by R. S. Lively
“What do you want?” he asks quickly. “To make this go away. What do you want?”
I smile and give Rupert a nod. We have him right where we want him. It's over and we've won.
“Well, for starters, you're going to stay the fuck out of our lives. I see you sniffing around, if I even hear of you speaking our names, I'll burn you down,” I say. “You got that? From now on, you leave me the fuck alone. If Darby wants to have a relationship with you, that's her call. But you will respect her. You will not try to control or manipulate her. Those days are over. Period.”
He sighs and runs a hand over his face. I don't know that he's even hearing what I'm saying, but I press on anyway.
“Next, you are going to resign as a U.S. Attorney. Immediately,” I say. “I don't give a fuck what reason you give them for quitting, but you're done. Somebody as corrupt and abusive as you doesn't deserve to be in the position.”
Mason looks at me, his eyes filled with – something. I don't know what it feels like to have all your dreams and ambitions being stripped away from you one by one. I imagine it has to feel pretty shitty.
“Second,” I say, “You are not going to run for elected office. Ever. You do that, this video will be the fucking centerpiece of your opponent's campaign.”
Mason looks miserable. Absolutely miserable. I can see him trying to find some way out of this. Some loose thread he can pull to bring this whole tapestry down. As I see him trying to work it, I can see the look of defeat in his eyes as he realizes he's trapped.
“Third,” I say. “You are going to surrender your law license and never practice again. If I find out you are, this video goes public. I figure since you were on board with giving me the death penalty, the least I can do is return the favor. Don't you think?”
“You son of a bitch,” he hisses.
“You're lucky I'm not requiring you to forfeit all of your assets,” I say. “I'm sure you made a lot of money doing what you did. I'm giving you the chance to go enjoy it. Magnanimous of me, isn't it?”
Mason stares at me, pure hatred burning in his eyes. I simply stare back, unable to keep the grin off my face. I know it's a dick thing to do, but I can't stop myself from rubbing his face in it just a little more. Come on, the prick deserves it.
“What was it you told me once?” I ask. “No victory is as sweet as a total and complete domination of your opponent? Damn. You were right. I mean, this is an awesome feeling. I'm feeling so good, I have a total hard on right now.”
Rupert looks over and nods. “It's true. He's got wood.”
“Carter.”
It's the first thing Darby's said since she went after Mason, so I turn to her. “What is it?”
She sighs, and I can see the struggle on her face. I can see the conflict. She knows Mason made his own bed and should now be made to lie in it. But, being the good woman with the kind, compassionate heart she is, she hates seeing Mason being raked over the coals so ruthlessly. No matter what, no matter how big of a piece of shit he is, he's still her brother.
“Do you think maybe, you can loosen up on those demands a little?” she asks softly.
“Which one?” I ask.
“Maybe you can let him keep his law license,” she says. “It's all he knows. He's nothing without it.”
“He's nothing with it,” I say. “Just a petty, angry little man with a need to control everybody around him.”
“You beat him,” she says. “You know it. I know it. He knows it. You don't have to take everything from him. You don't have to be like him. Victory doesn't have to be total scorched earth.”
“It is when you play with somebody like this asshole,” I say. “You give them an inch, they'll come right back at you and take a mile.”
Darby turns to Mason. “This is over, Mason,” she says. “If Carter is generous enough to let you keep your law license, you will abide by each and every other condition he sets forth. If you don't, I'll go to the media and release that video myself. Do you understand?”
Mason looks at her for a long moment, and his face falls. He knows he's beaten. He nods and looks down at the tabletop. Darby turns back to me, waiting for my answer. Waiting to see if I can be a good man, or if I'll be like her brother.
She's right. He's beaten. He's at the lowest he's been in his life. And as much as I'd love to pile on – and I'd really, really love to pile on and just bury this fucker – I don't have to be like him. Victory is good, and we've claimed that. We don't need to burn the whole world down too. Because she's right, doing so would make me just like him.
“Deal,” I say. “Thank your sister, Mason.”
“Thank you,” he mutters.
I exchange looks with Rupert, who's smiling wide, and Darby, who's not. I understand why she's torn, but I can't keep the smile off my face. We beat Mason White. We got over on Ahab. I love winning. Almost as much as I love making piles of money. Though, both still pale in comparison to how much I love Darby. I pull her to me and kiss her. It's a warm, sweet kiss, and when I look into her eyes, she smiles.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“No, thank you,” I say. “For reminding me that being a good man is more important than dancing on the graves of your enemies.”
