Текст книги "Fusion"

Автор книги: Tessa Teevan

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

“Banks, you’re up first,” Chris said in his usual laid-back style.

Taking Sierra’s hand in mine, I peered down at her, waiting for the nerves to come. This was it. I was finally saying my vows, and in just a few short moments, she would be my wife. But the nerves never came. All I felt was love. Excitement. Joy. And impatience. As much as I loved Sierra in that dress, I wanted to see her out of it. To slowly slide the zipper down as I kissed her bare shoulder…

I was getting ahead of myself—and getting hard in the process. Which Sierra noticed. Her eyes grew wide as she bit her lip. I leaned forward and placed my mouth just above her ear.

“Not helping, baby. You know what that lip bite does to me.”

Her sharp intake of breath was the perfect opening for my vows.

“First,” I said, taking a moment to glance from Chris to Sierra, “I promise to never grow a mullet again without your permission.”

Chuckles sounded all around us, and Sierra’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Hey!” Chris exclaimed.

I shrugged. “Sorry, man. Wife trumps best friend every single time. No more dares without Sierra’s approval.”

“I think I like where this is going,” Sierra quipped.

Wanting to get to the good stuff, I squeezed her hands and sobered up a bit. “God, I can’t believe we’re finally here. On this day. On this beach. In the very spot we met. It’s so surreal, and if I could spend hours explaining why and how I love you, I would. The truth is…it’s actually pretty simple. I love you, Sierra Sullivan, with every fiber of my being, and I always will.”

Her eyes shimmered again, and as one tear spilled out onto her cheek, I brushed it away with my thumb.

“I promise I will spend the rest of my life loving you. Every single day, I will make you laugh, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that beautiful smile on your beautiful face. I live to make you smile, and even on our hardest of days, that goal will never change. After all, the sun rises and sets on your smile, and even though I should be, I’m still not used to those dang Ohio winters. But, with you there by my side, that’s all I need to keep me warm. I’d brave polar bears and subzero temperatures if that’s what you wanted. Because, I may be a broken record, baby, but where you go, I go, and that will never, ever change. I love you, Sierra, and I will for all of my days.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent or emotional of vows, but by the beaming, watery smile on Sierra’s face, I knew that it was perfect because it was all me. She sniffled, and when I saw Lexi dabbing her eyes out of the corner of mine, I knew I’d done good.

“Wow. Well, where to start,” Sierra said, laughing. “I guess I should thank you for not growing a mullet for our wedding day—no matter how much you wanted to recreate senior prom. There was no way I was wearing that dress again, and as much as I like John Stamos, I couldn’t be happier to be marrying Jeremy Jordan Banks, here, today, in this spot, in front of the people who mean the most to me.”

“MacGyver?” I questioned, and she rolled her eyes before softening them.

“I’d say that I can’t believe I’m standing here in front of everyone as I become Mrs. Jeremy Banks, but that would be a lie. Since I was eight years old, I’ve loved you and known you were the one for me. I sat down with you on this beach and never wanted to leave your side. So I never did. And I never will. After this, you’re stuck with me. This is your last chance to make a run for it.” She leaned in and placed her hand on my arm, gripping tightly. “But I’m warning you. I give good chase. Because it’s true for me, too, Jeremy. Where you go, I go. For the rest of my life, I want to be with you. Living. Laughing. Loving. You’re it for me, and you always will be.”

I placed my hand on top of hers and pulled her in close, moving my other hand to the small of her back. “Not going anywhere, babe,” I responded before leaning down and kissing her on her lips.

“Good,” she responded. “You’re my best friend, Jeremy. You’re my family. You are the greatest love of my life. I promise to cherish you, adore you, and laugh at all your jokes, and every once in a while, if you really want, you can get your mullet on.”

I smiled. “MacGyver,” I whispered.

She returned my smile. “I love you, Jeremy Jordan Copper MacGyver John Stamos Banks, and I always will. Now, will you finally put a ring on it so I can call you mine?”

