Betrayed (Whiskey Nights #4)

by Suzannah Daniels

  Infuriated by my mother’s behavior, I returned to Jessica’s side, and my dad placed his hand on my shoulder. “Just give her some time. She’ll come around. It hasn’t been easy for her watching her sons marry off. It makes her feel like she’s losing control, like she’s being replaced.

  “As far as the loan on the gym, I’ll sign the papers. Just set it up and let me know when and where. I’ll take care of your mother.”

  “This wasn’t about the loan, Dad.”

  “I know that, but the addition to the gym is a damn good idea. I think you should move on it as quickly as possible. The increase in income should easily exceed the increase in the loan payment.”

  “All right, then. I’ll let you know when I have it set up.” Joseph reached for me, and I took him from my father. “We’re going to head out. We’re meeting up with Cade and Evan in a few minutes.”

  “Well, let me congratulate the three of you again. Once your mother has time to absorb it, the five of us will go out to dinner.”

  My dad was right, and if anyone could convince her to give Jess a chance, it was him. “Thanks.”

  Jess waved, and I knew how badly she wanted my parents’ approval. “Bye, Mr. Mayfield.”

  “Call me Dave,” my Dad told her.

  After leaving my parents’ house, we headed to Whiskey Nights for the Thursday night Mayfield meeting.

  Cade had pulled two tables together in the bar area, and when we arrived, he, Seren, and Evan were already seated.

  Haley, Mason’s sister, tended the bar while Mason delivered beers to my brothers and me.

  Mason clicked his tongue as he grinned. “What the hell? Today is Thursday, isn’t it? Y’all are letting the fairer sex attend the meetings for the Woman Haters Club now?”

  “Women make everything more fun,” Seren said.

  “Hey, you’ll get no arguments about that from me,” Mason assured her. “It’s these Mayfield boys that have been trying to keep the women out.”

  “They’re not doing a very good job, are they?” Jess asked, obviously much more comfortable now that she had left my parents’ house.

  “Where’s Lexi?” I asked.

  Mason pointed toward the back of the building. “Stuck in the office, as usual.”

  “Go get her, and the two of you come over here a minute.”

  “All right. Seren, I’ll have Haley fix you a virgin Pear Martini. What about you, Jessica?”

  “How about a Strawberry Daiquiri?”

  Mason pointed at her. “Coming right up.”

  A few minutes later, Mason delivered the drinks, and Lexi joined him. She slid her arm around his waist and waved at us in greeting. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s going good.” I stood up, scooting the chair out behind me. “Can I have everyone’s attention for just a minute?”

  Everyone looked at me in surprise, and Cade grinned, his arm resting on the back of Seren’s chair. I took a long pull from my beer to wet my throat.

  “Sometimes things happen that make us take a step back and analyze our lives, and I’ve been doing a lot of that in the last few weeks. And in case your math sucks, yeah, it started when Jessica came back into my life. But I think the analytical process hit me the hardest in Gulf Shores. I’ll be honest. Jessica scared the living shit out of me in the ocean, and it forced me to take a hard look at how fleeting life is. And what I came to realize is this…I don’t want to live without her.

  “But it doesn’t stop there. We all know, when Jess came back to Creekview, she was a package deal with this little man.” I placed my hand on Joseph’s head while he sat in his high chair. “And we all know that I’ve sworn for the longest that I had absolutely no desire to have kids. And I thought I didn’t, but let me tell you something, Baby J is the coolest little guy ever. He looks good in orange, and we all know that’s extremely important during football season. He loves to talk sports, and I think he holds the record for the world’s loudest burp, which is pretty damn impressive.”

  I stood behind Jessica’s chair and rested my hands on her shoulders. “Anyway, the whole point of all this is to let y’all know that Jess and I got married today.”

  The women gasped, followed by excited chatter, and the guys shouted their congratulations while Mason bumped fists with me.

  “I’ve got to ask,” Cade said. “How did Mom take the news?”

  Moving back to my spot at the table, I took another swig of beer. “Exactly how you think she took it.”

