this happening again. As he moved through the apartment, his strides steady and sure as he started up the stairs to my room, my hope grew. “God, I want you so bad right now.”

  Pushing through the door, he lowered me down, my body sliding over his until my feet hit the floor. Then he was grabbing at my dress, pulling it upward, yanking it over my head until it was nothing but a scrap of material tossed from my thoughts.