I remember last year. I found her alone when I drove from Sydney to Wagga Wagga and brought her home with me to Avalon-after Mum insisted. I was such a fool then. "Tell me what holidays were like for you growing up."

She looks puzzled. "Why?"

I shrug. "You're my wife. I want to know."

"Terrible until my mom got clean. I'd cla.s.sify them as tolerable after that. My grandparents were the only joyful part of the holidays for me." That's not much detail about what it was like, but I'm guessing this is as far as she wants to go today.

"I wanted this to be the most special Christmas you've ever had."

She smiles and reaches out to touch my arm. "It is. I'm your wife and we're together. Nothing could spoil that, not even me being sick as a dog."

"You are so precious to me." I lean over and kiss the top of her head. I walk over to the Christmas tree Mum had delivered and decorated so we'd have our own for our first Christmas together.

I sit next to Laurelyn with her gifts. "I've been carrying your presents with me since the day we left on our honeymoon. I wanted to spend the holidays in Maui so I could have you all to myself on Christmas. Looks like I'm having my way, although this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"I feel like s.h.i.t. I bought your gifts before the wedding but they're under our tree at Avalon. I'm sorry. I thought we'd go home after we left your parents and have our own little Christmas there."

"I don't care about me, babe. This Christmas is only about you." I place her first gift on her lap and her face lights up like a child. "Open it."

She grins as she tears the paper of the small square box. She looks up at me when she sees the jewelry box. "You've given me a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet. What could this be?"

"Only one way to find out."

She flips the jewelry box lid and her eyes dance as she touches her new platinum and diamond drop navel ring. "Oh my G.o.d. You bought diamonds for my belly b.u.t.ton." She takes it from the box and holds it up for a better look. "It's beautiful."

"I couldn't find one I liked so I had to have a jeweler make it." I point to the biggest stone. "This one is a third of a carat. The two smaller ones are quarter-carats each. The jeweler recommended keeping the total weight under a carat so it didn't become too much."

She lifts her shirt and holds it over her current ring. "What do you think?"

I can't wait to see it on her-but not now. "It's perfect, but wait until you feel better to put it in."

She reaches for my face and strokes it with her palm. "Always so thoughtful."

"You haven't seen anything yet, baby."

I give her the girly gifts my mum and sister helped me choose-nothing particularly special-and I'm down to the last one. "This is sort of a wedding-slash-Christmas present." I place the rolled set of papers across her legs. "I wanted to give this to you before we left on our honeymoon but it wasn't ready."

I see her intrigue by the way she scrunches her brow. "What is this?"

"Unroll it and take a look."

She slides to the edge of the couch and spreads the rolled papers out on the coffee table. "It's blueprints?"

"Yes."

"For ... a house?"

"Not exactly." I move a picture frame to one side of the papers and a candle to the other to act as paperweights so I can show her the surprise. "This is the newest edition at Avalon-a music studio for you. It was designed by the leading acoustical engineer in the business. The guy is supposed to be some kind of genius when it comes to the science of sound and vibration in technology." I gesture toward the northeast corner of the drawing. "This room will have state-of-the-art recording equipment."

She's silent and I don't know what that means. "I know this won't be you traveling around the world with Southern Ophelia, but it's a way for you to hang on to your music. We live in a technical world and you can work with people in Nashville from here in Australia. I'm hoping you'll find it a happy medium."

"Happy medium means I'm settling for less than I truly want but that's not what this is-or what you are. You're everything to me-my number one. I love music but it'll always come after you and when we have a family, it'll come behind them." She waves her hand over the blueprints. "I love this. It's absolutely incredible and proves yet again how thoughtful you are and how much you love me." She puts her arms out for me to come to her-so I do. "I'd f.u.c.k you into this couch if I weren't sick."

That's my girl. "I accept rain checks."

"I'm sure you do."

"I have to call Addison to tell her about this." The doorbell rings and a puzzled look appears on Laurelyn's face. "Who in the world could that be?"

"There's only one person I can think of." Margaret McLachlan. I move to answer the door. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not getting f.u.c.ked into the couch right now."

My guess is spot on. "Mum. This is a surprise." Not really. I knew she wouldn't stay away.

