by J. L. Beck
“You’re a liar and a bad one at fucking that…” he whispered before slamming his lips down onto mine. His kiss was commanding and in it I felt every single emotion he tried to describe to me. Hate, love, pain, and sorrow mixed with happiness and sadness. I hated myself more after that kiss than I had before the kiss happened.
We devoured each other, our lips refusing to separate as our hands roamed all over as if they were doing so for the very first time. I clung to Zane, never wanting to let him go and knowing that lying to him hadn’t worked. Zane knew the baby was his and because he knew the truth, I knew that the next few days were going to be impossibly hard.
I melted into his touch, becoming sedated almost immediately. Zane kisses could bring you to your knees if you let them. When the kiss finally ended I was left breathless.
“That baby is mine Brooke and pretty soon you will be again too. Nothing our parents can say or do is going to stop me from having you again. I love you Brooke.” Zane cupped me by the back of the head and kissed me until I was seeing stars before releasing me.
“But you love her…” I started, knowing that I shouldn’t even believe such nonsense. Zane simply smiled, the cocky boy grin I loved so much showing proudly on his face.
“Jealously don’t look good on you baby… you know I would never find someone else. It was my father who invited her and tried to shove us together. I didn’t even want to talk to her…” I sighed with relief inwardly.
“Okay….” My lips trembled, the pregnancy hormones already taking over.
“Don’t worry about anything Brooke. In two days you’ll be back in my arms living with me all over again.” I didn’t know about that. Once he found out his father had threatened me, everything would change.
The truth was bound to come out. I walked away from Zane with a promise to call him and talk things over. What he didn’t know was that I had to decide if my relationship with him was worth risking my entire life.
Then again, my mother probably already had plans to disown me since I made such a horrible scene in the restaurant.
Yeah. I was pretty sure I was already on my way to hell. No point in trying to escape the train now.
Chapter Eight
Zane
I wasn’t stupid. Not as stupid as my father suspected me to be. I had played right into his hand, feeding into his little game without even realizing it. Brooke moving out and refusing to talk to me, the girl mysteriously showing up at my office and trying to get me to go on a date with her.
My father had been behind the entire thing. I just didn’t know why, but I was going to find out. I lingered at the entrance of his office wondering what kind of problems I could stir up here at the office for him. Would quitting really hurt him like I wanted it to?
“Why did you do it?” I couldn’t stop the word vomit once it came out.
“Do what son?” My father looked up at me, placing the pen in his hand back on the desk.
“Fuck with Brooke and me…?” I hadn’t talked to Brooke since that night at the restaurant but I was going straight to her once I was finished here and she would tell me whatever it was that my father wouldn’t.
My father’s expression turned bewildered. “Brooke and you. You talk as if you were an item and not just friends?” I raised an eyebrow up at him pushing off the doorframe. Did he think I was that dumb?
“Don’t play dumb with me. I don’t know what you told Brooke or what you did for that matter, but I’ve pieced the puzzle together pretty good on my own. That baby she’s carrying is mine and if I find out…”
My father shook his head. “Now you don’t know that Zane. Brooke was very sexually active. It could be any viable male’s baby on that campus…” I didn’t know what it was that sent me over the edge. It could’ve been the fact he was insinuating that Brooke was a whore, or that I wasn’t the father….
Either way I was across the room in a second, my fist slamming down on his desk causing all the items to scatter. He narrowed his eyes, a look of shock glossing over his face.
“Brooke isn’t a whore if that’s what you’re trying to get at and I love her, so next time you decide to say something shitty about the woman maybe say it to someone else, because I won’t hesitate to land this fist against your jaw instead of your desk…” I was seething, my rage mounting and my father was the gasoline, pouring more fuel onto the fire.
“Are you threatening me?” I looked my father straight in the eyes for the very first time in a long time. What I saw was nothing. His heart had died with my mother and the person that was left behind with her death was nothing but a shell of the person he used to be and that hurt me.
“It’s not a fucking threat. I will make you regret ever fucking with Brooke and me. I don’t care what you and Sandra think of us being together. It’s not your lives. I’m going to go talk to Brooke and if she tells me at all that you had something to do with any of the this shit I will be quitting…” My fist unclenched against the hard grain of the wood. I knew my father was responsible for all of this. I just wish I had discovered it sooner.
“We won’t let you two be together. It’s wrong.” I bit the inside of my cheek, the taste of blood filling the small cavity.
“Us being together is affecting no one…” I roared, tired of feeling like I wasn’t good enough. This was what Brooke had been running from; why she wanted to keep our relationship a secret when it was clearly evident they knew we were together all along.
My father’s gaze turned cold. “Sandra and I have important reputations to uphold…” he whispered quietly as if he was trying to keep the conversation under wraps. Other employees had heard the commotion taking place in his office and slowed down to take a look.
