Mace, page 14
We made our way to the basement and dug back into the boxes.
I didn’t know if we would find the papers, but we were having a hell of a time trying to find them.
This just proved that as long as Mace was with me, everything was good.
That’s how it was fifteen years ago, and that’s exactly how it still was today.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mace
Day one was not a success.
Taxidermized birds, one hundred rubber ducks, seventeen creepy dolls, and an unknown box of stained towels were all the day produced.
We were both exhausted by the time we got back to the rental and passed out after a quick dinner of pizza and breadsticks.
We didn’t find the papers, but it was still a damn good day with Imogen next to me.
We still had half of the storage unit to go through, and we were hopeful we were going to find the papers.
And even if we didn’t, today had been one of the best days of my life.
All because of Imogen.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mace
“I got it.”
I dropped the box I had been searching through. “What?” I demanded.
Imogen looked up from the piece of paper in her hand. There was a smudge of dirt on her cheek, and her hair was piled on top of her head. We had been half an hour late getting to the storage unit today because I couldn’t let her out of the house without reminding her who she belonged to.
Twice.
“I found the report.” Imogen held it out to me. “It’s dated two days after Kent raped me.”
I grabbed the paper from her and skimmed it over. “Holy fuck, Imogen.” This was it. This was the paper that was going to help prove that Kent had raped Imogen and that she had killed him out of self-defense.
We had only been sorting through the boxes for an hour until she found it.
“It was in the box with a bunch of trolls.”
I lowered the paper and stared at Imogen. “Ah, yes, the perfect place to store documents.”
She dug back into the box and pulled out a plastic, sealed bag with a pair of underwear in them. “No,” she gasped.
“Babe.” My heart pounded in my chest. “Is that the underwear you were wearing that day?”
She opened her mouth and tipped her head to the side. “I honestly can’t tell you, but I have to assume it is.”
If those were the underwear she had worn when Kent raped her, and we also had the medical report confirming she was raped, Imogen and I were almost as good as off the hook. “I don’t know how long DNA can last, but I’m fucking hopeful Kent left his on that underwear. They tried to screw me over a shoe; well, we’re going to fuck him up with a pair of underwear.”
“We have to get this to Pam as soon as we can.” Imogen jumped up and clapped her hands together. “I can’t believe we actually found what we were looking for.”
I couldn’t believe it either, but I knew if we were going to find it, it would happen because Imogen was helping.
We put all the boxes and totes back into the storage unit and headed to Janet’s room.
“Well?” Janet asked when we walked. “You must have found something because it’s not even lunchtime yet.”
Imogen smiled broadly and held up the paper. She had the bag with the underwear in her pocket, but she must not have felt like showing that off. “This is what we were looking for.”
“I can’t believe we found it, Janet, but I am thankful you kept it all these years.”
Janet smiled sadly. “I wish you never had to go through that, child, but I am glad that I can at least help a little after all these years.”
I knew Imogen could never truly forgive Janet for everything she had done to her, but she did still love her. She just knew to keep her walls up and only give her the parts of her that she wanted to.
Knowing Imogen, though, she would give a lot of herself.
“Me, too, but I think everything is going to be all right now. I can go back to Jackson, and Mace doesn’t have to worry about going to prison.” She squeezed my hand, and a huge smile spread across her lips. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Well, then, you two better get back to Sacramento. Your lawyer is going to need that paper.” Janet smiled sadly.
“Oh, uh, we’re actually not going to head back until tomorrow.” Imogen glanced up at me. “Mace has our house rented through tomorrow, so I was hoping we could maybe spend the rest of the day with you.”
Imogen had talked about wanting to stay till tomorrow if I was okay with it, and I was. I didn’t know she wanted to spend the day with Janet, though.
“Oh,” Janet said softly. “You don’t want to spend your day with me. There is so much to do in San Diego that is more fun than sitting around here with me.”
Imogen tsked and shook her head. “I’m a small-town girl now who doesn’t need all the craziness of a big city. We can have lunch with you, and I think I saw that there is bingo this afternoon in the entertainment area.”
I kept a smile on my face, but inside I was cringing. Lunch and bingo with Janet? Imogen was really testing to see how much I loved her.
“I don’t think your man is too thrilled at the idea of lunch and bingo.”
Imogen glanced at me with puppy dog eyes.
Son of a bitch.
I cleared my throat and threw up my hand. “I’m from Sacramento, Janet. I’ve done all of the big city stuff. Lunch with you and a couple of games of bingo sound like a good time.”
“See,” Imogen cheered.
“All right,” Janet sighed. “I won’t run you two off if you want to stay.” She grabbed her sweater off her chair and shrugged it on. “We should sit by Delores again and see if I can land another grape in her hair. She wandered around with it in her hair for two hours the other day before it fell out, and Larry from room seventeen slipped on it. His Stonewall flew up in the air, and when it landed, the tennis balls on the legs ping-ponged off the walls. Almost cracked the fish tank.” She hooked her arm through mine and pulled me out the door. “It was hilarious.”
