Give Me More (13 page)

Four weeks after shoving her foot down her own throat, Spring choked and cried and wished she would have looked in the damned bag. She had royally screwed up. After Bo had left her house that crappy Saturday morning, she went over and looked inside the bag. Under the discarded tissue paper, she had found an envelope addressed to her that had
Read Me First
written on it and a baby blue box. She was beyond confused by the two items.

Of course, she opened the baby blue box first and found an enormous platinum and diamond engagement ring inside. Tears had instantly welled up in her eyes followed by more confusion. Spring opened the letter next and concluded it was handwritten by Bo. The letter had explained literally everything Bo had not been allowed to say.

The letter Bo had written explained how he had cried tears of excitement, confusion, nervousness, and anger when he found out he was married to her. He had even gone as far as to get a copy of their application just to be sure it was legitimate. Although they had drunk a lot that night, they were still of sound mind to get married. And afterwards, they celebrated even more with the other newly married couples at the event.

The letter had explained how Bo had at first assumed it had been a trap. That Spring was a gold digger who had managed to bypass all of his barriers and tricked him into marrying her when all others had not been able to. After a short debate with himself, he had realized that she wasn’t like that. That was not her style. Before he confronted Spring, he wanted to make sure the feelings he had for her, the love he had professed to her, was still true. And indeed it was.

He was afraid of what her reaction would be when he showed her the marriage license. He had had the divorce papers drawn up in case she wanted a way out. Bo didn’t want Spring to feel obligated to stay married to him. If she felt they should have left their encounter in Las Vegas, he would not stop her from signing. Bo wanted to make sure Spring understood her options when he presented them to her.

If Spring wanted to give their relationship a chance, date and see if they really did have a chance, he would welcome her with open arms. He loved her and wanted to be with her. But if she decided that she did not want to be married for whatever reason, he would hand over the divorce papers and gracefully accept her rejection. He was leaving the fate of their marriage in her hands.

Now, four weeks later, she sat behind her desk at the art gallery miserable as hell. She still had not signed the divorce papers. And not once had Bo called looking for them. She had picked up the telephone several times to call him but was too afraid of what he would say. Would he take her call?

After thinking about all that had happened in her home, Spring realized how unfair she had been to Bo. She had never let him speak. Never let him defend himself. He had intended to leave the fate of their marriage in her hands. Let her decide how things would end up. And, in the end, she had hurt them both and ruined everything. There was nothing else to debate. Her life was a disaster, and yet she still wasn’t ready to sign the papers. She wanted to be with Bo, she just needed to figure out what to do.

Finally fed up with the mental debate, Spring began looking over schedules. The new semester was just around the corner. She needed to get her schedules coordinated. She was elbow deep in paperwork when she heard a knock at her office door.

“It’s open.” Spring looked up as her assistant, Dana, stepped through the door.

“Hey, Spring, there are clients out in the gallery requesting to see you if you have a moment.”

Spring stood up. She wasn’t expecting anyone. “Is there a problem, Dana?”

Dana pushed the door closed behind her. “Spring, they aren’t complaining. Actually, the woman in the gallery was smiling when she asked for you. She’s with two big, strapping older gentlemen. Gorgeous as hell.”

Spring smiled. Dana was checking out the men in the gallery. “Dana?”

“Sorry, Spring. When you see those men, you will stop in your tracks just like I did. Heck, even the woman with them was beautiful. Anyway, they just requested your presence out front.”

Spring brushed her hands down her slacks and adjusted her blouse, making sure she looked presentable. She gave herself a quick once-over in the full-length mirror that stood in the corner. Happy with her appearance, Spring left the office to greet her clients.

* * * *

“It sure looks like him,” the tall man in a checkerboard shirt with dark, curly hair said to the woman.

“Definitely. But I’m not certain.” This came from the other tall man in a blue polo shirt with similar dark, curly hair.

“I would know my son anywhere. I don’t need to see his face to know it’s him. You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” The woman grinned at both the men and shook her head.

Spring was frozen in her tracks as she listened to the conversation being held only a few feet from her. The woman and two men were standing in front of a painting she had done of Bo the morning of their big blowup. He was strewn across her bed, dark curls astray, muscles abound.

