Jack (The Family Simon Book 2) (26 page)

“And I can’t hide out here forever.”

But for now? It was the perfect sanctuary, and Grace had come through big time, getting her back to the island without anyone knowing. It took her less than an hour to shower, wash her hair and put on some makeup. She was sick of walking around looking like death warmed over.

Once satisfied with her appearance, Donovan rifled through her closet, fingers closing around a simple coral dress. Strapless, it hugged her breasts and fell into a straight line, touching the tops of her toes. She slipped into a pair of white Fendi flats and headed out to the main room.

It was almost dinner time.

She heard voices and knew that Roger and Mary must be on their way over. Quickly fluffing the pillows on the sofa, she set her guitar back in its stand and grabbed the book that was laying on the edge of the coffee table.

Aldus Huxley. The Doors of Perception.

“Yeah, that’s so not going to happen,” she said with a laugh and tossed it into the bin. Her fingers trailed over the People Magazines that were there, and for a moment, her joy dimmed. The crap that was her life rose up, and she knew that if she let it, it would consume her.

So she carefully folded the magazines back and turned, a smile on her face because she heard the door swing open.

Except it wasn’t Roger. And it certainly wasn’t Mary.

It was six feet two inches of someone wholly male. Six feet two inches that belonged to the only man to own her body and soul.

Jack.

She didn’t realize that she’d said his name out loud until she heard it echo in the room.

“You look like shit.”

She said the first thing that came to mind and her breath caught when a ghost of a smile played around the corner of his mouth.

“I feel worse.”

“How did you…” She began, but then a big wad of emotion closed her throat off, and there were no more words.

But he didn’t need them. He was striding forward, his long legs eating up the distance in less time than it took to sneeze. He scooped her into his arms and that was it. She was done.

She began to shake so hard that she felt the vibrations run up his arms as he held her.

“I’m so sorry, Donovan. So fucking sorry.” He buried his head in her hair, and she realized that she wasn’t the only one shaking. “Can you forgive me? Please tell me I’m not too late. I’d have been here sooner, but it took a week to track you down, and even then Grace was stubborn as hell.”

She’d longed to hear those words and yet, confused, Donovan moved so that she could see his face. “Jack, I don’t understand. I should be the one asking for forgiveness. That night…I don’t…I can’t explain exactly what happened but you have to know I never meant for any of it. I’ve never loved anyone but you.”

“I saw it, Donnie.” His eyes looked haunted, and she squirmed until she could get some room between them. Shame burned her skin, and she looked away, but his hands were there on her chin. Gentle. Caressing.

“You did nothing but trust someone. He…” Jack’s voice was ragged, his eyes moist. “He took advantage. Pumped you full of booze and preyed on your pain. He used you. He fucking raped you, and he’s going to pay.”

“Rape?” Donovan’s stomach rolled, and she thought she was going to be sick. Rape made it so much worse. She’d never been able to remember the details of that night but she’d thought it was her mind trying to block it out.

“But he showed me two pictures.” She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to banish them from her mind, but they were there and she whimpered.

“I watched some of the video.”

She whimpered and he hugged her fiercely. “You said no, Donovan. You said no, and I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you with that monster.”

“All this time,” she managed to say. “All this time wasted because I thought I’d betrayed you. Betrayed our love by sleeping with him. Why would he do that?”

Jack gently kissed the corner of her mouth. Her nose. And her chin. He showered kisses over every single inch of skin that he could find.

“He’s a sick son-of-a-bitch, and if he ever comes near you again…”

Jack exhaled. “I’m never leaving you again,” he finally said, resting his forehead on hers. “Never.”

Donovan fisted his T-shirt and slammed her body so close to his that she could feel every breath he took. She heard his heart beating and inhaled his scent. There was still stuff to work through, but for the first time in forever, it seemed, she was standing still, and her mind was at ease.

Eventually, she glanced up at him and then nodded toward the kitchen. “I made dinner.”

Jack’s brows furrowed, and there was that ghost of a smile that told Donovan everything was going to be all right. “Really.”

She nodded. “For real. For Roger and Mary.”

“Well, Roger and Mary aren’t joining us for dinner.”

“Oh.”

His hand slipped between them, and her breath caught when he fell to his knees and rested his head against her abdomen. Gently he kissed her through the thin material of her dress.

“So, it’s just going to be the three of us,” he murmured.

She sank her hands into his hair. “Yes.”

“Sounds pretty amazing to me.”

“Me too.”

Jack rose slowly. “I love you, Donnie.” He swept his mouth across hers, and she smiled.

“If you really love me, you’ll chop up the vegetables for the salad.”

“I can do that.” He dropped another kiss on her mouth.

“Maybe do something with the potatoes I bought, because I was going to boil them but wasn’t sure what to do with them once they were boiled.”

“I’m pretty good with potatoes.” He nibbled around her ear and Donovan squirmed in his arms, her body reacting the way it always did where he was concerned. Fast and hot.

“Good,” she said, nipping at the corner of his mouth. “I did get dessert done, so there is that.”

Jack planted a full-on assault, his mouth parting hers, his tongue going deep. He kissed her thoroughly, and when they both came up for air, he whispered near her ear. “I plan on eating you for dessert, so we can just skip whatever you whipped up.”

Donovan’s heart swelled. They were good. The three of them were going to be good.

“Okay,” she said roughly. “I don’t mind being on the menu.”

“Good,” Jack said, dark eyes smoldering. “Cause I’m hungry as hell, and if you don’t mind, could we maybe do dessert first?”

