I was cut off when Kellan entered the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “Smells delicious,” he almost whispered.
I glanced from the bowl of steamed broccoli in my hand back to him in confusion. “It does?”
He shook his head and winked. “No, but you do.”
I felt my cheeks heat and I quickly glanced around the table to see if anyone had heard him. If they did, no one commented, including myself. Instead, I continued plating food and passing bowls.
The rest of dinner was stilted. My parents tried to keep a conversation going, but they finally gave up and we finished the meal in silence. Mom and Dad ushered the kids into the living room while Kellan and I cleared the table and started on the dishes.
I placed a stack of dishes in the sink and collided with Kellan’s firm body when I went to take a step back. His hands came around my waist and he buried his face in the crook of my neck. “How are the kids?” he rasped against my skin.
“Good. Riley’s ready to get her cast removed, Braxton seems to be fine, and Sienna is doing well.”
He gently kissed my skin, causing shivers to run down my spine. “I know we need to talk, but I don’t want to tonight. I’ve had a long day, and I just want to spend some time with Riley and Braxton before crawling into bed with you.”
Something in his voice had me slowly turning in his arms and studying his face. Somehow, he looked wound up and exhausted, all at the same time, but the weariness in his eyes was what concerned me. “Did something happen?”
“Yes, but it’s nothing to worry about,” he said and softly kissed my lips. “We can talk about everything tomorrow.”
I placed my hand on his cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Mommy!” Riley interrupted. “Are you coming to watch the movie with us?”
“I’ll be there in just a minute,” I promised. “Sorry,” I said quietly, “I promised the kids we could have a movie night after dinner.”
Kellan’s face relaxed a little and his lips turned up in a soft smile. “That sounds perfect. Come on, sweetness; leave the dishes for tomorrow.”
As much as I hated waking up to a dirty kitchen, watching a movie with Kellan’s arms wrapped around me was too good to pass up. My parents were already situated on the couch while Riley and Braxton were excitedly waiting on the love seat, which left the oversized chair for us. Two seconds after Kellan sat down and pulled me into his lap, Riley shouted, “Hit the lights, Braxton; it’s time to enjoy the show!”
I woke to my body being moved. “Come on, Avery, let’s go upstairs,” Kellan whispered.
I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Where is everyone?” I asked, followed by a yawn.
“Your dad helped your mom to bed and then he carried the kids up to their rooms.”
I got to my feet and glanced at the clock, surprised to see that is was only eleven o’clock. Kellan silently took my hand and led me upstairs. I climbed into bed without bothering to wash my face or brush my teeth, and Kellan did the same after stripping out of his clothes.
When he got into bed, he rolled me so I was facing him and crushed his lips to mine. He wasn’t gentle and it reminded me of the first time he kissed me—full of aggression and need. “Fuck, Avery,” he mumbled against my skin. “I need you.”
“Okay,” I said quickly and started pulling my shirt over my head while he divested me of my pants and panties. I didn’t want to talk or think. I wanted to get lost in his body as much as he wanted to get lost in mine.
He suddenly stilled and squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t be gentle. Not tonight. So if you want me to go, I will.” He paused and visibly swallowed. “I never want to hurt you,” he whispered.
I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to mine. “I don’t want you to be gentle.”
He kissed along my jawline until he reached my ear. Taking the lobe between his teeth, he bit down and said, “Good,” as he unexpectedly pushed inside of me causing my back to arch.
He kept his face buried in my neck as he thrust in and out at a firm and steady pace. I dug my fingers into his back and clung to him, relishing the feel of his muscles moving under my hands while listening to the soft grunts and gasps he released with each stroke.
“Fucking come, Avery,” he groaned.
I was close, but he sounded like he was closer, so I reached between us and started rubbing my clit while he continued his punishing rhythm. Moments later, I was using his shoulder to stifle the sounds of pure pleasure that refused to be contained.
We usually found our releases at the same time or he reached his climax seconds after I did, but not this time. He continued at the same pace for long minutes before his thrusts became faster and harder. Then, his rhythm faltered, and his body stilled while he released inside of me.
He didn’t move, didn’t say a word, didn’t press a kiss to any part of my body. Just when I was about to ask him if he was okay, I felt his body tremble, ever so slightly, followed by a shaky breath. After a few seconds of internally panicking over what to do, I finally did the only thing I could—I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave him my silent support. Whatever happened during his day had thoroughly shaken him.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” I said. “You don’t have to hide your emotions from me.”
“I know,” he replied. “Let’s get cleaned up and go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”
I cleared my throat and followed him to the bathroom. “I think we should talk now. You’re clearly upset about something and we’ll have all kinds of interruptions tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said quietly and walked back to the bed. Once I joined him, he asked, “Did you talk to Harper today?”
