Authors: Casey Clipper
It was as if he could actually see her mind go back to what she'd seen. Questioning if her eyes had been
deceiving her?
“You were standing with the man you sold a house to. Why?” he asked.
“He called me and told me I needed to get to the bar to see something. His tone led me to believe it had to do with you. I was so worried you were hurt or something had happened. You weren't supposed to be that long, Darren. It had been over five hours and you never answered my calls.” She choked back tears.
“I know, baby. I'm sorry. I should have called
. I should have answered my damn phone. I should have done it all differently,” he shamefully admitted.
They both studied each other.
“So Mr. Marshall was the one who called you?” he pressed.
“
Yes and there's something else,” she said, her voice going hard, short, direct, and an octave higher. He always mocked her when she took on that serious voice.
“You haven’t been able to find out where I
've staying, correct?” she asked.
“Yes
. I can’t believe you've been able to go into hiding,” he said with just a hint of pride. He kept that to himself. He didn't want her gloating or disappearing again.
“Well, he showed up on the doorstep this morning with roses in hand. He said he found out where I was from the hospital staff. That's a lie. Apparently
an agency had been poking around hospital records to find out where I'm staying,” she explained.
“He’s an agent,” he growled. She confirmed it. Yes, they had their suspicions but had no real proof
. His wife brought him what he needed. “That fucking asshole called you that night knowing what that woman was doing. He wanted you to leave me, but was clueless of your medical condition or what it would do to you.”
She didn't have a response.
"I hate this, sweetheart. I hate what this has done to you, to us. I hate that you aren't with me right now in our home to work on getting past this," he said, growing frustrated, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.
Tears fell from her eyes. "I don't know how to handle being your wife any longer, Darren. I
have no idea if this is normal and something I'm going to have to deal with constantly. I have no idea how I'm supposed to react or what I should know and shouldn't know about your lifestyle. Since we've married it seems as if our lives have changed, and not for the good."
"I know baby, I know, but we have to work this out together. A piece of me is missing with you gone. I need you. I need you next to me in our bed at night. I...I just plain need you, Courtney," he choked out, leaned over and kissed her lips. He pulled away and allowed a tear to escape. Not masculine in the least, but he didn't give a shit. He needed her to see how much she meant to him.
Tears flowed harder from Courtney.
"I need time. Time to see if I can handle your world. Time to gather my thoughts about being your wife. We need to talk about where I stand in your life. What I should and should not know, and what will happen when anything even remotely close to this occurs again." She sighed. "I'm tired, hormonal, and still healing my body and mind. I need time."
She left him no choice. If she was willing to talk to him and willing to see him, he would give her the space she needed and deal with it in his own way.
"Can I call you?" he asked, terrified of her answer.
"Yes."
He sagged. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow? I'll take you out."
"I would like that." She smiled that shy smile he adored.
He closed his eyes, thankful she was giving him the opportunity to fix their marriage.
"I'm going to go home—"
His eyes flew open. "You are home."
"You know what I mean." Courtney's tone hardened again. "I'm tired and it's time for my medication."
"Do you need anything?" he asked
quickly.
She shook her head. "Thank you, though."
"Let me walk you out to the car."
"Okay."
Escorting his wife to a car he'd never seen before, he opened the driver's door and held out a hand to help her climb inside. He kissed her, holding their contact longer. Too long he'd gone without the brush of her lips against his. After he pulled away, she gave him a small smile, but didn't say a word as she closed the door. While he watched her leave, he made a mental note of the license plate number.
As soon as she was out of sight, he stalked back into the house where the guys gathered around to wait for instructions.
"Jack, run this number." Darren rattled off the plate. He planned a surprise visit to see his wife the next day. There was no way in hell he would allow her to stay away much longer.
***
Sean Millen
When Sean and Ryan returned home late that evening, they found Courtney asleep on the sofa still wearing her shoes and coat. The little makeup she'd worn was in dried streaks down her fair cheeks. Apparently her visit to her brother-in-law took its toll.
Sean checked her
vitals without disturbing her. She must have been exhausted. Afterwards Sean finished Ryan carried her up to her bedroom, stripped off her coat, shoes and socks, and covered her with the duvet.
Now t
hey stood in the kitchen sipping on coffee.
"I think she needs to go back home to her husband," Sean said
softly.
Ryan set down his cup. "That's her deci
sions, not ours."
"It is, but don't you see what being away from him is doing to her? I think he takes care of her soul along with her mind and body," Sean explained.
"Yes, but what about his lifestyle? She isn't safe and now the damn government is all over her. That fucker was in our kitchen today. He sought her out," Ryan seethed.
"I'd bet any amount of money that
her husband will be extra diligent to make certain she's safe. I don't believe anyone will be capable of getting near her again," Sean said. He took a long drag from his decaf coffee.
"I hope you're right," Ryan said.
***
Courtney
"Put on your swimsuit and join us," Ryan demanded. He sauntered past Courtney, who sat at the kitchen island eating the last bit of sandwich Sean had made her for lunch. "That's an order."
Beach towel thrown over his muscular shoulder, he left the kitchen. When the back door opened, music and the sound of women giggling carried through the house. She shook her head and smiled indulgently.
