Jo had her head resting on Brandon’s chest and he had lost track of how long they had been like that. His arms were around her petite body and he held her close. When she moved in his arms, he knew that too much time had passed, and their moment was over.
She smiled weakly at him, before getting off his lap and he watched her…her glorious naked body, as she walked over to pick her clothes off the floor.
“I know you don’t want me to apologize, but, once again, I feel like I should,” he said and she looked over her shoulder as she pulled her panties up her legs. Jo was smiling.
“I don’t want you to apologize, because this isn’t just your fault. I am as much to blame in this as you are,” she said to him and he watched her in silence as she put on her bra.
“All right, then we’re both sorry,” he said and she turned to him as she began pulling up her slacks. Brandon stood up from the chair and walked towards where his clothes were lying in a pile on the floor.
“It’s kind of hard to feel apologetic right now, right after I’ve had two orgasms,” she said and he noticed the laugh in her voice. He smiled when their eyes met, and for a moment, he wondered if there was still some hope for them.
“But you’ll feel sorry later, won’t you?” he asked as he zipped up his pants and Jo nodded her head.
“Yes, I will. I’ll feel terrible…because you’re a married man, and you’re married to my mother,” she said, smoothing down the top of her hair. Brandon was buttoning his shirt as he looked at her. She had slipped her blouse back on, but he still couldn’t stop imagining her naked.
“Jo, there are some things I need to tell you about myself,” he said and she narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Brandon. You’ve told me before. You want to give your marriage a chance, you want children…and you’re attracted to me. I get it and I’ll deal with it. We just have to try a little harder to keep away from each other,” she said and walked around her desk and sat down on her chair.
Brandon was tying his tie but he stopped midway, letting it lie loose around his neck.
“Yes, those things are all true…were true…” he said and he saw Jo’s eyebrows furrow. She was confused and rightly so.
“What are you talking about?” she asked and Brandon took in a deep breath and came forward towards her desk.
“I’m talking about how foolish I’ve been. I married Alice on a whim, when I was feeling lonely and I thought I knew what I wanted,” he said and Jo shook her head. Her eyes had widened and she looked like she didn’t believe a word he was saying.
“What are you trying to say, Brandon?” she asked and he clenched his jaw.
“I was working towards a goal…to have children, to leave my business to my heirs. And I believed that any woman, would be able to help me accomplish that goal. That is why I married your mother,” he said and Jo stood up from her chair with force.
Her face had darkened, and the laughter in her voice had disappeared too.
“So, you’re saying that you’ve changed your mind about my mother?” she asked him, with a sizzle in her voice. Brandon said nothing, he wasn’t sure how he was going to proceed with what he was about to say next.
“How can I trust you? How can anyone trust you? You’re changing your mind on a whim again!” she hollered at him and he nodded his head.
“Yes, I understand that’s how you feel, but I was desperate to find partnership and companionship four months ago. I thought that Alice was an appropriate partner. I didn’t pay attention to what was good for me. To what would make me truly happy,” he continued and Jo was breathing hard. She looked about her office, as though searching for something to focus her energy on. Anything but him.
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Brandon. I don’t know what to believe. You’re married to my mother! Are you talking about an affair? Do you want me to be your mistress?” she said and Brandon thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants. He didn’t want her to feel this way…the last thing he wanted was to hurt Jo. This was exactly the kind of conversation he wanted to avoid having when he came here.
“Jo, no, I can never ask that of you. You are much more to me than a mistress,” he said, in a soft, calm voice and she shook her head wildly.
“But that’s exactly who I’ll be. That’s what you’re saying aren’t you? That you want to build a family with my mom and at the same time, you can’t let go of me…because you enjoy fucking me!” She hissed at him and Brandon saw the tears filling up her eyes. He was hurting her. He was making her miserable. She just didn’t see herself the way he did.
“You want me to spend my life waiting for you…waiting for a chance weekend when you’ll come over and spend…” She continued and Brandon shook his head. He cut her off before she could go any further with this madness.
“I’ve left your mother,” he said and Jo’s mouth clamped shut. She was staring at him wide-eyed, in disbelief. “I’ve sent my divorce papers to Alice. It’s over. There’s no point in trying any more. I know what I need to know and I know that I want you. Not her,” he said, and a smile tugged the corners of his lips. He’d been dying to say this to her since the day they met, because that was how quickly he knew.
Jo hadn’t said anything in several minutes. She was just blankly and silently staring at him.
“And I’m pregnant with your child,” she said and Brandon felt like a hurricane had just hit the room.
Chapter 25
Brandon looked like he’d been struck by lightning, and Jolie felt the same. She hadn’t expected the words to just come tumbling out of her like that. But, then again, she hadn’t expected Brandon to tell her that he was leaving her mom.
“What did you say?” he asked and stepped towards her around the desk. It was almost a threat. Instead of looking excited by the news, he looked angry.
“I said that I’m pregnant,” Jolie said and instinctively, her hand rose to her belly and she stroked it.
