Las Vegas Sidewinders: Drake (Book 2) (30 page)

“I’m just so tired of
all of this.” She sighed heavily, surprised to feel tears welling up in her
eyes.

“Baby, did they…
hurt
you?” He didn’t want to use the word rape, but he needed to know.

“Not sexually.” She
shook her head. “I always feel a little tingle afterwards, when I have sex. You
know, like everything was worked out.” She gave him a little smile. “And I
don’t feel like that. They checked me when they checked the baby and said there
weren’t any signs of trauma or semen.”

He let out a breath he
didn’t know he’d been holding. “Okay, well, that’s something.” He brought her
fingers to his lips and kissed them. His life had been a whirlwind of insanity
since the day he’d met her, but when he looked into her face, there was no
other place he wanted to be. Despite all the fear and disruption to his life,
she was worth it. No one had ever made him happier, and now, maybe everything
would finally be normal.

“I don’t want to lose
this baby,” she whispered finally.

“I know, honey, but if
you do, we’ll have more. You’re strong and healthy, but this has been a crazy
few months. And anyway, you still haven’t miscarried even though the bleeding
has stopped. I have a feeling everything is going to be okay.”

She looked at him
lovingly. “I hope so.”

Three days later, Erin
was still pregnant and back at her townhouse with Kate. Drake had gone to meet
the team in Minnesota and she would try to meet him the following week in New
York, if the doctor let her travel. So much had happened she wasn’t even trying
to deal with it anymore; she had spent two days watching reruns on TV, reading
and playing board games with Kate. She refused to think about anything
important, not even the baby, although she was careful to monitor any bleeding
or changes to her body. So far, everything looked good and she was focused on
going back to work on Monday.

A knock at the door
startled them both and Kate got up with a frown. She opened the door to a
well-dressed young man holding a large envelope. “I’m looking for Erin Riser,”
he said simply.

“Who are you?” Kate
asked.

“I’m a courier for
Tucker, Hunter and Herbinger.”

“I’ll take it.”

“I’ll need you to sign
for it.”

Kate did as he asked
and then closed the door. She walked back to the couch and handed Erin the
envelope. “This came from Clay’s law firm.”

“Great. Now what?” Erin
opened it warily, pulling out a bunch of papers and a sealed envelope. The
envelope was addressed to her and she recognized Shay’s handwriting
immediately. She looked at Kate and then back at the papers in her hand. The
paper on top was a typed letter from Clay.

Erin,

At this point, an
apology doesn’t seem like nearly enough. I know my mother and I, though
separately, put you through hell. I had no idea she was as crazy as she is, and
if you’re reading this letter, I hope to hell she’s dead. Shay and I suffered a
childhood of abuse at her hands, but he was lucky not to inherit any of her
mental health issues. While I didn’t end up with the schizophrenia, I did get
her bipolar genes, and unfortunately never was diagnosed or medicated until
about a year ago. It was only then that I began to suspect something was wrong
with her, but she kept pushing me to “get better” and stop taking my meds.
After the night I attacked you at the hotel, I realized something was still wrong
and I was independently evaluated. I’ve been medicated properly ever since and
trying to make amends.

I’m not sure what
circumstances would lead to you reading this, but I have to assume I’m dead,
which is really kind of a relief. Years of hiding my sexuality and mother’s
abuse took a toll, and I’m really fucking tired. I lost my brother and my
wife—believe it or not, I really did care for you. I prefer men, so I wasn’t in
love with you, but I was fully prepared to be a good husband and give you a happy
life as a rich socialite. You never would have known about my male lovers and
we would be as happy as good friends could be. If I’d known you and Shay were
truly in love, I never would have done the things I did. I did the best I
could, given my issues and lack of medication.

Please forgive me.

Attached you’ll find a
copy of my will; Shay’s inheritance came to me when he died, and everything
will now go to you. I hope at least the money gives you some peace and the
security to live a happier life than you’ve had since we met.

