“You know I will,” I said.
Everyone had gone home and I offered Mike one of the spare rooms. He declined, telling me that he wanted to do a bit of investigating himself. I hadn’t heard back from Steve as of yet and I was getting antsy. Fresh out of ideas, my brain was exhausted from the events of the day.
Jordan was watching TV when I came into the living room and sat at the other end of the couch.
“There, dishes are all done and I’m exhausted,” she said as she let herself drop to the couch between her son and I. “Did you speak to Mike about the situation?” She yawned.
“Yeah, he had no clue. He’s been at the hospital for most of the day and swung by the office to check things out before he came here for dinner. Security didn’t let him through,” I said.
“It doesn’t make sense...”
“If there’s any proof of doctoring or forgery, Steve will find it along with whatever else we need for the courts.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I thought that Spalding might be holding something over her dad’s head. That feeling I had when I lost to them in court was back again as I replayed Danica’s elation and her old man’s subdued joy and relief when they won. If my suspicions were right, and Bruce had something on Withers, it would explain why Danica’s ex was going through great lengths to take over when his first attempt hadn’t worked. “For now, I think we just need to relax.” I pulled her into me and kissed the top of her head.
She snuggled into me and said, “Who’s Steve?”
“The investigator I hired to look into things. Brent uses him from time to time. I’m not a fan of how the man works but we’re up against people who are known to play dirty. I wasn’t left with much of a choice.”
Her brow furrowed. “Is there any way that this could all fall back on us?”
“Not really,” I said. “If anything, I’ll be the one bailing him out of jail but I doubt it’ll get to that.” I smirked. “I can’t say I wasn’t warned though, but Steve’s the best that I know and he’ll do what he needs to do to get the results we need without any of us getting in trouble.”
She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We should have pushed for the damn charges. None of this would have happened if we had.”
“Mmm,” I agreed, “that would have been a novel idea.”
“I’m going to bed,” Jordan said.
“We’re right behind you,” I said and turned to Danica. “Go on. I’ll lock up and be right there.”
Chapter 54
I woke up earlier than usual. Leaving Danica to sleep, I got out of bed, went to the washroom and jumped in the shower.
When I got to the kitchen to make coffee, Jordan was already up and about, reminding me that today was Monday.
“Isn’t it a little early to be heading out to school?” I asked.
“I have soccer practice before class on game days,” he said. “Trevor’s mom is picking me up. We still on for tonight?”
“Nothing’s changing my mind.” I grinned.
“Why not do it like every normal person?” he asked.
“Your mother deserves so much more than that,” I said. “Besides, it’s how I do things.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Yeah, but I’m not about to change now,” I said. “Have a good day while I try and sort this whole mess with your grandfather’s company out.”
“You do that, hot shot.” He smirked. “Tell Mom I love her.”
Popping the fresh bowl of fruit, toast and compotes along with coffee on a tray, I brought everything upstairs. Danica was still asleep.
I set the tray on the bedside table, stripped down to my underwear and crawled under the sheets. I watched the fluttering of her lashes and smiled at her serene demeanor.
My fingertips traced the contours of her face, her high cheekbones, her narrow jaw, her tiny nose and those pink lips of hers that I could spend hours delighting in. She was beautiful, but it was what she held inside of her that meant the most.
Danica was a fierce woman. One that would do anything for the people she cared for. She was run by love, devotion and loyalty, and not by her pocketbook which, if you haven’t figured it out yet, left her without financial worries. It was the simple things in life, the tiny acts, the smiles, the looks, and the affection that mattered most to her. It was the same for me.
As I thought back on my life, the last fifteen years had left me feeling shameful for being so dense about how a relationship could brighten the darkest of days. I had been superficial. Now that I had it all, I knew that bachelorhood wasn’t a life I was cut out for.
In the span of weeks, my past collided with my present. The course my life was on was derailed and sent in a different direction. Leave it up to Danica to turn my life upside down and right side up, reshaping it into something extraordinary. It was a life I wouldn’t trade for the world.
I had come to terms with the haunting of my past.
I had rediscovered my feelings for Danica.
I’d become a father.
So much had happened in so little time. Yet, with no hesitance, albeit, a bit of anxiety, I was embracing it all and if someone came along to take any of it away from me, I knew I would fight them — to the death.
I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes, lost in my reverie. A series of kisses on my chest made me open my eyes and the face of my woman dominated my vision. Those blue orbs of hers stared, smiling back at me.
She ensnared me with one look. Fifteen years apart and we couldn’t make it work with anyone else. There was no denying that we were meant for one another.
“Hey, handsome,” she said, “why so deep in thought?”
I cupped her cheek and she pressed it further into my palm, those sleepy eyes of hers coming to a close, savouring my touch. “Just thinking,” I said. “It’s been one hell of a ride since you’ve been back, hasn’t it?”
“You have no idea,” she smiled, “but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Jordan’s left a message with me, for you.” I pecked the tip of her nose. “He loves you.”
She looked over at the clock and her eyes widened. “Wow! I was exhausted!” She took notice of the tray of food and her brow arched. “Breakfast in bed?”
