by Tory Baker
Legend makes his presence known by inching up to Liam without Kellie or him noticing. That puppy, you never know what he’s going to do, but when he lifts his leg and starts to piss on him, I couldn’t be prouder. It gives Travis the in he needs. My eyes never leave Kellie’s, but I see it all in my peripheral vision. Travis kicks out his knees, causing Liam to fumble the gun he had up and pointing at not only Kellie but also myself. The way he was moving the gun let me know he was a novice with it, not even worrying about where he pointed it. I see the weapon go flying, Legend scurrying away, and I dive for Kellie. My only goal is to make sure she’s safe, even if that means I tackle her to the ground.
I hear the clatter of the gun hitting the floor. I maneuver my body so I’m hovering over Kellie, cradling her head to ensure she doesn’t get injured by me.
We hear Liam’s screams. I’m one hundred percent sure Travis is placing him in cuffs while not being delicate about it. I’m glad for it too.
“Sunshine, look at me.” She has her eyes glued shut, as if she’s wishing this were a dream, and I know I’ll have to tell her the whole truth before she finds out from someone else. I hated not giving her the heads-up, but we needed to make sure we could get him and make it as believable as possible.
Her eyes open slowly, showing me those green eyes I love so much, with her golden hair framing her face.
I smile, my frantic heart finally settling down. That’s when Legend comes up, licking her face, wagging his fluffy body, and begging for attention. We both laugh as if there wasn’t something wrong just a few minutes ago. Leave it to Legend to break the ice. The little hell-raiser will forever be a part of our family.
“I have to tell you something,” she says.
“Not before me, so hold that thought.” I help her up, noticing the guys have cleared themselves and Liam out of the room. “Let’s take this out back,” I suggest, my hand holding hers.
“That isn’t ominous or anything,” she grumbles.
“It’s not all bad, but before you tell me anything, I have my own confessions to make.” I’m not going to like this conversation. I can only hope she won’t be too pissed off.
Nineteen
Kellie
The words are ringing in my head. “We have to talk.” I hate seeing genuine fear in his eyes. I’m not saying that Bridger’s perfect because he’s not. Neither am I.
“Can you tell me what it is you have to tell me?” I’m not beating around the bush. I want this over and done with. I know Bridger—he would never willingly do something that I couldn’t forgive him for.
“Yeah, sit down with me though?” He plops down on the couch he keeps on the covered portion of the pool deck, and I sit down beside him.
“I knew Liam was in town,” he blurts out. I look at him, my mouth opening and closing shut. I’m at a loss of words. Bridger just took the wind out of my sails.
“For how long?” I finally get out. My eyes are already filling with tears.
“Fuck, sunshine. Not in that way. We found out this morning. Travis got the call, he relayed the message, and we knew without a doubt the first place he’d come is here. I left knowing what he would do. Travis got information from one of Liam’s cellmates, and apparently, he bragged about what he’d do when he got out,” Bridger rushes out. I hate that he didn’t tell me what was going on right away, and I voice that. “You could have told me. I could have at least grabbed one of the many guns you stashed around the house, or not have been in a towel with my defenses down, or said I love you before you left.” My voice is rising with every word I say.
“Fuck, you were not meant to say that first. Those words were mine to give you before you breathed them,” Bridger states.
“Well, too bad for you. I’m upset about not getting some kind of warning, but Bridger, I love you, and if you ever do something like this again, I won’t stay around. We’re a team, or at least I thought we were.” My hands that were wrapped around Bridger’s are taken and put on his chest, where his heart is beating rapidly.
“Sunshine, we are a team, more so than I could ever explain. I love you, knew I loved you long before you whispered those words in your sleep. I was just waiting for you to catch up. I hated like hell that I couldn’t tell you what was going on. Travis and Slade had to make me see reason. I was ready to come up guns blazing in a second flat. Believe me when I say it wasn’t something I wanted or was ready to do.” Bridger’s eyes captivate me, much like they always do. Those different-colored eyes of his reel me in every single time.
