Beautiful Innocence (24 page)

I hear every word as I commit his speech to memory, but the tears are still streaming down now as I hiccup from the emotional roller coaster I’m on.

He places the ring on the ground to palm my face. “Hey, baby, say something, anything. Is it too soon?”

I shake my head violently, staring into his eyes. “I can’t believe it.”

“Can’t believe what?”

“The fairytale. I’m actually getting it this time.”

He picks the ring out of the box and slips it onto my finger. “No, baby, you got it all wrong, you’re giving me mine.”

Lying in his arms on the floor by a crackling fire that night is how I want to live the rest of my life. I’ve come a long way since my mom and I headed out on our own from town to town, shithole to shithole. I throw my leg over his waist and rest my chin on his chest, gazing up to his eyes full of lust. I don’t how many times people have sex in one day, but I think we might have broken the record.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Baby, you can ask me anything.” He’s playing with my hair like he always does.

“I want to go to school, just a local community college, and see if I like it as much as I think I would.”

He grins. “I think that’s a great idea. As a matter of a fact, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

I scoot up. “You did?”

“Before you kick and scream, let me talk, okay?” He waits as I contemplate what it is.

“Frown, babe. Get rid of it.”

I nod waiting for him to tell me. “I don’t want you working at the bar anymore. You have shit hours, men hitting on ya. I don’t like it. I know you like it there, but I guarantee you can find something else. In fact, Dane said he’d hire you as a part-time nanny if you wanted it, so Ashton can work with him once in a while and have a few hours to herself during the day to do all that girly shit. Now, it sounds perfect to me. You can go to school, make a little money from watching the hellions that I love so much. What do you think?”

I frown.

He arches his eyebrows, letting me know that I am.

“I would love to watch the kids but they don’t need to pay me. I would want to do it for free.”

“Babe, that’s called a job.”

“But I like the bar. I like working with Sam.”

“You like the bar that much?”

I shrug. In all honesty, I hate working late at night and having Josh come by to grab me, knowing he has to work in the morning. But I don’t want him to think that I depend on him for monetary support.

“I’ll feel like a leech if I quit and depend on you. I want my own money.”

His hands wrap around my neck, yanking me on top. “Baby, we are getting married, so stop it right now. I want to take care of you. I’ve always been alone. I’m actually looking forward to this, babe. You’ve always had to take care of yourself. Now you can hand all of that worry over to me. I make plenty of money. I want to give you the world, but you need to be able to accept it. Can you do that?”

Damn!

I nibble on his ear and whisper, feeling just how much he wants me again. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good. Now I’m thinking it might just be go time again.”

I kiss him deeply, and then lazily run my tongue down his stomach before peeking back up. “Great minds think alike.”

Five Years Later

Ava is pregnant with out second baby. She insisted on a small beach wedding at Ashton’s house with only family and close friends. We married six months after I proposed. She refused to spend more money on a wedding when we could spend it somewhere else.

I’ve never been more proud of her. She is also organizing her third fundraiser to raise money and awareness about just how prevalent sex trafficking in the United States is. When she can, she even goes on tours and speaks to young girls in high schools and middle schools up and down the East Coast. She has become a beautiful spokeswoman for the cause and I fight right alongside her every step of the way.

I’m in the office when I get the call on my cell. There are no words needed other than one. “Done.” And then the line goes dead. I smile knowing two are gone and two more bastards wait to be buried. I don’t know exactly how everything is taken care of, just that it is. Dane and I don’t talk about it, we just know by the looks we share when the time is coming up for the next one to get pinched.

After a satisfying day at work I head to our new home. Once Ava told me she was pregnant, we went and picked a house close to my brother’s farm so we could board a horse or two there. Ava also convinced me that she needed a dog, because she always dreamed of having one, so, since I don’t want her to want for anything, we adopted a dog from the shelter. It’s a cute mutt and big enough that it makes me feel better that he’s there protecting my family when I can’t be.

“Daddy,” squeals my son, Keegan. I hoist him up and plant a big kiss on his cheek. “Hey, there, little man. You being good for your mama today?”

