Mr. Misunderstood

by Sara Jane Stone

“I don’t think she wants your money,” Kayla says. “And if reporters keep digging, they will find the connection. Until then, it will hang over your head.”

  “If it was this simple, why didn’t Margaret and her PI make the connection?” I snap.

  “Margaret, the PIs, none of them were there, in the Masters house that day. They didn’t see a mother struggling to get through her day job while keeping her baby calm and her boys entertained. I know you hated Sophia Galanos. And you have every right to hold a grudge for what she did. But I don’t think she meant to hurt you.”

  “She left me there. Sophia Galanos left me in that house,” I whisper. I want to shout the words, but my throat’s contracting. I haven’t been that weak child for over two decades. I make plans and run companies. Fear doesn’t blanket me anymore. I don’t lie on bathroom floors shaking with terror, wishing I had the nerve to get up and raid the fridge. But as hard as I run, I can’t escape the memories.

  “You once told me that she said ‘the devil you know is better than the one you don’t.’ Remember that?” Kayla asks.

  “Yeah.” But it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to destroy the devil right in front of me. And I did. I became Gavin Black.

  Now her daughter wants to take that away from me.

  “Sophia Galanos was wrong. She should have pulled you from that house. But you sought justice and won. Most abused kids never get that chance.”

  “That doesn’t make what Alexandra is doing right,” I snap.

  “No, it doesn’t. But I think she wants the same thing you do.”

  “The hell she does!” The dogs are on their feet at the sound of my sharp tone. Ava remains at Kayla’s side and the other pups follow her lead, gathering around their owner as if erecting a wall of fur between us.

  My fingers dig into my biceps as I try to hold myself together. I worked my ass off at the gym to build muscle. And yeah, I know I don’t look a damn thing like Terrance Montgomery anymore. But I sure as fuck feel like him right now—alone and terrified.

  “We don’t want the same things,” I add forcefully.

  “Alexandra wants revenge for what you did to her family,” Kayla says, her fingers touching Ava’s head. “And you still, after all your success and the court trials, you still want to get back at the Masters, the adoption agency, every kid who beat you up and teased you in high school.”

  I turn away from Kayla. I can’t handle the sight of her dogs, pressing close, offering comfort and protection while I scramble to find a way out. “I need to put an end to this mess.”

  “What’s left Gavin?” Kayla asks. “We’ve tried making her look like a crazy ex-girlfriend.”

  “We haven’t tried hard enough.” I close my eyes, unable to escape the feeling that I’m still locked in that freaking bathroom and the world outside is spinning out of control, moving faster and faster beyond my grasp, threatening to bury me. My chest tightens. I want to curl up in a ball and cry.

  Gavin Black does not surrender.

  But if I don’t do something soon, I could lose everything—including Kayla.

  I grind my teeth together and open my eyes. Staring out the window, I know that losing the reputation I built from nothing would hurt. But I can’t imagine my life without Kayla in it.

  Slowly, I turn to face her. I want to reach for her, but I keep my arms at my side. Surrounded by her rescue dogs, I know she’ll be fine without me. Ava will protect her. The others will make her happy. After her screwed up marriage, she deserves all the happiness in the fucking world.

  I’m not sure I can give her that. Sure, I can fund Kayla’s Home for Dogs in Need of the Perfect Human. I can blow her mind in bed, or against the wall at a concert. But I’m not sure that’s enough.

  “We haven’t tried hard enough to make Alexandra look like a jealous, crazy ex,” I say again, determined to hold on to this plan.

  “Gavin, do you really want to draw this fake engagement out?” she asks softly.

  “No.” I keep my tone firm and decisive. There’s only one way out of this, only one path that keeps Kayla here. I can’t afford to let her hear the panic in my voice. “I want you to marry me.”

