Sully

I wake up with a hangover and a pounding in my skull that rivals a jackhammer for effectiveness and groan when I raise my hand to my face.

I groan again, wondering if my entire body is numb when my hand doesn’t reach it and then roar in pain when I try again only to have my nuts scream a protest.

Something is wrong, very wrong and it takes me a minute or two of blinking before my brain fires up and two things become very clear to me.

The first is that my hands are stuck to my balls. I peer down, moving only my aching head and yep, my hands are cradling my sac and definitely not moving.

The second is that I need to pee, badly and I have morning wood that is not going to allow for that unless I want a face full of urine.

I’m adding a third that almost makes me have a heart attack because, I pant in panic, I look up and see my Kimmy sitting in the chair by the window, her face devoid of all expression.

“Jesus, Kim! What the fuck?” I yell, wincing when I go to sit up and my nut’s pull against whatever adhesive she used to do this.

“You skipped our engagement party to go and see a woman who may or may not have been knocked up with your spawn, left me there to explain your absence, and then came home to get shitfaced without calling me.”

It’s a statement, not a question and I cringe at the latent fury I see in her glowing eyes. It’s not even dawn yet, it’s still dark and those eyes, man I think they’re glowing on fire.

“Babe, I–”

“Now I know she’s not knocked up and that you’re just friends because me and Bay went over to have a nice chat with her, but see…” she muses, making me swallow when she rises and takes a step towards the bed. “You didn’t call and you sure as shit didn’t bother to once think about how I would feel walking into an engagement party only to have the guy I was expecting to propose to me running away to go see another chick!” she yells, the last part coming out on a hiss.

I feel like shit, I do but…

“Baby, I panicked! She called and told me she was pregnant, and that was all I could think about, but I never intended–”

“I give less than two shits what you intended, Sully. You left me there. It took me a while to trust you, and I did, and you took all that trust I placed in you, shit on it, and then ground it beneath your two-hundred-dollar loafers. I am so mad at you, Sully,” she breathes, and I cringe because I would like nothing more than to go to her and hold her right now, but I can’t.

“Kimmy, babe get this shit off my nuts so we can talk.”

“Get it off your own nuts! I hope you rip your nuts apart trying to get to the bathroom,” she hisses, dropping my cell next to me on the bed before she turns and walks away.

“Kim!”

I don’t hear anything but her heels clicking and the door slamming when it hits me, I just screwed up my relationship by being an ass, my hands are stuck to my nuts, and any chance I had with Kim is gone.

And for what? I knew when Sienna Bryce texted me and I called her back that she wasn’t pregnant with my kid, but I went anyway because…part of me was looking for a reason to run. By the time I got to her place I was already set on what the truth was, but I had to see her just to make sure.

No, she’s not having my kid but us being friends she didn’t have anyone else to turn to. I helped her see that she has to tell whoever the father is and that I would help her out with some money since she’s not doing so well after she was laid off a month ago.

That done I came home and drank about half a bottle of whiskey, feeling like an ass, ignoring my phone that didn’t stop ringing until after midnight and knowing that I am screwed.

I never expected to wake up this way, stupid of me really knowing Kim. In fact, I think I had myself convinced just before I passed out that I could make this up to Kim.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon, if ever.

My chest goes tight and aches with the knowledge that I’ve lost everything I wanted because of one moment of fear, and I roll over on the bed, ignoring the pull in my nuts as devastation hits me. No way, no how is she forgiving me for this.

I just lost my woman, and the hard truth is I may have done it on purpose because as I’ve proven over and over again, I always try to hurt her before she can hurt me.

Fuck.

The next hour is a study in patience, pain and the very real possibility that Kim may be the most evil woman I have ever met. I had to shuffle to the bathroom on my knees to avoid ripping my sac, I chipped a tooth getting the faucet on, and I almost killed myself with hot water after doing a Google search with my nose and finding out that the glue Kim used can be dissolved with water.

A lot of water.

Four hours in the bathtub soaking glue off my nuts was no picnic. I think the skin just shriveled to the point the glue had nothing to hold onto anymore.

After I finally got that sorted, I tried calling Kimmy another ten times and ended up having Bayou answer and tell me in that creepy voice just what she planned to do to me once she got Kim to stop crying.