He nods and starts firing off everything that he’s accomplished today. I don’t understand much he rambles so quickly, but I do hear that he’s colored his soon to be baby sister a picture for her room to welcome her home. Ava is due any day now. We’ve tried everything under the sun to get her labor moving along, but nothing seems to be working. Cooter, our dog, runs in when he hears me talking to Keegan. “Where’s mama?”

He points up the stairs. “Come on, let’s go get her.”

I hear the loud panting as I make my way up the steps. “Ava?” I scream. “Ava?”

“In here.” She pants. Ava is lying on our bed, her legs pushed back, her knees spread and the blankets are soaking wet. Fuck!

“Oh, shit! Baby, is that what I think it is?”

She breathes several times, rolling here eyes. “Yeah.”

I go for the phone to call 911, but her hand flies down and grips my waist. “No time. She’s coming.”

“What?” I shriek as I let the panic sink in. Keegan is standing there just watching us. “Keegan here,” I hand him the phone after I hit send to 911. “Tell them our address when they ask and tell them mama’s in labor, okay.”

I hear him rattle of nothing other than his baby sister is coming and daddy is crying. Great! Ava is panting harder, squeezing the life out of my hand as another contraction hits her. “I want to push. Can you see anything?”

She releases me long enough so I can look down between her legs, wanting to pass out when I see dark curls peeking out from between her legs, but can’t. “She’s coming. Push.”

“Josh,” I hear Dane bellow from downstairs.

“Keegan run down and get Uncle Dane.” His little feet pitter-patter out of the bedroom, as he hums to himself like nothing is happening.

Ava lets out a blood-curling scream as she throws her body up and pushes as hard as she can.

Dane and Ashton come flying into the room a few seconds later. “Baby, push, she just needs a little help.” My hands are under my baby’s little head as I see Ashton scoot behind Ava and hold her forward, whispering in her ear.

Dane is on the other side of her, holding her hand.

Ava gives me one last breathtaking smile before pushing with everything she’s got.

My little princess slips out into my hands. The small cry comes next as Ashton grabs a blanket and wraps it around her tiny little body.

“I’ll get some scissors.” Dane runs out and pounds down the steps.

“She’s so beautiful, Ava.”

Dane comes up and hands the scissors off to me so I can cut the cord.

The EMT’s come in just as we hand her off to Ava. They take the baby away for a brief second, clearing her face and nose and then work on Ava. Once they’re done, Ava is smiling right along the rest of us as our baby nestles into her chest.

Dane and Ashton grab Keegan and walk the EMT’s out once they get everything done that they need, leaving the three of us alone. “She looks just like you.”

“But she has your hair,” Ava croons as she slips her fingers through the thick, dark Woods hair.”

“Did you decide on her name yet? You know I’m okay with whatever you want for my princess.”

She smiles widely, kissing her little cheek. “Caroline. I like Caroline. I found you here in the Carolina’s and I want her to carry that name.”

Damn that girl slices me with her words, making my heart swell. “Caroline? Caroline Woods sounds good to me, baby.”

She hands my little girl off to me to hold for the first time. Her beautiful blue eyes stare up at me as I look down, knowing that this baby has my entire heart just like Keegan and Ava do. My handsome son, my pretty little girl and my beautiful wife are the only things I need in this lifetime. I never thought I’d get it, but damn if I didn’t. One more glance over to Ava before I whisper in Caroline’s ear. “I’
m
gonna love you forever, baby girl.”

As always I like to thank my readers for taking a chance on the characters that consume my everyday thoughts and on me. I wouldn’t still be writing if people didn’t support me. So thank you all so much. I can’t even begin to describe how much it means to me.

To my beautiful family who graciously deals with a mother who spends way too much time on her computer typing away. I promise to take a break soon—I think.

To every author out there who has inspired me in some way shape of form. And to all the ones who I’ve become friends with over the last few years—you know who you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope to meet some of you soon!

I’d like to thank my friend, MarySue Hobika for always being there for me and reading every story before anyone else.

Regina Wamba from
www.maeidesign.com
I have no words to tell you how much I adore your work and the covers you create. I’m always in awe of what you can do and what you continue to do.

And, of course, Mary Marvella, my editor on this project. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.