It's Holy Matrimony, Baby_The Casey Brothers Series Read online

  “And then I let you down. You don’t know how much I wish I could change it.”

  “No. No. You didn’t. I didn’t want to be married to you anymore than you wanted to be married to me at the beginning. I don’t blame you for taking Liv’s offer. I know how much that money meant to you. What you could have done with it.”

  “But I made you a promise too.” I reach out and stroke her cheek. Can’t help myself. “I vowed that I would be by your side no matter what came our way.”

  “I didn’t give you a choice.” She steps closer. “You couldn’t save our marriage alone. It was an impossible situation. It wouldn’t have mattered if you signed the papers or not. I would have left you anyway, because I wasn’t ready.”

  “And now?” I don’t dare draw breath. Don’t dare hope. Maybe she’s only here because it’s part of her therapy. Maybe she’s looking for closure or this is some kind of step that she has to take. God, I hope it’s so much more than that.

  “Now, I’m making progress.” She bites her lip. “I’m not all the way there yet. And there might be times that I fall back into old habits. I might not always know how to cope. And I will always be dramatic.” She gives me a tiny smile before it trembles and falls off her face. “But I will always love you. And I want... If there’s still a chance... if you want to...” She fiddles with the band around her finger. The one that’s loose on her left ring finger. The ring I gave her two years ago that she never wore while we were together. “I want to be married to you still. I can’t promise that it will be easy this time. Or that I will be the perfect wife. Or that—”

  “That’s enough.” I slide my hand around her waist and draw her close. Tangle my other hand in her hair as I grasp the side of her neck. My heart is beating so strongly, it’s almost as though it stopped beating at all when she left and has only now started again. Her hands grip tightly in my shirt as she gets as close as she can. Our two bodies breathing as if we’re one. Her cheek is warm against mine, her skin soft under my lips. “That’s all I needed to hear. We’ll figure out the rest. All you have to do is stay with me. That’s all I ever needed from you.”

  “I am,” she says, grabbing my face in her hands and desperately seeking my lips with her own. “I will.”

  “For better or worse?” I scoop her into my arms, her knees resting in the crook of my elbows, my hands gripping her ankles as her hair waterfalls around us and she kisses me like it’s the first time, and the last time, and every time in between. Like she’s finally coming home.

  “Through the good times and the bad. In sickness and in health.”

  “Come what may.” I turn around and carry her across the small porch.

  “Until death do us part,” she whispers, still not entirely comfortable with the D word.

  “Always.” I deepen our kiss.

  “And ever.” She smiles down at me as I carry her into the cabin. Our house. Our home as husband and wife. Our happy ever after.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Love. Marriage. Romance.

  It’s no Disney princess fantasy

  But once in a while you just might find

  The one that’s right for you

  BECK

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  “Careful, wifey,” Nox warns me as I skirt around him with a carton of books in my arms.

  Dash went to mom’s and packed up my things once I knew I was staying in Reverence with Nox. Most of it is books and albums, since I was used to travelling light with Liv. But Nox built some new bookshelves to make it easier to fit both our stuff in the cabin.

  Placing the box with the others, I turn to stare at my husband where he’s crouched on the floor finishing up the new coffee table. Yep, you guessed it, we broke the last one in a heated moment of passion. Just thinking about it makes my insides clench. But how could I possibly be expected to keep my hands off him? He’s the sexiest, most gorgeous man I have ever met, and he’s all mine.

  And he’s being all manly, working with his hands to provide the perfect home for us. Shirtless, his muscular shoulders and arms rippling as he moves. He’s a little sweaty too. It’s hard to believe that two years ago, I married this man in an Elvis themed chapel in Vegas. I made the best decision of my life that night, and every day I’m reminded of it. I bite my lip as I stand there and watch him. There’s just something so hot and masculine... It defies explanation.

  “Like what you see, Angel?” He catches me staring as he puts his tools away. Taking my hand, he runs his thumb over the band on my finger. A sensuous smile curves his mouth and melts my insides.

