The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  “Babe. That really stinks. I mean, I thought your family life was so much better than mine, but at least I’ve known all along that most of my family were jerks. Yours have only been pretending not to be, apparently.”

  She smiled just a little, appreciating the fact that he seemed to want to lighten the mood. He wasn’t used to seeing her so intense. She’d not really bothered to show him anything other than “party girl Jemma” up until this point.

  “So do you have anything else in that jacket of yours?” She grinned at him, ready to be done talking—ready to be done thinking for now. She really just wanted to get wasted and forget for a few hours that any of it had even happened.

  Dex pulled a small flask from his inside coat pocket and handed it to her as she giggled at him.

  “You’re so old school with your fancy silver flask and all.” She took the lid off and drank a big swig of the vodka, anticipating the nice burn in her throat that was coming.

  “Yeah, well, it’s good enough for you, isn’t it?” He took it from her to take a swig himself, then pulled her to him, the length of her body fitting up snug against his tall frame. He kissed her hard on the lips and she didn’t resist. “Should we go back to my place? I think Slade is gone for the day.”

  So far Jemma and Dex’s brother hadn’t really hit it off so well. They seemed to regard one another with equal amounts of skepticism. Dex had told her that Slade couldn’t understand what a pretty little rich girl was doing with the likes of him—slumming it on their side of the tracks, he’d called it. Ever since then, Jemma only felt weird when she was around him, so she tried to stay away from their apartment as much as possible.

  Dex was waiting for her to answer him. She bit the inside of her lip thinking about what to say, because she didn’t want to make him angry after he’d come over to help make her feel better.

  “Do you mind if we just stay here for awhile? I don’t feel like being inside today. The fresh air is helping to clear my mind, I think.” She leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping it would appease him, but knowing that it probably wouldn’t—not for long anyway. She could tell that he was tired and he’d need more sleep to be ready to party again tonight—an endless cycle around his place, one that she was usually only able to handle on the weekends.

  “Whatever you say, babe. But I’m not gonna stay for too long, okay?”

  “Sure. Just a little while. Maybe for one more of those magic smokes I’m sure you still have?” She laughed and he grinned back at her, happy to oblige as he pulled the joint out of his pocket.

  Yes, she’d just sit here with Dex for a little while longer. Everything was going to be okay. She’d worry about everything later. She laid her head back against Dex’s chest and closed her eyes, barely noticing the tears that were still there, sneaking out from beneath her closed eyelids.

  Chapter 4

  Jemma walked in the door, anxious to get in touch with Gigi. She’d gotten a text from her while she was with Dex saying to message her as soon as she could. Dex had been surprisingly more sympathetic than Jemma would have imagined he’d be, but Gigi was really the person that Jemma wanted to talk to. She couldn’t help but have the feeling that Dex was secretly—or most of the time not so secretly—wanting her to rebel against her family the way that he’d done with his own. He’d had his own freedom for a while now and didn’t really get why Jemma wouldn’t want that also.

  Jemma did want that. More than anything now. She’d been counting the days until her eighteenth birthday next month. And she was luckier than most her age in that she’d always known about the trust—the money that Arianna had left her. She’d finally get it when she turned eighteen, and lately she and her mom had had more than a few conversations—or more like arguments—about it.

  Her mom said that Arianna had left the money to Jemma to be able to pursue her goals—an education, travel, her dance—whatever Jemma’s passions were. Jemma had to smile whenever she thought about the dancing. She did have memories of putting on little shows for Arianna with her tutu on. She knew that Arianna had provided that early education for her and she remembered loving it at one time, but she’d given up dance long ago.

  Jemma sighed. She really didn’t know what she was passionate about these days. She’d thought about going to college at one time—or art school—but now? Now she just wanted to get away from her family—well, from her mom and grandma. But not Kylie. She couldn’t imagine not having her sister in her life.

  Jemma sent Gigi a text as she was going up the stairs to her room.

  Hi, Gi. Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. I’m home now. Can you talk?

  Just as soon as she’d flopped across her bed, her phone rang. She answered, immediately bursting into tears.

  “Jemma? Honey, are you there?”

  Hearing Gigi’s voice on the other end of the phone was what Jemma had needed all day—ever since she’d found the metal box.

  “Jemma? You’re scaring me a little bit.”

  “I-I’m here. Sorry.” Jemma tried to take a deep breath to stop her tears.

  “Honey, what’s wrong? Is everyone okay?”

  “Yes. No. I mean, no one is hurt but, Gi, I found something out—something about my mom and me.”

  Gigi was silent for several seconds on the other end of the line. Jemma had already guessed that it was possible that there were other people in her life who knew the truth—if anyone did, it would be Gigi and Lia—and Chase, of course. But she wouldn’t blame them. It wasn’t for them to tell. She wasn’t naive enough to think otherwise, even though it hurt her deeply.

  “What happened, Jemma?”

  She could hear Gigi’s sigh and imagined her sitting back on the small sofa in her little home at the orphanage.

  Jemma was crying again. She couldn’t help it, and it was odd because she hadn’t cried in ages—not tears that had to do with anything other than anger. She tried to get herself together enough to speak.

