Damaged and the Dragon Page 12

  “How are you feeling?” she asked, rushing to my side.

  “Like shit, but the medicine helped.”

  My head throbbing, I still basked in the beauty of Bailey’s upturned face. I knew she needed reassurance and I really wanted her in my arms. My lips met hers and a minute passed before Sawyer made gagging sounds.

  Bailey glared back at her sister who smiled. “Jealous that I have a man?”

  “I’m seven, so no.”

  I couldn’t help laughing. Even Bailey grinned a little while Jodi walked to me.

  “You got your ass handed to you, but still won the fight. I like that about you, Nicky.”

  “Thanks,” I sighed. “My dream is to win the fight without getting my ass handed to me. Less painful that way.”

  Jodi grinned. “Want coffee?”

  “Sure, but I can…”

  Waving me off, Jodi walked to the kitchen and returned with a cup of coffee. By then, I was on the couch with Bailey on one side caressing my aching head and Sawyer on the other side examining my busted knuckles.

  “Not used to being babied, are you?” Jodi asked, handing me the coffee.

  “No.”

  “We take care of our men,” Sawyer said, kissing my hand. “You’re so brave and strong.”

  Bailey hissed at her little sister who laughed so hard she snorted. I grinned at them then focused on downing the coffee and waking from my druggie fog.

  “When he’s feeling better, you’ll come down for lunch,” Jodi said as Sawyer stopped teasing her sister and joined her mom at the door. “Leftover pulled pork sandwiches and whatever seafood salad Farah didn’t eat last night.”

  Bailey smiled at her mother then flipped off her sister. Once the door shut behind them, my girl studied me.

  “If there was a fire and you could only save one person, would you pick me or Sawyer?”

  “I’d save you and not just because you put out either.”

  Laughing, Bailey kissed my bruised cheek. “Are we okay?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I do love you. I wasn’t just saying that last night to make things better. I know you and I love you.”

  My fingers explored the delicate curves of her tanned face. I still couldn’t believe Bailey offered me a chance at her heart.

  “It’s not your money or family,” I said, my voice raw. “It’s not even your beauty. I love everything about you. I love the way you see things and how you react to them. Other people might think you’re nuts or rude, but I think it’s all perfect. I want to be enough for you.”

  “You are.”

  Seeing the worry in Bailey’s blue eyes, I didn’t respond. She wanted so much to believe in us. When I didn’t say anything, Bailey cuddled next to me.

  “Farah has gotten super fat.”

  “I wouldn’t know since I haven’t seen her in months.”

  “Well, she has.”

  “She’s pregnant though.”

  “I’m not looking to make a baby until I’m a year out of college,” Bailey said then added, “At least.”

  Wrapping her in my arms, I said the words she didn’t want to hear. “I don’t know if I want kids.”

  Bailey immediately squirmed out of my hold and frowned at me. “Why the hell not? You’d make a better father than my loser brothers.”

  I shrugged. “Your brothers know how to be part of a family because your parents showed them the way. I don’t know if I have it in me to be any better than my dad.”

  “Bullshit. You’re wrong.” When I said nothing, her expression softened. “Nick, you’d be a great dad. It’s why you can tolerate Sawyer when she’s so awful.”

  I grinned slightly. “I don’t want to be like my dad, but maybe he didn’t want to be like him either. Maybe it’s something inside us that keeps us from being good parents. Like a genetic thing. I mean it’s so easy for me to hurt people in cage fights. I never feel bad. Maybe I’m too damaged to really care about anyone.”

  “You care about me.”

  “And I still mess that up.”

  Studying my face, Bailey smiled. “This is what’s going to happen. You and I will finish college. You’ll get your teaching career settled and I’ll manage the hell out of the family business. When things are right, we’ll try having a baby. I’ll want it and you’ll give me what I want because you love me.”

  Staring at her, I didn’t react to her plan because my greatest fear was ruining someone like my father did to me.

  “Okay,” I finally said.

