* * *
“I thought you said he needed me.” Flower didn’t try to keep the accusation from her tone, looking at the giant who ushered her toward the private jet.
“He does. He will explain.” Bao bowed to her at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Lear jet.
Flower slung her purse over her shoulder as trepidation skipped her heartstrings with every step she climbed, bringing her closer to the man she finally had to give answers. She would have given anything for this not to be the way they finally had this discussion. She wasn’t about to give herself a pass for her behavior and knew without a doubt she would find no quarter given by him. Face him, she would. Her breath sawed out of her and had nothing to do with the ascent or her new pregnancy. It wasn’t thoughts of him harming her or their child, in fact, it was the opposite that made her fear spike. It was seeing what her decisions had cost him that made her breath labor and her heart ache. There was no making this right. Nothing would assuage the betrayal he must have felt hearing those words last night. She knew what he must think. Didn’t know how she could convince him otherwise. Part of her didn’t want to try. She knew there would be a consequence, retribution. She would face it all and try to mitigate the damage to her family and friends if she could. He probably saw them all as complicit in her actions, but they’d only done so to protect her. He knew what family meant to her. Neither was she ignorant of his loyalty to his brothers. He had to understand. She could only hope he’d see reason.
The attendant bowed as she approached the entrance. Another when she entered the main cabin. “May I get you anything, madame?” The young man’s voice was solemn, his gaze somber. Flower’s senses were pinging. These people were under a lot of stress. The strain was palpable through every line. They held rigid in their stance, and with a slight bow to her, they assisted her inside. She knew what the source was.
“No, thank you.” She felt the knot coil tighter in her stomach and briefly wondered if she would embarrass herself by being sick in front of him. She chided herself then; he’d seen her at her worst and now he could couple that with how low he must think of her now.
She saw him as soon as she entered the main cabin. He looked to be working. He was speaking rapid Japanese; from what she gathered, it was a conference call with his brothers. And it was not going well. Glancing up, he gave a bare nod to her and said something to the effect of, “We’ll discuss this later,” and hung up.
He stood but didn’t move from the area right by the desk. “Flower, we must speak.” He indicated the seating area to his left.
She walked up the aisle. It seemed like it took forever. Part of her wanted to just turn and run away from the look in his eyes. Despair cloaked every movement, every look he unwaveringly cast her way. He had not slept either as evidenced by the purpling under his eyes. He looked haunted. If she had not known better, she’d say that he had been crying.
“You walk with such trepidation, Flower. You act as if I would lay a hand upon you in anger.” His disgust was evident. He shook his head and looked away from her as if the sight of her pained him.
“You haven’t. I know you won’t,” She stopped before him then sat down across from him.
“Your friends acted as if I would harm you.” He sat across from her and picked up a tumbler she assumed was filled with his favorite Japanese whisky. That brought memories of another plane ride when she and Marchellis drank whiskey and ate together. Later that day she lost her—no, their child. The doctor assured her nothing could have been done. That hadn’t stopped the maybes. Like if she had stayed with him in Tokyo instead of running away from his disappointment, their baby would have lived. She knew that had no purchase in reality. She’d been assured. She closed her eyes against the hurt.
“Why did you abort my child?” His words were brutal. His words were wrong on so many levels. She felt as though he’d slapped her. Her face heated as if he had.
“I did not have an abortion, and if I did, it would have been my choice to do what I choose with my body.” She took a deep breath against the pain, “As it happened, as in many cases, I had a spontaneous abortion—a miscarriage when I returned home. My blood pressure dropped to almost nothing. I had a long recovery.” Her voice broke a little on that last part. “That’s was just the way Miracle termed it. She’s very literal.”
The transformation on his face as her words sunk in was stunning. He went from an almost bland disinterest to palpable rage. He leaned as far forward as possible without leaving his seat, but even a private jet didn’t have that much room, so they were face-to-face. “Abortion or not, intentional or not, you didn’t tell me about our child.”
