by KJ Dahlen
“He also hasn’t eaten at all since the night before last,” Doc told the other man. “I tried to get him to eat yesterday but he told me he wasn’t hungry.”
“I’ll send some food down.” Pappy turned worried eyes to his man and left a few minutes later.
Shortly after he left, Swede came with a tray of food for his brother. He set the tray down and moved over to the bed watching the two of them. “Bear, you need to eat something or you’re going to be in bed with her.”
Bear raised his eyes to his brother.
Swede could see tears in them and it broke his heart.
“She promised me she would come back to me. She promised me.”
“Then she’ll be back,” Swede told him as he squatted next to Bear. “But you need to eat and get some rest, so you can take care of her when she does get back.”
Bear wiped the tears and sweat from his face. Taking a deep breath, his voice shook for a moment until he got control back, “I’m not really hungry but I’ll try to eat. I have to stay strong for her, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do. Didn’t she say she had a birthday coming up?” Swede reminded his brother. “We’ll have to plan a celebration for her.”
Bear scoffed. “Yeah, I’ll bet she hasn’t had a party for her birthday in a very long time.”
“That’s a thought. This is going to be a very special Fourth of July for her isn’t it? Not only is it her birthday but it’s the first one she’s finally free of her brother. Plus, she has you now too. That’s got to mean something to her.”
“God, I hope it means something to her,” Bear whispered.
Swede hesitated then reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small box. He held it out to his brother. “Bear, I sent for this. You may not want or need it yet but I think you should have it. Mom would have wanted one of us to give it to the woman we fell in love with.”
Bear glanced at the small box for a moment before it registered in his mind exactly what it was. He reached out a shaky hand and took it from his brother. Looking up into his brother’s eyes, he asked, “Are you sure about this?”
Swede nodded. “I told her about Lacey and she can’t wait to meet her. She sent the ring overnight for you. She said she prayed it would have a good home with a good woman just like great Granny was.”
Bear opened the small box and looked at the ring inside. It was a wedding band with a huge emerald mounted where the normal diamond should be. This ring was a family heirloom that had been passed down for three generations.
Bear took the ring out of the box and placed it on Lacey’s ring finger. It fit her hand like it was made for it. He brought her hand to his lips and sealed its placement with a kiss. Glancing at his brother he said, “Thank you Swede.”
“No problem brother,” he whispered as he backed out of the room.
Bear carefully laid her hand on the bed and went over to the tray of food. Picking up a sandwich, he ate it and another one while he watched Lacey for signs of waking up. When he was done eating, he went over to the bed and crawled in it with her. He was careful about laying down but when he pulled her close to him, he felt so much better. Snuggling close to her, he thought she sighed in her sleep. When Bear closed his eyes, he whispered that he loved her.
Hours later, something woke him up. At first, he wasn’t sure where he was then he looked down at the woman in his arms.
Her blue eyes gazed back at him full of love. “Hey there, stranger,” she whispered softly.
Bear smiled. “Hey there. Have you decided to join the land of the living then or what?”
Lacey smiled as her hand glided over the big man’s chest. “I was so cold until you got here. I was missing the sound of your heartbeat in my ear. I know you were here, I just couldn’t reach you. I couldn’t come back to you until I felt you beside me. Does that make sense?”
“Not really, but I don’t care. I’m so very glad you came back to me. I’ve decide I can’t live without you.”
“I want you to know I kept my promise. I came back even if it took me a while to do it. I came back for you.”
“Thank God, you did,” Bear whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too, big guy.”
Are you feeling ok?” Bear asked.
“Yeah, I feel fine. I don’t even have a headache.” She licked her dry lips. “Did the surgery go well? Did they get the capsule out in one piece? Is it gone?”
Bear grinned. “Yes, the surgery went well and yes the capsule is gone. We’ve been waiting for a long time for you to come back.”
Lacey lifted her left hand and saw the ring on her finger. She looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“You are my woman,” he told her quietly. “I’ve claimed you in front of my brothers and now there is no reason not to claim you to the world. I love you and I’ll give you a good life if you’ll have me. Will you have me?”
“I would be proud to claim you as my own,” Lacey whispered. “I’ve never had anything I could call my own but I would be proud to call you mine.”
“I may not have much but what I have will be enough,” Bear vowed.
“I’ve got all I want right here in my arms.” Lacey gazed at him with happy tears in her eyes.
Epilogue
Day forty two- the Fourth of July…
The day dawned bright and sunny with the promise of good things to come. Bear woke Lacey up early and made sweet love to her just before the dawn. Then he carried her into the shower and he made love to her again.
When they finally made their way to the main room for breakfast, everyone shouted, “Surprise!” Then in the center of the table was the biggest birthday cake in Sabine Pass.
Lacey cried at the sight of it. She hadn’t had a birthday cake in a very long time.
After they ate chocolate cake for breakfast, another surprise was waiting for her. Trudy, McKenna and Sawyer dragged her back to her room and there on the bed was a beautiful white dress and a pair of brand new shoes.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Today is your wedding day,” Trudy informed her. “Bear wanted to make this day special for you.”
“Oh, my,” she whispered. Raising shaky hands to cover her mouth she blubbered, “I love that man so very much.”
Sawyer grinned. “Then marry him today, and show the world you love him.”
“Ok, I will.” She wiped her tears away.
