Maya Banks - Theirs to Keep

J.T. glanced up at Merrick. “You okay, man?”

Merrick nodded. “I’m out for today, but I’ll be at the gym in the morning. Dallas wants to see me after the morning session so he can okay me for the afternoon.”

Dakota swore. “We can’t afford to lose any days this close to the match. Are you just trying to give me gray hair? Running into a burning building? Have you lost your goddamn mind?”

Merrick’s lip twitched, and he glared at Dakota. Dakota who meant well. Dakota who always had his back. But Dakota was only focused on Merrick and his health. What he didn’t realize was that if something had happened to Elle, Merrick wouldn’t be worth a damn for this fight or any fight.

“Dakota, shut up,” Catherine said in a firm voice as she edged away from Merrick.

“Someone shot up the place,” Cade said. “Elle was inside, and after they shot it up, they torched it. With her trapped underneath her desk. I was on the phone with her when it happened, thank God, so we were able to get to her quickly.”

“Christ,” Dakota bit out. “You two got enemies? What the hell is going on? Merrick, we need to consider moving you to a different location for the rest of your training. Apart from the physical risks, the last thing you need is this kind of distraction. You have to be focused if you’re going to win.”

“Not now, Dakota,” Merrick snapped. “Just let it go and back off.”

“I won’t back off,” Dakota said, his temper simmering.

He was pale, and Merrick knew he sounded like a dick because he was worried. That was how Dakota always reacted when something stressed him out.

“Don’t you think it’s time Elle moved on? She can’t stay with you two forever, and she’s a huge distraction at a time when you can’t afford the smallest lapse. I’ll put Catherine on it. She can make some calls. We’ll figure out a solution and make sure Elle is taken care of.”

Merrick was on his feet before he could call back his own temper. He grabbed Dakota by the shirt and slammed him against the door.

“Don’t you ever, ever say anything like that again,” Merrick snarled. “Elle is with me. Period. She’s not going anywhere. She’s with me and Cade both. Deal with it.”

Dakota blinked in surprise, his mouth dropping open in shock. “Think about what you’re saying, man. Do you really want to throw the championship away over a woman?”

“You’re being an asshole, Dakota,” Catherine snapped. “Shut the fuck up before he beats your ass. Right now, I’m tempted to have him hold you down so I can knock the shit out of you.”

Merrick slammed Dakota into the door again, hauling him upward until they were eye to eye.

“Let me tell you something,” Merrick said in a dangerously low voice. “If it ever comes down to a choice between the IMMAO and Elle, I won’t have to think hard about it at all. She comes first. You need to understand that and support it, or you won’t have a place on my team any longer.”

“Both of you stop before you say things you’ll later regret,” Catherine said quietly. “You’ve been friends for too long, and you’re both reacting in fear. You scared us today, Merrick. We both love you, and when we heard what happened, our first thought wasn’t oh shit, what if he can’t fight? Our first thought was, he has to be all right.”

Dakota blew out his breath and sagged in Merrick’s grasp. “She’s right, man. I keep imagining you in that building and it going up. I’m sorry for what I said about Elle.”

Merrick slowly let him go and backed away. He turned to Catherine and then pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Someone’s got to be the voice of reason around here,” she said pertly. “I’m surrounded by dumbasses.”

“Hey!” Cade protested.

“I think she just insulted us all,” J.T. muttered.

Merrick smiled, some of the tension escaping. Dakota looked warily at him and took a step closer, offering a bent arm with his hand upright.

“We good?” Dakota asked.

Merrick took his hand, their forearms pressed together, and he held on to it for a long moment as he stared at his longtime friend.

“I meant what I said,” Merrick said in a serious tone. “Elle comes first. I need you to understand that, or there’s going to be problems down the road.”

Dakota nodded. “I get it. Cathy comes first with me.”

Catherine snorted.

Dakota grinned. “Okay, maybe she comes second to fighting.”

The door opened, and Dallas stuck his head in. “You guys can come see Elle now. She’s relaxed from the meds I gave her, but she’s comfortable. I want to keep her for a little longer, but you can sit with her while you wait.”

Merrick turned to Dakota. “I’ll make it in the morning. I’m fine.”

Dakota bumped his fist to Merrick’s. “I’m going to work your ass extra hard, so come prepared.”

OTHER THAN A NAGGING COUGH and rawness in her throat, Elle felt fine. She was a little jittery after so much fear and adrenaline, but more than anything, she was ready to go back to the house she considered home.

Dallas kept her into the evening, and after he closed the clinic to the rest of his patients, he sent her home with Cade and Merrick with strict instructions for them all to rest.

Charlie was waiting for them at the house, and Elle realized that in many ways, it was just beginning. The danger to them all was over, but Cade and Merrick’s business had been destroyed.

There were police reports and insurance claims to file, and they faced the arduous task of rebuilding their client records. Fortunately, one of the first things Elle had done when she’d taken over the clerical work was to back up all the office computer files onto a laptop that they kept at home.

But worse than that was the interruption to Merrick’s preparation for his upcoming match.

Charlie met them at the door and pulled Elle into his arms for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

She smiled and hugged him back. “I’m fine.”

“What about you boys?” Charlie asked.

