by A. P. Jensen
“You should be happy. This is what you wanted.”
He opened his mouth to speak, closed it. Anger and pain filled her chest, making it hard to breathe.
“I’m letting the boutique go. You can do whatever you want with it. I’m staying here with Evie.”
More silence. Her eyes burned.
“Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing as a parent but I’m going to give it my all. She deserves more than what I’ve been giving her. I should’ve done this from the beginning but I wasn’t ready to change and look what happened.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I want to be the best mom I can be.”
His cell rang and Evie murmured in her sleep. Mitchell walked out of the room and she heard him answer the phone in the hallway. She leaned down and kissed Evie’s soft cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
Mitchell didn’t return to Evie’s hospital room. Grace wondered if this was what he’d been waiting for- to be let off the hook. She shut down and signed papers to get Evie released and was surprised to find the bodyguards waiting for her. No one spoke as they drove her back to Casey’s house. When she got out, one of the guards spoke.
“Max said we’re supposed to go back to New York.”
Grace mustered a smile. “Thanks for everything you did. You were great.”
She watched them drive away. She was beyond tired as she carried Evie into the house. She was in a fog of grief, loss and relief. She felt so out of sorts. When she opened the door and saw Maggie waiting in the foyer the tears came. Maggie opened her arms and held her while she sobbed her heart out.
“Everything’s going to work itself out,” Maggie said.
She shook her head and reluctantly handed Evie over to Maggie. Evie bounced up and down and chattered up at Maggie as if nothing happened. Grace took a quick shower and fell asleep on the couch in the nursery, listening to Maggie and Evie play.
Grace woke at three in the morning. She tiptoed over to Evie’s crib and closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her even breathing before she walked into the guest room and found Maggie sleeping in the guest bedroom. Her stomach rumbled. When was the last time she ate? Remembering the Chinese food she ordered the other night she went into the kitchen only to stop in the doorway when she saw who sat at her small wooden table with his laptop. Mitchell scribbled something on a notepad while his other hand threaded through his hair.
“Mitchell?”
He jerked and looked up. “You’re awake.”
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes pinned her in place. “I didn’t ask to be let off the hook,”
She crossed her arms across her chest. “You didn’t have to ask. Your actions spoke for you.”
“You think you can just move to Texas and you’ll never have to see me again? I love her.”
“You haven’t seen her for weeks!”
“I wasn’t gone because I didn’t want to see her.”
Her heart clenched. She saw the anger in his eyes. The betrayal she knew he couldn’t forget.
“I know.”
“I would do anything for her.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I know.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“I won’t stop you from seeing her.” How could she handle seeing him come and go? How could she start over if he insisted on seeing her on a regular basis?
“So you don’t mind if I move in?”
She jerked her head up. “What?”
“I’m going to be here whenever I’m not abroad.”
Her mouth opened and closed. “Your office is in New York.”
“I don’t have to be in New York full time. You know that.”
“I said you could see Evie whenever you want. That doesn’t mean you have to be in Texas full time.”
“Where else would I be?”
In New York where he belonged. in the midst of high society, holding court. He was born and raised in New York. It never occurred to her that he would think of moving for Evie.
“You’re always busy-”
“Which is why I’ll be here when I can.”
She threw up her hands. “When we lived in your penthouse you didn’t bother coming home so why are you doing this?”
He got up and approached. She didn’t back away.
“I was mad.”
“No shit,” Grace snapped.
His mouth twitched. “I hate secrets.”
“I wasn’t sure you would believe me if I tried to tell you Ray was my father. I didn’t have any proof and if you asked him, he would deny it. What was I supposed to do?” she said defensively.
“I hate secrets,” he repeated.
He stopped so close she could feel his body heat. She tilted her head back to glare at him.
“You don’t have anymore, do you?”
She shrugged. “No.”
“You make me crazy. Nothing is easy with you.”
“If you want easy I’m sure there’s a bunch of girls who have never had a hard day in their life. They have the perfect background and they’re just waiting for you to crook your finger. You won’t get that from me so you can go on back to New York.”
His eyes narrowed and he leaned down so their faces were inches apart. She sucked in a breath.
“You think after all we’ve been through I’m going to give up this easily?”
“You gave up the moment you hung up on me.”
He cupped her face, keeping her in place when she tried to jerk away.
“You don’t give up easily, Grace. You’re a fighter.”
“I know when something’s done with.”
She shoved against his chest but he didn’t let go of her. He backed her into the wall and pinned her there with his body. His hands moved from her face up into her hair and gripped.
“You cut and run when someone hurts you,” he murmured and leaned down and held her still as he brushed kisses over her face, down her neck.
“Mitchell, stop,” she hissed.
“I hate when you make me feel helpless. I’ve never been helpless in my life and I hate how easily you make me feel like that. You have no idea the effect you have on me. I don’t like letting you control me.”
“I’ve never tried to control you!” she protested.
“You love me but you never pushed for more. You never thought you were worth it. Do you know how I feel, seeing the man I thought of as a father beating up the woman I claim as mine? You waste so much time worrying how I’d feel if I found out who Ray really is that you sacrificed yourself instead. You think you’re such a bad replacement for Casey that you work yourself into the ground to make sure Evie will never experience the hardship you did. Do you know how it feels to see someone you love fight the world on her own and tell you she doesn’t need you?”
