Fall Into Place (Taking the Fall)

by Riley, Alexa

  “Wait, I want a front row seat for this.” I roll my eyes as my mom comes into the kitchen and sits down at the bar, my dad and Mama C trailing behind her.

  “Great, guess this is how it’s going down,” I mumble to myself. I shouldn’t have expected anything different. They’re always together, and this is Thanksgiving. I was hoping for a moment alone with DC.

  Mary squeezes my hand again, and I take a deep breath. “We got married.”

  “Pay up, Saint. You owe me fifty bucks.” I turn to see my mom holding out her hand and my dad slapping some cash into it.

  Mama C has her hands over her mouth, and I start to see tears run down her face. Oh shit. That means Mary is about to start crying. I look beside me, and she’s doing the same damn thing. Hand over her mouth and tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, my eyes land on Carter.

  “So you two just ran off and did it without even asking?” His voice is deep, but his tone gives nothing away.

  “DC, I love you like a father. But Mary has always been the other side of my soul. It didn’t matter if we asked or not. The outcome would’ve been the same. Everyone knew this was coming.”

  I wrap my arm around Mary, and she leans into me. Carter looks between us, and I see his hands clench into fists. Mama C walks over to him and pats him on the chest. He melts a little at her touch, and I see softness in his eyes as he looks at her. They exchange silent words, and then she turns to us.

  “We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I think we had just hoped to have been a part of it. I guess this means you’ll just have two weddings.” She gives us a big smile and walks over to us with open arms. She’s a little woman, but her arms reach around us and squeeze us tight.

  Suddenly, I feel a second set of arms come around from behind us, and I know it’s my mom.

  “Oh, Lays, we get to plan the whole thing! I can’t wait! Our babies are getting married!”

  Mary laughs with them, and I look over at Carter. If I’m not mistaken, his eyes look a little watery. After the moms release us, I step in front of him and hold out my hand. I leave it hanging there for just a second until he knocks it away and pulls me in for a hug.

  “You know it’s not you. She’s just my baby,” he says while hugging me.

  “I know. And you know she’s the most important thing to me and that I’ll always take care of her.”

  I feel him nod against me as we let go. He holds my shoulders and gives me a nod, then moves past me to hug his daughter.

  Instantly, I’m being engulfed in a bear hug, and I can’t help laughing. My dad has his arms around me and kisses me on the cheek. He’s always been unafraid to be a dork with us, so he does it every opportunity he gets.

  Leaning in close, he whispers in my ear. “Good job, Tony. I’m proud of you.” I smile at his words, happy to know that he thinks I did the right thing.

  “Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

  We all laugh at my mom’s statement. She never stops talking about food.

  Nine

  Mary

  I thought everything was fine. It was all going so easy until my new mother-in-law decided she wanted to poke. Something she’s very good at. Probably why Anthony is so laid-back like his father. They’re used to handling Jeanette, or just sitting back and letting her burn stuff down.

  “You pregnant?” she asks, making what was just a very loud table with almost the entire family around it go silent. Instantly, all eyes are on us. All the women seem excited about the idea. We’d be the first to have a baby out of all of the kids. One of Anthony's sisters is married, but they haven't had any kids yet, and all my brothers are still single. I think.

  “I…I…” I stutter over my words, my eyes darting back and forth between my mom and dad. My mom looks like she might burst with excitement, but my dad’s face is back to being hard

  again.

  “It’s a yes or no question,” my dad says with an angry edge to his voice.

  “Don’t talk to my wife in that tone,” Anthony fires back, but he remains relaxed in his chair, one hand on my back rubbing small circles.

  I expect my dad to come out of his chair and across the table, but I see him fight a smirk.

  “Both of you shut up and let her speak!” My mom slaps my dad on the chest, making him rub the spot. It’s like he thinks we got married but still aren't sleeping together. He’s lucky I was with a guy who held out. I’m sure if it had been anyone else but Anthony, they would’ve taken what I’d been offering in a heartbeat and not made me wait.

