Fighting for You (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Declan carried Ella through the door of his apartment and deposited her gently down onto the couch. She settled back against the cushions and moaned in bliss. “I’m so glad to be out of that hospital. I’m sure all of the nurses are going to miss you, though. I felt like I was leaving with Tom Cruise or something.”

He threw her a sheepish smile as he dropped her bag onto the chair next to her. She would swear that he was even blushing. All of the nurses had lined up in the hallway when the pair left and, instead of wishing her well, they had all hugged Declan and told him to stay in touch. She was pretty sure that they had forgotten that she was actually the one that had been hospitalized. He sure had a group of loyal fans there.

“Baby, are you sure you’re up to having Evan here for a few hours? I can get you settled in bed and keep him out here while you rest.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit beside her. “Mister, you are gonna have a fight on your hands if you try to put me back in bed.” Giving him a wicked grin, she added, “Well, unless you have something in mind other than me sleeping?”

“Ellie,” he groaned, “Don’t look at me that way.”

“What?” she asked innocently as she trailed her hand over his crotch.

He took her hand and put it back beside her on the couch. He laughed as she pouted. “Behave yourself. I don’t need Evan asking why I’m walking around hunched over. I’m still battling the hard-on I got from carrying you in the door. I don’t need any encouragement where you’re concerned.”

She still had to fight the urge to squeal like a girl and shout, “He loves me!” Unlike her parents who had wanted to make all of her decisions, when Declan took care of her, she felt loved. He was so gentle with her and sensitive to her every need. Even though it went against every instinct he had, at her request, he asked Mac to help the girl who had hit her. Sara had come by the hospital that morning to apologize. She and her parents cried as they apologized and thanked her profusely. Thanks to Mac’s influence with the district attorney, Sara would not do jail time and instead would perform community service at a local children’s shelter. Sara told Ella she had gotten rid of her cell phone, and she never wanted another one. Ella was pretty sure she would change her mind about that later on, but was happy that she realized how dangerous it was to use while driving.

The next thing she knew Ella jerked awake. She couldn’t remember dozing off, but she must have. Evan sat beside his father on the coffee table in front of her. “Do you think she’s okay, Dad?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. I bet she must be hungry.”

“Are we gonna ask her?”

“Yep, you know what to say, right?”

Ella had shut her eyes while she listened to father and son talk. She wondered what plan they were hatching. She felt Evan poke her in the shoulder and opened one eye to look at him. “Yesss?”

Evan giggled. “She’s alive, Dad. Are you hungry, Ellie?”

“I’m starving, Evan. Whatcha got for me?” Evan and Declan moved to the side and she spotted a pink cake behind them. “Mmmm, is that strawberry, my favorite?”

Evan nodded. “We made it for you. Can you sit up ‘cause I got something to ask you.”

Ella smiled. Could he be any more adorable? She looked over at Declan who had been strangely silent through their exchange. He looked a little pale. Maybe he should find something else to do with Evan besides baking. She settled back on the sofa after getting comfortable and said, “Alright, kid, lay it on me.”

Evan cleared his throat and looked at his father. When Declan gave him a slight nod, he said, “We made you your favorite cake so we can celebrate if you give us a good answer.”

Ella lifted a brow. “So what you’re saying is I have to answer the question right or I don’t get any cake?”

“Yeah. Daddy says we can only ‘cept one answer. Can I ask you the question now?”

“Please do, I’m starving.”

When Evan and Declan each dropped to one knee in front of her, she laughed. Boy, this must be something major if they were reduced to this. When Evan asked, “Ella, will you marry us?” It took her a few seconds for the words to sink in. Her head started spinning and her heart was racing. She heard Evan say, “What’s wrong with her, Daddy? She hasn’t said anything.”

“Ellie?” Declan was starting to sound a little panicky.

As the implication of what was going on hit her, Ella started laughing. “Oh my God, yes!” She threw her arms around a nervous looking Declan and an excited Evan. “I’d love to marry you guys. I can’t think of anything in this world I would rather do!”

Evan squirmed out of her hold, running to the kitchen to get some plates for the cake, while Declan crushed her against him. “Is this a real yes?” he asked.

She felt tears running down her face as she said, “Yes. I . . . I’m so happy and surprised.”

With a huge grin, Declan said, “I knew you couldn’t say no to Evan.”