“I said what in my sleep?” I question.
“That you loved me with your whole heart,” he responds.
“I could have sworn I was dreaming when I said that,” I mumble.
“It doesn’t matter, Kellie. We love each other, we have a future and plans to make, starting today.” One of his hands is covering mine on his heart, the other delves into my hair, and his lips are on mine,
“I’m so ready for that.” My body is heating up with so much need it’s boiling over as I straddle his lap.
“Fuck, yes.” The towel I had wrapped around me disappeared in the mayhem earlier. Bridger is drooling over me in his lap and in a bathing suit. I feel every delicious inch of his cock beneath me.
“Too bad I can’t take care of that right now. Something tells me if the guys came in and saw us, they’d get an eyeful of something they don’t really want to see.” My breath is husky as I say those words.
“Yeah, though come tonight, it’s you and me. No one will interrupt us.” Bridger groans, bringing me closer, hugging the life out of me. We both need this right now. Sure, I could be extremely pissed that he didn’t give me an inkling of a clue, but this is Nighthawk Security we’re talking about. No matter how bad the situation is, they have to think with a clear head. It wasn’t that long ago when Slade came in losing his mind over Taylor while the other guys had to remain calm. I can only imagine how Bridger was feeling.
“I can’t wait. Also, if I’m staying here much longer, I’m going to need the rest of my things, not to mention my music collection.” Bridger and I laughed over the amount of vinyl records I have stashed everywhere in my house. It’s something I remember my parents doing together all those years ago. They’d cook dinner together when their jobs permitted it, then we’d eat as a family, clean up together. My parents would turn on their record player, have a glass of wine, and listen to music. All while I was watching. The love they had for each other is what I imagine Bridger and I will have for many years to come.
Twenty
Bridger
The last few days have been a whirlwind. Kellie moved fully into my place, along with all of her array of furniture. Some we used to fill in places, others we donated to the local women’s shelter. It helps women and children get back on their feet when they leave an abusive situation. That was all Kellie’s doing, not that I could blame her. My woman, her heart is as big as the sky.
“Hey, are you ready to meet Aunt Ro and Uncle Howie?” Kellie asks. I’m sitting in the living room watching a baseball game. She has no idea yet, but I plan on letting them know my intentions with Kellie. That includes a ring on her finger, planting a baby in her belly, and growing old together.
“Yeah, sunshine. They seem like good people, though while they’re here, you’re going to have to be awfully quiet, which means when I wake you up with my face between your thighs, I’ll have to gag you if you can’t keep your voice down.” Kellie does a full body shiver. I know exactly what she’s thinking about. This morning, she woke up on the verge of an orgasm, her legs clinching tight, body vibrating with sweat-soaked skin, and the way she returned the favor, I have no doubt she may be pregnant already.
My arm wraps around her waist, right where I’m hoping like hell our baby will be growing, and soon.
“I’m going to have to go change again. Your mouth is dangerous,” she coos.
“Damn straight. Are you ready to see them? I know it’s been awhile since you’
ve seen them. FaceTime, phone calls, and texts aren’t the same. I know that firsthand, baby.”
“I’m so excited I can barely sit still. Aunt Ro just sent a message saying they’ll be here in ten minutes, and Bridger, there’s a reason I put them in the room furthest away from our bedroom.” Kellie isn’t wrong. She has it completely set up for them. It doesn’t hurt that bedroom has an attached bathroom, so it’s not like they’ll be pacing the halls in the middle of the night. Though, with my woman, I know she can’t keep her voice down, so I’ll have to get ingenious in the mornings. There’s no way I’m going a full week without tasting her before I head to work.
“I’m sure they’ll love being here. How long are they staying again?” I already know the answer. Teasing Kellie is something I love to do though.