  “I was in Mom’s office this morning—she needed me to get something for her. And I found it.”

  “What? What did you find?”

  “My birth certificate.” And there was no holding back the tears again.

  Gigi waited for a few seconds while Jemma cried on the other end of the phone.

  “Sweetie. It’s going to be okay.”

  Her voice was calm but her words were irritating to Jemma. No, it wasn’t going to be okay. How could anything ever be okay with this situation? Nothing between her and her mother—or her grandmother, for that matter—was ever going to be the same again, and it most certainly was not going to be okay.

  “It’s not okay, Gi.” Jemma shouted the words into the phone, and she heard Gigi’s deep intake of breath as she prepared to speak.

  “Honey, have you spoken to your—to your mom?”

  Jemma was calming down just a bit, trying to collect her thoughts.

  “No. She’s out of town until tomorrow.”

  “And your grandma?”

  “She’s with her. They don’t know anything yet. I-I thought it would be better to wait until they got home, but honestly, Gi…” Jemma’s voice trailed off as the tears came again. “I don’t even really care. I don’t want to be here.”

  “Honey, everything’s going to be okay. I know it’s a shock right now but maybe once you talk to your mom—to your grandma—everything will make more sense. No one was ever trying to hurt you. You do know that, right?”

  It sounded like Gigi had covered the phone for a second, and Jemma guessed that Douglas was in the room.

  “Jemma, Douglas would like to speak with you, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Jemma had great respect for Douglas and she’d really grown close with him over the years. He’d been the only person in her life to fulfill the role of a grandfather, and it had suited them both perfectly. She trusted Douglas and she knew that her mother had always felt the same about him. If anyone knew the whole story about how this
had all happened, it would be Douglas. Her mother would have kept it to herself for as long as she could have. Jemma knew that about her mom. But if and when she’d needed to tell someone, Jemma was pretty sure that he would have been her confidant.

  “Jemma?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sure that you’re feeling pretty confused about everything right now. I don’t know the whole story—about what you found, I mean—but I can imagine that you’re really wanting some answers.”

  “Yeah, like how the heck is it that my whole life has been a lie!” She shouted the words into the phone and she felt the anger taking over once again—it was a more comfortable feeling for her, something she understood more than the tears.

  “Honey, I can only imagine how shocked you must be—and of course you need to talk to your mother—to your grandmother—but I can tell you that it’s not true that your life has been a lie. I know how much love that there is—and I think you know that too.”

  Jemma was quiet on her end of the phone.

  “There were reasons why your mom—why she did what she did. Only she can explain those to you, and I do know that the decision to keep this from you wasn’t made lightly. She never wanted to hurt you—neither of them did. Jemma, you know that they’ve only always wanted the best for you—that’s all any of us have ever wanted.”

  “I know.”

  Jemma did know that. No matter what had happened over the years—and there had been a lot of changes—she’d always had the strong sense of family and support, not just from her mom and Chase, but the others too. They all loved her. She did know that deep down, but right now—in the moment—she really didn’t care about any of that.

  “I’m gonna put Gigi back on the phone. Jemma?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you want me to call your mom? To talk to her first?”

  “No. Please don’t do that.”

  I want to be the one—to see the shock and the look of fear on my mom’s face. It was the fierceness of the teenage rebel she’d been trying to become the past few months—caught up in that space between wanting her independence more than anything and trying to coexist with her family and the rules that she’d been made to follow.

  “Okay. I won’t. Here’s Gigi now. We love you. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “Honey?”

  It was Gigi’s voice again on the other end, and Jemma could picture her now, sitting in that small but lovely little hut in the middle of the jungle in Guatemala. Jemma almost caught herself smiling as she thought about it.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “I—I want to be sure—I just have to say—”

  Gigi was struggling to get the words out and Jemma wondered what exactly she was thinking.

  “I want to be sure that you aren’t going to do anything—anything that you’d regret.”

  Jemma smiled despite the seriousness of the conversation. She wouldn’t hurt herself—not intentionally anyway. She was angry and kind of impulsive these days, but she wasn’t totally stupid. Well, she wasn’t so much depressed as she was angry. That was the bottom line.

  “That depends on what exactly you’re talking about. If you’re asking me if I’m gonna off myself—no, honestly, that thought hasn’t entered my mind. If you’re asking me if I’m gonna go off on my mother when she gets home—yes, I’m sure there are going to be some harsh words, and I won’t be thinking about what I’ll be regretting at that time.”

  Jemma let herself relax for a minute, knowing that she needed to cool it with Gigi, who was obviously worried about her.

  “Gi, no. I’m not going to hurt myself—or anyone, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. I mean deep down I know that, but honestly it’s been so long since we’ve really talked, and I know that you’ve been going through some changes—and some hard times lately.”

  Jemma was starting to get the bigger picture of what Gigi was referring to. No doubt, her mom had already talked to her about Dex and some of the so-called issues they’d been having with her lately.

  “I assume that you’re referring to my boyfriend that Mom hates.”

