Hustle Him (Bank Shot Romance #2) (29 page)

“What did you tell him?” I could see it in his eyes that he didn’t like talking about it.

“I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t talk about it.”

I reached out and rubbed his back. “I think it would be really special if the baby got to use the same cradle as one of their big sisters.”

He pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my wedding ring. The diamond was my mother’s and it meant so much to be able to finally wear it. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“A
lways know what to say? Where would I even be without you?”

I tried not think about that. Our life was too great to think about what could have been. “It doesn’t matter. You’re always going to have me.
I can’t get rid of you now. I have three kids to raise,” I teased.

“We have three kids to raise. As my best friend and my wife, I’ll never let you do it all alone. That goes for Asha and Logan too.
I know they have their dad, especially when he gets his shit straight, but I want them to know they can always count on me.” He laid his head down on my stomach and after a few seconds the baby started moving around. “I’ll miss them everyday, but this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

I felt his hand reaching into my panties. “Are you seriously trying to get freaky with me in your parents house?”

He laughed and kept moving down lower. “Maybe.”

I grabbed his arm, not letting him go any further. “We can’t!”

He sat up and pulled out of my hold, then started pulling my panties down. “We can! This was my room. I think it’s like a fantasy to sleep with a woman that’s even sexier than the ones that used to hang on these very walls.”

“I am fat and pregnant.”

“You’re beautiful. I want you every time I look at you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, buttering up isn’t going to make me want to have sex.”

He tugged one last time, getting my underwear completely off. He was ignoring me, pulling off his pants anyway. He grabbed one of my legs and held it up against his shoulder. His gentle, wet kisses covered my ankles, leaving me fighting to hold my ground. Once his lips got to my calf, I was pretty much forfeiting the battle.

Ramsey had a way of persuading me into doing whatever he wanted. He was never really unreasonable, so I went with whatever he had in mind. We were adults and since we were married
and expecting, I hardly can imagine that his parents thought we never had sex. It still felt weird, except with Ramsey’s seductive tactics, it was impossible to stop him, when he loved pleasing me so much.

We spent the next couple days doing things with his parents. They took the kids to the aquarium and came back with their hands full of presents. As for me and Ramsey, well, we spent the afternoon at the cemetery.

I was nervous going there. I just felt like it wasn’t my place, but he insisted. Since it seemed so important to him, I agreed to go. The cemetery was actually beautiful. The landscaping and statues of angels made for a serene atmosphere. We walked down a little hill after we parked and came up to a small bench. He pointed to the two headstones across from it and I read the names. Then he took my hand and we both sat down. I had fresh flowers in my hand, but was afraid to make a move. Ramsey was so quiet. He sat still, just staring at the headstones. He kept my hand in his, sometimes rubbing mine with his thumb. I understood his silence, but it was hard to say nothing when I knew he was in pain.

Finally, after at least ten minutes, he just started talking. “Jules parents put the bench in a
couple months ago. They come here every Sunday.”

“It’s very pretty here.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

I put my arm around him. “Do you want me to give you a minute? I can go back to the car.”

I didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t say something because I was there. This was his own personal time with his girls. I knew how important it was.

He put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer, while kissing the top of my head. “There’s nothing I have to say that you can’t hear, Vessa. You being a part of this is important to me. They’re my past, but you’re my future. That’s never going to change.”

I smiled and leaned my head into him for a second. Without asking if it was okay, I walked up to Jules’ stone. It was hard with my belly, but I knelt down in front of it and set up the flowers in the holder. “I promise to spend every day of my life taking care of him, Jules.”

When I turned around to look around he was smiling with tears in his eyes. He mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and held out his hand to help me stand up. We stood there for a few more minutes holding hands.

Once we set up Katie’s flowers, we headed out and had lunch. A couple people recognized him and came over to say hello. He introduced me as his wife and told them about our life in West Virginia. I was surprised when the guy asked him if he still shot pool. He laughed and looked at me, before explaining that he married me to steal all of my skills.

When they finally walked away, he was all smiles. “Do you miss living here? We can move if you want. I mean, we could always sell the restaurant and buy another house.”

“Vessa, I love where we live. I don’t want you having to worry if I’m coming home at night, like I know Jules did. I don’t miss the city life, at all. I like my job. It’s easy and I can be with you whenever I need to be. My old station was constantly working on cases. I worked eight hours running around with criminals and putting my life on the line. We don’t have that where we live. The kids can grow up and play outside without us having to be out there with them. That’s the kind of life that I want for my family.”

“
I just want you to be happy. I feel like you’ve taken on my life and I don’t want you to have to do that.” I knew what it was like to be in a marriage where it was all about the other person. I couldn’t take him ever resenting me.

“I’m the one that wanted to get married. It was my idea to fix up the restaurant. I love living in your aunt’s old house. It big enough for all of us and the property is fantastic. Would you stop with the worrying. I will be so glad when you pop out that kid and get back to being your spunky self.”

“I worry too much.”

“Yes, you do. Just relax and enjoy life with me. You never know what tomorrow brings and I will spend every minute of my life
being happy. I’ve wasted away enough time.”

“I really do love you, so much.” He was everything I could have asked for in a man. “I even loved the stubborn hermit that you used to be.”

