I got closer to her, standing between her and Jackson, and getting that much in her space meant I could smell her.
“Holy shit, you’ve been drinking, Lexie. How the heck can you do that to the baby?”
“Is she right? You’re back on the sauce?” Jackson moved me out of the way and got right in her face, taking a couple of audible whiffs of her breath.
“Jesus fuck, Lex, are you out of your goddamn mind?”
“I-I just needed a little something to give me the courage to come here tonight.” For the first time, since well, ever, because I’d only dealt with the train wreck twice then, I saw true remorse on her face. “I swear, Jax, ever since I found out I was pregnant I haven’t touched a thing. Tonight was the only exception!”
“And when did ya find out about the baby?”
“I’ve known for a few weeks. I was debating whether or not to keep it.”
After that statement, a bunch of his relatives either gasped or began muttering Hail Marys and crossing themselves. Jax looked up and gave them a cold stare that shut them all up fast.
She grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket, getting all wild-eyed and frantic. “I knew you’d never forgive me or take me back if I had an abortion and I thought hey, maybe it’s a sign we’re destined to be together. You see, you and I can get married and I’ll move in here and I’ll get ready for our baby and you’ll be able to help me. We’ll be the family you’ve always wanted, Jax, honey. It’ll be the way it was always supposed to be.”
He gently took her hands off of him, gave them a squeeze and set them down by her sides. “Lex,” he said in a lower, more resigned voice. “I’m in love with Lauren. Have been since the beginning.”
What did he just say? He loves me? Holy shit!
As if reading my mind, Jackson looked over at me, his eyes getting all warm and soft, making me melt right on the spot. He turned to me, bringing his hand up behind my neck and pulling me toward him, my chest smashed against his side.
“Didn’t want to tell you like this,” he whispered. His hand squeezed my neck. “Wanted to be the one to tell you first. Fuck, probably the only rule on your mama’s list I’m down with.” He grinned, but then his eyes darkened and his expression got steely serious. “That’s why I hesitated before. I wanted to tell you I’m in love with you. Want to do the whole thing with you.
“Lauren, I knew I wanted in there the minute I saw you, but I really knew I was falling in love with you when I looked through that sketchbook of yours. That was it for me. Been a goner over you ever since. And we’re gonna do the whole thing too.”
“What whole thing, Jax?”
He turned his head so his mouth was right next to my ear. “Gonna marry you, have babies with you. The whole nine. This is it. You’re it.”
“But what about Lexie and the baby and—”
“Yeah Jackson,” Lexie interrupted, stumbling over to us. “You’re just gonna leave me alone to raise your baby? What kind of man abandons his own child? Or maybe you’re more like your father than I knew, eh Jackie?”
Jackson paused for a moment and I could see his brain working, as if digging deep for something. Then his face smoothed out and his lips tightened into a thin line.
“Not mine,” he said calmly.
“What are you talking about?” she retorted. “Of course the baby’s yours!”
“You’re thirteen weeks, putting conception around early December.”
“Yeah, so?”
He disengaged from me and went over to her, getting close to her. “Lex, last time we were together was late October, Halloween to be exact.” Then he leaned even closer to her, in order to whisper so the whole room couldn’t hear.
God, he was such a nice guy.
“We didn’t even…” he mumbled, looking down at his boots. “Shit, Lex, I wasn’t even inside you that time.” He paused to search her face. “You remember any of it?”
I couldn’t help but study her, watching as Lexie searched her memory. I actually started to feel sorry for her when it was obvious she came up with nothing. The anger and venom drained from her and now all she looked was…lost.
“I don’t— I-I can’t remember,” she mumbled. “I just assumed…” Lexie looked down at the floor. “I wanted so badly for this baby to be yours, Jackson.”
He let out a breath, placing one hand on his hip and the other on her shoulder. “You gotta beat this thing for good this time, Lex. You gotta get help.”
Her eyes grew even wider, as if she were staring into some scary abyss with no exit.
“I can’t do it, Jackson. I’ve tried and I fail every time.”
He shook his head and squeezed her shoulder. “I know, but it’s gotta take this time. For your baby.”
She looked numb, terrified, but she also nodded as if already resigned to what she knew she had to do. “Will you take me there now?” she asked him.
“There” I suspected was rehab. Jackson agreed.
The rest of the family began cleaning up and, in small groups, started leaving. Only his mom and his sister were left, hanging back to ensure I was okay. While I had to admit I was less than thrilled that my man was the one taking Lexie to rehab, I couldn’t get that upset about it because it just proved the kind of man he was, not only to me, but to everyone.
Jackson was on the phone, at first with a rehab in the next county, and then with her parents. They were going to pack her things and meet them at the facility. Jackson realized early on in the phone call that they had no idea she was pregnant, and I could tell how uncomfortable he was to have to be the one to break the news to them. He also had to dispel their hopes that he was the father.
I could only keep myself busy cleaning up for so long. When they were ready to go, I wished her luck and told Jackson to drive safe.
“Babe,” he replied, “why the fuck are you saying goodbye? You’re coming with us.”
