“I don't know what this is all about,” he growled out in a low tone, as he looked over at Julie's sister and then back at her, “but it's pissing me off.”
Cody heard a phone ring, and he looked over on the table the noise had come from to see Julie's phone sitting there.
“You want to get that?” he asked.
“Nope,” she said, as she turned and walked away with her plate.
She sat down on the couch next to her sister, and once his plate was full, Cody sat down on the chair next to the couch.
“So, what had you out of sorts earlier?” he asked, knowing damn well Julie wouldn't want him to ask it in front of Jessie. “You said it's a family thing. I can't imagine it's Jessie.”
“Family thing?” Jessie asked.
Cody watched Julie's body stiffen, and he didn't like it. He hadn't meant for that to happen.
“So, you're having a baby,” Cody said, as he turned his attention to Jessie. “I bet you and your man are happy.”
“Oh, it was,” Julie quickly began, but Jessie cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
“He's no longer here,” Jessie said, “but it'll be okay. I've got my sister.”
Jessie smiled a big smile, but Cody could see something very different in her eyes. It wasn't happiness, and it wasn't anger either. It was hurt. He looked over at Julie, but she didn't seem to notice. She had a smile on her face as well, and it was about as genuine as her sister's.
Before any of them could speak again, a phone rang, but it was a different ringtone and came from over by Jessie. She quickly looked down at the screen and then over at Julie. When she didn't answer it, Cody was more confused than ever. They were both blowing off calls. A few seconds later, Jessie's phone made a ding noise. She looked down at the screen. As she looked up from it and back to her sister, her eyes widened and they were filled with concern.
“I'll be back in a minute,” Julie said, as she quickly set her plate down, got to her feet, and took off down the hall.
It took all Cody had not to get up and go after her, but he didn't have the right to do that. Julie was already stressed enough. There was no way he wanted to make it worse, but he also couldn't stand the thought of her being upset.
“What the fuck was that?” Cody asked.
“She's right,” Jessie said. “It's definitely a family thing. She'll be okay.”
“You sure about that?” Cody asked, wanting to hear more than just she'll be okay.
“Yes,” she said. “That's all I can tell you, but I will say one more thing.”
“What's that?” he asked.
“Beside this baby,” Jessie said, “Julie is my everything. If you hurt her, you will be sorry, more sorry than anyone has ever made you before.”
“Don't plan to hurt her,” Cody said. “It's not like that.”
“I know,” Jessie said. “She told me the same thing. I sure hope you know what you're doing. She's having a hard enough time with things right now. I'm not sure she can take much more.”
“What's going on?” he asked, wanting more than anything to know, and not so he could hurt her, but so he could help her.
“You want to know, you ask her,” Jessie said.
“Why have you looked at me like you despise me since the moment I walked through that door?” he asked, pointing back toward the apartment door.
“I'm not Julie,” Jessie said. “I don't give everyone a chance to fuck me over. We're actually very different. Where she's sweet and reserved, I'm up front and honest. Where she wants to take care of people, I can't be bothered with that shit. Where she's willing to take a risk, I'm always on defense. No matter what people tell her, she always forms her own opinion. I can only imagine that's what she's doing with you.”
“Look,” he said. “I don't know what you've heard about me, but I'm not a bad person.”
“You better fucking hope not,” she whispered. “You not only have the ability to tear my sister apart, but you also have the ability to tear her from her family too. If you're here for selfish reasons, then I'm asking you nicely to step away from the situation. If you don't, and you hurt her, you'll have way more than me to deal with. I suggest you think about that, Cody. We have a military brother. After him comes our crew, one of which is a race car driver, and they won't give two shits who you are or what you own. Then comes the adults in the family. They most definitely are not to be fucked with. They each drive us crazy in a different way, but they're the real deal. There's a retired police officer, a retired firefighter, a builder, and another two, who I'm sure you've met. Just so you know, they'd go all in to ruin your ass. Think really hard about this, Cody. She stayed here for me, and if I'm being honest, I think it had something to do with you too. She has enough shit going on with the people she loves. She doesn't need you in there fucking with her too. I won't say another word about this. I'm giving you one chance, but know that I am only doing it because she must see something good in you. Don't make me sorry that I did.”
Jessie got up, took her plate, and headed for her sister's room.
“Thanks for dinner,” she said, and then she was gone.
Cody wasn't sure what to do. He was torn. Jessie knew who he was, but how? She never went to the company, and she'd been at school for four years. How the fuck did she recognize his name? His hands went up and moved through his hair. Should he stay, or should he go, he wondered? What the hell kind of person had Gavin and Ethan made him out to be? He wasn't an evil mastermind, but Jessie had made him sound like the worst person on the planet. Was it her sisterly love? Was it some strange twin connection? Did everyone think of him that way? He'd done nothing wrong. Nothing except show up where Julie was just to get information on her father. Shit! Was he that guy?
Should he have got up and left? Yes! That was exactly what he should have done, but he couldn't. Julie was upset, and she hadn't eaten. There was no damn way he was leaving. So, he didn't. He sat on that chair, and he waited.
