by Bella Jewel
“I’ll have my lawyer call you to draw something up about Penny’s care,” she whispers, her bottom lip trembling.
“Fuck, Katia,” I start, but then stop. What can I say right now to make it better?
Nothing.
“It’s okay, Marcus. If you want to see her before then, call me.”
I nod, holding her broken gaze. Then I lean down and kiss Penny on the cheek before moving to Katia’s, gliding my lips across her soft skin. “I’m sorry, baby.”
With that, I turn and shut the door.
~*~*~*~
MARCUS
“Just find me a fuckin’ buyer,” I bark down the phone to Ulio.
“I’m tryin’, boss. It ain’t easy.”
“Make it easy. It needs to go. It all needs to fuckin’ go.”
“You sure you’re makin’ the right choice here?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
He snorts. “This is all you’ve ever fought for, and now you just want to sell it? Just like that?”
“Yeah, Ulio, just like that. Now find me a buyer.”
“Right.”
It’s time to end this.
~*~*~*~
KATIA
“How’re you doing, honey?” Candy asks, sitting down beside me on the garden swing as I watch Penny play.
“I’m doing okay,” I lie.
It’s been two weeks since I last saw Marcus. He hasn’t called. Not to see me, or Penny. He’s just disappeared. That hurts more than anything, because it makes me wonder if he truly ever wanted me back, or if he just felt he needed to pretend he did so he didn’t have to feel the guilt anymore.
“You haven’t heard from him, he hasn’t asked to see Penny—how can you possibly be doing okay?”
I look over at her. “I’m getting there. It’s all I can do.”
She scrunches her pretty face up, and then sighs. “I won’t push you, but know that I’m here to talk, okay?”
“Talk to me about something else. How’s Ford?”
My best friend’s face lights up and I can’t help but smile. The two of them have been giving each other fuck-me eyes for weeks now, and have clearly been taking action, too. It’s more than that, though. Candy looks happy, and funnily enough, so does Ford. I even heard him laugh the other day.
“It’s going really well?”
“So it’s more than just . . . ah . . . hanky-panky?” I ask.
Candy giggles. “You know, I think it is.”
“I’m happy for you, Candy. He’s a good guy.”
She sighs. “He is.”
I wrap an arm around her and we hold onto each other like that for a while.
“Damn it, why do the girls hugging have to be related to me?”
I hear Landon’s voice and turn to see him coming down the stairs, followed by Wyatt, Ford and my father. I smile at his comment. “You’re disgusting.”
“Hey,” he says, flopping down beside me. “Don’t blame me. Girls hugging is hot. Girls kissing is—”
“Landon,” my father warns.
Landon rolls his eyes. “He’s such a prude.”
I giggle softly.
“Katia, do you have a minute?” my dad asks as he steps around in front of me.
“Sure, what’s up?”
He looks at everyone else, and then says, “Alone?”
My chest seizes. Why would he want to see me alone? I stand, turning and asking numbly if the others can watch Penny. Then I follow him into the garden.
“You’re freaking me out, Dad,” I say.
“I heard something today . . .”
I swallow. “What was it?”
He turns and faces me. His handsome face scrunches up as if he’s weighing up if he should really be telling me this.
“Dad, what is it?”
“Marcus sold the house.”
I gasp.
He goes on.
“And the business.”
My legs tremble. He sold the business? What does he mean, he sold the business? I don’t understand. Marcus wouldn’t just sell everything he’s worked for unless . . .
“He’s leaving me,” I rasp, “isn’t he?”
“Leaving you? Honey, he already has.”
“I mean, he’s leaving me here, alone. He’s leaving town.”
“I don’t know, Katia. All I know is it’s all gone. He’s gotten rid of everything.”
It takes me a moment to be able to gather myself enough to speak. “Marcus doesn’t just let everything go for no reason. The only reason he would want it all gone is to leave and start again.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” he says, putting his hand to my shoulder.
I drop my head and tears stream down my cheeks. I didn’t realize until this moment that I was holding out hope that something would change, that maybe, just maybe we could fix things with time. This only proves to me exactly what my heart truly knew all along. Marcus was never going to stay. He was never going to be the man for me. He was never going to sacrifice it all for love.
“I’ll be fine,” I whisper, stepping past my father and walking away.
I’m not sure if that’s a lie or not.
Right now, I think it is.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
KATIA
“Come on, K,” Wyatt says, tugging my arm. “You need to come out.”
I stare up at him from my spot on the sofa. “No thanks.”
“You can’t keep sitting here, wallowing over a man that’s clearly moved on.”
My heart aches at his words. It’s been another week since my father told me about Marcus selling everything, and since then no one has heard a thing. No one knows where he went, or what he’s doing. All I know is that he’s gone, and he’s not coming back.
“I said no, Wyatt.”
“Right, that’s it,” Wyatt says, jerking me so hard I stumble up. “You don’t get a choice.”
“Wyatt!” I protest.
“Candice!” He calls through the halls.
My best friend appears a moment later with a dress, a brush and some make-up. After that they practically tackle me until I agree to get changed, then I’m held still while Candy applies my make-up and does my hair. They’re not giving me a choice, and I know I won’t be able to get away with it.
