“Ten thousand?” Jill sucked in her breath. “As in dollars?”
“Nice chunk of change, huh?” Sid grinned. “You better be nice to me, breed.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “Is that all you needed me for?” she asked Sloan.
“Yes, you can go.” Sloan gave her a rare smile. “Thanks, Jill.”
“No problem. If I happen to remember anything else, I’ll let you know.” Jill turned to leave still keeping her eyes averted from Slade.
“How you doing today?” Slade asked as she passed.
“Good, thanks.” Jill obviously rushed her steps as she went by him.
Everyone was staring at her retreating back, and as she disappeared, they all looked at Slade. “Is that all?” He looked at Sloan ignoring the inquiring stares. He was a doctor asking a patient how she was doing, that was all.
Sloan grabbed a few more pictures. “Actually, no.”
“Please tell me those aren’t of any of us naked.” Sid grabbed them, but his humor was quickly replaced with anger as he shuffled through them.
“Jared found those in Pam’s old apartment.” Sloan plucked one of Damon with a red laser dot on his temple. “We had them analyzed. They’re fake. Kenny was using them to control Pam. We needed to make sure there wasn’t an assassin out there waiting for the go ahead to take anyone out.”
“Good to know.” Jared frowned, but his eyes were locked on the picture lying on Sloan’s desk of him and Vicky.
“Okay, get out of here.” Sloan stood. “I’ll see you guys later tonight.”
“You coming?” Duncan asked as he passed.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Sloan nodded picking up the phone. “Need to make a few phone calls, then I’ll be on my way. I’ll make sure I’m there before you and Pam.”
Jared hung back letting everyone leave. “How did this picture get here?” He pointed to the one of him and Vicky.
Sloan frowned. “It was mailed today.” There was also an envelope exactly like this addressed to Tessa. “I saw her leaving with Nicole so I gave it to her.”
“Dammit.” Jared cursed. “That picture makes it look like something it wasn’t.”
“I know that.” Sloan’s voice rang true. “And I’m sure Tessa will know it also.”
“Are we being set up?” Jared rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“It looks that way, but just not sure by who and why.” Sloan slapped his back. “But we’ll find out.”
“Yeah, we will.” Jared walked out of the room, a look of dread on his face.
Chapter 18
Duncan’s house went from manly bachelor pad to festive baby décor. Everywhere you looked there were white and blue balloons, congratulations banners and beautiful wrapped gifts. Tessa watched Adam and Angelina hanging blue and white balloons. She was happy to see them together. She knew they had hit a rough spot in their relationship and were trying to work it out.
Looking away, she continued cutting the vegetables for the veggie tray, but her focus was elsewhere. The mail Sloan had given her on their way out had thrown her world upside down. She knew she had to give Jared a chance to explain, but in all honesty, the picture in the envelope said it all. All her past insecurities weighed her down, and she hated it, hated feeling less than.
Vicky was a beautiful woman, and she was a vampire. Tessa was not. She couldn’t even give Jared what he needed. Her blood wasn’t enough for him. He had to go elsewhere. It hadn’t really bothered her before. No that was a lie. It had bothered her, that he was taking blood from a woman whose beauty put hers to shame. The real sad part about it was Tessa actually liked Vicky. Her personality matched her beauty. Tessa should hate her, but she didn’t or at least she hadn’t.
“I think you killed the cauliflower, sis.” Adam teased, grabbing another bag of balloons.
Tessa looked down at the mess she had made. The cauliflower would be better suited snorted than eaten. Without saying anything, Tessa wiped it off the cutting board into the trash grabbing more to cut.
“What’s wrong?” Adam was at her side. As brother and sister, they had always been in tune with each other’s moods.
“Just tired.” Looking at their grandfather, Tessa tried to throw the attention off her. “Does gramps need anything?”
“Yeah, for you to tell me what’s wrong.” Adam tossed Steve and Angelina the balloons, and then leaned on the counter staring at his sister.
