Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) (60 page)

“No! You should have told me.”

“You’re absolutely right. I should have and I am so sorry, but when I called, you were at the hospital with JT and already going through so much. I figured I’d tell you later that weekend, but I just couldn’t put any more stress on you.”

He shook his head, his face red with anger. “No, JT is not my wife—you are. Yeah, I was worried about my friend, but you would have come before he did.”

“I know that, and you’re right, I should have told you. But I kept putting it off, and then finally, I went and they said I was fine. I just have a blood issue that made my levels all messed up. I figured I’d tell you once I got home, but then we had our amazing week together, and then I was nervous about this, and it just slipped my mind. I’m so, so sorry.”

He bit into his lip before looking away. She took a step toward him to comfort him, but he put his hand up, stopping her. “No. Give me a second. I am so fucking mad.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

As he looked down at her, she could see the tears in his eyes and they honestly devastated her. Ignoring his outstretched hands, she pushed them aside and wrapped her arms around his middle, nuzzling her nose in his chest. He wouldn’t put his arms around her like he usually did, and soon the tears were falling in buckets down her cheeks.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Do you know what it was like to look into Rachel’s and your dad’s eyes and feel like the lowest piece of scum on this fucking earth? They made me feel like I didn’t deserve you, like I was worthless because I wasn’t there for you like I should have been. I am your husband. I am supposed to be there and be your fucking rock, and you didn’t give me that opportunity.”

“I’m so sorry, Karson. You’re right, I was wrong. I should have told you,” she cried, hugging him tighter. “You are worth so much more than they’ll ever admit, and you do deserve me.”

Taking her face in his hands, he tipped her head back, looking deep into her eyes. His caramel eyes were swimming with tears and everything inside her just hurt. She never wanted to hurt him; she was only trying to protect him from worrying about her. “No, I don’t. No one does, but somehow, I convinced you to marry me and now you are mine.”

“Forever,” she swore.

“That’s fucking right, for-damn-ever, and don’t forget it,” he demanded, and when his voice broke, she almost came undone. Swallowing back her own sob, she couldn’t believe she had done this.

“I won’t,” she promised as his thumbs caught her tears, wiping them away.

“Don’t ever do that to me again. Tell me next time. Let me be there. I don’t care what the hell I am going through. You are it. My number one priority. Nothing matters but you.”

Her lip wobbled as she slowly nodded her head. “I promise and I’m so sorry.”

Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her softly and she held on to him like a life preserver. She never wanted him to look at her like that again. Like she had stabbed him in the back, over and over again without a care in the world. She really had forgotten and was just living life with him, but it would never happen again. She wanted to be mad at her family, throw the blame on them, but it was no one’s fault but her own, and she would accept the blame. She should have told him back when she talked to her doctor. Instead, she stressed and worried when she could have handed some of that over to him.

“I really am sorry,” she whispered against his lips as her hands snaked around his neck, her eyes searching his.

He shrugged. “This is going to happen, Lacey. We are going to do dumb shit, and one person is going to be there to knock sense into the other. It’s what marriage is. We are going to fuck up, but it’s okay because I love you, and it’s easy to forgive something like this.”

Bringing him down to her, she rested her head against his, kissing his nose. “I’m sorry that I’m a dumbass.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry,” he demanded. “It’s over. We fought, we’ve made up, and now we get to go downstairs and face the clusterfuck of crap that is our families.”

“Can’t we just stay up here?” she asked, dusting her lips along his.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said roughly against her. “Plus, I’m pretty sure my mom is going to be the next one to hit someone.”

“Probably Sabrina,” Lacey supplied, but Karson shook his head.

“I’m hoping for Rachel. I don’t trust her,” he said, his eyes telling her the same thing.

“Why?” she asked. “She has been so good to me.”

“I’m telling you, she is conspiring with your dad or something.”

Lacey smiled. “No one is conspiring against us. They just don’t like you.”

He scoffed. “Oh, really?”

“What? You knew that,” she said with a grin, knowing that he didn’t give a damn if they liked him or not.

“Yeah, I do.”

“But,” she said, her fingers pinching his chin. “I don’t care. I love you.”

His grin grew as he squeezed his strong arms around her. “Good, ’cause I love you too.”

Her heart sang for him as her lips met his for a long, drawn-out kiss. As his tongue moved along hers, he stole her breath by deepening the kiss, his fingers clutching her face. Pulling away suddenly, he shook his head. “If we don’t stop, I am going to take you right here, not caring that both our families are down there at each other’s throats.”

With a sneaky grin, she stepped out of his arms and then slowly lifted the dress she was wearing up and over her body, taking the apron she wore with it. With her eyes locked on his, she undid her bra and let the cups fall away and onto the floor before slowly sliding her lace thong down her thighs. She used to be embarrassed by her body, but in front of Karson, she loved her body. Because he did. Biting her lip, she beckoned him to her.

“Isn’t it said that after you have a fight, you have makeup sex?”

He swallowed loudly as he slowly nodded. “I’ve heard that’s how it works.”

“Then come here,” she said in a throaty way. “Let me make you forget why you were ever mad or hurt.”

Taking a step toward her, he took her naked body in his arms, and against her mouth, he said, “I forgot the moment you said you loved me.”

And as her husband slowly lowered her onto their bed, everything that was going on downstairs was a distant thought.

She had better things to do.

Her husband being the obvious choice.

But they couldn’t stay up in their room forever.

