He is going to regret asking me that question.
“If you stay around here, then I will ruin you. I will have you discredited as a doctor, and I will make sure that you never work anywhere near here, ever again.”
“You don’t have the power to do that.”
“Don’t be so sure, Bradley.” I only ever use his full name when I mean business. He knows that. He looks at me warily, clearly assessing his options since his plan has backfired. “I have money, and you and I both know that money talks. I have connections due to my business, and I have ways of making your life hell.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“If you believe that I wouldn’t, then you’re more stupid than I thought. The line that you have crossed this time can never be repaired. As far as I am concerned, I have no brother.” I can see that my words have stung him, but I couldn’t give a fuck. He has never been a brother to me, so it’s not really any loss.
“You know, it was fun while it lasted. I would like to say that I regret my actions, but all I regret is the fact that I wasn’t able to play this out a bit longer. I reckon another month or two and she would have been putty in my hands,” Brad says, pointing at Stacey.
I feel Stacey’s grip on my arm tighten, so that I don’t go over to him and unleash my full fury. I grind my teeth together so hard that I am surprised that I don’t chip a tooth.
As I look at Brad, with what I am sure is a death stare, he finally shakes his head and turns away from me. He walks to the office door, opening it.
“Brad?” I say, getting his attention before he walks out of my life for good. He looks at me, and I can see the hate filling his eyes. “Don’t ever come back.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jake
Stacey flops down onto the sofa in her office after getting us both a drink from the bar. I have watched the footage of what happened before I got here, and I am furious. Watching it has done me no favours whatsoever. Stacey told me not to torture myself by looking at it, but it turns out that I am a glutton for punishment.
When his hand grabbed hers, I wanted to hurl the computer across the room. I don’t understand how he thought that he was going to get away with lying. The cameras prove what really happened, and he knew that cameras were in here. I don’t think that I will ever understand how he thought his plan would work.
“How are you doing?” she asks me, her hand covering mine.
“I’ve been better,” I admit. I’m annoyed at myself more than anything. I’m annoyed that another person came into our lives and tried to destroy what we have.
“I’m sorry about Brad,” she says.
“Don’t be,” I say, pulling her close to me, my arm around her shoulders. She snuggles her head against me and I inhale her scent.
“I really thought that he wanted to be part of your life. I never would have tried to convince you to let him back in if I had known what he was really like. I should have listened to you.”
“Hey,” I say softly as I use my free hand to lift her chin up, so she is looking at me. Her eyes look sad and I want to take away that look more than anything. “Don’t you dare go blaming any of this on yourself.”
I know how her mind works, and I am not prepared to let her think that she had any influence on Brad’s intentions.
“But––”
“No buts. He’s out of our lives for good. All that matters is that we have each other.” I sound like a soppy sod, but I don’t care. I need her to know that she is all that I care about. She sighs and takes a sip of her drink.
“We need to get the locks changed at the house,” Stacey says.
“Already on it. There will be someone out first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Phew. That’s one less thing to worry about, I suppose.”
“I’m also having some security cameras installed outside, just for the time being.” I say. I need to make sure that Stacey is safe.
“Do we really need to do that?” Stacey asks. “I mean, Caitlin is in prison, and if Brad has any sense, then he will be gone.”
“I’m not taking any chances. They’re both screwed in the head.” I’m not one hundred percent convinced that Brad will go, so it is better to be safe than sorry.
Stacey lets out a loud sigh. “Are things ever going to run smoothly for us, Jake?” she asks me.
“Sure they will. Whatever we face only makes us stronger. No one is going to break us.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” I say as I lean down and place a kiss on the end of her nose. She smiles and rests her head on my shoulder.
As I sit here, her body close to mine, I feel thankful that she is willing to stick around and put up with all of the shit that comes from being with me. This woman has been stabbed, stalked, and hit on by my brother, because of me. If she were any lesser woman, she would have run a mile ages ago.
I know that she isn’t going anywhere.
I know that I will do everything in my power to make her happy.
I also know that one day soon, I am going to ask this woman to be my wife.
Perfect Beginnings
Chapter One
Stacey
I sit in one of the plush chairs on the balcony of my hotel room, thinking about the last six months of my life.
Where the last six months have gone, I have no idea. My life has been like one big whirlwind that shows no signs of slowing down.
At times, it has been incredibly difficult, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without the obstacles that I have previously faced.
As I look out at the sunrise, I smile and feel thankful for everything and everyone present in my life. I have great friends, my dream job, and a wonderful boyfriend. Lydia is due to give birth any day now, Martin is just as crazy as ever, and Jake is still the man of my dreams. To be fair though, Jake is probably the man of most women’s dreams, it just so happens that I was lucky enough to hold his interest. My close circle is only small, but I value each one of them.
I sip my coffee and close my eyes, revelling in the taste of the exquisite coffee beans. I am staying at one of the most luxurious hotels that I have ever stepped foot in. My room spans across the entire top floor of the hotel.
Oh yes, nothing but the best for me.
