by Alice Raine
Once the front door had slammed shut, Nicholas stalked toward me and entered the lounge. ‘I’m not sure I like you being so pally with my brother, Rebecca. Are you certain he hasn’t tried anything on? I know how intimidating he can be when he wants,’ he observed in a dark, sulky tone.
‘Because you’d know nothing at all about being intimidating, would you, Nicholas?’ I asked sweetly as I fluttered my eyelashes at him.
My teasing words worked and I saw him relax slightly, although I noticed he still held some tension in his shoulders.
‘So did your mum really like that bracelet I picked out for her birthday?’ he asked, taking me by surprise at his sudden shift in conversation.
‘Yes. She’s mentioned it every time she’s called me; she says it’s the best present I’ve ever got her.’ I grinned. How ironic that I wasn’t even the one who had picked it out.
‘I’m glad. I notice you wear the one I gave you all the time too,’ he commented lightly, brushing his fingers over the bangle that only left my wrist when I was showering or sleeping.
I rubbed fondly at the bracelet and smiled. ‘Yeah, I love it, Nicholas.’
‘Good,’ he said, nodding but looking as though something was troubling him. ‘I got you something else that day, but I decided to hold on to it for a while,’ he added cryptically, causing me to look at him with an intrigued quirk of my eyebrows.
Digging in his pocket, Nicholas produced a small box in the same blue velvet that my bracelet had come in. Matching earrings, perhaps? I thought, but as I clicked open the box, my breath caught in my throat and my heart began to flutter unsteadily in my chest. Oh my God. Nestled in the blue silk pillow was a ring, a beautiful platinum ring with three delicate diamonds clustered together at the top. Holy shit! Was this one of those rings?
My eyes must have been as wide as saucers but as I turned back to Nicholas, I saw that he had dropped out of my eyeline onto one knee in front of me. Oh my God, it was one of those rings! Struggling for breath, I had to swallow down a yelp of surprise and force myself not to slip into shocked unconsciousness as I stared down into his gorgeous face.
‘We’ve been together for six months now … which might not seem long, but I don’t need longer to know you’re the one for me.’ He swallowed, his eyes intense and blazing. ‘Rebecca Langley, you’ve made me understand that I can be a better man. For you I will do anything. I love you – will you marry me?’
Holy crap! I couldn’t believe it. Nicholas I-don’t-do-relationships Jackson was down on one knee asking me to marry him! To be his wife!
There was no hesitation. The stuff with the cane was a distant memory to me now. Nicholas was dedicated to me and loved me and I knew without a doubt that I loved him back. I shrieked in excitement, leaping at him and wrapping my arms around his neck so exuberantly we both collapsed backwards in a heap on the soft, carpeted floor.
I sought out his lips with mine and kissed him frantically. Nicholas took control of the situation, rolling us over so he was leaning down on top of me. His eyes were dancing and his cheeks looked as flushed as mine felt.
‘Is that a yes?’ A wry smile played on his lips.
‘Oh!’ In my excitement, I hadn’t actually given him an answer. ‘Oh yes!’ I exclaimed breathlessly, causing Nicholas to utter a possessive growl as his head lowered to my lips again.
Sitting up, he slipped the ring from the box and slowly slid it onto my trembling ring finger. Raising my hand to his lips, he kissed the ring and then my palm before leaning down to kiss me on the mouth. ‘Mine,’ he rumbled against my lips as he began to speedily remove my clothes in celebration.
Chapter Twenty-five
My phone rang just as I was greedily devouring the last of a mountain of pancakes that Nicholas and I had prepared once we’d managed to get up off the living room floor. A carbohydrate recharge was definitely called for after all the energy I’d exerted on sex in the last few days.
Seeing Joanne’s number, my brow lowered in concern. It wasn’t unheard of for her to call me on the weekends for a chat, but it was certainly unusual, and I felt my heart accelerate as I wondered what sort of state she’d be in today.
‘Hi, Jo-Jo,’ I answered, going for as soothing a tone as possible. From across the kitchen Nicholas glanced at me, obviously sharing my concern when he realised who was calling.
