The music stops and I can hear Pierce yelling in the background for everyone to leave. The rest of the band members all gather ‘round and form somewhat of a barrier.
“Will one of you take this piece of shit?” I look up at Liam passing that guy off none too gently to one of the bouncers. He squats in front of me and grips my chin, but I shake my head and focus on Lisa. “Look at me.”
I do and he exhales loudly. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Words clog in my throat and I quickly avert my eyes back to her.
Police, firefighters, and paramedics all arrive at the same time, and as they haul off the guy, Jamie is held back by Mike and Gabe. “Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck, man?”
Lisa moans again so I focus back on her but still can hear what the guys are saying.
“Jamie, not now,” Liam barks at him.
“No, right fucking now.”
“Jamie, man. You’ve gotta chill,” Mike’s baritone voice is unmistakably angry, but even and logical. “Just relax.”
A warm hand grabs mine holding the towel over her wound. “I got it from here, Meara.” Travis’ soft but controlled voice startles me and I loosen my grip. I’m not surprised he’s here. Char told me he was on shift tonight and his unit is the one who responded to our kitchen fire last year. “She hit her head so hard, Travis.”
He nods in understanding and motions at the paramedics. “I need you to step back so they can work on her and get her to the hospital.”
Tears blur my eyes, and I release the towel and fall back on my butt. Liam’s strong arms lift me up and I bury my face in his shoulder as the adrenaline wears off. The snap of the lock on the stretcher breaks me out of my daze and I hold back a sob as they wheel her away.
* * *
I closed up the bar the best I could with shaking hands and bile in my throat. We all rushed to the hospital where we’ve been sitting for the past four hours. Nik hasn’t moved a muscle. Instead, he stands right by the door on guard.
“I’m gonna go talk to him,” I whisper to Liam.
“’Kay.” He kisses my hand, and I squeeze his shoulder.
I refused medical treatment because I’m fine. More shocked and startled than anything. Angry, too. I can’t believe I let that guy get the jump on me. I gave my statement to the police a couple of hours ago and they told me his real name. Fredrick Flannery.
Freddy was a kid who had a crush on me in ninth grade, but he looks nothing like the kid I used to know. I was never mean to him, but I had Liam. He tried to flirt with me and asked me to the Homecoming dance, but I, of course, said no. Well, word got out, and Liam threatened him. And when Liam confronted him, that meant Liam, Jamie, Gabe, Mike, Pierce, and Nik went with him.
Freddy never bothered me after that. His family moved soon after, and we never saw him again. Or so we thought. Apparently, Freddy never forgot. Lee and the band always wondered why Reed said that to him during that radio interview, and I guess now we all know why.
The cops are holding Freddy slash Reed on assault charges and I’m filing a restraining order, so I pray to God I never have to see him again in my life.
Nik tenses when I put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey.”
His eyes connect with mine for a brief second and flash back to the closed door.
“Nik?”
He grunts and I stand in front of him. “Nik. Come sit down.”
“I’m good here.”
“What’s this all about?”
“I never should have left.”
I close my eyes and hang my head for a second. “Stop. Don’t even go there.”
He squints he eyes down at me. “I have never left you or her alone behind the bar without a bouncer there. Never. And the one fucking time I do … I was gone a total of four minutes and this shit happens. I swear to fucking Christ, if she isn’t okay—”
The door silently opens and I step back as the doctor enters the room. “Lisa Scott’s family?”
Her mother comes forward and squeezes my hand. I had enough sense to check Lisa’s emergency contact form at Kelly’s and call her mother before we left. I’ve never met her before and considering the circumstances, she’s very sweet.
“I’m her mother. Is she okay?”
“As of right now, our main concern is her concussion. The laceration on her head required twelve stitches. The rest of her tests came back normal, but we want to keep her at least twenty-four hours for observation.”
A collective sigh echoes throughout the room and Nik puts a hand against the wall to steady himself.
“However …” The doctor clears his throat. “There appears to be a bit of memory loss. She’s confused with why she’s even working at a bar she’s never heard of and is asking for her husband.”