Jake wouldn’t hear about me staying in one of the perfectly adequate hotel rooms on the lower floors. He had to make sure that I had the penthouse suite, even though I am staying here all by myself.
My book tour has been going on for two weeks now, and whilst I am incredibly grateful to be given the chance to publish my novel, I do miss being at home.
Two weeks ago was the last time that I saw Jake.
I miss him like mad.
I miss everything about him.
I dread to think what I am going to be like when I have to take my book tour overseas.
I think about how much Jake and I have overcome in such a short space of time. What with Donnie, Caitlin, and Brad, you would think that the universe was trying to tell us to give up on one another. Most couples probably would have, but we haven’t.
In fact, we are stronger now than we ever have been.
Neither of us have heard from Brad since he tried to come between us all those months ago, and I hope that it stays that way. Jake sneakily hired a private detective to find out as much about Brad as he could. I wasn’t on board with this idea to start with, but when Jake explained that he wanted to find out how much contact Brad and Caitlin had had, I quickly got on board. The thought of that woman infiltrating our lives again made me want to know everything possible.
It turns out that Caitlin had somehow contacted Brad and told him everything. She is the reason that he came back from America. She is the reason that his hatred for Jake was so bad. I’m just glad that she is safely locked away behind bars.
The private detective also managed to find out that Brad had made a complete mess of his life in America. He had gotten himself into serious debt and had several loan
sharks looking for him. I have no idea where he is now, and I don’t particularly care. It seems that he has gone into hiding somewhere, and for his sake, I hope that he stays there. Jake being Jake, paid off all of Brad’s debt, even after what he had tried to do to us. I couldn’t be mad at him for that though. It’s just the way Jake is. Brad probably doesn’t even know that Jake has paid it all off for him either. Jake told me that it was to be the last act of kindness that he would ever do for his brother.
Jake is such a good, kind-hearted person, and it pains me that Brad wanted to hurt him. It still angers me to this day that Brad thought that I would choose him over Jake. I know that Jake will never forgive him, and I would never try and convince him otherwise.
I have been there for Jake as much as possible, because he is my life. But when my book took off so quickly, and unexpectedly, it took me away from him more than I thought that it would.
Hell, it is still keeping me away from him.
Jake has been so supportive, but I can’t help but feel a little bit selfish. I mean, this is my dream career, but I never really thought about book launches and book signings. My debut novel has been so popular that I have been commissioned to write a follow up. I haven’t started the second book yet, but I plan to once this book tour is over and done with.
It turns out that, in a time when I thought that my heart was breaking, I managed to write a number one best seller. When I was holed up in the bed and breakfast after Jake had misunderstood the abortion leaflets, I poured my heart out in the form of fictional characters. Readers seem to love a romance gone wrong, only for it to go right again.
My phone rings breaking my thoughts. I look to the screen and see that Lydia is calling.
“Good morning, Lyd,” I greet her as I answer the phone. “What are you doing up so early?” I double check the time and it is only just gone quarter past six.
“Stace, the baby’s coming.”
“What?” I screech as I sit forwards on the edge of my seat.
“The baby. It’s coming.” Lydia sounds panicked, and I wish more than anything that I could be there with her.
“It’s okay, Lyd. Take deep breaths and calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down?” Oh shit, Lydia is about to blow her lid. “I can’t fucking calm down. A baby is going to be shooting out of my nether regions at some point very soon, and you’re telling me to calm down?” Lydia’s voice has gone so high-pitched that I have to move the phone away from my ear slightly. “Oh shit, here comes another one.”
I wait and listen to Lydia screaming down the phone. I’m guessing by another one that she means that she is having a contraction. My heart goes out to my best friend. Hearing her in pain is not pleasant.
“Stacey, I really do think that this baby is trying to kill me.” I can’t help but smile at Lydia’s reference. And here was me thinking that Martin was always the more dramatic one.
“Now you listen to me, Lydia. The baby is going to make the pain all worthwhile once it has arrived. You are a strong woman and you have Paul by your side. You can do this, Lyd.”
I can hear Paul in the background, trying to help Lydia.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Paul, get away from me. Jeez, and here was me thinking that he would be helpful when it came to the giving birth part.” I know that Lydia doesn’t mean what she is saying, and I hope that Paul doesn’t take her words too seriously either. “Stace, I wish that you were here with me. I can’t do this without you.”
I want to cry at her words.
“I wish that I could be there too, Lyd. How far apart are your contractions?” I ask, trying to take the heat off of myself for not being there. Lydia starts to scream again, so I am guessing that the contractions aren’t very far apart.
I patiently wait for Lydia to work through the pain.
“They’re coming quicker, Stace.”
“You need to go to the hospital. And when you have given birth to my beautiful god-daughter, I want you to call me.”
“Yes. Hospital. Right.” Lydia seems to be in another world entirely. Unfortunately, I can’t relate as I have never given birth.
“I love ya, Lyd.”
“You too, babes. Paul,” I hear Lydia shout. “Get the car ready. We need to get to the fucking hospital.” Lydia then hangs up the phone and I stare at the screen, tears forming in my eyes.
