by Tasha Fawkes
“I’m here because I care about Matt more than you realize,” she says evenly. “It was never about the money for me. If you knew me at all, you’d know that. I said yes to his proposition before he even told me the conditions or what I’d get out of it. As for why am I here? I hate seeing him like this. That’s why I’m here.”
“And because you’re in love with him too?” I say, raising my eyebrows. I regret asking as soon as the words leave my mouth.
“It's up to you what you do with this information,” she says, not answering my question. “I just thought you should know.”
“Does Matt know you’re here?” I ask.
She laughs. “You’re kidding me, right? He'd kill me if he knew I was here.” Her eyes widen suddenly, as if the idea just occurred to her that I might say something. “Please, don't tell them.”
“I won’t,” I say, believing her when she says he doesn’t know.
“So you’ll think about it?” she asks.
“I'll think about it,” I say to her.
I walk her to the door, where she turns around and nods. She gives me a forced smile and then leaves. I watch her walk down the stairs. She stops at the last one and turns back to me.
“And, Charlene?” she says. I tense as I wait for her to continue. “I didn’t just ask if you were in love with him. I asked me you were in love with him too.”
As I close the door and walk back inside, I think about what Shannon said. She’s right. I am in love with him, but I already knew that. The thing that struck me the most about our conversation was how much I wanted to jump to his defense when she went on about his family suffering. What about Matt? This whole situation is hardly fair on him from the beginning.
I walk back into the living room, where Margie is waiting for me, a guilty look on her face.
“How much did you overhear?” I ask her with a smirk. She looks offended, but then relents.
“Most of it,” she admits, her face going red. “It’s not my fault these walls are so thin,” she grumbles with a frown.
I laugh and sit down, my head feeling almost as heavy as my heart. The last thing I want to do is make things worse, but I can’t forgive him after what he did. Would I have agreed to marry him if I had all the information? No. Of course not. Which means I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Matt, and he’d probably be married to a pregnant Shannon by now, and I’d still have thugs after me.
So maybe it was for the best that he didn’t tell me.
“I don't know what to do,” I say honestly.
“What is your gut telling you?” she asks.
I think about it for a second. None of my options seem particularly attractive. Each has its own set of pros and cons, and I’m struggling to put one ahead of the other.
“To forgive him and go through with this, because I don't want to be the reason that his family loses everything,” I finally say.
“That’s the only reason?” Margie frowns. “If that’s the only reason, then fuck his family. You are not the reason his family will lose everything. That's all on him.”
“Well, that’s not entirely fair,” I say. “He didn't put the stipulation in the will. His grandfather singled him out. It’s hardly fair on him in the first place,” I say, jumping to his defense. I cringe. Again, I’m standing up for him. A ghost of a smile appears on Margie's lips as she notices the same thing.
“You’re certainly very defensive for him,” she says.
“Because it’s not fair to him. None of this has been fair to him,” I say, wanting to slap the sparkle out of her eyes. Sighing, I get up and wander into the kitchen for my keys and wallet. “I think I have to go see him,” I finally conclude.
I get outside and into my car, still thinking about my decision and the consequences of going through with this. I hope I’m making the right choice. In the end, it’s less than eleven more months that I have to be married to him if this doesn’t work out. But you’ll be forever connected to him through the child. I frown. I’d forgotten about the baby and what a big commitment that is. The ironic thing is that, until today, I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids. Or more accurately, I wasn’t sure if I could cope with being a mother.
Even with all my doubts, I start the car and head over to his place, because as badly as Matt hurt me, I have to do this. Even if I have to pretend to be more okay with everything than I am. I know he’ll never go for it if he thinks for a second that I'm still mad at him. I don’t know what I’m feeling anymore. I’m confused and scared, and nothing makes sense. But there is one thing I do know. I don't want to be the reason he loses everything.
Nineteen
Matt
I lost my phone days ago. Well, technically, I cracked it and tossed it out the hotel window after the hundredth call from one of my brothers, but it’s the same thing, right? I’m so sick of the pressure. I’m sick of feeling cornered, like they’re hounding me, because that’s exactly what they were doing.
Mother turned up to my place first to pump me for information on Charlene. I left mid argument and went to the hotel, which she wasn’t happy about. I was barely there five minutes when Rex was pushing his way into my room, and then an hour after that, Nate. After I kicked them out, the phone calls started, so I tossed the phone out the window. Then I left the hotel for this dump, because I knew they’d be back to trying to hound me in person when I wasn’t answering their calls.
Once they figured out I’d left the hotel, I knew they’d be going through every five-star hotel in the area, looking for me, so I went as budget a place as I could find. In fact, I’m pretty sure they rent the rooms here out by the hour, which makes me suspect of that stain on the floor, over near the bathroom.
I'm so goddamned sick of it.
I’m sick of all of it. My family. My life. Everything. This is my decision to make and no one else's. I don’t care what's at stake, or what they stand to lose. I refuse to lose her without a fight. If this is the only chance I have at saving whatever it is that we have, then I'm going to take it.
