Heartwood (10 page)

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET Pea!” I called over the chaos in the busy arcade. We’d arrived five minutes before and between the black lights and the loud music I was already working my way toward a headache. My niece, the birthday girl, snatched her present out of Joe’s hands and ran off toward the ball pit.

“That’s my angel.” My sister-in-law, Robin, drawled apologetically. “This place desperately needs a Margarita machine.”

As if to prove her point, a tweenage boy slammed into me, and I stumbled and nearly dropped Logan.

“Hey!” Joe snapped, steadying me.

“Watch it.” I crowed.

When the boy turned, his face was practically in my cleavage.

“Sorry” He mumbled directly at my boobs.

“I weep for the future.” I murmured and Joe huffed out a laugh.

Robin rolled her eyes. “Me too. Now give me one of those twins. I want to huff what’s left of those baby pheromones before they age into gremlins like mine.”

“Where’s Mason?” Joe asked, undoing the stroller straps and passing Eva to Robin.

“Off playing mini golf or some shit.” Robin replied, clinging to Eva as if she had a visible halo.

Joe stuffed his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot to foot, looking around at all the ski ball and shooter games. Evidently, the thought of my brothers off reclaiming their youth somewhere nearby was more than he could bear.

“Well go on. Go find ‘em.” I said, and his face split in a wide smile. His white teeth glowed in the dark and I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically.

“He’s a giant kid.” I snorted as Joe trotted off into the crowd.

“Speaking of giants, look how big you are!” Robin gasped as she held Eva out in front of her. “I could just eat you alive.”

“Tell Aunt Robin to stop being creepy.” I said to Logan, who grinned at me as if we were sharing a private joke. “Tell me we have a quiet booth somewhere.”

“Keep dreaming, Molly-girl.” She replied. “But we do have several tables reserved. Come on over. Granny’s holding down the fort.”

“Oh, the twins are here!” Granny cried, waving her flabby arms in the air. “Give me that boy this instant!”

“Hello to you, too, Granny Hildebrandt.” I handed her Logan who kicked his legs enthusiastically.

“Oh, Molly. Don’t be so dramatic.” Mom said, standing up to give me a hug. “I got all the mason jars for the centerpieces.”

“You did?” I asked, picking up a slice of pizza I was sure to regret eating.

“Yep. We found quite a deal.” She replied.

“Thanks, mom.” Between Joe’s parents insisting on paying for the reception and mom and granny tracking down all the decor, they’d saved us more than enough money to afford whatever honeymoon Joe had booked for us.

“Where’s that handsome man of yours?” Granny asked, propping Logan on the table in front of her.

“Off playing with the boys.” I replied.

“So are we still taking all the kids overnight next Saturday?” Granny asked. Mom turned to see my response to Granny’s inquiry.

“Absolutely!” Robin interrupted, lighting up like a storefront on Christmas Eve. “We have the mother of all bachelorette parties to attend!”

“Yep.” I blew out a breath and nodded. With Dan and Robin conspiring, it was hard telling what I was in for.

“That was a good call you made, telling the boys their party had to be two weeks before the wedding.” Granny startled me with her uncommon compliment. “If anyone loses a tooth, they have time to get it replaced before the pictures.”

I turned to Robin and just blinked at her.

“Can’t fault that logic.” Robin decreed, and my nieces started begging her to take them on bumper cars.

“Go on, we’ve got the pumpkins.” Mom said to me, and Robin and I took the girls off to wait in line for a turn on the cars. While we waited, we got front row seats to Joe, Mac, and Mason attempting some sort of obstacle course with my nephews. Mac did a pretty good job, as did my youngest nephew. Mason was a complete disaster and what Malcolm Junior lacked in athletic prowess he made up for in showmanship.

It was Joe’s turn next, and the nieces, Robin, and I began to chant his name. He flexed his arms showily and we all snickered. Joe skated easily through the agility portion and his bulging arms were fun to watch as he used the rings to propel himself forward. But when he got to the climbing, his bow-leggedness seemed to work against him like an Achilles heel. Still, the whole American Gladiator bit was quite a turn on, and I wanted to see him do it again.

“Try again, baby! You can do it!” I called up to him.

He smirked and shook his head. “We’re going to get in line for laser tag. Come find me when you’re done!”

We eventually rode on the bumper cars, which took a quarter of the time it took us to get through the line. My nieces’ cars collided and the younger of the two bit her tongue. She screamed and cried for the rest of the ride, and by the time the cars came to a stop, Robin was ready to punch the ride operator in the face.

This is the kind of shit I have to look forward to?

While Robin was complaining to management, I took the opportunity to go find Joe. I wandered into the laser tag waiting area and saw that their session was already under way.

“I want to play.” I told the attendant.

“No can do. Once it’s started I can’t let another player in.” The gangly college boy replied, blushing cherry red.

“Ah, come on now.” I sweet-talked him. I raised my eyebrows at him and leaned on the counter enough to give him a cleavage shot. “You look like a rule breaker to me.”

He smiled at me like he’d never kissed a girl in his life and looked around as if to be sure no one was watching. “I suppose I can make an exception. Here. Here’s your breast plate and your gun.”

“Those won’t be necessary. I’m just looking for my man.” I replied, as he unlocked the door for me.

I wandered into the large, dark room and began to fumble my way through the maze. Two little boys rushed past me, shot at me twice, and then ran onward. I tried to follow them, and after a minute, I realized I was turned around in a circle.

