Carly

 

Two weeks later

 

WASP AND HIS brothers had bought more fireworks than I’d ever seen in my life. As I stared at the assortment of sparklers, poppers, candles, mortars, and more explosive shit than I knew existed, I couldn’t stop the smile that engulfed my face. I felt it all the way down to my toes. Not only were we blowing stuff up, but we were blowing stuff up with family. It was like all my childhood dreams rolled up into one incredible Independence Day.

“The boys always go overboard,” Elaine said, stopping beside me to evaluate the pile. “But, I don’t care. They can buy the whole store if it makes the kids happy. I’m just glad you, Trent, and Andrew decided to join us.”

I was, too. We were supposed to spend the holiday camping with the Dead Presidents, which also would have been amazing, but at the last second Wasp realized that Trent had never set off fireworks and completely changed the plans. The next thing I knew, Wasp and I had taken time off work and the three of us were on a plane headed for Minnesota.

The past few weeks had been stressful as hell. After the shooting, Wasp had been thoroughly questioned by the Seattle police department. Based on Jessica’s testimony, and the door he’d busted through to get to her, they decided Wasp acted in defense of Jessica and no charges were pressed.

But there was still a body to contend with.

Since there was no way we were ever staying at that apartment again, Jessica had temporarily moved into the fire station until she found a place, and Trent and I had crashed Wasp’s place. I kept insisting that our move was also temporary, but Wasp made it clear he had other plans. And, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like living with him. The move had been quick and easy, and Wasp was letting me use his Jeep to get Trent to school and myself to work. The commute was kind of shitty, though, and I hated working nights when Wasp and Trent were home. Wasp wanted me to quit my job at the bar and just work the coffee shop, but we were still discussing it.

As for the douchebag from the grocery store parking lot, Wasp and a few of his big intimidating soldier friends paid the guy a visit and let him know they’d be fixing his car. The way Wasp tells it, the guy just handed over his keys and they returned it once the nick was removed. I didn’t really believe that story, but since things were handled and he hadn’t filed a lawsuit against me, I wasn’t complaining.

“I still can’t believe you guys are here,” Elaine said, pulling me back into the present.

I could barely believe it myself. It was such a whirlwind, we hadn’t even warned them we were coming. Instead, we’d rented a truck and surprised Wasp’s family. I’d been nervous about just showing up, but all four of Wasp’s brothers and their wives and kids were so welcoming and genuinely happy to see us I felt stupid for worrying. I’d expected whispers and judgmental looks, but there’d been hugs and tears and more love than I’d ever felt in my life.

“Mom!” Trent shouted, running through the front door.

“Don’t run in the house,” I snapped as the screen closed behind him.

“But do you want a hamburger or a hot dog?” he asked, huffing and puffing as he slid to a stop.

“I want a hug,” I replied. I’d barely seen him since we’d arrived two days ago.

He gave me an exasperated sigh before opening his arms. Picking him up, I squeezed him close and breathed him in, glad to see him so happy and carefree. My little man needed this vacation as much as I did. “You smell like bar-b-que,” I said.

“Me and Nolan are helping Grandpa and Wasp.”

Nolan was Wasp’s brother Grant’s son. He and Trent were only months apart in age and had been inseparable since we’d arrived. Before the guys had put them to work, they’d been out in the field chasing little gray birds, laughing so loudly they had all the adults cracking up and videoing their shenanigans.

“Well, maybe I should just eat you,” I said, making gobbling noises at his neck.

Trent laughed, squirming until I set him down. “Hamburger or hot dog?” he asked again, all business.

“Hamburger.”

“Grandma?” Trent asked.

Elaine was teary-eyed. “Hamburger. Thanks Trent.”

He went scurrying off with our orders.

“Are you okay?” I asked Elaine as soon as Trent was out of earshot.

“Yes, of course. I couldn’t be happier, dear.”

I reached for her hand, squeezing it. “Family’s important. I get it.”

“Of course, you do.” She squeezed my hand back. “He’s lucky to have found you, Carly. We all are.”

My heart swelled. “Thank you, but I’m the lucky one.”

“Mom, Grandma, your burgers are ready!” Trent shouted through the screen, breaking up our moment.

Elaine snickered. “We better get out there before those boys try to bring our plates to us.”

Yep. That would be a mess.

The entire family ate in the backyard on four long wooden picnic tables with attached benches. We barely fit, and Stephen said something about ordering another one before Thanksgiving. Everyone chatted amicably, and the kids rushed through their meal, so they could hit the swimming pool.

“Doesn’t swimming after they eat cause cramps?” I asked.

“That’s not really a thing,” Noni, Garret’s wife, told me. She was eight months pregnant with their third child and looked miserable, fanning herself in the heat. “Swimming does wear them out, though, and we need that.”

“Amen,” Lacy, Tom’s wife, said, holding up her wine glass. “Ever since Stella started walking, I live for naptime. Noni, did I tell you she ate my fern?”