“I didn’t have to…” Her voice was firm.
His face flushed with a myriad of emotions as he stood from his seat and stepped back by the desk, she guessed to put distance between them.
“Bullshit, Flower! I won’t allow you to diminish us. We were more than that. We lived together for months. You went through that agony alone and never let me know.” He turned from her and raked his hands over his head, ripping his hair loose then tying in back up in agitation before turning back to her, daring her in one look to deny it.
“I wasn’t alone, my family was there…” She stopped when he turned incredulous eyes upon her.
“Were you ever going to tell me? Then or now?” His fingers trembled a little as he covered his mouth.
“Then? Honestly, I don’t know, more than likely no. I just wanted to put it behind me and go on, Akchiro. Then you came back into my life and it was rocky at first then we were good. I didn’t want anything to ruin it.”
“How the fuck could your telling me of your suffering ruin things, Flower? Are you even listening to yourself?” He wrapped his arms around himself like she hurt him. “This whole time, from the moment I met you, all I wanted to do was cherish you. Yet you’ve hidden from me, run away, and kept seriously life-threatening things away from me. Our child. Did you ever think I would have been more careful not to make you pregnant had I known you’d been through such an ordeal?” He exhaled deep, “You’ve broken our trust.”
“You broke it coming here, making demands, and getting me fired.” She stood then, not liking the indictment in his words.
“Because you’re mine!” He ripped open his shirt, showing her his tattoo. “This new kanji you asked about over my heart? It’s you and me intertwined. No one but the one I wish to spend eternity with is to see me like this. No other woman has seen me. Only you.” His eyes blazed as his words resonated deep into her soul, “Yet you would keep the loss of one child from me and the life of another as well.” He pulled his shirt closed but couldn’t button it because several buttons had popped free. “You’ve left me no choice.”
“Left you no choice?” He was leaving, that was obvious…
“I’m taking you back to Japan with me.” He walked over to the bar and poured another whiskey and sat down, crossing his legs.
“Are you kidding? You sound crazy as hell right now! I’m not going to Tokyo with you. I’m in the preliminary phase of getting my company off the ground. This is my chance to do something for myself, by myself.” She looked around for her purse, agitation prickling her nerves.
“You act as if your work won’t have people willing to come to Tokyo to work with you. I’ve seen you work every day tirelessly on your dream. I don’t foresee that changing just because your location does. You act as if there is no internet, and conference calls can be done via the web. I’ve done them since I have been here. You’d have to try better than that.”
“My family.” She looked at him. “They will never go for this.”
“Flower, you’re a grown woman. They won’t like it, but they will deal. Just as my family will. Our family—you, our child, and me are your priority. You stood before your family and declared yourself to me.” He took a slow sip from the tumbler that she wanted to hurl across the room.
“I don’t want to go.” She pulled her purse
onto her shoulder.
“Obviously.” His words were cold and ominous.
“Okay.” She tapped her foot at him. “Go ahead and make whatever dire threat you are implying.”
“I’m not making a threat.” He didn’t move an iota from his repose. “You have obviously shown that you have no trust nor are worthy of it.”
“What? How can you say I don’t trust you?” She wasn’t going to touch the second part of his statement.
“You tell me. What does your losing our child and never telling me say? You had your family when you could have had me too. I would’ve held your hand, kissed your brow, and told you that we could try again when you were ready. Now I’m supposed to believe that if you have a problem, a worry about my child, that you will call me? I can’t trust that.” He placed his glass down with quiet finality and stood. His body was rigid, as if he awaited her blow. “I’ve raked my brain trying to figure out why you don’t trust me. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve never harmed you, nor would I.” The pools of pain swirling in his eyes broke her.
