“But he was so angry with me. He started accusing me of keeping the baby to get money out of him. His parents came and threatened me. I told them I’d sign anything they wanted, but they didn’t care. They just wanted to tell me how stupid I was for letting it happen. When Darren was born, they didn’t come to see him. Craig didn’t come to see him.”
She could remember it like it was yesterday: her, alone in the hospital, holding the baby and wondering what she had done.
“I never meant to ask him for help, I swear to you. But there was the hospital, and then the clothes, and… I was trying to work two jobs, but I couldn’t pay anyone to watch him. I tried everything, but it never seemed to be enough. And I kept thinking that if I just did the right thing, it would all get better.
“It took seven years to fall apart. First the diner, then my apartment. I called him when the diner closed. I said I’d do anything; I just needed the money for Darren. Not even for me, he could take him shopping, get him clothes; that way he’d know it wasn’t going to me. He didn’t call me back. I didn’t hear from him until—”
“Today,” Perry finished softly.
“Yeah. There have been so many since him. Guys who told me I was special; I was really something. And they all wanted one thing, and when they didn’t get it, they walked away. After a while, it was a lot easier to see what was happening before I got caught up in it. When you came along, I thought you were lying.”
“Cara, I grew up dirt poor.” He sat at last, and his eyes met hers. “Some nights we had cheese and crackers for dinner. Hell, some nights we had crackers. I went to bed with my stomach rumbling every night for years, and what I learned was that people laughed at you when you asked for help. People weren’t going to give you anything, not even if you were starving to death slowly.
“When the Marines gave me a way out, I turned them down flat. I told them I didn’t need anything, but the recruiter followed me home, and when he saw me get into a fight I couldn’t win outside my house; he beat the crap out of them and picked me up off the ground, and he said to me, when are you going to learn that everyone needs brothers to help them? He’d grown up just like me, destined for nothing because he had nothing but pride, and he couldn’t ask, and it was his recruiter who had gotten him out. He said he was paying it forward.
“And I didn’t want any help, Cara, but he was right. I took that offer, and I saw some things I wish I could forget. But that money got my family out of a tight spot, and it got me to college, and that got me here, because I learned to say ‘yes’ when someone offered me something. The only thing it couldn’t get me was a woman who understood, who fought for herself and her family like I’d fought for me and mine. You can call me crazy, but when I saw you in that diner, I knew. I knew you were that woman.
“You don’t have to be with me, Cara. Just knowing you’re out there? It’s enough. I won’t bother you if you don’t want it, but…” He held out the folder he’d been carrying. “This is an application. To MIT. Humor me, fill it out. Send it in. Let me pay your application fee. And even if I never see you again, when you come across someone someday who doesn’t want any help, you stick with them until they take it.”
“I…” She took the folder, opened it, and stared at the logo. “Why?”
“Because I want you to bet on yourself,” Perry told her. “I kept telling myself I would never be anything because I would rather starve and steal than ask for help. When I took my spot in the Marines, it was the scariest thing I had ever done. But it gets easier.”
“Hey,” said a voice from behind them.
“What?” Cara turned to meet Craig’s eyes.
“Are we gonna go?” he asked her, looking over Perry with contempt. “You left me hanging.”
“Oh.” Cara looked down at the folder. She looked at Craig. The moment stretched, branching two ways ahead, and she swallowed, pressing her lips together. “You know, I don’t think so,” she said finally. “I think we’re done, Craig.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“I mean it this time.”
“I’ve heard that, too.”
“I’m going back to school,” Cara said suddenly. “I am, Craig. This is it. Thanks for… well, for Darren.”
“You’re going back to school.” He started to laugh. “Cara, you’re never finishing that degree. And whatever this bastard is telling you—”
He never saw the punch coming. Perry, it happened, could move faster than Cara could even see. There was a blur, and then Craig was crumpled on the ground, and a few men in suits by the elevators laughed and clapped. Perry gave them a sheepish nod before sitting back down.
