Protect Me (33 page)

“I’m just glad you know how that whole process
works,” I add with my own cocky grin.
 

“Are you kidding me? I’m so good at it, I impregnated her with two,” he says with a laugh.
 

“That may be true, Jake, but just remember that I only have to worry about one penis,” Travis says with a smile. “You, have to worry about
all
of them!” I laugh at the priceless look on Jake’s face as it falls and fills with concern…and maybe anger.
 

“Erin!” he exclaims as he turns towards her. “Do you realize I have to worry about every penis now? Do you? And I have to worry twice as much,” he adds as he rubs his forehead fretting the start of a headache.
 

“Oh, Jake,” Erin says with a laugh as Jake turns and grabs his jacket off the chair. “Where are you going?” she asks.
 

“To buy more guns,” he exclaims as he takes off out the back door.
 

“I’ll go after him,” Maddox replies with the shake of his head.
 

 The excitement could go on for hours with this family. My brood of nieces and nephews appears to be growing at an alarming rate which makes me want to get Lia out of the house and whisk her away to the creek bank that much more. “You ready to go? We have a stop to make,” I say to her as she finishes clearing the cake mess from the dining room table for Josselyn.
 

“Sure. Let me grab my coat,” she says as she heads back towards the guest room.
 

After we say our goodbyes and I give another promise to Grant to help him learn to drive his new toy as soon as he’s big enough, I take Lia’s hand and lead her towards my Mustang. “We have one stop to make before we head home,” I tell her as she slides into the passenger seat.
 

“Okay,” she says from the security of the car.
 

I close her door and make quick work of running around the front and dropping down into the driver’s seat. My hands shake as I turn the key and pull out of my brother’s driveway.
 

“Where are we going?” she asks, threading her small, chilled fingers within mine.
 

“It’s a surprise,” I tell her, but I know that as soon as we get close, she’ll figure it out pretty easily.
 

As we approach the edge of my parents’ property, I slow down and pull into the lane. I make quick work of removing the chain and opening the gate, trying to take a few calming breaths of the cool, November night air. It isn’t fucking helping. I’m still shaking like a virgin about to kiss a girl for the first time.
 

“This is my favorite spot,” she says nonchalantly as I drive up the familiar grass and dirt covered lane.
 

I don’t say anything as I park the car next to the shed. Hell, I couldn’t even if I wanted to since I can’t seem to get words out of my Sahara dry throat. I practically choke on the air I’m trying to force into my
lungs.
 

I rush out of my car, my boots practically tripping over each other as I make my way to the passenger door. Lia has it open and is stepping out as I get there. She pulls her jacket tightly around her, the soft fleece material snug around her tits.
Focus, Nate.
 

I take her cool hand inside mine and lead her towards the spot where we’ve sat so many nights, in the lawn chairs along the water’s edge. I’m practically crapping my pants from the anticipation and excitement. A small percentage of it is fear, but that’s a small percent.
 

Shit!  She’s going to say NO!
 

I clear my throat and gaze at the beautiful woman in front of me. Lia’s brown hair blows softly in the cool night breeze. Her eyes seem to light up even more than any cut of brilliant diamonds. Her lips are pink and ripe for kissing.
Later, Nate.
It’s hard to believe that just three short months ago, I was floating through life without a purpose. Lia is now my purpose.
 

“This is my favorite spot, too,” I start, taking both hands in my own and bringing them up to my chest to keep them warm. “It has always been my place, but it feels better having you in it with me. I felt it that first night I brought you here, though I wasn’t in any sort of place to understand it yet. You make this place my solace just by being here because wherever you are, that’s my home.”
 

I watch as Lia’s eyes fill up with tears. I forge ahead before I lose my nerve and mess up the speech I’ve been practicing over and over again for days.
 

“I know we’ve only known each other for three months, but you need to know that I’ve waited my entire life for you. You are the reason I was put on this earth, Lia. To love you and protect you. To cherish you and make you smile. This place is my safe spot and it only seems fitting that we share it together,” I say as I turn her towards the water’s edge.
 

She looks out over the water, reflections of the moonlight dancing on the still water, and stares at the sign in the dirt. It’s illuminated by the moonlight and while it’s dark outside, you can clearly read the four letters on the realtor sign. SOLD.
 

“What’s that?” she whispers as she stares at the sign.
 

“That’s the property I purchased. It’s adjacent to this property on the opposite side of the creek and has eighteen acres of timber along the creek bank. It also has a small clearing about fifty yards away that, with a little help, can be cleared out further for a house. A house I want to build for us. Our home,” I say as I struggle to suck in deep breaths of air. This is it. She either says yes or she says no. “I want us to build a home and start our lives together.”
 

Lia sucks in a big, shaky breath and lets it out slowly. “You want to build a house?” she whispers.
 

“I want
us
to build a home together because you are all I want for the rest of my life.” I turn her back around and drop down on one knee.
 

Yeah, I lied. I actually have two questions for her to answer.
 

“Lia, you entered my life with a bang - literally,” I start, earning a big award winning smile from Lia. “You stole my heart from that first moment I met you, and I can’t imagine a life without you. We’ve been through so much together in a few short months, and I want to spend the rest of my life enjoying those moments. Together. At one time, I never wanted any of this, but now, it’s all I want. I promise to love and protect you for the rest of my life. Lia, will you marry me?” I finally spit out. My mind goes completely blank as I wait for her answer. Shit, answers.
 