Brandon had caught the movement, and his gaze drifted to her belly before he jerked his face back up to her eyes. His own were narrowed and stormy. For the first time, he looked like he was mad at her.
“You’re pregnant with my child?” he said and Jo licked her lips nervously.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said and turned to put some distance between them, but Brandon had caught her wrist and he held her there.
“Please don’t joke around, Jo. You have no idea what this could mean for me,” he said and she stared into his eyes. He wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t giving her any indication of what he was actually feeling…except that he was in complete disbelief.
“I’m not joking about this, Brandon. I am going to be a mother,” she said and he dropped her wrist and took a step back like he’d been burnt.
“You’re pregnant,” he said and ran a hand through his hair.
Jolie waited for a moment, watching every movement he made. Then he rubbed his face with his hand and when she saw his eyes again, he looked excited. That glimmer of hope had returned to his gaze.
“You’re pregnant!” he yelled and a laugh escaped his lips. Jolie was surprised by his reaction. She thought he was mad at her, that he was seconds away from running out of her office.
“I’m going to be a daddy!” he cheered and then he rushed towards her and lifted her up in the air. He was laughing and she laughed too, as he spun her around. She clung on to him as they laughed together. When he eventually set her back down on the floor again, he lifted his hand to her belly and stroked it.
“We’re going to have a baby together,” he said and pulled Jolie into his arms. He didn’t give her a chance to react, but, instead, kissed her lips wildly. By the time they parted, she was out of breath.
“I don’t believe this…I didn’t think this was going to happen. Not so soon anyway!” he said and he had started pacing the room. Jolie watched him, biting down on her lip. She couldn’t believe it eit
her…that this news could make him so happy!
“I mean…I knew I wanted you. I knew I wanted you to be the mother of my children. I knew I wanted to spend every waking moment with you. I just didn’t know that it would happen so quickly!” he said and returned to her, pulling her into his arms again.
Jolie kissed him and then looked into his eyes.
“What does this mean, Brandon?” she asked him and he shook his head, still in disbelief, still giddy with laughter.
“It means that we’re having a child together. That we’re going to be together…” he said and she tried wriggling out of his arms. There were other things to think about, and he wasn’t being practical right now.
“But you’re my stepfather. Technically, you’re still married to my mom,” she said.
“Not for very long. We signed a prenup, and it’s going to be very easy for me to get a divorce. Alice won’t be able to do anything about it, and I don’t think she cares either. She’s going to make a sizable amount of money from the divorce,” he said and another ray of hope fluttered in Jolie’s chest. He was right. Her mother wasn’t going to care as long as she got her money.
“But that doesn’t erase the fact that you were once married to my mom. What are we going to tell people? What are we going to tell our kid?” Jolie asked and Brandon had started pacing the room again. He was still smiling wide.
“It doesn’t matter, Jo…don’t you see what this means? We can be together now, without any apology. We’re going to raise a child together. We’re going to be parents,” he said and she finally allowed herself a smile.
His positive energy was having an effect on her. It was electrical and contagious. She couldn’t help but be happy about it…she felt safe with him. Brandon was going to make sure that everything turned out fine.
“Jo…I can’t wait to begin our life together. You’ve made me the happiest man alive!” he exclaimed and he took her into his arms again. Their kiss sizzled as he held her close, pushing his tongue deep into her mouth to claim her. Jolie closed her eyes, savoring this moment which she knew she wasn’t going to forget easily.
Just when she was giving up hope and just when she thought she was never going to have her chance at happiness, Brandon had returned and he was going to make everything all right again.
“I can’t wait either,” she said, panting for air when their lips parted. They knocked their foreheads together and remained in each other’s arms. Jolie had never been more grateful for a vacation before.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Brandon was standing with his hands in his pocket, surveying the landscape of his resort. Cedar Key, and this resort had always been home. Even though he had spent as much time and put in as much detail with all his other hotels and resorts, this one was still his most special one; because it was the first one he built from the ground up and it was also where he met Jo. His wife and mother of his son. Nothing else ever came close to the feeling he got every time he stood at that spot, and looked around.
It was summer again and the resort was bursting at the seams with visitors. His private beach was dotted with people, and when he looked over, people were cannonballing into the swimming pool. Something he knew Jo wouldn’t appreciate. Even though she was only 26 years old, she was wiser than her age.
Brandon walked across the expanse of manicured lawns and some splashes of water from the fountain damped the back of his polo shirt. Not that he cared. These days, it felt like he was walking on clouds and nothing could affect him. Meeting Jo and the birth of their son had changed everything. His priorities had shifted, nothing could bring him down.
He caught sight of Jo now. She had neatly laid out a beach towel on the sand, close enough to the waters, but far enough for it to be safe for Jasper, their son. He was sleeping in his pram next to her, while Jo was reading a book.
He admired his wife from a distance. She was in a canary yellow bikini, her breasts bigger now ever since their son was born. Her body had become more curvaceous as well, and Brandon could feel his cock hardening in his pants. It was like every time he looked at her, he couldn’t help himself. She was irresistible to him; and if he had thought that he couldn’t want her any more, the birth of Jasper had changed all that. Now he wanted her more.