  Bailey straddled me and rolled her hips gently. “I don’t know anything about kids either. We don’t need to know anything right now. When it’s time, we’ll have my mom and pop to help us. My brothers and their gals will help too. Hell, by the time our kids come along, the crew will have popped out a dozen babies. We’ll let them make all the mistakes and tell us all the good stuff.”

  Even unconvinced, I nodded. Bailey ran her fingers through my hair and nipped at my earlobe.

  “I come with an entourage,” she murmured. “You spent your life alone, but we’ll never be alone. With me, you’ll have a family and the crew. You’ll have Ellsberg and a school and students. You’ll belong here. One day, we’ll have children. I know that seems like a lot, but it won’t happen all at once. Right now, we’re college sophomores. We don’t need to worry about kids, but the day will come and you’ll be ready.”

  “Promise,” I whispered as she slid her hand past the waistband of my sweats.

  Bailey looked me directly in the eyes and promised, “We’ll have a perfectly amazing life, if you just let me be in charge of everything.”

  Chapter Twenty Five ~ Bailey

  The next two days, Nick and I played house in my apartment. For lunch and dinner, we joined the family. On Sunday, Nick came along for the club’s weekly family dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. I knew he felt like an outsider, but Vaughn and Judd entertained him with their bromance.

  “Hard to believe they like the ladies,” I said to Nick who just grinned as the enforcers argued about who was a shittier friend.

  “Tawny never lets you play videogames.”

  This comment from Vaughn caused Tawny to roll her eyes. She looked at Raven who shrugged.

  “Raven insists on playing with us. That’s weird, man,” Judd said.

  When his wife opened her mouth in her defense, Vaughn raised his hand. “I got this,” he said, giving her a wink. “Judd is just jealous that you beat his ass in every game.”

  “Not every game,” Judd growled.

  Leaning against Nick, I whispered loudly. “They’re idiots.”

  Vaughn and Judd turned in unison and glared at me.

  “Do you play videogames?” Vaughn asked Nick.

  “Not really.”

  “Do you play pool?” Judd asked.

  “No.”

  Vaughn smirked. “I’ve seen you bowl, so we know you can’t do that either. What can you do?”

  “Tolerate Bailey!” Tucker hollered from farther down the table. “That makes him a fucking superhero.”

  As people laughed, I prepared to scream my response. Before I let loose, I glanced at Nick who wasn’t laughing. In fact, I sensed he wasn’t really listening. Crowds made him uneasy and these weren’t his people. Not yet anyway, so he focused on me like I was a lighthouse in a storm.

  Everything around me faded until I was alone with Nick. I thought about the way he said my name in his sleep. How he woke up edgy until his gaze met mine. I remembered how he now removed his shirt to swim without looking ashamed of what his father did to him. Even pushed past his comfort zone, he was happy

  Knowing I was special to Nick, I let the others laugh. There was no need to defend myself when I belonged with Nick who accepted me fully.

  His green eyes studying my face, I wondered what he found so fascinating.

  “Hey, Nick,” Vaughn said over the chatter, “bowling for shit don’t mean you can’t still join our bowling nights. Nailing Bailey means
you’re part of the crew.”

  “Deputy Dickhead even joined us that one time.”

  I stopped gazing into the eyes of the man I loved, so I could glare into the laughing faces of my friends.

  “You jerks! Why did you invite him?”

  “He was your man meat,” Vaughn said, laughing against Raven. “You were a cute couple too.”

  “Assheads. I was trying to ditch the fucker and you guys invited him to bowl. Now, he’s a frigging stalker.”

  The minute I said “stalker,” the men around me stopped grinning and became territorial dicks.

  “He’s stalking you?” Tucker asked, walking to me and leaning over my chair. “Should my bat and I have a talk with him?”

  “I have it handled.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Nick glanced up at Tucker. “Do you think Bailey can’t handle a douche cop?”

  Tucker looked at Cooper who showed no reaction. I knew they were doing their silent conversation trick that I’d seen them do most of my life. I had a theory that they shared a brain and Cooper just kept it a hundred percent of the time. It sure would explain a lot of things.