I felt like shit then, believe you me because I knew that if Kim was crying, I was truly fucked.

“Jesus, what the hell happened to you?” Cord yells when I open the door and he, Ky, and Jeff storm in, glaring at me as well as giving me some very concerned looks.

“I drank myself into passing out last night after I screwed up my own engagement party, woke up with my hands glued to my nuts and a very unhappy Kimberly glaring at me,” I say, deciding to get it all out in a nutshell because they’ll just badger me to death until I do. “Oh, and Sienna texted me last night to tell me she’s pregnant and needs my help, so I ran out of there like a bat out of hell, using the first excuse to bounce because I’m a stinking coward and I don’t deserve Kim anyway. No, it’s not my baby. She’s been seeing that douche nozzle Zac–”

“I knew I shoulda just killed that fucker,” Ky grates, making me smile for the first time all morning.

“Yeah, well it’s not my goddamn problem, something I shoulda realized oh about halfway to her house when it hit me I couldn’t possibly be the father of her kid. I should have stayed put, proposed to Kim and taken it like a man when she turned me down,” I sigh, stalking to the kitchen to grab a beer.

I give each of them one and narrow my eyes when they cringe and look down at the floor.

“What?”

“Dude, she was gonna say yes,” Cord mumbles making my knees threaten to buckle beneath me.

I feel my face pale and go absolutely stark as all the blood drains from my body. It’s one of those truly terrifying moments in life when I feel as if my whole stomach just fell out my ass and nothing I can do will rectify it.

“Cord…”

“Jack told me that Kim already knew about the ring and she was all excited, and she was going to say yes if you asked and, dude, you so fucked up,” he sighs, squeezing my shoulder when I fall into a chair and just breathe because it’s all I can do.

“I…fuck,” I mutter, dropping my head back as it all hits me.

“She was going to say yes? My Kim? The woman who put a snake in my truck and told me she’d rather use pliers on her toenails than commit to a guy?” I ask again, needing to clarify this because I still can’t quite believe it.

“Man, she ran in there and yelled ‘come on and propose then you sappy asshole,’” Ky sighs, cringing as if the memory is still painful.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah man.”

“Oh God.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s never going to look at me again.”

“Dude, I think that should make you grateful seeing as she’s probably even now digging a hole in the woods for your corpse.”

I groan and drop my head on the table because shit, I am so screwed.

 

*****

 

Kim

“I said fuck off!” I screech, panting as I slam the shovel into the earth and hurl a clod of dirt over my shoulder.

My arms are burning like hell, and I’ve sweat enough that my shirt is plastered to my back and pits like a second skin. But I feel good with every single shovel of dirt and the deeper the hole gets, the better I feel.

“Kimmy, baby, come out of there so mama can give you a Vicodin and some bourbon. That’ll make my sweet feel better,” she says, wringing her hands together when I grunt and keep going. “Kimberly! Get your ass out of there right this minute and stop being foolish. You cannot bury a body in my backyard.”

I snarl, still digging and grimace at the state of my once purple heels, deciding that digging a grave is not something one does in heels, but man, I do it in style, I think with a snort, tossing a clump of dirt right at mama.

She hops back, curses, and throws her hands up as if begging for patience.

“Kimberly! This is no time to be doing this. We’ll be late, and dammit, you smell bad. You still need to shower, have your hair and makeup done and get dressed,” Jack screams, her slight baby belly making her dress tight over her middle.

I told her she looks like she swallowed a football, Bay told her she should have swallowed, and mama and Dee keep crying which makes Dee mad and mama unhinged because they both despise crying. Only criers we have are Jack and dad, and those two do enough of it for us all.

“I’m almost done. God, fuck off and just let me finish,” I hiss, using the shovel to flatten the last of the dirt before scrambling out of the hole and dusting my hands off.

I seriously do not know how serial killers do that shit because my arms are sore, my hands are going to blister, and my body feels like it’s about to give in from exhaustion. I am done though, and I feel really good about it.

I walk into the house and grab a quick shower before letting Bay dry and curl my hair while Jack and Dee apply foundation, blusher, and some shimmery eyeshadow that makes my eyes pop.

Getting dressed fast, as not to make mama break out in hives again, I slip on a pair of hot pink heels with green polka dots and take a quick look at my reflection before calling it all good.

