Bestselling Bastard : A Hero Club Novel

by Nicole Rodrigues

  Seeing the sun start to peek out from beneath the water, I take in the light breeze, the calming sounds of the ocean and the orange yellow colors of the sun rising.

  My phone buzzes in my hand and I look down at it, seeing an email from Dear Raya. I almost forgot I emailed her a few days before to get some advice on everything that's happening in my life. I know I need to talk to Lorenzo, but it’s nice to get some advice from an outside party. Plus, she always gave it to me straight, I need that right now.

  Dear Jenna,

  First of all, if the people in your life always leave, there is something wrong with THEM NOT YOU. The best things in life are also the scariest and if that nervous young woman didn’t take the chance on a writing career last year, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Put on your big girl panties and get your man. If he’s half as amazing as you say he is, then he will NEVER leave you.

  P.S- Congratulations on the baby. Don’t be a bitch and keep it a secret. Tell that man he’s going to be a daddy.

  Take care for now,

  Raya

  I laugh, shaking my head at her blunt advice but then exhale, knowing full well that I have to have this conversation with him today.

  “Hey. Another nightmare?”

  I look over my shoulder and see Lorenzo walking toward me in just shorts. His tanned chest is bare and his brown hair is a disheveled mess. He pulls off that freshly fucked look like a professional and I put the hormones in a caged box, needing the responsible Jenna to take the lead.

  “No actually. For once I had an amazin' night's sleep. So much so that I didn’t realize we uh...well you...slept inside me last night,” I laugh, my cheeks heating at the reminder.

  “Did I? Shit,” Lorenzo laughs. “Sorry. I keep doing that. Not taking care of you after.”

  He sits down on the sand next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and kissing my forehead.

  “We should...talk about all this,” I say with an exhale, knowing it’s now or never.

  “I agree.”

  “So...I just...I don’t want any of this...sex part...to ruin the not sex part, ya know? It’s been weird tryin' to navigate this and...I don’t want it to destroy what we’ve built.”

  “Jenna, I think we...I think maybe we just need to figure out what we want.”

  I snap my head to him and furrow my brows.

  “What?”

  “I think that you’re confused and I’m not making it easier on you. I give you space and then I plow back into your life and sweep you into bed and we never get a chance to talk or think and I...I keep fucking this up. I think you need space this time...real space.”

  “No. No I don’t, I—”

  “Maybe I do,” he exhales. “Maybe I’m pushing you too hard. I want this so badly and I just want you to want it as much as I do. Maybe I just...want you because you don't want me.”

  "That's not true, Enzo, I do want you."

  "Yeah well, maybe not enough."

  I press my lips together and furrow my brows, confused, trying not to cry.

  “What are you tryna say?” I whisper.

  “I just think we need maybe a few days, a week to really figure this out once and for all. We need to stop doing this,” he sighs, motioning between the two of us. “I know I sure as fuck want this too but we need to make sure we want everything else that comes with a relationship. It’s tough getting pushed away so many times. Maybe I just...need a break.”

  I silently nod, knowing that I can’t open my mouth because I’ll burst out crying. I want to tell him about the baby but I can’t right now. He needs space, we both need space and if I tell him right now, then he’ll forget about all that and just follow me back to Nashville for the baby.

  I can give him a few days. I can give myself a few days to really make sure we’re making the right decision, we’re doing the right thing.

  “I’m not leaving you, Jenna, that isn’t what this is about. If we decide we’re better off as friends, I will still be there for you every single day like I was before. You know that, right?” he whispers, cupping my cheek and pulling me to him.

  When our foreheads press against each other, I finally let the tears slip out and I nod, sniffling.

  “I know that,” I say, almost inaudible.

  “Please don’t cry, Jenna,” Lorenzo whispers back. “This isn’t over. This will never be over between the two of us.”

  I nod again and we sit like that for a few minutes, before I break the silence and stand, wiping my face and brushing the sand off my butt.

