Relentless (Relentless #1) (17 page)

Emmy had always loved children. It surprised me that in the decade she and Mason were together they hadn’t had any kids of their own. Maybe it was a blessing since their marriage only lasted a few months. She had been offered an amazing job in New York and when Mason said he wouldn’t move with her she followed her dreams and left him.

“So tell me why you ‘blessed his heart’,” she said grinning.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Emerald Carter.”

“Cut the shit, Violet. This is me you’re talking to.”

I hadn’t told Emmy about how Aaron cornered me at the wake before Jaxon punched him. We’d both been busy, and we hadn’t been able to catch up in the weeks before I had Harper. She sat back in her chair when I finished.

“Wow. Aaron makes Mason look like a saint.”

“Aaron makes the devil himself look like a saint,” I mumbled.

“True, but I haven’t told you my story yet. Mason didn’t file the divorce papers. Technically, we’re still married.”

“Huh? What the hell?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope, I found out a week ago. I confronted him about it yesterday; let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.”

“We’re a fucking pair. My ex wants me back and you can’t get yours to divorce you.”

“We are, but at least you have an incredibly yummy husband to show for your issues. I have Mason Davis,” she deadpanned.

We laughed and then I told her more about my yummy husband and incredibly adorable baby.

Emmy never put Harper down while we talked. She wanted a baby, and I hoped that it happened for her soon. Lexi told me that Em was having a rough time in New York, but things were starting to get better. Thinking about the nightmare it was to divorce Aaron, I hoped that still being married to Mason didn’t screw everything up for her. She had a good career and from the sound of it, a very yummy, successful doctor of her own that was trying to get her to date him.

Emmy offered to watch Harper for me while I went to talk to my mother and I took her up on it. Harper would be in good hands and I didn’t want to take her anywhere near my toxic mother.

I used my key to let myself in the ostentatious front door. The echo of my heels on the wood floors made me cringe.

“Mother, I think we need to talk,” I called out.

“So, the prodigal daughter returns.”

My mother stood at the top of the stairs, holding onto the banister so she wouldn’t fall face first.

“Hello, Dixie.”

“Why are you here, Violet?”

“You summoned me to Georgia when you contested the will.”

“No, I meant my house.”

“Technically, it’s my house and I’m very graciously letting you stay here even though you’re a huge bitch.”

“This will never be your house!”

She grasped the banister and slowly descended the stairs. I wanted to turn around and leave because this conversation wasn’t worth it. My mother had let go of reality years ago, but I needed to try one more time.

“Dixie, unless you get the will overturned, this is my house. I wanted to sit down and have a conversation with you, but that’s going to be difficult since you’re drunk.”

“Fuck you, Violet. It’s your fault I’m like this.”

“Why are you blaming me for being drunk in the middle of the day? I hadn’t been back to Georgia in three years before Daddy’s funeral. So explain to me how it’s my fault you’re drinking yourself into an early grave.”

“I told you that you couldn’t leave. You should’ve stayed with Aaron. He loved you and the baby. I told you I would cut you off if you started acting again.”

“Dixie, can you slow down? I’m not able to follow your crazy train right now. You need to actually finish a thought before moving onto the next one. Also, it might help if you tried not to slur your words so much.”

To my horror, my mother threw herself into my arms and started sobbing. I had never been so confused in my life. Dixie just told me to go fuck myself, blamed her drinking on me, and told me I should have stayed with my cheating ex-husband. Now she was sobbing uncontrollably into my chest.

Why did I think coming here would be a good idea?

Why didn’t I realize Dixie would be drunk? Dealing with her sober was hard enough. Maybe coffee would help. Dragging her across the house in her semi-conscious state was damn near impossible. When we reached the kitchen, I perched her on a bar stool at the island and hoped she wouldn’t fall over while I made the coffee.

At the sound of the percolator, Dixie finally stopped crying. She eyed me, weary of what I might say next.

“Why are you really here, Violet?”

“I truly came to try to talk to you.”

“But I’ve been awful to you and Magnolia.”

“I won’t argue with you on that, but you
are
still our mother. You’re missing out on a lot. My daughter was born two weeks ago. Taylor bought a house, and she plans on staying in California. Do you get how big that is for her?”

“I do. Is the coffee done yet?”

I slid a cup over to her and poured another for myself. A few years ago she would have belittled me for making myself a coffee because ‘Montgomery’s have hired help’. The woman in front of me was weak and broken. Her bloodshot eyes closed, and she rubbed her head.

How was I supposed to talk to someone like this? Where do I even start?

