Persuading Perfection

by TC Matson

  “Knock, knock,” Max pokes his head in. “Raymond said the wedding decorators will be here any minute. Can you meet them out front and show them the way to the veranda and then the reception area?”

  “It’s for the Boyds, right?” I double check.

  “Yes. Also, on your way back, get with Derrek and Dale and arrange their schedule. Derrek needs a week off so we’ll need to check with Dale that he’ll be in.”

  I arch a brow. “You’re the boss. You do it. They’re your wine makers. I don’t even remember how to get to their science lab,” I jest.

  Having a brother as your boss has its playful advantages.

  He puffs a chuckle under his breath. “Lunch when you get back?”

  “Only if you’re paying.” I grin.

  He disappears but then springs back into my doorway. “Oh! Mom and Dad called. They’ll be flying in next week.”

  “Yeah…Dad wants dinner with Zach.”

  His brows quirk with a devilish swirl flashing in his eyes. “How I’d love to be there for that.”

  “I’m sure,” I deadpan with a bite.

  The wind rushes and sends a shiver down my spine as I push out the side entrance toward where Max said to meet the decorators. The air is bringing the end of autumn and introducing the wicked winters. I hate the cold…odd since I live in Colorado. You’d think by now I would be used to it. But not at all. Me and the cold, we don’t get along well. It’s bad for my skin, my hair, and more importantly, it’s horrid for my flip flops.

  Several steps down, and my shoe smacks the back of my leg and I trip. My heart stops as I reach out trying to catch myself, but my fingertips slide across the railing unable to get a grip as I’m hurdled forward. A strangled scream breaks free as the world tumbles. I yelp as piercing pain fires over my elbow while I try grabbing my baby. A fiery pain shatters across my hip, over my body as I land on the steps. Adrenaline laced panic shoots through me as I plummet.

  I hear a thud, the sound so deafening it’s numbing. The world blackens…

  “Jade?” Max’s voice is panicked as he calls for me. He’s right on the edge of the ice. His hand is outstretched but I can’t reach it no matter how hard I’m stretching. “I’ve got an ambulance on the way.” He scrambles, slipping a few times, trying to get me from a different angle, but his foot falls through the ice and he leaps back. “The ambulance is on the way,” he repeats.

  Warmth envelops my hand. I gasp, choking on air. A sharp sting slices across my forehead and a throb explodes as I crack an eye open.

  Max is yelling at someone. “Get me a towel, dammit.” He’s blurry. The light around him is fuzzy. Terror is on his face when he looks back to me. “I’ve got an ambulance on the way,” he says again, but I can barely hear him over the splashing frigid water. I’m gripping the ice, kicking my feet. My body is in agony, on fire. Each breath feels like a million knives. I try to scream, but there’s too much pressure on my chest that only a whisper breaks free.

  I’m going to drown. Terror explodes… My eyelids fall heavy and the world turns black…

  Beeps and a whooshing sound peel my eyes open to an unfamiliar room.

  “Fuck,” I groan trying to move my sore body.

  There’s a slight chuckle across the room. Max is plopped in a chair in a white button down and black slacks. His hair is a mess, and his eyes are tired. “You take a midday nap and when you wake up your first word is fuck?”

  “What happened?” I ask running my hand across rough fabric on my stomach.

  “You decided to experience skydiving down the stairs.” He moves to the side of the bed and comforts me with a smile. “You’re fine. The baby’s fine. That’s what this is for.” He taps the black belt thing. “His heartbeat has been going strong. While you were asleep they did two separate ultrasounds to double check.”

  Relieved, I exhale closing my eyes briefly. “How long do I have to stay here?”

  “First you had to wake up. But they said after you do and as long as you’re feeling fine, they’ll keep you for a few more hours to monitor you. You hit your head pretty bad. Got a few stitches.”

  “Fabulous,” I mumble. “I need my phone. I need to call Zach.”