So I did as she’d asked. I put a ring on it, Chris declared us husband and wife, and when I pressed my lips to hers, I sealed it with a kiss.

Sierra Banks was my wife.

Nothing could have made me happier.

2007

IT WAS AN ORDINARY night. I’d been on rotation, and it was my last night shift of the week. After four grueling years, I’d become a nurse, and now, I worked in the ICU at Good Samaritan Hospital. We’d lost a patient that night, and after I’d tried for hours to hold back tears, exhaustion seeped from my pores. All I wanted was to strip my scrubs off, take a hot shower, crawl into bed, and wrap my arms around my husband, stealing his warmth until he had to get up in the morning. Then I’d whine until he hit snooze for fifteen minutes. And then we’d have a proper good morning. The thought alone was enough to perk me up—at least a little bit.

I was thinking about what color teddy I’d put on when I was pulling into the drive. My hand hit the garage door opener, and I frowned when the light didn’t turn on. Strange, I thought. Jeremy was usually on it with the upkeep, and like a lot of ’90s kids, I was afraid of the dark. With silent trepidation, I parked in the garage, took a deep breath, and exited the car.

Ten and a half steps until I made it inside. No big deal, right? Except I was twenty-three, afraid of the dark, and not ashamed to admit it.

As soon as I stepped out of my car, I saw it.

It was lying there, shining, teasing, mocking me. On top of Jeremy’s car was the sixty-watt bulb that would usually be twisted into the ceiling light. Instead, someone had unscrewed it and put it on top of his car.

Someone had unscrewed the light bulb, waiting for me to come home into the darkness.

Oh. My. God.

Movement flickered in the corner of my eye. Even as I glanced over, my chest ballooned. In the far corner of the garage, a figure cloaked in black loomed ominously. As my eyes scanned up his body, a scream bubbled up in my throat. The face was covered in a mask, an exact replica of the one from the movie Scream. That Ghostface guy. The perpetrator raised his arm, and that was all I needed to turn on my heel and run.

Down the driveway.

Across the sidewalk.

Just as I was about to race up the neighbor’s lawn, strong arms wrapped around my waist, hauling me back.

I screamed bloody freaking murder.

Oh. My. God.

I was about to be stabbed to death like the usual stupid blonde in all of those horror films. I was going to be the Drew Barrymore, except I hadn’t even gotten the foreplay of a phone call.

Then a hand clamped over my mouth.

“Shh,” my assailant said. “It’s me.”

My body instantly relaxed, yet my heart was still beating wildly. I was in a daze as “Me” led me back to the house, and even when we got inside, I couldn’t look at him. I was too freaked out. Too pissed. Too worried I’d laugh if I saw his stupid grin.

Instead, when he twirled me around and gave me a cocky grin, my hand struck its mark, slapping hard, the sound echoing around us.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” he shouted.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” I echoed, tightening one hand into a fist that I shook at him. The other was on my racing heart, trying to catch the breath I’d lost with my screams. “What the hell was that, Jeremy?! You scared the shit out of me. How could you do that?!”

“I thought it was funny,” he said, struggling not to laugh.

“Funny?! I almost pissed my pants! I almost had a heart attack! I almost woke our neighbors up in the middle of the night because I thought a psycho was trying to kill me! How the hell is that funny?!”

His eyes softened at my rant, but his damn shoulders were still trembling from his silent laughter. What. An. Ass.

“I didn’t expect you to freak out like that. I figured it’d be a small scare, but you’d know it was me.”

“You figured wrong. You owe me at least a bottle of wine tonight, mister!”

I was still shaking as he led me to the kitchen. I was still shaking when he poured me an oversized glass of wine. I was still shaking after I’d downed two of them. I was still shaking when he pulled me into his arms, whispered he was sorry, promised emphatically he would never do it again, and then carried me into our bathroom, where he proceeded to set me down in the shower.