I glanced back at Imogen, and she shut the door behind us.
“Is this okay?” she mouthed.
I would have rather had Imogen on my arm, but I could give Janet a few hours of my day if it made Imogen happy. I gave her a quick nod and turned back around.
I’d give Imogen anything she wanted.
Including this.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Imogen
He slid his hand along my stomach and squeezed my breast.
My breath hitched, and I reared back to him. His fingers tweaked my nipple, and a new ripple of need charged through my body.
“Mace, yes,” I begged. “I’m almost there.”
Mace doubled his efforts, and his groin slapped against my ass with each thrust. I tossed my head back, and my orgasm gripped my body.
“Imogen.”
The way he called my name made me shudder and moan.
My pussy milked his cock with each thrust, and his hands gripped my hips.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned.
He filled me with his come, and I collapsed on the bed in a heap. His body moved to the side, and he gathered me in his arms.
“I’m going to miss this place,” he breathed.
“Because we’ve christened every surface?” I laughed.
He kissed my temple softly, and I laid my head on his chest. “We’ll need to come here for our honeymoon. Visit Janet while we’re at it.”
“No,” I moaned. “Let’s not mention my grandma while I’m naked and riding the wave of an orgasm.”
“Then we’ll just talk about when you will marry me.”
“Stop playing with me, Mace. You know I’m exhausted and will say anything after sex.” Stringing a full sentence together was hard enough. Talking about getting married was something I could not do right now.
“Not playing with you, babe. We told your grandma I’m your fiancée, so we’re going to have to make good on our word.”
I tipped my head back. “You’re serious about this?”
“As a fucking heart attack, babe. I don’t really think we’re rushing it since we’ve known each other since grade school, you know?”
I slapped his chest. “With a fifteen-year gap in there.”
“So we both have lived on our own and know what we want.”
“And what is it you want?” I asked.
“You in my bed, riding my face or cock.”
“My god,” I laughed. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think we can do only that for the rest of our lives.”
He shrugged and threaded his fingers through mine. “Fifty percent of the time. The one twenty-five percent of the time, we’ll be sleeping, and the other twenty-five percent, we’ll hang out with the club and Dorothy and have a couple of kids.”
“A couple of kids?” I gasped. “Are you crazy? I haven’t even agreed to marry you, and you’re already talking about kids?”
He moved his hand to my stomach. “You already got one in there cooking, babe. I’ve been fucking you with no condom unless you’re on birth control.”
“Well, no. So why don’t we have a couple of kids, and then we’ll see about getting married.”
Mace chuckled. “We can do them at the same time. You marry me while you grow my baby in your belly.”
“This is crazy, Mace.”
“But it feels right, Imogen. You can’t deny that.”
It did. No matter what I did with Mace, it was right.
“There’s a chance I might not be pregnant,” I pointed out. Sure, we hadn’t been using protection, but it wasn’t always a guarantee to getting pregnant from not using protection. Though Mace and I had done it quite a few times sans protection.
“Then we’ll keep trying. God knows we both like the act that gets you pregnant.”
I rolled out of his arms and stood. “Maybe we should stop and get some condoms on the way home tomorrow.”
I stepped from the bed, but Mace’s arm reached out and snagged me around the waist. Pulled me back into bed and covered me with his body.
His eyes connected with mine, and his body pinned me to the bed. “You listening?”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded.
“I want you,” he stated.
“I want you, too.”
“I want you to marry me and grow my baby in your belly.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “At least twice.”
“You want to marry me twice?” I whispered.
“Oh, Imogen,” he chuckled.
A huge smile spread across my lips. “I know what you meant; I just like watching you laugh.” I traced a finger along his lips. “You’re so handsome when I know you’re smiling because of me."
“You gonna answer my question?” he asked.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “You never asked me a question, Mace. You just told me what you wanted.”
“Okay, then I need you to tell me what you want,” he growled.
I opened one eye and closed it again. “You’re cranky.”
“I’m trying to tell you I love you, and you’re cracking jokes.”
“You love me?” I whispered. I knew what he was trying to tell me, but it was scary. Scary knowing this man completely owned me mind, body, and soul, and if he ever changed his mind about being with me, I would never recover.
“More than my next breath, Imogen. Since the day I saw you on the playground over twenty years ago, I loved you.”
I opened my eyes and took in the man in front of me. “That’s a long time to love me.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Not nearly long enough. I’m going to need at least another twenty years to make up for the fifteen we weren’t together.”
“I don’t think that will be long enough,” I sighed. “Better make it forty.”
“How about you agree to marry me, and we can work on making that baby?”
A soft smile crossed my lips. “Now that is a question I know the answer to.” I pressed a slow, soul-scorching kiss to his lips. “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mace
“I don’t know how you did it, man, but you fucking did.”
