The Bucket List (31 page)

"You sure, sweetheart? I mean, I think I'd be more useful to you right now than this lump of flesh," Morrison teased when she finally stood beside them.

"Grow up. Come on, John, we can go to my room," Mandy said softly as she took his hand.

He followed her without argument as a little bit of hope flared in his heart. Why was she doing this? He'd had the rest of the week to think over Rae's words and realise she had been right. He did need
Mandy to help him through this. But half an hour ago she had told him she couldn't be that person. Had she changed her mind?

"I thought you didn't want to see me again," he
whispered as he looked down at the little hand that fit so perfectly in his large one.

"I've had a bit of time to think about it," she said quietly. "I understand why you did it but I'm still hurt. I'm going to be here for you because we were good friends before and I don't want to see you hurting. I'll help you, John. I'll help you get through Rae's treatment."

"Thank you," he said quietly as they came to the elevator.

"I have a double room," she continued. "We'll turn the bed into singles and you can go back to your room in the morning."

He smiled sadly as she ushered him into the elevator. Mandy was a good person. Even after what he had done, she was still willing to be there for him. He didn't deserve her at all. He knew it was hurting her to be around him but hopefully, they would talk properly and start getting around what he had done. Until then, he was just grateful he had someone to lean on. Rae had been right. Mandy would be his strength while he watched his good friend fight for her life.

"You
all right, Irving?"

He looked up from the beer he was nursing to the man who employed him.

"As well as can be expected, I guess," he answered.

He hadn't moved from his spot all night and everyone else had steered clear of him except for
Rex and Glen.

"Where is she?" Vince asked quietly as he sat down opposite him.

"She's with Corey."

The three of them had been to see Vince as soon as their plane had landed to
formalize their time off. Since Corey hadn't let go of her hand for what seemed like the whole week, she had gone into the office with them and Vince had, had the chance to finally meet Rachael face to face.

"They're really close, aren't they?" Vince said, making more of a statement than asking a question. "I've never seen
Corey like this before."

"He probably feels like his heart is being ripped out. He loves her more than his own life. And she loves him more than anyone else... even me," he said sadly.

Vince looked at him like he suddenly had a million more questions to ask. After all, up to a week ago, none of these people even known he had a daughter. But it wasn't his place, and he knew it.

"You can take Compassionate Leave straight away, you know, rather than taking lighter duties until the next Pay Per View."

He chuckled a bit at that.

"Didn't you hear Rachael this afternoon?" he smiled sadly.

She had argued for an entire half hour why he, John and Corey couldn't have all that time off. Her reasons had been sound, mainly the fact that when Rebecca had gone through the same thing, she had found it easier to handle when she didn't have too much free time to think about it. John had given in first because he didn't want to argue with her; then he had agreed to do a couple of shows only because he wanted to play along with whatever she wanted until he found out what she was planning. Because he knew she was planning something; something that would help her avoid getting treatment. She'd been happy enough to let him work the next couple of weeks so that had given him a timeframe. He had, at the most, two weeks to push her into treatment. What she planned after that was still beyond him, even though he had a few disturbing ideas. God help her little behind if what he was thinking was true! But he wouldn't dwell on that right now.

Corey
had flat out refused. Even her insistent arguing hadn't swayed him. He hadn't argued; he hadn't raised his voice. Just that one word, "No," had been enough for Vince to take out the Leave papers for him while he and John agreed to work only the main shows until Backlash, which was only two weeks away. He had no idea how she expected him to keep his head in the game while her future was so uncertain.

"Are you flying down to your family from here?" Vince asked after a period of silence when they'd both been observing the people at the party.

"I was thinking of flying them to Rachael's for a little while," he murmured.

Maybe having her little brothers around her would also push her into treatment. She couldn't really want to give up. She was just scared, just as they all were. If she just let them help her, just believe that they could beat this thing
... .

"I wish you all the best,
Irving," Vince said as he finally got up from his seat. "If you need anything, or if you decide to take the Leave now, just let me know."

"Thank you."

For a while, he watched the men and women who'd gathered around to celebrate the career of a legend and ultimately, to mourn it. He couldn't help wondering if this was a sign. Was his baby going to make it? Would Fate be cruel and only give him these two weeks to be a proper father to his child? Why hadn't he been more forceful over the years and refused to be cast aside? Even though he'd watched over her, had her back, it had only been from a distance.

It had been
Corey who had been all the things he should have been; protector, confidant, friend, family; and because of that, it was Corey she needed the most at this time. He had never been more grateful for that little punk's influence in her life as he was now. If anyone could make her get treatment, Corey could. He would make his baby fight. He would be the strength she needed to beat this thing.

Draining his beer, he got up from the table and briefly wondered where John had got to as he gave
Rex a little wave and headed out of the room.

Two days. They had two days before
Corey took her to her doctor's appointment. He had a feeling a lot of their questions would be answered then, and not just those about the treatment she would get and how bad the tumor was.

Yes, in two days they would all finally know the truth. She couldn't hide it from them much longer.

***

She woke up with a smile still plastered on her face and her body pleasantly sore. She should have been freaked out, really, since she had spent all night breaking all the rules in her book about her relationship with
Corey. And because it had been like they'd transported back in time and she'd been in love with him all over again, like she'd never stopped. It had just felt so right. He hadn't been Corey, her friend; he'd been Corey, the man who'd had and kept her heart since she'd been sixteen.