‘Come and visit me today, Becs!’ she gabbled, not even bothering with a “hello”. Oh dear, she sounded agitated, overexcited even, and I closed my eyes briefly as I pushed away the horrible guilt that swept over me every time I heard her in distress.
‘OK, sweetie, I can do that,’ I replied in what I hoped was a calming tone. ‘I’ll just tidy up my lunch things and head over in about 20 minutes, is that OK?’ Even though it was a weekend, I desperately hoped the head nurse, Mrs Samson, would be on duty so we could discuss whatever had got Joanne so wound up this time.
‘Brilliant! And bring him, Becs, you have to bring him!’ She practically screeched down the phone, completely confusing me. Bring who? Dad wasn’t due for a visit just yet, especially seeing as Mum had only just been down for her birthday.
‘Er … who?’ I asked, bewildered.
‘Nicholas Jackson, of course!’ Joanne sputtered, sounding like she was grinning. Wow, grinning. I couldn’t remember the last time Jo had done that of her own accord.
But how on earth did she know about Nicholas?
She answered my question before I even got the chance to ask. ‘I’ve just been watching the local news in the common room and they showed footage of last night’s charity do for that children’s home round the corner. It raised a record amount and has saved the home from closure,’ she tutted at me impatiently, as if I should already know this. ‘Anyway, I saw you and Nicholas Jackson snuggling up together on the red carpet! Nicholas Jackson!’ she repeated in a shriller tone. ‘I can’t believe it, Becs, I love his music and I can’t believe you never told me! I want to meet him!’
Gosh, she was speaking so quickly it was hard for me to keep up, but I think I got the general gist of my sister’s words. I was the cause for her agitated state, well, more precisely, me and Nicholas. What was astounding was that she was openly asking for me to introduce her to a man. That had never happened before. Since her rape and subsequent issues, she had developed an almost total paranoia about men in general. The only male visitor she would accept was Dad. Whenever male relatives visited other patients at her residential home, Joanne would usually go and hide away in her room.
‘Um … OK, I’ll ask him if he’s free,’ I said, catching Nicholas’ gaze and giving him a confused shrug.
We arrived at Oak House within half an hour of Joanne’s call. I’d been slightly surprised at Nicholas’ willingness to accompany me. Perhaps I needed to stop underestimating just how far he’d progressed emotionally over the months we’d been together and start appreciating what an amazing guy he really was. An amazing fiancé, I corrected myself with a grin, glancing down at my glinting ring again.
We had barely been in Joanne’s room for two minutes before Mrs Samson came and asked if she could speak with me privately for a few minutes to update me on my sister’s new medications. Being fully aware of Jo’s usual insecurities around men, Nicholas stood to leave the room with me, but to both of our surprise, Joanne jumped off her bed and practically begged him to stay and talk to her. Giving me a shrug, Nicholas sat back down as I turned to follow Mrs Samson.
As utterly awful as it sounds, I felt a twinge of jealousy as I exited the room, leaving Joanne fawning over Nicholas like a puppy. It was almost like when we were back in college and she’d try to show me how much prettier she was by deliberately flirting with a guy she knew I liked. Except this was totally different, of course, I chastised myself. She wasn’t flirting now, she was barely capable of it. If anything, she was like an excited child meeting her idol, and as I walked away toward the nursing station, I felt like a complete and utter bitch for my horrible thoughts.
Behind her, Nicholas looked slightly shocked at her speedy tirade but I knew from experience that this would pass in a second or two. As expected, it did and she calmed enough to speak at an understandable speed, although she still fired several questions at me in one go.
‘This is so exciting! Engaged? Wow! How long have you been together? Do Mum and Dad know? When are you getting married?’
Before I’d even had time to answer one of her questions, Joanne leant in close to my ear to whisper, ‘He’s really nice, Becs, I approve.’ For a second, it was almost like she was back to normal and was a very bittersweet moment for me that caused tears to well in my eyes. I embraced Jo, pulling her tightly to my chest – probably harder than was necessary – before getting a grip on my emotions and sitting down to share our news with her over a pot of tea.
