by Parker, Ali
Matt rolled his shoulders and glanced down at her. "You and Damon make up?"
"Yeah. Something like that." She turned to face her step-brother and lifted her eyebrow. "What's going on with you and Erica?"
"Nothing? Everything? I don't know. I had a great time with her for the weekend, but it's all too much." He brushed his hands over the swell of his chest. He'd been working out in his spare time from what she could tell.
"Too much? I'm not sure I understand." She put her hand on her hip. "Tell me what happened."
"No." He winked and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "There isn't anything to tell. She still scares the fuck out of me, and I'm avoiding her until I figure out how to get over my fears."
"Avoiding her? I'm not sure that would go over very well."
"It's not." He nodded toward the car. "You want to ride with us out to the graveside?"
"Yeah. That sounds good." She turned her head a little to find Damon.
He waved before getting into a long black stretch limousine with Kendal and the other pallbearers.
"I care about Erica, and am probably a little obsessed with her, though I'd never admit it to anyone but you and Damon."
"But?" Bethany glanced up at her brother.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "I feel like if we let ourselves, we'd both be consumed by the other. It's not fair to her or me."
"You're making no sense at all." She pulled from his hold and reached for the door.
"Then it's a normal day, and all is right in the world." Matt wagged his eyebrows and walked to the other side of the car.
As much as Beth wanted to push the conversation, it was more than obvious that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. He wasn't scared of Erica necessarily, but of the feelings that existed between the two of them. It could be a powerful relationship, something like she and Damon had, but there was no way Matt was going to let that happen. For some reason, the handsome nugget-head felt the need to protect himself.
Protect himself from love?
Weirder things had happened.
* * *
The graveside service was much faster, and everyone seemed okay until the end. The preacher looked down at the front row where Kendal sat and offered him a rose. Bethany couldn't hear what the man said from where she was standing off to the side with the rest of her family, but Kendal took the flower and stood up.
The preacher turned and walked to the head of the casket, bending down and grabbing a handful of dirt. He sprinkled it over the shiny black box. "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust."
Kendal moved up next and paused with his back to everyone. He was speaking, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying. The soft sound of crying rose up and almost tore Bethany in two.
She glanced over toward Damon, who moved forward to stand beside his best friend. He paused as Dana got up from her seat and moved up beside Kendal instead.
Kendal's back shook as his shoulders rounded, and he laid the flower down. Dana wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, holding him while he said goodbye to his little sister.
Bethany moved toward the back of the crowd as Damon walked toward her with tears in his eyes.
"Shit. I hate this kind of stuff," he whispered roughly and pulled her into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her a few times before tucking his handsome face against her neck. "I wish I could take it from him."
"Me too, but it seems like someone is going to help him move past it better than either you or I could." She kissed Damon's face and snuggled against him as he moved back and took his place beside her.
Dana still had her arms around Kendal as they walked from the grave toward the car.
Damon released Beth and walked after them, moving in front of the couple and giving his best friend a long hug. Bethany watched them from the side, letting the moment touch her heart in ways that it needed to be touched. Damon was a good man with a rough past, but he was willing to try and be someone better, someone different in all areas of his life.
That was all she could ask for.
She reached for him as he walked back to her a few minutes later. "Let's go have lunch with our family and then we can take a nap. That sound good?"
He nodded. "I was going to talk with my dad today, but I got a text in the car that the Zarpeth team needs me to come sign off on a few things and help them work through one more kink. I'll eat with you guys and then get on a plane and head down to Florida."
"You're leaving?" She groaned and ran her hands up his chest. "I don't want you to go."
He smirked and leaned down to kiss her nose. "Then come with me."
"I'm not ready to make a decision about working at McKenzie and Bryant yet, Damon. I don't want to be pushed into making it either."
Matt walked up beside her. "So I heard you quit? Holy hell, I thought that place was like Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."
Damon gave his brother a 'kiss my ass' look, and Bethany couldn't help but chuckle. The two of them were too cute together. Nothing alike and yet got along incredibly well most of the time.
"You don't have to come down there to work, baby. Just come with me so we can spend time together. You can go to the beach later today and tomorrow while I'm in the office." He pulled her close and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. "I'll even let you bring Matt if he promises to behave."
She glanced over at Matt and smiled. "You wanna go have some daiquiris and lay on the beach with me in Florida today?"
"Does it mean I don't have to make any big decisions in my own life?" Matt gave her a lopsided smile.
"That's pretty much every day in your life." Kent walked up and laughed before looking down at Bethany's mom. "You wanna take these kids to lunch together before I have to run up to the office for that call?"
"Absolutely." Bethany's mom moved out of Kent's hold and pulled Beth into a hug as the boys walked toward the car. "I can't imagine losing you at this age. I know Kendal's parents are already gone, but maybe that's a good thing. There's one thing a mother should never have to do, and that's bury one of her babies."
