That sobers me up, because I know exactly what she’s seen of him now and I’m that gone over my wife that it pisses me off.
Reed must have been expecting it to happen. “Dude, my asshole was like a fucking ice cream in the sun.” That makes us all gag at how graphic it is. “I needed help and I wasn’t gonna let one of these assholes near my… uhhh… ass hole.”
I see his point and give him a tight nod, but it still bugs me. Isla is still laughing and hearing her snort while the babies move under my hands and the pig snuffles around them trying to get under them, too, I drop the petty issue and smile at the realization that this is my life now and it’s more beautiful and perfect than I’d ever thought it would be. And what Isla doesn’t know is that work started on the surprise that I’m going to show her when there’s a bit more to show for my designs last week. I remember her describing the house of her dreams to me before I fucked up with the whole Kendal bullshit, and I want her to have everything she’s literally ever dreamed of. Leaning back in my chair, I start laughing again as they continue the story about Reed and let myself relax.
Ebru
My bladder was screaming after laughing as hard as I did during the story about Reed’s ass. As a nurse, I’d come across a lot of things, but never something like that, and part of me actually wanted to ask Reed to drop his pants and bend over, but I wouldn’t do that…at least not sober.
Walking through Maya and Ren’s house, I headed toward the downstairs toilet. Doing my business and washing up, I thought about the man who was making my life hell. I didn’t want to be interested in him because I didn’t do trusting or letting myself be vulnerable to people by dropping the walls I’d spent so long building. Once you did that, you were open to pain and hurt, and I wouldn’t go through that again.
Shaking my head at how morose I was suddenly feeling, I opened the door and squealed when I looked up and saw Cole leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I said holding my chest.
He stood staring at me looking like he didn’t know what to do, then he suddenly lunged at me and the next thing his lips were on mine. I’d expected it to be a hard kiss, but he was kissing me gently and sweeping his tongue across my bottom lip. I was tense in his arms because I hadn’t expected this, but when the tip of his tongue pushed through my lips and I felt it skim the bottom of my teeth, I melted and reached up to put my arms around his neck and push myself closer to him. I’d been deliberately staying as far away from him as I could, thinking up a multitude of excuses even though I just knew that he was different and I didn’t want to fight anymore. His hand went into my hair and gently grabbed a handful as I held onto the back of his head, his soft hair in between my fingers and the soft short beard on his face rubbing my chin.
Our tongues were sweeping against each other and we were both trying to get even closer to each other when he suddenly pulled back, let go of me, and backed away. I stood looking at him thinking what to say when I heard voices near us, that must have been what happened. Why did he back away, though?
Before I could say anything, he said, “That shouldn’t have happened.”
I stood, digesting it, and was about to ask why when he turned and started walking away shaking his head. I was tempted to follow when he said the one thing that was like a slap to the face. “Fucking free willy. Never again.”
I went to where I’d dropped my purse when I’d arrived and walked out the front door towards my car, doing my best not to burst into tears.
“Ebru,” I heard a deep voice shout behind me and saw one of Isla’s friends Caleb, looking at me and frowning. “You okay, honey?”
“Yeah, I have to go. I’ve got work early. Can you tell them all thanks for me?” I shouted back trying to sound as breezy as possible. I just wanted to get home so that I could cry.
“Right, babe,” he jerked his chin up and then started walking toward me. “Gimme your phone.”
“Pardon?”
“Phone,” he repeated, holding his hand out, so I took it out my pocket and unlocked the screen with my thumb. He stood and tapped at the screen and then his phone started ringing as he passed mine back to me. “You’ve got my number and now I’ve got yours. You need anything, then text or call, alright?”
The dam was breaking on the tears as I looked up at him and for the first time in a long time, I let a guy do something I hated - he hugged me. “I don’t know what his problem is, but you’re beautiful Eb and don’t you ever think you’re not. Call me if you need anything, sweets.” He whispered in my ear as a couple of tears fell down before I could catch them.
“Thanks,” I tried to sound strong, but with the tears and everything else that I was feeling, it came out so quiet that I didn’t know if he’d heard me.
“Want me to drive you home?” These guys really were such great guys; Isla was so lucky to have them.
Pulling myself together, I wiped my face and took a step back as I smiled up at him. “I’m cool, Caleb, but thank you.”
“Call me, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, and I meant it. Moving here had introduced me to people that, although I was scared to, I actually trusted. I couldn’t let my walls down, and Cole was a reminder of why, but I trusted them more than I’d trusted anyone since I was eighteen.
Caleb walked me over to my Kia and opened the door for me before leaning in and repeating firmly, “Call me!”
As I pulled out of the drive, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him walking up to Cole who was standing at the side of the house looking pissed off. I was done, I’d tried it, and yet again I got proof that I couldn’t get close to people and I sure as shit wasn’t going to let myself get hurt again.
Cole
Watching Ebru talking to Caleb, I continued to kick myself for what I’d just done. When would I stop fucking things up between us?
I’d followed her inside and I’d been the one to kiss her, but when I’d heard the voices coming toward us I’d panicked and been my usual asshole self. The fact was, I wasn’t good enough for her, she deserved much better than me, but I couldn’t stay away from her.
