FOREVER BELOVED (Billionaire Love Series)

by Jessa Eden

  “Are you really giving up on us?” I shouted as he stalked off.

  He didn’t answer.

  Shit.

  I had pushed him too far.

  But I was tired of walking on eggshells every time something uncomfortable came up. Our relationship needed to be strong with good communication and a willingness to be honest.

  I thought we would work it out by that evening, but after a couple of days went by, I wasn’t sure we would make it through this latest setback.

  Still hopeful, I kept my phone by my side, hoping to hear from him. When forty-eight hours went by without hearing anything, I sent him a text.

  We can work this out. Call me.

  No answer.

  I tried again.

  I miss you.

  Call me.

  Silence.

  Beau?

  Deafening Silence.

  Yeah, it was bad.

  *****

  Beau:

  I was mad at her for reasons I didn’t understand.

  It was such a dumb, stupid fight.

  Yet, it provoked something inside that made me question where we were going and if I really wanted it. One thing was for sure, no one could push my buttons like Marla Matthews. She got under my skin. Big time.

  I didn’t know if I could handle that twenty-four seven.

  Did I really want a flesh and blood woman spouting off all these opinions when the one-night stands didn’t talk back?

  At the moment, it was a toss-up.

  Call me a jerk, but I was rethinking everything.

  Between processing what happened with my dad, finding out about Charlie, and reconnecting with Marla, I realized I was in emotional overload. I hadn’t felt that much in a long time.

  So I took a time out.

  I took a couple of days off and didn’t self-medicate or try to distract myself. I didn’t party my brains out or bury myself in work, I just listened to my heart and thought about what I wanted.

  I didn’t draw many new life-changing conclusions.

  But something was very clear to me.

  I was scared.

  Scared of being broken again, scared of loving too hard, and most of all, scared of losing Marla.

  There was a steep cost to loving someone the way I loved her, which was core deep and in my bones.

  Part of me was determined to hold back and resist how deep my feelings for her were. The other part of me knew it was a done deal. She was mine. I had claimed her a long time ago.

  Either way, I needed to decide what I wanted.

  Over the next few days, Marla kept reaching out. She sent a couple of texts, but the phone calls were killing me.

  Her first phone message was understanding and sympathetic. “Hi, Beau. Look, I know you’ve been through a lot lately. I understand you need time to get your head on straight. I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”

  I appreciated her willingness to understand where I was coming from, but I wasn’t ready to spill my guts.

  The second message was less forgiving. “It’s been three days now. I’m starting to worry you don’t want this anymore. Would you let me know if you’re okay? Call me.”

  She sounded worried, but I needed more time.

  The third message was more desperate. “I don’t know what to do or how to help you. All I know is this won’t work if you won’t talk to me. I miss you,” her voice was small and sad.

  I didn’t like it.

  She deserved to know where I stood in all this. It wasn’t fair to jerk her around and leave her hanging. Realizing I needed some help with this, I reached out to one of the few people I could trust, Micah Turner.

  I knew he’d give it to me straight.

  I called him up and he readily answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, Micah. What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Hey, man. I’m hanging out with Josiah watching the game.”

  The Gators were playing away in Tucson.

  “Would it be cool if I came over and watched the game with you guys?”

  “Sure, come on over. We’ve got plenty of pizza and beer. Come join us.”

  This was new territory for me. I was a little nervous and had no idea how to casually bring up the real reason I was there. Turns out, Micah was more than happy to help me out.

  “Want a beer?” he asked as I descended the steps into his massive basement.

  His man cave included a huge sixty-five inch flat screen TV hanging on a wall with a large leather couch, which sat about fifty.

  “Sure,” I said as he opened the fridge behind his decked out bar.

  “Emma let you have a man cave?” I asked in surprise as I took in the video game consoles resting on the entertainment system.

  “Come on, man. Emma wanted me to have it. She knows I need my space and she wants me to have what I want. When you’re with the right lady, she’ll want good things for you.”

  “Hmm...” I said, taking the beer from him. “Where’s the baby?”

  “He’s sleeping. But I got the baby monitor right here.” He pointed to his hip, where he was wearing the boxy monitor like it was a walkie-talkie.

  “So who’s playing?” I asked, sitting down on the couch and putting my feet up on the leather ottoman in front of me.

  He joined me, sitting in the middle of the massive couch. “You already know who’s playing. Why did you really come here today?” he asked perceptively as he popped the top off his beer.

  “To watch the game and hang out with my buddy.”

  He narrowed his gaze at me. “Yeah, I’m not really buying that. You’ve got world class Scotch and the best HD TV out there. You didn’t need to come over.”

  I sighed, not even trying to hide my feelings anymore. “I don’t know, man. Marla’s driving me crazy. No one makes me feel like she does. Good or bad. I’m old, man. Set in my ways and she comes in and messes everything up.”

  He smiled. “Oh, you mean she called you on your shit?”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s one way of putting it.”