Donovan’s heart skipped a beat. “No,” she said breathlessly. “No I don’t mind at all.”

Jack dove in right away and started in on his dessert.

When Jack heard a light rap on his bedroom door, he groaned and snuggled back under the covers. Donovan was curled into him and no way in hell was he giving that up.

Whoever it was could wait.

“Jack!”

“Go away,” he muttered.

“Jack!” And then another knock.

Growling, he glanced at the door and was just about to say a few choice words to deter whoever was out there when it opened and his sister Grace waltzed in, holding her hand over her eyes and inching forward as if she was afraid to fall.

Shit. He’d forgotten.

“You guys need to get up. Everyone’s here. We’ve been waiting for like an hour but…”

She peeked through her fingers, and when she realized that there were no naked man parts on display, Grace shook her head and made a face. Jack noted she was still shaving the one side, and now the other was dyed several colors, like a rainbow had exploded on her head.

“Does she know?” Grace whispered.

“Know what?” Donovan’s head poked out from beneath the blanket and her eyes widened when she spied his sister. “Grace? What are you doing here?”

The door pushed open behind his sister, and Jack sat back, arms behind his head, Donovan tucked into his side as Maverick and his parents pushed their way through. Coco slipped through everyone and ran barking toward the bed, though he was too little to get up on his own.

“Jack?” Donovan looked up at him, eyes full of questions.

“Hey, what’s the holdup?” Tucker shoved his way past everyone and grinned. “So we having us a wedding or what? Everyone’s waiting.”

“What the hell is going on Jack Simon?” Donovan clutched the blanket around her as she sat straight up, and God help him, but she looked sweeter than an angel. Her hair was a tangle around her shoulders, her mouth bruised from a night of loving, and (he grinned) there was a great big—

“Oh my god,” Grace said with disgust, sitting on the edge of their bed and helping Coco up. “Is that a hickey on your neck?”

Donovan yanked the blanket up higher and squeaked. “Jack?”

He reached over and kissed her on the mouth. “We need to get up, babe. Big day ahead.”

Her eyes were huge, and he caressed her cheek. “I want to marry you. Right here. Right now. I’m kind of hoping you say yes, or my family has come all this way for—”

Her mouth was against his, her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she said through tears. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

“You gave in to easily, Donovan,” Maverick said with a wink. “I’d have made him beg a little more.”

“Screw you, Rick,” Jack growled against her mouth.

“Boys,” Eden said in a no-nonsense tone. “You all need to clear out, so we can get Donovan ready.” She nailed Jack with a look. “That means you.” She crossed over to the bathroom and tossed him a towel. “Get dressed. Grace and I have some work to do.”

An hour and a half later, Jack stood on the beach waiting for Donovan to come to him. The place had been transformed, with chairs and flowers. Pink was Donnie’s favorite color, and even Coco didn’t seem to care that his bow reflected that.

Sabrina and the kids had flown out, and it meant a lot that she was here, sharing this day with his family. When he’d called her and told her about his plan, she’d told him that healing started with living, and that she fully intended to live as much as she could.

Brett would have wanted that.

He smiled at Sabrina. He tugged on his collar. The men were all dressed casually. Stone colored linen pants and white cotton shirts. The women all wore some sort of pink.

All of his family was here. His parents. Beau and his fiancé, Betty. Tucker and his girl, Abby. His sister Grace. Cousin Cooper. Hell, even his brother Teague had managed to catch a flight from wherever the hell he’d been holed up in South America.

Everyone he loved was here. Everyone who mattered. Even Miss Ella has surprised him by accepting his invite though she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she needed her own room. No way was she holing up with any of those ‘damn Simon boys’.

Murmurs rose, and he glanced up, his heart full and tight. But it was a good full. A good tight.

Maverick walked Donovan toward him, their steps slow and sure. Her hair was loose, a flower pinned to one ear. Her eyes were shiny, her lips full, and she was the most breathtaking woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

She was dressed in a simple pale pink gown, a strapless piece of fabric that clung to her curves and fell to just above her knees. Her feet were bare.

She took his breath away.

And as she came to a halt just in front of him, Jack couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her, a slow sensual kiss that had him breathing hard and her cheeks flushed when he finally pulled away.

“That’s supposed to happen after it’s official,” Maverick said with a wink.

Jack, grinned, a thumb on her bottom lip. “Well then Donovan James. Are we ready to make this official?”

She nodded and turned toward the Pastor, a local man who’d been more than happy to make the trip out to the island.

“Let’s do this,” she said, slipping her hand into his.

As the sun rose over the water, there with everyone they loved, Jack and Donovan did exactly that. They spoke their vows of love and forgiveness and much later when they were alone in bed, Jack showed his woman exactly how deep his love for her was.

What they had was beyond the physical, but as Jack liked to think, the physical was pretty damn good.

He grinned to himself, listening to her sleep beside him.

Yep. Pretty damn good.

I hope you enjoyed Jack and Donovan’s story. I’ve had so much fun writing it these past months! But before the Simon family came along, there were the Barkers! I want to thank all of you readers who’ve supported me as I continue this amazing journey in publishing!

The Barker girls are very dear to me and I’ve had a lot of email about Betty’s friend Matt! Yes, he will be getting his own book! He was a character that obviously struck a chord and deserves his own happily ever after!

Please stay tuned for A Barker Family Christmas, coming December 2014! There will be a wedding. Some tears. Some laughs. And a much needed catch up with those crazy Barker girls, their gramps and their father!

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