Marked Heart (Marked Heart #3) (19 page)

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Braden shook his head as he pulled up to the farmhouse. It just figured that they would end up in the same place. Maybe this was fate.

Walking into the house, he wouldn't have to look for her this time. Braden knew exactly where he would find her. Stepping into her library, she was standing in the center of the room, staring at her bookshelf.

"Liv."

Slowly turning around she stated, "No."

"I didn't ask you anything."

Shaking her head at him she replied, "It doesn't matter. The answer is always going to be no."

With a slight laugh he informed, "Good to know all my hard work was for nothing."

Narrowing her eyes at him she questioned, "What?"

"I was going to ask how you liked your library."

Blowing out a loud breath she turned her back on him.

"Why did you do this?"

"I wanted to finish what I started."

"I left."

"It wasn't about you anymore. I finished it for me."

Nodding, she remained silent this time.

The longer Liv stood there quietly. The angrier he grew at her. How could she? All this time, he thought something was wrong with him, and it turned out it was her. It was always her.

"I'm gonna need you to turn around and look at me."

As if she knew what was coming, Liv hesitantly turned and faced him.

"Kieran never really loved you."

Instantly her eyes showed all the hurt that Braden intentionally inflicted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was an asshole thing to say, wasn't it?"

Her eyes narrowed at him, in response.

"The truth hurts doesn't it, Liv."

"You would know," she spouted, with a nasty smirk across her face.

"Did you ever let him see the real you? The one I got glimpses of here?"

Liv's smirk disappeared as she shook her head.

Without knowing if she was answering him or simply shaking her head at what he was saying, he continued, "He couldn't have loved the real you. The one I had the privilege of seeing at the cabin."

He stepped closer to her.

Liv shuddered as Braden ran his finger down the guitar tattoo on the inside of her arm.

"I know he didn't, because if he did, I wouldn't have your mark and you wouldn't have mine."

Her eyes softened under his touch.

Tracing the B and then the C that made up the body of the guitar, he shared, "I bet he never even noticed did he."

Braden could see her struggling as she swallowing hard, trying to pretend.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is..."

Tired of the dishonesty surrounding them, he cut her off.

"You can lie to me as much as you want, but stop lying to yourself. Kieran loved the idea of you, not you. That's why it didn't last. Just like Lily and me."

Liv jerked her arm away, fussing, "Don't compare me to her."

"I wasn't, I was comparing myself to Kieran."

Appearing stunned, she took a step back.

Compassion filled her eyes as Liv glanced around her library.

"You're not like he was."

Nodding, Braden replied, "With you I'm not. With her I was."

Pausing he took a deep breath and closed the distance between them.

"And you're so in love with me I can feel it coming off of you. Just admit you feel guilty because you never stopped loving me. I was your first everything. That's why my initials are on you and there's not a single K on your body. You're always going to be in love with me. Just like I'm never going to stop being in love with you."

Tears welled in Liv's eyes as she stared at him.

Placing his hands on the sides of her face, this was it. It was the make or break moment of Braden's life.

"It could be fate."

His hands fell from her face as she took a step back.

"There's no such thing."

"We're meant to be together."

Liv closed her eyes causing a tear to escape and roll down her cheek.

"It's only ink."

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The banging on Liv's door at the Inn was making it hard for her to focus as she dug through her suitcase.

"Open the door!" Auggie's voice boomed from the other side.

What the hell was his problem?

Giving up on getting dressed, she grabbed a robe from behind the bathroom door, shouting back, "Hang on!"

Wrapping the robe around herself, Liv pushed the door of a narrow coat closet shut and opened the door to let him in.

Auggie was already scowling at her as he walked in.

Without the most pleasant attitude toward him, she griped, "What's up?"

Glaring at her open suitcase, he snapped, "You're really gonna leave him? Again?"

"Is that your business?"

"Damn right, he's my brother."

"And?" she questioned.

"He's in love with you." Auggie fussed at her.

Irritated, she griped, "What's that got to do with you?"

"I don't want to see him get hurt again."

Shaking her head at him, Liv spouted, "I see. You want me to stay so you don't feel like you failed as a big brother."

His face grew solemn as he replied, "I'm tryin' to help. The both of you."

