Hotshot (46 page)

“You can go now, Claire. We’ll be fine.” I give her a reassuring hand squeeze.

She leaves, but not before throwing Shaw an evil glance full of warning.

He ignores her, sitting on the bed and leaning over me, completely caging me in. “Do you know the panic I felt when I got here and found this room empty and your phone left behind, only to find your wheelchair parked outside the room of the woman I hate most in this world?”

“You weren’t supposed to come back so early.”

“That’s your explanation? How about telling me why the fuck you went there?”

His jaw ticks and a vein on his forehead starts to turn red. I place my hand on his chest, feeling his heart race against my palm. “Calm down.”

“I’m pretty proud of myself right now for my level of calm. Inside, I’m scorching with rage. There isn’t a reason in the world for you to be in her presence. I’m still talking to the officers about her role in almost killing you.”

“That’s why I went. You’re going to drop your ridiculous quest to press charges.”

He jerks, his face losing color. “Not in a fucking million years. I want her to pay.”

“She is, Shaw. She’s going to pay for the rest of her life knowing she could have killed her own child.”

“And you,” he bites out.

“And me, but it’s more than that. I’m tired of this. We’ve had months of this mess, going back and forth with insults, demands, and threats. It’s time it stops. No more threats to throw her in jail or even pursue that avenue. We’re burying that hatchet. We’re doing it for Brayden.”

He drops his head, his chin resting on my hand. I give him a minute to absorb my words.

“Do you truly understand how terrified I was? The risk of losing you and him will haunt me until I die. Every time I close my eyes, I remember the way you looked right out of surgery… bandaged, bruised, and almost broken. It was almost too much for me to handle.”

“I’m fine, and I’m going to recover fully. Brayden is going to be fine. It’s all over, and we’re a family now. That little boy changes everything for us. Holding him today, with you, both of us in your arms, opened my eyes. We don’t have room for the toxic energy Sasha brings. You have the upper hand after all this time, and she knows it.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because of the way she looked at me. It’s finally sunk in that she’s defeated. You are mine, and nothing is going to change that. She’s lost the battle. It’s done. Not to mention, I explained she’s basically got a target on her back forever. If she ever pisses you off again, I’m not stepping in. I may have also said a few other nasty things to get my point across. The only thing left is for you to move past this.”

He continues to look down, but moves a hand to mine and links our fingers. I know I’ve done my part; he’s going to do as I ask.

“I’m leaving the complaint with the Bar Association, and she’s going to pay for all your medical expenses, including your missed salary. Every single penny of it.”

“I have insurance, Shaw.”

He raises his eyes to mine, and I have no choice but to shut my mouth. There’s no room to argue.

“What about her father’s firm? Are you still going after them?”

“Probably.”

“And Brayden?”

“That’s up to the courts. Caldwell’s going after full custody, but I’m not getting my hopes up. However, I know when he’s released, he’ll be coming home with us until Sasha has a full psychiatric evaluation and is cleared as a fit parent.”

A ripple of excitement flows through me. This is a decision I agree with one-hundred percent. Knowing he’s coming to our home is our reward for months of pain.

“Are you still mad?”

“You make it really hard.” He kisses my knuckles. “But don’t do anything like that again.”

“Humph! We’ll see. Depends on how stubborn you act.”

His lips twitch as he fights a grin.

“So if you’re done, find us a piece of paper and pen. We’ve got a lot to do.”

“Like what?”

“We have to put the family to work on a nursery. It isn’t going to decorate itself, and I’m pretty useless with only one hand.” I wave my wrist weakly.

His face lights up as the realization sets in.

“But one more thing.” I sit up as far as I can. “Kiss me.”

“Only if you promise me one thing.” He lowers his voice to a sexy whisper, a sparkle starting to glow in his eyes.

“What’s that?” I scrunch my eyebrows, suspicious of his instant change of heart.

“You can put everyone to work on the nursery, and I’ll oversee the whole thing. But you concentrate on planning our wedding.”

Our wedding… Finally, the cloud has lifted.

“That I can do,” I agree with giddiness in my answer.

