by Katie Ford
“You are,” I say in a low voice. “But Emma, I’m not. I’m not worthy of you. I’m an animal. I’m a wild man who lives in the woods, I can’t give you the kind of life you’re used to having. I lost so much when I went to prison.”
“I don’t care about money,” Emma insists. “In fact, I’m happier without it. Money turns everyone into monsters. All I want is you.” She licks her lips. “And you’re wonderful. You’re the best man I’ve ever met.” She starts to tremble in my arms and I see that her eyes are filled with tears. “And I love you so damn much that I can’t take it. Being without you hurts too much.”
Her words stun me. I’ve always known that Emma is smart, but she seems to have really grown up before my eyes. She’s realized at a young age what took me years and years to understand: that money isn’t the key to happiness.
“I love you,” Emma repeats fiercely. “And I know that you love me, too. I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t think that you loved me.”
Her words awaken something in me and without even thinking about it, I dip my head to hers and kiss her passionately. She tastes like flowers and honey and I groan as I slip my tongue into her mouth and tangle my hands in her hair. Emma clings to my body and I wedge one of my thighs between her legs, nudging at her pussy through her jeans.
“God,” Emma whispers into my mouth. She breaks the kiss and nuzzles me fiercely, then hugs me so tightly that it hurts to breathe. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too, baby girl,” I growl.
“You do love me,” Emma says softly. She wipes her eyes with the backs of her hands but she’s smiling now. “I knew you loved me, Damien.”
“I do,” I confess. “I love you so fucking much. I don’t want you to go. I didn’t want you to go before.”
Emma’s chin quivers and the sight breaks my heart all over again. I hug her tighter.
“Then why did you?” Emma asks quietly. “Why did you make me leave?”
I cup her chin and tilt her face to meet my own. “Because I was trying to protect you.” I sigh. “My lawyer, Jed, finally filed an appeal for me. And this could have very bad consequences for your father.”
I watch Emma’s face for any trace of sadness, but instead she seems relieved.
“My father has never loved me,” she replies. “Jason’s never wanted what’s best for anyone but himself.”
“Your father did a lot of really evil shit,” I say. “And he might be going away for a long time if Jed can prove it.”
Emma shrugs. “Good,” she says. “It won’t make a difference.” She tosses her brown curls. “All I want is to be with you, Damien. I mean, I worry about my mom … but she’s the one who encouraged me to think for myself and make my own decisions.”
“Wow.” I blink. “I only met your mother once or twice, but she was a nice woman. She seemed too good for your father.”
“Ramona is,” Emma says softly. “She’s living in a prison, but she’ll get out too. I’ll make sure of it one day.”
For a moment, the only sound is the chirping of the morning birds outside. Emma and I cling tightly to each other, and a happiness unlike anything I’ve ever known floods my body. I can’t believe she’s here in my arms.
It feels too good to be real.
“I love you,” I murmur into Emma’s soft hair. “I need you, Emma.”
Emma sighs happily and kisses my neck. “I love you, too,” she says sweetly. “Before I forget, I have something for you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re all I need,” I tell her as I lean in close and kiss her. Emma flushes and purrs. “And I want you right now.”
Emma gives me a coy smile and pulls away. “I think you might change your mind when you see what I brought,” she says. “You’re really going to like it.”
“Okay,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve got my interest. What is it?”
Emma walks across her room, swinging her wide hips with every step. Now that I know she’s all mine, I can’t wait to destroy her sweet body once again. I’m positive that she’s about to do some adorable amateur striptease for me, but instead she bends over and reaches into a brown paper bag. The sight of her giant ass in the air makes my cock twitch with lust.
“Okay,” Emma says. She straightens up and turns around with a bright red bag in her hands. “You can look now.”
When I see that she’s holding a bag of Doritos, I burst out laughing.
“I told you that I’d come through,” Emma says. She winks at me.
“I’ve never felt as happy as I do right now,” I tell her honestly.
Emma grins. “Good,” she says. “Because I don’t intend to give up snack food.”
I meet her gaze. “That isn’t what I meant.” Crossing the room in two giant strides, I pull Emma close and kiss her deeply. “That’s what I meant,” I growl in a low voice. “You’re making me happy.”
Emma closes her eyes and rests her head against my chest. “Good,” she says softly. “I don’t ever intend to stop.”
