by K. A. Linde
“Mariah Carey?” I asked. “You’re playing Mariah Carey?”
“Look, I know she made a fool of herself, but she is our singer now.”
“Oh my God, it’s ‘Always Be My Baby.’”
“And?”
“This is a good choice.”
He had clearly put some thought into all of this. He was taking this whole business of making things right serious. Between the limo, champagne, and a nod to our first date…we were off to a good start.
He reached over to pour me a glass of champagne.
I downed it before he had finished pouring his and handed my glass back to him. “More, please.”
He grinned, flashing me those irresistible dimples. “Don’t get face-plant-on-the-concrete drunk on me.”
“I’m a good girl,” I crooned.
“Don’t bet on it.”
Jensen took a sip of his champagne and then set it down. “Now, before we get there, I do have your Christmas present.”
“My what? But it’s New Year’s and I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts.” We had decided on Christmas Eve since our relationship had been on the rocks that we would hold off on presents.
“Yes. Then, fine, your New Year’s present.”
“But I don’t have anything for you.”
Jensen leveled me with a flat look. “I absolutely do not need anything.”
He procured a black velvet box from his jacket, and I stared at it in awe. When he tried to hand it to me, I just continued to look at it. I’d never gotten anything like this in my life, and I didn’t even know what it was. He was taking this making-up thing to a new level.
“Go on. Open it,” he instructed.
I gently took the box in my hand and popped the cover open. Inside was a simple chain with a round diamond encased in a halo of diamonds. It was soft, elegant, and probably cost a fortune. It looked as if it cost more than my Forester.
“I can’t…”
“It’s a present. You can.”
“Wow. Okay,” I whispered. “Will you put it on me?”
I slipped the necklace out of the box, pulled my hair up, and then let him clasp it into place. It felt like a weight sitting in the middle of my sternum, but it didn’t overpower the dress. It was as if he had known. Or the man just had amazing taste in diamonds.
“Thank you. It’s really too much though.”
“Emery, for you, it’s never going to be enough.”
I leaned toward him, letting the necklace dangle between us, and then kissed him deeply. “A girl could get used to this if you’re not careful.”
“I’m not planning on being careful. Kid gloves are off. You might have to endure fancy dinners and random presents and unplanned trips on my private jet. This is the man I am, Emery, as much as the man I am when I’m with you. I’d like to have you in both worlds.”
I nodded, suddenly speechless. Jensen was offering me his world. I’d be a fool not to take it.
The limo stopped in front of the Overton, and we were whisked out and down the breezy walkway inside. The room was already packed with people, but I could see that much of his family was already there. We meandered over to their table, and Jensen left me with Morgan before he went off to get us drinks. Apparently, our table had bottle service, but champagne wouldn’t be passed out to the room until right before midnight.
“Oh!” Morgan gasped. “He gave you the necklace.”
I reflexively touched the diamond. “Yes.”
“It looks great on you.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m so glad things are going well again. Jensen gets so cranky when he’s being a total idiot and refuses to admit it.”
I laughed and covered my mouth.
“I’m glad things are going well too,” I admitted with a smile.
“Also, I’m so happy that you’re here. Seriously. The whole family is.”
I smiled, unable to convey how much that meant to me. “I think I’m just going to slip to the restroom while Jensen waits in that outrageous line.”
“All right,” Morgan said. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I’ll just be back in a minute.”
Then, I disappeared into the crowd to locate the restroom in this huge ballroom. It was off some hallway, and luckily, since it was so early in the night, it wasn’t full with a line. I did my business, washed my hands, and then exited, only to almost run into someone.
“Oh! Sorry,” I said, trying to sidestep the woman.
“Just the person I was looking for,” she said.
I glanced up at her and finally took her in. My stomach dropped. This could not be who I thought it was. “Have we met?”
“We haven’t had the pleasure. I’m glad to rectify that. I’m Vanessa.”
She stuck her hand out, but I just stared down at it in shock. When I didn’t say anything, she dropped her hand, looked down at my necklace, and then back up at me.
“Vanessa, as in…”
“Yes, Jensen’s Vanessa.” The way she said it was soft and seductive, as if she belonged to him and he belonged to her.
She was stunning, like drop-dead gorgeous. Her hair was a soft blonde color, and it came down nearly to her waist in supermodel waves. She had a good four or five inches in height on me, and she was in a black dress that accentuated her rail-thin figure. But it was her face and the honey color of her eyes that had clearly gotten her modeling jobs. She was exotic but familiar, striking but down-to-earth. She confused the senses.
And I hated her on sight.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“Well, I came here to be with Jensen.”
“Too bad. He’s here with me,” I said, getting territorial on instinct.
“Ah, yes,” she said, eyeing me up and down like I was a piece of trash and she was considering how to dispose of me. “Are you the flavor of the week?”
“Nope. I’m his girlfriend. So, you should probably just leave. I don’t want to have to deal with you when we’re having a perfectly good night together.”
