by Casey Hagen
She swallowed and took a drink of her ice water. “I’ll make sure I’m out of here.”
“You sure you don’t want to talk to him?”
There went her appetite. She ditched the rest of her sandwich in the trash. “There’s nothing left to talk about.”
“Look, I know I’m no expert, but he’s the guy. I can see it; hell, our employees can see it. I think even you can see it, but you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
She glared at him over her shoulder. “Are you my dad now?”
“Someone has to do it and we both know Dad can’t. It’s no secret that this fear of yours goes back to Mom.”
They stood there, silent; he wasn’t giving up and she wasn’t giving in. “Did you used to see it, too…the longing in his face? The way we would lose him in some memory when he saw pictures of her?”
“Yeah, I saw it. Do you remember what he used to say?”
“What?”
“He would do it all again because you and I were the best things that ever happened to him.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “Think about it. In the meantime, I’ll deal with Lathan.”
“Thank you,” she said as she looked out over the backyard.
“What did you do to her?” Aunt Edie said as she cuffed Lathan on the back of the head. Hard. The women in his family had descended upon him like locusts, and now that they’d found out Jack had called things off, they were out for blood. His.
He rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t do anything, damn it!”
“Why don’t I believe you?” Edie glared.
“What was the last thing you guys did together before she broke it off?” Annette asked.
“We went on a call. An accident. She took an unnecessary risk by climbing into the vehicle for a teddy bear.”
“And?” Francine asked.
Jesus, the three of them were a united force. Watch out world, shit was going down. “And I told her I didn’t like it.”
“Who cares if you like it?” Edie demanded, her fists on her hips.
“I have a right to want the woman I love to be safe,” Lathan shot back.
“Yes, but you don’t have the right to tell her what to do,” Francine said.
“I won’t stand by and lose another person I love when I have the power to stop it,” Lathan ground out.
“This isn’t like Liam. None of us knew he was ill,” Annette said.
Jack had told him to talk to his family. Time for some honesty, because he couldn’t let the truth eat him up inside anymore. He just couldn’t.
“I did,” Lathan whispered.
Everyone froze. All eyes on him, he started the ball rolling and had no choice but to finish it.
“What are you talking about?” Annette asked.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “He had chest pains in football. The last playoff game of senior year. He made me swear not to tell anyone.”
Annette dropped down next to him and wrapped her arms around him tight. “Oh, Lathan, you should have said something.”
“I know. If I had, he might still be here.”
Annette pulled back and held his face forcing him to look at her. “No, I mean you shouldn’t have carried this guilt around all this time. Your brother could have easily said something about the chest pains after the game, but he didn’t. That’s not your fault.”
“It feels an awful lot like it.”
Annette shook her head and tsked. “Well, then I guess I’m at fault for not making him go to the doctor when he was short of breath on one of our runs. He couldn’t finish. Could barely walk, but it was spring and even people who had never had allergy symptoms were struggling. I assumed it was the same for him.”
“You couldn’t have known, Mom.”
“No, I couldn’t, and neither could you. No one expects a fit man in his thirties to drop dead of a heart condition. None of us could have predicted it. That’s why you signed the papers with no argument, isn’t it?”
“A good part of it, yes,” Lathan said.
“The other part?”
“I wanted you guys to be proud of me.”
They sat on the loveseat and his mother took his hand. “Because I always talk about Liam’s accomplishments and never yours. Jack called me on it. I didn’t even realize it until she pointed it out.”
He squeezed her hand and tried to reassure her. “It’s okay.”
Annette smoothed his hair away from his face, something she had been doing since he was a young child. “No, it’s not. I hurt you. Over and over I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
“Well, you know what I think? I think you need to cancel that damn contract. It’s stupid,” Edie said.
“You’re right,” Annette nodded to Edie in agreement.
“And then you don’t have to worry about getting married,” Francine said.
He looked up at his great-aunt, his grandmother, then to his mother. “You can cancel the contract, but I still intend to get married…to Jack. I’m going out there today to get my car and I’m going to have a talk with her.”
“Smartest idea you’ve had. Don’t ruin it by bossing her around this time,” Edie said, pointing a crooked finger in his face.
Three hours later, he stood before his finished car. The smell of motor oil and grease hung heavy in the air and, fearing he would never stand in this space again, he took a deep breath and committed it all to memory. With the way things had turned to shit, he almost wished he had left the dents right where they were. “Where’s Jack?”
Jeremy handed him paperwork for his signature. “She’s at Stony Hollow with our dad.”
Lathan scribbled his signature across the bottom and handed the clipboard back. “Is he okay?”
Jeremy nodded. “He’s sick; nothing major, but Jack worries.”
“Can you give her a message for me?”
Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “I guess, but if she kicks me in the balls, your ass is dead.”
“Tell her I’m waiting for her.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“And your dad’s care is covered for as long as he’s around.”