The second he had touched her, all her doubt had flown straight out of her head. To be in his arms just the way she had been dreaming of; to have his lips on hers, just the way she'd imagined... it had blown her mind. And even though she'd known it couldn't happen, she had gone ahead and done it anyway.
She had let her best friend, her rock, make love to her.

She knew her bubble would burst soon, that she would have to face reality, but for now she was just happy to be in his arms again.

"Morning, baby," Corey whispered.

She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her as she lay in his arms. Her friend. Her rock. The only man who'd ever shook her world so completely.

"Hey," she smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Completely satisfied. She couldn't ever remember a time when she'd ever felt like that. They must have gone through every position in the Karma Sutra and tried a few inventive ones of their own. Gentle, rough... everything. It was like they'd tasted the forbidden fruit and just couldn't stop. She'd touched him everywhere... kissed him everywhere... sucked him everywhere... She had done all the things she had imagined doing to him over the past week, holding nothing back. And he had matched her appetite perfectly. After the first quick round, without him having to even pull out of her, he had been ready for more. For the first time, she could honestly say she had been very, very satisfied.

"Good. You?"

He gave her one of his panty wetting grins as he dropped a kiss on her waiting lips.

"I don't know... I can't describe it. You were incredible."

"Of course I was," she teased. "How could you expect any less?"

Lying back on his pillow, he pulled her so she was half on top of him. She let out a satisfied sigh as she relieved the previous night.

How the hell had she spent most of her adult life sleeping next to this man without screwing his brains out? He was so thorough, so intense. He'd known just where to touch, just how to kiss her, how to stroke her... After Nate, she'd really believed she'd felt it all. She hadn't thought there was anything beyond that mind blowing connection. But she'd been so wrong. What she'd felt when Corey touched her had been a million times stronger.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, his hand lazily stroking her back.

"That I could stay here with you all day," she answered honestly.

"So no regrets?"

She didn't know why she had allowed it to happen. The reason she couldn't be with Nate was the same reason she couldn't be with Corey. She was dying. It wasn't fair on them. But part of her had wanted to feel like she had ten years ago, just one more time. Part of her had wanted to be with the only man she had ever loved, just one more time. It would make letting go that much harder, but she didn't regret it. Not at all.

For a whole night, his touch had brought her to life; and surprisingly, that feeling hadn't yet faded away. She felt like she was on top of the world, like she could do anything. Even the cancer couldn't bring her down from her high.

"I regret wasting so much time," she answered with a playful smile.

She could still feel the searing heat of his touch on her body. She didn't know what he had done differently; maybe all the years of experience had made both of them better or maybe she'd just been incredibly horny, but last night had been an assault on her senses like she had never known before. Even their
two week fuckfest so long ago paled in comparison

But she would soon have to face reality. As good as last night had been, it still didn't change the fact that she would soon have to leave him.

"I have a good feeling about this, Rae. We'll get past this, then you and I will buy that house we always talked about and fill it with our babies."

"Babies?
Corey, if I get through this, I'll most probably become infertile," she told him, omitting the fact that she wasn't getting through it at all.

But she could pretend. Just for today, she wouldn't think about it.

"So we'll adopt. As long as I have you, baby, I don't care about anything else."

She looked up into his blue eyes.

"Until the next pretty girl comes along and you just have to have her," she stated.

She still had no idea what was going on in his head. She'd had a lot of doubts, a lot of reasons why she could have just turned him down; least of all that she was dying. What if he was only doing this out of pity? What if, in his mind, he was trying to use sex just to keep her to himself in this difficult time? After all, he'd been jealous of the time she'd spent with
Nate before he'd known about the cancer. Maybe he was just being possessive of her, as he'd been a few times in the past.

They hadn't exactly talked about it.

He rolled her over until he'd positioned himself on top of her, his eyes still holding hers.

"This is it for me, Rae. I could never be with someone else, not after last night," he said quietly.

"I can only imagine how many times you've said that line," she chuckled nervously.

"It isn't a line. It's the truth. I'll never feel for anyone what I feel for you."

She sucked in a breath at his words. How could he say this to her now of all times? What good would that do either of them?

"
Corey__"

"Don't," he cut in. "Don't tell me you don't feel the same way. I know you, Rae. You can't lie to me."

She looked away from him so she could gather her thoughts. It was all too much, too soon. Or too late.

"Tell me what you're feeling," he begged. "Tell me you felt it too, that feeling that this is so right?"

"I did," she whispered.

"Then that's all I need to know," he told her. "You belong to me, Rae, just like I belong to you."

He kissed her then, and she immediately forgot all the reasons why this was so wrong. Closing her eyes, she let her body take over and prepared herself for the sensory overload that she knew was coming.

His lips trailed down to her breast, teasing her hardened nipples before slowly continuing their trail down her body. As they had done quite a few times the previous night, they stopped at her little tattoo for his tongue to follow the initials. RKO. Who would have guessed that, that tattoo would come to mean more than just a drunken mistake? He had branded her as his so many years ago for it to come true now. She did belong to him. Dying or not, she had no doubts about it now.