Man Up Stepbrother (20 page)

Sirens sound in the background. For the first time since Allie was released, I hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. One way or another, this is ending in the next few minutes. Declan drops to his knees, still holding the gun, and the tears start.

"I'm the reason he enlisted. He hated me."

"Stop. He didn't hate you. But killing me isn't going to bring him back. It's only going to ensure you never see Stacey or Forest again."

He shakes his head. "It's too late."

"It's never too late. Just put the gun down and let's walk out of here together. I promise you, I'll do whatever I can to help you. For Austin."

Reluctantly, Declan slides the gun behind him. We get to our feet and with our hands behind our head, we walk to the door.

"Come out with your hands up!" a bullhorn issues the warning.

"It's going to be okay," I reassure Declan one last time before pulling open the door and placing my hands behind my head.

"Up against the wall, both of you! And spread 'em."

I do as I'm told and wait for the police to finish patting me down. I'm a mixed bag of emotions. I can finally breathe. My heart aches because I don't see Allie, and I thought...I was afraid I'd never see her again."

A police officer leads me over to a squad car so we can talk. I go willingly. I'm ready for whatever comes next. No matter what it is, because I finally believe the things I said to Declan. I'm not responsible for Austin or the other guys. I didn't make or strap that bomb on anyone. All I did was try to help a woman not lucky enough to be born on American soil.

But I did save Allie. And hopefully Declan will do as I suggested and get help. I'm sure if he does, in time Stacey will forgive him enough to let him back in her and Forest's lives.

"I need to take you down to the precinct to get your official statement," the officer says.

I nod.

"Hey Ox," I call out. "Thanks, man," I say, tossing him my keys.

*

After hours of giving statements separately, I find myself in the same room as Allie. She's sitting in a hard plastic chair with a blanket wrapped around her. I'm supposed to take a seat and wait for some official paperwork to be printed out so I can sign it.

"Hi," I say, giving her a wary smile as I sit down next to her. She looks okay, aside from the bruising on her face, but I'm not sure what else he might've done to her before I got there, and I don't know how to broach the subject.

"Hi."

"Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you."

I shake my head and look away. "No. I'm the reason all this happened. I'm sorry, Allie. I fucked up so bad. I let things go too far because I didn't listen to you."

"Jagger, please don't. I don't have the energy to fight with you."

I nod. I don't blame her. I'm worn pretty thin myself.

"I'd rather save my energy for when we make up later," she says with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah?" I ask, not sure I trust my ears.

"Yeah."

I wrap my arms around Allie as she leans her head on my shoulder. I know despite the hell we went through earlier, this is one of the best days of my life.

*

We make the necessary phone calls on the drive to my apartment. Allie fills our parents in on what happened while I do the same with Troy. We promise to answer any and all questions over dinner tomorrow night at Mom and Vic's.

"So how does this making up thing work?" I ask once we're in my bedroom.

She gives me a knowing look. "You've done a pretty good job so far. Who can forget your last apology? It was the best apology I've ever gotten in my life. And the one at Noah and Lexi's wasn't too shabby either."

"You remember?"

"I must have caught a glimpse of Declan jumping out of the other car, because once I saw him, it started coming back in bits and pieces."

"I'm so sorry, baby." I cradle her head in my hands and pull her into my chest. "You've been through so much today. I'm happy just having you sleep in my arms."

"You can do better than that."

I don't know if I'm worried or relieved that she doesn't seem fazed by what happened earlier. It's there, I know it is, and I know better than anyone that she needs to deal with it. But maybe for right now, it's okay to pretend everything is okay. Maybe for right now, it's okay to try and forget.

"You know, it's going to be pretty hard to top my last apology. That was some of my best work."

"I guess you're going to have to get a little more creative."

"I accept your challenge," I say, backing Allie up to my bed. I sit her down, then circle her with my eyes narrowed, like I'm deep in thought. "Okay." I approach her and lift her hands to cover her eyes. "No peeking. Got it?"

"Got it," she says, letting a giggle escape.

"No matter what you might hear," I say, stepping away. "No matter how loud or strange the sound is, you need to keep those eyes covered."

"They're covered."

I don't say anything more as I get to work. A minute and a half later I'm standing in front of her, ready for her reaction.

"Open your eyes, Aleena."

Her brows pull together in confusion as she stares at me holding the empty dresser drawer in front of her.

"That's a drawer," she says.