As I hold her close, I feel better than I have in years. I don’t know how everything is going to shake out, but as long as I have Emma by my side I know that everything will be just fine.
Chapter Seventeen
Emma
“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Damien asks.
I nod and square my shoulders. “It’s time,” I say. I take a deep breath. “But I have to admit that I am a little nervous.”
Damien hooks an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close. He kisses the side of my neck and pleasant shivers run down my spine.
“It’s time,” Damien says firmly. He reaches for my hand and squeezes. “And I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
“And I’ll be right beside you,” I counter.
Damien nods. “Let’s go.”
We emerge from the back of the taxi into the sunlight. Damien shaved his beard and his gorgeous mouth is pressed into a firm line. His hair is neatly slicked back, and he’s wearing a dark pair of trousers and a crisp white Oxford shirt that shows off his deep tan.
I’ve never seen him look more handsome. As we cross the street onto my block, I squeeze Damien’s hand again. When my parents’ mansion comes into view, Damien whistles under his breath.
“Damn,” he mutters. “I always knew Jason had expensive tastes but this is insane.”
I nod. “It is a bit … much,” I say. “I never really thought about it until I left, but it all seems kind of gaudy, doesn’t it?”
Damien nods. We start up the driveway and my heart starts to thud in my chest like a jackhammer. Suddenly, I wonder if this is a bad idea. Damien’s appeal isn’t for a few days, but I wanted to confront my father about his behavior toward me and my mother. Damien even suggested grabbing a few of my things, but there’s nothing in that house that I need.
Because everything I need is right here. The most important thing in my life is my relationship with Damien, and that’s all that matters.
As we get closer to the mansion, I see my father sitting on the porch. There’s a highball glass in his hand and my palms start to sweat as we near.
“It’ll be fine,” Damien whispers. “You’re a badass tough girl now, Emma.”
I blush. Even though his words are far from the truth, hearing them still makes me feel good. It’s true that I’ve become more confident since meeting Damien. Maybe watching his courageous behavior was all it took to make me into a strong woman.
I expect my father to call out something rude, but instead he gets to his feet and starts to laugh. The sound is evil and chilling – just like the laughter I overheard that night in the hallway. His cackling curdles my blood and for a moment, I want to turn and run.
But I’m not going to do that. I owe it to myself, and to Damien.
My father doesn’t stop laughing until we’re on the steps of the porch. Up close, I can see that his face is bright red and his eyes are glassy. It’s frightening, almost a
s if I’m watching someone in the grip of mania. Damien squeezes my hand reassuringly.
“Well, this is just perfect,” my father sneers. He shakes his head. “My disappointment of a daughter and a crook. A match made in heaven!”
His words fill me with anger and I glare at him. “I know what you did,” I say unsteadily. “You framed Damien and had him sent to prison!”
“The fuck I did,” my father growls. “Like I’d waste my time on that prick.” He shakes his head and tosses the last of his drink down his throat.
“Lying doesn’t make it less true,” I counter angrily. “You ruined his life!”
My dad crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow at me. “And I should care about that why?”
“You’re a bad man!” I cry. “You’ve always been a bad man, Dad. You couldn’t even love me like a father is supposed to love his daughter!”
“Bullshit,” my father says. He rolls his eyes as if talking to me is a waste of time. “I’ve always given you exactly what you deserved.”
“You wanted to send me to a fat farm!”
My father bursts out laughing again. “You’re goddamned right I did,” he said. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? I’ve seen cottage cheese smoother than your thighs!”
Tears start to sting my eyes but I blink them away. I have to be strong – not just for myself, but also for Damien.
“You were a terrible father,” I say. “And nothing you can do or say will change that now.”
The front door opens and my mother steps out onto the porch. My heart leaps into my throat – I don’t want my father turning on her, too. But she walks out holding her head high. When she sees me with Damien, she smiles.
“Get back in the house, Ramona!” My father yells angrily. “This doesn’t concern you!”
“If it has to do with Emma then yes, it actually does concern me,” Mom replies calmly.
My father is clearly stunned. Mom has never spoken back to him before.
“I’ll give you one last warning,” my father growls. “Get the fuck inside, or I’ll make you sorry!”
“Oh, shut up, Jason,” Mom says. She turns to me. “I hope you didn’t let him upset you.”