Chapter Twenty-six
Though Nicholas had barely been able to contain his excitement about my acceptance of his proposal, which I found very sweet, he had managed not to give the surprise away last night when he’d phoned Nathan and invited him and Stella round to lunch today to share in the good news.
Slightly to Nicholas’ annoyance, Nathan had asked to speak to me on the phone, and after secretly putting it on speaker phone to placate Nicholas, we listened to him proudly telling me that things were going exceedingly well between him and Stella. I gave a thumbs-up to Nicholas and he grinned. It seemed that perhaps both the Jackson boys were getting themselves sorted out at last.
Gently rubbing my shiny new ring, I smiled to myself and glanced at the clock. It was one o’clock now and Nathan and Stella were due at any moment. As if someone had read my thoughts, there was a knock at the door, and after dropping a kiss on my forehead, Nicholas wandered into the hall to let them in.
After a few seconds of silence in the hallway, I heard a peculiar noise like a dry, choking sob, then an unfamiliar voice.
‘Nick,’ I heard the voice in the hallway say.
‘Father?’ I heard Nicholas’ hollow tone and the blood froze in my veins.
Father ?
As in the man who had so monumentally fucked Nicholas up as a kid?
Standing up from the couch, I turned on the spot and took in the scene playing out in the hall. Jeez, it was like the shop front of a submissive supermarket. Stella, Nathan, and Nicholas all stood frozen to the spot with their heads slightly bowed and their eyes trained at the feet of the man in the doorway.
‘Dad popped round to see us,’ Nathan muttered thickly his eyes still downcast. ‘He wanted to see how you were getting along, Nicholas.’
Dragging my eyes from the sight of my Nicholas looking so lost, I finally took in the man who had damaged him so badly in his youth. His father. He was tall, athletic looking, and handsome, just like his sons, but his blond hair was flecked with grey and he had a few more wrinkles. As his eyes turned on me, I almost staggered backwards. Blimey, how had I ever thought that Nicholas and Nathan were intimidating? This man’s stare was like ice being fired straight into my soul and I shivered uncontrollably under his scrutiny. Instantly, I could tell he was not a man who would like to be disobeyed. Images of him beating Nicholas with a cane flashed through my mind and sent a bitter taste to my mouth.
So this wasn’t going to be the usual “this is my dad” kind of meeting, then.
He contemplated me inquisitively for several more seconds before apparently dismissing me and turning his gaze back to Nicholas. ‘Nick, you have done very well with your piano playing. I’ve read about you in several journals.’
In response, Nicholas shrugged slightly, looking very much like a lost child in front of an angry parent, which I suppose was exactly what he was.
‘You must have got that skill from me,’ his father concluded briskly. Arrogant git.
At least I knew now why Nicholas hated being called Nick. His father used the diminutive and I could completely understand how unpleasant the association must be for him.
This was crazy. No one was saying anything. Not a single word.
Glancing at Nathan and Stella, I saw they looked just as subdued as Nicholas. It was as if the two brothers had regressed back to their childhood right before my eyes. It didn’t matter that they were older and stronger now; they weren’t saying anything because it wasn’t the done thing. They’d never been allowed to in the past because it was against their father’s rules, so they wouldn’t do it now.
As for poor Stella, she didn’t stand a chance against someone as intimidating as Mr Jackson; she was visibly trembling on the spot as it was.
Looking again at the arrogant expression on Mr Jackson’s face, I felt something inside me snap and I marched over to them. Someone had to do something and as Nicholas, Nathan, and Stella were all practically in a trance, that someone would have to be me. Great. Time to bury my nerves and dig out my courage.
‘And who are you?’ Mr Jackson asked, stopping me before I had even started to say my piece.
For some reason, his tone demanded a response from me. ‘I’m Rebecca, Nicholas’ girlfriend. Fiancée, actually,’ I corrected starkly, stiffening my back and summing up all available courage from my reserves.
In response, Mr Jackson raised an eyebrow and his lips curled snidely as if not believing his son capable of having a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée, and that was the trigger for me. I lost it. I didn’t care how frigging intimidating he might like to be; I wasn’t just going to stand here and have him ruin all the progress that Nicholas, and Nathan, had made in the last few months.
