Love Conquers All (12 page)

When we returned to the apartment, the excitement wore off. She was back to being pissed at me. “You are going to that bachelor party.”

“No.” I said it without emotion or vigor. I was still knocked out from the doctor’s visit. I was really going to be a dad. All I could think about was her swollen belly and how sexy it was. We were already a family.

I gripped her hips then guided her to the couch, needing to get to the closest furniture.

“No.” She pushed my hands off. “No sex.”

I growled. “I want to make love.”

“Too bad. You better change your mind about the bachelor party.”

If she weren’t pregnant, I’d push her down and take her anyway. But now I didn’t want to move her too fast or stress her out. “Let me rephrase that. I need to make love.”

“No.” She didn’t back down. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

I really didn’t want to bring this up, but I knew I had to. “Watching Scarlet go through that miscarriage killed me. I love my brother and sister in a way I can never explain, and seeing them in pain was pure torture. And now that I have my own on the way, I refuse to let that happen to me. I don’t give a shit if you don’t like it. That baby is going to be healthy and safe. You can yell at me, withhold sex from me, I really don’t care. But I’m not leaving you. I will take care of you for the next six months. You’ll just have to deal with it.” I held her gaze, showing her I meant business, and then I walked into the bedroom and slammed the door. I wanted a hot shower and some peace and quiet.

After I was undressed, I sat on the bed and waited for the shower to get hot.

She opened the door and approached me slowly. When she looked down at me, I didn’t meet her gaze. I stared straight ahead, not having anything to say to her.

She moved to my lap and met my gaze head on. I had nowhere to look but at her.

“I’m sorry for being so insensitive.” Her words came out as a whisper.

She hardly ever apologized for anything, so when she did, I knew sh
e meant it. Normally, she put me in my place then stormed away, not caring how vicious she was. Now the sincerity was in her eyes.

“Some things are out of our control. What happened to Scarlet and Sean was tragic, and they certainly didn’t deserve it. But I knew it wasn’t because of them. Sometimes things just happen that’s beyond our control. You can be a guard dog and watch me all day, but that doesn’t change what’s going on inside me. I appreciate how much you love both of us, but I think it’s okay for you to leave for a few days. I got my girls to look after me.”

She had a point. It really was out of her control. But what if Zander tracked her down and tried to hurt her? What if she was walking home and someone tried to mug her? What if she fell in the shower and hit her head? But I guess those were still concerns even if she wasn’t pregnant. I felt obligated to stay by her side and make sure nothing happened to my baby. I had to take care of it since it couldn’t take care of itself. And I had to take care of my girl. “I promised my dad I would always put the two of you first. I intend to keep that promise.”

Her eyes softened when she looked at me. “And you’re doing a great job keeping your word.” She ran her fingers through my hair then down the back of my neck. “You’re such a wonderful man and I have no idea what I did to deserve you. You’re so loyal and trusting. And I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t give me a second chance.”

“You’ll never have to worry about it.”

She pressed her head to mine. “But you should still go to this bachelor party. I’ll check in every hour if that makes you feel better, except when I’m sleeping. And I’ll stay with Scarlet. I won’t be alone.”

That still made me uneasy. “I don’t know…”

“Mike, it’ll be fine. I can invite Joey to stay with me if that makes you feel better.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“He’s a very trustworthy guy.”

“No,” I said immediately. “He’s not good enough.”

“How about your dad? I could stay with him.”

He was an option. I knew he wouldn’t mind having her at the house. As long as my parents weren’t going at it like rabbits. “I’ll think about it…”

She smiled. “I’ll take it.”

“I just really love both of you.” My hand moved to her stomach. “And I have to take care of you. Not because I feel obligated to or because of the promise I made, but because I want to. I need to.”

“I know.” She kissed the corner of my mouth then wrapped her arms around my neck. “Is there room in the shower for both of us?” The playfulness was in her eyes.

“There’s always room for you wherever I am.”

13

Scarlet

You busy?
It was Ryan.

Not really. I just finished some laundry.

Can I have dinner with you tonight?