  “Like would be a little underexaggerated.” I trail my nails over his bicep. “More like love, with a side of yes please.”

  “Is that so?” He growls as he tangles his hand in my hair and brushes his lips along the side of my neck.

  “So about this coffee table.” I gasp as he palms my ass, squeezes it, and drags me flush against his hardness.

  “Built to last a lifetime.” He kisses me, his tongue toying with mine.

  “Really?” I arch an eyebrow as I walk around him, putting a little wiggle into my hips for his enjoyment. Bending over, I stroke the wooden surface and glance at him over my shoulder.

  His hot gaze is glued to my ass and he sucks his bottom lip between his teeth as he prowls after me, pushing on the bulge behind his zipper. “Absolutely. It’s rock fucking solid.”

  “Should we make sure?” I stand up and face him, grab the hem of my tank top and pull it over my head. Undo my shorts and push them off my hips until they drop to the floor.

  He pops the button on his jeans and eases the zip down, making my mouth water as that trail of fine hair appears, then his hard cock. He wraps his hand around the length and squeezes it. “Can’t think of a better way to test out the craftsmanship.”

  “Please,” I whisper. I can’t get enough of my husband. I never will. There’s nothing scientific about the way he makes my body sing for him and my heart full.

  Nox’s hands find my hips, his thumbs tracing lines on my skin that makes me quiver. Warmth spreads through me as he removes my bra and panties and sits me down on the wooden surface, kneeling between my legs.

  “I wanna go all the way with you,” I say, breathlessly. “I wanna feel you everywhere.”

  “Everywhere?” He asks gruffly, the desire in his voice evident.

  “Please.” I lick my suddenly parched lips. “I’m all yours. Every inch of me. Even there.”

  His gaze grows even hotter, and then he glances toward the bedroom. “I don’t think we have any lube.”

  I almost cry out in frustration. The idea of feeling him in places no one has ever been has me needy and aching already. “Is there anything else we can use?”

  He bites his lip and a slow grin breaks over his face as he climbs to his feet. “Don’t move, Angel.”

  I watch him as he enters the kitchen and goes to the pantry. A minute later he comes back to me with a triumphant look on his face as he reveals a jar of coconut oil. “Always knew those health food products you tried to scare me with would come in handy.”

  I take the jar from his hand and set it down beside me as I wind my arms around his neck and draw his lips to mine. “At least you didn’t grab the tofu.”

  SIX WEEKS LATER...

  I’m sitting under the tree beside where Hollander was buried. The ground is still warm, but the hills surrounding the valley and our cabin are shaded in reds and yellows and oranges. What’s left of the orange grove after Nox and his brothers cleared the damage are still vivid green.

  My laptop on my lap, I close my eyes and I can almost pretend that Hollander’s resting his head on my knee. Never imagined I would get so attached to a cat. Or a man for that matter. But I wouldn’t change the events of the last four months. Except for Hollander. And even that I’m coming to terms with thanks to ongoing therapy sessions. Nox and I tried a session with Finn and decided that family and therapy shouldn’t mix, so I stuck with Doctor Ross vi
a Skype. And occasionally Nox joins in too.

  Nox puts down his tools and walks across the slab where he’s been busy putting up the frame for the new studio. He didn’t give up on Casey Records when he sold the old building to the developers. It wasn’t the end of the world for him. He just adjusted his plans. Chose a new path.

  My mouth waters as he steps off the concrete and walks toward me. Shirtless, shiny with sweat, his hands roughed up from the framing. My panties have been damp all afternoon.

  “What are you working on?” he asks as his shadow blocks out the sharpness of the sun.

  “A book.” I close my laptop.

  “About Sophie?” he asks, sitting down beside me. He takes my hand and runs his thumb along the wedding band on my finger as a smile plays on his mouth.