The two older men had their backs to her, but for a moment, she could have sworn one of them was Bo. But it couldn’t be. The woman standing between the two men called the man in the painting her son. Spring did a quick recollection of conversations she had had with Bo. Holy hell. These were Bo’s parents.

Spring had recalled him telling her that he had an unconventional family. He was raised with two fathers and one mother. Spring didn’t know how to take that statement, but quickly realized that they had more love in their home. Her parents were dead, and it was just her sisters. They did not have any other family members. Bo had three parents, and Spring had none. She shook off the small wave of jealousy and cleared her throat.

“I see that you are enjoying my painting?” The trio turned around, and Spring stuck her arm out to the older woman first. “I’m Spring Showers, owner of this little gallery. Thank you for coming in.”

The woman shook her hand, covered it with the other, and smiled wide. “You, my dear, are absolutely beautiful, and this is a wonderful gallery. We looked around first before we asked for you. My name is Lily Durden, and these are my husbands, Adam and Josiah.”

Spring noticed the intentional pause Lily made when she gave her introductions. And, through it all, she held on to Spring’s hand, not squeezing, but just a friendly, comforting embrace. Luckily for Spring, she already knew about Bo’s family. She smiled and, with laughter in her voice, said, “What brought Bo’s parents down to see me?”

“Hmmpf, I like her already. Getting right down to the meat of things,” Adam, the man in the blue shirt, said with a grin.

Spring could not help but stare at the men in front of her. Bo looked just like them. Considering he had told her that Adam and Josiah were brothers, Spring saw the resemblance. They all shared the same sky-blue eyes and dark, curly hair. But Bo’s smile and dimples came from his mother.

“She’s a little spitfire, Adam. He needs that. It’ll keep him in line,” Josiah said with approval.

Lily cleared her throat, grabbing her men’s attention.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind being teased. But you should know Bo and I are not together. We are getting a divorce.”

Lily stroked Spring’s hand again, her left hand. She turned it over so Adam and Josiah could see. “Sweethearts, does this ring look like the ring of a single woman?”

“Nope,” the proud, grinning men said in unison.

Spring opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was embarrassed to be called on it. No one had made any comments about her wearing the engagement ring Bo had bought for her. She wanted him back, but he had made it clear that she should not contact him. The engagement ring, the marriage license, even the divorce papers were all she had to remind her of him. Even the painting was created because she missed him and wanted to hold the last happy memory she had of him on canvas. Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Oh, my dear, I know love when I see it.” Lily pulled Spring in for a much-needed hug. “Do you have somewhere we could all sit down and talk for a moment?”

Spring sniffed and wiped the tears that escaped her eyes. She stood up straight, gathering her wits. She brushed a hand over her hair and flashed a weak smile at Lily, Adam, and Josiah. “Please follow me.”

Spring sat at her desk and admired the trio sitting on the oversized leather sofa in her office. Lily sat in between her two men, but she watched Spring with kind eyes.

“Spring, just so you know, Bo does not know we are here.”

“Why not.” She was surprised at the admission.

“Our son can be an ass,” Adam said with sincerity.

“A stupid ass, that one.”

“Josiah, stop that.” Lily turned her attention back to Spring. “May I ask you a truly personal question?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Spring, we are related, since you didn’t sign the papers. At least, not yet. You can call us Mom or Dad if you like,” said Josiah.

“Thank you.” Spring was getting nervous. She started playing with her fingers.

“Spring.” Lily waited until Spring looked at her. “Why haven’t you signed the papers or contacted Bo?”

Spring wished she could have been pissed at the intrusive question, but she wasn’t. They deserved an answer. Bo deserved an answer. “I don’t want a divorce. I messed up big time. I just want him back, but I don’t know how. I hurt him really bad, but I want my husband. I want to try and see if we could make this work. I read the letter he had written, and I placed the ring on my finger trying to figure out a way to talk to him. I love him. I fell in love with him almost the moment we met.”

“Lily, I think we got the answers we were looking for,” Adam said as he kissed his wife on the cheek. “What do you think, Josiah?”

“She’s perfect. She will keep our son on his toes.”

“You three don’t mind that I’m the woman Bo is married to?”

Lily, Josiah, and Adam all exchanged puzzled looks before turning their eyes on Spring. Lily spoke first. “What are you talking about, Spring?”

“I’m…look at me.”

