Troublemaker (Songbird #6)

by Melissa Pearl

  “Hold the doors!”

  My heart lurched at the sound of Marcus’s voice carrying across the lower exec floor. I jammed my hand on the Open Doors button.

  He puffed into view with a dopey smile. “You forgot something.”

  “What?”

  Before I could blink, his hands cupped my face and he leaned up to kiss me. His firm lips touched me right down to my core before he opened his mouth and sealed the deal with a kiss that had Marcia cheering from behind her desk. I ran my hands around Marcus’s solid torso and gripped his waist, noticing out of the corner of my eye a few curious onlookers popping out of their offices.

  I shut my eyes against them all and lost myself in Marcus.

  Marcus.

  His name was a contented sigh in my brain, a promise of something more…a life I never knew I wanted.

  He pulled away and brushed his nose against mine. “I’ll see you later.” His breath caressed my skin, his soft voice sounding like a sonnet. “Wear something…”

  “Comfortable,” I murmured.

  “I was gonna say nice, but if you’d rather comfy, then…”

  I snickered, stepping back into the elevator as it started to beep in protest. I shone him my best smile and winked. “Most definitely comfy.”

  His grin was adorable. It carried me down to my car and all the way home where I floated through my door and found a very different face waiting for me.

  “Mom!” I jerked, gripping the doorknob like it would somehow keep me upright. “What… How?”

  “I own this apartment, I have a key.” Her tone was acidic, the unimpressed glint in her eye making my insides shrivel. “Where have you been?”

  “I, um…” I licked my bottom lip and stepped into the apartment, leaving the door ajar in case I needed a quick escape. Clearing my throat, I raised my chin and forced myself to look at her. “I had to pop into work and pass on a very important message.”

  “More important than Fletcher’s wedding?”

  “Most definitely.” I grinned.

  Mom’s eyes narrowed, zeroing in on me and stripping the smile from my face. “You embarrassed yourself and your family today, running out of the church like some madman. Gossip was rife before the ceremony even started.” Mom clutched her purse and pulled her shoulders back, her cheeks tinging red as she looked me up and down. “Now, you will make amends for your abhorrent behavior and join me at the reception. You will smile, you will converse, you will make people believe that you are in full control of your faculties, whether that be true or not.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I’m in full control of my faculties! My mind’s never been so clear.” I kicked off my shoes. They landed with a clunk on the wooden floor, making my mother bristle.

  “Put those back on. We are leaving!”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to the reception. I shouldn’t have been asked to attend the wedding in the first place. I don’t care about appearances. You can do this gig without me.”

  “Kelly, you are my daughter, and you will not humiliate me like this.”

  “I’m not trying to humiliate you!” I threw my arms wide.

  Mom sighed, pulling in a slow breath like she was trying to keep it together. “I understand that you loved Fletcher. He hurt you, but you must rise above it. You can’t let them win. To get the things you want, you must be steel.”

  “No, Mom, I must be open and willing to fight for the things that matter.” I stepped toward her, gently placing my hands on her shoulders. “Fletcher doesn’t matter anymore, and neither do any of the guys you try to line up for me. I don’t want to get married for the good of the company. I’m not a business transaction, I’m your daughter. And I should get some say in my own life.”

  Mom rubbed her temples like I was giving her a migraine. “Kelly, this is bigger than you.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. There’s no law saying I have to marry a multimillionaire.”

  “But the company.”

  “I don’t care about the company.” I let her go, my arms slapping down against my sides. “It’s not even my company! I didn’t ask for it.”

  Mom’s eyes bulged, her face taking on an ashen quality before turning brittle. “Fine. You don’t care about our family, what do you care about?”

  “Marcus. I care about Marcus. I want to be with him, without any of your bullshit pressure or demands. I should be allowed to love who I want…and I want him.”

  A shuffling at the door made me spin. Yanking it open a little wider, I spotted Marcus. His tie was askew and his hair was mussed. From the way his chest was heaving, he looked like he’d been sprinting to reach me. I grinned at his beautiful, disheveled self and felt my knees weaken.

