Read Real Challenge (Atlanta #2) Online
Authors: Kemmie Michaels
“And for the first time ever, I’d like to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Merchant,” the minister said to a round of happy applause.
After hugs all around, Scott leaned down to Cassie. “I love you,” he whispered. “And I have a surprise for you.”
“Surprise?”
His grin widened. “Yep. My parents are sending us on a honeymoon and I already got your schedule at the clinic cleared for the week. We leave in about two hours, just enough time to pack.”
Cassie’s eyes grew wide. “Are you serious?”
Scott nodded and smiled at the shocked look on her face. Then smugly he said, “I win for biggest surprise.”
“No, I win for best husband,” she grinned. She turned to his parents and hugged them each tightly. “Thank you. Thank you so much for accepting me. I’m going to take good care of your son.”
“It looks like you already have,” his mom said lovingly. “And we adore you already, Cassie. It doesn’t take long to see who you are. Enjoy your honeymoon. We were happy to do it.”
Cassie smiled again and hugged Scott’s dad. After a warm moment in his embrace, Roger Merchant eased Cassie back into Scott’s arms.
“Give me just a minute,” she whispered in Scott’s ear. She walked over to her brother and held him tightly.
He squeezed her right back. Choked up, he whispered to her. “I love you, Cass. I’m glad to see you so happy.”
“You too, Marc. Thank you for being here for me. My whole life.”
They hugged for a long moment more before Cassie turned back to Scott with a bright, excited smile. “So where are we going?”
Scott flashed his charming, dimpled grin and Cassie rolled her eyes at him. “I had to think of something to fit both of us. It took me a while to work out the specifics, but I finally got it.”
“So? Where??”
“Palenville, New York,” Scott said with an ornery grin.
“Huh?” Cassie asked with confused smile. “What’s in Palenville, New York?”
“An old barn converted into a resort home… on a
private
lake in the Catskills…and twenty thrift shops within reasonable driving distance,” Scott said with a grin. “What more could we need?” Cassie squealed and clapped her hands together.
“Oh my God, Scott. That is the best honeymoon ever! You know me well.” She smiled and turned to his parents. “Thank you. So much.”
Libby Merchant laughed. “When he told me he wanted to live in a barn and go ‘thrifting’ for a honeymoon, I thought he was kidding, or maybe just insane. But then he explained how much it would mean to you both and I couldn’t say no. We gave him a big budget for shopping and shipping all of your treasures back to Atlanta, honey. Just have fun with it.”
“Thank you again,” Cassie smiled. “I can’t even believe this.”
“You ready to go?” Scott asked with a smile. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I love you, Cass. Are you ready to go on a honeymoon with me?”
She grinned at him. “Yes. Forever.”
Epilogue
“I cannot believe we’ve been able to keep this a secret,” Jenna laughed. She snuggled up further into his thick tattooed muscles and sighed contentedly. “I thought for sure when we went to see your exhibition fight that Cassie would see it written all over my face.”
Luke sighed from deep in his chest. “That fight still pisses me off.”
“I know. Cassie actually asked if I wanted Marcus to introduce us,” Jenna laughed. “I told her fighters weren’t my style.”
“Not your style?” he said, finally cracking a grin.
“Yep, and she believed me. Good thing Scott was there to distract her. Have you told Marcus about us yet?”
“No,” Luke said with his brow furrowed. “I have no idea what he’d say. Besides, he puts up with enough of my shit. He doesn’t need anything else on the list.”
Jenna laughed. She knew well exactly how much “shit” Luke Baylor had in his life. Damaged was an understatement. Still, at his core he was a good man. Seeing him with his daughter was proof of that. No matter how rough around the edges or how angry he sometimes got at the world, one look at Sophie’s sparkling green eyes had him melting instantly.
That’s
the Luke she first met; the only true Luke, as far as she was concerned.
Funny how they met before she even realized they had friends in common. That first day when he came into the clinic with his daughter Sophie, Jenna was blown away immediately…by both of them. Little Sophie was absolutely angelic with her bright green eyes and fever-flushed cheeks. But even for a two-year-old she was a trooper. She didn’t cry or fuss at all. She just looked at Jenna and said, “I sick.”
A smile came to Jenna’s lips when she remembered the rest of the scene. She told little Sophie, “Don’t worry. We’ll help make you all better.” Sophie, in all her blond curls and cuteness, reached for Jenna to hold her. Jenna scooped her up from her daddy’s arms and tucked her head down on her shoulder. She felt her daddy’s eyes on her the entire time. His stare carried an almost physical weight to it, but Jenna managed to keep her focus on little Sophie. “Aw, sweetie, you’ll be ok,” Jenna told her. “Looks like your daddy’s taking good care of you.”
That’s when Jenna took a good look at Luke Baylor.
My God
, she remembered thinking. Luke’s intimidating presence weighed on her more heavily than his eyes. He filled the room completely. His face showed his panic over his sick daughter and unease about how to handle it.
But even deeper was a dark angst, obviously pushed aside for Sophie, but there nonetheless. His black t-shirt wrapped snug against his thick muscles, barely hiding the tattoos reaching from his neck all the way down one arm. His high-and-tight haircut and dark stubble showed off the strong line of his jaw. He was the embodiment of masculinity and strength.
Say it however ya want
, Jenna thought,
but Luke Baylor was a hot badass with a sweet side
. What could be better?
And when he looked to Jenna for help, she saw every drop of concern for his daughter in his sea-glass green eyes. She also saw his evident discomfort in spite of his obvious love for the little girl. He worked at the role of father like a rookie, dedicated and trying. She passed Sophie back to him and his face instantly eased into a sweet smile for his daughter. “Hey, baby girl,” he said softly when he held her feather-light in his arms. Sophie rested her head down on her dad’s strong shoulder and Jenna nearly melted on the spot. And he wasn’t wearing a ring. That, too, caught her attention.
