Trial By Fire - Bouncing Back, Book 1

Twenty-Two

I can’t believe she agreed to marry me, he thought as he cradled her to his chest.

Ambrosia had come in earlier and told them that her levels were now normal, and that Kennedy would be released the following day. After the woman congratulated them on their engagement, Kennedy yawned, stretching out before asking him to lie down with her. Once he got comfortable on the bed, she curled into him and fell fast asleep.

The door opened while he played a match game on his phone. He glanced up, noting it was his best friend. “Keep the noise down, please.”

“Wow, she’s looking better than she did a few days ago. How are you holding up?” Markus asked carefully.

“We’re engaged now,” Memphis replied. “She said yes, Mark.”

Taken aback, Markus looked at his friend in shock. “Really? I thought she would have killed you.”

A ghost of a smile flickered over the Quebecois-born man’s face. “Non, mon ange is a fierce firestorm and I love it as much as I love her. She wouldn’t be Kennedy without her abilities.”

Adjusting her weight against his body, Kennedy stirred in her sleep. When they were sure she was still out of it, they continued their conversation.

“Still, I feel like I’m losing you, man,” Markus complained.

Raising a brow, Memphis shook his head. Though they had been best friends for years, Markus’s jealous streak always ended in him pissing off one or both of the girls in their group. Needless to say, if he pissed off Sky, she’d let Kennedy kick his ass instead. Just to save her precious, newly-done manicure from getting damaged on Mark’s face.

“Why would that cross your mind? You’re not losing me, Mark. We’re still friends, we’re still gonna go riding, and we’re still the M&M’s of the crew. She’s my fiancée now, so deal with it. I love her, she loves me, and we’re having a baby, so you’re going to have to pull up your lederhosen and get over it.” Memphis told him hotly.

Shaking his head, Mark sat down in the nearest chair. “I don’t get it.”

Figuring the guy was actually thinking about his past experience with his temperamental mother, Memphis snorted a laugh. “Living in the past isn’t doing you any favours, man. What about this situation gave you any indication I wasn’t going to take responsibility? It’s how we were raised, and I, for one, refuse to disappoint the one woman who treated us all equally from day one.”

Glaring at Memphis, Markus shook his head slowly. They were taught to own their words and actions, to be responsible for the outcomes that came later, and, deep down, he knew Memphis was right. However… “Did you seriously just go there? Was it necessary to bring up my mother?”

Memphis smirked, huffing a laugh. “Yeah, it was. You and I both know your jealousy is nothing more than you being an insecure asshole that wants to be in control. Jax doesn’t need a protector. What he needs a caring, loving boyfriend that trusts him and is willing to step in as required. Heaven forbid Kenni ever finds out you get jealous over nothing.”

“You… Memphis!” His best friend hissed out. “You’re turning into your father.”

“I’m starting to think that’s not such a bad idea. At least our fathers stuck around to raise. I mean, they could have dropped us off somewhere and moved on without us, but they didn’t. Honour the sacrifices yours made by not being a douche,” Memphis shot back.

The handle to the door turned as Markus got to his feet. Shaking his head, the other man scowled. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yup.”

Shocked at the darkness in Memphis’s voice, he turned back to look at the man on the bed. “What the hell?”

“Until you grow up and can handle life like a man, I’m going to start calling you a hackfresse.”

His jaw going slack, Markus shook his head, “You… why would you do that? Why say that my face looks like burger meat? We’re friends!”

“Yes, we are, but my fiancée is pregnant with my child. That means you now come second in my life. Any more arguing over this can be resolved with fists in the ring, and we both know who’s walking away from that.” Memphis challenged, secretly hoping that his best friend would just back down and stop acting like he was the top dog.

His eyes filling with regret, he knew that Memphis was telling the truth. Like his father before him, his best friend was choosing to put his family first. Blowing out his cheeks, he nodded, “I was a massive Árschloch just now, and I’m sorry. It’s just that… it feels like the crew is falling apart.”