“Girlfriend,” Vanessa said, breaking into this little musical laugh.
No one laughs like that! No one!
I shrugged. “Believe what you want to believe. I really don’t care.”
“But how could you be his girlfriend when he stayed with me all last week?”
My heart stuttered. I’d known that Jensen had seen her last week, but I hadn’t known he’d stayed with her.
“I knew he was in New York and that he saw you. I doubt he stayed with you.”
“I saw you walk in here with him, but he never even mentioned you once,” she said, digging the knife in deeper.
“Jensen told me he saw you and that there was nothing there. I know that you cheated on him. I know that he divorced you for it. If you came here for a catfight, consider me tapped out.”
I turned and strutted away, back down the deserted hallway. I felt fierce. I felt like I was on fire. I was in control. I didn’t know why Vanessa was here, but I had handled her like a champ. I’d go tell Jensen, and he’d tell her to get the fuck out. The end.
“But did he tell you about Colton?”
My feet stalled. Who the hell is Colton? And why did he matter?
“Of course he didn’t,” Vanessa said with a staged sigh. “Because you’re clearly just a fling.”
I turned slowly and faced her. I wanted to ask her the question, but it was stuck on my tongue. Something was telling me that I didn’t even want to know. I didn’t want to deal with this.
“Just face it. You could never compare to me,” Vanessa said with a sweet tilt to her head. “How could you compare to the mother of his son?”
Twenty-Nine
Jensen
“She should be back already,” I said to Austin.
I’d left Morgan flirting with Patrick when I found out where Emery had gone off to. But that had been a while ago. I’d had enough time to get our drinks from the
crazy line and return.
Austin shrugged. He’d been drinking nonstop, and I just wanted to slap the drink out of his hand. He had a problem. He’d brought a flask with him to church. I needed to send him to rehab or something. He needed to be sober, or he’d end up choking on his own vomit, like our father after an overdose. I didn’t want that for him. And I’d been so lost in my own mess to see it. New year and all that, and I’d get him help.
Right after I found Emery.
“What could be taking her this long?” I asked.
Austin shrugged again. “Don’t know, man. There’s probably just a line. You know how the girls’ restroom is.”
“Right, line,” I murmured but didn’t believe it.
I didn’t know why exactly. Maybe I was paranoid. After the week we’d gone through, I’d been trying to be on my best behavior. I had a big surprise for her. I was finally going to tell her everything. It would be such a relief when it all came out.
I was about to go find the restrooms and make sure everything was all right when Emery appeared out of the crowd. She looked…shaken. Visibly shaken. As if she had seen a ghost.
She had her hands clenched in low at her sides, and her eyes were wide, darting here and there and everywhere. Her stride was fierce, like she was anxious to be away. Her shoulders were tight. Something had happened. Something had definitely happened.
“Hey,” I said, instantly stepping toward her.
Whatever had hurt her…I would destroy it. This was supposed to be our night.
“I want to leave,” she said immediately. She wouldn’t even look at me.
“Emery, what happened?”
“I said I want to leave,” she said, raising her voice.
“Okay, okay. I’ll get your coat.”
I reached for her jacket without a word and ignored the concerned looks on my friends’ and family’s faces. They knew what had been going on with me and Emery. They knew not to interfere.
I handed her, her coat, and she snatched it out of my hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Emery, what happened?” I asked. I followed behind her as she hurried from the room. I reached out and grabbed her elbow to stop her. “Please, talk to me.”
She jolted away, as if I had burned her. “Why don’t you ask Vanessa?”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Vanessa?”
“Yes, your ex-wife. She can help you out.”
My mouth opened and then closed. “She’s here?”
“What do you think?” she asked before storming back toward the door.
I followed, but my gaze was wandering around the room as I tried to figure out how my life had crumbled to ashes in a matter of minutes.
Why is Vanessa here today? What did she hope to accomplish?
I hadn’t even mentioned Emery the week that I was in New York. She couldn’t know that I had a new girlfriend, because I knew she’d try to wreck our relationship. Whatever her motive, I was not going to let her win.
We were almost to the door when Vanessa seemed to materialize out of thin air. I could see that she had made an effort. She was here for a reason, and the look on her face said that reason was me.
Emery noticed her presence, and her hackles rose. “I’m leaving with or without you.”
“With me,” I said automatically.
“Fine,” she said, passing into the foyer.
Vanessa reached me just before I followed Emery. “Hey, where are you going?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you, baby.”
“Colt was supposed to come tomorrow with the nanny. That is what we agreed on. Not that you would come here and bombard my girlfriend at a party that I never invited you to!”
“Well, you forgot to mention this fling to me, so I thought I would come spend time with you,” she said, placing her hand on my sleeve.
“Vanessa, just fucking stop. You know I don’t want to spend time with you, and you’ve clearly offended my girlfriend. I love her, and I choose her. Just her. Only her.” I snatched my arm back, feeling extra disgusted with her at the moment. It wasn’t enough that she had cheated on me with my own friend, but now, she was trying to ruin everything else, and I wouldn’t stand for it. “I think you’re scum on the bottom of my shoe. I wish you would stop trying to ruin my fucking life.”
