#Heart (Hashtag #6)

by Cambria Hebert

  “Ivy,” I said, stern. “What I heard this morning pissed me off.”

  She opened her mouth, but I shook my head. “I’m not talking about being accused of murder. You said you ran the car off the road because Zach was going to shoot me.”

  Her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

  Damn.

  I knew this conversation wasn’t going to be a good one, but I really didn’t expect her to cry.

  “He said he was going to shoot me and push my body out of the car, and when you stopped to try and help me, he was going to come back and shoot you. He was going to kill you, Braeden.”

  “And running the car off the road was the only way you knew how to stop him.” I surmised. My heart was thumping unevenly and hard beneath my ribs.

  Nightmares. I had nightmares almost every time I went to sleep, reliving the way the car turned over and skidded through the field. The horror of possibly finding her dead would likely torment me forever.

  It was the same for her.

  The thought of anyone possibly killing me was enough to make her risk her own life to protect me.

  “I thought you knew that’s why I did what I did,” she added when I was unable to speak.

  I shook my head. “I just thought you were struggling over the gun.”

  “I’d never let him hurt you,” she whispered.

  Emotion took me over, and I surged forward, taking her face in my hands and crushing my mouth to hers. I couldn’t speak. But I could fucking kiss the shit out of her.

  I kept the pressure light even though I wanted to grind my mouth into hers. She tasted like cheese and butter.

  And my life.

  I didn’t know until that moment my life could have a flavor, but now I knew it did.

  And God, it was like a drug.

  Ivy clutched at the shirt stretching across my chest and bunched the fabric in her hands. Her tongue delved deep, and I opened up farther, letting her explore as deep as she wanted.

  The little mewling sounds she made had my stomach muscles contracting and need hammering through my veins.

  When my lungs felt like they might burst, I yanked my mouth free and sucked in a great gulp of air. Her eyes were far away and unfocused. Her cheeks were pink and her lips swollen.

  “I fucking love that you did that for me. But dammit, Ivy, don’t ever do that again. Don’t ever risk your own life for mine ever again.”

  “You’d do it for me.” Her voice was raspy.

  “In a heartbeat.”

  She acted like that statement somehow settled an argument.

  I was about to inform little Miss Know-it-all that she was wrong, but she spoke first. “Do you feel better now that everyone knows what happened that night?”

  Another revelation from this morning that knocked me on my ass.

  “You knew I left him there.”

  “I heard him yelling for you. I knew he was alive and wasn’t able to get out.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand. If you knew I walked away from him, how could you—”

  “Still love you?” She finished.

  I was going to say trust me, but it was basically the same thing.

  “Are you sure you would have been able to get him out in time?”

  I hedged.

  A knowing look came to her eyes.

  “It’s definitely possible.”

  “But it’s also possible that whatever was jamming his seatbelt or keeping him in that car would have taken a few tries to undo. You said the car was already on fire; the gas was already everywhere. You could have died trying to get him out.”

  I couldn’t disagree with her. Not really. She was right.

  Still didn’t make what I did any less harsh.

  “The way I see it, you had to make a choice that night. Him or me. You chose me. I could never fault you for that.”

  “But you were already out, safe,” I argued.

  “You don’t get it.” She shook her head and took my hand. “If you had died that night, I would have died with you. I might have lived physically, but the girl you see right now would have been gone. I don’t want any life without you, Braeden. Keeping yourself alive that night wasn’t just for you. It was a choice for me.”

  “Maybe you should skip the fashion and become a lawyer. You actually just convinced me that what I did was heroic.” I smiled.

  She shuddered. “I’d have to wear god-awful suits every day of my life!”

  I laughed.

  She sat forward and her thighs tightened around my middle.

  “No more blaming yourself. It was a terrible situation, but you are not responsible for Zach’s death. In a way, we all had a part in it, even Robert. If Zach had gotten help when he first needed it, maybe things would have turned out differently for everyone.”

  “He’s not going to just drop this.” I warned her. “You have to know he might go to the media. He might try to ruin our names.”

  “Your career,” she murmured, her eyes turning into saucers like she was just realizing my NFL career could very well be taken away.

  “Please.” I scoffed. “You know the NFL won’t pass up this big hunk of awesome.”

  “The timing for this could not have been worse.” It sounded like she was speaking to herself.

  True, the timing for Robert to start making noise about Zach’s death could have been better.

  But something in the back of my mind told me Robert wasn’t what she was talking about.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Rimmel

  The new animal shelter—the sister to the one I’d been volunteering in for years—was almost finished.

  It was beautiful.

  Never in a million years had I thought the fundraiser Valerie helped put together would be so successful that it would lead to a brand new shelter with brand new opportunities to help even more animals in need.

  It was literally a dream come true.

  And what was even more exciting? I was a part of creating and planning the new place. I’d learned so much about myself in the past two years. I’d grown as a person by leaps and bounds. When I came to Alpha U, I was shy, insecure, and yeah… scared.