  It’s become a habit, and it makes my heart flutter. I love the way he draws my attention to the fact that I’m his. Not just his woman, but his wife. I love that it means so much to him. “No, about love. I’ve been thinking about those articles I used to write and how wrong I was. So I’m writing what I know about love and romance and marriage instead of what I know about statistics.”

  “I always liked the first post you wrote as Anti-Cupid,” he says.

  “It was about you,” I tell him. “Well, you were on my mind at the time.”

  “Is that so?” He grins as though he’s known all along. “So tell me, now that you know me better, do I talk in my sleep?”

  “Uh-huh.” I put my laptop on the ground and straddle his lap. “You do.”

  “And what do I say? Has it gotten old yet?” He grasps my hips while he rests his back against the tree. His rough fingers scrape against my skin and make me want more.

  “You tell me you love me.” I brush my lips against his mouth. “And it never gets old.”

  EPILOGUE

  BECK

  ONE YEAR LATER...

  “Husband, are you in here?” I put the carrier down by the door and waddle through the cabin, my hands wrapped around my ever-growing belly. With a month to go in this pregnancy, I have cankles for days, my balance is shot, and my skin is all kinds of tight. I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my own skin or so blissful. Just over a year ago, I couldn’t have imagined having the kind of love and happiness I’ve found with Nox.

  He doesn’t answer as I check our bedroom and the extension that he’s building onto the cabin to make room for our growing family, so he’s probably down in the studio with one of the bands he’s working with. Or working on his own music.

  He’s been writing and composing a lot lately. And growing Casey Records’ reputation. He’s also built another cabin so that bands can come and stay for as long as they need. But it’s good, because he’s in his element. It’s like all the worry and stress and exhaustion that he carried around with him was swept away by the fire that took almost everything from him. I guess in some ways we both got a new lease on life.

  I pull my phone out of the pocket of my dress and call him.

  “Happy anniversary, Angel. I miss you. Can’t wait for you to get home. I want to hear all about your trip.”

  I hear his smile through the phone and my heart pitter pats in response. “I just arrived. Are you down at the studio?”

  “I am.” A door closes in the background. “And I have a surprise for you.”

  “I have a surprise for you,” I say at the same time.

  He chuckles. “I’ll be up as soon as I can. Just have to finish this recording.”

  “I can’t wait,” I tell him, already striding to the back door. Catching up with my brother was great, but it’s been almost a week since I’ve seen my husband, and that’s far too long. I pick up the carrier. “I’ll see you in a minute.”

  I take the path down to the orange grove, careful not to jostle the carrier too much. I’m a little nervous about the gift I bought Nox. We both miss Hollander. He was so much a part of our family, before we even knew that we were one.

  The front of the studio comes into sight. My gorgeous husband stands out front with his hands thrust in his pockets while he talks to a woman in a denim skirt, cowboy boots, and a Midnight Echo band T-shirt. She laughs at something he says, and I almost drop the carrier. There’s no one else with a voice like Sophie Valentine’s. And she’s here, chatting with Nox like they have so much to catch up on. I’m about to meet her in person. Oh my God.

  The moment Nox spots me his attention is fully mine. His face splits into the widest smile as he strides across the grove, Sophie following in his wake. His gaze eats me up, especially my belly. It’s full of warmth and love that wraps around me. I can never get over how lucky I am that I married this man.

  He wraps his arms around me and plants a kiss on my lips. “God, I’m glad you’re home. I hated that I couldn’t go with you. Come meet Sophie. We’re going to be working together on her next album.”

  Sophie. Oh my God. I’m not sure I can breathe as he introduces us. Or as she takes my hand and gushes over my huge belly. Or while he grins and tells her how excited he is about impending fatherhood. Or when he turns to me and tells me that she’s going to be using the songs he’s written. Or when she mentions that he has to sing with her for at least one of them.

  “We’ve been working on something special.” He takes my hand and leads me inside. Sits me down while Sophie enters the booth. “Just for you.”

  “For me?” I’m gobsmacked.