“Dad,” I groan when they drag me towards the door. He’s bouncing Penny on his hip.
He grins at me. “Have fun, honey. Penny and I have a movie night planned.”
“Seriously, Dad?” I try again.
“Enjoy.”
Wyatt and Candy drag me to the car, and the entire way I spit curses at them. When we arrive at an uptown club, I know there’s no point in fighting so I willingly get out of the car, much to my despair. We line up and I do this with my arms crossed, glaring at the side of Wyatt’s face.
“Glare at me all you like, girly, you’re doing this.”
“We’re not friends, me and you,” I spit at him. “Got me?”
“Don’t matter.” He grins. “I’m your brother; can’t just end that shit. You’re stuck with me.”
“Prick,” I mutter.
Candy tucks her arm through mine. “It’ll be the best night of your life, honey. You’ll see.”
“What makes you so sure of that?”
She smiles. “It’s the stars, you know.”
I roll my eyes and we head inside. I’m dragged to the bar where I order a shot of tequila straight off the mark. I shoot it down and go for another one.
“Don’t get drunk, honey,” Candy yells in my ear. “Just have fun. Look, there are some hot guys on the dance floor.”
I shoot her a look and see Dusty making his way through the crowd. My face splits into a grin. I can’t help it. He’s been away for a week with work and I’ve missed him. I shoot another shot and rush towards him.
“Girl, I’m so glad to see you out!” he yells, spinning me around.
“I’m glad you’re here. These two are torturing me.”
He grins,
poking my nose. “I’m here to torture you, too.” He breaks out into a super-cool dance move and spins before pointing to me. “With my dancing.”
I shake my head, but my smile is real and it feels nice. Maybe they were right; maybe they did have the right idea coming here.
“Fine, one dance.”
With a happy clap, he reaches for me and drags me onto the dance floor. We wiggle and move, laughing and clapping until I’m sweating. I tell him I need a drink and rush off the dance floor to get one, then I find Candy and Ford at a table nearby. I don’t know when he arrived, but he’s currently got his tongue down my best friend’s throat. Gross.
“Ew,” I say, flopping down beside them. “Ford, seriously, enough tongue.”
He pulls back and flashes me a wicked grin before leaning back in his chair. Candy turns to me with a lusty smile. “So, any hot guys out there?”
“No.”
“Seriously? You haven’t seen one?”
I frown at her. “No, Candy.”
She grins and points. “What about him? Yum.”
I turn and follow her finger, and when I see the man she has pointed to, my heart stutters and my breath quickens. Walking through the crowd towards me is Marcus.
He looks exactly as he did the night I met him, only this time he’s wearing a gorgeous blue tie over his white shirt that’s unbuttoned at the top and rolled up to the elbows. His hair is messy, his eyes intense and God, he looks as beautiful as ever.
My breath hitches.
“I don’t . . .”
He didn’t leave. He didn’t abandon us. Something, maybe relief, clogs my throat so when he reaches me, I can’t even open my mouth to say anything. I’ll leave it to him. Is he here to say goodbye? God, what if he is? Or maybe he’s here to demand something? Maybe he wants to see Penny? Maybe he’s got a new lady? God, why is he staring at me like that?
He stops at the table and stretches his hand out towards me. “Hi,” he says, his voice low and throaty. “I saw you dancing and wondered if you’d let me buy you a drink?”
Huh?
Has he lost his marbles?
Candy giggles behind me. What am I missing?
“Marcus, what are you doing?”
He tilts his head to the side. “I’m asking a pretty girl if she’d like a drink. What’s your name, honey?”
“Stop being a dick,” I say standing and shoving his chest. “What are you doing?”
A slow, sexy grin appears on his face. “I said, I’m asking a pretty girl to share a drink with me. Now, are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to guess?”
I narrow my eyes at him and he holds mine. I see then that there’s something different about him; there’s something missing in his eyes . . . I gasp when I realize it’s pain. He no longer has any behind the dark brown depths. All I can see is happiness, humor and love. No more anger. No more hurt. No more stress. What the hell has happened?
“What are you doing, Marcus?” I whisper, pain in my eyes clear for him to see.
He drops his hand and steps closer.
“I told you I couldn’t love you as the Marcus I was. I couldn’t be what you wanted. I needed to let it all go. I divorced you, I sold my house, I sold my business and I started again. Right now, I live in a two-bedroom apartment a quarter of the size of my old house, and I work at a rather large machinery company that I’m not the boss of. You’d never believe it, but I even wear jeans now and then. I told you I couldn’t love you as I was, but I never said I wouldn’t love you again. To start over, the past had to be buried. We need to do this right. We need to start at the beginning. So, I’ll ask you again, sweetheart, what is your name?”
My lip trembles and tears run down my cheeks as everything falls into place. He gave it all up for me. He divorced me, because the man he was could never be my husband or Penny’s dad. He sold his house because we could never build a life on such foundations, and he gave away the one thing that caused so much heartache in our lives—the business. He gave it all up . . . for me. For us. So with a shaky hand, I reach out and whisper, “My name is Katia.”