I didn’t care. Not one single fuck would be given to my father after what he had done to Brooke and me.
“Fuck your reputation…” I growled, the words spewing from my mouth as I slammed both fists down on the desk before him. I leaned into his face, a man I used to love reflected back at me. He was still the same on the outside but the person he was underneath the skin and bones wasn’t.
“I will not let you hurt me anymore. If you don’t like what I’m doing with my life then fuck you….” I narrowed my eyes at him, before shoving away from the desk and in the direction of the door. Brooke would provide me with all the answers I needed and when she did, I would be done here.
“All it takes is one phone call son. One call to Sandra and Brooke’s college career is over. Do you really want to do that to her?” I clenched my jaw so hard I was sure it would snap, my teeth grinding together as I swiveled around on my heels, crossing the room once more. This old bastard needed to be taught a lesson.
Within seconds I had him by the throat, my father, the man that had brought me into this world, was slammed against the wall, and my fingers were circling around his windpipe. He stared at me, his expression still lifeless.
“Don’t threaten me with that shit. If you want to do it, then do it. I’ll provide Brooke with better, either way…” I squeezed, warning him that if he said another word to me I would destroy him.
I was past hating my father and his evil wife. The way they made me feel was on a whole other realm of emotion. When I released my father he let out a ragged cough, gulping in copious amounts of oxygen.
“You will regret this Zane.” The words vibrated right through me.
“No. The only thing I regret is being your son.” I didn’t try and hide the hate that I had for him from my voice. I didn’t care if he knew or what he knew for that matter. The damage had been done already.
I walked out of his office and gathered up my small amount of belongings, placing them all in a box. His eyes stayed trained on me watching me place every single item in the box. Once finished, I closed the door on this chapter of my life and walked down to the parking garage.
I needed to see Brooke now and explain everything that had happened. More than that, I needed to tell her that things were going to ch
ange.
***
I had texted Brooke what seemed to be a million times but couldn’t have been more than five. We needed to talk and we needed to do so now. I walked to her dorm room and waited outside for her like she instructed. My anxiety seemed to build with every passing second.
When she finally appeared in front of me, I took her small frame up in my arms squeezing her tightly against my chest. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head but I didn’t care.
“What’s going on? Your texts made it seem like something was wrong,” she started but I stopped her, my lips pressing against hers stealing both our breaths away. When I finally had my fill of kisses I spoke.
“I pieced the puzzle together. I know my father did something and I want to know what it is Brooke.” I held her fragile face in my hands, pleading with my eyes only for her to just spill the beans.
“I think we should go somewhere and talk about this…” Her eyes skirted from mine and to those passing by that seemed to be interested in our conversation.
“Okay… let’s walk to the cottage.” I released her face and took her hand in mine, starting in the direction of the cottage.
“No Zane. I won’t go back there… Your father, he has…” she mumbled. “Cameras up…” My entire body locked up, acid rising in my throat as I digested what she had said.
“Cameras?”” I turned to face her once more completely shocked. She nodded her head up and down.
“He….” She stumbled over her words nervously. “He knew we were together because he watched the recordings of us coming in and out of the house….”
That bastard.
He had been playing us all along.
“Then you didn’t leave because you wanted to end things between us?” The answer to this question was one I had been eager to hear since the moment she left.
Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head no. “He threatened me.” Brooke’s voice was fragile and I knew then that I would make my father pay for hurting the woman I loved.
“He can’t hurt us anymore baby.” I pulled her small frame into my arms tucking her head under my chin. My body warmed all over when she wrapped both arms around my middle.
“They’re going to take my degree. I can’t afford classes here without the money from them…” I sucked in a breath.
“I’ll do what I can with the money I have. We can pay the rest of this semester off and go from there…” The need to make things right and better for Brooke was overshadowing everything else. She had been in her own personal hell for the last few weeks being the one that had to put an end to our relationship.
Now she was pregnant with our baby and there was no denying that I would be claiming her as more than just a girlfriend.
Our parents didn’t want us together for numerous reasons, so us being together would be the best kind of payback.
“Let’s go back to our bed. I’ve missed you so fucking much its not even funny.” I would rip the cameras down or cover them with something but I was bringing Brooke back to the cottage with me. I was done letting my father win. I would get my forever even if he hadn’t.
Brooke was my everything and the baby that was growing inside her was going to be our chance at a future, and I would destroy anyone that tried to get in the way of that.
“I don’t want your father watching us…” Brooke peered up at me between her long brown eyelashes. God, she was beautiful. I had missed her touch, scent and overall presence more than I had expected to. I was holding out for the moment when she would come running back to me, but I understood why she hadn’t now.
“He won’t be. I’m removing the cameras as soon as we get back to the cottage. His hold over us is gone. I’m done playing nice baby. You and our unborn child are all that matter now.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, relishing in the feeling once more. Being able to kiss her and touch her again after weeks of going without was like tasting water after going without it for months.
