Bring It Home (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 3)

“Let me stop you real fast and correct you. She is nothing like Julia, and she won’t hurt me because she loves me like I love her. She is a good woman. A strong, smart, and gorgeous woman. I respect your feelings, but honestly, I don’t give a shit what you think of her. She is perfect, and I will marry her.”

She’s dead set on her opinion. I can see it all over her face. “I’ll say it again—I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s happening,” I say simply. “And it’s real shitty you’re saying that when Posey is carrying your grandchild.”

“If it sticks.”

The strength of the rage filling my body is something I’ve never felt before in my life. “Excuse me?”

She meets my gaze, tears in her eyes. “I am trying here, but I don’t agree with what you are doing with your life.”

I set my jaw. “Then get out of my life.”

She widens her eyes. “What?”

“Mom, you just said ‘If it sticks’ about my child. You know how broken I was about the loss of the first one. You want me to go through that again?”

“Not at all, but maybe that was a warning to get out.”

“No, it brought Posey and me closer.”

“But she didn’t even tell you for nine weeks!”

“Because, unlike you, she didn’t want to hurt me if something went sideways. She wanted to protect me because she loves me, Mom. Get that through your head and accept it. She is going to be my wife, the mother of my children, and that family is now mine.” I point to them and realize they are watching us. Man, I hope Posey didn’t hear any of this. “I’d rather take all that crazy and deal with it, knowing they love and support me, than stay in your negative, hateful, jealous presence a second longer.”

“Boon—”

“No. There is nothing left to say,” I sneer before walking off in the direction of my car. I look toward where Posey was standing to find her rushing to meet me at the car. “Let’s go.”

“Are you okay?”

“Not now.”

She gets in as I do, and I speed off, making my tires skid. Once we’re on the road, my phone rings, but I pull it out of my pocket and turn it off. I can feel the anxiety coming off Posey in waves, and I reach for her hand. “It’s okay.”

“Things not go well with her?”

“That’s putting it nicely.”

She moves our fingers together so they lock. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. It’s her.”

“Do you want to talk about it?’

“Not at all.”

She doesn’t say a word as we make our way back to the apartment. When we arrive, she goes to the bathroom as I throw off my clothes and get into the bed. It’s not even close to my bedtime, but after dealing with everything the Adler family and my mom threw at me, I’m exhausted. I plug in my phone, but I don’t turn it on. When Posey comes out of the bathroom in only a bra and panties, I’m disgusted with myself for not wanting to attack her.

She’s so stunning. So beautiful with her hair along her shoulders and her face red from where she’s scrubbed off her makeup. She starts to hang up her dress as she says, “I paid the minister for his time, and my mom hired him for the wedding.”

I cover my face with my hands, running them slowly along my skin. “Shit, I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“No worries. I ApplePayed him,” she says reassuringly. “I love when older folks can use an iPhone.”

I know she says it to make me laugh, but I can’t. Not right now. She reaches into her drawer for a T-shirt as I say, “Yeah, he’s pretty tech-savvy.”

“Do you want something from the fridge? I was going to grab some strawberries.”

“Yeah, a beer.”

She hesitates but then says, “Okay.”

I watch as she walks out of the room, and finally, I reach for my phone. There are a lot of voice mails from my mom, Aiden, and Wes, but it’s only Shea Adler’s message that I listen to. He probably heard my mom. Fantastic.

Hey, Boon. Wild night, eh? I wanted to invite you to play golf with me tomorrow. Just the two of us. I have a tee time for eight in the morning. I’ll be there. Hope you will too.

When the message ends, I make a face. “Like I have a choice.”

“A choice?” Posey hands me my beer. “What do you mean?”

I throw my phone back in the drawer. “Your dad invited me to play golf.”

She grins as she sits down, setting a bowl of strawberries between us. “Did you say yes?”

“He left a voice mail and a tee time.”

She nods. “No choice, I see. Want me to cancel?”

“No, I want to go.” I guess I do. I want him to like me. Especially since the only family I may have now is Posey’s. Oh, and my brothers, who are my teammates. I won’t let this shit with my mom ruin anything. I’m so upset with her. I’ve always made sure to support her through her shitty relationships, yet I don’t deserve the same treatment. Posey is nothing like Julia. Not even in the same category. Julia didn’t love me. She was comfortable and was waiting for someone better. At every second and every turn, I know I am Posey’s someone better. I’m her everything. Why can’t my mom see that I have it all? I do.