by Tiffani Lynn
The scariest part of it all is that he had a ton of information pulled up from the Internet on how to dispose of a body without leaving a trace, which is what he had planned for me. Malachi really thought if he got rid of me, she’d fall madly in love with him and they’d live happily ever after. The guy is nuts, but we no longer have to worry about him.
While I was preoccupied with Malachi during my 18 hours of captivity, internal affairs cleared me. I was surprised that it didn’t take weeks, because it usually does. Amber came clean as soon as they put a little pressure on her and told them that Mari didn’t know the drugs were in the suitcase and was only there to help her move her personal belongings out. Because the information matched the evidence, they dropped the charges against her and in turn dropped any issues they had with me. I got lucky. Other guys have lost their jobs over less.
Almost a week after Mari walked away, a week of hell for me, I’m ready to face her once I collect this one last thing. I’ve called in every favor and pulled every string I could think of, and I’m standing by the evidence office waiting for my boss to release what I came for. This little piece is the only thing that may help me win her back.
Judson says she’s been at work every day busting her ass but has been very quiet. That’s not like her at all. He and Quinn were worried when they came to me about it, until I told them my plan. Nervous little butterflies make my stomach their home as my boss turns the little ziplock bag over to me.
“Dexter, they processed it and took all the pictures they need. Try not to lose it in case something comes up. I hope this helps.”
I smile as I dump the locket out into my hand, turning it over. I haven’t seen it in person in 12 years. In fact, I never thought I’d see it again. My grandmother was a beautiful woman with a heart of gold and when she passed away my heart broke. This is the only remembrance of her I have and I’m glad I gave it to Mari all those years ago. She’s the only one my grandmother would have found lovely and genuine enough to own it after her.
I open it to see whose face she put in there. If there is a man’s picture in there, I may have to remove it and pretend it wasn’t there when I got it. My fat fingers fumble to get it open and a tiny piece of yellowed, folded up paper pops out and falls to the floor. There are no pictures inside so I bend down to pick up the paper. When I finally unfold it, I find the name Jase written in feminine cursive handwriting. I’m absolutely dumbfounded as I realize how many years she carried my name in her heart. The scrawny young man who saved her once and held her twice is who she chose to place in her most prized possession. My phone buzzes in my pocket so I shove the paper back in the locket along with another little surprise and close it before I place it in my pocket. The phone number belongs to Judson.
“Hey man!”
“Dex, you need to meet me at Colorado Springs Regional. Marina passed out and it took a little bit to get her to come around, so I threw her in the truck and rushed her to the hospital. I’m not sure what’s going on but I think you need to be here.”
“On my way.” I hang up and hustle to my car. If something happens to her before I can tell her how I feel, I’ll never forgive myself. I should have sped this process up or showed up sooner to beg for her forgiveness.
I bust through the doors of the E.R. to find Judson waiting for me. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s awake and seems okay. They’re running some tests but I think she’s just tired. She told the doctor she hasn’t been sleeping well. She wanted to leave and was a little pissed that I brought her since she doesn’t have health insurance, but I wasn’t taking a chance. Come on, man, I’ll take you back.”
When Judson pulls the curtain back, Mari’s tired eyes glance up and meet mine. God, she’s beautiful even with the dark rings around her eyes and the wild hair that still has pieces of hay sticking out of it, I’m guessing from where she landed in the barn.
“What are you doing here, Dex?” She looks confused. “Aren’t you supposed to be working? You’re not in uniform.”
“I was coming to you. I took the day off. I was finishing my last task when Judson called to tell me you were here.”
“He didn’t need to, I’m fine. I don’t want anyone making a big deal out of this. We all know I don’t sleep well.”
“Judson.” I look over at him. “Can you give us a few minutes, please?”
He glances between us and finally says, “Sure. I’ll be in the waiting room.”
Once he’s gone I move over to the side of the bed and lower the rail. Her eyebrows are drawn together in confusion, but I make room and sit on the edge of the bed by her hip. Before I begin, I tug a piece of hay out of the top of her hair and smooth the remaining strands down.
