Captivated by the Soldier (BWWM Interracial Romance) (11 page)

“Okay,” Makayla said blankly, her mind still in a whirl.

Jessica let out a deep breath. “Look, I think I know why you left Blade. He told me about your new promotion and everything but I’m thinking there’s more to your reason for turning down Blade’s proposal.”

Makayla felt like the ground should just open up and swallow her. She’d never have believed Blade would tell Jessica anything about what went on between them.

“Nice to know I’m a riveting topic of conversation,” Makayla said with thinning lips.

“It’s not what you think. I managed to get it all out of him when he told me you two were not together now. Blade is very much a man of duty and I’m ashamed to say I’ve tried to take advantage of that. Most times, I’ve failed.”

Jessica looked rueful. “Look, I won’t lie and say I didn’t want Blade. I tried to keep him on a leash but that didn’t work. I was gutted when he fell for you because then I knew he’d never ask me again to be his wife so that he could legally become Jamie’s father.”

“Wait…Blade asked you to marry him?” Makayla looked shocked.

“It was long ago, when I told him Jamie was his. And even when he found out Jamie wasn’t his, he stood by his offer. I was the one who said ‘no’ just to punish him. You could say I’ve acted really bitter.”

Makayla tried to keep her expression neutral though she was inwardly agreeing to that statement.

Jessica continued, “Anyway, to get to my point; soon after refusing him, I realized my mistake. As you can imagine I’ve been trying my best to get him to see that I’ve changed my mind. I wanted us to get married and be a family. But then…he fell in love with you.”

“Well, I’m not in the way anymore, am I? You have Blade all to yourself now because he has nothing stopping him from getting married to you,” Makayla muttered, unable to hide her bitterness.

Jessica regarded her shrewdly. “I knew it. You left him so that he could be with me and Jamie, right?”

Makayla couldn’t help but shrug, unable to deny it now. “What does it matter? You’ve got what you wanted. Blade’s all yours. I couldn’t stand him being torn apart by his duty to you and his love for me. But don’t take me out to be some saint, because I’m not. I just wanted what’s best for Jamie.”

“Thank you,” Jessica said calmly. “Looks like everyone has been doing stuff in Jamie’s interest. Except me.”

Makayla looked at her quizzically, and Jessica continued, “I realized I’ve been as manipulative as Blade once accused me of. I got pregnant and tried to pin it on him. And when the real father died, I kept Blade on a guilt trip just so I could have him around. But not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jamie will always have Blade,” Jessica said with a deep sigh and a smile. “Even I know that. Whatever happens, Blade will never turn away from Thomas’s son. I’m happy just knowing that. What I couldn’t stand was Jamie growing up and some day realizing the kind of woman I was, conniving and deceptive. Each time Blade did something selfless for Jamie or me, it made me hate myself more. When I found out he lost you, probably because of me, I suddenly realized how low I’d sunk.” She let out another sigh, and this time her eyes had a glint of moisture. “I don’t want to be that woman anymore. And I don’t want to stand in the way of Blade’s happiness anymore either.”

Makayla didn’t know want to say, shocked by Jessica’s change of heart. “Now, don’t take me for a saint either,” Jessica said with a shaky smile. “But for once, I’m thinking of someone besides myself. Jamie’s getting healthier every day. I’m also choosier now about the kind of men I date so Blade doesn’t have to worry I’ll be with some loser who’ll put Jamie or me in danger. Blade will always be a part of Jamie’s life. I’m happy knowing that Jamie has a mother he can one day be proud of.”

Makayla nodded, her heart swelling at the tremulous look on Jessica’s face. “I’m sure he will be.”

“Yeah, thanks. So how do you plan on getting Blade back?”

Makayla’s eyes widened, even as a stone the weight of a ton settled on her chest. “I can’t.” Makayla’s tone was factual. “I blew it. I know that. He’s never going to want me back.”

