“Yes.” He held up a couple of towels laying on the back of a sofa, “Do you want to use these?”
“Oh yes, thank you.” I patted the plushness over my face and ran the cloth over my arms.
“What size do you wear, and I’ll have concierge bring you some dry clothes?”
“That’s not necessary, I can wait until I get home.”
“What size, Leah?”
I started to argue, but his intense expression reminded me of Chad’s, and I knew he would keep pushing.
“A four or a small will do.”
“Shoe?”
“Six”
He picked up the phone without addressing himself and barked out some orders and I smiled when he added a curt thank you. Cool air brushed across my skin and I wrapped the towel around my shoulders unaware goosebumps covered my flesh.
He walked over to the thermostat and pressed a few buttons and a guest services employee rolled a cart inside with an assortment of beverages along with a small pot of coffee for my choosing.
“Please have a seat.”
I frowned, “I’m wet.”
He scowled. “It will be fine. Have a seat.”
I wasn’t about to ruin the expensive high-end chair but before I could argue, another knock tapped on his door.
“That was fast. Thank you, Sylvia. Please show Ms. Wright to Brooke’s private office.” He cut his eyes toward me. “My wife has a personal dressing room you can use.”
I followed the woman carrying an embossed bag with the logo of the boutique in gold into an adjoining office to the large bathroom equipped with amenities equal to the penthouse. She placed the items onto the vanity before leaving.
From inside the bag, I pulled out a pair of designer white linen pants and a navy top with matching navy sandals. It didn’t take long to change into the dry clothes and pull my hair into a ponytail. Wiping away the smudges from underneath my eyes, I took a long look at my reflection. A hollow shell stared back.
There was so much anger inside me.
I wondered if I’d known the truth would my life have had a different path. Would I have been loveable instead of the rebel hellion? For a fact, I wouldn’t have cried endless tears for a mother who had never wanted me. I sure as hell wouldn’t be staring in the mirror only to have a broken girl looking back at me.
For the love of all things holy, she was right here the entire time. All they had to do was let me grow up knowing my mother loved me. It would have made all the difference in the world, to know my mother was right there and she did need me.
Closing my eyes, I yearned for solace. I yearned for Chad.
Slowly I made my way into Garrett’s office and found him sitting behind his desk.
“Have a seat, Leah.” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
“Thank you for the clothes. Once I find my purse, I’ll repay you.”
“It’s not necessary.”
He was so cut and dry like his brother. Must be in the DNA.
“Thank you, Garrett. It was truly kind of you to help me.”
“So, you’re the one.” He cocked his head to the side wearing a devilish smile that mimicked his brothers.
I blinked several times. “Excuse me?”
“There are broken hearts all over the city… hell scratch that. There are hearts broken all over the country right now. Chad’s officially off the market.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head back and forth. “It’s not what you think. We’re… we’re friends.”
“Right,” he chuckled. “Friends my ass.”
“No. Really, we’re good friends. He’s… been helping me since my dad had his heart attack.”
Amusement filled his expression, but the door flew open before he had a chance to respond. Chad surged toward me.
“Are you all right?” He kneeled in front of me totally unphased we were not alone.
Garrett chuckled some more. “I’ll step out.”
We both seemed to stand at the same time, and I sank into him. His arms wrapped around me and his hands funneled through my hair. Lifting my head, I tiptoed up to kiss him. Wrapping my arms around his neck I felt the tension leaving his shoulders.
“I’ve had my employees combing the city with a man parked at your house, your dad’s, and even mine. Every cab company and city transportation has been on the watch and the only reason the police weren’t involved is because it was too soon to file a missing person.” He whispered.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. I must have dropped my purse somewhere.”
“Harry called right after you left, desperate for help to find you.”
“Did he… tell you?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t wrap my head around it. After all these years. I… I feel like I don’t even know who I am.”
“Yes, you do. You’re Leah Wright, the girl showing me who I am.”
My eyes filled with a new batch of tears and it was too much to handle. A single tear rolled down my cheek with hundreds more threatening to follow. His thumb softly brushed over capturing the wetness marking my skin.
“Can you please take me home?”
“I’m going to take care of everything. Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
He placed his hand on the small of my back and God his touch felt so good. Heading toward Garrett, I stopped. The piece of metal above the beautiful bridal portrait sparked my curiosity.
“What’s with the piece of plane?” I whispered to Chad.
“Brooke and I survived a plane crash. It was on that day, I realized I was head over heels in love with that girl and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Wow.
I hadn’t met Stone, the third Mitchell brother, but he had big shoes to fill in comparison to Chad and Garrett.
Before reaching the lobby, Chad dropped his hand from my back and placed distance between us as we walked to the valet area. I hated the fact we had to hide, but not enough to risk getting caught in the spotlight of gossip. But it didn’t mean I had to like it one little bit. Garrett let out another chuckle but didn’t say a word.
“Thanks, brother.”
“Anytime.”
