Edge of the Heat 4

Edge of the Heat, Volume 4

Lisa Ladew

Published by Lisa Ladew, 2014.

Edge of the Heat 4

By Lisa Ladew

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or

organizations, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 Lisa Ladew

Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Get The Newest Books
Could You Help Me Out?
Stay Connected
About the Author
Dedication/Acknowledgements
Also By Lisa Ladew

Chapter 1

“Vivian, so good to see you again,” Doctor Grace Holbort said, her slate gray eyes crinkling with her
smile, and her bobbed, white hair swaying as she leaned forward to grasp Vivian’s hand.

Vivian shook Dr. Holbort’s hand, smiling. She liked Dr. Holbort, and was very glad to have been

under her care for the last year. If things went well today though, she wouldn’t have to come back to
this office for another year. And if things went really well she would have an amazing gift for Hawk
on their wedding night.

“Your fiancé isn’t with you today?”
“No, I didn’t tell Hawk I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Dr. Holbort raised an eyebrow. “Really, well let’s get you some good news then. Could you hop

up here on the table please?”

Vivian climbed on the table and lay down, shivering in her skimpy hospital gown.
Dr. Holbort began her exam by feeling her abdomen. “Sorry you are cold. This will be quick.”
Vivian nodded as Dr. Holbort’s soft hands chilled her more.
“So when are you getting married?”
Her chill forgotten, Vivian’s face flooded with a smile. “Tomorrow. Tonight is our rehearsal

dinner, and tomorrow at 4 p.m. is the ceremony.

“Wonderful! How exciting! Will it be a big ceremony?” Dr Holbort’s hands expertly traced the

now familiar pattern of Vivian’s entire stomach, gently probing each organ.

“Yes, very big. My sister and I have 374 people on the guest list.”
“Oh my! That is a huge wedding, where will you put them all?”
“It’s been a challenge setting it all up, but we managed it. The ceremony is outside, we have 360

degree seating, and we will have big screen coverage so the people in the back can see and hear, and
then the reception is at the Eller’s Mansion. They have a reception area big enough for all of us.

“Amazing. You can sit up now.”
Vivian sat up and pulled the gown around her.
“Why don’t I step out while you get dressed? Give me 10 minutes to go over the results of your

other tests, and then I’ll be back to discuss them with you.”

“Thank you Doctor.”
Vivian waited for the door to snick shut, then put her blouse and jeans back on. A small niggle of

fear chewed at the back of her mind. What if the tumor is back?

She shook her head. Don’t be silly, she chided herself. Of course it’s not back. She’d been tumor

free for over 6 months now, eating zero sugar, doing her self-checks, and taking wonderful care of
herself. Besides, the odds were on her side. The tiny, local chemotherapy implant she’d had
implanted in the tumor and then removed after 2 months had caused hardly any side effects, nicely
shrinking the tumor in record time. She was healthier than she’d been 5 years ago. This kind of tumor
only recurred in some small percentage of people. And she was in love. Things were good.

She finished dressing and sat down to wait for the doctor, breathing deeply.
A knock at the door announced Dr. Holbort’s re-entrance.
“I have good news.”
Vivian smiled. Of course she did.
“Your abdomen is soft and supple and there is no occurrence of the tumor. I think you are done

with it for good.”

Vivian strained forward, wanting to ask the most important question of all. “Am I cleared to have

a baby?”

Dr Holbort smiled broadly. “Yes, absolutely. Your treatment was so specific that your eggs

should not have been damaged by it, but if any were, they are all out of your body by now anyway. I
see no reason for it not to be safe for you to get pregnant immediately.”

Vivian hugged herself. A baby. A little fat bundle of 10 teeny toes and ten nibbly fingers. She

couldn’t wait to be a mother. She couldn’t wait for all of it. The pregnancy, the cravings, the
impossibly big belly, the labor, the delivery, the nursing, the sleepless nights, the new depths of
worry - all of it!

“Dr. Holbort, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Thank you so much for everything.”
“Of course my dear. Congratulations on your wedding, and you come back to see me in a year,

OK?”

Chapter 2

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Vivian asked Emma breathlessly, watching her sister closely. It had
been almost one year since her psycho ex-husband, Norman had tried to take Emma’s life a second
time, but then inexplicably saved her when the car they were in careened off the bridge and sank in
chilly Westwood Harbor Bay. Emma had been different, changed, for a long time after that second
attempt. She seemed to have lost some of her light, some of her joy. Every day, Vivian watched for it
to come back, prayed for it to come back. But so far, the only thing that seemed to completely light her
up like she used to be was the wedding planning and preparations.

They were sitting at the sweethearts table in the large reception hall in the Eller’s mansion,

waiting for all the rehearsal dinner guests to arrive. So far, they were the only ones there.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Emma smiled faintly and pushed her strawberry-blond hair out of her face. “I

can’t believe the day is finally here.”

Emma smiled again, wider and more relaxed this time and gave her sister a hug. “How about you?

Are you nervous?”

“Nervous? Yeah, I am. I’m going to be married! And to the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”

Vivian sighed, and looked around, hoping Hawk would walk through the doors right then so she could
put her arms around his muscular body and inhale his scent. To her, he always smelled like spice and
soap. Just the thought of him made her heart beat a little faster still.

For a split second she thought about telling her twin sister about her little secret, but then Emma

asked her another question.

“What?”
“Do you have to pick up your parents?” Emma asked again.
“Oh. No. They are staying at the Ritz which is only a block away. They are going to walk over.”
“Ok. Emma looked at her phone. “People should start showing up any second. Have you heard

from the guys?”

“Yeah, they’re on time. They’ll be here soon.”
Vivian opened her mouth to ask Emma how she was feeling these days, and if she’d been going to

see Dr. Anderson, but closed it again. She’d ask after the wedding and after the honeymoon. She
didn’t want to ruin the happy occasion with her worrying. She just wanted to see her sister back to her
old self again.

The double doors at the far end of the large room opened and Hawk came through first, followed

by Craig.

Vivian let out a little squeal, and ran across the room to throw herself in Hawk’s arms, even

while she was laughing at herself for acting like a 14 year old.

Hawk caught her and lowered his face to hers, kissing her warmly on the mouth. He let his lips

trace across her jawline and spoke into her ear, low and husky, with a timbre that vibrated through
her body in a delicious way. “Hi gorgeous, I missed you.”

“Hi yourself, I missed you too. Come on.” She pulled Hawk back to the main table, to show him

where they’d be sitting, but glanced over her shoulder at Emma and Craig.

Craig was holding Emma in a long embrace, and rocking her a little bit. Emma’s face was buried

in his shoulder, almost like she was crying. Vivian’s alarms went off. She decided to corner Craig
later and see what was up.

After the men were set up at the table, Vivian gave them instructions on what would happen

tonight at the rehearsal dinner, and the next night at the reception. Just as she had finished explaining
where everyone would sit and in what order the speeches would be given, the door opened again.

“Mom! Dad!” Vivian yelled, and ran around the table to hug them. Hawk followed, looking rather

shy and awkward in his suit.

“Mr Dashell.” Hawk held out his hand to shake and Vivian’s dad pulled him into a bear hug

instead.

Vivian watched them with a smile on her face. She knew both her parents loved Hawk and she

knew that Hawk felt incredibly anxious that they didn’t, but no matter what she said he still hadn’t
warmed up to them. Maybe the wedding would get them talking more.