Clay

Erin had read it aloud
and she and Kate just looked at each other in surprise. There was also another
letter, from the senior partner at Clay’s firm:

Erin,

Clay asked we give you
this package in the event of his death, along with the other envelope addressed
to you. It was found in his drawer and not read, so the contents are a mystery
to us as well. Clay’s will was read yesterday, and you are the only
beneficiary. Please contact us at your leisure and we will begin the probate process
to give you access to the funds.

If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Ronald Herbinger

Erin and Kate were
still gaping at each other and Kate finally said, “Do you have any idea how
much he’s worth?”

“I know Shay’s trust
fund had over 50 million dollars in it,” Erin whispered. “And with Clay making
serious money as a partner now, I imagine his had grown even more.”

“You’re rich!” Kate
wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh. It feels creepy!”

“Shay’s money was
honest and good,” Kate said firmly. “And you have every right to it. If Clay’s
money feels yucky, you can give it to charity.”

“That’s probably what
I’ll do.” Erin stared down at the envelope in her hands and sighed at the
familiar handwriting. “This is from Shay. I don’t know what to do, Kate. What
if he breaks my heart all over again?”

“You love Drake,
right?”

“Oh yes, more than
anything.” Erin nodded firmly.

“Then nothing Shay says
can hurt you now.” Kate held out her hand, the way only a best friend could do,
and Erin automatically handed her the letter. Kate slowly ripped open the flap
and pulled out the handwritten piece of paper. Taking a breath, she began to
read aloud:

Hey, beautiful.

I guess if you’re
reading this, things didn’t go according to plan. It’s a Sunday afternoon,
February 2010, and we’re leaving for Afghanistan tomorrow. Knowing what I know,
I figured I should put it all down on paper somewhere you’ll find it if
something happens.

I totally dropped the
ball the night before your wedding. I know it, and now it’s way too late for me
to fix it. But here’s the thing: I’m planning to try. So if you’re reading this
and we never got together, please know that you are the love of my life, the
light in my heart, and the best person I’ve ever known. I let the guilt of the
abuse Clay suffered growing up get the best of me, so when he asked me to back
off in college, I did. I thought he would get tired of you—I suspected he was
gay or bisexual but I had no proof. When he asked you to marry him, I didn’t
know what to do. You seemed happy—until the night before the wedding. But then
I didn’t know what you wanted, and I was terrified that you weren’t in love
with me. I know, dumb, right? I knew deep down that you were, but taking you
back would have caused so much drama for everyone. My mother had very stringent
ideas on family and the behavior of her children, so I stayed as far away from
her as possible. Making a scene at the wedding would have meant all kinds of
drama and I chickened out. I wanted you to do the hard stuff, like canceling
the wedding.

I know it was a crap
thing to do and looking back, I’m a complete fucking idiot. But that ends now.
We leave for Afghanistan tomorrow and I’m going to do everything I can to show
you how I feel. I hope we were able to talk before I died—but if not, I was
planning to beg you to leave him and marry me. I love you and I’m sorry. Please
be happy. Find a guy who adores you and wants to give you the world. Marry
someone who can’t keep his hands off of you and gives you mind-blowing orgasms
every single night. Make babies with a man who’s going to tell you you’re
beautiful even when you’re nine months pregnant. Love with all your heart—like
you did the night we spent together. Give yourself to someone worthy. Please
don’t stay with Clay and please don’t mourn me too long. And play some
volleyball, okay?

Always, Shay

They were both crying
and hugged each other tightly. For a while neither of them spoke, and then Erin
gently folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. She put everything
back in the big envelope and then went and put it in the small suitcase she was
planning to bring to New York. She would show Drake everything, and then put it
away forever. She had come full circle; everything Shay had wished for her had
come to fruition. She didn’t know why she’d gotten caught up in something so
horrible, but that was all over and the very minute she could leave Virginia,
she was getting on a plane to Las Vegas and not looking back.

When he called a little
while later, she picked up the phone feeling more lighthearted than she had in
a long time. “Hey!”

“Hey—you sound
chipper.”

“I have a question for
you.”

“Okay.”

“Do you
really
really really
love playing hockey?”

He paused.