“Spring, dear, I see a beautiful woman with the most captivating eyes. You have managed to capture my son’s heart. No one else has ever done that. He has been a miserable walking disaster ever since he left your house.”

Josiah placed his hand on Lily’s. They shared a look, and then he spoke. “Spring, my brother and I can’t handle a lot of sentimental stuff, so I have to ask one last question, and then we will be on our way.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want your husband back?”

“Yes. Yes, Mom and Dads, I want my husband back.” She didn’t even have to think about that question. That ring was not coming off of her finger. She wanted Bo back. And she knew she would have to be the one to make the first move.

“Are you willing to fight for him? Make him understand that you two are meant to be together?” This from Adam.

“Yes. He’s not getting rid of me that easily.” Spring had to laugh. This was a very protective family.

Adam placed his arm around Lily and grinned. He couldn’t believe Spring had called them Mom and Dads. “Good girl. You are invited to Sunday dinner at our house. The entire family gets together every Sunday, and you are family, Spring. Come on Sunday and claim your husband.”

“Please take him off of our hands, spitfire,” Josiah teased.

Spring wanted to jump for joy, but she blushed instead. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, dear.” Adam stood first and turned to help Lily stand. Josiah kept a hand to her back until she stood erect. Then she continued. “Come claim your husband, daughter.” Lily cried tears of joy as she embraced Spring. She had hoped that Spring had still wanted to be with Bo and that was the reason for failing to sign the divorce papers. Now that she knew that was the case, she couldn’t wait until Sunday to see the look on her son’s face.

* * * *

Stunned. Yes, Spring was still stunned after the surprise visit and conversation she had had six days ago.

She shook her head and grinned to herself as she made the turnoff at Lily’s Lake and drove up the winding driveway that led to the huge mansion nestled deep in the woods in the small town of Whispering Mountains.

Spring had been given six days to digest the conversation she had with Bo’s mother and two fathers. She knew he had a close-knit family. But she did not expect them to show up at her art gallery with open arms of acceptance and concern. Nor did she expect the dinner invitation.

One would be hard pressed to be angry with the impromptu visit from Bo’s parents, and she couldn’t be. Not after Bo’s parents left her with an invitation for dinner and a few things to think about. When Spring walked Bo’s parents out, she had been instructed to think about everything that she felt for Bo, everything she had experienced over that weekend, and everything she felt after she returned home.

Even how she felt after their argument and breakup on that unfortunate Saturday. Did she still feel the same way? Was she in love with him? Was she willing to try to see if being married to him could work even if the route they took wasn’t the one she imagined?

And last, but not least, was she willing to fight for him?

At first, Spring didn’t know what to do. Her world had been turned upside down. She was married. And Bo, her husband, had not told her immediately. That was the one thought that fueled her fire. He had not told her. Whether she turned him away or accepted him with open arms. He didn’t tell her.

But she had to remember that she had been completely unfair when she had found out they were married. She didn’t give him a chance to talk. That’s where the final blame lay. She should have been fair. Through the anger, she should have listened. Spring refused to sit on her ass and twiddle her thumbs any longer.

The visit from his parents lit a fire under her. She was going after him. Bo had better be ready, because she wasn’t leaving his parents’ home without him. She turned off her ignition as she sat in his parents’ driveway and laughed.

Bo’s parents were sneaky. When they had shown up at her gallery, they told Spring that they had welcomed her the moment they heard about her from their other children. She was good for him, they said. Instant acceptance. No questions asked, race irrelevant. They had invited her to their Sunday family dinner. Every one of their children would be there. And they had invited Spring. Their daughter-in-law. It was only appropriate she show up.

Spring took a few deep breaths as she rang the doorbell. The rustic mansion didn’t seem out of place nestled in the woods. It was stunning. The two-story home boasted of massive log beams and huge windows.

From what Bo had told her, Spring knew that none of his siblings lived in the main house with their parents. They all gathered there for dinners on Sunday. She wasn’t sure what to expect. The humongous driveway was filled with cars, SUVs, and four-wheel drive trucks. She had no idea which one belonged to Bo. At this point, she didn’t care. It had been a month since she had seen him, and she wanted only Bo. Thought of only Bo. She was coming to claim her husband.

