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BRING IT HOME (Nashville Assassins: Next Generation Book 3)

Page 3

by Toni Aleo


  I look at Boon as he says, “But we have practice Monday.”

  “Yes. So we will have an evening wedding since I assume you two didn’t plan on having a honeymoon.”

  I shake my head. “We were going to go after the Cup run.”

  “Exactly. So, you two go to practice, which is now eight a.m.—”

  “Thanks, guys,” Wes complains. “I like my sleep.”

  “Shut it, you,” Mom demands, and Wes smacks his lips together audibly. “That will give you guys time for practice, a quick nap, and then we’ll get ready. I can make this happen, and it’ll be everything you ever dreamed of.”

  “Her standards are low. She was going to get married, while pregnant, in a park across the street,” Quinn quips.

  “I think there is a dude sleeping on the bench, too. Would we ask him to leave?” Owen asks.

  “Wait, that’s the minister,” Evan says, pointing to him.

  “Why do you guys make me crazy?” Mom laments before looking back to me with pleading eyes. “Let me do this for you. Please. I don’t want you to look back on this and think, man, I wish we had waited forty-eight hours for my mom to put on one hell of a shindig.”

  Boon chuckles as he looks over at me. “I’m good with whatever you want, as long as you still want to marry me.”

  “I do. I absolutely do,” I say immediately, and he cups my face. “But I want my mom’s dress and my whole family.” His eyes are full of such compassion. “Don’t hate me, please.”

  “Never,” he says before kissing my nose. “You know this won’t be intimate anymore.”

  “It was already well past intimate with just the people at this table.”

  He grins. “True. Man, it will be hard, but I can wait forty-eight hours to call you Mrs. Hoenes.”

  I cup his jaw before leaning in close so no one hears me. “All the blow jobs.”

  “Did she just say she’s giving him all the blow jobs?” Evan asks, disgust in his voice.

  “Do you get that with wives? I’m about to find me one of those!” Owen announces, and I want to die. But then, I don’t.

  If I did, then I wouldn’t be trapped in Boon’s beautiful gaze.

  “I think I’m having a heart attack.”

  “Shea, you’re not. Relax!”

  “We aren’t very good at spontaneous,” Boon jokes, and suddenly my eyes are watery. I love him so much.

  “I don’t know. I remember a certain plane ride that still hits the spot.”

  He beams, his nose moving with mine. “I’m going to give you one hell of a life, Posey.”

  “Damn right, you are,” I say against his lips, and as we kiss, my dad proclaims he’s having a heart attack, for which my mom yells at him.

  It’s all insane.

  It’s all crazy.

  But it’s how my family does things.

  “Hope you’re ready,” I say against his lips. “This is mild.”

  He scoffs. “Nope. This is just about right. You Adlers are crazy, but hell if I’m not completely in love with the best one.”

  I press my nose to his. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

  “Agreed.”

  Chapter Four

  Boon

  “So, will you be able to stay?”

  My mom looks back from where Posey is still trying to calm the insanity of her family. I wasn’t expecting all that. I thought they would be surprised but would still be excited and happy for us. That’s not what we got. They were surprised, for sure, but I don’t feel as if they’re happy for us. Or even excited. Maybe Elli, but everyone else seems to think we are crazy.

  I don’t care, though; I want to marry Posey as soon as possible. I want to go into the Cup final a married man. I don’t know why, but I don’t want to wait. I wish she had told me about her aunts, though. I know they mean a lot to her, and I guess I should have remembered about her mom’s dress. She always talks about it when they go to fittings for Shelli’s dresses.

  What a beautiful disaster this has become.

  Mom looks a little unsure of herself as she leans against Wes’s car. He was a bud and picked her up from the hotel where she is staying. She is supposed to be leaving tomorrow, but I’m hoping she can stay for the wedding. Maybe even the Cup final.

  “It’ll be cool if you can stay for the Cup final too.”

