by K. C. Crowne
Cassie
Owen was nestled against my chest in a carrier, and Jack was at my side. He’d been released from the hospital, and while he needed to take it easy for a couple of weeks, he was practically back to normal. Thankfully, the bullet hadn’t hit any serious muscles or organs.
With Hank Gillespie behind bars and the crime ring Jack’s dad was involved with dismantled, we finally felt safe enough to be together.
We walked into the cabin, where we’d be staying for a while until we got back on our feet. My father was willing to help us, but I was still being cautious with him. I wanted to stand on my own two feet, without Daddy’s help, but he was still willing to pay for me to finish law school. I wasn’t about to go to Philadelphia, however, so I would be starting at Utah University the following fall. We had a few months to get things settled. Being a new mom was still taking its toll on me, but after the last few weeks, I realized I could do anything.
And now I wouldn’t have to do it alone.
Graham and the others were crowded into the living room when we entered. There was a banner hanging over them, saying, “We Love You, Jack.” That was Madison’s touch.
Even my family was there. Dad included. Everyone crowded around us as soon as we entered. My face hurt from smiling so much.
“Welcome home,” Graham said to Jack, patting him on the back.
“Thanks, though I promise we won’t intrude long and find our own place soon,” Jack said.
Graham shared a look with his brothers. “About that…we bought this plot of land and the house for you and Cassie. Cassie helped pick it out, though she didn’t realize it at the time.”
My jaw dropped. I’d gone and looked at places with them while Jack was recovering in the hospital. They’d asked my opinions, and I thought it was for one of them to live in.
“I had no idea— Are you serious?” I asked.
“We are,” Graham said, grinning broadly. “And you don’t need to worry about money either.”
He handed an envelope to Jack. He opened it, a confused look on his face. I leaned in to see what it was, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head.
“We can’t take this,” Jack said immediately, trying to hand the check back to Graham.
“You can, and you will. It’s your part of Dad’s inheritance,” Graham said. “Dad wanted you to have it, and we all agree; it’s rightfully yours.”
Jack held the check in his hand. Graham wasn’t about to take it back.
“You’re one of us now,” Graham said. He turned and looked at Madison, who was standing nearby with Zoey. “And even though we’re not related by blood, Madison, you’re officially adopted as one of us as well.”
He handed her a similar envelope.
“I can’t—” she said, not taking it. “Your father isn’t my dad. I have no claim to anything.”
“We don’t need all the money our dad left us, and if there’s one thing our mama taught us, it’s family comes first. And family isn’t always just about blood. It’s the family we’ve made for ourselves.”
Madison still didn’t take the envelope. Graham set it down near her on the table. “Trust me. We have more than enough to be taken care of for the rest of our lives.”
There was a knock on the door, and Madison used that as an excuse to step away from the conversation. It was clear she didn’t feel comfortable taking any money from them. She was in shock.
She returned to the room with Pat Wiley, Jack’s mother, and the room went silent at first. Even though the Harvey boys thought they had enough evidence that Jack was their half-brother, no one had gone to his mom and asked. There simply hadn’t been a right time.
Jack cleared his throat and said, “Mom, can we talk for a second?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
She gave her son a big hug and smiled from ear-to-ear. His mother had struggled with drugs and alcohol most of her life, and while they were growing up, she wasn’t much of a mother to them. But in the last year or so, she’d been trying really hard to make up for all that. She was clean for the first time in her adult life, and she had a job. Jack was still not that close to her, however.
I let the two of them step away to talk for a bit. There was a lot she didn’t know - including that Owen was her grandson - but I figured Jack was finally asking her about the possible affair with Graham’s father.
While I waited for Jack to return, I sat with my own family, who still hadn’t had a lot of time with their grandson. Isabelle squealed as soon as little Owen’s eyes turned toward her. She reached for him and held him, covering his face in kisses before my mom asked to hold him. My father doted upon his grandson, and I swear, he even smiled. He smiled more than I could remember him smiling in a long time. It felt good to see him happy and loving on his grandson, something I never thought I would see.
I was so distracted, I was surprised by a hand on my waist. I turned around to find Jack behind me. “Well?”
Pat came into the room squealing with joy, rushing over to us. I froze as she stepped right up to my dad, who was holding Owen. My father didn’t care for Jack’s parents. He might be willing to accept Jack as a changed man, but I wasn’t sure how he would respond to his mom. I sucked in a breath and was afraid to let it out.
“Can I see my grandson, pretty please?” she begged. Her voice was high-pitched and filled with excitement.
“I guess you told her, huh?”
Jack just chuckled.
I watched my father as he contemplated Pat’s request. The town had been talking a lot about her transformation as well. She had a job working at a local insurance office. She was going to church regularly. She would often be seen in town with Madison and Zoey, being a doting grandmother. But was all of that enough for my dad?
He looked at me, and I said, “Pat just found out about Owen,” I said. “She hasn’t had a chance to meet him yet.”
I smiled at him and gave him a look that said I approved. We were all family now; it was time that we got along. My father carefully handed Owen to Pat, who seemed to wiggle with absolute joy.