After a few minutes, she didn’t look any more sober, but she did look more composed. She started before I did.

“Violet, I’m sorry I’ve been a horrible mother to you and your sister. The reason I started drinking again was because I felt responsible for ruining your life. I forced you into a career you hated and pushed you to marry the biggest prick in Savannah. Your sister has commitment issues because of me.” She sighed before continuing to air her dirty laundry. “Your father wanted to leave me. He even had divorce papers drawn up, but I threatened to kill myself if he left me. That’s the only reason he stayed. He didn’t want that for you girls.”

“Oh, momma.”

She held her hand up to stop me from continuing. It was like if she didn’t get it out right now, then she was afraid she might never say it.

“Taylor caught me in the middle of an affair. I don’t regret it; it was worth every stolen second. Your sister is weak though. Instead of learning to run, she should’ve learned to take care of herself and that her happiness comes first.” She took a sip of coffee before continuing, “I know why your father left you everything, but it hurt that he did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to fight for it, but I know why you’re the sole beneficiary. When Sidney named you, I hated you in that instant. I still do.”

“So what are you going to do, fight me to get the money? Money you can’t even prove exists?”

“Oh, I can prove it.”

“Unless you falsified documents, there aren’t any to be found. Daddy left me a
very
long,
very detailed
letter with everything I needed to know.”

“I just have to prove your father was incompetent to get the will overturned.”

“You really are awful, you know that? He’s fucking dead. Just let him rest in peace! Let him go!” I took a deep breath. “He made sure he had enough documentation you couldn’t do that. There are at least three doctors on speed dial that already provided written documentation that Daddy knew exactly what he was doing.”

“He had illegal business actions. How did he get the money moved offshore without me knowing?” she demanded. “My name was on all those accounts. He wouldn’t be able to close them without my knowledge.”

“He never closed the original accounts, Dixie. He changed the deposits and all the money was moved legally.” I pulled a legal-sized envelope out of my purse and tossed it on the counter. “You can check the documents. Everything is there. Your name never went anywhere near the business, so you can’t do anything to get funds from there. He worked lots of long hours with one of his buddies trying to get everything moved, and then when it was done he switched representation so old man Batten couldn’t tell you anything.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I told you, Daddy left me very detailed instructions. You have nothing other than what I’m willing to give you, and that’s exactly what he wanted.”

“The judge thinks I have a case otherwise he wouldn’t have allowed an appeal,” she said smirking.

“You have a new kid who wants to see some family drama.”

My mother tried not to look defeated, but her eyes said it all. Her disregard for my father’s good name pissed me off. He was dead, and she still wanted to drag his name through the mud. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that happen.

“If you take this to court, I will cut you off and kick your ass out of this house. I’m done listening to you talk about Daddy this way. Who knows who you’ve been running around with and spouting off your lies to; you can either live like you have been, or you can risk losing everything. I have no convictions about sending you packing after all the shit you’ve pulled.”

There was real fear behind her eyes as she considered her options. She heard the list of weapons I had at my disposal to fight her and she understood she didn’t have a chance in hell of winning. Even if she was sleeping with the judge to get what she wanted, he would be disbarred if he ignored evidence. You could watch the wheels turning as she wracked her brain to try to find another way to fight.

“If I hear you’ve whispered anything negative about my Daddy’s memory, or Magnolia, I’ll cut you off. Daddy might’ve played into your hand to keep us happy, but I have my daughter to consider now. I won’t let your poison into her life, or mine. I’ll pay you to stay on your side of the country, and I’ll stay on mine. You play nice when I come home and I’ll keep you liquored up.”

“You think you can actually control me?”

“I’ll cut you at the knees, Dixie. I hoped you might be reasonable, because you are my mother and we’re
supposed
to be a family, but after hearing you today I’m so fucking done. Congratulations on losing your husband and daughter in one fell swoop.”

Dixie reached into the cabinet next to her and pulled out a bottle of gin. Alcoholism was a sickness, but the woman my mother used to be would have fought. The person in front of me wasn’t my mother. She wouldn’t fight me in court, because she understood she couldn’t win, and if she wanted to blame me for her issue that was her problem. My daughter deserved better than this. I deserved better than this.

I walked out of the kitchen without another look back at Dixie Montgomery. My life had no more room for her manipulation. She would never change, and I wasn’t going to waste my time any longer.

The flight back to California wasn’t nearly as peaceful as the one to the east coast. Harper was so exhausted she couldn’t fall asleep and I was ready to drop I was so tired. If I didn’t get sleep soon it wouldn’t be pretty.

