Left (Left 1)

Prologue

Houston

I clasp my hands in front of me and rise on the pads of my feet, impatient for the bride to arrive in all her glory. After eight turbulent months of pregnancy, and another eight months of no sleep, Rain and I are finally exchanging vows and officially joining our lives. I knew from the moment she sashayed her way into my shop in a pair of tight jeans and a red and white checkered t-shirt she tied just above her belly button she was the one for me. Her melodic voice woke something in me as she pursued a job as a model for the upcoming car show.

With her deep pink cupid’s bow lips, round hazel eyes, wavy chestnut brown hair that falls around her slender oval-shaped face and a coke bottle frame, she’s a stunning woman. Still, it was her free-spirited nature, sweetness, and gentility that hooked me. Rain Marshall is unlike any woman I’ve ever known. Raised by a pair of hippies who believe in living off the land, free love and listening to your gut. Dark and light, we're opposite colored cheese pieces. Different, but irrevocably linked.

I've been serious my entire life. It’s what happens when your old man spends half his life in the United States Marine Corps and then builds a business from the ground up. Hard work, discipline, and organization were qualities bred into me from the minute I was old enough to understand what the words meant. As the firstborn of three children, caring for others is a habit.

Rain brings out a different side of me. I wanted to get married the moment we discovered she was pregnant. She resisted. The idea of ownership didn’t sit well with her. I wore her down over the months. Today we'll settle in and become the family I always craved.

I’m old fashioned. I want my woman sharing my last name, in my bed, and loyal to only me. It’s been a point of friction in our three-year relationship. None of that will matter in twenty minutes. I glance down at the gold watch my father got me when I graduated from college with an Associates in Mechanics before I went on to a specialized school for classic restoration.

Some of my best memories as a kid involved fixing up old heaps with Dad in the garage when he was stateside. I never wanted to join the military, like my brother Braedon, but I followed him into the auto business. I happen to be on the other end of the spectrum. He sells automobiles. I keep them running, restore their original beauty, and deal exclusively with others who feel the same way.

Money's tight. Maloney Mechanics is still new and building a reputation. Having triplets in the second year of business ownership lead to long hours and too much stress. Phoenix, Echo, and Deja are worth every second of the struggle. I never understood unconditional love until I looked at these small beings, dependent on me for everything. Not even the all-consuming emotion I have for Rain comes close to the complete adoration I have for our brood. They are the reasons my heart beats.

I struggle to ignore the eyes boring into me. I hate being the center of attention. People nowadays continually seek gossip fodder. I like to fly under the radar and run with a small circle of people I like and trust. I was never one to stomach bullshit. Political correctness and I aren’t terms that go hand in hand, and I accept that. Sweat gathers on my skin. The afternoon heat sweeps through the same tiny church my parents wed in over thirty years ago. It’s standing room only. I regret my decision to wear long sleeves.

I clear my throat and glance back down the aisle. Mummers flow through the pews. What the hell is taking her so long? I have my best man, Ollie, behind me. We kept things fairly small and intimate. Hell, the church wouldn’t allow for anything more. The strains of Sea of Love begin. I can’t stop the smile that pulls my lips so wide they hurt. The music stops. Rain's Maid of honor, and godmother to my children, Liv, stumbles into view.

The tears and mascara tracks running down her umber skin make my stomach churn. Her eyes are red, and her heart-shaped faced looks swollen. Her careful updo is awry, along with her strapless black down.

No. A white sheet of paper dangles from her hand. I uproot my feet from the floor and rush towards her. I met her at the last pew, grabbing her around the waist when she sways.

“I am so sorry, Houston," Liv says softly.

“What the hell is going on?” I pull her outside into the tiny hallway.

“She’s gone. They’re gone.” She hiccups.

“Who?”

“Anthony and Rain. I can’t believe she did this. How could I be so fucking blind, not to see it?” She shakes her head.

“Gone where?” I ask unable to comprehend the picture she’s painting.

“I don’t know. Sh-she said she couldn’t live this life anymore.” She shoves the white slip of paper into my hand. I lift it, struggling to read as my hand trembles. My eyes burn. Moisture blurs my sight. I blink to bring the scrawling letters back into focus. Droplets fall, joining Liv’s tears. Grief slams into my chest like a freight train. The room spins around me. I stumble back, ball the letter up in my fist, lean my head back and scream. Wailing breaks out a moment later.

The kids. I need air. Desperate to be out of the stifling building, I stumble into the crisp mountain air. The picturesque view of the mountains with their green peaks and tall lush trees does nothing for me. My peace is gone. The floor has fallen out of my world. My stomach wars. I run to the bushes and lose my breakfast. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, I puke and sob like a little bitch.

Doubled over, I keep my hands pressed against my thighs as I struggle to breathe with the weight bearing down on my chest. It’s like sucking air through a straw. My body shudders. My throat, my eyes, and my nose burn. Footsteps sound behind me. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and straighten. I have to be stronger than this, for my children. God, my kids.

I close my eyes against the pain sending an invisible ice pick through my temples. I rub my eyes with my sleeve and turn to face a devastated Liv. Our gazes met. The pain in her deep-set dark brown eyes reminds me of my own.

“What do I tell everyone?” I croak.

“The truth. Your Mom and Dad took the letter. Maybe they’re telling the church.?

??

“What the fuck am I going to do now, Liv? What do I tell my kids? How am I going to take care of them and keep up with Mahoney’s?” I ask thinking of my shop. “I can’t believe she did this.”

“Me either,” she whispers. She steps close and grabs my hand. “You aren’t alone. You have your parents, Ollie and me. I told you I'd always have your back when I agreed to me M 3’s Godmother. Whatever you need, I’m going to be there.”

I shake my head. “It’s not your job.”

“I never said it was. Let me do this. Let me be useful. ‘Cause if I don’t.” She trails off shaking her head. She shivers like she’s in subzero weather. I hate the sun beaming down on us as the sun sinks into the horizon casting an unworldly golden glow. It was supposed to be a sunset wedding. The only thing entering twilight is my life. I thought Rain and I were headed for the light and better days. Instead, I’m facing endless darkness.