Keep Her (43 page)

“But you did doubt me, B.” It still hurt. How could he think I would lie about the baby? I turned to Griffin, hoping he could finally rest this case.

“Can you please tell him?” I asked.

“Tell him what?” Griffin looked confused.

“Your sister told Beck the baby was yours.”

“She what?” See… he hadn’t even known. I knew he was a good guy! He had no reason to hate me the way Marissa made me think he did.

Beck jumped in, “Griffin, you’re telling me you didn’t know she was spreading this shit around? You had no part in this, no evil plot against me and Riley because she called things off with you?”

“No! Why would I? Riley, I liked you… a lot. But I have no animosity toward you for any of this. And Beck, not to get all up close and personal, but I barely even kissed her once. We never got far enough to… let’s just say, there’s not a chance that baby could be mine.” I respected him for his choice of words. Beck must’ve too because a smile spread across his face.

“Oh my god, Riles. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. I feel like such an asshole.”

“You always were a bit of a jerk,” Griffin joked.

“Very funny, bro.” He punched Griffin in the arm. “Thank you for clearing this all up. I owe you, man. And you—” he turned to me. “I love you. I love you so damn much.”

“I love you too, B. I guess we were both duped. I’m just happy it’s all over.” I inched up on my toes to kiss my boyfriend on the mouth.

Griffin cleared his throat and I worried I’d made things uncomfortable. Still grasping Beck’s hand, I turned to Griffin. “Is this a recurring theme with her?” I finally asked, darting looks between the two men.

They shared a knowing glance. Beck shrugged and then Griffin spoke. “Let’s just say we’ve been down this road before. Sometimes certain things set her off. When she was with Beck, things were under control—we didn’t really have to worry, but she has a bit of a compulsion. It’s a weakness we’ve unfortunately fed into to cover up for her, but I couldn’t let her get away with it this time.” Griffin raised a brow at Beck. “No offense, Beck, but I did it for her. I love my sister—we both know that—but Riley’s a great girl. She deserves happiness. I guess
you’re
her happiness.” Griffin’s eyes never left mine as he said it. His forlorn expression tugged at my heart, but his compassion brought an uncontrollable smile to my face.

“Thank you so much, Griffin.” I beamed. He truly was a godsend today.

“Yeah, man. I can’t thank you enough. I had no idea she would fly off the handle like that. She’s under a lot of pressure from your folks, but this was a new level of… out there. I’m sorry if it seems like I did wrong by her, but I assure you, I didn’t. We were broken up before Riley and I became serious. We were stupid in telling our own lies to keep things secret, but now—I’m just glad this shit is all over.”

“Glad I could help.” Griffin nodded, this time only half the dimple showed. “Let me get back to my family. I’m truly sorry for any confusion.”

“We’re good.” Beck fist bumped Griffin and it was like the world had returned to its normal state.

As Griffin walked away to escort the rest of the Dennisons from the precinct, my brother and my best friend came to meet us.

“The truth shall set you free, brother.” Marcus joked, punching Beck in the arm.

Beck rolled his eyes and I slapped Marcus’s brawny arm.

“What? Too soon?”

One day we’d be able to laugh about this—maybe. But for right now, I wanted to shelve this night along with the rest of the nights from my past that I wished I could erase from my memory for good.

As Marcus and Tessa walked ahead, Beck stopped me and spun me around to face him. “Do you know how worried I was when I saw you walk through those doors? I never want to feel that helpless again. I’m supposed to be your protector.” He cupped my face, placing his other hand on my belly. “Yours and hers. You’re my life, Riles. The both of you.”

I smiled, trying to hold back the tears—both happy and sad—but it was impossible. The moment was too intense to fight the urge to let it all out. “You don’t think I felt helpless… useless… watching you in those cuffs, listening to her weave her lies and have people believe them? I wanted to punch her in the face so bad, B. But it’s over. I want to go home and never think of this shit again because the past is the past and I only want to think about our future.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too. Like you have no idea.”

He kissed me on the tip of my nose and I snuggled against him, wiping away the last of my tears against his T-shirt.

We caught up to Marcus and Tessa and the four of us walked arm-in-arm, like two matches made in heaven. Together we could probably weave a pretty gritty and interesting tell-all fit for a Lifetime network special. I’d recommend them calling it Fifty Shades of Grayson.

The somber mood was already passing, but in an attempt to lighten the mood, I asked, “You think she’ll leave us alone now, B? Or do I have to worry she’ll be a forever-stalker?”

Hooking an arm around my waist and kissing the spot below my ear, he reassured me, “I think we’re good. We have Griffin in our corner and we both know not to believe her lies anymore. Consider it a thing of the
past
.”

I wanted to. I wanted to be the bigger person too, but I couldn’t resist the urge to belt out the way I really felt—with a JT song, of course. “You know what? Karma’s a bitch so I really hope what goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.”

Beck laughed, surprising me with a different verse of his own. “Bridges were burned, and now it’s her turn to cry… cry me a river.”

It didn’t matter that he sounded nothing like Justin. It didn’t matter that I had no idea how he’d learned so many lyrics by a singer he supposedly didn’t care for. All that mattered was that everything turned out the way it was meant to be.