Jack leaned into me, his lips against my ear, “She admitted that Glen wasn’t my father.”
I turned around in shock, my mouth opening but no words coming out. I didn’t want to spread their personal drama all through the room, but I was shocked that it came about so easily.
With Owen in good hands with my family and Pat, Jack led me to a hallway nearby. He took my hands in his and said, “So for a few months before I was born, her and Dad— err, I mean, Glen – had broken up. She was staying with her sister in Vegas when she met my real dad. They were together for only a week, nothing serious before he left town. He was there for a convention. She didn’t get his last name or any of his personal details and feared she would never see him again. She was pregnant when she got back with Glen but was too scared to tell him. He was a violent man. So she let him believe I was his son.”
So many emotions passed over Jack’s face, and my heart ached for him. His father wasn’t a good man by any means, but the idea that his whole life had been a lie had to sting.
He took a deep breath and sighed, running a hand over his face. “So I guess Graham is right. I am entitled to my real father’s inheritance. Even if I don’t think I’m worthy of it.”
I stepped forward and took Jack’s face in my hands. His beard tickled my palms as I ran my fingers over his face, staring deep into his eyes. “Jack, it’s not your fault that you never got to know your real father. You didn’t have the childhood that Graham and the others had. You didn’t have the stable home they did, either. You can’t blame yourself for the things you’ve had to do, but I can tell you one thing - you’re a good man. An amazing man. I guarantee that your father would be proud of you based on how you turned out.”
Jack didn’t respond with words. He leaned in and kissed my lips. “I love you so much, do you know that?”
“I love you too, Jack.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life o
f you,” he said.
My heart stopped. Before I could second guess myself, he pulled a ring box from his pocket.
“I know it’s early,” he said. “But I’ve known you most of my life, and I can’t imagine my life without you, Cassie.” He flipped it open to showcase a brilliant diamond solitaire. I gasped, my hands covering my mouth. “I asked Graham for his help while I was in the hospital. I wanted to plan a big, elaborate proposal for you, but this just felt so perfect to me. Please be my wife, Cassie?”
The tears stung my eyes, and I couldn’t get any words out at first. I nodded my head so hard I could have given myself whiplash and finally managed to say, “Yes, of course, Jack.”
He slipped the ring onto my shaky hand, and I stared down at it. I could hardly believe the ring was mine. It was so beautiful, better than anything I could have imagined.
I kissed Jack, and he held me for a long time. I didn’t want the moment to end, but I reminded myself that we would have our whole life to be together now.
Nothing would ever tear us apart again.
“We should go check on Owen,” he said, whispering against my lips.
“Yes, and all these people are here to see you, so maybe we should mingle a bit too.”
“All I need are you and Owen,” he said. “But yeah, you’re probably right.”
He took my hand, and together, we joined the party. My sister was the first one to notice the ring on my finger, and she couldn’t contain her excitement.
Soon, the entire room heard the news.
Jack and I were getting married.
Graham and the others had helped set our new home up - including an adjacent nursery for Owen. He would never be far away from us again, but we would still have our privacy.
I put Owen down to sleep, savoring the silence of our new home. It took Jack a while to accept that this place was ours - free and clear - since he didn’t like handouts, but Graham told him it was part of his inheritance and a way for their father to make up for all the years he missed. Jack had never had it easy, nothing had ever been given to him before, and I knew it was hard for him.
But he was a Harvey, and his dad had wanted him taken care of, and eventually, he relented.
Our little slice of heaven was a four bedroom with an extra loft that would make an amazing playroom for Owen one day. And we had plenty of space to have more children in the future.
Now that everyone was gone, everything felt more real.
Jack was here, with us, and we could finally be a family.
As I stared down at our beautiful baby boy, Jack came up behind me. He pushed my hair to the side and dotted the back of my neck with kisses. The sensation sent a shiver down my spine - a good kind of shiver. I felt myself growing wetter at the feel of his mouth against my flesh.
“The doctors said you needed to take it easy,” I reminded him, leaning against his chest.
“And I plan to, but they can’t expect me to share a bed with my gorgeous fiancé and not have sex with her. That’s just cruel and unusual torture if you ask me.”
I chuckled, but then my breath caught in my throat as Jack wrapped his arms around me, his fingers caressing my nipples through my shirt. I ground against him, his erection pressing through his jeans and into my ass.
Jack spun me around to face him, and the heat in his eyes told me there was no way to talk him out of this. Not that I wanted to, but we would just have to be careful. He still had some healing to do.
I pulled his shirt off over his head, careful when it came to his right arm. The scar on his shoulder might never go away, but it was a reminder of his love for us. It blended in with the tattoos that covered his chest and torso, a memory from another time in his life.
I reached for his pants, and with his help, we slipped him free of his jeans, letting them fall to the ground. He stepped out of them, completely naked now.
“Your turn,” he said, pressing his lips to mine as he pulled at the edges of my shirt.
My clothes slipped off before I even knew what was happening, and Jack was moving us toward the bed behind him. When we reached the edge, I gently nudged him down. He sat on the edge, and I climbed on top of him, straddling his body and rubbing against his cock.
