“Today, Hailey is going to marry this guy”—he points to me—“but he’s getting this little princess, too. So I have some advice, and feel free to ignore it ’cause I really don’t have a damn clue what I’m talking about.
“Marisa, when your momma laughs at his jokes, it’s because you have company, and she’s being polite. You should probably pretend he’s funny, too.”
Marisa starts cracking up. I know damn well she hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about, but it’s still funny as hell.
“Morrison, before I let you take the plunge, I want you to think about this piece of fatherly advice I received when I was much younger: If you change your mind and walk away, we all understand. If you don’t, we’re all gonna be jealous as hell of you. And never get on one knee for a girl who hasn’t gotten on two for you.”
Okay, that shit was funny. Jared’s got jokes.
Hailey and I stare into each other’s eyes and just smile.
“Dayum,” Jared says into the microphone.
“Some more advice for the groom: I suggest you just forget about any mistake you make from here on out. A wife’s duty is not only to remember them, but to remind you of them throughout the next fifty or so years of your life. No sense in both of you carrying around that information. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal.”
“She wouldn’t do that. I’m damn near perfect, right, baby?”
She smiles. “Absolutely.”
“Morrison, I also suggest you keep in mind that the only difference between five years on the job and five years of marriage is that after five years, your job will still suck. Your wife…Don’t worry, it’s completely normal.”
Everyone laughs again, even Hailey.
“Shit goes both ways, little momma.”
She stops laughing immediately, and everyone laughs harder.
“I have some advice for you. Take it as you will, Hailey: There are only two times a man won’t understand his wife—before and after marriage.”
Everyone laughs, but you hear Livi’s voice over it all. “Not true when you marry a Caldwell.”
“Fucking crazy, beautiful little lady.” Hendrix laughs and kisses his wife.
“If you can’t get him to leave you alone at night and you need sleep, just tell him you want to talk about your relationship,” Jared suggests to Hailey. “If you ask him to grab a few things at the store and then add items, he’ll forget something. Not his fault; it happens.”
I look at Jared and smile. “Love you, man, but I just need to hear two words.”
“Two words you’ll get used to hearing soon are ‘Not now’ or ‘You what!’ ” Jared laughs, then looks at Hailey. “You love this guy?”
“Very much.”
“You love her?” he asks me.
“More than words can describe.”
“Do you wanna marry him?” he asks Hailey.
“I do.” She smiles at me.
“You know how lucky you are?” He laughs as he looks at me.
“I do.”
“What the hell are you waiting for then? Kiss her.” Jared hands the mic to Marisa.
“We now pronounce them man and wife,” she screeches way too close to the microphone. “And the best daddy I eva had!”
I take a deep breath and grab Hailey around the waist, kissing her like I would if we were alone, ’cause there is no other way with her. There are whistles and cheers, and then Hailey leans back and blasts me a smile brighter than the Vegas lights.
“Marriage certificate; we need to sign it.” She smiles again.
“Adoption papers, too.” I roll my eyes and laugh at myself. “Damn, I’m a lucky man.”
“Apparently, you’re the best daddy she eva had.” Jagger laughs as he pushes the papers up to me and hands me a pen. “Come over here, little chick. Your momma and daddy have a surprise for you, too.”
“For me?” She claps as Hendrix sits her on the pub table.
“Actually, for all of us.” Livi smiles.
“Your momma and I got you this.” I pull the little box out of my pocket and hand it to her, and she immediately tears it open.
“A necklace with a cwown?” she screeches, and points. “Wid a C, like foe a cookie?”
“It’s for ‘Caldwell,’ ” I say. “My last name, your momma’s last name—”
“And mine.” Jagger tickles her. “Livi’s and Hendrix, too.”
When she appears confused, I look at Hailey. She smiles and says, “Morrison became your only daddy today, so you get his last name, too.”
“Marisa Caldwell,” I tell her.
“So the same as you, and you, and you, and you, and you and…all of you?” She beams.
“It’s one big, happy family.”
“Happy like ‘happy eva after’?” She smiles. “I like that. Like in the stories.”
“But better,” Hailey says as tears fill her eyes.
“Happy tears, Mommy?”
“From now until forever, Ris Priss,” Hailey says as she hugs her and pulls me into the mix. “Okay, now you go help Livi for a minute?”
“Livi Caldwell.” Marisa giggles.
“Aunt Livi, now and forever,” Livi says as her eyes fill, too.
“Happy tears, Aunt Livi?” Marisa wipes them and looks at her finger, studying the moisture.
“Nothing but.” Hendrix grabs her. “Now let’s go get to work. Gotta feed the masses.”
“I need you to come with me for just a minute,” Hailey says.
“Oh, yeah?” I’m sure she’s taking me to the office. I’m sure she’s…“Where we going?” I ask as she takes me outside and gets into the Escalade.
“Come on,” she yells to me, smiling from ear to ear.
I get in, and she punches it.
