by West, Jade
I was grateful he was so at ease with the prospect. I couldn’t help but grin as he raced off back to his grandparents.
“He’s an amazing lad,” I whispered to Maisie, holding her back close.
“He sure is,” she said. “I’m just pleased beyond words you’re planning to share this awesome life with us.”
I nodded. “So am I, sweetheart. So am I.”
The relief was palpable, for common sense springing up and giving me clear sight. I’d been blind to my own mistakes for a long time, finding it easy to be critical of other people’s bullshit but ignorant to my own.
Ignorant to the opportunities springing out of bad situations and keeping the world turning nicely.
Maisie’s hair was soft against my cheek as I leaned in for another slow dance. I held her close. Tight. Pressed against me like we were made to be one forever, no matter how close we’d been to losing it.
One thing I knew for sure – I’d never be losing her again.
She pressed her lips to mine for one short kiss as the song drew to an end, then took my hand in hers and led me through the swaying bodies to the entrance.
Her eyes were sparkling as she pulled me out into the cool air, her eyes full of questions and still glowing in disbelief.
“I just don’t get it…” she said. “You have such big plans… how could you come back here, just like that?”
I took a breath before I even began to tell her, laying out my explanations so clearly, without dragging too much more up than necessary.
I told her how a business like the one I’d built up in London needed more expertise to expand to a whole new global enterprise than me simply carrying it along on my own. That I’d been angry, and rightfully so at people’s betrayal, but how on the flip side my marriage had been dead in the water, and two people had been reaching out for a connection, for a love that they were still trying to make the most of. And how that didn’t stop them being thoroughly competent associates in the industry we’d been working in for almost a decade.
“You mean Naomi and Sean are still staying in your business?” she asked. “But you were determined to push them out of it…”
I nodded with a smirk. “I was determined to push them out of it for all time, regardless of the consequences, but on reflection it makes much more logical sense that they proceed with the Hadley and Mason rollout. They can easily be the jetsetters between them, and keep the main UK office ticking along just fine.”
She let out a sigh, still clearly struggling to process this shift in me. “And what about you?” she asked. “What will you be doing? Still working along with them down in London?”
The shake of my head was enough to have her jaw dropping. “I think I’m done with the commuting,” I told her. “I have some quite different ideas of my own in mind.”
“New ideas?” she asked. “You mean the new ideas you were talking about? New ideas for products for your business?”
I shook my head again. “Not quite,” I said. “New ideas for a new business start-up altogether. I’ll still be able to provide plenty of value to my existing setup across the phone. Naomi and Sean are more than happy to ease their stake holding to less than fifty percent between them, on the condition I step back and let them step up. I’ll still be an associate, still there to give virtual handshakes and make the right nods of assurance at Hadley’s, but the world will be my oyster to new ideas and projects. Much Arlock life here I come.”
She pressed her palms to her cheeks, still shaking her head with the shock. “I just can’t believe this. I can’t believe this is really happening.”
My laugh was free when it sounded from my chest, my own smile running wild. Because I couldn’t either.
I still couldn’t believe it was really happening.
My business would still be mine in the stakes, my expertise still in demand for years to come. But I was free. Truly free.
Free to start over with Ryan Neil truly head hunted on my new team. Free to engage in whizz sticks projects with the little engineer in Freddie I was coming to grow so fond of.
Free to love my Maisie Moore, the woman who’d stolen my heart with enough gusto to keep it for all time.
“I’ve been convincing myself for years that my pleasure comes from bigging myself up in business,” I told her. “But it doesn’t. My pleasure comes from my brain ticking over new ideas. From having a purpose. Excitement in a project.” I paused and stroked her cheek. “From loving you.”
Her whisper was straight from her heart. “And mine comes from loving you. You and my Freddie and my friends and family. Having you here with me is the best dream come true there could ever be.”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “Making an even bigger family with you is the best dream come true there could ever be.”
“I love you, Oliver Kent,” she said, and I was ready to kiss her. Ready to consume her mouth with mine. Ready to show her just how much I truly did fucking love her when there was the thump of the door swinging open behind us.
We both started at once, our heads turning sharp enough to see Robbie fucking Sawyer swaggering across.
“Fucking hell,” I hissed under my breath, but the guy wasn’t at all as I was expecting as he headed on over.
His usual solid jaw and bullshit bravado was missing under an honest stare, and I barely recognised him. I didn’t know what so say as he came to a stop beside us.
“Did I hear right that you’re planning on moving back here?” he asked, and I nodded.