“I couldn’t say no to his daddy either.” When Evan came back into the room, they were lost in a long, drugging kiss. He wedged his way between them holding up a ring box.

He held it out to Declan and said, “I got her ring like I was supposed to.” Then looking confused he added, “We really will need plates though, won’t we?”

Declan slid the beautiful princess-cut diamond ring on her finger and asked her formally, “Ella Marie Webber, will you marry me?”

Her tears continued to fall as she said, “I would love to marry you, Declan, and you, Evan.” Father and son beamed, and the three admired the diamond on her finger.

“Ellie, I only have two more things to ask of you. Please don’t make me wait long and please don’t let your mother hurt me.”

She burst out laughing thinking there was something really wrong with her. How could she be crying one moment and laughing the next. Being in love had shown her one thing, she never knew what to expect, even from herself.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The bride was radiant in an off-the-shoulder, white silk gown. And the other bride glowed in an empire waist, organza dress that clearly showed her advanced stage of pregnancy. Flower petals lined the aisle, courtesy of a handsome flower boy named Evan. The bridesmaids consisted of Claire, Suzy, Ava, and Emma. The groomsmen were Jason, Gray, Brant, and Mac.

Declan smiled at Evan as he fidgeted beside him. On the other side of the altar, Nick fidgeted almost as much. Ella and Beth stood inside the double doors at the back of the church waiting for the wedding march to begin.

Declan had to marvel at the changes that falling in love with Ella had brought about in him. He had led such a solitary existence until he met her. Now he had friends he socialized with, and he was marrying the woman of his dreams, in a double ceremony, no less.

A couple weeks after he asked Ella to marry him, she had come to him with a hopeful expression on her sweet face. Beth wanted to marry Nick before their baby was born. She wanted to prove to herself that she could walk down the aisle while she was pregnant and not give in to her need to lose weight first. He didn’t fully understand it, but Ella did. She knew that her friend badly wanted to carry through with her plans, but was very nervous about being the center of attention. Ella had come up with a plan for Beth to have the wedding she wanted, but not have to be alone in the spotlight.

Declan was helpless to deny her anything when she looked at him with those big eyes. She said she had been fully prepared to beg or bribe him if necessary. He had agreed without any need for begging, but enjoyed her enthusiastic thanks just the same.

In true fashion, the idea of a double wedding with her daughter’s pregnant best friend had appalled Ella’s mother, but faced with the possibility of not being a part of her daughter’s wedding, she had given in and taken over a lot of the planning. Originally, Beth had wanted a beach wedding like her sister, but with her pregnancy and Ella still recovering from her surgeries, they had decided it wasn’t a great idea to walk down an aisle made of shifting sand.

Ella’s mother had surprised everyone when she stepped forward and suggested the family church for the wedding. Declan had expected her to suggest a location in another state to make sure none of their friends attended, but he had underestimated her ability to adjust when it was necessary. He had no doubt she was going to be the mother-in-law from hell, but since she had already busted in on them in bed, what was left,
really
?

The wedding march started and he felt his eyes start to well up as the best friends clasped hands and started down the aisle. Their fathers had agreed to walk behind them in a nontraditional show of support. At nine months pregnant, Beth waddled a bit, but she was beautiful as her eyes clung to the man beside Declan.

Ella still walked with a slight limp that was hardly noticeable to those who didn’t know about her accident. She was radiant and as always, he felt like he was the only man in the world when she looked at him. He was world-weary and battle scarred, but with her love, he had a fresh thirst for life that he would never have thought possible. He might never forget the traumas he had experienced, but when the shadows came, she was there to push them back with the light.

Even his nightmares had lessened in frequency and intensity over the last few weeks and he knew he owed that partly to Ella and her unconditional acceptance as well as to his sessions with his therapist. Ella had been just as happy as Mac when he finally told her about his weekly meetings. She had even accompanied him to a few of them. Even though he was dealing with his memories better, he still planned to keep seeing Dr. Robertson. He never wanted to return to his darkest days again. He thanked God he no longer had dreams about her dying, but had to wonder if somehow the previous ones had been some sort of a warning. He liked to think that maybe Craig was looking out for them from above. He would always be rough around the edges, but he suspected there was a part of her that loved leaving her straight-laced upbringing to run with him on the wild side.

