"You're okay with him living with us?"
Conner's light snores when he'd fallen asleep after I had read him a story brought a smile to my lips. The different sounds when he cried: hungry, tired, or hurt– I knew them all, and my heart tugged with each one. Ah, but that laugh made spoiling him easy.
"Of course, I'm okay, Tristan. He's your son." I stepped back, hurt that he'd even ask.
"Wait." Tristan bent to eye level. "Our lives are about to change, Spud, and I need to know you're okay with that."
"That little boy… I can't imagine our lives without him, Tristan."
Tears filled his eyes as he placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. "I love you, so much."
"Let's go say goodbye to Kellie." I palmed his cheek, wiping a stray tear away. "Then let's take our son home."
The service was nice. Several of Kellie's friends and family spoke. Zoey locked her gaze with mine, a sad smile creeping up as she spoke. While she retold a story from their childhood, I relived one from last week:
Zoey ran into Kellie's bedroom. "Have you given her the pain meds?"
"Yeah, but she hardly ate beforehand."
"I'm right here." Kellie leaned over the trash can again, her body convulsing as she heaved.
I grabbed the cool rag off the nightstand, wiping her mouth.
"Thanks," Kellie croaked out.
Zoey held a glass up to her mouth. Kellie took a few small sips before falling back onto the stack of pillows behind her.
"Elle's a slave-driver," Kellie joked. A coughing fit seized her, and she grimaced.
Wiping her forehead, I said, "You've taught me well."
Kellie turned her head to Zoey. "She made me a bowl of chicken broth, but I couldn't finish it."
"Could be the food." Zoey added her hands to her hips, a mock frown in place.
"Hey, I worked hard on opening that can."
We laughed.
"How about a smoothie once your stomach settles?" Zoey checked Kellie's pulse.
"Yeah, okay." Kellie's eyes fluttered. "After a quick nap."
The two of us helped Kellie with her meds, bathing, and living as comfortably as possible until the end. Tristan flew back and forth during the time, but I couldn't leave.
I couldn't– I wished it hadn't been so damn hard to see the light in her eyes fade.
"Shh, shh," Kellie's mom cooed Conner, who continued to squirm. She handed him a cracker, but he tossed it to the floor.
"I can take him for a minute." Conner's smile could stop wars, and when he leaned toward me, holding out both arms, he stole my heart. Again.
"Thank you," she said.
Smiling, I swept hair from Conner's eyes, and he rested his head on my shoulder.
When the service ended, it took all my willpower to hand the sleeping child over to Kellie's mom.
"Tristan, thank you." I heard Kellie's dad say when he came up.
"Yes, sir." Tristan shook his hand before reaching his arm around me. When Kellie's dad headed to visit the pastor, Tristan whispered, "Let's go outside."
Hand in hand, we strolled past the visitors until we were alone. "Mom and Dad will be able to meet us in a week."
I sucked in a breath. "What happened to meeting us in New Orleans? Did something change?"
"Our lives did. I want to start now." He faced me, still holding our hands together. "Kellie's death, your sister's, they showed me how precious life is, and nothing should be taken for granted." Tristan bent on one knee. "All we have is right this second. The future, hell, the next ten minutes aren't given to us."
I blinked away moisture. "I've already agreed to marry you, you big goof."
With the smile I fell for, he finished, "Elle Marie Richards, you were the sole person who has held my heart. Until I met my son."
I knelt with him, lifting his chin the way he'd done to me so many times. "I'm here."
"You showed me how to love, Spud. And after our baby, you still made room for my son."
What was he getting at?
"Your mom, my parents, Alyssa, Bret and their families will be back home, too."
"Tristan?" I cocked my head, squinting at him.
"You're right. You agreed to marry me, but I'm asking you to say yes to next week."
"You mean to marry you next week? Plan a wedding, food, cake, drinks, everything by next Friday?"
"That's what I'm asking, yes."
I swiped my thumbs under the dark circles Tristan had acquired over the past few weeks. "Then yes, of course I will."
Tristan
"Tell me again who I'm picking up at the airport?"
"A distant cousin." Elle's pitch rose as she spoke.
"Thought this was only close family and friends?"