“Sorry about that,” he said, and she saw a gleam of humor in his eyes. “But I’m a little bored with that speech.”
Cara laughed, she couldn’t help herself. The giggle welled up and she laughed until she was crying, hunched over the folder and wiping at her eyes, holding it so tight that the edges crinkled. When he tried to take it, she hung on.
“Nuh-h. This is mine.”
“So you’re going to do it?” He asked her, and there was a smile on his face.
“Yeah.” She felt like she was at the top of a rollercoaster and she smiled, feeling reckless. “I’m going to do it. I’m going back to school.”
“I’m glad.” He stood up to leave, and looked down at her. “I wish you all the luck in the world, Cara.”
“Wait.” Her voice stopped him, but he didn’t turn. “Would you, uh…would you have dinner with me?”
She couldn’t see his smile, but she could feel it.
“How about my place?” His voice was very deep. It warmed her down to her bones. “Come over after work. We’ll have dinner ready for you.”
“We?”
“Your son,” he said with dignity, “has to learn how to cook. It’s very popular with the ladies.” He smiled. “I’ll see you at eight.”
Chapter Six
“Mom, it’s 8:30.”
“I’ll go in a minute.”
“You’re going to be late.”
“Crap.” Cara flipped the textbook shut and hopped over to the closet. Darren had been hounding her all night about this date, hovering in the doorway every few minutes to say she should start getting ready. “Why are you still up?”
“Why aren’t you at the restaurant yet?” Darren asked her with a grin. He laughed when she threw him a dirty look. “I’ll go to bed when you leave.”
“Promise?” Cara called.
“I promise. Get ready!”
She kicked off her flannel pants and threw them into the hamper. Her tank top followed suit, and she pulled a new dress out of the closet. It had taken three extra shifts at the lab to buy it, and she wasn’t even a little bit sorry; the dress hugged all the places it should hug, with a neckline that was the perfect mix of classy and sexy, and the purple set off her eyes and her hair to perfection.
She applied her makeup hastily, sighing as she had to rub the eyeliner out and start again, but at last she nodded in satisfaction. Her hair…well, her hair was never going to be well-behaved, but it shone nicely enough. And if she was a little pale after a few weeks in the lab, well, she knew her smile more than made up for it. She slipped on her heels and poked her head into Darren’s bedroom.
“Sleep, mister.”
“Five more minutes.”
“If you don’t sleep, you shouldn’t go out on the river tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll sleep!” He grabbed his toothbrush and ran past her.
“I love you,” Cara called.
A muffled, toothpaste-filled call was her response, and she smiled as she grabbed her purse and headed out, calling a hasty goodbye to their landlady. A brief sprint to the curb—tricky in her heels—and she was in a cab, checking her watch every few seconds. She hopped out of the cab and into the restaurant, and she skidded to a halt at the bar.
“I’m sorry I’m—”
“Five minutes early?” Perry asked her, grinnin
g. He held out a glass of champagne.
“There’s no need to mock me,” Cara said as she took her seat.
“On the contrary, I find your habitual earliness endearing.” His grin spread. “And, finally. I finally arrived somewhere before you.”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”
“Mr. Hammond?” A waiter held out his hand. ”Your table is ready.”
“Thank you, Jake,” Perry told him easily. As they walked, he slipped his arm around Cara’s waist. “You look lovely, by the way.”
“And you look very handsome.” Cara smiled up at him, and leaned in for a kiss. She raised an eyebrow when she saw him watching her. “What?”
“Life in the lab suits you,” he said decisively. “You’re practically glowing.”
“That’s the radium.” Cara held his gaze until she saw a flicker of uncertainty. “Just kidding.”
“Mmm.” He studied the menu. “Or, I’m going to die of radiation poisoning one of these days.”
“Very unlikely, I’ll have you know. So how’s business?” She took a sip of water, and smiled at him.
“Same old, same old. Have a lot of money. How’s science? Other than the radium.”