Emma and Craig came around the table for hugs and kisses too and then Vivian sat her parents at

the table closest to them. Craig’s parents and Hawk’s parents would also be sitting at this table.
Vivian thought about how many speeches were going to be given and hoped everyone took her time
limits seriously. She didn’t want there to still be speeches being given at midnight.

Vivian’s dad, Clint, pulled Emma to the side, and whispered something into her ear. Vivian

stepped close, wanting to hear what was going on.

“Emma dear, I know this is late notice, but I just wanted to make sure you have someone to walk

you down the aisle,” he said. “Because if you didn’t, I would be honored to do so.”

Emma smiled at him, the first tear of the night slipping down her cheek. “Thank you Clint, thank

you so much, but Grandma Maisie is going to walk me down the aisle.”

Clint nodded. “That’s good. That’s wonderful. Mary Beth and I just want you to know that, you

being Vivian’s sister and all, well, we’d like to think of you as our daughter if that’s OK with you.
We wish and wish that we had known about you when you were born. We’d have adopted you in a
second.” He stopped and nodded. “But we can’t change the past,” he added with an air of resignation,
his white eyebrows knotting together.

Emma nodded, the tears flowing freely now. “Thank you Clint. Thank you ... Dad?”
“Yes dear, you call me dad. I would love that.” He patted her hand and pulled her towards his

wife, Mary Beth.

Vivian stood there watching them, and wiped away her own tears. She hadn’t known her dad was

going to offer that, and it made her heart feel about to burst. Having her adoptive parents accept her
birth family with such open arms delighted her. Life handed her new pleasures every day. Her hand
crept to her belly. Thinking of new pleasures and joys made her feel a desperate longing for her first
child. She savored it for a moment, then let it go, knowing it would come when the time was right.

More people started to filter in and Vivian and Emma went into hostess mode, seating everyone,

and handing out kisses and thank-you-for-comings like candy. The waiters showed up and began to
bring bread and drinks for everyone. Vivian’s mother was in charge of them and handled them
perfectly, like they were her own personal team.

When everyone had arrived and was seated except for Jerry, Vivian sat back down next to Emma

and asked her where Jerry was.

“Oh, he’s at physical therapy till 7. He’s been spending as much time as possible there lately,”

Emma said.

“Really? That’s great. How is his limp?”
“It’s better. Not even noticeable sometimes.” Something clouded Emma’s eyes and Vivian saw it

immediately, feeling a pang of heartache for her sister. Did Emma really still feel responsible for
Jerry being shot by Norman and then almost losing his lower leg when Norman reversed his horrible
car and tried to pin Jerry between it and the ambulance? Vivian chewed on her lower lip, knowing
Emma did. She wished there was something she could do to roll this boulder of pain off her sister’s
heart.

Emma’s face brightened. “I think he likes his physical therapist though.”

Vivian laughed. “Is she pretty? Because if she is, of course he does.”
“It’s not that,” Emma lowered her voice and leaned in. “I think he really likes her. Like I’ve never

seen him like anyone. He asked her out 6 months ago and she said no because of their professional
relationship. But today is his last day of physical therapy and he says he’s been trying to convince her
to be his date to the wedding all week.”

“Really? But the wedding is tomorrow. What if she won’t go?”
“He says he will come stag then. He says there’s no one else he wants to go with anyway.”
Vivian’s mouth dropped open. Jerry without 6 or 7 women lined up begging to be his date? “He

must be in love,” she told her sister, half-joking.

“I know,” Emma said. “I couldn’t believe it either. I hope she comes. I really want to meet this

woman who can intrigue Jerry for so long.”

Four waiters pushed in huge, silver trays full of steaming plates of delicious-smelling food and

started to distribute them.

Emma sat back, eying them, and raised her voice to a normal level. “You know Viv, the only

down-side of us having a double wedding is we won’t ever get to be each other’s bridesmaids.”

Vivian looked sad for a moment. “Yes, that’s true isn’t it.”
Craig broke in. “Yeah, Hawk and I always thought we’d be best men for each other too.” He

laughed and shrugged it off in typical Craig style but Vivian looked stricken.

She took Hawk’s hand in her own. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I never thought of that.”
Hawk laughed a little, sweetly, and covered Vivian’s hand with his other hand, pulling her close

and kissing her neck again. “Don’t even worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal. He may not be my
best man but I’ll share an anniversary with him for life. That’s plenty special.”

Vivian smiled, relieved. Hawk always knew how to make her feel better.
Dinner was set before them, and it smelled like heaven. Vivian dug in right away, but tried to

listen to the conversation Emma and Craig were having to her left.

“So you are still working on the Oberlin case?” Emma said. “He’s been dead for a year.”
Vivian saw Emma’s mouth turn up slightly when she said Oberlin, like she had bitten into

something nasty.

Yeah sis, I still feel like that when I think of that monster being our father too, she thought.
Emma glanced at her and smiled.
“I know,” Craig said. “I can’t believe how much evidence there is to wade through. And some of

it is indicating that he wasn’t acting alone.”

“So what, he had accomplices?”
“Yes, accomplices, or a boss.”
“You’re kidding. He was a U.S. Senator trying to become president. Who else would be in charge

of him in a gun scandal? The current president?” Emma practically whispered.

Craig cocked an eyebrow with a mischievous smile and Emma covered her mouth as it dropped

open in an O of surprise. “Oh no!”

Craig laughed and took her hand. “No, I’m just kidding. Not the current president. Maybe another

senator. We’re still looking into it because the guns are still moving even though Oberlin is dead and
gone. Someone has to still be buying them.”

Emma shook her head, more worry on her face. Again, Vivian shared her feelings. Would this

mess never end? When Craig and Hawk had been investigating Oberlin, people they loved had died
and Hawk had almost been the victim of a frame-up job that would have cost him his job for sure and
possibly put him in jail. Plus Emma and Craig had been held hostage by him for a short time and who

knows what would have happened if Craig hadn’t been able to text Hawk to come get them out of
there.

Vivian remembered something Grandma Maisie had said. Grandma Maisie had a son who was a

police officer in neighboring Santa Mar Rey and had been for 18 years now. She said you couldn’t let
the worry for the man steal the joy of the day. You had to trust in his abilities and skills and that he
wouldn’t leave this earth before his scheduled time, no matter what. And once it was his scheduled
time, no amount of worrying and praying would change anything. Vivian let the sentiment wash over
her and did her best to let go of the worry. Hawk and Craig were smart and competent and they could
handle anything that came their way.

She looked out over the crowd attending their rehearsal dinner. Soon, the practice speeches

would start. Once dinner was over, it would be a whirlwind of activity until tomorrow night when
she was secured in her honeymoon suite with her new husband. Vivian reached out and found Hawk’s
hand on the table next to her and squeezed it. He smiled at her and squeezed back, still eating heartily.
God she loved him. A sense of appreciation and gratitude for the gift she had been given washed over
her so strongly, it stole her breath for moment. How was it that she deserved all of this? Tears of pure
joy formed in the corners of her eyes.

She wiped her tears with her napkin, then noticed movement to her right. Craig was getting up.

Heading to the bathroom? She watched him enter the corridor to the bathroom and then kissed Hawk
on the cheek and whispered bathroom in his ear, then hurried after Craig.

When he came out of the men’s room she was waiting for him.
“Hey Viv.”
“Hey Craig, I just wanted to ask you a quick question about Emma.”
“Shoot.”
“How is she? Emotions-wise? I ask because she still seems sad to me sometimes.”
“Sad? Nah, she’s fine.”
Vivian watched Craig closely. “You don’t think she still feels guilty at all for what happened to

Jerry?”