“Jensen,” she murmured, her voice dipping an octave.
“You’re in my life for one reason, Vanessa. One.” I held up my finger. “Colton. That’s it. Otherwise, you can go to hell.”
I turned on my heel and walked away from her. The last thing I wanted was for Emery to think that I wanted to talk to Vanessa or that I had more interest in what she had to say than Emery hurting. Because that was the furthest thing from the truth. I sprinted out of the building and found Emery hovering by the valet stand.
She dismissively waved her hand at me. “I already called for a cab.”
“No. We have the limo.” I gestured to the valet to have the limo come around for us.
“I can’t—”
“Emery, please. I don’t know what Vanessa said, but she is just trying to get between us. There is nothing between me and Vanessa. Nothing.”
“She said you have a son,” she said in a deadly whisper.
Her eyes were bullets targeted on my face. She was waiting for a reaction. She was waiting for me to deny it. My heart sank. This was not how I’d wanted her to find out. I’d wanted to tell her tomorrow the best way that I knew how. Fuck, Vanessa ruined everything.
“I do,” I said, dropping my hands. “I do have a son.”
She shook her head and glanced away from me. “I cannot believe this. You knew that I didn’t know! That I stay out of your family’s drama. I gave you a million opportunities to tell me. This whole second-chance business, and you didn’t think I should know?”
“It’s not that, Emery. I was going to tell you. I’d been planning to tell you tomorrow.”
Fuck, this was why I didn’t date in town. I liked to be able to control when I was able to tell someone about my son. Then when I found out she didn’t know, I thought I’d finally have that opportunity to make it right, and Vanessa had fucked it all up.
“Well, you blew it. Vanessa is here. She’s in Lubbock. She found me and cornered me and tried to make me feel worthless. And you know what? She didn’t succeed. She said some horrible things, but I knew where you and I were, and I was giving us a chance. But then I found out…nope, you weren’t giving us a chance.”
The limo pulled up in front of the stand at that time. The driver jumped out and opened the door for Emery.
She shook her head. “You take it.”
“Please,” I begged. “Please just let me explain. I gave you the opportunity to explain. Give me that same chance. We said we’d try this together. I want to do this together. After we talk, if you think I’ve relinquished our second chance, then I’ll just…drop you off at home. But I won’t let you go. I’ll keep fighting for us because you are the only woman I have ever met who has made me feel like this.”
She swallowed and looked away from me. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she wouldn’t meet mine. She was torn. I could see it. She was willing to hear me out, but she didn’t think I deserved another chance. I would have to prove her wrong. Because this was all a mistake. A misunderstanding. We could get through this. I would make sure of it.
Without another word, she sank into the limo. That was her answer. Yes. Yes, she would try.
I deflated in relief. I knew that this needed to happen. I’d just thought I’d have more time. I also…hadn’t anticipated her being on the defensive when I finally told her.
It felt like control was slipping out of my fingertips, and I wanted to be able to hold on tight. It just seemed, with Emery, I was never in control. A feeling I was unaccustomed to. But I was beginning to realize, this wasn’t a power struggle; it was just two people in love. And I needed to stop trying to hold on to my past a
nd move forward with my future.
I took the seat next to her in the limo.
She scooted over so that she could face me. “Why didn’t you tell me that you had a son?”
“We’ve only been dating a couple weeks, and I’m a very private person. I wanted to make sure that this was the real deal. I don’t introduce people to my son who are going to leave his life. I don’t think it’s fair to him. Since he lives in New York with Vanessa, that’s where his life is. I fly to New York all the time actually. Nearly every single holiday and at least once a month so I don’t have to uproot his life. I’m fortunate enough to be able to do that.”
“So…you thought that I would leave your life?” she asked.
“Honestly, until this week, I didn’t know.” I ran a hand back through my hair and tried to ignore the death glare she was sending me. “But I changed my mind this week and wanted to make it right. Colton was supposed to fly in tomorrow with the nanny so that you could meet him. I had no clue that Vanessa was going to show up unannounced or why she decided to come a day early.”
“I think she made it perfectly clear to me,” she grumbled.
“I promise there is nothing going on with me and Vanessa. Our relationship centers entirely around our son.”
“I just hate that I found out from someone else.”
“I was planning on telling you tomorrow,” I repeated with a sigh.
“Too little, too late,” she whispered.
“Honestly, Emery, I was going to tell you tomorrow. I wanted to get through our date and have an amazing time with you. I even gave you my mother’s necklace.”
Her hand dashed to the diamond hanging around her throat, and her eyes shot to mine. “You gave me your mother’s necklace?”
“Yes. Morgan and Sutton have most of her pieces, but she left me a few. She wanted them to go to the woman I loved, and I gave one to you. I’m sure that’s why Vanessa freaked the fuck out. She’s seen it before.”