Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) (34 page)

Chris

Mia looked so gorgeous
in her strapless dress that was somewhere between light pink and peach, but not
really either. Strawberry blonde curls fell in waves over one bare shoulder and
stayed in place even as her dad twirled her. I felt like I’d only just got to
steal her away from Spade and take her into my arms after waiting all day, when
Mr. Pierce cut in.

It had been torture to
let her walk down the aisle on Spade’s arm and then allow him to dance with her
first when I wanted everyone in the room to know that she was mine. I didn’t
want to share her with anyone, not even her dad.

I hadn’t missed the
subtle looks of disapproval he’d been aiming my way since this morning.
Rather than being put off by it, I was relieved to see him
show concern for his daughter. It was about time. Watching the way Mia’s eyes sparkled
as he spun her around the dance floor, I knew it meant everything to her to
have that moment with him.

There were
so many questions I still wanted to ask her, about her treatment and therapy. About
her new relationship with her dad and even Leila and Cait, who I had watched
her hug in a surprising display of affection earlier. I wanted to know what
she’d been doing since she got out of treatment and more importantly what her
plans were for the future and what she wanted.

I knew what
I wanted.

The current
song faded out and Mr. Pierce bent down to kiss his daughter’s cheek. That was
my cue to get my ass back out there, but as the next song started up, the other
Kris stepped in and claimed the next dance with Mia. I watched, disgruntled, as
Mia accepted the hand he offered her, but at the same time she twisted her neck
to look over her shoulder and she sought me out with her eyes. When they found
me she smiled reassuringly, easing some of the tension.  I smiled back and gave
her a nod to show that I wasn’t going to lose my cool because she was dancing
with the hockey player.

It didn’t
mean I wanted to watch it though. It was hard enough to know how close those
two had been, in every way, and to remember the tears she shed over him when he
shut her out. Whatever he was to her now, I was just going to have to accept,
but I would be damn sure to make it clear that she was mine when I got the
chance.

Rather than
watch Mia with Kris, I walked over to the table where my brother and Lissa were
sitting. Abby was nestled in her mother’s arms. I dropped down into one of the
empty seats at their table, one that allowed me to have my back to the dance
floor so I wouldn’t be tempted to glare at Kris for the next three and a half
minutes until the song ended and I could steal Mia back.

“Hey pretty
girl,” I grinned at my eight month old niece. It was hard to believe how fast
she was growing. She smiled, cooed and reached her tiny fingers out for me as
she used those little legs of hers to try and push herself up off her moms lap
and into mine. I held out my arms, and Lissa happily let her daughter go.

“She’s all
yours now. I’m going to get some more champagne,” she said.

“Who needs
Mommy, when you have Uncle Chris, right sweet girl?” I held out my hand for
Abby to latch onto and bounced my knees softly. She giggled and brought my
fingers to her mouth trying to shove them inside. “I don’t think so,” I told
her, pulling my hand away from her mouth and then leaning down and pretending
to playfully nip at her hands. She giggled and batted at my mouth, getting a
good smack in.

“Damn, girl.
Daddy already been teaching you that right hook to use against the boys?”

Bas just
laughed. “That’s my girl.” At the sound of Bas’ voice, Abby twisted in my arms
and started reaching for him, babbling something that might have been da-da. He
took her from me, and I watched the way he smiled at her and then blew kisses
and raspberries all over her cheeks and arms, while she squealed and giggled in
delight. It was still a little surreal. My baby bro was a dad, and a damn good
one. He had a beautiful wife and maybe the cutest little girl I’d ever seen.

“You know,
you’re going to have your hands full once she’s a teenager. I think it’s going
to take a lot more than teaching her to throw a punch to keep the boys away.”

“That’s why
I’m counting on Ky teaching Abel to throw punches too. He’ll have her back the
way we had Jax’s.”

“And what
happens when Abel is the one you gotta worry about?” I grinned and he just
glared at me.

“Fuck, if
he’s anything like Ky, which he already is, I know I’m going to have to worry
about him, but I’m also hoping that he’ll have enough of Jax in him, that it
will be okay.”

“Don’t say
that word in front of our daughter.” Lissa scolded him as she returned to her
seat, champagne glass refilled.

Bas cringed,
“Sorry.” Then he rolled his eyes at me, and I had to hide my smile.

“Hey, I saw
that, and I’m serious. I will not have her first real word be a curse word.”
Lissa had really been cracking down on people swearing around Abby ever since
Abel said “fuck” a few weeks ago. Ky and I and just about all the guys thought
it was the funniest shit in the world. Well at least Ky did right up until Jax
heard it. He didn’t find it quite so amusing when his woman was glaring at him.