‘These three might be too polite to say anything, Mr Jackson, but I’m not. You are not welcome here, please leave,’ I stated in a surprisingly level tone.
In the blink of an eye, Nicholas’ father went from calm and haughty to absolutely freaking furious, and I faltered slightly as waves of anger seemed to radiate from him and wash over me.
Uh-oh. I was beginning to think I might have chosen the wrong Jackson man to wind up.
‘Who the fuck do you think you are?’ he roared incredulously, spittle flying from his lips and landing all over my shirt. Gross. As he took a step toward me, I suddenly felt very small, but somehow I stood my ground and tipped my chin back defiantly. Adrenaline flew through my system so fast I could feel my veins pulsing with it like a beating drum.
‘I’m the woman who loves your son more than you ever did, I’m the woman who’s helped him recover from the fucking mess you left his life in, and I’m the woman who will marry him and make sure you never have the chance to fucking hurt him ever again. Now get the fuck out!’ I screeched, perhaps with a few too many expletives, but they had felt necessary to bolster my point.
Clearly, I had gone too far, because I found Mr Jackson’s fingers biting into my upper arms as he shoved me backwards down into the hallway so fast that I was tripping over my own feet repeatedly. Shit! I hadn’t even seen him move!
‘You need to be taught a serious fucking lesson, young lady,’ he growled, but his voice wasn’t raised any more. It was quiet, too quiet, a tone I recognised only too well from the past: angry, I-want-to-punish-you Nicholas. Oh fuck, this was not good at all.
Suddenly, his biting grip was gone and I fell onto the floor from quite a height. The bruising pain in my lower back was almost instantly forgotten, as all hell broke loose above me. Mr Jackson was no longer holding on to me; in fact, he seemed to be rapidly disappearing. As I sat up, I saw Nicholas, a terrifying look of fury burning in his eyes as he dragged his struggling father off me.<
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As he threw the man roughly out of the front door, Nicholas practically fell out along with him from the effort. He loomed over him like a predator. ‘If you ever touch Rebecca again, I will kill you, do you understand? Now fuck off out of our lives,’ he roared in a tone so utterly terrifying that goosepimples rose all over my skin. Within seconds, he had slammed the door shut and was by my side, pulling me into his arms and raining gentle kisses all over my face.
Holy shit, had that really just happened? I could feel Nicholas’ heart hammering in his chest, matching the racing pulse of my own, and tension seemed to be radiating from his every muscle like a bomb ready to explode.
‘Are you OK, Rebecca? Did he hurt you, baby?’ Nicholas whispered, his fingers gently rolling up my T-shirt sleeve to examine one upper arm before he raised it to his lips and planted a ring of kisses around the bruising, reddened flesh.
‘I … I’m fine.’ Which was a total lie, of course, but I would be fine now his dad had gone, so I reassured him in a trembling voice, knowing it was what he needed to hear. Letting out a breath at my words, he lowered his lips to mine and began to kiss me deeply, as if reassuring himself that I really was OK.
‘Shit, Nicholas, I’m so fucking sorry for bringing him here,’ Nathan said limply from his position by the front door. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking …’ He shook his head in confusion. ‘I guess I wasn’t really thinking at all …’ His voice faded away.
Nicholas broke his lips from mine, and we looked up from our kiss to see Nathan approaching us warily, a haunted expression masking his usually handsome features.
‘Brother, it’s OK. I know what a hold he had on you. I just hope now you can see what he was really like,’ Nicholas responded, pulling me even closer onto his lap and burying his head in my hair as his breaths gradually slowed and his muscles began to unclench.
‘I do see now. It’s all clear to me just how fucked up he is … I’m sorry, Nicholas, Rebecca … we’ll leave you alone, I’ll make sure he’s gone.’ Nathan ran a hand through his hair then smiled weakly. ‘Engaged eh? Congratulations. Sorry I fucked everything up. Maybe we can have drinks tomorrow? My treat, by way of apologising for this shit and celebrating your good news?’ he suggested hopefully, his voice still weaker than usual.