“Well, that was pointless.” I snickered to myself. I decided to keep my right hand on the wall and start over again. The thumping bass of the music was as loud as a night club. I encountered several more kids along the way and I could hear Mac’s laughter somewhere far away. I pressed on in that general direction, when I felt a big hand grip my wrist and pull me backwards into a dark alcove.

It was pitch black and I struggled to adjust my eyes in what I could only assume was an employee exit. He had me pinned me against the wall, his body pressing against mine from behind.

“Been waiting for me, big boy?” The semi-public nature of the situation aroused me, and recalling how sexy he looked on the obstacle course, I sighed. I felt his hands travel down my thighs and lift my skirt all the way up to my hips. The wall was carpeted, and it scratched my cheek as I felt his hot breath on the back my neck.

“Are you trying to frisk me?” I joked. He eased his weight off me slightly. His fingers trailed along the elastic of my panties and snapped it against my ass cheek. My breath hitched.

“Joe.” I gasped, and a nervous giggle escaped me. “There are kids crawling all over the place.”

I felt the pressure of his body leave mine and that frustrated me. He had me too hot and bothered to let him just walk away scot-free. Running a finger across his chest, I slunk away playfully.

“If you want me, come and get me.” I challenged him, and hurriedly crept further away from him through the dark, weaving around several corners before finding the black lit maze again. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was behind me and saw nothing but blackness. I turned and stepped forward, smacking into what felt like a brick wall.

“Hey there, beautiful.” Joe drawled, and I turned and stared directly into his bold neon chest plate.

I franticly looked behind me again as reality crashed into me like an avalanche.

Whoever that had been, it hadn’t been Joe.

Everyone sang an off-key rendition of Happy Birthday, but I just mouthed the words. I still felt like I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. I ran a trembling hand through my damp bangs. Joe offered me a bowl of cake and ice-cream, but I shook my head. I was too humiliated to have an appetite. I’d been holding the same cup of Hawaiian punch in my hand for long enough for it to go warm, but had yet to take a drink. My stomach churned, and I was sure I’d throw up sooner or later.

“You alright?” He asked, pinning me with his sultry green gaze.

“Yeah. Just embarrassed.” I admitted.

A crease appeared between his stunning eyes. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, babe. Some fucking pervert basically assaulted you.”

I thought about how some random guy had practically had his hand in my panties and I buried my face in my palm and let out a mortified groan.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly fighting him off.” I muttered, and he continued to study me. I heaved a weary sigh, and didn’t need a mirror to know I was blushing profusely. “I thought it was you.”

“I should talk to the manager. Get him to pull the security tapes.” Joe’s growl reflected his poorly concealed desire to violently defend my honor.

“No.” I blurted, more heat rushing to my cheeks. Though I’d immediately told Joe about the incident, I wanted nothing to do with watching the encounter on camera. Joe was already scanning the crowd like a lion looking for his next meal. The last thing I needed was for him to go into full on overprotective mode. We had plenty going on without him having a setback, or worse getting arrested for beating up some creep, just before the wedding. And for all I knew, the stranger might have thought I was someone else too. Feeling humiliated, I covered my eyes with my hand. “Let’s just go watch the little peanut open presents.”

Joe frowned and I pleaded with my eyes. After a minute he sighed, nodded and sat down beside me. Enfolding me with his arms he pulled me into his chest.

“Are you sure, baby?” He mumbled into my hair. “Just say the word and we can go.”

“I’m sure. No need to cause drama. It’s no big deal.” I leaned my head on Joe’s shoulder.

“If you say so.” Joe’s acrid tone was impossible to ignore. As if to soften the sting of his words, he turned and kissed my forehead. His familiar scent and his stubble were a prickly reminder of the stranger with his hands up my skirt, and how I should have known he wasn’t Joe.

I pulled myself to standing on very shaky limbs. “Let’s get back to the party.”

We didn’t share what had happened with anyone. I was far too embarrassed, and neither of us saw a point in spoiling the fun. We tried our best to shrug off the incident, but Joe was glued to me for the rest of our time at the facility. I didn’t mind. It was comforting, and if anything I was clingy in return.

When we got home, I headed for the nursery and for the first time in a long time, I rocked both the babies together. They’d been cranky all the way home, probably due to being overstimulated and exhausted. As they drifted off, my heart nearly burst with the overwhelming love I felt for them.

“They asleep?” Joe whispered, and I looked up from them to see him leaning against the door frame.

I nodded, and he came and took Eva from me, vanishing down the hall toward her room.

“Shhh...” Logan stirred as I stood and carried him to his crib. I gently placed him on his back and rubbed his belly in a circular motion. He settled back down immediately, and I stood watching him sleep. Joe’s arms came around me, and I startled and bumped my head back into his jaw.

“Ow.” He murmured, rubbing his chin. “Not my smoothest move...”

“Sorry.” I frowned, reaching out for his face. “I’m just jumpy.” I peppered him with kisses.

He took my face in his hands, his eyes awash with unasked questions. He maintained his usual stoicism, but a storm was definitely brewing behind Joe’s deep green eyes.

“You look like you have something you want to say.” My hushed tone helped cover the fact that I had a lump growing in my throat.

He blew out a breath. “He wasn’t wearing the gear to play laser tag?”