“Really?” Noni asked.

“Yep. It’s missing several branches. I called poison control.” To me, she added, “I have them on speed dial. Not even kidding. They said she should be fine, but to watch her. She had a stomach ache that night, but that was it. I swear, that kid puts everything in her mouth. You’d think I never fed her.”

“Dylan shoved a Lego up his nose when he was two,” Karin, Duane’s wife, said. “I have no idea what makes a kid look at a Lego and think it should be shoved up their nose. I thought we were going to have to take him to the emergency room, but Duane grabbed a pair of tweezers and got it out. The next week he shoved a gummy bear up there.”

Everyone roared with laughter as more horror stories were shared about the kids. Much to my dismay, Wasp piped in and told everyone about Penis Parker. Much like their parents, all his siblings loved that story and broke into equally embarrassing tales of Wasp’s younger days. I’d never fit in better with a group of people in my life.

Everything was perfect.

We swam with the kids, and then put Trent down for a nap. Getting rid of my swimsuit, I pulled on a cute little stars and stripes sundress, perfect for the occasion, and met Wasp outside. His eyes drank me in, the way they always did, making my stomach do a little flip.

“You look nice. I hate that I wasn’t in there to help you change,” he grumbled.

Since his parents were Catholic, and we weren’t married, they’d put us up in different rooms, something he’d been lamenting about ever since. In full vacation mode, he was still wearing his swim trunks and slides, his long hair wavy from the pool.

“You look tasty,” I said, licking my lips.

It had been two days without sex, and I was kind of going out of my mind. Judging by the heated, frustrated look Wasp gave me, he was, too. He grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the group.

“Where are we going?” I asked once we were alone.

“To Gramps’s house. I want to show you some things.”

His grandfather’s estate was one of the reasons we’d come back. We’d rented a truck because Wasp was planning on hitching a trailer to it and pulling back the motorcycle that was currently residing in his grandfather’s shop. But Wasp hadn’t been inside the house or the shop since his grandfather had died, and this was the first time since we’d arrived that he’d even mentioned it. Knowing this might be hard on him because of the close relationship he’d had with the man he lovingly called ‘Gramps,’ I followed him next door.

Wasp unlocked the door and let us in. It was a cute little cottage, decorated exactly as you would expect the home of an older couple to be decorated, floral couches, comfy-looking recliner in front of the television, god-awful wallpaper. The place smelled a little musty and unused, but not bad.

“I expected dust and cobwebs,” I said.

“Mom comes over sometimes and cleans,” Wasp explained. “She wants me to move home and live here.”

“Is that what you want?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be so bad living close to family. Trent would have cousins to play with, and you’d have my sisters-in-law to talk about kids with.”

He hadn’t answered the question. “But what about you?”

“I could probably find an auto shop around here that’s hiring. I could tinker in Gramps’s shop. It wouldn’t be a bad life.”

“But it wouldn’t be a great one, either.”

He stared at me. “Don’t you like being around my family?”

“So much, yes!” I replied. “They are fantastic. They’re everything I ever wanted in a family. But they’re not your life, Drew. What you’re doing in Seattle… that’s important. You’re passionate about it, and it makes you feel fulfilled. People talk at the bar, and I hear the stories of how you guys have helped them. How they had nothing before they patched in. You’re doing something great, and although I’m amazed and honored that you would give that up for me and Trent, I would never want you to. I love you, because that guy who puts his friend into a treatment center and checks on him every day… that’s who you are. I wouldn’t take that away from you.”

His brow furrowed. “But all my family’s here. Don’t you want to be close to them?”

“Yes. On holidays. They’re great and everything, but honestly, they’re a little overwhelming. I mean, there’s like a hundred of them.”

He barked out a laugh. “I love you so much.” He pulled me against him and his lips landed on mine. He kissed me breathless before pulling away and taking my hand once again. “Come on, let’s go out back.”

He led me through the house to the backyard, where I was surprised to find birdbaths full of the same little gray and white birds Trent and Nolan had been chasing around.

“They’re mourning doves,” Wasp said, pulling me to a halt beside him. “They were my grandma’s favorite. She died when I was pretty young, so I don’t remember much about her, but Gramps used to call her his dove.” He paused for a second, letting that sink in. “I asked him why one time, and he said doves are resilient. He showed me one with gnarly feet, toes all missing from frostbite and shit. He said everyone associates them with death and loss, but they’re fighters. They represent hope and peace. My grandma fought cancer through most of her adult life, but she never complained, she laughed all the damn time, and when she died, she was at peace. He said she was his resilient little mourning dove. Just like you’re mine.”

Touched, I felt tears flood my eyes, but I was powerless to stop them. It was such a beautiful story. Every time I thought Wasp couldn’t make me feel more important, he somehow managed to prove me wrong. I loved him so much it hurt.

