Guard

by Charity Parkerson

  Even though Cal wasn’t smiling, there was laughter in his eyes. There was something else she couldn’t name as well. “You ran away.”

  “You said you needed time to think,” Mara shot back.

  “It was like an hour and then I was calling myself a dumbass for leaving.”

  The invisible weight sitting on Mara’s chest increased. “You didn’t come back.”

  Cal’s gorgeous smile appeared. “Well, then, for about another week, I decided you deserved better than a dumbass.”

  Mara wanted to run into his arms, but she was scared. “What happened after a week?”

  “It turns out even dumbasses have people they can’t live without. You’re my person. I know you deserve better, but I’m the one who loves you the most.”

  “I’m pregnant.” God help her, the words fell from her lips with no insight from her brain. She just couldn’t let him say another word without knowing the whole of it.

  Cal’s chest expanded as he took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with tears. “Every time I think you can’t give me more, you do.” Cal’s voice broke on the final word and Mara lost the battle against her tears. He still hadn’t moved closer, and her body was ready to snap. Even though she knew there’d been other times in her life when she’d thought she’d die from needing someone to hold her, Mara couldn’t see past this time right now. But they would have a child soon; she had to be strong.

  “If you think there’s any chance you’ll leave again, do it now. My daddy left, and…” Mara shrugged, incapable of finding the words for that part of her that would always be missing. “I just need you to do it now, if you’re going to do it.”

  Cal shook his head. “You’ll have to kill me if you want me to go. It feels like I’m dying already.”

  “Why?” Mara didn’t know why she couldn’t stop digging and pushing, but—even if Cal wasn’t whole—she needed every little broken piece of him to belong to her.

  “Because I love you,” Cal said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. “And I’m not sure if you’ll ever let me any closer than I am right now.” He visibly swallowed. “I don’t know how to live with that.”

  Mara stood. She swiped at her cheeks as she circled the couch. “Do you mean closer than this?” she asked, moving to stand toe to toe with him.

  He nodded. There was hope in his gaze. Hell would freeze before she’d watch it die.

  Her hands found his waist. His lips parted as if that small touch set him on fire. “I’m closer already. Seems your fears aren’t valid.”

  “I don’t know,” Cal said, his voice sounding gravelly. “You haven’t kissed me yet.”

  “I’m not that tall.”

  Cal bent slightly—just enough she could reach his lips if she stood on her toes. She bit back a laugh. His usual cold demeanor hadn’t changed at all, but she knew him now. This was his teasing side. “I don’t know,” Mara said, trying to sound put-out. “You’re still really—” The air left her lungs as Cal hauled her against him and covered her mouth with his.

  Mara’s heart twisted in her chest. She’d been so damned scared she’d never feel his kiss again. As much as she tried to deny it to herself, Mara loved him. She couldn’t stop touching him, smoothing her hands down his back and stroking his face. Their kiss softened. Mara couldn’t completely pull away even though she had things to say.

  “So you already knew about the baby, huh?”

  “I’m sorry,” Cal said, still trying to kiss her. “Blame Kieran.”

  “It’s okay. You obviously came for me when you found out. That says more to me than any words could.”

  Cal pulled away and set his forehead on Mara’s “I came because I love you. Our baby is a bonus.”

  For a broken man, he’d said the words so easily. As if loving her was understood. He’d also said it twice. Cal deserved to hear them too. “I love you too.”

  Cal sucked in an audible breath, as if he hadn’t breathed while waiting to hear his words returned. “Will you be upset if I skip getting to know your friends today? I’d really like to find a place where I can hold you.”

  “Do you fish?” Mara asked, rescuing him the same way he’d rescued her in Georgia.

  A small smile hovered on Cal’s lips. “As a matter of fact, I once caught a shark that almost ate us before we kicked it back overboard.”

  He had so many sides she hadn’t seen and stories she hadn’t heard. Mara wanted them all. “Chase has a boat.” Mara paused before adding, “There’s a bed onboard.”