No answer.
"Elle?"
"Sorry, I'm picking out stuff for tomorrow. And it is, but Mom said I couldn't get married without Lisa. They were like sisters growing up."
I circled around to park in the covered parking section close to the front of the airport. "You told her I'd be waiting out front? And she's supposed to know what I look like?"
"Yes, now stop being a ba–" The line cut out.
"Spud?" I pulled the phone back. Damn dropped calls. Exiting the car, I headed up to the entrance while shooting a quick text to Elle.
"Daniels."
No, that couldn't be? Turning, I stared at a short-haired, clean-shaven, and beefed-up Paul.
He jerked me in a hug. "Damn good to see you, man."
"Cousin Lisa." I laughed, shaking my head. "Good to see you, too, bro."
"Your girl's creative." Paul slugged his bag over his shoulder. "Ready for tomorrow?"
"You've no idea, and yeah, I'm ready." I nodded to the lot. "You have a place to stay?"
"Yeah, Elle set me up in a room, last minute." He slapped a hand on his stomach. "But I'm in need of some good food first."
"All right."
An hour later, we sat in a dive bar ten miles from the airport, fire-hot wings and beer filled our empty stomachs. "No one does wings as good as Texas."
"Good stuff." I glanced at my cell. "Getting late, you want to check in?"
"Yeah." My keys slipped from my grip a number of times. "Hand 'em over." Paul waved his fingers, nodding to my hand. "I'd hate to throw you over my shoulder, but I will."
"Dude, I'm fine." I took a step and stumbled forward. "Maybe not." The star-filled sky blurred. "You know where you're going?"
"Shouldn't be too hard, small town and everything." We slid into my car. "Besides, Elle would have my ass if we ended up in jail tonight."
"True." Clicking my seatbelt, I noticed a stuffed animal falling out of Paul's bag. "You'll meet my son tomorrow."
"Still throws me, the idea of you having a kid." He pulled onto the road. "Bought him a gift." Cutting his eyes to me, he said, "A family man, huh."
I grinned. "Feels damn good."
"Yeah, yeah."
After checking into his hotel room, we both ended up crashing. Elle and Alyssa stayed at Mrs. Richards' place. This morning, the spray of water from the shower woke me. After I got out and dressed, my stomach complained, and so I headed down for a bite to eat, leaving Paul alone.
At the restaurant, I texted Elle. See you in a few hours...
Elle messaged back. Can't wait!!!!
The waitress brought a plate full of pancakes, bacon, and eggs not long after I sat down, and I dug in. After inhaling my breakfast, I hurried up to the room. "Shit." Forgetting the key, I knocked on Paul's room. No answer.
"Man, hurry the hell up in there."
This was the worst time to be locked out. Before I married my best friend, I wanted to check on Conner and Kellie's parents. They'd driven up last night and I'd not seen him since the funeral.
When Paul ignored my second knock, I pounded on it again. "Dude, hurry the hell up in there." A second later, the door jerked open, and Alyssa stormed out with tears rolling down her face.
"Whoa," I said, grasping her wrist. "Wha
t's going on?"
Alyssa refused to look up. Her shoulders shook, and she sobbed.
"Hey," I said, in a gentler tone.
Alyssa, the confident woman whose mission had been to drive me insane most of the time, wasn't who stood in front of me now. I wrapped my arms around her, and Alyssa sank into my chest, mumbling about how sorry she was. What the hell happened behind this door? God, Bret was going to flip.
Son of a bitch.
Finally, Paul stepped outside. I'd seen him tear up one other time. Witnessing it then and now, man, it was hard. "Want to tell me what's going on?"
He didn't acknowledge me. The way he stared at Alyssa, as if he'd found and lost her in the same breath, crushed me. "Lyssa," Paul said, his broken voice sending a chill down my spine.
Alyssa's body stiffened. Moving away, she sniffed though held her chin high. "Goodbye, Paul." Anguish filled her blue eyes as they left him and found me. "I've got to help Elle get ready. See you at the church in a bit."
I could only nod.
When Alyssa's figure faded behind the elevator doors, I faced Paul.