“That’s not supposed to make you cry,” he said, capturing my face in his hands so he could swipe at my tears with his thumbs. “It’s a sweet, wonderful, true story that’s supposed to help me get laid.”

It was such a Wasp thing to say, that laughter bubbled up out of my chest.

“What?” he asked, sounding offended. “That’s totally a fuck-worthy story. You should let me do butt stuff after that.”

“Ohmigod. It was sweet and wonderful, but you’re ruining it!”

“Oh really?” He gave me a giant grin. “I love the sound of your laughter. Almost as much as I love the sounds you make when you’re coming.”

Heat pooled between my legs at the scalding look he gave me. A knowing smile stretched across his face as he grabbed me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“What are you doing?” I asked, laughing and trying to wiggle free.

He smacked me on the ass. “Hold still. I’m taking you somewhere I can cash in on my sweet and amazingness.” Carrying me into a large shop, he set me down on the table and went right up my skirt to grip my panties.

“Where are we? What are you doing?” I asked, trying to smack his hands away.

“We are in Gramps’s shop, and I’m getting rid of this offensive piece of cloth, so I can ravage you properly.” He tugged my panties down and stuck them in his pocket. “Now… where were we? Oh, right. You were just about to let me squeeze into that sweet, tight pussy.”

“We can’t have sex in your grandpa’s shop,” I objected.

“Technically it’s my shop, so yes, we can.”

He pulled down his swim trunks, baring his deliciously large and hard cock. My body missed it. Just seeing it again was making me all hot and tingly.

“What if someone finds us.”

“You worry too much, dove.”

The pet name resonated within me, making his story even more powerful. I was his resilient little mourning dove. My breath hitched at the thought and he stilled. Our gazes locked, and I saw all his real emotion, all the stuff he buried behind humor, peeking out at me. He was so beautiful, so perfect. I wanted nothing more than to stare into his eyes forever.

“Marry me?” he asked.

Certain I must have misheard him, I asked, “What?”

“Marry me,” he repeated. “Please.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out my panties. “Shit. Wrong one.” He tried the other and removed a small box. “I know it’s soon, and we don’t have to get married right away, but I want my ring on your finger. You and Trent are already living with me, and it’s working. It’s amazing. I want to know that you’re as committed to this as I am and that we’re in it for the long haul. Marry me?”

He snapped open the box and held it between us. The ring was beautiful. Old fashioned, a pearl ringed in diamonds.

“It was my grandmother’s. Gramps left it to me. I can’t think of a better way to honor them than to slip it on your finger.”

Hot tears slid down my cheeks as I thought about how crazy he was to ask me. How crazy I was to consider telling him yes.

“Don’t leave me hangin’, sweetheart.”

“You’re really proposing with your dick out?” I asked.

“I’m hoping it sweetens the deal.”

I had to marry him because there was no way I could live without this man in my life. He was my passion, my laughter. Swallowing past all my fears and uncertainties and letting that truth resonate within me, I nodded. “Yes.”

“Fuckin’ thank God,” he said on a breath.

I laughed.

“Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?” He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger.

“Yes, yes I do.”

Capturing my mouth with his, he bunched my skirt around my thighs, grabbed my ass, and pulled me to him, until I was teetering on the edge of the table. His hard, blunt head circled my entrance, drawing heat and moisture to my core as he deepened the kiss. My nipples pebbled against the silk of my bra. One of his hands snaked up to pinch and play with my breasts while his kiss stole away the last of my inhibitions.

Who cared if we were about to have sex in his shop? I loved him so much, I would spread my legs for him anywhere.

Pushing my thighs apart, he drove into me. I moaned at the sudden pressure against the walls of my pussy.

“God, Drew,” I breathed. How had we gone two days without this?

He pulled out before plunging in deeper, filling me up. I leaned back, supporting myself on my hands to give him better access. He drove in deeper still.

“Your pussy feels like home,” he said, settling in to a nice, solid pace. “I just can’t get enough of it. And seeing you with my family… I’m gonna fuckin’ marry you.”

“You better. No take backs.”

He chuckled, dropping his roaming hands to my ass so he could hold me where he wanted.

“And we’re not moving to Minnesota.”

“That was just a test. I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if you would have been willing to move.”

“What?” I asked.

Chuckling, he nibbled on my neck and picked up the pace, making it impossible for either of us to speak. Guttural, primal sounds filled the shop as he pounded me harder and faster until we were both crying out with release.

Wasp held me against him, both of us panting as we came down. He kissed my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, and finally my lips. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?” I asked, gazing up at him.

“For accepting me as I am. For not trying to change me. Not wanting to move to Minnesota and tie me down.”

“I love you,” I whispered against his neck. “And I never said I’d be opposed to tying you down. That sounds hot.”

He chuckled, giving me a little squeeze. “I love you too, dove, and I’m game anytime you are. Hell, I was a Boy Scout, remember? I’ll even teach you some knots.”

Determined to take him up on his offer, I made him let me down so I could go find some rope.