“Oh, my God.” Her mother leans against me, and I hold her up the best I can.
“Is that you?” He directs his question toward Nik.
“No.” He clears his throat. “Her husband’s dead.”
Chapter 27
Liam
“I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE
.” Meara snuggles up next to me in our big ass bed and I run my fingers up and down her back. “She already lost him once, and then to have to go through it all again?”
“I know.”
Since Lisa wouldn’t know any of us, it would’ve been more traumatic for her to have visitors. So her mom went back and had to deliver the horrible news to her daughter that the husband she thought was waiting for her is actually dead.
“I’m so worried about her, but what can I even do?”
“I guess just be there for her when she’s ready. Stay in touch with her mom and she’ll let you know when Lisa’s better and able to have visitors.”
“Yeah.” She kisses my bare chest and squeezes me a little tighter. “Can you believe that was Freddy?”
I take a breath through my nose before answering her. On top of hating the piece of shit all those years ago for hitting on my girl when she was very much taken, I find out that he’s
Reed
. Then he had the fucking balls to put his hands on her tonight … and what he did to Lisa. I wish I had done more to his punk ass. I should have done more. When I rounded the corner and saw him touching her …
“No. I can’t.”
So many things have gone through my mind tonight and I’m not sure if now is the right time, but I don’t give a shit anymore. Timelines and planning are useless. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s to live in the moment. To embrace what you have because you don’t know how long it’ll be there or if it’ll be taken away before you even have a chance to welcome it into your life.
“Be right back.”
I jump out of bed and rummage through my underwear drawer until I feel the box in the back. When I sit in front of her, I do it on both knees.
“I have lived every moment of my life wanting the next to be with you. Somehow, I’ve been lucky enough to find a woman who stood by my side no matter what. Whether I was in your bed or thousands of miles away, you were always in my heart and on my mind. I woke up every day counting down the seconds until I could see your face again, and I don’t want another minute to go by without you close enough to touch.” I run my finger along her cheek. “To kiss.” I lean down and press my lips to hers. “I know we got married in your treehouse when we were twelve, but I think it’s time we made it official.”
I open the box and take out the princess cut pink diamond, and she sits up and gapes at the ring. “Holy shit, Liam.”
I chuckle and slide the ring on her finger. “Will you marry me?”
She tackles me and I fall to the bed with her on top of me, showering kisses on my face. “Of course, I will! Oh, my God!” She holds her hand out and admires the new jewelry adorning it, the ring that will tie her to me for the rest of our lives. “This is so freaking awesome! Way to turn a horrible night into one of the best ever!”
Her face is lit up with pure happiness and there is no greater moment in my life than right now, knowing that I am going to have this woman forever.
* * *
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask as I roll up the sleeves of my white button-down.
“Marry you? Umm, yes. I’m sure.” She smiles at me while putting on her earrings.
“But like this. Your family is gonna flip the fuck out. I’m sure one of your brothers’ll punch me in the face.”
“It’s not their decision, it’s mine. And don’t worry,”—she walks past me and pats me on the arm—“I’ll defend you.”
I turn her in my arms and kiss her pink lips. “If I weren't about to marry you, I’d slap your ass right about now.”
“Am I supposed to be threatened by that, Mr. Anders?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry. I’m a badass. Your threats don’t scare me.” She pecks me on the cheek and ducks under my arms. “Now get a move on. We’re gonna be late.”
I grab my wallet and follow her out of the house. She looks phenomenal in her short white dress and killer silver heels. After I had proposed, she brought up eloping, and I jokingly agreed. Never in a million years would I have thought she’d get married without her family, especially Charlotte. But she said that this was something we’ve waited for almost our whole lives and she wanted it to be between us and only us. There was no way I’d win that argument with her, so here we are now, pulling in front of the courthouse a week later.
I help her out of the car and we walk up to the building hand in hand. This wasn’t what I had planned for a wedding, especially not for a girl who used to dream of a knight in shining armor and a white horse to whisk her away in the sunset, but this is what will make her happy. I couldn’t care less where we get married or who is or isn’t there. I’m dreading when everyone finds out, especially my mom … she’s gonna be upset that she wasn’t there, but I’m sure everyone will come around and respect and understand our decision.