He smiles, big, beautiful and real.
“It’s nice to meet you, Katia.”
“And you, Marcus.”
EPILOGUE
KATIA
Six months later
“God baby,” Marcus groans, moving deep inside me.
My legs are around his waist, my fingernails running down his back. He’s fucking me slow, right there on the brand new mattress I got just two days ago.
“Marcus,” I whimper. “I’m coming.”
He lets me come, long and sweet, and then he fucks me harder, slamming his cock in and out of me until he finds his own release. Together we come down from our high, wrapped in each other.
“I gotta go to work,” he murmurs into my neck. “When all I wanna do is fuck you all day.”
“It’s a nice thought.” I laugh softly. “But I’m not sure Penny would appreciate us being cooped up here any longer.”
He chuckles and pushes off me, staring down at me with the most intense but gorgeous brown eyes. “You’re right about that.”
He presses a kiss to my nose and gets off the bed. I roll to my side and watch him get dressed, pulling on a suit and running his fingers through his hair. I smile, unable to help it. Things in our lives have been perfect for six months. We’ve both been getting the help we need, and together we’ve managed to push ourselves forward until the past seems like a distant blur.
Marcus is happy. I never thought he would be. I worried so much when he gave everything up for me, but now I see in his eyes that he doesn’t regret a single moment of it. He’s carefree, I’m carefree, and we finally have what we both deserve. I get out of bed, pulling some clothes on and flashing him a smile before heading out into the lounge, just as Penny toddles out of her room.
“Momma!” she cries, running towards me.
I scoop her up. “Hi baby.”
She points to the fridge and says, “Ta.”
I laugh. She figures if she says ta enough, I’ll just feed her constantly. She’s too cute. Marcus joins us in the kitchen just as I’m pulling out her breakfast. He leans down, sweeping a kiss across her forehead and ruffling her curls. “Hi baby girl.”
She smiles up at him, like she always does. He smiles down at her, his eyes crinkling, like he always does. I smile at them both, my heart swelling, like I always do.
And it’s perfect, and beautiful, and just the way it should be.
Finally.
~*~*~*~
“Oh my God, Landon, gross!” I cry, throwing a carrot stick at him.
“Landon!” My father barks. “Stop that.”
Landon is grinning as he licks a cracker and then drops it back into the bowl. I throw another carrot stick at him. “We did not come from the same father,” I yell. “What is wrong with you, dude?”
He chuckles and lifts the cracker, hurling it at me.
“Stop it, you two.” Dad chuckles.
Penny charges across the lawn towards Landon and wraps her arms around his legs. I laugh loudly. “Atta girl. Show Uncle Landon what for.”
Warm arms circle my waist, and I smile to myself as Marcus brushes his lips across my earlobe. “Your family are crazy, baby.”
“I know.”
“I like it.”
I laugh. “I know.”
“Oh my God, get a room!” Candy yells from Ford’s lap across the yard. I wave a carrot stick at her.
“Don’t make me use this.”
She grins and crooks her finger. “Bring it on.”
Ford laughs, slapping her thigh. I smile at them, so glad that they’re still coming along the way they should. They’re happy and they seem to work well with each other. Candy and her bubbly nature fits perfectly with Ford and his broody one. Sometimes chalk and cheese combined can make good things.
“Should we tell them?” Marcus murmurs in my ear.
“I think we should.”
He steps back and I lift my glass and tap it. “People, people, I have an announcement to make.”
“Oh my God, she’s pregnant!” Candy squeals.
I throw her a scowl. “Seriously, Candy?”
She clamps her lips together after mouthing sorry.
“I’m not pregnant,” I say, scanning all of them.
“Well then?” Wyatt calls, appearing from inside the house with a young, pretty blonde by his side. I give him a ‘you’ll tell me about that later’ look before continuing.
“As you know, Marcus and I recently got divorced.”
“Booooo!” Landon yells.
I flip him the bird.
“Anyway, we did it for a reason. Even if I didn’t know the reason at the time. Now, now we’ve decided the time is right. So . . .”
“You’re engaged!” Candy cries.
I shoot her another look, and she giggles loudly. “Oh my God, sorry.”
“No, actually, we’re not engaged.”
They all stare at me, confused.
“Marcus and I got re-married.”
“What?” Candy cries, leaping off Ford’s lap.
He quickly pulls her back down.
“Congrats!” Wyatt yells, slapping Marcus on the back as he passes.
“Thanks for the invite.” Landon pouts.
I laugh at them all. “We did what felt right for us, something small. After all, it doesn’t represent what we are to have a massive wedding. I don’t ask you to understand, I only ask that you support us.”
“Congratulations,” Dad says, coming over and shaking Marcus’s hand before hugging me close. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I whisper.
“Oh poop,” Candy yells. “Fine, come here.”
With a grin, I pull back and rush over to Candy. We hug and she slaps my ass once before squealing with delight. “Does this mean another baby soon?”
I roll my eyes. “God, Candy, give us a break.”
“We’re busy practicing.” Marcus chuckles.
“Oh, and I bet it’s good practice, too.”