Bianca held her degree in her hands, marveling at how it felt. She smoothed her hand over the case that covered the piece of paper she had worked so hard to earn. Tears burned the back of her eyes as her dream came to realization. It had been so long in coming that she at one time thought it would never ever get here. But it had. She hadn't given up, and she had really and truly made a dream come true. She stood in the clubhouse, holding it, gazing at it, not fully believing that she actually had it."Whatcha got there?" Jagger asked, as he came up behind her."I finally got my degree," she grinned up at him. "Awesome, baby! 'Bout damn time too. That pissed me off so bad when I realized you didn't get your actual one the day you graduated."Bianca laughed. "I know, I thought I was gonna have to keep you from going after the people in the front office."He blushed. "Well, you worked hard for it and you deserved it. Sorry, but it really did piss me off.""It's fine, it was c
VOLUME FOUR: WORTH THE BATTLENashville traffic sucked a big one—especially when it kept Layne O'Connor from getting to the one person in the world who had the power to make him drive seventy miles without questioning why. His fingers beat a rhythm against the steering wheel in time with the rock station he listened to. Today, the music that normally calmed him down set his nerves on edge. "Move your ass," he shouted as the person in front of him tapped their brakes. It was times like this he wished he could always drive his motorcycle. If he had been on the back of his bike right now, he could have maneuvered through this mess in ten minutes flat. Instead, he had been sitting in almost gridlock for over an hour. He'd also been flipped off more times than he cared to count, what he wouldn't give to show these drivers the kind of artillery he carried with him.A trip that should have taken an hour and a half at most was well into its second. Cursing loudly, he picked up the phon
The drive back to Bowling Green didn't take as long as the drive to Nashville and for that Layne was thankful. His ankle and leg hurt if he was cramped in a car for very long, not to mention it just flat out irritated him. "Jess." He shook her arm, trying his best to be gentle, even though he could barely remember how."Yeah." She turned her head towards him, breathing deeply as she realized where she was. "Did I fall asleep on you? I'm so sorry.""You were tired, it's fine. I like driving in peace and quiet, with just the radio on anyway, unless I'm on my bike."Glancing out the window, she looked to the left and right. "Where are we?" There was a large building that looked like a hospital on her right."Liam's old lady had just gone into labor when you called. I got a text on the way back that she delivered. All the brothers are there; it's customary that I make an appearance.""I'm not going to pretend like I understand a damn word you just said." She popped a piece of
The room was still and quiet, the only sound coming from the bed where Jessica slept. Most people wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, but it was the only thing he could hear. At night when he had been overseas in the military, that was the one sound that kept him grounded—that let Layne know he was still alive. He clung to that sound again tonight; not sure why, just needing a sense of familiarity.Rolling over onto his side, he used his arm as extra support. The pillow he had for this chair wasn't that great and again reminded him of his time in the Army. There were a lot of things he had learned during his time there that he wanted to completely forget, but there were some things he also coveted. One of those things slept in the bed across from him."C'mon, some chick got Justin Timberlake to go to her ball. Why don't you ask Jessica Shea? You're a good lookin' guy, I'm sure she'll say yes."Layne laughed, shaking his head. It was a late night in Fort Benning, Georgia, and
Tyler grunted loudly when Layne landed a well-timed punch to his gut before backing away against the ropes of the boxing ring. "Give me a minute," he heaved."What's wrong, old man?" Layne taunted.The only person that was allowed to taunt Tyler like that was Layne while they boxed. Not many people did anything better than the new vice president, but Layne flat out kicked his ass when it came to boxing. That was the only reason Tyler gave him any leeway."Not old, you're just hitting hard today." Tyler bent at the waist, trying to get air into his lungs.Immediately, Layne stood up straight. "Am I? Sorry, sir.""How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the sir bullshit? I'm a superior, but you ain't in the Army anymore. You start with that, and I'll beat the shit out of you just for the hell of it," Tyler threatened. He wasn't exactly sure he could beat this younger man up, but he absolutely hated the way Layne reverted back sometimes. He no longer had a contract sig
"So what do you do on a normal day?" Jessica asked as she ate her toast and drank the orange juice Meredith had poured for her.Layne glanced up from the bagel and bacon he ate, almost like her question scared him. "Ya know, the usual."She laughed. "No, I don't know what the usual is. Remember? I've never been here before."Did he tell her what they really usually did? Protection runs to help in the drug and gun trade, escort strippers out of strip joints, shake down a few people if they were paid enough money? "I usually work at the shop," he told her. "Ya know, mostly oil changes, tire rotations, things like that. I have to go work there today, actually. Will you be okay by yourself?" Funny that he hated liars – what a hypocrite he turned out to be. Being by herself didn't really appeal to her, but she knew that he also had a life that he had to live. To be honest, she had completely barged in on it, and she couldn't be mad at him if he had things to do. "I will be. I actua
Meredith was anxious. Her heart thundered and her hands shook. For months they had been coming to their house when her ovulation kit told her that it was time. While she enjoyed what they did here, it was starting to give her serious anxiety. It wasn't that spending time with her husband was a bad thing—at all, but she wanted this to work so desperately."Why are you so quiet?" Tyler asked as he came to stand in front of her.She glanced up at him, thanking the heaven's above that he was hers. It could have so easily worked out a different way. "Just nervous," she admitted. What if it never happened for them? She was so sick of the way people told her it would happen when it was supposed to. She wanted it now, dammit."Stop." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. "You've got to stop being so damn hard on yourself. I can't take this, and I won't be a part of it."Tears came to her eyes and panic set in. What if he refused to help her? What if he was sick of doing this on a sc
Jessica tried to tame her hair into some semblance of order as she and Bianca exited the car. "What's this place?" she asked, walking around the side of the car."Welcome to Donna's Country Store. It's got gas, convenience items, and the best damn gas station food you'll ever eat in your life. It's a favorite of most guys at the shop," Bianca explained as they walked through the front door.The smell of home-cooked food assaulted Jessica's senses, and she was surprised when she saw a hot case as well as a few tables situated around the store. "So you can just walk up and order?""Yup, they make a few things ahead of time; other things are made to order." "Hey, Bianca," a woman called from behind the counter."Hey Luce," Bianca greeted back. "I have a list of stuff for the guys at the shop. Can I just leave it with you?"With her eyes still hidden behind her sunglasses, Jessica watched the exchange between the two women. Luce looked to be an older woman, but Jessica wasn't