  I had no friends. I didn’t want any.

  All I cared about was school and animals.

  And now?

  Now my life was overfull. I had friends that turned into family. A family that was intensely coveted. My insecurities were barely thought of, and being scared was only a feeling I got when I watched a scary movie or took the trash out in the dark.

  Please, you know you get scared when you take it out, too.

  I still cared about school and animals, but they weren’t the only things in my life now.

  Plus, there was Romeo. He was the biggest, most welcome change of all.

  My soon-to-be husband. I glanced down at the giant ring on my finger and a giddy feeling rose up inside me.

  Planning a wedding wasn’t something I really wanted to do, but marrying him was.

  I pulled my little white hatchback up to the curb by the animal shelter and cut the engine. Romeo was parked just a few cars up, and he was leaning against the side, looking down at his phone.

  The military-style leather jacket he wore hugged his broad shoulders, and the winter wind tugged at the blond strands on his head.

  When he saw me pull up, the phone disappeared into his jeans, and he pushed off the Hellcat to come toward me.

  Oh my, could that boy wear a pair of jeans.

  “You’re late,” he growled and grabbed me around the waist to pull me in.

  I laughed. “Sorry! I had to run over to the new shelter to check on the progress. The contractor was there, and we ended up discussing a lot of details.”

  “My girl, the businesswoman,” he mused.

  “Hardly.” I scoffed. “The reason it took so long was because the poor guy had to explain things to me three times before I finally decided what I wanted. I think by the time I left, he was ready to go to th
e bar.”

  Romeo snickered, and I poked him in the ribs. He tucked an arm over my shoulders and led me toward the sidewalk.

  “So how’s it going over there?” he asked.

  “Oh my gosh,” I gushed. “It’s so amazing. It’s twice as big as the shelter here. And it has more storage and more room for the animals. I can’t believe how wonderful it all is.”

  Romeo kissed the side of my head. “That’s good, baby.”

  He held open the door, and I went ahead of him. Michelle was behind the desk, and when I came in, she hurried to get off the phone and jumped up.

  “Well! How is it over there? I haven’t been by in a couple days. Are they making progress? When’s it going to be done?”

  I laughed and held up my hands. “Slow down!”

  But I was just as excited as her, so I launched into great detail about everything. Then I went off on a long-winded list of things I thought would be good to implement and a few other ideas I’d been thinking about for the past few weeks.

  When I was finished, Michelle was grinning at Romeo and he was chuckling.

  “What!” I demanded.

  Michelle smiled. “I think you might be more excited than I am.”

  I blushed. “Well, this is just an amazing opportunity. I wanted to thank you, Michelle, for letting me be such a big part of the expansion. It’s been so amazing to learn about this side of things and really be able to see how much of a difference we can make in these animals’ lives.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and beamed. “Are you kidding? Without you, we never would have been able to do this. That fundraiser you and Mrs. Anderson put together was nothing short of fantastic. People still talk about it.”

  “I think we should make it an annual thing, do it again next year,” I said.

  “After football season.” Romeo cut in.

  Michelle laughed. “Well, yes, you two are definitely busy enough right now, what with the wedding, school, the NFL… And isn’t the engagement party this weekend?”

  I suppressed a groan and nodded. Oh yes, the engagement party was just around the corner.

  “Well, I’m looking forward to it. Your mother sure knows how to host a party,” Michelle said to Romeo.

  “That she does.” He agreed.

  Michelle didn’t seem to notice my lack of exuberance for the party, and I wasn’t about to bring it up.

  “I think that’s everything for the day,” I said, heading toward the back to grab my things. “But I’ll stop in tomorrow—”

  “Rimmel? There was something else I’d like to talk to you about,” she said, stopping me.

  I turned back. Her brown eyes were excited and there was a small smile on her lips.

  “Sure…” I started, wondering what it was.

  Michelle glanced at Romeo and then back at me. “I know just how much you guys have on your plate right now, but I have an offer for you.”

  “For me?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Remember back when the fundraiser had just concluded and we were all so thrilled with the plans and opportunity to open another shelter?”

  I nodded.

  “We spoke briefly about you taking on a bigger role in the running of it.”

  Realization dawned, and my eyes widened. “Well, yes, but then we all got busy with the plans and construction site…”

  “I never forgot. We still need someone to run it, and while I could do it, I think both shelters would suffer with me trying to split my time between them. I’d always be back and forth, and I feel like the animals that will be there and the ones already here would benefit from having someone more full time.”

  I nodded. “What about Jen?” I asked, thinking of Michelle’s right hand here at the shelter. She’d been here the longest out of everyone who worked and volunteered here. I’d always just assumed she’d be put in charge.

  “Jen would be a great choice. She definitely has the experience.”

  I nodded, totally agreeing.

  “But you have the passion. The way your eyes light up and your cheeks flush when you start talking about all the changes and additions you think we should make to the new building. It’s so clear to me that there’s no one better to run our sister shelter.”

  I didn’t know what to say.

