by Ally Prince
“By myself.” I was nodding, perhaps trying to convince myself I could do this.
“Not entirely… Nick will be there for you. Rayner is on your side, too.” Rayner hated drugs and my dad dealt with people who did drugs, so it was a given the guy was wary of the mayor.
“I got this.” I stood from the stool and thanked Harry before grabbing the laptop and heading out.
“Just open the file on the home screen, it’s called ‘Mayor.’” I snorted, and he laughed. Of course, it was. “Just play it, you don’t have to watch it, chick. It’s not pretty. We have it backed up, so it’s not the only copy in case he thinks he can get one over you.” Harry waved a memory stick at me, and I nodded and thanked him.
I made my way out to the parking lot and tried to prepare myself for what was to come. I knew one thing for sure, I would save Nick from ever having to deal with that man again. I could do that for him.
Nick
Sheriff Rayner looked bored as hell, he was huffing every fucking twenty-seconds. Deputy Collins kept shooting me glares as if I had somehow displeased him. Like I gave a fuck. The mayor sat there staring at the newspaper shaking his head every now and then. This was all such bullshit, and the sheriff knew it as much as I did.
I was about to stand and get violent because this metal seat was hard, and I was fucking pissed when Kayla walked through the front door of the station. Her legs looking really long in her tight jeans, those boots were going to come back out later because I wanted to see what she looked like just in them. Her pale hair was tied up and her face looked fresh. Fucking stunning.
I caught the sheriff’s smile and her father’s glare.
She stopped at the counter and briefly caught my eyes. I smiled, but I had no idea what she was up to.
“What can I help you with?” Sheriff Rayner stood and moved to the counter. The Police Station was small, the counter had an opening at one end and there were four desks scattered behind, where we were. The door to the left led to the night cells, I think there was three. I may have ended up in one many years ago for drunken behavior, the sheriff made me sleep it off. There was also a small interview room, but that was about it. If I were really in the shit, I would have already been on my way into Austin.
“I’d like to…” She was nervous as hell, her eyes found mine. I tried to show her reassurance, but I wasn’t sure she got it because my Kitten blushed. Instead, I nearly groaned out loud. “I have some evidence that I think needs to be shown. I think it would be in the mayor’s best interest to drop the charges against the accused.” She sat a laptop on top of the counter looking shaky as all hell.
“Evidence you say.” The sheriff was all over that.
“Well, now, does it prove Nick didn’t steal my car?” her father asked, getting to his feet. “Because if it doesn’t, it’s not admissible.” He stood tall, adjusting his pants over his fat stomach, trying his hardest to make her seem small. I wanted to hit that man so bad.
“I think once we sit and watch it you will retract your charges.” Her words didn’t even wobble this time.
“Or what?” The fat fucker laughed, looking to Deputy Collins for back up and that prick chuckled.
“Or, I send it to every newspaper, I broadcast it on social media and I end your career today.” She slammed a fist on the counter for a little added oomph. Fuck, yeah. Her father gawked shaking his head.
“I think we should check it out,” Sheriff reasoned.
“What for?” Fat guy replied.
“It shows an assault at the hands of Mayor Jonathan Nigel Summer.”
Her father stopped and stared at her hard. “You don’t have shit.” His hands were sweating now, and I could see it beading on his shiny forehead. This fucker was guilty.
“I will be the judge of that,” Sheriff stated. “Summer, want to call your lawyer?” he threw over his shoulder to the mayor before reaching for the laptop.
“I doubt that’s necessary.”
Kayla folded her arms over her chest and narrowed those pretty blues on her father. I sat back and enjoyed the show.
The sheriff opened the laptop and Kayla directed him. It wasn’t long before I could see the picture on the screen, it was hard to see from my angle, but I caught a car and a four-wheeler pulling up. The fat fucker was hard to miss. He leaned against his car for what seemed like forever before the guy got off the four-wheeler moving to talk to him. They chatted, money exchanged hands, you could legit see that. I smiled when the mayor tried to speak, and the sheriff held up his hand. But it was the following minutes when a woman came on screen, a pregnant woman and the bastard pushed her, hard.
“You motherfucking coward.” I was on my feet before I even thought about it. Deputy Collins fell from his chair as he tried to get up and the sheriff did nothing. I grabbed the fat man by the collar and punched him fair in the face. “You ever lay a fucking hand on my woman again I will end you,” I growled before dropping him.
“Hear that, he threatened me.”
“What was that, Summer, I can’t hear you?” the sheriff mocked. Summer held his face and huffed loudly. I hoped like hell he was wondering what the food was like behind bars because that’s where he needed to be.
“What do you think, Dad?” Kayla grimaced at the last word. “Can Nick go now?”
“I’ll drop the charges.” He began to move toward the door, but Sheriff Rayner had other ideas.
“Hold up a minute there, Mr. Summer.” I sat back down in the chair I’d been in previously and rubbed my hands together. “I believe you are under investigation for assault. Kayla would you like to add to that.”
My girl nodded and fuck if I wasn’t proud as punch.
Summer protested the whole way to the interview room, Collins sulked in the corner.
“Guess you can kiss your bribe goodbye.”
