Mend Read online

  I WOKE up in the middle of the night with Remington’s hot body around me and a heavy leg trapping mine. Remington’s hand was on my stomach.

  For as long as I could remember, I’d dreamed of having my own happily ever after in a kingdom far, far away from negativity, with my king who loved the shit out of me. I found my king; he wasn’t perfect. In fact, I loved the imperfection of him; I loved his possessiveness and jealousy, and moody personality. I also adored his laughter.

  I turned to my side and slipped my hand under the pillow, hugging it close. Something crinkled under my arm. Curious, I pulled out what felt like paper folded in two. I switched on the bedside lamp, and stared at the wrinkled envelope addressed to me in a confident scrawl.

  Remington’s handwriting.

  He wrote me a letter? When?

  I quickly removed it from the envelope and glanced over my shoulder to the handsome sleeping man on his back, before squinting at the words on the paper.

  My dearest Selene,

  I woke before dawn so I could watch the rays of the sun worship your sinfully curvy body. Dawn has come and gone, but I still can't make myself leave this chair. Even sitting two feet away from you, I miss you. It sounds insane, oui?

  I've been thinking about how to write this letter for a while now, but what I feel for you, Christ, it's impossible to put into words, no matter how much I plan. So I decided to sit and write whatever flows from my head and through my fingers. I've never been one for sentiment or spontaneity. I plan everything meticulously because failure is something I cannot accept. I've always lived and played by my rules. But, ma belle, I've broken several rules since I met you.

  I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Your strength to pick up the pieces of a shattered life, spread your wings and fly, astounds me. You're sexy, confident, shy and brave. And whenever I see you with Adrien, how much he adores you, how your eyes light up, I vow again that I will convince you to stay. The more time I spend with you, the deeper I fall into you and I'm still falling harder. Mon Dieu! When I try to remember how my life was before you crashed into it, all I remember is a constant dull sound. I'm not certain what happened, but between one breath and the next, I was sinking, drowning in you. I'm scared by what I feel for you. How much I feel for you. But then you look at me with those eyes that seem to see right through me and I forget to breathe. Forget everything, but you.

  Right now I'm torn between watching you sleep and slipping between the sheets, curling my body around yours and sliding my cock inside you. Bite, lick and kiss every inch of you until you wake up, but that would rob me of the pleasure of looking into your eyes as you take me inside you.

  I wonder what the future has for us, but if it were up to me, I would chain you to my side and never let you go.

  You had my heart even before I had a chance to give it to you.

  Ever yours,

  RSG

  Oh. God. Remington sat down and wrote me a letter? I wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks, smiling. This man was so full of surprises. The letter was dated September twenty-two, a few days before the incident in the château. Taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart, I tucked it back where I’d found it and risked a glance over my shoulder and my breath caught in my chest. Green sleep eyes stared right back at me, lips slightly parted as he studied me.

  I smiled. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

  His grin was slow to appear. “I’m glad you liked it.” His voice was hoarse from sleep. Sexy. I waited for him to say more. “I wanted to give it to you last night but the evening took different direction.” He winked at me. “I couldn’t do it before because the incident. I was afraid how you’d react to those words.”

  “I’ll definitely go shopping to buy a frame for it.” I grinned at him, settling back on the bed and pulling him in for a long kiss. Then, I pulled back and buried my head on his chest. “You’re amazing. And I’m lucky you are in my life.”

  “We are lucky to be in each other’s lives.”

  I closed my eyes, feeling his warm breath fan my hair on the nape of my neck until I felt his breathing even out in sleep.

  Beneath this twenty-six-year old woman, I was still the seven-year-old girl, a princess, who craved this. Perfection. I had my kingdom and I wasn’t going to let anyone destroy it. I pulled the sheet over our bodies and curled into Remington. He mumbled in his sleep, kissed my hair and his grip tightened, then continued snoring softly in my ear.

  Two months later . . .

  I WATCHED Selene step through the château’s doors, with her father’s hand around hers. Adrien stood on her left, beaming proudly. My son and my wife. My treasure. Mon Dieu, she was beautiful. Her body had filled out just the way I loved in the past few months. Her breasts were fuller, her hips curvy and rounder. My gaze, unable to absorb her fast enough, narrowed in on her belly, now rounded with child—my child.

  Utterly breathtaking.

  Marley, standing behind her, tapped her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and raised her head, her eyes roving the crowd until they found mine. Then she smiled and I gripped my seat hard to stop myself from doing something insane. Like stalk toward her, haul her over my shoulder and march upstairs to our room.

  Right after the Colette debacle, Selene had been angry with me for a full month. Her mood swings didn’t help matters. I had so much to make up for. I learned a lesson: a pissed off Selene was passionate about it. A turned on Selene was just as eager, and the Selene who loved me had a heart so big, I was still amazed she forgave me after keeping the truth from her. Colette was now locked away in a psychiatric ward, but was charged with attempted murder as well as endangering people’s lives. The nurse that had tried to kill Selene at the hospital in Marseilles had been charged as an accomplice to Colette’s plans. Colette refused to see anyone, even her own mother, which broke her Ines’ heart. And Selene’s, too, although she seemed to brush it off easily. I could see it in her face, the minute she thought someone wasn’t watching. I had finally gotten around to filing for divorce because I wanted to go into my marriage with my fiancée without my past weighing us down.

