“You’re stunning.”
“It’s too much.”
“Don’t do that.” I move towards her, reaching out and cupping her chin. “Don’t act like you’re not worthy.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the black rectangular box from my pocket and hand it to her. “I thought this would match your dress.”
“What is it?” She frowns.
“Open it and see.”
Slowly, she cracks the box, eyes widening when she looks down at the diamond and sapphire necklace. On a sigh her mouth parts, and she runs her fingers over the jewels.
“It’s beautiful.” She shakes her head, then closes the box and hands it back to me. “But I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” I unhook the necklace and move behind her, placing it around her neck, then fasten the clasp. My fingers brush along her collar bone, and up along her jaw, and I breathe softly in her ear, “This is just the first of many things I’m going to give you.”
I feel her tremble against me, and smile, knowing that my touch will always overpower her protests. Turning her in my arms, I grin down at her, and trace the curve of the necklace.
“Perfect. Just like I thought.” I lean in and kiss her gently, eliciting chills. “I had another piece of jewelry that I wanted to give you, but I it’ll have to wait.”
She blinks up at me confused. “I don’t want anything else.”
I pray to God that’s not true. But it’s why the five carat engagement ring I purchased last week will stay in my pocket – until I know she’s ready. I just hope it’s sooner than later, because I want nothing more than to make her my wife.
Chapter 25
Keeley
“Keeley.” Becca’s face lights up when she sees me. Ignoring the protests of the woman fussing over her, she pulls me into a hug. When she pulls back, she blinks through the tears that threaten to fall. “Sorry. I’m so emotional.”
“You look beautiful.” And she does. The white, strapless gown is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I don’t even want to think about what it cost. I heard Henry mumbling over numbers, and nearly choked when he said something about her going three hundred thousand over budget.
The three women, all dressed in lavender bridesmaids’ dresses, move to the opposite side of the room, drinking champagne and gossiping over names I’ve never heard of.
Becca’s fingers tremble when she hands me a glass of champagne. I take it and clink the edge with hers.
“I’m doing the right thing,” she says, and I can’t tell if it’s a statement or a question. But I hear the uncertainty in her voice. She sinks slowly into a chair, and takes a deep gulp of the sparkling liquid.
I wonder now if Henry is right. If she isn’t marrying him just so that she can have access to the money her father left her. But why throw away a lifetime of happiness for money?
“Do you love him?” I cringe inwardly the moment I ask the question. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
Dark eyes rest on me and there’s a sadness there that I hadn’t seen before. “He’s a good guy. He’ll be a good husband. A good father.”
“That’s not the same thing,” I say softly.
“It’s close enough.” She straightens her shoulders, her expression suddenly stoic. “Something is better than nothing, right?”
“I guess,” I say, not agreeing, but also knowing it’s not my place to argue. Who am I to give relationship advice?
There’s a small knock on the door, and Henry pokes his head in. “Is everyone decent?”
“Yes.” Becca’s face lights up again, and she stands and crosses the room towards her brother.
“You look stunning,” he says, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
“Ready to give me away?” she asks.
Henry sighs and shoves his hands in his pocket. “You still want to go through with this?”
She smacks him lightly on the shoulder and they both laugh, but I can see the tension that lingers in the unanswered question.
“I should go and find my seat,” I say, squeezing Becca’s hand when I pass by. “Good luck.”
She gives me the first genuine smile I’ve seen, and says, “Just think. It’ll be you next.”
“Becca.” Her name is a low rumble on his lips. So quiet, but the effect hits me with the force of a sonic boom.
Silence follows, tension quickly filling the small room.
Henry glowers at Becca, and she shrinks back.
I don’t need an interpreter to understand what passes between them.
Like a punch to the gut, I feel the air leave me in a solid rush. I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I’m not marriage material. Not for someone like him.
What had Jax said?
You think that Henry Caldwell would be with someone like you if it wasn’t for some gain? Sure, you’re a good fuck, but there’s never been much in that pretty little head of yours.
The bridesmaids must have caught the awkward conversation, because soft chuckles echo across the room.
My heart immediately sinks in my chest, the truth of how he sees me finally clear. Of course he’d never marry me. I hadn’t even begun to hope for such a thing. But to see the anger in his eyes when Becca suggested it, is too much.
Becca pales, concern flashing on her pretty face. “I’m sorry, I just thought–”
“You said enough,” Henry barks out, silencing her.
“It’s fine,” I say, a little too quickly. “I really should go. You look beautiful, Becca.”
I rush from the room, blinking back tears of humiliation.
“Keeley, wait,” Henry’s deep voice commands, stopping me before I make it halfway down the hall.
He stalks towards me, eyes flashing with concern, the anger from the moment before gone.
“You don’t understand–”
“And you don’t owe me an explanation.” I straighten my spine, steeling my emotions. “I’ve told you, I don’t expect anything from you. This thing between us, it’s just an overextended one-night stand.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Be honest?”