I sipped my beer and surveyed everyone milling around the side parking lot of the funeral home.
Another thing I would have never thought would happen. Who had a barbeque in the parking lot of a funeral home? Apparently, Imogen did, and now so did I.
This morning before we left San Diego, I had texted Barracuda to let him know we would be back this afternoon, and when we pulled up to the funeral home, the whole club was there.
“We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but the odds are in my favor now.” Imogen was going to have to tell her story of what happened all those years ago with Kent, but I knew she could do it.
It would help protect the future both of us were looking forward to.
“Tell me something,” Barracuda implored. “You nail her down yet?” He nodded toward Imogen, who was holding Willem and laughing at something Maggie had said.
“Took a little bit of convincing, but, yeah. You know, I’m not into playing games and all of that bullshit. You guys all drove me insane when you got with your ol’ ladies. Just shit or get off the pot.”
“Is that how you nailed her down?” Barracuda laughed. “Monk,” Barracuda called.
Monk meandered over. “Yeah?”
“How did you ask Mitzy to be with you?” Barracuda asked him.
“Took a fucking lot. I had to convince her to stop running away from me, to begin with.”
Barracuda hitched his thumb at me. “He told Imogen to shit or get off the pot.”
Monk roared with laughter.
“I fucking didn’t,” I called. “I was saying that I wasn’t going to play games, and we just decided to be with each other. Hell, we’ve known each other for over twenty years.”
“So after that many years, you can throw the romance out the window?” Monk asked. “I don’t know if that would ever fly with Mitzy.”
“What?” Mitzy called from across the parking lot by the grill Rebel was manning.
“Mace told Imogen to shit or get off the pot,” Monk hollered. “You think I can tell you that from now on? Especially when we’re trying to figure out where to eat?”
Mitzy rubbed her stomach and shielded her eyes from the setting sun. “Sure, you can say that, but I’ll probably tell you to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.” She hesitated and smiled. “Or stick it in the pot.”
“See,” Monk muttered. “I’m gonna have to keep the romance up until I die.”
“Meat is ready,” Rebel called. “Grab your buns and get some meat.”
“Think about what you just said, Rebel,” Mitzy laughed. “I don’t think any of us want some meat from you besides Prudence.”
“Yup,” Prudence called. She held up a bag of buns and twirled her other hand in the air. “Fill my buns, baby!”
“Oh, god,” Playboy gagged. “I’ll just have some chips.” He put his arm around Raelynn and pulled her to his side. “But I can fill your bun with some meat if you want, babe.”
Raelynn playfully swatted his shoulder. “Stop it.”
Imogen wandered over with Willem in her arms. “There’s uncle Mace,” she cooed.
I reached out, and Willem grabbed my finger. “What is up, little Tank?” I asked.
“Tank?” Imogen laughed. “Did you already give him a roadname?”
I shook my head. “Nah, that was his dad’s name.”
Imogen looked at Barracuda, completely confused.
“Something tells me you didn’t tell Imogen how Willem came to be.” Barracuda folded his arms over his chest. “Just give her the condensed version, for now, brother.”
“Tank was a member. He wound up dead, and so did Willem’s mom. Rayna and Willem showed up at the clubhouse out of nowhere, and now Barracuda is his dad, and Rayna is his mom,” Monk rattled off. “Though he’s going to know about Tank and his mom.”
Barracuda nodded. “That was pretty good. You should record that for me so I don’t have to explain it all the time.”
“I’ll get right on that after I tell Mitzy to shit or get off the pot.” Monk nodded to Imogen and wandered over to Mitzy, who had a plateful of food in her hands.
“I can take him from you if you want to get something to eat,” Barracuda offered.
He reached for Willem as a car careened into the parking lot and parked a few feet from us.
“What in the fuck?” Barracuda growled. He grabbed Willem from Imogen and turned, so his back was to the car.
“Imogen!”
“Brad?” Imogen gasped. “What on earth are you doing here?” she asked.
Brad jumped out of the car and stalked toward Imogen.
I moved in front of her and kept myself between her and Brad.
He held up a notebook and tried to walk past me.
“Hold up, bro. You’re not getting near Imogen until you tell me what the hell you are doing here,” I growled.
“Fine,” Brad retorted. “This has to do with the both of you.”
The club had gathered around Brad and me, and the women had moved to the side of the building. Rayna grabbed Willem from Barracuda and ran back to the rest of the girls.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Brad called. “I’m here to give you this.”
I grabbed the notebook from him and paged through it.
“What is it?” Barracuda asked.
My eyes scanned the page, and my heart started beating in my ear.
“No way,” I gasped.
“Mace?” Imogen called.
I looked up at her, and her eyes were wide with fear. “You weren’t the only one, Imogen.”
She cocked her head to the side and frowned. “Not the only one for what?” she asked.
Barracuda took the notebook from me and paged through it. “Where the hell did you get this?” he asked Brad.