No matter how much they wanted to.

Cuddling into his side, she said, “I don’t know what is going to happen when we get down there.”

“Nothing good, probably,” he whispered against her hair. “But if we don’t go, they are going to come after us.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t yet.”

And right as she said that, a knock came at the door. “Guys, um, sorry to bother you, but Lacey, I think your dad is wanting to say bye.”

“We are coming down now,” Karson called out to his sister. Looking down at her, he said, “Time to face our happy family gathering.”

She groaned as she got out of the bed, finding her underwear before sliding her dress on. “You should have told me no to inviting them.”

He scoffed as his threw his shirt on and then pulled his jeans up. “No way, you wanted this.”

“But it was a bad idea.”

“But it was supposed to make you happy,” he answered back and she smiled.

“You really are a great husband.”

He shrugged one shoulder, a grin pulling at his luscious lips. “I try.”

He held out his hand and she took it, beaming up at him and knowing that whatever was going on downstairs wouldn’t matter or faze her a bit with this man at her side.

“Are we going to try to talk him into staying?” he asked, cupping the back of her neck.

She shrugged. “It would be best since I don’t want them to be flying home on Thanksgiving.”

He nodded. “Then let’s go talk them into staying, and then I need to put my father in time-out for hitting.”

Lacey giggled as they left the room and made their way to the kitchen where eight adults stood in tense silence. Zander and Flynn were watching TV, but as soon as they saw Lacey, Zander said, “So, they are trying to leave because someone hit someone. I don’t know. I want to stay.”

“I got you, buddy,” Karson said with a thumbs-up. “And then we’ll go out and play some ball.”

“Cool,” Zander said with a grin.

Flynn then chimed in, “Can we play hockey instead?”

“I like the way you think,” Karson said with a wink before they made it into the kitchen. When they entered, all eyes fell on them and Lacey took in a deep breath.

This was going to be interesting.

“Lacey Arielle, we are leaving,” her father said with his booming voice. “This was a bad idea to put us all together.”

“Yeah, it was. Fucking douche, your dad is,” Karl said back. “But we love you, Lacey.”

“No one is going anywhere, and no more name-calling,” Karson said, holding his hands out.

“Who are you to tell me anything?” Nate barked, but before Karson or even Karl could say anything, Lacey set him with a look.

“He is my husband and this is his family, Dad,” she said with her hands on her hips. “This is my first Thanksgiving as a married woman. I am making a damn turkey and you are going to stay, and all of you are going to get along, and we are going to enjoy this damn holiday. If anyone has a problem with that, I don’t freaking care. You will deal because you are dealing for me! Don’t ruin my holiday,” she said, meeting everyone’s gaze.

“Damnnnnn, your wife is mean,” JT loud-whispered to Karson, but when Lacey met his gaze, he was grinning.

“Nah, she is spectacular.”

With her lips curved up, she met her dad’s gaze. “Now, there are soup and sandwiches if JT didn’t eat them all.”

“I left some,” he piped in but she ignored him.

“While you guys get something to eat, Karson will go put your stuff in your rooms. Then after lunch, I’ll show you around and we can enjoy this holiday. Got it?”

Nate’s eyes narrowed as Sabrina’s protest filled the room. “I don’t want to stay, Nate. I want to leave. I don’t trust these people.”

“These people are my family,” Lacey said sharply. “Yeah, they are rough around the edges, but they are good people as long as you are good to them. So get off your damn high horse, take a damn sandwich, and relax, okay?”

“I have never—”

“Yeah, I don’t care. Now eat,” she said, pointing to the food. Sabrina looked at Nate and Nate looked at Lacey. “Is that okay with you, Daddy?” she asked, her tone stern.

His nose was the size of Texas with little pieces of tissue coming out of each nostril. She wanted to laugh at how silly he looked, but she knew that would only cause more problems. She fully expected him to walk right out the door he had entered, but to her surprise, he didn’t. He nodded as his hand met the small of Sabrina’s back. “We came to spend Thanksgiving with Lacey.”

“But how can you trust these people?” she screeched, putting Lacey’s nerves on edge.

“We can’t, but again, we are here for Lacey, not them.”

“Nothing else will happen,” Lacey promised before looking back at where Karl stood with Regina. “Right?”

Karl nodded. “Oh, I got my lick in. I’m good.”

“He will be on his best behavior,” Regina promised.

Lacey made a face of disbelief, and Regina laughed as Kacey said, “I was thinking the same thing,”

She giggled as her husband’s arms came around her waist. “So let’s let go of the past and just enjoy dinner. Celebrate our beautiful marriage and our togetherness,” he said, kissing her cheek.

“I swear to God, it’s your fault he’s a pussy,” Karl muttered and Lacey couldn’t stop her grin if she tried.

“Dad! Not in front of them,” Karson complained, but Karl didn’t seem to care.

Grady laughed as he shook his head. “Karson, I’ll help you take the suitcases to the rooms. Rach, get the boys fed.”

“You want to stay?” she asked incredulously and Grady nodded.

“We were staying, no matter what,” he said simply as he came to Lacey. “Way to stand up for yourself,” he whispered before he kissed her temple.

She smiled as she nodded. “Thanks for coming.”

“Anytime. Come on, King.”

As she watched her brother and husband carry the bags of her family in order for them to stay, she almost couldn’t believe it. Everyone was staying and they were going to have dinner as a family.

She was slowly but surely getting everything she wanted.