Kyle drove down the confusing labyrinth of roads, weaving in and out of traffic wordlessly. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel and his brow was furrowed. I could practically hear the wheels spinning in his head.
I just didn't give a shit enough to ask what was up. I had my own things to worry about; mainly, how badly I had screwed things up for Everly... and with her.
He pulled up to Everly's house in Brentwood and jerked the car to a stop for a moment to roll down his window and look at the video screen.
"Hey, Harris," he said by greeting. The security guard grinned back.
"Hey, Kyle! It's been a while," Harris remarked. I had spent the night at Everly's house and hadn't seen this Harris guy once. I knew that was the point—he was supposed to stay hidden—but still. It bothered me that Kyle seemed to have a close rapport with him.
"I know! Been busy, man. How are the wife and kids?"
"Good." Harris nodded, a wistful smile on his face as the gates swung slowly open, granting us access.
"Awesome! Catch you around." Kyle grinned, tromping on the gas and making the car lurch forward. He drove up to the front of Everly's house. Before I could thank him for the ride, he jerked the car to another sudden stop, causing my head to smack back against the seat. I scowled while he turned to look at me.
"Look, man, I get what you did. I would have done that too had I known," he said. "But next time, think with your head and not your fists. That situation could have been a lot worse. You're lucky."
"I know," I responded, almost grinding my teeth together in annoyance. My hand was on the door handle, but Kyle looked like he had more to say.
"I don't get you two," Kyle admitted, his brow furrowing and his head shaking slightly as he tried to sort it out. "For whatever reason, you work together. You make her happier than I've seen her in a long time...but I've also seen what happens when you break her, and I'm telling you, it ain't fucking pretty and if I have to pick up the pieces again...I swear to God I'll end you."
My eyebrows cocked up and I bristled at the fact that Kyle was telling me off again—and that he was right in doing it. Again. However, it still didn't make the strong desire I had to punch in his perfect white teeth go away.
"I don't intend to break her again, and I didn't intend to break her back then either. And while we're on that subject, asshole...you were no fucking prince charming either."
"I know that." Kyle snorted. "But I didn't have her heart in my hands. I never did and I knew that. That was you, and you crushed it. Don't do it again. Now get the fuck out of my car. I need to get home to my girl."
I shook my head, feeling all sorts of fucked up. For as much as I hated Kyle, his words held a lot of truth and I had to admit that it was probably why they pissed me off so much.
I hesitated for another moment, sending him another narrow look. "Thanks...for everything." The aftertaste in my mouth after thanking Kyle wasn't pleasant, but he deserved it. For picking up the pieces, for helping Everly and being there for her when I wasn't, and for putting up with my shit despite the fact that we both clearly hated each other.
"Don't mention it. I didn't do it for you. I did it for Everly and Cadence."
"Well, regardless. Thanks," I said without looking back as I climbed out and closed the door. I heard the tires squeal as Kyle pealed out of the driveway, but I didn't watch him go. My eyes were locked on Everly as she stood waiting in the doorway, watching me.
Her eyes were red rimmed from crying, and she bit her lip while I approached, trying to hold in her agony. I felt like hanging my head in shame from the destroyed way she was looking at me. I shouldn't have been sitting in a jail cell; I should have been holding her, comforting her. Instead, I took it. I didn't let my eyes drift from her face. I deserved to see this; I deserved to see a small portion of pain she felt over what I'd done because I hadn't been there when I really broke her.
"I was so worried," she muttered when I took her into my arms. She trembled against me.
"I'm fine," I assured her, kissing the top of her head.
"I'm sorry...I should have known who he was...I should have recognized him." She shivered in my arms. Despite how warm it was in LA compared to Canada, with the sun gone it was a little chilly. I backed her into the house, closing the door behind me.
"You couldn't have known. I saw the photos of what he looked like before. He's obviously done a lot of work to make sure he wasn't recognizable." My hands traveled all over her body, almost on their own accord. I needed to touch her everywhere; I needed to feel her everywhere. I forced them to stop before I asked my next question. "Is Cadence okay?"
"Yeah." She sighed, her face still buried against my chest. "My parents said nobody's shown up for photos or anything. I don't think they'll get swarmed because I'm not there. What did the police say?"
"I'll have to come back for court." I tensed, remembering the facts I'd learned. "I'll plead guilty—I did assault the fucker in front of a bunch of cameras after all. There's no denying it. I'll just have to pay a fine and maybe do some community service or something. No big deal."