When the front door swung open, Spring was surprised to find a goofy, grinning Cade standing on the other side.
Oh, boy.
Of course, he must have known she was married to his brother. Did he know that his parents had visited her? Did he know why she was here?

She couldn’t sweat the small stuff. She was invited, and she was not turning tail now.

“Hey there…sis.” He grinned, loving this a little too much. Cade stepped aside and ushered Spring in and motioned for her to follow him. “Not surprised to see you. How was your drive? Good? Great. Don’t kill him too bad.”

All was said as he walked ahead of her towards the loud, cheerful conversations. It was as if Cade was enjoying it all. He was answering his own questions with laughter in his voice and shielding her presence as he walked.

“Who was at the door, Cade?” Lily, their mother, asked. She knew who it was. But Spring was still shielded by Cade, so no one could see her. “Well, Mom, it seems Bo has a surprise guest. Or shall I say, he forgot to invite a very important guest.” Cade was enjoying this entirely too much. He slid to one side so everyone could see Spring.

Holy hell. The room went so silent, she swore she heard her stomach knot tighter. She knew Bo had a lot of siblings, but this was a basketball team. Spring cleared her throat and stood a little taller as she zeroed in on Bo, whose mouth literally dropped open. She would not let nine pairs of eyes, ten when she included the sheriff, who happened to be married to one of his sisters, stop her from accomplishing her goal.

“Hello, everyone. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I was invited to dinner.” Spring stole a quick glance at Bo’s parents and was greeted with encouraging grins. She continued on. “I’m here to claim my husband.”

As Spring continued to focus on Bo, trying not to faint from all the strength she had mustered, she couldn’t help but grin at the sounds of whooping and yelps from around the room. His brothers, sisters, and even the sheriff were cheering her on.

“I told you she was something special,” Lily whispered to her two husbands.

“She’s got fire,” Adam, their father added.

“Oh, I love a woman with spunk,” Josiah, their other father, tossed in.

“Look at that ring on her finger,” someone towards the end of the table whispered none too softly.

Spring’s lips twitched, but she said nothing. She watched Bo as his gaze diverted to her left ring finger and then back up to greet her.

He didn’t know what to do. Stunned would be a better description of how he looked at her. She wasn’t backing down. For six days, she had replayed the conversation she had had with Bo’s parents and thought about how she felt about him.

That weekend in Las Vegas had been the most unbelievable time of her life. She had fallen for Bo like a ton of bricks. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at another man when she returned to Denver.

And thank goodness she hadn’t. Hell, she was a married woman. It may not have happened the way she had wanted, the way she dreamed her wedding would be. Heck, she never even thought about being married before meeting Bo. But the one thing Spring knew without a doubt was that she was in love with Bo. He owned her heart, and she didn’t want it back. Not without him. Just Bo.

“Bo?” Okay, she was losing some of her gusto. He was staring and not speaking. His family looked as if they had no intentions of leaving the room, and Bo looked flat-out dumbfounded. She walked around the dining room table and stopped when she stood at his side.

Everything around her disappeared except for Bo. God, she had missed him. She didn’t realize how empty she was until this moment. He looked up at her with those sky-blue eyes and pressed his head to her stomach. Spring wrapped her arms around him. Wanting to hold on to this moment. There was no way in hell she was leaving this house without him.

“I missed you so much, minx. I love you,” he murmured into her stomach, finally wrapping his arms around her and squeezing a little too tight.

Spring threaded her fingers through his hair. They needed to resolve some things before they went any further.

“Bo?” She caressed her fingers through his hair a few times until he looked up at her again. “I’m here to claim you, baby. I love you. We still have one wish left, remember?”

Bo stared at her for a moment longer. Then he slowly stood, never breaking eye contact. He cradled her face between his hands and kissed her gently. “You’re claiming me, minx?”

“Yes. You got a problem with that?”

“No, I’m proud. Now tell me about this third wish of ours.” He pressed his forehead to hers.

“Forever.”

“Forever?”

“Yes, Bo. I want forever, with you. What do you want?”

“Mmmm.” He leaned down once again and kissed her. He knew they still had an audience. But it was passionate enough to get his point across. “I want forever with you, minx.”

Spring stood on tiptoes and kissed Bo again. She knew they had an abundant amount of things to work out, and they would. Somehow, she couldn’t be bothered with it at the moment.

She had her cowboy, and forever was the agreement.