She's holding several plates of food and pa.s.ses them to me. "I brought you something to eat." I take the food from her and she steps around me to go to Laurelyn. "How's our girl?"

"I'm much better, thank you."

She sits next to L and immediately begins her mothering by feeling L's forehead. I guess I learned that from her. "You're a little warm but you don't have fever. Any chills?"

"I did earlier but I haven't felt them in hours."

"Good. Whatever this is, it's pa.s.sing quickly. I made soup. Do you feel like eating?"

Laurelyn nods and my mum motions for the cabana boy-me-to jump. "You're going to eat soup for her but you'd barely drink water for me." I sound like a pouty child.

"I feel better since I've gotten out of bed." She points to the blueprints on the coffee table. "And since I got this incredible Christmas gift."

My mum leans over to look at the plans. "What is this?"

"I'm building a music studio at Avalon."

Mum nods in approval. "What a great idea. You must be happy about this."

Laurelyn leans up and adjusts the pillow behind her back. "Beyond thrilled is more like it."

"My boy does good."

"He certainly does." I'm glad to have the approval of the two most important women in my life.

I take Laurelyn's empty soup bowl when she finishes and Mum follows me into the kitchen. "She's pale."

She's a hundred percent better than she was. "Pale is an improvement over the color she was early this morning. She scared me, Mum. She doesn't realize how very close I was to taking her to the hospital."

"She kept saying her wedding dress was tight so I thought she might have already been pregnant but just didn't realize it yet. I was hoping that was why she didn't feel well, but I see that isn't the case." So I'm not the only one hoping for a baby soon.

"I'd hoped the same thing but she isn't. We know for sure." I don't want to tell my mum about my wife's period, so I hope she understands what I mean.

She's grinning. "She may want to work on that as soon as she feels better."

I shrug. "I don't know. We discussed it in Maui. She told me she'd think about it."

"Don't look so discouraged. Thinking about it isn't a no."

"It isn't a yes, either," I argue.

"Son, she's open to the idea if she's thinking it over, but don't rush her. Pressure is the last thing she needs. You've been married a week. There's plenty of time for babies."

Laurelyn has plenty of time for babies. I'm not so sure about myself but I'm not going to upset my mum by going there with her. "I know."

"Enjoy being together while you can. Trust me, that special time is rare once little ones come along."

Isn't that the same thing Evan told me about Emma? That, along with a lot of other s.h.i.t I didn't want to hear about him f.u.c.king her on their living room couch and kids nursing on her all the time. "I treasure every moment with Laurelyn."

"As you should." She takes the spoon and bowl from me and goes to the sink to wash them. "You couldn't have chosen a better gift than a music studio."

"Laurelyn quit the band but she didn't give up music. She wants to continue to work-maybe writing songs for other artists. I think the studio will be the perfect avenue for her to work from home instead of making trips to Nashville."

"Isn't Nashville where that man lives, the one who attacked her?" That whole situation weighs heavily on my mind.

"Yes and she'll have to go back to testify."

"How do you feel about that?" my mum asks.

She doesn't really want to hear me tell her how I feel about it, how I want to kill him. "I don't want them in the same room ever again, but I want that son of b.i.t.c.h locked up with the key thrown away. It'll take her testimony to do that."

"You've never told me about it."

And I don't plan to. "I can't. L doesn't want anyone to know what he did to her." She drops the soup bowl in the sink, shattering it, before she turns to me, looking sickened. "He didn't, Mum. I stopped him in time. But another minute and I don't think the outcome would've been the same."

She reaches for the dish towel and dries her hands before walking to me. "I had no idea."

"Don't say anything to Laurelyn."

"I wouldn't, son." She holds my face with her hands. "You've done a lot of things to make me proud but never more so than when you took Laurelyn as your wife. As her husband, it's your job to love her." She's unmoving as her eyes stare into mine. "She's one of us now and we protect our own ... at any cost."

I nod in agreement with my mum. "With every heartbeat I have left, I will keep her safe."

I hear the echo of Laurelyn's phone and I recognize her mum's ringtone. "Jolie's calling, I'm sure to wish Laurelyn a merry Christmas."

"Good. Laurelyn needs her mother to be a presence in her life, even if from a distance."