He speared a hand through his hair. "She's gone." Anger mixed with sorrow colored his expression. "Fucking gone."
"Bret is–"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." His mint scented breath hit my face. "She was my–" He stepped back, running a hand through his hair again. "I thought this was my shot." Paul slunk back into his room and fell onto the bed.
I followed, closing the door behind me. "Man, I don't know what to say."
He glanced up and smirked. "Tell me I get the mother fucking happy ending, too."
I rubbed the hair at the back of my neck. "You probably don't want to hear this now, or maybe ever, but Bret is a good guy."
His low rumble of laughter bounced around the room. "You're right, I don't want to hear it." Standing, he sighed. "But you're–"
"Open the goddamn door!" Bret yelled through the wood.
"Dammit." I pointed at Paul. "Keep your shit together."
Bret started again. "Open the–"
I opened the door. "Hey. Let's talk about–"
Bret clipped my shoulder as he rushed past me and moved straight to Paul. Quick and fast, Bret rammed his fist into the side of Paul's face. On the ground, Bret loomed over him, rage most likely forcing Paul to stay put.
"If you touch her again, you sorry son of a bitch, I will end you. Stay the fuck away."
"I tried to stop him," Rixon said, running into the room, out of breath.
"I'm in love with her, too. I had to try," Paul said. On the ground still, he extended his hand to Bret.
"Shit," Rixon said, standing beside me.
"Tried and failed, asshole." Bret gripped his hand, helping Paul to his feet.
The hostile energy in the room deflated enough that I relaxed. "Listen, I'm late. We should've already headed out to see Conner and Kellie's parents. Everyone cool here?"
Bret and Paul watched each other, saying nothing.
Screw this. "You two lovebirds going to continue to eye-fuck each other or what?"
"Or what," both answered. The two shook hands.
Shoving Rixon's shoulder, I said, "In case I don't see y'all at my parents' place, make sure they get to the church on time, and in one piece."
"No worries."
I scowled at the other two. "Work your shit out here. Do not fuck today up for Elle."
"Tristan," Paul said. "Thanks."
I glanced between the men I considered brothers. "We're good."
Out the door, I hauled ass to meet Tracy and Grant at the hotel they were staying at. I smiled as I drove. Every morning since the funeral, I'd thought about my future and the people I thought were supposed to be a part of it. Luckily enough, because of Kellie, my life was richer.
Fifteen minutes later, I knocked on their hotel door. "Tristan, come in, son." Grant held the door open for me.
"Thank you for coming today. It means a lot to have you here with us."
The burly man's forehead puckered. "Yes, yes. Ah, Conner's getting another bath." His bushy brows lifted and his face lit. "Tracy introduced him to chocolate pudding this morning for breakfast. I think he wore more than he actually ate."
"Breakfast of champs."
"Tristan, is that you?" Tracy popped her head around the corner, holding Conner.
"Yes, ma'am."
"We'll be out in a jiffy."
I nodded as Grant and I went into the kitchen area. "Are you sure you don't want me to fly y'all up next weekend?"
Elle and I thought it best for Conner to stay with them after the wedding. The honeymoon consisted of a stay-cation in our new home, since I had to be on the field first thing Monday morning. I'd offered to get them plane tickets, but they gave me the same reply every time. No.
"You don't give up, do you?" Mr. Williams chuckled. "The Mrs. and I want to drive up. It'll be a vacation for us." His expression changed, and I caught a glimpse of the loss he'd worn during his daughter's funeral. "We never were much of the traveling type. Kellie made us promise to venture out more."
"There, there. All clean and ready to go." Mrs. Williams rounded the corner holding Conner on her hip.
"Hey, buddy." Conner reached for me, giggling. I took him and tossed him in the air, loving the sound of his squeals.
Time quickly ticked down to my nuptials. Most men got antsy, but not me. Marrying Elle was what I'd wanted even before I knew it. As I held my son, and knowing he'd be living with us soon, that stirred up a few terrifying feelings. What if I messed up? What if I hurt him? The list went on and on.
"You're going to be a good dad," Mrs. Williams said, interrupting the mangled thoughts streaming in.
"Thank you."