We stand in front of the door, and I squeeze her hand. “Ready?”
She bounces on her heels and squeezes my hand back. “I am so ready.”
* * *
“You cannot leave my side,” Meara whispers harshly and her nails bite into my skin. She’s just put her wedding ring back on and I did the same. I’ve never seen her so nervous in my life and it’s rubbing off on me.
“Damn, woman. Like glue, all right? Now get your daggers out of me.”
“That’s not what you said last night.” Her fingers loosen up, but she trails them up my arm and to my face, over my lips. I suck on the tip of her finger and nibble it before she pulls it back.
“Don’t make me get a boner when our parents are in the next room.”
“Sorry?” She hip checks me and grabs a plate on her way out of the kitchen. She pauses under the arch while I adjust myself. “Coming?”
“You’re pure evil, woman.”
“You love me anyways.”
“I do.”
“I love you, too. Now, hurry up. Everyone’s waiting.”
I grab another bowl and follow her to our dining room where our entire family is waiting for us to bring dinner out. We planned an impromptu ‘housewarming’ party and everyone is in attendance from both sides of our family, including the band since they’re still in town. Nik is here, too. Meara spoke to Lisa’s mother and she told her Lisa’s still trying to process and understand what happened. She doesn’t have her memory back, but the doctors are hopeful for a full recovery.
Both Charlotte and Mary are holding their babies and little Caroline sits happily on her daddy’s lap. Pierce brought a girl, and I tried to get him to spill the deets about her, but he just shook his head and said not yet. She’s really sweet but painfully shy.
Meara drops the huge salad bowl on the table and it shakes the glasses, causing everyone to stop talking and look at her.
“Liam and I got married at the courthouse yesterday,” she blurts out. I fumble with the bowl of pasta in my hands and she raises her hand in the air and shows off her ring.
The women cry and gasp and yell, then jump out of their seats. It scared Caroline because she starts to cry and Travis soothes her and kisses the top of her head. The men stare at the spectacle of the women for a second before they all simultaneously look at me. My boys with pride but her brother and father would burn me to the ground with the lasers coming out of their eyes right now.
I shrug my shoulders and my eyes plead with them. “It was her idea. I said we should wait and have a big thingy, but she insisted. You
cannot
blame me for this. Try telling her no. You know she doesn’t listen.” I totally just threw her under the bus, but I don’t give one rat’s ass.
“Asshole,” she whispers with a smile.
They both look at Meara, who is standing next to me flanked by the women, and then back at me. Sweat drips down my back and I suddenly feel like I’m gonna puke. They mutter words of agreement and I finally swallow the lump in my throat and manage not to faint. I know her dad likes me, but I just married his only daughter without asking his permission. In secret.
“Welcome to the family, officially.” Her dad raises his glass and congratulations are yelled across the room, tears are shed, and hugs are given. The moms both lecture us about not being there, but ultimately understand as I knew they would. Everyone settles down in their seats and they all turn to look at me, still standing with a ginormous bowl of noodles.
Chapter 28
Meara
WE’VE ALL EATEN AND
stuffed our faces with dessert and are now sitting outside around a fire. Our marriage surprise seems to be going over well. I suppose we’ve been together so long, it was expected, and nobody was really shocked that it happened. Just the way it happened surprised everyone. Both babies are sleeping and Charlotte is helping Caroline roast a marshmallow.
“What are you doing?” I laugh as Liam lifts me by the waist off my log stool.
“We haven’t done anything traditional, and that’s fine. But I’d like to have a dance with my wife.”
“What?”
He nods behind me. Mike walks with Jamie and Gabe flanking him with their guitars. My eyes immediately begin to burn, and I turn back around to Liam.
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. I mean, maybe I wrote a song and asked the guys to play it. Is that okay?”
I didn’t think there was anything else he could do to make me love him more, but he continues to surprise me. “Yes, it’s okay.”