“We’re good, Dad,” Cade said as he dropped his keys on the table. “If you’ll hang out and give us all a chance to shower and get cleaned up, we’ll talk about it.”

“Take your time,” Charlie said. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee while y’all shower.”

Fifteen minutes later, Elle, Cade and Merrick returned after a quick shower. Elle unwound the towel from her head and sat at the kitchen table, running a comb through the snarls, while Charlie set out cups of coffee for them.

“Was it a complete loss?” Merrick asked Cade’s dad.

Charlie grimaced. “Yeah. Not much left by the time they put out the fire. All that’s left is one big charred mess.”

“Elle said that someone shot up the place before they fire bombed it,” Cade said.

“The detective on the scene said he’d be by in the morning to talk to Elle and the both of you,” Charlie said. “Not sure how you want to handle that with Elle’s situation and all.”

“We have a solution in mind,” Merrick said in a quiet voice. “It’ll just take a little time.”

Elle’s brows furrowed, and she glanced between Cade and Merrick, trying to decipher what they meant. But neither man offered anything further.

What solution did they mean?

Her pulse sped up, and her stomach balled into a big knot. Were they rethinking their situation? Had they decided that she was more trouble than she was worth?

Her mouth went dry, and panic seized her by the throat. She put aside the comb, her hands shaking as she ran her fingers through the still-damp ends of her hair.

She barely listened as Charlie said his good-byes and voiced his promise to help out the following day. She was frozen solid with fear.

As soon as Cade showed his father out, he returned, and he and Merrick faced Elle.

“We’d like to talk to you in the living room,” Cade said. “We can take our coffee in there to finish.”

She shook her head, her cup sitting unattended on the table. She hadn’t taken a sip, too afraid her stomach would rebel. “I’m fine. Just say whatever it is you want to say.”

Merrick’s brows drew together at her tone, and he exchanged a quick look with Cade.

“What the hell do you think it is we want to say?” he demanded.

She swallowed nervously, her gaze skittering from side to side.

Cade’s eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head to the side as he stared at her every bit as hard as Merrick was.

“I don’t know,” she said in a low voice.

“But you’re worried,” Merrick persisted. “I can see it all over your face. You think we’re dumping you?”

She hesitated too long, and Cade swore. Then without another word, he pulled her from her chair and turned her toward the living room as he herded her out of the kitchen.

“Sit,” he told her when they got to the couch.

She perched on the edge, her palms slick and her stomach churning precariously.

Merrick sat in the armchair diagonal to the couch, his elbows planted on his knees.

“Look at me, baby,” he said in a soft voice that vibrated with intensity.

Cade slid onto the couch next to her. She lifted her gaze to meet Merrick’s, unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for what he had to say.

“Cade and I want to talk to you about our relationship and taking steps to make it more permanent.”

Her breath came out in a dizzying rush. They didn’t want to get rid of her. They were talking about making things permanent.

She was so light-headed that she had to lean over.

Cade’s hand slid over her shoulder. “Are you okay, Elle?”

She bobbed her head, sucking in deep breaths through her nose.

Merrick bit out a curse. “Baby, I don’t even want to know what was going through your head. But whatever it is you’re thinking, stop. Cade and I aren’t going anywhere. You aren’t going anywhere.”

“What did you mean by taking steps to make things more permanent?” she stuttered out.

“Dallas knows someone who can create an identity for you. Social Security card. Birth certificate. Paperwork so you can get a driver’s license,” Cade interjected. “As Merrick and I were discussing it, we thought that if we gave you one of our last names, then the other could marry you so you would bear both our names legally.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared between the two men in disbelief.

“Was that a proposal?”

Merrick grimaced. “Not a very well done one I’m afraid.”

Her heart leapt into her throat as she waited for an explanation.

“No, it wasn’t very well done of me,” Cade admitted. “I’m sorry, honey. I made a mess of this. But it doesn’t change what we want. We’d like for you to have both our last names and be legally bound to one of us. Marriage would give you protection and benefits.”

She glanced between them both, weighing their reactions and trying to decipher the motive behind the proposal. Were they just protecting her as they’d done for the last several months? Or was this something altogether different and…emotional?

“Is that the only reason you want to do this?” she asked.

“Hell no,” Merrick ground out. “I want you forever. I want you as my wife.”

Cade cleared his throat. “Merrick and I talked, and we agreed that, if you’re willing, we’ll give you my name first, and then you’ll marry Merrick in a legally binding ceremony. We like the sound of Elle Walker-Sullivan.”

“I do too,” she whispered.

Merrick pushed up from the chair and walked the few steps to where she sat. He went to one knee in front of her, closing his hands over hers in a tender gesture.

“I love you, Elle. I’d like nothing more than for you to marry me. But I want you to be sure this is what you want, and I don’t want us to put any pressure on you.”

She leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “I love you too. I was so scared. I thought for a minute that maybe you’d changed your minds…about me. About us.”

Merrick pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. “Not going to happen, baby. We’re in this for the long haul.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she said. “I don’t care about the past, and I’m tired of letting it control me. I’m ready to move forward. And if I never remember, that’s okay too. As long as my future is with you and Cade.”

Cade’s hand slid down her arm and came to rest over her wrist. She turned, leaning into his chest as she fitted her mouth to his. She kissed him and then snuggled into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.