He slowly washed my hair, caressing my scalp, giving me the most amazing massage that finally, finally, helped calm my nerves.

And all the anger faded away when he dried me with a towel, rubbed me up with lotion, and led me to bed. I should’ve shut him out. But I couldn’t. Not when he started at the balls of my feet, massaging every inch of my body until I was a puddle of goo. His hushed whispers of love as he spread my legs apart and slowly sank into me were all I needed to forget what he’d just done.

Our lovemaking that night was slow and sweet, and it set off a chain of events that would change my life forever.

I would never forget the night Jeremy scared the life out of me. Because he also gave me something that night that I would hold dear for the rest of my days.

Weeks had passed since the night I scared Sierra, and surprisingly, I wasn’t stuck in the doghouse. God, I was a lucky man. We’d been married for two years—two blissful, amazing years. Sure, we had our arguments, but for the most part, life was good. I was considered a rising star at the real estate agency, and Sierra was loving her job. We spent our days working hard and our nights living, loving, and laughing. And, of course, making love—which, of course, was on my mind that Friday night as I headed home from work. I’d just gotten a raise, and I was ready to celebrate. Sierra could put on that little, sexy, black dress, we’d go for dinner and drinks, and then I’d get to take her out of it.

A great Friday night to me.

“Jeremy!” Sierra’s shriek echoed through the house as soon as I entered through the garage.

I loosened my tie and smiled. I knew what she was doing. She’d been doing it for weeks. She was trying to get back at me for the prank I’d pulled even though we both knew I would always reign supreme on that one.

I mean, seriously? She had run screaming through the neighborhood. It. Was. Awesome. Not that I’d ever tell her that.

Ty couldn’t believe I still had balls, and Lexi had threatened to take his if he ever thought of doing anything similar, but I’d smiled at the memory of how well I’d helped Sierra relax afterwards. Who knew scaring the shit out of her would have been such good foreplay?

“Jeremy!”

This one was more frantic than before, and just as I was about to play along, she came sliding into the kitchen wearing nothing but socks and a T-shirt. She threw something at me, and before I could duck, it hit me straight on the forehead then clattered to the floor. I frowned.

“What in the world?” I muttered, and then she started gesturing wildly.

I watched in rapt fascination as she pointed at herself and then at me. Then she moved her finger back and forth between the two of us.

“You and me?” I asked, and she nodded enthusiastically.

Then she took her thumb and forefinger and made an O, sticking her other forefinger through it. You know. The juvenile symbol for sex. This piqued my interested, and I started unbuttoning my pants. She shook her head and huffed. Then she pointed at her belly, circling her finger.

That’s when it dawned on me.

“Seriously?”

She nodded.

“Seriously?”

She nodded.

“Are you fucking serious?”

Once again, Sierra nodded.

“Sierra! Fucking words!”

“We’re having a baby!” she squealed in such a quick rush I almost missed it.

“We’re having a baby,” I repeated, and she nodded again, beaming.

She launched herself into my arms, and I stumbled slightly as she wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck. I gazed up into her eyes, completely in awe.

“We’re having a baby,” I whispered.

She leaned down to kiss me. “Are you happy?” she asked, and I wasted no time carrying her down the hall and plopping her down on the bed.

“Happy? No, baby, I’m fucking ecstatic.” My hand cupped her cheek. “You just made the happiest man in the world.”

It was true. I’d always known I wanted to be a dad, and there was no question that Sierra and I would eventually start a family. But I never expected the sudden rush of joy that filled my heart as soon as I heard I was going to be a dad. I was like a kid waiting for his birthday, wanting the time to pass quickly, unable to stand the wait.

And I had a lot of waiting to do. But I didn’t fucking care. I was going to be a dad.

A dad.

Holy shit.

“So much so you’ll forget I just threw my pregnancy test at your head?” she asked sheepishly, snapping me out of my stunned trance.