“I figured we could lay low today, unless you have other plans.” I sat up and she did the same. I moved the tray and brought it to sit between us. “What do you say?”
“I think it will be a day to remember, so long as we don’t miss Jordan’s game tonight. He said they’re supposed to have something beforehand,” she said.
“Yeah, he mentioned that yesterday. I’m excited.” I grinned.
“He is too, in case you haven’t picked up on that yet,” she said with emotion. “It’s his season opener and his father will be there to see him play.”
“His parents will be there together,” I said and she nodded.
“He plans on joining football next year, you know,” she said. “He played in Austin but we moved here after tryouts. Although you two haven’t met until now, there’s so much of you in him, Jacob. Things that I didn’t see until you came back into my life.”
“Including my name,” I said on a grin.
She blushed. “It was a way to keep a part of you with me. I never once forgot you.”
Neither did I. “Did you know that it’s a Landen family tradition to use the father’s first name as the son’s middle?” I asked.
She shook her head and smiled. “I had no clue. What do you do if you have a second son?”
“We’ll give him my middle name,” I said.
“Nathaniel.” She let the name roll off her tongue and then grinned. “I like it.”
“You remember?”
“Of course I remember. What do you think girls do when they have a crush on a boy?”
“I don’t know, run around chasing and trying to kiss them?”
She giggled and smacked my thigh. “That was you and Paxton, not me.”
“I know,” I said. “You should know that even though we got together in our senir year, I think you captivated me around the same time Paxton held and I kissed you in fifth.”
“Yeah.” She looked down to the bowl of fruit, grabbed some cantaloupe and pressed it against my lips. “I know we played it off as a joke but the fifth’s where everything changed for me too. You gifted me with my first crush that day, Jacob.”
“Wait a minute… first crush? There were more?”
She laughed. “Leave it up to you to worry about not being the only man aside our son, my brother and father on my mind. Yes, there were other crushes.”
“Damn, I thought I had you since that day at recess.” I laughed.
“Jacob, do you want to hear about this or not?” She took a bite of her toast.
I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Go on, sweetheart.”
“In grade five, there was Jacob, the kid who liked to tease by chasing me around the schoolyard.
“In grade nine, I was the rich dork and some girls thought that they could mess with me. This boy came swooping in, the popular kid with the hero complex that he was. He saved my butt from what could have been an embarrassing first day of high school.” I smiled.
“In grade ten, a boy asked me for help. He told me that his parents wouldn’t be able to afford his tuition and that the only way he could make his dream happen was if he got a scholarship. So, I helped him out. He deserved it and we traded favors. I still can’t believe I became a cheerleader because of him.” She winked at me. “But I also understood, in that moment, the effects of persuasion those emerald eyes of his had on girls.
“In my senior year, the football starting quarterback had been the only person to pick up that something was wrong. After practice, he sat down beside me, not saying a word until I was ready to talk. The Sadie Hawkins dance was around the corner and I was upset because the idiot I had asked not only rejected me but had done it in a public and vicious manner. After spilling my guts to him, the jock told me that I was beautiful and that any guy was crazy to turn me down. He said that it was a guy’s job to ask a girl out and that the whole concept of Sadie Hawkins was ridiculous. He also told me that he would have never said no had I asked him.”
“And you asked him,” I said on a chuckle, “and he said yes.”
She nodded and said, “Four. I’ve had four crushes in my entire life, Jacob, and they’ve all been on you. Although…”
“What now?” The woman was playing with fire. I never thought I had a jealous bone in my body, but it turns out that I do when it comes to her.
“Yeah, there’s definitely a fifth.” She gave me a wry smile. “There’s this man who pretty much risked his career to save my father’s company when, with everything I’ve put him through, it would have been understandable that he let us fall. He loves my son as much as he loves me...”
“Come here woman.” I grabbed her face and gave her a lingering kiss. She tasted of strawberries and honeydew melon. “I love it when you get all soft and corny.”
“Well it’s nice that I can be the woman every now and again.” She giggled and tried to get away by jumping off the bed.
“Why you little…” I laughed with her, moved the tray to the side, our breakfast forgotten, and pounced off the mattress to chase her. It didn’t take much effort to catch her and once she was over my shoulder, I brought her back to the bed and dropped her onto her back. I covered her body with mine as she laughed and my heart warmed at the sound. She’d been doing a whole lot more of that as of late and in that moment, I made a personal vow: for as long as we were together, I would make sure she laughed at least once a day at my hand. “I’ll show you.”
“Show me what?” Her palm cupped my cheek.
“Just how much of a man I am.” Her breath caught, her laughter ceased, and her eyes went wide.
Chapter 55
The day hadn’t gone as planned but after speaking with Danica, she agreed to speak with her father and find out what was going on.
I followed her into the man’s private hospital room. His pale complexion and frailty didn’t deter from the presence of power he’d always projected.
Mike got up from his father’s side to greet us. With one glance in our direction, Mr. Withers turned his head and looked toward the window.
