Page 9 of Whiskey

Neither man appreciated his laughter, but Whiskey didn’t care. The older one was about five foot six, which was a good nine inches shorter than Whiskey.

“We’re looking for my son’s fiancée and her son. She has mental issues and needs to be taken back to our house.”

“Okay, I feel for you that your son’s fiancée is missing, but I still fail to see why you think you need to enter my bar for her. I mean, do you think she drank here in the last couple of nights? I could look at a picture but we’re pretty busy and I don’t always keep track of faces.”

The younger one pulled his wallet out and plucked a picture of Vivi and Ezra out, along with who he was guessing was her previous husband. The husband had a huge smile plastered on his face, but Vivi and Ezra had a hollow look in their eyes. He stared at them for a little bit.

“Has your fiancée changed her hair? She looks similar to someone who had red hair and came through on their way to New Mexico. She stopped in for a drink and a meal. Otherwise I’m not sure.”

“Was she pregnant?” the younger one asked.

Whiskey widened his eyes. “I wouldn’t serve alcohol to a pregnant woman. No, not the woman I saw. Sorry I couldn’t help you, but I need to get my prep work done before we open.”

The younger one stepped forward, grabbing the door. “Listen, we’d like to come in.”

Whiskey glared at the man. “Maybe you’re hard of hearing. I haven’t seen her, but honestly, you both demanding to come in my bar makes me feel like you want something more than a woman. I won’t let you rob us.”

Both men laughed. “Like we need your money. Dad, let’s go. They have to be somewhere.”

Whiskey waited as they got into a sedan, driven by a large man in a suit. He wasn’t sure how they’d tied Vivi and Ezra to the bar, but this changed things.

He and his family had been planning for different scenarios. With Vivi’s ex-husband’s family saying she was unstable and had a fiancée, Whiskey could only see one outcome. The best protection from what those men had planned for Vivi was to marry her. If she was already married, those men couldn’t force her to marry again, unless he was dead, and he didn’t plan on that happening.

He didn’t see any other way to keep Vivi safe. The last week with her had been torture because he liked her. If he could have picked the perfect woman for himself, she would be it. Really, how the heck did he find a woman who loved discussing wars, war strategies and historical battles? Vivi may have been kept from a lot of things, but she’d educated herself. She’d also taken a chance and run when presented with the opportunity.

She saw all her faults, but he saw a strong woman who had done what was needed. He needed to get upstairs and talk with Vivi about plans and how to keep her and Ezra safe.

“You want to what?” Vivi asked Whiskey to repeat what he’d just suggested. When he’d come upstairs and said her father-in-law and brother-in-law had been looking for her, she’d had trouble catching her breath. During the last week, she’d gradually relaxed and convinced herself they’d never find her. Now, Whiskey was saying they’d been found. How would she keep herself, Ezra, and Little Tot safe?

“I want to marry you. If we’re already married, then they can’t force you to marry one of them. It’s the best way to ensure they don’t have any power over you.”

“Would it be a real marriage?”

She couldn’t believe she was asking that, but she needed to know. Over the last week, she’d started to have a fondness for Whiskey. Last night, he’d noticed her feet were swollen, and she’d been moving them around trying to get comfortable. He’d taken her shoes off and pulled her feet onto his lap. He’d proceeded to rub and knead them until the muscles had relaxed.

She wouldn’t say she cared for him, but she trusted him and his intentions. She definitely had the hots for him. Pregnancy hormones were telling her that he could satisfy every need she had. Imagining herself in his arms had her temperature rising, but with her big belly and stretch marks, she couldn’t imagine a scenario where he would want her.

Every time he came close, his woodsy, manly scent enveloped her. His tattoos had her wanting to trace them with her fingers and then maybe her tongue. And the freaking dreams she had about him. She’d woken a couple times with her heart pounding from what he’d been doing to her in her dream.

“It would be a real marriage in that I’d protect you, Ezra, and Little Tot with my life. I wouldn’t expect anything of a, well, umm...”

Oh my gosh, was Whiskey embarrassed to talk about the physical side with her? The big, strong man who stood over six feet tall had a slight blush on his cheeks.

“You wouldn’t expect to consummate the marriage? It would be in name only?”

Whiskey swallowed before answering, “I think you’re absolutely stunning, Vivi, but this offer of marriage is with no strings attached. I do not expect to consummate the marriage in exchange for protecting you.”

Whiskey kept quiet and let her think through her options, which she appreciated. It was one of the things she enjoyed about him. He talked but didn’t need to fill the silence with useless chatter. Marrying him would put one more layer between her and the men chasing her.

If she married him and ended up falling in love, how would she feel when the marriage ended? Could she deal with the fallout? Ezra deserved to feel safe and marriage to Whiskey would do something else. It would protect Ezra. If something happened to her, Ezra would be a part of Whiskey’s family and wouldn’t automatically go back to her father-in-law. The danger to her heart was a small price to pay to know Ezra would always be safe.

“I’ll say yes if we can make it so if something happens to me, you promise to be a father to Ezra.”

Whiskey nodded. “My dad knows a judge. I’ll have him check with him to see what we need to do to protect Ezra if something happens. I promise, Vivi. I’ll die before I let you, Ezra, and Little Tot go back to those men.”

The door to the bedroom slammed open. Ezra ran in, wrapping his arms around her, breathing heavily.

“Sorry, I tried to keep him out while y’all talked, but he couldn’t wait.”

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