Jessica shook her head. “He will, if you explain that it was to keep him from being caught in the middle,” Jessica said sensibly. “I knew in a flash that you were using that new promotion of yours as a ruse. If you’d told him you’d left him for me he’d never have let you go.”

Makayla sighed raggedly. “Be that as it may. I wasn’t joking about the job. I did get the promotion and I fully intended to leave for London after Gina’s wedding. Gina’s his stepsister and my roommate.”

“I know,” Jessica said with a nod. “And Blade’s going to be at the wedding. I’m thinking that’s a perfect situation for some serious making up. Nothing like a joyous wedding to put everyone in a good mood.”

“You’re so wrong,” Makayla said with a firm shake of her head. “Blade’s mood is going to be far from good when he sees me. He’ll never want to hear what I have to say.”

“Do you want him back or not?”

Makayla blinked back hot tears of the regret and pain she’d borne these past weeks without him.

“Of course I do! More than anything! I never stopped wanting him back. Every day,” Makayla muttered, brushing her knuckles over her eyes.

“Then you’ve got to at least try,” Jessica told her firmly. “That’s one cause that’s worth fighting for if you ask me.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blade had to admit that the pristine beach provided the most stunning backdrop for a wedding. The beach and the unbelievably gorgeous sunset which glowed warmly as Gina and Ray exchanged their loving vows in front of the fifty-odd guests.

The sound of applause and laughter filled the air just as the newly wedding couple kissed. Blade thought his stepsister looked fantastic and he’d never seen her so happy.

The wedding continued with the reception beneath the decorated gazebos and Blade found himself drawn into the endless photo-taking, dancing and cake cutting. There was no denying that this was a beautifully planned occasion and he was happy he could be there to celebrate with Gina. No matter how messed up his love life was, Blade could still find it in himself to be glad for others who’d been fortunate to find happiness with someone else.

He managed to snag a dance with the new bride and she was gazing up at him with a warm smile as he swept her around the platform while the live Caribbean type music played.

“I hope we get to dance like this at your wedding, Blade,” Gina teased.

“Not the marrying kind, sis,” he said drily. “Not anymore.”

Gina’s look was gentle. “Makayla’s here, you know. She’s been waiting to see you.”

“I’m not in quarantine; she could have come up to me and said hello at any time,” Blade said gruffly. He couldn’t bear the mention of her name without flinching. He’d seen her of course, on different occasions during the ceremony. Always just a glimpse but always enough to make it feel like his gut was getting wrenched.

He’d known she’d be here so he’d been more than prepared. He had no cause to avoid her and if anything it looked like she was avoiding him. He wasn’t a grudge-filled teen so he’d be civil with her if necessary but so far, she’d kept out of his way and damned if he’d go seeking her out.

“I think it’s possible she’s interested in making up with you,” Gina ventured hesitantly. “I mean, she didn’t tell me much but from the way she’s been talking, she seems sorry to have broken up with you.”

Blade let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what game Makayla put you up to, but count me out of it, okay? And why would she even be talking about me? I’d have thought she’d been ready to move to London to start her once-in-lifetime job opportunity.”

Gina’s hand rested gently on Blade’s chest. “She’s not going to London anymore. She declined the move.”

Blade huffed. “That was stupid, if what she told me was anything to go by. This was supposed to be the game changer. The career boost of her dreams.”

Gina sighed deeply. “I’m not going to try to convince you of anything but –“

“Then don’t,” Blade said shortly, before cupping her face. “Focus on your wedding. That’s why we’re all here, okay? We’re here for you.”

Gina smiled a happy, shaky smile and moments later, her groom appeared and Blade gallantly handed his stepsister to the beaming Ray.

It was only as Blade walked over to the buffet table and picked up a glass of champagne that he realized his hand had a slight shake to it. Damn it all to hell! He couldn’t get Gina’s words out of his head about Makayla wanting him back. How was that even possible? After her heartless rejection and their devastating breakup, he’d never dreamed he’d even be giving her a second thought. And yet here he was, heart pounding at the prospect that he could possibly be with her again.

