He had to love her for who she was right now. Not the person she might be someday.
And that was the crux of all of this. She wanted Jared to love her. Her.
Tonight when he’d boasted to his father that he had her under control it had hurt deeply. She was falling in love with this bossy, maddening man with a gentle way about him. She’d wanted him to feel the same and it looked like his feelings were far from her own. It was all about winning. About being on top.
Boy, Gerald Monroe had really done a number on his middle son. Jared was so competitive he was even competing with her. He wanted to win so badly he was willing to squash her own dreams and desires. If he wanted to make this work between the two of them he was going to have to give. Just a little.
Jared need to show her that he recognized that there were two people living in this house. Two sets of needs. Two sets of wants.
But she had to own her part of this. It wasn’t all on Jared.
She’d allowed this to happen. Heck, in her own way she’d encouraged it. She was so used to her needs and wants not mattering – to her own mother, no less – she’d given in right and left to Jared’s subtle demands.
No more. If this was going to work, there needed to be more compromise and less folding like a cheap tent when the pressure was on. Now the only issue was how to explain it to Jared.
Jared had walked in the cold dark for a long time trying to work off the anger Misty’s words had inspired. With every step he’d told himself that she didn’t understand. She was being selfish and petty. Even ungrateful. By the time he found himself on Ty’s front porch, he was completely sure he was in the right and Misty in the wrong.
Ty opened the door with his usual grin. “What brings you here, big brother? Shouldn’t you be home taking care of Misty?” Ty’s smile fell instantly. “She’s okay, isn’t she? Is she sick?”
“She’s fine and I tried to take care of her. Not that she appreciates that.” Jared brushed past Ty into the house and knelt in front of the fireplace. He was frozen in spots that no man should ever have to thaw out. “So I decided to take a walk and clear my head.”
Ty crossed his arms over his chest, a smile playing on his lips. “At night? Without a coat? That doesn’t sound like a bright idea, Jared. Why don’t you tell me what really happened and why you’re here? While you do that I’ll make some coffee. You look half frozen.”
Ty went into the kitchen that overlooked the living room while Jared held his hands out to the warmth of the flames and tried to put the evening into perspective.
“Misty thinks I’m trying to control her.”
Ty flipped a switch on the coffee maker and then leaned against the counter. “Are you? Knowing you as I do, it wouldn’t stretch my imagination to believe it.”
Jared scowled at his brother. Ty was supposed to take his side, dammit. “I am not. She’s not thinking straight. I’m trying to make our lives better. Make her life better and she’s damn ungrateful.”
“Humor me. How are you making her life better? And be specific.”
Unused to being questioned, Jared shifted uncomfortably. “For one thing, she’s out of that poky little apartment. She has a real home now.”
Ty nodded. “What else?”
“I bought her some new clothes and a new phone. Her things couldn’t even have been sold at a garage sale. And they looked terrible on her.”
“Keep going.”
“I bring her breakfast in bed so she won’t puke every morning. I think that’s pretty wonderful.”
Ty sighed and shook his head. “And she never says thank you? That’s terrible.”
“Well, actually she says thank you every day.”
With a beautiful, sleepy smile on her face.
“So she’s not a complete bitch. That’s good news.” Ty rested his chin on his hands. “Anything else?”
“I take care of her.” Jared shrugged, not sure what his brother wanted to hear. “I make sure she eats her vegetables and drinks her milk. Gets some exercise and takes her vitamins. Stuff like that.”
Ty straightened up and whistled. “And she doesn’t appreciate that? Who the fuck does she think she is? Doesn’t she know that you know how she should live her life? That you know better?”
Jared opened his mouth to vehemently agree but then realized Ty was being a total sarcastic shit.
“I guess I know whose side you’re on,” Jared said dryly. “So much for blood is thicker than water.”
“This has nothing to do with love and everything to do with who we are,” Ty replied mildly, pulling two mugs down from the cabinet and filling them with the dark, steamy brew. “Let’s face it, brother. Gerald Monroe is a great man but he lacked some basic parenting skills. He pitted us against one another and everyone else like gladiators in the ring for his amusement. And look how we turned out. We’re bossy, stubborn, and bulldoze anyone who doesn’t do things our way – all in the name of being the best. Showing Daddy that we won. It’s not pretty and it pisses people off. They can only take so much of our shit before they rebel.”
Jared stood and took one of the mugs from Ty, trying to digest what his brother had said. He knew he liked to get his own way and could be pushy…he had high standards…but was he as bad as Ty said?
“You make us all sound like monsters. Like terrible people.”
“In a way we are monsters. Dad created us and let us loose onto the unsuspecting village. Shit, looking at you is like looking in a damn mirror. You have exactly the same expression of disbelief that I had when Kyle told my ass off several months ago. He’d had enough of my crap and he called me on it.”
“Maybe he was wrong,” Jared argued almost desperately. He didn’t want to be the bad guy in this scenario.
