Unleashed
Page 44
The dead silence on his end was usually as far as she let her memory get, because the thought of her hysterical screech was enough to mortify her until her dying day. If she’d let it play out…
Kelsey, are you all right?
No! Evan—
Just stay away from them until I get there, do you hear me? I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll kill that son of a bitch for doing this to you.
She nodded. “I remember.” He’d always seemed far angrier over Todd hurting her than any wrong done to himself.
“He really did me a favor, and I knew it. But you were hurt, and you needed time to get over it. I wanted to make sure you were. You scared me, though.” He trailed a finger down her cheek, the gesture full of meaning.
Kelsey scoffed. “If you had told me how you felt all those years ago, I never would have left that party with him. I’d have stayed with you.”
“I know that now, and yes, I feel like that much more of a dumbass because of it.”
“Don’t. No more of that. Let’s just look ahead.” But they could talk about it now, she realized. She could think of her college days and the Todd-and-Courtney fiasco without the slow burn of fury slithering through her, or feeling like she wanted to hit something. Or just shutting down completely. Finally, the wall between her and Evan was broken down, and in its place was a connection she never could have imagined.
“Sounds good.” He reached across to link his fingers through hers, never letting go as he navigated the damp streets.
A new thought struck her as he pulled into a parking space at their favorite restaurant. “One more thing, though…you never did read everything I wrote about you.”
He put the truck in Park, smiled and leaned over to kiss her. “I don’t have to. Every time I look at you now, I can see it all.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Evan didn’t think he’d ever seen Kelsey look more beautiful than on their wedding day. He stood on the beach with Brian at his side and watched her slow approach, a dream in white with the morning Hawaiian sun glowing on her sundress. If his jaw was clenched in desire and his hands were shaking with the need to get her out of that dress, no one noticed—except maybe her—because all eyes were on her, and hers on him.
She’d agonized over wearing a white dress. “Evan,” she’d despaired, “it seems a little ridiculous to wear white since I’ve already been married once and now I’m knocked up. I mean, come on.”
“But only one other person knows about that last part,” he’d told her, grazing a knuckle over the little bulge of her belly. The fact that his baby was growing in there made him happier than anything in his entire life ever had.
“I saw your mom looking at me funny, Evan. She was looking at my boobs.”
And he’d cleared his throat and stuttered that it was kind of hard not to. Which had made her sock him.
They were keeping Kelsey’s pregnancy quiet until after the wedding, not out of shame or any desire to fool anyone—though it was quite possible Kelsey’s mother would faint dead away when she found out—but because they didn’t want all the focus to be on that detail today. They had six more months to celebrate their impending arrival. Today was for them.
If any of the guests had been looking closely, they might have noticed that when the wind blew just right, Kelsey’s flowing dress rippled back and molded to the slight swell of her stomach. She held her bouquet of calla lilies down low trying to conceal it. God, she was so lovely she made his chest ache, her spiraled hair gathered softly at the nape of her neck, the sun glistening on her tanned shoulders. A pink lei hung around her slender throat. It was a struggle for Evan to swallow around the dryness in his mouth.
He’d worn solid white, too, to appease her, and because she’d told him it looked unbelievably sexy on him. He didn’t know so much about that, but whatever made her happy.
And thank God he’d talked Brian into dying the damn blue streak out of his hair, just for this one event. Though his brother vowed that in return he was going to dye every strand of it blue. Or red or purple, he hadn’t decided yet. Maybe a Mohawk. He’d brought Michelle to Hawaii with him, and she looked astoundingly normal. She was also madly in love with Brian. Poor girl. But at least he was working hard on opening his own tattoo parlor.
Lisa, proud matron of honor and the sole bearer of their secret, was practically bouncing in her spot as Evan shook hands with Kelsey’s father and drew his bride up beside him for their vows. Kelsey’s fingers were trembling and he gave them a reassuring squeeze. She wasn’t crying yet. She didn’t cry until they were pronounced husband and wife. And then he didn’t have to wait to be told to kiss his bride. She threw her arms around him and kissed her groom amidst cheers and whoops and applause. And kissed him and kissed him. Lisa threatened to grab Kelsey’s lei to drag her off.