“You sure did,” I said. “Please, think twice about being a pain in the ass about it, I’ve changed too fucking much in my world to even consider being pushed away from this one.”
But he shook his head. His eyes left mine and landed on the floor, but his head was definitely shaking.
“As long as you ain’t taking my boy anywhere,” he said. “I think I’ll put up with you just fine, even if you are taking hold of my Maisie.”
His lip curled up, but for once in my lifetime of knowing him there wasn’t any animosity. Not seriously.
“I won’t be taking your boy anywhere,” I told him. “He belongs here, just like his mum.”
Her smile was gorgeous. Truly gorgeous as she grinned up at me.
“Alright,” Sawyer said. “Just as long as we keep it that way.”
I wasn’t prepared for him holding his hand out. I stared in shock for a few long seconds before I realised he really was swallowing his pride and his bull crap.
I took his hand in a solid shake, giving him a solid nod to match. “I guess a fresh start is on the cards,” I said. “Now our lives are going to be intertwined with the brilliant little Fred from here on in.”
He gave me a nod right back. “I guess a fresh start will have to do,” he said, and squeezed my hand again before pulling away.
He turned straight back around and headed back to the entrance.
Maisie’s voice was gentle as she called out to him, every bit as beautiful as she always sounded.
“Thanks, Rob,” she said. “It really means something to have you on side.”
A nod was all he gave her, but it was enough.
He stepped back through the door and I saw Fred jumping up and down on the other side, grabbing him by the hand and tugging him along.
“They’ll be dancing to their favourite song in there soon,” Maisie whispered. “Mum and Dad, I mean. I asked DJ Damian to put it on for them when people were nicely loosened up on the dance floor.”
I held out my hand for her, and she took it. “We’d better get in there and join them then,” I said.
The whole room was on the dance floor when Maisie’s parents stepped up for their special song. I had their daughter tight in my arms, enjoying every moment of this brand new start and assigning it to memory for all time.
After all, I’d be damn well expecting to recall the marvel of Much Arlock on the dance floor when it was our pearl wedding anniversary calling.
It was on
ly a matter of time.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Maisie
Six months later…
I still couldn’t believe it was really happening. I stared up at the house as I pulled the front door closed for the last time, taking a sigh as I stepped backwards down the garden path.
It looked so strange without Freddie’s bike and ride on toys under the living room window, so naked with the windows all bare.
Rob called my name from the gate, and I spun to face him in a flash.
“You ready to roll, then?” he asked, and I nodded with a smile.
“Yep, I’m ready to roll.”
I joined him on the final dash to the big white van of his, climbing up into the passenger seat next to him and scoping out the last of the full loads behind us.
“Thanks again for helping out,” I told him. “You’ve been fantastic.”
He pulled up the collar on his trademark leather jacket, clearly loving the praise.
“Yeah, well, got to set my boy up just right in his new place, haven’t I? Gonna be making sure he gets the best use out of those goalposts in the backyard.”
I smiled across at him, reaching out to squeeze his hand on the gearstick. “I mean it,” I told him. “You’ve been fantastic.”
He shot me a smug little smirk. “Yeah, well. Just better hope shacking up with Kent is worth all the aggro. Won’t be falling over myself to help you move back out again.”
I looked back at the house as we pulled away, my heart rushing ragged as it disappeared from view.
This was really it. Our brand new start.
I really never imagined I’d be this lucky.
The new house wasn’t far from the old one, tucked into a lovely corner plot up on Hastings Mill estate.
Ollie was already in the front doorway, lugging some chairs on through with Ryan Neil, both of them chatting away as they went, as though the move was nothing, just another happy day at the office.
They really did have an office now. A really nice room on the ground floor, just off to the left of the conservatory. They were already ingrained deeply in some new invention project or other, and I did my best to keep up with it, I really did.
I just had plenty of my own to keep up with now too.
I ran my hand over the swell of my belly as I dropped down from the van and called Freddie over from my mum in the garden.
“How are you liking your room upstairs?” I asked and his happy grin was a joy to see.
“Plenty of room for whizz sticks. Ollie said he’s gonna get me a whole new desk for them.”
“Very nice,” I said. “You can maybe start getting some ideas together to make whizz sticks toys for your little brother or sister. I’m sure they’re going to end up liking them as much as you do.”
His shrug was nonchalant, as casual as it got. “Nah, little sisters might not like any whizz sticks. They like ponies and dolls instead.”