They shook hands and Chad opened the back-passenger door of a shiny black SUV waiting at the curb. I slid inside and then he walked to the opposite side and joined me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Charlie. Good to see you.”
“According to GPS, the freeway appears open and the flow is all green.”
“Thank you for the status. I’m going to raise the divider. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Yes, Sir, Boss.”
The driver eased into the traffic and Chad pushed a button closing the window between the front and back seats. He reached over and placed a hand on my thigh, tugging me across the black leather seat. Like a magnetic pull, I sank against him and placed my head on this chest. He kissed the top of my head and snaked his arm around me.
“Harry was a fool for keeping that shit from you, but I get his reasoning.”
“I’ll never understand,” I hissed.
“After you hear him out, you might.”
“Not happening. I don’t want to talk to him anytime soon.”
“We had a long talk today.”
“Hmph.” I shrugged like I didn’t care, but deep down I did care.
“Harry held onto hope that one day Sharon would come back, and things would be as if she never left. He thought you were the answer. That it would be you that made her strong enough to beat the drug addiction. When he finally faced the truth, that she wasn’t coming back, you were at an age where he wasn’t willing to risk losing you too.”
“That doesn’t change anything. And I don’t think I can stomach it if you are defending him.”
“I’m not defending him, but after hearing him out, I can maybe have a little more under
standing of his motives. He didn’t want to lose you.”
“Ironic isn’t it? He waited and still lost me.”
It felt as though a ton of bricks stacked on my chest making it harder and harder for me to breathe.
“Sharon had a prescription drug problem and when the doctors stopped prescribing, she sought street connections. He said she binged for days at a time and he would drive the streets looking for her for days and into the nights. After you turned eighteen months old Sharon left and never came back.”
“None of that matters anymore. She wasn’t even my mother.”
“But she was supposed to be. Harry spent a half a million dollars on rehab, another half million on private investigators to find her. The last report he received, she was somewhere in Utah. He did that because he loved her, but he wanted you to have your mother.”
“But she wasn’t my mother! My mother wore black slacks and a white blouse every day and she was my fucking nanny! Did my father sleep with her? Was she artificially inseminated? Did they have an affair and get caught? I can’t wrap my head around all of this!”
“Once you, Harry, and Anita sit down and talk, that’s something they will tell you. I didn’t ask, and Harry didn’t say.”
“I can’t even think about sitting down and talking to either of them.”
“Give it time, Leah.” He gently hugged me into his arms.
It felt so good to be held by him. It was almost as if his embrace could fix me. More than anything I wanted to stay in his arms. Chad didn’t say anything else and I quietly snuggled into his chest watching the high-rise buildings along the freeway pass by. It was then, I realized we were headed east, in the opposite direction of either mine or his home.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Chapter 19
“I… don’t feel like going anywhere, Chad. I need to go home.”
“Do you trust me?” He dusted his thumb along my cheek and God with one look I was lost in his gaze.
“Of course, I trust you. But… I’m a hot mess physically and mentally, not to mention I look and feel like crap.”
“Keep trusting me Leah. I’m going to take you somewhere that my entire family believes is a place for new beginnings.”
I blinked at him before squeezing my eyes closed. He made me feel like everything was going to be okay. It was as if I jumped, he would catch me—save me, protect me, and saturate me with warmth.
“Okay.”
His lips brushed against mine in a soft tender kiss and his fingers laced with mine. It was as if all emptiness and broken pieces of happiness were trying to find their way to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Less than an hour later, we entered the entrance of a private airport and veered to the right driving behind a few planes lined against a building. We came to a stop next to a red helicopter with a large black M logo on the side.
Surely not.
When Chad opened the vehicle door, my mouth formed a perfect O.
“In that?”
“Yes, that.” He let out a soft laugh.
A man with headphones resting around his neck jumped out signaling a thumbs up and a wide smile on his face.
“That’s Hank, my brother’s personal pilot. Stone sent him from Houston to fly us to our destination.”
“I’ve never flown in a helicopter.”
“If you get scared, I have my ways of distracting you,” he said playfully but squeezed my hand to let me know he was serious.
Walking with him to the rear of the SUV, I half smiled. Despite all the shit thrown at me today, a calmness enveloped me. The hatch lifted and to my surprise, next to two suitcases, sat my purse.
“It was at the hospital. I told Harry I would make sure you got it.”
“Does he know… we…”
“He doesn’t know or speculate anything.”
His body brushed against mine as he reached inside for the handle on the luggage. Tingles buzzed up and down my spine at the contact. I didn’t understand the chemistry between us, but it was there as sure as oxygen filled the atmosphere.
After the bags landed on the asphalt, I grasped the sides of his face and drew his mouth down to mine. His fingers threaded into my hair and his lips tasted so damned good, like fresh-clean mint and dirty sin mixed together.
Across the tarmac, a small plane zipped down the runway and Chad tore his lips from mine with a groan. “That mouth of yours could make a man give up everything for one more taste.”