  She makes a face. “I don’t know. I’ve already been away from Wilbur for a while. He wants me home. I’m going to have to see how he feels about me staying for the wedding.”

  “Can he come?” I ask, not that I want him there, but I do want her.

  “I don’t know. Let me see if I can extend my stay at the hotel, though Elli says I can stay with them. Not that I think that’s a good idea.”

  I bring in my brows. “What does that mean?”

  She hesitates for a second, looking back at Posey and her family before returning her gaze to me. “They’re crazy, Boon. I mean, did you hear the older one, the sister? All she cares about is herself. It’s—”

  “Whoa, no. Shelli isn’t like that in real, normal life. Seriously, this wedding is making her crazy. Even Aiden says the same. She’s actually a pretty awesome woman with a huge heart.”

  She doesn’t seem convinced. “The little brothers are so loud and immature.”

  I give her a dry look. “They’re nineteen-year-old bros. I was just like them. Quinn is actually a genius.”

  “Very sarcastic.”

  “I think he’s hilarious.”

  She rolls her eyes, exhaling heavily. “I don’t know. Her dad was rude to you—”

  “I’m working on Shea. He’s super protective of his kids, and with Shelli, they’ve all known Aiden since he was a kid. I’m new. It’s normal. I’m handling it.” Wow, I sounded really confident there. Maybe I know the truth, but I’m still self-conscious. I really want her dad to love me.

  “It doesn’t matter. You are good to their daughter,” she insists, shaking her head, and man, that pisses me off. “I really didn’t like how Elli was with her whole, ‘Give me forty-eight hours to put on a wedding for you.’ It’s very, ‘Oh, look at all my money. I can make anything happen.’ You know she has a plane? A plane, Boon.”

  Keep your cool; she’s the only family you have. Especially since you don’t care for Wilbur.

  I scratch the top of my head, trying to take in a breath and not get upset. “Yeah, they do have money, Mom. I do too, and you sure don’t complain when I pay your bills.”

  Low blow. I know. I’m an asshole.

  “You offered!”

  “You’re right. Because you took damn good care of me growing up. The thing is, none of that matters. Their money is none of our business. Elli wants to give her kids the world, and you can’t fault her for that. You did the same.”

  She scoffs. “I didn’t come close to that.” She points behind us, shaking her head, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling at her. I don’t understand what her obsession is with Posey’s family’s money, but it’s getting on my last nerve. She then looks at me, her eyes burning into mine. “Are you sure about this? I mean, you’re already stuck for eighteen years—”

  “Whoa,” I say, holding up my hands. “Stuck? I’m not stuck.”

  She presses her lips together. “Boon, I’m looking out for you—”

  “You don’t need to,” I insist, my gaze full of fire. “That woman is everything to me. She completes me, Mom. I love her. I love her more than I can ever describe, and I thought you accepted that. I thought you let go of the money thing and were accepting her as part of me. That family is a part of her, and yes, they are fucking nuts, but I love them because they love her.”

  “I am, but it’s hard when they’re flashing their money in my face left and right. I could never put on a wedding the way she’s—”

  “They are not!”

  “They are! It’s annoying as all get-out. I was fine with a wedding in the park, but no, that’s not good enough for the Adlers.”
<
br />   “It wasn’t about the park. It was about her family and the dress.”

  “No. Elli said I don’t want you to look back on this and regret it.”

  “Because her extended family isn’t here.”

  “No. Because they want to put on a lavish show!”

  “Wow, this is about jealousy,” I interject, and her eyes turn to stone.

  “Boon Zachariah, tread lightly,” she warns, but I shake my head.

  “No, I won’t. Never once since being around them or knowing them have they made me feel inadequate or not good enough for their daughter—”

  “Boon! He was asking if you could afford condoms.”

  I laugh. “It wasn’t because he thinks I don’t have money. He said that because he doesn’t understand how I keep knocking his daughter up. He may be a little wary of me, but he respects me.”

