Thad sat on his stool, the water bottle in his hand forgotten. That was the contract their shop had needed but didn’t get. The one they’d been working to get all summer. While he’d been fighting and working and trying with his brothers to get that contract which would keep their shop open, Justice had managed to talk Barry into awarding it to a female shop that had just started up.
Justice could be the reason the Richmond Rebels went out of business.
Suddenly, Thad was very happy that he hadn’t told his family about his relationship with Justice. His brothers were not very happy with her right now.
“It says here that the all-girl shop is new to the area. I can’t believe that.” Blade slapped a hand on the desk and straightened.
Foster got off his chair and paced back and forth. “I know that’s what we suspected, but that’s outrageous. I can’t believe it. After all the hoops they had us jumping through. The inspection, they went through our books, they were here at the shop, they wanted references of work that we had done. How could they award the contract to a new shop?”
It was a rhetorical question because everyone sitting there was one hundred percent sure of the answer. They’d already figured it out, already talked about it.
It was because it was all-female.
That was the point of the email. That was Barry and his company working on their PR.
“I guess I’m not hungry anymore.” Thad shut his lunch box with a snap and stood. “I’m going to go back and finish welding that frame. That’s where I’ll be if anyone needs me.” Thad set his lunch box down on the shelf and walked away. He couldn’t even stand to think about it.
Although the one question that bothered him was had Justice known that he and the Richmond Rebels needed that contract too?
Chapter 17
Justice sat at her desk, looking out the big picture window in her large office in downtown Peach Bottom. The town wasn’t very big, but her office was nice, with a huge mahogany desk and comfortable chairs. It was modern to the core.
She’d gotten the big account in Miami and spent the last three days working on finalizing the details and sitting in meetings.
It was a huge triumph in her career. The biggest accomplishment yet. That, combined with the contract that she’d gotten from her personal investment in the girls’ garage, had made this year her best ever. This month alone had been the best.
In her career, everything was coming together.
Funny though, she got in late last night—early this morning, really—and she was at work like she was supposed to be. But all she wanted to do was see Thad.
She was in early because of having to catch up on all the paperwork that had piled up on her desk since she left for the trip. She had a computer open in front of her, her planner app up on her phone, and a list of the things she needed to accomplish. But her hands were steepled, and her eyes were drawn to the window.
She needed to make a decision. It wasn’t fair what she’d asked Thad to do. Maybe a week to think wasn’t unreasonable, but she couldn’t expect the man to be satisfied with a relationship that he couldn’t tell anyone about. It wasn’t normal. Although nothing about her relationship with Thad so far had been normal.
Not her normal anyway.
At any minute, the president of the bank was going to walk through the door along with one of the vice presidents, coming into her office for a meeting.
Justice suspected she knew what they were going to want. She could be wrong, of course, but there had been a lot of chatter in Miami about opening a branch there, a big one. Several times, Ron, the president, had hinted that she was in contention to be the new branch manager.
It was a huge opportunity for her. A massive step up in her career. A promotion she probably couldn’t refuse. Not without there being a lot of hard feelings at the bank.
It was something she’d worked for and definitely not something she thought she would achieve as young as she was.
She didn’t know what to do. And that was unusual since usually she knew exactly what she wanted. But suddenly, the big career that she’d always dreamed of didn’t look so good if she was going to be all by herself. Which had never bothered her before.
She was a solo act. And she liked it that way.
Except, she didn’t anymore. She liked the idea of being part of a partnership. And everything that being with Thad had to offer.
Her musings were interrupted with a slight change in the murmuring voices coming from outside her cracked door. She turned her head, looking out the window beside the door. The bank president had arrived.
She shoved all of those thoughts to the back of her head and stood, straightening her desk before walking to the door and going out to greet the president.
~~~
Thad leaned against the rock with his arms crossed over his chest. He had seriously considered not coming tonight. For the first time. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to come, wasn’t that he didn’t feel pulled to come.
It wasn’t that he loved Justice any less than he ever had. He just knew things now that he hadn’t known the last time he saw her, and it made him feel like she’d gone beyond their agreement.
The things that he’d found out were things that were huge and made a difference.
But he couldn’t shut her out. He couldn’t leave her in the dark. He couldn’t walk away without saying something. He couldn’t hurt her like that. Not on purpose.
The idea of walking away made his heart clench and protest. But he didn’t see any other way.
So he was here. Waiting.
He’d been here long enough Beau had tired himself out and lay at his feet.
Thad was looking in the direction of the trail, so he saw immediately when Justice appeared in the distance. He watched her walk closer, his muscles tensing with little springs, like they always did when he saw her. His heart started beating faster, and his fingers ached to touch her.
He wondered if that would be the reaction he had to her forever.
He wanted to have the privilege of finding out.