  “Well?” My mom’s sitting on the edge of her chair like she’s about to shoot out of it.

  “We don’t know yet. I guess I could be.”

  “I fucking hope so,” Anthony says, following my words.

  His words make my mom shoot up and squeal, “We have to get everything planned for the wedding now!”

  My dad grabs her by the waist, pulling her into his lap. “Settle down and finish your dinner, Cherry. You worked so hard making it.”

  “Who cares about dinner? We have weddings and babies and so much to do!” She wiggles around on my dad’s lap, trying to get free, but he just tightens his hold.

  “Cherry, if you don’t stop wiggling on my lap like that, I’m going to take you upstairs and work some of this excitement out of you.”

  My mom blushes, turning to wrap her hand around my dad’s neck.

  “I’m out!” One of my brothers stands up, leaving the dining room table. Most everyone follows after that, because we all know my mom and dad are about to go into can’t-keep-their-hands-off-each-other mode. As much as I think it’s cute and hope I still have that after being married for over twenty-five years, I don’t want to see it.

  Anthony and I follow suit, thinking about trying to slip out unnoticed and wanting to spend the weekend with just the two of us before I have to go back to classes. I’m more than happy spending our honeymoon in our bed at home. We’d be spending it in a bed if we were anywhere else in the world, so to me it doesn’t matter where that bed is.

  “I need a word,” Saint says, stopping us at the door.

  “Can this wait, Dad? I really just want to get home and enjoy my wife before the moms start beating us down with wedding magazines and baby shower ideas.”

  “Viktor Kozar.” Saint says the name, ignoring Anthony’s words. A serious look crosses his normally relaxed face, and it makes me grab Anthony’s arm.

  I hear him take in a deep breath. “I knew the last name Kozar sounded familiar. I just couldn’t place it. Is he related to Nika Kozar?”

  “She’s his daughter.”

  “Fucking shit. You’re kidding me.” Both Saint and Anthony rub their hands through their hair in an eerily similar way. It’s what they both do when something is bothering them.

  “Who’s Viktor Kozar?” I ask, not understanding the problem.

  “Someone you don’t fuck with, that’s who.”

  “Dad, I know you helped him all those years ago. Let’s just sit down and talk to him. I’m sure his daughter is fine. She’s with Sam.”

  “With Sam?” Saint’s eyebrows rise like he can’t believe what Anthony is saying.

  “The girl Sam’s ‘holding’ is Viktor Kozar’s daughter?” I make air quotes around ‘holding’ because I’m still not sure what Sam’s doing with her. Hell, I don’t even think he knows what he’s doing with her.

  A look of shock crosses Saint’s face.

  “Did you say Sam is holding Viktor’s daughter?” Jeanette’s shocked voice chimes in as she comes to stand next to Saint.

  “Against her will.” A feminine voice with a slight Russian accent has us all turning to the front door. Sam is standing there with a beautiful girl, and the girl yanks at her hand, showing she’s cuffed to him.

  “Kitten, knock that off or you’re going to bruise your wrist.”

  “Stop calling me that, you zalupa.”

  “Fine, I’ll going back to calling you ‘wife.’”


  She lets out a strings or words I don’t understand, and we all look on in shock.

  “Congratulations, Samuel. You just married the daughter of one of the best hitmen to ever come out of Russia.” Saint says this with a cold bite to his words, one I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use before.

  “Retired,” Nika chimes in, like Saint saying her father was a hitman was no big deal. “But if you let me go, he’ll never have to know I was ever here.”

  “No,” both Saint and Sam say at the same time.

  “He’s probably already here.”

  Ten

  Anthony

  “And on that happy note, we’re out of here.” I grab Mary's hand and pull her out the front door.

