That made her lips twitch again before she turned to look at the window. There wasn’t much to see given that it was dark outside, but I rather she did that versus us having another argument.
“Do we need to get our stories straight before we see my parents?”
Her voice broke my concentration temporarily. “What is there to keep straight? If we stick to the basics, everything should be fine. We met again at the gala and started dating. We kept it a secret until I asked you to marry me. The end.”
“That makes sense.” This might have been the first time she had agreed with me outside of the bedroom, and I couldn’t deny that it felt good. But I also enjoyed when she let me know that she wasn’t pleased about something. It showed me she could take it as well as she received it, and it would do her well when it came to living her life with me. “I just hate lying to them.”
Her words made my stomach drop. It was clear she was still operating under the assumption that this whole arrangement was ending soon.
“I have a small update for you about who sent that gun to your office.”
Her head whipped around toward me. “What did you learn?”
“The surveillance cameras caught the package being dropped off.”
“How? You wouldn’t have access to that unless…wait, do you own the building I work in?”
I scoffed. I would tell her about me going after it when we were closer to a sale date. “No. If I did, it would be in better shape and have better security features. Kingston has ways of getting around certain technology blocks. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are finding more leads and getting closer to uncovering who this person is. Here’s his photo.”
She gasped. “This is the man with the very raspy voice that hit me with his shoulder! I have no idea who he is, though, but he keeps popping up randomly.”
“I didn’t recognize him either.”
“We should probably show it to my parents too. They might recognize him.”
I nodded. “That’s fine.”
“I’m willing to bet he’s the one that shot my father.”
“There’s a chance that he did, but we don’t know for sure.”
“True.”
I drew my gaze to hers as I checked to see her reaction before I turned my eyes back to the windshield. Based on her eyes widening, I knew I’d shocked her. Interesting, because I thought she wanted it to end. At least, that was what she kept telling me.
“I’m happy that the engagement has distracted people enough that the press hasn’t bothered to dig into what happened to my father.”
“Well, that was the whole point of it, right?” I asked dryly. I shook my head but didn’t turn to look at her. After all, I paid for the press to be distracted.
“Yeah, but I still don’t know what the benefit of us being engaged is for you. In fact, I would say it would hurt your reputation with whatever woman comes after me.” The fight to keep my face neutral raged on inside of me. I didn’t want another woman replacing her, and it made me angry to even discuss it.
“Trust me, my reputation is not in tatters due to us being engaged.”
She mumbled something I didn’t catch.
“Can you repeat that again?”
“Okay, I believe you.”
My head jerked at her admission. I hadn’t expected to have an ounce of her trust, yet some was there. I knew taking her to see her parents was something she wanted so I took Broderick’s advice and brought it all together. Damn, he was right.
I had told myself that traveling to the Hamptons would help her see what I meant by being mine and the life she could have and the one that we could build and lead together. Also, getting out of the city would do us both a bit of good and so far it was starting out on the right foot.
We continued the rest of the way in silence, although it wasn’t awkward. Anais pulled out her phone and was busy in her own world as I drove. My mind wandered and I tried to think of what else I could do to make her see I was trying to make her happy.
Once we pulled up to my estate, I said, “Welcome to my home.”
“This is where my parents are?” Anais gasped in amazement. “Wait, you own this one too?”
“I do.”
“Why didn’t we just come here when your house was broken into?”
“Because I knew you didn’t want to be alone, and I thought you and my mother would get along well.”
She stared at me for a moment before looking down at her hands. She looked back up and at the building in front of her. “This is stunning. This house is very you.”
“That somewhat sounds like an insult.”
“Not at all. It’s the modern vibe that seems to run through all your homes.”
That was true. The architecture of the house drew me to it when my Realtor mentioned that the property was available. It had the similar floor-to-ceiling windows I loved in my other homes. I had to renovate it to fit my style, having the outside painted with black and gray with a touch of white, but the location couldn’t be beat. The property’s seclusion and privacy were another reason why I bought the place. Having access to the beach was key, although I didn’t really get out here enough to enjoy it. The view from my window when I visited was stunning, but nowhere near as beautiful as the sight before me.
Before I could say anything, the front door opened, and one of the guards stationed to watch over the Monroes walked out and headed toward us. I stepped out of the car and once he saw who I was, he greeted me with a handshake.
“Mr. Cross.”
“Brendan.” He sometimes took over shifts at Elevate as well.
I walked over to open the door for Anais, but didn’t give her much room to get out, causing her body to brush up against mine. Her eyes made their way up to mine as she said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she didn’t, so I took a small step back and walked away from her to retrieve our bags from the trunk while she grabbed her laptop bag. I locked the car door and the two of us made our way to the front door where Brendan was currently standing. He moved out the way, giving us room to walk inside the house and close the door.
