Justin: I miss you. Please call me. I love you...
Another: I’m so worried about you. Are you feeling OK? How’s your head? Please don’t shut me out...
Last: Young lady, this is serious. I love you, and I told you after the last incident I wasn’t ever going to let you walk away. I meant it!
Lauren couldn’t help but smile from the last one. Then reality hit her again. She couldn’t give in. She despised his father and brother. She knew Justin would pick her over them, and she couldn’t let him do it.
She decided to reply: Justin, please let this be. I can’t be a part of your family. You deserve a wife who will love them as much as she loves you...
Within seconds Justin responded: That’s complete bullshit, and you know it! This will blow over. Please don’t throw away what we have because of them. I’m coming over there!
Lauren text him urgently: Don’t! I won’t let you in. I don’t want to see you.
She realized it was a mistake to reply to him. It hurt her terribly to say those words. She knew she was killing him, but in the long run she thought he’d be happier.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Justin called Ashley the next day. “How’s Lauren? Will she see me?”
“I’m sorry, but no. I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to Lauren, and I think she’s supposed to be with you, but she’s convincing herself that it’s vital you have someone who can get along with your family. Lauren is humiliated and hurt by your father and brother, so she believes she’ll cause you a lifetime of friction with them.”
Justin groaned. “You know as well as I do she’s feeding herself that bullshit. I have to see her, convince her. I know we can work this out with my family.”
“I agree with everything you’re saying, but Lauren’s been betrayed by a lot of people. She was already struggling to heal from her father’s betrayal before all of this. I can tell she’s putting her wall back up. I believe you can get her back, but as painful as it is, you have to give her space first. She isn’t thinking clearly right now, so you’re not going to convince her. She needs time to see that she can’t live without you.”
“God, I don’t know how I’ll stay away from her, but you’re probably right. Please don’t tell Lauren, but I was going to propose tomorrow. I don’t want her to know because I’m going to fight to get that opportunity, and I want it to be a surprise when I do.”
“Wow, Justin. I’ll do what I can to persuade her, but like I said, give her time.”
***
Saturday came and went for Lauren. Justin never called or text. She knew she should feel relieved, but it just made her sad, especially when she thought about the memorable night they were supposed to have.
A few days later, Lauren decided to work a couple of hours in the late afternoon. It was the day before she thought Justin was moving away. Brett arrived to work around the same time. Lauren’s cell phone buzzed.
Justin: I’m coming over, now!
Lauren: No, I have work to do, and I told you how I feel.
Justin: I’m not going this many days without seeing you, remember?
Lauren: No, I mean it.
Justin: Why do you have to be so damn hard headed, woman??
She prayed he’d stay away as she walked into the last greenhouse to work. Seeing the table crushed her.
***
Brett was stacking bags of soil on a pallet near the entrance of the property when Justin pulled into the parking lot.
Justin got out of the truck and was irritated to see Brett there on a weekday. He went to walk by him, but Brett stepped in front of him and put his arm out to stop him.
“Whoa, you’re not talking to her,” Brett said aggressively.
“What did you say?” Justin’s fists clenched.
“I’m not going to let you talk to her, so you can just get back in your truck and leave.”
Justin sucked in a huge breath, exhaling slowly, remembering the fury he’d felt the time before. He calmed himself down by thinking of Lauren. He figured he didn’t stand a chance at getting her back if he punched Brett.
“Brett, you need to stay out of this. This is between Lauren and me, so where is she?” He saw Brett’s jaw and fists clench and wondered why he was getting angrier.
“You have a lot of nerve coming around here after what your dad and brother did to her. I’ve heard all the details of them taking whatever money is left from the sale and waiting to tell her, so she couldn’t save the place.”
“I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about.”
“Like I believe that. Everyone in town is talking about it. It only took a few people seeing that ambulance at your dad’s firm to start the gossiping. Since the word got out about this place going up for auction, Mr. Parker’s been bragging to everyone about the subdivision he’s putting in here. He’ll be lucky to sell one damn house. People in this town love this place, and they love Lauren. You definitely don’t deserve her!” Brett said, pointing his finger at Justin.
Lauren walked out of the greenhouse.
“I think you’re making shit up, and I know what you want from Lauren. I swear if you put one hand on her I’ll break it off!” Justin stumbled back when he felt the blow to his mouth from Brett’s fist. Without a thought, Justin connected two punches right into Brett’s stormy face, dropping him to the ground. He got back up with blood gushing from his nose.
Lauren ran toward them. “Both of you stop!”
Justin pointed at Brett while giving him a fiery glare. “This is between Lauren and me, and I told you to stay the fuck out of it!”
Brett lunged toward Justin, so Lauren jumped between them, holding her arms out. “Justin, I can’t believe you did this again,” she said angrily.
“He threw the first punch. Am I just supposed to stand here and let him hit me?”
“Brett, go in the house and doctor your nose,” Lauren ordered.
“If he hurts you, I’m coming back out. I don’t care how many times he hits me,” Brett said before he opened the back door.