He reached over the table and kissed me. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I love you too, honey. Now finish eating before the kids talk my parents into taking them to Disney World. I don’t know which one of them is more excited about having each other. Did you see my parents light up earlier today? I told you that you had nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be alright.” He sang like Bob Marley. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

When it was time to say goodbye, I felt like a weight had lifted off of me. Ramsey had been right all along about his parents. They never made me feel like I was just a replacement. His mother was genuinely grateful that I’d pushed my way into her son’s life. She didn’t know that he’d pushed his way right inside of mine. At the end of the day, I was thrilled to have such considerate people to call family.

We were so blessed and seeing my kids so happy made me overjoyed.

Logan always called Ramsey his hero. He would always be my hero
, too.

Epilogue

Ramsey

You’re probably wondering who won the bet about naming the baby. We actually didn’t get to play our match until a week before the baby was born. With the construction finished on the restaurant and everything else w
e hand to do to get it going, by the time we got home at night, we were both too tired to go downstairs and stand around.

Finally, on a Sunday morning, I found Vessa downstairs folding clothes. She insisted on doing the laundry, even when she couldn’t carry up the baskets anymore. I tried to explain to her that I could wash clothes, but after she’d seen me attempt to cook some things, she decided that she was just going to do it.

That was the hardhead that I fell in love with.

When I started balls around on the table, she came into the pool table area with her hands on her back. Her belly was so big that standing became a task on its own.

We’d talked about baby names, but each time, we went back to letting the game decide.

Vessa pointed to the rack that was hanging on the wall. “Are we starting over?”

“Of course. I’ll even let you break.”

She smiled and pulled her dad’s old stick out of it’s case. I watched her chalking it up and making sure I didn’t give her a loose rack to break up. It was kind of a way to cheat. The looser the rack, the harder it was to break out the balls. For a good player, the break was a big part of the strategy to run out the balls. If no balls were made, you lost your turn.

I started laughing when I saw her questioning me. “What? I was just making sure you weren’t …”

“I see how you are. Break up the balls, woman.”

She won the first rack easily, almost like she hadn’t taken a day off from playing. That woman had skills, that was for sure. The second game consisted of a bunch of safety shots on both of us. I managed to win, barely. I broke and ran out the third game. She kicked my ass the fourth game. During the fifth game was when I saw her change her game. She started smiling and laughing when she missed. Finally, with her next turn, she got on the eight ball. “As soon as I make this, I can tell you the names I picked out,” She teased.

I felt defeated.

Then she grabbed the cue ball and tossed it in a pocket, forfeiting and giving me the win. She giggled and walked up to kiss me. As her lips pulled away from mine, she opened her eyes. “I wanted you to win.”

It was all about the hustle when it came to Vessa and the game of pool. Luckily, I finally got to be her partner on pool league nights. I’d much rather have her play with me instead of against me.

My son weighed nine pounds and nine ounces and took twenty hours of labor to finally come into the world. Vessa was a champ considering his size. She wasn’t a happy camper trying to push him out though.

Mason Andrew Towers
was welcomed into this world by his brother and sister and also my parents. Vessa had to be induced, so it gave them time to drive to town and look after the kids while I stayed at the hospital the whole time.

I can’t explain the kind of emotions that I felt when the doctor put my son in my arms. I was already happy building a future with Vessa, but having a child that we made out of love, was the best kind of gift I could have ever received. I felt whole again, like my life had purpose. I was going to be good father, I already felt like I was to Vessa’s children. It pained me to think back to a time where I didn’t want to be surrounded by the people that cared about me. Looking around the room, at all of the people in my life, made me feel so thankful.

My parents only stayed for week before heading back home. While they visited we took them out and showed them our restaurant and where I worked.

Vessa fell right into taking care of a newborn. I guess it’s like riding a bike.

I made the cover of the local paper again. This time the title read:

Sheriff And Wife Welcome Baby Boy.

It made me smile when Vessa hung it up on the refrigerator and the bulletin board at the restaurant.

I spent more time at home, only going out when there were important calls or situations that I had to tend to. Vessa liked me being there and spending most of my time with her and Mason. The truth was that I couldn’t get enough of my son. He looked like me, except his dimples were huge. I knew it was just gas, but when he smiled, it made me smile.

One day we were laying on the bed while Vessa folded his little clothes. I was making raspberry sounds and sticking my face into his neck, playing. He was just drooling and being a baby, like every day. I guess he was about four to six weeks old. I kept tickling him and he wouldn’t stop smiling. Vessa climbed on the bed with us. He saw her and smiled even more. “Look who is happy today,” She said in a baby voice.

“I’m happy every day, “I jokingly replied.

She leaned over and pressed her lips against mine. “Me too.”

“You think he’s ready to learn how to play pool?”

She grabbed his little hands and made faces. “Daddy thinks he’s going to teach you to play pool. Tell him Mommy’s going to teach you.” He kept smiling. “Tell him big boy.” I think she didn’t even have to talk in a baby voice. He always responded to the sound of her talking.

“Fine! As long as I get to watch, then I’m alright with that.”

She giggled and kissed me again. “Get him to take a nap and I’ll shoot you without clothes on.”

“Meet me downstairs in ten minutes.” I picked up my son and took him to the nursery. It took about fifteen, but when I got down those steps and saw her laying there with nothing on, I knew it was going to be a good day.

This was our life. I never thought that something beautiful could come from something so devastating. It didn’t matter how we got there. All that mattered was that was where we belonged.