“Me, too,” Alex replied.
“I missed you, sis. I admit I missed you teasing me,” Emma chimed in.
“Me too, Emma.” Alex chuckled. “I miss teasing you too.”
Her father refused to hug her. In fact, he refused to say a word to her, not even a “welcome back” or “hello.” It was as though he refused to acknowledge her presence.
The drive home was a solemn one for Alex, sitting there between her brother and sister, her mum driving the car, and her dad in the front seat. Home felt cold and empty even though her family was as warm as ever to her.
As days went by, she fell back to her old routine, and her dad soon began talking to her again. Only she wished she didn’t miss Jayden so much.
Every lunch break at the hospital cafeteria, her mind flashed back to that fateful day when she had first met him. She remembered their time together in New York. Oh, how happy he had made her feel. And of course that glorious day he made love to her. The thought brought an unbearable pain within her heart, and she was angry with herself for stupidly believing his lies. But why did she miss him so dearly? Why was it that every night before she drifted off to sleep and every morning when she woke up, she’d thought about him? And every spare second she had, she thought about him, about his kiss, his touch, and his smile?
He would never come for her—that much she knew. By now, he and Sarah would probably have gotten married.
It wasn’t long before Alex realized there was a person standing right in front of her. She glanced up from her book and saw Mary there, arms folded across her chest, a smirk about her lips.
“Well, well,” the woman began, unfolding her arms and leaning forward across the table.
Alex closed her book, preparing for the bitchy onslaught that was about to come her way.
“Back from your conference already, are you? Actually, was it really a conference, Alexandra? In New York City? Surely not?”
Alex gritted her teeth. “What do you want, Mary?”
Mary shrugged her shoulders. “Thought I’d ask just to be polite. After all, we used to be classmates.”
Alex stood to her full height. “Oh, really, Mary? Since I’ve known you, you’ve never been nice to me. Let me tell you this now, Mary. I don’t like the way you treat me or my friends. Yes, I’m a geek. No, my family is not rich, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to treat me the way you do. I think I’ve put up with your nonsense long enough, don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at the pretty woman. Alex knew she was standing on dangerous territory, but she couldn’t care less. She was tired. She was frustrated. And bloody hell! She just didn’t have time for this stupid game anymore.
“You know what, Alexandra? You’re a slut. That’s right, Alexandra. You are a slut. You think you’re so great? Running off after a billionaire like Jayden? You think he’d really marry you? You think he’s really into you? Forget it, Alex. He’s a bloody billionaire. He can have any woman he wants, a woman who’s a hundred times better looking than you.”
“Mary, I hate you. I hope one day you get what you really deserve,” Alex gritted out and walked away.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Alex?”
Alex ignored Mary’s outraged question and headed toward the exit. She passed Peter, who stopped and looked at her with concern.
“Alex, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she replied and rushed away.
Peter glanced over at Mary. The woman saw him and shrugged her shoulders. Peter headed back to catch up with Alex. “Alex, wait!”
Alex stopped and turned to look at her friend.
“Alex, I know it hasn’t been easy for you, but—”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Pete. Can you just leave me alone for a while? I need space.” She bowed her head and turned to go.
Peter watched her walk away. He knew Alex hadn’t been the same since she got back from New York. He needed to know what Jayden did to her.
He went up to Mary and slid into the seat opposite her. “What did you say to her?”
Mary looked taken aback. “What do you mean?” she asked innocently.
“Mary, you know it doesn’t work with me,” he snapped. “Stop playing innocent.”
Mary bit her lip. She frowned and thought she’d better tell Peter the truth. She folded her arms across her chest and said, “Just the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That he’s out of her league. That she’s daydreaming.”
“Get to the point.”
Mary grunted. “Oh, all right. I told her she’s a slut, running off after Jayden. But I’m right. He’s way out of her league. I mean, he doesn’t even look at me. Why would he want her? I can’t believe she went all the way to New York after him and lied to everyone that she was there for a conference.”
Peter was stunned. “That’s what you think happened? That’s what you said to Alex?”
“Yeah? What else could there be to it? I mean, just think how much money she wasted to go to New York. She’s poor, and her old man isn’t well, what with his heart problem. She’s selfish and a slut. I can’t believe you don’t see that in her.”
“What else did you do?”
“Nothing.” Mary glanced away. She couldn’t bear the intense gaze of Peter’s eyes.
“Mary? What else? How did you know Jacob has a heart problem?”
“I—I went to her house. I met her dad. I told him.”
“What exactly did you tell him?”
“That Alex ran off with Jayden.”
“Holy shit, Mary. Do you know what you’ve done?”
Mary snorted. “What I’ve done, Peter? What exactly have I done? I’m helping them. I helped Jacob, or whatever his name is, see what his daughter is truly like.”
“Alex is nothing like that. She’s not like you, Mary.”
“What do you mean by that, Peter?”
“Stop fooling around, Mary, and open your eyes. You know you’ll never be a doctor. And stop using those boys to do your work for you. I know what you’ve been up to. If the deans knew about this—”
“Peter, you won’t!”
