Текст книги "Bad Romance"

Автор книги: Jen McLaughlin

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 23

Lilly

The silence lasted too long. The shock that hit me when Daddy threatened to disown me still hadn’t left me, but it never would. That he could be so cold and so callous toward me—his only daughter—shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did.

It really did.

I finally opened my mouth and formed words. But they weren’t for my father. They were for the furious man standing to the left of him. “Jackson, can you give me a minute?”

Jackson opened his mouth, closed it, nodded, and left.

I knew how much control it took for him not to say what he thought of this whole mess. But the thing was, it was my mess to begin with. I had to handle this one on my own.

And he respected that.

“I mean it,” Daddy said, his tone hard. “You walk out, I’m done with you.”

I swallowed. “Daddy, I—”

“No,” Daddy snarled. “There’s no wiggle room here. You either let him walk away, or you walk away with him—permanently.”

“You don’t mean that,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

Jackson’s truck started in the driveway. I glanced out the window.

My father slammed his hand down on the table, making Nancy, and me, jump. “I mean every damn word. Sit down.”

“Daddy—”

“Enough from you,” he shouted, pointing a shaking finger in my direction. “After what you did, you will sit there silently, unless directly spoken to. Think of all those poor people without jobs.”

I lowered my head, but then lifted it right away. “You’ll find a way to save them. To save the company.”

“You’re damn right I will. Actually, I’m already working on it.” Jackson’s truck still hadn’t pulled away, and it took all my control not to run out there after him. I needed to take care of my past before I chased after my future. “With any luck, we’ll find a replacement, and your wedding will still be on.”

I lurched back. “But—no.” There wasn’t a chance that I would agree to another marriage after narrowly escaping the last one. “Daddy—”

Daddy crossed his arms and curled his lip. “Don’t worry. Despite your transgressions, we’ll find someone else. Do you remember George Stanton from the club?”

I pressed a hand to my chest. Oh, Daddy, no. It felt as if he’d ripped my heart out and stomped on it. If not for the thumping against my palm, I would’ve sworn he had. Already, he was preparing to sell me off to the highest bidder…again. “I met the guy once, I’m certainly not marrying him.”

“Well, we could arrange more meetings between the two of you,” my father said, completely oblivious to the fact that I was about to explode. “I haven’t asked him yet, but he’s always spoken of you with respect and high regard. He could be a likely candidate. Or maybe—”

“No!” I practically shouted.

My stepmother paled.

Daddy’s jaw dropped.

I had no idea what I looked like, but it was as if I weren’t me anymore. It was as though I were a bystander, watching the scene unfold from the sidelines, and I couldn’t move.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

That was all I heard, echoing in my head. My thudding heartbeat. “No. I’m not marrying anyone.”

My father lurched to his feet. “The hell you’re not. You’ll—”

“Walter,” Nancy said, her tone harder than I ever heard it before.

“No,” I said again, louder. More firmly. “I refuse.”

Daddy turned red. “Then get out.”

“Just like that?”

For a second, just a second, he hesitated. “If you’re choosing him over me? Yes.”

“Over you?” I said to my father, shaking my head at him. “I gave you everything. Did my best to make you happy. Tried to be a good daughter. Never asking for anything in return.”

“Funny, because here we are after you ruined the one thing I asked you to do.”

“One thing?” I laughed, and I sounded a little bit crazy. Maybe I was. Like father, like daughter. “You controlled my whole life. My clothes. My friends. My choices. My job. Even my spouse. I did everything you told me to do.” I shook my head and laughed again. “And this is how you repay me? By selling me off again? I never asked you for anything.”

Daddy laughed. “Until you wanted him. Your own brother.”

“He’s not my brother,” I said slowly. “And I’m leaving with him. If you want to disown me because of that, and act as if I never existed, be my guest. And if you let Hastings International go under because you are too damn stubborn to have your lawyers file the amendment paperwork, I swear to God I will go to the media and tell them everything.”