“Mari, you were right the other night with what you said. You deserve someone who knows your heart, understands your mind, and respects your loyalty. You need someone who finds you beautiful full of tattoos and piercings and crazy hair colors. You deserve someone who will always love you and protect you and support you.
“I was just too damn stubborn and stuck on ‘normal’ to know that guy was me all along. I get you. I understand why you do the things you do and I love that about you. I never had loyalty like yours from any woman, so I didn’t know what it looked like. I love you, Mari, like I never thought I could love someone. I need you to make me a better person. I need you to love me and hold me and soften me up. I’ve been so used to handling things on my own that I didn’t see how badly I needed all of that until you came along and showed me. I shouldn’t have let you walk away the other night, but I needed to make sure I was doing this for the right reasons.”
“Dex—”
“No more Dex. I hate when you call me that. You’re the only person who knew me as Jase. The only person who knows where I came from and what makes me who I am. Jase is the man you held in your heart, not the man you hold at arm’s length.”
I readjust and pull the locket out of my pocket and dangle it in front of her.
Startled, she jerks a little and flicks her eyes back to me. “Is that…?”
I nod. “Open the locket Mari.”
“I know what’s in there, unless that crazy guy dumped it.”
“So you knew it was still in there?”
“Your name?”
I nod.
“Yes, I kept it there on purpose.”
“Open it, Mari.”
A gasp invades the quiet of our little area as she pops the locket open. I’m studying the expression on her face as she discovers what’s inside.
“Jase, is this…?” When her eyes meet mine again they have tears in them.
“Marry me, Mari. Let me love you, respect you, and bail you out of jail when you end up there. Let me show you what it’s like to have a family that loves you and you can show me the same in return. We haven’t really had that apart but together we can build something strong. We can make our own family and give them everything we never had. I never wanted that before you.”
As her hand shakes, the paper and the ring fall from the locket on to her shirt. I rescue them from the covers and take her left hand in mine. “Will you marry me, Marina Elena Rossi?”
She rubs her bottom lip with her teeth for a split second before she nods and smiles. I can’t help my sigh of relief. She grabs my face with both hands and pulls me in for a kiss that’s more appropriate for being at home than in an emergency room bed. I pull away but rest my forehead against hers.
“Mari, I love you.”
Before she can reply, a short, roundish Asian man with silver-rimmed glasses and dark hair steps into the area, pulling the curtain closed behind him. He’s flipping through some paperwork in his hand when he says, “Ms. Rossi, I’d like to review a few things.” He looks to me and asks, “Can you step out for a few minutes, sir?”
“No, I’m not going anywhere. Especially when it concerns her health.”
“That’s her call, sir.” He glances to Mari.
“He can stay.”<
br />
“How are you feeling?” he asks as he flips another page of printed data.
“Better. I haven’t been sleeping so I think I just overexerted myself. I’ll be okay.”
“Well, it’s going to be very important that you get your rest, Ms. Rossi, because you are resting for two. Your blood work indicates that you’re pregnant. According to the nurse’s notes, you don’t recall when your last period was so you’ll need an ultrasound and a pelvic exam to determine how far along you are, but getting the right amount of sleep and good nutrition is very important now.”
This time when all the breath leaves my body, it’s for a whole different reason. He wouldn’t have shocked me more if he had said she had some horrible disease.
“Mari…” The timing couldn’t be more perfect. “You’re gonna have our baby.” This time it’s me who loses it. I couldn’t have stopped the tears if I tried. Leaning down, I kiss her stomach through her clothes, not caring who’s around for this, not caring how out of control I feel. The only thing that matters to me is in this bed and I’m going to make sure they both know it.
“Doctor, can you give us a few minutes, please? Just five.” I hear her ask him right before the curtain moves and she says to me, “Jase. Are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s what you want?” Her fingers run over my short hair and I lift my head. I hate that I’ve made her doubt me.
