The Breaking Season: An Arranged Marriage Romance

by K. A. Linde

  He moved forward an inch. “Say please.”

  “Please,” I gasped. “Please, oh please, Camden. I need you inside of me.”

  He moved another inch forward. “Do you think you’ve earned it?”

  I bit my lip and nodded my head. “I have.”

  He started moving slowly in and out. Just the tip. Just enough to drive me completely mad.

  “I think you’ve been bad and need to be punished.”

  I swallowed. “Punish me then.”

  He groaned at my words and then plunged inside of me. “This one is for us,” he told me into my ear. “The next one, I’m going to spank that ass until it’s raw.”

  I moaned. “Yes.”

  “Would you like that?”

  “God, yes.”

  “You want me to make it so that you can’t sit for a few days, darling?”

  I gasped as he bottomed out in my pussy so hard that I saw stars. “Please.”

  He tipped my chin up and pressed kisses down my neck. He nipped at my exposed skin. I thought I was going to come right then and there.

  “Camden, please,” I whispered. “More.”

  “You’re close, love?”

  I nodded, staring up at him as he towered over me.

  “Don’t close your eyes. I want to watch you come.”

  He picked up his pace, and we crashed over the edge together. I fought to keep my eyes open as I called out his name. He finished, collapsing on top of me.

  My chest heaved at the effort of it all.

  Then he released my wrists and tenderly kissed my lips. “You’re perfect for me.”

  My heart fluttered at the words. “Who knew we’d find our match in this arrangement?”

  He brought my hand up to his lips and began to kiss each knuckle. “You are my match. In every way.”

  As I lay there, secure in our relationship, I felt myself drifting off. The force of the weekend pulling me under. Camden pulled me tight against him. Safe and secure, as I hadn’t been in a long, long time.

  39

  Katherine

  I hadn’t believed that much could change in a week, but I was wrong.

  I’d started therapy for my anorexia. The new therapist took no shit. Already, I could see where I’d gone wrong this past year to end up where I was. I had a long road ahead of me, but I had the support to get through it.

  Camden hadn’t ended up pressing charges against his father even though he really really wanted to. Once the board got wind of what had happened at the hospital along with Carlyle’s negligence with the Ireland deal, they’d let his father go, effective immediately. Not that he’d gone quietly. Camden had stood there and watched as he’d railed against him to the board until they’d had to have Carlyle physically removed from the building and a restraining order put in place. It was the least he deserved after how he’d treated Camden all these years.

  Then once his father was gone, they had named Camden the new CEO of the entire Percy company. In fact, the board had been looking for a reason to do this exact thing for years.

  After our sexcapade, I’d gone with Camden to meet his mother, who ended up being cool as shit. I was pretty excited to take all of our friends to Hank’s tonight. It wasn’t our regular scene, not by a long shot, but we all wanted something different.

  Camden and I had one more errand to run before we grabbed the limo and took our friends to the pool hall.

  “You’re sure about this?” I asked Camden for the third time that day.

  We stepped out of the elevator and onto the floor for the cancer ward.

  “Of course I’m sure. She’ll love it.”

  “You’re right.” I nodded confidently and strode forward.

  We passed the nurses’ station.

  I waved at Jerry. “Hi, Frank.”

  He laughed. “Villain Katherine, come to see your princess?”

  “Of course.”

  “She’s in a good mood today.”

  “When isn’t she?” I asked with my own laugh.

  And then we were at Jem’s door. I saw why, today of all days, she was in a good mood. Her parents were here.

  We knocked once, and I peeked my head in. “Hi. I didn’t mean to interrupt. We can come back if need be?”

  “Katherine!” Jem cried. “Come in. Come in. Meet my parents!”

  I stepped inside with Camden behind me, and Jem practically swooned.

  “You brought my Dark Prince!”

  I grinned at her. “I did. He insisted on seeing you.”

  “Excellent! Did you bring me presents?”

