Fall Into Place (Taking the Fall 5)

My heart clenches. My eyes fill with tears. “I’m so sorry. You’re so right. I can’t believe I—” He kisses me, cutting off my words. He then uses his thumb to wipe away a tear that escapes.

“Don’t be sorry. I know you have a soft heart and you want everyone to be happy. You’re just like your mama, but we’re married now. We have our own little family, and we always come first.

“Our own little family.” Another tear escapes my eye, this one not from sadness. We are our own little family. We might even already have a baby on the way, too.

“You’re with me?”

“Always,” I say instantly.

“Good.” He leaps off me, catching me by surprise. He grabs me from the bed, throws me over his shoulder, and heads for the bathroom. I squeal out in shock as he manhandles me.

“I love carrying you around naked. We are definitely getting our own place when we get back.” He slaps my ass, making me scream and wiggle in his hold.

“Careful, princess. You could have my baby inside you already, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Then stop carrying me around like a doll.”

“Not likely. Just don’t wiggle so much.” He places me on my feet and pushes me into the shower.

“Let’s clean you up so I can get you dirty one more time before we have to head out. We have one hell of a Thanksgiving dinner to get to.”

Eight

Anthony

We walk into the warehouse and make our way towards the kitchen. This is the place where Mary grew up. Well, where I grew up, too, I guess. My parents have a house just down the street, but Mary and I were always together. From the time we were babies we didn’t like to be separated. We were told stories about how I would stand outside her crib and cry until they picked me up and put me in with her. I knew from the beginning she was mine, and I needed her even before I knew I needed her.

“Why were you two in Vegas?” I hear Carter’s voice behind me, and he sounds pissed. I take a deep breath and turn around, ready to face the music.

He’s a big son of a bitch. If I didn’t know him my whole life and recognize that his anger comes from a place of love, I’d probably be intimidated. But as it stands, he’s like a second father to me. I started calling him DC from the time I could speak. My two sisters called him Daddy Carter, and I just shortened it. He really is just as important in my life as my own dad, and at some point you’ve got to be honest with who you are to your parents.

“DC, Mary and I have something we need to tell you.” I take her hand and feel the sweat on her palm, but she squeezes my hand back, letting me know she’s holding strong.

“Wait, I want a front row seat for this.” I roll my eyes as my mom comes into the kitchen and sits down at the bar, my dad and Mama C trailing behind her.

“Great, guess this is how it’s going down,” I mumble to myself. I shouldn’t have expected anything different. They’re always together, and this is Thanksgiving. I was hoping for a moment alone with DC.

Mary squeezes my hand again, and I take a deep breath. “We got married.”

“Pay up, Saint. You owe me fifty bucks.” I turn to see my mom holding out her hand and my dad slapping some cash into it.

Mama C has her hands over her mouth, and I start to see tears run down her face. Oh shit. That means Mary is about to start crying. I look beside me, and she’s doing the same damn thing. Hand over her mouth and tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, my eyes land on Carter.

“So you two just ran off and did it without even asking?” His voice is deep, but his tone gives nothing away.

“DC, I love you like a father. But Mary has always been the other side of my soul. It didn’t matter if we asked or not. The outcome would’ve been the same. Everyone knew this was coming.”

I wrap my arm around Mary, and she leans into me. Carter looks between us, and I see his hands clench into fists. Mama C walks over to him and pats him on the chest. He melts a little at her touch, and I see softness in his eyes as he looks at her. They exchange silent words, and then she turns to us.

“We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I think we had just hoped to have been a part of it. I guess this means you’ll just have two weddings.” She gives us a big smile and walks over to us with open arms. She’s a little woman, but her arms reach around us and squeeze us tight.

Suddenly, I feel a second set of arms come around from behind us, and I know it’s my mom.

“Oh, Lays, we get to plan the whole thing! I can’t wait! Our babies are getting married!”

Mary laughs with them, and I look over at Carter. If I’m not mistaken, his eyes look a little watery. After the moms release us, I step in front of him and hold out my hand. I leave it hanging there for just a second until he knocks it away and pulls me in for a hug.

“You know it’s not you. She’s just my baby,” he says while hugging me.

“I know. And you know she’s the most important thing to me and that I’ll always take care of her.”

I feel him nod against me as we let go. He holds my shoulders and gives me a nod, then moves past me to hug his daughter.

Instantly, I’m being engulfed in a bear hug, and I can’t help laughing. My dad has his arms around me and kisses me on the cheek. He’s always been unafraid to be a dork with us, so he does it every opportunity he gets.