Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) (33 page)

“Of course, we will be there with bells and whistles on,” his mom promised with a grin and tears in her eyes. “I hate that you guys can’t stay longer.”

“Regina, they have shit they gotta do, and then they have to make a home for themselves. You can fuss over them then. Shit, come here, son,” his dad said, hugging him tightly in a manly but loving embrace. “I love you,” he whispered, like he always did. It always soothed Karson when his father did that. Karl King was a blunt, hard to deal with kind of man, but when it came to loving his family, he was an all in sort of guy. Since he had been gone so much, playing twenty-one seasons of pro hockey, when he was home, the only things that had mattered were Karson, Kacey, and his wife. Karson was thankful for that because he felt like he learned how to love from his father. How to be the father and husband that a family deserved. “Call us when you land in Chicago.”

“I will,” Karson promised. “I love you too, Pops.”

Karl shot him a wink before embracing Lacey in a tight hug. When Karson noticed that Kacey stood off to the side with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed, he smiled. She was thoroughly pissed with him, and he couldn’t be happier. Walking over to her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple. “Love you, Kace.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled into his neck.

They may fight like cats and dogs, but at the end of the day, he’d die for his sister. She was his best friend. Pulling back, he smiled. “So when do you know about the Olympics?”

“New Year’s Day.”

“Just keep training,” he said with a nod. “You’ll get on.”

“I hope so,” she said with a long breath.

“I know so,” he promised, kissing her cheek again. “Maybe you can bring that boyfriend with you when you guys come to visit.”

She laughed. “If he lasts.”

He gave her a knowing look and she glared. “I’m going to keep my comment to myself,” he laughed.

“That’s a good idea, asshole,” she muttered as Lacey came over to her to say goodbye.

After another round of goodbyes, they finally left the house and made the flight with only minutes to spare. He blamed his mother completely, but Lacey didn’t seem to mind or care. She sat contently beside him, her head on his shoulder as they flew to Chicago. While she seemed calm, cool, and collected, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. He didn’t trust the Martin men and was dreading seeing them, which he’d known he would. In a perfect world, they would go in and get out without seeing them, but that wasn’t the case. They would fight tooth and nail to keep Lacey there, but it didn’t matter. She was his wife.

They wouldn’t be there long either; she was mainly packing just the things she couldn’t live without. After a long conversation, they’d decided that she would keep her furniture at the apartment since she would need to fly up for work stuff. Plus, she still had nine months left on her lease, something neither of them had thought about when they were tangled in the sheets making plans. But he was okay with it all; they had a plan, a good plan, in his opinion. The only thing he worried about was her flying home alone for work.

What if her family tried to get to her when he wasn’t around? As much as he wanted to believe that she’d stand strong against them, he also couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t. Nate was a very manipulative person. He had controlled Lacey’s life since she was born, and now that Lacey had taken that power away, Karson didn’t put it past Nate to come at her, guns blazing. Lacey was his prized jewel.

It worried him, but as he looked over at his gorgeous wife, he hoped and prayed that their love would be strong enough this time. He really didn’t want to live without her. He wanted to grow old with her. He had so many plans and really needed her to be beside him. She was the one thing he needed for a life worth living.

After getting their bags, they headed out to where Lacey’s car was parked. When she stopped walking, halting Karson’s progress, he looked back at her to see that she was staring at her phone, chewing on her lip.

“What’s up?” he asked, his own brow furrowing.

She looked up and let out a breath. “My dad is waiting at my apartment with Grady.”

“Well, that’s wonderful,” he muttered. “Okay, well, let’s go get this over with.”

“Maybe I should just go?” she suggested and he shot her a dark look.

“Why the fuck would I be okay with that?”

She met his gaze. “My brother has hit you before. I don’t want this coming to blows, and I know how to deal with them. You don’t.”

“I’m not going to deal with them, Lacey, and neither are you. We aren’t letting them ruin our newlywed period, remember? We’re going to help you pack, and then I’m gonna take you to dinner. And tonight, I’m going to go to bed beside
my
wife. You aren’t facing this alone. We’ve already established this.”

“I know, but—”

“No ‘but,’ sweetheart. Let’s go, it’s cold and we don’t want to keep them waiting.”

She didn’t come at first, her eyes still locked on his, but he guessed she saw that he wasn’t going to budge because she started toward her car, throwing her things in the trunk. After shutting her door on the passenger side and coming around to get in himself, he started the car and was about to pull out when she said, “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I love you.”

Her eyes watered a bit as she nodded. “I love you.”

He leaned over, meeting his lips to hers for only a second before running his nose along hers. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“Yeah,” she agreed while he went to put the car in reverse, but as he started to move, she said, “Promise me you won’t fight them.”

Karson found himself swallowing hard. He let Grady get a hit in once because he deserved it. Dating your best friend’s sister is against the guy code, but now, he felt like he hadn’t done anything wrong. So he married their daughter and sister. It wasn’t like he was after her money or out to hurt her. He loved Lacey and planned to make her happy. He wanted a life for them, a good one, and they would just have to accept that. But if not decking Grady and Nate in the face, if letting them hit him first was what she asked for, then maybe he needed to swallow his pride. It wasn’t about just him anymore, it was about Lacey.