  “Wait, Tony. I wanted to talk about the baby!” I hear my mom yelling as we leave, but they’ve got bigger problems. If Viktor is on his way, then I want Mary as far away from them as possible. I have no doubts that between my dad, DC and Samuel they can handle the problem.

  Pulling Mary behind me, we get in the truck and head back to the apartment. Once we get back home, I take her hand and lead her back to our bedroom.

  “I want a quiet night with just the two of us.” I hold her to me, kissing her lips softly. “It’s Thanksgiving, and we have a lot to be thankful for.”

  She smiles at me and tugs on my thermal shirt, helping me take it off. “I’m thankful my husband is so sexy, I can’t keep my hands off him.”

  I feel myself blush a little at her compliment. It’s not that she doesn’t tell me all the time how much she wants me, but it makes me shy to hear it.

  Reaching down, she unbuttons my jeans as I kick off my boots. “I’m thankful my husband has such a big cock that’s always hard and ready to fuck me.”

  I grab her hips and lift her up, taking her to bed and laying her back. I’m on top of her before her next words come out of her mouth, her dirty talk turning me on. I pull at her clothes, getting her naked, and I can hear little giggles come from her as I move faster.

  “You can’t say that kind of stuff to me and not expect me to act on it. Be careful what you say, princess.”

  I pull her panties to the side, not bothering to take them off, and latch my mouth onto her pussy. She’s hot and wet and starts grinding against my face at the first swipe of my tongue across her clit.

  “Anthony, I’m so turned on. I need you.”

  I drink up her sweetness, tasting her desire. “Take what you want, baby. I’ll give you everything.”

  She grabs my hair, holding my face closer to her core. After just a few licks in the right place, she’s tensing up and letting out her release. Her orgasm is fast, and I’m glad because I’m ready to be inside her. Maybe it’s all the years of denial, but there’s an urgency to our lovemaking. I have the need to be inside her all the time, and it seems as if her need is just as strong.

  I line up my cock and thrust inside her, licking my lips. I love having her flavor on my face while we make love. It’s the most exquisite feeling in the world. Leaning down, I take her mouth, and her nails scrape across my back.

  She has a primal need that’s as strong as my own, and I give her all that she’s silently begging for. It’s as if our souls are trying to connect when I’m inside her. Nothing’s ever felt more sublime in my life.

  “Harder, baby. Harder.”

  I thrust harder, going deep inside her tight body. She fits me so perfectly because her pussy has known only me. Her body is molded to my cock and takes it so easily. Her inside walls clench with my every stroke, begging me to stay there.

  “I’m close, princess. I’m gonna cum and then take you over to the dresser and fuck you on that. I want to stay inside you all day.”

  She moans at my dirty words, and clenches again. Reaching between us, I rub her clit and give it a little pinch. Her back bows off the bed, her arms reaching for the headboard. She grips it tightly as I send her over the edge, letting myself go with her. My warm cum fills her womb, and I keep thrusting. I pump through both of our orgasms, not stopping when she tells me to.

  “I said all day, princess.”

  Picking up her limp body, I carry her over to the dresser, not breaking our connection. I sit her ass on the edge and pull her legs around my hips.

  “Hold on to me, baby. I want it hard and deep.” I thrust into her as she leans back on the dresser, bracing herself, and tightens her thighs around my waist.

  I lean down, sucking one of her hard nipples into my mouth and licking her over and over. The feeling of her soft skin in my mouth and her wet heat squeezing my cock is enough to have me going blind with ecstasy.

  I feel one of her hands come up and grip my hair, holding me tighter to her breast. “Oh God, Anthony, it’s too much.”

  Breaking my suction on her nipple, I lick up her neck and bite her earlobe. “It’s exactly what it should be, princess.” I kiss along her jaw, and before I take her lips, I whisper against them. “It’s everything.”

  Epilogue

  Anthony

  8 months later…

  “Baby, I can’t see a thing. I’m starting to get scared.”

