I heard his fake proposal and a real one solidify into my reality, when another moan erupted from his lips right before they slammed into mine again.
MY BEDROOM AT THE APARTMENT was emptying out. It was weird and exciting at the same time. I was moving out of my parents’ house for the first time in my life. I’m aware of how stupid that sounds, considering the circumstances, but I couldn’t help it. Watching Bishop carry my things from here to his house all day made my belly quiver with excitement. Yes, I was only moving next door. Yes, I was going to have my own bedroom and not be sleeping with that sexy hunk of a man, but none of that kept the excitement about a new adventure at bay.
I glanced around the bedroom and shuddered in a way that told me this was real. My life was changing. I was going to be a wife before I was even a girlfriend. I was also a burden to the man who was trucking around heavy boxes like they weighed nothing more than a pillow. I had to remember that. Last night, he said he’d prove to me in thirty days that I was what he wanted, not just as a fake wife, but as a real one. I gave it fifteen days before he regretted those words. I wasn’t going to hold him to this marriage. If either of us showed signs of unhappiness, I would end it immediately. It would break my heart to do it, but I would do it. Bishop was a good guy who deserved happiness with someone who didn’t jump at every loud noise and wasn’t broken in mind and body.
I folded the bedspread up on the bed and finished tucking it under the pillows. I was finally satisfied with how neat and orderly the room looked and felt. When Bishop came back, I’d have him lift the boxes onto the bed, so they were within easy reach. Since I wouldn’t be sleeping here, I planned to use the apartment as an office to get all of the bakery paperwork sorted out. I didn’t want to move it all to Bishop’s house only to move it back to the bakery. Besides, it would be nice to have time away from each other every day. He had work he needed to get done for school, too. Not being in his atmosphere all the time would guarantee me time away from this constant thrumming inside me to lay down in our marriage bed for real.
“Did we get everything?” he asked when he strode back through the door of the bedroom.
“I think so,” I said, looking around me. “Once we put the boxes up on the bed, I can use this room as an office. I have the desk set up so I can prop my leg up on the bed while I work.”
He hefted the boxes up on the bed and rested his hand on one of them. “I like this set-up. It gives you a good space to work while protecting your leg.”
I waved my hand at the bed, which was now filled with boxes. “I agree, but it just dawned on me that with the bed covered, I can’t sleep here if it’s storming. Maybe we should just put one up at a time.”
He dropped his hand from the box and walked over, taking my shoulders. “You won’t need to worry about it. I have a guy coming tomorrow to install a chair lift for the basement. You’ll be able to go up and down without worrying about falling. We’ll get a second pair of crutches to leave in the basement, too. That way, you don’t have to worry about taking them down with you.”
I tipped my head to the left in wonderment. “Bishop, you can’t put an expensive chair lift in your house just for me. That’s too much!” I hated how my heart pounded in a pitter-patter pattern at the thought of it.
He grasped my hand and held it to his chest. “Listen, my little tart. There is nothing too expensive if it means you’re safe. A friend of mine had one he was taking out of his parents’ basement, and he just wanted it gone. I bought it, and tomorrow it will be installed. You still won’t be able to go upstairs to the loft, but I decided as far as you were concerned, the basement was a better bet.”
I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him, my words a whisper against his ear. “Thank you so much, Bishop. I’m so relieved to know I’ll be safe at your house.”
He held me tightly and swayed with me, the warmth of him soaking into my chest like a soothing balm. “I’ll do anything and pay anything to keep you safe, sweetart. That’s why we’re doing this, so you can get back to living your life. I hope I’ll remain part of it, but if I don’t, at least I’ll know I had a little part in getting you back to the Amber you used to be.”
I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know how to tell him all the things inside me, so instead, I pressed my lips to his and let the kiss tell him what I couldn’t find words to say. “You’re the best, Bishop Halla,” I said against his lips before I dove back in, my tongue caressing his. He had me pressed so tightly against him that I felt the second he went hard and rigid against my belly. Was I the reason he responded the way he did when we kissed? Logically I knew I was, but at the same time, it was hard to believe that a girl like me could turn someone like Bishop on that fast. He was the epitome of the perfect male specimen and by the feel of things, generously endowed in the steel rod department as well. I moaned, tipping my head to the left to give him better access to the roof of my mouth. I loved it when he stroked it with his velvety tongue. He made me want to come every time he did it. I rubbed my belly against him until a moan ripped from his throat that was absolutely panty mel—”
“Knock-knock,” came a voice. Bishop and I jumped apart. I would have fallen to the floor if Bishop hadn’t caught me.
I cleared my throat. “Hay-Hay, I wasn’t expecting you.”
She was snickering when she answered. “As I can see. I don’t mean to interrupt.”
Bishop held up his hand and smiled at my best friend. “Hey, Haylee. You aren’t interrupting. I was just heading back home.” He turned to me and winked. “See you later?” He mouthed lunch, and I nodded.
He strode past her, not bothering to hide the fact that I was the woman who turned him on. He was barely out the door before Haylee was squealing. “Amber!” I swear she was about to hyperventilate. “What the hell are you doing in your apartment, kissing Bishop Halla?”