She took a step toward him then another. “It’s not you. All of this”—she paused, waving her hand in an arc—“is just me. My brothers were successful, my sister a ballerina. My talent was that I was great at running things, people. I have never given them cause to worry. I just wanted to make my family proud too. But when my brother was hurt in the hospital and everything should have been focused on him—his recovery, on him getting better, here I am making them worry over me too because I was reckless and careless. How could I call you to lay this upon you? How I failed? And FADE almost died…” Her eyes pled with him.
“You almost died!” He struck his heart hard with his fist. “Don’t you get that? And I wouldn’t have ever known. I would have been without you with no answers until it was too late. I can’t let that happen again. I won’t.” He let his head fall back, taking a deep breath. “Now you have two choices: you can stay here and be alone or come back to Tokyo with me and be a family.”
“You’ve never said you love me…” She wished she could snatch those words back as soon as they were uttered. Too late.
“Those are words, Flower. I am a man of action. I came across the world for you. I lived in a city that is unknown and foreign to me where even with my wealth I am treated if I am less. If that is what it took to be with you, Flower, I would do that for you if you let me. Those are actions, Flower. Love is meaningless without action.”
“Akchiro…” Her breath was caught in her throat.
“It seems you will have my face too.” His laugh was soft and tinged with a little hurt, maybe even bitterness. The transformation was so quick she would have missed it, had she not been watching him so closely. All vulnerability was gone and the wall of coldness slipped into its place. “These words that you crave so dearly, Flower, when the fuck have you ever shown them? When you lied to me about who you were? When you ran from me? Denied me knowledge of my child? You were going to let me leave and not tell of their existence, I dare you to deny it!”
“I—I wouldn’t. I would’ve told you,” she stammered, cursing herself as his mouth hardened even more.
“Only when it suited your purpose. After I was gone, and you felt that you were safe enough away from me, ensconced in the bosom of your family far beyond my reach or influence. Only then would you have deigned to inform me, the man whose child you carried. I know you as well as you claim to know me. You would have hidden away, denied me access until you had the upper hand, until you had solidified your power over me. You play at being innocent, but we both know you are no less ruthless than you claim I am. I have seen you work. Had you decided to terminate the pregnancy as is your right as you were so adamant to claim, I would have never known. Just as before.” His words hurt, and what could she say? All of it was true except that last part, that piece she could not allow to stand.
“I lost the baby. I told you that.” She bit her lip to bite back the sob. This was the most she’d ever said those words outside of her therapist’s office, and it got no easier. They serrated every piece of her heart. She loved that baby and mourned it, even though she never knew what her body held. Because the baby had been part of them. Their time in Tokyo was forever stamped on her heart and in her soul. There was no part of her that would ever want to erase what they shared even now.
For a long moment he watched her, she assumed gauging if she spoke the truth, before giving her a stiff nod. “Words mean nothing. Actions. Decide.” He stepped around her then and walked back to the rear of the plane disappearing in the darkness beyond, leaving her alone with her guilt and pain.
“Flower, what the hell is going on? Why did you ask that we drop everything and meet you here?” FADE demanded of his sister on behalf of the family as they all assembled at their parents’ house. His eyes, however, never left Akchiro nor did those of any man in the room, not even Riyu and Takashi, whom Flower also insisted be in attendance to represent his family. Those two Akchiro knew would be unflappable as they stood together to the left of everyone. Mr. Carrington stood beside the chair his wife sat in and Ghadi, though seated, looked ready to spring at any moment to save his sister. Akchiro admired them for their love of Flower, yet he would not soften. He would see this through. There would be no interference tolerated when it came to his family. Flower was his now. It was best to continue as one meant to go on and he would not be swayed.
“Had it been my choice we would have married at the courthouse.” Akchiro paused with undeniable relish, watching the words wash over Flower’s family’s faces. His brothers smirked, having already known what was about to transpire from their earlier conversations before Flower entered his plane. Delightful gasped and Willow allowed a small smile of respect to break across her face. She winked at him in encouragement. He knew that was also for Flower’s benefit because she couldn’t have missed it standing as she was right beside him. “Flower, however, wanted you, Mr. Carrington, to marry us as well as have all her family present for the occasion.”