"Ha!" she blurted before sharing, "I think you've 'helped' enough, already."

Liv could see how frustrated he was getting with her as he ran his hand down the front of his beard.

"Look, Auggs, I know you're tryin' to look out for him, but what went down between Braden and me last night had nothing to do with you. You have no say so in what happens next."

Liv walked back to the door and opened it.

She knew Auggie loved his brother and was sincerely trying to help, but Braden was a grown man and the sooner Auggie started treating him like one, instead of like a lost little boy, the better off their relationship would be.

"I have a lot to do before I leave here, so thanks for stopping by." Liv stated with a smirk on her face.

Auggie started to walk out, then stopped to look at her as he said, "Maybe you should get your head out of your ass and give him a real shot, not for me or him, but because you're in love with him."

Liv narrowed her eyes at him, swinging the door closed behind him as he walked out.

Mumbling to herself, she sat down on the end of the bed. Auggie needed to learn how to mind his own business, but he was right. She was in love with him, and last night after she shot down his idea that they were destined to be together, Braden got down on one knee.

Holding an entwined circle of guitar string, he informed, "All these years I kept my first set of strings. I never thought much about why, until you left." Holding onto her hand, Braden shared, "I wasn't destined to play guitar. It wasn't fate that I picked it up. I made it happen, because I wanted it." Sliding the guitar string ring onto her ring finger he informed, "All it takes is for you to want it too."

She sat there for a minute, glancing around the room.

"He's gone."

Liv smiled wide as Braden opened the coat closet and stepped out saying, "Well, that was frickin' awkward."

Eying his naked body as he made his way over too her, she looked at the lily on his chest then her poem on his arm.

Pushing her back onto the bed, he asked, "Where were we?"

"Since I had already successfully pulled my head from my ass, you were saying something about loving me."

Biting the side of his tongue as he smiled wide at her, Braden replied, "Oh, yeah." As he untied her robe and slid his hands inside of it.

Leaning in, he gave her a long slow kiss.

In seconds, Braden had her out of her robe and underneath him.

Pushing into her as her legs wrapped around his waist, Braden swore, "I'm gonna love you like no man has ever loved a woman before."

Liv's breathing grew heavy as she replied, "Is that all?"

As he picked up his pace he added, "I'm also gonna to think of new ways to put it to you, every day."

She let out a, "Ha," before he closed her mouth with his kiss.

Her hands slid into his hair, tugging on it as she fiercely kissed him back.

Pulling back, just in time to hear his name fall from her lips, Braden kissed her again, until neither one could hold out any longer.

In awe of her peaceful breathing as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, Braden asked, "So, Fairmont's on the Lake?"

She smiled.

"Yes."

Rolling them both over, he wrapped his leg around hers holding her close to his body.

"Another yes?"

Nibbling on the edge of his jaw, she stated, "It will always be yes."

The End

Marked Heart Series-Epilogue

Turning the knob to open the door, Ren sighed as Jacks moved her hand away.

"We're going to be late."

Flashing a wide smile at her, he slid his hands into the back of her hair, coaxing, "Just one more."

Ren leaned her head back and closed her eyes, only to receive a quick peck on her lips.

"That was...weak," she laughed, expecting much more from his kiss.

Another wide smile preceded his saying, "You, my beautiful wife, said we were going to be late."

"Fine." Ren pretended to pout before asking, "Are you going to offer Seth the position today?"

"I think I'll wait 'til Monday, bringing home a baby and being asked to take over JPT Financial may be a little much for him all in one day."

Arching an eyebrow at her husband, she questioned, "If he says yes, and you retire early, what are you going to do with all that free time, Mr. Thomas?"

"We," he clarified, wrapping his arms around her tight, "Will be having lots of sex, Mrs. Thomas. And maybe travel a little."

Shaking her head at him with a laugh, she said, "Alright, Jacks. Let's go before we really are late."

As Ren started to open the door again, Jackson stopped her. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned her back, kissing her without restraint.

~

Crossing her arms across her chest, Charlotte gave Auggie a dirty look as he drove.

"You do know you're insane, right?"

Glancing over at her with a scowl on his face, Auggie replied, "What? I think it's reasonable."