I can’t believe that I am missing this.
I was supposed to be with Lydia at the birth. I know that she has Paul there, but she needs all of the support that she can get. Paul probably does too to be honest.
Without thinking about what I am doing, I go back inside my hotel room and start putting my clothes on. I pull on my grey pencil skirt, a black vest top and a black roll-neck jumper. I put on some socks and my black, knee-high, boots and pull my hair into a ponytail.
I call my car service, all part of being a famous author, and tell them to pick me up as soon as possible. I then call my agent, Chloe, and tell her that due to an emergency, I need to leave and go back home. Of course, Chloe tries to persuade me otherwise, but I don’t listen to her. By the time that I get off of the phone to her, she is beyond pissed with me.
I have a book signing in four hours, but I don’t care. Lydia needs me, and I am going to try my hardest to be there, preferably before the baby arrives.
I put the things that I need in my handbag, grab my grey swing coat, and race out of my hotel room. I run to the lifts and press the call button, the lift seeming to take forever to arrive. The doors ping open a few painstaking minutes later and I silently curse Jake for getting me the penthouse suite. If I had been in one of the other rooms then I would have been closer to the ground floor. I realise that this is a ridiculous thing to think about, but I need something else to concentrate on other than my worry for Lydia.
When the lift eventually reaches the ground floor, the car service phone me to let me know that they are outside. I run out of the hotel lobby and practically barrel into the back seat. I instruct the driver to go to the hospital that Lydia has chosen for the birth. I know that I am a couple of hours away, but I am hoping that I will make it in time.
I try to call Jake as we set off, but there is no answer. He must still be sleeping.
I relax back into the seat of the car and gaze out of the window as I watch the scenery rush by. Half an hour into the journey, my phone begins to ring.
“Hello,” I answer, without checking the name on the screen.
“Hi, Stace, it’s Paul.”
“Hi, Paul. How’s Lydia? Is everything going okay?” I ask, desperate for information.
“Yeah everything is fine. Well, as fine as it can be with Lydia threatening to kill me every thirty seconds.” I can’t help but let out a little chuckle.
“She’s just in pain, Paul. She doesn’t mean it.”
“Oh, believe me, if I thought that she meant it, then I would be in hiding somewhere.” He laughs, and I laugh along with him. “Listen, I was actually calling to ask you a favour.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Well, I know that you are busy with your book tour and everything, but is there any way that you can get back here? I mean, I know that I am here, but I’m not sure that I am helping much. I know that Lydia really wanted you here, and––”
“I’m already on my way,” I cut him off, stopping his rambling. “When I got off of the phone to Lydia, I called my car service and got them to come and get me. I’m just over an hour away.”
“Oh, that’s great.” The relief in Paul’s voice is obvious. “I won’t say anything to Lydia just yet. It will be a nice surprise for her when you turn up. It might even cheer her up a little. Just try and get here before the baby does.” His voice is pleading.
“I’m doing my best,” I reply. “I’ve instructed the driver to take me to the hospital as I am guessing that is where you are now?”
“Yes, we are on floor five, and its room number thirteen.”
“Thirteen, huh?” I do
ubt very much that Lydia will be pleased with that number.
“Uh, yeah, Lydia has already remarked about it. Her and her bloody superstition.” I laugh and say goodbye to Paul, telling him to give me an update if the baby makes an appearance before I arrive.
I try to call Jake again, but there is still no answer.
Damn it.
I guess that I will just have to surprise him with a visit, once Lydia has had the baby.
Chapter Two
Stacey
I get to the hospital just after eight o’clock. I thank the driver and tell him that I may be some time before I dash into the hospital. I find the nearest set of stairs and run up them until I reach floor five. Thank goodness that I started using the gym a few months ago as if I hadn’t, that would have taken me longer and I would have been a sweaty mess by the time that I reached Lydia.
I race to find room number thirteen, my eyes scanning both sides of the corridor. When I spot the room number, the sounds of Lydia screaming halt me in my tracks. I presume that she is having a contraction, so I decide to wait outside the door until it has passed before I announce my surprise appearance.
Whilst I wait, I send a quick text to Jake, telling him that I am at the hospital with Lydia, and then I turn my phone off. Once I hear the screaming stop, I open the door and am greeted by the sight of Lydia led on her back, sweating profusely. Paul looks petrified as he stands by her bed, holding her hand, patting her forehead with a wet cloth, with a midwife writing notes on a chart at the end of the bed.
It takes a few moments for Lydia to register that I have entered the room. She looks at me dazed, and before I can speak, Paul comes walking over to me and embraces me in a bear hug.
“Thank you,” he whispers as he hugs me tight.
“Uh, no problem,” I answer him, shocked by his greeting for me.
“For fuck’s sake, Paul, let her in, will you?” Lydia snaps at him. My face pulls into a grimace at Lydia’s tone and Paul releases me, stepping back.
The Complete Perfect Series Page 62