“It’s the only thing I want. I just finished telling you that I want to build a family with you. I almost can’t breathe. I’ve never gotten what I wanted before. Not one thing and this time I get it all. How did I get so lucky?” I lower my head back to her belly again but I pull her hospital gown out of the way to place a kiss below her belly button. Her fingers run through my hair and when I lift my head, I see she joined me in the festival of tears. Damn, I love this woman.
“Mari, I have to take back what I said, though.”
“What?” her voice breaks a little.
“You can’t get arrested. At least not while you’re pregnant. I’ll kill a man if they put cuffs on you while you’re pregnant.”
Loud, hysterical laughter spills from her and I can’t help but smile.
“I promise not to take any chances while I’m pregnant.”
I laugh this time and lean in to consume her with a kiss. In the middle of the make out session, the doctor comes back in and clears his throat. We separate and grin at each other.
“Alright Ms. Rossi, I’ve written you a prescription for prenatal vitamins and I am referring you to an OB-GYN. You need to be under the care of a doctor and they can do the necessary exams to find out how far along you are. I’ll send the nurse in to remove your IV and give you discharge paperwork. You need to take it easy—at least until you see an OB and they clear you to return to work, and,” he looks to me, “make sure she gets some sleep, please.”
“Yes, Doc. I can do that. Thank you.” He nods and slips back through the opening in the curtain.
After the nurse gets us situated with the discharge paperwork and removes the IV, I help Mari out of bed and attach the necklace around her neck. She fingers it with a little grin playing on her lips and then I lead her out of there. I thank Judson and take her back to my place.
After dinner and some together time in the shower, I take her to bed with nothing but her new engagement ring on her body. Taking my time to trace every line and curve of her tattoos, I tell her all the things I never thought I’d tell anyone. All the things that roam around in my head but I never give voice to because I never thought there would be a person who’d really want to know. No one ever did when I was growing up, not after my grandma passed away.
“When we name our baby, I want to name it something with a strong, important meaning. Not just some trendy name that every kid in the same first grade class will have.”
Mari’s fingers glide across my hair and down to my cheek where she urges me to look at her. “You’re already thinking of what we will name it?”
“Well…yeah. Aren’t you?”
“Not yet. I’m still trying to get used to the idea that I’m going to be as big as a house soon. You’re not going to like me when I’m big and fat, waddling along like a freaking penguin.” The wrinkles in her forehead prompt me to crawl up closer so our lips touch when I tell her this.
“You are the mother of our baby and the beginning link in our family. Don’t you know how precious that is to me? You could gain 400 pounds and I’d still think you were beautiful. You might have to give up a few piercings for a little while but nothing you do, short of leaving our family, will ever stop me from loving you and this baby.”
“It’s so weird how excited you are. I’ve never seen you excited before about anything and it’s kind of freaking me out. I’m used to the too-cool-for-the-rest-of-us Jasen Dexter. The guy whose feathers never get ruffled. I’m surprised you haven’t called Leslie and Quinn yet.”
“I want to wait until we see the doctor and get a due date. I know those women are going to have a hundred questions and I want to be able to answer some.”
“I love you, Jase.”
“I love you, too. Now give me a kiss so we can get some sleep. I’m getting you in to a doctor tomorrow so it might be a long day.” Her giggle is music to my ears.
The next morning I’m up early fixing her breakfast and getting ready for the day. I didn’t tell Mari but Quinn is good friends with her obstetrician, Dr. O’Doyle, and I helped the doctor out of a speeding ticket while Quinn was on maternity leave. I texted her this morning and was able to get Mari an appointment at 8:30, before regular office hours. She said she was booked all day but could squeeze us in early, so I jumped on it.
Chapter Eighteen
Dex
I’m giving Dr. O’Doyle the stink eye as she holds the ultrasound wand in her hand. She just explained that she’ll be inserting that into the vagina for this procedure.
“What happened to the ones that go on the belly? I see those on TV all the time.”