"Not just a drawer. It's an empty drawer."

"I can see that."

"It's an empty drawer I'm giving to you. That makes it your drawer."

"My drawer?" she asks in disbelief, finally understanding the meaning behind what I'm saying.

"Turns out I don't have a lot of shit. This drawer is empty, that night stand is empty," I point to the one on the other side of the bed. "And all I need is half the closet. It sure seems like a waste of space only having my stuff here."

"Jagger, what are you saying?"

"You need me to spell it out?"

She nods, and I'm so grateful that she's safe and that we have a second chance, I don't care. I'll get naked and bark like a dog if it makes her happy.

I place the drawer on the floor and sit beside her. "I want you to be a permanent fixture in my life. I know I let jealousy cloud my judgment. I acted like a spoiled brat when I saw Bailey touching you, but that's because I had this all planned and I was afraid. You always defended him and I thought it was because you still loved him. I was afraid of losing you."

"You're not afraid of losing me anymore?"

I reach over and cup her face, my thumb brushing against her cheek.

"I'm terrified of losing you. But after this ordeal, I'm not willing to walk away. It's a chance, a risk, I have to take." My lips act on their own accord. I don't realize I'm leaning in to kiss her, to taste the warmth and sweetness of her mouth. I wouldn’t stop even if I did.

"Aleena, I want you to be a significant part of my life. If you're not comfortable moving in with me just yet, that's fine. But you can still bring clothes over so you can stay anytime you want. We'll go at your pace."

Her eyes water. She's going to cry. Fuck. It was too much for tonight.

"Jagger, I didn't think you could top your last apology, but each one gets better and better!"

She throws her arms around my neck, and I'm relieved. I lie back on the bed and pull Allie on top of me. Looking up in her gray eyes, I realize there's something I forgot. One very important thing I still need to tell her.     

"I love you, Aleena. With my whole heart."

"I love you too, Jagger. I always will."

Epilogue

Allie

Two Years Later 

"Eww," Mia complains. "She stinks."

"You're one to talk, little one," Jagger snatches her up into his arms. "Never met a dirty diaper worse than yours. Come on, let's let Lexi and Aunt Allie finish changing Noelle in peace."

"Did Aunt Allie tell you yet? Did she?" Mia asks.

"Tell me what?" he asks with a hint of nervousness in his tone.

The last time I had something big to tell him, I had a job in London working on a hotel for one of Carmine Salvatore's closest friends and business partner. We spent three weeks there together, sight-seeing, working, and having sex as often as possible.

"Another job abroad?"

"I'll tell you all about it when everyone leaves."

"Come on, monkey," Jagger says to Mia, lifting her so that she's sitting on his shoulders.

"Now I'm taller than everyone!" she giggles.

"That was close," Lexi whispers, lifting her daughter off the changing mat on the floor of the guest bedroom. "I still can't get over how great Jagger is great with Mia."

"Yeah, one diaper from hell and the bond between them can never be broken."

"The bond between them? Weren't you a part of that scene?"

"Honestly, it was the best experience I ever had dealing with shit," I say as we head out of the room.

Lexi joins the others while I take the offending bag in my hand off to the garbage pail in the garage. No need to stink up the house.  

Hands grip my waist from behind. I feel the heat of his mouth as he trails kisses along my neck.

"Mmm," I moan before I feel a sharp slap on my ass, causing me to yelp.

"Keeping secrets, Aleena?" he whispers in my ear. "You know how I feel about secrets." Jagger gathers my hair in his hand and pulls back gently, running his hand down my neck. "You know what that means, don't you?"

It means once everyone leaves, he's going to tease me mercilessly for hours before making me cum. I look forward to his punishments almost as much as his apologies. They are the sweetest torment I can imagine.

Jagger lets my hair go and presses me chest first up against the wall. His body crushes mine as he lifts my hands up over my head and spreads them wide. He ghosts his fingers down my arms and sides.

"Tonight, you deserve something special. Tonight, I'm going to tie you up and blindfold you."

My heart races with anticipation. He knows how much I love when he does that. I feel the moisture build between my legs before he finishes speaking.

"I can't wait!" I whisper.

"You're such a bad girl." He turns me around and crushes his mouth against mine.

"We still have company," I say, pulling away from him.

"So what? They all fuck. How do you think the kids got here?"

"Yes, but they don't do it while they have people over."