“Lathan—”
“No strings attached.”
Jeremy shook his hand and clasped his shoulder. “She won’t like it, and normally neither would I, but I’m so damn relieved to know Dad is taken care of, I’ll take it.”
Lathan climbed into his car. He turned the key and the engine hummed to life. Was it really just a week ago that he had last driven it? It was different now. The car was tied to memories of Jack, and her family that he had begun to hope would become a part of his family.
He still hoped.
Pulling out the drive, instead of heading toward Brentwood, he headed for the mountains as he had a week ago. He rolled along the winding roads, the city lights falling away behind him, nothing but open roads and curving up through the mountains ahead. Near the top of one of the many peaks he pulled off into a scenic overlook and took in the sight below him. Was she down there somewhere? Did she miss him? How the hell would he get her back?
He thought of his brother, too. The guilt he’d carried since his death. The worry that he wasn’t ever going to be enough for his parents or for Kincaid Industries. But he’d proven he could handle it, hadn’t he? He caught a crooked CFO and fired him. He had a new one stepping into place first thing Monday morning.
He’d worked things out with his parents. They’d all been wrong. The best thing to come of that talk was the dissolution of the contract. He would have the money for the final payment for the school. He would have controlling interest in the family company instead of just being the CEO.
The only thing missing was Jack. He missed her smart mouth and confidence. He missed the way she commanded a room, the way she enjoyed people for who they were.
Following the same mountain road, he turned up the music, his thoughts of her, the way she’d tormented him the night he made her sleep with him. He could handle that torture ever
Just past the curve in the road, he spotted something in the road way too late, and heard the same pop and hiss as before.
“You have got to be shitting me.” He pulled off to the side of the road and, sure enough, fluid on the ground again. He’d had his car back for all of three hours and he was right back where he was when he met Jack.
He called AAA again and went through the same song and dance and waited. He didn’t call Jessica this time. He was not going to explain how he’d just trashed his car again. He called the car service Kincaid Industries employed and figured by the time the tow service loaded the car, his ride would be there.
And why the hell was there always something in the road? Maybe it was a sign. Clearly, he couldn’t handle the damn Porsche. His brother was probably sitting up there, laughing his ass off right about now. He wouldn’t blame him. If the situation was reversed, he would do the same.
The Jack’s Towing truck pulled up ahead of his vehicle and his heart leapt in his chest. The door flew open. What were the chances that she would drop out of the cab just like she had before? The driver took a couple steps and right away he knew it wasn’t her.
In the light he recognized Kurt, and swallowed the lump of disappointment. “Hey, Kurt.”
“Lathan, how you doing, man? Well, I guess that’s a stupid question,” he said as he glanced at the car and winced at the growing puddle. “So, where do you want me to tow her?”
“Take her back to Jeremy.”
“Does the man not learn anything?” They were standing in front of Lathan’s Porsche, parked again at Jeremy’s shop.
Jeremy scratched his head and smiled. “I would say both cases of distracted driving. What I can’t figure out is how the hell he managed to do the same exact damage all over again. I mean, that had to be a one in a million shot. Maybe even a billion.”
Jack sighed. “Yeah, he has talent. I guess this means more premium parts for Annabelle’s sculptures.”
“You know, it might just be fate.”
Her gaze snapped to his and she put up her hand. “Don’t start.”
“It’s been three days. Can you say you’re feeling any better than you were on day one?”
She couldn’t, and she had absolutely no idea what to do about it. “It’ll fade with time,” she lied.
“Like Dad?”
She turned away from her brother, from the truth, and headed for the house. “That’s not fair.”
Jeremy stomped right along beside her, easily keeping up with those long legs of his. The jerk. “Maybe not, but that’s where you are right now.”
“He must be pursuing Kim by now,” Jack said as she yanked open the front door to the house.
“He’s not. He’s waiting for you.”
She whipped around and glared at him. “Why would he do that?”
Jeremy scratched his beard. “Well, I’m no rocket scientist, but maybe because he loves you. There’s something else…he covered Dad’s care for the rest of his life. No strings attached.”
She dropped onto the couch. The bone-deep exhaustion set it. She barely slept. She fought tears at every turn. She’d worked herself into total exhaustion, to no avail.
Before she could choke the words back down, they slipped out. “He’s it for me,” she whispered.
Jeremy snorted. “I got that.”
“It’s the scariest thing in the world saying it,” she admitted.
He sat next to her and bumped his shoulder against hers. “I get that, too. So what are you going to do about it?”
She rested her elbows on her knees, letting her hands fall limp, and then glanced up to her brother. “Can you have the car ready for my wedding day?”
“As long as you don’t put any more dents in it.”
She cracked a smile for the first time in days. “Deal.”
Jack slid her cell out of her back pocket. She scrolled through until she found Corrine’s number and hit dial. After three rings, she was pacing the living room. “Come on. Pick up.”