“Little momma, where the hell are we going?”
“Open the glove box. Then look at the file.”
I grab the file out of the glove box. “It’s official.”
“Congratulations.” She smiles as she drives faster. “It came a week ago. Sorry, I asked Hendrix not to give it to you yet.”
“What’s with all this cash?”
“Winnings left over from Vegas. Rainy-day fund. I want you to use it to help furnish the apartments.”
“And we were fuckin’ on an air mattress for how long, why?”
Hailey shrugs. “It wasn’t a necessity?” We both laugh. She turns and looks at me seriously, “This way, if I needed to get out of Detroit, I had the money. Now I have family. I’m not going anywhere.”
“And now I have my balls back, so I wouldn’t let you even if you tried.”
She pulls up in front of the building that the bank finally agreed to sell for taxes, a building that is owned free and clear. A building that will not have the burden of a mortgage hanging over it, taking away the stress in making it a dream come true.
“Look.” She points out the car window.
I look at the sign hanging over the door: Momma’s Nest, displayed proudly above the words “The Good in a World of Bad.”
“Best day ever,” I say as I get out of the vehicle. “Come here.”
She is beaming as she walks quickly toward me. I grab my phone and hold it as far out as I can, then snap a picture of my wife, myself, and the place I hope will honor Momma’s memory.
“Love you, little momma.”
“Love you, Morrison Caldwell.”
My Wish for You
My Dearest Marisa,
If you’re reading this, you are growing up much too fast, although all moms feel that way. I married Morrison today, and when the time comes that you meet a boy, a man who comes along and steals your heart, I plan to share this with you.
I loved you before I held you. No one will ever know the depth of my love for you. No one will ever share the bond we have. For you, my Ris Priss, are the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside. It beats for you always, my daughter.
Today, we became a real family. Today, I broke the
cycle of bad. Today, I give you everything I never had growing up. Today, I made a commitment to Morrison to love him until death do us part. I also made a commitment for you to see our love in action as it grows and ages.
Love is a verb. It is an action. Love is also an emotion. It’s an overpowering, all-consuming feeling. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is unconditional.
Morrison has shown us both love. He has given us both so much better than we had. I never imagined my life could have anything good…until I had you, my precious baby girl. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, my life was forever changed for the better.
Before you, I simply existed. I did what I was told without question and without fail. I had no choices. Those were taken from me by life’s situations. My dearest baby girl, no matter what, you have a choice. As your aunt Livi always says, Consent Is Fucking Required. You’re older now, but leave out the “fucking” for your dear mom, please.
You are my reason for being, Ris Priss. You are my princess.
Morrison is a good man. He’s the kind of man I hope you one day find for yourself, the kind of man who shows you he loves you with his actions, not just his words. He is the kind of man who is patient and understands that giving a woman space to find herself if necessary. He is the kind of man who knows when to take the lead and when to fall back and allow me to forge my own path.
Life doesn’t deal us a hand of all aces, but a man like Morrison Caldwell is all aces, no matter what the cards display.
Life isn’t going to be all roses and sunshine, but no matter your situation, you own it and overcome it. You are part of me. It took me a long time to own it, but I am strong and so are you, my precious. Nothing can hold you down.
As I think of your future, my wish for you is happiness.
Find a man with heart, determination, and a desire to be the good in a world of bad. Find a man who can be your light in the darkness. Find a man who is your safe place to fall. Find a man who wants to leave a legacy.
You are my good. You are my legacy. I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes and more.
Love from the inside to the out,
Mom
To single moms everywhere,
To every woman who has worked her ass off to get out of a bad situation,
To every woman still in a bad situation—
There is always hope.
Hold your cards close to your chest, for in a game of chance, the winner takes all.
Royals, flushes, straights—they all fade to black when the Queen of Hearts is in the mix.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, we would like to thank the owner of this book. Without you, the reader, we would be lost to the voices in our heads in the land of crazy. We would not have a reason to do what we do without each and every one of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We appreciate you more than you will ever know. You are a true blessing to us.
We would like to thank our agent, Marisa Corvisiero. Thank you for believing in us and in the Caldwell Brothers series.
Thank you to Sue Grimshaw for your dedication to us and this series. You have truly taught us, grown us, and helped us become better and make this series top-notch.
To the team behind the scenes at Loveswept and Penguin Random House, thank you for your dedication to the Caldwell Brothers.
To the Loveswept Lovelies, thank you for your support and encouragement. You are classy and fabulous and we totally appreciate each of you.
We got this—now rock this!
BY MJ FIELDS AND CHELSEA CAMARON
Caldwell Brothers
Hendrix
Morrison
Jagger
About the Authors
USA Today bestselling author MJ FIELDS’s love of writing was in full swing by age eight. Together with her cousins, she wrote a newsletter and sold it for ten cents to family members. She self-published her first new adult romance in January 2013. She has completed six self-published series: Love, Wrapped, Burning Souls, Men of Steel, Ties of Steel, and the Norfolk Series.