“Is that what that was?” I asked as I peppered her jaw with kisses.

“Mmm hmm,” she murmured then moaned as I thrust two fingers deep inside her without preamble.

“Don’t fucking care. You’re having my baby. Throw as many of those at my head as you want as long as they’re all positive.”

“Jeremy,” she panted.

I stopped kissing her to look up. “Yeah, baby?”

“Shut up and fuck me.”

Well, hell. Who was I to say no to that?

So I shut up and fucked my wife.

My gorgeous, incredible, pregnant wife.

Then we celebrated, and then we fucked some more.

In a little less than nine months, Ava Victoria Banks would be born and our lives would never be the same.

For almost a week, I’d been avoiding the pregnancy test underneath my bathroom sink. On Monday, I’d realized I was three days late. My boobs were tender to the touch, but I hadn’t had any other pregnancy symptoms, so I didn’t want to get all excited for it to turn out that my cycle was just changing.

Jeremy and I had talked about starting a family, but we weren’t actively trying or anything. It was more of a “let nature take its course and if it happens, it happens” kinda thing. But now that I was a week late, I had to know. And I had to know before Jeremy came home.

So I unwrapped the plastic, peed on a stick, and then paced my bathroom for two minutes, not allowing myself to even peek. When the timer on my phone dinged, the garage door opened. It was now or never.

With trembling hands, I picked the stick up and took a deep breath.

Those two pink lines were the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

We were having a baby.

I couldn’t wait to tell Jeremy, and when I did, his reaction was pretty much what I’d expected.

I wish I could say that that was all she wrote, but I’d be lying. The next nine months were a whirlwind, and by the time Jeremy insisted on calling our baby girl Jeremina, I was more than ready to cut him off from baby naming. Until he suggested Ava, and I fell in love. It was from one of his favorite movies—The Night of the Iguana—and he had an unhealthy obsession with Ava Gardner, but I didn’t care. If we’d been told that it was a boy, I’d have been really hard-pressed not to name it after Taylor Kitsch.

We had her name and her room ready, and we were both impatiently awaiting the arrival of our daughter. She couldn’t have gotten there soon enough.

2008

“IT’S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!” JEREMY’S VOICE woke me from a dreamless sleep, and I wanted to knock him out.

I squinted with one eye and groaned. “You and Ty are no longer allowed to watch UFC at our house. I told you, no more Bruce Buffer, Jeremy, and I meant it. No more.”

Jeremy grinned and held his arms out. Groaning again, I blinked twice, wiping my eyes as I sat up in bed. I frowned when I saw that he was already dressed and my suitcase was at his feet.

“You love my Bruce Buffer. Especially in bed.” He wagged his eyebrows while giving me a playful smile.

It was my turn to grin—from the memory of the first time he “Buffered” me. “I should probably send that guy a thank-you note. Now, I never have to wonder when you’re about to get off in my mouth.”

Yes, on occasion—usually UFC fight nights—Jeremy got quite into character, and just as he was about to come, he’d let me know with his best impersonation of UFC’s famed commentator. And then, on most nights, he’d pull out, allowing us to move on to the main event. And, on most nights, I never minded one bit.

But this? This was different.

He leaned forward on the bed, placing his fists down on either side of me. His lips whispered against mine. Then he pulled back, his eyes dancing with delight.

“It’s time, baby. You ready?” he asked.

Without even glancing at the clock, I knew that it was, indeed, time. Our little girl was already letting us know how stubborn she was going to be. Little Ava Victoria Banks was a week overdue, and today, like it or not, she was finally going to make her appearance in the world.

“I’m scared out of my mind,” I admitted.

His eyes softened. Then his hand cupped my face. “You wanna know something?” he asked.

I nodded, not taking my eyes off him.

“I’m scared, too.”

Those three words, which should have terrified me even further, were the remedy for my racing heart.

“I thought you weren’t scared of anything,” I teased.

