Lying naked on one of the beds in the back rooms, Sean lightly caressed Beth's attractive spine while she lay on top of him. Their breathing heavy, it suddenly occurred to him she might have trouble.
"Are you okay?" he asked, lifting her head to look at him.
She nodded. "It's going to take me a minute."
"You let me know if you need to go to the hospital," he ordered.
"All right." She sat up, breaking their warm contact. "I do want to talk to you," she said, then paused.
Sitting up, he pulled her into his arms and peppered her face with tiny pecks. She closed her eyes at the gentleness he showered on her, then opened them with a lovely hazy look. "What do you want to discuss, baby?"
"Courtney."
A growl instantly bubbled from his throat. "What about her?"
"I want you to mend your relationship," she said, then bit her bottom lip.
Wow. That was unexpected. Beth didn't tell people what to do. She wasn't assertive and certainly didn't interfere. His damn cousin must have really gotten to her. Kudos to Court, another person enthralled with her. Except he refused to allow Beth to get tangled into her web.
"I'll talk to her tomorrow," he said, only to pacify her.
Beth narrowed her eyes, probably picking up on the fact that was too easy for her. "Will you?"
"Yes." He sighed, and he would, only because he promised.
Knocking on the front door to the Murphy home was out of the norm for Sean. An open invitation for him and Ryan to waltz right in any time was extended to them when Courtney married her first husband.
The door swung open and Jack, Derrick's number one guy, stood before him. If Sean hadn't paid attention, he would have missed the flash of anger shine in his hazel eyes. "Yes?"
"I'm here to see Court," he said, feeling irritated already.
"I have to clear that with her husband." Jack slammed the door in his face.
God, he should have known not to stop by. He should have approached her the next day at his parent's home, where they were throwing a family picnic. That environment would have been far less hostile.
The door swung open, this time Derk stood on the other side, cigarette hanging from his mouth. Dressed in black jeans with a chain hanging off his belt loops, a black fitted tee shirt, and his hair a mess, he looked every bit as lethal as his aura gave off. He waved his hand. "Boss man says you can come in."
"Well, how kind of him," Sean retorted.
He went to step inside, but Derk placed a hand on the center of his chest and pushed. "Don't fuck with her, Sean. Seriously she's a goddamn mess because of you, and Derrick's about to blow his shit. She hasn't been right since the fight."
Sean got into his face. "Don't put your hands on me, Derk. Not if you want to keep them."
The man's eyes grew dark and dangerous. Sean had seen that look before on many men he'd faced down while a SEAL. Men who could sleep with themselves at night despite what they did during the day. Killers.
Brushing past him, he knocked his shoulder into Derk's and stepped into the house.
"Sean?" His cousin's voice came from the living room.
Taking the couple steps into the room, he found Courtney getting up from the floor. Astounded, he came to a sudden stop. She wore no makeup, her hair wasn't styled, and she wore yoga pants with an oversized tee shirt.
"Daniel lost one of his stuffed dogs and we can't find it." She motioned to the floor. "He's been crying for days." Brushing herself off, she said concerned. "Is Beth all right? How is she?"
"She's doing very well, thank you," he answered short.
"Oh, good," she said, letting out a breath. "She looks exactly like her mother, who is quite beautiful. I guess that's looking into the future." She grinned.
Sean smiled and nodded. "I suppose."
"Her father reminds me of you," she said hesitantly.
"Do not tell me that. I can't stand the man," he groused.
Unsure of how to take what he'd said, she remained quiet. Vaguely he was aware of people hovering behind him. Sean took another step into the room. "Can we talk?"
"Sure," she said, clearly trying to seem casual, but her voice wavered.
They took seats on the sofa, far from each other on opposite sides. He got straight to the point. "Right now, the way I'm feeling, I don't want you anywhere near Beth."
Her sharp inhale echoed through the quiet room.
"But whatever you said to her, she took a liking to you," he continued. She went to say something, but he held up his hand. "Let me finish. I don't trust that you'll have her best interest at heart. Beth is my main concern now, Court, not you."
"I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Sean. I don't know what else to do or say to make this up to you and Beth, to show you that I'll love Beth because she's your life. We all will."
"Courtney, I don't want your life anywhere near her," he said firmly.
"But...how is that possible?" she asked. "I mean, the men go with me everywhere, Sean. You know what's happened. You know for my safety, they have to go where I go. It's there, twenty-four seven. This is my world now."
"This is non-negotiable. If you can't leave your husband's lifestyle out of my and Beth's life, then you can't be involved. Period." He stood. "I'll let you decide how you want to play this out."
"But I'm not playing," she said softly.
"Neither am I," he snapped.
"Sean," she begged.
"There's only one way this will work, Courtney, and that's my way, to protect Beth from you, your husband, and his world with all its crap." He turned and left, but not before missing her quiet sobs.
Derk and Smith leaned against the living room doorframe, while Jack and Carl stood in front of the steps that lead upstairs. Tossing open the door, Sean stepped on the front porch and went to his SUV.
"I really don't appreciate you coming to my home and causing my wife distress," Derrick's voice growled behind him.
Whirling around, Sean pegged him. "I don't appreciate having to come to your home and having this conversation at all." He pointed to the house. "You've ruined her. You've destroyed the woman that she once was. Instead she's a rich snot who's used to people bowing to her."
"As it should be," Derrick said factually.
"Fuck you, Derrick. She was better off with Darren," he yelled. He hadn't meant those words, but they were intended to shove a knife into the man's heart. Guess a man had to actually own a heart in order for that work, because Derrick stared at him impassively.
Before he shoved his foot into his mouth further, Sean climbed into his car and sped away. What a mistake he'd made in an attempt to mend the riff, he was too angry to be rational. Time, he needed time.
22
Opening the clinic went smoothly. No major glitches, and the phone continued to ring, filling up the schedule. The best part‒Sean and Beth got to spend the entire day together. Each morning, Sean would pick her up at her parents and take her into work with him. They'd have lunch each day and a couple of times got a quickie in-between patients. His brightest idea was insisting on needing a couch in his office, as well as a sturdy office chair. After work, he took her out to dinner then escorted her home with a passionate kiss on her parents' doorstep. Really he was surprised Mike allowed that.
And each day, they counted down until this moment.
Fixing the tie on his tux, Sean gave himself a once over. Not bad. His wife's taste in formalwear complimented him quite well. Today was the day he became a husband. One would think he'd be nervous taking on the responsibility of a spouse, but not him. This was what he wanted. Beth was who he wanted on his arm for life.
The door opened and Ryan strolled in. "Ready? It's time."
Sean grinned and finished fiddling with his tie. Ryan, his best man, gave him a hearty slap on the back and pulled him in for a one-arm hug. "Let's get you hitched."
Leaving the room, they went straight to the alter. Their wedding was small and intimate. They didn't need to invite many people and with his cousin not on the guest list, that took the number significantly down. One hundred and fifteen of their closest friends and family anxiously waited for the nuptials to begin.
Standing at the end of the aisle, he glanced over in surprise to find a string quartet unit playing the processional for the guests. When the mothers' music began, Sean straightened and felt his stomach somersault. By far, this was the biggest moment of his life. Not only was he taking a wife, but he was promising her the world. Briefly he considered what if he wasn't able to give her everything she desired? Shaking that gloomy thought away, he took a deep breath, he'd do whatever it took to provide for Beth.