“No. She knows it wasn’t her fault. Don’t worry so much Viv. Emma’s a rock. She’s good.”
Vivian shook her head. “You’re too optimistic Craig. You think everything’s fine all the time,

even when it’s not. And you think everyone’s happy, just because you are.”

Craig laughed and looked at the ceiling. “You got me there Viv. Sorry, I’ve always been like that.

But really, Emma’s good. She’s happy. Trust me.” He grabbed Vivian’s hand and pulled her down the
corridor towards the party.

Vivian guess that meant the conversation was over. Craig’s optimism and general level of

contentment was one of the best, but also most frustrating, traits he had. She just hoped that he was
right this time, for her sister’s sake.

Chapter 3

Emma’s eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed. She jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to
Vivian, in the guest room. The guys were staying together at Vivian and Hawk’s place. Emma didn’t
know what time it was but she didn’t care. Today was her wedding day!

Vivian had heard her coming and sat up. They wore identical smiles of giddiness as Emma rushed

into the room.

“It’s today! It’s here,” Emma cried, delighted. She ran to her sister and hugged her, Vivian

laughing at her exuberance.

“What time is it? Can we start getting ready yet?” Vivian asked, just as excited.
Emma glanced at the clock. “Only 8:30.” She laughed. They had set alarms for 9 a.m. but of

course they didn’t need them.

“Let’s go out for breakfast. That will kill some time.”
“Ok, go get dressed.”
When they were both dressed and ready, Emma sampled the weather as they walked to the car. It

was an early fall day, and the air was still crisp. That was good, that meant it wouldn’t be a scorcher
by 4. There was no wind, and not a hint of clouds. Emma smiled and turned her face to the sun. It was
her wedding day. For some reason, even though she had done this before, it all felt new to her. New
and right.

She remembered marrying Norman - a small, civil ceremony with no one in attendance but the

public judge and recorder. There was none of the excitement of this event. This wedding was going to
include her sister. This wedding was going to be witnessed not only by every one of her friends, but
also by this huge, close family she didn’t even know she had until a year ago. In this wedding she was
going to be wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen and she was going to have her hair and
makeup done by someone else and people were bringing presents and giving speeches and - Emma
broke her stream of thoughts and hugged herself at the car door, feeling like a princess.

Emma and Vivian purposely drive as far as possible to an out-of-the-way restaurant and ate as

slowly as possible, neither one of them wanting to return to the house and just sit around until it was
time to get their hair and makeup done. This morning was just for them. They had decided not to meet
the bridesmaids (and Jerry, who would be the ‘man of honor’, since he was Emma’s closest friend)
until they arrived to the church grounds. They chatted lightly about the day and their plans, their
excitement increasing with each moment that passed. Finally, it was noon, time for their
appointments.

They drove to the salon and each got their hairdo of choice. Vivian’s long brown hair was left

flowing over her shoulders, gently curled, with diamond clips placed on the sides to hold the hair in
place and direct it down her back. The effect was startlingly beautiful. Emma chose a loose updo,
with a delicate spray of white and pink flowers holding it in place. Emma didn’t look until it was
done, and then she sucked in her breath. She couldn’t believe it was her hair! She had never had
anything so extravagant done to her hair.

She glanced at her sister, who looked like a movie star, and knew Vivian was more comfortable

looking like this, but she didn’t care. She liked who she was normally, and she was secretly glad that
she also could pull this look off. She’d actually been a little worried.

Next was makeup, which took another 45 minutes, and then it was time to head to the church

grounds. They were getting married on the grounds of the Old North Church, which was one of the
oldest buildings in the state. The large lawn overlooked the bay and had the most spectacular view of
the city. And it was close to the Eller’s mansion where they were having the reception.

When they arrived at the church, Hawk’s mom, Vivian’s mom, Craig’s mom, and Grandma

Maisie, plus all the bridesmaids were already there, laughing uproariously at Grandma Maisie’s
stories. Emma wondered if they were drunk. She hoped not. They still had a lot of day to get through.
Her eye immediately found their dresses, which were clean, wrapped in plastic, and hanging up on
hooks on the wall.

Hawk’s mom saw them and rushed to them. “Girls, girls, oh my goodness you look beautiful.

Come, we have your dresses all ready.”

They were fussed over and oohed and aahed over by all the women. Grandma Maisie and Craig’s

mom helped Emma into her dress, a fitted, basque-waist ball gown with a Queen Ann neckline. All
white silk and amazing lace. Emma twirled in the mirror and couldn’t believe she was looking at
herself. Even the gown she’d worn to the Senator’s mansion seemed homely compared to this amazing
wedding dress.

A cousin Emma hadn’t met yet ushered in the two photographers, one for Craig and Emma’s

pictures, and one for Vivian and Hawk’s pictures. Grandma Maisie introduced Emma and Vivian to
the cousin, whose name was Amanda, and explained how they were related. Cousin Amanda kissed
them both on the cheek and hurried off. Grandma Maisie had taken over and obviously had things
under control.

Emma sat down and sipped some water, and watched Vivian’s mom and Hawk’s mom fuss over

Vivian. Her dress was a mermaid dress with a sweetheart bodice. Emma watched Vivian’s mom,
Mary Beth, zip up the back and immediately burst into tears.

“Oh you look so beautiful, Honey!” Mary Beth exclaimed, the photographer snapping pictures of

her.

Mary Beth was right. Emma thought she’d never seen anyone look as pretty as Vivian did right at

that moment. Her hair flowed down her back, the diamond clips sparkling in it. Her dress fit her form
perfectly and showed it off in a very flattering way. And her makeup accentuated her prominent
cheekbones and soft, full lips. Emma laughed to herself at the thought of Hawk seeing her look that
way. Those two couldn’t keep their hands off each other anyway. Hawk was really going to have a
hard time today.

Emma thought of Craig and wondered what he would think when he saw her. Would he be blown

away? She hoped so. Would he be able to keep his hands off her? She hoped not. Her face heated in a
little blush as she thought of their honeymoon suite tonight. They hadn’t had sex in three weeks,
purposely trying to ‘save themselves’ for the wedding. It had been her idea. She wanted their
wedding night to be special and she had thought maybe this was one way to make it so. Now it
seemed a little silly to her. Today was already the most special day of her life.

Emma heard more and more people talking outside and went to peek out a window. The grounds

looked amazing. The chairs were all done up with white ribbon. 6 colors of orchids spotted the
grounds. The archway sat square in the middle of everything. It was a double size, since four of them
would be standing under it, and it was wound so tightly with green leaves and pink and yellow and
white flowers that she couldn’t even see the material underneath.

Wow. She had left most of the actual planning to Vivian, not really having a preference about

things like flowers and archways, and Vivian had outdone herself. Everywhere Emma looked she saw
bright colors and classy decorations.

Emma watched as people walked around the grounds, examining the flowers, picking their chairs,

talking and laughing. She saw 3 of Grandma Maisie’s other children: her aunts Missie, Jacinda, and
Elsa Sue. Grandma Maisie had shown her pictures of all the girls when they were little, and Elsa Sue
had looked almost exactly like Vivian when she was younger.

She watched Craig’s dad, Hawk’s dad, and Vivian’s dad greet and seat people, and in between

take sips from the punch bowl and tease each other. She loved that they were getting along so well.
They were all dressed identically, in black tuxedos with red ties and pocket squares.

