The Lover's Surrender (No Exceptions) (16 page)

“Nate,” I
whispered. “You think Jett would kill Nate?”

Brian
nodded, and for once, I would have welcomed silence more than the raging
thoughts inside my head.

All this
time I thought Jett had moved past his anger. All this time I thought Jett had
come to peace with the fact that his family wasn’t perfect. That his brother
was a killer. Worse yet, only a few hours ago, I’d had even jumped to the
conclusion that Jett was defending his brother.

That wasn’t
the case at all. Jett was still fighting his demons.

“What did
Jett tell you?” I asked.

“Sorry.”
Brian smiled apologetically, as though he had already revealed too much, and
moved past me.

So he
didn’t want to tell me. That, or Jett had asked him not to. Did I even really
need it spelled out when I already knew that Jett would hurt anyone who’d dare
come after me? Jett was unforgiving and overprotective. He had made that clear
on various occasions. I didn’t know how far he’d go, but I had no doubt that he
was keen to protect what was his at all costs.

Leaning
against my car, I watched Brian grab a pair of gloves and a screwdriver, then
start busying himself, his face grimacing in concentration. Only then did I
notice the dark shadows under his eyes, which in turn made me think of our
conversation that morning.

I didn’t
know what came over me, but I touched his arm again to get his attention. He
looked at my fingers as though they were some irritating bugs, his blue eyes
probing mine.

“I heard
about Tiffany being in the hospital,” I started, prying my fingers away from
him. “I’m sorry. I hope she’ll get well soon.”

“She’s
doing okay, given the circumstances.”

Hesitating,
I glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening before turning back to
him.

“Brian, can
I ask you something?”

“That
depends.” He barely looked up as he unscrewed another thingy for which I had no
name with so much fervor I almost feared he might break something.

“It’s not
about Jett,” I added, watching his shoulders relaxing. “Please don’t take it
the wrong way, but how can you be with someone like her?” I asked in silence.
“You know, fearing that she’d cheat. Wondering who she might throw herself at
the next time. You seem like a good person, so I don’t understand how you can
put up with it.”

I had been
hard on Jett. Most people would have been because it was only human nature in
order to emotionally protect oneself. Brian didn’t seem to be the most
forgiving person in the world. How could he excuse her behavior so easily?

The
question had plagued me for some time.

I had to
know, if only to understand him. I had to know how someone could love a person
who hurt them over and over again.

“I guess
for the same reason she returns to me time after time,” he said after some
pause.

I frowned.
“And why is that? Because in her cheating heart, she still loves you after
all—and that’s all that counts?”

A chuckle
escaped his lips. “Honesty and sarcasm. I like that,” he said and turned to
regard me. “But you couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

My brows
knitted together in confusion. “How so?”

Hesitating,
he pulled off his gloves again. He propped a leg against the wall, then slowly
retrieved a pack of chewing gum from his pocket and offered me one. I declined.

“It’s a
long story,” he explained as I watched him open the foil wrapper and shove the
chewing gum into his mouth. “To cut it short, the only reason we got back
together the first time was that we both hoped at some point we could make it
work as a family. It’s an Irish thing and has nothing to do with love. I’m the
only link to her son, so we try to work it out based on some bullshit belief.”
He looked up shortly, pride shimmering in his eyes. “He’s twelve years old and
lives in Ireland with my family.”

“Her son?”
I asked, suddenly aware of the lump in my throat as I remembered Tiffany’s
words. “Why would he live with your family? Unless he’s your…” My words trailed
off as his expression changed to surprise.

“Whoa!” He
held out his hand, and the skin around his eyes crinkled in amusement. “Did you
think it was Jett’s kid?”

Heat
scorched my cheeks, the spreading blush across my chin giving me away. It was
too late to lie.

He had
caught me, and I only had two options. Admit that I had been jealous or deny
everything, which would make me look weak.

“He isn’t?”

“No,
Brooke,” he said with a curious glance at me. “Tiffany wanted to give our son
up for adoption when she was sixteen, because we had no money, no support, not
even a safe place to stay. My family took him in, and now they’re raising him
as their own. That was the hardest decision I ever made.”

I stared at
him, lost for words.

All this
time, I had assumed that Tiffany went through with an abortion or had a
miscarriage. It never crossed my mind that she and Brian went back longer than
she and Jett, that she had to give her child away; and how difficult it must
have been for her as a mother. Not having the means to care for her child and
being forced to give him away was horrible.

I couldn’t
imagine living without my child, and she wasn’t born yet.