"Okay, okay. We have a wedding to get to, right?" Grant zipped up Conner's backpack sitting on the couch next to the television.
"Yes, sir."
Conner sucked on his thumb, resting his head on my chest.
"Is it nap time?" Panic stirred. Just another check-list item I didn't have memorized.
"Just about," Mrs. Williams said, patting Conner's back. "Do you want me to take him now?"
"Maybe he should stay with you two before the ceremony?" My hands shook.
"Gotta jump in sometime. Best to do it now," Mr. Williams said.
"Grant, don't scare the boy." Mrs. Williams sent a heated glare his way. "Tristan, you'll be fine. Let's head down and transfer the car seat. I'm sure your parents are dying to see him, too." She shoved me toward the door.
With his backpack in hand, we were in the lobby in no time. Thankfully, Conner didn't stir when we buckled him into the car.
"We'll see you in a few hours. Nervous?" Tracy's eyes glistened.
"Not about marrying Elle." I glanced at the boy sleeping in my back seat.
The pressure of Mrs. Williams' hand on my arm eased some of my trepidation. I'd never driven with Conner in the car until now.
"Tristan, I never quite conveyed how much you coming into our lives has changed us. At first, I thought you'd–" She shook her head, obviously fighting back tears. "Well, I didn't believe you would be as much of a blessing as you have been. You helped ease our daughter's mind during the worst possible time."
I hugged her. "I miss her, too."
She pulled back, her mouth curving into a smile. "Okay, we will see you in a little while."
I got in the car and waved before driving for the first time with my son to his grandparents' house.
Bret's, Rixon's, and Dad's cars were parked in the driveway when I pulled in. The curtains in the front window moved, and the front door opened as I wrestled a sleeping Conner from his seat.
"Man, he's handsome," Paul said, looking at Conner like he would break. "Must have gotten his good looks from his mom."
I laughed. "All right, ass. Bring that backpack inside, would ya?"
"Yeah, on it. The girls are at the church," Paul said, ducking his head in the back seat. We headed up the steps to th
e house. "Your suit's in your room."
My pulse thudded. "Ah, thanks."
"Almost showtime."
Paul closed the door, and Dad walked around the corner from the hallway. "Look at that." Dad grabbed Conner, and my son snuggled into his chest as if he'd done so a hundred times. Dad jerked his head toward my old room. "Better get ready."
"Will you be okay?"
"I raised you, didn't I?" He smirked.
Bret and Rixon moseyed out of the kitchen. "Dude, your mom's cooking." Bret slapped a hand on his stomach. "Amazing."
Pointing to the plates and cups gathered on the counter, I said, "Clean up your mess."
Later in my room, suit on, I was fixing the tie when the door squeaked open and Paul entered. "You dress up well, Daniels."
I nodded. "Not bad yourself."
"Ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be."
"It's about damn time you took that woman off the market."
"What can I say, she's stubborn."
"That, you both have in common."
Tie fixed, I said, "Ready?"
"Let's do this." He bumped his fist with mine.
Dad, Paul, Conner, and I rode in the same vehicle, while Rixon and Bret followed to the church in their own cars.
Mom met us outside in the church parking lot, grabbing her grandson the second we got there.
"Honey, I'm going to head in." Dad kissed Mom's forehead, then whispered something that caused a flush on her cheeks.
Mom asked, "How long has he been asleep?" She rocked him, kissing the top of his head.
"About thirty minutes or so."
"Okay. Hurry along. We should be ready soon. Paul, get over here. I'm so glad you were able to make it in." When he got closer, Mom gasped. "What in heavens happened to your eye?" She frowned at me, then at Bret.
Paul hugged Mom. "Just a misunderstanding."
"Bullsh–"
I punched Bret's arm to shut him up. "Everything's good. How's my future wife?"
"She's good. Vivian, Alyssa, and Tisha are with her now." Mom scrutinized Paul. "I expect a dance later with an explanation."
"Yes, ma'am," Paul agreed, smiling.
"I'm going in to start taking photos," Rixon said.
"Thanks, man."
Walking down the hallway, I heard the one voice I'd recognize anywhere. I stopped and knocked on the door. "Spud, you in there?"
Interception (Distraction #3) Page 24