  “It’s okay,” Seren assured Jess. “It does get better over time. At least I’m not alone in the daughter-in-law club now.” Seren winked at Jess conspiratorially. “It’s two against one now. And if Evan would hurry up and get married, we could make it three.”

  Evan tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes at Seren. “Oh, no. Just because my two brothers have been whipped, doesn’t mean I will be anytime soon.”

  “You say that now….” A smug grin settled on Seren’s face.

  While Evan shook his head, assuring Seren he wouldn’t bring home a wife anytime soon, Cade leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry it didn’t go well, Jess.”

  Jessica waved her hand, dismissing his concerns. “She was fine. I know we took her by surprise. You can hardly blame her for being upset. I mean, her firstborn got married, and she wasn’t even at the wedding.”

  “Wonder what Rachel will say when she finds out,” Cade mused.

  “Wonder no more,” Paxton said. “Turns out she was at Mom and Dad’s, too.”

  Jess stirred her daiquiri with the straw. “Oddly enough, I think that was the nicest she’s ever been to me. She told me she hoped I knew how lucky I was.”

  Mason pointed at me. “That is classic Rachel right there. Do some crazy off-the-wall shit, then wants a group hug.”

  “I feel sorry for her,” Lexi said. As an afterthought, she touched Jessica’s arm. “I mean I know she did some terrible things to you, and I’m not excusing that, but I wish she would find somebody.”

  “Hopefully, she’ll leave Jess alone now,” I said, “but I agree with you, Lexi. I hope she finds someone, too.”

  “So do y’all have any plans to go on a honeymoon?” Seren asked.

  Jess and I glanced at each other. The trip to Gulf Shores had taken most of my extra funds, so a destination honeymoon was out of the question at the moment. “I think we’d like to spend some time at home.”

  Jess beamed. I knew how much having a home meant to her, and it didn’t matter where we were as long as the three of us were together.

  “And speaking of honeymoons,” I continued, “I hope y’all don’t mind if Jess and I cut out of the meeting early. It’s time for me to go home and not enjoy the ocean view, which, by the way, has nothing to do with the fact that I won’t be on the ocean.”

  A chorus of chuckles broke out, and Jessica tilted her head in my direction, her cheeks heated.

  “Cade or Evan, can y’all cover for me at work for a couple of days?”

  “You got it,” Cade assured me.

  “Joseph can spend the night with us if you want,” Seren offered.

  “Thanks, but I think we’ll spend some time together as a family before Baby J goes to bed,” I said.

  We finished our drinks and said our goodbyes.

  When we arrived home, Jess got Joseph ready for bed and handed him a bottle. As I entered the living room, I paused, watching them interact. Emotions coursed through my body. It felt amazing to know that Jess would be in my bed every night and to know that together we would raise Joseph. The three of us could depend on each other, and it was a hell of a good feeling. Why hadn’t I been open to this lifestyle before? Ignorance, I supposed. Some people had to be beat over the head with a club before they could see the obvious. Apparently, I was one of them.

  Identifying the problem was half the battle. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be quite as thick-headed in the future, and if I was, at least I had Jess now to point it out.

  There was no d
oubt in my mind that I got the better end of our marriage.

  Her long, silky hair tumbled around her shoulders. Glancing up, she noticed me watching, her bright sapphire eyes alight in her softly rounded face. She graced me with a smile, and I was amazed that this incredible woman had chosen me. My jaw tensed as I soaked in her beauty, feelings of protectiveness flooding me. Her life hadn’t been easy, and I wanted to change that for her. As much as I hated missing the last seven years with her, I also knew that things had needed to happen the way they did.

  She tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing her long, slender neck, and I had the urge to trail my lips across the sensitive skin.

  Her smile widened. “What?”

  “I’m just admiring the view.”

  She bit her lip and cast her eyes downward, the cutest blush creeping into her cheeks. I was going to kiss every last inch of her glorious body.

  But first, I would focus on family time. With Joseph in my lap, I settled on the couch next to Jess and handed her two small gift boxes.