It is good, I look all put together and hot, nothing like the woman who intends to bury a body in a little over an hour.

“You are so nuts,” Jack mutters, rolling her eyes when I grin because I hear the car pull up outside mama and dad’s house and stalk to the window to glance down.

Ky grins when I whoop and looks back at Cord and Jefferson who both look like they’re having second thoughts. Like I care they have a conscience.

“You should just rethink this. I mean this is crazy, Kimmy. Please. Please, just do this like a normal person with some sanity,” Jack pleads.

“You shut up and go get in place,” I bark, squaring my shoulders when I see the three men all struggling with Sully’s dead weight.

I’d feel bad about what they are doing for me, but I gave each fool a Brady favor to compensate them, so I only feel a smidge–okay well, I feel nothing but pleasure that I’m winning so I can’t even lie.

Mama is ringing her hands as we all walk downstairs, and I smile at daddy when he swipes at his eyes.

“Oh lamb, you look smashing,” he says in a weepy voice that has mama rolling her eyes.

“I know. Let’s do this,” I say, almost skipping with excitement when I hear cursing and a groan coming from the backyard.

We step out after five minutes of giving the men time to get everything accomplished, and I grin when I hear Sully curse and slur a WTF that makes all the guests snicker.

“Kim! Goddammit. Baby, this is just not right,” he yells, making dad shake with laughter.

“Your fault, Sully. You shoulda let me do this normal, but you had to go and hurt my feelings,” I yell down the makeshift aisle, finally getting a load of him where he’s planted in the dirt with only his head sticking out of the ground.

I’d bet a pair of my heels he’s about ready to go nuts from claustrophobia, but he plays along and doesn’t so much as struggle when the music comes on and dad starts waltzing me down the aisle.

The yard is packed with family and friends, Sully’s mama included, and may I say she’s taking this really well considering I just had her son drugged and planted like a tree.

I think I see her trying not to laugh as I get to the end of the aisle, drop down beside Sully and glare at preacher Ashton who is green and sweating like a pig.

I bet he’d refuse to do this, but mama has her gun trained right on him and well…he knows I’d just come after him.

Sully smiles at me, his face sallow but sporting a grin when I lean down to kiss him and bark at the good preacher to commence.

“This isn’t right–”

“I dug an honest to God grave just yonder beside the oak tree preacher. Don’t make me use it,” I threaten, laughing when Sully snorts and starts chuckling.

“Dearly beloved…”

“Yeah, yeah, get to the good part! Christ, I need out of here, asshole,” Sully yells, making me giggle when Ashton starts the I do part with a strangled voice.

We comply fast because I am so aware of Sully losing more color the longer he’s trapped, and I lean down to kiss him, sliding his wedding band on the finger of the hand I made sure to have Cord arrange above ground.

People cheer, hooting like a bunch of animals and I give Sully a whole lot of tongue before rising to go get my party on.

“Kim?”

“I’ll see you tonight for my honeymoon, asshole! You better be ready by then,” I yell, giggling when he starts yelling and cursing.

I give it ten before nodding to Ky that he can let the poor fool out of the ground and scream when he comes barreling my way covered in dirt, his eyes wild and promising retribution.

I try to run, noting distractedly that Jefferson isn’t letting Bay slow dance by herself, before I feel Sully grab me, throw me over his shoulder and storm into the house to the sound of cheering and mama cackling.

I land on my old bed, giggling when he shakes himself like a dog to rid himself of the sand and looms over me with a hot grin.

“You’ll pay for that. Mrs. Grimes.”

“Oh honey, make me,” I coo, screaming when he flips my dress up, rips my panties off and clamps his mouth to my sex.

“I love you. I’m sorry. Thank you,” he says in a rush before going back to my sex for a good long loving.

“Don’t try to run again, Grimes. I may not want all the sappy shit, but I demand it now that you’ve made me used to it. The next time you try to cut and run I really will let mama shoot you,” I pant, coming on his mouth with a scream and a full-body shudder.

Sully rears up over me, smiles and shoves home with a thrust that has my head slamming back into the bed.

“Never woman. Who’d help you look after the baby I’m about to give you?”

I smile, pushing closer and pull him onto me with a purr.

It’s not every day a Brady girl can claim to have trapped her man.

Face it, I was never destined to do a shotgun wedding the usual way.