She thought they looked very dashing, especially Craig’s dad. She loved how much Craig looked

and acted like his dad. She adored Craig’s dad from the first time she met him, his mom too. They
were very down-to-earth and happy people. Their marriage was strong and sweet, and she hoped that
when she and Craig had been married for 30 years they were just as happy together.

“Emma!”
Her attention was pulled from the window by Craig’s mom, Cynthia, calling her name. “Emma

dear, it’s getting close. Come take pictures with Vivian.”

Emma smiled and walked over in her bare feet, not wanting to slip on her heels yet. Her dress

was long enough to cover her toes. Cousin Amanda rushed back in, bringing the flower girls. Emma
sat down next to Vivian, smoothing her skirt underneath her, and smiled at the lovely, blond, identical
twins, each wearing a white, poofy dress, with white socks and patent leather shoes, plus bright red
and white flowers in their hair. They were Jennifer and Jessica, both 6 years old, and daughters of
another of Emma and Vivian’s cousins. They had so many cousins that they couldn’t even keep track
at this point.

Grandma Maisie had pleaded for them to let the twins be flower girls. It hadn’t taken much

convincing though, both Emma and Vivian loved the idea.

Grandma Maisie led the girls over to the brides and sat them down in front of them: Jessica in

front of Emma, and Jennifer in front of Vivian. All the women came and fussed over the brides and
the flower girls a few times, then the pictures started. There were pictures with the flower girls,
pictures with the mothers and Grandma Maisie, pictures with just Emma and Vivian, pictures with the
brides and the bridesmaids, pictures with everyone, pictures with the bouquets, pictures without the
bouquets, pictures sitting and pictures standing.

“Ok, I can’t take one more picture,” Emma said, half-joking, but mostly not. “Is it time for the

wedding yet?”

Grandma Maisie brought them both a wineglass full of water. “Yes, in 15 minutes.”
15 minutes! Anxiety spiked in Emma’s stomach. She looked at Viv, wide-eyed and saw the same

deer-in-the-headlights look on her face.

Grandma Maisie laughed. “Relax girls, It’ll be wonderful. Everything’s going perfectly.”
“Where’s my notes?” Emma asked. All 4 of them had decided to write their own vows, and

Emma suddenly thought that was the stupidest decision she’d ever made in her life. The water sloshed
nauseatingly in her stomach.

Emma saw Vivian whisper something to Cynthia, and Cynthia rush out of the room, then rush back

in with Jerry, tall and handsome in his tuxedo, a red rose boutonniere setting off his jacket perfectly.

He beamed at her, and she saw his face crumple from across the room. He walked over and knelt

beside her, holding her hand in both of his. “Oh Emma, you look incredible. You are the most
beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

Tears brimmed and fell from her eyes immediately and every woman in the room exclaimed and

searched for tissues.

He pulled her notes from an inside pocket and showed them to her. “Do you want to look them

over?”

“Yes please,” she said. “And do we have time for a few pictures with Jerry?” she asked Grandma

Maisie.

“Of course dear, the wedding don’t start till the brides get there.”
Emma looked over her notes as Jerry kissed Vivian on the cheek and whispered a few words in

her ear.

Jerry knelt next to her chair and rubbed her neck and shoulders. “Don’t worry Em, it’s going to go

great,” he said quietly.

She handed her notes back to him and smiled, then nodded to Grandma Maisie. She was ready.

Chapter 4

Emma watched the procession from the window. She heard the strains of Israel Kamakawiwo ole's
Somewhere Over the Rainbow play and the tears threatened to come again. She was an absolute
wreck. But it was all so beautiful. The bridesmaids, in their cream-colored, floor-length dresses
walked slowly, arm in arm with the groomsmen in their navy blue tuxedos. Emma could see the
minister standing behind the archway, but not Craig and Hawk. She didn’t know where they were.

Vivian walked over and put her arm around Emma’s waist. “Grandma Maisie wants us outside.”
Emma smiled at her sister and grabbed her hand. This was it.
They walked outside together. Grandma Maisie gave the flower girls final instructions and then

sent Vivian off with her parents.

She smiled up at Emma, her eyes soft and kind. “Well my dear, you were never mine to give

away, but I am so honored that you asked me to walk with you down the aisle to that good, strong man
of yours.”

Emma didn’t trust herself to speak. She squeezed Grandma Maisie’s hand with her free hand.

Grandma Maisie understood, and took her arm. They walked slowly around the building to the aisle.
Seeing all the people, their lovely faces smiling at her from their chairs, filled her heart with
gladness. Everywhere she looked was family, blood relatives she’d gotten to know and love over the
last year. These were people who had grown up with her mother, and accepted her and Vivian into
their hearts in an instant. Emma couldn’t help it. Even as she smiled the tears dropped down her face,
running a path to her chin and probably falling on her gown. She didn’t care. Everything was how it
should be.

She looked up and saw that Vivian had made it to the archway and was standing with Hawk, who

was gazing at Vivian with love in his eyes.

And then she saw him. Craig. His smile as he watched her walk to him split his face in two. She

smiled back, and he mouthed something to her. She wasn’t sure what it was; it could have been “I
love you.” His traditional black tuxedo framed him perfectly, and she let her eyes wander over his
muscular body, thinking she couldn’t wait to get him alone. And the next time she did, she’d be his
wife. Her mind swirled with thoughts. His wife. Married. Mrs. Emma Masterson.

They reached the last row of chairs and Grandma Maisie turned to her, hugging her and kissing

her on the cheek. Craig smiled at Grandma Maisie and reached for Emma’s hand, pulling her to his
side. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jerry standing behind Craig. Craig kissed her ear lightly
and whispered, “God you are beautiful.” His breath tickled her hair and his words roused her
passion. She felt her whole body surge towards him, and she pressed closer into his side, her whole
world narrowed down to his face and the feel of her hand in his.

The minister spoke, and Emma pulled her focus to him, with effort.
He spoke simply and eloquently: of love and marriage, of hard work and effort, of twin sisters

and best friends, of God and earth. Emma let her mind go, making no effort to pay attention. Instead,
she absorbed the words, drank in the experience, lived the entire ceremony from inside her soul,
where every word spoken, every sigh breathed, every tear shed, and every sunbeam shined upon them
would forever be written in stone. She planned to revisit it often.

The minister announced they had decided to write their own vows, and invited Hawk to start.
Hawk smiled a lop-sided, nervous smile at the minister, then took both of Vivian’s hands in his

own. The smile that shone out at her was full, genuine, and sweet as any Emma had ever seen. He
began, his voice thick with emotion.

“Vivian, I’ve had some things happen in my life that made me ask Why God? Why would you let

that happen? How could that happen? and I never thought I would get an answer. But then I met you.

And I realized...” Hawk’s voice hitched, and his mouth twisted a bit. Emma couldn’t see all of
Vivian’s face, but what she could see began to contract, and a single tear winked on Vivian’s cheek in
the sunshine. “I realized that the questions didn’t matter anymore. No matter what I’ve been through, if
that’s what I needed to walk through to get to this moment, then I accept it all. The more I know you,
the more I love you, and the more I pledge to be your answers too, if I can. When you are scared or
sad or confused or lonely, you can always come to me. When you are happy and glad and excited and
thrilled, I will be right by your side. I love you now and I will love you forever.”