She stared speechlessly up at him. Her hands were splayed on his chest in an attempt to keep him at bay. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm.
“You have no idea the lengths I’d go for you.”
She tried to slide away from him but he leaned against her and bit her neck. She jumped and tugged on his hair and felt his lips curve against her neck. She knew he liked having his hair pulled and she yanked her hands away as if she’d been burned.
“We are not doing this. You can’t just come back now and-”
“Yes. I can.”
He covered her mouth with his and she let out a grunt. She tried to knee him in the groin but he anticipated that and slid her several inches off the ground so their mouths could align better and her kicks were useless.
She bucked and struggled. “Mitchell, get off!”
“Not until we settle this. You think after all I did to get you back I’m going to let you walk out on me again? I don’t think so, baby.”
He hauled her over one shoulder and she pummeled his lower back as he walked to her bedroom which was far enough away from Maggie and Evie that Grace wasn’t worried about waking them. Mitchell dropped her o
n the bed and she let out a grunt as she bounced. She tried to roll off the bed but Mitchell was on her in a flash. He hauled her to the middle of the bed, straddled her middle and pinned her hands over her head.
“You’re not going to cut me out again. We’re getting married.”
She let out a harsh laugh. “Why should we get married when we fight whenever we’re together? We’re one of those couples ‘when it’s good, it’s great and when it’s bad it’s catastrophic’.”
She twisted in his hold but he kept changing his grip so no matter what she did, he was in control. She couldn’t even kick him because he was on her abdomen.
“I’m doing what’s best for Evie,” she yelled up at him. “And you’re not it! I need a guy who accepts my hang-ups and wants me anyway. It’s hard to change. Yeah, I didn’t tell you about my parents. You have no idea what it’s like to be ashamed of your own kin so don’t you dare judge me!”
“You’re right.”
“Don’t placate me!” she bellowed. “Go find a damsel in distress because I’m not it. I’ll never be that girl. Ever since I was old enough to understand that my mom didn’t care about me I learned to fend for myself and that won’t change so if you want to throw a fit because I won’t come to you with my problems- tough!”
His mouth curved and she wanted to claw it right off his face.
“This isn’t funny. Get off me and get out of my house!”
He leaned down and kissed her on the nose and jerked away hastily when she head butt him. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”
“I’m not kidding, Mitchell.”
He leaned down and she stilled when she saw the heat in his eyes. “I lied when I said my lawyer told us to get married for Evie’s sake. I used the opportunity to blackmail you. I can’t let you go.”
“You lied?”
He kissed her neck, holding her jaw when she tried to bite him. He sucked on the tendon in her neck and loved the way she squirmed beneath him.
“With everyone else I’m in control but with you I’m this idiotic, insecure idiot. I keep pushing you away because you make me so crazy I can’t even think straight. Every time I think you’re under control, I find out how wrong I am.” He pulled back to cup her face and risked her wrath when he pressed a kiss on her lips. “I want you safe. I want you at home waiting for me. If you want to quit the boutique so you can be a mom I’m all for that. I want you happy.”
“I’m not offering,” she hissed.
He nuzzled her neck and she shuddered when he stretched out over her and his body aligned with hers.
“There’s no one else for either of us. Now that there’s no secrets between us maybe we can actually try trusting each other. There’s just you, me and Evie. That’s all we need. There’s no else for me and I won’t let you be with someone else so…”
Her voice was breathless as she said, “This isn’t your choice.”
“It isn’t?” He bit her shoulder and she jerked. “You should know I have no mercy when it comes to you. No matter where you live, I’ll be there. Evie’s going to call me dad and we’ll both pressure you to marry me.”
“Have you ever considered that we’re just not meant to be together?” she asked.
He pulled away so he could look into her eyes. “No.”
She looked away. “Let me up.”
“I love you despite your hang ups. I love Evie. I’m sorry I left long enough for you to doubt that I’d come back. I want you to marry me not because of Evie but because you love me just as much as I love you.”
His voice was so compelling she could feel the wall around her heart melting.
“I hate that I love you,” she whispered as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
“God, I love when you talk like that.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out her engagement ring. Her hand twisted in his when he threaded the ring back on her ring finger where it sparkled and enchanted.
“Grace, no one will ever love you like I do. No one will have a chance. It’s me or no one so you better forgive me and marry me.”
He saw her hesitation and continued. He played his ace.
“You’ve never had a partner. You’ve always taken care of Casey and now Evie. Let me take care of you. Let me share the load. I can take it. I want to be your family. Will you let me?”
“You can’t let go, can you?” she murmured.
He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“You would live in Texas?”
“I’ll live wherever you want.”
“I don’t want to raise Evie in the city. I may start another business-”
He cut her off with a hot kiss.
“I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t hold back from me,” he said against her lips. “And marry me.”
She reached up and kissed him. He whispered promises over her lips as he undressed her and claimed her. As she drifted to sleep with Mitchell wrapped around her, she stared out the bedroom window at the Texas moon. She whispered a prayer and felt peace settle over her. For a a moment Grace thought she heard Casey cheer and smelled a hint of her sweet perfume as she drifted off to sleep with her ring winking in the moonlight and Mitchell wrapped around her.