I glanced around and shrugged. “Should I be standing on the sidewalk instead? His house? The dock?”
She stomped her foot with frustration. “You know what I mean!”
I held up my hand and motioned for her to go out and sit on the couch. “I told you Bishop kissed me before. This isn’t new.”
“A second kiss is new,” she said, lowering her brow. “You sometimes let a guy kiss you once, but you never allow it a second time.”
I shrugged, having no idea how to tell her that not only had he kissed me more than once, but I was marrying the guy. “That was more like the fifth or sixth kiss, but who’s counting? Last night, while I was kissing him on his lap, his Johnsonville was pretty excited to see me.”
She threw her hand to her chest and nearly hyperventilated. It took her a full minute before she could speak, and then it was more like high pitched moaning of oh my God. Cripes, if she was this excited over a kiss, imagine what would happen in a few minutes when I dropped my bombshell on her.
“You were on his lap?” she finally got out.
I patted her shoulder and winked. “I’m not a virgin, Hay-Hay. I have slept with men before. For Pete’s sake, you make me sound like I’m sixteen and just been kissed.”
Her head swung back and forth. “No, but it’s been a long time since you trusted anyone to be in here when you were alone, especially without your parents or me on call.”
“Huh, I guess that’s true,” I agreed. “I don’t even think about it with Bishop. He’s here all the time. Hey, didn’t you have some big news to tell me?”
She jumped up and clapped her hands together. “God, witnessing the kiss knocked everything else out of my brain! Yes, I have huge news!”
“Well, I know you aren’t pregnant. What’s left?”
“Brady and I bought a house!”
I didn’t jump up quite as quickly as she did, but when I was standing, I threw my arms around her. “I’m so happy for you both, Hay-Hay,” I said, hugging her tightly. “You’ve worked so hard to get here!”
She leaned back and grasped my shoulders, so I didn’t fall. “I
know we already own the apartment, but with both of us there, it’s just too small. We need something bigger.”
I nodded and smiled, patting her face. “I agree. It was fine when it was just you, but not both of you. Besides, I know you want to start a family, and you’re going to need a much bigger place. Where is the house?”
She pointed out the patio door. “You know the place on the corner?”
“Mrs. Daniels’s old place?” I asked with my brow knotted. “I don’t know who owns it now, though.”
“We do!” she said, clapping again. “That’s the house we bought.”
“Wait,” I said on a breath. “We’re going to be neighbors?”
Her head nodded up and down, and I had to grasp her chin to stop it. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“I wanted to, but Brady said it would be better to wait just in case we didn’t get the place. He didn’t want me to get your hopes up and then be disappointed.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to be neighbors!” I squealed, grabbing her again. “Mom and Dad are going to be freaking ecstatic!”
“I hope so,” she said, holding me tightly. “We will own the first half of the block as one big happy family. At least until you move out and move on.”
I lowered myself to the couch and nodded. “Can you imagine when Mom finds out she’s going to be living next door to some of her grandkids. She’s going to freak out!”
She tipped her head to the side and shook it slightly. “When I have kids, you mean?” I nodded. “They won’t be her real grandkids, Amber,” she said on a sigh.
“Okay, I’ll let you tell the woman who considers you her daughter that she can’t call your children her grandkids. Knock yourself out, just do it when I’m not around, please.”
She gave me the har-har face. “You know what I mean.”
“I know you’re always hung up on the idea that family requires shared blood, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. My parents would have adopted you if that had been a thing when we were kids. We both know it.”
She frowned, duly chastised. “You’re right. You know I consider them my parents. I guess I just don’t want them to think they have to feel that way, too.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s an actual thing when they’ve taken care of you since you were four, Hay-Hay. That’s just something you made up in your mind to be true. If anything, they feel guilty that they didn’t do more for you during the early years of your life. If our old house hadn’t already been bursting at the seams, I know they would have. Then this happened,” I said, motioning at my leg, “and it was several years before they could even think about it again.”
She brushed a piece of hair off my face and smiled. “You’re saying I should stop being so resistant to the idea that they want me to be part of their family just like their three biological girls are.”
I pointed at her and winked. “Yes, because you already are. You’re here for every holiday, birthday, celebration, loss, and all those in-between days. Just stop fighting against the need to stay on the sidelines of the family and be part of it.”
Her hand came up to her forehead, and she saluted me. “I will. I’ll even call them tonight and tell them about the house, if you think I won’t be interrupting.”
“You won’t be,” I promised, grasping her hands tightly. “Make it a video call. They’ll be thrilled to see your face and hear your news, I promise.”
“Have you told them your news?” she asked. My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard. There was no way she could know my news. Unless someone reported to her that they saw us buying wedding bands in town this morning. I wanted to go to St. Paul to get them, but Bishop said if we bought them in town, it would make the sudden marriage more believable. We’d found the most beautiful set of turquoise and titanium wedding bands, and we swore the owner to secrecy, but I knew that would only last until the door closed behind us. The bands were simple, understated, and perfect for our situation.
“About your leg,” she added when I stayed silent.
