Engaging Brooke
Page 17
Brooke used her body to tell him the story of her heart. She told him how much she loved him. How happy he made her. How she wished they could start a family together and that she had never wanted to leave him. She made her body say what she couldn’t because at the moment she wasn’t sure if what she had called love had really been that or had just the feelings of a young woman who had been manipulated into thinking she was really in love.
Jameson lay on his back and laughed. “How come every time I give you something, we end up making love like there’s no tomorrow?”
Because there won’t be a tomorrow for us this time, Brooke thought. But she didn’t say anything; she kissed him again, knowing it would be the last time.
* * *
Brooke couldn’t pack her bags fast enough. If she took a moment to think about what she was doing she would stop. She’d find excuses to stay. She would convince herself that deceiving him for a few more months would be okay. Because she did know her own mind and she did love him. But she’d discovered the truth, and Jameson deserved to hear it. She’d thought about leaving him a note, but that wouldn’t be fair. She’d put all her things in her car first and then tell him.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around and looked at Jameson’s stunned face, her heart pounding. “I’m leaving.”
“Why?”
Jameson came into the room and closed the door. “Aren’t you the same woman I was just with in the hayloft yesterday?”
She briefly closed her eyes. “Yes, but—”
“I thought we both had a good time. Was I wrong?”
Brooke turned away from him and put another stack of shirts into her suitcase. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Jameson crossed the room and closed the suitcase. “What has to be hard? I don’t understand. Why are you leaving?”
“Because I have to. I want a divorce.”
“I still don’t understand why you want this,” Jameson said with anger. He took a deep breath and softened his tone. “I know you’ve been unhappy. I know it’s been hard for you being here with me, but I’m doing my best. Just tell me what I have done. Tell me what you want me to do.”
“You haven’t done anything.” She sat down on the bed as if she had no more energy to stand. “We were both manipulated from the start. I won’t hold you in a marriage you never wanted. I spoke to Mitch and he told me that my father used us as pawns in his own game. He wanted to tie our families together in any way he could. Since you didn’t end up marrying Meredith, he thought I’d be a good replacement. I can’t stay another day here knowing that we’ve both been played for fools.”
* * *
She wanted a divorce. Jameson stared at Brooke, speechless. He’d been prepared for a lot of things, but he hadn’t been prepared for this. He now couldn’t imagine his life without her. In just weeks she’d become the most important person in his life.
“Look, let’s just think this through. You don’t have to leave yet.”
“Yes, I do.” She jumped to her feet. “I’ll come back for my other things later.” She pushed past him and headed for the door.
He seized her wrist. “Wait.”
Brooke stopped but didn’t turn to him. “What?”
“Let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing more to say.” She slowly spun around and faced him. “I’ve thought it through. Don’t try to be brave and pretend that you’re not just as angry as I am. I know you’re a man of honor, and that’s why I’m making this decision for both of us. I don’t care if everyone finds out what our marriage really was about. If you want to come up with your own story for our breakup, I’ll go along with it, but I won’t live this lie another day.”
Jameson didn’t release his hold on her wrist, desperate to find the right words to stop her from leaving. He’d told himself he wouldn’t ask her to stay. That he’d never face the risk of rejection again. But now that vow felt meaningless, just as his life would feel without Brooke. “I want you to stay.”
“Why?”
Jameson took a deep breath. He had to say what he’d been to afraid to say after her car accident. Words that had burned in his heart for weeks. “Because I love you,” he said, his voice raw with emotion. His love hadn’t been enough before and he feared it wouldn’t be so again. “When I saved you from your car and held you, I didn’t want to let go. I knew that you belonged in my life and I couldn’t imagine it without you.” He shook his head. “I know you only married me to save your inheritance, but if you give me a chance, in time I think you’ll grow to love me, too.”
Brooke stared at Jameson, unsure whether she should laugh or cry. “I’ve loved you since I was fifteen, when you first started dating my sister. When I faced death all I could think about was being separated from you and I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I never dreamed you could feel the same way about me. Being married to you was what I have been dreaming about all my life.”
“Well, your dream has come true.” He pulled her close to him. “For a special wedding gift, and with your permission, I plan to buy out Meredith’s half of the Palmer ranch. And I want to give you a real honeymoon. Where do you want to go?”
“But we can’t leave now. There’s too much going on with Granger.”
“The BWB Ranch can survive a few weeks without me. I no longer have a mistress. I only have place in my heart for one true love and that’s you. And I promise to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460331590
ENGAGING BROOKE
Copyright © 2014 by Sade Odubiyi
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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