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On a beach... far, far away
from everyone and everything.
That would be
the perfect wedding. It was too bad my mother would say hell no and
then throw a damn Katharine Hepburn quote at my ass.

I hit Ellie on the arm.

She looked over and pulled her head phones
out. Britney Spear’s “Toxic” was playing from her earbuds.

“What? We’ve only been going for thirty
minutes.”

“I’m freaking out!”

“I would think so. Do you know how much shit
you ate in the last few hours?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not about
what I ate. It’s about the wedding. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I’m
getting married in three months, Ells. One. Two. Three. Three
months and I’ve done
nothing.”

Ellie threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t
worry. We have a secret weapon called Jenny. Ari, it will be fine.
We got this thing. I mean we can.”

Ellie stopped mid-sentence and stared past
me. The look on her face was not good.

I was almost afraid to turn around to see who
or what she was looking at.

“Um, how about we call it a day and go get
those tattoos?” Ellie stopped the elliptical and jumped off.

Now, I knew it was bad. I hit stop, got off,
and turned just in time to see Rebecca standing there, talking
to...Jason?

“Ari, let’s just go.”

Oh fuck no.
I’d been dreaming about what I was going to say to
her when I saw her again. She had been the reason why I’d lost the
baby. It’d been her and her alone. I wanted to pound my fist in her
face.

“It’s okay, Ells. I got this under control.
Honest.”

“The hell you do! I can practically see the
steam coming from your ears, Ari.”

What is Rebecca talking to Jason about? They
sure seemed deep in conversation.

When I started to walk toward her, Ellie
grabbed my arm.

“Ari, I really think this is a bad idea.
There’s something Jeff didn’t tell you, and I really think you need
to just walk away.”

I turned and looked at her. “What? What
didn’t he tell me?”

“Aw shit, Ari! You don’t
really need to know. It doesn’t matter anymore, so please, let’s
just go,
please.”

“You can’t say that to me and then just
expect me to walk away. Tell me now or I will vagina punch your ass
right here in the middle of the gym.”

Ellie looked over my shoulder toward the
bitch.

“Fuck me. Jason’s the father of Rebecca’s
baby.”

“Wait…what? He can’t be. He was with me
when...” Then, it hit me.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I pushed
Ellie’s hand off my arm and turned around to head over to the
devil’s spawn herself.

It didn’t take her long to
notice me walking up to her. She straightened her body and stood a
little closer to Jason.
He’s not going to
save you, bitch! After I take his ass down, I’m coming after
you.

“Ari.”

“Ells, please. I need to do this.”

Ellie took a deep breath and gave me a
knowing nod.

Right before I got there, Jason turned to see
me coming.

“Oh, hey there, Ari and, Ellie. How have
y’all been?”

“Fuck off, Jason.”

“Listen, Ari, I don’t want any trouble. I
tried to call Jeff, but he won’t take my calls,” Rebecca said.

“And you should probably take that as a sign
that he’s never going to take your calls...ever again.”

“Fine. You know what Ari, I don’t have time
to stand here and listen to you.”

I reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Oh, I think you do, and you will make time
for me, bitch.”

“Don’t call me a bitch!” Rebecca said. She
looked at Jason as he wisely took a few steps away.

“Oh, I’m sorry
I offended you when I called you a bitch, Rebecca,
I honestly thought you knew you were one.”

“Fuck off, Ari.”

I tightened my grip on her arm and pulled her
closer to me. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Because of you, I lost something very
precious to me.”

She slowly let a smile play across her
face.

The fact that she smiled was enough to make
me want to hurt her even more.

“What’s wrong, Ari, you couldn’t keep Jeff
around?”

“Oh, don’t you wish. Actually, we’re getting
married in a few months. Don’t hold your breath for an invite.”

“Let go of my arm.”

“Listen to me, and listen
very closely, Rebecca. If you so much as ever
think
of getting in contact with Jeff
again, I’ll make sure you pay for everything you’ve ever done to
me. You so much as look my way ever again, and I’ll kick your ass
from here to kingdom come and not think twice about it.”