"I agree." Beth rested her cheek against her mother's shoulder, letting the older woman cry a little as she clung to Beth. There were a million things to tell her about her relationship with Damon and such but now wasn't the time.
"I love you, baby." Her mom kissed the side of her head.
"Me too." She rested against her mom, grateful that if nothing else, this would always be a safe place to land.
Chapter 94
Damon
Damon stood over the sink, washing dishes and listening to the sounds of his family laughing behind him. Martha had the day off to be with her son since he was graduating from college. Damon almost felt guilty for not being there beside her. She'd been a part of his father's household since he was a boy.
"What are you thinking about, handsome?" Bethany slid her hands around his waist and pressed herself against his back.
He closed his eyes, letting himself fully experience the warmth that radiated off of her. How in the world he thought himself capable of moving on without her beside him was a fucking joke. He’d have hated the man he would have become if their relationship didn't work out. He was already slipping back into being a full-time asshole.
"Martha. Her son is graduating college today." He turned off the faucet and grabbed a hand towel, wiping his hands and turning around to face her.
His father glanced up from talking with Karen and smiled. "I sent flowers to her house this morning as a congratulations from us. She knew we were at Amanda's funeral."
"Oh, good." Damon wrapped his arms around Beth and smiled down at her. "You need to go grab something to wear to the beach. We gotta get going."
"Do I need a fancy outfit for dinner tonight?" She rubbed the small of his back and tightened her arms around him as she watched him in a way that left his body yearning for another romp in the sheets.
/> "Just something casual. I'm not sure what the schedule is going to look like yet." He glanced up as Matt walked into the kitchen. "You got enough stuff here to pack for the overnight trip?"
"Yeah. Do I need something other than shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops?" He gave Damon a goofy grin.
"No. That works perfectly." He turned his attention back to Beth. "You need me to run you by your place before we head to the airport?"
"That would be great." She lifted to her toes and surprised him with a long kiss. The sound of Matt grunting and walking out of the kitchen with false disgust was always a delight to hear.
Damon moved everyone along, and twenty minutes later had Beth in the car beside him and Matt in the back. They'd swing by and get Beth's clothes and get on a flight to Florida.
"You think Kendal is going to be okay?" Beth's voice was soft as if she were lost deep in thought.
"I think he will eventually. It's going to take some time." Damon swallowed his worry and reached for her hand. "I think that pretty girl standing next to him at the casket today might help speed up that healing if he lets her."
"How pretty?" Beth gave him a look before laughing softly.
"Nothing compared to you."
Matt groaned in the backseat. "Am I really going to have to watch you guys be lovey-dovey all damn weekend?"
"Yep," Beth and Damon answered in tandem.
Matt made another noise and flopped down in the backseat. The sound of deep breathing filled the car a few minutes later, and Damon chuckled as Bethany looked his way.
"Is he seriously asleep?" she asked.
Damon nodded and pulled up in front of her apartment. "Yep. When he was little and would get all wound up, which was all the fucking time, Mom and Dad would put us in the car. Me with a word puzzle, and Matt with a blanket. They'd drive around the block a few times, and by the time we got back home, Matt would be sound asleep."
"I hope we get a kid that trick works on." She gave him a cute smile and got out of the car.
He reached over and popped her on the butt as she yelped, gave him a look and closed the door.
"Damn, I love you, woman," he mumbled under his breath as he watched her jog toward her apartment door. Reaching up, he pulled the rearview mirror down and studied his brother. Why in the world was the idiot running from Erica? Damon had known the woman for the last few years, and she was perfect for Matt, but Matt would have to come to that conclusion on his own. There was nothing Damon, or anyone else could do to sway the sleeping giant.
Damon jolted as the door opened and Beth got back in. "Wow. That was fast."
"I figured I only needed a few things seeing that we're going together. I was hoping that most of the trip would be in the nude?" She gave him a cheeky smile and buckled up.
He leaned over, slipped his hand into her hair and brought her toward him for a long string of kisses. His pulse spiked as the smell of her skin filled his senses and left him wanting so much more than he was going to get of her in the car. Especially with Matthew in the backseat.
"Let's go before I turn the car off and force you to take a quick detour into your apartment with me." He moved back to his seat, adjusted himself and started the car.
"And that would be a bad idea because..."
He growled and pulled out of the parking lot quickly before he changed his mind. Matt was so out of it that he wouldn't miss them, but the text from Florida sounded like the shit might hit the fan over the Zarpeth account before it was all said and done. If that were the case, the quickie with Beth would have to wait.
* * *
"Why do you keep biting your lip and fidgeting? You okay?" Damon reached for Bethany's hand as they walked off the plane in Florida.
"I don't know. I just hate the idea of you going into work and Delilah throwing out her web of lies." Beth shrugged and wrapped her arm around the back of Damon's waist as they walked toward the black Lexus that sat off to the side of the private runway for them.
Matt moved up beside them. "I told you that woman is a viper. Dad should have never hired her. I bet she's working up some fucked up concoction now to bring you down to your knees, bro."