  He grits his teeth as he exhales through his nose. “I called him. Your phone is at the office. He said he’d take the first flight he can get back.”

  I drop my head back. “Okay.”

  Zach

  My plane landed forty-five minutes ago and I’ve been barreling through everyone since. My tires screech jerking into a parking spot and I slam my car door behind me, sprinting toward Max’s apartment entrance. He had Easton text me and let me know they were being released and he’d have Jade call me later. Motherfucker has another think coming.

  The elevator chimes and Max is standing before me, eying me like I’m an intruder.

  “Make an exception this time,” I snap and as I start past him toward her room, he doesn’t argue.

  Jade’s lying in the bed, curled up on her side. She’s got a bandage on her forehead just under her hairline, and her arm is in a sling. A weak smile stretches her lips. “Hey.”

  Cupping her face, I kiss her gently. “Are you okay?” I drift my hands to her stomach. “Is he okay?”

  “Yes, he’s fine. I’m sore but okay.”

  Relief washes over me. “Thank fuck. That was the worst flight in my entire life. I couldn’t get here fast enough.” I start pulling clothes out of her dresser and stacking them neatly on the end of the bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  I brace myself for a fight. “I’m going to pack you a bag. You’re coming home with me. It’s not up for discussion.”

  “Okay.”

  It surprises my feet still. My view shifts to her just to make sure I’m not hearing shit. “Where’s your suitcase?”

  “Closet floor.”

  Yeah. I heard her right.

  After packing everything, I help Jade and hold her hand as we walk back down the hall. Max spots us and jerks out of his seat. “Where the fuck are you taking my sister?”

  “Home,” I state.

  His head is shaking before the words exit his mouth. “The hell you are.”

  “I’m not going to argue about it. She’s coming home with me. My girlfriend with my son.”

  “That’s my sister and she’s staying here,” he drops his tone to a threatening level.

  All the worry and panic, all the strain between him and me, all patience and infuriation I’ve endured just waiting for Jade…I snap and anger blasts behind my eyes, surging through my muscles. I lunge, snatching him up by his shirt and slamming him against the wall. “Fuck you.” I sneer.

  He shoves me backward and slams his fist into my face following up with a hit to the ribs. I stumble, but quickly find my footing, and roar into him, swinging, my knuckles connecting with his face. He weaves, ducking back and forth, before charging forward, wrapping me up and slamming me against the wall. Several punches are exchanged. He unloads. I unload. He blocks. I block. I fire off a right and it connects with his eye. I lunge forward with my shoulder, digging it into his stomach. The air expels from his lungs as his back hits the floor.

  Somehow the fucker twists, hooking my head under his arm, and springs back to his feet. We’re chest to chest when he pushes me away and buries his knuckles into my cheek.

  I surge, twisting, and slam him against the wall. “It’s not supposed to be like this,” I grind out, shoving him deeper into the wall, yelling in his face. “I fucking love her.” He tries pulling free, but I press harder. I’m nose to nose, my fury billowing. “I kiss the ground she walks on. Have since the damn day I set eyes on her. I’ve spent years living with the fact that the woman I deem as my one I’d never have. Now that I’ve got her, I’m holding on with my life. I lied to you because I love you.” I let him loose and shove him in the chest. “I fucked up. I know it. I gain one thing while losing the other.” I’m breathless, staring him down. “But I’d do it all ov
er again.”

  I turn my back on Max. Jade’s mouth is gaped, tears pouring down her cheek. I take her hand in mine and start toward the door. “You can call my phone to talk to her. I’ll make sure she answers.”

  And just like that, I walk away from ten years of friendship with Jade in my hand.

  Once we got to my house, I put her in the bed and made sure she didn’t need anything before I took a shower. I slide into a pair of boxers and then slide into the bed where I can finally wrap my arms around her. Her head is on my chest, her hand resting on my abs. She’s safe…with me.

  “Have you thought about names?” she asks, her voice quiet.