I watch helplessly as tears leak from the corners of her eyes. She gives nothing away as she stares down at me. After what feels like the world’s longest ten seconds, a small smile finally creeps out and spreads across her lush lips.
 

“Yes,” she whispers just before a breathtaking smile breaks out fully. “Yes to both!” she exclaims as she jumps up and down. From the excitement of the moment or the coldness of the night, I don’t know. And I don’t really give a shit either because my girl just agreed to marry me!
 

I stand up and sweep her into my arms, crashing
my lips down onto hers. She opens her mouth instantly, letting my tongue sweep in and explore her warm, sweet mouth. God, I fucking love this woman.
 

“So, you’re going to marry me and we’re going to build a house. Together,” I whisper against her lips.
 

“Together. Always together,” she repeats, and it sounds like music to my ears. Hell, better than music. It’s heaven.
 

“You bet your ass, always together,” I say as I press my lips against hers for another intoxicating kiss.
 

Lia’s arms are wrapped around my neck, her legs snake around my waist, and her heart beats wildly against my chest. I will forever hold her in my arms, protecting her with everything I have, until my last breath. And if that happens tomorrow in a fire or fifty years from now, from old age, I want Lia to know that she’s my everything. I will spend every day that I have proving it to her.
 

She’s my life.
 

She’s my dream.
 

And I will protect her until the day I die.
 

Forever.
 

Want more Rivers Edge?
 

Check out the excerpt from the final book in the Rivers Edge series…Will’s story!
 

As I’m tearing down empty boxes in the supply room at the back of the emergency room, I hear the metal door squeak open. Doug peeks his head in and makes eye contact before bringing his full five foot, eight inch self inside the room.
 

“Hey, did you get it all stocked up?” he asks somewhat antsy on his feet.
 

“Yep. That case of alcohol swabs is the last thing to go,” I tell him, pointing to the small box sitting by the door.
 

“I’ll take them out,” he says as he bends down to pick them up. Doug shifts his weight back and forth for several seconds. I can tell something’s eating him, but
for some reason, he won’t just say it.
 

“What?” I finally ask, not able to take the suspense any longer.
 

“Uh, Cruella wants to see you as soon as possible in her office,” he mumbles before tucking tale and practically running out of the room.
 

Cruella. AKA Carmen Brady. AKA my bitch boss from hell.
 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where she got the nickname. It was either that or Bitch Boss and we all felt like it would be less noticeable as to whom we are talking about it we left the word “bitch” out of it.
 

Carmen joined the staff at Rivers Edge Medical Center about ten months ago. Her bossy and condescending demeanor didn’t go over too well with everyone in the emergency department and the ambulance crew that she oversees. Especially when we went from a man who was as laid back and easy going as humanly possible to a know-it-all, authority-hungry witch of a woman. To say the transition between the two bosses was extreme is an understatement. We’ve lost several good employees in the past few months, and with tight budgets hitting every department within the hospital, they aren’t in any hurry to hire more staff. It’s, also, the first time I’ve actually considered finding something new as well.
 

The fact that Ms. Brady is attractive does not go
unnoticed. She’s fucking hot. Her brown hair is radiant: soft and silky and begging for my fingers to tangle in it every time she walks into the room. In natural light, strips of natural red reflect from it, giving it a glowing auburn look. Her eyes are deep brown like smooth, rich chocolate. She’s a few inches shorter than me, probably around five-eight and has curves that almost make you forget how much of a royal bitch she is.
 

Almost.
 

I finish breaking down the boxes and decide to head out. The last thing I want is to keep the boss waiting and have her wreaking havoc on the department by coming down here. Like a storm cloud on the horizon, you never know what kind of damage she brings with her and will leave in her wake. The only certainty is that the storm is brewing.
 

I slowly make my way out of the room, automatically locking the door behind me as I go, and head towards the bank of three elevators. Carmen’s office is on the second floor with most of the others in administration. She is the newest member of the administration team, and has definitely made a name for herself. And not a good one.
 

The door opens with a swoosh and I press the button for the second floor. In a matter of seconds, I’m enclosed in the familiar spot heading towards my boss. With another swoosh, the door opens again and I step into the long, sterile hallway. Florescent lighting
illuminates the standard gray floor tiles and white walls. The occasional picture promising motivational quotes or announcing hospital rules is the only images in this part of the building. Warm and inviting, it is not.
 

Her door is closed when I finally reach Carmen’s office towards the end of the hallway. I raise my hand to knock when I hear her voice, firm and terse on the other side of the door. After several long seconds of listening, I conclude that Carmen must be on the phone since I don’t hear another voice. She sounds agitated. Annoyed.
 

Great.
 

I step away from the door to give her privacy. I don’t know whom she’s talking to, and I frankly don’t care. I just hope she calms down before I have to walk in that office and face the high heel wearing she-devil.
 

After several minutes, I no longer hear talking coming from the other side of the door. I contemplate going over and knocking, but decide to give her a few more minutes. I hate to stir the beast.
 

And then she starts to yell again…
 

I distract myself with thoughts of Sunday’s family dinner. My family gathers every Sunday at my parent’s house. With Jake, Nate, Maddox, and sometimes myself working every other weekend, we don’t get the entire family together as much as I’d like. This Sunday just happens to be one of those weekends where everyone will be there. Talk of Nate and Lia pending wedding and the spring arrival of Jake and
Erin’s twins are sure to be front and center at the dinner table. Plus, Christmas looms in three short weeks. I’m sure my niece, Brooklyn, has a list a mile and a half long.