Reckless With Their Hearts (29 page)

“Dr. Bradford is a very good doctor.” She murmured.

“Yes. I agree.” He smiled. “But at the time I wasn’t very optimistic. Nica, she was only trying to help. Even then she loved me. Foolish woman.” But there was such love in his eyes that Alexis had to look away. “Nica and Jared met first. They were great friends. I was still married to my first wife when I met her for the first time. I don’t know if you believe in it or not, but for Nica and I it was love at first sight.”

“I have never gotten along well with my brother.” He continued. “He has always been the type of person that gets what he wants without trying very hard. So when Nica showed up in our lives it didn’t make our relationship any better. In fact I think I hated Jared for a while. My first marriage was a mistake from day one. More like a business arrangement than love.” He seemed irritated each time he mentioned his first wife.
As if the woman was an old wound that caused him pain just speaking about her. “A divorce was already being arranged when I first laid eyes on my Nica. But a week later I was in the accident and told I would never walk again.”

“That must have been a very hard time.”

“Yes. In fact the next few years were a living nightmare. My divorce was drawn out longer than it should have been. I had to put all my energy into learning to walk again. And in the back ground was Nica, always there with Jared.” His jaw clenched. “I almost gave up.”

She could understand that. There be were times when she felt like giving up too.

“Once I was on my feet again I seemed to always angry. I hated Nica and loved her all at once. I pushed her away.” His fingers combed through his hair. “And she always came back for more. She never gave up on me. I guess that was why I didn’t really worry about her and Jared.”

“Then last year they announced their engagement.” His hands fisted at the memory. “It was the surprise of my life.
And not a pleasant one at that. You see I had just come to the conclusion that I needed her in my life. I had even…Well we…” He blushed and looked away. “Anyway, when Jared and Nica told me that they were getting married I thought my world had ended.”

Again she could understand that.

“For weeks they tormented me. She completely ignored my existence. Funnily enough, that only made me want her in my life more. So I set out to win her back.”

“What happened then?” She asked when he grew quiet, curious despite
herself.

“Nica
miscarried our baby. That’s when it all came out. That she had asked Jared to pretend to be engaged.” His face was drawn as he spoke about the baby he and his wife had lost. “We made up. But Jared was acting like he was heartsick. I thought that maybe he was really in love with Nica. I was terrified to ask, because I wasn’t sure if I could handle hearing him say he was in love with the woman who owns me body and soul. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I told him that he couldn’t see Nica again.”

“He laughed in my face. He said that he had bigger things to worry about than seeing Nica. His plan had backfired, he told me. That while I was getting to live my fairy tale ending his was a disaster. That was when I knew that it wasn’t Nica that he loved.”

His words helped to ease some of the pain from around her heart. But it didn’t erase the pain that was deeper. She clenched her hands into fist. “Thank you for telling me, Ricco.” She whispered. “But you see, while he was putting your life in order, while he was picking Nica over me…I was going through things of my own. Things that I needed him to help me through.”

“And did you tell him about these things?”

“He was the reason for them. He left me and I fell apart. I went wild, actually. That’s how I ended up in the accident. My blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit…” She shrugged, trying to brush it off.  “So you can imagine why it was a complete surprise when I woke up a week later to find out that I had been six weeks pregnant.”

His entire body jerked in reaction. “You were pregnant?” He whispered.

She twisted her fingers together. “That’s what they told me. There was some brain damage and I don’t remember anything from the months leading up to the accident…And then when I had the accident…My pelvis was crushed. My uterus was torn to shreds. I lost the baby…And all hopes of having another one.” Tears leaked from her eyes and she dashed them away. “So even though I didn’t remember Jared, I knew that there had been a man in my life. And for the first week I waited, and waited. Expecting the father of my child to show up. Every time my hospital door would open I would get this nervous, anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was it him? Had he finally heard about my accident? Was I madly in love with him?”

“After the first week I knew. I understood that I wasn’t important to my child’s father. I didn’t know what had happened between us, but I knew that he didn’t love me. Because if he did, how could he go a week, two, three without seeing me? How could he stand that distance between us?”

“I couldn’t.”

Alexis jumped at the sound of Jared’s voice coming from just behind her. She turned her head to find a pale, sick looking version of the man she loved. His entire body seemed to tremble as he stood there, gazing down at her with tears streaming from his face unashamedly.

“I couldn’t. Each day was an agony. I wanted to be with you. Craved to be in your arms, to have you in mine. But I had my father to deal with. He nearly died. And Nica...Nica doesn’t matter though. None of it matters. I should have been with you. Never should have left your side for even a second.”

“I was second best.” She whispered, turning away from him.

“No! Never!” He exclaimed. “You have never been second to me.”

“You’re actions prove otherwise.” She cried and reached for her crutches. Unsteadily she stood. “I need to go.” Being this close to him was a bitter sweet agony. She wanted—needed—to be close. She couldn’t stand the closeness!

“Lexis, please don’t leave.” Jared begged, stepping in her way. His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he had been crying for a while now.

“I don’t want to leave.” She whispered, truthfully. “I don’t want to leave you…But I don’t trust you. I don’t think I can ever trust you again.”

More tears slipped from his eyes. “What can I do? How can I show you that you can? Tell me, Lexis. I’ll do anything.”

She stood very still.
Her heart racing. God, how she wanted to just let him enfold her in his strong arms and take all her pain away. She loved him. Would always love him! Was there something that he could do to make her trust him again? She swallowed hard. “Would you agree to never see Nica again?”

He answered without hesitating. “Yes.”

