Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4)

by Toye Lawson Brown

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Why do you?”

  She blushed. “Because if you reject what I am about to suggest, I’ll be crushed.”

  “We can play this game for hours, Megan. Just say what is on your mind and let me worry about how I take it.”

  “I’ve made up my mind to move back in with you. I think it could be beneficial to me. I need to be where we made our memories. So, there I said it. I’ll let you think about it for a few days and get back to me.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, and Ryan temporarily lost focus while watching her. When she sighed, he forced himself to concentrate on the matter at hand and not the lust brewing below his belt. “That would make me very happy. But, first we need to set some ground rules.”

  She frowned. “Ground rules?”

  “Yes. Megan, I’m not going to force myself on you. We’ll take it slow and let nature take its course. I’m taking sex off the table now so we can work on getting to know each other again.”

  Rolling her eyes, she hitched up her shorts to hide the strip of flesh under the cotton fabric of her shirt. “Oh-ok,” she stuttered. “That was not on my mind, Ryan. I couldn’t do that if I wanted to.”

  “Whether you can or not, it will still be an issue. That magnetic attraction between us is there and hard to fight. Removing it as an option now will save me from taking numerous cold showers,” he playfully groaned.

  She giggled as she slapped a hand over her eyes. “There you go with that sense of humor again.” She paused and looked at him.

  Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. He scooped her in his arms and said lovingly, “Baby, you recalled something about me.”

  “I know, I know!” she exclaimed hugging him back.

  “Come home tonight.”

  She moved away from his arms. “You want me to come home tonight?”

  “Yep. I have the next 72-hours off, and we’ll spend every minute together.”

  She smiled. “Okay, I’ll do it. I have to go home and pack a few things and get my medication. I might have to wait for my father to get home so he can drive me.”

  He shook his head nixing that idea. “Call me when your bags are packed and on the porch; I’ll come get you. Come on, I’ll take you to pack now. I don’t want to lose any more time away from you.”

  Megan released a heavenly chuckle. “Gabrielle drove me here, Ryan. She can take me home, and I’ll call you. I swear it will only take me a minute to pack one suitcase.”

  Ryan pretended to be disappointed and then grinned. “Alright, Gabby can drive you home, but I will be there to pick you up in one hour.”

  “Fine, you do that,” she said leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.

  Ryan touched his cheek to seal the softness of Megan’s kiss to his skin. He walked Megan and Gabrielle to their car. As they drove off, he went to his car. He had to set the mood for his wife’s return. He wanted everything to be perfect.

  *****

  Gabrielle dropped Megan off at home. She immediately went to her room to pack. She wanted to be gone before Iona had a chance to respond to her text. She felt it was better to let Iona know she was returning to Ryan in a text message rather than doing it face-to-face. As it was, she disappeared every day at the same time, returned home at the same time, and was always in a bad mood. This was not the usual routine for Iona James, the socialite of Cleveland, who cared about how people viewed her.

  Not bothering to fold any clothes, she threw whatever she picked out of the closet and drawers and put them into her suitcase. The smile on her face would not vanish. She knew that her mother would not approve of her decision to leave, but it was time to go. She called her father to inform him that she was leaving; he was ecstatic, gave her his blessing, and offered his assistance however he could. He suggested taking the nurse along with her until Ryan was home on his days off. Megan heard the downstairs door slam shut. Iona was home.

  “Megan? Where are you?”

  Megan had closed her bedroom door and locked it once she heard Iona’s footsteps on the stairs. Whether she wanted to have the conversation about leaving or not, Iona was coming up the stairs to confront her, and she sounded angry.

  A hard knock resounded through the wood door. “Megan, open the door. I need to speak with you about that damn text message you sent me.”

  For a second, Megan considered calling her father to come handle the situation. Drawing in a deep breath, she muttered to herself, “You can do this.” She unlocked the door and stepped back, allowing Iona to enter.

  Her mother walked in, looking at the mess scattered around the room. “So, it’s true, you are leaving. You’re making a big mistake, letting your father talk you into going back to that asshole.”