Rebecca looked at me and then over to
Ellie.

“By the way, Bek, you look like shit. I
thought motherhood made you more beautiful. Huh, it must not work
for lying, scheming bitches.” I let go of her arm and gave her a
small push.

I looked over at Jason and smiled. He took
another step backward.

“Don’t worry, dickwad, you’re not even worth
my time or energy.” I held up my middle finger and smiled at him as
I started to walk away.

Smiling, Ellie came up next to me and bumped
my shoulder.

“Really, I would’ve been okay if you kicked
the shit out of her.”

I reached my arm around and pulled her
closer. “Holy hell, girl, I’m so glad you’re my best friend.”

When we walked out of that gym, I’d never
felt better.

***

By the time we walked out of the tattoo
parlor, I was flying high. I ended up getting angel wings on my
right shoulder in honor of our little girl. I couldn’t wait to show
Jeff. The belly-button piercing was perfect. I looked over at Ellie
and let out a giggle. She still looked like she was about to throw
up.

She asked, “What the fuck did we just
do?”

Ellie ended up getting a phoenix tattoo on
the right side of her back, and I was damn happy she did. If anyone
had been reborn, it was this girl.

Now, the nose piercing, yeah, I’m pretty sure
that I was not going to Ells live that one down. I’d never heard
Ellie say fuck so many times or use the names she’d called the poor
guy who had pierced her nose. I let out another giggle.

“What the hell do you find
so funny, Ari? You barely flinched when he pierced your stomach. I
thought I was going to die when he put that damn needle through my
nose.
My nose, Ari.
I just pierced my nose and got a tattoo on my back. Gunner is
going to freak.”

“No, he’s not. Shit, he has two tattoos
himself. He’s gonna think it’s sexy as hell, and you know it.”

Ellie shook her head as she got into her car.
“I sure as hell hope this thing doesn’t get infected.” Ellie looked
in the rearview mirror. “Oh. My. God.”

When she looked back at me with her smile, I
grinned right back at her because I knew what was coming.

“It looks so damn cute!” she said.

I laughed and agreed. “Let’s head home. I
want to get me some Jeff.”

“Oh god, Ari. Come on, I don’t need that
visual. He’s my brother for shit’s sake.”

***

The drive back to Mason was filled with
laughter and tears.

Ellie was starting to get down because she
hadn’t gotten pregnant yet, and she was getting worried.

“What if I can’t have kids, Ari? What if I’m
never meant to be a mother? I know how much Gunner wants kids. What
if.”

“Just stop. First off, you have plenty of
time to have a baby, and you will have a baby, Ells. Maybe you’re
just so worried about trying that you’re too stressed to get
pregnant. You know, my mom and dad didn’t think they were ever
going to have kids. They ended up going on vacation, and nine
months later, I made my grand entrance in the world.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve already talked to Gunner
about maybe not trying so hard for now. I mean, if it’s meant to
happen, it will happen. Right?”

“Right!”

“Ari, are you really okay, sweets?”

I looked out the window and felt the tears
building for the first time since this morning. Taking a deep
breath in, I thought about Jeff with his arms wrapped around me so
tightly, his whispers of love in my ear, and the way he just made
me feel so safe.

I smiled and turned back to Ellie.

“Yeah, I’m really okay, Ells. For once, I
truly feel like Jeff and I are finally on the road we are meant to
travel on. I don’t think you can get to where you’re truly meant to
go until you travel that one road…the one that’s filled with sharp
turns, steep hills, and nothing but pot-holes that you have to try
and get around. After you make it off that road, you find the one
that is straight, smooth, and filled with nothing but
happiness.”

Ellie pulled over on the side of the road and
stared at me.

“What’s wrong? Why the hell did you pull
over?”

She reached over and put the back of her hand
on my forehead. I just looked at her.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m just making sure you’re not getting a
fever or something from that piercing and tattoo. Holy hell, that
was some serious shit.”