As the vows were exchanged and Beth became Mrs. Merimon and Ella became Mrs. Stone, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church. Even Suzy, who was usually the tough one, was openly sobbing and looking extremely pissed off about it. She would probably scold them later for making her ruin her makeup. Nick had swept Beth into an elaborate dip and he was pretty sure Beth was going to kill him when he finally got her back up. Declan had Ella tucked safely against his side, where he planned to keep her for at least another fifty or sixty years, and beyond that if he had anything to do with it.

“I love you, Ellie,” he whispered in her ear.

She beamed at him, looking happy and peaceful. “I love you too, husband.” He couldn’t help himself; he bent down and kissed her again . . . and again.

The pastor cleared his throat saying under his breath, “I think we’ve already covered the part where you kiss the bride.”

Declan pulled away and noticed everyone in the church smiling at them and beside him, Nick gave him a nudge, “Save something for the wedding night, bro.”

He chuckled, “There’s plenty more where that came from.” And then the four of them exited the church together with Beth and Ella holding hands in the middle.

***

The reception was held at a local country club. Servers circulated with champagne or, for those who preferred the nonalcoholic option, sparkling water. After the cocktail hour there would be a full dinner with a choice of prime rib or smoked salmon. There were also options for the guests who were vegetarians. Ella stood beside her new husband smiling as he joked around with Gray, Jason, and Nick. He had come so far from the standoffish man he used to be. He would never be a party animal, but she had no doubt, he would be one of the best friends that these men would have in their lifetime.

Her hip gave a small twinge from all of the activity of the day, but it was minor. She was grateful that her sister had plied her with Advil before the ceremony. Thinking of her sister, she looked around the room until she spotted her standing beside her husband. They were going through a rough spot. Crystal had spent so many years trying to be everything to everyone that she had started to crack under the pressure. She had finally decided that in order to keep her sanity, she had to make some changes and finally be the person that she wanted to be. Bill was scrambling to keep up with the new Crystal, but the look of adoration he had in his eyes when he looked at his wife told Ella that no matter how hard change was for everyone involved, if there was love, then eventually they would find their way back to each other.

“Ellie.”

The bride turned her attention from her sister and back to her husband as he cupped her elbow to turn her to see a strawberry-blonde woman, who appeared to be in her twenties, and a little girl approach. The pair that looked so much like a mother and a daughter stood next to Declan’s friend, Mac. Ella returned the woman’s friendly smile as Declan shifted and looked suddenly nervous. “Honey, this is Amy and her daughter, Renee.”

It took Ella a moment for everything to click into place. Craig’s Amy. Ella had sent her an invitation through Mac since she knew that she was visiting the area. She had desperately hoped that Craig’s wife would come. Declan needed to see the wife of the friend he held so dear. She stepped forward and pulled Amy into a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you,” and smiling at Renee she added, “and you too, Miss Renee.”

Amy returned her embrace and then turned to Declan. She put her arms around him and for a few moments they simply held each other, both lost in the memory of the man they loved. They both had tears in their eyes when they pulled back. “I’m so happy for you both, and I am thrilled that you included me in your special day. You have no idea how much this means to me.” She clasped Declan’s hand tightly in her own, “Craig would have been overjoyed and I know he is up there somewhere enjoying this day along with us.”

An obviously emotional Declan handed her a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. “I brought this for Ella, but I think you and I probably need it more right now.” His joke lightened the mood and everyone chuckled before he turned serious again. “Thank you, Amy, for coming. I . . . I’m sorry I never came to see you after . . . but I just . . . didn’t know what to say truthfully. I let you both down.”

Amy started shaking her head, “No, you didn’t. Craig talked about you all the time. He was always telling me how you looked out for him. He wouldn’t have been the man I loved if he hadn’t tried to save someone he thought was in trouble. My husband died a hero, and that is what I will always remember. My husband was a hero, Declan, and neither of us can take that away from him.”

Ella clasped Declan’s hand as she saw some of the weight visibly leave his broad shoulders. Knowing that Amy didn’t hate him for Craig’s death was something that would make this day even more memorable. All of the guilt and self-hatred was falling away and the wonderful man beneath it all was starting to shine through. Ella had always known he was there and her heart melted as she saw Declan realizing it as well.

Mac stepped forward looking pretty emotional, but trying to hide it. “If you two are finished with all of the crying, it looks like we’re missing a great party.” He gave Amy a quick hug and escorted her and Renee to a table.