  Jessica

  Surprised, I stared at the two boxes, wrapped neatly in shiny white paper with tiny silver bows. “What’s this?”

  “Baby J and I wanted to show you how much we love you.”

  “Aww.” His thoughtfulness touched me, not just the fact that he would give me gifts, but also that he would include my son—our son—in the process. I read the tag on the first present. “To my beautiful wife.” After ripping off the paper, I carefully lifted the lid, delicious anticipation sweeping through me. As soon as I saw it, my heart thundered in my chest. “Oh, Max,” I whispered. “I love it.” I gingerly picked up a pocket watch necklace and ran my fingertips over the ornate monogram engraved in the silver cover. He’d used the initials JBM, and I touched the M in the center, its font a little larger than the other letters. It was surreal as I stared at the proof I was a Mayfield now.

  “Flip it over.” His voice was deep and smooth, and I obeyed.

  I read it out loud. “To my bride, Jessica Mayfield. Thinking of you every minute of every day. Love, Paxton.” He’d had the date of our wedding inscribed below the message, just like his great-great-grandmother had done. I draped it over my head, pulling my hair out from beneath the chain. “It’s perfect.”

  He reached in his pocket and pulled out the antique pocket watch that I had carried in my purse for months. “This watch belonged to my great-great-grandfather. I thought I’d keep up the family tradition.”

  “Having that watch always made me feel close to you. I never told you, but Joseph’s middle name is Oliver, from the inscription.”

  He held it out to me. “Then you should have it.”

  I shook my head. “I couldn’t. I kept it longer than I should’ve already.”

  “I insist.” He held it out. “You can give it to Joseph when he’s older. Tell him it belonged to his namesake.”

  His sentiment touched me, and I took it from him, happy to have it in my possession again.

  “Here.” He nudged the other box toward me. “Baby J wants you to open this one.”

  The gift was addressed, To Mommy. I unwrapped it and pulled out a beautiful silver charm bracelet. Three engraved silver hearts dangled from it, one for each of us, Paxton, Jessica, and Joseph, and on the back of each heart was that person’s birthdate. I noticed two extra heart charms lying in the box. I picked them up and flipped them over, but there was no text, just smooth silver. “What are these for? Why aren’t they on the bracelet?”

  “Those are extras.” He placed his hand on my knee and gave me a gentle squeeze. “I thought we might have a couple of more children. We can have their names and birthdates engraved on those and add them to your bracelet.”

  My eyes flew to his, and I inhaled sharply. “Are you serious?”

  The most amazing, genuine grin brightened his features. “I am. That is if you want to. It just occurred to me that I never asked you that question. I guess I kind of assumed you were such a great mother, you would probably be open to having more kids.”

  “Yes!” I squealed, the excitement of not only having a family flowing through my veins but of actually expanding our family, too.

  “Good,” he said, cupping my nape with his warm hand and pulling me to him for a kiss. “We’re in agreement.” He turned to Joseph. “You’re going to make a good big brother, aren’t you, Baby J?”

  Joseph watched him intently as he spoke. Finally, he grinned. “Da, da, da.”

  Paxton tightened his hold on Joseph, pulling him closer to his chest. “That’s right. You’re Daddy’s boy, aren’t you?”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, my throat constricted and my chin trembled as tears pricked my eyes. The love that Paxton showed him in that moment was the best gift of all, and as the tears flowed down my face, I knew for once, they were tears of joy. All my fears of Joseph growing up without a father were erased in that moment.

  My baby, our baby, would be loved by his daddy.

  Paxton wrapped his arm around me and tucked me into his side. Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. He held me, enveloping me in his strength and security, until my tears subsided.

  After setting Joseph on the floor to play, Pax pulled me back in his embrace, and we watched our baby crawl across the floor as if a thousand puppies were nipping at his heels. We laughed at his antics, and as he started getting sleepy, Paxton carried him to his crib and told him a bedtime story until his soothing voice lulled him to sleep.

  I sat on the edge of the mattress and watched as Paxton unbuttoned his dress shirt, exposing his chiseled abs. He knelt in front of me, his warm hands skimming up my thighs as they pushed back the hem of my skirt.