“You horn dog. You know they’ll be here for a full week. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Since they drove out here, they said they may not be here the full time. Uncle Howie wants to see the surrounding states, and Aunt Ro is ready to shop. I suspect they’ll be here today and tomorrow, venture out in the middle of the week, then wrap up their time here this weekend. Want to get your family and the gang over for a party?” she asks.
“It’s already been taken care of. You have met the Jennings, right? Mom heard your family was coming into town and took it upon herself to wrangle all of us, food included, to where we only need to figure out if I’m grilling or smoking the meat,” I tell her.
“Sounds good to me. I don’t care what we eat, so I’ll leave that up to you.” I hear the crunching of tires coming up the driveway. Legend’s bark sounds from the backyard as he hurries into the living room, running and barking a million miles a minute. That’s the project I worked on yesterday—he has a collar that lets him come and go in the backyard as he pleases with the doggie door to go with it. In case Kellie and I are stuck at work, he can at least do his business and come inside when he’s ready. The downside is training him to not go swimming unless we’re around. That dog has already come in soaking wet more than once since it’s been installed. All we could do was laugh and clean him up, but I know we’ll have to come up with a game plan sooner than later.
“Come on, let’s go meet them in the driveway.” She pulls on my hand, and I do as she requests. I’d follow this woman to the ends of the earth.
We all head outside. Her uncle barely has the car in park before her aunt is out running toward Kellie, who is doing the same thing, I rock back on my heels laughing. When her uncle climbs out of the vehicle, Legend and I make our way to him.
“Hi, you must be Mr. Bennett. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I hold my hand out to him. He grabs mine and squeezes down on it. I don’t flinch, knowing what this is. He’s sizing me up, seeing how much I can take. I’m ready for it. In fact, I’m not leaving. “That’s enough, Howie,” his wife says as she walks over to us. She pulls me in for a hug. Something tells me this is who they are—him a no-bullshit kind of man and her a woman who’s used to breaking things up. It makes me smile. Kellie gives her uncle a hug and then wraps her arms around my waist.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” he responds. His eyes are full of warmth when he sees Kellie with me. I nod my head. “Why don’t we make our way inside, get you settled in, and we can eat a late lunch?” I offer.
“Sounds good. Honey, doesn’t that sound good?” Ro nudges his shoulder, getting him to relax further.
“Yeah, it does. As long as it’s none of that fancy-pantsy food,” he gruffs. This guy, he’s going to be a tough nut to crack.
When he raises his arm to wrap around his wife, I see his tattoo, almost an exact replica of what I have tattooed on my upper chest. He gives me a look telling me he doesn’t understand why I’m looking.
“Oh, didn’t you know, Uncle Howie? Bridger is a former Army Ranger,” she tuts proudly. Damn, this woman, she’s full of surprises.
“Can’t say that I did. He’ll have to tell me more about it.” He loosens up his tight facial expression, and it looks like this won’t be such a shit show after all.
Epilogue
Kellie
TWO YEARS LATER
“Can you believe this?” Bridger says while holding our daughter, Sadie, in one arm—she’s now a year old—and me in his other arm. He doesn’t know the news I’m about to foist upon him. We’re about to have two in diapers under the age of three. I’m secretly hoping for a boy. One who looks just like his father. Sadie is my spitting image, and Bridger doesn’t seem to mind one bit.
“I can’t, but I have to say, I’m loving every minute of it. I don’t know how we’re able to balance it all. How are we going to do it with two babies?” I blurt out.
“What do you mean? When we have another one? We’ll do it the same way we have been this entire time.” There are perks to working for Nighthawk and marrying one of the co-owners to boot. I’ve cut down on my hours by only working in the office three days a week, but the three days I’m there, we set up a pack and play in Bridger’s office, and Little Bit runs the show. Not to mention it won’t be long before Slade and Taylor’s baby makes an appearance too.
“I mean when we have another baby in eight or so months.” I give up the pretense. He wasn’t getting my way of confessing.