Justin was furious, and it took all of his will not to go after Brett. “Lauren, I’m sorry. You have to believe that I tried not to fight him. He told me he wasn’t going to let me talk to you.”
He hated seeing the weary look in her eyes. When he felt her wipe the blood away from his mouth with her thumb the touch penetrated through every yearning fiber in Justin’s body, giving him the green light. He grabbed Lauren into an embrace, breathing in the scent he desperately missed.
“I have to hold you ... touch you, Lauren. I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t go a minute longer without seeing you.”
Lauren pulled away from him. Justin decided on the way over to tell Lauren he wasn’t moving. He thought if she knew it might persuade her to fix things. “I have something to tell you.”
“Justin, I’m sorry, but we’re over. I meant what I’ve said repeatedly. I won’t interfere with you and your family’s relationship. You need them in your life.”
Justin grabbed her face and gave her a short but forceful kiss.
“Dammit, Lauren! Why do you get to decide what I need? Huh? Tell me how you know what’s best for me?”
“I’m furious with your family, and I’ll never be the kind of woman they want you with. If I give in, you’ll take my side, and I refuse to keep you from them. Please go,” Lauren said, weeping.
Before Justin left, he wanted to give her something to think about. He spoke softly, not with the urgency that had been dictating his every move. “You’re not the only one getting hurt, you know. You said you trusted me. If you truly love me, you won’t throw me away so easily … us away.
“But if you want me to leave for good I will. You said you’d given all of yourself to me, and I ... I don’t want to give you back.” His eyes were red as tears of anguish streamed down his cheeks. He waited several seconds for a response, but Lauren just stared at the ground crying. He got into his truck and drove away. He
felt lost. It was as if half of him had been ripped away. Justin didn’t know how he would function without her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Justin kept replaying what Brett said to him as he drove home. As adamant as Lauren was to never see his family again, he was starting to wonder if there was value to Brett’s accusations. He knew who to ask. “Ashley, it’s Justin. I need you to be honest with me about something.”
“OK,” Ashley said with hesitation in her voice.
“Besides my father’s firm representing the bank, did Lauren tell you any other reason she’s upset with them?”
“Justin, she doesn’t want you to know because she doesn’t want you upset with them.”
“You better tell me now, Ashley,” Justin demanded.
“Fine, but please don’t go to Lauren about this.”
Ashley told Justin everything Lauren uncovered at his father’s office. Every harsh word was a stab into his already bleeding heart. Justin couldn’t comprehend how his family could inflict that kind of pain on the person who held his heart and every bit of his happiness. He felt the same betrayal Lauren was pulverized with. Their intense love for each other was the first thing in his life he wanted to fight for and would protect at all cost. He wasn’t about to let his family take that away from him.
“Jonathan, I need to speak with you over at Mom and Dad’s.”
“We’re over here, actually.”
Justin hung up. As he drove over to his parents’, he realized Jack would be there. He tried to calm his nerves, so he wouldn’t be compelled to scream in front of his nephew. He was glad to know his mom and Emily were there. He wondered if they knew what conniving, greedy men they were married to. Justin walked into the house calmly. They were standing in the family room. “Sit, all of you. I have something to say,” he said. Emily and Susan looked confused.
Justin directed all of his attention toward his dad and brother. “I’ve been told by more than one person what Garrison Law will gain from Lauren losing her home and business. I don’t know the exact dollar amount, but I bet you two do, and I imagine it’s in the six figures.
“The fact that you could tell Lauren that someone will build a subdivision on the property that’s her livelihood and that you’ll take all her equity away in legal fees shows what greedy, heartless men you’ve become. I can’t believe you’d leave her with nothing. Then to keep something like that from her when you invited her into your home is humiliating for the both of us.
“I fully understand you were representing the bank before I met her, but once you knew about us you should’ve told her. You could’ve charged fewer fees, and you could’ve comforted her more that day at your office. She was injured because of you,” he said, pointing to both his father and brother.
“What you’ve done has destroyed my life as much as it has Lauren’s. She’s so selfless that she’s going to walk away from me because she thinks it’ll help my relationship with all of you. I love her and can hardly breathe when she isn’t near me.” Justin’s voice softened as he tried to hold in his sorrow. “I was supposed to propose to her just a few days ago,” he said as tears filled his eyes.
“I’m not going to Vanderbilt. I’m enrolled at UT in Knoxville to get my degree in science, and if I don’t get Lauren back, then I won’t stay in Masonville.” He tried not to look at his mother as tears streaked her cheeks. With his eyes tinged red, he walked to the doorway, turning to say his last words.
“I’m going to bail her out of this mess, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Jonathan sprung to his feet. “You’ll do no such thing, Justin. Are you crazy? You barely know her, and you’re going to give her twenty-five thousand dollars? You’ve lost your damn mind!”
“Giving her that money is going to take hundreds of thousands of dollars from this family, Son, and what if it doesn’t work out? You’ll have thrown not just your money away, but ours,” Jeffrey said.