“I’ll leave you two with him.” He squeezed his sister’s shoulder. “Got anything?” he asked me when Danica moved toward her father.
“No, you?”
“He’s not talking.” Mike gave his father a brief glance. “Let’s hope your guy finds something.”
“I don’t think we’ll be here for too long.” I eyed his sister. “I doubt that this is about to go down very well.”
“How is she?” he asked and looked at Danica who was sitting by her father’s bedside, being ignored by the man. I pulled him toward the hallway and spoke so as not to be heard.
“She’s mad as hell but she made the decision to come here on her own,” I said. “She has an ax to grind and he’s got answers he needs to give. Arguing is what landed him here in the first place, which has me a little concerned, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t get what she’s owed with all the hell he’s put her through over the years.”
“I hear you,” he said. I could see that the man was torn between his two closest relatives. I didn’t envy his position. “I’ve got to say that I’m impressed with you, Jake. Contrary to my dad, I knew that you were a good guy and all but I never thought that you’d do all that you have. From what Ben’s told me over the years...”
“Like I’ve said, your sister is the one I needed all along… Jordan’s a plus,” I said. “No disrespect intended but I want to throttle your dad for knowing my kid’s been miserable and he didn’t do a damn thing all these years.”
“I’m not happy about it either.” He patted my shoulder. “I need some coffee. Catch up with you guys later.”
I approached Danica who sat by her father’s bedside and came to a stop behind her. “Mr. Withers,” I said, “how are you feeling?”
He scoffed at my inquiry.
“Daddy!” Danica warned.
“What?” He turned to look at his daughter. I saw the ice in his eyes when his gaze turned to me. “Come to finish the job?”
“That’s enough!” Danica said and stood. “I’ve come to see you and find out how you were doing and you’re going to lay there, not say a word and then attack Jacob after what he’s done to keep you alive? I can’t believe you!”
“Sweetheart,” I squeezed her shoulders, “it’s fine. He can say whatever he damn well pleases, but in the end, he’s going to be listening to everything I have to say.”
“Is that so?” The man wore a smug expression.
I held his gaze. “For the sake of redeeming your daughter’s and grandson’s faith in you, I hope you choose to listen.”
I wasn’t backing down.
It worked.
He looked over at Danica and reached out for her hand but she backed off and settled against the front of my body. My hands went to her hips and squeezed. Withers noticed it but as quick as his eyes took in my gesture, they met his daughter’s again. “I only meant to protect you,” he said in a soft voice. “I knew you loved him but he wasn’t right for you.”
“And you were the judge of that?” The anger simmered in her tone. “You said so yourself,” she paused and swallowed hard, “in court, that day. You were impressed with the man Jacob’s become. You can admit it to me and Mike but why can’t you admit it to Jacob’s face?”
“It’s true,” he paused to give me a fleeting look and then turned toward her once more, “he did impress me. I never thought he’d amount to much to be frank and you know how much I dislike to be proven wrong.”
“You behaved like a ruthless, spineless… a heartless bastard, just for the sake of your pride?” I squeezed her side again and she covered my hands with hers and squeezed back. “I feel like I don’t know you, Daddy. J
ordan doesn’t want to see you. All those heart-to-hearts you two had… you didn’t just betray me, you betrayed your grandson when you chose to keep the truth from us. Do you have any idea what I went through all these years: the shame, the guilt, a marriage based on lies so I could see my son be happy with a father figure, to please you? I sacrificed everything!”
The man’s face grew red with fury. He exploded. “I was there, dammit! That was enough, wasn’t it? I helped you with your finances, I looked after Jordan when you had school and work, I was there when you graduated and when you couldn’t find a job. Who gave you that first job when you were still green under the collar? Who saved you from the worst mistake of your life? It was me, baby girl, me!”
“Our son is not a mistake!” Danica shoved my hands off of her and I backed up. The tension radiated off of her like a wildfire. Sure enough, she sent the chair flying back a few feet as she pushed it out of the way to bend over his prone position in a fury.
“That’s not...”
“Jacob and I aren’t a mistake!” She got nose-to-nose with him.
“Dani...”
“Let me clarify a few points, father.” She straightened. “You helped me financially and this we both can agree on but that’s where it ends. Mom was the one who looked after Jordan, Dad, not you! It was the same way when Michael and I were kids. You were too busy with your precious business. Why do you think he and I got involved? I can’t speak for my brother but it wasn’t my first choice for a career. We wanted you to be proud. We wanted to be around you more, especially after Mom died. You were there when I graduated college because it looked good on you. I never told you this and I let it pass because I was happy at WI but I found out about your little phone calls to my prospective employers, father. You gave them cause not to hire me!
“No matter that, I spent the years not knowing this fact, working my ass off trying to make something of myself for you to be proud of. It’s what I’ve always done.” She paused to take a breath. “Have you ever been happy with anything I’ve done? Hell, have you ever been happy? Is this what it’s all about, that I want happiness and you can’t stand the thought because your life choices have left you miserable?”
Almost Forgotten (Contemporary Erotic Romance) (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 2) Page 21