Apparently her cousins had hit their limit with the no women policy they instilled when she'd moved in. Their female guests had arrived an hour ago, and not long afterward drinking had ensued along with the music, laughter, squealing, and enjoyment of the last day they kept their in-ground pool open.
She slid off the stool and headed upstairs to throw on the swimsuit Ryan bought her the day before. When he walked in the house, he'd tossed the bag at her and informed her a shindig was planned for
the next day. She sighed heavily, not entirely thrilled with donning a tiny two-piece swimsuit.
***
Darren
Jack and Carl pulled
the SUV in front of the two-story home located in the gated community. They parked the vehicle on the street since the driveway was full. Darren climbed and was assaulted by the sounds of music and laughing women echoing from the direction of back of the house. He grew livid. Do
not
tell him his wife was staying in some sort of party house instead of at home with her husband. That would come to a stop immediately.
Leaving Jack and Carl
on the street, he stalked around to the rear of the house and found three women surrounding two large men standing off to the side of a large in-ground pool. Their tattoos on their arms said military. Too engrossed in conversation, no one noticed him. He effortlessly snaked through the backdoor and glanced around. The house was a bit sparse, screaming bachelor pad, but it not unkempt. He wandered through a Florida room and down a short hallway that opened to a large, modern kitchen. He was about to make a right down another hallway when another young, blonde woman appeared. She stopped, surprised to see him.
"Hi," she greeted.
"Hi, can you tell me where Courtney is?"
"Oh, yea
h. She's upstairs changing. Ryan made her. He won't allow her to sit around and sulk all day. She needs exercise." The girl shrugged. "Who are you?"
Without answering, Darren brushed past the young woman and hurried towards the steps.
Obviously not happy with being ignored, a moment later he heard her yelling to this Ryan person, "Ryan, there's some guy in your house asking for Courtney!"
Two at a
time, he took the steps. He rushed down a hallway and stopped at the second door on the left. His wife stood in a bedroom wearing a red bikini, examining herself in a full-length mirror. She sighed.
"You look gorgeous," he said, standing in the doorway of the bedroom.
Courtney whirled around in surprise. "Darren," she breathed.
He smiled with such
tenderness and warmth. She was stunning.
She looked down at herself and frowned. "What sucks is that I have this stomach pooch from the pregnancy but no baby to show for it."
He took a couple steps into the room until he stood an arms length away. Placing a gentle finger under her chin, he lifted her eyes to meet his.
"If you come home to me, we can fix that," he whispered.
"Promise?" her voice cracked.
"Always."
"Who the hell are you!" A man demanded from the doorway.
Darren spun and took a guarded stance in front of his wife.
Instinctively he reached inside his suit jacket and growled, "I may ask the same question."
"Oh, stop it, both of you," Courtney barked. "Sean, this is Darren. Darren, this is my cousin Sean."
Another man, who could pass for Sean's twin, appeared behind Sean. "And my cousin Ryan." She motioned between them.
All three men menacingly studied each other.
"Wait, these are the cousins that couldn't make the wedding?" It dawned on him.
She nodded.
"Doctor and nurse?" he asked, putting the pieces together.
She nodded again, biting her bottom lip.
"They were the ones visiting you in the hospital," he said more to himself.
"Yes."
He narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. "You purposely kept their identity from me."
She shrugged. "You have your secrets. I have mine."
He gaped in surprise. Ryan chuckled from behind Sean.
"I think I just fell even more in love with you," he admitted.
She beamed. "You three need to get along. You're way too important to me not to."
All three men listened to her orders as if they were her trained puppies. Amazing for a mob boss and two
former Navy SEALs.
"Nice to meet you. Courtney speaks highly of the two of you," he said to her cousins.
"Good to meet you too, though we wish it were under different circumstances," Sean said.
"Would you like to join us?" Ryan asked. "We're enjoying the pool before we close it." He motioned to Courtney. "We're making her get up and out. She sulks too much."
"Ryan," Courtney scolded.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not lying."
Sean chuckled. "It's true."
She rolled her eyes.
"I have a half a mind to rip you apart for this piece of string that you call a swimsuit," she snapped at Ryan in an attempt to change the subject.
"I like it," Darren said.
Ryan barked out laughing. "Then my job is done here. Court, we'll see you outside."
They left the bedroom and closed the door behind them. Darren refocused on his wife.
"You found out where I'm staying," she said. She grabbed the matching cover-up and pulled it over her suit.
He smirked. "Yes, honey. You didn't think that you would be able to hide from me for long, did you?"
"I suppose not," she confessed.
He reached out and wrapped his hands around her waist then pulled her body flush against his. Brushing her overlong hair off her shoulders, he gazed into her eyes.
"Come home," he begged.
"Darren..."
"Please, I miss you," he said. "I'll help you get better, and we'll work on repairing our marriage. I promise."
"I love you, but I'm so
indescribably hurt." Her voice cracked.
"I know, baby. I know." He pushed her head into his chest and ran a comforting hand up and down her spine to soothe the better half of his soul. He had
too much work to do in order to fix their world. No matter what it took, he vowed to do it. But the only way he could truly start repairing their marriage was by getting her home.