And as much as she wanted to stare at Luke Baylor for a good long time, she actually had to do her job. Ignoring the butterfly-storm in her belly, she pulled Sophie’s chart and got insurance information from Luke. He held his little girl so gently and talked to her so sweetly while they dealt with paperwork. Jenna melted again.
What a good daddy
.
Jenna’s reverie was abruptly broken by Luke’s voice in the present. “What are you thinking about, Jen?”
“The time you first came into the clinic with Sophie,” Jenna said with a smile. “I was yours that very minute.”
“Were you?” Luke laughed. “I don’t remember it being that easy. Hell, I had to bring Sophie in two more times for nothing, just to get your number.”
“I thought you kept coming in because you were an over-panicked daddy,” Jenna laughed. “Besides, I had my reasons.”
“Reasons. Really.”
“Yep.”
“Going to share with the rest of the class?”
“Nope. I’m going to change the subject. How is Sophie? When do you get to see her next?”
“Ah. My kryptonite,” he smiled. “As far as I know she’s ok, but CB is playing hardball, so I’m not sure. She won’t even ask for free babysitting. She’s getting a lawyer involved now that I’m doing better and want more time. And she keeps trying to manipulate me…and use our daughter to do it. What kind of sick mom uses her own kid like that? God, I hate her.”
Jenna felt anger tense up in Luke’s muscles and she soothed him calmly. “It’s ok, babe. Relax.” She readjusted her position in bed so she could rub his temples and stroke the stubble of his scruffy chin. “We’ll get you through this, and Sophie, too. I told you, I’m here with you through all of it.
All of it
, because I love you, and I love Sophie.”
The tension left Luke’s shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her ribs. As usual, after a moment of nearly giving in to his anger, Luke had nothing to say. Jenna didn’t mind. He had too much going on in his brain to rely on words. Maybe in time. For now, she would love him unconditionally, calm him when needed, comfort him after his nightmares, and wait for him to be ready to talk about whatever haunted him from his time in Afghanistan…if he ever could.
The other most important thing to Jenna was to help Luke get his life stabilized so he could get visitation or even custody of his daughter. Miranda — aka “CB” or “Crazy Bitch” — was not a very good mother to Sophie. She still wanted to party all the time and shuffled Sophie from place to place just so she could go off and do whatever or
whom
ever she wanted. And as much as Luke hated that, there was nothing he could do until he got his own life together. He was making progress, but he had a long way to go before any courts would recognize him as a stable, steady influence for Sophie.
Jenna loved both Luke and Sophie and wanted that father/daughter duo together for one simple reason: Luke was a fantastic father and loved Sophie to no end. Every child should have that kind of love. Plus, his little girl’s presence both calmed him and brought him happiness. He never let the mess in his head affect his time with Sophie. Jenna wanted that kind of peace for him all the time.
Jenna actually had visions of the three of them someday being a family. Herself, Luke, and that little blond angel. Maybe even a few kids of their own. Someday. But right now, her only focus was helping Luke. She adored having him in her life. He came with a lot of baggage, but also with a good heart capable of deep love.
He hadn’t yet said “I love you,” but that emotion came through all the time. Jenna, however, said those words often. He needed to hear them, so she told him every chance she got. He never seemed bothered by her openness, and she never made issue that he wouldn’t return the sentiment. His face and body language demonstrated his love each time they were together. Jenna could be patient for as long as he needed. She understood from her friendship with both Cassie and Erin that people can need a long time to sort out their issues. Love can only help, and Jenna had plenty to give. She loved Luke Baylor with all her heart.
Now if she could just break through his many walls…
She desperately hoped she could help pull Luke out of whatever hellish pit occupied his mind, if for no other reason than for Sophie. And hopefully a future together.
Without meaning to, she whispered “I love you” to him again, the words tumbling out from reliving the sweet memory of when they met. Jenna let her thoughts wander through everything about them, from their sweet, intimate moments to the insanely hot passion he brought to their relationship. She smiled and sighed contentedly again in his arms.
But her sweet thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Luke twisting his fingers strongly up in her hair like he so often did. Without warning he moved her head so she would look directly in his eyes. He pushed himself over top of her and whispered to her, hot and demanding, “Open your legs.”
Luke was like that. He was passionate and intense with his body and words. He often overwhelmed Jenna, sending her into a state of mind in which she could lose herself completely, and be just his. He needed her that way, and his strong nature only served to excite her more than she ever thought possible. Perfect compatibility.
And in that moment, he took her without another word, pinning her down and pulling her head farther back to get at her neck. Blissfully she allowed herself to get lost in his passionate need like so many times before.
Author's Note
Oh, if I could only be Cassie. Too bad I can’t script my own life’s interactions as easily, with several tries before laying them all out for the public. Life would be smoother, I’m sure. I had so much fun writing her part in this love story. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed Scott and Cassie as much as I did.
As I publish this book, I’m a little more than half-way done with “Breaking Through,” which is the last book in the Atlanta Series. As you can see from the epilogue, that book focuses on Luke Baylor, Marcus’s angry trainee. I’ll admit that Luke is my current favorite fictional boyfriend, and he’s directing the story in places I never thought it would go. Jenna’s sweet nature adds a softness to Luke’s rough exterior.
The combination of the two swirls into something both intense and beautiful with several twists that left my heart breaking and soaring as I wrote. November 1, 2013, you can find “Breaking Through” here:
Happy Reading,
~Kemmie