“You’re no better than he is,” Daddy growled. “Get out.”

“You’re wrong about him, you know.” I stood up, trembling. “He’s a good guy. A hero. A brave soldier. A man any man should be proud to call his stepson.”

Daddy looked about two seconds from falling over. “I’d rather die.”

“You will, eventually. We all do.” I shrugged, trying my best to hide the pain that coursed through me at his rejection. “But you see, you’re sending all of us away, so when you do? No one will be there to hold your hand. No one but your pride, and your precious company. And you’ll have only yourself to blame, because I’m done trying to make you see what’s right in front of your face.”

He crossed his arms. “And what would that be?”

“That I still, always have, and always will, love Jackson Worthington. I plan on spending the rest of my long, happy, laughter-filled life with him, if he’ll still have me. I plan on having a family with that man, and loving him the way both of you should have.” I walked toward the door. “I’m just sad you won’t be there to see it.”

He shook his head. “I’m not.”

“And isn’t that the worst part?”

I walked away without waiting for an answer, and this time, he didn’t stop me. As I walked outside, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and it felt amazing. But…it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness. I’d lost my father. It was painful.

There was no denying that.

Yet at the same time, it felt so good. It was as though he took out a key, undid my iron chain shackles, and finally set me free from my past. Now it was time to chase my future. To hug Jackson and never let him go. Of course, I wasn’t even sure if I still had Jackson.

If I didn’t, I’d fight like hell to get him back.

Walking up to his truck, I took a deep breath and opened the passenger door. He sat behind the wheel, gripping it tightly, staring straight ahead. “What did he say after I left?”

“Pretty much exactly what you’d expect him to say.”

He shook his head. “What did you say?”

“The opposite of what you’d expect me to say.”

He laughed. “So you told him to go fuck himself in the ass?”

“Well, not in those exact words….”

He opened his door, hopped down, and came around to the passenger side of the truck. Slowly, he turned to me. The hesitance and self-doubt I saw in his eyes made my heart wrench in response. I loved this man, and he didn’t even know it. “You should go back in there. I’m not worth losing your family over. Make up with him. He’s your dad. Nothing will change that.”

“You’re wrong. You’ve always been worth it.” I shook my head. “So…no. No.”

Something in his expression sparked to life. “I love it when you say no. I really do.” He held his hand out for me, the weight of the world in that one small gesture. “But I’d rather you not say it again for this next thing I’m gonna say. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Here. Hawaii. France. England. Shit, I don’t give a damn, as long as I have you. But no matter what you say, I’m leaving this damn house, and this damn family, behind me. The question is”—he locked gazes with me, his deep chocolate brown eyes pulling me in—“are you coming with me, or not?”

Yes. I would.

But so much happened in the last twenty-four hours, and on top of that, I hadn’t slept at all, and I needed a second to appreciate that after everything we’d been through, and all I’d done, Jackson was still here. Waiting for me. Loving me. Wanting me.

So I took a second to let that soak in. Just a moment.

But it was a moment too long.

He took his hand back, ran it through his hair, and stared at me as if…as if…I broke his heart. “All right. I got the job in Hawaii, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to take it or not, but I am. I can’t stick around here anymore. I don’t belong in this town.”

“You’re accepting the job?”

He nodded once. “Yeah. I was hoping…It doesn’t matter what I was hoping. Get in the truck. I’ll give you a ride home, and then I’ll go.”

“No.” I lifted my chin. “You’ve made up your mind, and so have I.”

Jackson studied me with a wrinkled brow. “Made up your mind about what? About not wanting me to drive you home?”

“No. About you.” I took a step toward him, my hands clasped in front of me. It was time for me to tell him how I felt. How I’d always felt. Nothing stood in our way. Not anymore. And that knowledge felt so good. “You leave, I leave. You go to Hawaii, I go, too. Because I love you. I do. So much. I’m sorry I didn’t say it yesterday, but I didn’t get a chance once all hell broke loose. But I always knew what I really wanted, deep down, and I only just accepted it in that closet. I want you. Only you. Anywhere. Anytime. Any way. Always.”