  Cal nodded, looking thoughtful. “We should see if he’d loan it to us.”

  “We should,” Mara agreed. They’d only missed a couple of weeks of being together. Mara didn’t want to lose another second of his time. They had things to discuss, plans to make, and a life to plan.

  Chapter Eleven

  While pushing a thumbtack into the wall, hoping the blue “Baby Shower” sign would stop falling, Cal watched Michael cast his tenth dirty look at a dark-haired guy across the room.

  “What’s your problem with that guy?”

  Michael tried rearranging his features. It was too late for all that. Cal had been watching the drama since Mara’s shower started an hour earlier. Since Mara had zero female friends, Chase had gotten all the guys together to throw her a shower. That was probably why none of the decorations would stay put. Chase wouldn’t let them use duct tape.

  Michael cast another dark look the guy’s way. “He used to be my older brother’s best friend in high school.”

  “Okay,” Cal said, even more confused.

  Michael met his gaze and shrugged. “He was an asshole back then and nothing has changed.”

  “Ah,” Cal said, still not understanding. “I thought you didn’t care if people were nice.”

  As if he couldn’t help himself, Michael shot the guy another eat-shit-and-die look. “Sometimes, it matters.”

  “Why are the two of you whispering together in the corner?” Mara asked as she came to join them.

  “Trying to figure out how to get this damn sign to stay,” Cal said, hugging her to his side. Mara had already been the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Pregnancy enhanced her natural glow. He couldn’t stop touching her.

  Mara glanced up. “Looks like you finally found a thumbtack. That’ll hold it.”

  “Why is everyone hanging out over here?” Kieran asked as Henley and he joined them.

  “Apparently, we’re discussing the hanging of decorations.”

  Both men glanced up. Henley was the first to respond. “Chase wouldn’t let us use duct tape.”

  Obviously, overhearing them, Chase joined in. “You don’t want to ruin the paint in your living room. Plus, it would’ve looked trashy.”

  “Once again, I disagree,” Henley said, picking up the same argument the pair had while decorating earlier. “If their paint can’t handle a little duct tape, it’ll never handle twin boys.”

  “I have to agree with my husband,” Kieran said, wandering away with everyone else, still bickering. “Gannon and I were hell on our parents’ house.”

  Michael was right there with him. “My twin Marshall and I used to tear our house apart.”

  “That’s true,” Gavin said, making Michael shoot him another dirty look. “I was always right there with them.”

  Cal tuned them out and stared at the wife he never thought he’d have. She was weeks away from giving him two sons. Fuck, no matter how many times he turned it over in his head, Cal couldn’t wrap his brain around it. “I love you,” he said, because he could never say it often enough. He wondered sometimes if she got sick of hearing it or if she thought he said those words because he didn’t have anything else to say. The truth was, he needed her to understand those three words had to cover all the emotions that overwhelmed him every second of every day, because of her. He didn’t feel anything else except love, and it was due to her. Everything that he’d suffered was muted in the back of his mind, bearable now, because she
’d pushed her way inside his brain, sat down, and refused to budge. He’d told he’d thirty times today already how much he loved her. Chances were good, he’d tell her fifty more. All for one thing…

  “I love you too.”

  This was heaven.

  Keep an eye out for Michael’s book, Clash.

  Characters in this book you might have missed: Gannon and Alex: Shatter.

  Kieran and Henley: Thrash.

  Chase and Seb: Sordid.

  Thanks for sticking with me. If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It really helps and makes my day.

  About the Author

  Charity Parkerson is an award winning and multi-published author with several companies. Born with no filter from her brain to her mouth, she decided to take this odd quirk and insert it in her characters.

  *Seven-time Readers' Favorite Award Winner

  *2015 Passionate Plume Award Finalist

  *2013 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner

  *2012 ARRA Finalist for Favorite Paranormal Romance

  *Five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath

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