  “You can’t honestly be this surprised I would offer you the job.”

  “The job,” I echoed.

  “Well, yes.” She laughed. “Rimmel, I’d like you to come on staff—not just be a volunteer or intern—and I’d like you to take on the role of managing the new shelter.”

  “But I’m too young,” I burst out, like shock had somehow made me say the dumbest thing I could.

  Behind me, Romeo laughed.

  “You’re almost a college graduate. You’re getting married. And you’re old enough to manage a wildly successful fundraiser.”

  A lot of that had been Valerie. She was the one with the social connections. She was the one who secured the venue and got people in the building. “If you think you somehow owe me this job because of the work Romeo’s mother did, you don’t. I didn’t do that to get anything in return. I did it for the animals.”

  “That’s exactly why you’re the perfect person for the job.”

  I glanced at Romeo. It sort of felt like I was standing in the center of a dream. He smiled. “You definitely deserve this, babe.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say yes.” Michelle urged.

  How could I say yes?

  “If you’re wondering about the pay…” She filled the silence. “It’s definitely more than what you get now, but it is a modest salary.”

  Technically, I didn’t get anything now, but sometimes when there was extra money left over, Michelle would give me a “bonus.”

  “I don’t care about the money,” I said quickly. “But I’m still in school.”

  Michelle nodded. “I know. We can work around your school schedule for the next year. It will also give me a chance to really mentor you, make sure you learn everything there is to know about running a shelter. By the time you graduate and can take on full-time hours, you’ll be overqualified for the job.”

  “I was going to go to vet school.”

  “I know, and I realize you might not want this job because of your dream to become a veterinarian, but I wanted to offer you this job before I did anyone else. It would be a pleasure to work with you on a permanent basis.”

  Romeo’s warm hand settled on the small of my back, anchoring me in the moment and reminding me to breathe. What an amazing chance.

  “Can I think about it?” I asked.

  “Of course. We still have a while before the shelter is done. Just let me know soon. That way if you say no, I can find someone else.”

  “Of course,” I murmured, deep in thought.

  “Good. Now you two get out of here. Go do something romantic.”

  “My mother called. She wants us at the house to go over last-minute party stuff,” Romeo informed us.

  I groaned.

  He laughed.

  Out on the sidewalk, Romeo picked me up and spun us both in a circle.

  “You’re going to fall on the ice!” I gasped.

  “No, baby, you’re the only clumsy one in this relationship.”

  I pulled his hair. Not really because he insulted me, but because I couldn’t resist the messy blond strands another minute.

  “Ow!” he hollered, and the next thing I knew, I was pinned against the side of the Hellcat and he was kissing me.

  As far as retaliation goes, this was the best.

  “Congratulations on the job offer,” he said when he pulled back and let my feet touch the ground.

  “I can’t believe she offered it to me.”

  “You’re not a dumb woman, Rim, and that was a dumb thing to say. You earned that job. Hell, you work circles around everyone in that place and you don’t even get paid.”

  “Sometimes she pays me,” I muttere
d.

  “You gonna take it?” he asked and stepped back to open the passenger door.

  I gave him a puzzled look. “My car’s over there. I can just meet you at your parents’.”

  He stepped forward and glowered down over me.

  “Roman Anderson, are you trying to use your insane height advantage over me as intimidation?” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared up at him.

  “Rimmel Hudson,” he mocked. “Are you trying to tell me you’d rather ride in that bucket of bolts alone than with me in this dream wagon?”

  I burst out laughing. “Dream wagon?”

  “I’d call it a sex wagon, but we’ve never actually had sex in it…” He frowned. “Why the fuck haven’t we had sex in it?”

  I tilted my head and regarded him. “‘Cause you’re too big?”

  “Get in,” he demanded. “You’re riding with me, and after my mother tortures us, we’re having sex in the backseat.”

  “What if I don’t want to?” My eyes narrowed.

  “Please, woman.” He scoffed and grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifting it to reveal a sizzling set of sculpted abs. “You know you can’t say no to all this.”

  “You’ve been spending too much time with Braeden,” I muttered and got into the car.

  Once I was totally in, I reached for the seatbelt, but he snatched it out of my grip and fastened it for me. When he was done, he pulled back only enough to pull my earlobe into his mouth and suck.

  “You’re going to look so fucking hot riding me in the backseat,” he whispered.

  Damn him. I shivered.

  His throaty laugh made my thighs clench together. He might be totally arrogant, but he was right. There was no way in hell I could ever say no to anything with him.

  Once he pulled out onto the street in the direction of his parents’ house, he grabbed my hand and put it beneath his on the stick shift. I was such a sucker for the way his much larger hand directed mine.

  He glanced at me. “Think Michelle will be upset when you turn down the job?”

  “Who said I was turning it down?”

  He shrugged. “Your dream has always been to go to vet school—has been since the day we met. When you didn’t say yes right away to the job, I figured that’s why.”

  “You really think I should turn it down?”