After thirty minutes, he heard the door open, and both Jessie and Julie walked out. Julie had a smile on her face, but he could see sadness in her eyes and a redness on her cheeks from where she'd been crying. Cody got to his feet, rounded the couch, and pulled her into his arms.
“You okay?” he asked, as he kissed the top of her head.
When her arms came around him, and her head nuzzled in against his chest, he knew he wasn't leaving. He wasn't going anywhere. He looked up at Jessie with a questioning look. She shook her head and shrugged. Then she turned around and walked out of the room.
“You need to eat,” Cody said, as he pulled back a bit so he could look down at Julie. “I'm going to heat your food up.”
“I'm sorry,” she whispered against his chest. “You should probably go.”
“Not going to happen,” he said. “Go sit down. I'll have your food ready in a few minutes.”
Cody kept his arms around her until they were back in front of the couch. Then he let her go, grabbed her plate, and walked toward the kitchen. As he watched the plate turn in circles in the microwave, he thought about the fact that Julie hadn't gone home like she had every summer. Her sister was pregnant, and from what he could tell, their parents didn't know. Why they would hide it, he didn't know, but they were, and that was what mattered. The man that prided himself on being a family man had one daughter that was hurting over some type of family matter and one that was keeping a pregnancy from him. Gavin's life wasn't so perfect after all, Cody thought. That was what he'd wanted, to find out Gavin's imperfections, wasn't it? Jessie's words played through Cody's mind. He had a big decision to make. One that wouldn't just affect Gavin, the man he was beginning to dislike for more than just business reasons, but the people Gavin loved as well. Cody turned around and looked out at the woman sitting on the couch, the one he didn't want to walk away from, and he knew he didn't want to be that man to her, the one Gavin had made him out to be. If she'd heard the same things about him that Jessie had, why was she givi
ng him a chance? Was she giving him a chance? It sure seemed that way. Then he thought about her dad and what he could have possibly told his family about him. Was she like Gavin? Was it all a front? Was she trying to get him to think she actually cared, just so he'd let his walls down and give her something to tell her father? Was Jessie in on it too? Fuck!
Cody grabbed the plate from the microwave, took it into the living room, and set it down in front of Julie. He wanted to stay. There was no way he wanted to leave her, but there were so many things going through his mind. Was she a good person? Was she evil? Jessie had said that she thought he was part of the reason Julie had stayed? Was he, and if so, was it sincere, or was it for her father?
“I have to go,” he said, as he stood in front of her.
“I get it,” she said, as the first tear fell. “If I were you, I've leave too. It's probably for the best. This isn't me. I'm not a mess, Cody. I swear I'm not. I'm sorry for leaving you out here. It wasn't right. My dad called me earlier to tell me my brother is going to work for him, and it really got me. It's not my brother. I love him, but he hates the place, and my dad couldn't be happier that he's joining his team. That shouldn't bother me, but it does. I totally understand if you think I'm crazy. I'm beginning to think I am too.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, Cody was sitting next to her with his arms wrapped tightly around her. There was no damn way he was walking away. He was going to be right there, holding her, doing his best to take away the doubt her father had put there. That man was quickly moving up Cody's shit list, and not the one associated with business.
“You're not crazy,” he said. “You're just passionate, the most passionate person I know, and you're amazing, Julie. Don't you ever let anyone make you feel less than that.”
When Julie looked up at him, he held her face in his hands, dried her tears with his thumbs, and then kissed her. It wasn't just a quick peck as he held the door to her car open for her. Instead, it was a passionate kiss filled with every confusing emotion that was going through him in that moment. That was when he realized he was just as big of a mess as she was, and he had no idea what he was going to do about it.
Chapter 11
Cody
Cody couldn't believe how quickly the two months that followed flew by. Did he use the little tidbit of information he had on Gavin against him? No. He wanted to, but he didn't. Why? Because it would hurt Jessie, and that would hurt Julie. Would it have bothered him to see Gavin feeling a bit of pain? Not at all. Julie was hurting because of him, and that was wrong, especially after he'd heard from so many people that she was a daddy's girl. Cody wasn't sure exactly what had gone wrong, but from the one time Julie had opened up to him, he'd figured out that she felt her father didn't value her nearly as much as he did her brother. That shit was fucked up. Gavin had made a huge mistake. For as smart as the man was, he was totally oblivious to things that were right under his nose. Julie was brilliant. Gavin needed her on his team. Why he wasn't banging down her door every single day to convince her of that, Cody had no idea, but he knew that it was an enormous mistake. If Gavin spent just twenty percent of the time he spent watching Cody trying to win Julie over, he'd be leaps and bounds ahead of Cody within months. Shit! If Cody could get her to join his team, it wouldn't take but a minute for him to soar right by Gavin and Ethan. He'd tried many times, but there was one problem, and it was one Cody liked and disliked at the same time, Julie was perfect in every way. As much as the people she loved were hurting her, she was loyal to them, and that was amazing.
Cody was spending more time away from the office than ever before. He knew it needed to stop, but he was having a hard time actually making it happen. When he was with Julie, things came natural. They talked about work and development, but they talked about other things too. She loved her students and talked about them often. Some of them weren't as interested in learning as others, and she was determined to get them just as excited as the rest. The excitement she had, as she talked about things they'd learned or things they'd done, was infectious. Each time, Cody knew it put a smile on his face.