In the
gloomy silence, his eyes probed mine as he paused for a second, probably
considering his words. Eventually, something changed in his gaze, and I knew he
was about to share his story with me—a story so private I could feel my
heart shattering with each word he spoke.

“She hasn’t
seen him since the day he was born. He has no idea that I’m his father,” Brian
said.

For the
first time, I thought I caught something in his voice.

Pain.

Suffering.

Longing.

“Giving up
her child destroyed our relationship. I don’t think she’ll ever get over the
guilt of not having seen him grow up.” He shook his head slowly, his hazy gaze
reminiscent of the past. “Nowadays, when I look at her, I know she wants to see
him, but she can’t bring herself to do it, because she’s a mess. She doesn’t
want him to see her like this.”

“She could
get help,” I said.

Maybe I could help.

I wanted to
utter the words, but I bit my lip instead, holding them back because it made no
sense to tell Brian. I needed to tell her. Maybe she needed a friend who
understood the way she felt as a mother.

“She’s
tried so many times, you have no idea. You need to forgive her,” he said, his
eyes not leaving mine. “I know she has no excuse for trying to get it on with
Jett, but she’s an alcoholic and hasn’t been herself for a long time. Giving up
her son changed her. It changed our relationship, and it changed her love for
me. Even though it was her who came up with the idea of giving our son away, I
was the one who pushed her to go through with it. She never forgave me.” He
sighed, and for a moment, I thought I glimpsed moisture in his eyes. “Anyway,
like I said, it’s a long story.”

“Brian, I
had no idea. About your son. About Tiffany. Jett didn’t say anything,” I
whispered.

“I should
hope so. It’s most certainly not his place.” He shrugged again. “Not many
people know about this part of my past, and Jett didn’t tell you because I
asked him not to a long time ago. Anyway, there’s not much point in bringing
something up that you can’t change, right?” He glanced back at me and smiled
gently. “It’s not a story I’m proud of. I don’t know what’s in those bags and
what you’re hiding for him, but I can see why he loves you, even if he hadn’t
told me the night before.”

He loves me.

Jett had
confessed his love to me in spite of our fight and disagreements. In spite of
the fact that he didn’t even know whether our relationship would make it.

My heart
fluttered.

All those
emotions I had for him came back like a big wall crushing me. It took me every
ounce of willpower not to say that I loved Jett, too. My heart gave little
jumps as I thought of him. After all the jealousy that I thought would consume
me at the mere mentioning of Tiffany’s name, I found myself smiling with joy.

Joy—that
Tiffany wasn’t the bad person I imagined her to be.

Joy—that
there most certainly was a reason why she kissed Jett.

And, most
importantly, joy that Jett never stopped loving me during our ugly fight. It
was proof to me that Jett would stand by me no matter what.

“And
congratulations.” He smiled and motioned at my ring. “We’re having a secret
engagement party tomorrow, which I’m not supposed to tell you about, but you
have this uncanny ability to pull secrets out of people.”

I laughed
and glanced at my beautiful ring. “Thank you for telling me,” I whispered, not
referring to the party.

When I
looked up, Brian had already turned away, his footsteps thudding as he crossed
the garage. For some reason, I felt as though I had glimpsed a new side of him.
A side that didn’t scare me.

Maybe
someday Brian and I would become friends. Or maybe we already were.

The flames
sent sparks high up into the sky. We stood there, watching the fire in the back
yard of the gang’s quarters. Jett’s arms were around me, pulling me close,
cuddling me against his hard chest, his lips nestled at the back of my neck.
Brian and four of his people were standing behind us. None of them asked any
questions before they threw the black bags into the bonfire, the wild flames
savaging the contents.

The fire
flared and died.

Eventually,
people began to leave, until Jett and I were alone.

As I watched
the dark ashes, tears rose to my eyes.

Those had
been Gina’s things—a woman I had known for only two days, but for some
reason I had liked her.

She didn’t
deserve what happened to her.

Of course,
there was still a distinct possibility that I had been wrong, and the bags
belonged to someone else, but that didn’t matter much.

Life ended
in the blink of an eye.

I knew next
to nothing about Gina, but she had left sadness behind.

She had
left emptiness in the hearts of those who loved her.

“You okay?”
Jett whispered behind me.

“I am. Just
a little sad about her, that’s all,” I whispered back, my glance fixed on the
dying fire. “Did you hear from Sam?”

“Not yet.”
He paused a little, and I sensed a change in topic. “My assistant called to
confirm our attendance at the charity fashion show.”

