(Present)

When I wake up, I find myself in a hospital bed. Shay is the very first person I see. She takes my hand in hers and kisses my forehead.

“I don’t know what you were trying to do, Logan, but even death won’t get you out of marrying me,” she jokes as tears fall down her face.

“Oh well, can’t blame a guy for trying,” I reply, suddenly aware of the dull ache throughout my body.

Shay notices me wincing. “The bullet missed your spine, thankfully. They were able to get it out but you’ll feel like hell for a while. That’s what the doctor said. I was too busy praying you’d be okay to listen closely,” she admits. I ask her about Kat and she tells me Banshee was able to locate her and that she’s safe and sound. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“There’s been some news while you were under. Banshee and Wyatt worked together and they were able to find the source of the leak—the assistant district attorney.”

“The one who helped you prepare for the trail?” I ask.

“Yeah, they followed the money and he’d been on Malone’s payroll for over a year now. They arrested him earlier this morning.”

“Good, saves me the trouble of having to—” I stop midsentence.

I hear my mom’s voice approaching my room. She enters looking elegant as usual and worried—as usual. “You boys just keep making an old lady worry. You know Ruth Nortel, from my book club? Her son is an orthodontist. She never has to run to the hospital and watch them dig bullets out of her child. Her son loves her enough to be safe,” she says dramatically. Shay laughs and I roll my eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Shay says tenderly.

“It’s not your fault I got shot,” I promise her.

“No, I’m sorry about what you’re gonna have to do,” she says.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your mom was so upset when Wyatt told her you were hurt, we had to find a way to keep her calm and to take her mind off your operation,” Shay replies.

“That’s okay, babe, what did you have to do to get her to stay calm?”

“Well…” she says as she looks away. My mom is smiling and I’m sensing I’m not gonna like what Shay has to say.

“Shay, what did you say to get my mom to stay calm?” I ask again.

Wyatt enters my hospital room. “So, you’re taking part in the bachelor auction?” He laughs.

“Shay, you didn’t!” I beg.

“She did,” my mom says, beaming. “She vowed that you would be there and take part. Oh and by the way, Logan, this year there will be a swimsuit aspect—so, get ready,” my mom adds. Shay laughs, as does Wyatt.

Why didn’t I let Malone kill me?

***

When I get out of the hospital, Shay moves back in with me. The first thing we do is put the tin soldier on the windowsill of our bedroom. But this time we don’t just place him there; we glue him to the surface. That way, the soldier, like our union, will be there forever.

I wanted to get her something she’d really love, so once she was all moved in and settled, I told her to be ready for a surprise. She tried to get it out of me but I told her she’d just have to wait until I got home later that night.

I have never met a woman as impatient as Shay Reed. She is seriously incapable of waiting for anything. She called and texted me six times begging for a clue. I told her she was out of luck and would have to wait. When I come home, I stand in the doorway watching her tear our bedroom apart looking for her gift.

She’s flipping things over, looking in drawers and under the mattress. She is shameless in her desperation. I even watch her very enticing ass wiggle under the bed in hopes of finding the mysterious object.

“Anika!” I shout.

She wiggles herself out from under the bed. “I was looking for a sock that I lost earlier today,” she lies.

I can’t help but laugh at her. “You are hopeless!” I reply.

“Okay, okay. Maybe I was looking for the gift you got me.”

“I told you I’d give it to you when I got home.”

“I know but that meant I had to wait for hours and well, I suck at that,” she admits.

“Yeah, I can see that,” I joke as I help her up. I pull her in for a kiss and as soon as we touch, I want more. I bite my lower lip as my hands slide down her ass. I skim the base of her neck with my tongue and she sighs. But she backs away too quickly and leaves me wanting.

“No, first you have to tell me where my gift is,” she says.

“Nope, not gonna happen. You’ve been a bad girl. So I think we’ll make you wait for your gift—until tomorrow,” I tease.

“Okay, well since I don’t have a gift to please me, I guess I’ll have to find a way to please myself,” she says as she reaches for the remote and turns on our sound system; soulful, hypnotic music plays softly in the background. She begins to strip her clothes off, never once taking her eyes off me. I swallow hard as she stands before me in nothing but her burgundy bra and panties.

She climbs onto the bed and lies on her back. My heart is pounding so hard, I expect it to jump out of my chest at any moment. She tugs on the cups of her bra and exposes her bare breasts. I lick my lips and bite down. She fondles her breasts. Her nipples harden. My dick twitches. She slides her other hand down her stomach and into her panties.

Jesus Christ…

I’m so damn hard, I need to unzip or chance tearing though my jeans. She slips her finger between her pussy lips and begins to massage her clit. My knees are weak, my nostrils flare, and I’m fucking lightheaded. I watch her rub her clit with one hand and stroke a nipple with the other. A deep, animal-like growl emerges from my throat. I slide my hand down my cock, which is now stiffer than it’s ever been before. She grinds her ass deeper into the bed as her fingers explore her pussy. I strip my jeans completely off and gaze at the most stunning woman I’ve ever met.

Goddamn it, I’m a lucky man.