As much as he wanted to walk toward her, to greet her, he didn’t, but continued to lean against the rock until she stopped in front of him.
There wasn’t any confusion in her eyes, so he figured she probably knew or had figured out that he knew everything now. Indeed, her first words made that clear.
“I take it you saw the email about the contract and my part in it.”
“I did.”
“I knew that would make a difference. That’s part of the reason I really wanted us to keep our lives out of it. Out of us.”
“That seemed like a good idea. But our lives are part of who we are. If I don’t know all of you, I can’t fall in love with all of you.”
He couldn’t even believe he was talking about falling in love. He half wished he’d never said anything. Because that vulnerability lay opened and exposed in front of her. And he hurt right now.
Actually, just seeing her hurt him.
Just because she’d hurt him didn’t mean he would do the same to her. If he loved her, he wanted the best for her. It didn’t matter how much pain that caused him. So he forced his mouth open.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I read the email that Barry sent. Congratulations on the big account you secured. You have a lot of stuff going on, and looks like you’ve done really well with it.”
His words were sincere, his tone the same. He was pretty sure he was doing a good job of hiding how his heart pinched and his chest burned.
Her brows twitched. Maybe she hadn’t expected him to be nice. “Thank you.” Her eyes drifted down to Beau and looked at the dog for a moment before she looked back up at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the contract.”
Figured she probably was sorry. Now.
“I forgive you. I do wonder though, if you had to go back and do it over again, would you do the same thing? Keep it from me?”
He wasn’t sure where t
hose words came from. He hadn’t been thinking that. But he supposed it would be easy for her to say yes at this point.
He didn’t know if he’d be able to tell if she were being honest or not.
Her jaw moved, and her eyes narrowed slightly. He felt like she was thinking about her answer. That made him think that he might get the honest truth.
She’d never lied to him. There were just a lot of things he hadn’t known.
“I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but when you and I first met, I was a different person than I am now. It wasn’t that long ago, but I’ve done a lot of changing, and most of the changes are because of the time I spent with you and the things we talked about. So, no, I don’t think I would handle things the same way if I were to go back as the person I am today.”
It was more than he had expected her to say. “That sounds fair. Thanks for being honest.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What about you? Would you do anything differently?”
He didn’t like the way the question sounded. Like “they” were over. The relationship. That wasn’t what he wanted at all. But he supposed that’s what he suspected was going to happen when she came today.
Probably why he considered not coming.
It would have been easier, less painful, to not show up.
It was a lot harder to face her—no, not her, but the pain that came with seeing her and talking about the demise of their relationship.
He supposed he’d never been big on easier. And so he listened to her question and thought about it for a bit.
She waited, giving him the time he needed. He didn’t know how long it took.
Finally, he took a deep breath, because he wanted to be honest.
“Yeah. I would have done some things differently. If I’d known how short my time with you was going to be, I would’ve kissed you more, held you more, and I would have fought you more to keep you from leaving.” His jaw flexed, because that last part probably wasn’t true. “No, I wouldn’t have fought you. You have to be with me because you want to be and not because I fought to keep you. It only feels good to me, is right for me, if you’re here of your own free will, because you want to be.”
She was biting both lips until he was finished. She whispered, “Sometime this summer, exactly what I wanted became a shifty thing that I wasn’t even sure about. And that’s never happened to me before.”
He nodded, kind of understanding. Certainly, the things that he wanted had changed over the summer, and all because of her.
“And now, I’m not sure whether I should do what I want or do what everyone expects me to do.”
He pressed his lips together. He wasn’t sure where he fit into that equation. Was he what she wanted still? Was she talking about something completely different? He couldn’t say for sure.
But her eyes held confusion, and she seemed to look at him like he might know the answer.
“I can’t help you. All my advice would involve giving up everything and being with me. And that might not be the best thing for you.”
He wanted to tell her he’d work for it. With everything he had. He wanted to say he’d keep her safe, protect her, love her like no one else in the world could love her. But he wasn’t under any big illusions that being with him would be anything like the life that she dreamed of. Or that he could keep her happy.
If he’d learned anything from the mess that was his childhood, it was that no one could make someone else happy. Not long term. That was a choice each individual had to make.
He could promise to be true. He could promise to be faithful. He could promise to listen and support and never leave. Those were all within his control. And he’d be happy to make those promises.
But he couldn’t make the choice for her. Not to stay with him, and not to decide that she would be happy with him. Those were her choices to make.
“The president of the bank where I work was in my office this morning.” She shoved her hands down in her pockets, and for one of the few times that he’d seen her, she looked insecure.
“That sounds important.”
She lifted her shoulder like it didn’t matter, but her head nodded, so he assumed it did. He didn’t know.
“Yeah. I guess. They’re opening up a new branch in Miami, and they want me to be the manager.”
