by Hamel, B. B.
If it were up to me, I would’ve left Des there to drink himself to death, but maybe Rees was the better person after all.
“As you can clearly see, the man that has been spreading these rumors about me is sick. Mentally ill, caused by alcoholism, or exacerbated by it, I don’t know. But he’s not in a good state. I played that, because otherwise, my words wouldn’t have as much weight. Please listen when I say, I’m going to help him, and hopefully find a way to drag him out of this miserably situation he’s found himself in.
“But my business has nothing to do with Desmond. The rumors about my personal life are all just that: rumors and gossip, all stemming from a single disturbed individual that needs help, not a platform to spread lies. I’ve lost investors, had my future career threatened, and all of that wasn’t because of him, but because you people in this room right now.”
The silence almost hurt. I could see the shock on some faces, the outrage on others. I wanted to go out there and rub all their faces in it, but I knew that wouldn’t help.
Rees took a breath and slowly let it out.
“You amplified that man,” he said, gesturing toward the blank screen. “You took his ravings as truth. You people failed to follow up on your single source, and look at you now. This whole sorry affair has been embarrassing, and I am finished with it. As of right now, my SPAC will go public tomorrow, and all of you can leave this room with the knowledge that you did an innocent man harm, and might’ve ignored the cries for help from a very sick individual, all for your own personal gain, all for clicks on a story, and for clout and reputation.”
He stood for another moment staring at them hard, then left the podium.
The room erupted. Reporters shouted at him. Modesto stood and left, his face pale. Lady Fluke looked at me, not moving, her face pulled into a frown—and for her, she might as well have been weeping. I nodded at her and followed Rees, back into the small staging area where Flora congratulated him, and beyond, through the back door and into the hallway.
He leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling. I stood next to him and took his hand, gripping it tight in both of mine. “How do you think that went?” I asked.
He closed his eyes and for a moment I was afraid we were finished—but he looked at me and grinned. “I think it’s going to be the biggest god damn public offering ever.”
I laughed and kissed him, and he hugged me. “You should’ve seen them,” I said. “After you left, they were freaking out.”
“Good. Let them go wild. They’ll write stories, and I guarantee we’ll double our investors overnight.” He kissed me and held it there, and I kissed him back, heart flipping in my chest, hands tingling with nerve and need and desire. He broke the kiss off and stared into my eyes and I grinned at him.
“That was a long, long road, you know,” I said. “And it’s only been, what, a month?”
“I love you,” he said.
And my jaw fell open. I blinked, stared at him, words jumbled in my throat like a choke, and I stood there for a moment, unable to think, completely shocked into nothingness—until I kissed him again, throwing myself into his arms.
“I love you too,” I said, grinning stupidly, and he laughed, hugging me close to his chest. I stayed there and thought about the world outside this room, and none of it mattered anymore—not the bar, not Rees’s enemies, not the company, nothing.
I’d take that test and I knew I’d pass it. And soon I’d have enough money to take care of Grandmom for as long as she lives, with so much more to spare.
And most important, I’d have my Rees, my man, the first person to give me a sense of myself, to make me feel confident instead of worn down, to make me glow.
He was my fire and my beacon.
24
Millie
Two Years Later
Grandmom looked at me over a newspaper and beamed. “You know how many men wake up early and cook breakfast for their wife?” she asked.
“I’m going to guess none,” I said.
“None,” Grandmom agrees, and tapped her finger on the table. “Rees is a keeper. I’ve been saying it since you brought him home.”
“I know,” I said, grinning at her.
“And I’ve known a lot of men in my day. He’s a keeper, all right. Mark my word.” She nodded and shook the paper, still smiling.
I leaned back in the small breakfast nook and glanced across the kitchen toward where Rees cleaned up from cooking. We did this most mornings, like clockwork: Grandmom was up by six, and we went over to her in-law suite, which was really most of the townhouse next door. Rees cooked her breakfast, and I did the crossword, while she read the news. And every morning, she’d gush about how good Rees was to her.
And I never got tired of it.
Rees came over and kissed my cheek. “You ladies done?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Grandmom said. “You’re a good boy, you know that?”