“What’s all of this commotion—” The words died on Ilaria’s lips as she stared at us, open-mouthed.
“Hey, Mom.”
That was enough to knock her out of her shell shock. “Anais. Oh, my sweet child.”
The two ran to each other, much like they had when I’d brought Anais to the hospital after my team made sure she was safe. When they put their arms around one another, their tears this time were much happier. It brought back memories of when my mother greeted me after the fire. My mother, of course, wasn’t happy that Charlotte had died, but she had been relieved that I hadn’t perished along with her. I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I walked across the threshold, right behind my father. That look had haunted me until Charlotte’s memory overtook it.
“How’s everything going?”
“Wonderful. Your father’s making improvements daily and is resting right now. Everyone who comes to check on him has been absolutely wonderful and I believe being closer to the ocean and in this beautiful location has helped put him in a better mindset as well. I’m so happy that you could come.” She pulled Anais into a hug again.
“I’m happy to be here. In fact, it was a bit of a surprise. Damien didn’t tell me where we were going.” The two women finally seemed to remember that I was still in the room.
Ilaria turned to me and said, “I don’t know how we could ever repay you for all of this.”
“Don’t worry about it; it wasn’t a problem. It’s been worthwhile.” My gaze landed on Anais, letting her know exactly who I was talking about.
24
Anais
The next morning, I stood outside the room but couldn’t bring myself to knock on the door. The person on the other side was going to be angry, and there wasn’t much I
could do about it.
I had made my choice.
I had made my decision.
Yet, it had hurt him in the process even though I was doing it to save him.
At least, that was what I told myself.
I knew I couldn’t tell him the real reason why I had done what I did when it came to Damien, but fixing things between us was high on my list of priorities because the strain between us was killing me. I stopped biting the corner of my lip once I realized I was doing it. My stomach dropped when I took a small step closer to the door. I took a couple of deep breaths before my fist tapped on the wooden door.
“Come in.” His voice sounded stronger than it had the last time we had a video call.
I slowly opened the door and stepped inside before I closed it behind me.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” He looked up from the book he was reading, his reading glasses resting on his nose. He placed the book on the side table and pushed the glasses up into his short salt-and-pepper hair.
So far, so good. I was expecting hostility, given what the conversations had been like on our video calls, so this was a welcome surprise. He was sitting up in bed and patted the spot next to him, and I sat down.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you much last night.”
“That’s okay. I’m just happy that you’re here.”
“Even though I broke the news to you about my engagement the way I did?” I wanted to rip the Band-Aid off now.
“Anais, I trust you to make your own decisions because I love you and know that you have a good head on your shoulders. Based on my interactions with Damien and from what I’ve heard, I thought you could do better than him, but hell, I would probably think that you could no matter who you chose to be your partner.”
I could understand that. He wanted the best for me, as any good father would.
“Is this something you really want to do?”
I nodded. “I wouldn’t have accepted his proposal if I wasn’t sure.” The lie fell from my mouth without hesitation. I was getting good at it.
My father coughed and then said, “So Damien is doing all of this?”
“All of what?” I knew what he was talking about but wanted him to spell it out.
“Allowing us to stay here, my medical bills…” His voice faded as he grimaced, and I didn’t know if it was because of his injury or because he was uncomfortable with this topic.
“Yes, he said he was taking care of all of it. Can I get you something? You look like you’re in pain.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He adjusted his body and that seemed to help. “Did he ever mention why he’s doing all of this? I’m sure it’s not out of the goodness of his heart.”
A few weeks ago, I would have said the same thing, but now, this felt different. I smiled and said, “He’s doing it because we’re engaged, and he has the means to take care of the things that mean something to me.” I couldn’t bring myself to take the lie far enough to say he was doing it because he loved me.
“You mean a lot to him then.”
“I hope so. After all, he asked me to marry him.”
He seemed to accept that answer. “I want you to be happy and if Damien makes you happy, so be it.”
“Thanks, Dad. I would hug you, but I’m worried about your leg…”
Dad smiled. “I still have one good side. Come here.”
I turned around and gently laid my head on his shoulder. He squeezed my hand and somehow I knew everything would be all right between us, but I wasn’t so sure about where things would end up with Damien.
“Honey, have you started thinking about your wedding?”
My mother’s question shook me from my daydream. It was a few hours after I had spoken to my father, and he was currently upstairs resting.
“Uh not really.” I glanced at the ring on my finger, before looking at Damien.
He was sitting across the room in another chair, pretending he couldn’t hear my mom’s question. He had his laptop on his lap and was typing away, so maybe he was working. I wanted to tell him that since it was Saturday, he shouldn’t be working, but it didn’t surprise me he was. I could understand it, given that I had worked long hours and weekends as well. At least that sometimes happened before Damien came into my life. I turned my attention back to my mother.