This nightmare is finally coming to an end.

Shaw

Almost Six Months Later

My mouth crashes down on hers, my lips moving urgently, kissing her deeply and swallowing her whimpers. She has no choice but to grip my shoulders when I thread my fingers through her long hair and massage her scalp in the way I know she loves.

Seconds pass into minutes, but I don’t dare move away, consumed by the kiss. It’s like nothing before. This time, our connection is stronger as I strengthen my hold. She is mine, forever and always—no going back.

There’s a tap on my shoulder, but I don’t stop kissing her, pressing as close as possible. A throat clears beside me, then another, until I force myself to tear away from her and face the man standing in front of me.

The minister tries to hide his smirk but does a poor job and gives up, smiling wide.

“As I was saying, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Bizzy starts to giggle, her eyes shining bright. There’s a loud echo of more laughter from the crowd around us, but I only have eyes for her. Since the instant she walked into sight, holding tightly to her dad’s arm, I had to fight for control. It wasn’t only her beauty that took my breath away, it was her glow.

It’s taken a while, but she is finally Bizzy Bennett and we are standing in the exact spot I kissed her for the first time on this beach. Unlike that time, though, she now knows exactly how much I love her.

I move back in to kiss her again, when a gurgling squeal sounds out. We both turn our heads at the same time to see Brayden bouncing happily in Mom’s lap, reaching for us. Bizzy makes a move to get him, but I hold her in place.

“He wants us,” she tries to tell me, before I brush my lips over hers.

“He can wait. I’m not ready to share you yet, even with him.”

“Shaw, you’re being ridiculous.” She wiggles to get free.

“Warning you now, either you kiss me again and let that child stay with my mom while I properly walk my wife back down the aisle, or I lift you over my shoulder and carry you to our suite, missing the rest of the night.”

She sighs breathily, her lips tipping in a grin. “I wouldn’t want to miss my own wedding reception.”

“Glad you see things my way.” I kiss her again, not caring about our audience. This time, when we pull apart, her eyes are sparkling blue and her lips are swollen. She’s wearing a dreamy expression that makes me want to beat my chest with pride.

I lead her back down the aisle, where the wedding planner whisks us away for pictures as our guests are shown to the ballroom.

It turns into a whirlwind as the photographer motions us around. My stupid ass brothers carry her away, while I’m forced to do shots with my parents and hers.

When they bring her back to me, it’s torture as I endure sharing her with Claire and the rest of the wedding party—which is Nick and Mathis. She laughs the whole time until Nick asks for a picture of them alone.

The whole group pauses as he brings out a bottle of the finest champagne and toasts her.

“To my one and only Lizbeth, the one who brought me through the toughest time in my life. The young sweetheart who turned into my rock of strength, then gave me the peace I always needed. We’ve been through hell together and still survived by each other’s side. You are now not only my best friend, but my sister. I love you.”

There isn’t a dry eye as the photographer snaps away. Bizzy falls into Nicky chest, her whole body shaking. Even I get choked up at witnessing the moment.

I’m transformed back to almost eleven years ago when she bounced into the room, bringing a smile to his face.

The image hits me hard as I feel a hand on my arm and glance over to see Rory with Tom, tears still in their eyes.

“She loves you so much,” Rory whispers through her emotions. “Take care of her.”

“Until the day I die, Rory, Tom.”

“I trust you,” Tom chokes out and walks away, trying to gain his composure.

His faith in me sparks something new. I stand up straighter as understanding washes through me. He trusts me with the most precious thing in his life.

I already cherish her, but this is so much more.

We get through the rest of the shots, until it’s finally time to go to our reception. Bizzy nuzzles up to my side, holding me close and waiting for the next step.

I recognize my mistake the minute we walk through the door. I should have followed through and taken Bizzy away, because the instant we’re announced at the reception, she’s hijacked.

Since we decided on a destination wedding, our guest list is slim, but a few of her friends from the hospital were able to come. She readily shows off her ring set, while the women surround her with congratulations. Claire’s by her side, smiling widely. Her eyes meet mine and send a message of appreciation. She’s been my little spy, making sure today was everything Bizzy wished for, no matter the price. Including assisting me with finding a wedding band that would be work appropriate and still send the message I wanted.