Hank approached us wearing a lopsided grin and offered his hand to Chad. “It’s been a long time, brother.”
“Too long.” Chad grinned and turned his gaze toward me, “Hank, meet Leah Wright.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Wright.” A wide smile broke across his face and Chad shook his head with a scowl as if a private conversation was exchanged between the two.
“Nice to meet you as well.”
“The weather is perfect for a nice relaxing flight. I’ll have you there in no time.” He spun around laughing, opened the door behind the captain’s seat and then hopped into the front.
Inside the massive helicopter there were several nice comfortable leather seats. Chad and I sat next to one another and once we were buckled in, the rotors began to spin.
He placed his hand onto my thigh, “Relax.”
I nodded, “I’m good.”
He handed me a pair of earbuds. “It may get a little noisy. You can listen to music and take a nap if you want.”
“Thanks.”
Surprisingly, lift-off was smooth, not much different than an elevator car climbing to its destination. I watched the city disappear and vowed to leave my problems in the city of Dallas. I still felt bitter and anger but with Chad’s fingers laced with mine, I couldn’t help but feel the warmth smothering out the animosity.
Relaxing my head against the seat, I pressed shuffle play and listened to the top hits. Our laced hands resting on my thigh made me sink into peace.
“Leah, wake up.”
Peeking through my lashes, I lifted my head. Below, the view of the ocean was spectacular. It was almost sunset, and it was breathtaking.
“Where are we?”
“Port Bolivar, a peninsula with the bay on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other.”
The aircraft made a wide circle and began lowering to the ground onto a landing zone marked with a large capital H. Once we were safely on the ground, the blades slowed, and I glanced around at the surroundings.
“Near Galveston?”
“Yes. There’s a ferry that runs between Galveston Island and the peninsula.”
“What hotel are we staying at?”
“My home.” His lips curled into a teasing grin.
“Are you kidding?”
“Mine sits next door to Stone and Avery’s, who now own our Gammy’s beach house. On the other side, is Garrett and Brooke’s, but don’t worry, we’re the only ones that will be here.”
I couldn’t stop staring at him—lost in the sparkle in his eyes that could light up the room when he spoke of his family.
“That’s too bad. I think I would like to have met them.”
“Have you forgotten it was Brooke who sent those misleading texts pretending to be me.”
“Remind me to thank her someday. If not for those messages, I wouldn’t have ever met you since you assured me you wouldn’t have forced me to go out with you.”
He chuckled, “I’ll have to keep my eye on you around both my sisters-in-laws. I’ve known Avery my entire life and she’s been hell on high heels for as long as I can remember. In the short time of knowing Brooke, she could be her twin.”
Patches of orange, purple, and pink speckled the sky over the horizon making an unforgettable sunset. I inhaled the welcoming smell of the salty breeze and it was like a promise of a new beginning.
“Our ride is waiting on us.” Chad tilted his
head toward a parked topless shiny black Rubicon Jeep. “After you.”
As I walked toward the passenger side, I stopped to gaze at a tugboat pushing a barge along a canal in the distance. Seagulls chased the wake for a taste of an unlucky fish and a kite flapped in the winds.
“I can’t wait to see the beach.”
“Hop in. I’ll show you around some tonight, but we have a big day tomorrow.”
“It looks like a quiet place.”
“This summer it will be full of vacationers. More than half of the houses are summer rentals and it’s a hot spot for families.”
Chad loaded the luggage and then sauntered over to Hank. They shook hands and Hank glanced over my way a few times while they talked.
As I watched the exchanged of friendly banter, I thought about how wonderful Chad was on the inside and outside. I couldn’t wrap my head around how he dropped everything, including multi-million-dollar obligations behind to be with me. There was a home game tomorrow afternoon and here he was three hundred miles away babysitting a shit load of drama.
It would be so easy to…
Fall in love with him.
Jerking myself upright in the seat of the Jeep, I placed my hand on my chest and chastised myself for even thinking such a stupid thought.
“You okay?” Chad slid into the driver’s seat.
The helicopter rotors gained momentum and lifted into the sky with Hank gazing down offering a big wave.
“I’m good,” I said, but I wasn’t. “I’m sure I look like a hot mess, but I’m good.”
He leaned across the seat and pulled my mouth to his. His hands embraced the sides of my face and he angled my head to the side to deepen the welcoming kiss.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Leah.”
I gave him a soft smile and felt him burrow a little more inside the cavity in my chest.
“You’re insane.”
“About you.”
What does that even mean? He’s crazy with wanting to make love to me? He’s insane because he wants to kiss or touch me?
He placed his hand on my thigh and drove us down the highway. A couple of miles later, we turned into an entrance lined with swaying palm trees. I took in each coastal home we passed until we finally pulled underneath a massive two-story house. It sat on prime beachfront property with a perfect view. A wooden walkway led over the dunes to where waves lapped at a sugary sandy shore.
Keeping Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers Book 3) Page 14
