The Lover's Surrender (No Exceptions) (6 page)

My heart
thumped in my chest so hard I was sure it would jump out from fear. Not from
Jett, but from what the situation meant. I didn’t know what to think or say.
All I knew was that the man had pictures of Jett, and that two girls were dead.

“Did you
give him your real name, Brooke?” Jett asked.

“No, I
didn’t.” I wet my lips in thought as new memories invaded my mind. “I couldn’t.
When I started the job, I gave them my sister’s name and our old address, where
we used to live. It seemed reasonable at that time, and at some point I
regretted it, but now I’m glad I kept my true identity to myself.”

Another
cold shudder ran through me. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“What’s so strange is that Gina had two dots painted on her. I thought it might
be connected to the poem. You know, the one I told you about.”

“Can I see
it?”

“I left it
at the apartment,” I whispered. “I thought there was no need to bring it with
me.”

“Because
you thought it was from me.”

I didn’t
reply, didn’t even dare look at him, but I sensed that Jett didn’t need my
confession.

It was the
truth—one I couldn’t admit.

Wrapping
the blanket around me, I got up. Jett followed instantly. His hand clasped
around my shoulder, forcing me to turn around, his eyes searching mine.

“I would
never break into your apartment at night, and most certainly not to leave a
letter, Brooke. Why didn’t you call me?” His voice was soft, gentle, pretty
much the opposite of when he was angry.

“I
couldn’t.”

“Why not?”
He grabbed my hand and gently pulled me to him. “I thought I’d made myself
clear enough. I’ll always be here for you.”

“I know you
said it, but…” I paused, hesitating as I prepared my words carefully. “I didn’t
believe it. You were keeping too many secrets. And—” I shrugged, as
though it didn’t matter, when, in fact, his secrecy had made all the
difference.

“And what?”
His hand touched my chin, raising it so our eyes connected again, the
gentleness of his gesture making my heart pound harder. “What, Brooke?”

I drew a
long breath and held it for a moment before letting it out. “When we were on
the phone last night, I heard her voice.”

I couldn’t
even say her name. Seeing Jett with Tiffany had broken me to such an extent
that even speaking her name, or thinking about her, was like taking a stake and
piercing it through my heart.

“Is that
what you think happened?” He stared at me, his gaze hard. “That Tiffany stayed
over at my place?”

“What else
was I to assume? It was late. She had booked a hotel. You met her behind my
back. Of course I thought you were with her and that I was interrupting.” I
couldn’t help the bitterness seeping into my voice.

“Brooke.”
His fingers brushed over my cheekbones, gently forcing me to look into his
eyes. “I don’t care about anyone but you. I’m not with Tiffany. I don’t fuck
her. We’re friends. Okay? There’s nothing going on. And there never will be.
What happened between her and me is long over. And she knows it.”

“Why should
I believe you?” There was no accusation in my voice. Just pure calmness. All
the anger was gone, leaving behind acceptance. If he was dating Tiffany, I had
simply no other choice but to accept it. I had gone through all the usual
stages of grief—breaking up with Jett had been like losing him—and
finally made my peace with it.

“Because
nothing happened,” Jett said, his tone firm and quiet. “I visited her in the
hospital. That’s why. If you don’t believe me, ask Brian where I was. He was standing
right next to us when I answered your call in her room.”

I stared at
him, his words echoing in my head.

“Why is she
in the hospital?” I asked quietly.

I wasn’t
curious.

Far from
it.

But Brian’s
words haunted me. He had said nothing about Tiffany being hurt. Was that
another plan of hers to get Jett’s attention?

“She had a
relapse,” Jett explained. “We found her comatose on the hotel floor.”

“We?”

“Kenny and
I.”

My gaze
dropped to the floor. I tried to fight it, but guilt consumed me.

All this
time, I had drawn the wrong conclusion. While Tiffany was in the hospital, I
had wished her bad things because I was under the impression she was the root
of our problems. I wasn’t supposed to feel pity for her. I wasn’t supposed to
worry, because she didn’t deserve it. But now I felt all those things. It made
no sense.

“Is she
okay?” I asked.

“She will
be.”

“I’m
sorry,” I whispered.

“She
brought it on herself.”

As he
stepped closer, he touched the small of my back. With his free hand, he softly
cupped my chin.

“Before you
get the next wrong idea about me, let me make one thing clear. I don’t really
have secrets, Brooke. Okay? I didn’t kill Gina. I didn’t meet with Tiffany to
fuck her.” He looked at me, daring me to challenge him. “I don’t lie, and I did
none of the things you accused me of. And
this
is the truth. The one thing I regret is that I wasn’t with you the whole
time and that I withheld information I maybe should have shared with you.”

I opened my
mouth to interrupt him, when he pressed a finger against my lips, signaling me
to let him finish. “I should have shared the information that I know I want to
spend the rest of my life with you. Or that I love you. Or that if there’s
something that could risk your life or the safety of our child, I would never
take that risk.”

His words
lingered in the air as he continued to gaze at me, his electrifying green eyes
warming my heart and penetrating my soul.

Something
passed between us.

Love.

Chemistry.

A spark so
strong I could almost feel it in the air.

Those three
things I thought I had lost.

“Look,
Brooke,” he continued. “Everything I do, I do for you. For the both of us. All
my life I was taught to fight and conquer, never to show weakness, but it was
you who taught me to love and surrender, who put in me the fear that I could
lose you, who made me treasure what we have. Not Tiffany. Not my past. You.”