But he wasn’t going to be played about like that. Makayla had broken him down like nothing he’d ever been through. Nothing in the service had prepared him for the desolation he’d experienced when she’d told him it was over.

Was it believable that she was having second thoughts?

Well,
fuck that
; thought Blade as he almost slammed down the fluted glass. The sun had long set and now the breath-taking beach was awash with a royal blue night sky, the surrounding well-lit for the wedding party that was in full swing. Despite himself, Blade glanced around for just one more glimpse of Makayla but she was nowhere to be seen anywhere in the happy crowd of guests.

So much for that.

He snatched up another glass of champagne and let it spill down his throat. Blade thought about downing glass after glass until he started numbing up. It looked like he was going to need it tonight because he was beginning to see that he was far from over her. He wasn’t even sure what he’d do if she walked up to him at that moment. Probably flatten her in his arms and kiss her senseless before making her swear she’d never leave him again.

Blade told himself not to be a fool as soon as those thoughts registered. The fact was Makayla had never really cared and had used him for a bit of diverting amusement until something better came along.

Swearing furiously under his breath, he decided he’d had enough. He was sure no one would miss him if he left now and besides, he was starting to have a dreadful headache after all that champagne on an empty stomach.

He made his way the short distance to the waterside terraced mansion housing the hotel where he was staying. Many of the other guests were accommodated there and he couldn’t help wondering if Makayla also had a room in the same hotel.

Reminding himself once again to stop thinking about her, he grabbed his key and located his room, too much in a dark mood to notice the beauty of his surroundings. He was too filled with gloom about how all the romance from the wedding was suddenly making him remember what he’d lost.

Wrong…what he’d never had, his inner voice corrected.

Swearing underneath his breath, Blade let himself into his suite and locked the door after him. He stripped out of his wedding outfit, a white tux over black dress pants, bowtie and pleated shirt and black shoes – all pretty formal considering it had been a destination wedding on the beach.

But then Gina had wanted that part of the wedding to be traditional; the outfits, that is. The men all had to look dashing in their suits while the women had been sheathed in their gorgeously feminine gowns. Blade drew up a glimpse he’d had of Makayla in some kind of sea-foam colored dress of ethereal quality. It had hung on thin straps and she’d had matching flowers in her hair. The fabric had clung to her jealously, like a second skin and had seemed like a huff and a puff would blow it off her delectably curvy body.

Shaking his head angrily to shake off the image, he stripped off the last of his clothes and headed straight for the shower. He set it on icy and didn’t care if it felt like he was freezing up his own veins, showering in water at that temperature.

Blade could hear the laughter and music still wafting from the wedding party. Shoving his wet hair off his face, he reached for a towel to dry off.

He padded into the bedroom and didn’t bother with the lights, letting the glow from the adjoined living room provide any kind of illumination he needed. Tossing off the towel, he slipped underneath the covers, letting out a deep sigh at the instant sensation of warmth that welcomed him.

It took two seconds to register that he wasn’t alone in the bed.

The
fuck
? Dazed, Blade straightened off the pillows and yanked away the covers. A slim, shapely figure twisted unto her back, moaning slightly as she blinked her eyes awake. The next moment Blade was snapping on the bedside light and he was soon able to tell who the hell had been sleeping in his bed.

“What the hell…
Makayla
? What are you doing in my fucking bed?”

He tried not to yell though he figured his voice had still come out in a loud roar. Makayla rubbed at her eyes, flinching at his loud tone. “I must have fallen asleep waiting…you took so long coming back…”

“Oh, excuse me; I had no idea a naked woman would be waiting under my covers, keeping them warm for lucky old me,” he said coldly, the shock at seeing her not yet worn off. He still couldn’t tell if he wasn’t just dreaming her or maybe he was finally going nuts.