Go freaking figure. Beck and I… meant to be!

My mother would be proud of me for ending up with him. And I was ecstatic that he was someone she’d known. It solved a dilemma I’d always feared would hang over my head—would my mother approve of the man I chose to spend my life with? If I hadn’t fallen in love with my brother’s best friend, this was something I would never know. But holding Beck’s hand and imagining our future together—I somehow sensed I had her approval.

“Get your ass over here, sweet thing,” Beck growled as he lunged for me across the king-sized hotel bed.

“Do you
ever
get enough?” It had only been six hours since we’d fallen asleep naked from our last round of fun.

“I’m taking advantage… this is our first weekend alone since Claire was born and I want a piece of that ass.” He pinched the flesh that felt flabby since the birth of our daughter, but Beck wasn’t complaining about the extra junk in the trunk. If anything, that junk was a magnet to him.

Squealing when his tongue made contact with my thigh, I bucked off the bed. “She’s in good hands with her aunt and uncle and I’m sure she’s having a blast with Luca—but I kinda miss her, B.”

“I miss her too,” he admitted, but I didn’t believe his words. His actions spoke louder: his hands roamed my skin and his lips. They were pretty close to distracting me from missing my eighteen-month-old too. “But she has no idea we’re gone. This is good for all of us, baby. I’ve missed
this.
”

There was no denying our wild and crazy sex life had come to a halt midway through my pregnancy because of a scare with early labor. And once Claire was born—the bitch known as colic, an acid reflux disease called GERD (that inspired the nickname Gerdy from her uncle Marcus), and sleep patterns that could make any first time mother tie her tubes—yeah, I was lucky I remembered what the hell sex was.

“You know what, B? You’re right. Let’s screw like bunnies until we have to go home. I want your hands all over me, your tongue inside me, your lips tasting me, and that long, thick, pulsating co—”

“Okay, okay, shut up and let me fuck you already. I love your dirty talk, but I love your pussy more.”

The two of us laughed as we tangled our limbs together, grinding our hips and kissing sloppily. I always hungered for him, always craved his touch, and lived for him to love me. It was our happily ever after.

The day he proposed to me—New Year’s Eve in front of a just-wed Marcus and my sister-in-law, Tessa; with my father clutching his heart and nodding his approval; with my mother’s ring as if it were her gift to the both of us—was the happiest day of my life. I’d like to be that perfect mother who says that the birth of her child was the best day of her life, but the freaking truth was… that day was not one ounce of fun. It was painful and scary, but I could still call it the
third
happiest day of my life. Because the second happiest was the day I married Beck.

We waited until after Claire was born so I could enjoy our special day and not have to worry about looking like an elephant in white or be unable to sip a glass of champagne. We chose the lake house as our venue and turned the adjoining dock into any bride’s magical dream come true. The guest list was small—the few close relatives we had, Fallon and the boys from Beck’s firehouse. Oh, and Griffin. He’d become a true friend, no awkwardness about our short-lived past. He was a good guy—who needed to find his own good girl.

All in all the day was surreal, a fairytale beginning to what was sure to be a lifetime of happiness—crazy and all. We’d always have ups and downs. It was inevitable that we’d want to wring each other’s necks from time to time, but regardless of our rocky start, there was nothing but good things ahead.

And right now Beck’s intention seemed to include giving Claire a little brother or sister.

“Dude, slow down a second. I don’t want any of those swimmers making their way up.” His eagerness was a turn on, but the idea of getting pregnant again so soon—not so much.

“Slow down? You’re always begging me to go faster and harder.” He thrust inside of me, causing me to moan.

Forgetting any concerns, I urged him to continue. “Oh, baby. Always harder. I love it!”

“And I love you,” he groaned, pulling my hair and burying himself deeper. Breathless, he asked, “Can I tell you something?”

“Now?” We didn’t usually converse during our lovemaking. We were often panting and grunting with no room for words.

“When I was younger and you were in college—about the time Marcus started crushing on Tessa—”

“B, why are we talking about my brother while we’re having sex?” It didn’t stop me from grabbing his ass and pulling him closer while I wrapped my legs around his muscled back… but still, ew!

Kissing his way up from my chest to my neck, he laughed. “There’s a point.”

“Okay.”

“I always wanted this. From the time I knew that a dick was good for more than just peeing.”

“Wow, what a way with words.”

“I’m serious, Riles. I think no matter what stood in our way—age, siblings, other lovers—I was determined to make you mine. I always knew I loved you.”

I wanted to be able to say the same, but it would be a lie. And we’d vowed to never go down that road again. “I think that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard while being fucked to oblivion.”

Staring into my eyes and rocking his hips with mine, Beck smiled. “I’m so glad we had to share that cab that night.”

“Hey, I guess we do have Marcus to thank for this after all.”

“Okay, no more Marcus talk. You’re right. It’s creepy.”

Pulling his mouth down to mine, I lost myself in my husband’s embrace, forgetting about who or what brought us together. “Make love to me, Beckster.”

He laughed against my mouth and then swatted my rear as he continued to rock my world the way he had from the very start.