I shake my head. My father lifts a hand in the air as if he’s about to slap my mother, but she catches his wrist and drops it before stepping back. For a long second, my father stares at Mom with hatred in his eyes. Then he turns his attention to me and Damien.
“You two are ungrateful bitches! You don’t appreciate a single fucking thing I’ve done for this family!”
My eyes widen and I look at my Mom as Dad continues ranting.
“I put a roof over your heads! I fed you! I gave you the clothes on your backs and all of this!” My father gesticulates wildly as he yells. “All of this is yours because of me! And yeah, you’re fucking right – of course I framed that asshole to get this. You really think we could have been rich if I hadn’t sent Damien to prison?”
My jaw drops and I turn to Damien. He looks equally shocked, but he doesn’t speak. My father, however, doesn’t notice. Mom gives me one last look before taking my father by the shoulders and guiding him inside.
Damien and I are left standing in silence.
“Did that … really just happen?” I ask in disbelief.
When I turn to look at Damien, there’s a strange smile on his face as he pulls his phone from his pocket. The light shows red for recording, and slowly, he turns it off.
“Yeah,” he says slowly. “It did. Holy shit, baby girl. Our lives just changed big time.”
Grabbing my hand, we make our way back to the car. Because did my dad just admit to committing a crime? Did Jason know what he was saying? Or did he just dig his own grave?
Chapter Eighteen
Damien
“Mr. Evercore! Mr. Evercore! How does it feel to be a cleared man?”
As I step out into the bright sunshine with Emma on my arm, I can hardly believe this is real life. My appeals process has just ended, and my conviction has been overturned.
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Emma says. I can hardly hear her soft voice over the din of the crowd. The courthouse stairs are packed with reporters and I have to elbow a man out of my way to make sure Emma can squeeze through.
I laugh drily. “Me, too,” I admit. “I had no idea this would happen.”
Emma nods. “I guess my dad going crazy was definitely for the best,” she says quietly. “Ever since that last time we saw him, Mom said that he hasn’t been right.”
“Well, the fact that he confessed was a huge help,” I reply. “Without that recording, I’m not sure how things would have played out.”
Emma nods again. She’s deep in thought. “I’m going to forgive him,” she announces.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Surely you’re kidding,” I say. “After all that?”
Emma takes a deep breath. “Not like that,” she amends. “I mean, I’m going to forgive Jason … and then I’m going to forget him. He’s not worth wasting any mental energy on.”
I nod in agreement. “I admire you,” I say honestly. “That’s very mature.”
Emma bats her eyelashes at me. “And you think I’m just a kid,” she says in a teasing voice.
Before I can reply, there’s another tug on my arm and I look to see Jed standing there with a huge grin on his face. He pulls me into a tight bear-hug and for once, I don’t resist. It feels so good to have this weight lifted off my shoulders.
“Man, I knew we could do it,” Jed says heartily. “We had an airtight case!”
“We had a taped confession,” I say as I extract myself from his strong grip. “And of course, all of the evidence that you found.”
“Well, you can never have too much,” Jed replies. He looks at my face and smirks. “Definitely an improvement without the beard.”
“Well, I had to look the part,” I mutter under my breath, too low for him to hear. “Now that I’m a freed man, I’m going to grow it back out.”
“Not just a freed man,” Jed says. “But a rich one too. All of your shares have been restored just in time for the IPO. You’re going to be filthy fucking rich! I should definitely increase my retainer,” he continues. “You could probably send all three of my kids to school.”
I roll my eyes. “Never change, Jed,” I tell him. “By the way, I’d like you to meet Emma. Jed, Emma. Emma, Jed.”
Jed raises an eyebrow as he drinks in Emma’s curvy figure. In a designer suit and heels, she doesn’t look like a little girl at all. She’s transformed into a mature, confident woman who knows how to carry herself.
“Nice to meet you,” Jed says. He’s practically salivating as he reaches for Emma’s hand and I feel a hot flash of possessive jealousy. As they shake hands, I slide a hand down her back and squeeze her ass as if to tell her that she belongs to me and me alone.
“Nice to meet you,” Emma says. She flushes and gives me a seductive look. “Thank you for all of your hard work.”
A reporter pushes through the crowd and makes her way over to us. She eyes me, then turns her attention to Emma.