A knock on the door had everyone turning that way. When the door opened, a small woman came in. She walked up to Lacey and smiled as she took her hands. “Hello dear one, my name is Sophie Grant. You are marrying my son today and I wanted to meet you before the wedding. I hope that’s ok?”
“Oh, no…” she turned panicked eyes to Trudy, McKenn and Sawyer. “I don’t even know Bear’s real name.”
Sophie giggled in delight. “My son’s names are Elijah and Anthony. Where they ever got the names Bear and Swede is anybody’s guess. Eli is the older one by four minutes but they are as close as any two brothers can be. At least they used to be.” Sophie looked at her carefully. “I have to know something personal from you.”
Lacey nodded.
“Swede told me that Bear can actually touch you, is that true? Please God, tell me it’s true and that my son can handle another human touching him?”
Lacey smiled and blushed pink. “Yes, he can bear my touch.”
“Oh, thank God!” Sophie closed her eyes. Raising her hand to cup Lacey’s jaw, she said, “For so long now, my son couldn’t stand the thought of someone touching him. You give me hope that one day soon, I’ll be able to hug him again. Thank you for that.” Then she looked down at Lacey’s left hand and smiled. “The ring looks very good on you.”
“Thank you.”
“I’d better go and let you get dressed. My husband is waiting. I just had to meet you.” She leaned closer to Lacey and kissed her cheek. When she turned to leave, she wiggled her fingers at the girls.
“Wow!” Trudy gas
ped after Sophie was gone.
Sawyer glanced down at her watch and said, “We have to hurry. We don’t want Lacey to be late for her own wedding, do we?”
A half hour later, they heard the music start playing and Sawyer rushed them to the door. When they got to the end of the hall, a man was waiting for them. He looked like his sons, just as big but older. “I’m the father of the groom, David Grant and I was hoping to walk you down the aisle, if that would be okay?”
“I would be honored sir,” Lacey whispered as she placed her hand in the crock of his arm.
When the wedding march began, she and David turned and made their way down the makeshift aisle to where Bear and Swede were waiting for her. Both men were dressed in dark suits and shiny shoes and when David passed her over to Bear he smiled at his father.
The ceremony was over quickly and when the minster told Bear to kiss her he wrapped his arms around his bride and kissed her long and hard. Lacey couldn’t breathe by the time Bear broke the kiss. She had to catch her breath before she could turn and greet the guests.
Bear paused and looked at his brother for a long moment before he stuck his hand out to him. Swede stared at Bear for a long moment before he took the offered hand and shook it.
A loud gasp was echoed throughout the room at the gesture.
Bear turned to the couple standing behind him. Sweat began to pour from his forehead and his hands were shaking as he held his hand out to his father.
His father grabbed his hand briefly then let go, then had to wipe a tear from his cheek.
Bear turned to his mother and held his arms open for her.
Gasping and with her eyes wide, she came inside his hold and waited for a moment for Bear to wrap his arms around her. He did so briefly, and when he opened his arms, she took a step back without hesitation.
Sophie looked over at Lacey and mouthed the words, Thank You to her.
Lacey shook her head and felt Bear’s arms wrap around her shoulder.
Someone in the back of the room yelled, “Let’s party!”
Bear laughed and kissed Lacey’s temple. “Yeah, let’s party.”
K.J. Dahlen
I live in a small town (population495) in
Wisconsin. From my deck, I can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. I live with my husband Dave and dog Buddy. My two children are grown and I have two grandchildren. I love to watch people and that has helped me with my writing. I often use people I watch as characters in my books and I always try to give my characters some of my own values and habits.
I love to create characters and put them in a troubling situation then sit back and let them do all the work. My characters surprise even me at times. At some point in the book, they take on a life of their own and the twists and turns they create becomes the story. Of all the stories, I could write I found I like mystery/thrillers the best. I like to keep my readers guessing until the very end of the book.
MY PREVIOUS BOOKS ARE:
BRATVA BLOOD BROTHERS SERIES
Bloodline BOOK ONE
In Cold Blood BOOK TWO
SATAN’S SPAWN MC SERIES:
Spawn &Spitfire, Revenge And Retribution, Babies And Bastards.
The SIN’S BASTARDS SERIES: Silk & Bones, Karma’s Bitch, No Regrets, Hell’s Fury, Lies And Liars, Stone Cold.
HELL’S FIRE RIDERS MC SERIES;
Pappy’s Shadow BOOK ONE,
Betrayed BOOK TWO,
Trigger The Storm BOOK THREE:
Cold Vengeance BOOK FOUR
Her Father’s Sins BOOK FIVE
Bones, The Darkness Within, Meghan’s
Legacy, Shadow Chaser, Witness, Secrets and Lies,
Legacy of Murder, The Unknown Son, The Prophet,
No One to Hear You
Scream, Bradbury Inn, Murderous Intent,
Wrong Number, Fall from Grace, The
House on Berkley Street, Cards Of Sin, Blood Memories, From Beyond Death and Words To Die, Phoenix Rising, A Murder in her Past, Words To Die For and From Beyond Death.
For.
UPCOMING:
Blood Tainted Diamonds, Forged in Blood, Blood Lust
AUTHOR INFORMATION
AMAZON PAGE
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://smarturl.it/KJDahlen
I am on Facebook and twitter as kjdahlen
My blog is on Facebook at K.J.’s blog. My publishers are:
www.roguephoenixpress.com