Heartless (25 page)

Mike winked at his
mother. “And you used to take us to the shooting range as long as we promised
to tell our mom we went to the movies.”

Ashley nudged
Derek’s shoulder, trying to hide her grin. “So it’s your fault he’s obsessed
with guns, huh? All this time I’ve been blaming his dad.”

Derek chuckled as
he lowered his head to hide the emotion in his eyes. “Guilty as charged.” He
finally found the courage to face Mike and Jay again, looking them directly in
the eye. “You’ll never know how many times I picked up that phone to call you
guys. How many birthdays and Christmas presents I bought for you…”

Jay grinned. “The
year you left, we got a paper route after school so we could buy this really
cool autographed baseball card for you.” He shrugged. “But dad found out it was
a fake, so we were too embarrassed to send it.”

Derek was moved
beyond words to know that they still thought of him, even after he left. “I
know I’ve already said I’m sorry, but that doesn’t even begin to make up for
it. I hope I can earn your trust and friendship again, in time.”

“Hey, it won’t be
long before me and Mike are havin’ kids of our own. We’ll be countin’ on you to
teach them all the things you taught us.”

The fact that they
were even willing to consider allowing him to be a part of something so
precious gave him hope that they could rebuild their relationship. “You have no
idea how much that would mean to me.”

“I think we have
some idea,” Jay said, tipping his head toward his brother. “Listen, anyone who
could put up with this guy for as long as you did deserves a second chance.”

“Derek, we missed
you,” Mike said, before clearing his throat. “A lot. That’s why I was still so
angry and bitter when you came back to town. I thought you were just passin’
through on your way back to your real life.”

“This is my home,
and you guys are part of my family. If you still wanna be?” Derek had put
himself out there more in the past week than he had in the past fifteen years,
but he knew the potential reward outweighed the risks. If he could have Ashley
and her sons back in his life, he wouldn’t ask for another thing as long as he
lived.

Mike grinned as he
grasped Derek’s hand and pulled him closer. “Like we have a choice. You’re our
old man’s best friend; you’re gonna be our mother’s husband…” Mike looked Derek
in the eye as his smile slipped. “I’d be proud to call you my stepfather, but
even more than that, I’d like to call you my friend.”

They were giving
him a gift that exceeded his wildest expectations. He’d been hoping for
forgiveness for his mistakes and acceptance of his place in their mother’s
life, but they were giving him so much more than that. They were offering him
another chance to be a part of their lives again, and not just as Ashley’s
husband.

“Thank you,” Derek
whispered. “I swear to God, I won’t let you down this time.”

Jay slapped Derek
on the back and laughed. “You better not, man. ‘Cause this time we’ll hunt you
down if you try and get away.”

Ashley was
completely overwhelmed watching the three people she loved most in the world
reconnecting.

Jay drew her into
his arms when he saw her wiping away the tears. “You made the right choice,
Mom.”

“Thank you for
supporting me, for supporting us,” she whispered, hugging him hard.

Mike pushed his
brother out the way and laughed when he pretended to stumble. “Back off; it’s
my turn.”

When Ashley looked
up to see the son who was so angry and bitter just days ago smiling down at her
with unconditional love in his eyes once more, she couldn’t hide her emotion.
“I love you so much.”

“Right back
atcha.” He lifted her off the ground. “I couldn’t have picked a better man to
stand by your side for the rest of your life, Mom. I mean that.”

There were no
words to express her gratitude to her sons for giving her the gift of accepting
her relationship with the man she loved. She knew without Derek, her life
wouldn’t be complete, but without her children, her life would be hollow.

She drew back and
took one of Jay and Mike’s hands in hers. “I cannot tell you how proud I am of
the men you’ve become.” Her voice was trembling, but she knew she had to say
everything that was in her heart. “You’re so strong and brave…” She turned to
smile at Derek. “Forgiving and generous… You’ve all given me a second chance at
happiness, and you’ll never know how much that means to me.”

Mike leaned in to
brush a kiss across her cheek. “You were the best mom a kid could ask for. You
deserve to be happy.”

Jay smiled. “For
once, he’s right.”

Ashley laughed
through her tears. “Thanks.”

“I’m serious,” Jay
said. “When Derek left… then Dad left, it was rough.” He cleared his throat.
“It felt like the rug had been ripped out from under us, but you were the one
constant, the one person we could always count on to be there for us, day and
night.”

Her sons had never
talked to her about the divorce and the impact it had on them. She was glad
they were all finally able to say things they should have been brave enough to
say years ago. “You were the only reason I got through,” she said, biting down
on her lip. “Those were the darkest days of my life, but somehow you always
managed to make me smile.”

“We don’t want you
to be alone anymore,” Mike said quietly. “We’ve watched you date over the years
and we kept hopin’ you’d find that connection again, but you never did. Then we
saw you with Derek the day of the funeral and it was so obvious why.” Mike
sighed as he released his mother’s hand. “It wasn’t easy for me to accept at
first, but Dad helped me realize you sacrificed everything to be a good mother
to us. It was time for us to give a little in return.”

Ashley would have
to remember to thank Josh for his part in this tomorrow. In spite of
everything, she still counted him and his new wife among her closest friends
and she knew she was blessed to have people like them in her life. “Your
father’s a good man.”

“The best,” Derek
said quietly.

They all turned
toward him and smiled.

“Okay,” Mike said,
shaking Derek’s hand. “I gotta get back to work. I hear the new boss is a real
tyrant.”

Derek laughed.
“You heard right.”

“So, when are guys
movin’ in?” Jay asked as he walked with his brother toward the door.

