Chapter 21
My stomach is doingsomersaults as I stand in the beautiful dress. I have no idea how this has happened, but I”m in awe that it has.
”You look beautiful, Jess,” Mallory whispers as she stands behind me, fixing my veil.
”How?” I ask, running a hand down my beautiful lace white dress. It fits me like a glove and is a dress I would have purchased for myself. It”s beyond gorgeous and I”m shocked that I have it. I had assumed I”d wear any dress. I had chosen a pale pink slip dress that Stephen had purchased, which was in the closet. But when I arrived at Jer”s house, I was shocked to discover this gorgeous wedding dress hanging on the back of the door for me.
”Stephen and Jerry both wanted you to have a wedding dress, Jess. They wanted this day to be special for you. They called me and asked me to pick a dress that you”d love. They wanted to surprise you. I”m so happy you love it.” She grins at me. ”I have to admit, I was shocked when I heard you were getting married, but who you were getting married to didn’t surprise me.”
I laugh as I turn to face her. She”s got a beautiful smile on her face. ”It”s always been Stephen.”
She nods. ”It really has. I”m glad he got his head out of his ass and has also stopped stalking you. I”m even more grateful that he saved you. I”m sorry I couldn”t.”
I shake my head. ”No,” I whisper, tears springing to my eyes. ”You were my rock, Mal. You”ve always been my rock. Where”s my handsome nephew?”
She glances away, but not before I see pain and anguish in her eyes.
”Mal,” I whisper. ”What”s going on?”
She blinks furiously, trying to stop the tears from falling. ”It”s fine. You”re getting married today. That”s a joyous occasion.”
”No,” I say, holding her hands. ”Mallory, what”s going on? Talk to me, please.”
She grips my hand like it”s her lifeline. ”I”m in trouble,” she whispers. ”God, Jess, I”m so scared.”
”What”s happened?” I ask, guilt hitting me like a tonne of bricks. Mallory has been by my side throughout everything, and now she”s in trouble and I”ve no idea what”s going on. I”ve been so wrapped up in my own life. I”m a terrible friend.
”The night that we went out before Shay was born,” she says low. ”Remember what happened?”
I nod tightly. That”s not a night I”ll ever be able to forget. I watched as Stephen beat a man to death.
”The O”Learys aren”t happy, Jess,” she confesses. ”Micah O”Leary has been trailing me.”
I blink. ”What?” I hiss harshly. ”Mallory, why did you never tell me?”
”You”ve been going through so much, I couldn”t tell you. I didn”t want you to live in fear either.”
I shake my head. ”God, Mallory, you should have told me. I would have helped you. What”s he done?” I ask, knowing that she”s keeping a lot more from me. ”Tell me, please. What”s he done to you?”
She glances away once more. ”Please,” she whispers. ”This is your wedding day, Jess. Please just leave it be.”
”Tell me,” I urge. ”Please.”
”He threatened to kill us, Jess, threatened Shay and me. He broke into our home and held a knife to my throat while Shay laid in his crib beside me. I was so scared,” she cries. ”Ma woke up and he ran away. Since then, we”ve been in hiding. I hate that I”m so scared. I”m afraid that he”ll find me.”
My heart breaks for her. God, why is that monster doing this to her? It wasn”t her who killed Jarlath. It was Stephen. Why would he do this to her?
”I”m so sorry,” I whisper. It”s my fault. Had I not been mad at Stephen, we probably wouldn”t have wanted to walk home that night and this wouldn”t have happened.
”It”s not your fault, Jess,” she says, swiping away at her tears. ”This isn”t on you. This is on them. They”re doing this, not you. We”ll be fine.”
”I”ll talk with Uncle Jer, Maverick, and Stephen. We”ll make sure this stops. God, Mal, I”m so very sorry. I should have known something was wrong. I”m so sorry.”
She wraps me in a hug. ”Don”t apologize. I haven”t told anyone. I”m so scared, Jess, so damn scared. What if he gets to Shay?”
My lips tremble as we embrace each other. I hate that she”s frightened, that she”s dealing with a monster threatening not only her but her little boy too. ”We”ll make you safe,” I promise her.
”I know,” she says softly. ”Ma”s been a Godsend, Jess. She”s finally present and here. She dotes on Shay and she”s finally showing me that she cares.”
My heart soars. Mallory”s mam, Jayne, has worked her ass off to provide for Mallory and give her a good life, but somewhere along the way she forgot that she had a child who needed her love and support. Mallory felt alone and withdrew from Jayne. I guess when times get hard it”s those who are there for you that mean the most. ”I”m glad she”s around more and that she”s present, watching Shay grow up. Nothing will happen to any of you. I”ll talk to Maverick and Jer today,” I promise her. ”They”ll help.”
She gives me a bright grin. ”I know. I love you.”
I close my eyes, loving that she”s here. I”m selfish, I know. She should be with Shay and her mam. But she”s here, and I love her so much for that. ”With my entire heart,” I tell her.
She wipes away her tears and stands up tall. ”Let”s get you married,” she says with a wide smile.
I nod, my nerves once again hitting me hard. I never thought I”d get married. It wasn”t something I had ever thought possible, not with everything that was going on with Dad. I hadn”t let my mind wander that far into the future. I had never dreamed of what could be. Yet here I am, about to get married to a man I”m falling so very hard for.
