Fix You (29 page)

His face turned serious again as he took her hand and kissed
it, his lips lingering on her palm. “I wanted to make sure. But thank you for
saying yes.”

“Thank you for asking,” her eyes twinkled as she leaned
forward until their foreheads touched. “I thought you never would.”

TOM AND RUBY arrived at 8 p.m., their
faces bright and happy as Hanna and Richard shared their news. An hour later,
the party was in full swing, and Hanna was chatting to virtual strangers,
accepting their congratulations and discussing everything from the state of the
economy to how wonderful the London Olympics had been. Though she’d watched it
from two thousand miles away, over a flat screen, she’d still felt proud to be
British.

She was getting another glass of champagne when Ruby ran
over, her dark hair flying as she called Hanna’s name.

“I feel like we haven’t had a chance to talk all night. Let’s
go hide away and talk about boys.”

Hanna laughed, grabbing a second glass for Ruby. “It feels
weird when those boys are Richard and Tom. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to
hear any gory details about your brother, and I sure as hell don’t want to hear
them about Tom.”

Ruby grinned. “Not even the way he uses his—” Hanna clamped
a hand across Ruby’s mouth, shouting at her to be quiet. Ruby giggled before
nipping at her palm. “Seriously, Hanna, I want you to know how excited I am
about your engagement.”

“Me too.” Hanna couldn’t resist glancing at her ring. It was
a large, pear-cut solitaire, set on a platinum band. Richard had chosen an
elegantly simple design. It proved how well he knew her. “I can’t wait to be
your sister.”

“It’s going to be so great. Especially now I have my own place
in New York and won’t have to be around you newlyweds. You were gross enough
when you were dating.”

Hanna blushed as she remembered how often Ruby would walk
into the apartment to find her and Richard kissing, their hands hastily
snatched back from whatever part of each other’s bodies they were exploring. It
only took Ruby a month of living with them to decide she needed to get her own
apartment while studying at Columbia. Steven had helped fund the investment.

“You and Tom aren’t much better.” Hanna pointed out.

Since the two of them had gotten together in April, Ruby and
Tom had been inseparable. He had moved to New York, staying in Ruby’s apartment
while he decided what to do with the band. Richard hadn’t liked the new
development one bit.

“When are you two going to do the deed, anyway?”

Hanna wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want a big wedding. I’m
hoping he’ll whisk me off to Vegas and we can get married in front of a really
bad Elvis impersonator.”

Ruby laughed. “I don’t think that’s really Richard’s style,
do you?”

“Regretfully not.” Hanna tried to think what his style
would
be. She wanted to commit herself to him in front of their closest family.
Anything else would be superfluous.

“Whatever happens, I know you two are perfect for each
other,” Ruby said, her champagne glass clinking against Hanna’s. “I’ve known it
for years. It’s a shame it took you both so long to work it out.”

“Tell me about it.” Hanna smiled wryly. A moment later her
heart leapt as she felt two strong arms encircle her waist.

“Am I interrupting anything?” Richard asked, brushing Hanna’s
cheek with his lips. “I want to dance with the future Mrs. Larsen.”

Hanna blushed at his words. There was something about the
way he claimed her which made her melt inside. He held her close as he moved
her around the room, his hand cupping the swell of her bottom as it dipped
beneath her dress. His other hand held hers, his strong palm encompassing her
own. She felt delicate beneath his dominant form.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said. “In fact, you look
damn sexy in this dress.”

“Thank you.” Her smile was coy. She wanted to flirt with
this man, show him exactly what he was letting himself in for. “You look rather
gorgeous yourself, Mr. Larsen.”

She moved her hand beneath his jacket, placing her palm
against his back.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” His voice was rough as she
continued to move her hand. She could feel him start to harden against her hip.

“Why would you say that? I’m practically a married woman.”

“I’d hate to upset your ‘almost’ husband.” He leaned forward
and brushed his lips against hers. “But I really want to see what you’re
wearing under this dress.”

“What makes you think I’m wearing anything?” She batted her
eyelashes at him.

He swallowed hard. “I think I’m ready to leave.”

“We’re sleeping here. We can’t leave the party before
midnight.” Hanna laughed.

“Watch us.”

He stopped dancing when they were near the staircase, his
hand still firmly holding hers. As he practically dragged her up the stairs,
she found herself giggling, having to stop every few seconds to catch her
breath.