It's taken several days for me to feel as though I've returned to the land of the living but I'm back. I hope I'm ready for the party scene because Daniel is driving us to Evan and Emma's house for their New Year's shindig. It's not a family party, meaning I'll be meeting Jack Henry's friends, so my stomach is fluttering a mile a minute.

"You're quiet, love."

I consider saying nothing but can't think of a good reason to keep it from him. "I'm your wife and I've yet to meet your friends, so I can't help but feel nervous about meeting your inner circle."

Jack Henry had no intention of introducing me to the people in his life when we began our companionship. Meeting his parents and siblings wasn't supposed to happen but even after we abandoned our original agreement, he didn't take me around his friends. He still hasn't, and I admit I'm troubled by this.

Our wedding was small with only family in attendance. I'd like to think that was because he didn't want me to feel bad about a huge crowd on his side when I had only four family members and a single friend, but the insecure person trapped inside me wonders if there's more to it than that.

"The people attending this party aren't my mates. They're Evan and Emma's, so we're acquaintances at best."

"Oh." So I still won't meet those he considers his buddies. "Why haven't I met your friends?"

He's grinning as he leans over to kiss my cheek. "I have none worthy of your company."

He's avoiding the question. "That's not an answer."

"I'm not hiding you from them, if that's what's on your mind." His arm is around me and I lean into him. He squeezes me closer and plants a kiss on the top of my head. "Or maybe I am. The whole bunch of them are self-proclaimed manwh.o.r.es so I'd do well to keep you from them forever."

A manwh.o.r.e, huh? Sort of sounds like someone I used to know.

"I a.s.sure you you're not missing anything, but I can have Mum invite a few to my birthday dinner next Sat.u.r.day night if it's what you want."

That's right. My man has a birthday coming in thirteen days. Thirty-one. He sees age as a countdown but I don't. That's no way to think of life and I have to change his mindset. I also have to come up with a gift for him-a perfect one.

We arrive at my brother and sister-in-law's and the driveway is full of expensive cars. "Looks like they invited a lot of people." And it looks like some rich ones, which surprises me. I guess I didn't realize Evan and Emma rubbed elbows with a wealthy crowd.

"Perfect." The sarcasm is thick in his voice. "You should probably be prepared to be pa.s.sed around. If you tire of it, let me know and we'll leave. I'm not opposed to ringing in the new year at home, just the two of us."

I wouldn't want to upset Evan and Emma by leaving before midnight. I look at the time. "We can survive anything together for four hours."

"We need a code word."

Is he kidding? "A code word? For what?"

"For when you've had enough and you need to get out."

Now I'm really afraid. "I don't know." I think for a moment, offering the first word that comes to me. "Infinity."

He grins. "May I say how fitting that is since it's what you trace with your finger when you're mulling something over."

We enter the house and it's more crowded than I expected. A lot of people must've come by taxi, or maybe they're like Jack Henry and have drivers. I hadn't considered that I might have to mingle with an elite crowd.

s.h.i.t. I may have married a man from the upper cla.s.s but I've never rubbed elbows with these kind of people, not even in my music career. I'm a simple Southern girl with a tw.a.n.g I can't shake no matter how hard I try.

Please don't let me say or do anything to embarra.s.s myself or my husband.

Emma's at my side almost instantly, placing a drink in my hand. "Evan's specialty-a painkiller."

I put it to my nose and sniff. "Mmm ... smells delicious."

Jack Henry takes it from me and turns it up for a taste. "Be forewarned, L. Evan will fool you with these. He'll add more and more spiced rum in each one you drink. He wants you smashed-if for no other reason than to f.u.c.k with me."

c.o.c.k-block. I swear they're worse than two little boys. .h.i.tting each other in the nuts. I bet they did that to each other all the time when they were growing up. Poor Margaret. I bet she wore their a.s.ses out every day whether they needed it or not.

Emma laughs. "Jack's not kidding. You should watch out for Evan. He loves nothing more than to f.u.c.k with his brother and he'll do it through you if he has to-just like Jack will use me." She hits my husband in the arm. "It never stops. I thought they'd grow out of it eventually-especially after we had kids-but they haven't. They're worse than my own children so I gave up hope a long time ago."