  “Jem,” her mom admonished gently.

  “Hello, I’m Katherine. I volunteer with ChildrensOne,” I said, holding my hand out. I shook her mom’s hand and then her dad’s.

  They both looked weary, as if life had taken a heavy toll on them. With their daughter on the cancer ward, I could see how that was the case.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” her mom said. “I’m Liza, and this is my husband, Paul.”

  “Pleasure,” Paul said. “We’ve heard a lot about you. Princess dresses and parties?”

  “Yes, I help run the fundraising division of the charity and try to bring smiles to the kids,” I explained. “Though Jem seems to bring everyone she knows a smile.”

  “She does,” her mom said. She affectionately ran a hand across Jem’s hand. “I wish we could see her more often.”

  “Mom and Dad are heroes, Katherine,” Jem explained. “Dad keeps Columbia looking spotless, and Mom knows how to get a stain out of anything. Even blood!”

  Color came to Liza’s cheeks at her daughter’s explanation of her job. I could see the embarrassment there. And suddenly, so much made sense. Her parents didn’t come not because they didn’t want to, but because they worked themselves to the bone. We got to spend so much time with their daughter because we had the privilege to do so. My heart broke for them.

  “That’s wonderful,” I said in earnest.

  “Jem, I did actually bring you a present,” Camden said and then looked to her parents. “If you don’t mind.”

  Her parents quickly shook their heads. He took out a box and passed it to her. Jem squealed and ripped open the paper. She popped open the box. Her eyes widened.

  “Oh my goodness,” she whispered.

  Then she withdrew the charm bracelet from the box. It was a duplicate of the one my father had given me all those years ago. And it had one lone charm on it—a crown.

  “I… love it!” she gasped. “Help me put it on, Mom?”

  “Sure.” Liza secured it to her little wrist.

  “There are extra links in the box,” I told them. “So, when she gets bigger, she can still wear it if she wants.”

  “I am never taking it off,” Jem said.

  “What do you say, Jem?” her dad.

  “Thank you!”

  It felt right, giving her the bracelet. It wasn’t fancy or expensive. But it started the tradition over with someone else who needed it.

  “That is a very thoughtful gift,” Liza said.

  I glanced at Camden. And he nodded at me once. As if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Do you mind if we speak to you outside for a moment?”

  Liza’s eyes widened in concern. “Of course.”

  We left Jem to admire the bracelet and then exited her hospital room. Liza fidgeted, and Paul put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him. A unit. Two people who had had to deal with too much.

  “I realize that we just met, and this might seem strange,” I said. “But we love Jem. Both of us do. It might not seem like it, but she’s really helped us.”

  “That’s wonderful. We don’t know how we got so lucky,” Liza said.

  “She’s always been a ball of sunshine,” Paul added.

  “Her being here is likely a financial burden,” I said as gently as I could. “And we’re in a position to help.”

  “Oh no,” Liza said at once. “We couldn�
�t.”

  “I understand,” Camden said. “But we insist.”

  Paul glanced at Liza. “It would help, honey.”

  “We can’t accept money from strangers.”

  “It’s for Jem,” I insisted. “She’s so much happier, having you around. We want what’s best for her.”

  Liza covered her mouth and then began to sob. Paul swept her up into his arms. He held her as she shook and trembled with the weight of our offer. Paul just nodded his head.

  “Thank you so much. We couldn’t be more grateful.” Tears even began to form in his eyes.

  Liza stepped away from her husband and took my hands in hers. “You’re a blessing.”

  I cleared my throat as a knot lodged in it. “Jem is the real blessing.”

  “She is, isn’t she?” Liza whispered.

  “Are you done out there?” Jem complained from the room.

  We all burst into laughter at that. Well, she was still just a kid.

  We traded information with Jem’s parents so that we could help them in any way we could. After all this time of being the villain, it felt nice to be the princess that Jem had always seen me as.

  We left the hospital hand in hand.