"Augustus, you cannot suggest they give him Caffrey as a last name."

Appearing offended, he griped, "Why not?"

"Are you serious?"

"What kinda name is Chevalier anyway?"

"Its French and I think it means Knight."

Auggie took the opportunity to glare at her when he stopped at a red light.

"No tellin' what they're naming him with a frilly last name like that."

With a slight huff, she reminded, "That's why we are going over there."

"And that's another thing..." he started before Charlotte cut him off saying, "Oh-kay."

Scowling at her as he continued driving, Auggie fussed, "What if one day I wanna hand the bar over to him, like Jacks just did to us?"

Curling the corner of her mouth into a smile, Charlotte teased, "Then it'll be an 'Ah hell, there's a Frenchman runnin' The Dog House' moment."

"I think that may have cut my soul a little..."

With a sly smile, Charlotte offered, "Awe, if you pull over I'll kiss it and make it better. That is, unless you're scared."

~

Seth loaded Penny's suitcase into the trunk before walking to the side of his car. Leaning in through the open back door, he gently kissed Penny.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Penny gave a cheerful smile as she assured, "We're fine. I'm sure everyone's at the house waiting on us."

Nodding, he carefully placed his hand on his son, saying, "I don't mind sharing the number one spot with this little guy in your top ten."

"It's really our top ten. Every great moment, they've all been with you."

Seth kissed her again, saying, "He's the first. Before you know it we're going to have a house full of number one's."

Penny giggled, checking the car seat one last time, to make sure her son was strapped in tight, as she suggested, "We should get this one home, so he can meet his family."

~

Parked against the curb in front of Penny and Seth's house, while 'Could Have Been Me' by The Struts played over the radio, Braden sat leaned up against the inside of his car door. With one leg kicked up onto the bench seat of his El Camino, Liv sat between his legs, her back against his chest. His arms rested comfortably around her as he held her hands in her lap, rubbing his thumb against her guitar string engagement ring that she kept as her wedding band.

Placing light kisses against her temple, he asked, "You feelin' better?"

Nodding, she brought his left hand to her lips.

Kissing the Liv tattoo Braden had Penny give him, in lieu of a wedding band on his ring finger, she replied, "Now that we're stopped."

Braden slid his hand to her stomach, right below her belly button, saying, "Ya know, in a little over six months we'll be bringing our own lil' Liv or Braden home."

Tilting her chin up, she turned her head toward his and kissed him.

"While we're waiting..." Braden whispered against her mouth as his fingers inched a bit lower.

Just as Braden deepened their kiss, they heard another car pull up.

"Hold that thought." Liv said with a slight laugh.

~

Sarah and Romeo arrived, prompting Braden and Liv to get out of the car. Charlotte and Auggie pulled up right after and then Ren and Jacks.

Everyone greeted one another as they stood on the porch waiting for Penny and Seth to show up and properly introduce the newest addition to their family.

"Are you down for good now?" Jackson asked Romeo.

Wrapping his arm around Sarah's waist, he replied, "I have one more trip back then she's stuck with me for good."

Just as Auggie was about to say something about his mom and Liv's dad moving in together, Penny and Seth showed up.

They crowded around Penny and the baby as Seth unlocked the door. Once everyone was settled in the house, Seth set up his laptop so that Sophia and Ailin were able to join in over video chat.

Seth lifted his son out of his car seat and handed him to Penny. The room was silent as they anxiously awaited hearing the name of the sleeping baby boy with dark blue eyes and a head full of reddish brown hair.

Snuggling her son in her arms, Penny revealed, "We decided on, William Augustus Chevalier."

The room remained quiet until they heard Sophia and Ailin's daughter, Keylee, over the laptop ask, "Mommy, why are you crying?"

Penny's cheery smile started to fade as she noticed most everyone in the room had a solemn expression or tears in their eyes.

"Y'all don't like it?" she questioned before the room erupted in smiles and laughter.

Everyone assured Penny, she and Seth couldn't have picked a better name before taking turns holding and instantly falling in love with William.

~

No matter what losses are suffered in life, for there will always be pain, never lose sight of love. There is strength in the ability to accept and to give love. It takes you past your scars, beyond your fears, and forever lays a permanent mark upon your heart. Love endures everything.