Jo had tanned a little now, her pale skin had a darker hue and Brandon knew that it had something to do with the amount of time she spent in the sun these days. All through her pregnancy, she had travelled with Brandon, hopping from one beach resort to the next…and now that Jasper was only two months old, they had decided to remain in Cedar Key for a while, until he was big enough to start traveling with his parents too.
Brandon walked towards Jo now, and she must have caught sight of him from the corner of her eyes, because she put her book down on her lap and smiled lovingly at him.
“How’s work going?” she asked, when he was close enough to her. Before he said anything, he knelt down beside her on the side and kissed her lips.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” he asked and stroked her flaming red hair. Jolie bit down on her lip and smiled.
“Every day,” she replied and they kissed again. When he stood up, her gaze travelled to the tent that was forming in his pants and she smiled again.
“Have you been staring at me again from a distance?” she asked and Brandon’s gaze drifted to her full luscious breasts; he couldn’t help himself.
“Do I do it that often?” he asked and Jo laughed.
“Every day,” she said and Brandon walked over to the pram, where Jasper was peacefully asleep. Ravaging his wife’s body would have to wait until later. He still had an entire day’s worth of work to get through, and it wasn’t even midday yet. He should have kept her in bed that morning a little longer when he had the chance, he thought.
He stared into the pram, at his son’s angelic face as he slept. Jasper had the smallest hands, the smallest nose and Brandon was glad that he also had his mother’s features. They shared the same blue eyes and the button nose. Only his hair was like his father’s, thick and dark. No child had ever looked more beautiful before.
“He’s a cutie, isn’t he?” Brandon heard Jo’s voice behind him and he turned around to find her sitting up now. She was admiring the moment that father and son were sharing.
“I love this little man,” Brandon said, touching his son’s cheek lightly before straightening up. He couldn’t afford a longer break than this. Having Jo and Jasper here with him was a distraction, and he was still getting used to it. Although, it was a necessary distraction and it kept him happy. There was no way that he could spend an entire day without them there, somewhere close-by.
“I should be getting back to work, baby,” he said, stroking Jo’s hair and she blew him a kiss.
“Okay, but don’t work too hard,” she said.
“Same goes to you!” he said, tipping his head towards Jo’s laptop that was lying open beside her. She’d been working non-stop on an article for Dot that Margaret had recently assigned to her. Jo had decided to go back to work after Jasper was born, but only remotely. She had told him that she was done with her other life, that she never wanted to go back to being the “office-bitch” again.
“I’m relaxing, look!” she held up her book for him and Brandon smiled. They kissed and then he began to walk away, already beginning to miss them both. He knew he should have been counting his blessings for everything beautiful in his life, but he couldn’t help but want to think of retiring. He wanted to finally enjoy his life’s hard work, and enjoy it with Jo.
“Hey!” he heard her voice and whipped around to find her beaming at him.
“I love you!” she called out and when he turned back around, he was laughing again.
***
Jolie was asleep, she had dozed off at some point in the sun and now the sound of her phone ringing woke her up. She sat up with a jerk and quickly checked on Jasper in his pram, before fumbling in her bag for her cellphone.<
br />
It could have been someone from the office calling about the article she’d been working on. When she answered, and heard her mom’s voice, her heart sank to her stomach. They hadn’t spoken for a year, since the morning after the party.
“Jolie!” she snarled in the phone, and she could tell that her mom had been drinking. She looked at her wristwatch, it was the middle of the day.
“Mom,” Jolie said, realizing that she should have paid more attention to the number and picked up on the fact that it was a Boston number.
“I don’t need to ask how you are, do I?” her mom snarled some more, and Jolie knew that she knew. How? How could she have known?
“How are you, mom?” she said instead and her mother’s cackling laugh filled her ear.
“How am I? How could you even think of asking me that!” she snapped.
“Because I genuinely want to know. We haven’t spoken in a while,” Jolie replied and her mother laughed some more.
“Yeah, we haven’t spoken since the time you stole my husband. I should have known something was going on. How could I have been so bloody blind?” her mother’s voice was dripping with rage, and Jolie felt suddenly sad. Was her mom entitled to her rage? Perhaps she was, especially for being kept in the dark about it.
“How did you find out, mom?” she asked and she could almost imagine her rolling her eyes.
“I read it in a gossip magazine, something like the one you worked for. Billionaire hotelier Brandon Calloway, photographed with new wife, Jolie Parker and their newborn son. You have a child with him? Is that what you lured him with? Your womb?” Her mom was yelling now, and her words stung Jolie like pinpricks on her skin. She looked over at Jasper nervously, an irrational fear gripped her that he could hear and understand and she wanted to shield her son from it.
“I didn’t lure him, mom, and the pregnancy wasn’t planned,” she tried reasoning with her mother, keeping her voice down because there were guests around her.
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