I let out a laugh and pushed away her
hand.

“I love you, bitch,” I said, hitting her in
the shoulder.

“I love you, too. Let’s get home and show our
guys what we got today!”

CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO

JEFF

With Ari’s birthday tomorrow and the wedding
in four weeks, my head was spinning in every direction.

Ari had been flying high the last two months,
which was a relief. I knew things were definitely getting better
when she’d gotten back up on Rose. Our ride yesterday morning had
been amazing. We’d made a small pit stop to make love under her
favorite oak tree.

I smiled when I thought
about how fucking sexy that girl was. I had to shake my head when I
thought back to a couple of months ago when she and Ellie both came
home with tattoos and piercings. With the way Gunner had looked at
my sister when she’d showed him the tattoo, that fucker had been
lucky as hell that he was married to her. I could practically read
his damn min
. Bastard.

I heard a truck coming down the driveway
before I even saw it. Scott was coming today to pick up the horses
he’d left for breeding. I still didn’t like this guy. He flirted
way too much with Ari for my liking.

Scott pulled up next to my truck and got out
with that stupid-ass grin on his face. Walking up to him, I smiled
and reached out to shake his hand.

“How’s it going, Scott?” I said in the nicest
way I could. I couldn’t help but notice him looking around for what
I was pretty sure was Ari.

“Hey, bud, how’s it going? How’d those horses
do?”

“Good. We left them out in the back pasture
for about a week.”

Scott was looking over toward the barn.

Fucker. Okay, let’s just make this short and
sweet.

“So, let’s get your boys loaded up in your
trailer.”

Scott looked back over at me and nodded.
“Sure, let’s do it.”

“They’re in the barn.” I turned around and
led the way.

***

After we got Scott’s two studs loaded up, we
were about to shake hands when he broke down.

“So, where’s Ari today? Is she feeling
better?”

I just smiled at him. “She’s
doing wonderful. She and my sister are in Austin today, looking for
a wedding dress.”
Chew on that,
prick.

“A wedding dress, huh? Y’all getting married
soon?”

“Four weeks.”

Scott smiled and shook his head. “Well, I
don’t have to tell you that you’re one lucky son of a bitch, I’m
sure.”

“No. No, you don’t.”

He stuck his hand out to shake mine. From the
look on his face, I might have gripped his hand a little bit too
hard, but at this point, I couldn’t have cared less.

Ari was due back at any minute and all I
wanted to do was get him the hell out of here.

I watched as he drove off, and then made my
way back into the barn. I set my iPod on the docking station and
turned on my song while I started to clean out the stalls. There
was nothing like a little Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” to get me going.

I started to think about Ari’s birthday
tomorrow. I smiled as I thought about marrying the girl of my
dreams. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she
was happy for the rest of our lives. It was hard to believe a year
ago I’d almost lost her to Jason.

Just then, I felt something hit my back. I
turned around to see the love of my life leaning up against a
stall. I walked over and turned off the music.

“You know, I never thought I would say this,
but I actually would prefer for you to listen to ‘Truck Yeah’
again.”

Walking up to her, I grabbed her around her
waist and pulled her to me.

“Oh yeah? You don’t like my ‘Cowboy’ song,
baby?”

“Um…no. You play it all the damn time, Jeff.
I think Ellie is about ready to take away your iPod.”

“I love my sister, but her taste in music
sucks. Speaking of my sister, how was the dress shopping?”

Ari smiled so big it caused me to smile.

“I found it.”

I picked her up and spun her
around.
Fucking finally.
I was so tired of hearing Ellie and Ari talk about
dresses, looking at dresses, and shopping for dresses. I was just
about ready to take her to a beach somewhere and marry her in the
nude.

“That’s great, baby. I’m so happy you finally
found it. Was your mom with y’all?”

Ari smiled. “Yes, and that made it all the
more special. Amanda and Heather were there, too. Hey, can I ask
you something?”

“Always baby.”