Chapter Seventeen
Dereck jumped out of the car the next afternoon and sped for the front door of his uncle's house. Even though Jill had called him last night and told him she was fine, there was something in her voice that had set his nerves on edge. He'd taken the wheel from Xander and they'd driven all night to get here.
He burst through the front door. "Jill!"
"What?" She came around the kitchen counter with a plate in her hands. "Why are you acting crazy?"
He crossed the room in three strides and yanked her against him, knocking the plate out of her hand. It shattered on the kitchen floor, but he didn't care.
"I was so God damn scared."
She hugged him back, her back shaking beneath his hands, most likely with laughter. "Why? I told you I was fine."
Dereck pulled away from her and took a deep calming breath.
Then frowned. There were light bruises on her face and her lip had a faint cut on the bottom.
"What happened to your face."
"Nothing, baby."
"It's not nothing." He sniffed deeply and growled. "And why does my uncle’s home smell like bear?"
Jill rubbed her hands over his back soothingly. "Because Gunner spent the night."
Dereck scowled at her. "Who is Gunner?"
"The werebear son of the man who tried to kill you."
Her tone was so light and airy that at first, he thought he'd heard wrong. "What?"
"Yeah, no big deal, I just talked Ace into using me as bait."
"What?" His voice rose, and his temple throbbed as the blood rushed to his head.
"Then Gunner shot Ace and took me."
Dereck grabbed her hands, and pulled them from around him, putting space between them. "What?!"
"Oh, it was fine. I woke up tied to a bed and then his dad came home, threatened me, and Gunner killed him. Then we cut Ace down, since he had him hanging upside down from the ceiling and made it home in time to order some burgers from Howlers."
Dereck stared at her, unblinking. Nothing she'd said made one wit of sense, especially with the inflection in her voice being so cheery.
"So, since he saved us and let Ace go, I had him stay here for the night while I went back to my place. Then Ace and Gunner got up early and left. Ace is driving him to Wyoming to a clan of werebears he knows. They've offered to take him in and give him a home." She squeezed his hands and gave him a dazzling smile. "I am sorry the two of you didn't get to meet. The poor kid has had a rough life."
Jill leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. "My only regret is I forgot to look through Ace's special bag while he was sleeping last night. Do you know what's in it?"
He released her hands, his gaze locked on her throat. Dereck's hands stopped their progression from her arms to her shoulders. Any higher, and he might strangle her.
Taking a long, shaking breath, he finally spoke with a calm he did not feel. "You set a trap, almost got Ace and yourself killed, and then you helped your kidnapper make a better life for himself. Do I have that right?"
Jill looked up at the ceiling, tapping her finger against her chin. As if truly considering if that was everything. "Pretty much."
Frustration and fury bubbled up inside Dereck until he exploded. "Woman! Are you out of your damn mind?"
The front door shut with a thud behind them, but Dereck didn't even turn around. He had been stuck in a car, worrying about her and she had been risking her life after he specifically asked her not to.
Nothing was going to distract him from that!
"I feel like I'm interrupting something," Xander said.
"We're fine, Xand. You can go home," Jill said.
"You sure? Dereck looks ready to throttle you."
Jill did something behind his back, probably a wave. "No, we're alright."
"Okay. Take it easy."
The door shut once more and Dereck squeezed her shoulders in his palms.
"I was over twenty-five hours away. You could have died and there was nothing I could do to stop it."
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "But I didn't. I told you, I'll never be a victim again. Bad shit happens. People die. We get hurt. That doesn't mean we should play it safe. Sometimes, you have to take risks to get things done."
Dereck released a shaky breath and pressed his forehead to hers. "The next time you want to take a risk, can it not be a crazy plan that puts you alone in a room with a killer?"
She tilted her lips up and kissed him softly. "Sure, as long as you promise that the next time you go on some huge, supernatural smackdown, you take me with you."
His breath whooshed out in an exhausted laugh. "Oh, I'm never leaving you again. I'm going to have you surgically attached to me."
"Sounds painful," she deadpanned.
"If it keeps you close to me, it's worth it."
Jill laid her cheek on his chest. "If you want to keep me close, it's really simple."
"Oh yeah?"
Jill took a hold of his arms and brought them to her waist. "Hold me."
He squeezed her tight. "Check."
"Kiss me."
He did, tenderly.
"Done," he murmured against her lips.
"Love me."
"Sure. Let's go upstairs."
When he started to pull away she held fast. "No. I mean, tell me you love me. Because the reason I did all of this crazy stuff that scared the hell out of you is that I love you so much, I would die to keep you safe."
He stilled.
"Unless you don't," she said. "In which case, sorry to put you on the spot."
Dereck's grip tightened.
"Yes."
Her gaze jerked up to meet his. "Yes?"
"Yes, I love you. I didn't just drive twenty-six straight hours because I think you're swell. I did it because the thought of being without you was unbearable. When I imagine my future now, you're a key part of it."
Jill grinned broadly. "Staring role, huh?"
"Yep. I need you to play the part of my wife."
"What?"
Dereck kissed her forehead. "Multiple parts. My friend. My lover." He took her lips once more. "Mother of my future children."
"How many children are we talking?"
"One or two."