“Hello?” Corrine’s sleepy voice sounded through the line.
“Shit, I woke you up.”
“Jack? Is that you?”
“Yeah. Listen, I need your help, but I can call you tomorrow.”
“Oh, no. Don’t hang up. I’ll spend the night awake and wondering, so spill.”
She explained to her about the break-up and all that had transpired since. Corrine squealed, then sighed to the point that Jack wondered if Corrine might be doing permanent damage to the baby.
“So, can you help me?”
“I can, and I know just who to call to help me.”
Lathan struggled with his bow tie. It was the fourth damn time he’d tried to tie it and the thing was still crooked.
With a deep laugh, his father took the tie from his inept hands. “Relax, son.”
“Easy for you to say; you’re not the one hoping the woman you love will show up to a wedding after she made it perfectly clear she wouldn’t marry you. Jesus, when I hear it out loud, it has disaster written all over it.”
His father smiled. “You spooked her but I watched that young lady, and she’s built of strong stuff. She’ll be here.”
“I hope you’re right.”
His father tightened the bow and stepped back. “Your mother almost didn’t marry me.”
Lathan glanced away from the mirror to his father. “Seriously? What happened?”
His father looked pained. “It was stupid and it doesn’t make me look very good.”
Lathan laughed and took a chair. He pulled out the one across from him for his father. “Hey, I had to get it from somewhere. Spill it.”
“I tried to tell her she couldn’t get a convertible. Worse than that, she was using her own money, and I, like an idiot, thought I had a right to tell her no.”
A convertible? That was it? “What was the big deal about a convertible?”
“I’m rather fond of that mind and personality of hers and would like it to remain intact. All it would take is one careless driver to end her life.”
“That could happen anyway, even without a convertible.”
Bradford raised a brow. “Yes, just like Jack could get hurt on any given day doing her job. And your job is to love her despite the risks.”
“Yeah, I got that, just too late is all.”
Bradford looked at his watch. “I guess in a few minutes we’ll know for sure. Time to go, son. Let the chips fall where they may.”
The yard was filled to the brim with people, most of whom this time around were family and friends. A few close associates from the office were also in attendance. They would all stand witness to his humiliation. The damn confidence he wore as a shield failed him as he stood there, under a microscope.
Ah, moments of social anxiety.
Their family minister smiled as if the bride wasn’t late. “No worries, my boy. The bride is never on time.”
“Good to know.” So basically, he didn’t have to feel humiliation for, oh say, another thirty minutes or so. Awesome. Sweat started building in his collar. The ringing in his ears was new. He should probably get that checked. He scanned the crowd; where the hell was his Aunt Edie. The last thing he needed was her pulling any of her antics today of all days. Her babysitters just sat there in their garden chairs without a care in the world.
Great.
Much to his relief, just moments later the little troublemaker came scooting up the path, the path that he hoped to see Jack walking up. She gave him a wink and shuffled over to her chair.
Harp music started and a lump formed in his throat. They were going to play wedding music to highlight his humiliation. Could the day get any worse?
“Look, Father O’Malley, maybe we should just—”
Father O’Malley smiled over Lathan’s shoulder. “Lathan, you should turn around; you’re missing your bride.”
He snapped his head around so fast it was a damn wonder it didn’t roll right off his shoulders. Jeremy escorted Jack up the path. Her long hair fell in waves down her back. The dagger tattoo that had fascinated him from the start was prominently displayed by the strapless gown. She was perfect, absolutely perfect, and she was here.
Jeremy stopped a couple feet away and waited. Jack finally looked him in the eye, and the smile on her face was unlike anything he’d seen before. He’d never forget it. It would always be the first time she wordlessly told him she loved him.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Father O’Malley asked.
“I do,” Jeremy answered. He shook Lathan’s hand and leaned in. “She fights dirty… you sure you want to do this?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He kissed his sister’s cheek and handed her off to Lathan.
It was the right time, it was the right order of things, but these people, they didn’t know what he had been through hoping for her, waiting for her. He framed her face with his hands, rubbed his thumbs over those high cheekbones, and took the briefest taste of those lips of hers.
“Lathan, we’re not at that part yet.”
“I don’t care.”
“Oh, before I forget.” She reached into her bouquet and pulled out his key.
He took the key and raised a brow at her. “You drove my car?”
She dropped a hand to her hip and gave him a look he had a feeling he would be seeing from her for the next fifty years or so. “Since you weren’t capable of getting your car home, I took care of it. Say ‘Thank you, Jack’.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
She patted his cheek. “See, was that so hard?”
He took that hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Say it. Before we say “I do” I want to hear you say it.”
“I love you,” she said.
“Well it’s about damn time,” Lathan said. He took the bouquet out of her hands and handed it to Father O’Malley. “Here, hold this.” He bent her clear over in front of their family and friends and kissed the sassiness right out of her.
For the moment, at least.
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