by J. H. Croix
"He didn't get to them?"
"Not as far as I know,” Sonny said. "It's Wesley."
"What about him?" I roared, half insane with worry over Austin and Marie even if Sonny did say it wasn’t about them.
"That's what I'm trying to fucking tell you, man. He's dead."
“What?” Sonny’s words stopped me in my tracks. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over on the wide street, staring at nothing in the distance as what he was saying washed over me. "What?"
"Yeah. He was killed in a car accident this afternoon,” Sonny said in a low, quiet tone. "Thought you should know. Also thought you should probably be the one to tell Marie."
"Do you know what happened?” Disbelief rocketed through me. “I just saw him a couple of hours ago, at the bank."
"I don't know much more yet than that he was killed,” he said, adding hastily. "And one more thing, the accident was suspicious."
"Jesus," I muttered, dragging both my hands through my hair. What the hell had happened to my normal life? Dirty money, being stalked and followed, threatened, suspicious accidents… This kind of shit didn’t happen in my world.
Only it was happening. All of it. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mildly terrifying being caught up in the middle of it all. My mind spun to my father and his warnings back when I asked about the money. It happened in his world, or the one he’d stumbled into.
"I just wanted to tell you, I can’t talk more now. Be careful, okay? I'll call you later. Keep your phone with you." Sonny hung up without waiting for me to answer.
Be careful. His words echoed in my mind.
I didn't know what was going on over there, but I did know that I needed to be with Marie. Now. I needed to tell her about Wesley.
The guy had been making our lives a nightmare, sure, but to think he'd been killed was almost unimaginable. The guy was my age for God’s sake. He was a snake, yes. A stalker, absolutely. But to die in a suspicious car accident? He didn’t deserve that. Nobody did.
Picking up my phone from where it had been resting between the seats, I fired off a quick text to Marie.
Jeremy: We need to talk. It’s urgent. Tonight, please?
I sat by the side of the road while I waited for her to respond. Telling her about Wesley was not how I'd imagined or planned our night going. And Austin had just lost his father… He might not have liked or even known the man well, but I had a feeling that I was in for a long, long night.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Marie
Jeremy's text came through shortly after Austin and I got home. I stared down at it, wondering what to make of his sudden request to speak urgently. I might not have known why he needed to see me so suddenly, but I knew nothing would be resolved if we didn’t talk.
Marie: We're home. You're welcome to stop by any time.
His reply came through almost immediately, puzzling me even more.
Jeremy: Later. Once Austin's in bed.
It wasn't that I'd been expecting us to talk through our fight with Austin in the room with us, but Jeremy had never shied away from spending time with him before it was just going to be the two of us. An uncomfortable shiver caused the hairs on my neck and arms to rise.
In fact, this wasn't like Jeremy at all.
After my talk with Belle yesterday, I was still of two minds over what to do. Whenever I thought I'd made the decision to talk to him and ask him about the money, I'd think of Austin and how attached he'd already become to Jeremy. Then, I'd convince myself that spending some time apart would be good for all of us. But then, I thought of how Austin flourished when Jeremy was around and how he made me feel, and I'd be right back to wanting to talk to him.
I was starting to believe there wasn't a right answer. That I would be better off letting the cards fall where they may. Jeremy's text after nearly a week without contact felt like one of those cards falling, and I was curious to see where this might go.
Despite his insistence that he only wanted to talk once Austin was in bed, it didn't feel right to me. There was every possibility that Austin might wake up while Jeremy was here anyway. It would undoubtedly be confusing to him to find Jeremy here unexpectedly.
Mind made up for the short term, I picked up my phone from where I'd set it down on the couch beside me and typed another text.
Marie: Come to dinner. We can talk after.
Austin missed Jeremy too. Regardless of how things played out between us later, I knew Austin would enjoy seeing him. I tucked my legs underneath me and stared out at the gray sky beyond our living room window, wondering if I'd lost Jeremy for good when I'd asked him for some space.
Him wanting to only come over after Austin went to bed didn't bode well for the future of a relationship between us. Perhaps that was why I was getting such an uncomfortable feeling. Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I thought of Jeremy, and all we'd shared in the short space of time we'd been together.
My phone buzzed in my lap with his reply, drawing me out of my melancholic thoughts.
Jeremy: Okay. I'll pick up some pizza on the way over.
Blinking down at my phone, I couldn't help wondering if this would be the last time we'd be making plans about what we'd have for dinner together. If he did break up with me, I would understand. He'd been trying to help me, and I'd given him an inquisition in return.
While I'd had reason to question him, I definitely could have handled it better. It was too late to turn the clock back though and now I would have to see where those cards fell.
Austin was quiet this afternoon, playing by himself in his room. Whether it was the weather, if he was picking up on my mood or just missing Jeremy, I didn't know. One way or the other, I would know where we stood with Jeremy in a couple of hours’ time.
A sharp knock came at our door half an hour later. The unexpectedness of him arriving so soon made me jump a little where I still sat on the couch. Looking down, I realized I was still wearing the clothes I'd worn to work. I doubted my black pants and shirt were going to excite him in any way, but perhaps that was better.