“Don’t trivialize what we have because you’re hurt.” He reaches out and brushes his knuckles across my cheek. “I love–”
“No. You’re confusing lust with love.” I take a quick step back, knowing that if I let him touch me, I’ll lose my resolve. “That’s all this is, all it will ever be. Let’s stop pretending it’s anything more.”
His eyes darken and the muscles in his face tighten.
“You’re pushing me away because you’re scared.”
“I’m pushing you away because it’s the right thing to do. If you care about me at all, you’d let me go now, while I still have a fragment of my heart.”
“If you’d let me explain–”
“I told you. I understand. I’m not angry with you. But I can’t keep doing this. I won’t be like her.”
“Like who? Like your mother? Is that how you see yourself, see me? You think I would abandon you like that bastard?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t take the chance.”
A wounded look that nearly unravels me crosses his face, as if I’ve just delivered a death blow.
“Five minutes,” a man says from the far side of the hallway.
“Shit.” Henry rakes his fingers through his hair, then points at me. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’ll stay for the ceremony, but I think it’s best we end this now. I’ll get my stuff and be out of your apartment before you get home.”
I don’t wait for his response, I turn on my heels and race towards the exit, holding back the sob that threatens to choke me. One glance over my shoulder and I know he doesn’t follow.
Relief and regret war inside of me.
I hurt him. I saw it in his eyes.
Pain twists my insides. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. But better to leave now, before things get any more complicated. Like
me having his baby.
Chapter 26
Keeley
I feel my heart shattering in my chest as I make my way through the long corridors.
There’s a burning sensation deep within me, and I press my palm to my chest and push at the pain, unable to catch a full breath. The throbbing ache is almost unbearable.
My vision clouds with moisture. I shouldn’t have run. I made a promise that I wouldn’t. But Henry was right. I’m scared. Terrified. But the more distance I place between us, I don’t know what I’m more frightened of, having my heart broken or not being with him.
I hate that I’m pushing him away, when all I really want to do is wrap my arms around him, bury my face in his chest, and hear his deep, rich voice reassure me that everything will be okay.
Not looking where I’m going, I collide with a hard body as I turn the corner. Large hands grab my arms, steadying me.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, pulling away, but the hands don’t release me, and when I glance up, I’m staring into shocked blue eyes.
I suck in a razor-sharp breath and freeze as a cold chill slides down my spine.
It’s been years since I’ve seen his face, but I recognize him instantly.
My father.
“What are you doing here?” Anger and alarm taint John Sullivan’s words, as he pulls me around the corner and away from the crowd of people filing into the room where the ceremony is to be held.
“Let go of me.” I peel his fingers off my arm.
“I asked you a question.” His nostrils flare, every deep-set line in his face clear. A face I’d hoped never to see again.
“You know who I am?” My body vibrates with energy. Rage rather than fear rushes through me. Pure, all-consuming rage, that blazes through me like a wildfire.
“Of course I do. You think I haven’t kept an eye on you and your brother after that shit he pulled a couple years ago.” He leans into me, face red, eyes furious. “If you think you’ve come here to humiliate me–”
“You weren’t supposed to be here. I would never have come if I’d known.”
“Bullshit.” His face is pinched, and he gives a harsh, disbelieving shake of his head.
It’s then that I see it. Etched in the curve of his lip, the disdain in his eyes, a belief that I’m unworthy of him. I remember that look. It’s the same look he gave my mother every time she begged for more.
“Why?” Hatred thuds through my veins. “What were we to you? What was she? Just a casual screw, or did you love her?”
“Lower your voice.”
“No. I can’t imagine you’ve ever loved anyone but yourself. Was there any guilt, when you found out what she did? Did you ever blame yourself that your child and its mother were dead because of you?”
His face blazes with fury. “The woman was insane. I’m not responsible for what she did.”
“She begged you. Came to you and told you how desperate she was. I was there that day, when you tossed her away like garbage.”
“You want more money? Is that it?” The accusation is thick, coated with malice.
“More?” Something sinks inside my chest. “I’ve never taken anything from you.”
His hard eyes glint with something spiteful.
“Your brother signed a contract two years ago saying he’d never contact me again. The money he received–”
“You gave Drew money?” Bile burns my throat, souring in my stomach as I swallow it down.
What else don’t I know?
He chuckles darkly. “Half a million dollars. Looks like the greedy little bastard played us both.”
No. Nausea swelled and a rush of dizziness hits me.
“I’ve paid the price for my sins. Now it’s time for you to leave before I call the police and have you carted out of here with a restraining order.”
“Your sins?” Overwhelming emotions slam into me. Anger. Grief. Outrage. “Is that what we are? What Lily was?” I steel my spine and fist my fingers at my side.
He looks at me coldly, nothing but spite in his gaze. No regret for a family he destroyed. Just concern for himself.