“Nothing’s wrong, Adam.” Tessa sighed chopping away on another head of cauliflower. The knife slipped slicing down straight across her index and middle fingers.
“Dammit, Tessa.” Adam grabbed the knife from her. “Watch what you’re doing.”
They both looked at the clean cut that didn’t start bleeding until seconds later, and then the blood gushed. Grabbing her, he led her to the sink sticking her hand under the faucet. Glancing at her face as he held her hand under the water, her face paled. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“No.” Tessa replied through clenched teeth. “I’m not going to ruin Pam’s party. Just get me a band-aid.”
“A band-aid?” Adam snorted. “You’re going to need stitches. You can see the bone, which is really gross by the way.”
Tessa also saw the bone. “Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out,” she repeated to herself. “Get me a towel.”
“What happened?” Nicole walked over, glancing into the sink to see what they were doing. “Oh crap. Tessa, what did you do?”
“She about cut her damn fingers off.” Adam came back with a towel.
With a shaky hand, Tessa turned off the water then grabbed the towel. “Stop cussing so much, Adam,” Tessa mumbled, wrapping her hand as tight as she could. If she was a vampire, she would be healed by now. Shaking that thought away, she used her good hand to apply pressure.
“Tessa, honey, you need to get to the hospital.” Nicole frowned watching the blood seep through the white towel.
“I will after Pam gets here. I don’t want to miss her surprise. Just get me another towel please.” Turning back to the sink, Tessa unwrapped her hand sticking it back under the water missing the glances shooting back and forth between Nicole and Adam.
“Who the hell is bleeding?” Sid said as soon as he and Jill walked in the door followed by Jared, Damon and Slade.
Jared knew as soon as he smelled the blood. He was at Tessa’s side in an instant. “Are you okay? What happened?”
When he tried to look at her hand, she pulled it away to wrap it in a clean towel. “It’s fine. Just a little cut.”
“You can see bone, Tessa.” Adam glared at her. “That’s not a little cut. And for you not to be screaming in pain or passed out is a miracle.”
Because I’m numb, she thought, but kept that to herself. “Just because I’m human, doesn’t mean I’m a pussy,” she shot back. “I said I’m fine.”
No one said a word, but looked at her a little shocked.
Slade walked over staring at the towel wrapped around her hand. Again, blood was seeping through. “Is that a sterile towel?”
“I seriously doubt it.” Tessa shrugged her shoulder. “It’s okay for now.”
“May I?” Slade reached for the towel, but Tessa pulled away. “I don’t want to ruin Pam’s party for a little cut.”
“Let him look at it, Tessa,” Jared said, his eyes on her trying to read her.
“Adam, can you please clean this up for me before Pam gets here?” Tessa asked walking away from Jared looking at Sloan. “We need to do this in the bathroom?”
“Can you get my bag out of Jared’s car?” Slade asked Jill as he followed Tessa to the bathroom watching her closely. She swayed slightly but caught herself.
Duncan’s bathroom was bigger than average, but Tessa felt claustrophobic with Slade and Jared looming over her as she sat on the toilet.
Slade washed his hands before kneeling down to gently unwrap her hand. “Find me a towel to put over her legs,” he instructed Jared, who immediately went to find one.
Jill knocked, then walked in carrying Slade’s bag.
“Just put it here.” When she started to leave, he stopped her. “Can you wait, just in case I need something?”
“Sure.” Jill stood back out of the way.
“What were you doing?” Slade asked as he looked her hand over.
“Chopping cauliflower,” Tessa replied, looking at the ground instead of her hand. She was feeling a little woozy and light headed. “With an axe?”
Tessa snorted. “Was that doctor humor?”
“Pretty lame, huh?” Slade’s lips curved. “You need stitches. I don’t think you hit any nerves, which is a miracle, but you definitely need stitches.”
“Okay, can you do that now?” Tessa adjusted the towel Jared had placed across her lap.