“I did. And while I want to be pissed at you for arranging that without my knowledge, I understand why you did it that way. Plus, she was very helpful, so I feel like I can’t be mad,” I admitted.
“I knew she would be; that’s why I called her. Do you want to tell me what you talked about?”
“Yeah, I do, particularly because one suggestion she made involves you,” I said and told him what Harper said about going to see Ian.
“I’ve already been to see him, but I’ll go with you if that’s what you want.”
“You what? When?” I asked in disbelief.
“When I realized Grace from the bar was really Avery Parker. I left your house, grabbed some whiskey from the clubhouse, and went to his grave to apologize.”
I sat there staring at him at a complete loss for words. “I, you, um,” I stammered.
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that I understand.”
“You’re a good man,” I told him for the hundredth time. And he was. He was kind, caring, honest, noble—just to name a few.
He bowed his head. “I’m not a good man. Especially not after what I did today.”
“What was that?” I asked cautiously.
He kept his eyes focused on the sheets and shook his head. “I can’t tell you. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s club business, and in this instance, it’s better if you don’t know any details.”
I couldn’t contain my gasp. What could he have possibly done that he couldn’t tell me about? “Was it something illegal?” I asked.
He rolled to his back and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me ask you this. If you found out the person who ran over your mother was actually trying to run over you in an attempt to kill Sienna and said person was right in front of you, what would you do?”
“I’d kill them!” I said without giving it a single thought.
He reached over and took my hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze. “So would I,” he whispered.
I slapped my hands on the bed and sat straight up. “What?”
“Shhh!” he scolded and urged me to lay back down. “It was a hypothetical quest
ion.”
“No the hell it wasn’t. I’m not stupid, Kellan. Now, who the fuck tried to kill me and my unborn child and almost killed my mother by mistake?” I demanded. His so-called hypothetical question was far too detailed to be anything other than the truth.
“Don’t ask me, because I won’t answer, but if you think about it for just a minute, I’m sure you can figure this out,” he said and gave me a pointed look.
I relaxed back into the bed and closed my eyes while I started going through names of who he could possibly be referring to, but couldn’t come up with anyone.
“Who’s the one person who wanted you and Sienna out of the way?” he prompted.
Once again, I slapped my palms down and pushed to a sitting position. “Kelly!” I exclaimed. “How did you find out?”
He shook his head and grimaced. “Sorry, sweetness.”
“Is that what you were doing today?”
“Baby, I can’t answer anything you ask. Just know that I made sure those responsible for hurting our family will never be able to do it again.”
“Those? As in more than just her?”
“I love you and the kids, Avery. I would do anything to protect you. Anything. And that’s what it was—making sure our family was safe, not for vengeance. Part of keeping you safe is not sharing any information that could put you in any kind of jeopardy.”
“But what about you? Doesn’t it put you in jeopardy?” I asked.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he said and pulled me against his chest.
49
Avery
I woke up alone and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my gut while I got out of bed. I knew Kellan and I still had some issues to work out, but I thought we’d made some progress the night before.
I tried to mask my disappointment with a fake smile and went downstairs to make breakfast for my family. “Morning, Mommy,” Riley said excitedly.
“Good Morning. What’s all over your face?”
Riley smiled proudly and shook her head. “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
“Breakfast is ready,” Braxton mumbled sleepily.
I walked into the kitchen to find nothing less than a feast on the table. “Morning, sweetness. The kids and I made breakfast,” Kellan smiled.
“Surprise!” Riley shouted.
“Oh, well, thank you. This is a nice surprise.”
“We have another surprise for you,” my dad said as he and my mother walked into the kitchen.
“You can walk!” I blurted.
“I’m getting there,” she said with a smile.
“That’s wonderful!” I beamed.
“All right, everyone, dig in,” Kellan announced.
The kids inhaled their breakfast and ran off to play. Both of them still had toys they’d yet to open from Christmas.
“Any plans for today?” my mother asked knowingly.
Kellan wiped his mouth with a napkin as he nodded his head. “Yes, Avery and I need to take care of something after we see Sienna. Do you mind watching the kids for a few hours this afternoon?”
Mom smiled. “Of course not. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
“You will be soon. I can’t believe you walked into the kitchen this morning,” I said and tried to hide the hint of sadness in my voice. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having my parents close by, but after having them around for the past few months, I didn’t want them to go.
“Well, I still have a ways to go before I’m back to my old self,” Mom said with a wink. I had the feeling she was up to something, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
I got up to start clearing the table, but Kellan took the plate from my hand. “Go ahead and start getting ready. I’ll take care of the dishes.” It hadn’t escaped my notice that he’d already taken care of the dishes from the night before.
“Thank you,” I said softly and kissed his cheek.
While I was in the shower, my mind was flooded with thoughts. I had an idea of what we were doing after our visit with Sienna, but a large part of me was trying to ignore the possibility.