When Evan led her back up the aisle of seats set up on the beach, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “How are you feeling?”
“I didn’t blow chunks during the ceremony, so we’re good,” she hissed back through her smile. They laughed and the photographer snapped a picture—that was going to be a good one. No one would ever know they’d been smiling and laughing at one another while whispering about the possibility of her throwing up during the wedding. It might not seem the smartest thing, scheduling it for the morning given her condition, but hell—she was afflicted with morning sickness, noon sickness, night sickness…so any time they picked would’ve been a crapshoot. And he hadn’t liked the thought of her suffering out here through the worst of the day’s heat.
They held a brunch at the resort for their families and friends who had flown out, during which they entertained them by smearing cake all over one another and generally being incapable of keeping their hands off each other. Evan was careful not to agitate Kelsey’s equilibrium during their first dance as a married couple.
Brian managed to get through a surprisingly eloquent toast without calling Evan an assortment of epithets even once. Lisa dropped no less than two-dozen hints about the baby in her own toast, which was about the beauty of friendship blossoming into love. Kelsey only had to run and throw up once. By then the mimosas were flowing and no one even noticed her flee, but to Evan it was an effective end to the festivities. He had a wife now, and he needed to take care of her.
Lisa ducked into the ladies’ room to get Kelsey washed up and presentable again while Evan waited in the hallway, and by the time they emerged she looked just as fresh and lovely as she had on the beach.
“Sorry,” she whispered to him, her expression pained. “It’s the smell of the food. Even though I want to eat every bite of it.”
“Yep,” Lisa said, nodding in fond remembrance.
“Honey, I’m sorry you’re having the day spoiled for you like this.”
“Oh, no! It’s not spoiled. Nothing could spoil today for me.” She put her hand on her belly and smiled at him. “It’s worth it.”
Lisa erupted in tears and pulled them both in for a hug. “Oh my God, y’all are so sweeeeet!”
“Lisa,” Kelsey wheezed around the shoulder in her throat. “I’m the hormonal one. I know it’s usually the other way around…”
Kelsey, are you all right?
No! Evan—
Just stay away from them until I get there, do you hear me? I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll kill that son of a bitch for doing this to you.
She nodded. “I remember.” He’d always seemed far angrier over Todd hurting her than any wrong done to himself.
“He really did me a favor, and I knew it. But you were hurt, and you needed time to get over it. I wanted to make sure you were. You scared me, though.” He trailed a finger down her cheek, the gesture full of meaning.
Kelsey scoffed. “If you had told me how you felt all those years ago, I never would have left that party with him. I’d have stayed with you.”
“I know that now, and yes, I feel like that much more of a dumbass because of it.”
“Don’t. No more of that. Let’s just look ahead.” But they could talk about it now, she realized. She could think of her college days and the Todd-and-Courtney fiasco without the slow burn of fury slithering through her, or feeling like she wanted to hit something. Or just shutting down completely. Finally, the wall between her and Evan was broken down, and in its place was a connection she never could have imagined.
“Sounds good.” He reached across to link his fingers through hers, never letting go as he navigated the damp streets.
A new thought struck her as he pulled into a parking space at their favorite restaurant. “One more thing, though…you never did read everything I wrote about you.”
He put the truck in Park, smiled and leaned over to kiss her. “I don’t have to. Every time I look at you now, I can see it all.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Evan didn’t think he’d ever seen Kelsey look more beautiful than on their wedding day. He stood on the beach with Brian at his side and watched her slow approach, a dream in white with the morning Hawaiian sun glowing on her sundress. If his jaw was clenched in desire and his hands were shaking with the need to get her out of that dress, no one noticed—except maybe her—because all eyes were on her, and hers on him.
She’d agonized over wearing a white dress. “Evan,” she’d despaired, “it seems a little ridiculous to wear white since I’ve already been married once and now I’m knocked up. I mean, come on.”
“But only one other person knows about that last part,” he’d told her, grazing a knuckle over the little bulge of her belly. The fact that his baby was growing in there made him happier than anything in his entire life ever had.