She starts to whimper and cry out as the tension builds between her legs. Shit. Watching her get so turned on is fucking hot as hell. She closes her eyes and screams my name; I can’t take it anymore. But my future wife is a freak in the most complimentary sense of the word; she does not let me embed myself in her. Instead, she sits up and takes my hard, ready cock into her mouth—every inch of it.

God help me…

The fantastic suction from her mouth, the satin feel of her tongue, and her enthusiasm send me into another world. Her mouth pays special attention to all the right spots. I grab a handful of her hair so I won’t fucking float away. She grabs hold of my hips and brings me even further into her mouth. A ball of heat and lust grow from the deepest fucking part of me. I can’t take this shit anymore. I speak in a voice so deep, I don’t recognize it.

“Anika, you’re the goddamn devil,” I growl as she pushes me over the edge. I come so hard, I momentarily black out. When I come to, I’m lying on the bed beside her. Tingling all over.

“Are you prepared to give me my gift now?” she asks playfully.

“Baby, I’ll give you my goddamn kidney,” I reply in a dazed whisper. She smiles lazily. She’s still naked, and as hard as I came, I can’t help but want her yet again. She knows that. She takes my hand and places it between her legs. Shit. She’s soaking wet. That’s all it takes for us to go yet another round. We make love for the rest of the weekend…

***

“Where did you hide it? Is it even in this house? Is it at your mom’s? No, that’s too easy,” she says Monday morning over breakfast. I knew it would be her first question, so the night before, I called Banshee and he’s on his way now with her gift.

“I hope you didn’t leave the gift with Kat. She’s gone,” Shay says as she drinks her coffee.

“Where’d she go?” I ask.

“You know how she’s been trying to get her husband, Sam, to be more romantic and spice up their marriage?”

“I recall something to that effect,” I joke.

“Well it turns out having your wife kidnapped and almost killed really sparks up a marriage. The thought that she could have died really made him wake up.”

“So she and Sam are good now?”

“Oh yeah. It’s all she can do to get him off of her. He is the one who suggested they go on a second honeymoon. And he said to her, ‘Honey, all the stuff you been buying online to bring into the bedroom—pack them too.’”

“Wow, I bet Kat was on fucking cloud nine after hearing that.”

“Yes! She called me from the airport on their way to Paris. One of the toys she bought online went off while they were going through security. Kat was mortified but the TSA agent complimented her on her choice of vibrators. Apparently the ‘Happy Kitty’ is the best brand out there,” she says.

“Well, nice to know.”

“How was your first day back at work?” she asks.

“It was good. I didn’t know how much I missed it until I went back.”

“I bumped into Wyatt and he told me Jack is back in town for a while, visiting his family,” she says carefully.

“I heard that too—and before you lecture, I called him already and we’re gonna grab a beer before he leaves town.”

“You talked to him? That’s great. How is he? Does he like Chicago? Did you meet his wife? Is she nice? She better be because he’s such a good guy.”

“From what I hear, she’s really nice and he’s happy in Chicago. Hey, why didn’t you tell me the New York Times was doing an article on your program?”

“I didn’t know until this morning. It’s all your mom’s doing. She made a few calls. It worked out great because the phones have been ringing like crazy. There are six companies that want to partner with us. I’d love to be able to provide grants so that some of the women can have help going back to school or maybe we could pay for day care for the kids. I’m not sure how I want to implement everything yet. Now, where’s my gift?!”

“Okay, you’ve waited long enough. I’ll go get it. Banshee texted me, he’s outside waiting. You stay here,” I warn her. I run down the stairs and make her close her eyes before I enter the house again.

“Can I look?” she asks, sounding like a kid.

“It’s not a big gift but it’s something you like very much—a Pop-Tart.”

“Oh,” she says, slightly disappointed as she lowers her eyes. She stops cold when she sees the small puppy in my hands.

“Oh my God, who is this?” she says as she takes him from my arms.

“This is Pop-Tart,” I reply.

The moment my woman laid eyes on that puppy, she forgot about me. In fact, I think she forgot about the world itself. The two of them are in love with each other. If Pop-Tart were a guy, I’d have killed him for looking at my woman that way. Seriously though, the two of them are ridiculously cute together. Shay thanks me and runs off to see what we have in the house to feed him.

While I listen to the two of them playing around, I feel like I’m finally happy. I have the woman I love and I have my family. I look over at the small locked metal box that contains my sister’s gift. She said to open it when I was beyond happy and satisfied—I can’t think of a better time. I walk over to the drawer and open the lockbox. Inside is a gold-and-black-colored package. I read the card attached, written in my little sister’s handwriting.

I unwrap the gift—it’s my red fire truck.

“Rose, you little thief!” I laugh and cry at the same fucking time. “I fucking love you, sis. I love you very much…” I say out loud, knowing in my heart, she hears me.

Shay rushes into the living room with Pop-Tart right on her heels. “Logan, what’s wrong?” she asks as she places her hand on the side of my face. I tell her that I opened Rose’s gift. And I show her the red fire truck.

“Rose took it?” Shay laughs. I nod and let her read the card. She tears up and asks if I’m okay.

“Yeah, I’m great. I can’t believe she had it all this time.”

“Well, now you finally have your truck.”

“I don’t need the truck, babe. I have you, so…I have everything.”