Her hands traveled down to his pants, playing with the button. "I don't know. I was thinking about your parents, and five sure does have a nice ring to it."
He stared at her, horrified. "No."
"What?" she said, laughing.
"We are not having five children."
Her hand slipped inside his pants and she squeezed his cock with a coy look.
"We'll see.”
Epilogue
Seven-Years-Later
Dereck walked through the front door of his home and was met with chaos.
Complete and utter chaos.
He peeked around the corner, trying to stay out of sight as he assessed the situation.
"Mom! Gage kicked me!" His oldest son, Kale, hollered from the living room.
Dereck spotted his wife, who glared from the kitchen table, where she was strapping three-year-old Cort into his high chair.
"Did you kick him?"
Gage, standing a foot away from his brother, grinned sheepishly. "Yeah."
"Apologize and come sit down."
Dereck watched as Gage faced his brother and said, "I'm sorry."
With his eyes crossed.
"Mom, he's making that face again!"
A high pitched wail sounded from down the hall and Jill stood up with a groan.
"Can you two stop fighting for five minutes? Please?"
The two of them glanced at each other as if telepathically choosing their answer.
"No,” they said in unison.
Dereck decided to have mercy on her and came around the corner. "Evening, baby."
Jill smiled at him, an exhausted, happy smile. "Hi, honey."
The twins hollered, "Dad!"
Before he knew it, he had two six-year-olds launching themselves into his arms.
"Whoa, you two are getting too heavy for this." He pretended he was going to drop them, and they squealed with laughter. They weren't identical. Gage had dark hair and hazel eyes while Kale's hair was a dusty blond and the same mud brown eyes as Dereck. Both boys had inherited their mother's smile and their father's temper, though.
Jill handed Cort his sippy and a toy, kissing the top of his brown curls. He flailed his chubby arms and his cup went flying.
She picked it up and set it back on the tray. When he was preoccupied, she came over to say hello. Lifting up on her tiptoes, he met her halfway with a long, slow kiss.
The boys in his arms started hacking and gagging.
"Gross!"
"Yuck, mom!"
Jill pulled away with a laugh. "Hey, I can kiss your daddy anytime I want."
"That's how you get cooties," Gage said solemnly.
Jill tickled his armpits and Dereck almost dropped him when he started squirming. "I'll remember that when I come tuck you in and you ask for a kiss."
"But you don't kiss me on the lips!"
Dereck raised an eyebrow at her. "Still want to try for that fifth kid?"
"No way. You stay away from me."
"No chance in hell of that happening."
Jill giggled. "Can you get them to the table while I grab Aspen?"
"Yeah, sure." He watched her disappear down the hallway, her hips swaying in a pair of tight yoga pants. After four pregnancies, she could still slay him with just that simple shake of her ass.
Once he'd dropped the boys down in their chairs, he started carrying the dishes over and set them in the center of the table. Over the last seven years, Dereck and Jill had built a really good life in Twilight. They'd sold Jill's three bedroom for a five-bedroom down the mountain. It sat on six acres with trees and a creek running through the back. Dereck had insisted on working, refusing to be a trophy husband. He'd taken a job at Twilight towing, and two years ago, Jill and his parents had surprised him by buying the business when the owner was ready to sell. He'd refused to accept at first, but Jill had just thrown the papers at him and told him to stop being a stubborn ass.
Dereck had eventually accepted it, grudgingly and it was decent money. Jill insisted they didn't need him to work, but understood he needed it for his sanity. He had two employees, one to handle the office and another to help him with calls. Most weeks he only worked about twenty-five hours a week. The hours were flexible and most nights, he was home to help Jill with the kids.
Jill had received several phone calls over the years, begging her to come back for a television reboot or a new reality show she would be perfect for. She always said no, even when he told her he’d support her. She assured him one night while they were lying in bed that she got enough attention from their kids; the thought of dealing with a bunch of demanding strangers just didn’t do it for her anymore. They didn’t talk about it after that, but Dereck had been relieved. He wanted her to be happy, but he also didn’t know what he’d do if she were gone filming for long periods of time. If the time came when she changed her mind, he’d support her, but until then, he appreciated coming home to her every night.
Jill returned with their eleven-month-old daughter on her hip. Aspen was a joy, always smiling. Her short tufts of red hair stuck up all over from her nap and her chin was covered in drool, mostly because of all the teeth she had coming in.
"Well, hey beautiful. Wanna come see Daddy?" Dereck held his arms out and Jill handed off the smiling infant to him.
"Thanks, maybe I'll actually get to eat before my food goes cold."
As they sat around the table, the twins started talking over each other. Not to be left out, Cort threw a handful of mash potatoes at Gage to get his attention. Aspen banged her chubby hands on the table with an ear-splitting squeal.
And through it all, Jill spoke calmly. "Boys, one at a time. Cort, we eat our food, not throw it. You tell them, Aspy."
Dereck stared at her, wondering how he could ever have thought that this was anything short of heaven.
He took a hold of her hand and when she turned his way, he kissed her. He ignored the boys' protests but pulled away with another soft peck.
"What was that for?" she whispered.
"Because I love you."
"That's it?"
Dereck lifted her hand to his lips. "Jilly, that is everything."