“I know you don’t see it, but Lauren is a part of this family because I love her. I was raised to believe we help our family, not throw them to the wolves. You’ve made me ashamed to be a Garrison.” Justin let the door slam behind him.
As he drove to the bank, he was astonished at the love he felt for her. He’d give up everyone else he cared for to have a life of loving her. Even if he never saw Lauren again, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she kept her home and the business she cherished. It was a stronger love than he knew was possible.
***
After Justin left his parents’ home, Susan and Emily asked their husbands for the details related to Lauren and her property.
“Jonathan, I’ve tried to overlook how you treat your brother, but I can’t take it anymore,” Emily said. She looked at Jeffrey, too. “You both expect too much from him.”
Jonathan paced while running his hand through his hair. “Emily, he can’t give away that kind of money. It’s insane,
and he should get his damn law degree, so he can partner with me when dad retires. I don’t want to bring an outsider into the practice.”
Emily put her hands on her hips and glared. “Why should he have to do something just to make your life easier? If he wants to be a damn scientist then let him, and be proud of him. He’s a grown man who obviously figured out exactly what he wants.
“I understand if the property had to be auctioned, but if the other things Justin said are true then I’m furious that you would treat Lauren that way, and do it behind our backs.”
“I agree with Emily,” Susan said. “Both of you need to figure out how to right this situation, and I mean soon. This family has plenty of money, and you’ll make more with some other deal. There will be another piece of property to build a subdivision on. No amount of money is worth losing Justin over. You’ll both be sleeping outside of the doghouse if he gets back on that damn oilrig.”
“Fine, I’ll talk to her, but we might as well wait until she gets the papers from the court discharging her case. She’ll probably be more forgiving when she knows she gets to keep the place, but I’ll make it right,” Jonathan said with aggravation.
“Be the damn man I married, Jonathan, not the one I met,” Emily said.
***
Lauren was in the kitchen holding ice on Brett’s nose. “Brett, I’m sorry, but I have to let you go. I think it’s best if this is your last day. You only had a few more days to work before you were quitting anyway. I’ll give you a good reference if you ever need one, OK?”
“I understand. I’m sorry, Lauren. I didn’t want to see you hurting worse than you already were, but I guess I caused more harm than good. This hasn’t been a little crush for me like you think. I’ve really grown to like you a lot. I swear, I wasn’t just trying to get with you that way.”
“Thank you, Brett. That’s very sweet of you to say, but whether I’m with Justin or not, I’m in love with him. I know you probably see him as a monster, but he doesn’t know what his father did, and he’s only been aggressive with you because he’s jealous. He’s actually a wonderful man.”
“Then why aren’t you with him?”
“I think it’s more important he’s close to his family, and I can’t be a part of it after this.”
“Don’t get mad at me, but I mentioned to him what his dad and brother did. It spread all over town, so I thought he knew, and I must add that your reasoning is crap.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Because it’s true. If you love him, you should be with him. The other stuff will work itself out.”
“You’re really wise to have just turned eighteen.”
“Thanks, and it’s why I don’t want to be with girls my age. Look, it’s pretty straightforward with men. One appendage on our body directs us a lot of the time and from what I’ve been told, that doesn’t change until we fall in love, so he wouldn’t be beating your door down if he didn’t love you. That appendage would’ve steered him away by now because of
your rejection.
“I still think he’s an asshole, but he’s crazy and relentless when it comes to you. It’s obvious he loves you. I could see it in his fist before it hit my face,” Brett said, laughing.
“Give me a hug before you leave,” Lauren said. Brett hugged her tight before she could pull away.
“Good luck at college, but please go easy on the girls. You could really break some hearts.” Her phone rang as Brett was leaving.
“Lauren, it’s Dad. Your mom reached me yesterday and told me everything. I’m very sorry. I never meant for it to get this ugly, and I know I should’ve told you.”
“Dad, I have to go, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you for this.”
“Lauren, please wait. I’ll try to get the money. I’ll—”
Lauren hung up on him.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Justin knocked on Beth’s office door. She looked up and smiled. “Justin, come in.”
“I need to take out another large sum of money.”
Beth stared at him with a shocked expression.
“Beth, is there a problem?”
“No, sorry. I know it’s none of my business, but I think I know what this money is for, and I’m touched. Things get around quickly in this town. Your family is going to be furious, you know.”
“I don’t care what they think about it. It’s the right thing to do, and that’s all that matters.”
“I’ll get it out for you. I hope Ms. Evans sees what a remarkable man you are.”
Justin took the money over to Baker’s First Bank. He gave strict instructions to keep the payoff anonymous. He never imagined it could feel that good to give away such a large amount of money. Since he heard the news about the auction days before, he felt ill every time he looked at his truck. He paid more for it than what Lauren needed to have a home to live in.
The manager promised Justin they’d process the payment immediately and stop all legal action toward the Evans property. The words were like the sweetest music he’d ever heard.
A Week for Love to Bloom Page 14