Jax planned to meet us at the beach house. His flight was scheduled to come in a few hours before ours did and I couldn’t wait to see him. As excited as I was to spend time with him, I was even more excited for him to take over parenting for a while. A hot shower and crashing for the next eight to ten hours sounded like heaven.

After the plane landed, I powered back up my phone. My jaw dropped as my phone chimed time after time with texts and voicemails. People from Georgia had apparently caught wind of the fact that Aaron was an asshat. They also found it amusing that I finally put him in his place. A smile curled at my lips as I looked through them. Even Lexi had texted.

I want details.

She had to have talked to Emmy or Sidney. There was no way she would have heard about the confrontation otherwise.

Jaxon paced on the deck as he waited for us to get home. He bounced from foot to foot in excitement. The door opened before the driver had time to come around. His arms wrapped around me as his mouth found mine.

“I’ve missed you two so much,” he groaned.

He grabbed the carrier out of the car and reached for my hand. We walked up the stairs and into the back of the house.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“You guys almost beat me home. My flight out of Chicago was almost cancelled because of the weather. I probably would have caused a scene if it had been.”

I giggled. “I’m glad it wasn’t,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Me too.”

His lips nipped at my neck and heat pooled low in my belly. We couldn’t make love standing in our living room with the baby right here, but I wanted this man like no other.

Jaxon lifted Harper out of her carrier and looked her over.

“I’ve only been gone a week and she’s grown four inches.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, it’s six.” I laughed as he frowned back at me.

He tucked her into his arms and I thought I might overflow with happiness. It never occurred to me the sexiest thing I would ever see was my husband holding our daughter, but I loved watching them together. His eyes lit up every time he held her.

“I’m going to go take a shower and crash. Do you need anything before I go lay down?”

“Just a kiss, love. I’m telling my agent I’m not travelling without you two anymore. Zac wants me to start travelling soon, but I’m going to tell him no.”

“He’s going to be pissed.” I grinned. “Do it.”

Jaxon’s throaty chuckle filled the room and I felt the heat again. “I heard you had some fun while you were in Georgia.”

I groaned and sat down beside him on the couch. “Lexi already told you?”

“Yes, but I want details on how you told your ex-husband to go fuck himself in front of the entire Savannah Country Club.”

“It wasn’t that dramatic, but I did use the words ‘bless your heart’.”

“Which, admit it, to a good southern belle is the polite way to say go fuck yourself,” he said smirking.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jaxon tugged me closer to his side and I curled in against him.

“Harper is exhausted and she wouldn’t go to sleep on the plane. I tried everything, but she wasn’t having it,” I said yawning.

“Love, she’s asleep right now.”

I looked over and sure enough, she was out.

“What the hell? I tried literally everything I could think of. You pick her up and she’s out in two seconds.”

“I just have the magic touch today. Just lay down here with us and take a shower later. I’ve missed you and I want you here with me.”

A smile tugged on the corner of my lips. As wonderful as a bed sounded, I wanted time with my family. Jaxon leaned back on the couch and lay Harper down on his chest. His arm wrapped around and pulled me tight against his side. The three of us were asleep within minutes.

The afternoon light filtered in through the sheer curtains and cast soft shadows across the room. Jax must have moved me to our bedroom at some point. I stretched out across the bed and reveled in the feeling of being relaxed and rested for the first time in way too long.

“I wondered if you were going to join us or sleep all the way through the night.”

Jax leaned against the doorframe as he looked in at me. My shirt gathered just under my breasts. Jaxon’s breath caught as he noticed.

“I probably could have, but I feel so much better already. Thank you for letting me sleep.”

He crossed the room and sat down on the corner of the bed. My fingers rubbed up and down his back softly as he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

“My mom is watching Harper tonight. We need alone time, love.”

Heat blazed in his eyes and suddenly I couldn’t wait for us to be alone.

“Sounds wonderful. Did you cook dinner, or do I need to order something?”

“If the house is still standing it’s safe to assume I didn’t cook dinner.”

I giggled and grinned back at him. Jax had many talents, but cooking wasn’t one of them. He could probably burn water if he tried hard enough. His mother was a wonderful cook and she had tried to teach both of her boys. Neither Connor nor Jaxon were able to whip up anything, including toast.

Sophia and Alice were both as stumped as I was that it was so easy for the boys to screw up something so simple. Everything started just fine, but by the end it was burnt or undercooked, totally inedible. Jax handed me a Chinese food menu and my cell phone with an adorable smirk.