Craig squeezed Emma’s hand and she glanced at him. He winked at her, but looked thoughtful,

solemn. She scanned the audience and saw Vivian’s mother sobbing openly in her husband’s arms,
and Hawk’s mother also crying and dabbing her face with a white cloth. Emma wiped her own eyes,
thinking her makeup must already be ruined.

Hawk’s best man gave him the ring, and he placed it on Vivian’s finger. She clutched her hands to

her breast and smiled at him through the tears on her cheeks.

The minister nodded at Vivian, giving her the go-ahead to recite her vows.
Vivian took a few minutes to compose herself, taking deep breaths, and then she looked to her

maid of honor, who handed her an index card. She glanced at it, and smiled up at Hawk, her face
brilliant in the sunshine.

“Hawk. My dear, sweet Hawk. You already are the answer to all the questions I’ve been asking

my whole life too. Every morning that I wake up, I give thanks that I found you and that you are who
you are. If I had gone to Heaven and molded a man who would be perfect for me in every way, I
could not have done a better job than God did when He made you. I never believed in soulmates
before I met you, but I do now. Although I believe that you and I are meant to be together, I will never
let that be an excuse not to work hard to deserve your love. I pledge from this day on to be the best
wife and friend and partner I can be for you.”

Vivian finished speaking and gazed into Hawk’s eyes. Hawk leaned forward, as if he forgot

where he was and was going to kiss her. The minister held up a finger and said “not yet.” Hawk
startled and leaned back on his heels, laughing. The audience and wedding party laughed too, and
Emma felt the moment lighten.

The ring was placed into Vivian’s hands. She placed it on Hawk’s finger and smiled at the crowd

of people witnessing their promises. A few people cat-called and whistled and everybody clapped.

When the noise died down, the minister turned to look at Emma and Craig. Emma felt her anxiety

level shoot skyward. This was her wedding day and she didn’t want to feel anxious. Why did she
ever say she would write her own vows? Emma looked away from the minister, hoping to relax a
little. She looked into the audience and saw over 200 people, all of them looking directly at her. She
tore her eyes quickly from her audience and looked at Craig.

He stood tall and strong and slightly smiling, gazing at her like she was a precious flower or a

beautiful butterfly. Immediately the invisible hand squeezing her throat lightened its grip, and she
smiled back. The minister said something to Craig, then his best man stepped forward and gave him a
notecard. Craig looked at it, then began talking, staring into Emma’s eyes.

“Emma, I wanted to get up here and say something special. Something that would convince you of

exactly how I feel about you. I love you seems so inadequate. I do love you of course, but more than
that, I adore you. I am in awe of you. I thirst to be near you. When I wake up, you are the first thought
my mind flies to, and before I go to sleep all I care about is if you are happy. So I sat down and tried
to write you a poem. But I’m not a poet. So then I tried to find a poem that said all of that. But nothing
I found seemed true to me. So finally, I just decided I had to try my best to get you to understand how I

feel about you. I know that with your sweet strength and your loving energy by my side, nothing will
be insurmountable. I thank the stars every day for your love and I promise to do my best to be
everything you need from today until the day I die.”

Craig’s words washed over Emma like a warm ocean wave. The intensity of them seared into her

brain. Craig was a solid, strong rock who said I love you easily and freely, but he was not prone to
sharing feelings like this. Her heart filled to bursting with love for this man. She’d been so worried
about what she was going to say to him that she hadn’t given any thought to what he was going to say
to her. And then he said something so ... sweet, and lovely that she was blown away. Emma felt
herself tear in two little pieces inside. One balled up and cried at how wonderful her fiance - her
almost-husband - was, and at how lucky she was to have him. The other piece stood taller and
stronger and basked in his words and tried to be worthy of them.

She took that second piece of herself and nurtured it, fed it, turned it to the light of his gaze. She

could cry later. Right now she was going to be the woman he thought she was.

He gently grasped her hand and slipped a ring on her finger. With it, she felt the weight of every

promise they’d ever made to each other, but it was light and comforting.

The minister inclined his head towards her, “Emma.”
She nodded. Jerry stepped closer to her and handed over her notes. She held them in both hands

but didn’t look at them. She knew what she wanted to say now.

“Craig. A lot of people here today don’t know how we got together. They don’t know that you

saved my life.” She turned toward her audience. Toward the rows and rows of people looking at
them. She felt calm, serene.

“While I was working one day, I fell off of a roof. Craig was there. He scaled a drainpipe to get

down to me. I wasn’t breathing. He moved me gently onto my back and blew his own breath into me
until I started breathing again. He was my hero that day, and he’s been a hero to me every day since
then.” Emma turned back to Craig, handed her notes to Jerry, and took Craig’s hands in hers.

“Craig, we are great together. I know exactly what you meant when you said nothing would be

insurmountable. That’s how I feel about you too. I love how you take care of me. I love how you are
always, always there for me. I love how our love has done nothing but grow since the day you swore
to me you would never let me go. You are an amazing man, one who is equally open to the beauty and
danger in life. One who sees the good in people more than he sees the bad. One who approaches
every difficulty as a challenge, not as a detour or an excuse. You are the kind of man I dreamed I
would find as a little girl. The true knight in shining armor who has saved me not once, but many
times. Today, in front of all of our friends and our family members, I promise to love you, to listen to
you, to remain faithful to you, to care about your feelings, to be your true partner in all things, and to
always be your best friend, forever.”

Noise of bugs and breeze and old women sobbing filled the spaces where her words had been a

moment before. Craig squeezed her hands and smiled, his eyes shining. Jerry stepped forward and put
the ring in her hand. She took Craig’s hand and slid his wedding ring onto the finger where it would
sit for a lifetime.

The minister spoke up. “Now, that these four people have pledged their lives to each other, there

is only one more step to take. By the power granted to me by the State of California, I pronounce you,
Emma and Craig, husband and wife. And you Vivian and Holden, husband and wife. Husbands, you
may now kiss your brides.

Emma saw Hawk gather Vivian in his arms only seconds before she was cradled in Craig’s arms.

He lowered his mouth to hers and she met it eagerly. Dimly she was aware of their audience clapping

madly, celebrating their union. Married, she thought. Married to Craig.

Chapter 5

Vivian sat at the head table, her heart overflowing. Hawk was sitting next to her, talking to her dad.
With one hand he gesticulated heartily, while his other hand found hers and held it, caressing her palm
with his thumb. Everywhere she looked, people smiled and laughed and celebrated. This wedding
had overcome her wildest fantasies about how good an event could be. She couldn’t wait to get the
videos so she could see everything she missed, like Emma walking up the aisle behind her, and Emma
kissing Craig. In fact, she could remember little of Emma and Craig’s vows, because she’d been too
wrapped up in her own happiness while they were reciting them.

Emma leaned over and whispered “Do you see Jerry?”
“I don’t see him now but I saw him when we were dancing. She came.”
Emma clapped her hands, “Ooh good! What did she look like?”
“Gorgeous. I can see why he’s taken with her.”
Emma scanned the room. “Where’s he sitting?”
“Right there.” Vivian indicated the table closest to them, which was empty.
“It’s almost time for the speeches, he better get in here soon.”
Vivian looked at her watch, it was time for the speeches actually. In fact, Vivian could see

Grandma Maisie rounding up all the toast-givers and having them sit in their seats. She was a blessing
for sure.