  Her eyes are dark as she shakes her head. “I don’t think you should marry her.”

  I scoff. “I am. Nothing will stop me from marrying that woman.”

  “Boon, I’m telling you, she reminds me so much of Julia. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  “Let me stop you real fast and correct you. She is nothing like Julia, and she won’t hurt me because she loves me like I love her. She is a good woman. A strong, smart, and gorgeous woman. I respect your feelings, but honestly, I don’t give a shit what you think of her. She is perfect, and I will marry her.”

  She’s dead set on her opinion. I can see it all over her face. “I’ll say it again—I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s happening,” I say simply. “And it’s real shitty you’re saying that when Posey is carrying your grandchild.”

  “If it sticks.”

  The strength of the rage filling my body is something I’ve never felt before in my life. “Excuse me?”

  She meets my gaze, tears in her eyes. “I am trying here, but I don’t agree with what you are doing with your life.”

  I set my jaw. “Then get out of my life.”

  She widens her eyes. “What?”

  “Mom, you just said ‘If it sticks’ about my child. You know how broken I was about the loss of the first one. You want me to go through that again?”

  “Not at all, but maybe that was a warning to get out.”

  “No, it brought Posey and me closer.”

  “But she didn’t even tell you for nine weeks!”

  “Because, unlike you, she didn’t want to hurt me if something went sideways. She wanted to protect me because she loves me, Mom. Get that through your head and accept it. She is going to be my wife, the mother of my children, and that family is now mine.” I point to them and realize they are watching us. Man, I hope Posey didn’t hear any of this. “I’d rather take all that crazy and deal with it, knowing they love and support me, than stay in your negative, hateful, jealous presence a second longer.”

  “Boon—”

  “No. There is nothing left to say,” I sneer before walking off in the direction of my car. I look toward where Posey was standing to find her rushing to meet me at the car. “Let’s go.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Not now.”

  She gets in as I do, and I speed off, making my tires skid. Once we’re on the road, my phone rings, but I pull it out of my pocket and turn it off. I can feel the anxiety coming off Posey in waves, and I reach for her hand. “It’s okay.”

  “Things not go well with her?”

  “That’s putting it nicely.”

  She moves our fingers together so they lock. “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault. It’s her.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?’

  “Not at all.”

  She doesn’t say a word as we make our way back to the apartment. When we arrive, she goes to the bathroom as I throw off my clothes and get into the bed. It’s not even close to my bedtime, but after dealing with everything the Adler family and my mom threw at me, I’m exhausted. I plug in my phone, but I don’t turn it on. When Posey comes out of the bathroom in only a bra and panties, I’m disgusted with myself for not wanting to attack her.

  She’s so stunning. So beautiful with her hair along her shoulders and her face red from where she’s scrubbed off her makeup. She starts to hang up her dress as she says, “I paid the minister for his time, and my mom hired him for the wedding.”

  I cover my face with my hands, running them slowly along my skin. “Shit, I forgot. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. I ApplePayed him,” she says reassuringly. “I love when older folks can use an iPhone.”

  I know she says it to make me laugh, but I can’t. Not right now. She reaches into her drawer for a T-shirt as I say, “Yeah, he’s pretty tech-savvy.”

  “Do you want something from the fridge? I was going to grab some strawberries.”

  “Yeah, a beer.”

  She hesitates but then says, “Okay.”

  I watch as she walks out of the room, and finally, I reach for my phone. There are a lot of voice mails from my mom, Aiden, and Wes, but it’s only Shea Adler’s message that I listen to. He probably heard my mom. Fantastic.

  Hey, Boon. Wild night, eh? I wanted to invite you to play golf with me tomorrow. Just the two of us. I have a tee time for eight in the morning. I’ll be there. Hope you will too.

  When the message ends, I make a face. “Like I have a choice.”

  “A choice?” Posey hands me my beer. “What do you mean?”

  I throw my phone back in the drawer. “Your dad invited me to play golf.”