Mason is watching us, and I know he wants to say something cutting. Know he wants to give me a royal fuck you. Too bad he's lost any high ground he had. Sucks to be on the losing side of a fight.
“We're done here,” I say. “Get out of my office.”
Mason rises and shuffles out, his head hung low, his entire persona – Ahab the terrible – stripped away completely. He's a shell of himself as he passes through the doors and out of our offices entirely. It's gratifying as hell.
I shake Rupert's hand and pat him on the back. “Great work, man,” I say. “That was awesome.”
“Do I get to keep the hundred grand?” he asks.
I shrug. “I don't care,” I say. “I consider it found money.”
“Excellent,” he says. “I gotta buy something nice for my barista.”
“New rattle?” I ask. “Footy pajamas maybe?”
“Eat shit,” Rupert says, laughing as he bounds out of the office.
I turn to Darby and can see that she's still having trouble with what I'd just done to her brother. Despite everything he's done to us – to her – she seems conflicted.
“You okay?” I ask.
She purses her lips and looks up at me for a moment, then nods. “Yeah, I'm good,” she says. “I'm fine.”
“You sure?” I ask. “You don't look entirely fine.”
“That was tougher than I expected,” she says. “It hurt. Hearing that he doesn't care about my happiness and that my life needs to revolve around his ambitions – that was hard to hear.”
“I'm sorry you had to hear it,” I say.
“I'm not, actually,” she says after a moment. “It was probably the best thing I could have heard. I've given him too many chances. I've made excuses for him because he's my brother. My only family. No more. If he wants a relationship with me, he's going to have to earn it.”
I pull her to me and embrace her good and tight. “Good girl,” I say. “I'm proud of you.”
She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “I love you, Carter.”
“I love you too,” I say and give her a quick, chaste kiss.
As we walk through the office, hand-in-hand, I feel happy. Content. I can't wait to tell Pops what just went down. Maybe I'll take the video feed from the conference room, just so I can show him and give him a good laugh.
He deserves it.
Epilogue
Darby
Six Weeks Later...
The night air is cool and feels nice. It won't be long before there's snow on the ground and the temperatures are going to be too cold to be out on a carriage ride through Central Park. It's cheesy as hell, I know. But, it's something I've always wanted to do and so, I'd booked a ride for Carter and me.
Besides, I couldn’t
think of a better way to deliver the news I have for him, than with a romantic evening out. Fear steals through me though. He’s been in an unusually upbeat and chipper mood tonight – which is saying something, given his normal state of being. But, like Pops says, he looks like he’s walking on sunshine and has his head in the clouds.
I hate to be the one who brings the rain.
He sits beside me, looking into my eyes, a look of absolute adoration on his face. It’s a look I swear to God, I will never grow tired of. He looks at me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on and that does wonders for my self-esteem.
As the carriage bumps along though, butterfly wings of fear brush against my insides. I know I’m carrying a bombshell that’s going to rock his entire world. And the thing that scares me the most is, I don’t know how he’s going to feel about it. We’ve never talked about it before.
And I don’t know what I’m going to do if he’s not receptive to it.
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Did you talk to Mason today?” he asks. “You usually look a little shell-shocked after you talk to him.”
I laugh. “No, not today,” she says.
“How are things going with that?”
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up about being invited to Christmas dinner anytime soon.”
Carter laughs. “Well damn,” he says. “I guess I should take him off my Christmas card list.”
“Probably a good idea,” I say. “He’s doing fine though. Bored. Private practice isn’t stimulating enough for him, I guess.”
“Too bad,” Carter says, his tone carrying a hard edge.
“He’s trying,” I say. “He’s really trying. It’s going to take a while before we can actually have anything resembling a relationship, but he’s trying.”
Carter leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Well, so long as he’s treating you right and you’re happy, that’s all that matters to me,” he says. “I’ll support you no matter what.”
I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder. I know I’m delaying and putting off what I have to tell him, but I’m terrified. My biggest fear is that I tell him, and he’ll want nothing to do with me ever again. That he’ll think I trapped him, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, he seems committed to me now, but when he finds out I’m pregnant, what’s he going to do? I won’t have an abortion. I don’t condemn those who do, but it’s not for me. Which means I would be left raising a child on my own. Given the fact that I have the means, that wouldn’t be a big issue. I can provide for my child on my own, if need be.
I just don’t want my baby growing up with me as its only parent.
“You seem distracted tonight,” Carter says. “More than usual. What’s up?”