  “I couldn’t wait ’til seven,” he murmured with a sheepish grin.

  “Who is this?” Mom’s sharp voice was a bucket of cold water.

  “Hi there.” Marcus stepped around me, extending his hand in greeting. “Marcus Chapman.”

  Mom’s right eyebrow arched, and she looked him up and down then glared at me. “No. Absolutely not.”

  I made a fist and gave Marcus a tight smile. “Can you give us a second?”

  “Of course.” He lingered by the door looking sweet and adorable, while I snatched Mom’s arm and pulled her into my bedroom.

  “Let me go!” She flicked my hand off. Her horrified expression was so exaggerated it was almost comical.

  “How dare you look at him that way!” I snapped. “You have no right to dictate who I fall in love with.”

  “Oh, Kelly, don’t be insane. You know full well he’s not marriage material. He couldn’t possibly become a member of our family. One look at him and I can tell he’d be of no financial benefit, not to mention the fact he’s a complete hobo. The media would have a field day. He’s absolutely classless.”

  My insides were raging as she tore strips off my man. None of it was true. Marcus had more class than all of those stuck-up snobs.

  “I’m not asking your permission.” My voice had a cold, steely edge to it. Damn it felt good to finally tell her what I wanted to say. “Marcus is ten times the man Fletcher or Dad or any of your stiff-coat businessmen are.”

  Mom pointed an elegant finger at me. “Don’t speak about your father that way.”

  It made me sick that she kept defending him.

  “He’s a highly respected businessman and makes us look damn good. Now, we have spoken about this. It doesn’t matter how remarkable this Marcus might be, he’s not suitable! You are a DeMarco, you don’t have the luxury of choice!”

  “Yes. I. Do!”

  We stood less than an inch from each other, facing off like two mountain goats ready to lock horns. I couldn’t let her win, but that ruthless glare on her face was chipping at my resolve.

  Pissing my mother off was never a good idea.

  Her voice dropped to a soft timbre, a red flag for the blow she was about to strike.

  “May I remind you that your father and I own every aspect of your life. We pay for this apartment, your cleaner, your clothes and makeup. Your credit cards, how do you think they get paid off?”

  I stumbled back from her, my heel bashing into the base of the bed. I winced but locked my jaw, refusing to pull a that hurts face.

  “I would advise you, very strongly, to consider what might happen if you refuse to comply with my one simple request.” My mother’s tone was sharp and cutting.

  Simple request, was she kidding?

  “You’re forcing me to give up someone I love so I can live your plastic-coated, empty life. I don’t want that.” My voice shook. “I want to be with someone who’s going to be faithful to me, and respect me. Someone who will treat me well. Not for show but because they actually want to see me happy. I can’t do what you do. I don’t know how you cut off feelings so easily.”

  Her fine nostrils flared while a tendon in her neck pinged. She looked away from me like I’d just slapped her across the face. “You’d
give it all up for some short, mussed-up mess? I don’t even know what he does!”

  I looked to the floor and mumbled, “He’s a band manager for Torrence Records.”

  Mom scoffed as if I’d just said he was a street cleaner.

  I pointed toward the living area where Marcus was lingering, no doubt hearing every word shouted about him. “He’s a good guy, and he loves me.”

  “If you think that’s going to carry you through, you’ve got another think coming. You don’t even know what it is to work for a living. You’ve had a silver spoon life, and I can tell you that you will hate getting your hands dirty!” The venom in her tone made each word come out sharp and snappy. “Don’t let your foolish heart override common sense, Kelly. You’re smarter than that. I will strip every last penny out of your life if that’s what it takes to teach you.”

  My lips trembled when I tried to press them together.

  “No more nice clothes, no more fine dining. You can live like the rest of the working class and know what it’s really like to worry about paying your bills on time.”

  My insides were about to concave. I could feel the inner earthquake brewing. I crossed my arms over myself and gripped the edge of my waist.