I look at my watch and set a time limit. She can have five minutes. Then she’s at my side again.

“I can’t believe you did it.” Nick hands me a scotch. “Better yet, I can’t believe she went through with it.”

“At this point, she feels sorry for him. That has to be it.” Mathis joins us.

“You do both realize I’m an excellent negotiator, right? She really never had a chance. I’d have worn her down eventually.”

I watch Bizzy gesture to our nanny to bring Brayden to her. She takes him into her arms and nuzzles him close, kissing all over his face. He giggles in delight, fisting her hair into his mouth.

A lump forms in my throat watching them together. This happens often.

Since that day in the hospital, Bizzy can’t get enough of Brayden. She dotes on him with all the love she has to give, and he adores her equally as much.

At almost six months, we forget he was a preemie. He’s grown and progressed as if he came at full term, and we’ve never had any issues. His head is full of dark hair, and he inherited my eyes. Bizzy says he’s a spitting image, and I have to agree.

“Happy for you, Shaw. I know we give you a hard time, but in all honesty, thank you for making her happy.” Nick grows serious, not taking his eyes off Bizzy. “She may be your wife, but she’s still the most important woman in my life besides Mom. I couldn’t have asked for more for her.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to mention his speech to Bizzy, but I rethink it. That was between him and her, no one else, not even me.

“Goes without saying, I feel the same,” Mathis agrees.

The lump in my throat returns as I soak in their words. There are so many things I want to say, but the only thing I can mutter is, “Thanks.” It’s no lie I’m a pussy whipped fool, so professing my all-consuming love and devotion to her would only give them more ammunition to abuse me.

A few guests stop by to congratulate me, and when I glance across the room again, Bizzy’s crowd has grown. It’s apparent Brayden is enjoying every bit of the attention from the ladies, but stays close to Bizzy, still gripping her hair.

He’s definitely like his dad.

“What the hell?” Nick growls as we watch Darren Jackson approach Bizzy.

He pulls them both into an embrace, kissing her on the temple, then looks at me and winks. Next to her side is Joe, doing the same. Once I see Perry making his way, I take off, knowing exactly what these idiots are doing. Nick laughs behind me as I make a beeline to my wife, sliding behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist. There’s a roar of laughter from the group, the loudest from the three fools intentionally riling me up.

“You three looking for new representation?”

“We were only congratulating the bride,” Joe defends, raising his hands in the air.

They continue to laugh, making Brayden giggle loudly. He punches his little fist at me over her shoulder, and I catch it, shaking it in the air.

“He’s a cute kid, Shaw. Surprised he’s yours.” Perry keeps laughing at his own attempt at a joke.

“Perry, laugh all you want, but remember, your endorsement deals run through me. I think something came across my desk last week about a male enhancement drug looking for a new face.”

His face freezes, and it’s Bizzy’s turn to giggle. Darren and Joe scoff, quieting immediately.

“You’re a tough son of a bitch.” Perry sulks.

Nick and Mathis join us, and Brayden lurches at his uncles. Mathis gets him first, giving me a perfect opportunity to take Bizzy to the dance floor.

The band starts up as I take her in my arms. “I distinctly remember you telling me numerous times you don’t dance, even last year at this same resort.”

“I didn’t enjoy dancing until last year with you. It all changed.”

She blushes, laying her face against my chest. As I lead us around the dance floor, people all around the room watch us and I hold on a little tighter.

“Shaw,” she says, her voice muffled in my shirt. She raises her face to mine, and I stop moving. There’s something written in her expression. Something I saw this afternoon as she walked down the aisle toward me. It’s the glow. No, it’s more… it’s radiance—and it’s stunning.

“What, baby?”

“Thank you. Thank you for all this—” Her eyes start to shimmer.

I wait, my heart starting to race.

“Never in my life did I imagine this was possible. You’ve truly proved that wishes can come true. I’m not quite sure I can put into words exactly what you’ve given me, and thank you doesn’t seem adequate.”