“I try,” Rees said, and cleared our plates. I got up and followed him to the sink where he rinsed them off and put them into the dishwasher.
“I appreciate you doing this, you know,” I said, leaning against the island. I spoke quietly, so Grandmom couldn’t hear—although I probably could’ve yelled. She only seemed to have ears for Rees these days.
“And I appreciate you,” he said. “Your grandmom’s had a tough go of it. If I can make her last years comfortable and pampered, then I’m going to.”
I kissed him, holding there for a little longer than I should’ve, but I couldn’t help myself. Two years together, and the fire hadn’t dimmed, not even a little bit.
After his SPAC went public, the price skyrocketed. It was the most successful launch in years, though not the best ever, but in the top ten. Alec ended up picking a biotech company that was working on special tools to help fix aneurysms, and it ended up going wild when they came out with a product that was cheap and twice as effective as anything else. Rees liked to brag that he got filthy rich—even though he already was—and saved lived in the process.
I passed my bar three months after the press conference, and went to work for a big firm. I lasted another three months there, before quitting, and opened up a private practice.
I couldn’t hack the crazy hours that a massive firm demanded, and frankly, I didn’t need the money—not when Rees proposed.
The day after he met my grandmother for the first time, he got down on one knee, and I cried like a stupid baby.
“What’s your plan for today?” he asked.
“I have client meetings,” I said, and rubbed his arm as he cleaned a glass. “What about you?”
“I was thinking I’d take Dottie to the movies,” he said, and looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Dottie, you want to see a movie?”
“If it’s a date, I’m amenable,” she said, nodding to herself.
He grinned at me. “She might steal me away.”
“Stop,” I said, and kissed his neck. I hesitated, lingering there for a second. “I need to tell you something.”
“What’s up?” he asked, washing a bowl. “Don’t tell me you’re going to miss dinner. You went private so you wouldn’t have these intense hours. You know I’m greedy and want you all to myself.”
“No, Rees, it’s not that.” I sucked in a breath, steadying myself.
I found out that morning. I’d suspected for a few days, and didn’t confirm until I had a chance to take a test. I felt lightheaded, like the world was floating around me, and I didn’t know why I waited so long to tell him. I should’ve woken up him, but instead I let it sit inside me—maybe I wanted to live with it for a little while first.
He stopped washing and frowned a little. “What’s up, Mills? You’re freaking me out.”
“I’m pregnant,” I said.
He dropped the bowl. It clattered into the sink. Grandmom jumped a little and squinted at us, then want back to her paper, shaking her head.
He didn’t move. I felt my throat tighten. We hadn’t talk
ed about kids—I sort of assumed we would, at some point. But we weren’t exactly careful with birth control, and had sex a lot, like, a lot a lot, and it finally just—it finally happened. Unexpected, unplanned, and I was so afraid of how he’d react.
“You’re serious?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m serious. I wouldn’t joke about that.”
He scooped me up into his arms and laughed. Pure joy poured out of him as he threw his head back and hollered. Grandmom flinched again and grumbled to herself, and he hugged me tight, swinging me around. “Can I tell the world?” he asked.
“No yet,” I said, hitting his chest, and felt so relieved I could cry. “We have to wait for a while. I forget how many weeks. But as soon as we can, I promise we’ll tell everyone.”
He kissed me and held me for a long time in that kitchen where my grandmother lived, in a house next to my own, in a life I never thought I’d have. After so much struggle, we finally had something, me and my grandmom—finally had a place to call our own.
“This is perfect,” he said. “I love you so much. God, we need to discuss names.”
“Slow down,” I said and leaned my head against his chest. “Let’s just be happy about this for a little while first, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, hugging me tight. “How about Rees Junior?”
I smiled and shook my head, but I knew I’d give him whatever he wanted, because he deserved everything.
* * *
If you want more steamy suspense, read the mafia books that started it all! Obsessed with His Bride begins the story of the Leone Crime Family. Dante meets his match in Aida, though she resists his intense charms at first. But when a war breaks out, Aida must give in to her desire or end up dead. I’ll kill to keep her. I’ll do much worse to make her my bride. >> Click Here to read it!
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Also by BB Hamel
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