  “I don’t think she needs to worry about that.” Marcus stepped into the room, his calm voice contradicting the fury in his gaze. The tight knot in my belly unraveled when he smiled at me and stepped to my side. He placed his hand on my lower back and gave it a gentle rub. “I know this isn’t my fight, Mrs. DeMarco. I hope you don’t mind the interruption, but I just couldn’t handle you yelling at my girl that way.”

  Mom’s neck rose high, and she pulled in an indignant breath.

  Marcus remained calm and unflappable, his voice steady and even. “I know what you’re trying to do—scare her into compliance. But the thing you’re forgetting is that Kelly has a job. One she’s very good at. She can pay her own bills now, and as for an apartment, she’s welcome to move into my house any time she’s ready.”

  I flinched to look at him, my heart melting into a puddle as I imagined waking up each morning in his bed with Pumpkin and Flash sleeping at our feet. I pictured myself walking in the door after work and kicking off my heels, puttering around in his little kitchen then slouching on the couch with him.

  A watery smile spread across my face.

  Mom’s irate tone tried to steal it from me. “Really, Kelly? You’ll give it all up for him?”

  I turned to face my lover, draping my arm over his shoulder and gazing into his eyes. “No. I’ll give it all up for us.”

  He grinned back at me and mouthed, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I whispered, running my fingers into his hair and brushing my lips against his.

  I was aware of my mother still standing there in her finery, but she didn’t say anything. She just kept staring at us with a lost kind of longing on her face. Marcus wrapped me in a hug, and I rested my chin on his shoulder, giving her a smile I hoped she’d understand.

  I didn’t know whether she did or not.

  She walked out of the room, and I was left with Marcus.

  As much as it hurt to see her leave, it couldn’t dampen the happy bubbles popping in my chest. I had Marcus…and that was all I really needed.

  Epilogue

  Marcus

  “Dude, you look exhausted. Would you go home already?”

  Justin scrubbed his face and yawned. The bags under his eyes were black and blue, his skin a pale cream color that looked awful on him.

  His shoulder hitched as he yanked his tie and pulled it off. Checking his watch, he hissed and reached for his phone, sending a quick text before pushing his half-eaten Subway lunch aside and hunching over a legal textbook that looked like hard work.

  I leaned against his office door and eyed him. “Maybe you should take tomorrow off. Have a catch-up study day or something.”

  “I-I can’t, man. I’ve got t-to finalize contracts for the n-n-ne-new…” He huffed and took a breath. “For the new guy tomorrow, and I-I have a test in the afternoon.”

  “Okay, I’m just saying. When was the last time you saw Sarah?”

  He closed his eyes and banged his head on top of his textbook. “I don’t want to talk about Sarah.”

  My stomach knotted. “Something happen?”

  He shook his head and sniffed. “Can you just go, man? I’ve got work to do.”

  I pushed off the doorframe and stood my ground, wondering how much pressure I should put on him. He looked ready to fall apart.

  “Just go,” he croaked.

  Easing quietly away from his office, I walked down the corridor while worry ate me alive. I had no idea what was going on with the guy, but for someone who was supposed to be celebrating his one-year anniversary in a few weeks, he wasn’t looking too enthusiastic about it.

  I’d always imagined marriage to be the easiest thing in the world. My parents made it look like a dream. Although, Kelly’s parents made it look like a nightmare. Correction: Kelly’s parents made it look good, but the truth below the surface was a frosty nightmare. I cringed as I headed down to my girl, reliving our most recent dinner at their place. It had been a quiet, secretive affair—the first time I’d been invited to their house. Awkward was the understatement of the year, and we’d only stayed an hour. Kelly cried on the way home, which broke my heart. I wanted to slap her parents senseless. Could they honestly not see how happy we were together?