Ty sat down at the table and took a sip of his coffee. “He wasn’t, although it took me about a week to come to that conclusion. Misty’s not wrong either. Did you hear yourself tonight talking to Dad? He was pressing you about marriage and you told him you had everything – including a female, which is a laugh – under control. Did Dad ever have Mom under control?” Ty held up his hand. “Don’t bother to answer because we both know the truth. He did not. She ran circles around his ass and the only control he had in his own home was his kids. Hell, even we rebelled now and again. Except you. You toed the line.”
“You sound like Royce.” Jared didn’t like the picture Ty was drawing. “And I have rebelled. I became sheriff even though Dad didn’t want me to.”
Ty chuckled and propped his feet on the round wooden table. “Once. A broken clock is right twice a day. All you were trying to do tonight was make Dad happy. You didn’t think about Misty’s happiness once, did you? This was about what you and Dad wanted. Shit, do you even want to get married to Misty?”
“It’s the right thing to do,” Jared said, stalling for time. Did he want to marry Misty?
Ty snorted coffee out of his nose. “Okay, so you offered and she turned your ass down. Is it the right thing to do to keep bugging the shit out of her about it? Is it the right thing to do to try and wear her down? Sneak under the radar? Is that the right thing to do?”
Jared slapped his mug down on the table, irritated more with Ty than with Misty. At least she had an excuse. She was pregnant and not feeling like herself. “Clearly I came to the wrong place. I’ll borrow a coat and head out.”
“Yep, if you came here for a pity party then I’m the wrong guy. If you came here for some advice to fix things with Misty then maybe I can help you.”
“What would be your advice, o wise one?” Jared asked sarcastically. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
Ty dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward, an earnest expression on his face. “Stop being an asshole.”
“That’s it?” Jared laughed and reached for his brother’s coat. This had been a waste of time. “Stop being an asshole. Not very helpful, Ty.”
Ty stood and got face to face with Jared, invading his personal space. “I’m goi
ng to give you some news that’s going to come as a shock. It’s not all fucking about you. Believe me, when Kyle landed that blow it just about knocked me on my ass. But he was right. I was acting like only what I wanted counted. And I wasn’t above some pretty underhanded shit to get my way. Then I’d act like he should be grateful. Does this sound familiar? It should. So far Misty has given up a new life in Seattle, moved in with you, been forced to eat food she doesn’t like and do exercise that wasn’t her choice. Now you want her to dress for you and be fucking happy about it. Oh, and don’t forget she needs to fall in with our dad’s plans about what’s acceptable. Does that just about sum Misty’s life up for the last few weeks or have I left anything out?”
Jared stared into his brother’s eyes, a blue mirror of his own, before falling down into a chair defeated. He’d messed everything up. As each day she’d lived with him played in front of him like a movie, the horror of what he’d done grew. No wonder she’d been pissed off tonight.
“How did you fix it?” Jared asked his brother. “I think I might be falling in love with her.”
Ty retrieved the coffee pot and refilled their mugs. “Now you’re talking some sense. We can figure this out if you’re ready to be open-minded.”
Jared was ready to get his ass kicked by a tiny little blonde with violet eyes. If that wasn’t love he didn’t know what it was.
Chapter Twenty
Misty didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she heard the bedroom door open. She groggily pushed herself up on her elbows before reaching for the bedside lamp. Snapping it on, she blinked several times to adjust to the sudden light.
Jared was standing a few feet away from the bed, his shoulders slumped in dejection. “I guess I messed up. I’m sorry.”
She sat up and pulled her knees into her chest. “I’m sorry too. I did some thinking and it’s my fault just as much as yours. Maybe more.”
Jared shook his head and came to sit on the edge of the bed. “No, it was me. I had a long talk with Ty tonight and he helped me see a few things. About me. About Dad. About how fucked up as a family we are in general. I’m sorry that you got caught in all my baggage. It’s not fair to you.”
Misty shrugged, relieved that he was willing to even discuss the whole issue. “Life’s rarely fair and I don’t expect it to be. I just want us to be a team. Partners. I want us to be in this parenting thing together, making decisions that are best for all three of us.”
Jared’s hand reached out and grasped her own, warm and strong. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to move to Seattle.”
Smiling, she raised his hand to her lips. “It’s okay. Really. It would have been wrong for me to take the baby that far from you. I know that and I’m okay with the decision I made.”
“I’m still sorry. And I’m sorry that I’m such a shit to live with and make everything difficult. I think you look fine in anything you wear and I won’t push you to walk on the treadmill or eat broccoli if you don’t want to.”
Misty slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. “Wow, what did Ty say to you? It’s like another Jared here in front of me.”
“Just a few home truths,” Jared sighed. “He and I talked about how Dad made us compete and how it’s pretty much messed us up. I see now that I was pushy and manipulative to get my way because in my messed up mind I equated it with winning and being the best. I know that it was wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting your way. It’s how you go about getting it. We need to talk about things and compromise. Sometimes I’ll get my way and sometimes you will. I think that walking on the treadmill is a good idea so I’m going to keep doing that. But I’m not eating Brussels sprouts again. Ick. They were not good.”
Jared smiled and slid closer. “I promise there will never be another Brussels sprout in this house. Good enough?”