  Finally, Tucker shrugged. “Point taken.”

  Watching my brother back off, I didn’t know if he was showing respect for me or Nick. Either way, Tucker and Cooper decided to stay out of my business for the first time ever.

  As everyone settled back into their conversations, I leaned against Nick and stared into his sexy eyes. “Thank you,” I said, my lips brushing his. “Oh, and I really want you inside me.”

  Kissing me gently, Nick smiled as if I was already under him, begging for more.

  Chapter Twenty Six - Nick

  Kentucky Tattoos was where I came to make Dragon come alive. Aaron created magic and I considered him a friend. Like most of my friends, I didn’t actually hang out with him. Maybe I would now that I had Bailey.

  “Glad you called,” Aaron said from behind the counter. “Been slow this week. With parents’ weekend coming up, everyone is faking like they’re saints.”

  “Well, I don’t have that to worry about.”

  “What are you looking to do?” Aaron asked as we walked into his workroom.

  “Nothing too complicated,” I said, displaying my wrist. “I want Bailey’s name on my wrist.”

  Aaron exhaled slowly. “Are you sure? The Johanssons don’t play when it comes having their women’s names on their wrists. It’s forever shit for them. That’s how I knew Cooper wasn’t fucking around with Farah.”

  “Bailey’s mine, but I can’t find a way to make her truly believe. When I try, it feels like just words. I know her name on my wrist is a word too, but maybe it’s one that she’ll know means forever.”

  “Fair enough. Just know once the Johansson boys see her name on your wrist, it’s like you’ve gotten on one knee and proposed. Trust me that Bailey and Jodi will be talking wedding dates behind your back. If you lose interest or cheat or break it off, it’s not going down softly. The shit will hit the fan.”

  “The only way Bailey gets rid of me is to put me in the ground.”

  Aaron grinned. “Hell, if everyone ain’t falling hard in Ellsberg these days.”

  I sat in the chair while he prepared his tools. “How is Lark?”

  Aaron smiled, but his eyes lost a little of their joy. “The happy version is she’s loving being pregnant. Bed rest is fun because she has people serving her. Everything is peachy.”

  “And the real answer.”

  “She just turned twenty and is carrying twins. We’ve been married less than a year and Lark can’t do anything more strenuous than move from the bed to the couch and back. Our idea of a fun evening is me bringing home barbecue for dinner. It’s the only time she gets to pig out now that she needs to eat healthy crap to keep her blood pressure down.”

  “Would you do something different?”

  Aaron sighed. “No, but it can feel like too much too soon. I worried until one day while I was golfing with my parents.”

  “Golfing?” I asked, giving him a look.

  “I golf. Sue me.”

  When I just grinned, Aaron continued, “My mom said going through all these trials in the beginning of the marriage was best. Then we’d always look back at this time and know we’d make it. Besides, the babies will be born by the end of the year and we’ll be faced with a whole new ball of crazy.”

  “No regrets though?”

  “If I’d change one thing, I couldn’t know what I might lose in the process, you know? Life doesn’t always give us more than one shot at happiness.”

  “I wasn’t really ready for Bailey,” I blurted out. “Maybe I never would have been ready. I keep feeling like I need more time to change for her.”

  “Waiting isn’t always the way, Nick. I had a cousin. Smart chick with her life planned out. When she was twenty five, the guy she was dating proposed. She loved him and they were happy, but she turned him down. They’d been together since college and she wanted to make sure she wasn’t settling. I saw her a few years ago and she was with a guy and thinking about marriage. After a few drinks, she admitted how the first guy was the one, but she lost track of him over the years and didn’t know if he found anyone else. A part of her wanted to wait to see if fate would bring them together again. Another part said to settle with this new guy, but she would always know he was her second choice.”