“Come on, we’ve got a lot of practicing to do,” Richard
urged, pulling at her hand. When they reached the top of the staircase, he bent
down, scooping her up into his arms and stalking to their bedroom.

“I’m pretty sure the whole carrying over the threshold thing
isn’t meant to happen until after the wedding,” Hanna pointed out, hiccupping
in a fit of giggles.

“This isn’t a threshold carry. This is an ‘I want to get you
into bed as quickly as possible’ carry.” He pushed their door open and threw
her on top of the covers.

“I thought it was an ‘I can’t wait to see what’s under your
dress’ carry.” Hanna reached up to grab his hand and pull him on top of her.
His solid body knocked the wind out of her, making her breathless.

“I
can’t
wait to see what’s under your dress.” He
snaked his hand up her leg. Shrugging his jacket off, he unknotted his tie
before pulling her sparkling silver sandals off, throwing them to the floor.

“There’s really nothing to see.” She knelt up, helping him
to unfasten the buttons on his shirt. “I’d hate to disappoint you.”

“If there’s nothing under that dress, I can promise you I
won’t be disappointed.” His shirt was next to come off, revealing his firm
chest. Hanna reached out to touch it, tracing her fingers over the ridges of
his muscles. Her hand moved down, unfastening his belt and pushing his pants
over his hips, and as he stood to push them farther, Hanna could see his black
boxers tenting under the pressure of his hardness.

“I can see you’re ready for some practice,” she murmured,
running a finger over his tip. She felt him twitch.

Richard leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue brushing
against hers as they opened their mouths, her hands roaming across his naked
torso. She felt him pull the zipper of her dress down, easing the fabric from
her shoulders until it pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts exposed.

He dipped his head to capture a nipple between his lips.
Sucking it into his warm, wet mouth, he dragged his tongue against her until
her vision turned to stars. His hand reached out to caress her other breast,
his thumb peaking her nipple and making her back arch.

“Does it feel like I need to practice?” he murmured against
her breast. She shook her head madly though she knew he couldn’t see.

He pulled her dress off the rest of the way, throwing it to
join the rest of their clothes in a heap on the floor.

She lay naked on the bed, looking up at his dark, desirous
eyes, her body clenching at the strength of his need. He ran his fingers up her
legs, pausing at her inner thighs to tease, his thumbs digging in to the soft
skin.

“Every time I saw you tonight I wanted to drag you to bed.”
He moved until his head was between her legs, his lips and tongue caressing her
inner thighs. She reached down to run her fingers through his thick hair, her
hands encouraging his lips to where she needed them the most.

“Richard, please.” She opened her legs wider. He smiled
against her thigh as he heard her desperation.

“Please what?” He kissed a line up her thigh, stopping at
the apex, his breath heated against her core.

“Kiss me.”

“Where?” She could hear the laugher in his voice. She was
torn between hitting him and pushing his face closer.

“There.”

She ran a finger down her damp flesh. Richard captured it
with his hand, pulling it away until she was a ball of frustration.

“This is mine.” He kissed her right there, and her legs
buckled, her eyes squeezing shut at the intensity of the pleasure.

“I know,” she breathed, submitting herself to his touch, to
his tongue and his lips and the way he liked to adore her. “All of it, all of
me. It’s yours.”

AFTERWARD, HE HELD her tight, his
naked body spooning hers. His erection was only half gone as he rocked gently
against her ass. He curled one arm around her waist, the other across her
chest, his hand caressing her breast as they tried to capture their breath.

“I’m pretty sure we’re as practiced as we’re going to get.”
Hanna smiled as she leaned her head back against his chest.

“They say practice makes perfect,” he agreed. He moved his
leg between her own, the hard warmth of his thigh a welcome distraction.

“We definitely make perfect babies.” She could feel the
heaviness of sleep starting to weigh down upon her. She wasn’t ready for this
day to end.

“That we do.”

Hanna reached her arm back to curl her fingers into his
hair, making her breasts push harder against his palm. “Thank you for making
this such a great holiday. I’ve loved every minute of it.”

“So have I. I don’t want to go back.”

She was glad he felt the same way, and their time in London
meant as much to him as it did to her. It wasn’t only the chance to reconnect
with his family, although that had been wonderful, it was the fact they had
spent their first holiday season together with their son, knowing there were so
many more to come.

