The Key West Anthology (32 page)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Harper

By the nonstop calls coming in from Easton, I assumed he had gotten his test results back. Yes, a huge part of me wanted to know what they were, but the stubborn part was still pissed at him for being an ass.

I was at the bridal store with Quinn, Avery, and Callie, where we were trying on our dresses for the final time before the wedding ceremony. I muted my phone and tossed it in my purse before I exited the small dressing room to meet the others girls.

Quinn stood in the middle of the lounge area just off the dressing rooms, and her expression broke my heart. She stared at her reflection with tears rolling down her cheeks. Avery stood at her side, continuously telling her that her mother was with her.

Quinn’s wedding would be just one of the events in her life that her mother would not be a part of. The realization was setting in as she smoothed the silk covering her waist with her hands.

“I just wish she could see me, even if just for a few minutes,” she whispered. “She’ll never see me dance at my wedding.” She sniffled. “I wish I could have shared this day with her.”

There was not a dry eye in the room. I stepped up to Quinn’s side and leaned my shoulder against hers. We all knew that this wedding was not only going to be one of the best days of her life but one of the hardest.

“I’m sorry she can’t be here with you, but she’ll always be a part of you. She may not have always been the easiest woman to deal with, but Quinn, she was proud of you,” I assured her.

“Thank you.” She cleared her throat and wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

“That’s what sisters are for,” I said as I winked at her, and she returned my smile. I turned back to face the mirror. “Now enough of this girly-goo shit. Let’s talk about how hot I look.” Quinn laughed along with Avery and Callie. “And you three look pretty damn hot yourselves.”

Emotional breakdown averted, for now.

***

I did my best to stay busy for the rest of the day. I didn’t want to deal with the continuously vibrating phone jumping around in my purse. I was more than positive I had a number of text messages along with a few voice mails waiting for me. But right now, I truly had no desire to deal with them. Okay, well, that’s a lie, but I chose to be stubborn and pretend otherwise, at least for a little while longer.

It was well after seven at night when I pulled up to my condo. I was exhausted from my day of shopping with the girls, followed by anything and everything I could come up with that could help me avoid Easton. Yes, I was being a baby. Yes, I was going overboard, but I was still pretty pissed at him, and I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook for being an ass.

I had just placed my key in my door when a deep voice startled me.

“You done avoiding me yet?” Easton had been waiting for me, sitting in the darkness just to the side of the front porch. His words caused a smile to pull at my lips. He knew me well. I forced myself to frown though, because, well, it was just the kind of mood I was in.

“Nope, so you can go home now.” I twisted the handle, and I heard a screech of a chair against the patio.

Before I knew it, Easton had his hands on my hips and was leading me inside.

“What the hell are you doing?” I barked out in aggravation.

Brutus came rushing toward us and nudged me out of the way. I still had no idea what his fascination was with Easton, but he had grown quite attached. In fact, when Easton was around, I was no longer his most favorite person.

He let go of my hips and sunk to the floor next to my dog. His next move surprised me. He gripped Brutus’s head, leaned in, and nuzzled the side of his face. “Hey, buddy,” he cooed. “You ready to come home with me?”

I arched an eyebrow at Easton and he chuckled. “I just figured if I stole Brutus, you would be forced to show up at my place, which means then I could force you to stay.”

“No one can force me to do anything. You should know that by now,” I corrected him.

Easton stood and took a step in my direction. “You care to place a bet on that?” Another step brought him within inches of me. “Because I’m feeling the need to prove you wrong.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stepped back, placing some distance between us. “You’re an asshole,” I stated. “And I’m still mad at you.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“‘Okay’? That’s all you’ve got?”

He smiled, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn’t ready to let go of my anger, but he was making it really hard to stay mad at him right now.

Something was different. He was more relaxed—in fact, he almost seemed playful.

“I’m not going to argue or deny that I was an ass. I was wrong and you called me out on it. I’ll admit I screwed up.” He reached out, pulled my hands apart, and threaded our fingers together. Slowly he curled our joined hands around my back and brought his body flush with mine. “Forgive me,” he whispered as he skimmed his lips over mine.

“Maybe,” I breathed back, because being this close to him sort of scrambled my brain. In fact I was having difficulty remembering exactly why I had been so mad at him in the first place.

“I love you,” he said against the curve of my neck. “I was a jerk, and now I need to make it up to you.”