Grandma Maisie, seemingly satisfied she had found everyone but Jerry, headed out the door. She

came back a moment later with Jerry and a woman in tow. The woman was tall, as tall as Jerry in her
heels, which probably put her at almost 6 feet without them. Her hair was a deep, chestnut brown,
thick as Vivian had ever seen, and straight with a bit of wave, falling past her shoulders. Her skin
was olive tone, and her eyes deep and beautiful. Vivian could not tell her ethnicity. She could have
been Italian or Spanish or Egyptian. She wore a simple black dress and very little makeup, plus no
jewelry at all. Jerry held her hand, pulling her in the room, but to Vivian, she looked uncomfortable
with this. She kept looking around the room and down at Jerry’s hand holding hers.

Vivian glanced over at Emma, who’s eyes followed Jerry and the woman’s every move. Vivian

hoped Emma noticed that Jerry was not limping at all.

Emma leaned over again. “Wow, you weren’t kidding, she is gorgeous.”
Grandma Maisie sat Jerry and his date down, and then stood at the front of the room, calling for

everyone’s attention.

The crowd quieted little by little. When she had complete quiet, Grandma Maisie spoke, her

commanding voice ringing across the room. “Time for toasts and speeches, then dinner. I would
kindly appreciate it if you all would sit in your seats. After the toasts you can do what you want.”

Vivian’s dad and mom both wanted to say a few words. They shared a microphone and stood by

the sweetheart table with their arms around each other’s waists, looking like the proudest parents on
the planet, and welcoming both Craig and Hawk into their hearts. Vivian watched them with tears in
her eyes, wondering how much more she could take.

Craig’s dad stood and talked about Craig as a child, and about how they always knew he’d end up

with someone special. Emma blushed and dipped her head as they talked about her.

Hawk’s mom got the microphone next and went a bit over time going on and on about her hero son

and his new, genius wife. Vivian had to laugh a few times at the picture she was painting.

The microphone passed its way from the parents to the best men and maid of honor. Jerry’s toast

was last. Vivian leaned forward, eager to hear what he had to say. She loved Jerry’s sense of humor.

As the microphone was passed to him, he squeezed the hand of his date and stood. Vivian thought

he looked amazing in his tuxedo. He’d grown a bit of a goatee and Vivian thought it suited him

wonderfully, making him look sophisticated and handsome.

He looked around at the audience, waving at a few people, with a wide grin on his face.
“So yes, I’m Emma’s maid of honor. I know you were hoping for someone better looking, and a

little more feminine, but you got me. Sorry folks. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Jerry,
Emma’s friend. We’ve been partners at work for 8 years now.

I know that a lot of you have come a long way today in order to celebrate this wedding of two

sisters and two best friends. Wow, what a journey it’s been, am I right? A lot of you only just
discovered that Emma and Vivian existed and were a part of your family a year ago. What a strange
and non-traditional turn all of your lives took.

But, just like these two ladies and their new husbands, all of the friends and families here have

accepted the events of the past year with true grace and finesse. You’ve closed a chapter of your lives
with finality, and opened your hearts and your homes to Vivian and Emma.

As long as I’ve known Emma, all she’s ever wanted was a big family, a stable home, and lots of

relatives to love and share her life with.

And here you are.
And let me tell you a little bit about Emma, your cousin, niece, or grand-daughter that you’re only

now getting to know. She’s strong. And she’s kind. And she’s thoughtful. She cares deeply and you
can always tell what she’s thinking by looking at her face. She doesn’t hide things. She’s never fake.
She can handle anything. She’s one of those kinds of strong women that lift up the people around her.
You’re lucky to be related to her. I’m lucky to know her. And Craig is lucky to marry her.

I was there when Craig saved Emma’s life, and Emma never knew this, but I went to thank him

myself while she was still in the hospital. I contemplated what life would have been like if he
wouldn’t have been as quick as he was, and maybe she wouldn’t have made it. And it scared me. So I
found him and I thanked him. And when Emma started showing a romantic interest in him I was glad.
Glad because she deserved a man like him. And he seemed like such a great guy I thought he deserved
a woman like her. I did everything I could to get those two together, because when you see a great
couple, you just know it. And they are a great couple. Perfect for each other. I’ve never seen Emma
happier than when she is with Craig.

Emma and Craig, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we are so happy you two have

found each other, and we wish you a long life filled with magic, love, affection, and great joy.

Please, everyone, raise your glasses with me and toast to these two wonderful marriages we have

had the good luck to witness today. To Emma and Craig, and to Hawk and Vivian.”

Every person in the hall raised their glasses. Cheers and congratulations rang throughout the room,

and a few glasses clinked together.

“Thank you,” Jerry said, and sat down. Grandma Maisie motioned to someone in the back, and

waiters with delicious-smelling food swarmed the tables.

Vivian watched Emma, interested in her reaction to Jerry’s words. Emma’s eyes were spilling

tears openly down her cheeks. Absently, she wiped them, then gave Craig a hug then walked to
Jerry’s table and hugged him too.

“Who is that with Jerry?” Hawk asked.
“That’s his date. I don’t know her name yet. I really want to meet her. Maybe there’s time before

the food.” Vivian got up and went to the table, pulling an empty chair around next to Emma, squeezing
in between Jerry and his date. She was one of the brides, she could do what she wanted.

Jerry greeted her exuberantly. “Vivian! Did you come to meet Sara? Sara this is Vivian, Vivian

this is Sara.”

Sara and Vivian shook hands and smiled at each other.
“Vivian, it’s so nice to meet you. Your dress is gorgeous. It flatters you.”
Vivian liked her immediately. “Thank you so much! When I saw it I knew I had to have it. Some

women can only think about the long flowing trains, but I always liked the mermaid dresses better.”

“Mermaid dress? Oh, that’s so pretty.”
“Thank you. So Sara, how did you meet Jerry?”
Sara looked questioningly at Jerry and he nodded. “He was my patient, up until a few days ago.”
“Oh? You’re a doctor?”
“No, I’m a physical therapist.”
“Oh, that’s right. I knew that.”
“Yeah,” Emma chimed in. “I told you that.”
Vivian laughed. “Oops I guess I just had other things on my mind.”
“Oh you know, you were just getting married, nothing stressful or exciting about that,” Sara said

with a grin.

Vivian and Emma laughed and exchanged a look. Yep, this woman was perfect for Jerry.
“So what does your husband do Vivian? I swear I’ve seen him before,” Sara asked, looking at

Hawk at the head table. Vivian thrilled inside at the word husband. She looked at Hawk too and
noticed their plates of food were at the table and Hawk was eating already.

“Oh maybe you’ve seen him on TV, he’s an FBI agent.”
Sara’s eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed together. “FBI agent?”
“Yeah, him and Craig both are. They work in the local office. You probably saw him on the news

talking about the case they’ve been working on for several years right now. The local news
interviews him every other day these days because of everything they’ve uncovered right here in
town. Some big gun smuggling case.”

“Oh,” Sara whipped around and looked towards Hawk and Craig again, her face worried.
That’s weird, Vivian thought. I hope she’s not a criminal. Or a gun smuggler. She looked at

Jerry. He was watching the waiter who was unloading plates at their table.

“Emma, we should go eat.”
“Yeah, Sara, it was so nice to meet you. We’ll come back and talk to you after dinner.”
Sara nodded, but didn’t say anything, her face still showing concern of some kind.
Emma and Vivian walked together back to the table. “What was that about?” Emma asked.
“I don’t know, but I thought it was weird.”
They sat down. “I liked her until she got all weirded out about the FBI.”
Vivian nodded. “Me too.” She looked at her plate and decided to let it go, for now. She focused

on her food, drinking in the laughter and talk she heard around her. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast
and suddenly noticed her stomach demanding food. Her steak and rice and vegetables hit the spot
wonderfully, filling her up again. Just as she was finishing the last of it, she saw Lionel winding his
way through the tables to get to her.