  “I have. You?”

  She moves her head to look up at me. “What are your picks?”

  Although today was riddled with anger and worry, I can’t help the smile. “I’d really like to have his middle name as Nicolas. I’ll give you first name dibs and will agree on anything you pick if you let it be.”

  Her face lights up. She looks toward the window, pondering something before shifting back to me and dropping a brow low. “Deal.”

  Surprised, I chuckle. “No fight?”

  Shaking her head, she replies. “You’ll agree on anything, right?”

  “As long as it’s not beyond reason, yes. Max may hate me and he and I may not ever be the same, but he’s been a significant person in my life. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it weren’t for him. He forced me to think of my future when a career was the last thing on my mind. Plus, he introduced me to you. So yeah. I’d like for our son’s name to carry his uncle’s middle name.”

  Her lips part and she beams. “Caleb Nicolas.”

  “Caleb? Even though he’ll have my last name, you still want my middle?”

  Bashfully, she lifts a shoulder.

  A memory flashes of her at her parents’ house doing her homework at the table. She had gotten up to do something for her mom, leaving her notebook behind. I just so happened to walk past…Hearts and my full name every damn where. “I’m surprised you didn’t wear it out with all the times you wrote it, doodling when you were younger,” I say and her eyes bulge. “Aww…was I not supposed to know about that?” I tease with a devilish grin.

  She covers her face. “Oh. My. God.”

  I’m cackling shifting onto my side to face her. “And you know, I never knew the A in Zach was actually a heart. I’ve been spelling my name wrong all my life.”

  “Oh my god,” she repeats, her words muffled by her hands.

  I brush away the hair that’s fallen around her face. “Unless there was another Zach and Caleb?”

  She burns me with an embarrassed glare. “You were the hottest guy in school, my brother’s best friend, and I was a silly little teenager. So what if I had a massive crush on you.”

  I lick my lips. “From those hearts, I’d say you fantasized about me.”

  “Shut up.” She squeaks, rolling her eyes. “Every girl in school did.”

  “But I was too busy looking at you to care, especially in that fucking teal shirt you used to wear just to mess with me.”

  She slaps the bed with a chortle. “Oh my god, you totally are right.” She belts out another laugh. “I forgot all about that shirt. I can’t believe it worked. I caught you looking at my boobs one day, and it made me feel like I hit the lottery, so I made sure to wear it any chance I could while you were around.”

  Her laugh continues to bless me.

  Resting my forehead to her shoulder, I close my eyes. “Damn I loved your boobs. Still do. But back then they were forbidden.” I blow a breath and slide my hand over hers.

  “I love you.” It’s the first time she’s ever said that with so much devotion that my chest tightens.

  I glance up to her. “I love you. Too fucking much.”

  Work doesn’t stop just because I’m at home. I’ve got several important projects I’m working on and since I’m taking the rest of the week off, I’ve got Ethan showing face at the other construction sites while I work on McCarthy Company. It’s high-end and a multimillion-dollar honey pot that’s guaranteed for the next five years if I can convince them we’re the better firm.

  “Do you need any help?” Jade sticks her head into my office.

  Per doctor’s orders, she’s to relax and do nothing strenuous for five to seven days. She’s bored out of her mind.

  “No. Go lie down and watch TV.”

  She whines. “Ugggghh. I need something to do. This sitting still stuff sucks.” She slides her sexy ass on my lap, hooking her arms around my neck. “Show me what you’re doing.” She tips her head to all the work scattered across my desk.

  I graze her jaw with a soft kiss. “The doctor said no work.”

  She ignores me. “Tell me about this…stuff.”