  Megan reigned in her already crackling temper. She didn’t need this, not when happiness was finally lifting her depressed mood. “Dad has nothing to do with my decision to leave. I’m busy packing, so please let me finish before Ryan gets here.” Her eyes involuntarily followed her mother as she paced the bedroom.

  “Sometimes, I swear you think I’m your enemy instead of your mother, Megan. I have gone out of my way to make sure you’re comfortable and have what you need. This is how you repay me?”

  Megan muttered under her breath, refusing to feel the twinge of guilt. Iona had already proven she didn’t care about her feelings by continuing to throw Emin in her face and not calling Ryan to come over when she asked.

  Iona shoved the suitcase from the bed onto the floor; Megan could only look at her belongings as they tumbled from the suitcase in different directions. Iona turned to face Megan. “You are ungrateful, you know that?”

  As Iona scrutinized her, Megan shifted under her gaze. “Mom, I do appreciate what you have done for me. But I have a husband. I need to be with him; I want to be with him.”

  Iona’s gaze shifted from Megan’s. “Really? Do you remember him now?” Iona transferred from one pedicured foot to another. “You know you two have differences concerning his job.”

  Megan’s brows drew up. “I don’t recall that, and I don’t care what differences we were facing before my accident. I know in my heart I want to be with Ryan, and that’s what I’m going to do… I’m going home to be with my husband.”

  Iona shot back. “You probably shouldn’t disobey me, but since you have James to run behind and hide, I’ll let it go.” She tapped a manicured finger to her temple. “Oh, but wait, he isn’t here. You can’t go running to him to save you.”

  Megan rolled her shoulders. A dizzy spell caused her to stumble while standing on her feet. “Mom, I don’t want to fight. I’ve made up my mind, and I’m not changing it.” Megan could hear the tone of her voice increase in decibels, forcing her breathing into an uneven tempo. “Besides, I don’t know what the war is that’s brewing between you and Dad, and I don’t want to stay here and be a witness to it anymore.”

  Iona shifted again in her Prada heels and walked toward Megan. “He’s a fool just like you, Megan. He thinks he knows what is best for you. I know what is best for you. I was the parent that provided the care and nurturing, not him! Yet, you defy me. You’re choosing him over me.”

  Megan massaged her head with her hand and sat down on the bed. “Mom, I…”

  Iona held up a hand. “Save it Megan! You’re the only one I had left close to me. Connor deserted me, and now James has turned you against me.”

  A familiar guilt rolled in her belly, making her sick along with the dizziness. Because she was younger, Megan remembered being expected to pick up Connor’s slack once he had left town. The threat of vomiting set heavily on her stomach. “I don’t hate you. I just don’t understand why you hate Ryan, and, suddenly, Emin and you are so close. Why are you pushing him on me when you know how much I love Ryan?” She sucked in a startled breath; her memory had returned.

  “You are signing my death warrant if you don’t divorce Ryan and marry Emin, Megan. Do you want to see me dead? That’s what will happen if I don’t keep my end
of the bargain.”

  Megan’s head shot up as waves of nausea swept over her. Unable to speak, she swallowed as Iona’s dead eyes glared at her from across the room. “Did you hear me, girl? Have you lost the ability to speak along with your brain’s ability to think straight? But it’s just as well, you don’t remember everything. If you did, I would look pretty bad in your eyes for what I’ve done lately.”

  Megan’s breathing became erratic. She remembered everything Iona had done. From selling her to Emin to the car accident. Every gory detail was back and just as clear and vivid as the day it had happened. “I remember. I remember what you did. Oh, my God, you tried to kill me!”

  “Shut up! We’re getting in the car and doing what should’ve been done already. I refuse to lose my life because of an ingrate like you. I cursed the day James brought you into our home. I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now.”

  “What?”