MJ was a small-business owner, but recently closed shop so she could write full-time. She lives in central New York, surrounded by family and friends. Her house is full of pets, people, and noise ninety percent of the time, and she would have it no other way.
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CHELSEA CAMARON was born and raised in coastal North Carolina. She currently resides in Louisiana with her husband and two children, but her heart is forever Carolina daydreaming.
Chelsea always wanted to be a writer, but like most of us, she let fear of the unknown grab ahold of her dream. But one day she realized that if she was ever going to tell her daughter to go for her dreams, it was time to follow her own advice.
Chelsea grew up turning wrenches alongside her father, and from that grew her love for old muscle cars and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which in turn inspired her series Love and Repair and The Hellions Ride. Her lifelong love for reading sparked a love for writing, and she currently has multiple projects in the works.
When she is not spending her days writing, you can find her playing with her kids, attending car shows, going on motorcycle rides on the back of her husband’s Harley, snuggling down with her new favorite book, or watching any movie that Vin Diesel might happen to be in.
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Read on for an excerpt from
Jagger
by MJ Fields and Chelsea Camaron
Available from Loveswept
Prologue
Paper-thin walls. Bastard next door. I hear the whimpers, the slaps, and the crashing of shit in the apartment beside mine. Standing at my door, I grip the handle. I need to hold back. This will become another trip to lock up, another case against me. I’m giving my lawyer more of my winnings these days than I get to keep. Leaning my forehead against the door I fight the memories.
The old man, he used to toss Momma around. He tried to get to us boys, she took the heat for us until Hendrix, and then Morrison, were big enough to step in. I gaze down at my bulging forearm as I fight myself from opening the door. The tattoo dances at me as my muscles flex.
Legacy.
Momma asked us boys to be the legacy of good in a world full of bad. Without a second thought to the consequences of my actions, I take off.
The apartment complex isn’t upscale by any means. No, it’s a dive. What the hell do I need to live in some nice-ass place for? I’m only here to shit, shower, and sleep occasionally. I storm to my neighbor’s door and halt in front of it as I realize whose it is.
My landlord.
Mr. Rand, the Russian motherfucker who pretends not to speak English when anyone tries to complain, but can certainly understand the language enough to have you sign on the dotted line and take your money. He’s a dark-haired beer-bellied asshole with one giant chip on his shoulder.
I feel the vibration of a body hitting the door on the other side. I hear the whimper of a female and I see red.
Nothing matters except saving her. Once upon a time I couldn’t save Momma, but I damn sure won’t be in that position again.
I feel the door give as the weight is removed on the other side, allowing me to open it safely. As the door swings, I am not prepared for the rage inside me to build so rapidly. The apartment is tidy, which is more than I can say for my own place. Though small, someone has put effort into keeping it clean and clutter-free.
I watch as this frail young woman is tossed across the living room, where she immediately runs down the hall, halting when she finds the end and falling into the corner, planting herself against the wall. She curls into herself, her dark hair string
y and matted in blood, and tears roll down her swollen face. Blood trickles down her nose and off both her lips. Her right eye is swollen shut and multiple shades of red and purple. Her arms are skin and bones as she holds her knees to her chest. She lifts her head and I see the welts across her neck.
She looks up at me with the one eye that she can open, it’s so glassed over in her tears I’m not sure she can actually see me. There is a slight shake of her head, I assume what is an effort to stop me. Her mouth opens and closes slowly, but no words come out.
I sense movement beside me and that’s when I see the bear of a man who is my landlord lunging at her, the belt in his arm swinging wildly over his head. Without hesitation, I storm him. He crashes into the wall, pictures fall as the place rattles from the impact.
I grab him by his shirt collar and shake him. “Wanna pick on little ones, huh? Why don’t you try out a real man for size?” I mock him as the anger consumes me. I can smell the alcohol on him. Cheap bourbon is his poison. I draw back and slam my fist down into his face as he paws at me. I kick out at his knees, bringing him to the ground. Straddling him, I pound away at his head, face, and torso. He lies under me swinging at air, grasping for anything while I continue my onslaught.
I feel the burn in my knuckles at I bust them open on his jaw. Lights out, motherfucker. He goes limp and I can’t stop the last few hits from being thrown.
Standing, I step back and look at my victim. His face is immediately swelling and I’m pretty sure I broke his nose. Blood runs out of the corner of one eye, his nose, and down his ear. Maybe next time he will think of this before he puts his hands on her.
Her.
I look over to his victim. My eyes meet hers and I get lost in the depth of emotion coming from the overly large dark circle of the eye I can see. Going over to her, I extend my hand. She takes it, her small fingers are cold sliding into the warmth of mine. Instinctively as she stands, I pull her into me and hold her close for a moment. She tenses in my embrace. I run my large hand over her mess of dark tangles before I kiss the top of her head and release her.
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