“I could, but I don’t have anything to numb you up with.” Slade rummaged through his bag.
“I don’t care.” Tessa avoided Jared’s gaze. “Just do it.”
Slade looked up at her then to Jared. “I don’t advise that. You need to be numbed up and in a sterile environment. I don’t think a bathroom constitutes a very sterile environment.”
“Come on.” Jared went to grab the towel. “Let’s go.”
Tessa grabbed the towel keeping it on her lap. “Can you put something on it until later? I’m staying for the party.”
Looking uncomfortable with the obvious tension between Jared and Tessa, Slade nodded, going back into his bag. “I can put some steri-strips across it with some antibiotic cream, but you need to have this looked at in the next hour or so.”
“Can you stitch me up in your office?” Tessa asked after he cleaned up her hand and closed the wound together with steri-strips before wrapping her whole hand in gauze.
“Well, yeah I could …” Slade started, but Jared’s frown stopped him.
“He said you needed to be seen at the hospital.” Jared stared down at her. “We’re going to the hospital.”
“I’ll stop by after the party if that’s okay?” Tessa held her hand against her stomach.
“Can you guys excuse us for a minute?” Jared didn’t even look at Slade or Jill, his eyes were focused on Tessa.
Slade and Jill couldn’t leave the bathroom fast enough. As soon as the door shut, Jared knelt down in front of Tessa. “You saw the picture.” It wasn’t a question.
Tessa stared at her lap silently, telling herself she wouldn’t cry. Not trusting her voice, she just nodded.
“It was nothing, Tessa.” Jared reached down to cup her face, but she flinched away from his touch to look at him.
“They say a picture says a thousand words.” Tessa looked at him, her eyes searching his. “I saw the look you were giving her, Jared.”
“I know what it looked like, but I’m telling you it meant nothing.” Jared caught her face with his hand this time. “I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Why?” Tessa felt her eyes welling up, dammit.
“She was telling me about the shop she was….”
“No, Jared. I don’t care what she was telling you.” Pulling her face away from his hand, she stood up. “Why did you have to look at her like you look at me?”
“I could never look at another woman like I look at you. You are my world.” Jared carefully, without jarring her arm, took her by the shoulders forcing her to look at him. “Do you trust me so little that a picture could tear us apart?”
Tessa knew it was only a picture; she wanted to believe him and she did believe him somewhat, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. Her own insecurities were playing havoc with her emotions. The seed of doubt had been planted and she really didn’t know if she could overcome it because she always wondered how he could love her, an overweight human, when a beautiful vampire - who had everything he needed - was right underneath his nose.
A knock sounded on the door before Nicole’s head appeared. “Sorry, but they’re here. He’s parking now.” Nicole looked between the two of them then at her hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” Tessa waited until the door shut. “I don’t blame you, Jared. I know having a human as a mate is not the way it’s supposed to be. You need someone like …like her.”
“So that’s it?” Jared shook his head in disbelief. “Because of a damn picture?”
Tessa walked to the door opening it. “Yeah, that’s it.”
“The fuck it is.” His voice followed her out. “I love you, Tessa, and one of these Goddamn days you’re going to believe that.”
Chapter 19
With the mess cleaned up from the party and the last person out the door, Duncan clicked the lock closed. Crossing the room to where Pam sat going through her gifts, he smiled. She belonged here, in his home…their home.
“Aren’t these adorable?” She picked up a pair of tiny shoes.
“They’re so tiny.” He laughed taking them from her. Setting the shoes down, he reached out his hand. “I have a gift for you.”
“Duncan, this is more than enough. You didn’t have to get anything.” Pam took his hand as she followed him up the stairs. Her eyes taking in everything since she hadn’t been up there yet.
Stopping at a closed door, he turned the knob pushing the door open. Stepping back, he let her look inside.