“Hawk, Lionel is coming over. You don’t have him doing hacker jobs for you right now, do you?”
“No, he hasn’t worked for us for a while,” Hawk said.
“Hi guys, beautiful wedding, thanks again for inviting me,” Lionel said when he reached the table.
“Of course Lionel, I just wish that Irina could have come.”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m here. She had her last round of T-cell therapy this morning and I promised

I’d only be gone for a few hours. So I have to leave. I left you a small gift on the table but I wanted to
give you this also.” He handed Vivian a card. “I just want you guys to know that we will appreciate

you paying for Irina’s treatment forever, and buying you something from a store just didn’t seem like a
good enough way to say thank you, so I did what I do best and I found something for you.” Lionel
looked down, and pursed his lips together. “You never know how these things are going to work out,
so I just hope it brings you joy.” His words rushed together and he looked back up at Hawk and
Vivian. “I have to go now, thanks again.” He turned and wound his way through the tables again,
almost at a run.

Vivian looked at Hawk, eyebrows raised. “That was weird.”
She slid her finger under the envelopes flap, a sense of foreboding filling her. I hope it brings

you joy? You never know how these things will work out? What did that mean?

She put the envelope on the table. “Maybe we should open it tomorrow.”
“Here, I’ll open it.” Hawk said. “If it’s something you don’t want to see, I’ll put it away and tell

you when our honeymoon is over.”

Vivian nodded, knowing her curiosity would probably get the better of her, but still glad Hawk

was going to look at it first.

He slid the card out and read it, then looked at Vivian, his eyes flat and unreadable.
“Here.” He handed her the card.
She read the words twice, not believing them, then spun around, looking for Emma. “Emma!”
Emma had been talking to some family members nearby. She heard the urgency in Vivian’s voice

and looked up, startled. “What?”

“Come here, you have to read this. Lionel gave it to me.”
Emma took the card, questions in her eyes, and read.
Dear Vivian. Please don’t be mad at me, but once I found this out I knew I had to tell you. I’ve

been digging around in your past, not to be a jerk, but because of how happy finding your mother
made you. I wanted to make you happier. I wanted to find your real birth certificate. I wanted to
find out if that guy really had been your father, or maybe it was a mistake. But I found something
different. Something I think you would want to know. I hope you want to know it. There were three
live births that day. You are not twins, you are triplets. You have a brother. They put him in the
foster system for a day, like your sister, but then a nurse at the hospital took him. I don’t have the
nurse’s name yet, but I will find it for you. All I know right now is the name he was given: John
Phillip Taylor. It’s a very common name, and even though we have it he might not be easy to find.
I haven’t started looking. I will if you want me to though. I know I can never repay you for what
you’ve done for us, but I will try anything. Thank you, and congratulations. Love, Lionel and Irina.

Vivian watched Emma’s face, knowing exactly what emotions and questions were now swirling

around in her head.

A brother? Triplets? What now?

Chapter 6

Dinner and dancing were over, the grand exit was made, and the couples piled into the limousine,
heading to the hotel for a night before they set off on their honeymoons.

“What ever happened to Jerry?” Vivian asked, sounding far away to herself. She’d had a bit too

much to drink, and didn’t feel quite in control.

“He left. It was weird. His date disappeared on him and he sent me into the bathroom to look for

her. She wasn’t there, and she wasn’t on the grounds so after about an hour he went to her apartment
to see if she was OK. I haven’t heard back from him yet what happened,” Emma said.

“That is weird. I hope she’s OK. I hope we didn’t scare her off.” Vivian said.
“Scare her off? Never,” Hawk slurred, and pulled Vivian onto his lap, kissing her rather clumsily.
“Ugh, Hawk, you had way too much to drink. I’ve never seen you like this before,” Vivian told

him, pushing him back.

“Blame it on the party baby, people kept bringing me drinks. I’m sorry. Give me some water or

coffee. I’ll drink it.”

“How drunk are you?” Vivian asked, opening a water bottle for him, and peering into his face.
“Not so drunk. I’m good.”
“Ok good, I had something I wanted to tell everybody, but you especially.”
Hawk poured some water on his head, wetting his crewcut, then shook it all off like a dog,

wetting Vivian. She shrieked and laughed.

“Ok, all better. Tell me baby.” He held his arms out wide and Vivian fell into them, whispering

something in his ear.

As Vivian spoke, Emma watched them, thinking she probably knew what this was about. She’d

known that Vivian had gone to the doctor yesterday. She was probably totally cancer free. Emma
couldn’t wait to hear if she was right.

Emma watched Hawk’s face, and knew she was right. A strain of pure joy strong enough to almost

be unbearable settled in, and his eyes watered. Emma had never seen so many men cry so many times
before. She laughed to herself a little.

Hawk’s arms snaked around Vivian and hugged her tight, then his mouth found hers and they

kissed. The kiss heated up and Emma turned her head towards Craig, giving them as much privacy as
possible in the back of a limo.

They finally broke the kiss, and Vivian leaned onto Hawk, snuggling in for the ride.
“Did you want to tell Emma?” Hawk asked her.
“Oh yeah!” She sat up. “Emma, the doctor says I’m totally cancer free.”
Emma nodded and smiled.
“And she cleared me to have a baby.”
Emma shot straight forward off the seat. “Oh my God! Are you going to start trying?”
Vivian looked at Hawk.
Hawk looked out the window, trying to figure out where they were. “Yep, in about 15 minutes.”
Vivian laughed and swatted Hawk on the chest, but looked pleased all the same.
“Wow,” Emma breathed. “A baby. How exciting.”
Craig leaned forward and shook Hawk’s hand, then sat back again.
Questions bounced around in Emma’s brain. A baby? Did she want to have a baby? Did Craig

want to have a baby? Vivian was going to have a baby.

Craig read her mind and whispered in her ear, “We can talk about it whenever you want to.”
She relaxed and snuggled in to his chest. Maybe they’d just see what happened.
The limousine pulled up to the hotel and they all climbed out. They were all staying in the hotel

for the night and then Vivian and Hawk were headed to Barbados for a week and Emma and Craig
were headed to Hawaii. They were all planning on meeting in Vegas for a few days when they got
back.

“Come on guys, we’ll get you to your room,” Craig told Hawk and Vivian.
Watching Hawk, Emma could see why. He was stumbling a bit and leaning on Vivian.
They poured Hawk and Vivian into their room on the third floor and then Craig turned his full

attention to Emma. He walked her down the hall to the elevator, holding her hand.

The doors slid open, revealing an empty elevator. They entered and Craig pushed the button to

floor 17, then backed Emma up into the mirrored wall. “So Mrs. Masterson, tell me,” he purred into
her throat, kissing her collarbone and pulling the bobby pins out of her hair. “are you tired?”

Mrs. Masterson. That’s me now.
Emma watched him in the mirrors that surrounded them, delighting in the breadth of his back and

the way his butt looked in his tuxedo pants. His movements sent shivers of heat through her skin.

“Tired? No, I am a little hot though.”
“Mmm, we’ll have to take care of that for you.” He reached around the dress and started pulling

the zipper to the dress down.