“Wow.” He gave a little whistle. “Miami’s quite a bit larger than Peach Bottom. That’s a step up.”
“It would have been. But I turned him down. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my job here in Peach Bottom or not. They weren’t very happy with me. I don’t think they’ll fire me. But they might make it so that it’s better for me to leave.”
He heard her, but he hadn’t gotten over her earlier statement. It had seized his heart and made it squeeze. “You turned them down? Why?”
“I wondered that myself. The old me, the me I was at the beginning of the summer, wouldn’t even have given it a second thought. Automatic yes. But the new me?” She met his eyes, hers serious. “The new me doesn’t want that anymore. Sorry about the contract. I knew the Richmond Rebels wanted it too. And I knew I was working against you. And I did it anyway. The ladies’ garage who won the contract, I know they deserved it. But I was uncomfortable at the time, and I hate it now, that by them getting the contract, you didn’t. It doesn’t even matter about my personal investment. That’s not what I care about. Even the contract was a second. Because what really has been bugging me since the contract was awarded was what it would do to us. You and me.”
The way she said that, you and me, made him think that maybe his first assumption had been wrong. Maybe this wasn’t goodbye.
“I’m disappointed about the contract, and I feel betrayed that you knew about it and I didn’t, but it didn’t affect the way I feel about you at all. If that’s what you’re asking or saying?”
“It had to have. I pushed for the contract, for the girls’ garage, because they were female, not because they could outwork you or do a better job. Although I do believe that they will do excellent work. I know they will. But that’s not why they got the contract.”
“I know. Think we all know.”
“And that’s not fair. I didn’t play fair.”
“Don’t take this wrong, Justice,” he said, the corners of his lips twisting up. “There’s someone bigger than you directing the workings of the universe. If that garage hadn’t been meant to get the contract, it wouldn’t have mattered how fair you played or didn’t play. Things work out the way they’re supposed to, despite our fighting. Although sometimes, God lets us have what we deserve, maybe to teach us a lesson.”
She snorted. “You’re right. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I feel bad about what I did, and I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you. We don’t need to talk about it anymore, unless you absolutely need to.”
“No. I want to talk about where that leaves us.”
“I haven’t changed. Everything I said to you still stands.”
He hoped she remembered. She was the one who had asked for a week to think about things. She was the one who was going to decide whether or not they made their relationship public. Or if they stayed a secret romance. Or if they stopped being a romance at all. He wanted everything. Maybe he needed to remind her of that.
“I want you. However that looks. Whatever it takes.”
“Would you move to Miami?” she asked with an arched brow.
He only took a couple seconds to think about it. He didn’t want to give her an answer that he couldn’t back up with his actions. But it didn’t take very long. “Yes. If that’s where you are and where you want me, I’m there.” He could find a job in Miami. Welding jobs weren’t hard to find. He might end up having to travel. Still, he was confident he could move down there, if that’s what he had to do to be with Justice.
“It hardly seems fair that I just ask you if you would move to be with me, and you simply said yes. Shouldn’t you be asking me i
f I would move to be with you? Or what I would give up to be with you?”
“I don’t want you being with me being a matter of you ‘giving up.’”
Her smile stretched. “That’s beautiful. Thank you. I don’t want you to have to give anything up either.”
“I’ve already told you what I’m willing to do. I think the last time we talked about this, the decisions were all yours to make. I’m just waiting on your answers.”
“I’m choosing to stay here in Peach Bottom. I’m choosing to be with you if you want me.”
“I want you.” His arms dropped, and he stepped forward. She pricked his heart and shifted his world with her words. But there was one more question. “Are we still a secret?”
Her head shook, and his heart leapt. “No. I want everyone to know that I’m with you. And I especially want them to know that you’re taken.”
He could no more stop the smile spreading across his face than he could stop an avalanche from hitting the bottom of the mountain. He finished closing the distance between them and took her in his arms. “I think this is where I kiss you.”
She smiled up at him. “It took you long enough.”
Epilogue
Thad pulled at his collar – why was it so tight - and fought the urge to adjust the ball cap he wasn’t wearing as he walked around his pickup.
Justice waited for him, and she smiled as he opened her door. She was stunning tonight in some kind of flowy dress, high heels and shiny hair. Her smile was real, with none of the anxiety he was feeling, of course.
She’d grown up eating in fancy restaurants.
He hadn’t.
But he wasn’t afraid of the restaurant.
They were eating with her parents – at their request.
“Are you okay?” she asked as he closed her door.
Maybe she’d noticed his hands were shaking and sweating.
Or maybe it showed on his face.
She didn’t wait for him to respond. Her hands went to his shoulders, then slid to his neck and she pressed closer.
The Bad Boy's Secret Romance Page 14