  Iona continued to throw her hate at Megan. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know! Look at you…we look nothing alike, Megan. For god’s sake, you aren’t even bi-racial but a light-skinned black woman. The saint of a father you idolize slept with some whore, only I was punished for his actions. He forced me to raise you as my child because he didn’t want to give you up for adoption after that slut didn’t want you, either. Well, I’m done with you and him.”

  Megan shook from the comments but kept her composure. “You know what? I’d rather be the daughter of a whore than have your blood running in my veins. You’re vindictive and bitter, and that’s why Connor left and Dad is divorcing you. I hope he leaves you with nothing but the clothes on your back.” Her eyes narrowed. “It makes perfect sense why he was so overprotective of me and asked daily what went on between you and me. He knew you would try to hurt me one day.”

  Iona snatched Megan by her good arm, yanking her from the bed to her feet. Megan’s broken ribs throbbed as she held onto the bedpost, but Iona was strong and managed to get her to release it.

  Iona dragged Megan down the stairs, her feet barely hitting the steps. “Mom, let go of me; you’re hurting me!” Megan looked around for her nurse. She tried to yell her for, but she tripped and fell to her knees at the base of the steps. “Help me! Somebody help me!”

  “Don’t bother calling for your nurse; I sent her home for the day,” Iona spat.

  Iona had snapped, Megan thought as she struggled to get away from Iona. Megan tried to reason with Iona again. “Mom, listen to me, we can talk about this. There is no need for either one of us to get hurt again.”

  Iona grabbed a fistful of Megan’s hair, dragging her to her feet and out in the yard. Snatching open the car door, she threw Megan in head-first, not caring about her injuries. “I found the right idiot to take you off my hands. He paid for you and I don’t have all the money to give back to him. Your worthless father won’t give me one cent to help me out. I’m not dying for you or him.”

  “Emin is not a murder, Mom. He’s not going to hurt you or anyone.”

  “You will not back out of this deal. You belong to Emin, and that’s where you’re going.”

  “No, not again! I will not let you do this to me again. I’m not going anywhere with your crazy ass!” Megan shouted as she kicked at the door with her feet, forcing it to swing open before Iona could close it. Iona fell to the ground. Megan rolled out of the car and on top of Iona. Her broken arm burned with searing pain as she put her weight on it, smashing Iona’s head into the ground as she got up. She looked down at Iona and screamed. “I’ll be damned if you get another opportunity to try to kill me. If you weren’t my mother, I’d…oh, wait, you ain’t my momma!” Megan drew her leg back and kicked Iona as hard as she could in the side. When Iona attempted to sit up, Megan responded with another kick to the middle of her back. Seeing Iona on the ground, she ran as fast as she could, but her breathing became short and heavy, slowing her down considerably. Her chest felt as if it was on fire and would cave in with each deep breath she took.

  Megan kept pushing. As she crossed the street, darting into oncoming traffic, she ran into the path of a car, causing it to come to a jerking stop. The sudden forward motion of the car knocked her to the ground. Rolling around on the pavement, Megan couldn’t get up. Her busted body could not take any more abuse and refused to move. “Help me! She wants to kill me! Help me!” Megan mumbled incoherently from the ground.

  A man jumped out of the car. “Megan! What the hell!”

  She felt her voice losing volume. It wouldn’t be long before death took over. She almost welcomed it. “Please, call the police before she can get to me. Hurry!”

  Megan’s eyes were wide with fear and apparently not registering clearly. “Megan, it’s me! Ryan,” he shouted as he shook her. “Who’s chasing you?” He asked once he got her to calm down enough to see it was him. He leaned down to assess her injuries. “Baby, who did this to you? Was it Emin?” Ryan tried to help her up.

  Megan pulled away, opting to stay on the ground. She struggled to breathe and rolled on her back, gasping for air to fill her lungs. She looked up and saw her rescuer was Ryan. Thank God. She hiccupped between breaths. “My mom. She wants me dead. The woman has lost her mind, Ryan.”

  He picked her up and carried her to his car, placing her in the back seat. Removing his cell phone, he started to dial 911. Then, he looked down the street and saw Iona standing on the curb.