“I saw your mom looking at me funny, Evan. She was looking at my boobs.”
And he’d cleared his throat and stuttered that it was kind of hard not to. Which had made her sock him.
They were keeping Kelsey’s pregnancy quiet until after the wedding, not out of shame or any desire to fool anyone—though it was quite possible Kelsey’s mother would faint dead away when she found out—but because they didn’t want all the focus to be on that detail today. They had six more months to celebrate their impending arrival. Today was for them.
If any of the guests had been looking closely, they might have noticed that when the wind blew just right, Kelsey’s flowing dress rippled back and molded to the slight swell of her stomach. She held her bouquet of calla lilies down low trying to conceal it. God, she was so lovely she made his chest ache, her spiraled hair gathered softly at the nape of her neck, the sun glistening on her tanned shoulders. A pink lei hung around her slender throat. It was a struggle for Evan to swallow around the dryness in his mouth.
He’d worn solid white, too, to appease her, and because she’d told him it looked unbelievably sexy on him. He didn’t know so much about that, but whatever made her happy.
And thank God he’d talked Brian into dying the damn blue streak out of his hair, just for this one event. Though his brother vowed that in return he was going to dye every strand of it blue. Or red or purple, he hadn’t decided yet. Maybe a Mohawk. He’d brought Michelle to Hawaii with him, and she looked astoundingly normal. She was also madly in love with Brian. Poor girl. But at least he was working hard on opening his own tattoo parlor.
Lisa, proud matron of honor and the sole bearer of their secret, was practically bouncing in her spot as Evan shook hands with Kelsey’s father and drew his bride up beside him for their vows. Kelsey’s fingers were trembling and he gave them a reassuring squeeze. She wasn’t crying yet. She didn’t cry until they were pronounced husband and wife. And then he didn’t have to wait to be told to kiss his bride. She threw her arms around him and kissed her groom amidst cheers and whoops and applause. And kissed him and kissed him. Lisa threatened to grab Kelsey’s lei to drag her off.
When Evan led her back up the aisle of seats set up on the beach, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “How are you feeling?”
“I didn’t blow chunks during the ceremony, so we’re good,” she hissed back through her smile. They laughed and the photographer snapped a picture—that was going to be a good one. No one would ever know they’d been smiling and laughing at one another while whispering about the possibility of her throwing up during the wedding. It might not seem the smartest thing, scheduling it for the morning given her condition, but hell—she was afflicted with morning sickness, noon sickness, night sickness…so any time they picked would’ve been a crapshoot. And he hadn’t liked the thought of her suffering out here through the worst of the day’s heat.
They held a brunch at the resort for their families and friends who had flown out, during which they entertained them by smearing cake all over one another and generally being incapable of keeping their hands off each other. Evan was careful not to agitate Kelsey’s equilibrium during their first dance as a married couple.
Brian managed to get through a surprisingly eloquent toast without calling Evan an assortment of epithets even once. Lisa dropped no less than two-dozen hints about the baby in her own toast, which was about the beauty of friendship blossoming into love. Kelsey only had to run and throw up once. By then the mimosas were flowing and no one even noticed her flee, but to Evan it was an effective end to the festivities. He had a wife now, and he needed to take care of her.
Lisa ducked into the ladies’ room to get Kelsey washed up and presentable again while Evan waited in the hallway, and by the time they emerged she looked just as fresh and lovely as she had on the beach.
“Sorry,” she whispered to him, her expression pained. “It’s the smell of the food. Even though I want to eat every bite of it.”
“Yep,” Lisa said, nodding in fond remembrance.
“Honey, I’m sorry you’re having the day spoiled for you like this.”
“Oh, no! It’s not spoiled. Nothing could spoil today for me.” She put her hand on her belly and smiled at him. “It’s worth it.”
Lisa erupted in tears and pulled them both in for a hug. “Oh my God, y’all are so sweeeeet!”
“Lisa,” Kelsey wheezed around the shoulder in her throat. “I’m the hormonal one. I know it’s usually the other way around…”
