Pierce My Heart (Women of Willowbrook Book 1) (41 page)

Anna

Vegas
 

Three days later

“Vegas?” Jake asks me with a raised brow.

I nod.

He’s leaning back from the fridge, studying me while I try not to over-stir the onions around in the pan.

Caramelized onions are tedious to make but
so
good.

We hadn’t really talked about any details for the wedding yet, but I’d been mulling around an idea in my head and had just blurted it out when he came in for beer.

It’s safe to say he was a little surprised.

“Why Vegas?”

I shrug and look down at the pan, forcing myself to not stir the dang things again.

“Anna,” Jake calls, shutting the fridge and moving to lean his hip against the counter next to me.

I look back up.

He stares at me and waits.

I roll my eyes and sigh.

“Because I’m not really a ‘big wedding’ kinda girl. Sure, I want the big, fluffy, princess dress, but I don’t want the hundreds of choices and headaches that go along with it. Who to invite, how many to invite, picking the venue, reception hall, flowers, DJ or band, food, cute themes that make your eyes bleed because you stared at the computer for so long. I just want it to be about us and sharing our love with our families.”

“What about Evan, Manny, and Roc?”

“They’re family, baby, of course,” I tell him in a ‘duh’ tone.

Because really, they are.

He grins.

“Okay, so why Vegas? Why not our backyard or your parents?”

“Three reasons. One, because it’s more central. I’ve already got family in Nevada, not to mention the family in California, and the rest are here. Two, it wouldn’t take months to plan. Hell, we could hop on a plane practically anytime. And three, because other than a cake, the tuxes for you four, bridesmaid dresses for Evan, Maddy, and Payton, and my dress, we wouldn’t need to worry about anything else except what hotel we wanted to stay in, where we wanted to gamble, and what shows to take in. We could even stay a few extra days after everyone leaves and treat it like a pre-honeymoon since we won’t be able to get away till the cooler months. Besides,” I pause, dropping the spoon and moving into Jake’s space, sliding my arms around him as my head tilts back. “There are
tons
of hotels there. We could sneak off to one and no one would ever know. No worries about interruptions,” I finish with a grin of my own.

His arms drop around me as he chuckles and shakes his head, but I don’t miss the flare of heat that lights up his eyes.

My man likes his alone time with me.

“Sweetheart, you know your dad and Robby wouldn’t give a shit if we took off for a bit.”

“I know, but
I
would feel bad. Dad’s spending less time on the sites now that you and Robby are there, not to mention because I’m handling all the paperwork for the site
on
site, so Mom doesn’t have to worry about it. That frees up her time, and he’s all about spending his free time with her. Besides, what better way to escape the winter here then to head down south to the Bahamas or somewhere to lounge around on the beach?”

The heat in his eyes intensifies at the mention of a beach.

“Fuck. For you in a swimsuit I’d follow you to the pits of hell, babe,” he says lowly.

My thighs clench.

I move my arms from around his waist to wrap around his neck.

“
Only
for a swimsuit?” I ask with a mock pout.

The heat lessens as that emotion I love so much takes over.

“Follow you to the ends of the Earth, Anna. Just hoping when we hit hell it’ll be so goddamn hot you have no choice but to be in a swimsuit.”

I smile as my stomach dips.

“Love you, Jay,” I say softly, lifting up to peck his lips.

His arms wind tighter around me as he turns my peck in a
deep
kiss.

“Love you, Annie,” he whispers against my lips.

I smile again before the smell of something burning pulls my attention.

“Son of a nutcracker,” I curse, pulling back.

I grab the handle of the pan and take it to the sink. Turning the faucet on, I run some water into the pan and swish it around hoping to dispel the nasty smell.

No dice.

I give up and set the pan in the sink so I can open some windows, but Jake’s arms wrapping around me from behind stop me.

“So, Vegas,” he says into my hair.

I wait.

“How soon?”

My lips tip up.

“How soon do you want?”

He’s quiet for a moment.

“You’ve got two months.”

My eyes widen, but I nod.

“Can we get married by Elvis?” he asks.

I nod again.

“Vegas it is.”

Then I smile.

*              *              *

Jake

Pierce My Heart

Two months later

Fuck.

I watch her walking towards me on her dad’s arm with a huge ass smile. All the dress, the hair, the makeup and even her fucking silver, and I can’t stop it.

I felt it the first time I saw her walking towards me outside the animal shelter before she tripped into my arms.

I felt it that same night I watched her walk towards me at her parents before she freaked out.

I felt it when Grace and I ran into her in the pet store.

The first time I saw her at work.

The first time I felt her lips on mine.

The first time I had my hands on her.

The first time I tasted her.

The first time I was inside her.

The first time she told me she loved me.

The night I asked her to move in with me.

The same night she told me she wanted to have my babies.

The night I asked her to be mine, always.

Every fucking time I see her, make a memory with her.

Even now, watching her walk down the aisle towards me in Vegas, Elvis on my right, Manny, and Roc on my left, I feel it.

The pain and beauty of it.

By the time they finally reach me I've got my jaw clenched so hard from trying to hold back the goddamn tears, I think I might break my teeth. When I look into her eyes I know she knows by the watery smile she gives me.