Any day now
Jax would be going to the doctor to find out the sex of their second child. Jax
had a feeling that it was a girl. Ky was insisting it was another boy. I was
pretty sure that he was also praying he was right. He needed at least one more
boy before they had a girl, because if they had a daughter, Ky was fucked and
he knew it. Probably even more than Bas was fucked. He was going to have his
hands full and any daughter of theirs was going to need all the brothers Ky
could give her.

Jax, with her
baby bump visible under her dress that matched Mia’s, appeared with Ky at her
side and Abel in his arms like they’d heard me thinking about them. They slid
into the two empty seats next to mine and as soon as Abel and Abby spotted each
other, they were squirming to get out of their parents’ arms.

I just
grinned at Bas, and he shook his head, reading my mind.

Pretty soon
Ky had both babies in his lap, bouncing and tickling the two of them. Anyone
who knew Ky and saw that, couldn’t deny that miracles happen.

Jax watched
him affectionately, with the kind of look in her eye that said if she wasn’t
already knocked up, she’d be dragging him off to find a coat closet. When Ky
looked up and saw his wife smiling at him like that, the look in his eye said
that he didn’t care that she was already knocked up, he was still going to be
dragging her off to find a coat closet.

“So when are
you and Lissa having your second kid?” I teased my brother.

“I don’t
know. When are you having your first?” he shot back. He’d meant it as a joke,
but fuck if it didn’t hit me harder than I’d expected. My brother. Ky. Now Ace.
Everyone was settling down and starting families. I’d be lying if I said that
the idea of me being next didn’t scare the shit out of me a little, but I’d
also be lying if I said I wasn’t the tiniest bit jealous of them. A part of me
was ready for that. I don’t know when the hell that happened, only that it had.
Without even thinking about it, my body twisted just slightly in my seat. My
head turned to look out over the dance floor and my eyes found Mia.

Something
told me she had everything to do with it. Maybe I wasn’t quite ready for
marriage and babies, but thinking about a future like that with Mia, well there
was nothing scary about that. I turned back to look at my brother and he must
have read it all in my expression.

 “You sure
about this, about her?” he asked. Several sets of eyes locked on me, waiting
for my answer.

“I’ve never
been as sure of anything as I am her,” I answered all of them.

“Okay,” he
nodded and I saw Jax grin triumphantly like she’d seen this coming all along. Hell,
she probably had. Ky rolled his eyes at his giddy wife and then leaned over in
his seat to kiss her.

Yeah, I
wanted that.

“Bro, you
might want to get out there before someone else beats you to it,” Bas nodded in
the direction of the dance floor just in time for me to realize the song was
finally over and Mia was standing by herself out there.

Not for
long.

Mia

I knew how Cinderella
felt when she heard that clock chime midnight. How hard it must have been for
her to tear herself away from Charming when she wanted to stay with him. I knew
because I was feeling it in that moment as I looked around the room and saw
that barely a handful of guests remained. Tables were being cleared and the
sound system dismantled. Ace and Sadie had long since taken off for their hotel
in Seattle since they were catching a flight out in the morning headed for their
honeymoon.

Chris was saying
goodnight to Bas who had hung around even after Lissa had taken Abby up to bed
in their room. My dad and the twins had already said their goodnights. Even
Grandma Helen had partied out a little over an hour ago and had said goodnight
only slightly disappointed that she hadn’t had the opportunity to zap anyone. Mom
had been a no show, but I witnesses Grandma Helen copping a few feels, so
overall I think it was a good night for her.

Kris was still hanging
around, I think to see what I was doing, but I wasn’t ready for the night to
end. “I take it you’re not coming upstairs right away?” He asked with a knowing
smirk.

“I’m not sure.” My eyes
were still on Chris, laughing and joking with his brother, and Spade who had
joined them.

“Well I’m heading up
since I’ve got to be up early to make my flight back to Boston. Hit me up when
you’re back in the city.”

I finally tore my eyes
away from Chris to give the other Kris a pointed look. “If. If I go back to
Boston. I don’t know for sure that I will.” My decision was riding on a lot of
unknowns at the moment. A lot of things I had yet to work out.

Kris just chuckled,
“Right. Like I said, hit me up when you’re back.”

“Whatever, have a safe
flight,” I told him and he pulled me in for a quick hug before disappearing and
leaving me standing awkwardly by myself at the back of the room. When my eyes
casually drifted back to where moments ago, Chris had been standing with his
brother and Spade, I was surprised to find him now standing alone, much like I
was. He was also watching me with an unreadable expression. Then he was
crossing the room towards me.