Both women laugh at me before the doctor continues. “Dex, we don’t know how far along she is and if it’s really early, this will allow us to see things in there more clearly.”
The doctor takes her time clicking and moving the mouse for the computer screen and the inserted wand. Trying to see anything on the screen is weird so I keep tilting my head and squinting.
“Dex, why don’t you pull up a chair near the bed and sit down.”
At the same time Mari and I both blurt, “Why?”
Dr. O’Doyle’s smile is genuine when she says, “Just trust me, guys.”
I grumble as I follow her instructions. What if there is no pregnancy? What if the doctor at the hospital was wrong?
“Settle down, Jase,” Mari says, squeezing my hand. Who knew that she’d be the calm one of the two of us?
“Okay, you two,” the doctor says as she turns the screen so we can see. Then she hits a switch and a bizarre whooshing sound fills the silence of the little room.
“What the hell is that sound?” I ask, a little freaked out.
“That is the sound of your babies’ heartbeats.” Before I can register all of what she said, she points at the screen with her finger and draws imaginary circles around two little spots that are fluttering like crazy. It’s clear that the fluttering matches the sound we’re hearing and I’m mesmerized. That’s my kid in there, with a heartbeat, and I have no idea what else because I can’t tell what any of that is. I squint to see it better and Mari asks, “Did you say babies? Like with an s, plural?”
Wait, what? My eyes jump to the doctor. Oh, my God. She did say babies and drew two circles. Holy shit! Two babies. The doctor removes the wand and clicks a few more buttons on the computer.
“Jase?” Mari’s voice calls to me, soft and hesitantly. When I look back at her, it’s apparent that she’s scared.
I can’t help the big, fucking, pussy tears that fill my eyes. Her eyebrows hit her hairline as she swallows hard. I hate the fear I see in her e
yes. Standing abruptly, the chair flips backward, making a loud clanging sound and both women jump. I take her face in my hands gently and move in close so she can feel my lips. “You know how happy I was last night?” She nods a little. “Double that.” The tears roll down my cheeks, all kinds of unmanly, but I don’t care. I think I’ve cried more in the months since she’s been back in my life than all the years before this combined. “Don’t be scared, honey. We’ve got this. Together. You and me.” The trembling of her lips can be felt against mine so I press mine against hers and hold. When I pull away and smile at her, she smiles too through the tears on her face. When I glance over at the doctor, I find her smiling bigger than both of us. “I love my job!” she tells us.
“By the way, you’re measuring at almost nine weeks. Let me print the images I took so you can take them with you and then I can give you a due date.” Fifteen minutes later, Mari is dressed and we’re on our way to the ranch. We’re both dying to tell someone so we decided on the Rivers. She’s already called Dee and asked her and Reggie to come to our place for dinner.
Two months later, the night before Mari and I are getting married, she’s staying with Quinn, Dee, Leslie and Sky at the ranch. Carlo, Judson, Joe and Rushton are staying with me at the apartment for the bachelor party, which basically consists of us going to the local wing joint, eating until we all feel sick, and watching the baseball game until we have to go to the airport. Mari’s wedding gift is coming in on the 7:15 flight from Dallas. We’re all standing by baggage claim when a woman, the spitting image of Mari, minus the hair color, tattoos and piercings, comes strolling into the area glancing around, likely looking for us. I step aside, away from the little crowd gathered in front of us and wait for her to spot me. It’s weird looking at the clean-cut version of Mari. From the moment I saw Mari again, until a couple of months ago, I thought I would like this version better. Rosanna’s beautiful, I’ll give her that, but she doesn’t have the flare and spice that my Mari does. Once she sees me, she must know right away because she dumps her stuff on the floor and runs for me. When she throws herself in my arms she’s blubbering and the only thing I can make out is “my baby sister” and “you found”. Carlo and Rushton gather her belongings and we usher her to the car. I want to get her to the ranch before Mari falls asleep. She falls asleep early these days, not long after dinner, but the doctor says it’s normal so I try to go with the flow.