  “Ryan, help me, please!” Megan moaned.

  He looked in the back seat and saw Megan’s lips were turning a shade of blue as she gasped for air. He had to get her medical attention. He got in the car, knowing Iona would have to wait. He drove by her and pointed a finger at her. “I’m coming for you, and there won’t be a rock for you to hide under.” He made sure she could make out every syllable as the words left his mouth.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Ryan turned off the bedroom light and closed the door softly behind him. Megan finally stopped fighting the medication and went to sleep. He made his way to the living room where Jon and Mr. Jones were waiting. They’d both arrived at the hospital at the same time once he made the call.

  He sat on the couch dropping his head back to look at the ceiling. What transpired a couple hours ago seemed to move fast as it ran through his mind. Jon was the first to break the silence.

  “Megan finally went to sleep?” he asked handing Ryan a glass filled with a golden liquid.

  Ryan shoved the glass away and nodded. “Yeah, finally. The sedative the doctor gave her should’ve put her out instantly, but she was too upset for it to have an effect on her.” He held his head up and looked at Mr. Jones, who was on the phone. “What the hell is the deal with him, Jon?”

  Jon shook his head. “That is way past my ability to understand, Ryan. All I can say is he didn’t let Megan become a part of the system. He raised his daughter.”

  “But he didn’t reveal her true identity. She grew up thinking she’s one way and to find out her whole childhood was a lie. I’m sorry that’s not acceptable.”

  Jon leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. “I don’t want to piss you off any more than you already are. But what you found out about Megan today, does it make a difference to you?”

  Ryan picked up the drink off the table and swallowed it down in one gulp. The burning liquid hit his empty stomach with a splashing burn. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “Hell no! Why would you even ask me that?”

  “Because it had to be asked. You believed Megan was bi-racial. Today you learned she isn’t.”

  “It doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that bitch tried to kill her, and he knew this could happen one day. I put the blame on him for Megan getting hurt again and now with her physical scars she’ll have psychological scars that may never heal. How much is one woman supposed to take?”

  “She’ll be fine, Ryan. Women are a lot stronger than we think. Take Gabby and Lincoln for instance. Both of them endured hell at the hands of crazy people and recovere
d.”

  Ryan set the glass on the table and crossed a leg over his knee. “That’s different. Gabby and Lincoln know who they are. They aren’t fighting for their identity.”

  “Neither is Megan. Mr. Jones is her biological father…”

  James cut Jon off. “Yes, I am and I have always been there for Megan. I made a mistake by not telling Megan about Iona. I have my reasons for not doing that.”

  “Please tell me? I have to deal with Megan, and I want to be able to offer her comfort and maybe give her an answer,” Ryan voiced sternly.

  James tapped the heel of his leather shoe with his finger. “I respect you want to help Megan, but she is my daughter.”

  “She’s my wife.”

  James frowned. “Yes, she is but she’ll always be my daughter. I owe her an explanation, not you. So, to make things easier, why don’t we both stay in our roles? You do your husbandly duties, and I’ll do everything else.”

  Heated, Ryan got off the couch and paced the length of the living room. He wanted to read James the riot act, but there was something dangerous about the man. It read clearly in his eyes. Whoever he was speaking with on the phone was getting an earful. Ryan couldn’t make out what James was saying, but what he saw and heard was enough. The authority in James’ voice and the way his body was positioned, meant business.

  James spoke. “Ryan, I’m not one to explain myself. However, I will say this, Megan’s mother was not a whore. We were young and having an affair that we both knew was wrong. We weren’t in love with each other, just lonely. I’m not proud of what I did although I’m not sorry either.”

  Ryan saw life enter James’ face as he spoke of Megan’s birth mother. He asked, “What happened to her mother, Mr. Jones?”

  “To this day I have no idea what happened to her. Her husband was in the military and moved around a lot leaving her in the States alone. I wasn’t thinking straight at the time because Connor was five, and I didn’t want him to think I abandoned him to be with my other child if I left, Iona.”