He spent a lot of time at the apartment Julie shared with her sister. Not once had Jessie spoken to him the way she had that first time. They'd actually gotten along really well after that day. One of the three of them would pick up food. They'd all eat together while watching a movie. Then Jessie would always disappear to her room, giving Cody a little time alone with Julie. Jessie never came out, but Cody knew she was paying attention. She loved her sister, and that was something he'd always respect.
Cody and Julie went out on the weekends. Some nights they'd go to dinner, and other nights they'd go for a walk or see a movie, but they always ended up back at Julie's place. Cody had offered many times to go back to his place, but each time, she'd turned him down. She used her sister as an excuse every single time. She'd say that she didn't want to leave her alone. Jessie was getting bigger by the day, but she didn't need someone with her at all times. She had nobody else, that was what Julie would say. The baby's dad wasn't around. Julie had never even met the man, and Cody could tell that bothered her. There were days Jessie seemed sad, but it wasn't over the baby. She was excited about that. Something else was bringing her down. He just couldn't tell what it was.
Cody knew Julie's excuses were total bullshit, but he never called her on it. For whatever reason, she didn't want to go to his place. Part of him, even after three months, still had doubts about Julie and her reasons for spending time with him. He tried not to think about it, but it was always there, and it kept his mind and his heart in check. He was always careful about what he said, most of the time anyway. There were times, where they'd been talking, that he'd forget who she was and speak freely, but he never said anything that could harm him or his company, not that he could remember. She was the same way. He knew she was working on something. She talked about it, but she was never specific about what it actually was. They were both holding back. That was something he was sure of.
When they weren't together, Cody found himself thinking about her and their situation. No matter what he did, she was there. The more he tried to back off and leave her alone, the more he wanted her right there with him.
Not once had he ever talked to someone for three months without doing more than kiss them, but that was exactly what he'd done with her, and it was becoming harder and harder each day. He wasn't a total asshole. That was what he'd tell himself each time he'd walk away with only a kiss. It wasn't that he didn't want her, not at all. It was the exact opposite actually. He wanted Julie more than he'd ever wanted a woman before in his life, but he couldn't do it, he couldn't have her, not in that way. That would be crossing a line that could never be uncrossed. It could change things in his life he wasn't sure he was willing to change, so he didn't. Each time he kissed her, his hands would move a little more than before. His mouth would take hers with more feeling. He'd hold her a little tighter, but that was it. That was all he could take, her mouth, and he did, every single time he saw her. He knew she felt it too. He'd feel it when she kissed him back. The feel of her hands on his arms, in his hair, or gripping his back gave her away every single time. They were both fighting. There was no doubt about that. He just wasn't sure how much longer he could fight, but he knew he had to do it, for him, for his company, and for the people in it that worked their asses off every day, not only for him, but more importantly, to put food in their family's mouths. Taking things to the next level with Julie wasn't something he could do, especially if he didn't plan to have a future with her. Did he like her? Yes. Did he care about her? He did. Did he see a future with her? That he didn't know.
By the time he went home each time he'd seen her, he was tired, but he wasn't done, not even close. He'd go into his home office and make up for the hours of work he'd missed during the day. If he didn't, he knew what would happen. Gavin and Ethan would be taking steps forward, and he'd be falling behind. That could not happen. He wouldn't let it. With
each night that passed, he became more tired than the last, and the more he began to wonder if getting to know Julie was really worth it. He wasn't getting anything on her father he didn't already have, and that was the whole reason he'd talked to her in the first place, wasn't it? As many times as he'd asked her to be part of his team, Cody knew it would never happen. He'd even been sitting there when Ethan had called and begged her to work for him. She'd turned his ass down cold, and he was family. Cody had been proud of her for that. At the same time, he knew she'd never go against her father, so why the fuck was he even trying? What was he thinking?
As Cody fell into bed, he couldn't help but wonder if all the stress he was adding to his plate was worth it. What if she wasn't who she seemed? What if she really was her father's daughter? Was he putting his company at risk for no reason at all? He thought back to earlier that day. He'd been sitting in the middle of what was going to be Jessie's baby's room, putting furniture together. That was something he never thought he'd do in his life, never wanted to do, but there he was, doing it, and it wasn't even for his own child.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked himself, as he stared up at the ceiling above his bed, knowing he was going to be getting up in just a couple of hours. “Keep your eyes on the prize. She's fucking brilliant, but it's not her, Cody. Get your shit together. Get something on her father or uncle that won't hurt their kids. Then get the fuck out of there, use it, and take that number one spot, the one you've worked your ass off to get. Eyes on the prize.”
With that, he closed his eyes, hoping to get just the smallest bit of sleep.
Chapter 12
Julie
Julie had just gotten home from class, and she was more exhausted than she'd been in a long time. Between Cody pressuring her to work for him, her dad being so damn excited about her brother, helping her sister get the baby's room ready, and keeping secrets from the one person that had always believed in her, her mother, she was barely getting any sleep at all, and it was taking it's toll on her.
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