He made a small sound. I couldn’t tell if it was filled with pain, relief, or both. “Lilly…”

“Ask me again.” One more step. “Please.”

Jackson ground his teeth together, and for the life of me I couldn’t read him. Couldn’t figure out if he was going to ask me again, or not. If he had given up on me, or if he was still in my corner. If he still loved me…

Or if I had truly broken his heart beyond repair.

His fingers twitched, and I held my breath. My heart echoed, and my breathing was fast and erratic, because I knew he might walk away. And I knew if he did, then I had to tell him the little secret I had only just discovered myself. It would devastate me, but I wouldn’t go back to my father. I wouldn’t go back to being who I had once been. That girl was dead. Gone.

All that was left was me.

But was that enough for Jackson?

Chapter 24

Jackson

In the past five minutes alone, I’d experienced the full gamut of emotions, finishing with a hard punch of joy. So much fucking joy, it filled my heart until I was certain it would burst straight out of my chest. Lilly had done it. She chose me. But even though this was everything I ever wanted, I didn’t move. I didn’t ask the one question that would guarantee she’d leave with me.

I couldn’t. Not yet.

I had to be sure this was what she truly wanted, and there was only one way to find out. “Lilly, I have to ask again. Are you sure about this? I’m never going to be able to give you this kind of lifestyle. An army recruiter doesn’t make the same kind of money as a CEO. We’ll have to move. A lot. Live in base housing, and crappy apartments, and—”

“What did I say?” Lilly said, her voice starting out quiet but gaining strength as she spoke. “If you go, I go, too.”

I started to inch a little closer, and she watched me move, a smile spreading across her face. “What about your dad? His company?”

“It’s his. Not mine. If he swallows his pride, he’ll be able to save it all on his own—just the way he built it.”

My Lilly. She was back. I stopped, just out of touching reach, and she made a sound of frustration, but still smiled. “Maybe we shouldn’t do anything drastic like move halfway across the world. Maybe we should wait. I could—”

“Jackson, I waited seven years for you to come home. Wasn’t that enough waiting?”

I reached out a hand to her, saying, “It’s like you always say. Your life, your choice.”

She launched into action, grabbing my hand and throwing herself into my arms. I hugged her close, a stupid smile lighting up my damn face, and breathed in the scent that made her uniquely Lilly. I found my happy ending.

It had been in her safekeeping all these years.

Waiting for me to be ready.

Lilly laughed—a bubbly, happy laugh—and pulled back. “I can practically feel my father’s glare from the kitchen. Let’s get out of here.”

I caught her hand and smiled at her. “Gladly.”

Even though she’d walked away from everything—the money, the company, and her family—she had me. And I would spend the rest of my life making sure it was enough. That I was enough.

I opened my truck door for her, and she climbed up. We drove away immediately, and neither of us looked back. When we got home, I shot her a quick grin and hopped out of the truck. Coming around to her side, I opened her door. Before she could climb down, though, I rested a hand on her thigh and smiled at her. She still wore her red satin gown, her makeup was smudged and smeared down her cheeks, and she looked as if she’d been through a hurricane and lived to tell, but she immediately smiled back.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my breath held. “You’re giving up a lot to be with me.”

Resting a hand on my cheek, she nodded once, pushed my hand off, and jumped down on both feet. “I have never been so sure of anything in my life. Ever.”

“Me, either.” I swept her hair out of her eyes. “I love you, Lilly Hastings. I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure that I deserve you. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be enough.”

“I love you, too, Jackson Worthington. It always has been, and always will be, you who owns my heart. It’s about time you came and got it, too.” She scrunched her nose in that adorable fashion that I loved so much. “And you’re enough. You’re so enough. You have always been enough. You always will be enough.”