I hold my fisted hand out for her, managing to relax it before she goes on tiptoe to give her dad a kiss on the cheek, but the look of understanding, amusement, and love John shoots my way has me fisting my hand all over again to reign shit in. My parents would never be at my wedding and I’d accepted that, but John and Lucy Pierce were a far cry from an excuse to have in your life; bossing you around, giving a shit about you, looking at you with pride and love like you were their own.

Anna’s hand slides over my fist, pulling me from my thoughts as she gently pries it open before slipping her fingers through mine.

I feel myself relax as I smile down at her, asking in a voice just for her ears, “Ready to be mine always, sweetheart?”

She looks up at me with all the love in the world shining in her eyes.

“I’ve been yours since the moment you caught me in your arms, baby.”

Fuck.

There it is again.

Pierce my fucking heart.

*              *              *

Anna

Light

Seven years later

“Annie, we gotta get moving if we’re gonna make it on time,” Jake shouts from the bottom of the stairs.

“Just a minute,” I call, wincing as I try to heft myself up.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Noelle asks from her perch on the end of the bed.

“Nothing, baby. Your little brother’s just doing his stretches.”

Her face lights up.

“Can I feel?”

My face goes soft as I smile.

Our little Noelle was definitely a surprise, one that brought tons of excitement to our lives.

Jake and I had talked about kids plenty, but both of us wanted more time together before having them.

But, just like Noelle is, she could only wait so long before she made her appearance.

Thankfully, we’d been set financially with the money we earned from the sale of my place, not to mention everything Jake and I had saved up and what was (sadly) left to him from his parents.

Holding my hand out, I guide hers to the spot on my stomach that’s being repeatedly kicked.

“Wow,” she whispers, awe filling her eyes and tone.

Eyes that I fell in love with years ago; first with her father, then with her.

“We gotta go, sweetheart,” Jake says, walking into the room.

“Daddy! The baby’s doing stretches in Mommy’s tummy again,” Noelle yells excitedly.

Jake gives me a look.

“Everything’s fine, he’s just being extra active. But, since you’re here, mind helping me up?” I ask, smiling sheepishly.

He chuckles as he leans down and pecks my lips before gently pulling me up.

“Let’s get you two downstairs. Ellie baby, grab mommy’s bag, yeah?”

Even with the pain I’m feeling I can’t help the way my belly melts whenever Jake calls Noelle, Ellie baby.

The minute he clapped his eyes on her, he was a goner.

And he’s an amazing father.

He was firm when needed, but soft and funny the rest of the time. Always making sure he had every one of her activities down so he wouldn’t miss it. Making sure to spend quality time together, just the two of them (also giving me some much needed alone or girls time). And always,
always
telling her how loved she was.

Jake was adamant about working hard to make sure his girl never had to go through the shit I did. That she was never vulnerable to a shadow, not that he couldn’t fend it off.

He’d proved so with me.

After the night he’d asked me to move in, my shadow was M.I.A. Sure, I had a couple instances where it tried to rear its ugly head, but Jake always caught me.

Always held tight as
we
fought past it.

Noelle running back to us with a wide smile as she did as her dad asked, brought me back me from my thoughts.

“Hurry! Z, Nic, and Ace are gonna eat all the cake.”

“Ellie, cool it,” Jake tells her softly, but firmly, his arm tightening as he guided me down the stairs.

“But,
Daddy
,” she whines.

“Noelle,” he warns.

Her lip juts out into a pout but she lets it go, smiling wide again when she catches sight of Jewel—one of Romeo and Juliet’s puppies (I'd been right all those years ago, they made adorable puppies).

“Give the dogs a treat and then we’ll go,” I tell her, squeezing Jake's hand with a grimace.

“Annie—”

“Hang on,” I whisper.

When Noelle disappears towards the kitchen with the dogs in tow, Jake turns me in his arms and tilts my head back.

“We need to make a pit stop.”

His brows furrow in confusion.

“The baby’s coming.”

*              *              *

That night, Maverick Jacob came screaming into the world, lighting up my life as I fell in love all over again.

And three years later when Scarlett Rose made her appearance, fighting tooth and nail to reach that light, I thanked my lucky stars Jake had been there to catch me as I fell.

The same way he was there for our kid’s every time they fell.

The way he’d been there since the moment he blew into my life and turned my world upside down.

And the same way he would be…Happily…Ever…After.
 

The End

(For now)

First off, if you enjoyed Anna and Jake’s story TELL ME!

If they touched you in some way (Jake's an honest man, so sadly he'll just have to touch your heart), made you feel something, if you laughed, cried, whatever. I want to know!

A. I'm nosey, I'll admit that (where do you think Anna got her eavesdropping ways?)

B. Feedback is amazing.

C. I'd love to get to know anyone who took the time to read
Pierce My Heart
.

It's much,
much
more than just a story to me and I hope it's the same for at least one person out there. 

Second, reviews. Please leave one. I know, I know, slave driving bitch, but seriously, reviews help. They help us little people.

Third, if you did like this story make sure to keep your eyes peeled for news about Evan and Manny’s story (I hinted at more in the book, but until they start talking, I'm not confirming or denying anything) or any of my other works on my website or Facebook page:

http://kelseyjensenauthor.weebly.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KelseyJensenAuthorPage

Oh! And don't forget to check out the delish recipe for Anna's chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and the yummy w
hite chocolate Reese's baked in on the next page.

xo

-Kelsey