“It’s not a trick
question!” she laughed. “You have to tell the truth.”

“Yes,” he said slowly.
“I can’t wait to skate out onto the ice every day. I love hockey. The only
thing I love more than hockey is you.”

“So, you think five
more seasons would be enough for you?”

He paused again,
wondering what she was up to, but the cheery tone of her voice told him that
whatever she was getting at couldn’t be too terrible. He knew her well enough
now to know that she wasn’t planning to ask him to give up his career. “I
guess, five or six,” he chuckled. “Depending on how my body holds up.
Why?!
”

“I found out I’m a
multimillionaire today,” she said with a giggle. “So any time you want to
retire, we can go live in a hut in the South Pacific and practice making babies
all day!”

He laughed. “I have no
idea how you became a millionaire overnight, but yes, I’d like to play a few
more years and then, if you want, we can go make babies all day. Although,
since we’re already having one, I have to wonder where said child will be while
we copulate for hours on end.”

“Nanny!” she said with
a laugh.

“Done!” he said
amiably.

“Actually, I got a
letter from Clay’s law firm today. Clay left everything to me in his will,
which includes everything he got from Shay.”

“Um, how much money are
we talking?”

“I don’t know exactly,
but I know it’s many millions, and I’m assuming it’s been sitting there gaining
interest because Clay had a good job as well as a trust fund.”

“Wow.” He whistled
softly. “You’re not going to go find a richer guy now, are you?”

“Not a chance in hell.
I have the best guy in the whole world.”

Epilogue

Arriving in New York on
Friday, Erin and Kate found a limousine waiting for them at the airport with
Karl and Drake inside. After a lot of squealing and kissing, they rode into
Manhattan talking excitedly about everything going on. A win either tonight or
on Sunday would clinch a playoff spot for the Sidewinders, and they would be
the first expansion team to ever get to the playoffs in their inaugural season.
Drake and Karl chattered nonstop all the way, and Kate and Erin exchanged
glances. It had been a crazy ride so far, but these guys were turning out to be
the very best thing that could have happened to them. Erin was excited to see
Kate so at ease with a guy; she’d never seen her this happy when she was dating
someone. When Karl leaned down to brush his lips across her forehead, Erin
couldn’t help but smirk at them.

“What?!” Kate laughed,
catching the smirk.

“Karl and Ka-ate,
sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…” Erin teased.

Kate and Drake
snickered while Karl raised an eyebrow. “What’s that? K-I-S—” he paused.
“Kissing? We’re not sitting in a tree…?”

Kate and Erin burst out
laughing. “It’s a kids’ rhyme, ‘tree’ and ‘gee’ rhyme.” Kate nudged him. “Quit
acting like you don’t get it—you totally do!”

He smiled down at her.
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“Will we have time for
wild monkey sex before the game?” Kate teased.

“Unfortunately, no,”
Karl murmured, kissing the spot on her neck that gave her goose bumps. “But
there will be
plenty
of time after the game!”

“Oh, gross,” Erin
rolled her eyes. “We have a separate room, right?” she asked her husband.

“Yes.” He laughed.

“Like you’re not going
to be doing the same thing!” Kate stuck her tongue out at Erin.

“No, we’re not,” Drake
said firmly, cutting Erin off before she could respond. “No sex for four weeks,
per the doctor, just to be safe.”

“I’m going to die,”
Erin groaned, rolling her head back.

“We’ll have enough for
all of us,” Kate said, giving her a sympathetic smile.

For a moment, none of
them spoke. It felt like they had known each other for much longer than a few
months, and the silence was somehow comfortable.

“So serious,” Erin said
lightly, looking around, her fingers wound through Drake’s.

“Just thinking how
grateful I am that you’re okay,” Kate said softly, looking at her friend. “I
never thought you would get over Shay or find someone that would make you truly
happy—but you have and that makes
me
happy. When you came back from
Afghanistan, you were so broken I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“I’m back because of
you,” Erin said quietly. Then she glanced at her husband and smiled. “And I’m
happy because of
you
.”

Drake leaned over and
kissed her.