Chapter 13 #2
“Well, that idea is out.” I thought about it for a second before I asked, “Did you consider it?”
Cassia bit her lip nervously before she said, “I have to admit it crossed my mind, but I swept the thought aside before it took root.”
“That’s good to know. What was another idea?”
“She suggested that I take Ivy and run somewhere you couldn’t find me.”
“I’d search the world over, Cassia. You know that, right?”
“I’m sure you would.”
“Well, those two suggestions are out, so what’s next?”
“I should seduce you, convince you to marry me, legally adopt Ivy as your wife, and then leave you and take Ivy with me.”
“Since you told me about it, I suppose that’s not your plan.”
“I have no illusions that I could seduce you, so I’m not choosing that part of the option.”
“That part?” I asked. “Meaning you . . .”
My voice trailed off as Cassia got to her feet and then dropped to her knees between my splayed legs.
Even though she’d just told me that wasn’t part of her plan, my cock hadn’t been listening and jumped to attention.
When all the blood left my brain, I couldn’t think of any other reason for her to be on her knees in front of me.
I wished with every cell in my body that she’d reach out and . . .
No. I was not going to complicate our tentative relationship by thinking of Cassia in any way other than a friend. Yeah. Just a friend.
But some friendships started with mind-blowing sex, didn’t they?
I knew for a fact they did. I was sure I had a few friends and family members whose relationships started with cold beer and condoms rather than hearts and flowers.
As a matter of fact, I was almost positive that’s how my parents had started their relationship–and look where they were today!
I swallowed hard as Cassia rested her hands on my knees, then realized she was staring up at me in confusion. She said something, but I couldn’t hear her because my blood was still rushing through my body and the only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat.
I shook my head to clear it and asked, “What?”
“Are you okay?”
“Did you ask me a question?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?” Please let it be “Can I give you a blow job!” the part of my brain ruled by my sex drive yelled.
Luckily, the rest of my brain overruled what was essentially my cock trying to take over the helm and steer this ship straight to the bedroom, and I cleared my throat before I asked, “What did you say?”
“I’m down on my knees in front of you? What do you think I asked?” Cassia snapped as she used my thighs to push herself up to stand in front of me. “I’m not gonna beg you, Memphis.”
“You don’t have to beg! I’m down for it!”
“You are?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes! Very much yes!” I said in shock. I shook my head. “No! This is a bad idea. But–yes. Let’s do that. Please.”
“Apparently, you got lost in thought and never made it back, because you can’t even follow your own thread of the conversation right now.”
“Well, yeah. That’s mostly right,” I stammered.
Cassia frowned at me and, for some reason, glanced down. I knew she’d seen that my cock was rock hard and tenting the front of my shorts. First came shock and then horror before she shoved my shoulder and yelled, “Did you think I was asking to blow you?”
“I hoped–no. I didn’t. Well, I didn’t hear you and . . . my brain glitched or something and all the blood . . . what the fuck is happening right now?”
Cassia’s head fell back as she stared at the ceiling for a second before growling in frustration. She took a few steadying breaths, then looked back at me and hissed, “I asked you to fucking marry me, Memphis–not if I could suck your dick.”
“What?!?”
“Oh my God! You really thought that was what I . . .” Cassia threw her hands up in frustration before spinning around and stomping away.
Muttering loudly, she said, “Of course that’s what he thought.
Look at what got us here in the first place–banging a groupie whore .
. .” She was even with the island when she spun around, pointed her finger at me, and yelled, “Who was married, by the way!”
“Am I the marriage police?” I yelled back, instantly angry at the accusation in her voice. “If I were married, I would never cheat on my wife, and I would hope that the woman who marries me would never even consider it. Fucking sue me for assuming everyone takes their marriage vows seriously!”
“But you’re still banging random women backstage like some . . . some . . . like a fucking rock star or something! Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re not all that, you know!”
“I never said I was! I was single and shit happened. If that makes me a bad person, then everyone is bad. At one point or another, we’ve all taken advantage of an opportunity that’s been offered.”
“You could have said no!”
“Why should I?”
“This is where you both shut the fuck up and go to your separate corners to calm down!” Erisa yelled from the landing. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you guys, but I can hear Ivy calling for you, which trumps whatever bullshit you’ve got going on right now!”
“Shit!” Cassia yelled as she spun around and sprinted toward Ivy’s room.
I was right behind her, terrified that we’d scared the baby and that she’d think it was my fault and hate me forever.
The second I saw her, I realized that wasn’t the case.
Ivy wasn’t upset at all. Instead, she was smiling from ear to ear and looked absolutely adorable with her curly hair mussed from sleep.
“Good morning, Ivy-Bug!” Cassia said cheerfully as she picked Ivy up out of her deep crib. She hugged her close, and I saw all of the tension leave her body when Ivy threw her arms around Cassia’s neck and snuggled closer. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart?”