Chills flowed over my neck and arms. My body became very aware of him and the way he licked and kissed his way down my neck and shoulder. “You can’t just show up here and sex your way out of trouble,” I said, but even I knew it was a lie. Easton knew how to test my limits. He had grown quite accustomed to my body and the way it reacted to him. He was skilled, and at the moment I knew I was a goner.

“I’m not trying to make you forget, but I do want to
sex
you.” He smiled against my neck. “I want to touch you, taste you, and make you scream my name.” He sucked softly at the base of my neck. “Most of all, I want to show you just how much I need you.”

I tilted my head down toward him, and his blue eyes met mine. “It’s over, Harper,” he said. “I got the results of the paternity test. The baby isn’t mine.”

A big rush of relief filled me, and I couldn’t help it this time. I smiled back at him.

“You know I would have been by your side either way, right?”

“I do.” He kissed my lips softly. “Now it’s time for me to make everything up to you, though. I’ve been an ass, and my girl suffered right along at my side. I need to thank her for being the best damn thing in my life.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” I grinned, because I already knew the answer.

“I’m going to make you forget all about it with my super powers. After all, I know how to make you forget your own name.” He winked and gripped my thighs, then lifted me from the floor.

I curled my legs around his waist and held on tight as he carried me toward my bedroom.

Easton did just as promised and he did it very well. As I fell asleep, I forgot all about our spat, and thoughts of Easton and his ability to pleasure me right into a comatose state were the only things filling my mind.

Epilogue

Easton

“You ready for this?” I asked Jett as he paced the floor. We had been locked in this tiny-ass room at the back of the church for close to an hour. The walls were closing in on me. I felt like a caged animal.

“Fuck yeah, I’m ready. In fact, if this don’t get moving soon, I’m gonna go find Quinn and drag her off to Vegas. This shit’s for the birds. I’m ready to get married.”

Kade chuckled, and Jude just sat at the opposite side of the room, a sly grin on his face.

“You’re just ready to consummate the marriage,” I declared as I straightened my tie.

“Hell yeah I am. I told Quinn we’re out of here once I hear the words, ‘You may kiss the bride.’” It was his turn to smile with a coy gleam in his eye. “I have a limo that is ours for the night. It has privacy glass on all the windows, not to mention between us and the driver.” He turned around to face the guys. “I have every intention of consummating the hell out of my marriage at least twice before we make it to the reception.” He shifted his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and it even made Jude chuckle.

***

We exited the room and made our way to the front of the church. I was ready to see Harper. It had been more than twenty-four hours. Last night, the girls all stayed at Jett’s place while Jett shacked up at mine. Not my idea of a fulfilling night.

When the doors opened at the back of the church and Callie stepped forward, I swore I heard Jude groan. There was something about that guy and the way his eyes devoured her every time he looked her way. He had never come out and said it, but I could tell he was into her.

When I looked back toward the door, I swear my heart almost beat out of my chest. The light coming in from outside highlighted Harper. Her blonde hair was swept up with random strands curving down around her face. Her lavender dress hugged every curve of her perfect body, and now I was the one moaning.

Fuck if she wasn’t the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on.

“Dude, that’s my sister,” Jett whispered. “Stop eye-fucking her in front of my parents.”

I smiled, still devouring her ever so slowly as she took graceful steps in our direction. “Then you might want to look away, man,” I told him as she closed the distance. “Because once she is within my reach, I plan on making it known that she’s mine.”

Before he could speak, I stepped forward and gripped her hip.

“What are you doing?” she asked. A smile covered her lips, and she bit her lower one in attempt to hide it.

“It’s been twenty-four hours since I tasted those sweets lips, and I’m hungry,” I explained just before placing my lips to hers.

She pulled back and I nipped at her lip. “You’re ridiculous,” she stated as she stepped away. Her body told me something else, because she fucking loved it as much as I did.

“Seriously?” Jett asked, and I grinned as I watched Harper take her place next to Callie. She winked at me and then turned her attention toward the back of the church.

“You know how it is, Jett. When you’ve got something great…” I let my words fade away. I knew he understood.

Avery walked down the aisle with her eyes averted toward the floor. She was avoiding eye contact with Kade, and I know I wasn’t the only one wondering what the hell that was about.

When the music changed and Quinn stepped through the doorway, everything shifted. Quinn held her father’s arm as they walked toward the altar at the front of the church. A large picture of her mother had been placed near us, and her eyes continued to shift toward the photo.

Jett’s nostrils flared and his breathing became heavier as Quinn reached him. Her eyes were full of tears, and you could tell he too was fighting off the emotional impact of the absence of Quinn’s mom, Abby.