“What?” I squeaked out.
“Get your jacket, babe. We’ll take my car.”
“But Jackson!” Lexie called out. “I don’t want her to come with us. I just want you—”
“Lexie, it ain’t gonna happen.” He sounded firm and final. “I want you to be good, to get well for your baby. But you need to get this, and get it now that this is the last time I’m dealing with you. Lauren comes or I don’t. I won’t disrespect my woman by taking off with another, even if it’s to rehab.”
Lexie looked Jackson over, then glanced over to me, then went back and forth again. When her eyes finally settled on me, I could see her letting go of something.
“Lauren?”
I arched an eyebrow in reply.
“Take good care of him.”
Now it was my turn to let out the tension I was holding in my body.
“I will.”
“Jackson’s the best.”
He walked his mom and sister to their cars and then glanced at me over his shoulder, giving me a smile that bathed my skin with sweet warmth and seeped deep inside.
“He is incredible.” I looked over at Lexie, who was wringing her hands, seeming so small all of a sudden. I never had to beat down an addiction, nothing like what she was wrestling with on a constant basis. I could tell she was terrified, and I couldn’t blame her, and even though she’d been a colossal bitch to me, I couldn’t help but feel for her.
Before I knew it, we were heading out. I decided to wait in the car when Jackson brought her into the rehab center. Jackson fought me on it, but this time I won.
When he got back in, he turned to me, threaded his fingers through my hair the way he always did, and smoothed the strands down with his palm. “It’s done. We’re done with that for good. I promise,” he vowed while stroking my cheek. “You’re good, baby?”
My hand covered his, the one still stroking my skin with his thumb. “You love me?”
Now it was my turn to get all gooey and warm. “Then, not only am I good, but we’re good.”
He gave a hint of a nod and a huge smile.
“Love you, Jackson.”
He reached over for me, holding my face in his hands, giving me everything he had in a deep, soulful kiss that burned right through me.
“Love you, Lauren. More than anything.”
Epilogue
Ten months later, New Year’s Eve
The dress was different, but I kept my shoes the same, the patent-leather Jimmy Choos I had worn last New Year’s Eve. Instead of some fancy, cinching-my-breath-away cocktail dress, I chose a simple black jersey wrap dress with a sexy side slit. It still wasn’t biker-babe wear, but it was cute and chic and designed for comfort, and that seemed more important to me recently than anything else.
I fluffed out my hair, took one last look in the mirror, and then went searching for my husband. As I passed the towering bookcases in the main room of the house, I couldn’t help but take a second to stop and admire some of the new additions to the picture collection.
Front and center was the most kickass, candid wedding photo of us, done in a sepia finish. He was wearing an ivory button-down shirt with black trousers, his arms wrapped around me with mine tucked in between our bodies, and his forehead resting on top of mine. He was dreamily looking down at me and my eyes were closed, a lazy, happy smile on my face.
Since I was last of Eleanor Renwick’s daughters to get married, she and my daddy had wanted a full-on traditional Southern wedding back home in Asheville. She had even picked out an all-white, satin-and-lace cupcake dress with more fabric than flair for me to wear for the big day.
We ended up renting out a cool local vineyard, called 868 Estate, in Purcellville, Virginia, and having a wedding that was way more Jackson and me than what my mama had in mind. In the end she didn’t care because she and the rest of my family were just thrilled I had finally met my man and we were making it legal. “Was ’fraid for a bit there, baby girl, you’d just keep livin’ in sin together forever!” said my mama.
After the whole Lexie-in-rehab debacle, and us saying the big “I love you” to each other, Jackson wasted little time convincing me to move in with him. It hurt my heart giving up my li’l bungalow in my beloved town of Vienna, Virginia, but his place had more room, a yard for Charlie, and a garage for his bike and our cars. The one part that was good was that I had rented the house to his buddy Mad Max, who, it turned out, had an eight-year-old daughter. He’d heard the public schools in Vienna were exceptional and even though he was as biker badass as they came, he was an even better dad who wanted good for his only child. So, his rent paid my mortgage, and I was moved out of there and in with Jax by the end of May, engaged by the Fourth of July, and married in October.
Needless to say, Jackson Sullivan didn’t screw around when there was something he wanted, and since he told me what he wanted more than anything was me, I was more than happy to make his wish come true.
Because it was my deepest wish as well. Saying yes to Jackson always granted my wishes.
My mama eventually acquiesced on the dress, “allowing” me to pick a gorgeous champagne silk, strapless gown with just a hint of beading and sparkle at the waist. I had wanted to go for a short-skirted number, but Jackson surprisingly wanted me in something a bit more traditional. I even wore the single-strand pearl necklace his mother lent me, the same one that had been worn by every bride in the family. “Know you’re goin’ ta have better luck than I did, Lauren, my girl,” Maggie had said to me on our wedding day with tears in her eyes. I knew too because she had raised the best man I’d ever known.