  “Do you trust me, Mary?” I squeeze her hands and lead her forward another step.

  “Don’t ask stupid questions, Anthony. You know I do.”

  “Then take four more steps forward, then you can take the blindfold off.”

  I steady her body as she slowly takes the four steps. Her body is so tiny, and her pregnancy is all belly. She’s going to fall forward if I don’t help her inside the house.

  Once she’s inside the entrance, I go around her and shut the door. After I close it, I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her belly.

  “So you know how I’ve been super busy the past few months, and you keep getting on my case about getting the baby’s room ready, and I told you I had it covered?”

  “Yeah,” she says skeptically.

  “Well, I’ve kind of been working on it. And now I want to show it to you.”

  “Anthony, we just left our apartment. Did you drive around and bring me back there? Because I think I would have noticed if you put a nursery in.”

  “Not quite, princess.” Reaching up, I take off the blindfold and stand back, letting her take it all in.

  “Holy. Shit!” She shouts the last word excitedly and puts her hands over her mouth.

  After Thanksgiving I bought Mary the house she’d been coveting since the day it went on the market. I’ve spent the past eight months having it completely renovated to look like all her Pinterest board posts. I did a lot of work myself with the help of my brothers-in-law and dads. We all worked long hours, but everybody knew this was for Mary and the first grandbaby, so nobody complained. They all pitched in, and even the moms got to help decorate.

  Mary is a simple woman who doesn’t ask for a lot. So when I saw she had a dream of what our perfect home should be, I gave it to her. I want to make her every dream come true because she deserves it. There’s no one on this planet who is more beautiful and more devoted. She’s my everything.

  “How? When?”

  She turns to me with tears running down her face, and I scoop her up in my arms, carrying her through the house. I show her all the little features she wanted and all the furniture she picked out without ever having to move it. I show her the baby’s room, which is complete and just waiting on the little one to fill it. She sees the whole house while I carry her like a bride, and I love the feeling of her and our baby in my arms.

  When we finish with the tour inside, I take her out back to where everyone is waiting. They’re all on the back patio and yell, “Surprise!” when we walk out. I still don’t put her down, opting to go sit on one of the outdoor chairs by the pool, and hold her close to me. Everyone comes over and loves on us, and I can see how truly happy Mary is.

  After a little while when some of the excitement has wound down, she turns to me and rests her palm on my cheek.

  “Can we stay here tonight, Anthony?”


  “This is our home, Mary. We are going to stay here for the rest of our lives.”

  “Thank you for making my dreams come true.” She leans in and touches her forehead to mine.

  “Thank you for being my best friend, my wife, and the mother of our babies.”

  “Babies?” Cherry says as she walks over to us slowly. “Did you say babies?” my mother-in-law shrieks, the echo bouncing around the backyard. The family rushes over to us and all burst into loud noises, most of which I can’t make out.

  “So much for keeping that secret,” Mary says, rolling her eyes.

  “They were bound to find out soon enough,” I laugh as Mary is engulfed in hugs and kisses, with everyone talking about two babies to love. “I guess I can bring all the extra baby stuff I bought down from the attic. They thought I was just being cautious when I was buying two of everything.”

  After Samuel gives her one last hug, I pull her to me again and resume rubbing her back. She sighs against me and leans over to kiss my neck. “How long before we can get them all out of here? I’m ready to break in that new bed.”

  Picking Mary up in my lap, I turn towards the house and go to walk inside. Turning back to the crowd, I yell, “Party’s over, get out.”

  Mary laughs and waves as I take her inside to our bedroom. I kick the door shut behind us and lock it, taking her to the bed and laying her down.

  “Let’s see if those hidden mattress cuffs you pinned are any good.”

  Her face turns as red as her hair as I lean down and start kissing her body. Her giggles turn to moans as I make love to my wife, my soul mate, my world.

  Part Two

  Samuel and Nika

  Chapter 1

  Nika