Everly sniffled and I let my hands continue their roaming. She shuddered against me when my lips found that sweet spot on the side of her neck, just beneath her earlobe. This time, the shudder was a release.
Her scent was overpowering me and the desire for her was evident, straining against my pants as I pressed it against her. Her breathing increased and I could feel her heartbeat jump beneath my lips. Her head fell back and her eyelids fluttered before she focused on me.
"I need you," I told her, my eyes locked on hers. I swallowed hard. I wasn't just talking about my sexual desire, and she knew it. Hearing Kyle's words had twisted up my heart and mind. I felt this insane need to prove to her just how serious I was, how I wasn't going anywhere. She read that in me, and she smiled, some of the sadness fading from her eyes as she tilted her head.
"Despite this?" she asked, her voice low.
I shook my head, lowering my lips to hers. I kissed her doubts away, leaving the both of us breathless when I finally broke away to look at her again. "There's nothing that could make me change my mind about you. You've always been the best part of me, even when I was too stupid to see it."
"You're not stupid," she whispered, swallowing. She smirked a little. "Maybe a little slow."
I spun her around and pushed her against the entryway so quickly that she scarcely had time to blink. "Am I slow?" I asked her, pressing my hard length against her lower abdomen. I watched the lust explode behind her eyes and I smirked. I'd never get tired of watching the effect I had on her.
"No..." she whispered, her eyelids fluttering against her cheeks. I kissed her senseless, losing myself in the process. My hand moved against her core, rubbing and teasing through her tight, barely there leggings. I could practically feel the heat on my hand. My cock twitched as she whimpered in response.
"And are you mad at me?" I asked, swallowing hard.
"No." She sighed softly. I grinned, pressing against her again as her hands found my chest. I kissed her again, feeding into the carnal urges I felt for her. She shoved against me, breaking the spell of my lips on hers. "Lydia is here," she whispered frantically. "My housekeeper..." Everly clarified at the look of confusion on my face.
"That's alright, Ms. Daniels, I was just leaving." Lydia's voice sounded amused, albeit embarrassed to find her employer in such a compromising position. Everly's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she tried to tug me away from the door.
"Thank you, Lydia, for everything. I'll see you later." Everly cleared her throat, attempting to sound professional and in control. I could practically see how quickly her heart was beating.
"It was a pleasure working for you, Ms. Daniels," Lydia said, inclining her head slightly.
I kept my back to Lydia, not wanting to turn around when the evidence of my arousal was blatantly obvious. I turned my head to look at her, smiling unapologetically. "It was nice meeting you."
>
Lydia was standing in the living room, a large bag over her shoulders. Her dark hair was twisted up into a bun and her face was free of makeup. She had a pretty, friendly face and a warm smile that stretched up to her eyes.
"You too, Mr. Dixon, enjoy...your evening," Lydia said before ducking out the front door.
"Are we alone now?" I asked, my voice gravelly. Everly bit her lip and nodded. I smiled dangerously in response. "Good." I said, moving my hips against hers again.
Epilogue
Everly
Six months later...
THINGS WERE FINALLY beginning to calm down after the whole "scandal". Between the breaking news about the secret parentage of my daughter and Grayson's fight with the reporter, Greg Burningham, we were splashed on the covers of several gossip websites and magazines for many months. The incident outside of Heavenly Slices had even ended up on several entertainment shows.
We hired a fantastic lawyer and Grayson counter-charged Greg Burningham with trespassing on his property. I charged him with breaking the no contact order. The slimy jerk was so shook up that he ended up pleading guilty and dropping the assault charges against Grayson in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Eventually, word got out that the man Grayson had punched was someone who had previously stalked me in LA and followed me back to my hometown to continue to harass me from afar, so Grayson wasn't portrayed in a negative light at all, but as a hero. Not that he seemed to care. The only thing Grayson cared about was what I thought of him, what Cadence thought of him.
Luckily, people in our small town didn't even bat a lash about it. I was pretty sure the majority of them had suspected the truth about Cadence, but they'd respected my privacy enough to not be bothered by it. Living in a small town had its perks; the townsfolk were more likely to protect their own...or at least most of them were, the one exception being a certain seething blonde haired nemesis of mine that tried to get her fifteen minutes of fame while attempting to shake the foundation of my relationship with Grayson.