  “Yeah, Angel.” He smooths my hair behind my ear and kisses me gently. “I’m going to go into the booth now. You just sit here and listen.”

  I watch him as he enters the soundproofed room, picks up his guitar and steps up to one of the microphones. Sophie stands behind the other. And I listen. Boy, do I listen, while tears leak from the corners of my eyes. And yes, I’ve been so hormonal lately that it doesn’t take much to make me cry, but he’s written this song just for me. It’s our story. Our love in every word, and in every note he sings. In the way he plays. In the way he looks at me through the glass that separates us.

  When the song finishes he rushes out of the booth and gets down on his knees while he wraps his arms around me. “Angel, don’t cry.”

  “Can’t help it.” I cling to him. “I love it. I love you. So much.”

  “Meow.”

  “What was that?” Nox asks.

  “Um, just somebody I picked up while I was visiting my brother.”

  Nox’s smile widens as his gaze lands on the carrier. He drags it closer and peers inside, before popping the door open and pulling the kitten out of its cage. “Hello there, little buddy.”

  “Meow.” The small brown tabby responds before butting its head on his jaw and snuggling against his neck.

  “This is your surprise?” he asks.

  “Yes.” I run my fingers over its fur. We both still miss Hollander, but maybe this kitten will help fill the hole he left. “I hope you don’t mind. He’s not Hollander. We can never replace him.”

  “No, he’s not Hollander,” he agrees. “But he’s perfect. And he’s ours.”

  “Yes, he is.” I smile as Nox stands and pulls me to my feet.

  He wraps an arm around my waist, and we walk out of the studio together. Past the orange trees that are still standing and Hollander’s resting place before Nox asks, “So what do you think we should call him?”

  The End

  Thank you for reading It’s Holy Matrimony, Baby. I hope you enjoyed Nox and Beck’s story. If you’d like to know about new releases sign up for Misti’s newsletter.

  Keep reading for an extended excerpt of This Radio Love.

  THIS RADIO LOVE EXCERPT

  CHAPTER ONE

  PENNY

  Seriously, where does this guy get off?

  Quarter past midnight, and he’s already ripping some poor girl a new one over the radio. Fumbling with my keys, I let myself into my apartment and flick on the lights before toeing off my sensible black heels. The shrub in the corner is starting to wilt, its leaves curling
around the edges. Oops. Forgot to water it again.

  “Come on, honey. Do you think a man wants to be with a girl who lets herself go? You claim you’re tired, but what you’re saying is, ‘I don’t give a shit about pleasing anyone but myself.’ You were probably a looker, right? When you got together with your boyfriend? But now you’ve landed him, you think it gives you the right to get fat and ugly. Of course he’s cheating on you. Men are animals, sweetheart. If they can’t have hot, dirty sex with a beautiful woman at home they’re going to find it somewhere else.”

  I roll my gaze to the ceiling as I enter the kitchenette and drop my keys and purse on the counter. It’s only been fifteen minutes since the start of his show and he’s already behaving like an asshole. Why does he have to sound so smug? He has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, and the poor girl on the other end of the line doesn’t need to be part of his cheap theatrics. Doctor Love my ass. This idiot’s pure show. I fill a glass with water from the tap while the caller tries to better explain herself.

  “It’s not like that. I’m n-not ugly. I haven’t gotten fat. He’s just not interested anymore.” The wobble in her voice is dangerously close to the emotional crisis point.

  “Because you don’t put out, doll. Leave the panties in the drawer, spread your legs. And if that doesn’t work you’re obviously too ugly to—”

  Beep. Beep. Beep. The sudden disconnection stops him mid-sentence, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’d caught the beginning of the sob the girl couldn’t hold back any longer.

  So has anyone else who’s still up in Reverence and the surrounding area at this time of night listening to this damn jerk. I take my cell out of my pocket and shut down the app that I’m listening to him through. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I hit one number on the screen, and it speed dials. The shrill ring comes through my earbuds a second later.