  “I should get back and pack up my stuff. Text me when you land back in New York, okay?”

  “You do the same. I mean, when you get back to Nashville.”

  I nod and give him a smile, walking back to my room and up the balcony stairs, shutting the door and leaning my back against it, sliding down to the floor. I bury my head between my knees and cry. I cry until there’s nothing left to cry and then I pack up my things and head back home.

  The country. I need the openness if I’m going to figure my shit out. I smile, knowing as soon as I pull into the driveway of my fixer upper, everything will be right in the world.

  Chapter 18

  Lorenzo

  When I said we needed space, I didn’t mean ignore me for three fucking days. I growl, running my hand down the front of my face and curse, tossing my phone to my couch and pace my apartment.

  I’ve never felt this way about a woman before and having Jenna continuously push me away was my breaking point. I shouldn’t have, but I pushed her away first. Fuck this shit. I want her. I’ve always wanted her and these games are for fucking pussies. I grab my phone, dialing her number when my phone rings in my hand, a video call from Marley.

  I answer, and my disappointment plummets when I see just her and Stacey’s faces on screen.

  “Congratulations, big shot. NY Times bestseller list! How does it feel?” Marley gushes.

  “It would feel even better if my partner was on this call too. Where is she?” I snap.

  “She knows. She’s just...ya know,” Stacey says, looking down.

  “Get her on the call,” I demand.

  I know I sound like a dick but she hasn’t answered me for three goddamn days and I'm pissed. At her. At myself. Really, really fucking pissed at myself.

  “She’s busy, Lorenzo. Just...give her some time.”

  I glare at Stacey, gritting my teeth and furiously rub the back of my head.

  “What now?” I ask. “When’s the next book due?”

  “Well about that…” Marley starts. “Jenna and Stacey were talking and they think maybe it would be best if they took a little break from the co-writing side of things.”

  I laugh, shaking my head but then I realize neither of them are laughing.

  “You’re kidding me,” I scoff.

  “No, I’m not,” Stacey responds. “I talked to Jenna this morning and she’s taking a little break.”

  “A break? From writing or me? Because she hasn’t answered my goddamn calls for three days. What the fuck did I do?”

  “Lorenzo…”

  “Where is she Stacey?”

  “She’s trying to figure—”

  “I’m the reason she’s trying to figure shit out. I’m not fucking this up again. I made a mistake and I need to fix it. Where is she?”

  “At her house.”

  “Her house? She has an apartment,” I say with confusion.

  “She bought a house outside Nashville awhile ago. She’s fixing it up. She told me not to tell you so—”

  “Send me the address.”

  I hang up the call, taking my keys off the hook and head to my parents house, knowing I’m late for Sunday dinner but my ma can chew me out all she wants. Come tomorrow, I’m going to be on my way to Nashville and I’m not leaving until Jenna agrees to give us a real shot.

  When my ma opens the door, her tips dyed pink, I smile, giving her a hug.

  “Thought you weren’t going t
o make it today. Why are you so late?”

  “Well I’m a dickhead, that’s why. I’m heading to Nashville tomorrow to make things right with Jenna. Got off the phone with Stacey and Marley and she doesn’t want to work with me anymore.”

  “What?” my ma gasps. “Come in, let’s eat and we can chat.”

  I nod, walking into the dining room and shake my father’s hand as I sit next to him at the table.

  “Tried to wait for you but you know how I feel about your mother’s lasagna.”

  I laugh, shaking my head as she puts a plate of food in front of me.

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  I dig in, the combination of garlic, herbs and ricotta cheese not even registering as I eat on auto pilot, my mind ten steps ahead, thinking of my plan for tomorrow.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” my father asks, putting his fork down as he looks over at me.

  “Jenna doesn’t want to work with me anymore. In Florida we...I….I kind of said we needed a few days to figure stuff out. She obviously is upset and hasn’t talked to me for three days. Marley and Stacey called to tell us we made the NY Times list and also that she doesn’t want to work with me anymore. She’s...taking a break or some shit like that.”