I pace the room, trying to diffuse some of my anger. There’s a knock on the door. My body tenses as I walk over there. The only person who knows I’m here is Shannon, but I’m still nervous about who it is. I peer through the peephole and into Shannon’s eyes.
Relieved, I swing open the door. She holds two coffees and hands me one. I smile and let her inside, pretending not to notice how she rubs against me as she squeezes past me.
To be honest, I'm shocked at how understanding she's been through this whole thing. After Charlene left the condo the other night, I went over and asked Shannon if she'd consider accepting my offer again. I got halfway through my spiel when I realized I was making a huge mistake, so I negated the offer. She made me sit down and tell her everything. I did exactly that, and to my surprise, she was great about it. It felt good to let everything out and not feel judged. I don't exactly know how it happened, but Shannon has turned to be the only true friend I have.
“I thought you could use something to wake you up.” She grins, her green eyes sparkling. “You look stressed. Is your family still bothering you?”
“I'm sure they would be if they could get a hold of me,” I say with a wry smile. “They’ll track me down eventually, but I don't care. By then, it will be too late. There won't be enough time to do anything about it. They’ll give up, because they won't care what I do if there's nothing in it for them.”
“If that’s what you want, then I hope it works out that way.” She pauses, hesitant, as if she's got something on her mind.
“Say whatever it is you're thinking,” I say with a frown. “You don’t think they’re going to give up?”
“I think you should try talking to Charlene again,” she blurts out.
“Why would you even suggest that?” I say, my voice rising.
I’m frustrated, because we’ve been through this so many times already. I thought she understood why I was doing this.
“What's the point in
trying to talk to her now when she's not going to listen to me? I need to wait until she’s calmed down. All hounding her is going to do is push her away. If she needs space, then I’ll give it to her.”
To be honest, I’m glad this is all fallen to shit, because I finally feel like I was free of my grandfather’s hold on me.
“That’s all great, but you don’t have time to waste,” she says.
“I already told you. I don't care about money,” I growl. “All I care about is her.”
“But this isn’t just about you,” she says, her voice softer. “Whatever problems you have with your brothers’, they’re not like you, Matt. They need this.”
“Which one of them asked you to talk to me,” I ask, my suspicions rising.
She flushes. “Nate might have come to see me.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, shaking my head. I turn around, not wanting to look at her in case I say something I regret. Where does he get off interfering in my life? “Please, just leave it. Okay? I’m done talking about this with you.”
“Okay. I’m sorry I mentioned it.” She sighs and then shakes her head. “I have to get home to my kid.”
“Okay,” I mutter, feeling bad for snapping at her. “Thanks for the coffee.”
I walk her to the door, where she awkwardly gives me a hug before leaving.
Closing the door, I lean against it and run my hands through my hair. I’m sure that a big part of Shannon still hopes that I annul this marriage and marry her. I know that's what my family is hoping for.
I wander over to the small bathroom that is in dire need of a makeover, peeling off my shirt along the way. I’m about to have a shower when another knock sounds on my door. I assume it’s Shannon and that she's forgotten something.
Walking back over to the door, I yank it open. I’m shocked to see Charlene standing there. My heart races as I look at her. She stares back at me, holding my gaze, her usual warm green eyes cold. As hard as she's trying to keep her expression guarded, I know how much pain I’ve caused her.
“Is it true?” she asks. She crosses her arms over her chest as she stares at me, her eyes darting down at my bare chest.
“What?” I murmur, distracted by how beautiful she looks.
“That you’re forfeiting your inheritance because you refuse to annul our marriage and marry Shannon?”
“Who told you that?” I ask, my voice catching in my throat. Not that I need an answer. I know it was Shannon.
Charlene sighs and walks into the room. I turn around and watch her as she looks around with a frown on her face. I close the door and walk across the room to get myself a drink. She shakes her head when I offer her one. She turns back and looks at me, her gaze once again rolling over my bare chest. I shiver, a sense of desire stirring inside me as my cock hardens. The way she looks at me drives me crazy. Even now when she's angry at me, I can tell she still wants me.
“Why?” she whispers. “I don't understand why you’re doing this. Is it some kind of message you’re trying to send to me? Are you after sympathy? Is that it?”
“You think I’m trying to guilt you into having my kid?” I frown. “That would make me no better than my grandfather.” I pause, long enough to drink the contents of my glass. “This is the only way I can be free of him. I want to live life on my own terms. I don't want to live them on someone else's. I don't care how much money I lose, because if I go through with this, what I lose is much more valuable.”
She stares at me, her resolve faltering. I see my opportunity and I step forward, curling my arm around her waist.
“My grandfather destroyed my father by never accepting that family was more important than everything else. Work was always his only focus. I don’t want that life, Charlene. I want a life I can enjoy, and one with you in it,” I say.