“Yeah? Watch me.” He stood. “And don’t interfere with Alex’s life again. Understand?” Before she could utter another word, he stalked away.
Alone in the quiet corridor of the hospital, he took his cell phone out and dialed Jayden’s number.
* * * * *
NEW YORK, USA
The penthouse, spacious and luxurious, overlooked Central Park and New York City below. It was dark, and all Jayden could see were dots of tiny lights across the city. He felt alone, as though he were missing half of himself. How he missed Alex. How he wanted to hug her and kiss her and do so much more to her. Just hold on, Jayden, he told himself. Soon, you will have her again.
His BlackBerry rang. He glanced over his shoulder and reluctantly picked it up. “Jayden speaking.”
“What the hell did you do to her?”
Jayden frowned in confusion, and then he realized who it was. “Peter!”
“Yeah, it’s me. So tell me, old friend, what the hell did you do to Alex?”
“I’m sorry, Pete, I—”
“Explain yourself. I told you Alex is like a sister to me. I told you not to hurt her in any way. So what happened? I’m giving you a chance to explain before I terminate our friendship.”
Jay raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’m willing to explain everything. I—Pete?”
“Yeah?”
“I love Alex. I would never do anything to hurt her.”
“Oh?”
“Things just kind of got in the way. There’s Sarah—”
“So you’re back with her and broke Alex’s heart? Is that it?”
“No. That’s not it. She came back and made things messy. Alex found out I wasn’t gay. Then she found out about Sarah, who wants to get back with me.”
“Holy shit, mate! What the hell?”
“Yeah. Well, m
y grandmother wasn’t exactly happy with me. She tried to match-make me with Britney and things got even more complicated.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
Jay paused. “I’m going to ask Alex to marry me. But first I need to get things straight with her parents. And, Pete?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you help me?”
“Sure thing, mate.” A merry laugh followed. “Just so you know, our friendship has not been terminated.”
“Good.” Jayden chuckled.
* * * * *
Chapter 29
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
With his Mac laptop in hand, Peter Thompson marched up the short driveway to the small bungalow in the secluded cul-de-sac. He rang the doorbell and waited. A few second later, the lady of the house appeared.
“Peter, come in. Alex is out with Tim and Emma, showing them around Uni,” Mali said cheerfully.
“Very good. Jacob home?” Pete asked.
“Yes. Of course. I made sure.” Mali winked at him.
“Thanks for helping out.”
Mali shook her. “Peter, I should thank you for helping my daughter out. Come on now.”
They made their way to the living area and found Jacob there, reading the Otago Daily Times.
Jacob glanced up from his newspaper in surprise. “Peter? How have you been? Come on in and sit down. Alex is out at the moment.”
“Jacob, how are you, old guy? Not working too hard, right?”
Jacob chuckled. “Of course not.”
With that polite greeting out of the way, Peter got straight to the point. “Jacob, you need to hear this. Actually, you need to see this.”
“What is it?”
Pete slid into the seat beside Jacob and turned on his laptop. “It’s about Alex. It’s about what truly happened in New York.”
Jacob’s face darkened at the mention of his daughter’s name and New York. “I already know what happened, Peter. You don’t need to tell me.” There was a hard edge in his voice.
“What you heard from Mary?”
“Peter, are you here to rub it in? I thought I knew you better than that. Alex is a good girl. Yes, she may have done some stupid things, but she’s my daughter, and don’t you dare—” He rubbed his temple.
“It’s not like that, Jacob. You know jolly well how much like a sister Alex is to me. I have to tell you the truth now. Alex would never lie to you unless she had to.”
“What do you mean?” Mali asked, her hands clasping together nervously.
“I was the one behind it. But that’s not important. What’s important is what you need to hear from the man himself.”
“Man? What man?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, what man?” Mali echoed.
“Jayden McCartney. The man who stole your daughter’s heart.” Peter looked heavenward and thought that was a stupid way of putting it. “What I mean is—oh heck! Bear with me for a sec.”
Mali sat down beside Jacob, and he took her cold hands into his.
Peter logged into Skype and then voilà—a young, handsome face appeared on the screen.
“Oh my! Who is that?” Mali queried, amazed at the young man’s good looks.
“That, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, is Jayden McCartney, the man who stole your daughter’s heart.”
Mali gasped in shocked surprise, and Jacob was taken aback.
“He’s Jayden McCartney? But I thought he was much older,” Mali commented, her eyes on Jayden, who was looking rather nervous on the screen.
Peter shifted the laptop around so it faced him. “Hey, Jay. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are now yours. Do your best, bro.”
On the screen, Jayden nodded.
Peter turned the laptop back to the couple and nodded for them to proceed. Mali made herself comfortable as she held on to her husband’s hand. Jacob waited expectantly.
On the screen, Jayden took a deep breath and then said, “Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, I’m Jayden McCartney. I’m the one responsible for everything that has happened to Alex. She only came to New York because I asked her to. I needed her help, the type that I’m very embarrassed to tell. I asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend in exchange that I pay for the full price of your heart transplant, sir.”