“Craig, there’s a camera in here.”
He looked behind him and spotted the camera, then gave her a mischievous smile. He knelt down,

startling her, and plunged his hands beneath her dress, his fingers sliding up her legs to her hips,
grabbing her thong and tugging it down her legs.

Emma gasped in surprise as her panties reached her feet. With that mischievous smile still on his

face he slipped off first one shoe and then the other, taking the underwear too.

“Isn’t that better?” he said, hooking the heels with his fingers, and shoving her underwear in his

pocket.

Before Emma could answer, the elevator stopped at their floor.
“Darn, I should have pressed the emergency stop button,” Craig said.
“So we could be rescued by the department? Or possibly caught? No thank you,” Emma laughed

and pulled Craig down the corridor to their room. Suddenly she was elated that they had postponed
sex for so long. She felt the thrill of anticipation building in her belly.

In front of their door, Craig fumbled with the key and finally popped them inside. As soon as they

were inside the door, he grabbed Emma and spun her towards him, finding her mouth with his own.
Their first kiss alone as husband and wife, without hundreds of people watching them.

Emma opened the floodgates to all her senses, wanting to drink in this kiss and remember it

forever. The softness of his tongue and lips. The sweetness of his breath. The roughness of his
stubble. The hardness of his body. His spicy-clean scent. Emma thought she could just kiss him like
this forever, like teenagers on a second date. But then his intensity grew. His breath came in short,
urgent gasps, and his strong hands kneaded her hips, then pulled her dress up to caress her backside.
His fingers and tongue fought for her attention and she moaned quietly into his mouth.

He broke the kiss, pressing her against the wall in the little doorway. “Tell me Mrs. Masterson,

how would you like our first time as husband and wife to be? Soft or hard? Sweet or rough? Intense
or romantic? Quick or leisurely? I’d do anything for you, you know.”

Craig’s words thrilled her. She wanted it all. “Yes,” she said. “Soft and hard. Sweet and rough.

Anything but quick.” Her head rolled against the wall as he kissed her neck.

“Whatever you say.” He picked her up, still kissing her neck and placed her softly on the bed.
“My zipper,” she fumbled her hands backwards trying to get the dress off.

“Leave it on. I’ve been wanting to take you in it all night. If it had only been our wedding I would

have done it too. I would have found a quiet corner and put you on my lap, nobody would have
known.”

He pushed up her dress and stood back, consuming her with his eyes.
“My God you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And you’re mine. All mine.”
The words hit Emma like a freight train. She’d never considered herself beautiful. Cute, sure. But

beautiful? No. But this man thought so. He couldn’t get enough of her. Suddenly, her need to have him
inside her reached exquisite new heights.

“Craig...please,” she pleaded, holding her arms to him.
He kicked off his shoes and rid himself of most of his clothes. He left the shirt and tie on and fell

upon her.

She felt the hardness of him nudging the softness of her as he kissed her neck again. She pushed

him up a little and unbuttoned his shirt and untied his tie so she could see his chest, touch his skin.

“How about one time hard and rough, then sweet and soft later,” she told him.
“Anything for you, Emma.”
He found her center, and plunged inside, hard and rough, just the way she sometimes wanted it.

He watched her face as she squirmed underneath him, eyes closed, enjoying every sensation.
Suddenly, just as quickly, he was gone. She whimpered and opened her eyes.

“It’s been too long sweetheart. This is going to be over before you have any fun. And I don’t want

that to happen.”

He pushed her dress up and trailed kisses down to her waist, looking in her eyes as he gently

secured his mouth over her most sensitive spot.

“Oh,” she gasped, eyes fluttering shut, unable to keep them open. Her back arched against the bed,

lifting her body. It was almost too much. She almost couldn’t take it. Almost.

He found a groove and swirled his tongue around her sensitive bundle of nerves, occasionally

flicking it lightly. When her hips began to buck he focused on it with the flat of his tongue, until she
felt ready to burst open. She dug her fingers into his short hair and pulled at him as her world
exploded in sensation and waves. He stayed perfectly still until she collapsed, limp upon the bed, and
then he stood, entering her once more. She didn’t care what he did at this point. She was done. For
now.

He gathered her legs and her skirts and finished, straining against her, making her smile. Then he

collapsed on the bed beside her. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. She was too relaxed to
respond anywhere but in her own head. I love you too, my hero.

Chapter 7

Emma finally got up and went to the bathroom to clean up and take care of her dress. As she was
hanging it up, she heard Craig call from the room, “Do you mind if I turn the news on? I want to see if
they are talking about our case again.”

“No, I don’t mind.”
Emma took her hair all the way down and washed off most of her makeup, then contemplated

taking a bath. She eyed the tub, wishing they’d gotten a bigger one. In the back of her mind she thought
idly about the fact that she had a brother and wondered if they would ever find him.

She looked up at a thump from the other room. Craig called to her, sounding nervous. “Emma, oh

my God! Jerry!”

She rushed in, looking at the TV. The camera panned over an apartment building. “Jerry what?”
He looked at her, eyes haunted. “They just showed Jerry in front of one of the apartments. His

date tonight lives there. When he went to check on her, the door to her apartment was standing open.
The place was ransacked and the walls are painted in red paint ... or blood.”

Emma’s eyes went wide and she grabbed for her phone.

The End

Jerry's story will play out in his own book, Edge of the Heat 5, which I am writing right now. ♥

At this point, I do not know if Emma and Vivian will ever find their brother, but if they do, that will
be the subject of another book.

Get The Newest Books

Get Early notification of all my new releases by signing up for my mailing list at

http://www.lisaladew.com

I will always do a three day .99 cent sale at Amazon for my list so this is

a great way to get my books at a bargain.

Could You Help Me Out?

I truly hope you enjoyed this book.

Would you please do me a favor and write me a review? There is nothing more important to

authors than reviews. Let me know what you think of it and if you want a fourth book too :)

Stay Connected

I love my readers. Yours insights into my books often floor me. Connect with me on

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LisaLadewAuthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LisaLadewAuthor

Lend my book to anyone you like! Or recommend it on goodreads or in person. Thank you

so much!

About the Author

I live in Idaho. I have been married for 18 years to the only man on this planet who will put up with
me (I'm a handful) and we have two amazing boys (11 years old and 1 year old at the time of this
writing). We have a 7 year old husky/golden retriever mix (dog) who is just awesome and gorgeous. I
love computers and the internet. I love my facebook friends. I love books and I love my google nexus.
I only buy ebooks these days - they are SO convenient! I like to walk for exercise as much as
possible, which hasn't been often since the baby was born. Hmmmm, what else do you want to know?
:)

I always, always, always wanted to write when I was a little girl. Stephen King was my favorite

author. I stopped being able to read him when my first son was born though (too many kids getting
hurt). These days you can probably find me reading Julie Ann Walker or H.M. Ward instead. I
published my first book at 41 years old. I'm not sure how it took me so long to do what I really
wanted to do since I was a kid. I love writing and I love interacting with my readers.

Dedication/Acknowledgements

Why are these books always dedicated to my husband? Because he's a really great guy, and because
he puts up with a lot from me. And because he's the best dad I've ever known. I love watching him
with our kids.

Again, I must thank my beta readers, Nicki Small, Lisa Howard, and Joan Adams. My first

readers who manage to make sure I don't make a fool of myself :). Because I have an inability to see
when I am sometimes. Thanks girls.

As usual, cover design is by

http://www.stunningbookcovers.com/

Also by Lisa Ladew

Edge of the Heat

Edge of the Heat

Edge of the Heat 4