“Really?” His hand comes around and holds my stomach, where our child is growing. The awe in his voice has me looking up into his eyes, praying that our next child has his. I wasn’t kidding when I said Sadie was my spitting image—she is me through and through, from her hair to her eyes.
“Yep,” I enunciate the p, and Sadie turns to look at me. Our girl is very observant. Her eyes follow our every movement, and when we make certain noises, her eyes light up, ready to listen to us.
“Fuck, if Sadie didn’t just wake up, I’d take you upstairs to show you how much I love you,” he whispers huskily in my ear, not allowing Sadie to hear any cuss words, something the whole office has had to make a change in. Bridger may be the jokester at times, but when it comes to Sadie, he doesn’t allow it. He was adamant her first word would not be shit, fuck, or damn. It was hard for the guys, especially Bridger himself. He pushed through though.
“I know, that’s why I told you after she woke up. If we went another round, I’m not sure I could move, let alone walk,” I joke, but we just went at it hot and heavy during Sadie’s nap time, and while I loved every moment of it, my poor vagina needs a break.
“I can kiss it, make it all better.” His voice causes me to rub my thighs together.
“That’s what got me in this condition to begin with.” I laugh at my own one-liner.
“Sunshine, you have to tell me if I’m too rough, especially now.” He is not helping me say no to him.
“I like everything you did to me and for me. Don’t you worry about that, Bridger Jennings.”
“You’re damn right you did, Kellie Jennings.” Bridger proposed to me two years ago this very day, with all our family and friends surrounding us. I was shocked to say the least. It caused my aunt and uncle to up and move from Arkansas though. Aunt Ro put her foot down and said she wasn’t going to miss out on her niece’s future anymore, and the few months I was gone, she felt like she was missing an extension of herself. Uncle Howie grumbled about it the entire time, but now both of them are settled in the other town over, not too far away but not too close either. After the introductions were stilted with Bridger and Uncle Howie, I was worried, but Bridger pulled out all the stops. Now the two of them get together, and he’s even pulled him into Nighthawk a few times to get his advice on something or other.
“What do you say we ask Ro and Howie if they want to watch Sadie for an evening so I can take my woman out on a date?” Bridger asks. This is something he and I have done since the very beginning. We still make time for one another. If we have a problem, we talk to each other. Our hopes and dreams have become a reality, and neither of us wants anything to get in the way.
“I think that’s a great idea. I’ll go get ready. I’m assuming you a
lready talked to them?” I stand up. My whole world is sitting on the couch, and I can’t believe this is where I’m at in this point in my life. I would have never thought I could recover after what Liam did to me. Heck, I just wanted to bury myself in work and on the couch when I got home. That is until Bridger helped break that mold.
“They’ll be here in thirty minutes. Will that give you enough time?” I look down at the oversized shirt I’m wearing, one that I swiped from Bridger after our bout of lovemaking. I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the knots caused from his hands fisting it while he slammed his cock inside of me.
“I think that can be accomplished,” I say, then dart upstairs to get ready for a night on the town with my man. If I’m lucky, we’ll both be getting lucky. I just hope we don’t get busted. Last date night, Bridger and I couldn’t wait till we got back home. We did the next best thing, Bridger found a place in what we thought was a secluded alleyway. It was fast, hot, and the thought of us being out in the open had our senses heightened so much we didn’t care. That was until we heard a rustling of a noise. Luck was on our side, since it was a cat scurrying away. It caused us both to laugh. We promised one another we’d be more careful next time, but knowing how we were both in the heat of the moment that time, I doubt we’ll keep that promise.
“Wear a skirt or a dress, Kellie!” Bridger calls out, and that tells me everything I need to know. I’m going to do one better and give him the shock of his life when he sees what I’ll be wearing beneath, or rather what I won’t.
“Sure,” I tell him over my shoulder and dart up the stairs to get ready for our date.