Then he was standing
right in front of me, looking damn good and partially disheveled with his previously
perfectly styled hair in disarray, shirt now untucked, bow tie loosened and tux
jacket hanging over his arm.

“You sticking around waiting
for me?” he grinned.

“I, uh,” I totally was,
but I wasn’t going to admit that, but he saw through me anyway.

“Good. I was hoping you
would. I know you’re probably tired after today and all that dancing,” Once
he’d re-staked his claim as my dance partner, he didn’t let me go again except
for a few water and bathroom breaks. Chris liked to dance. And it seemed he
liked to do it with me. Who was I to object? “but I was thinking we could go
finish that talk we started last night.”

“Okay,” I nodded, even though
I was tired. I’d deal with a little sleep deprivation if it meant holding onto
this night just a little longer and maybe getting some answers to the questions
running rampant in my head, like what last night and today meant for us. It
felt like we were moving in a good direction, but some answers would be nice.

“We can go up to my
room, or yours, whatever you’re more comfortable with,” he suggested since we
didn’t have a whole lot of options around the resort this late.

“I’m sharing a room with
Cait and Leila, sooo . . .”

“Mine it is then.”

I followed him up to the
top floor, which was really just one above mine, but when he opened his door, I
knew these rooms were the suites, and that was saying something considering
that every room in this place was like a suite. Everything in his room was just
a step above mine, bigger, plusher, sleeker. The best part of his was that he
didn’t have to share it.

Things had come a long
way with Cait and Leila. We were getting along at least, which was progress,
but that didn’t mean that Leila wasn’t still Leila, and that she didn’t still
act like a stuck up brat on permanent spring break from life with Cait along
for the ride.

“Trade you rooms,” I
said, dropping onto the cushy sofa in the sitting area of his room.

He dropped down beside
me, “Something wrong with yours?”

“Besides having to share
it with my sisters, no.”

“Ah, not feeling the
sisterly love?”

I sighed, “It’s not
that. Things are a lot better between us, but . . .”

“What?”

“Leila is still Leila
even though she’s toned down the bitch,” I explained. “I love them both, and
I’m glad we worked a lot out, but I’d love them more if I wasn’t stuck sharing
a room with them.”

“Yeah, I noticed Leila
trying to do her thing with Spade. It didn’t get her far with him.”

“I know, and last I
heard she had a boyfriend, but she uses that term loosely.”

He chuckled, “You can
stay here tonight, if you want,” he offered and I looked at him trying to read
his face for anything suggestive.

“There’s only one bed,”
I pointed out.

“Right, I didn’t mean –
I can uh, take the couch,” he fumbled. It was sweet, but I almost wished he had
ulterior motives, at least then I would know what he was thinking. I decided to
push him.

“Or you could not. It’s
a big bed. I’m fairly certain at least two people could fit in it quite
comfortably.”

His eyes narrowed on me
but the corners of his mouth curled up in a smirk. “Is this all a ploy to get
me into bed?”

“That depends,” I
grinned back, “do you want it to be?”

“Now you’re stealing my
thunder. I thought I was being all clever and seductive, luring you up here to
my room, but really you just wanted to get me up here so you could take
advantage of me.”

I laughed, “As opposed
to you taking advantage of me?”

“Well, yeah.” The only
thing missing was the “duh” at the end of that statement.

I laughed again, but was
silenced when he leaned forward and captured my lips with his. Over the past
six months I’d thought a lot about the kisses we’d shared that time in my dorm
room, right before I was introduced to rock bottom. I thought about how warm
and soft his lips were and how they tasted. Hours of daydreaming were spent on
just his lips and his kisses. It was to the point that I was pretty sure I’d
exaggerated his kissing prowess in my mind, but nope. The real thing was so
much better than the fantasy I’d been reliving over and over.

He ended it almost as
quickly as he started it, but the tingles that had slid across my lips and down
the rest of my body remained. I drew in a deep breath and let out a breathy
“damn.”

His face was only inches
from mine, so when the wide smile split those full lips and a soft chuckle
passed over them, I felt the warm puff of air tickle across the corner of my
mouth. All I had to do was lean forward a little, tilt my head and our lips would
touch again.

I wanted them to touch
again. Maybe more than anyone in the history of the world had ever wanted
anything.

“Now that I have your
full attention, we’re going to get a few things straight.” He sat back but
didn’t break eye contact. “As much as I enjoy joking and teasing you, and as
much as I’d like to kiss you again, I want to make sure that after tonight
there’s no confusion about what I want. And that’s you.”

The kissing bit was
shoved to the back of my mind and I was suddenly riveted by his words. The kiss
was great, but I wanted, no I
needed
him to keep going, needed to hear
this like I needed my next breath.