It was quite obvious who the "source close to me" was, especially after she came forward to a major gossip magazine about how she'd hooked up with Grayson. I knew the story was bogus when she mixed up the dates and claimed it was only three months ago when she'd tried to convince Grayson it had been a year ago.
Lindsay didn't have the balls to stay in town after her fifteen minutes, though. She ended up taking the cash she'd made from selling her story and moving out of province. I was a little sad about the whole thing. It was shocking to me that someone I once considered to be a good friend of mine would sell me out like that, but some people are so desperate for attention and fame that they'll do anything to get it.
I had plenty of friends that wouldn't sell me out, though. I had Aubrey, Alicia, Kyle, Marcus and Cam. I also had my parents, Cadence and Grayson. I was building relationships with Grayson's dad, step-mom, and sisters. I was able to live a pretty average life. I could drop my daughter off at school without being accosted, and after a while I could even go out for dinner at restaurants several towns over without being completely overwhelmed by screaming fans.
However, I knew I could never really return to a completely quiet life. I was constantly questioned about when I was going to go back to making music, and I was open with my answers—eventually. I missed it, but I was happy with being home and focusing on my family. Still, I knew that one day, when Cadence was older, I wanted to return to the stage to focus on a solo career. The idea appealed to me because I could make my own schedule and still make a difference with my music.
I did one interview for the Morning Margo Show, discussing my reasons behind keeping Cadence a secret from my fans. The majority of them understood where I was coming from, especially after learning about the creepy encounters I had with the fan-turned-paparazzi-stalker.
Six months after everything in LA went down, I finally agreed to move into Grayson's house with Cadence. I had waited until things felt beyond right. That moment came a month prior when Cadence finally started calling Grayson Daddy.
On the day we brought the last boxes of our things over, I stood in Cadence's new bedroom. Grayson had painted it a soft purple, and he'd bought her a new bedding set. We were arranging her books and little knick knacks on the custom built shelves Grayson had made for her. I placed a photograph of Julia, Cadence and me on one of the shelves just before I felt his large hands wrap around my waist from behind.
"Looks great," he said, nuzzling his lips against my neck.
I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder. "Thank you," I murmured, losing myself to the warm sensation of his arms. Things with Grayson just felt right. We'd come a long way from the people we were in high school, and it was for the better. They say everything in life happens for a reason, and it does. I wasn't entirely sure where I would be if life hadn't run its course the way it had, but I was happy with where we were.
I looked at our daughter. She was happily organizing her favorite stuffed animals on her bed, standing beside the Barbie Dream House that Grayson had bought her for Christmas.
"I have something to ask you." Grayson smiled against my skin. Cadence's ears perked up and she turned to face us, watching with those wide ice blue eyes so like her father's.
"Oh?" I arched a brow, turning to face him and slowly wrapping my arms around his neck. "And what is that?"
"Mama," Cadence interrupted. I glanced back at her. "There's something in my Barbie house."
"Better go check it out. Hopefully it's not a mouse infestation." Grayson smirked. "Go on, my question can wait."
I shook my head as I stepped out of Grayson's arms and walked over to where Cadence was. I bent over, peering inside the Barbie Dream House. At first, I didn't notice anything out of place. Cadence had arranged her three Barbies so they were all in the bedroom. The little girl doll stood in the background, while Ken and Barbie faced each other.
"I'm not seeing anything." I shook my head and the motion made the light from the ceiling fan catching on something shiny. I blinked, taking a closer look at Ken. His right plastic arm was extended out to Barbie, and her hands were positioned over her mouth. I picked it up, staring at the shiny white gold diamond ring with a dumbfounded expression on my face.
"Everly." Grayson's voice prompted me to turn my entire body to face him. He was kneeling on one knee, holding out an empty ring box. "Will you marry me?"
The End
About the Author
J.C. Hannigan lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, their two sons and their dog.
She writes contemporary new adult romance and suspense. Her novels focus on relationships, mental health, social issues, and other life challenges.
Follow her on Facebook and Twitter!
http://facebook.com/jcahannigan
http://twitter.com/jcahannigan
Other books by J.C.Hannigan:
Collide, Collide Book 1
Consumed, Collide Book 2
Collateral, Collide Book 3
Damaged Goods
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Reckless Abandon (Damaged #2) Page 24