She rose up on tiptoe and kissed me.

By the time we pulled back, we were both breathless and clinging to one another.

“So here’s what I’m thinking.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Mmm-hmm?” she said, fisting my shirt and biting down on her swollen lip. The lip I’d made swollen with my kisses.

“Well…” The curtains in the front window of the house next door moved, and a curious face peered out, so I grabbed her hand and led her up the pathway. “What do you say we go inside, pack up your stuff, and then head for Hawaii?” I unlocked the door and let her in, shutting it behind us and turning the lock. “We’ll check everything out, and pick a place together?”

“Sure. Sounds good,” Lilly answered distractedly. “Oh, my God, my makeup.”

I swallowed, my mouth going dry at the sight of her rising on tiptoe to get a closer look at her face in the mirror by the stairs. She might be horrified at the sight of herself, but I wanted nothing more than to get closer to her. Much closer. “We can get a nice little one-bedroom apartment by my office, close to the beach.”

Lilly wiped off her makeup using some tissues she’d pulled from her impossibly tiny purse, twisting in a way that made me step closer to her. At my words, though, she froze. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

For too long, I thought I would never have her again. And now we were here, talking about our future, and I wanted her in my arms. Now. And I—

“Wait, what?” I asked, my voice coming out harsher than intended. Not because I was angry—I didn’t give a damn where we lived as long as I had her—but because she looked so damn sexy, standing there on the stairs. “Why not? You just said you wanted to move to Hawaii with me.”

“I do. We are. I’m talking about the whole one-bedroom-apartment thing.” She paused to face me. When she caught my gaze, she flushed, obviously seeing some of my thoughts in my expression. “We will need two.”

I leaned back against the door and tried to calm my raging libido. Tried to focus on the conversation at hand. “Okay, fine. But why? I highly doubt our parents will be coming out to visit us or anything.”

“First, let me ask you a question.” She nibbled on her lip. “I asked you before, but you might have a different answer now.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m trying to pay attention, I swear, but you keep biting your lip, and it’s sexy as hell, and I really wanna kiss you right now.”

She gave me a mischievous smile and dropped her purse on the floor. She took one step toward me, running her hand down her own arm slowly. “We can do that. We can totally do that. But first…”

I swallowed hard. “Yes?”

“Tell me, how do you feel about kids?”

“What?” I blinked at her.

“Do you still not want any?” she asked, watching me closely. “Like, ever?”

I rubbed my jaw. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Up until an hour ago, I didn’t even know that I’d have you, let alone anything else.” I froze, my heart stopping for two seconds. She wanted two bedrooms, and asked me this now, and the only reason I could think of that paired those two sentences together was…“Wait a second. Are you—?” I stumbled forward, my gaze locked on her stomach. It didn’t look any different. “Are you saying—?”

“Y-yes.” She nodded. “I’m pregnant.”

“But…” I stopped, heart pounding hard. “We used protection. How do you know?”

“Last night, in the hospital, I had a lot of time to think, and it occurred to me I’m late. I didn’t think anything of it, because I’m on the pill, but then I got to thinking, I have felt pretty sick lately,” she said, the words coming out in a rush. “And emotional. I thought it was from the stress of the wedding and losing you, but then I looked at the date….So I bought a test in the pharmacy, and took it in the women’s restroom, right there in the hospital. And…it’s true. It’s real. I’m pregnant.”

I stared at her.

Just…stared.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy. I—maybe surprisingly—was. Happy. Thrilled. Scared as hell. The idea of us having a tiny brown-haired, green-eyed baby was pretty much the best thing ever. What kept me silent was that I couldn’t believe I was being blessed with all these amazing things, all at once, and I wasn’t even sure if I deserved it.

Any of it.

And I was terrified as hell that I might lose it all.