My body couldn't be trusted when it came to that man. I'd heard make up sex was good, so I wouldn't have put it past myself to go with it if he tried. However, I wasn't the type of girl who could separate sex from emotion.
So, no. If I let myself be intimate with him, it would only break me that much more if he walked straight out after.
Another knock rang out, startling me. Austin appeared in the living room, his little brow furrowed. "Who's here?"
"I think it's Jeremy. He’s bringing us some pizza." I smiled, shoving my emotions and uncertainties into a padlocked box in my heart for now.
Austin brightened immediately, a smile curling on his lips as he ran to the door chanting. "Jeremy! Jeremy!"
Following Austin to the door, I mentally prepared myself to see Jeremy before swinging it open.
Scratch that. Nothing could have prepared me for seeing him again.
It might only have been five days since I'd last seen him, but I'd somehow already started to forget how handsome he was. My breath caught and a flush crept up my cheeks when I met his eyes with mine.
"Hi," I whispered.
A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he opened his arms to me. "Hey."
I walked into his arms like I belonged there, unable to even consider resisting the pull to be close again. Resting my head against his chest, I heard the steady beat of his heart under my ear and savored the warmth of his body against mine.
It was a heady feeling as always. Simply being in his arms again reminded me that, despite our fight, he was the only person in the world who could make me feel this way. Austin broke the moment between us, clutching at Jeremy's pants repeatedly calling out. "You're here!"
"I am here," Jeremy agreed, finally letting me go and dropping to his knees to give Austin a big hug. "Miss me?"
"No," Austin said immediately but then started giggling. "I'm lying. Mom says it's bad to lie. I did mi
ss you. We didn't go to the park on Saturday."
"Maybe if it stops raining by then, we can go this Saturday." Jeremy's eyes bounced up to mine as he said the words, hope shining from them. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves. You hungry for pizza?"
"I'm always hungry for pizza," Austin replied. Jeremy winked and pushed up off the floor, walking back out of the door for a second to retrieve the pizza he'd set down before hugging me.
"So am I, buddy. Let's eat while it's still hot."
The three of us walked to the kitchen as we had so many times before. While we ate, the familiar feeling of comfort and rightness returned—whenever I was with him, it felt as if I was exactly where I was supposed to be. When we were done, I expected Austin to go watch his show, but he surprised me when he turned to Jeremy instead.
"Will you read me a story?"
Jeremy blinked, evidently as surprised as I was. Nodding, he grinned and jerked his head to Austin's room. "You got it."
Austin clapped his hands together and took off. Jeremy pretended like he couldn't catch up and called after him. "I'll get you one of these days!"
Austin's giggles floated out from his room. Austin dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth before pulling on his pajamas. Leaning in the door, I watched as he climbed into his bed.
Jeremy was already sitting there, combing through the books on Austin's bookshelf. Plucking one out, he straightened his legs and leaned back against the headboard, starting to read. Austin looked happier and more content than I'd seen him in days while Jeremy immersed himself in the story and even did different voices for the different characters.
I'd have to warn him some time that if he made story time that exciting, he'd probably have to read more than one before Austin fell asleep. I caught myself in that thought. It implied I was thinking about a future with Jeremy in which he'd be around to read Austin bedtime stories.
I was in love with this man, there was no denying that. The argument we'd had was serious. I still had my doubts about the money, but if it was up to me, I wasn't ready for this to end.
Wesley had twisted me up inside. I thought he'd done so for life, but I could learn to trust again. I already had. It didn't mean that I didn't doubt my own judgment from time to time. I also had to learn how to trust myself again.
Listening to Jeremy read and watching as Austin's eyes eventually closed as he drifted off, I realized that while I still wanted answers, I trusted Jeremy. Whatever the truth was about the money, Jeremy would never have done anything to intentionally hurt me.
He’d only ever protected me. I’d have to be a fool to actually believe he was doing anything different now. I loved him and this was nothing more than our first fight. Surely it didn't mean that we were over.
When Austin fell asleep, we walked silently to the kitchen, where Jeremy opened the fridge and rummaged through it to find a bottle of wine we hadn't finished the week before. He took it out, reached for two wineglasses and carried them to the living room.
He poured us each a glass and patted the space beside him. Despite the anxiety tightening my chest, I settled onto the couch at his side and took a sip of my wine.
There was darkness in his gaze, a heaviness that made a cold shiver run through me.
"Cold?"
I shook my head, turning in my seat to face him and knotting my hands in my lap. "What was so urgent?"
Jeremy swallowed, pain flashing in his eyes. "I don't really know how to tell you this, but I have news."
"Probably best to just spit it out." I didn't like seeing that look in his eyes, and I already knew I was going to hate whatever it was he had to say.
He cleared his throat and swallowed again, making my apprehension notch even higher. Taking a deep breath, he reached for my hands in my lap and took both of them in his, his eyes locked on mine. "Wesley's dead. He died in a car accident this afternoon."
Blood drained from my face so fast that I felt dizzy. My vision blurred, and I started shaking. "Are you serious?"