My brother hardly asked me to do things one on one. Only when something was wrong. We saw each other on a daily basis, so there was no need for arrangements.
You never want to have dinner with me.

Then I guess this is a surprise.

But you hate me.

I do hate you. So can we have dinner or what?

Is everything alright?
I just spoke to Janice earlier and she seemed fine.

Yes. Can you meet me at six?

I’ll ask Sean.

Since when did you start asking your husband for permission?

No, idiot. I’ll ask if he wants to come.

I don’t want him there. I just want it to be you.

This was really weird.
Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?

Is it really that odd that I want to spend time with you?
I could hear the attitude in his words.

Actually, yes.

I knew he was rolling his eyes.
Just have a meal with me. I want to see you.

Why? I thought I was ugly.

You’re fucking hideous. You better be at the Shoreline at six.

I put down my phone and pondered what he wanted to talk about. If he and Janice were doing well, what did he want to talk about? The threesome they were plotting? My brother was open with me, but not
that
open. Maybe he wanted to discuss Cortland and Monnique. They weren’t together, but when we were at the bar earlier in the week, the chemistry was heavy in the air. Everyone felt it. The curiosity was killing me so I stopped myself from thinking about it.

My husband walked through the door right at five, just like he did every day. “Baby?”

“I’m in the kitchen.”

He came inside, looking spiffy in his new suit. “You look hot.”

I was wearing the catfish apron. “I’m starting to think you have a thing for fish, not me.”

His arms circled my waist and his face was pressed to mine. “I think it’s a combination.” He looked into my eyes, the love and adoration shining bright. His hand cupped my face and
he gave me a gentle kiss. It was slow but passionate at the same time. Now that his father wasn’t living here anymore, we were able to be affectionate like usual.

He broke the kiss but kept his hands on my waist. “What’s for dinner?”

“There’s a lasagna in the oven. Just take it out when the timer goes off.”

“Take it out?” he asked. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Ryan wants to have dinner in the city.”

“Without me?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged. “He said he wanted it just to be us.”

“So…what am I going to do?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not helpless.”

“I meant, what am I going to do without my loving wife? I hate not having you in the house.”

“Watch porn and jerk off.”

He smirked. “You know I don’t do that.”

“Sure…that’s what they all say.”

His hands moved to my arms. “I jerk off—big time. But it’s when I’m at work and I’m looking at you through my
webcam. Honestly, I don’t watch porn.”

“Well, tonight is your chance.”

He pulled out his phone. “Why would I when I have all of these?”

I couldn’t count the number of naked pictures he had of me, particularly my breasts. “Then you’ll have lots to choose from.”

He rolled his eyes and put his phone away. “I can drive you.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“It would be pointless. By the time you got home, you’d have to come get me.”

“I don’t mind.” I could tell he didn’t.

“It’s fine. I can drive.”

He finally backed off. “So, it’s a bachelor night tonight.”

“I’ll be home in less than two hours.”

“What does he want to talk to you about?” he asked.

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe he and Janice are fighting or something.”

“No…” I pulled off my apron and grabbed my purse. “I should go.”

He looked sad. “Okay. Text me when you get there and when you leave.”

“God, you and my brother are
exactly alike sometimes.”

“Looks like he does love you after all.”

“It appears that way.” I gave him a long kiss before I headed to the door.

He stared at me. “Now I know how sad you feel every morning.” There was no bitterness in his voice, but the despair was heavy in his eyes.

“Imagine how excited you’ll be when you get home.” I gave him a playful look then walked out.

When I arrived at the restaurant, Ryan was already sitting in a booth by the window. A piano played in the background, and the light music was soothing. I was surprised he chose such a fancy place. My brother was all about slumming it in a burger joint.

I slid into the seat across from him. “I’m starving.”

“What’s new?” he barked.

I eyed his collared shirt and slacks. “Wow. You actually don’t look homeless today.”

“Yet, you still look ugly as hell.”

I smirked, accustomed to the sibling torments. “What’s going on, Ryan?”

He picked up his menu. “I’m going to order first. The rib-eye sounds good.”

“I’m going
to get the mahi-mahi.”