  She grins as she sits down, setting a bowl of strawberries between us. “Did you say yes?”

  “He left a voice mail and a tee time.”

  She nods. “No choice, I see. Want me to cancel?”

  “No, I want to go.” I guess I do. I want him to like me. Especially since the only family I may have now is Posey’s. Oh, and my brothers, who are my teammates. I won’t let this shit with my mom ruin anything. I’m so upset with her. I’ve always made sure to support her through her shitty relationships, yet I don’t deserve the same treatment. Posey is nothing like Julia. Not even in the same category. Julia didn’t love me. She was comfortable and was waiting for someone better. At every second and every turn, I know I am Posey’s someone better. I’m her everything. Why can’t my mom see that I have it all? I do.

  I reach over, wrapping my arm around Posey’s waist and pulling her to me. “I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t use my head for a ball.”

  She snorts before feeding me a strawberry. “The fact that he invited you means he wants to get to know you better. It shows he cares.”

  “Ha. Only took me knocking you up again and surprising them with a wedding to make that happen.”

  She leans into me. “He’s a great man. I promise.”

  “I know he is.”

  “Almost as good as you,” she whispers before looking up at me. I kiss her chin.

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “No, really. I love my dad. You know I do. He’s been my hero my whole life, but then you came along. I’ll never love anyone the way I love you.”

  How my mom could ever question this beautiful angel is beyond me. “Right back atcha.”

  She beams as our lips meet, and I gather her hair in my hand. When we part, her eyes search mine. “Want to tell me what happened with your mom?”

  I can’t. “No, lovely. Not tonight.” Not ever.

  I look away, but she turns my head back, her hand holding my jaw. “Is everything okay?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. She said some things I didn’t agree with, and I told her she didn’t need to be in my life.”

  She swallows hard, and it’s so difficult to look her in the eye, knowing the woman who raised me doesn’t think Posey is perfect like I do. “She doesn’t want you to marry me, does she?”

  I close my eyes, leaning against her hand. I feel her gaze, and I know she wants to know what was said, but I can�
�t give my mom the power over Posey that her words have over me. I’m not saying I agree with my mom or that I have doubts about marrying Posey—that’s all a done deal for me—but I hate that my mom doubts us. Elli and Shea may have been upset we sprung a wedding on them, but they never doubted us.

  No one has…but my mom.

  And that hurts.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I think it does. You’re upset.”

  “I am,” I admit, cupping her neck. “But I am marrying you, and you’re having my baby. We will bring home the Cup, and really, nothing else matters.”

  Her eyes search mine. “Are you sure?”

  I lean my forehead to hers, and I force myself to smile. “Absolutely. I love you, Posey Adler, and only you.”

  “Don’t forget our little bit,” she says, cupping her belly. “Whenever things get rough, that’s what I do. Think of it.”

  I meet her gaze, and the warmest smile fills my face. “That’s a fantastic idea. Our little bit.”

  “Or peanut.”

  “Or puck.”

  She brings in her brows. “Puck?”

  “Why not? We both love hockey, and isn’t it the size of a puck?”

  She shakes her head. “According to my app, it’s the size of a cherry.”

  “Wow, that’s small.”

  “Really small.”

  “Now, I want cherries.”

  Her eyes light up. “Yes, cherries.”

  “Where can we get those?”

  “No clue,” she says as her shoulders fall. “Maybe you can find some after golf tomorrow.”

  “I can.” I love how she can distract me from anything. “Damn, I love you.”

  She kisses my nose. “I love you too. And don’t worry. It’ll work out with your mom.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Is there something I can do to make it better?”

  Don’t be rich? I won’t say that, though. I shake my head. “Absolutely not. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  She kisses me again. “I could say the same about you. Thank you for being so awesome about pushing the wedding back till Monday. It really means a lot to me and my mom. She’s gonna go get my grandparents and Amelia and Chandler with the kids. It’s gonna be awesome.”

 

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