  “You didn’t even second-guess the offer,” I told Camden.

  He arched an eyebrow. “Why would I? I had the thought at the same time you did.”

  “We could probably help a lot more people.”

  He nodded. “We could.”

  “Probably the whole hospital wing.”

  He smiled and kissed me as the limo pulled up. “Perhaps the company could sponsor the entire ward.”

  My eyes lit up. “We should maybe ask the CEO.”

  “He says yes.”

  I laughed. “Deborah is going to freak out when I tell her about this new donation.”

  “Good. Shall we celebrate?”

  “I believe we shall,” I told him and hopped into the limo.

  We picked up the rest of our friends—Lark and Sam, Court and English, Gavin, and Whitley. I noticed the two of them sat as far apart as possible. Whitley had reportedly had a huge breakup with Robert after the gala. I obviously hadn’t been there to witness it. But it seemed Robert had initiated it this time. Whitley had just finished it. In her own… explosive way.

  Despite Gavin and Whitley acting strange, the drive was fun. It took longer than expected to get to Hank’s, but we had enough booze for a small country in the back of the limo.

  When we finally arrived, we stumbled out in front of the establishment. All of us wore jeans and T-shirts. Sam was the only one who made it look normal. Southern boy that he was.

  Court nudged Camden. “I’m still pissed that you hid this place from me for so long.”

  “Okay, little league coach,” Camden shot back.

  “Hey, that was different!”

  “How?”

  Court shrugged. “It was about me.”

  Camden arched an eyebrow. “Come meet my mom, jackass.”

  Court laughed, and the pair trudged through the swinging double doors. The interior was smoky and packed full of people. Wall-to-wall pool tables and clientele drinking cheap beer. It was the last kind of place that I would have wandered into, but I’d already been here once, and I understood why Camden liked it. There was no judgment here. It was a new world.

  I led the charge down the main aisle, winking at Ricky, who whistled at me as I passed. And there was Mama Monica at the bar.

  “Katherine!” she said, slipping out from under the bar to pull me in for a hug. “How is my gorgeous daughter-in-law?”

  “Good. Thinking tequila shots tonight?”

  Monica chuckled. “Aren’t we always?”

  She rounded on Camden and pressed an embarrassing kiss to his cheek. He just smiled at her. That was his mom. It was crazy and amazing.

  Monica was likely the coolest person I’d ever met. She was so down-to-earth. Her advice so real. I was kind of sad that I hadn’t known her all my life.

  Monica hopped back under the bar and started lining up tequila shots for the entire party. Lark leaned in close to Sam and giggled. Once the shots were done, Lark held up her hands.

  “Wait!” she cried.

  We all looked at her expectantly. Waiting for a toast.

  “Sam and I have something to tell you.” Then she shoved her left hand into our faces. Where a giant diamond ring sat on it.

  I squealed at the top of my lungs. “Oh my god!”

  “Congratulations!” English cried.

  “Ahhh!” was all Whitley could get out.

  The guys patted Sam on the back. Acting like they’d known the whole time. Jerks! They probably had.

  Monica started pouring new shots for Lark and Sam. “Double up for the engagement! Congrats, you two!”

  We all held up our tequila shots and cheered for Lark and Sam. It couldn’t have happened to better people.

  “You know,” Lark said after slamming back her second shot, “I’m going to need bridesmaids.”

  “Well, you were such a good one to me,” I said with a laugh. “I could oblige.”

  “Me!” Whitley cried. “Please pick me! Oh my god, I’ve always wanted to be a bridesmaid. I’ll plan the bachelorette party!”

  Lark shook her head in bewilderment. “You’re ridiculous. Yes, I want all three of you, of course!”

  English grinned. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Then we all scooted forward and crashed into a four-person hug. It was bliss.

  This was how it was all supposed to go. My friends all together, happy and healthy and drinking. My husband at my side, the new CEO of his company, with a relationship with his mother.