“I don’t care if you eat them.” She leaned down and rested her cheek on their entwined hands. “I know that part of this is my issue. I’m used to taking care of my mom and putting my needs on the back burner. I’m even used to the good people of Fielding treating me crappy. I can’t continue to let this happen. I won’t let my son or daughter see me being disrespected. I don’t want them to end up like me.”
He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking into his eyes. “I sure as hell don’t want them to end up like me either. I think I need to have a long talk with my dad and let him know that I won’t be competing for his love and approval any more. If he can’t deal with us not getting married – or any other life decision we make – then that’s his problem.”
“That ought to be an interesting conversation. I guess it’s too late to have that with my mother.”
“She might be listening, you never know. I think the important thing is we both want to change. We want to be better. But I know that I’m going to fall into old habits. I’m counting on you to call me on it.”
Misty nodded. “Me too. If I start acting like a doormat you need to let me know. I’ll tell Rayne too. She loves to point out that behavior.”
“I knew I liked that girl.” Jared grinned and began to pluck open the buttons on his shirt. “I’ve got to be up for work in five hours. Maybe we should both get some sleep. I never realized a fight between a couple could be so exhausting.”
Misty peeked up at him from under her lashes. “This was our first fight. Does that mean we should kiss and make up or something?”
His shirt fell away revealing his broad chest and flat stomach. “We probably should. I’ve heard that make up sex is pretty awesome.”
He wore a wicked grin as he stood to kick off his boots and jeans. Misty had to control the urge to lean forward and run her tongue over his delicious abs.
“I’ve heard that too, but of course I’ve never experienced it. Have you?”
Standing before her completely naked, his hard cock reaching almost up to his belly button, he was sex on a stick. Everything she’d ever dreamed about or wanted.
“I haven’t, so I guess that I’m kind of a virgin. Be gentle with me, Misty,” he smirked.
She shook her head and pulled her pajama top off. “I’m afraid I can’t promise that. Get over here, cowboy, and show me how sorry you are.”
Jared put one knee on the edge of the bed and leaned over her. She could feel the heat emanating from his skin and she reached out to run her hand up his chest. Jared grinned and wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, moving her hand down his body, his smile promising all sorts of dirty delights. How had she ever thought she could live without this?
The fatigue that had been weighing Jared down fell away as he tugged the last of Misty’s pajamas from her beautiful body. Every curve fit his palm perfectly as if she had been made just for him. He ran his hands from her breasts to her hips and back up again, luxuriating in the silky softness of her skin.
But one thing had changed. Her waist, always tiny, appeared to have thickened ever so slightly. A sign that the baby was real and growing. Healthy and strong. This woman was the mother of his child and the thought still brought him to his knees. Maybe it always would.
His fingers lingered at the indentation of her waist, teasing the sensitive flesh. “Your body is changing. It’s so fucking beautiful, Misty, to watch this. I don’t even have the words.”
“Just don’t treat me like I’m made of crystal,” she whispered, her soft breath caressing his cheek as he leaned down closer to capture those soft pink lips. He took his time, not hurrying the kiss, but letting his tongue explore the warm cavern of her mouth. Still learning all that aroused her, he tickled her tongue with his own until she was squirming underneath him.
His own arousal had gone from zero to sixty in mere seconds. His cock was already painfully hard and his balls throbbed with each beat of his heart, which was pounding out of his chest.
“You promised not to be gentle with me either,” Jared whispered against the fragrant skin
just behind her ear. She answered by digging her nails into his back, the pain mixing with the pleasure and heightening the latter.
She dropped kisses onto his shoulders, his chest, and down his abdomen, scooting her body under his until her mouth hovered over the head of his cock. She ran her tongue around the head and then blew softly. The sensations rocketed through him and headed directly back to his dick, making it swell even larger and ache with need.
“Witch,” he hissed with a chuckle. “You’re a fast learner, my sweet.”
She didn’t bother to answer, simply taking his cock in her mouth and swishing her tongue back and forth until he couldn’t take it anymore. His body trembled as he reluctantly pulled away, his heart galloping in his chest.
Her soft hands still cupped his balls, stroking and kneading. Groaning at the effort to stem the tide he sat back on his heels, instantly missing her hot mouth and teasing tongue. Strong emotion tightened in his chest as he gazed down at Misty. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was…his. And without a doubt he was hers as well. She held his heart in her small hands.
He hadn’t planned it, and if he were honest, he wasn’t even sure he’d wanted it. But she’d come into his life unexpectedly and brought love, acceptance, humility, and hope. She’d created a family with him.
The way Jared was looking at Misty had swarms of butterflies doing aerial loops in her stomach. His eyes were all soft and his expression almost worshipful. He was looking at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Could she be that lucky?
She never had been before but everything in her life had changed since the night she’d given a sheriff who’d had one too many a ride home. He made everything better even when he was being difficult and stubborn. His strength made her stronger, and hopefully the love she felt growing in her heart each and every day would inspire the same feelings. It wasn’t simply that she carried his child. It was more than that. It was the way he made her feel.
Imperfect Justice Page 18