  “Totally get that. Emma did that to me a number of times before I understood she did it because she cared about me, and wanted me to deal with my issues.”

  “But you didn’t lose Emma for twenty years. It’s different when you miss someone for that long.”

  “You’re right. I can only imagine the misery of missing someone for that long. So are you afraid she’ll be taken from you again?”

  I shrugged, ignoring the way his words made my gut churn. “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know if I can risk my heart again. She crushed me, man. Destroyed me.”

  “So would you rather walk away and live another miserable twenty years without her? Come on, man. You don’t want that.”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I need help making a decision.”

  “Okay, well there’s also your son to consider. If you want a relationship with him, you can’t cut his mom out of the equation. Charlie is a mama’s boy and he will stand by her no matter what.”

  “That’s true and I’ve already made a commitment to be there for him.”

  “Okay. Then tell me this, would you leave him because he can cause you pain?”

  “No way.”

  “So why is it different with Marla?”

  “I wouldn’t recover if she left me again, man.”

  “Valid point, but none of us get guarantees. You have to adjust your perception about the situation. She didn’t leave you willingly the first time. She had it just as rough as you did. Now, twenty years later, you’re being given a second chance to be with the one and only woman you’ve ever loved. You’re a fool if you don’t seize this opportunity. I’ve never even seen Marla date since I’ve known her. She held out for you, man. She loved you despite the distance, your hostility, and all that shit you pulled with her. She’s steady as a rock. Own it. Claim your woman for good. Stop fuckin’ around.” He took another swig from his beer as he gave me a hard stare.

  �
��I knew you’d give it to me straight. That’s why I came to you.”

  “I earned it. Sam had to kick my ass several times for me to even admit I loved Emma. I even had to watch her date another guy. Do you know what that felt like?

  “I don’t want to think about it.” That thought made my blood boil. No one would ever touch Marla, except me.

  “Well, be thankful, she’s staying true. Because seeing Emma with another man was a good kick to my gut. It tore me up, made me crazy and, on top of that, I had to fight to win Emma back. You don’t even have to do that. Marla’s yours, man. Heart and soul. I see it every time she looks at you. If you can’t recognize that, you’re in serious denial.”

  This is what I liked about Micah. He cut through all my bullshit.

  I nodded. “You’re right. She’s been so strong through this whole ordeal. She didn’t grow bitter like I did or let her love turn to hate. She just stayed the course, raised our son, and protected him from my crap father. How could I have been so stupid?” I asked, almost to myself. I knew what I needed to do. “I gotta go, man.”

  He smiled. “Go find Marla. Make it right with her.”

  “I will. Thanks, for all the advice.”

  “No problem. Happy to help.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Marla:

  Feeling pretty depressed, I went into the salon Friday afternoon after being ignored by Beau all week. I only had one appointment, but I decided to stay and catch up on some paperwork. At this point, staring at invoices and receipts was better than moping around about Beau at home.

  Just as I was about to call it a day, Sunny, our bubbly assistant, knocked lightly on my office door. “You’ve got a package here.”

  “Really?” I asked, perking up.

  She brought it in to me and then left as I stared at the small box sitting on my desk. It was addressed to me personally, not the salon. I tried to control my excitement as I tore open the package. Inside I found a long, blue Tiffany box.

  Oh, this was going to be good.

  I carefully unwrapped the white ribbon and pulled off the lid. I inhaled in delighted awe as a beautiful diamond necklace encrusted with emeralds glittered up at me.

  It was quite impressive and over the top. I quickly searched for a note and found one taped to inside the lid.

  It’s time, my lady.

  I’m ready to be together forever.

  Meet me behind the salon.

  B

  It was Beau.

  It had to be. Only he would send me something so expensive.

  I grabbed the necklace out of the box and hurried to the door, which led out to the alley. “Beau?” I asked as I slammed open the back security door and stepped out into the parking lot behind the shop.

  I glanced around, not seeing anything but a couple of cars and big trash bins.

  “I’m here, my lady!” A well-dressed man announced as he revealed himself from behind a dark sedan.

  He immediately spooked me. “Okay,” I said slowly, glancing around for Beau.

  “Don’t you recognize me?” he asked with a hopeful note in his voice.

  He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. “No, should I?”

  “I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.”

  I laughed uneasily. “You are?”

  “I am, my lady. Didn’t you get my gift?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The diamond necklace that was just delivered.”

  My eyes grew wide as I realized this was B. “That was you?”

  “Yes, my lady. Bryant at your service. You’ve captured my heart, ever since I saw you for the first time.” He bowed gallantly where he stood by the trunk of the sedan.

  The back of my head tingled in warning. “I appreciate the gift. It was very thoughtful. But my heart belongs to another.” I showed him the necklace still in my hand. “I’m happy to return this, so you can give it to someone else,” I said, in a sign of good will.

  He sniffed loudly, clearly not pleased with my offer. “No matter. My chariot awaits.” He pointed to an older make car that probably got three miles to the gallon.