“The sooner, the
better,” Derek said.

Ashley couldn’t
agree more. She couldn’t wait for her new life to begin.

Once they walked
her boys to the door and waved them off, Derek closed the door and turned into
her arms.

She smiled up at
him. “It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it?”

“The best.” He
leaned in to kiss her. “I didn’t feel I had the right to ask you this question
until I had your sons’ approval, Ash…”

Her heart started
thumping in her chest. She’d waited most of her life to hear Derek utter those
four little words that would change her life forever. She could scarcely
believe after years of wishing and praying for a miracle, the day had finally
arrived.

“I know I’ve let
you down,” he said, taking her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. “First,
back in college, when I was too young and stupid to realize that a love like
ours only comes along once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky…”

Ashley didn’t even
try to stop the flood of tears; she knew there was no way to keep her emotions
in check now.

“Then fifteen
years ago, when I wasn’t man enough to stay and fight like hell for what I
wanted.” He palmed her cheek, absorbing her tears. “I’ll never make that
mistake again. I swear to you, Ash, I’ll never leave you and I’ll never let you
leave me. You’re mine, and I’m yours, forever.”

“As it was meant
to be,” she whispered.

“Let’s make it
official. Agree to be my wife, sweetheart.”

There wasn’t a
moment’s hesitation when she finally said, “Yes.”

Epilogue

Derek reached out
to pull Ashley into the circle of his arms. After twenty-five years of waiting
to make Ashley his bride, the day he’d been secretly planning for the past
month was finally here.

Ashley snuggled in
closer, releasing a contented sigh. “I love waking up with you every morning.”

They’d been living
in their new house for a month, and Derek still woke up in awe of his good
fortune when he glanced at the woman sleeping next to him. “Me too,
sweetheart.” He kissed her neck, smiling when he heard the hitch in her breath.
“You and the girls still on for today?”

“As far as I know
we are.”

Ashley assumed she
and Derek would be saying their vows next week at the courthouse, but Derek had
waited too many years to allow this day to fly under the radar without getting
the fanfare it deserved. Ashley argued this was her second wedding, and they
weren’t kids anymore. She joked that it didn’t matter how they took their vows
as long as their marriage was legal, but it mattered to Derek, a lot.

She deserved the best
of him, and he wasted so many years he should have spent by her side, as her
husband, her best friend, her shoulder to cry on. He was determined to give her
the wedding they should’ve had years ago.

Thankfully, they
had the best friends and family in the world. They worked tirelessly to help
him pull this off. Trey and Sierra volunteered their home for the venue, Marisa
was handling the wardrobe, Lexi had volunteered to help him with the flowers
and catering, Nikki and Avery were arranging the transportation and
entertainment, Mike and Jay were dealing with security and photographers, J.T.
was handling the alcohol, and Sierra was working with the wedding coordinator
to ensure their home was picture perfect for the big day.

Derek was still
amazed they’d managed to pull it off without tipping Ashley off. “What time do
you have to meet them?”

She turned into
his arms before pressing her lips to his bare chest. “We thought it would be
fun to have another spa day.” She raised her head to look at the alarm clock.
“I have to be there in a couple of hours.”

Derek tipped her
chin to claim her mouth. There were so many things he wanted to say to her
today, but the surprise he was planning meant he had to suffer in silence. “I
love you,” he whispered. He knew in the end that was the only thing that
mattered and once she walked into the fantasy he’d created for her, she would
have no doubt about how much she meant to him.

Ashley smiled. “I
love you, too.” She brushed her fingertips through his hair. “It would be nice
to get away for a few days next week, wouldn’t it?”

He told her he was
swamped at work. Since he’d just taken over the new position, she believed him
when he told her it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to have a
proper honeymoon right now. Of course, that was just another part of his
surprise. Trey and Sierra had offered their condo in Panama for the honeymoon
and presented him with plane tickets as their wedding gift.

“It sure would,
but I’ll make it up to you over the holidays. Right after Christmas, we’ll go
somewhere tropical…”

“Yeah, I know.”
She forced a smile. “I can hardly wait.”

He knew she was
trying so hard to pretend it didn’t bother her, getting married at the
courthouse, postponing their honeymoon, but she had been the one to try and
convince him it was their best option. She claimed it was too soon after Dave’s
death to consider a big family celebration. Besides, she argued, this was her
second time walking down the aisle. She didn’t need the fancy dress or legions
of guests to watch them take their vows.

If he didn’t know
her so well, he may have believed her, but she couldn’t hide what was in her
heart, not from him. He knew she felt the same way he did. They had waited
twenty-five years for this day; it should be a day they’d remember forever. Thanks
to their friends and family, it would be.

Derek had shared
Ashley’s concern about having the wedding so soon after Dave’s death, but his
parents and brothers assured him that Dave would want them to claim their
happiness, and he knew they were right. So many times in recent weeks he felt
his brother’s presence, and he knew he’d be with them today, in spirit.

Derek leaned over,
pinning her to the mattress with his body. “Since you don’t have to be at the
spa for a couple of hours…”

She laughed as she
wrapped her arms around his neck. “What did you have in mind to kill the time,
handsome?”

They’d made love
more in the past month than they ever had in the preceding years, but Derek
knew he’d never get enough of her. When he thought of all of the lonely hours
he’d wasted, thinking about her, lying in his big empty bed, wishing she were
beside him, he knew they had a lot of time to make up for, and he didn’t want
to waste another second.

She tipped her
head back and moaned when his tongue found the sweet spot at the base of her
neck. “Mmm, I love when you do that.”