“Well, I found some wedding magazines the last time I was out. Do you want to look through them and talk about what you’re envisioning for your big day? It might be fun.”
I looked over at Damien and found him staring back at me, laptop and whatever he was doing on it forgotten. I assumed he was watching to see what my answer would be. “Uh—yeah. Sure, Mom. That would be great.”
The smile that lit up my mother’s face was one that I hadn’t seen for a while and that made the lie worth it, although I still felt guilty. She walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed what looked to be five magazines and hurried back over to me and sat down, her smile even wider.
I tried my best to hold it together, but I couldn’t. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes while my mom talked about a beautiful pink bouquet that she saw on one page. I glanced up at Damien and found him still looking at me, his expression unreadable. That was the icing on this cake, making it all too much to bear right now.
“Hey, Mom?” I asked.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I’m going to go to the bathroom. I have a headache, but I’ll be right back.”
“We can look at this later. Is there anything I can do? There might be something you could take here.” She glanced at Damien before turning her attention back to me.
“Oh, no. I’ll find it. Thanks, though.” I stood up and didn’t peek in Damien’s direction before I headed up the stairs and into the bedroom that he and I were sharing. I was thankful that we could still sleep in the largest guest room during our stay in the Hamptons with a private bath. I closed the door behind me and sat down on the edge of the bathtub and cried. No matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do to stop the tears.
Everything that I had gone through over the last few weeks was coming to a head. Normally, I would have been surprised to hear the bathroom door open without a knock, but having lived with Damien, I had grown to expect it.
“Can you please give me a moment to myself?” I asked. My words came out barely above a whisper, and the trembling of my lip didn’t help the delivery sound any stronger either.
“No,” he said and joined me on the edge of the tub. “What made you so upset?”
I didn’t answer for a beat because I was too busy trying to calm myself down. He stood up and it took two small steps before he was standing in front of me. He held his hand out and once my smaller hand was enclosed in his bigger one, he pulled me into a standing position.
“Tell me what’s wrong.” This time he wasn’t asking; he was demanding.
I thought about lying to him as well, but I knew that was pointless because I would only avoid the inevitable. “I’m tired of lying to everyone. I’m tired of being in this situation. I’m just tired.”
I paused, debating my next sentence while Damien didn’t say a word. Feeling braver, I took a deep breath and continued. “Look, I know that this hasn’t been fairy tales and roses and that isn’t what I expected given how all of this started. But I know that neither of us wants this. You saw how happy my mom was about planning a wedding. It gave her hope that things will get better because my father is on the mend and now she has a wedding to look forward to. When we tell the world that this engagement is over, it’s going to pull the rug out from underneath her. It would be the third time in recent months that she’s had to deal with some sort of bad news. Now I know in the grand scheme of things, we are still fortunate. I just don’t want to be the person who causes my mom pain.”
Saying the words out loud helped relieve some of my pent-up frustration. It temporarily halted my tears, and the burden that I had been carrying around felt light
er.
“How do you know I don’t want to get married?”
“Damien, please. The quotes you’ve given to the press over the years, and I’m pretty sure you’ve also told me you don’t do relationships.”
When he didn’t reply, I knew I was right, and the realization still felt like a punch to the gut. Although I had told myself not to fall for him, that was what was happening and once this threat was over, he would be out of my life. I needed to, once again, start preparing for what life would look like after Damien Cross was gone.
“Anais, my goal was never to hurt you.”
“No, your goal was to own me. And you do. I’ve told you before that you’ve forced me to be with you, whether it’s from me being unable to protect my family, to throwing together this fake engagement scheme. The power balance has been one-sided this entire time.” I gestured to the two of us, and whatever we were.
“You’re wrong. You’ve had more power over me than you could ever know. That’s why I wanted you to be mine. When you realize this, that is when everything will make sense.”
I had more power over him than I could ever know? I didn’t have time to analyze this because he placed his finger under my chin and lifted my head so that I was looking him dead in the eye, giving him a better opportunity to look at my tear-stained face. He wiped the tears from my face and eyes before he walked out of the bathroom, leaving me alone.
When I entered the bathroom, I had wanted to be alone with my thoughts and to cry in peace, and then he had barged in, interrupting the privacy that I’d craved. So why did I long for him to come back?
25
Damien
For the rest of the day, I made sure to give Anais the space that she wanted. Later that night, I gently closed the door behind me and walked further into the room. The only light that guided me came from the window that looked out over the water.
I gazed at the outline of her body as I removed my clothes. I admitted to myself that I wanted to keep her by my side, no matter how much of a selfish bastard it made me. When I was down to my boxer briefs, I slid between the covers, hoping to not disturb Anais. I threw an arm around her waist, but I hadn’t expected her to turn around to face me. Naked.
Scarred Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 2) Page 14