  And as Monica filled up new drinks for us all, I held it out to Camden. A toast to us. For the beauty of finally getting to this moment.

  “I love you,” I told him, brushing a cherry-red kiss to his lips.

  “And I love you,” he whispered, bringing me closer. “Always.”

  Epilogue

  “There is a literal parade of people in the waiting area to see you,” Camden said with a shake of his head.

  I laughed tenderly. “Not me. Her.”

  His eyes softened at the edges as he stared down at our daughter. All six pounds and four ounces of her. The tiny thing. And she was beautiful after eighteen painful hours of labor and an emergency C-section.

  We’d decided on a name as soon as we found out that we were having a girl, but we hadn’t told anyone. Not until today when all of my friends and family would show up to meet our baby girl—Helena Marie Percy.

  We spent the next hour visiting with all those who wanted to see her. She was such a champ, too. Never complaining and loving every new person who held her. I grabbed a quick shower and dinner while everyone met our new addition.

  By the time visiting hours were almost up, I thought I’d pass out from exhaustion and everything.

  But then we were told that we had another visitor.

  “Who is it?” I asked Camden.

  But he smiled mischievously.

  In strode Jem.

  “Oh my god, Jem!” I cried.

  She looked so grown up since the last time I’d seen her. Her hair was blonde and curly, creating an almost halo around her head. Her skin was back to its normal hue, and she no longer looked sick. Because she wasn’t. She’d beaten her leukemia and passed her first-year checkup—cancer-free.

  “Hi, Katherine,” she said with a wide smile.

  “It’s so good to see you. Did your parents drop you off?”

  “They’re downstairs, checking out the gift shop,” she told me. “Figured I was okay, navigating a hospital since I grew up in one.”

  That was a sad truth. But I was so glad that she was here. Paul had taken a job with Camden’s company, and their income had stabilized so much that Liza could stay at home to help Jem catch up on her schoolwork until she could go to regular school again. She’d already been accepted into a private school in the city,
and we’d offered to cover tuition. She had a bright future ahead of her.

  Camden settled Jem into a chair by the window and then handed Helena over to her. She held her with such delicacy that my heart swelled in size. It was like having our two kids together. Even though Jem wasn’t ours by law, she would always feel like she was.

  A knock at the door pulled me away from them, and then in strode my mother. She’d been here all night with us. I’d thought it would be horrible, but it’d actually been such a relief.

  “I brought another surprise,” she said.

  Then she swung the door open, and in walked my brother, David.

  Tears sprang to my eyes. “David, you came!”

  “Of course I did! I had to come. Plus, Sutton came with her brother Jensen and his wife, Emery. I thought it might be overwhelming the first day for all of them to show up, too.”

  “I missed you,” I told him.

  David dropped down and wrapped me in a gentle hug. “We’ll have to find more times to fly out here. I want my kids to get to know their cousin.”

  I nodded. We’d never had that before. Our parents had kept us far from our relatives. Insulated us so that we could only be Upper East Side at heart. “I’d like that.”

  “In fact, Sutton requested that you come down for Christmas. She’s been volunteering with the ballet, and I know that she would love to have your family out. Especially after I told her that you did ballet growing up.”

  “Actually, Christmas sounds great.”

  It wasn’t like we were going to have a traditional Percy Christmas this year. It might be nice to go to Texas and start a new tradition.

  “We’d love to,” Camden said.

  My husband shook hands with my brother, and I couldn’t stop the tears forming in my eyes. At that moment, I felt like I finally had all my family together. By the time Jem and David had to leave with my mother, I was already making arrangements for them to come back. I hadn’t known how much I needed them all here together especially for Helena’s sake. I didn’t want her to grow up the way that I had. I wanted her to know her cousins and to feel like she could do anything she wanted. As much as we all hoped she’d one day take over Percy Towers, I knew what that pressure did to a kid. It would be better to let her grow into her own potential. Live her own life.