I turned
around, and my eyes found him. “When will it start?”

Jett
glanced at his cell phone, then back at me. “We should head back inside now.
Particularly if you want to take the time to check out my former room before we
leave.”

“I know
where your room…” My words trailed off as I got the hint. “Oh. But we’ve
already done it twice today.”

“No, not
with you as my fiancée.” He tilted his head, and something tugged between my
legs. Though his face was bathed in semi-darkness, I could feel his desire as
strongly as before. “What do you think?”

“Will you
ever get rid of your sex addiction?” I teased, surprised at how something as
simple as an unspoken invitation to have him inside me could make my skin
prickle and my heartbeat speed up.

“Can’t say
that I harbor any plans, but you never know.” He leaned forward until his lips
brushed my earlobe. “I’ve been told all good things are three,” he whispered.
“I have a very good idea of what I want to do with you. It doesn’t even have to
involve the sexy lingerie I got you.”

***

I’ve always
known that life can both suck and surprise in the same instant. I just had no
idea how much it could. When you’re lying in the arms of your lover, praying
that the moment will never pass, you should never trust that everything will
stay the same.

One wrong
step.

That’s all
that ever matters.

One look
back, and I should have known it was my time to run.

But I had
been too stupid to think beyond that special moment.

Or maybe I
didn’t mind what lay beyond.

I was newly
engaged with grand plans of a wedding and renewed hopes for the future. My
heart had been revived, and my faith strengthened by recent events.

I was in
love.

I was in
lust.

And I was
absolutely in no mood to talk to strangers, which is what I was sure I’d be
forced to do at the charity event.

 
“God, the next few hours will be hard.” I
let out a sigh, pushing up from my lying position. “How am I supposed to make
it without this?” I pointed at Jett’s naked body, my eyes drinking him in, my
mind marveling at how perfect he was.

“Yeah?”
Jett’s brows shot up, amused. “And you call me a sex addict.”

I slapped
his shoulder and let my fingers glide over his skin. “To Jupiter. That’s how
far your confidence will grow if you don’t learn to rein it in.”

“That’s a
good name,” he said, suddenly absentminded.

“Good name
for what?”

Jett leaned
back, resting against the pillows, his arms crossed behind his head, a
thoughtful expression on his face.

“If we have
another girl, it’ll be the perfect name for her.”

“What? No
way.” I laughed out loud, then stopped when I saw his face. “Wait, you’re
serious?” He nodded. “No way in hell, Jett. We’ll never name any child Jupiter.
Besides, who says I want another one? I’m still carrying this one, huffing and
puffing as we’re speaking, and you’re already thinking ahead.”

His laugh
was interrupted by the ringtone of his phone.

“Excuse
me.” I watched him as he straightened and grabbed his phone from the
nightstand. His gaze briefly brushed me before locking on the caller ID.

Turning his
back on me, he picked up.

There was
only one call Jett would always accept.

“Sam.” For
three minutes, Jett said nothing else, just listened, his shoulders slightly
tense.

I held my
breath as I tried to tune in, without much success.

Eventually,
Jett’s voice cut through the silence.

“How?” He
shook his head angrily. “How is that possible?” Whatever Sam had said, it must
have made Jett pissed off because waves of anger were wafting from him. “No,
I’ll deal with it. Just send it over as soon as you can…No, there’s no need.
I’ll take care of it.”

With that,
he snapped the phone shut, his back still turned to me as silence returned to
the room. I watched him, seconds ticking by.

“So, what
did Sam say?” I asked when it became obvious that Jett harbored no intention of
sharing the news with me.

My heart
thudded in my chest at the possibilities of what Sam could have said.

Had the
tests shown that Gina had been drugged?

Of course,
she had been drugged. If not, it meant I had been the only one targeted, which,
in turn, would mean Gina had been involved.

“The same
drug was found in Gina’s body,” Jett murmured and turned around. His beautiful
face twisted into something I thought I’d never see.

Pain.

Anger.

Worry.

All at once.

He grew
silent—the kind of silence that sent a chill up my spine.

“What?” I
asked, somehow unable to grasp the meaning of his words.

Jett looked
at me for one long, hard moment, and in that second I realized there was more.

I stared at
him, the cold sensation inside my stomach turning to boiling heat only to
change to ice again.

What could
be so terrible that Jett was afraid to tell me?

I waited
patiently.

When he
began to speak again, the words were as chilling as death entering the room.

“Nate’s
gone.” Jett’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Sam called to say that a police
offer was shot during his escape.”