She couldn't do anything besides nod and cry, all the words she wanted to say backed up in her throat, so she leaned forward to join their mouths. The kiss was one of healing, reconciliation, of love. “I love you,” she murmured when she broke the kiss.
“Come home with me. Let us love each other, protect each other, bicker, fight, and entertain the hell out of each other forever.”
She stared into his golden eyes. “Forever?”
“Marry me, Cassie. Whenever you're ready.” He wiped more tears, different tears, from her cheeks. “I walked away from you once because I was hurt and angry and a judgmental asshole. I'm never walkin' away from you again unless you send me out that door.”
“I would never send you away.” She took a deep breath. “I love you, I want to marry you, I want to be mother to your children. I want everything.”
“My world, my life, my love, my future is yours.”
What amazing words. “And mine, yours.”
Epilogue
Dylan walked into the hospital behind his wife, his mind still boggled by the last few months. When he'd come to her office that Friday night, he'd promised he'd wait for her to decide when they should marry, and he had—until she'd told him about the baby. There was no way he was waiting after that, and together with Carolyn, she'd planned a wedding in weeks. God, she'd been gorgeous, her strapless dress hugging her curves, her reddish-brown hair piled on top of her head and threaded through with flowers.
He smiled to himself, watching her perfect behind in her gray suit. She'd never fit into that snug dress now, but she'd never been more beautiful. Dr. Melton estimated she'd been pregnant during her ordeal with Archer, so early in her pregnancy that being beaten so severely hadn't affected her badly, but Cassie insisted it wasn't until their moment in the hospital bed. He didn't care either way, he just wanted her to take it easy, cut back on her case load a bit. Working fifty hours a week wasn't healthy for an expectant mother, and he told her as much on a daily basis.
He knew she loved her job, loved putting away the bad guys, and he understood—he'd loved it, too. After days of answering questions pertaining to his shoot-out with Archer, he'd been offered jobs at the FBI, ATF, and Trent, McKenna & Buchanan, and with a lot of deliberation he'd chosen the latter. The flexibility of the private sector appealed to him, and he'd requested he be assigned more research, strategy, and security instead of straight bodyguard type duties. He enjoyed the work designing security systems for the rich and famous, including his new in-laws rebuilt estate.
He followed his wife toward Dr. Melton's office, spotting his brother-in-law in what looked to be a serious conversation with Haleigh Carlisle. The physical therapist had what could only be described as a dreamy look on her pretty face, seemingly enraptured by whatever Caleb was saying. He chuckled before leaning forward to whisper in Cassie's ear, “Looks like little brother has a new member of the fan club.”
She stopped walking and focused on the pair. “They look good together, don't they?”
He guessed they did. Haleigh was an attractive woman, and Caleb certainly wasn't a troll. “Sure.” He glanced at the couple again to see Caleb lean into Haleigh, placing a hand against the wall. “He'd better treat her right.”
“That's my brother you're talking about there,” Cassie laughingly warned.
Caleb was a good man, but he had a reputation as a player. He really didn't think his brother-in-law was a bad guy, but he didn't have much in the way of time, and a lot of women had tried and failed to keep his attention. “And she's the reason my arm works.”
Cassie giggled at his description of his physical therapist. “They're both adults. I'm sure they'll figure it out.”
He remembered his question to Haleigh six months ago now about the man who had hurt her, and hoped Caleb was not only ready to treat her like the special woman she was, but deal with the emotional land mines horrible men caused. He was standing there contemplating the best punishments for men who mistreated women when Cassie grabbed his elbow. “C'mon, Daddy, it's time to see who we've got in here.”
He grinned like a fool, more excited than he should be to see an ultrasound. In four months they'd have a baby, and today they would find out what color he was painting the nursery.
Live For Me
The Everetts of Tyler, Book 3
Spring, 2013
Caleb Everett tore off his scrub top, depositing it in the laundry basket. He'd spent twelve hours in the ER today, and he'd still had to prioritize, taking emergencies and pressing surgeries only. He sighed. He needed a shower, a handful of aspirin, and two fingers of bourbon. He'd buried himself in work, not allowing himself to dwell on his missing sister and the deja vu that caused from his brother's recent kidnapping, and doing what he did best—healing others. He glanced at the clock, briefly allowing himself to worry when his phone rang.
His heart beat double-time when he saw it was Dylan. “You find her?”
“We did. She and Tiffany Morgan are hurt pretty bad, but I'm afraid to bring her to you.” Dylan sounded ragged, and Caleb's mind conjured all kinds of scenarios. If Dylan was afraid to bring them to Aylesford, he expected something to go down here.
He swallowed the fear that crept up his spine and asked, “Should we evacuate?”
“Probably. Call Aylesford PD.” He blew out a slow breath and Caleb wondered what other bomb he was going to drop on him. “There are two bodyguards there I brought in to protect you. You might recognize them if you see them. I need you to stay close to them, and get out of harm's way.”