  “You made the NY Times list? Baby, that’s amazing!” my ma gushes, reaching over the table to squeeze my hand.

  “Thanks,” I say with a smile.

  “Well back to Florida. Did she...did she say...I don’t know, anything...important?” my ma asks, eyeing me and then my father.

  I look back and forth between the two of them and furrow my brows.

  “What are you guys not telling me?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” my ma answers too quickly.

  “Ma…”

  She sighs, shaking her head as she brings her hand back and starts to fiddle her fingers on top of the table.

  “She...may have emailed Raya again…”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I snap.

  “Because it’s confidential, Lorenzo. I can't divulge things people confide in me if I don't publish them. It’s illegal and—”

  “I’m your son,” I yell, getting to my feet. “You tell dad but you wouldn’t tell me?”

  “Watch your tone, Lorenzo,” my father warns.

  “That is different, Lorenzo…”

  “What did you say to her?” I say, cutting her off. “Did you tell her to stay away from me?”

  “Baby, I would never have said that to—”

  “Then what did she say?”

  “Lorenzo…”

  “Ma, what did she say?” I yell, cutting her off.

  My ma hangs her head, taking a deep breath and then her dark eyes connect with mine.

  “She’s pregnant, Lorenzo.”

  I stagger back at her words, shaking my head, my brows pulled together, unsure if I heard her right.

  “She...she’s pregnant?”

  My ma nods and I swallow a few times, making sure I heard her right.

  “She’s pregnant and I...I told her we needed space.”

  She comes over to me, cupping my cheek and giving me a light slap.

  “Lorenzo, you can fix this, okay? Go to her. You need to go to her and the two of you need to talk this all out. Talk, baby. Stop getting that damn girl in a bed and talk for once, okay?” my ma says with a smile. “Lord knows I didn’t need to know half those details she’s divulged but you better go get her, baby. She loves you, she needs you.”

  I nod, opening and closing my mouth and look around the room, my mind racing with millions of different thoughts.

  “Okay,” I nod, “Okay I need to go. I gotta go.”

  My phone dings in my back pocket and I fish it out, seeing a text from Stacey and an address.

  “I know where she is.”

  Chapter 19

  Jenna

  I stand in front of my house, watching one of the workers finish off the last of the new siding.

  “How’s that Miss Watson?” he asks, looking at me over his shoulder.

  “Looks great, Eddie. I really like the lighter color. Do you?”

  “I agree. Makes the house pop. I can’t believe how different it looks. I was a little hesitant when you first bought it,” Eddie laughs.

  I laugh too, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “I was too. I was a little in over my head at the time but y’all made it come to life.”

  “Hey, you were the one with the vision, we just did what we were told,” Eddie smiles, coming down off his ladder as he backs up, standing next to me to survey the house.

  “Wow,” I sigh.

  “So now what? Got plans to fill it up with some babies and husband? You know my grandson is quite the catch,” Eddie chides, nudging his shoulder into me.

  I laugh, shaking my head but my hand goes instinctively to my belly.

  “If you are, got an application? I’d like to apply?”

  His voice causes my whole body to freeze and I shut my eyes, thinking there’s no way it could be true. How would he have found out where I was? I take a peek next to me and Eddie smiles, nodding to the house as he walks up the front porch and up the stairs.

  “What are you doing here?” I whisper, not turning around.

  I’m fully expecting no one to answer because there’s no way he’s really here but a hand drops down on my shoulder, squeezing.

  “I’m here to fix what I broke. I was a fucking idiot.”

  “W-why? You said you needed to think and…”

  "You have no idea, do you?" he whispers, his fingers like a feather against my cheek.

  "No idea of what?"

  "How much I want to make you mine, Jenna Watson. Your smile, your laugh, your smell. I want to be surrounded by it for the rest of my life.”

