Chapter 38
[ ME:] I’ll do it.
[ FREDERIC:] Are you sure?
[ ME:] When I get back, I’ll go. Already emailed and confirmed.
[ FREDERIC:] I don’t say it enough, I know that, but you need to hear this: You’re my brother and I love you.
[ ME:] The two women in your life are making you soft.
[ FREDERIC:] Fuck off.
[ FREDERIC:] I’m trying to say I’m sorry you’ve been doing this all alone.
[ FREDERIC:] And I’m sorry that all of us haven’t been the brothers we should have been. We will do better, I promise.
[ FREDERIC:] But I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.
[ ME:] I know.
[ FREDERIC:] When you are ready to talk to me about everything, I’m here. And when you’re ready to tell Jaxon & Olivier (if you want to), I’ll be by your side.
[ ME:] Thank you.
[ FREDERIC:] You never need to thank me for doing what a brother should do.
[ FREDERIC:] I’m proud of you.
Seeing Daniel attempt to hide his missing front tooth during the photoshoot was the highlight of my day.
My girl done good.
Second-best thing she could do with her hands.
It was the day before the wedding, which meant the wedding party was being subjected to a photoshoot, and much to Livi’s horror, it included horses.
“They are devil creatures.” She handed me a glass of lemon water. “Look at them, standing there all innocent, waiting for some poor bastard to sit on them and then bam! Say goodbye to your ribs.”
“Uh-huh,” I chuckled. “Have you considered that not all horses are the same?”
“Whose side are you on?”
“All I’m saying is that not every horse is going to try and buck you off.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I see how it is, you’re totally taking the horse’s side. Well, I hope you and your horse friends are happy together, because I won’t stand for this kind of betrayal.”
I hummed. “Have I told you how pretty you look today?”
“Don’t try and use flattery to distract me.” She attempted to smother her smile. “It’s not going to work.”
“Oh, really? Well, how about this?” I dipped my head and claimed her mouth with mine.
I swallowed her gasp mixed moan, my lips opening for her instantly and relishing in her sweet, spine-tingling taste.
Her body arched into mine.
I wasn’t lying, she looked stunning in her lavender dress. The top half fit her like a second skin, while the skirts flowed to the ground and twirled in the wind.
If we weren’t surrounded by so many people, I’d be tempted to hoist up the material and see if she was wearing any underwear right now.
“Oi, love birds!” Flynn called over. “Sorry to break up the make-out session, but the bridal party photo is next.”
“Looks like that’s my cue.” She sucked the tip of my tongue, sending a jolt straight to my crotch, before breaking away with a mischievous wink. “Try not to miss me too much.”
“An impossible task.”
She bit her bottom lip and grinned.
Once she left, my good mood soured as Daniel came and grabbed a beer from the refreshment table beside me.
I caught Flynn in the background, his eyes bouncing between Daniel and myself. A silent question etched on his face, offering to act as a buffer between the two of us. I shook my head.
Although I didn’t know Flynn, yet we were somehow weirdly interlinked through Jaxon and Evelyn, he was the sort of guy I’d want as a friend.
“You seriously think she is going to stay with you?” Daniel’s irritating voice cut through my thoughts. “Once her mother finds out about your little problem, you’re fucked.”
I plastered on a fake, cold smile and forced myself to look him dead in the eyes. “I want you to listen to me very carefully, because I am only ever going to say this once for you, got it?”
“Alright, tough guy, let’s hear it.”
“If you ever, and I mean ever, make Livi cry or uncomfortable again, I will make your life a living hell. I won’t rest until I ruin your life. I will make it my life’s mission to be your goddamn personal nightmare.”
Despite his scoff, his face paled.
“Thanks to your selfishness and inability to keep your cock under control, you lost the best thing you’ll ever have in your life. Lucky for me, your loss is my goddamn gain.” I closed the gap between us and lowered my voice. “And I will go to the ends of the world to protect those I care about.”
“I could have you fired,” he seethed. “One call and your career will be over.”
“Do it.”
“I ain’t lying. I’ll fucking do it.”
“Then go on and do it.” I flashed my teeth. “Ruin my career, see if I care. I’ll happily scorch this earth and dance in the flames to protect her. There’s nothing in this world that I fear losing for her. So, let this serve as your one and only warning. Stay the fuck away from Livi.”
He opened his mouth and firmly shut it again, his face completely leeched of color.
“Good boy.” I patted his upper arm hard. “Glad we have come to an understanding.”
Walking past the horses tied to the post near the photographer, I spied the one from Larchill standing near the end.
“Hey there, buddy,” I soothed, stroking Samson’s dark mane. “What do you say about getting away from all this, huh?
Samson whinnied.
“That’s what I thought. I have a plan to get the two of us out of here. Fancy helping me out?”