“Is this your way of apologizing?” she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
“I know what I did was wrong. God, every day I wanted to take it back,” I mutter. I push on before I lose my courage to say everything I want to say to her, because I might not get another chance. “The easy way out would’ve just been to just marry Shannon in the first place, but there was something about you. Something I couldn't turn away from.”
She swallows and looks up at me, her eyes connecting with mine. My heart pounds. She’s so close, I can lean down and kiss her. God, to feel those lips against mine again. Right now, there is nothing I want more.
“I knew there was something there, but I never imagined I'd fall in love with you the way I did,” I say.
“You’re in love with me?” she whispers, her eyes glazed with tears.
I nod and pull her closer so her body is pressed against mine. I place my hands on her face, tilting it upward until her mouth meets mine in a soft, lingering kiss. A sigh erupts from between those beautiful, plump red lips. She opens her eyes up again and looks at me. My heart pounds as I brace myself for her rejection, her angry words. Instead, she smiles and takes my hand.
“I came here ready to convince you that I wanted to go through with this marriage at any cost. I was prepared to lie to you and to myself about what I wanted.” She pauses, letting me process her words. “But now that I'm here? I realize this is what I want. You are who I want, regardless of achieving what your grandfather wants. I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with you.”
“You’ve got no idea how much I’ve been wanting to hear you say that,” I say, my voice rich with emotion.
“There is one other thing,” she says.
“And what's that?” I say, my body tensing.
“I'm still your wife, right?” she asks.
“Right.” I have no idea where this is going. I don’t know whether to be nervous, or just plain curious.
“Then you need to listen to me,” she says. “If there is a chance that we can do this and save your family's inheritance, then we’re doing it. No argument.” Her voice is firm. “We’ve probably only got the one chance at this, considering the timing and everything. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. But I refuse to not let you try.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her. She takes my hand and leads me over to the bed, laying me down.
“What do you think?” she asks as she climbs on top of me.
She leans over and presses her lips against mine, sliding her hands over my bare chest. My hands riding up her thighs, hitching up her skirt, and then I roll her over so I'm on top. The desire to be inside her is almost too much for me to handle. She gasps and lifts her hips off the bed, just high enough for me to slide the skirt down over her legs.
I kiss my way down her stomach and then back up to her mouth, my lips crashing against hers. She sighs, groaning as her hand finds its way inside my pants. I groan as she wraps her fingers around my length, stroking me up and down.
“God, I’ve missed you,” I growl.
“Me too,” she whispers.
I yank down her panties and toss them aside, shuffling out of my boxer shorts. I spread her legs a bit further apart and place my tip against her entrance. She gasps, her back arching as I thrust myself inside her. She locks her legs around me, rocking against my rhythm as my cock fills her.
I lean down and wrap my arms around her, kissing her neck. God, she feels good. The way her pussy contracts around my dick as I slide into her is almost too much to handle. My heart pounds as I speed up, thrusting deeper inside her, while my mouth explores her body. I kiss my way down her breasts, taking her nipple in my mouth. I gently suck. She moans as it stiffens against the flick of my tongue. I do the same with the other one, loving that I make her so aroused.
“God,” she gasps, as I drive myself inside her.
I grip her hips, my body tensing. I groan, knowing I’m close to exploding. My dick moves in and out of her slick pussy until I jerk forward, releasing abruptly inside her. She moans, locking her legs around my waist as she comes, her pussy contracting around my length, squeezing the last bit of climax out of me.
&n
bsp; Out of breath, I lay down on the bed next to her and scoop her into my arms. She giggles as I kiss her, my hands moving everywhere. God, she’s perfect. Everything about her is incredible. I never thought I was capable of feeling like this about anyone. Meeting her has changed my life, in every single way.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks me, curious.
“Just how lucky I am,” I mutter, kissing her.
“We’ll see how lucky you are in nine months’ time,” she jokes.
I chuckle. So long as she’s still by my side in nine months, then I’ll count that as a win.
Twenty
Charlene
Nine months later
I gasp and grab hold of my stomach, my breathing shallow and rapid. The contractions are coming faster now. When they first started nearly four hours ago, I wasn’t even sure that’s what they were. They were tiny twinges, barely even worth mentioning. But now, there’s no mistaking the crippling pain that came with them.
“Another one?” Matt asks. He frowns at me, the nerves obvious in his expression. I nod, my eyes locking on his, which are wide with both fear and excitement.
I open my mouth, but before I can speak, another one rips through me.
“I think it’s happening,” I whisper, my heart pounding.
“Shit,” Matt mutters. He jumps out of bed and races over to the closet, grabbing a suitcase. I watch him, confused.
“What are you doing?” I ask, frowning.
“What does it look like? Throwing a bag together for you.”
“Like the one I’ve had ready and waiting by the front door since the last week?” I ask. He looks up at me with a frown.
“Shit. How did I forget that?” he mutters.
“Just calm down,” I say, shaking my head. This is off to a great start. “We’ve got everything prepared, remember? All you have to do is get me to the hospital.”