“Mmm, you’re so wet,” he growled into my ear, nibbling gently.
“What can I say, you drive me crazy,” I said. “I need you, Jack.”
He reached down and guided himself into me. I slid down his cock, gasping as he filled me completely. I sat on his lap, my forehead resting against his and my hands in his hair, staring deep into his eyes.
Slowly, I began rocking back and forth. Jack grabbed my hips, helping to guide me until we found that perfect rhythm. Every inch of him was inside me. I clenched my Kegels as I rode him, my pace getting faster and faster.
I could feel the pleasure building inside me, and I knew I was close. Jack’s fingers dug into my flesh. Without him there to guide me, I might have stopped my movements as I climaxed. I dug my nails into his back, crying out his name as I came. Jack kept moving me up and down on top of him, extending the pleasure as my head fell forward, and I held onto him for dear life.
After the orgasm subsided, Jack fell backward onto the bed. I was sitting on top of him.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” he growled. “I’m such a lucky man to be marrying you.”
My cheeks flushed with color. No one had ever made me feel the way Jack made me feel.
“I’m the lucky one,” I said, rocking back and forth on top of him.
I placed my hands on his chest, careful to avoid his right shoulder, and rose up and down on top of him. My breasts bounced with every movement, until Jack reached for them, taking them in his hands.
I leaned forward, and he took a nipple into his mouth. It was like a straight shot from my nipple to my clit, a feeling of electricity shooting through my body. I whimpered, “Oh God…” as the fire inside me continued to grow hotter and hotter.
I was already close again, and temporarily, I forgot about the need to be gentle. I rode him hard and fast, taking him in as deep as he would possibly go. I rose above him then slammed my body down onto him, feeling him reach the most inner parts of me.
Jack’s head fell backward against the bed, and I could see it in his eyes - he was close too. I wanted nothing more than to make him come, I wanted him to feel so good. After everything he’d done for us lately, I wanted him to make him cum so hard. He deserved it, and so much more.
“Oh Cassie,” he groaned. “I’m gonna—”
Before he could finish that sentence, I knew he was coming. He grabbed my hips, pulling me down hard against him. His throbbing member sent me over the edge, and our groans melted together into one, glorious sound. We came together, our bodies becoming one as he filled me with his seed.
Once the orgasm subsided, I wanted to collapse on top of him but knew it wasn’t a good idea. I slowly pulled our bodies apart, the rush of warmth running down my thighs and reminding me of what we’d just done.
I laid down next to him instead.
Jack rolled over on his side. I’d chosen his left side so he wouldn’t have to lay on his injured shoulder. He pulled me close, our naked bodies sweaty and warm. My hair clung to my face, and it took us both a second to steady our breathing.
Jack stared into my eyes and smiled. I don’t recall ever seeing him so happy and carefree before.
And I knew it was only just the beginning.
Epilogue
One Year Later
CASSIE
I stared in the mirror, hardly able to believe what I was seeing. Madison affixed the veil to my head, letting the lace fall over my shoulders. My hair was pulled back into an elaborate updo with tendrils framing my face. The wedding dress hugged every curve of my body before flowing out at the bottom. I had always pictured myself as a ballgown type of girl, but lately, I’d been embracing my curves. When I tried on the mermaid-style dress, I knew Jack wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off
me.
I ran my hands over the satin material, needing to be sure it was all real.
“Someone pinch me,” I said. “I feel like this is all a dream, one I’ll wake up from just as I make it down the aisle.” My sister reached out and gently pinched my arm. I teasingly said, “Ow, I wasn’t serious.”
She giggled. “Well, you asked for it. It’s most definitely real.”
My bridesmaids were Madison, Hannah, and Isabelle, and they were all wearing lavender dresses. Madison stepped forward with Zoey in her arms. Zoey was our flower girl and wearing a fluffy white dress herself, but when she saw me, her little eyes grew as wide as saucers.
“Isn’t Aunt Cassie beautiful?” Madison cooed.
“Boo-ti-ful,” Zoey chirped. I leaned over and kissed my niece on the cheek, and she hugged me. She was so precious, and I was so grateful to be part of her family.
“I can’t wait to see Owen in his little suit,” Isabelle said. “The two of them are just so adorable together.”
Owen had just turned a year, and we were slightly worried he might be too young to be a ring bearer. But our little boy had always been very good with other people, and that hadn’t changed much. The wedding was small. We wanted to keep it intimate and personal, so he’d know everyone in attendance. And he had Zoey at his side to walk with.
There was a knock on the door, and my mom poked her head into the room. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw me. She came into the room, shutting the door behind her, and ran over to me, hugging me tightly.
“Your dad is going to lose it when he sees you,” Mom said. “You’re such a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I never thought my family would be on board with Jack and me being together. But not only were they willing to accept him, my father asked me if he could walk me down the aisle. I wasn’t sure if that was something he’d be comfortable with, but I was glad he could make amends and be there for our special day.
“The guys are ready, and they told me to tell you everyone is lining up,” Mom said. She took one last look at me and wiped the tears from her eyes. “We’ll see you out there, I guess.”