I’d always known the man was a monster, abandoning us the way he did. But I never imagined anyone could be so completely remorseless.
“I feel sorry for people like you.” I’m trembling, but I clench my jaw, not willing to show him the pain he’s caused. I push past him, and he grabs my wrist, but this time his large fingers crush down brutally.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you can’t stay here.” He pushes me towards the exit, like he’s ready to throw me out of the building. “The minute my wife sees your face, she’ll ask questions.”
People are looking at us now.
“Because I look like Abby,” I sneer.
The color drains from his face.
A bitter laugh tickles my throat. “I know all about her. Seems like it wasn’t just us you were a shitty father to.”
I barely register his hand, before it cuts across my cheek in a stinging slap.
“John,” a woman’s small voice echoes behind us. “What’s going on?”
The color drains from the man’s face, and he turns, shielding me from the woman’s sight.
“You’ll regret this,” he hisses, releasing me.
“John?” The woman’s voice is shrill.
“Just business, darling.” He turns her away from me, but not before I see her eyes widen as her gaze lands on me. But she’s quickly guided away through the large double doors, despite her audible protests.
My face throbs, and blood stains my fingers when I touch my lip. I stand there. Shocked. My cheek burning, mind racing. Old, unrelenting pain stabs like an icepick at my heart, and a numbness settles over me.
I swallow the unpleasant taste in my mouth, unable to move.
“Miss. Are you okay?” A younger man dressed in a tux tilts his head towards me, brows furrowed.
Shakily, I exhale the breath that I’ve been holding in, and blink at him.
“They’re going to be starting the ceremony soon. If you’d like to take your seat, I’ll–”
“Thank you, but I’m not feeling well. I’m going to get some air.”
With slow, deliberate steps, I walk through the atrium and out the large wooden doors towards the front garden.
I find a bench and sit down heavily, gathering my thoughts. Twisted memories slam my mind, pouring into me like poison. A childhood polluted by anger and abuse that no one should ever have to endure.
Bitterness threatens to cripple me, to eat away at my last ounce of hope.
How much rejection can one person endure?
Like a beacon in the abyss, one memory sustains. My dark-haired boy, and his promise to find me, to protect me. It was the first time I’d believed that there was something other than darkness in the world. Henry. My knight. My protector. My champion.
A small laugh builds in my throat as I realize that he’s still all those things.
Guilt clutches at my throat for insinuating that he was anything like my father. I don’t know all of his secrets, and maybe I never will, but I know him.
And…I know I love him.
The fortress I built around my heart was shattered the moment he touched me. I’ve just been too scared to allow him to claim it fully. My chest is pressed full with the emotion that grips me.
Love.
Trust.
I’m ready to give the last broken pieces to him.
No more fear.
Gathering my courage, I take a deep breath and start to stand. I have to go to him, make things right.
A hand, warm and large, rests on my shoulder stopping me, and I release a shuddering breath.
Henry. But the weight isn’t right, and there’s no heated energy pulsing from the touch. Unease flashed and fired at my nerves, and I feel the shift in the air. Danger.
Slowly I turn, looking over my shoulder, knowing in that split second that I am one hundred and ten percent screwed.
Jax tilts his head, a terrifying smile playing across his lips. “Now, where do you think you’re going, princess?”
Chapter 27
Henry
From the back of the hall, I scan the crowd for any sign of Keeley, and curse under my breath when I don’t see her.
“What’s wrong?” Becca asks, placing her arm in mine as the first bridesmaid starts down the aisle.
“Nothing. Are you ready?”
She gives a nervous little smile, and fidgets with the bouquet she’s holding.
“Do you see Keeley?” Becca stretches her neck, peering into the hall. “I hope she’s not upset with me for ruining the surprise. When you told me you bought the ring I thought you’d already asked her.” She looks out into the crowded room and she sucks in a breath. “Oh no.”
“What?” A knot forms in the pit of my stomach at the look of horror on Becca’s face.
“The Sullivan’s are here,” she whispers, her voice tight.
I follow her gaze, catching a glimpse of John’s profile.
“You told me Asher uninvited them.”
“He did.” She licks her lips. “I mean, he told me he did. Why would he lie?”
“Dammit, Becca.”
One of her bridesmaid’s raises an eyebrow at me.
I shake my head and try to hold back my anger. It’s her fucking wedding day, but all I can see is red.
“What are we going to do?” she asks.
I have no fucking clue. My first instinct is to find Keeley and get her the hell out of here.
The last of the bridesmaids starts her walk down the aisle.
The music cues. Becca places her hand on top of mine and with clear tension between us, we start our walk to the front of the hall, where the weasely looking Asher waits with a smirk-like grin plastered on his face.
There’s still no sign of Keeley. Where the hell is she? Did she see Sullivan and leave? A million scenarios, all ending in me putting my fist through the man’s face, run through my mind.
“I’m really sorry, Henry,” Becca whispers through the fake smile she gives the onlookers.
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