Some of the pain eased. “Will you be happy without ever having a child of our own?” It was an important question. For some people, even those madly in love, it could be a deal breaker for their relationship. She was struggling with it herself. Until she had found out she couldn’t have a child she hadn’t given it much thought. Afterwards…It seemed to haunt her thoughts. She wanted a child of her own!

“As long as I have you I have everything I need.” Again without hesitating, not even a flinch as he spoke the words.

“Will you always put me first? No matter what?” It sounded selfish to her ears.
No matter what?
But still she needed to be first with him.

Hope flared in his molasses eyes. “I’ll put you first until the
day I die,
dolcezza
. You are my everything; my very reason to breathe! I have been slowly dying inside without you.”

She licked her lips. She knew that an Italian’s last name meant a lot to them. It was a thing of pride. It was why they wanted a male heir, so that they could continue the name for many generations to come. Her last name was Moreitti and not Shepard because her mother was just as prideful. “Will you marry me and take my last name?”

He blinked, taken completely by surprise by her question. After only the smallest of hesitations he smiled and dropped to his knees. “Will you marry me, Lexis? Will you be my wife?”

“Y-yes.”
She whispered.

A sob escaped him. With trembling fingers he pulled something from his pocket and offered it to her. “I bought
this months ago. It has kept me at least partially lucid during the time I was away from you. When I saw it I knew it was made for you, my Lexis with her soulful eyes and generous heart. I had it sized and then kept it in my pocket. When I lay in bed at night, missing you to the point of pain, I would hold it against my heart and pray that you would one day forgive me.”

Slowly she stepped toward him and saw the ring in his trembling hand. A perfect princess cut diamond in a silver band that was interwoven with tiny amethysts, her favorite gem…and his birthstone. “You bought this in Italy while we were broken up?”

Tears still streaming down his face he nodded. “Although I didn’t consider us broken up. To me you were always mine.”

“Jared…”

He clasped her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. “I’ve dreamed of putting this on your finger. When I found you again I struggled every day not to rush you. To not beg you to marry me.”

“Will you really take my name?”

He grinned, scrubbing at his damp face with the back of his hand. “Yes,
dolcezza
. I will proudly become a Moreitti.”

With a cry she threw her arms around his neck, sobs raking her body. “I love you.”

His arms tightened around her. “And I love you,
cara
. Always.”

The church was packed with family and friends.

There was a crowd outside the church, all of them paparazzi. Since the announcement of their wedding the tabloids had been following Jared’s almost every move. After the way he had been portrayed the broken hearted ex-fiancé after Monica Andrews had married his brother, everyone wanted to see him get his happy ever after.

But that wasn’t the only reason for the overflowing crowd of paparazzi outside. Most of it was so that they could get a shot or ten of the rock stars that were in attendance. Axton Cage was the maid of honor’s date. The drummer of OtherWorld had also tagged along, as well as the frontrunner of Demon’s Wings who had brought a date. Alexis didn’t know what to think with those three rockers seated in the pews. But it was pretty exciting to have them there nonetheless.

Standing in her dress in the back of the church waiting for the music to begin so that she could meet her destiny she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She had a surprise for Jared, and feared that she would end up falling on her face. But she tried to keep calm and not think about it for the moment.

Carina stood behind her, adjusting her veil, while Melissa fixed a few of the flowers that had gotten squished in her bouquet on the limo ride over. Gabriella stood at the door, watching through the crack, giving commentary every so often on what certain family members were doing. Like the way Nonno kept giving Axton angry glares; or the way Vince’s mother was arguing with someone from the groom’s side.

“Well this should be interesting.” Gabriella murmured as she opened the door a little further to get a better look.

Alexis frowned. “What?”

“Nica and Ember are talking like they are old friends. God, I hate them both!”

She sighed. “Gabs, I got over Nica.” She had had a long talk with the other woman just a few days ago. It had been hard, but for the most part Alexis had forgiven Nica. “You don’t have a reason to hate her anymore…Wait, what? Who’s Ember?”

Gabriella shut the door and turned to face her. “She’s here with Nik Armstrong, the Demon’s Wings guy. She’s like their little pet or something. I hate her, she hates me. It’s a hate, hate thing.” She shrugged. “Axton has a thing for her, and she has a thing for Nik. So I let her think that…Well I told her that I hooked up with the rocker.”

Carina narrowed her eyes on her niece. “Why would you do that?”

“To make the bitch miserable.”

“Gabriella!” Carina glared. “Number one, this is a church. Watch your language, girl. And two, that was a horrible thing to do to that girl.”

“Whatever. She will get over it.”

Alexis sighed, shaking her head at her cousin. “I think you should tell her the truth. It could only cause more trouble down the road.”

Before Gabriella could reply the organ started and Max and Vince appeared from out of nowhere. “Here we go ladies.” Vince grinned as he stepped forward to offer an arm to Melissa and Carina.

The doors opened and he escorted them down the aisle. The butterflies were start
ing to swarm in her stomach, but she gathered her courage. She was
not
going to fall on her face!

Gabriella gave her a hug then turned to make her way down the aisle as well.

Max offered his arm and she took it, giving him a watery smile. “Ready?”

He shook his head. “Not even close. No father is ever ready to give his baby girl away.” He cleared his throat, his eyes growing bright. “But I will anyway. Because I know that he makes you happy.”

Alexis nodded. “He does, Daddy. He’s everything to me.”

Using a crutch in her right hand and holding on to her father with her left they stepped forward
as the music changed to the wedding march, and began the slow walk down the aisle. She tried not to look at the front of the church, where Jared stood with his brother as his best man. She was scared that if she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to do what she had planned.