  I laugh, tears pooling in my eyes as I shake my head, turning to finally face him.

  “You can’t use our own lines on me, Lorenzo Morgan. That just ain’t fair.”

  “I should never have let you leave that beach without telling you how I really felt.”

  “And how is that?” I whisper, slowly pulling my gaze up to look at him.

  “That I love you. I think I loved you the first second your sexy little drawl popped up in my DMs and called me out on my shit. I think I fell even more in love with you the weekend at my parents cabin and seeing you around my family just sealed the deal. I don’t ever want to write another damn word unless you’re right by my side. I can’t write about love when I let mine slip away, I just can’t.”

  I shake my head, putting my hand over his on my cheek.

  “Is this just for our careers, Lorenzo? What if I told you I didn’t wanna write anymore?”

  “You can tell me you want to live off the grid in a cabin in the woods and make me wear a fucking leaf over my dick, I don’t give a shit. I just want you, Jenna. I just want you.”

  He presses his forehead to mine and I nod, opening my mouth and finally ready to drop the bomb on all of this. It’s now or never.

  “Lorenzo...I...I have to tell you something. It may change your mind, it may screw all of this up—”

  “You’re going to be a great mother,” he whispers, taking me off guard.

  I gasp, opening my eyes as they bounce between his.

  “You...you knew?”

  “I guess...it’s time to lay it all out on the table, huh? My ma is...Dear Raya. Don’t be angry at her for not telling you. She needs to keep it private but I kind of threw a tantrum for her to tell me what was going on.”

  “Are you serious?” I laugh. Lorenzo nods and I cover my face with my hand. “Well that’s super embarrassin'. She probably didn’t need to know that you fucked me six ways to Sunday that weekend.”

  Lorenzo groans, shaking his head with a big smile on his face.

  “Probably not but why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

  “I was goin' to that mornin', on the beach. You beat me to it though, and I didn’t wanna just force your hand. I want you to
wanna be with me because of me, not because of a baby. I had to know that when you made your decision, it was with a clear head. I wanted to make sure you want this because as scary as it is...thinkin' I could lose you...both of you…" I put my hand over my belly, wiping my eyes with the other. "I want this. It really, really, really scares me but I want it."

  "I do too. I really, really, really do and we're not going anywhere," he whispers, putting a hand over mine on my helly and lifting my chin.

  "Plenty of people raise babies separately. We don’t have to be together.”

  “Not us,” Lorenzo says sternly, shaking his head. “This baby will have both of us together because I am so fucking in love with it’s mother. This baby will always know how much it’s parents love him or her. I can promise you that, Jenna.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper, as Lorenzo wipes the tears off my cheeks. “Thank you so much for not givin' up on me.”

  “Never, Watson. There was not a chance in Hell I was ever gonna give up on you.”

  “Do you wanna...come inside? I’m lettin’ my apartment go in a few more weeks once this is completely finished.”

  Lorenzo nods, following me up the porch steps and through the front door and I watch as he looks around, taking in the space.

  “You did all this?” he whispers in awe.

  “I had a construction crew but yeah, a lot of it I did on my own.”

  “God, you never cease to amaze me, huh?” Lorenzo laughs, turning to me. "Why didn't you tell me all this? I had no idea you bought a house."

  I shrug, grabbing his hand.

  "I don't know, I didn't want you to think it was stupid buyin' this big ole house just for me."

  "Nothing you do is stupid, this is incredible."

  “Come on. Wanna see what I’ve been workin’ on the past few days?”

  I pull on his hand and we take the stairs up to the first door on the right. I push the door open slowly and the floor to ceiling window looking out over the field is the first thing that hits me. A big white desk sits in the middle of the room, two computer chairs, one on either side of the desk, facing each other, both with the breathtaking view.

  Shelves line the walls on both sides of the window and two big frames with our book covers hang on the top of both walls.