  It was obvious the dinner invite was a ploy to break us up. I could tell they missed their daughter, but not enough to welcome me into the fold. They still hadn’t offered Kelly a dime since she moved in with me, but she didn’t seem to mind. She’d picked up a few classes at the gym, which Logan was paying her for, and that had become our entertainment budget. Between our two incomes, we were covering all the other expenses. My comfortable little bungalow suited us just fine, and so far she hadn’t curled her lip at anything. Kelly was the most happy and carefree I’d ever seen her. Life was bliss and the only thing I wanted to change was to make her my wife.

  I couldn’t ask her, though.

  She never spoke about marriage, but I got the impression that she was kind of anti the idea. I understood why after she told me the truth about her womanizing father. No wonder she’d had such a hard time trusting men. I wouldn’t let her down, though. I was determined to be the best boyfriend the world had ever seen.

  Sauntering into the main office, I raised my hand in farewell to Marcia, who was skipping to the elevator with an excited grin.

  I looked at Kelly, and she smirked at her animated friend. “Date night,” she told me when the elevator doors dinged shut.

  “Nice.” I came around the counter and perched my butt on her desk.

  “You nearly ready to go?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, still feeling a little unsettled about Justin.

  Her long fingers brushed against my thigh as she gazed up at me. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I just had a weird conversation with Justin. Something’s going on with him and Sarah.” My suit jacket rustled as I crossed my arms.

  “Oh hey, did you know I found out that she works for my dad. She’s one of his designers.”

  “Small world.” I raised my eyebrows. “I wonder what’s up with them?”

  “Hey.” Kelly squeezed my chin and made me look at her. “It’s not your marriage, which means it’s not your problem. And I’m not saying that to sound bitchy, but you and I have been living together for over four months now, and I’ve seen your weakness for taking on everybody else’s burdens. Don’t carry this for him. They have to work out their own problems.”

  I leaned forward and kissed her. “I’m so glad being with you is so easy.”

  She grinned.

  “Do you think we’ll ever get married?” The question just popped out before I’d thought it through. I swallowed and gave her a casual smile, hoping she wouldn’t make a big deal of it.

  She leaned
away from me, her eyes searching my face before she shrugged and murmured, “Maybe.”

  I stilled. “Maybe?”

  The corner of her mouth twitched. “Maybe.”

  My insides bubbled with glee, which I did my best to hide as I stood from her desk and slid my hands into my pockets. “So if I asked you, you’d say yes?”

  “I guess you’d have to buy a ring and ask me to find out.” She pressed her lips together, her sparkling gaze brushing over me.

  I narrowed my eyes at her teasing expression. “So let me get this straight. You’re expecting me to spend a month’s salary on a ring you’ll no doubt want to switch for something else, and then you want me to go down on one knee on the off-chance you might say yes?”

  “Uh-huh.” She giggled, her head bobbing.

  I brushed the air and stepped away from her desk. “Forget it. You want to marry me, you can ask me yourself.”

  “Oh! So romantic!” She scoffed.

  With a chuckle, I headed for my office, ready to collect my stuff and head home. She had no idea how badly I wanted to do everything I’d just teased her about, but I knew Kelly…and that kind of thing made her nervous. Putting her in the driver’s seat may have seemed unromantic to some, but it would make Kelly feel safe and secure, which was all I really cared about.

  I pulled out my chair and sat down with a grin. Wiggling my mouse, I lit up the screen and was about to close down my computer when a message dinged into my inbox. I saw it was from Kelly and double-clicked it immediately.

  Meghan Trainor’s voice filled my office at the same time Kelly appeared in my doorway, mouthing the words to “Dear Future Husband.” She rested her hand high on the frame, looking like a siren with her hip jutting out to the side.

  A soft chuckle escaped my lips when the beat kicked in and she swayed into the room. She was still mouthing the words, looking sexy as hell as she started dancing around my office and flirting with me.

  I was mesmerized.

  She shimmied up to my desk, her hands sliding down her thighs before she perched on my lap and gently tugged my tie. She pulled me an inch from her face and kept singing the words at me, telling me exactly what she expected of our future marriage.