The waitress approached our table and took the order
then left. Silence fell between us. I waited for Ryan to bring up whatever the hell he wanted to talk about, but his mouth was shut.

“How’s Cortland?” I asked.

“Good. I think he’s going on another date.”

“Oh.” That surprised me. “I hope this one goes better.”

“Yeah…I’m doubtful.”

“Me too.”

“It’s pretty damn obvious they are both head-over-heels in love with each other.”

Truer words I couldn’t have said. “Do you want them to get back together?”

“I don’t know. This is Cortland’s decision. But she seems…different.”

“She does,” I agreed.

“I mean, she asked him how his date was like they were friends. It’s weird.”

“I guess they really are friends.”

He shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like Monnique. She seems like she’d hold on until she was forced to let go.”

“People change.”

He eyed me. “Do you want them to get back together?”

“I don’t know either. What I really want is for them to go back to the way they were, when there was no drama. They were so stable, even more stable than you and Janice. Cortland was happy. I like it when he’s happy.”

“I guess we’ll wait and see.”

The waiter brought the food and set it before us.

I dug in immediately because I was starving.

“What’s Sean doing?”

I took a bite of the fish and marveled at the taste. “Probably standing by the front door waiting for me to come home.”

He laughed. “God, he’s pathetic.”

“You’re one to talk,” I jabbed.

“I’m not that pussy-whipped.”

I gave him an incredulous look.

“Okay, fine. I’m
pretty bad. But Sean is the king of pussy-whipped.”

“He’s married. There’s a difference.”

“Nah,” Ryan said. “He’ll still do laps around us.”

We kept eating until our plates were empty.
Ryan ate everything, including his broccoli. I ate everything because I was just a fatass that loved food. Everyone judged me for it but I didn’t care.

When the check came, Ryan immediately paid for it.

“Let’s split it,” I said. I was married and well taken care of. There was no reason for him to insist on paying.

“It’s my treat tonight.” He kept the tab out of my reach.

I didn’t argue with him. I patiently waited for the subject to be breached. “So…what’s going on?”

He seemed nervous. “There’s something I want to ask you.”

What? What the hell did he want to ask me?
Was it something bad?

“You’ve been my best friend since…since I can remember. Even when I was protecting you, you were protecting me. Because of you, I was forced to be a man by the time I hit puberty. But I’ve become a much better person because of that.

“You love me despite my faults and you’re never afraid to tell me when I need to pull my head out of my ass. People have come and gone from my life, but you’ve always been the rock. You’ve always been my family, my best friend and…I love you.”

His words went straight to my heart. I had no idea why he was saying all these wonderful things, but it was making my eyes burn and my throat tickle.

“We’ve been through a lot together, and I think we both turned out pretty great. But that wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t there to support each other. You’ve been the greatest little sister in the world and I have no idea what I would do without you. I know I tease you and say you’re ugly, which is true, by the way, but…you mean a lot to me.”

God, he was going to make m
e cry.

“I would really love it if you would be my best man.”

I was not expecting that. My eyes were coated with tears. “You want it to be me?”

He nodded.

“I…I thought you hated me.”

He smiled. “Oh, I do. Don’t ever forget that.”

“But what about Cortland?”

“He’s a great guy and I love him. I’d go into battle with him and I always have his back, but…I want it to be you.”

“Ryan…I don’t even know what to say.”

He placed his hand on top of mine. “Say yes.”

“Of course I’ll say yes.” My eyes were bubbling over and a few tears escaped. “Damn it!” I grabbed the napkin and patted them away.

“You look ugly when you cry.”

“Shut up!” I patted the moisture away. When I was finally put back together, I returned the napkin to the table. “I’m really flattered you asked me.”

“It had to be you, Scar. If i
t weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have found my wife.”

“That’s true. You owe me big.”

“I just bought you dinner. We’re even.”

I rolled my eyes then looked at him across the table. Our eyes met and a silent conversation passed between us. The two of us had been through hell and back. I didn’t know anyone who had suffered as much as we had. But we go
t through it together. And I knew we would get through everything together.