Declan turned to Ella and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you for that, baby. I don’t even have the words to tell you how much it means to me.”

She pulled back and tenderly stroked his handsome face. “I know. You don’t need the words. I’m just glad you aren’t mad at me for not telling you. I talked to Amy last week, Mac gave me her number. She doesn’t blame you, she never has. She is so happy that Craig had you. He thought of you as a brother.”

Declan kissed her nose before nuzzling against her neck. “I could never be mad at you. You are the only one in my life who has ever understood what I need. You saved me, baby. Your love has made me the man I never thought I could be.”

“Oh, Declan,” she whispered, “You were already that man. That’s why I fell in love with you. I saw the real you, I always have.”

***

After dinner and a toast from Suzy that had everyone laughing, the brides cut the cake and the floor was cleared for dancing. Suzy had booked a band that she often used for special events at Danvers.

Ella laid her head on her husband’s shoulder and sighed in pure bliss. She smiled as Claire and Jason passed by in each other’s arms with Suzy and Gray not far behind. Julie and Graham gave them a happy smile when they danced by. Ella was happy that they seemed to have worked out their problems and she figured that another wedding was right around the corner. When Beth and Nick got near, she reached out and clasped hands with her best friend, both of them still emotional. When Beth gripped Ella’s hand with all her strength, both couples came to a halt.

Nick patted her on the back and joked, “Princess, you need to let go. I’m all for a little girl-on-girl, but at our wedding and you pregnant, it just seems a little wrong.”

Declan chuckled. For the most part, he had gotten used to Nick’s sense of humor.

Ella looked closer at Beth’s face, finally noticing the pale color. “Beth . . . ?”

Nick suddenly jumped back, looking down in horror. “Honey, did you just . . . pee on me?”

All of the dancing in the vicinity came to a halt and Nick’s voice seemed to echo off the walls. “I think my water just broke!” Beth squeaked out.

Claire and Suzy rushed over, while Nick paled an even lighter shade of white. “Oh, shit, the suitcase is in the car. Let’s go.”

They all gaped at him as he took off toward the exit without Beth. Suzy put her hands on her hips, “Where is that fool going? Unless you two are playing switch the baby, he kind of needs you in the car.”

Jason smirked, “Yeah, hopefully that will hit home before he actually leaves.”

Ella put her arm around Beth and Suzy took the other side. Claire cleared a path. The men followed behind, clearly at a loss as to how to help. Gray stepped around saying, “I’ll, um . . . go find my brother.”

They had almost made it to the door when Gray came back in with a harried-looking Nick. “Princess, I’m sorry. I lost my mind there for a minute.”

Gray shook his head. “He was actually backing out of the parking space when I found him. I think he would have continued on to the hospital.”

Suzy rolled her eyes and stepped back for him to take Beth’s side. Nick was trying to be calm, but still looked ready to pass out. Suzy and Beth’s parents walked up behind them with Beth’s mother stepping forward. “Your father and I will take care of your guests here, if you need to leave now.”

The whole conversation felt a little awkward to Ella, but she had mother issues of her own so she couldn’t really throw stones. Beth nodded her head, adding a quick “Thanks,” as they separated and went to their cars.

By the time they made it to the hospital, Beth was gasping in pain and Nick was in danger of losing his mind while he tried to do breathing exercises with her. Gray and Nick’s mother planned to be in the delivery room. She had also invited Ella, but Ella felt like it should just be their families. Brant and Emma were the last to arrive at the hospital. They came down the hallway arguing. Brant was shaking his head saying, “Where on God’s earth did you learn to drive? You almost killed us three times.”

“Well, you should have driven yourself, Mr. Dictator,” Emma huffed. “Oh wait, your car was blocked in so you couldn’t. Wow, it seems like I did you a favor.”

“You call almost killing me a favor,” Brant said incredulously.

“Please tell me you aren’t staying,” Emma moaned.

“Fuck me,” Declan whispered, “What’s wrong with them?”

Jason shook his head while Claire smiled. “I think they’re kind of cute.”

Ella nodded in agreement.

Suzy raised a brow, “I think it’s some kind of redneck foreplay.” Gray patted her shoulder and rolled his eyes. John, Gray’s father, looked amused as he studied the bickering couple.