by Kai Juniper
"I just did."
"What took you so long? If you love me, why'd you wait to tell me?"
"I don't know. I guess because sometimes I still see you as the guy who tortured me, and it's hard to tell that guy you love him."
"But I'm not that guy, not anymore. I've been trying to prove that to you."
"And you have." I reach up and kiss him. "I love you."
There's a knock on the door and an old man in a suit walks in. "Is this where the party's at?"
"Mr. Whittaker," Briggs says, going up to him. "I didn't know you were coming. How'd you even know about it?"
"I heard about it at the club. You know how those people gossip. Hope you don't mind me coming by."
"Not at all. Thanks for coming. It's good to see you again." Briggs walks the man over to me. "This is my girlfriend, Ella. Ella, this is Mr. Whittaker. He's one of my dad's clients, or he used to be."
"I never was," he says. "After that dinner at your house, I decided not to invest with him. I got a feeling your father wasn't being honest with us that night. His earnings forecasts were far too optimistic. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear what happened, for your sake, Briggs. Your father can go to hell."
I laugh. This guy is funny.
"Mr. Whittaker owns movie theaters," Briggs says.
"Did you take her?" the man asks.
"Not yet, but I will."
"I gave him a free pass," the man says to me. "Gets him and his lady friend in for free, anytime."
I look at Briggs. "You have a pass that lets us go to the movies for free? Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I forgot I had it."
Mr. Whittaker shakes his head as he reaches in his suit pocket. He takes out a plastic card and hands it to me. "You keep this one. He'll just lose it."
I laugh as I take it. "Thank you."
"A graduation gift," Briggs says to me, then he turns to the man. "Ella was valedictorian."
"Congratulations," he says to me.
"Briggs was a close second," I tell him.
Mr. Whittaker looks at Briggs. "I wanted to talk to you about something, if you have a minute."
"Yeah. Let's go sit down."
We go to the living room. Briggs and I take the couch and Mr. Whittaker takes the chair my dad usually sits in.
"Go ahead," Briggs says.
He glances at Ella.
"She can stay," Briggs says. "What's this about?"
"When I heard what happened with your father and the seizing of his assets, I didn't think it was right. Well, it is for your father, but not you. You didn't do anything wrong. You shouldn't be punished. Anyway, I wanted to do a little something to help out." He reaches in his pocket and hands Briggs an envelope. "Before you open that, I need you to promise me you'll use at least some of it for college, not blow it all on a car. Whatever’s left can help you get a new start, a new life for yourself."
"Okay," Briggs says, seeming confused.
"Go ahead and open it."
Briggs opens the envelope and takes out a check. It's made out to him, and when I see the amount, I have to lean in closer to make sure I'm reading it right. It's a half million dollars!
"Mr. Whittaker," Briggs says, seeming just as shocked as me. "I don't know what to say. This is too much."
He chuckles. "It's nothing. I'm worth millions. And I don't have children of my own. When I met you Briggs, I could see you were a bright young man headed for a bright future. I didn't want to see that future ruined because of something your father did. You’re still planning to go to Stanford?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not a cheap school. Hopefully, this will help out.”
“It definitely will,” Briggs says. “Thank you, Mr. Whittaker.”
He smiles. “You got any food around here?”
"Yes,” I tell him. “The party's out back."
"Would you two get out here?" my dad yells from the back door. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were with a guest."
"That's my dad," I tell Mr. Whittaker as we walk over to him. "He'll show you to the food."
"Right this way." My dad takes him outside while Briggs and I stay behind.
"Can you believe this?" Briggs says, holding up the check. "He gave me a half million dollars!"
"I got a free movie pass," I say, like it's just as good. “What are you going to do with the money?”
“Most of it will go to pay for college. As for the rest, I’m going to make a budget and make this money last. But the first thing we’re buying is a better truck. The old one’s going to the junk yard.”
"Briggs, it's your money. Get something you want."
"I want a truck. I never thought I liked them until I started driving yours and your dad's. We should go pick one out tomorrow."
"We? It's not going to be mine. You need to pick it out."
"We're going to share it. I'm putting both our names on it."
"But what if we break up?"
"Then you'll get it one week and I'll get it the next." He brings me into his arms. "But I don't see us breaking up. We've been through hell and back and we're still together. I'd say that makes our odds of staying together pretty damn good."
We kiss just as my dad appears again.
"Would you two stop kissing and get out here?" he says.
I laugh. "We're coming."
We go back to the party. Briggs takes off to talk to some of his rugby friends. He's smiling and laughing and seems genuinely happy, not like he's just pretending. My heart swells seeing it, knowing what he's been through.
I always thought Briggs had the perfect life, when he was really living in hell. Now he has a new life, a fresh start. We both do.
"Briggs looks so hot," Charlotte says, racing up to me. "I swear he gets hotter every day."
I smile. "He does."
"You're so lucky," she says in a dreamy tone as we stare at him.
"It wasn't just luck. Briggs was a lot of work." I laugh. "But worth it." I smile at him. "He was definitely worth it."
Hey, it’s Kai! Thanks for reading my Dirty Little Secret Series! If you’re looking for another high school bully romance, check out my Broke & Bullied Series. Start with Don’t Try Me.
If you’re looking for a dark and steamy high school romance with a mystery, check out my Twisted Pine Academy Series. Start with Twisted Lies.
For those of you who have already read my Broke & Bullied Series, I’m writing a follow-up book that will be coming out soon! I had so many readers ask for more of Dean and Brook’s story that I decided to write another book! I don’t have a release date yet, but when I do, I’ll announce it in my newsletter. If you’re not on my newsletter list, click here to sign up.
Books by Kai Juniper
BROKE & BULLIED SERIES
Don’t Try Me
Don’t Tempt Me
TWISTED PINE ACADEMY SERIES
Twisted Lies
Twisted Sins
Twisted Secrets
Twisted Truths
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET SERIES
Do What I Say
Do What I Want
Do It Or Else
Also from Waltham Publishing
THE JADE SERIES
(New Adult Romantic Suspense)
Choosing You
Knowing You
Loving You
Promising You
Forever You
Finding Us
Becoming Us
Always Us
Garret: A Jade Series Companion Novel
THE KENSINGTON SERIES
(Romantic Suspense)
Needing Her
Keeping Her
Protecting Her
Only Her
KENSINGTON FAMILY NOVELS
(New Adult Romance)
Lilly
Lilly and Reed
MOORHURST COLLEGE DUET
(New Adult Romantic Suspense)
Secrets Kept
Secrets Told
WHEELER BROTHER
S
(New Adult Romance Series of Standalones)
Next to Me
Give Us a Chance
Can't Let You Go
More to Us
THE SAMANTHA PROJECT SERIES
(Young Adult Science Fiction Romance)
The Samantha Project
The Golden Couple
A Chosen Destiny
STANDALONE NOVELS
Still Love You
Holding On
One Night
Anyone But Her
The Geek and The Goddess
Road Trouble
Third Date
Lucky Star
With Every Breath
Home with You
The Path to You
Falling for Aiden
Kinda Hate You