“I love you, baby,” Jett whispered, and because I was so close, I got to witness their exchange. “You look beautiful.”

“You look handsome,” she replied, and he winked.

“So you ready to be my wife?” he asked.

“I think I need to give her away first, son.” Beau, Quinn’s father, chuckled as Quinn and Jett stared at one another.

***

Harper

There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. The exchange between Jett and Quinn pulled at everyone.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” the preacher asked.

“I do, but in turn I don’t lose her. I only gain a son…” Beau’s eyes were red, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. He looked directly at Quinn. “I just got you, so I won’t give you away. But I will agree that Jett is the man I trust to love you.” He leaned forward and kissed Quinn on the cheek. “Your mother is here with us, and she’s smiling, baby girl.”

He then turned to Jett and shook his hand. “Spend every day making my girl smile and laugh.” Jett nodded, because from the looks of it, he too was on the verge of tears. It was such a heartbreaking yet beautiful moment.

I thought Jett was gonna make it out without shedding a tear, but I was wrong. The moment they said “I do”
and Quinn looked up at him, he lost it.

“We’re married,” she whispered. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Never, baby,” he replied before kissing her softly, and the dam broke.

Seeing my brother share such an amazing love with the woman who was now his wife was inspiring. I wanted what they had.

Easton looked at me over Jett’s shoulder, and the sight of him made my knees weak. My heart swelled when he mouthed the words
I love you
.

***

“Things seem like they’re going pretty good between you and Easton,” Alexis said as she sat next to me. I smiled over at my sister as she held baby Colton in her lap. He was the spitting image of his daddy, and she had a future heartbreaker on her hands for sure.

“They are,” I assured her. “He asked me to move in with him.”

Her smile widened and she looked up toward the dance floor. Colt held Maddison in his arms as he swayed from side to side, looking adoringly at his little girl.

“Harper,” Alex said, just above a whisper. “We’ve both had some shitty luck when it comes to guys. We’ve both had good and bad. Easton seems like one of the good guys, and you deserve that. I can see the way you look at each other. And anyone who has witnessed his reaction to you today knows that he has it bad. Don’t hold back.”

“He is one of the good ones,” I assured her as I found him at the opposite side of the room. He was talking to my father and my uncle. He looked so damn sexy standing there in his tux.

“I want you to be happy, Harp. I want you to have what I have, what Jett has. The next wedding I attend, I want it to be you in that white dress.”

I turned to Alexis and saw her watching me with such intensity. “Thanks, and I’ll see what I can do.” I bumped her shoulder with mine. “But you know I won’t be wearing white, not with that man. I think I’ll go for cream.”

She shook her head before kissing my cheek and walking onto the dance floor to meet her husband and daughter.

The idea of me having a family like hers one day made the strong urge to be in Easton’s arms even stronger.

***

“Have I told you how unbelievably sexy you look in this dress?” Easton asked as he nibbled on my ear.

He held me close and ground his pelvis against me. The music playing through the speakers was setting the mood.

“Yes,” I whispered. “But I don’t mind you repeating it.”

“What would be even sexier is me taking it off.” When he licked the side of my neck, I may have moaned a little longer than I intended.

“Now that sounds sexy,” I replied.

“Honestly, man, my parents may be gone, but I’m still here.” Jett broke the trance I was in, and I looked back over my shoulder.

“Well, dude, if my kissing her neck is bothering you, then you may want to turn around,” Easton said as he gripped my ass and pulled me closer. “Because I am about to do all kinds of dirty things to her, and you getting all
big brother
on me sure as hell isn’t going to stop me.”

Quinn and I both laughed as Jett just shook his head. He then slowly guided Quinn away, giving me and my man a little more privacy.

“Now where was I?” Easton said just before grinding himself against me once more. “That feels just about right.”

“When do you plan on taking me home and having your way with me?” I asked.

“Home?” He pulled back enough to look down at me. “Are you saying yes to my question? You gonna move in with me?”

“I knew I was going to when you asked me yesterday. I just wanted to torture you a bit.” I laughed when he rolled his eyes at me. It was definitely a reaction that was so unlike him.

“Let’s go home,” he said as he took my hand and pulled me toward the exit. “The next step is setting a date,” he said over his shoulder as we walked outside.

“A date?” What the hell was that?

“Yep.” He smirked. “Because, Harper Jameson, you are gonna marry me.”

The cocky arrogance in his voice would normally irritate me, but not tonight. Tonight it just brought on a sense of excitement, because marrying Easton was definitely something I could see happening in my future.