Seeing her standing so close to Isla’s friend, though, had me gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. I needed to get over this and fix the damage that I’d done between us because I’ll be fucked if I was going to let someone else have her.
I looked up to see Ebru driving away and Caleb walking towards me. “Either you buck the fuck up or I’m moving in man,” he growled as he walked past me and it took everything in me not to beat the shit out of him for even thinking about her like that.
I wanted her so badly, but I had so many issues and I didn’t know if I could trust anyone to ever be in a serious relationship with them. Could I lose her, though?
Punching the side of Ren’s house, I walked in the direction of my own with the look on Ebru’s face when I pulled back stuck in my mind. I kept thinking of the old adage slowly slowly catchy monkey; I was going to fix this.
Isla
“Ebru said to say thank you, but she had to go because she’s got work first thing,” Caleb said walking back to his chair.
I was worried about her. I’d seen the looks Cole had been giving her and the looks she was shooting his way when she thought no one was looking, and I just couldn’t get why they weren’t doing anything about it? Looking over at the man in question and seeing the look on his face, I changed the focus of my worry from Ebru onto him. The lovable clown was looking…tormented, which wasn’t like him. I needed to speak to him, but I’d have to do it when no one was around.
“Isla, what have you decided with Christie for your wedding then?” Maya asked across the fire.
“I wanted something small, so we’re having it at the Church, and then Colette and
Jack offered to let us have the reception here.” Christie had turned into a MOGzilla, mother-of-the-groomzilla, as Tony called her, he’d even hashtagged it on Facebook when he posted a
bout the wedding the other day. I appreciated her help, though, because I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start.
“I want it big,” Maya replied, rubbing her pretty much still flat stomach. Lucky bitch, I looked like I’d swallowed a beach ball already. “We’re getting married by the lake, and then we’re setting up the reception here, too.”
“That sounds beautiful.” And it did. Maya had an eye for creating beauty so her wedding was going to be spectacular.
“We need to go dress shopping. Actually, when are you getting married?”
“In six weeks. We wanted to do it while I could still fit into a dress,” I giggled because it was true. At the rate I was growing, if I left it any longer I’d need a tent. Luke chuckled behind me as he rubbed the babies.
“We need to go shopping soon then, what about next week?”
Ren stopped his conversation with Brett and said, “No, it’s too dangerous!”
“We’ll go with security, Ren. We’re not stupid,” Maya replied frowning at him. “We need to get dresses!”
“Order them online,” he argued back.
“Are you high? I want to do it properly, Ren., I’m only doing this once and I want to experience all of it.” Those must have been the magic words because he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Wait until the week after and if everything has been quiet, then you go. But,” he said sounding firm. “You go with security and do whatever they tell you to.”
I looked over my shoulder at Luke whose lips were set in a firm line as he gave me a brusque nod and then turned back to Maya and nodded. She turned to Ren and grinned, before launching herself at him and almost tipping the chair he was sitting in back onto the ground as she squealed. I needed to learn her Jedi mind tricks.
Chapter 22
Isla
I t had been ten days since the barbecue, and Maya and I were finally dress shopping. Graham was driving the car today and when we’d pulled up to pick her up, I’d been shocked to see Cole getting into the car, too. Maya had explained that he’d insisted on coming with us and then Cole said something that had Graham accidentally stomping on the breaks.
“I’m armed, don’t worry.” We’d all flown forward in our seats when Graham stomped on the pedal while looking back at Cole.
“Give me the weapon.”
“What? No way!”
“Give me the weapon,” he repeated, facing forward again and holding his hand out.
“I know how to shoot, man.”
We’d pulled up to the dress shop that Maya had chosen at that moment and Graham swung around in his chair to face Cole. “You don’t pull it, you don’t shoot; you keep it where it is and forget about it. Do I make myself clear?”
The only answer he gave was a big sigh as he got out of the vehicle. I was about to do the same thing when Graham grabbed my hand. “If he pulls that weapon, you duck and get the fuck away from him, yeah? That’s as fucking worrying as giving a ten-year-old kid an AK47!”
I chuckled and then stopped seeing how serious he looked.
“Give him the benefit of the doubt Graham, he’s not that bad!” He kind of was, and the thought of him with a gun did worry me because he’d probably drop it or something, but I wasn’t going to let Graham know that.
Shaking his head at me, he got out of the vehicle and opened my door for me and helped me out seeing as how my belly kept me off balance.
We’d gone into the store and Maya and I had started trying on dresses, which brought us to now with me standing in the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen with Cole sitting looking at me with his mouth open.
“Oh Isla, you have to get that one!” Maya said, tightening the ribbons that did up at the back just behind my boobs. After that, it was a free fall of white material that came in at the waist but gave me enough room at the front without looking frumpy.
There was a white lace overlay that had subtle sparkles here and there. The veil I’d chosen had the same lace around the edge of it and it trailed behind me a couple of feet.
I looked over at Cole who was still staring at me, but snapped out of it when Maya nudged him. “Yeah, that’s the one,” he said and then gave himself a shake. “And your tits look awesome!”