“We can come back to visit soon,” she suggested. “Maybe at
Easter.”

“I’d like us to buy a place over here. I’ve got a plan.” His
voice was full of smiles. She twisted her head to look at him.

“You’re full of surprises tonight, Mr. Larsen. Care to share
your plan with your future wife?”

He moved his hand to her hip, pulling her bottom against his
hardness, grinding himself against her. “I’m looking into taking Maxwell
Enterprises public. I’m hoping within five years I’ll be able to retire from
the company.”

Hanna turned until she was facing him, reaching her hand out
to cup his jaw. “You really want to leave Maxwell Enterprises?”

Richard smiled, his jaw moving beneath her hand. “When the
time is right, I definitely want to leave. I think it will take a few years to
work out the IPO and get the right team in place.”

“What are you going to do after that? You’re a little too
young to spend your life on the golf course.”

“I want to do more charity work, maybe expand the Maxwell
Foundation to include overseas aid. I thought it might be something we could do
together.”

She could feel her eyes start to water. “It sounds amazing.
I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than work with you.”

“In between making babies, of course,” he said playfully as
he winked at her.

“And the practicing,” she reminded him.

He pulled her against him until their bodies were aligned,
his erection hard against her thigh. His mouth brushed against her neck as his
hand squeezed her ass, making her gasp out loud.

“Ah yes, the practicing,” he agreed, rolling his hips until
his tip was nudging her entrance. “I’d never forget about the practicing.”

“That’s good,” she murmured, as he pushed inside her. Her
intake of breath was sharp as he filled her completely.

“It is.” He kissed her again. “It’s very good.”

August 27
^th
2021

“
M
OM!” A scream came from the wooded area
to the left of the stage. Hanna whipped her head round and searched for the
source of the cry. She saw Lily run out from the shade of the trees, her
seven-year-old face screwed up with righteous indignation. “Matty says girls
can’t climb trees.”

Hanna watched as Lily stalked up to her, hands on hips, hair
looking like she’d been dragged backward through a hedge. Her clothes were
covered with the dusty-red evidence of the ground.

“Did he now?” Hanna’s voice was low, but she could see Matt
lingering in the shadows. Like Hanna, he would be chewing his lip, afraid of
the consequences of his actions.

Lily was trying to hold back her tears. Hanna could tell
they came from anger, rather than sadness, and it warmed her. “And everybody
knows I can climb higher than any of them.” Lily waved her hand dismissively,
referring to Matty and her cousin Nathan Junior.

“Try to ignore them, sweetheart.” Hanna pulled Lily toward
her, wrapping her arms around Lily’s scant frame. “They’re jealous, and maybe a
little worried for your safety.”

“I wasn’t climbing that high, Momma,” Lily scoffed. “I
wanted to check inside the bird’s nest.”

Hanna squeezed her eyes shut trying not to think of the
danger her daughter was placing herself in. She wanted her children to grow up
with a healthy dose of the great outdoors, knowing the world was theirs to
explore. But it was so hard to create boundaries, and to stop them from pushing
things too far.

Lily hugged her mom back before pulling away and running
back into the woods where, no doubt, she would hound her cousins until they
admitted she was the best climber. Hanna watched as Matty sidled toward her,
his face pulled back into a scowl as he approached.

“Have you heard from Dad?” He glanced down, but Hanna could
tell he was chewing his lip again.

“Not yet, sweetheart.” She reached out and squeezed his
shoulder. Matty was the most sensitive of her children, and the one who was
closest to Richard. They were the two boys among a host of girls, and they
clung to each other. When Richard was away, Matty was like a lost soul,
counting the hours until his dad returned.

“Will he get here in time?” Matty looked up at her, and she
could see the trepidation in his eyes. Her heart clenched for him.

“Sweetheart, if your dad says he’ll be somewhere, he’ll be
there. Unless there’s a major catastrophe or something is physically stopping
him, he never breaks a promise.”

He looked up at her, his face shining with hope. “I really
want him to be here.”

Hanna pulled him close. “I know you do, darling. And he
wants to be here, too. He couldn’t talk of anything else when he called
yesterday.” She gave him a small smile. “But regardless, you really need to
stop teasing your sister. You’re driving her crazy.”