He hadn't expected that one, but it made perfect sense. Dylan was crazy about Nugget, and his sister wouldn't let him go unprotected. “Why, Superman, I might believe you care,” he remarked through a laugh.
“Nah, it's an act, but your sister would kill me if I let you get dead, so play along, okay?” Dylan joked back, downplaying the gravity of the situation.
“Aye-aye, sir.” He paused for a beat. “You said I'd know these bodyguards?”
“Yeah, you will. They were just at your brother's house.”
He thought for a second, trying to come up with names and failing miserably. Instead of naming his protectors, he just said, “Ah. You keep my sister safe, and I'll follow directions.”
He pulled on a new set of scrubs, skipping the shower, the aspirin, and woefully the bourbon as well to go speak to the hospital administrators. Trying to evacuate a hospital wasn't as crazy as it used to be considering the ever-looming threat of terrorism, but it would take a lot of logistical planning. Somehow he was always involved with everything. Aylesford Memorial was a small hospital, catering to just Ayles county, with a staff considered small by most standards, but still numbering somewhere in the hundreds. If Dylan was right and there was a bomb threat, they'd have to act fast. He decided then to enlist the help of his assigned bodyguards—if they could keep him safe, they could look after those who really needed it.
He ran from the break room and nearly toppled the new physical therapist, Haleigh Carlisle.
“Dr. Everett?” she questioned, and he wished he had time to really study the beautiful woman before him. She was flushed with embarrassment over running straight into him, and it was a look that worked for her.
“Miss Carlisle?”
“Um.... Is something wrong? You look stressed.”
You could say that. He was afraid the hospital was under attack, so stressed might be an understatement. He thought briefly of lying to her, but decided against it. “My sister was beaten and kidnapped early this morning, and now they're afraid we might be in danger here.”
Her big blue eyes went wide as the color leeched from her face. “I thought we were safe here. I thought—” her sentence cut off when she fainted.
Neighborhood Watch
An Aylesford Story
Spring/Summer 2013
Chris Delmonico sipped his afternoon beer and enjoyed his first day off in he wasn't sure how many weeks. He savored the full flavor of the da
rk beer, enjoying having nothing to do but watch the world go by. He was leaned back against his chair, reveling in the quiet around him when his eye was drawn to the porch across the street, and the lovely and clearly agitated redhead tapping a booted foot against it. Oh, and what a boot it was, black, high heeled, and molded to a very shapely calf, never mind that it was moving at a mile a minute. The rest of the woman wasn't lacking either. Her red hair was long and curly, spilling over the shoulders of a black sweater showing off more than ample curves. Her bottom half was wrapped in dark jeans, ending in those delicious boots. He watched as she checked her watch again and let out a sigh that sent her hair fluttering, and braced himself for her to turn around. If the back was as distracting as the front, he might find himself glued in his chair for the duration.
He continued to watch her tap act, finally deciding she must be waiting for a Realtor with the foot tapping and the checking of her watch every minute. When she bent to pick up the purse she'd dropped on the concrete, he felt himself stiffen in his jeans. Even from across the street, he could tell she had an ass to die for. He'd already stood up, ready to jog over and introduce himself when Jenny Parker's silver Mercedes pulled into the drive. He felt a grin overtake his face. Impatient Red might be his new neighbor before long.
~*~
Allison Quinn's schedule was as tight as her budget, and Jenny Parker running ten minutes late was not helping in the slightest. Siobhan and Conlan would be home across town in less than an hour. She was fairly certain she wanted this house, but she had to be sure before she sank all of Niall's life insurance into it. She tapped her foot, the grief that overtook her familiar. Niall Quinn had been larger than life, his stories almost always complete bullshit, but his heart had been pure. And weak. No one expected to be a widowed at thirty-four, yet here she was, little Alli Reynolds home in Aylesford again.
She loved her family, but her brother Nate was a firefighter with a crazy schedule and wasn't terribly reliable with regards to his niece and nephew. She loved that he was letting them crash there, loved that her brother had taken them in when Niall's own family had disowned them, but she couldn't impose any longer. It had been nearly six months, and it was time to strike out on her own again. She checked her watch for what seemed like the twentieth time in as many minutes and let out a long sigh. If Jenny didn't show up soon, she would have to leave. She had just turned to scoop her purse off the floor when she spotted the luxury sedan she'd been waiting for. Thank God.
About the Author
A Virginia native, Hayden Braeburn now finds herself among the bluegrass and rolling hills of Kentucky. Married to her own (former) Marine, and mother to two incredible children, she toils at a day job she actually loves, writing whenever she has a free minute. Admittedly, that makes for a long time between chapters of her Aylesford serial, SPEEDING (and she really hates to admit how long it takes to write a book) but she sincerely hopes her pieces are worth the wait. Visit her website, http://haydenbraeburn.weebly.com or find her all over the web at the links below.
Blog: http://haydenbraeburn.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @HaydenBraeburn
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Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/haydenbraeburn
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