I looked down and had to agree that he was right. They’d really grown with the pregnancy and if I wasn’t careful would probably look indecent in this dress. I heard a smack and Cole groan and looked up to see Graham walking away and Cole rubbing the back of his head and glowering over his shoulder at Graham’s back.
“So fucking violent,” he muttered.
Maya helped me out of the dress and then tried on the three that she’d narrowed it down to. The first one was beautiful, but it was really low cut and Maya had been blessed with a more generous chest than I had. When she’d walked out, Cole had been taking a sip of the coffee that the shop owner had brought him and had choked when he looked up and saw the magnificent cleavage that was now almost up around Maya’s chin.
“Uh no, honey,” I said shaking my head and laughing. I could just imagine Ren’s face if she wore that when they got married.
“I know, I just wanted to see his face and it was so worth it.” She grinned pointing at the still choking Cole beside me before turning back to the dressing rooms leaving me giggling and whacking Cole on the back.
The next dress was beautiful, but it just didn’t do her justice. I knew they’d take it in, but it was too loose and just didn’t scream Maya at us. I shook my head and looked over at Cole who was now lying back in his chair, with his head on the back and his eyes closed so I kicked his foot making him shoot upright and look around us.
Nodding my head over at Maya who was scowling with her hands on her hips, I watched as a look of disgust came over his face.
“What the fuck, Maya?” He spluttered. “Don’t you wanna get laid on your wedding night? Jesus, what the fuck is that?”
I raised my foot again and stomped as hard as I could on his toes, which with the angle that it happened at wasn’t that hard, but was enough for him to turn in my direction and growl.
We looked back up in time to see the owner glaring at Cole and Maya’s shoulders shaking as she walked back into the dressing room with the glaring owner following her.
It was the final dress that was the one. It had a fitted bodice that highlighted her curves and her ta ta’s perfectly with the skirt falling to the floor and sweeping out behind her as she walked towards us.
“This is it,” she said, looking like she was going to cry. “And the top also stretches a bit, so it won’t look terrible when I get my bump.”
Her and Ren were getting married in two weeks, so I doubted she’d have much to worry about. But then I knew from my own bump, that one morning you wake up without it and the next morning you wake up with a basketball in front of you and struggle to do your laces up, so it was probably for the best that she had something stretchy.
We’d just placed our orders at the cash register and were paying and arranging for our fittings the following week when Graham came in looking pissed off.
“You need to hurry up. We need to go!”
It must have been bad because he didn’t snatch the gun away from Cole when he raised it in his hand.
Signing the slips, we thanked the owner and walked behind Graham, who stopped at the wall that covered the window to the side of the door.
“Coleman just rang. They’ve got word that someone has put a contract on you,” he said, looking at me grimly. I heard Maya gasp and Cole curse from either side of me, but I was too busy processing what he’d just said. “Isla,” Graham said giving my arm a shake. “We’re going to walk out that door and get straight into the vehicle. Nick is in the driver seat and has the engine running already. You don’t move from behind me and Cole you’re gonna do the same with Maya. Understand?”
We all nodded, me still in shock, and then we were moving through the door. Cole had just exited in front of Maya and I was about to walk out behin
d Graham when there was a bang. Graham grabbed me and brought me down to the floor, cushioning the fall with his body before twisting us around so that he was covering me. I could hear shots going off around me and voices yelling with screams every so often when Graham lifted up and looked down at his hand and then down at me in horror.
“Oh motherfucker,” he growled and spoke into the gadget on his jacket. “Isla’s been hit; I repeat Isla has been hit.”
It was then that I felt the burning in my arm and looked down to see a small pool of blood beneath me and realized that the bullet had hit me. Lying my head back down on the floor as the sky began to spin, I felt my arm being jostled around, making it hurt even more and whimpered.
“You’re gonna be okay, Isla, it’s just a flesh wound,” Graham said as he tied something around my arm.
It hurt that much that I felt my eyes roll back in my head and then everything went black.
Luke
Picking up my phone and seeing Cole’s name, I sighed wondering what the hell he had to say now. He’d been messaging me shit like ‘Wait ‘til you see your wife’s tits in her dress’ and I’ll admit I was getting ready to throttle the cock jockey.
“What?”
I could hear shouting in the background and the sound of a door slamming and sat upright in my chair.
“There’s…Luke man,” he stuttered. “Isla’s been shot.”
Jumping out my chair, I ran toward the door and found Baz already running toward me as he talked into his own phone. We changed directions toward the SUV that was parked next to the house and I jumped into the passenger seat just as he got into the driver’s seat, threw his phone in the cup holder, and started the engine. “Tell me,” I panted.
“We’re just pulling up to the ER. It was in her arm, but she’s been out cold for five minutes now.”
I heard the screeching of tires and then Graham’s voice shouting for help and felt sick to my stomach.
“Is she…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Oh fuck, Cole, the babies!” I started gagging and without slowing down Baz opened a window. The rush of cold air helped, but all I could think about was my wife and babies and that I could lose them.
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