“She drives
me
crazy,” he complained. “She’s always
tagging after me and NJ.” Nathan Junior and Matty were as thick as thieves,
despite there being two years between the cousins. It warmed her heart to see
her children surrounded by family, like fish swimming in a sea of love.

“I need you to be my big man today, Matt.” She knew he hated
his nickname, although he’d always be Matty to her. “Without Daddy here, I need
all the help I can muster to get this show on the road.”

She looked around the camp, amazed at how much they’d
achieved over the years. From an idea in Richard’s head, the Leon Maxwell
Memorial Summer Camp had grown not only to encompass those children affected by
9/11, but now reached out to neglected and poverty-stricken children throughout
the US. Hanna had been working all week with the 150 children to put on a show,
and the performance was due to start in less than three hours.

The field was already full of spectators, sitting on
blankets and picnicking, waiting for the show to begin.

“I’ll help, Momma.” Matty buried his head in her shoulder,
and she was reminded of how much he’d grown recently. Like his father, he was
tall, looking much older than his ten years.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his hair.

“Do you really think Dad will be back in time to hear me
play?” he asked again. Richard had been away for two weeks, working with the
Maxwell Foundation to provide aid to poverty-stricken children in West Africa.
He had planned to arrive home the previous day, but emergency talks with the
local chiefs had delayed his departure.

“He’ll be here.” Hanna didn’t need to think twice. In the
past eight years of their marriage, he hadn’t let her down once. He sure as
hell wouldn’t let down his own children.

“Okay then.” Matty was slightly mollified. She watched him
lope over to the stage area where Tom was working with a group of roadies,
trying to set up the PA system to his own exacting standards. Tom leaned down
and whispered something in Matty’s ear, and Hanna put her hand to her chest,
watching as the two of them started to plug in leads. Tom showed his godson
where each one should go.

“It all looks like it’s coming together.” A warm voice to
her left made Hanna whip around. Claire was standing right behind her, holding
a sleeping Molly in her arms. Molly’s thumb was stuck in her mouth as she
sucked it voraciously. Hanna reached out to touch her soft, downy hair. At two,
she was the baby of the family, and doted on by all of them.

“I’ll be glad when it begins,” Hanna admitted. “The kids are
all so jittery.”

“It means a lot to them, having people come and listen. Most
of them have never had the chance to perform before.”

Hanna nodded, trying to swallow her tears as she thought
about how neglected some of these children were. One week out of 52 wasn’t
enough to make a difference, and it made her angry. She glanced across to the
lake where Sean Flynn, the camp director, had organized a series of games for
the afternoon to take the kids’ minds off the impending performance.

“You and Richard have done wonderful things since you ramped
up the Maxwell Foundation.” Claire reached out her spare hand and rubbed Hanna’s
arm. “I’m so proud of you both.”

“Thank you.” Hanna felt herself choke up. “We couldn’t have
done it without you.”

It was true. Claire had worked as hard as the rest of them
to raise funds: organizing galas and charity dinners in New York. All things
Hanna naturally shied away from.

“I’ll put Molly down for her nap.” Claire pointed toward the
hut that served as an office, where Hanna had erected a travel cot at the start
of the summer. Hanna nodded and mouthed a “thank you” as Claire walked toward
it.

Claire and Steven had moved back to the States a few years
earlier. They’d proved to be such a support for Richard and Hanna as well as
their little family. Nathan and Lucy had settled down in Connecticut, and
though Tom was still touring a lot, he and Ruby had made their base in New
York.

The city Hanna had grown up hating, had suddenly felt like
home.

She still loved London of course, and they took the children
there often, staying in the beautiful house they’d bought in Putney. But she no
longer felt the yearning, the desperation to get away from New York. Even
though they lived in Connecticut now, she often traveled into Manhattan for
meetings or to do some shopping.

“Mom, Mom, look who’s here!” Lily came running out of the
trees again, pointing her finger in the direction of the car park. “It’s Uncle
Shake!”

“Lily Larsen!” Hanna scolded. “I’ve told you not to call him
that.”

With his strange tics, and inability to keep his hands
still, the children chose the nickname for Daniel Maxwell. It didn’t make Hanna
happy about it, though.

“He said he likes it,” Lily retorted, her red hair flying
everywhere as she changed direction and ran toward her uncle, throwing herself
into his unsteady arms.