He pointed
his finger at me. “
You
made me fall
in love for the first time and helped me realize that I want to keep our
relationship at all costs. That I would protect you…and our baby. Sacrifice
everything to keep you by my side.”

His words
made me listen up. There was the slightest hint of fear in his voice. And
something else.

I frowned.

What was he
afraid of?

Why was his
voice shaking?

Why had
Jett felt the need to withhold information from me?

As I
scanned his expression, something dawned on me.

“You were
keeping things from me to protect me, weren’t you? That’s why you couldn’t tell
me.”

“Brooke.”
He took a deep breath. I watched him close his eyes. It was only when he kept
them closed, drawing another long breath, that I grasped something was wrong.
That he’d possibly withheld more information than I initially thought.

“There are
reasons why I couldn’t tell you about Nate,” Jett said eventually. “It concerns
your pregnancy.”

My heart
lurched in my chest.

“My
pregnancy?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”

He opened
his eyes, fear reflecting in his impossibly green gaze.

I shrank
back from it. My arms went around my belly, as if they could protect me from
whatever he was about to tell me.

“What’s so
terrible that you can’t tell me?”

He sighed
again, taking his time to reply. When he finally stirred, the room was quiet.

Too quiet.

“Please,
sit.” He motioned his hand toward the sofa.

“Just say
it.” I crossed my arms over my chest, not moving from the spot.

Gazing at
him, my whole body tensed. “If you don’t say it, I swear I’m going to walk out
and never come back. I’ve had enough of your reticence at the most unfortunate
moments. I can’t take it anymore.”

Jett’s shoulders
dropped. He looked so miserable, I instantly regretted my words—only they
were the truth.

I needed
him to open up to me. Preferably before the baby was born, because I knew there
would be much more to deal with and talk about in the future.

“I thought
I could keep it from you, but it’s not possible. Kenny, Brian, they’re all
right. You have to know it.” He stared at me pleadingly.

Pleadingly—for
the life of me, I couldn’t imagine why.

What was so
terrible he couldn’t tell me?

“Jett?” I
touched his arm. “Tell me. I promise, whatever it is, I won’t be mad. I’ll
understand.”

He sighed
again, avoiding my scrutiny. When he finally looked at me again, his eyes
meeting mine, I knew I had won.

“When we
found you, rescued you from your captors, you were in a bad condition. Sam ran
some tests. That was when he discovered you had a condition.”

I was too
shocked to process the meaning of his words.

Sam was Dr.
Barn, my obstetrician.

“He said
that you mustn’t under any circumstances face any more stress. That it could
endanger your and our baby’s life. When he explained that your condition was
linked with life-threatening complications, I made the decision, to keep you
out of everything and anything.”

I stared at
him, taking in his words. “Are you saying I’m sick?”

He shook
his head. “Not sick. No.”

My ears
were ringing, my breath came in short rasps.

“What’s my
condition?” I asked.

It felt
like a disease. Something really bad or even disgusting.

Something
that would definitely eat away at my peace of mind.

What was so
bad that he couldn’t tell me?

“It’s a
severe form of PE.” He looked at me in concern, and my eyes widened.

“Preeclampsia?”
I stared at him in shock. I had heard of the condition, but I never thought it
would affect me. “But I’m only a few weeks pregnant, not twenty. I’m not
overweight. I don’t suffer from diabetes. How is that even possible? Maybe
Sam’s wrong.”

“You have a
rare form that affects your red blood cells and kidneys,” Jett said slowly,
letting the words sink in. “So now you know why I didn’t tell you about Nate. I
didn’t want to upset you and risk raising your blood pressure. I know it was a
mistake, but I had no choice. There was, simply put, no other option but to
keep some things to myself. I thought it made perfect sense.”

My throat
constricted.

“Oh God. My
baby is…” I choked on my voice.

“Fine.” He
pressed my face against his chest, the gesture surprisingly soothing. “The
baby’s fine. Don’t worry about that.”

“Why would
you keep something so grave from me?” I hid my face against his chest, unable
to stop the fear washing over me, his words lingering at the edge of my
perception, but not quite reaching my mind.

“To protect
you,” he whispered. “That’s why I followed you and had your phone tracked. I
couldn’t risk something happening to you. I thought by staying away and telling
you nothing, I could keep you calm and safe, but it didn’t work. You drew false
conclusions and distanced yourself from me. You went out and got drunk.”

A drink that was spiked.

He didn’t
know that part yet.

It was too
much.

Tears
started to run down my face, and, at the worst of times, I felt nauseous. My
head was spinning. My heart was racing. My fingers started to tremble.

I pushed
him away as I stepped aside.

Damn my
hormones!

Damn my
pregnancy!

Leaning
forward, I took deep breaths, but they didn’t have the calming effect I had
been hoping for.

Jett
touched my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Brooke. I wanted what was best for you. I
promise our baby’s okay. We’ll get through this.”

I turned
around. I didn’t know why, but suddenly I was angry and fearful. “How do you
know? There’s something you don’t know, Jett. Something I meant to tell you all
along. It’s the reason why I’m crying.”

His arm
froze in mid-air, and the room grew silent again.

“What?” His
tone was cautious, wary.

“You were
right about one thing.”

“Right
how?”

I moistened
my lips, preparing my words. “There’s a reason why I called you a wolf the last
time you were at my place.” I looked at him, unable to stop the unwanted tear
trailing down my cheek. “It wasn’t a compliment. I did it because I didn’t
recognize you.”