  Life was getting back to normal. My past had collided with my present, causing chaos. I remember wondering briefly if there was a way I could make amends for everything that had happened. But my brave woman, my fiancée, had surpassed my expectations by standing by my side. My father had been released from the hospital and was staying in Hotel Catherine, recovering. Relationships were on the mend, and I couldn’t ask for more.

  I had caught up with my brothers a few days before and tried to explain as much as I could about what had happened to Colette. According to the therapist handling her case, she seemed to have lost contact with reality given her psychotic behavior. She hadn’t received the help she needed all those years ago and her condition had worsened. The therapist couldn’t exactly pinpoint what triggered this kind of behavior and still needed to do more tests. But according to Ines, her father had exhibited the same symptoms so it could be hereditary. I couldn’t remember seeing any warning signs of instability. Or maybe I did, but was blinded by my feelings for her and ignored any indication that pointed toward her behavior.

  Other than that, it wasn’t my place to extract information from her attending physicians. My wife had died five years before; she was no longer my responsibility. Needless to say, we were still in the dark as to why she had become so unhinged and when it had first occurred. The police had eventually exhumed the bones I had buried five years ago and were investigating who the body belonged to, something they would have done before, especially in this age of technology.

  We had decided to tell Adrien the truth that his mother hadn’t died, but had become very ill; we knew we needed to wait until he was older so he could comprehend something we still had difficulty trying to fathom. Perhaps by then, we might have answers. Perhaps not. Anthony had spent the night with us as we talked, and was somewhat an ally and friend to me now. He was a good man.


  My beautiful Selene had been incredible as she had resolved the mind-fuck of my prior wife’s identity. She knew I loved her for her and not for any likeness to Colette. In many respects, she had enough of Anthony in her that I now wondered how I had ever seen a physical likeness in the first place. Her amazing act of bravery to protect Adrien had forged an even tighter bond between them, and my love for her grew more than I thought possible. And she was about to become my beloved wife, and I couldn’t be happier.

  I spent the better half of last night with my ear pressed against her stomach, hoping to hear something. A heartbeat, a kick maybe? I just wanted something. I had missed most of those moments while Colette was pregnant, because she hated when I did it.

  Someone whistled beside me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned at the sound in time to see Andrew’s wife smack him on his arm and roll her eyes. I glared at him through narrowed eyes. Although my brain shouted at me that he was my best friend and married to an extremely beautiful woman, my heart demanded I set him straight.

  Eyes on the prize, Remington. Eyes on the fucking prize.

  I shifted my focus to the curvaceous goddess. Her smile widened and she mouthed, “I love you.”

  I winked at her and did something I knew would get a rise out of her. “Bloody hell you do,” I mouthed back at her, and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She raised her hands and motioned then around her head, indicating my head was growing larger. I laughed. Then Grace stepped through the door and handed her a bouquet of red and white roses similar to the ones I had sent to her room the first time she arrived at Hotel Catherine.

  “Hey, sunshine,” Luc nudged my arm. I turned to face him. “Remember when I told you that you’d find a way? You did it. I am so happy for you; you know that? Fuck, it’s good to see you smile often these days.”

  “Thanks, brother,” I said, smiling, my heart swelling at the praise. Lucien thought I was strong. But what he didn’t know was that he made me strong. My entire family made me strong, and if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be the person I was today. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. At least not today. His ego would steal Selene’s thunder.

  “When I look at both of you, I know what you mean. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other. If I asked you to describe her in one word, what would it be?”

  The song chosen for the processional began, and I focused once again on my bride. Adrien held her other hand as she walked down the red-carpeted aisle toward me.

  This woman who had gone through so much, still managed to get back on her feet with her head held high. The woman who fucked as passionately as she loved. “One word.” I narrowed my eyes, studying the woman who drove me insane in a thousand different ways. After her father whispered something in her ear, she tossed her head back and laughed. Mon Dieu! That sound hit me right in my chest as it always did, sending heat and desire rushing all over my body. All I wanted was to drag her upstairs, lock the door and devour every part of her curvy body. To rip off the little, white-lace piece of cloth she called underwear, and sink my cock so deep inside her. “It’s impossible to describe her in just one word. She’s my home, crazy beautiful, witty, loveable, sometimes insecure, and a whole lot of confident. She has a big appetite . . .” for both food and me, but I wasn’t going to say that out loud. “But if I was to sum her up in one word, it would be mine.”

  Late May . . .

  “STOP KICKING me,” Remington said sleepily, pulling me into him and kissing my shoulder, before drifting back to sleep.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose—UGH.” I squeezed my eyes tight as the pain in my midsection tore through me. I peeled his hand from my mid-section and dragged myself upright. “Oh God, fuck, damn it.”