A yawning chasm opens in my stomach and threatens to swallow me whole. My heart is up in my throat, beating like a jackhammer, and my head is spinning so hard, it’s giving me blurry vision. I know I need to tell him. Have to tell him. It’s just hard. Terrifying.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing myself to get it out one word at a time.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Carter.”
“I figured that much,” he says. “What is it?”
I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. My mouth feels suddenly dry and I swear to God, I feel like I’m about to pass out.
“You’re white as a sheet,” he says and laughs. “What, are you gonna tell me, that you’re pregnant?’
I look at him, feeling my eyes grow wider, but my heart, strangely enough, seems to stop beating at all. I suck in a breath and hold it and time seems to slow down as Carter stares at me. When I don’t answer, I see his face change. His eyes are as wide as dinner plates and his mouth falls open.
“You’re kidding me,” he says.
“No,” I squeak out softly.
“But – how?”
I cock an eyebrow and look at him. “Really?”
“I mean, we’re always so careful,” he says.
“There was that one time,” I say. “In the bathtub.”
He sits back against the seat and looks up at the sky, letting out a long breath. His face is unreadable to me. I can see the whirl of emotions passing through him, but have no idea what he’s really thinking or feeling.
“I know we haven’t talked about it,” I say. “And I know you may not be ready to be a father. I just – if you don’t want to be a father, that’s fine. Just tell me. But, I can’t give this baby up. I’m going to have it.”
“I understand,” he says.
Those two words feel like a lead weight in my heart. It’s not an expression of joy. Of hope. Of looking forward to a shared future. It’s an expression of resignation. It’s an expression of goodbye. I bury my face in my hands and hold back the tears that threaten to flow. I knew this was a possibility and had prepared myself emotionally for it.
At least, I thought I had. Preparing yourself in front of a mirror and actually being face to face with it are two separate things entirely. I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth, willing myself to be calm. To control my emotions. To understand that he’s not ready to be a father and that’s okay. I can do it on my own.
I don’t know what that’s going to mean for us, but I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it, I guess. I honestly don’t think we can be a couple if he doesn’t want to be a part of his child’s life.
I take a deep breath and then let it out slowly. When I feel sufficiently composed, I pull my hands away from my face and see Carter sitting there in the carriage, his body turned to me, holding a small, black box in his hand.
And in the small black box, is a big diamond ring.
I have to shake my head as I look at it. A couple of times. Everything suddenly feels so surreal and strange. And I have no idea what in the hell is going on.
“Wh – what is this, Carter?” I ask.
He slips off the seat and gets down on one knee, the smile on his face so bright, he might be able to power the entire city of New York with it.
“You know, I’ve dreamed about being with you and starting a family with you for a long time,” he says. “All the way back in the day after we met. I knew you were the one.”
I shake my head, still not understanding. “I – what –”
“Darby, you make me the happiest man in the world. There is nobody on this planet I want to spend my life with but you. There is nobody I want to raise a family with but you,” he says. “Would you do me the honor of being my wife? I mean, since you’re already my baby mama, I think we should make it official, don’t you?”
He smiles at me, holding the ring up. Tears well in my eyes, making my vision even blurrier. I wipe them away quickly, the confusion beginning to drift away on the breeze. Suddenly, I’m left with nothing but the man on his knee before me, the ring in his hand, and the overwhelming sense of love between us.
“Yes,” I say. “God, yes.”
His smile is impossibly wide as he slips the ring on my finger and then kisses me. He reaches down and puts his hand on my belly gently, a look of absolute awe on his face.
“We’re going to have a kid,” he says softly.
I nod. “We are.”
“When I picked you up tonight, I didn’t think I could be any happier than I was in that moment,” he says. “I was wrong.”
I lean forward and kiss him again, pressing my body to his, and letting him envelop me in a tight embrace. I know what he means. It seems like with every second that passes, I get a new definition of what the word happiness truly means. I never thought I could be as happy as I am right now.
“I love you, Darby.”
“I love you too.”
“You’re mine,” he says. “And I’m yours.”
“Forever.”
The carriage pulls us into the night, into the charm and beauty of Central Park, and everything around us seems absolute
ly perfect. Something I never expected to feel in my life. But, now that I have it, it’s something I never want to lose – neither the feeling, nor the man.
THE END
About the Author
We (Ruth Anne Scott and Lauren Lively) have teamed up to bring you the best in Contemporary Romance. Thank you so much for taking this epic adventure with us. We love you guys and look forward to entertaining you.
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