I let out a laugh. “There’s no saying what a little sister of yours is going to be into,” I said. “But worst case scenario you can build her a pony out of whizz sticks, then that would be a winner all round, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, alright,” he said, then spotted his dad and went charging on over.
I stared up at the new house, still struggling to soak it in as ours. Truly ours.
Ollie had been amazing, showing us the whole available housing pool with every scrap of patience in the world, and we’d picked this one out slowly, making sure it was going to be just perfect.
And just perfect it would be.
We had beautiful big rooms with big windows, and enough bedrooms to set up a huge family. We had a great back garden with enough space for a Freddie football pitch, and a beautiful driveway with some beautiful trees.
It was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.
But not nearly as gorgeous as my gorgeous Oliver Kent.
He arrived back in the doorway with a smirk on his face, looking ever so pleased with himself as he came pacing on over.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, and leaned in for a kiss. His hand was on my belly in a heartbeat, and he leaned down lower with a whisper. “And hello to you too, little beautiful.”
“Did you hear from Sean about Berlin?” I asked, and he tipped his head to the side.
“Only the outline, the tick boxes seem to be in just the right place though, all thumbs up for the months ahead.”
I nodded, pleased to hear it. It sounded plenty good enough to me.
I took it steady that afternoon as the house sprung into its new life. We had people coming and going, helping set up furniture and empty boxes and arrange all the sweet little tokens on the sideboards.
I was still floating around the place in shock as Ollie finished up his final whizz sticks manual readthrough of the night with Freddie and came back downstairs to join me.
“He’s fast asleep,” he said and his gaze was thoroughly brooding.
Brooding and dirty. His eyes heated with the kind of dirty I was getting used to having in my world every evening.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” he asked, and joined me in the middle of the living room. “Please tell me you’re loving this place every bit as much as you expected to.”
My nod was fast. “More than I expected to,” I said. “It’s absolutely amazing. Better than amazing.”
His smirk was bright as he teased his fingers down over my swollen tits. “You look better than amazing, Maisie Kent. I’m looking forward to christening our new bedroom just as soon as you’re ready to head up there.”
“Have you got the toys ready?” I asked him, and he tipped his head.
“Have I ever not got the toys ready?” he asked back, and I pulled him in for another kiss.
“You really are gorgeous,” I told him as I caught sight of him in the window reflection. “You always are drop dead gorgeous. I never, ever get used to it, no matter how much I have you with me.”
“Drop dead dirty more like it,” he growled with a smirk, then carried me on upstairs.
THE END
Acknowledgments
Wow, this past year has been quite an experience. A massive thank you to everyone who has helped me through the horrific grief at losing my partner, Jon, last year. Your support has meant the world.
The recovery process is still in the flow, but I’m getting there. Slowly, I’m getting there.
Drop Dead Dirty is a reflection of how my life has changed this year. I’m now back in my family town home, Ledbury in the heart of Herefordshire. The story of Oliver Kent and Maisie Moore is a real glimmer of hope in my heart – I’ve loved living their journey with them, and hope you enjoyed it too.
So now for thanks.
I’d like to hugely thank my editor, John Hudspith, as usual for his tremendous help with putting this novel together. You are amazing.
Another huge thanks, as always, to the incredible Letitia Hasser for her amazing cover design skills, and to the awesome Wander Aguiar for his fantastic photography skills.
To my awesome beta reader Louise Ramsay – thank you as always. Your enthusiasm is always so welcome. To Evelyn Summers, thank you for your chapter input too.
TT, thanks for your help with the test engineering insight, and with the shared interest in bird feeding. It’s been great!
To my author friends and all your support. Betti, Jo, Siobhan, Jana, Leigh, Jordan, Willow, Lauren and Penny amongst others – you all inspire and encourage me so much, thank you.
To my readers, thank you all. Your support and enthusiasm is always enough to set my heart onto heights, even through some truly horrific lows.
Friends, always so important to me. You know who you are, and thank you. I couldn’t do this without you. Especially you, Boo. Being back in Ledbury and back around you has helped me with such big smiles.
Mum, Dad, Nan, Brad, Misha and Rodia, Andrew, Kim, Deb, Julie and Jen – thank you all. I couldn’t do this without you either. Having you around me these past
months has been absolutely what I needed. I’ll never forget it.
About the Author
Jade has increasingly little to say about herself as time goes on, other than the fact she is an author, but she’s plenty happy with this. Living in imaginary realities and having a legitimate excuse for it is really all she’s ever wanted.
Jade is as dirty as you’d expect from her novels, and talking smut makes her smile.
Website: http://www.jadewestauthor.com
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