  A hum rumbles from my chest. “Well, this stuff is design sketches and mockups. A few schematic designs Ethan and I have been working on. I’m revising and modifying them based on state building codes and my opinions of the customer’s tastes.” I tap the top paper with my finger. “This company has requested a certain design not limited to just one in particular. They’re going to build three of these in different states, which all have different building code regulations and climates.” I tighten my lips and shake my head, giving her a wink and hoping like hell she doesn’t want me to go in depth on that subject. “I’m always meticulous, but because I’m going head to head with another company, I need to make sure it’s completely flawless and better than what they dreamed of. It’s a multimillion-dollar job. Needless to say, I want it.”

  She blinks back to me. “How the hell did you get into this?”

  I flash a smirk. “I liked to draw.” And then I shrug. “I like to create.”

  “You’ve al—”

  The doorbell interrupts her and then pounding on the door.

  “Easton’s here.”

  Easton struts in looking fancy as fuck in his suit with Zoey just as stunning and slaps my arm as he passes me, heading straight for Jade. He kisses her cheek as Zoey hugs her. “Max told us what happened. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” Zoey babbles all over the place.

  Jade’s nodding. “Yes. We’re fine, but I’m about to die of boredom.”

  That’s all it took. The girls settle on the couch and a yap fest commences.

  “How is she really doing?” Easton says quietly so the girls wouldn’t hear.

  “She’s fine. They monitored the baby for several hours yesterday and she has to keep track of his movements for a few days. She’s not quite on bed rest, but she’s not allowed to do shit. All in all, they’re fine.”

  He studies me. “You get into a scuffle? Haven’t seen you with a shiner since high school.”

  “I had my fill with Max yesterday.”

  Easton grunts his understanding. “Want a beer?”

  The damn doorbell rings again. “That bell hasn’t seen this much action since I moved in.”

  In my gut, I know who it is and I pray he’s not standing there waiting for another fight. I pull open the door. Max looks solemn holding out Jade’s phone. “I’m sorry for yesterday.”

  “No you’re not.” I offer a smile.

  He disregards my statement. “How is she?”

  I push open the door and take a step back, jerking my chin her direction. “Come in and ask her yourself.”

  He’s hesitant and skeptical stepping in, and when Jade sees him, she springs to her feet throwing her good arm around his neck.

  “I brought your phone. How are you feeling?”

  She groans. “Bored. Zach won’t let me do anything.”

  He smiles at his sister. “Good. That’s what the doctors said to do. Don’t be hardheaded. Mom and Dad said they’d be here tonight.”

  She drops her head in contest. “Great.”

  Max kisses her cheek and whispers something in her ear. Her eyes shift to me and then Max turns to where Easton and I are watching. “Can I talk to you two?”

  He doesn’t
wait for an answer. Instead he strolls out the French doors without confirmation.

  Whelp. We’re about to get bloody as fuck because I’m done standing down.

  He’s leaning on his forearms on the back of a chair, bent, looking out over the pool. He’s troubled and it’s clear on his expression. “Promise me no more lies.”

  “She’s the only thing I’ve ever lied about.”

  He inhales, dropping his head. “Ten years is a long time to deceive me and be able to look me in the eyes.”

  I don’t respond because he’s entirely right.

  He rises to his full height with another long breath. He homes in on me. “Man to man. Are you in for the long haul or are you going to toss her?”

  My chance at redemption… “I’d die before I hurt her. I feel her in my soul. I love her,” I tell him. “I can’t take back what I did. You’re my brother at heart, but I’d rather have her for the rest of my life even if that meant losing you entirely.”

  Scratching the back of his neck, he flicks his view back to the pool and his shoulders sag. “It’s going to take me a little bit to get used to this. My best friend with my sister…” he trails off. “I swear to you, if you hurt her,” he moves face to face with me. “I’ll murder you and fertilize the fucking vineyard with your remains.”

  I’m grinning like an idiot when we step back into the house. I take a seat beside Jade, slap a kiss to her cheek and tell her we’ve got her brother’s blessing.

  “Now that you two asshats have made up, I’ve got an announcement.” Easton pulls Zoey from the couch. “I asked Zoey to marry me.”