“Fuck you, Fairchild, you know shit.”
“I know you are linked to dirty money, and this is just the beginning. The mayor is knee deep in shit, things are about to get serious, so I would look at where your loyalty lies because I’m pretty certain it’s on the wrong side.”
“Wrong side of whom?”
“The whole fucking town,” I snapped at him as he walked toward the interview room.
I waited for silence before my eyes found Kitten, she was slowly walking around the counter toward me.
“What can I do for you, Kitten?” I smirked up at her lounging back in my seat. She placed herself on my lap wrapping one arm around my shoulders.
“Take me home.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Oh, but she did.
“Kayla you saved me, even though it would have eventually been thrown out. You went against your blood for me. I didn’t get a chance to rescue you.” She was saving me. How wrong was that?
“You did save me, Nick. You taught me that I was worthy and that I deserved more, so I went looking.”
“Did you find it?” My throat became dry, her blue eyes shining down at me, a lightness there that wasn’t before.
“I think I wrangled me a keeper. A keeper I love dearly.” Her soft lips landed on mine, the kiss said everything we couldn’t express.
“I love you more, Kitten.” I loved the fuck out of this woman and I would for the rest of my life. “Now, let’s go home and celebrate before we fix that fence. Yeah?”
Her laugh was everything, everything I ever needed in my life.
Epilogue
Kayla
Six years later…
I walked into the house, tears streaming.
“What happened?” Nick rushed toward me, but I shrugged feeling defeated and alone.
“My baby is at school.” I might have whaled it a little more dramatically than necessary, but he got the picture.
Nick and I got pregnant a few months after we started dating. Things moved quickly for us. Megan came along, and she was perfect. I still invested time in the ranch and I had my own shop in town since
my furniture had grown bigger than the space available in Harry’s little shed. We decided on one child, our friends begged us not to do that to the poor kid, but it felt right. Nick was happy with just us, I was happy with just them. I didn’t need a brood to show my love to, I loved that I still got a decent amount of Nick’s attention and affection. Maybe I was selfish, but so be it. Nick never once mentioned needing a boy to take over the ranch. As it turned out my brother took a huge liking to agriculture and was set to start work on the ranch very soon. He would still be going to college though, that was Nick’s one condition.
“Ah, Kitten.” He wrapped me in his strong arms his scent calming me. “It just means we can go back to having sex at lunchtime with no-one around to catch us.” We both laughed. My need for Nick never waned, and I hoped it never would.
My cell rang, and I rushed to grab it. “Might be the school.” I knew it wouldn’t be, but you just never knew. Maybe the smile Megan gave as she walked up the front steps in Wimberley was a fake one and she was lost without her mother, she couldn’t possibly last the day. Fuck, I sounded desperate.
Lucy Anderson’s name flashed on the screen.
“I’ll pick you up for lunch because if you’re anything like me you’re a wreck right now.” I cried loudly at her words, and she laughed in my ear. “Kayla, you’ll be fine. Megan will be fine, too. John is there to take care of her.” Our kids were about the same age. Her eldest only four months older than Megan. “Penny’s already got a sitter, so you can’t say no.”
I mumbled an, “Okay,” and, “Thank you,” before ending the call.
“Do you want another one?” I glanced up at Nick he was frowning and the look on his face was one I didn’t see often. He was always confident and cocky but not now.
“What?” My heart stalled.
“Another baby, I can give you one if that’s what you need, Kitten.” I’d be thirty this year and Nick would be forty-two soon. Were we too old? I looked up at my handsome husband who I married nine weeks after meeting him, how fucking crazy was that. I loved what we had, but if he wanted more I would not deny him.
“Do you want more?”
We both stared at each other, I watched his Adam’s apple bob. What if he did?
“Kitten, I’m too old. When they turn eighteen, I’ll be sixty. But if you want one I will give you one and I will love that child with everything I have.” I never doubted that Nick loved fiercely.
“I love what we have. It works. I don’t need a baby, Nick. I just need a few days to get used to the idea that my baby is heading off into the world. But it will be a pleasure to watch her grow with you.” He kissed me. It was long and deep, his hands bracing my face and it wasn’t long before he pushed his cock into my stomach letting me know I still affected him.
“Got time for me to show you something before you head out.”
“She’s at school you don’t need to use kid talk now.” I laughed as he dragged me behind him. We had gotten good at saying, “Daddy needs Mommy’s help with something, give us ten minutes.” Megan wasn’t fussed at all.
“Come with me, Kitten, so I can fuck you hard and you can scream.” I may have gawked at my husband’s back, but I was all for it. Anything this man gave me I would willingly take.
Life had taken a whole new meaning when I met this gentle soul, and I couldn’t be happier with how life had turned out. I loved Nick with everything I had and that was the most important thing to me.
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Also Available from Ally Prince
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As Mason works hard to consume Penny's every moment, it becomes clear that she is hiding something deeper than just her feelings for Mason. When unexplained events cause Penny to face her biggest regret, the strain of their time apart threatens to unravel everything Mason has ever wanted.
But will Penny’s secret be too much for Mason to handle or will he be able to convince her that he’s been the guy for her all along?