Me too. ‘Cause I’m going to be on the shitty end of Karma’s stick, too. I nod my head in agreement and give a weak smile. “Fingers crossed.”
“You need to cross every other body part, too.” She smirks, and we both know Saint and I are in deep trouble. Our baby is going to be one hell of a troublemaker.
The next week, Payton and Mom take me out for the day. After we have lunch at a little bistro by the marina, we head to the mall for an afternoon of shopping. They’re trying to cheer me up. Saint left two days ago for Chicago, and I’ve been moping around ever since. His old team is in the last round of the playoffs, and they asked him to attend the final home games. He wanted me to go, but the team issued the invitation last-minute, and I’d already committed to helping my boss with closing out the quarter books. He couldn't replace me without notice, and there’s no way I could leave him to do it alone. We finished it up a day early, so I get this little shopping trip to cheer me up. Then Saint returns tomorrow, and things will be all better.
“Come on, I know a store that has the best lingerie.” Payton grabs my hand and drags me into the mall. “You can surprise your honey when he comes home.”
“You girls go have fun,” Mom calls behind us. “There’s a sale on everything baby at the Baby Boutique. I’ll catch up with you later.” She waves and rushes off in the opposite direction.
My sister-in-law shakes her head and continues pulling me toward the lingerie store. “She spoils Amelia rotten,” she mutters and I snort loudly. Hello, pot meet kettle, I think to myself. Dare and Payton spoil their daughter, too. She looks over her shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Okay, I guess I can’t really talk, but wait until your little one is born. The Baby Boutique will need twice-weekly shipments to keep up with all of us.”
We walk into the nearly empty lingerie shop, and Payton immediately wanders over to the risqué section. She points at a see-through white silk and lace teddy, and I glance at it. “Wow. That’s beautiful.” I look for my size and hold it up in front of me. “What do you think?”
“Fucking beautiful.” I spin around and forget all about the expensive piece of lace and silk in my hands. My handsome fiancé is standing close to me smirking as I gape at him. He points at the teddy and smiles. “Let’s pay for that and head home to try it on.”
I throw my arms around his neck and kiss his lips. “I’m so happy to see you, but how?”
He holds me close, and his masculine scent wraps around me. All my sadness drains away, and I forget about everything around us as I lose myself in his kiss. Payton clears her throat, and I vaguely hear her mumble, “I’ll talk to you later.”
Saint pulls back and wraps his arm around my waist. “I need to pay for that and get you home before I spend the night in jail for fucking you in public.”
I’m not about to argue with him. After all, I’m in total agreement with his plans.
Saint leads me into our home and turns to pull me into his arms. “God, I missed you. No more overnight trips without you,” he breathes into my neck before covering my lips with his. As his tongue explores my mouth, I run my hands up his back and lose myself in his kiss.
He pulls away and lays his forehead against mine. “We need to talk for a second.” Fear runs through my body. I knew things were going too well. I bite my lip as he leads me into the living room and sits me on the large cream-colored sectional sofa.
Blinking, I attempt to control the tears as they fill my eyes. He leans over and wipes a tear before it rolls down my cheek. “Hey. Why the tears?”
Taking a deep breath, I blurt out, “Nothing good ever starts with we need to talk.”
He smiles a little and kisses my nose. “This time, it does.” After lifting my hand, he softly rubs the back of my knuckles as he explains, “Before I flew to Chicago, I had a stopover in Portland.”
I hop up and stare down at him. What in the world was he doing in Oregon?
Before I can question him, he stands and places his hands on my shoulders. “I had to take care of something important.” Saint gently pushes me back down on the sofa and kneels in front of me. “I met with your parents and had a long talk with their bookie.” Oh my God. He could’ve gotten himself killed.
“They’re dangerous,” I sputter. I attempt to jump up again, but he holds me by the hips and stares into my eyes. “I took care of Manny and your parents. I informed them that I’ll make life extremely difficult for them if anyone tries to contact you in the future.” I have a hard time believing he defeated the monsters from my childhood so effortlessly.
I swallow and lay my head back and stare at the ceiling. “What if they come after your family?” I can’t imagine anything worse.
“Believe me. I got my point across.” He lifts my chin and smiles as I look into his eyes. “Now, I want you to stop worrying about those assholes and start concentrating on growing Junior.” As he runs his hand down my chest and over my tummy, goosebumps break out all over my body. “I think you have a slinky outfit to try on for me.”
He wiggles his eyebrows, and I hate to disappoint him, but I point out, “That’s for our honeymoon. You have to wait to see it on me.”
He shakes his head, and I see the stubborn glint enter his eyes. “I’ll buy you ten more for our honeymoon. Go get it on.”
“Spoiled sucker,” I mutter under my breath as I grab the bag and rush up the stairs.
Chapter Eight
Gina
I’m standing in the foyer of the country club, praying I don’t pass out minutes before my wedding. “Hey, kiddo. You look awfully pale.” Dad glances around for someone to help him as he strokes the back of my hand. “Saint will kick my ass if you don’t make it down the aisle to him.”
Payton is standing inside the entryway ready to walk into the ballroom ahead of me, and Dad and I are alone in the foyer. Swallowing down my nervousness, I close my eyes and deep breathe until I hear the first musical notes playing through the air. I glance up and give him a weak smile. “I’m ready.”
I’m not sure, but I think he whispers, “Thank God,” before leading me down the aisle.
One advantage of mind-numbing nerves is the passage of time. I blink and the ceremony is over. Saint takes his time kissing me in front of all our friends and family. I mean, his lips are locked with mine for several minutes. Dare and Will make obscene noises next to us while Dad assures the judge, “You try to raise them right, but this happens.”
I float through the rest of the afternoon. After we cut the cake, Saint kisses the side of my neck and whispers, “I’m ready to see you in one of those new outfits.”
“Don’t you think it’s early to leave?” I bite my lip and look around the crowded room. “I mean, this is our wedding after all.”
He kisses me before giving me his cocky smirk. “Nah, they don’t need us to have fun.” I guess that’s true, but it’s our wedding. “And my cock is about to tear a hole in these pants.” As he pulls me back against the front of him, I feel for myself the hardness protruding through the expensive fabric.