“I told them that I had an infection but nothing else. Please, don’t say anything else to them, okay?”
She squeezed my hand again and nodded. “I wouldn’t do that. Besides, I don’t know much more than that, either.”
“The knee infection was septic arthritis, but the antibiotics will clear it. It feels much better today already, and my fever has been gone for almost a full day. The doctor did x-rays that revealed Rex did more damage than I knew. He fractured the femur, but since there’s already a rod in it, I didn’t realize that it was broken.”
“How did you walk on that?” she asked, her head tipped to the side. “God, you must have been in horrific pain.”
I held my hands out in a shrug. “It was sore, but nothing earth-shattering.”
“In comparison, I suppose,” she muttered.
“Exactly,” I agreed. “It healed just because the rod was already in there. The knee is a bigger problem.”
“How big?” she asked, grasping both my hands in hers.
“The x-rays showed damage to the joint, but that’s not surprising considering the amount of metal I have in that leg. Unfortunately, he thinks the nerves are damaged. Once the infection clears, he wants to do some nerve study tests. I assume after that, we’ll know more.”
“And you’ll do the tests?” she asked.
I crossed my heart and let my hand fall to the couch. I would do the tests because when this infection was healed, I’d have insurance that would pay for them. I didn’t like that I felt sketchy about how that insurance was going to be obtained every time I thought about it, but I also didn’t like the idea of never being able to walk again. When you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, there is never a good answer.
I pointed at the kitchen. “Would you get me a drink?”
She jumped up and grabbed a couple of Cokes from the fridge. I nervously took a long gulp, working up the courage to tell her what was about to change in my life.
I set the can down on the table and folded my hands. “Um, I have some news of my own,” I said slowly. I was going to wait to tell Haylee until after we were married, but Bishop made a good point earlier when we were shopping for the bands. He pointed out if I didn’t tell her that I was getting married beforehand, she’d question why. She knows I’d never get married without telling her and inviting her to be my witness. I hated that he was right, but he was. The time had come, and I had to clear my throat again while I waited for her to speak.
“More news? I hope it’s better than the last news you had to share with me.”
“Much better,” I said excitedly, grabbing her hand and scooting to the edge of the couch. I was preparing myself for the performance of the century. If Haylee Davis didn’t buy that I was marrying Bishop for love, then no one would. “Bishop and I are getting married!” I squealed, stomped my foot on the floor, and shook her hands in mine. She just sat there in silence. Her mouth opened once and then closed while her eyes blinked. “Hay-Hay?”
She opened her mouth again, and this time words came out. “Did you say you’re marrying Bishop?”
I nodded quickly. “We want you and Brady to be our witnesses. Will you?”
“Let’s back up. When did you decide to marry him? You’ve only known him a few weeks.”
“I fell in love,” I said, trying not to laugh at myself in the process. Smooth, Amber.
She tossed up her arms. “What is going on right now? When did he propose, and why didn’t you call me?”
I hadn’t considered that question, and I had to come up with an answer quickly. “He proposed late last night by the fire. It was so romantic, Hay-Hay,” I said, my eyelashes batting. “You were already in bed, and I knew you had that big order to get out this morning, so I didn’t want to bother you. You had already texted that you were coming over after work, so I waited. It killed me, but I waited. In the meantime, Bishop has been moving my stuff to his house, we bought w
edding bands, applied for our license, and we’re getting married tonight!”
“Tonight?”
I guess she was just going to repeat everything I said. “Yes, tonight. There’s no waiting period in Minnesota anymore.”
“Don’t you want a big wedding with your parents and sisters there? What about Bishop’s family?”
I swung my head back and forth. “No, we want to keep it small and easy. We just want to get married and be living together before he has to go back to school.”
She rubbed the back of her neck with confusion. “Amber, don’t you think this is a little sudden?” She leaned in close to me. “Have you slept with him yet?”
“No, we’re waiting for our wedding night,” I said, forcing myself not to smile.
She motioned around my face. “You know you can have sex before you get married, right? You can even have casual sex. You don’t have to get married, just do it.”
I gave her the har-har face this time. “I’m aware, smarty pants. I’m not marrying Bishop for the sex.” She snorted, and I held up my hand. “Okay, so the sex will be absolutely amazing, but that’s not why I’m marrying him. I love him the same way you love Brady. Like Brady, he’d do anything for me.” If only she knew how much he’d do for me. “He has a lift chair being installed in the basement tomorrow to make sure I can go down safely if there’s a storm.”
Her brows went up. “Wow, that was some forethought on his part.”
“You’re not happy for me,” I said, frowning like a spoiled child. I felt terrible playing her, horrible actually, but she had to be all in if I was going to convince the rest of the town I was marrying for love.
“No, because I’m not buying your story,” she said. “Not for a second do I believe you’re marrying Bishop because you fell in love and want to get married without your parents here.”
“You agreed to marry Brady after only a month of dating,” I said smartly. If she wanted to question my reality, I’d question hers.
“After knowing him for years. What is really going on here?”
Tart (The Fluffy Cupcake Book 2) Page 13