“Just sharks, baby,” he said softly. “What do you say we face our fears and go in the water together?”

Hot tears filled my eyes, and I needed a moment to take it all in. The memory from all those years ago seeped back in. Even at eight years old, I had known I could depend on Jeremy, and all these years later, he was still comforting me, asking me to face my fears head on with him. My heart swelled with all the love I had for him. That’s when I knew there was no reason to be scared. Sure, we’d mess up and make mistakes. But with parents whose love was as strong and devoted as ours? Any kid would be lucky to be born into that.

“Where you go, I go,” I said with a smile.

It never got old. At least, not for me.

He smiled and leaned in, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I think it’s the opposite today, baby. You’re going to the hospital, and I’ll be right there with you the entire time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The entire time?” I asked.

He inhaled sharply then stood and helped me up out of the bed. His hands slid to my waist, and he peered down at me. Or more like at my rounded belly pressed against his torso.

“Can we do it like the olden days? Your dad and I will smoke cigars and drink whiskey in the waiting room, and Lexi and your mom can be there for all the hard stuff?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Nope. No way. You’re my birth coach, Banks. You were there for the fun stuff. You’ll be there for this part, too,” I informed him. Then I got dressed for my hospital stay.

“Okay, okay. I had to try one last time. But I am not holding a leg!” His insistence was unnecessary, because I’d already informed my doctor that Jeremy was definitely not holding a leg. He called it a love sanctuary for a reason; he did not need to witness it as a birth canal.

Jeremy held my hand the entire way to the hospital, and the next time we walked into our house, our lives would never be the same.

I couldn’t wait.

I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the night before Ava’s arrival. Sierra had zonked out on the bed next to me as if it were any other night and not the eve of what would drastically change our lives. Every time I’d closed my eyes, I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to come.

I was having a daughter.

Not only that, but she was going to be Sierra’s daughter. Like, gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, make-’em-fall-in-love-with-you-at-first-sight Sierra.

I finally understood what Nick had meant all those years ago. Ava wasn’t even born yet and I was already making plans. That girl wasn’t leaving her room until she was thirty. Maybe thirty-five.

So, while Sierra slept, I freaked out. I reeled it in. I freaked out some more. Then I reeled in it again, knowing that Ava was going to have the best parents and the best childhood, and the only blemish on her life would be her dirty Steelers-loving uncle.

Hey, it never got old giving Ty crap. Who fucking dey.

When the alarm was about to blare, I switched it off and got out of bed, but not before I gave a still-dead-to-the-world sleeping Sierra a kiss on the forehead. I got ready for the day as if it were any other one. By the time I was done, however, I could no longer contain my excitement. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, and I wanted my gift now.

Right fucking now.

So I Bruce-Buffered Sierra, and even though she might have glared, I knew she loved it.

The hospital trip was a breeze. With Sierra being induced, they were waiting for us with a room ready. Hell, she was only in labor for three hours before she was fully dilated.

That’s when the nerves crept in, and I had half a mind to join our families in the waiting room, but I pushed them aside because Sierra needed me—even if I was freaking out on the inside.

Sierra was panting and grunting, and her face was redder than I’d ever seen it. I tried keeping up with the breathing exercises we’d learned in Lamaze, but the energy coming from her made me think she didn’t want me around. I’d heard those stories, the laughing jokes about the crazy, witchy woman who replaced your wife in the delivery room. The one who threatens your dick, swears she’s never having sex again, and so on. I was fully prepared for that, even had a few jokes lined up for it.

But I never got the chance. That crazy, witchy woman wasn’t Sierra. Instead, she wasn’t saying a word. She wasn’t looking at me. She was so focused on what she was doing that it was like I wasn’t even there.

I wanted to be, so when the latest contraction ripped through her and she was hunched up, I let her torture my hand as I rubbed her lower back.

“Push, baby,” I coached—like a champ, I might add. I wasn’t obnoxious. I was supportive.