“Then I’ll come,” she agreed and my heart skyrocketed out of my chest. I cradled her tightly against my chest wanting to be able to put an end to all the bad shit taking place in our lives right now.
“I’m going to put a stop to all this bad shit baby. I’m going to make things right and then I’m going to be the best damn father and man you could ever imagine.” I promised her knowing I would never be like my father. Never.
Chapter Nine
Brooke
The sound of my cell phone ringing echoed through the bedroom. I was wrapped up in Zane’s warm embrace and didn’t want to move but the phone kept ringing and ringing.
“Who the hell keeps calling?” Zane groaned into my hair, his hard length pressing against my backside.
“I don’t know.” I yawned, reluctantly rolling over to grab the damn thing. My mother’s name flashed across the screen. There was no outrunning this. Zane and I would have to face them head on.
I swiped my finger across the screen answering the call. “Good morning.” My mother’s cheery but slightly angry voice filtered in through the speaker.
“Why’re you calling me?” Somehow I had found strength. The very strength needed to stand up to my mother.
“Excuse me…” Silence. “I’m your mother. You answer the phone when I call you. I’m already extremely disappointed in you and the things that I’m forced to clean up. Do you know what everyone would say about Gerald and me if they found out you were having your stepbrother’s baby?”
I was so enraged with my mother and her sick twisted need for others’ approval on her life.
“I’m your daughter, your child. Do you hear the things you’re saying? Do you even realize how insane you sound?” I could hear the audible gasp fall from her lips.
“Insane? I’m not the one sleeping with my brother. That is beyond messed up Brooke. I’ve already received phone calls from people that have seen you together on campus. Do you not care that you’re ruining mine and Gerald’s reputations?” I shook my head, squeezing my phone hard enough to break it.
“Your reputations can go to hell.” I didn’t even know why I was still on the phone with her.
“If you want to continue to go to college you’re going to get an abortion. I will pay for it but I will not pay for another one. You need to understand…” Her voice trailed off in my mind. I heard nothing after the word abortion. It was then that my mother had officially died to me.
“Leave me the fuck alone. I will not get an abortion. Rip me from classes, take the cottage, take my car, take it all but I will not…” Venom clung to my words. “Bow down to you. I will not do what you want me to do.” I hung up then, my hands shaking as I threw the phone across the room, the phone shattering against the wall.
“Whoa…” Zane’s voice cooled my heated blood just enough for me to stop shaking with rage.
“She told me to get an abortion….” I couldn’t even believe the words I had just spoken out loud. My own mother, the person who gave birth to me, wanted me to abort her grandchild. A child she had yet to meet.
Zane’s facial features twisted in rage. “If murder were legal I would kill her right here right now.” My stomach churned and acid rose in my throat burning a path of fire up my esophagus.
I was off the bed and in the bathroom before Zane could say a word, last night’s dinner spilling from me and into the toilet.
“I’m sorry baby…” Zane appeared next to me, his cool touch pulling back any stray strands of hair that lingered against my face.
I couldn’t even speak because vomit continued to make its way out of me. Zane stayed right next to me, rubbing comforting circles against my back. When my stomach finally settled exhaustion seeped deep into my bones.
“I hate her. I’ve never hated someone but I hate her.” The words just came. I didn’t care if there was no taking the words back, they were the most truthful things I had said in weeks. I tried protecting Zane and me from them b
ut once our baby came into the picture there was no way I could continue to lie.
I wanted Zane to have a part in our baby’s life and the only way for him to do that was for me to come forward and tell them all that I was pregnant.
“Don’t let what she said to you work you up. I’ll never let them hurt you again. Never…” I wanted to weep because I was so blessed to have the man I had spent the last month trying to push away right here beside me.
With Zane’s help I got up off the floor and brushed my teeth. I could feel his heated gaze on me the entire time and I knew that he wanted to make love to me again, just like he had last night, his body proving to me in more than one way that he was in this for the long haul.
“Zane…” I was breathless once I finished whirling around on him, his hands reached out and landing on my shoulder as he kept me at a distance.
“I want you so badly right now that it’s driving me crazy but I need you to be okay and you aren’t. So instead of doing what I want right now I’m going to tuck you back into our bed and go talk to my father.” I shook my head at him, my lip wobbling as emotions swarmed me.
“No. I won’t let you make some sick twisted deal with the devil.” I shrugged off his hands and collapsed against his chest praying he would see through his need to make thing right.
“I’m what he needs to keep his business going Brooke.” He pulled away enough for me to see his face, a seriousness riddling his features.
“I don’t understand what you mean. If he needed you he wouldn’t have done any of these things.” I was confused, a throbbing pain forming between my eyes.
“He needs me. I’m the heir to the company. If I’m no longer employed by him he has to sell out to one of his colleagues and knowing my father, he would rather stab himself in the eye than do that…”