“Same old. Made some robots. Actually,” she said, warming to the theme, “I made some cybernetic implants as well. You know, there’s an interesting theory about using implants within the spinal column to… now what?”
“You should have some champagne.” Perry was smiling at her. He reached out to take her hand.
“Okay.” Cara lifted her glass and held it out to him. “To… oh, my God. Oh, my God. Perry. Oh, my God.”
The ring glittered, little bubbles rising in amongst the three tiny sapphires. Cara held the glass, shaking, tears coming to her eyes.
“Cara Ford.” Perry’s voice seemed to be coming from very far away. “Will you marry me?”
“Oh, my God,” Cara whispered again. She seemed to have forgotten how to say anything else. She nodded, hand pressed over her mouth, and wiped away a tear as he dumped the champagne unceremoniously into his water glass, holding the ring out for her. “It fits…it fits perfectly. How did you know?”
“Darren helped.”
“Darren knew?”
“Of course.” Perry smiled at her.
“I have three years before I finish my PhD,” Cara whispered at him. It had to be a mistake. Perry Hammond had enough money to tempt a princess.
“We’ll make it work. After all, I’m told I have enough money to fly back and forth between New York and Boston.” He sobered when she looked over at him. “I wanted to wait, I just…I couldn’t. I’ll move to Boston if you want. I’ll wait for you in New York if you want. But Cara, I have loved you since the moment you almost poured coffee on me in that diner. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Or I with you,” Cara whispered.
The End
Double Rebound
Menage Romance
Chapter One
Jessie Holbrook looked down at the papers in her hand once more and hit the dial button on her phone. She finally had her freedom and it was time to celebrate. Her first call was to her best friend, Megan. They’d been waiting for this day for two longs years and it was finally here!
“Hey, it’s me; give me a call when you get this. Big news! Love you, bye!” Jessie hated talking on the phone so she was happy the voicemail on Megan’s phone picked up but she hated leaving messages just as much so she rushed through it.
Putting her phone down she went to her closet, pulling out the dress wrapped in plastic that she’d been waiting to wear for over a year now. Her “I’m free” dress. A concoction of black silk that hugged every curve nicely and flared where it needed to. The dress looked simple enough but when Jessie put it on the dress made her feel beautiful, desirable, and confident, even if she was a little bigger in the waistline than some of her friends.
Jessie looked in the mirror after a shower and applied makeup. Her blue eyes popped with the expert application of black mascara, her lips were a subtle, seductive, shade of light pink that made her full lips appear to be wet from her tongue, while her high cheekbones and straight thin nose were decorated only with a slight dollop of powder to keep her skin from shining. Jessie was naturally pretty; she didn’t need much to accentuate her looks. Besides, she found her confidence in her ability to hold a conversation, her intelligence, and the way she could make others laugh and enjoy themselves. She didn’t have to look like a painted trollop to attract attention.
She did reconsider for a moment as she adjusted the bust-line of the very low top. A little cleavage didn’t hurt, though. And she had a lot of cleavage with her large breasts. Grinning at herself once more before putting on black heels and a lace shawl Jessie picked up her phone and read the message Megan sent her.
“Be there at 8, bringing the girls. I’m so excited, tell me now!”
“No, see you in a few then.” Jessie sent the response and couldn’t suppress the urge to wink at the phone. Tonight was going to be incredible!
It was Friday night and Exotica, the club Jessie was meeting Megan at, was proof of it. She produced her license for the doorman, proving her age was 24, and walked into the busy club. People filled the club, some dancing under flashing colored lights; others were sitting at tables in dark corners, trying to get away with as much as they could. Then there was Megan and “the girls” as they called each other. Four other women, two blondes, a brunette, and one with purple hair, surrounded the petite black and pink streak-haired Megan.
Jessie slid in to the booth, her long black hair a curtain hiding the intricate work of her lace shawl. She grinned at the ladies as they jumbled up to greet her, doing half-stands to kiss her cheek in greeting. They knew what was coming and Jessie could almost feel their excitement coming off of them in waves.