"I am. Sonny phoned me earlier,” he said, pulling me closer to give me a hug. Securely in his arms, the tears started flowing. "I was wondering if the police wouldn't have let you know already, but as soon as I saw you I knew that they hadn't come here yet.”
"We weren't married." I hiccupped into his chest, my tears wetting his shirt. He kept his arms around me, stroking my back in comforting circles. “They had no reason to notify me.”
"The accident was on the news this evening as well, but I guess that was while you were coming home from work."
"I didn't see it. Didn’t hear it either. The radio in my car was off because Austin was talking. I can't believe this." I was shocked, my body trembling as sobs kept rolling through me. I couldn't stop them even though I tried.
If I thought I was feeling mixed up before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. Wesley was violent and abusive towards me and Austin, but I had never wished him any harm. All that I wanted was for him to leave us alone.
Now he was gone, and I was going to have to tell Austin that his father had died. I didn't have any idea about how to tell a five-year-old news like that, nor did I know what that would mean for us.
Death wasn't a topic I had broached with Austin before. I mean, he was only five. Knowing I would have to do it now in relation to his father, not even a bit of a long lost relative, tore me apart.
"How do I tell Austin?" I asked, pulling back so I could look into Jeremy's eyes.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, his hazel eyes burning bright with determination. "I don't know. But whatever you need, I'm here. I'm right here, Marie."
Burrowing into his loving embrace again, I whispered. "Thank God for that."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jeremy
"Do you want to talk about everything else some other time?" I asked. After the bomb I'd just dropped, everything else that we needed to talk about paled in comparison.
Marie shook her head, tightening her hold on my hands. "Let's talk about it now. I can't have this all hanging over my head any more, Jeremy. I need everything to be out in the open if we’re going to move forward."
I wasn't ready to let Marie go. I would fight tooth and nail for her if that were what it took. Which it very well just might. “I want the same thing.”
"Then tell me,” she said, looking deeply into my eyes. "And let's put this behind us."
If only it was as simple as she was making it sound. It wasn't.
I came clean to her about everything, borrowing my father's dirty money to pay the attorney and to live in Savannah to support her, talking to Sonny and finally the plan with him to catch the guys who had been threatening me.
Marie let me speak and I got everything off my chest without interruption. She grew paler than she already was after the shock of hearing about Wesley’s accident.
When I was done spilling the whole mess, she was silent for a few beats as she thought it over. Finally, her emerald green eyes lifted to mine. Instead of the disgust or regret I was expecting to see there, I saw nothing but love.
"I'm really glad you've told me everything,” she said, emotion cracking her voice. "And I really do appreciate that you were only trying to help, but now you've put yourself in danger."
"I know, it was never my intention to put anyone, myself included, in danger. With Sonny helping, hopefully we'll get these guys before they get me."
"You better,” she whispered, wiping a stray tear from her eye with the back of her hand. I caught her, bringing it to my lips and dropping a kiss in the center of her palm.
"I love you, Marie Nix. I love you so much. I promise I will never do anything like this ever again." My voice was thick, heavy with the weight of gratitude that she'd forgiven me, regret I'd made such a monumental mistake to begin with, and pure, unconditional love for the woman who held my heart in her hands.
"I love you too, Jeremy." She brought her hands to my cheeks and lifted herself up on her knees to crawl into my lap w
ithout breaking eye contact. Lowering her head, she kissed me deeply.
I groaned into her mouth. I’d missed everything about her. Her lips were soft but insistent on mine, her scent winding around me.
I dove into our kiss with long, lingering strokes of my tongue against hers, claiming her. Possessing her. I’d told her once that she was everything to me, but she so much more than that.
She was every boyhood fantasy. Every woman I’d ever admired. Every sexy dream and every comforting embrace. Being with her was everything I needed. As she straddled me and kissed me deeper, I knew she felt the same way. That was everything.
“Bedroom?” she asked, drawing back, her gaze catching mine. Her lips were swollen from my rough kisses and her breath came in raspy gasps.
“Bedroom.”
Her legs curled around my hips, and she pressed close. I stood, lifting her into my arms, gripping her delectable ass as I carried her to her room. I was already rock hard and ready from our kiss. I could feel the heat from her pussy against me through the layers between us.
Carefully pushing the door shut behind me, mindful of not waking Austin, I caught her mouth in a kiss again. Laying her on the bed, I tore my lips free to gulp in air. My hands were frantic as they tore off her top, revealing a black lacy bra that set my blood to boiling levels.
Her touch lit small fires on the surface of my skin as she shoved my shirt up and over my head. In a matter of seconds, our clothes were in a pile on the floor. Tracing the lines of my abs, she made my breath hitch as she drew a line to my hips. Her hands were as frenzied as mine. We were both trying to make up for the time we had lost. Touch all of each other at once.
My hands trailed up her sides to her nipples, hard and puckered tight. I wasted no time palming them, rolling them around my fingers as my mouth found that sweet spot behind her ear. Kissing a path from her ear to her collarbone, over to her breastbone, I drew her nipple into my mouth.