Maybe it”s stupid, maybe not. But the way Stephen makes me feel is unlike anything I”ve ever felt before. I”ve never felt as safe as when I”m with him, despite him being a cold-blooded killer.
”Ready?” Mallory asks a few minutes later as she hands me a small white bouquet of flowers that have pale blue flowers sprinkled throughout. They”re gorgeous, and I know that even with everything Mallory”s going through, when Jer called her she didn”t hesitate to organize everything with him. There”s no one who knows me as much as she does.
I know that when Chloe finds out what’s happened she’s going to be angry, something that I get, something I know Mallory gets too as she hasn’t told her about Shay at all. But we’re protecting Chloe, she’s still reeling from what happened to her when she was kidnapped and neither me nor Mallory would want to send her spiralling. I just hope that she’ll forgive us.
I turn to face her, a bright smile on my face, and nod. My hands are shaking and the somersaults are back in my stomach, but I”m ready. I nod, unable to speak as excitement and nervousness hit me hard.
We walk out of the room, and I”m not surprised to see Uncle Jer waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. ”You look beautiful, Jessie,” he says thickly, a bright and wide smile on his face.
”Thank you,” I say as I join him and loop my arm through his. ”Thank you for doing all of this and being here,” I say. He”ll never know how much it truly means to me.
”I should be the one thanking you for letting me. I know we fucked up as a family and that”s not something we can ever change, but I swear to you, Jessie, I”ll never let anything happen to you again.”
I believe him. I know that he, Stephen, Maverick, and Freddie are doing everything in their power to find Dad, and I hate that when they do, they”re going to kill him. I don”t want another death on my conscience, but the men I”m closest to, they”re killers. It”s what they do and I”ll never change them. I wouldn”t even if I could. It”s who they are. It”s ingrained in them.
”Thank you,” I say softly.
”He”s antsy as fuck waiting for you. That boy loves you something fierce, Jessie. I would never have thought that Stephen was capable of love. But with you, it”s clear for everyone to see just how much he does.”
My heart warms at his words. ”I think I love him too,” I whisper.
Uncle Jer laughs. ”That”s clear too.” He grins. ”He”ll never hurt you, Jess. You”re the only person in this world he”d never hurt. Now, let”s get you out there. I don”t need him coming to find you.”
I laugh. It”s something I could imagine him doing. He”ll either get worried or bored of waiting and then come to find me.
Walking outside, my breath is taken away when I notice how beautiful it looks. Uncle Jer and Mallory went all out. There”s a gorgeous white and blue garland that”s entwined around an arch at the end of the garden. There”s blue and white petals scattered along the grass, and a white carpet runs from the back door of the house to the arch, where Stephen stands waiting for me. It”s so picturesque and beautiful. I never expected this. It”s stunning.
As we walk closer to Stephen, I can see how intense his gaze is and it”s solely on me. My body heats at the intensity of his stare. God, the man has no idea how he makes me feel. Whenever I”m around him, I feel beautiful. For years I felt as though I was hideous. The scars I have are bad. They”ve always made me feel ugly. But the moment Stephen”s eyes landed on them, I saw them differently. He wasn”t repulsed, and he didn”t turn away in disgust. Instead, he made me see my scars as badges of my past and what I”ve overcome. I don”t dread taking my clothes off anymore. I don”t hate that he can see them because he”s the reason I am now starting to love my body.
”You look beautiful,” Stephen rasps the moment I”m standing in front of him. ”Fuck, Jess, you”re so fucking beautiful.”
My cheeks flush with heat. I love the way he looks at me. The way he views me, it gives me such a confidence boost.
”You look handsome,” I say, my voice soft.
”You ready?” he questions, and I know that if I were to say no, he”d make sure that I felt good before we got married. I nod and watch the slow, satisfied grin form on his face.
The officiant steps forward, a bright smile on their face, and begins the ceremony. I stare into Stephen”s deep brown eyes, and I know that this is the right decision for me, for us. It”s soon, it really is. While he”s been watching me for years, I”ve only known him for weeks. But I know, deep in my heart, I”m making the right decision. No matter why we”re getting married, we both care for one another, and I”m hoping we’ll be happy.
I just wish there wasn”t this dread looming over us. My dad isn”t going to stop. He”ll come back and try to take me. I just pray that Stephen”s here when it does and my dad doesn”t get the chance to hurt me, to take away my happiness.
The ceremony passes in a blur. I”m so focused on Stephen that I go through the motions of it, loving the way he”s watching me as I say my vows.
”I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the officiant says, and Stephen doesn”t hesitate. His arm slides around my waist and he hauls me close to him. The second our bodies collide, his mouth slants over mine and he kisses me. I cling to him, my heartrate spiking.
I”m kissing my husband.
Oh my god. I”m married.
When Stephen pulls back, his eyes are filled with lust and he gives me that heated look that promises me all the good things for later on.
”Let”s get this party started,” Freddie shouts. ”It”s time to celebrate.”
I smile. God, we”re married and I”m falling in love with him.
“Wife,” he growls, and I shiver at his tone. God, I love that. “All mine.”
I pull in a sharp breath. “Yes, yours, husband.”
His grin is salacious. “Fuck, I can’t wait to get you home.”
I shiver once more. I’m so looking forward to tonight.