“Well?” Megan finally demanded as Jessie just sat quietly, grinning at her closest friends. “Is it that day?”
Jessie squealed but still didn’t answer. Instead she pulled the papers from her bag and set them before the waiting women. Megan snatched them up and read them out loudly over the din of other people and pulsing electronic music. The other ladies assembled, a mix of short and tall, thin and thick, listened to Megan with rapt attention until the end when they all cheered.
“You’re free! Your divorce is final!” Another round of hugs and kisses started up then and Jessie felt a moment of tearful joy. These truly were caring women and they rejoiced in Jessie’s divorce because they knew the hell her now ex-husband had put her through to have it. From dragging his feet signing papers, to contesting how much money would be split between the pair, Michael had been a complete douchebag over the whole thing.
Drinks were ordered and Cara and Seline pulled Jessie out to the dance floor for her first “free-woman” dance. Jessie laughed in joy, her hair falling down her back to her waist, and she danced seductively with her friends. She’d be lying if the movement of her friends against her body wasn’t even slightly tempting but Jessie was looking for partners of the male persuasion tonight. And she’d just spotted two over in a corner, their eyes on her as she danced.
“Those men seem to be eyeing you, Jessie. Give them a wink.” Cara, a short, thin blonde whispered to Jessie, her teasing words making Jessie giggle.
Jessie caught their eyes, smiled at them, and gave them an undeniable wink. Then the one towards the back, standing almost in the shadows stepped out into the light giving Jessie a wink back.
“Oh my god, that’s my neighbor!” Jessie cried, rushing back to her seat. Embarrassment made her cheeks blaze, and Jessie hid behind her fall of hair, holding her mouth to smother her giggles.
“Here, drink this.” Megan ordered Jessie, looking over at the men Jessie still couldn’t take her eyes from, and smiled. “Oh yes, they are a lovely pair of devils aren’t they?”
“Indeed. That one on the left is my neighbor, Liam. The man is gorgeous! He moved in last month
and I still haven’t worked up the nerve to say hello to him but spot him in a club and wink at him. I feel like such an idiot.” Jessie buried her head in her hands but then took a shot of her drink. No, she came to laugh, to play, and to have a good time. This simply wasn’t going to do. Not at all.
She looked over at Megan to see her beckoning to the men. Jessie felt an urge to stop her friend but decided to be brave instead. Jessie sat up straighter, brushed her hair behind her shoulders, and waited with a smile on her face.
“Good evening, ladies.” The men said in unison.
Each of the women said hello back and Megan invited them to sit between her and Jessie. They refused but the tall one with a blindingly handsome smile that made Jessie’s knees weak asked her to dance. The dark headed one, the one with such piercing grey eyes, held his hand out.
“Oh with both of you? Well, that should be novel.” Jessie replied, popping up out of her seat. This was a twist.
Jessie moved out to the floor with the men, studying them as they walked to a spot less crowded with more room to move. The dark haired one was at least six foot tall; Jessie was only five and a half feet and the man stood well over her head. His face was chiseled, familiar somehow, but she became distracted by the dark shadow of beard on his face and stopped trying to remember which actor he reminded her of. And the other one, the one moving up behind her, his hands going to her waist, he reminded her of statues of Adonis. The man had those sleepy bedroom eyes that made women go all gooey inside, with a muscular body. The one behind her had a lean waist, with a strong face that beckoned fingers to slide over his cheek into his dirty-blonde hair. Jessie’s pulse kicked up as the one in front moved up to her, his hands around her hips, pulling her close.
Jessie forgot to breathe as the man in front leaned down, his eyes on her lips, but his lips kept moving past her mouth, barely brushing against hers, to whisper into her ear.
“I’m Jax, the man behind you is Liam. What’s your name pretty lady?” Jax moved her with the beat of the music but Jessie didn’t notice, she was too busy resting back against the hard body of the man behind her as Jax moved enough to stare down into her eyes.
Jocked Up: Sports Romance (A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance) Page 51