  There was no way I was going anywhere with him. “I can’t go anywhere right now. I have to run my shop.”

  “I must insist, my lady.”

  I didn’t like the way he said that. “Well, I must insist I stay,” I said more firmly, looking him in the eye.

  I slowly backed up, trying to escape the isolated parking lot as he stared at me.

  His feigned chivalry turned to madness in a heartbeat and he took out a long handgun from his pocket. “I hate to use this, but you’re forcing me to,” he claimed as he pointed the pistol at me.

  Oh god. He was definitely crazy.

  My heart raced in my chest as I realized I wouldn’t be around to see my family again, if I made one wrong move. Real panic threatened to take hold of me, but thankfully, I was used to being calm in a crisis.

  I remembered my cell phone was stuck in my bra strap as I waited for a call or text from Beau. I could use it to call for help if I could distract him long enough.

  Meanwhile, I put my hands up as I tried to reason with him. “There’s no need for that. Put the gun away. Let’s just talk about this.”

  “The time for talking is over, my lady.”

  My panic got the best of me. “Someone help me, please! Help!” I called loudly, backing up toward the salon’s door.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He cocked the gun, telling me a bullet was in the chamber.

  I froze, my heart thundering against my chest as a cold sweat trickled down my spine. I bit my lip, stifling the scream desperate to erupt out of my terrified throat. Moving quickly in my direction with the gun pointed at my heart, he made sure I stayed where I was.

  Shaking, I swallowed hard. “Come on, we can talk about this. It doesn’t need to be like this, Bryant.”

  His head snapped up when I used his name. I studied his face, wanting to memorize every detail to describe to the police. The man’s hair was a non-descriptive brown, thinning at the top. His closed-set brown eyes spoke of desperation and madness as a long jagged scar on the left side of his mouth told me he’d experienced some kind of violence in his life.

  This wasn’t going to end well.

  He pressed the gun into my right side as I reluctantly walked in front of him. Steering me to the old dark sedan, he put the key in the trunk and it clicked open.

  I looked back at him. “Where are you taking me?” I demanded frantically.

  “Somewhere we can be alone.”

  Okay, that freaked me out even more than the gun.

  “Why do we need to be alone? I don’t know you.”

  The sick twisted way his eyes glazed over wasn’t helping. “Of course you know me. We’re soul mates.”

  This wasn’t happening. Not to me. Not now.

  I tried to appeal to his humanity as tears filled my eyes. “I have a son, Charlie. He’ll be very upset to know I’m missing. Please, Bryant, let me go.”

  He ignored my request, caught up in his delusions. “You’re not missing. You’re out with your lover,” he proclaimed with a twisted zeal in his glance.

  “You’re not my lover. I don’t know you. For god sakes, put that gun away!” I practically shouted, fighting down my terror.

  “I’m sorry, my lady. That won’t be happening. Now, get in the trunk before you really upset me. I would hate to use this gun, but I will.”

  I swallowed hard again, pondering my limited options. He dug the gun into my side, reminding me he held all the cards. I hated to do it, but I climbed into the cavernous trunk, dreading wherever we were going.

  “It won’t be a long journey, my lady, until we can be together.” He shut the lid over me, leaving me in complete darkness.

  My eyes adjusted to the pitch darkness as the old muffler roared to life. Not wasting any time, I reached into my bra and dug out my cell phone.


  I dialed Beau first. He didn’t answer.

  I got his voicemail for the fourth time this week. I almost laughed in complete hysteria at the situation. He still wasn’t answering my calls.

  How fucked up was that?

  I might die and he was too proud to talk to me.

  I kept the mad laughter at bay, listening to his voice and wondering if it would be the last time I heard his deep baritone. “This is Beau Shepard. Leave a message and I might get back to you,” he rattled off, right before the tone beeped in my ear.

  “I’m in trouble, Shepard. Real trouble. If you get this, trace my phone. I know you have the resources to do that. I hope you get this message in time. If you don’t, take care of our boy. Make sure he’s safe.” I paused for a second, realizing I might never see him again. “I love you with all my heart and nothing will change that. Ever.”

  I hated how final that sounded, but I couldn’t think about it right now. I hung up and tried to keep it together as I called Charlie.

  “Hey, Mom. What’s up?” he asked, answering right away.

  “Listen to me, Charlie. I’m in trouble, like crazy madman trouble.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked with serious concern.

  “This lunatic took me from the salon, claiming we’re soul mates.” I started to cry. “I’m locked in his trunk and I don’t know where he’s taking me.”

  “Oh, shit, Mom! Okay…okay...I want you to call the police. I’m gonna call Beau. He’ll know what to do.”

  “I love you, Charlie Brown. Know that. You mean the world to me and you’re the best thing I ever did. Take care of Beau if I don’t make it out of this alive.”

  “I love you, too, Mom, but don’t say that. We’re going to find you.”

  Tears poured down my face. “I hope so, Charlie. I hope so. I love you, baby...I love you. I hope to see you real soon.”