  CHAPTER 23

  KAYLA

  Before our fake engagement, when I dared to fantasize about Gavin proposing to me, I pictured the traditional down-on-one-knee profession of undying love. The setting would be romantic but private. Not a crowded restaurant, although I wouldn’t object to a picnic basket filled with my favorite foods. My dogs would be there. And if music was playing—that’s a pretty big “if” considering the outdoor setting—it would be classical.

  Aside from the fact that Gavin and the dogs are in the picture, reality looks and sounds nothing like my daydreams.

  We’re standing in his kitchen. Gavin looks ready to bolt or fight, not drop to one knee. His hands are forming tight fists as if he wants to punch through the wall. And I’m hearing the refrain from a freaking Meatloaf song in my head. The one about doing anything for love, except this.

  I love Gavin. Over the past few days, I’ve allowed myself to fall wildly in love with him. But I won’t marry him in a ridiculous attempt to further discredit a woman who’s blackmailing him to do something he should have done a long time ago—tell the truth.

  And yes, it does feel as if Alexandra is standing right here in the kitchen with us. Also not part of my proposal fantasy. But without Alexandra, Gavin would never ask me to marry him.

  “Let’s make this real,” Gavin adds as if my open-mouthed expression was a result of not understanding the question. “Let’s get married.”

  That’s not exactly a question. Not that it matters. There is only one logical answer to his suggestion.

  “No, I can’t.” My voice remains surprising calm, though the dogs sense my tension. They’re crowding around me, pressing against my legs as if forming a protective barrier.

  Gavin tenses. His fists tighten and I can see the muscles bulging in his forearms under the rolled-up sleeves of his button-down dress shirt. His eyes keep their laser-like focus on me. And I’m reminded that he hasn’t heard the word “no” often in the past decade. Billionaire Gavin Black doesn’t fail.

  “You’re not asking for the right reasons,” I add.

  “I love you. You know that.”

  “Yes,” I say slowly, searching for the words to explain to my best friend, the man I’m in love with, that I can’t be a part of his scheme anymore. “You’re asking because you think a wedding announcement will further distract from Alexandra.”

  “It will,” he snaps. “It’s the perfect way to discredit her.’’

  “And maintain your flawless image as New York’s most admired billionaire.”

  “Yes.”

  Oh no, Gavin, no.

  “I understand why you need to maintain that image after everything you went through as a child. But I married perfection once,” I say slowly. “I won’t do it again.”

  “We both know I possess a long list of faults,” he challenges.

  “But you are determined to convince the world that you’re perfect even when you feel broken.”

  “You’re going to tell me how I feel?” He raises his hands over his head and turns away from me, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s a good idea, dammit. You’re falling for me.”

  “I am,” I admit. “But I think you’re too busy trying to hide your past behind money and status.”

  He turns again, facing me as he lowers his arms. “You won’t marry me because I’m rich? Because other people, other women, find me attractive?”

  “I won’t marry you because your happiness is directly linked, hell it’s bonded to your ability to control everything in your life, including your past.”

  His eyes widen at my PG curse word, but he doesn’t say anything, which is good because I’m just getting started. The rich, desirable Gavin Black wants to know why I won’t melt to pieces because he offered to marry me? He thinks I’m crazy for turning d
own a proposal just as fake as our engagement?

  I inhale sharply. “You’re right. I’ve fallen in love with you. I’ve also learned from my past. I’m not the woman who said yes to her ex-husband so many times that I forgot I had any wants and desires of my own—”

  “Mr. Mistake has nothing to with this,” Gavin snaps.

  “He does,” I insist. “He’s part of my past. That awful marriage, that happened to me. And I need to remember it, because next time? If I ever say yes to another marriage proposal—a real one, not the panicked suggestion you just tossed out—I need to be loved for who I really am. I’m done hiding.”

  “You’re saying no because you don’t like the way I proposed?” He lowers down to one knee and looks up at me. I can see the desperation staring back at me. It’s like he’s standing in a river and his past is rushing toward him, threatening to pull him under. And I’m the branch he’s clinging to save him. But that’s not how we conquer this river.

  “Fuck, Kayla. Is this better?”