  Remington jolted upright on the bed, any signs of sleep vanishing, and switched on the lamp on the nightstand. “Is it time?” he asked, turning to face me and frowning, touching my forehead. “Mon Dieu, are you okay? You are sweating.”

  The pain faded as fast as it had appeared and my body relaxed once more. I slumped back on the bed and glared at him. “Am I okay?”

  He blinked at me, seeming surprised then quickly recovered, his face softening. “What are the intervals?”

  “Ten minutes,” I muttered, feeling guilty for snapping at him. The last twenty-four hours had been a challenge for both of us. The first time they happened, we had just had sex and fallen asleep in a warm mood of love, and awoke in a nightmare of pain. Remington had bundled me inside the car and rushed me to the hospital only to have the doctor tell us I was experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. The baby was due in three weeks. We drove back home, but the contractions hadn’t eased off.

  “I’m taking you to the hospital.” He slid out of bed, and strode to the dresser. He came out moments later with his shirt on and buttoning his jeans. My clothes were slung over one shoulder and he sat on the bed, slipping a hand on my back to help me. “Sit up for me, my belle.”

  I did and winced as pain dug into my lower back. He quickly climbed on the bed and sat behind me, rubbing my back with his hand.

  “Better?” he asked, his breath warm on my cheek as he kissed my hair.

  I nodded, taking a deep breath, then straightened and put on the clothes. He left the bed and grabbed the bag I had packed a week ago in preparation for this occasion. He slid a hand around my waist, nudging me to stand up.

  “I feel like a hippo.”

  He grinned at me and like always, my knees trembled. “A very beautiful hippo that’s about to become the mother of my child.”

  I stiffened and glared at him again. “Do you want me to sit on you? Because I will and make damn sure I enjoy it. What happened to all the sweet talking and carrying me?”

  He dragged his free hand through his hair, his lips twitching as though fighting a smile. “I’m nervous.”

  “Aw, you big softie. I know you are,” I said, as we left the bedroom and started for the stairs.

  “I wish I could do something to ease the pain.”

  He grabbed the coats at the door and held out mine for me. “I’m going to miss seeing you barefoot and pregnant, walking around the house.”

  I glanced up and saw him staring dreamily in a distance. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

  He grinned again as we walked out the front door and he guided me toward the car. He actually growled under his breath before sending me a look loaded with want. As soon as he’d tucked me safely in my seat, he rounded the car quickly and slid into his. “I’d keep you pregnant and happy for our entire life, if I could get away with it.”

  “Please don’t force me to kill you. I want our children to grow up with a father, and at this rate there is a slim chance of that happening.”

  His laugh started with a soft chuckle followed by a full-bodied laugh. “I just love how this relationship has turned out. You threaten to kill me and I love you even more, despite that.”

  God, I love this man so much. “Just drive before I—oh shit, fucking pain, pain, pain! Ohhhhh God Drive, drive, drive darn it!”

  The amusement faded and before long the car peeled out of the driveway and sped toward the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were about five minutes apart and Remington’s patented look—the one that reminded me of the first time I met him made an appearance, ready to scare anyone in his way of his baby coming into the world. Behind that look, I saw how worried he was. I knew he hated feeling helpless, but every time I looked at him to let him know that everything would be okay, his face softened and his lips tilted upward in a confident smile.

  “I’ll be right back, all right?” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead then straightened. I nodded, breathing in and out like the midwife showed me to do when I started attending Lamaze classes.

  He left and came back pushing a wheelchair, made sure I was safely seated and wheeled us toward the reception area, and soon one of the nurses was guiding us to the maternity ward and into a private room.


  “Dial down the scowl, baby. I can’t be turned on when I’m about to give birth,” I teased him, while rubbing my stomach and winced as pain ricocheted down my spine. “And you’re scaring off the staff,” I added as I noticed the nurse circling us as if she was afraid to come closer.

  Grabbing the gown the nurse was holding out to us, he met my gaze and the corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “THE DOCTOR will be with you in a moment,” the nurse said, smiling at my wife before giving me a nervous look.

  “Thank you,” I said, attempting to make up for my behavior.

  Merde!

  I’d been extremely nervous ever since I’d taken Selene home from the hospital after the doctor said she wasn’t in labor. Just her body preparing itself for our child’s birth. But now the contractions were severe. How could I sit here and watch her go through the pain? I couldn’t remember the birthing process being excruciating during Adrien’s birth. One minute Colette was having pains and the next, Adrien came out kicking like a champion.

  The doctor walked in as soon as she was settled on the bed and after checking her, he grinned wide and told us the baby would be arriving soon.

  Two hours later, I was still wiping the sweat off her brow. Selene’s breathing was labored and the doctor had administered oxygen to help her. The doctor had given her the option of a caesarian, but my beautiful, stubborn wife was determined to have this baby the normal way.

  She screamed and cursed severely, making my ears burn as both the dirty words and the fear shot through my veins.

  “You’re tough, ma belle,” I murmured in her ear, rubbing my hand down her back in soothing circles as she continued to breathe the way the Lamaze coach had shown her. “I am in awe of you. You are the strongest woman I have ever met.” I never wanted to see her go through this pain again.