“We’re not. We’re branching out, yes, but we’re not falling apart. When and where it matters, we’re going to be there for each other, just like we always do. Besides, I kind of need my best man at my wedding.” Memphis said with a smile.

Markus blinked. “Me?”

“You see anyone else in the room?”

“No,” Mark said, his voice dropping an octave. Though he was hurt that Memphis had spoken to him the way he did, the shock of knowing the French man wanted him in the wedding party hit harder. “Are you serious? With what just happened?”

“What just happened is already settled, dude. We said what we needed to say, and that’s that.

Licking his lips, Markus nodded tightly, “Yeah, man. I got you. I’ll be your Best Man.”

Watching as the other man left, he glanced down at the woman in his arms. Looking up at him, she adjusted her weight as she figured out that he knew she was awake. Kissing the top of her head, he murmured: “Sorry if we woke you up.”

She shook her head. “Did you really mean what you said about putting me and the baby first?”

“Did anything I said bother you?” He asked, keeping his tone soft.

“No, it’s… I don’t want to wake up one day and find out this is all a dream,” she replied.

Pulling her face closer to his, he kissed her slowly, savouring the moan that escaped her slightly parted lips. Responding to him was easy, it felt like the most natural action in the world as she caved to him. His warm hands ran the length of her torso, ghosting over her pale flesh as he laid her back on the bed.

He smirked against her throat, loving how easy it was to get under her skin. Gently parting her legs, he moaned her name as he eased into her hot core. Knowing he wasn’t going to last long, she dug her nails into his back, urging him on. Panting when it was over, he kissed her shoulder. “Sorry I didn’t last a bit longer, but it’s a while since I touched you like this.”

She snickered, playing with his braids. Her face suddenly went blank, her eyes widening as she remembered the EKG she was hooked up to. The machine had picked up on their activity, and they knew a nurse would soon be in to check on them. “s**t, that’s a problem.”

“No kidding,” he grunted, rolling off of her and getting to his feet. Doing up his pants, he bolted to the bathroom only to come back with a warm, wet cloth. As he cleaned all traces of their actions, he smiled, “You know, I often had wet dreams of you when I was going through puberty.”

Her snicker turned into a full-on laugh. “Are you kidding me? Like the whole, wake-up-in-a-pool-of-wet-bedsheets kind of dreams?”

“Wait, there are others?” He asked, loving the fact that she was still with him, still joking and enjoying their time together. “Ken, I mean it. For all our ups and downs, I never want to lose what I got with you. I’m not looking for tranquility. I’m bringing me into this just as I am, and I want you to do the same. Dad might not like it, but I adore your go-get-em attitude.”

Kennedy’s eyes sparkled like twin pools of crystalized water. He shivered, getting lost in them every time he looked at her. Her thin, pink lips were plump from their intimacy, and her red hair was in disarray. She bit her lip, looking up at him with a small half-smile. “Any thoughts on the wedding? I mean, is there anything you want to do? I get that it’s normally the bride’s day, but I know its not all about me. It’s your day, too.”

“Well, I always wanted to get married in my arrière grand-mère’s garden. It’s beautiful there in the summertime. The place has this beautiful natural wood arch full of flowers, a marble path, and the duck pond visible through the maple trees in the background,” he answered.

The shocked, yet emotionally-laced look on her face made him stop. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I just wasn’t expecting you to have such a down-to-earth dream. How you describe it… it sounds wonderful, Memphis. If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. We will make it work somehow. Just one request,” Kennedy whispered.

“Name it.”

She smiled, “Two weddings. One with your family and my immediate family, and another with our mob and biker family when Nix comes back.”

Grinning stupidly, Memphis eagerly agreed to the terms. Hugging him, she smiled as he left. Turning her gaze to Thomas, who had come into the room like a silent shadow, she sighed, “You two go home and rest.”

Understanding her concern, Memphis kissed the top of her head. “We will be back to see you in the morning along with your uncle. Rest well, okay?”