  “You think you’re making choices that will preserve your happiness, but they won’t. You’re hiding who you really are with this crazy need to bury Terrance Montgomery at all costs. And if I say yes, it will control me too. And I’m done being controlled. I will not be molded to fit your image, or save your reputation.”

  Slowly, he rises. His face has gone pale as he murmurs, “You’re right.”

  “You deserve that too, you know. To be loved for more than your billionaire status.”

  “It has taken everything for me to get here.” He looks me straight in the eye. He’s not begging anymore. His brow is locked in a deep furrow shaped by a misery and pain I know I’ll never fully understand. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

  “I don’t want to be loved for who I was back then,” he adds.

  “You don’t think Terrance Montgomery was worthy of love,” I say softly. My heart breaks a little at the thought.

  “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t exist anymore. And I’m not one of your dogs, desperately waiting for you to save me. I run a billionaire-dollar company for fuck’s sake. I’m not some rescue project, begging for a place in the falling-down barn out there. I’m asking you to marry Gavin Black, your best friend and lover. That’s who I am now. I’m not going to let anyone change that.”

  I take a step back, surprised by the ferocity of his tone. The dogs notice the extra bite in his words too. Ava lets out a low, warning growl as if she views him as a threat. I reach forward to pet her. Gavin won’t attack me. Not physically. But I think he just broke my heart.

  And all the dogs in the world can’t put it back together for me.

  “Terrance was my best friend too,” I say softly. “I loved you then. And I love you now. That will never change. But I can’t marry you.”

  Then I turn and head for the front stairs. The dogs, minus Rocky who fell asleep at my feet and decided to remain in the kitchen, follow at my heels. I need to pack my bag and get out of here, which involves catching my cats and loading them into carries. So much for a simple exit.

  But I should have known when we wrote rule number six that this would never end with a hug and a promise to have dinner the next time Gavin’s in the country. There’s no easy way out of pretending to fall for a man I actually love deeply.

  I close the door to the master bedroom. We made love in here hours ago and now it’s over. I’d hoped …

  It doesn’t matter now. I pick up my clothes and the few personal items I’d left around the room. It’s time to return to reality.

  I hear footsteps beyond the door and quickly zip up the suitcase. We can’t draw out the inevitable anymore. The only thing left to do is move on and try to salvage our friendship when this is all over.

  Maybe he’ll get lucky and the news of the broken engagement will eclipse Alexandra’s story about his past. I honestly don’t know what to hope for anymore. If she disappears, he can continue living his life. But I can’t imagine the threat of exposure will ever full dissipate. It will hang over him, and possibly, one day, consume him.

  And I can’t be the friend that joins him under that cloud, waiting for the end.

  “Kayla,” he calls through the door.

  “I need to leave. If you want to help, go find the cats and corral them into their carriers.”

  “I’ll still pay for the barn renovation. You can have the meetings tomorrow with the contractors.”

  “No, Gavin. I can’t. You don’t owe me anything. This was just …” I sit down on the bed and close my eyes. “Two friends trying to help each other. And in the end it didn’t work out.”

  “Kayla—”

  “I have enough dogs in my life already.” Luna’s cone nudges my calf. I open my eyes and look down at her. Then I glance at Ava, sitting at attention by the door. These are the only dogs I need to support right now. And when I’m ready to open my home and heart to more, I’ll do it on my terms.

  “Please, Gavin, go find the cats. They’re probably destroyed the living room furniture. I’ll call Samuel for a ride, and then you can go back to the city.”

  Back to your life.

  I hear his footsteps in the hall, retreating to the stairs. I reach for a pillow resting untouched above where we had sex. Grabbing it with both hands, I toss it at the wall. I should have known our friendship would never survive this engagement.

  CHAPTER 24

  GAVIN

  “We can spin the story.”