A few hours later, when Kellan turned onto an achingly familiar road, I could no longer ignore it. “I probably should have talked to you about this first, but I didn’t want you to have time to dread it.”
“That was a smart move. Because I would have dreaded it and probably found some way to get out of it, or at least delay it.”
“I know, sweetness. But this needs to happen. You and I both know that,” he said and gently caressed my cheek. “I’ll wait right here and give you some time to yourself.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. With a deep breath, I got out and walked toward Ian’s headstone.
Surprisingly, my nerves and anxiety vanished by the time I reached him. I ran my fingers over the smooth marble and carefully sat down so I could continue to trace his name while I spoke.
“Ian,” I breathed. “Why didn’t you tell me? Never mind, I know why you didn’t. It’s been hard for me since you’ve been gone. I was left with all these unanswered questions and emotions I didn’t know how to deal with. And just when I thought I was going to be okay, I found out the truth about Mark. I wanted to be pissed at you. Well, I was pissed at you, but after the initial shock of it all, I was hurt and confused…and I felt guilty. Because I’ve opened my heart to another man, and I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry, but that was so much easier to do when I was mad at you. And then my reason for being mad at you was taken away and reality hit me hard.”
“You know I’ve always believed things happen for a reason, even when they’re hard to accept. And somewhere along the way, I forgot about that. But, through the help of some new friends and a lot of soul-searching, I’m starting to see how the pieces are coming together for me and our family.”
“I love you, Ian. I loved you with all of my heart when you were here, and I will love you until the day I take my last breath. And I know you would want me and our kids to be happy. I’ve met someone who loves me and loves our children like they are his own. He protects us and watches over us. He’s already put his life on the line once to save our kids and once to save me. He’s a good man, and I hope you will give me your blessing to bring him into our family, not as a replacement, but as an extension.”
Chills ran up my spine and my skin broke out into goosebumps when I heard the sound of a police siren in the distance followed by a strong gust of wind. I smiled toward the sky. “I’ll take that as your blessing.”
I gasped when I looked back down. A cardinal was sitting on top of his headstone no more than a foot from where I sat. “Thank you, Ian.”
I pushed to my feet and turned to find Kellan walking toward me at a slow pace. “Do you need more time?”
“No, we just finished,” I said with a soft smile. I reached for his hand and pulled him closer. “Ian, this is Kellan Ward. Um, I think you two have already met.”
Kellan’s cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’ve been here a few times before.”
A female cardinal landed on Ian’s headstone beside the male who was still sitting there quietly watching us. “Look,” Kellan whispered.
“I know. The male showed up right after I asked Ian for his blessing,” I said softly. “There’s another pair over there, too.” Kellan turned to where I pointed and slapped his hand over his mouth. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing,” he croaked. “Those are my parents’ graves.”
Once again, my skin broke out into goosebumps. I turned backed to Ian’s headstone. “Message received.”
“Avery,” Kellan called. When I turned to face him, it was my turn to slap my hand over my mouth. Kellan was down on one knee with a sparkling diamond ring pinched between his fingers.
“I wasn’t going to do this here, but I think they want me to,” he said and paused for a moment. “I love you, Avery, with every breath of my being. And not because of our past. Because of our future. We
were brought together by a power much greater than us. I love you, Riley, Braxton, and Sienna, and I want us to be a family. Forever. Marry me, sweetness.”
“Yes! A hundred times yes!”
Epilogue
Savior
One Month Later
“Kellan,” Riley whispered—which wasn’t anything close to a whisper. “We need your help.”
“With what? We’re supposed to be leaving in just a few minutes,” I reminded her and started making my way up the stairs to see what she needed.
“We made a present for Sienna and we want to hang it in her room before she comes home,” Riley explained.
“Okay,” I said and glanced around. “Where’s the present?”
She giggled. “In her room.”
I followed her to the nursery and came to a complete stop when my eyes landed on a piece of poster board in the middle of the floor. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Riley proudly asked.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” I blurted. “Has your mother seen this?”
“No! It’s a surprise for her, too.”
I cleared my throat and lied to a child for the first time in my life. “Well, I don’t know if I have the right tools to hang it on the wall before we bring Sienna home. But, let’s go ahead and show your mom before we leave. I don’t want it to get messed up if we leave it on the floor.”
“Okay,” Riley agreed. “Mommy! Mommy! We got a surprise for you!”
I quickly filled the doorway to intercept Avery. “Sweetness, we’ll deal with it later, but they’re extremely proud of themselves.”
“What did they do?” she whispered.
I knew I couldn’t explain and keep a straight face, so I stepped to the side and revealed the picture Riley and Braxton made for Sienna.
“Surprise!” Riley and Braxton shouted.
Avery gasped in horror, but quickly masked it. “Oh, how sweet! You two did this by yourselves?”
“We did!” they both squealed excitedly.
Savior (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 3) Page 24