Pam took a step inside, her head moving back and forth not knowing where to look first, her eyes trying to take everything in at once. The room was decorated in rainbow colors with animals painted on each wall. A tree with full-leaved limbs was painted in one corner with little monkeys hanging from the limbs. Anything and everything a baby would need was in the room - from the beautiful crib, down to a diaper pail. Pam walked further into the room taking it all in. Making her way to the tree with the monkeys, she reached out to touch one.
Glancing back at Duncan, she shook her head. “Why?” She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but no one had ever done anything like this for her before, and even if they had, there was a price to pay.
“You don’t like it?” He frowned looking around the room. He should have waited and let her pick out everything she would need. “I can have anything changed that you don’t like or replace it all. I just wanted to surprise you. Jill painted all the animals. Everyone chipped in to have it ready for today,” Duncan’s deep voice, with a hint of disappointment, rumbled through the room.
“No!” Pam turned back toward him. “No, please. I love it.”
“Pam, you look anything but happy.” Duncan walked toward her. “Never lie to me. If you don’t like it, we can change it.”
“Don’t you dare change a thing in this room! It’s just no one has ever done anything like this for me before. I’m a little overwhelmed with the party and now this.” Pam laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.
Duncan nodded feeling relieved, but if this overwhelmed her, then the next two gifts he had for her would blow her mind.
“I have more for you.” He walked toward her reaching into his pocket pulling out a small box. “This is just for you.”
“Duncan please, you didn’t have-” She stopped, seeing his frown. “Thank you.” She took the box glancing at him then back down at the small box in her hand. Lifting the top off, Pam stared at the key lying in the soft cotton.
“You will always have a key here, Pam.” Duncan lifted her face to his. “Forever if you want it.”
The significance of this small gift hit her hard. The day Kenny took her key away from her was the day she totally lost herself. To have to wait, embarrassed and humiliated until he got home to go inside when neighbors in the apartment building would come home, had hit her hard. At first, she would leave to drive around, but Kenny started checking her speedometer, allowing her a certain amount of miles a day, so she had to wait. It had become a running joke with the neighbors… ‘Lost your key again?’ they would tease. She would just nod with a shrug as she sat by the door waiting. Sometimes he would be inside, but would make her wait in the small hallway until she heard the click of
the lock. Only then was she allowed to enter what had once been her apartment.
Slowly, her eyes left the key to stare up at the man she had sacrificed herself for, to keep him and the others that were here tonight, safe from a maniac. Had it been worth it? Seeing the love in Duncan’s intent stare and the room done in love by friends was answer enough. It has been worth it; it had led her back to where her heart belonged.
“I’ve never been given a gift that meant so much to me,” Pam whispered.
“Then I’m glad it came from me,” Duncan replied proudly.
Pam took the key out of the box, holding it to her heart.
Watching her stare at the key as if it was the best gift she had ever received, told Duncan more than any words could have about what she endured at the hands of that bastard. Reaching into his pocket, his hand grasped something small. In that one moment, he knew without a doubt that he wanted her forever, if only she would have him. He had kept the ring close, waiting for the perfect time. Not knowing if this was the perfect time or not, he decided he didn’t care. All he cared about was making her his.
His unconditional love for this woman gave him the courage to pull his hand out of his pocket. His fist was holding tight a future he wanted, more than anything he had ever wanted, in his long life.
Grasping her chin with his other hand, he brought her eyes up to his. He searched so deeply he felt lost until the smile that spread across her face reached her eyes. “I want you to know that I have loved you for a long time.” Duncan’s voice was deep with his own emotions.
“Duncan, I-“
He put a finger over her lips shaking his head. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he bent to one knee. “Pamela Cecilia Braxton.” He could tell by the look in her eyes she knew what was coming next, yet his determination was strong even though for the first time in his existence he feared rejection. He cursed himself as his gaze shifted away from her for a second, but knowing that this is what he wanted, he looked back into her beautiful mismatched eyes. “Would you become my wife, so I can be a husband to the woman I love and a father to the little guy?” He placed his hand on her belly.
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