  “Well, she did mention that you’d been hanging out with a different crowd of people lately. And I know it’s not easy, being your age—what with peer pressure and all—”

  “You don’t have to worry about me when it comes to peer pressure,” Jemma cut her off. “I do the things I do because I want to do them, not because Dex or anyone is making me.”

  Her words sounded harsher than what she meant them, at least in terms of what she’d ever say to Gigi.

  “I know you’re a strong girl, Jemma. You always have been. And a smart girl. Don’t forget that.”

  Jemma smiled, despite still feeling slightly irritated.

  “Thank you for calling me. I do appreciate it, you know.”

  “I know, honey. I’m always here for you. You know that. Douglas and I love you very much.”

  Jemma felt tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t know when she’d been this emotional.

  “Thank you. And I love you both too. Even when I’m being a brat.” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

  “You’re not a brat. Well, not most of the time. Promise me that we’ll talk again soon and you’ll let me know how everything goes?”

  “Yeah, I promise. Bye.”

  Jemma clicked off the phone and sank down into her bed. She needed a good nap. She toyed with the idea of checking out the liquor cabinet downstairs but she didn’t have the energy to do anything other than close her eyes—no matter how badly she wanted to forget her problems.

  Chapter 5

  Jemma woke up feeling very disoriented as she reached for her phone to check the time, surprised to see that it was already seven-thirty. She also saw that she had several missed calls and texts from Chase. Darn it. She’d forgotten to send him a note. She opened up his last text, sent about an hour earlier.

  Sorry. Ended up working a late party tonight. Text me back and let me know what you are doing and that you are okay. Please, Jemma.

  She felt slightly guilty reading Chase’s note. He was a good guy and she’d liked him from the moment she and her mom first met him, so many years ago when she’d been even younger than Kylie was now. Even after all her mom’s fame and success as a designer, Chase continued to work pretty long hours as a chef—just because he loved it so much. Jemma had recently asked him about it when they were discussing her own future plans about college or whatever else she thought that she might like to do. She’d asked Chase why he continued to work and he’d talked to her about the passion behind his cooking—that yes, he did enjoy cooking for his family, but there was something about the feeling that came along with knowing that your paying clients were so satisfied by the expertise that they’d paid for. Then he just laughed and said that mostly he never liked school—food was more his thing growing up. He was lucky that his parents had supported him in choosing it over college.

  Jemma sent him a quick note back before she had time to forget about him again.

  Sorry, C. Meant to call you earlier, but fell asleep. Going to the movies with a friend tonight. Be home late.

  A quick second later, her phone buzzed with a reply.

  Be good. Be careful and be home by 1.

  Okay. Whatever. And she had no intention of being home early tonight. She needed a night out. She deserved a night out after the day she’d had.

  Will do. See ya.

  She sent the text and then brought up Dex’s number. When he dropped her off earlier, he’d said that he would come back to pick her up if it wasn’t too late by the time she was ready.

  She was really tired of having to depend on him for rides all the time. She’d had a sweet ride in the new BMW that her mom had gotten for her when she’d turned sixteen, but when Chase found her parking in the driveway one night after drinking, both he and her mom had gone ballistic on her. They took her car away with no talk
of if or when she could have it back. She didn’t blame them really. She knew it was stupid to drive drunk, and she usually didn’t press her luck too much with it. Chase had caught her after a particularly crazy night and now she was paying for it by having to bum rides all the time.

  She waited for Dex to answer his phone, hoping that he was actually awake by this time.

  “Hello…Dex’s answering service, how can I assist you?”

  Jemma didn’t recognize the girl’s voice on the other line, but she sounded drunk—and stupid.

  “Can I talk to Dex?” Jemma rolled her eyes for no one’s benefit but her own. She had fun with Dex and his crew over at the apartment but sometimes—always if she was around them when she was sober—the whole bunch of them got on her nerves. All they did was party, and it did get a bit old at times.

  “Hey, babe. Are you ready to come over?”

  “Who was the girl that answered your phone? And are you okay to come get me?”

  “You mean as in am I drunk yet? The answer to that is no. Not quite enough yet, because I was waiting for you, my darling.”

  Jemma laughed. “And the girl?”

  “Oh, that’s Andrea, Slade’s friend who is down from LA.”

  “And your friend too, Dexter.”

  Jemma could hear the girl’s voice right up next to the phone and wondered for a second if she should feel jealous. More than anything, she just found her already annoying by the sound of her voice, and she hoped that the night wouldn’t be totally unbearable.

  “Yeah, right.” She laughed, deciding to just brush it off. “Are you coming to get me, then? I should probably leave before it gets too late. I don’t wanna risk Chase getting home first.”

  “No. That would not be good.”

  She was sure that Dex was thinking about the last run-in he’d had with Chase in the driveway. It wasn’t anything that either of them wanted to repeat.

  “Okay, babe. I’ll come get you now.”

  “Thanks. See you in a few.”

  Jemma hung up the phone and went to put on some jeans and a touch of make-up. She usually didn’t bother too much with how she looked around Dex and his friends, but for some reason tonight she felt like she wanted to pretty herself up a little bit. Maybe it was the sound of that stupid girl’s voice that was getting to her after all.