Ivy sat up and grinned at Cassia before she started chatting. Then she saw me in the doorway, squealed loudly, and lunged toward me. The sudden movement caught Cassia off balance, and I rested my hand on her back to steady her as I reached for Ivy with my other arm.
Ivy shocked us both when she slapped her little hands on my cheeks and kissed me.
“Well, good morning to you, too, sweetheart,” I said, smiling.
I looked at Cassia and saw her watching us. When she turned to walk away, I reached out and put my hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry I yelled. I’ll try very hard not to do it again.”
“And I’m sorry I said those things. You’re right–you’re not the marriage police.
Regina knew what she was doing, so it’s on her, not you.
As angry as it makes me to know that she cheated on my brother, I can’t say I’m sorry about it because that’s what brought us Ivy.
She was the highlight of my brother’s life, and his last minutes on earth were spent thinking of her safety before anyone else's. "
“He sent you to save her?”
“He did, and I convinced him to go get our parents and Grandma,” Cassia said as tears filled her eyes. “The last thing I said to him was, ‘I’ll take care of Ivy.’ I made a promise and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it.”
“Including marrying me.”
“Yes. I thought about not telling you my plan, but it’s not in my nature to be that underhanded.”
“Your plan?”
“For about ten minutes, I considered seducing you, making you fall in love, becoming Ivy’s official adoptive mother, and then leaving you.”
“Harsh.”
“Obviously, considering what just happened, I didn’t do that. Instead, I decided to be direct.”
“And my dick took over, and I didn’t hear anything you said,” I admitted with a self-depreciating chuckle. “Sorry about that.”
“I forgive you. I realize now what it looked like.” Cassia grinned before she said, “Someday we’ll be able to laugh about that.”
“It might take until our ten-year anniversary, but it will happen.”
Cassia’s smile disappeared, and she asked, “Ten-year anniversary?”
“With the exception of one of my uncles and a few of my cousins, my family marries their partner with the intent of staying together for life.”
“And you don’t want to be one of those exceptions.”
“Exactly.”
“I didn’t even consider that.”
“I haven’t exactly planned my future or lain in bed dreaming of starting a family, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have certain expectations.
” Ivy had snuggled up against me just as she had with Cassia.
I ran my hand up and down her back before I looked Cassia in the eye and firmly said, “I won’t go into a marriage that has an expiration date, and I won’t be content to live in a platonic relationship for the rest of my life. ”
Cassia’s brow furrowed as she looked down at the floor for several long seconds before reaching up and rubbing her hand over Ivy’s back. When her hand encountered mine, we both stilled. I was surprised when she twined her fingers with mine as they rested on Ivy.
“We should take some time to think about this,” Cassia suggested.
As crazy as it seemed, I didn’t think I needed much time–if any. What little I knew of Cassia told me she was a strong woman who knew her own mind. She’d been through so much in her life that she understood heartache, but she also understood triumph. I appreciated that more than words could say.
I’d lived a charmed life, surrounded by family who loved me, in a peaceful home where I was protected from the evils of the world before joining my friends in the adventure of a lifetime–playing the music we loved and becoming adored for it.
Cassia had endured things I’d never be able to comprehend, but she still had a heart full of love to give.
She showed that in how she cared for Ivy and how she worked to make sure her sisters were comfortable and safe. That had been apparent the night before when I heard her walk upstairs to check on Iliana and Erisa, then look in on Ivy one last time before heading to her own room.
It was obvious she was willing to do anything to care for Ivy–and, if the look of determination on her face was any indication, she was more than just considering the option of marrying me and making it a long-lasting relationship.
I knew that was the case when she said, “When I say my marriage vows, I plan for them to be forever. So if I share them with you, be assured that I mean what I say.”
“If?”
“I meant it when I said I need some time to think about it.”
“Okay.”
Cassia might need some time, but I’d made my decision, and I was going to do everything in my power to convince her that this was the right thing for all of us.
I wasn’t sure why I was so convinced this was a good idea, but my attraction to Cassia played a part–just not nearly as much as the respect I had for her.
“I’ll need to talk to a lawyer and ask some questions before I can make a decision about this.”
“What sort of questions?”
“I don’t want any of your money, and I don’t want you to be able to dismantle the foundation my parents started or touch the trusts they created to take care of my sisters and me. There’s also the matter of Ivy’s inheritance from Ivan and Regina’s life insurance.”
“I won’t touch your money or Ivy’s. I promise.”
“Do you know an attorney I can talk to?” Cassia shook her head. “No. I’ll need someone impartial that I can trust.”
“I know one or two that you can trust, and they’ll do what’s right because it’s right–without skewing things in my favor.”
“I’d like to talk to one of them. Legal paperwork is legal paperwork no matter who creates it, right?”
“Exactly.”
“And I just happen to have an attorney in my pocket who can go over whatever we come up with to verify that everything is on the up and up.”
“This sounds like a business decision and . . .”
“No, it’s practical for even a couple who’s head over heels in love to consider things like this before they get married.”
“How much time do you need?”
“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”
“Because I was wondering how much time I have to convince you.”