“Oh, baby! I’m so happy for you! What is the rush? You’re the first girl. You know how I wanted to give you a big, gorgeous wedding,” Grace chimed in, coming over to hug them both closely before stepping back, concern marking her features. “Is everything okay?”
“You mean other than him getting her pregnant again?” FADE’s disgust was palpable as he speared Akchiro with a look that was so intense it could be nothing short of hatred.
“FADE…” Delightful cautioned.
“What?!” came from the other two men in the room, who both turned looks of outrage Akchiro’s way. You’d think they’d been unaware of that he and Flower had lived together for months now.
“I apologize, Mr. and Mrs. Carrington, for the circumstances, but it has always been my intention to marry Flower in the American way.” He bowed low, as was his tradition in contrition three times to her parents. He didn’t bother to inform them by his own tradition and lineage how he’d already claimed her as his forever.
“It’s Grace, and we accept your apology.” She looked at her husband pointedly, who nodded grimly. The gratitude Akchiro felt for this woman knew no bounds at this moment.
“Why the rush? Surely this could have waited,” Mr. Carrington grumbled, stepping back to survey the situation, which meant giving the couple more than one once-over.
“I have to get back to Japan for business as soon as time allows, and I cannot leave Flower behind. She’s early in her pregnancy, and I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen like last time and I were not there to do everything I could to protect her.” Akchiro looked at every person present, telling them in no uncertain terms that he would not be moved.
He saw Ghadi nod and even FADE and Mr. Carrington gave grim nods of grudging approval.
“So, you told him.” Her mother patted her shoulder. Then she turned to him. “I know you must have been powerfully hurt and angry when Flower finally told you about y’all’s baby. I know you must’ve
been angry with us as well. Just understand that our first priority was always our daughter and now that you are to be our son, you belong to us now as well. We are all family and we have to forgive each other and move forward. We are sorry for our part in your hurt, however, we will stand by Flower no matter what. With FADE nearly being killed and us almost losing her as well, we agreed to do things as she saw fit. I’m sure you understand how fragile that situation was. Now as her husband, it is your charge to take care of her and love her as she deserves.” As Grace patted his shoulder Akchiro felt a swell of emotion erupt inside of him. He shoved it down instead to focus on the task at hand. He bowed to his soon to be mother-in-law, acknowledging the power of her words.
“Okay, let’s get you two married!” She clapped her hands in glee. “Fernando, go get your officiating book.”
Everyone came forward then to hug and congratulate them. Akchiro took the firm handshakes and hugs from his new family in stride as anticipation of claiming Flower as his blazed within him.
Chapter 21
The flight was so quiet, Flower thought, who would think silence could be so loud? She lay there just as she woke, reflecting on all that happened that day. Things had happened so fast. Akchiro had pulled every string in the book and nearly all the favors he was owed to get a license and a waiver so they could get married before the twenty-four-hour waiting period New York State required. She marveled at his ability to get things done. He was relentless about things he wanted, and he made it more than clear that he wanted her and was determined to have her.
She’d lain down at Akchiro’s behest once they boarded. She couldn’t deny being sleepy and more than well fed because her mother had insisted on at least a bridal luncheon before they left. Akchiro couldn’t seem to resist the lure of the food, nor could Riyu and Takashi, who also seemed to love her mother’s cooking. Willow had teased them they too would be marrying Southern girls so they could get some good home cooking. They had the nerve to blush and everyone, even surly FADE, laughed. Akchiro had obliged her parents in the delay, though barely. He wanted to be gone as soon he placed the ring made of rhodium on her finger. The fact that he’d recalled her apprehension of ever wearing diamonds made her heart melt. Deciding to get her a band made of the rarest and precious metal on earth.
Lotus Flower Bomb: The Mogul Series Book Two Page 18