  Aaron took my wrist and ran his fingers over the pulse. “I didn’t have any advice for her, of course. I was a sixteen year old guy who didn’t know shit. Still, I remembered what she said when I watched her walk down the aisle. I keep it in mind whenever I think about how fast everything happened with Lark. Like slower sounds better. Fun dating for a while then a few years married without kids. All that stuff sounds easy, but life doesn’t work that way. You get a shot at happiness and you need to grab it. Forget about schedules and being scared. Some people get lucky and life gives them plenty of chances, but most people are one and done. Screw up your one shot and you’ll regret it forever.”

  “It’s why I’m getting this tattoo. If Bailey and I don’t work out, I’ll still want her name on my wrist,” I said then exhaled hard. “I have a ton of marks on my body. Reminders of fucked up times. Even the dragon comes from something ugly in my life. Bailey though is a beautiful part and I never want to forget.”

  Aaron grinned. “Poetic, man. Who knew a guy would get all worked up over Bailey? Not that she isn’t hot, but her mouth scares most guys.”

  “I’m not most guys.”

  After giving me a knowing grin, Aaron worked his magic again. Each letter was drawn beautifully across my wrist. Even if I was a mess most days with Bailey, I knew her name would remain on my flesh until the day I died.

  Chapter Twenty Seven ~ Bailey

  Lark Barnes was one of my favorite people. She had the biggest heart and a great sense of humor. With all her qualities, the chick’s petite body wasn’t built for pregnancy.

  Knocked up with twins, Lark had become a giant baby bump on two legs. By the time the babies were born, I suspected she’d look like Humpty Dumpty with spiky hair.

  Around ten, I sneaked into the house to find Lark still asleep on the couch. Every morning she got up with Aaron, only to return to sleep once he went to the tattoo shop. Leaving her to rest, I opened the backdoor so her ugly dogs could do their business. Next, I focused on the laundry.

  With Lark on bed rest, everyone in the crew was helping out so she could stay off her feet. Though I hated cleaning floors and left the crap work to Raven. My skills shined with laundry.

  Folding Aaron’s millions of wife beaters and the moo moos Lark called maternity clothes, I thought about kids. I had no interest in the stink machines. Besides, I was just learning to pull my head out of my ass. The last thing I needed was to be in charge of a kid. Young in ways I wasn’t, Nick especially needed time to settle into being a man.

  When we were ready, Nick and I would make awesome kids who would pla
y with my nieces Scarlet and Lily. They’d be pals with the twins too. Once he’d felt safe in Ellsberg like he never felt when growing up, Nick would be a great dad. We could make a great life together if I was patient enough.

  “You’re folding them wrong,” a sleepy voice said from behind me.

  Turning around, I found a baby bump with Lark attached to it.

  Bed head beautiful, she grinned. “Rich girls can’t fold for shit.”

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Only if you’re planning to sweep the floors,” she said, waddling away. “If not, keep folding them in your goofy way.”

  Carrying the basket with me, I followed Lark into the living room where she eased onto the couch and propped her feet up on pillows.

  “How do you feel, fatty?”

  “Svelte actually. Thanks, jealous hag.”

  I laughed. “Need something to drink or eat?”

  “Yes on both. A diet soda and a fruit cup would be great.”

  In the kitchen, I found lots of food with sticky notes labeled, “Lark.”

  “What’s with the food? Are you and Aaron already fighting over stuff?” I asked, sighing. “So sad to see love die.”

  Lark said nothing, only lifted two middle fingers then laughed. “On my last checkup, I had high blood pressure. Nothing serious, but the doctor put me on super duper bed rest. I might need to crap in bed at this rate.”

  Despite worrying about her health, I laughed. “What’s that have to do with the food?”

  “Low salt diet. I’m supposed to drink tons of water, but I need soda or else I’ll puke. I already had to give up coffee since the caffeine made me weird.”

  Once I let the dogs back inside, I brought her the soda and fruit cup. “Is feeling so shitty for so long worth it?” I asked, sitting at the end of the couch.

  “Hell yeah. I’m having my man’s babies. I can’t wait to see what they look like and what personalities they have.”

  Reaching over, I placed my hand gently against her bump and one or more of the babies moved inside her. Lark didn’t seem to notice as she ate her fruit cup.