Daniel put his arm around Lily and they walked toward Hanna,
a grin splitting his face as she hugged them both.

“We missed you.” Since they bought their house in
Connecticut in 2013, Daniel had been a regular visitor, staying for months at a
time, living in the small cottage set back in the grounds so he could have some
privacy. She’d grown used to having him around, and when he went away—which he
did at least four or five times a year—she hated to see the empty cottage where
he used to be. He was still a wanderer at heart, and she suspected that the specter
of his addictions hadn’t quite been conquered. But he was still a dear part of
their family and loved by them all.

“I missed you, too.” He squeezed her waist. “Any news from
Richard?”

“He should be here soon,” she replied. “His plane was due to
land by three. Matty’s beside himself with worry.”

“Is he ready for his big day?” Daniel asked, his eyebrows
knitting into a frown. Matty had been playing the drums since he was six years
old, and Tom had offered for him to be the drummer for Fatal Limits’ opening
number. His nerves had been growing by the day.

“He’s scared to bits,” Hanna confessed. “If Richard isn’t
here soon, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“I’ll go talk to him.” Danny was already walking across the
grass, his right leg dragging as he strode. He cut a strange figure; looking
like a young boy even though he was nearly forty. She was thankful he was here,
along with Tom, to lend Matty some support.

Checking her watch, she decided to join them at the stage.
She was ready to start the sound check, needing to know everything was going to
plan. Backstage was a hive of activity as everybody tried to ensure that all
the last minute preparations were complete. From the electricity, to the sound,
to the lighting, everything had been planned to go off without a hitch.

“Hanna,” Tom whispered, wrapping his hand around her upper
arm. “Can we have a quick chat?”

She looked down at her clothes. She had about half an hour
to get showered and changed into the dress she had hanging up in the office.
The ratty cut-off shorts and band t-shirt she was wearing really weren’t
suitable for greeting donors.

“Sure.” She allowed herself to be dragged to the side of the
stage.

“Matty’s refusing to play. He’s suffering from a severe case
of stage fright.” Tom’s face was colored with sympathy.

Hanna felt her heart clench. She knew how important today
was for her boy, how excited he’d been to play alongside his hero. To know the
jitters were stopping him from fulfilling his dream broke her heart.

“I’ll speak with him.”

Tom brushed his hand across her cheek. They both shared the
privilege of being married to Larsens, and their familiar friendship had been
maintained over the years. He and Ruby were named in her will as guardians for
her children should something happen to Richard and her.

Hanna found Matty sitting under a maple tree, his arms
wrapped around his knees as he rocked in time to a silent beat. She guessed he
was hearing music in his head; he was constantly singing or tapping out
rhythms. Even at the age of ten, music was his life.

He was like his mom in that respect.

She flopped down beside him, mirroring his posture. He
glanced at her, his eyes bright with tears.

“Hey baby.” She nudged her elbow against him. She didn’t
want to ask him what was wrong. She knew from experience it was best to let him
volunteer.

Matty grunted and dipped his head between his knees. His
rocking continued, and she reached out a hand and wrapped her arm around his
shoulders, wriggling on the ground until they were closer.

They sat silently, and she closed her eyes, wishing she
could absorb all his fears and take them away from him. She hated this part of
being a parent; watching her child go through pain and fear and not being able
to make it disappear.

“I don’t want to play.” His voice was low when he finally
spoke.

“You don’t?” She asked.

“I’m scared.” He said it like he’d committed a crime.

“What are you scared of, sweetheart?”

Matty played with a lock of her hair. He rubbed it between
his fingers, letting it drop back to her shoulder.

“I’m scared I’ll look stupid. What if I can’t match the beat
to the song? What if everybody laughs at me and thinks I’m a douche?”

Now wasn’t the time to reprimand him for his language.

“You’ve practiced that song until it’s almost second nature,”
she reminded him. “I don’t think you’ll forget the beat.”

Matty huffed. “I don’t want to let you or Dad down.”

She closed her eyes, lowering her head until her face was
buried in his hair. She inhaled deeply. He still smelled soft and sweet, like
her little boy.

“Matthew, I can promise, you won’t let us down. I’m so proud
you’re even going to try sitting up there on the stage. Even if you dropped
every beat, I’d still be the one at the front with a huge grin across my face.”
She tipped his face up until he was looking at her. “You’re my son. I’m so
proud of everything you do.”