He pushed his head into my palm. That’s all the permission I needed as I untied him and grabbed a saddle. By the time I finished prepping him, thanking the stars that I still remembered from childhood—a true miracle—Livi appeared.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I smirked. “I have a proposition for you.”
Her sculpted brow raised and her hands rested on her hips.
“Would you rather stay here and take photos, or can I steal you away for the rest of the afternoon?”
She turned to look at the shambles of the wedding party. The photographer attempted to gain some order while Sophia tried to take full control of the situation.
The whole thing was laughable.
Amid the chaos, I spotted Maya watching the two of us carefully.
“Fuck it, let’s blow this popsicle,” she grinned. “But I’m not riding a horse by myself.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re riding with me.” I hoisted myself onto Samson and offered her my hand. “Don’t forget that wrangler did say I was a good ride.”
Rolling her eyes, she laughed and let me pull her up in front of me.
The skirts of her dress bundled upward, revealing her bare legs. Like a moth to a bright, all-consuming flame, I rested one hand on her soft thigh while the other controlled the reins.
I guided Samson away from the circus taking place and aimed for the lake east of the ranch.
If only he could take us back home.
However, going back to New York meant I was about to submit myself to a one-month intensive program. It also meant telling Zara the truth and, most likely, losing my job.
And yet I’d rather do that than spend any more time with Livi’s family.
I had no interest in the wedding, let alone the remaining days leading up to it.
But she wanted to stay, and I wanted to be with her—always.
“Are you prepared?” Livi asked as we approached a lake.
“For what?”
She leaned back into me. “For the death stares we are going to get during the rehearsal dinner?”
“Let them stare and whisper.” I brought Samson to a halt. “However, if any of them upset you or make you the slightest bit uncomfortable, I’ll handle it.”
“Are you going to defend my honor, Dr. D?”
“Always,” I said. “But I think it’s about time we came up with a better nickname for me.”
“Hold the phone, are you telling me that you still don’t like your porno name?”
Grabbing her waist, I helped her down from Samson and kissed the tip of her nose. “All I’m saying is there has to be something, anything better.”
“Fine,” she sighed dramatically. “What do you want me to call you then?”
Tying Samson to a nearby tree, I scratched behind his ear before walking back and finding a spot to sit down.
Patting the grassy ground, I motioned for her to sit next to me.
Instead, she straddled me and bunched the skirts of her dress up past her hips. My nostrils flared, my mouth going dry at the sight of her very naked cunt.
Rotating her hips, she smirked down at me. “How about honey? Or honeybee? Or honeybuns?”
I chuckled, running the flats of my palms up her soft legs. “Do they have to be bee-related?”
“Or what about my boo? Or my darling? My lover? Oh, oh, how about my stud muffin?”
“Or how about you call me yours.”
Because I am yours.
“Yours,” she repeated quietly. “I like the sound of that.” Leaning down, her loose curls encased my face. Her lips traced the length of my nose, her breath heating my skin until her mouth lined up with mine.
My thumb traced the apple of her cheek as I whispered against her lips, “I love you.”
A line formed between her brows.
She paused, her lips parting, but before she said anything, I shook my head and smiled.
“You don’t have to say it back,” I said truthfully.
“I know how scared you are of getting your heart broken again, and I get it. But you deserve to know that I am crazy about you. You’ve brought meaning back into my life. ”
“Elliott—”
“It’s like my whole life I’ve been sleepwalking and then you came and woke me up.” My forehead connected with hers. “You’ve completely and utterly stolen my heart, Peaches. And I hope soon that you will trust me to cherish and protect yours, because I want you, Livi. Only you.”
Her throat bobbed thickly and a stray tear stained her cheek.
“I want you in my life, not as a fake girlfriend, not as my friend, but as the woman I’m falling in love with.”
Her glassy brown eyes bounced between mine.
“I’m not going to rush you,” I continued. “All I want is for you to give me a chance. I want you to choose me, to break all your rules and take a chance on love again.”
Nodding a little, she said nothing before she claimed my mouth with hers.
One day, she’d say it back.
One day, she’d see I was worth taking the risk on.
One day…
I didn’t care how long it took, because I wasn’t going anywhere. I knew it deep in my core that the woman before me was going to be my wife one day.
She was my future.
The future worth fighting for, worth living for.
I held onto that thought. I imagined the future we’d have together once I got my life in order and once she finally let her guard down.
I replayed it repeatedly as she unbuckled my trousers and I handed her the condom tucked away in my wallet. I silently promised to be a better man for her, to get the help I needed and come out stronger as she sank all the way down onto me.
Throwing her head back, her hands clawing at my shirt, she rode me like there was no tomorrow, all while whispering, “I’m yours.”
I’m hers.
She’s mine.
And I’d spend the rest of my life showing her the exact kind of love she deserved if she let me.
Merde, I hoped she would let me.
By the time we finally made our way back to the rehearsal dinner, they were serving dessert.