She fidgeted. “I know you didn’t want kids, and if this changes your mind in any way, please tell me. I’ll stay here, and—”

“No.” I shook my head. “Fuck, I’m not unhappy. Or upset.”

Nibbling on her lower lip, she took a step closer. “You’re not?”

“Hell, no.” I closed the distance between us, pressing my hand to her stomach. The stomach that held a baby—our baby—inside it. “I’m in awe. I can’t believe I’m this lucky. This blessed. To have you, and a baby? I don’t deserve this.”

“Oh, Jackson. You’re wrong. You’re so wrong.” She cupped my cheek. “And I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how wrong you are. I love you.”

I grinned and kissed her. By the time I pulled back, she clung to me breathlessly. “I love you, too. And I can’t wait to spend all my days with you, and our baby. But do you know what I’d really like to do first?”

“No.” She sucked in a quick breath when I splayed my hand across her lower back, my hard cock pressing against her soft stomach. “Please, do tell me, though.”

I lowered my lips to her neck and took a nibble. I couldn’t resist any longer. “Now that you’re mine, I want to take you in every way possible, and make you scream my name at the top of your lungs as you come so many times, you lose count.” I froze as a horrible thought occurred to me. “Wait, we can still do that, right? The baby—?”

She laughed throatily and said seductively, “Yes. We can.”

“Oh, thank God.”

She played with the collar of my shirt. “And if we’re going to move out of this townhome, you really need to fuck me on the sofa first.”

Aw, man, I loved it when she talked dirty to me. “Right now?” I asked, serious as hell, slipping my hand between her legs. “Lilly…”

She giggled at the expression on my face and sidestepped out of my arms, her gaze flitting into the living room as she slowly backed away from me. “Maybe…”

“Anything you want, Lilly.” One more step toward her. “Anything and everything.”

It was a real promise I made, despite the teasing way I said it.

“All I want is you, and me, together. Forever.” She walked backward into the living room, crooking her finger at me. I grinned and followed her, like I always would. I’d follow her into hell if she asked me. She wouldn’t even have to say please. “But you have to catch me first.”

She turned on a heel and ran into the living room.

Laughing, I gave chase.

She stopped behind the couch, cheeks flushed, eyes shining with happiness. I stopped in front of it, bent over, seconds from catching her, and we both knew it. “Wait! I need a head star—agh.”

I leaped at her, yanking her over and onto the couch, cradling her in my arms so they—she and our baby—didn’t get hurt in the fall. We landed amidst lots of her giggles, but the second I melded my mouth to hers, her laughter turned into a throaty moan.

And when I slid between her legs, she clung to me, her breaths quickening. I rolled my hips against her, and we both moaned in unison. It felt so right.

So very much like home.

Pulling back, I grinned down at her and whispered, “I got you, and now you’re all mine.”

“Silly man,” she said, her voice husky and low. “You got me long ago. And I’m not going anywhere. This thing we have? It’s forever. I promise.”

“I promise to love you forever,” I vowed. I kissed her then pulled back. “And ever.” My hand crept between her thighs, and I ran my thumb over her slit, not stopping till I pressed against her clitoris. “And ever.”

Another promise I knew neither of us would break.

And I knew we were here, together, because of some kind of divine destiny. Call it providence. Fate. Whatever the hell you called it…

It had gotten us here.

If our parents had never gotten married, if she had never become my stepsister, we likely would never have met. Something had happened when the universe threw us together. She saved me; there was no denying that. But I saved her, too. Whoever we would have been, we were better for being in each other’s lives.

Together, we found out there was another way to live. That we didn’t have to be what everyone else wanted us to be. Because we’d fallen in love, we discovered we could be what we wanted to be, and we showed each other we could be that person….

Against all odds.

This was our real start. Our real lives. Our new story. The ending hadn’t been written yet, but I had a pretty damn good feeling where we were going. And how it would all play out. I saw a lifetime of happiness, trust, love, and family.

A life we were meant to live together.

And a happily-ever-after.