Or so I thought.

Her head turned so slowly and deliberately that I had a vision of it twisting all the way around Exorcist style.

Oh shit.

She was aware of my presence. Finally. Her teeth were clenched as she glared at me. I had a feeling I was about to meet crazy, witchy Sierra.

“That’s easy for you to say. You get your ass on this bed, climb into my uterus, and push her out for me,” she seethed.

Then I made a grave mistake.

I laughed.

Now, her blue eyes were wide and bulging, her mouth hanging open. This time, she reminded of Chucky, and I shuddered at the thought. That’s the one thing I couldn’t do. Creepy dolls. Nope, not for me, ever. Especially creepy ginger dolls. No soul and all that jazz.

I probably should have stopped comparing my wife to horror movie creatures in my head, but I couldn’t help it.

“Stop it, baby. You’re going to give me nightmares,” I teased.

Another grave mistake.

I needed to shut up, or I was never going to worship in Sierra’s love temple again.

Fortunately, Sierra began pushing again, and the doctor announced that she could see a head. My curiosity got the best of me, and I stretched my body so I could get a look.

I mean, it’s not every day your wife has a head coming out of her vagina, and my interest was piqued.

My final mistake.

One second, Sierra was squeezing my hand so hard I thought it was going to pop off, and the next second, I was flat on my back, blinking slowly and wondering how I’d gotten there. A nurse was grinning down at me, and I shook my head, trying to regain my sense. That’s when I heard it.

The most beautiful sound in the world.

At least, in my world at that split second.

A baby was crying.

Sure, that sound might eventually become the bane of my existence, but in that moment, it was music to my fucking ears.

I jumped to my feet and wiped my hands off on my pants, smiling brightly. “I’m good!” I said, frantically looking around the room. I probably looked ridiculous, but I’d just passed out, and now, I was experiencing some crazy kind of adrenaline rush from knowing that my kid was finally out in the world.

My kid.

That stopped me right in my tracks.

My. Kid.

My eyes raced to Sierra’s. She was grinning at me, shaking her head—clearly not experiencing quite the same rush that had rendered me speechless.

“I told you not to take a peek,” she scolded while still maintaining her grin.

I ran a hand through my hair and went to her side. She’d never been more beautiful. Her hair was damp, matted on her forehead. The circles under her eyes were dark, but her cheeks were flushed, her smile was wide, and her eyes were shining with all the love she had for me. All the love she had for our daughter.

“Your legs were spread, baby. I couldn’t not take a peek,” I told her, because let’s face it. It was the truth. “So much for cutting the cord.”

She giggled, shaking her head and letting it fall back against the pillow. Her tired eyes sparkled, crinkling on the edges while her mouth was turned upward in a dreamy smile.

“You did good.”

An eyebrow quirked up. “How would you know? You were on the floor before Ava was even out,” she teased.

Just as I was about to protest and stick up for my manhood, a nurse approached us from the other side.

“Okay, Mom and Dad,” she singsonged, almost sounding like a young Mary Poppins. “Say hello to little miss Ava.”

Sierra’s breath caught, and my heart leapt into my throat. All I could see was a bundle in yellow, the nurse having wrapped Ava in the blanket Sierra had insisted on. Yellow, not pink. That was my girl. We watched in silence as the nurse got closer, and I’m pretty sure neither of us was breathing. Then the nurse smiled and placed Ava in Sierra’s waiting arms.

Her eyes were wide as she stared up at her mom. Her mom’s eyes were just as wide as she stared down.

Sierra Banks, my wife, was holding Ava Banks, my daughter, for the very first time.

My wife.

My daughter.

And that was all it took. It hit me so hard that I could’ve passed out again. But I did something else.

I cried.

I fucking cried.

Then I sat on the edge of the bed and placed my arm around Sierra’s shoulders, and when Ava’s eyes moved to me, I cried again.