  Margaret’s high-pitch voice fills my ear. I can see Samuel unloading Kayla’s suitcase from the living room window. The dogs are racing around in front of the house. Cleveland pauses to roll in the grass as if he missed that particular patch of earth. His little terrier legs dance in the air. But I can’t see the cats’ carriers. And Kayla is missing from the picture-perfect K-9 homecoming too. She’s probably already carried them inside.

  “Spin it how?” I ask, glancing down at my left hand where a slim stream of blood beads on the skin. Ginger scratched me when I tried to put her into the carrier. The damn cat didn’t want to leave. Judging from the dogs’ celebration, she might be the only one in her family.

  Holding my cell to my ear with my right hand, I numbly walk to the kitchen sink and run my hand under the water.

  “Your fiancée didn’t feel comfortable being drawn into the spotlight,” Margaret suggests. “Your ex-girlfriend’s crazy accusations were too much for her.”

  “No.” The water stings the scratch, but I hold it under the steady, warm rush as if I can wash the last trace of Kayla and her pets away.

  Still fucking hurts.

  “I want to issue a brief statement that Kayla and I remain friends but realized marriage wouldn’t work for us.” I almost choke on the words, but mask it with a cough. “Wait a few days before putting the statement out.”

  In case I find a way to win her back.

  “Gavin, I’m so sorry,” Margaret says softly. It might be the most personal statement she’s ever made to me. “I thought you and Kayla were a lovely couple.”

  “It wasn’t real.” I don’t know why I feel compelled to share the secret. “We set up the engagement to discredit Alexandra.”

  “Smart,” Margaret says.

  “Kayla came up with the idea.”

  “She’s loved you for a very long time,” Margaret says in a matter-of-fact tone.

  As friends, I think. Forget about reclaiming my fiancée, I’ll be damn lucky if we can repair the mess I’ve made of the most important relationship in my life.

  “I want to focus on Alexandra Galanos,” I snap. “How the hell did you miss her connection to the woman who ran the agency? Kayla put two and two together in a single Google search.”

  “She had more information,” Margaret says. She’s not defensive, just explaining. “But I won’t be using that private investigator again.”

  “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this go away,” I say. “Pay Alexandra Galanos off. Do whatever you have to do.
I don’t want to see her name in print again, or a new Twitter thread that gets picked up by the media.”

  “Have you had any direct contact with Alexandra since your last face-to-face?” Margaret asks.

  “No.” I turn off the water. Pinning the phone between my shoulder and ear, I reach for a dishtowel and begin drying my hand.

  “Might I suggest that you give her a call?” She sounds like she’s recommending a dish on the menu.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “If she can be bought, I have a feeling the offer will need to come from you. She went to a lot of trouble to get your attention. She put months into this plan. If Kayla’s correct, and I suspect she is, Alexandra’s motivated by the loss of her mother. Grief is more powerful than money sometimes.”

  “Fine.” I walk back to the picture window and stare out at the neighboring house beyond the falling-down barn. Kayla is outside now, throwing a tennis ball for Ava. Luna and Cleveland give chase, but Ava always wins. And Rocky just lies by the front door, waiting to go back inside.

  “I’ll call Alexandra,” I continue. At this point, what do I have to lose? My reputation? I can always fix that—or pay Margaret to patch up the damage. “But while I handle the crazy blackmailing bitch, I need you to contain the failed engagement story.”

  “You’re a demanding client, Gavin,” she says with a sigh. “We’ll do our best.”

  “I’m not just any client, Margaret. You’ve known my situation was different from the beginning.” I turn away from the window and head up the stairs. I need to pack and get back to the city. “Goodbye, Margaret.”

  I pause at the top of the stairs and scan through my phone’s directory. I find the number I’d renamed “Blackmailing Bitch” on that first limo ride to Kayla’s house what feels like a lifetime ago. I hit send on the call.

  “Alexandra.”

  It’s been a week since I last saw her. But my plan for this Friday night encounter doesn’t look anything like our last meeting. Still, I can’t believe it took her a single week to practically destroy my life.

  She had a damn good plan.