Fighting Shadows (On the Ropes #2)(84)

She can’t be gone.

Not Mia.





MIA MARCH WAS TAKEN OFF life support less than twenty-four hours after her parents had produced a notarized do-not-resuscitate order dated six months earlier. We all attended her funeral, although Quarry’s presence was limited to physical. His mind seemed to be lost in her deceit while he watched his heart being lowered into the ground. The whole Page family rallied around him, but we all struggled to make any kind of headway as he retreated into his own self-inflicted solitary confinement. News of Quarry’s sudden loss hit sports pages everywhere, and Flint was flooded with phone calls as Quarry’s popularity skyrocketed.

He hated every single second of it.

We were all rocked by Mia’s death. Suddenly, forever didn’t seem as long anymore.

After months of debating, Flint and I decided to start a family. I was just finishing up college when Flint and I welcomed Cole Page into the family. He was born with red hair that eventually turned strawberry blond. He had Flint’s bright-blue eyes and my wide smile.

Having a baby was not as difficult as everyone had warned it would be. Cole was a blast. It was the second one who flipped our world upside down. I thought Flint was going to have a stroke when they informed us that I was already pregnant again at my first postpartum appointment.

I cried.

Flint just held Cole and blinked a lot.

But in the end, when Chase was born looking exactly like his brother, we all laughed.

Bottles, diapers, and sippy cups became our life. Time marched on, only at a slightly quicker pace.

When the boys were two and three, we buried Julio in the corner next to the weeds in the backyard. I was a mess, but that day, I made the decision to go back to school and become a veterinarian. Flint was making excellent money, so upon graduation, I was able to volunteer at the local animal shelter. They were grateful for my free expertise, but Flint was slightly less than excited by the constant stream of injured animals parading in and out of our house. He sat me down one night and gave me a firm lecture about not being able to save them all. I rolled my eyes and kept trying.

Over the years, Flint and I laughed a lot. We also argued a good bit too, but we always made up. I continued to dream, and Flint continued doing everything he could to fulfill them.

The day Flint finally put his cane away for good was a big deal—even to Flint. I cooked dinner that night and then the boys and I danced around the living room singing “Eye of the Tiger” at the top of our lungs while Flint laughed in the corner.

That night, as we feel asleep tangled in each other’s arms, Flint whispered in my ear just before I dozed off. “You stayed.”

“Huh?” I mumbled sleepily against his chest.

“You stayed and I’m walking.” He tipped my chin up to take my lips in a reverent kiss. “Maybe those weren’t dreams. Maybe they were our future all along.”

My eyes popped open as I bolted upright. “Oh my God,” I breathed as my heart began to race. “Do you know what this means?” I swallowed hard.

His eyes flashed with alarm. “Jesus, Ash, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I really am clairvoyant!” I exclaimed.

His shoulders fell as he glared, unimpressed with my joke.

“No, wait! We’re both clairvoyant. Hurry, get up! We need to start training the boys to harness their powers for good and not evil.”

Grabbing my waist, he flipped me to the other side of the bed and covered me with his body. “Funny girl, huh?” He began tickling me only to silence my howls of laughter with his mouth. Pinning my wrists above my head, he glided a hand between my legs, instantly finding my clit with his thumb.

I threw my head back against the bed. “Oh God.”

“What’s wrong, smartass? You didn’t see that in your future?”

I rolled my hips off the bed, grinding against his hand. “Oh, I did. All of these years have been a meticulously crafted plan just to get to this exact moment. You better not disappoint me now.”

He laughed as I began pushing the sweatpants off his hips.

Seconds later, he was inside me.

And he didn’t disappoint.

Ever.





FIGHTING SHADOWS


THE END