“Fuck, the way you’re
looking at me right now absolutely makes me want to find out just how
comfortable we can get in that big bed together, but this is way more than
that. You’re more than just the girl I want in my bed. You’re the girl I want
at my side. Preferably forever, but we can get to that bit later. I’m willing
to take this slow, as long as you know you’re it for me.” He let out a heavy
breath and shook his head slightly. All the while I was still just watching him
intently, soaking up every word.

“Damn, I was planning on
working up to all that after we’d talked for a while, but then you distracted
me with that laugh and those lips and I couldn’t help jumping right in.”

“That’s alright,” I
finally found my voice again. “I’m a big fan of jumping right in.”

He smiled a slow easy
smile that touched those damn mesmerizing blue eyes. It was beautiful.
Brilliant. Distracting. It sent a warmth right through me and I forgot what I
was saying and I was right back at wanting him to kiss me again.

“You’re killing me, Mia.
You’re making it impossible not to want to kiss you again, but we really have
to get everything out. I need to know what you’re thinking, what you want. I
want to know more about what you went through in treatment and what you’ve been
doing since you got out. I want to know what your plans are and how you really
feel about what I just said.”

“I liked what you had to
say. A lot.”

“That’s it. That’s all
you’re going to give me?”

I sighed and sat up a
little straighter, scooting back to put a few more inches between us like they
would actually help against his powers of distraction. “Everything huh?”

He gave a nod.

“Okay then I guess I can
start with the day Sadie brought me to Seattle.” We both settled in and I
filled in all the missing bits of the puzzle that I hadn’t shared last night. I
didn’t leave much of anything out, not even smacking the nurse that first week.
I touched on my relationship with Kris, even though I knew it was a sensitive
subject for him, but I helped him to understand that our friendship was now
what it should have been all along and nothing more than that. I even took a
risk and brought up Derek and Leland. He was just as upset as I’d been to learn
that there wasn’t anything I could do about what they’d done. There was no
proof and too much time had passed for me to try and press charges now. I’d had
to come to terms with that, just like Chris would have to. It helped when I
told him that three months ago a sixteen year old computer hacker name Matthew
Davidson (MattyD16) had reached out to me after hacking my League account to
get my personal information. He’d worried when I disappeared from the game and
then Chris started asking them if they’s seen me online at all. Once he figured
out who I was, he made contact with me.

We’d struck up a
friendship since then, emailing back and forth, texting sometimes. It was a
little weird since he was a sixteen year old kid, but he was really mature for
his age, and smart, really freakin’ smart. Like smart enough to hack all of
Derek and Leland’s accounts, from their social networking accounts to their
school records after I opened up about what they’d done. Matty was currently
doing his best to make life very hard for them. It was less than they deserved,
but it was something.

I continued to talk for
quite a while and he just listened, occasionally asking questions, but mostly
he just let me get everything out, until we came to the past month and what my
plans were for the future.

“I’ve been taking some
online classes to get my Associate’s degree, and hopefully I’ll be able to
transfer back into a university to complete a degree in counseling. I’m pretty
sure I want to be a high school counselor. I know it’s not the most glamorous
job and I’m not completely set on it, but I know that I want the chance to work
with that age group, and maybe use my experiences to help prevent kids from
heading down the same road I did.”

He was still listening
intently and I blushed at the pride I saw shining in his eyes. Having people be
proud of me was still something I was getting used to.

 “I think that’s perfect,
Mia,” he said softly. “Whichever path you end up choosing, you’re going to be
incredible.”

“Thanks. I feel really
good about my decision. Before all this, I felt like I was just going to school
because it was expected, because that was the next step, but I had no idea what
I wanted to get out of it. It was a little terrifying and discouraging to think
about a future without a real purpose, but now I’m actually excited. This isn’t
just something I want. It feels bigger than that, like it’s something I’m supposed
to do, something I need to do.”

“I can see that
excitement in you and I’ve always thought you were capable of doing something
big. I think you’re going to change people’s lives just by being you. They’re
going to see the life in you, the brightness that just shines from you, and
then they’re going to hear your story and see the strength that you have.
You’re going to give people hope, Mia.”

Dammit. I was going to
cry. His belief in me only made me more certain that he was it for me too. Six
billion people, or twenty billion, it made no difference how many were out
there. Only one mattered, and he
was
my choice. My only choice.

I sniffed and rapidly
blinked back the liquid emotion pooling in my eyes. I wiped at them and let out
an embarrassed, half laugh, “Gah. You can’t say stuff like that. You’re going
to make me start crying.”