"Always looking to ruin my fun," he says, shaking his head.

"Come on, lover boy. Let's get back to our guests," I take his hand and start leading the way. "And just for the record, I hope you bring it later, Mr. Evans!"

"As you wish, Mrs. Evans."

*    

"So have you looked into any of the stem cell treatments going on? I've heard they can reverse the effects of MS," Cooper says to Marlena. "I know it's expensive, so if you need money..."

"Thanks Coop," Troy interrupts. "But we're not ready for that. Marlena is doing great on her current meds," he says, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist and pulling her close.

"Honestly, I haven't felt this good in years. I infuse my body with vitamins daily and now that Mia is in school, I can rest during the day if I need to. It makes such a difference."

"You know where I am if you ever need anything."

"We appreciate it."

"Where are the kids?" Selene asks, inching her way toward the edge of the couch cushion.

I can only imagine how difficult it is to get to your feet in a hurry when you're eight months pregnant. Still, she's a trooper. She doesn't complain about the weight gain or the swollen ankles. I think in the last trimester, that's all Lexi did.

Before she gets up, I look around the room. Noah's holding Noelle, but there's no sign of Mia or Jaxson. I don't miss the look passing between Cooper and Troy.

"If your son touches my niece," Jagger says, shocking all of us.

"Relax. Besides, Mia's the aggressor. She's been after Jaxson since he was born.”

"Hey guys," Marlena whispers, waving us over to the kitchen where she's pointing, doing her best not to be discovered. “They’re playing house.”

Every smile in the room disappears.

"Here you go, husband. Fresh out of the oven," Mia says, placing a small dish of cookies in front of Jaxson.

"These are delicious. I'll make sure I take care of you in the bedroom tonight." Troy is about to lose his shit. His face is bright red. "A wife as good as you deserves an extra hour or two of sleep."

I cover my mouth and step away. The others follow. Soon, we're all back in the living room laughing.

"Wow, Cooper, you must be losing your touch if that's how you take care of your wife in the bedroom," Noah teases.

"Don't you worry, York. I take amazing, blow-your-fucking-top-off care of my wife in the bedroom," Cooper says, standing behind Selene and running his hands over her swollen belly. "You just worry about your own wife, and I swear dude, you better think before you speak because that's my sister you're about to talk about."

I yawn. It's not that I'm not enjoying how the scene in front of me is playing out, but I'm wiped, and I want to spend alone time with my husband before I pass out for the night.

"I think that's our cue, Cooper. Allie's tired. We should get going."

It takes another fifteen minutes before they gather up the kids and we say our goodbyes. Jagger walks our guests to the door while I rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

"I thought they'd never leave," Jagger says, falling into one of the kitchen chairs.

"It's all good. We do it to them often enough."

"I know. But still, I almost had a heart attack when I heard Jaxson and Mia in here."

"That's because you're thinking with a dirty mind. They're kids. They're innocent."

"I thought my brother was going to throw down with Cooper right then and there." A heavy silence falls between us. "Now, what's this secret you're keeping?"

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm really thirsty, can you get me a drink from the refrigerator?"

"Don't think this is getting you off the hook," he says, pulling the refrigerator door open. "Oh shit."

"What's wrong?" I ask, wiping my hands on a dish towel.

"Look," Jagger holds up an empty bottle with a bib around it that he just pulled out of the refrigerator. "Noah and Lexi left this. I wonder if I can catch them."

"Noah and Lexi didn't leave it."

"What are you talking about? Of course they did. It's a baby bottle."

"I know. It's not Noah and Lexi's. It's ours."

"Ours?" Jagger looks at the bottle in disbelief, then at me. I nod. "Ours?" He asks again as if he's afraid it might not be true. "For real?"

"Ours. For real."

Jagger sweeps me up in his arms and spins me around our kitchen.

"Allie," he strokes my hair while he pulls back and looks at me. "I thought the happiest day of my life was the day you said yes. But then you married me and I thought that was the best day of my life. And now this?"

"Now this."

"Life with you just keeps getting better."

"What do you expect? When you proposed, you promised me a happily ever after, and we both know how seriously you take your promises."

"God, you'll never know how much I love you."

"I love you, too!"

"But I'm still tying you up tonight," he whispers in a low, gravelly voice.

The electricity between us crackles. My skin tingles, and the butterflies in my belly take flight. I hope this feeling never ends.

"Bring it!"