About their love.

About their future.

Nodding his head, he said, “I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he said, putting the car in reverse again.

She smiled nervously at him before saying, “I doubt it will come to that but just in case.”

Letting out a long breath, Karson thought
, Yeah, but just in case.

He had felt like he was on top of the world for the last five days, but something inside him made him feel as if he was about to be knocked right off into the unknown.

It wasn’t a good feeling either.

K
arson always hoped that he would never have to look into the eyes of Nate Martin again. Lucky for him, he hadn’t had to in the last nine years. His luck had run out though, because now he was walking in behind Lacey to the lobby of her apartment, and there waiting for them were her father and brother. It seemed as soon as he walked through the door, they both glared at him. Karson’s gaze met his new father-in-law’s. The same eyes that Lacey had. His heart sped up in his chest, his hands sweating as he held his wife’s hand. He wanted to be confident that this would go okay, but something deep inside him told him that it wouldn’t. He didn’t deserve Lacey. He had hurt her before, and even though her family was responsible for that, they were her family. He was just the guy who loved her, and he wasn’t sure if that was enough. At any moment, she could realize that, and then where would that leave Karson?

Empty. He would be utterly empty.

Swallowing deeply, he held his former coach’s eyes and couldn’t help the way his eyes slitted. He hated this man more than words could express, and by the way Nate was looking at him, he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. His old coach had aged, looking every bit in his fifties, and for some reason, he looked bigger as he stood slowly, Grady flanking him. Grady didn’t faze Karson at all. He had slammed that asshole into the boards plenty of times. He wasn’t worried, but he would keep his promise. Sucking in a deep breath, he tore his gaze away from Nate’s and looked over at Lacey.

She looked sick with worry.

She was working her lip, her eyes wide and her face red. He didn’t like that. They weren’t supposed to be nervous or worried; they were supposed to be happy. They had each other. Nothing would touch that. Well, he hoped it wouldn’t.

“It’s fine,” he said, hoping to sound more confident than he felt.

Squeezing his hand, she glanced over at him and nodded before glancing back at her dad. “Daddy, you didn’t have to come across town to see us. I told you I would come to Grady’s to see the kids,” she said, dropping Karson’s hand and heading for her father.

For some reason that bothered him. Weren’t they supposed to do this together? A united front? Was he being a fucking pussy? Crossing his arms, he watched as Lacey hugged her father and then Grady as she tried to smile. It didn’t reach her eyes, though. He was sure they knew she was putting up a front, and that pissed him off. She shouldn’t have to put on an act for anyone; she should be her fucking self. But these jerks had put her in the position to do just that, and he didn’t like that one bit.

“Had to come talk some sense into you,” Nate said, completely ignoring Karson. Which was fine. He didn’t want anything to do with the asshole anyway.

“There isn’t any sense to be talked into me, Dad. I came to pack. We have a full day,” she said after letting out a long breath.

“There is a lot to talk about, Lacey. Now, let’s go upstairs and talk.”

“Yeah, stay here, King,” Grady barked and Karson laughed.

“Cold day in hell, buddy. I’m here to help my wife pack,” he said, a grin forming on his face in an assholish way. “Then I’m going to take her home.”

Both men glared as Nate said, “That’s not happening.”

“Yes, it is,” she said, taking their attention from Karson. “I’m moving to Nashville with my husband,” she said sternly, and Karson could see it in their eyes. Both men were shocked, their mouths hanging open as their eyes widened with every word she said. They never expected her to stand up for herself, and within seconds, he had a feeling they were going to blow up with anger. Karson, on the other hand, was pretty fucking proud of her.

“This is insane, Lacey! You don’t even know this douche,” Grady yelled and Karson rolled his eyes.

“I do know him and I love him. Why don’t you guys try being happy for me instead of being jerks about it?” she yelled back, her eyes glazing with tears. She looked away and then met his gaze. “He is my husband. Accept it or don’t, I really don’t care.”

Reaching out, she took Karson’s hand and started for the door, pulling him along with her.

“Good seeing you two,” he said, knowing he was being a dick, but they had basically called him every name in the book.

“Is that mom’s wedding dress?” Grady asked suddenly, stopping her.

Nate and Lacey looked back at where Karson stood, and he looked down at the huge white dress bag that he had been hauling all over the damn United States.

“Yeah,” Lacey said with a shrug. “Why?”

“You wore your mother’s dress to marry this piece of shit?” Nate asked and Karson rolled his eyes.

“Man, they don’t like me,” he muttered but Lacey ignored him.

“Yeah, it’s my dress, and I wanted to wear it during my wedding. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to pack. You two are obviously not here to congratulate me, so I’ll call you later.”

They started for the elevator, and Karson thought maybe they would take the hint and go away, but he wasn’t a lucky man that morning. Standing in the elevator, one arm wrapped around his wife and the other holding her dress and their bags, he watched as his new in-laws stepped into the car. Both looked at him as if he smelled like year-old unwashed hockey equipment.

“What are you doing?” she asked and her father’s brows came up.

“I’m not done talking to you, Lacey Arielle.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.