After our wedding, I had heard through the grapevine (a.k.a. his sister and cousins) that Lexie completed rehab, stayed sober throughout the rest of her pregnancy, and had a healthy baby boy. She relocated out of state to be closer to her older sister, who was going to help her out. Last I heard, Lexie was still sober and seriously dating a great guy she met at an AA meeting. That whole scene seemed like a lifetime ago, and in a way, it was for us.
If I didn’t hurry, I was going to be late, so I grabbed my clutch and found Jackson by his bike, ready to roll. He was wearing dark blue jeans that fit him like they were made for him, a black button-down shirt and his leather jacket.
“Ready to roll, princess?” he said with a devilish smirk on his face.
I shook my head and smiled back at the gorgeous man I could never get enough of. “I’m no princess, Mr. Sullivan. I am the queen. Especially tonight.”
We were headed to Sully’s, where it had begun for Jax and me, only this time the bar was closed to the public and was being set up for a private party for our family and friends. I had been over there earlier in the day, putting the final touches together.
“Babe, mind if we take your SUV?”
He raised his eyebrows at me, surprised because I never turned down a ride on his Harley. I loved being on the back of his bike, even when wearing a dress and heels, even in the winter.
“Not like you to not wanna ride,” he replied, studying my face for clues.
A small smile escaped my calm façade as I strolled over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my body into his front, with his ass leaning on his bike.
“Are you not feeling good, babe?” He looked concerned with his furrowed brow and searching gaze.
“I’m a li’l nauseated,” I said, still unable to get the silly-ass grin off my face. “Should feel better in a couple of months.”
Jackson’s face was blank. I kept talking.
“Will definitely feel all better in a li’l less than nine months.”
A blaze of recognition flashed across his face and he cinched me tight against him.
“Are you sayin’— Are you—”
“Pregnant? Yeah, honey, that’s what I’m telling you. We’re going to have a baby.”
He sucked in air, as if trying to resuscitate himself. His eyes were burning with something, but I couldn’t tell if it was with happiness or anger. It was definitely intense, and I started quietly freaking out, wondering if he thought it was too soon for us. I knew he wanted kids, but maybe he didn’t want this kind of news a few months after our wedding.
I felt my nose stinging and my heart pounding like a jackhammer and I averted my gaze, trying to reel myself in.
“Babe?” he softly whispered, his voice still low and gravelly.
“What?” I was looking at my feet.
“Look at me, Lauren.”
I did, and saw his eyes filled with tears.
“Never been happier.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “Really? It’s not too soon or—”
He gave me another squeeze, coming closer, his face the only thing I could see.
“Found the love of my life, in my bar of all places, on New Year’s Eve.”
The tears were coming down and I didn’t even care anymore because he kept talking.
“Our wedding day? Happiest day of my life.”
“Jackson,” I whispered.
“Not anymore.”
My eye widened and my lips parted.
“Today’s now my happiest day. Can’t believe how fuckin’ lucky I got. Got you, now a baby.”
I just nodded, too overwhelmed to answer.
“Happy New Year, Lauren Sullivan.”
This time, I cradled his face in my hands, brought him down to kiss me deep.
“Happy new life, Jackson Sullivan.”
About the Author
Born in California and raised in South Florida, Harper Kincaid has spent her adult life moving around like a gypsy with a bounty on her head. Along the way, she has earned graduate degrees in gender history and social work, and has work
ed as a professional matchmaker, community organizer and crisis counselor. Her circuitous explorations have not only provided her colorful stories for cocktail parties, but have also given her the courage to go after her deepest wish: to become a published author. Rule Breaker is her first novel, and she would love to hear from readers. She may be reached at:
www.HarperKincaidRomance.com
[email protected]
Twitter: @HarperKincaid
www.facebook.com/HarperKincaidRomance
Revenge wasn’t supposed to be this sweet…
If You Want Me
© 2014 Cassi Carver
The Ashford Legacy, Book 2
Sara Castillo has sworn never to get sucked into the world of the rich and famous, not after billionaire Benjamin Swayne broke her heart and left her carrying the burden of their shared secret.
Now Sara has a successful career working with her dear friend, Kyle Ashford, and her life runs like a well-oiled machine—until Kyle chooses Ben as his best man. No way will Sara let the renowned bad boy turn Kyle’s bachelor party into a front-page fiasco. She’s going to plan the party herself…even if she has to blackmail Ben into agreeing.
Ben isn’t thrilled about working with a woman who’d like to shank him and dump his body in a roadside ditch. But he’s willing to let Sara meddle, if only to teach her a lesson. And if the sight and scent of his old flame still makes his head swim…well, tough.
After Kyle’s party is wrapped up, Ben may finally be able to put Sara in the past. That is, if their time together doesn’t convince them they have a future.
Warning: This book contains a woman who likes being in control, a billionaire who likes to make her lose it, and enough sex toys to satisfy an army.
Enjoy the following excerpt for If You Want Me:
Benjamin Swayne was a disgusting man. How could so many people miss this fact and label him as charming instead? How could they look at the tall, sculpted physique, the sandy-blond hair, the finely tailored tuxedo and not see the worthless human being underneath? Sara had fallen victim to that charm eight long years ago, and her heart still had the scars to prove it.
Rule Breaker Page 12