Mali gasped and glanced at her husband. Jacob tightened his hands about hers as he stared intensely at Jayden in the screen.
“However, once she was here, things got a bit complicated, and I found myself falling in love with her. I love your daughter, sir.” Jay looked at Jacob and then Mali. “I’m sorry for what happened, but now I only ask for this. I want to marry Alex. I ask for your permission, and I ask for your help to set things right with Alex.”
A long silence followed. Jacob seemed to be in some sort of dilemma.
“Sir?” Jayden’s voice echoed into the silent room.
Peter nodded. “Help him.”
Jacob said, “Answer me this, Jayden.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Will you do anything in your power to make Alex happy?”
“Yes, sir. I love her. I will do anything to make her happy.”
“And you will never hurt her in any way?”
“No, sir. I will never hurt her in any way.”
Jacob leaned closer to the screen, as though he were glaring into Jayden’s soul. Then he grinned. “Then we will help you. Welcome to the family, Jayden McCartney.”
On the screen, Jay sighed with relief and smiled.
Peter gave out a loud, “Yeah!”
Mali laughed. “Welcome to the family, Jayden.”
“Thank you,” Jay replied.
* * * * *
NEW YORK CITY, USA
In the study, Jay raked his hand through his blond hair in relief. He felt as though finally the world had decided to go his way.
He looked up from the computer screen to his family, who were watching and listening to his conversation with Alex’s parents. Beth, Gracie, and Stephanie squeezed in the small sofa. His father, Tom, sat on the other side with Kelly and Sam. Near the side table, Maggie popped the champagne and everyone cheered.
As Maggie poured wine into glasses, Tom went round to the computer screen and introduced himself to the Stewarts. “Hello, I’m Tom McCartney, Jayden’s father.”
On the other side, Gracie came around and hugged Jayden. “I’m so proud of you.”
Jay chuckled. “Thanks.”
“And you’ll make her happy?”
“I will.”
“Champagne, everyone,” Maggie said, going around and giving one to everyone.
* * * * *
Chapter 30
Two Weeks Later
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
Life for Alex was colorless and meaningless. She wasn’t interested in reading books, food just didn’t taste good, work was a haze of fog, people were just faces without souls, and life had been essentially just a series of meaningless events.
Day after day, she came to work and did her thing. Only her mind was always occupied with Jayden—the way he smiled, the way he touched her, the way he kissed her, the way he moved and laughed.
Things got pretty bad the other night when she browsed the net and saw an article about Kelly’s wedding on the Your Wedding website. Near the bottom page, there was a photo of her and Jayden together. The footnote said:
Young, handsome billionaire Jayden McCartney with beautiful girlfriend Alexandra Stewart. Rumors said there was a secret engagement, a baby on the way, and marriage is just around the corner.
She growled then, in anger and frustration.
Snapping herself from that thought, she stared up at the clock on the cafeteria’s wall. Five to two, it said. Time to go back to work. She gave out a deep sigh and got up, grabbing for her handbag and half-filled cup of tea. With her head bowed and her eyes on the dark-grey carpet, she made her way toward the conveyer.
What should you do tonight, Alex? she asked herself. Not Facebooking, surely? You’re not stalking Jayden again. No. N
o. Don’t be stupid.
Of course, she hadn’t been on Facebook since she got back from America. Jayden’s handsome face, however, was still in her mind. She truly wanted to forget about him but found it so hard, which was rather annoying.
“Oh damn!” she swore. Why does it have to be so hard?
Bam!
She gasped, feeling the warm tea splashing on her front, soaking into her bra and skin. She felt herself falling off balance, backward. A pair of hands grabbed her arm and pulled her back into a warm embrace.
Alex glanced up and widened her eyes in shock.
I must be dreaming. Yes, Alex, you miss Jayden so much that you’re fantasizing about him being here for real, in New Zealand, right here in front of you.
Oh, how pathetic she was. She just stared up at him, her mouth agape and her heart pounding away.
“So you’re not that clumsy, eh?” came the voice that was so similar to Jayden’s.
“Huh?”
“How are you going to fix this?” The fabricated Jayden pointed to his now-stained Calvin Klein shirt. “Clean it for me with your bare hands? Or put it in the washing machine?”
Alex could only stare at him. Am I actually fantasizing this? He was so real, though.
“Is it guaranteed?” He continued.
Alex bit her lip, confused and lost. If he were her fantasy, when she touched him he’d disappear. To test her theory, she brought her hand up and touched his face. She gasped. He was warm and very real. God! He was real!
“Jayden?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Yes, Alex, it’s Jayden.” He chuckled.
“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt again,” she said absentmindedly. She couldn’t believe he was there right in front of her for real.
“But you’ll fix it, right?” He teased.
“Yes. Yes, of course,” she said. “If I can’t wash it out, I’ll buy you a new one. Well, maybe not here ‘cause we don’t have the type you want here. But a similar one.”
“No, I don’t want a similar one.”
“Then what do you want?” she asked, wondering why they were discussing his stained shirt when he should be kissing her.
Kiwi Bride: Volume 1 (Kiwi Bride Series Book 3) Page 23