Damon glanced over at his brother and scowled. "Right. You're not helping right now."
"Oh shit. Sorry." Matt gave them a sheepish look and walked toward the trunk of the car, popping it and reaching for Beth's bag after tossing his into the back.
"You guys need help?" Beth asked as Damon released her and handed her bag to Matt.
"No, just get in the car, baby." Damon waited until she was in the car to turn his attention to his little brother. "We're working through our shit, but please don't say anything that would cause her to be upset or worried, all right? Just help me keep things on an even flow until I take care of this shit with Delilah and get things back to normal."
"Are you firing the beast?"
"She's not a beast." Damon chuckled and reached up to shut the trunk. "She was one of my best friends as a kid, Matt; you know this."
"She's always had it out for you. You know this. The woman would sell her soul and all of your future children's feet to belong to you. Don't be naive. That's my role in this life." Matt wagged his eyebrows and walked around to the other side of the car. "Get rid of her. Seriously."
"I plan to." Damon opened the door and got in, moving close to Beth and reaching for her hand.
"What were you two planning back there?" She smiled up at him.
"How to cut Delilah down at the knees and kick her off the island." Matt gave Beth a wide grin as Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother.
"Really?" he grumbled and leaned back in his seat.
The driver turned around and nodded. "To the office, Mr. Bryant?"
"No. The Omni hotel first to drop these two off and then the office." Damon let out a soft sigh, hating the fact that Beth wasn't going to be working in the office with him anymore, and yet totally understanding why. Maybe it was a good thing that they wouldn't have to behave in a specific setting. If all they had to be was engaged no matter where they were, then things had to get easier. It was the stress of having to be professional with his lover in the middle of the office setting that made things incredibly tense.
"You don't have to fire her if you don't want to, Damon. You need to make that call yourself." Beth squeezed his leg and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't do it for me, okay?"
Matt chuckled. "Yeah, do it for me."
"Stop." Damon gave him a look, though Matt let it roll off his broad shoulders just like he always did. "I'll deal with it when I get into the office. I want to make sure I have the proper documentation to let her go. She's a devious bitch and has already started to pull my team apart, but I honestly can't imagine why. What good would it do her? She's been wanting to work for the firm forever. She's ruining that opportunity right now."
"She doesn't give two shits about the firm, and you know it," Matt mumbled and turned to look out the window closest to him. "Don't be blinded by friendship, Damon."
He bit his tongue and shook his head, unwilling to attack his brother again. Matt was right in a lot of ways, but there were parts of Delilah that didn't at all resemble the woman she was slowly becoming. Where Damon belonged solely to Beth, it didn't mean that he didn't want to salvage whatever was left of his old friend. Sadly enough, there was probably not much to salvage, and even if there were, what would it cost him to do it?
"We're here, sir." The driver glanced back and nodded. "The Omni hotel."
"You guys be safe and stick together. I got Linda to get us two rooms." Damon turned his attention from Beth up to Matt. "Don't let her go to the beach alone. You know this place is nutty."
"Got it." Matt got out of the car and moved back, waiting on Beth.
"I love you." She leaned toward Damon, touching the side of his face and pulling him into a sweet kiss.
"Me more," he mumbled against her mouth and cupped her neck, kissing her a few more times.
"Hey. I ain't g
etting any younger out here." Matt chuckled.
"Be careful, okay?" Damon brushed his nose by hers. "Promise me."
"I promise." She nipped at his lips. "Do whatever you think is best with the situation at work. Don't let me or Matt sway you, okay?"
"All right." Damon waited until she got out of the car to pull out his phone. He texted Ben that he wanted everyone on the team pulled together for a quick meeting when he got there. Time to close down the job and have everyone sign off on what they'd done.
If there were issues, he would solve them.
If Delilah needed to be fired, he would do it, but it wouldn't be in Florida. It would be sitting in his father's office back in Texas where they should be for such an event.
Maybe after he fixed everything to be as it should be in the office, Bethany would come back. If not, he was okay with it, but there was still some small hope that his girl would be just down the hall from him. He spent too damn much time at work not to have her close by.
But even if she still decided that M&B wasn't the place for her, he'd take a page out of James Talling’s book and hire a few more strong executives. There was no way he was letting the momentum between him and Beth go.
Not then.
Not ever.
Chapter 95
Bethany
"Okay, so this was the best idea, ever." Matt glanced over and gave Beth a cute smile.
"Right?" She reached out and took his hand. "I know it might sound sappy, but I'm really glad you're in my life."
His expression softened as they stopped in the sand by the surf. "Me too. I've always wanted a sister, honestly. You're exactly the type of sister I wanted too, but I do wish we would have grown up together. I'd have loved to have someone to blame all the shit Damon, and I did on."
She laughed and released his hand before spreading out her blanket and lying down. "Tell me about your deal with Jonathan. Is he going to have a showing that features your work soon?"