  Pushing his shirt back with the overwhelming need to touch his body, I placed my palms on his bare shoulders. His hands left me long enough to let his shirt fall to the floor before they were once again on my flesh, his thumbs rubbing arcs along my inner thighs and sending tremors of anticipation straight to my core.

  “I haven’t worked out today,” Paxton said, his voice low and gruff. “Can you think of another way for me to get some exercise?”

  I smiled, my hands still exploring his skin. “You could run around the block.”

  He pretended to contemplate my suggestion, his thumb brushing against my panties. “Mmm, I don’t think so.”

  “Cycling’s supposed to be good for you.”

  “I don’t have a bicycle.”

  I frowned. “I don’t, either.”

  “I’ve got something you can ride.”

  Clapping my hand over my mouth, I muffled a peal of laughter. “Paxton!” I exclaimed in a whispering shout.

  His fingers slid beneath the thin fabric that separated us, and my amusement turned to concentration as his touch demanded my attention.

  “Stand up,” he whispered.

  I did as he asked, and after he pulled the scrap of lacy fabric down, I stepped out of my panties.

  “Now sit back down.”

  I perched on the edge of the mattress, and he pulled my top over my head. With one hand, he unfastened my bra and freed my breasts, his palms testing their weight.

  His hand slid around to my back, pulling me closer to the edge of the bed. He spread my knees apart and folded back the fabric of my skirt. “Right there.”

  I swallowed as his gaze heated me, and a sweet ache formed between my legs.

  “Damn, you’re so pretty. Every last inch.” He kissed my inner thighs, and my breathing became more rapid as I leaned back on the bed, supporting my weight with my outstretched arms. His fingers caressed me, stoking the fire that burned from within, and instinctively, I spread my legs apart even farther.

  “That’s my sweet Jess.” I felt the heat of his tongue, and I closed my eyes and parted my lips, a shattered breath escaping. He teased and tasted, and his thumb sent delicious friction across my most sensitive area.

  I moaned, and he grasped my hips, tugging me closer still. Increasing the pressure, h
is fingers stroked me, penetrating my heat. The pleasure continued to build within me, and then it erupted, consuming me as I lay at his mercy, unable to think of anything but the sweet release he had given me.

  Once my breathing returned to normal, he stood, removing his clothing until he stood before me like a powerful god, his body perfectly sculpted.

  He took my hand and guided it until I had encircled his hard length, the power transferring to me. He gritted his teeth as I stroked him in turn. When he could take it no more, he lay on the bed and pulled me on top of him, his hands digging into my hips as he worked his way inside me.

  He groaned his approval as I worked my hips. “That feels so good.”

  I arched my back, his hands guiding my movement.

  His thrusts grew more powerful as our bodies slammed together. His jaw clenched, and with one final drive, his muscles contracted as ecstasy overtook him.

  We were both winded, and I collapsed on the bed beside him, my skirt wrapped around my waist. As we lay in each other’s arms, he caressed my breast, and I found the simple motion soothing.

  “What do you think my chances are?” he asked, as he turned toward me and propped himself up on one elbow.

  “Of what?”

  His finger trailed along the valley between my breasts. “Making love to my wife again.”

  Hearing him call me his wife was intoxicating on its own, but hearing him say he wanted to make love to me again sent shivers of anticipation down my spine.

  “I don’t know,” I teased. “It all depends on whether you can convince me.”

  He lowered his body over mine. “Oh, never doubt me, wife. I can most definitely convince you.” His tongue teased my nipple, and he drew it in his mouth.

  I threaded my fingers through his hair. “Okay,” I said softly, “you convinced me.”

  A husky chuckle escaped him as he pulled back and kissed the hollow of my throat. “That didn’t take long.” He lifted his face and looked at me, his expression serious. “I love you, Jess.”

  “I love you, too, Max.”

  “I promise you that nothing will ever separate us again.” His voice was deep and gruff, and his eyes held mine. “Because I want this. You. Our marriage. Our family.”