We settled down on the deck to eat once the food came. The combination of food and the beach was intoxicating. We didn’t spend enough time relaxing and enjoying our time together. During my trip, I vowed to make some changes in my life. Harper made me want to be better for her. Jaxon sensed that I wanted to talk, but he didn’t push and I appreciated the reprieve. It gave me the time I needed to gather my thoughts.

“Are you ready to hear about my trip?” I asked softly. Jaxon took my hand in his.

“Only if you’re ready to talk about it.”

“I think I am. I learned a lot about what I want.” Jaxon frowned and little worry lines circled his eyes. “More so how I want to live; I’ve always let other people make decisions for me. First it was my mother, starting me in acting as soon as I could walk, then I let her bully me into marrying Aaron. He pushed me around our entire marriage. The first real decision I made for myself was to leave him. The second was Harper.”

Jaxon squeezed my hand reassuringly and I continued. “When Aaron confronted me at the country club, I saw Harper down in her carrier and I thought
no, I’m not letting him make me feel like shit again
. He used to get off on making me doubt myself; everything was about image with him. If my career wasn’t going in the direction he wanted he would take it out on me. It was sickening. At some point, I had to have loved him, but I’m not sure anymore. I’ve never told you this, but I had a miscarriage a month before I left Aaron.”

The sound of Jaxon’s sharp breath filled the air. His eyes met mine and I saw sympathy there.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I was ashamed. Not of the miscarriage itself, but of the fact it took that happening to give me the courage to leave him. It was a wakeup call. I would have loved that baby no matter who its father was, but it made me realize I would be stuck with him for the rest of my life,” I trailed off, trying to figure out how to phrase what I wanted to say. “I ran. It was convenient that his assistant got pregnant and gave me an excuse.”

I took a deep breath and Jax came around to sit next to me. His arms wrapped around me and I lay my head down on his chest.

“My relationship with my mother is done. There’s too much baggage to fix it, but it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I think that’s part of the reason my dad left me everything. If he hadn’t, eventually I would have made up with my mother and forgiven her for every awful thing she’s ever done to me and Taylor. Jax, she’s a truly awful person. I’ve never met someone so manipulative and hateful. She actually blames me for her drinking.”

“Oh, Violet. You know it’s her choice; it’s not your fault she’s drinking.”

“I know, but it’s still hard to have your mother hate you so much that she blames you for her addiction. Dixie will never change; she’s going to be a bitter old woman that blames everyone else for all her problems. I don’t want Harper to have that toxic woman in her life.”

“We never have to see her or talk about her with Harper.”

“I feel bad for Taylor. Dixie admitted she’s the reason that Taylor won’t open up in relationships, or settle down in one spot. My poor father, Dixie told me she threatened to kill herself and that’s the only reason that my dad never left her.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Are you sure you want to stay married to me? My family is pretty fucked up.”

He laughed. “The best one’s normally are. I’m not going anywhere, love. I’ll support whatever you decide to do with your mother.”

I took a long drag from my wine glass. “Jax, I kicked major ass on my visit.”

“You did, love. And I’m so proud of you for confronting your demons.”

“I just have one more dragon to slay, but it can wait for now.”

Jaxon’s puzzled look made me laugh. I lifted my fork and fed him a bite of chicken lo mein to distract him.

We finished our meal and took everything inside. Jax walked up behind me at the sink and his fingers trailed down my stomach lightly.

“I’ve missed you, love. Have you been, um…That is, can we,” Jaxon stumbled over his words adorably.

“Jaxon, are you asking if you can fuck me?”

His eyes darkened. “God, yes. Can we?”

I bit down on my lip and tried not to smile.

“The doctor said I have to wait for at least six months. He said that new mothers should just rest as much as possible.”

I batted my eyes at him innocently. The frown on his handsome face made me laugh.

“You’re a horrible liar,” he said, biting down on my neck. I laughed and sprinted off towards the bedroom. His hand connected with my ass in a loud smack and I squealed.

Jaxon’s hand wrapped around my hips and I giggled as he tickled me. He pinned me to the floor and ground his hips into mine. My laughter died on my lips and I moaned against his shoulder.

“Are you done teasing me, love?” I bit down on my lip and nodded. His fingers trailed softly down my body and I arched against him.

“Jax, I think we need to—oh my.” His fingers slipped past my panties and brushed against my sensitive bud.

“Need to what, love?”

He pushed his long fingers inside me and slowly pumped them in and out. My fingers clutched at his shirt and I muffled the whimper that tried to escape. His cocky grin told me he knew exactly what he was doing to my body.

His thumb slowly circled my clit and I gripped at his shoulders. My mouth dropped open silently and my head fell back.