Wanting Reed (Break Me) BOOK 2 (54 page)

“I just came by to give you this,” I disclose, dropping the envelope full of cash onto the desk.

“What’s this?” he scoffs, grabbing the envelope with his chubby hand. I stare past him, noticing the books lining his bookshelves that have never been read, but no pictures of loved ones or friends. There is nothing warm about this office; it just reeks of money and deceit. I don’t envy him or his cold, empty life.

“Something that you’ve been wanting for over a year,” I concede, watching him tear open the envelope and flipping through the wad of crisp, clean bills courtesy of Luke, my crazy ass roommate, in whom I owe my sanity. “It’s all there, and it’s real. So, we’re done here,” I confirm, prepared to get up and leave, but not before he answers that one question that’s been eating at me since Luke told me about him being in Boston.

“Well, damn, I never in my wildest dreams saw this coming. I’m not gonna ask where you got your hands on this kinda cash. I’m just glad that I don’t have to waste any more time with you.” He nods and smiles slightly, softening his hard features and loosening his tie as he continues to count the cash.

“This is the first time I have to agree with you,” I exclaim, standing at my full height and edging toward the door. “Can I ask you something?” I press.

“Shoot,” he replies, flicking me a guarded stare. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Boston, you ever been up there?”

“You bet. No pun intended.” He guffaws, lighting a cigar and raising a shaggy eyebrow. “What did you think? I was looking to make some trouble with you?” He laughs again, recognizing the intent of my question.

“Yeah,” I reply, bemused.

“I asked around,” he says, taking a puff from his cigar and blowing the smoke in my direction. “Saw you a couple times around town with your lady friend. Elle, right?” he solicits, scratching his large, pasty forehead. The mere sound of him speaking her name puts me on edge.

“Yes,” I grit, clenching my jaw.

“I had bigger fish to fry on that visit,” he says, arrogantly. “I wagered a generous amount of money for those Red Sox to win it all. Tell your friend Luke thanks for the information.

“Sure,” I utter, breathing in a sigh of relief.

“Nice doing business with ya. I hope I see you on the field next year playing for the home team,” he boasts, still skimming through the piles of cash.

“You bet,” I toss over my shoulder, seeing the ties that bind us gradually unraveling, slipping and falling away.

I feel this growing sense of relief that my past that has been hounding me for way too long is finally going to stay in my past.
Fuck, this feels good!
All my demons and skeletons will finally be laid to rest. I stroll past Ben and Leon, nodding my farewell, but more like good riddance. I laugh to myself, thinking who would have thought I would be thanking Luke of all people for getting me out of this jam. Perhaps the sun and the moon were aligned just right when I got to Boston; first, finding Luke to be my roommate and second, finding Elle shortly after.

I pull my hair out of my chignon, remove my black blazer and kick off my heels. Taking a deep breath, I rest my head against the seat, relieved to get the difficult part of my visit out of the way. My interview went really well despite the fact that I lost a couple of hours of sleep last night because of Reed’s little surprise. After seeing the cuffs and rose petals scattered all over the bed, along with my tiny gift in the Victoria’s Secret bag, I got a second wind. Juju and Reed were in cahoots. She was the one who set up the room. She’s a sneaky one; that’s probably why we get along so well.

Texas is beautiful. It’s green, sprawling, and pristine. The beaming sun warms my skin as we make our way to Reed’s mom’s house. The air is clear and crisp, and the streets are filled with people moving and blending into each other.

“Doll?”

“Yes?” I tear my eyes away from the beautiful Texas landscape to connect with Reed’s simmering blue eyes. Smiling, he takes my hand and intertwines our fingers together tightly and then returns his attention to the road.

“I have something to tell you,” he says as we turn onto Pine Street where his mother lives. I instantly take notice that there is something off in the tone of his voice. I’m slightly anxious and start twirling my hair. I know that he plans to meet with Jerry while he’s back home. He never told me when he was meeting him, but I hope when he does everything will be resolved and that part of his life will disappear.

My phone chirps, alerting me of a text. “Hold that thought,” I say, reaching into my bag for my phone.

“Fine,” he responds, shaking his head. I can see a nervous smile playing at the corner of his mouth. I notice it’s a text from Jace when I return my attention to my phone. I miss home and my family, and it’s only been two days. What am I going to do when I leave for months at a time?

Jace: Well, how’d it go?

Elle: I think I nailed it.

Jace: Of course... Texas, huh? ;(

Elle: I have not made a decision…yet. :/

Jace : Yeah…but the fact that u r there....

Elle: r u getting emotional on me?

Jace: A ‘lil. Gonna miss u on turkey day.* Sniff sniff*

Elle: I’ll make it up to u.

Jace: How?

Elle: I’ll think of something...

Jace: I miss u sis... be safe. BTW... call mom and dad.

Elle: Miss u too... and I will.

I smile as I hit
Send
.

“Who has you grinning so hard?” Reed asks, watching me out of the corner of his eye.

“Jace,” I breathe, blowing my hair up and out of my face as I put my phone away.

“Oh,” Reed answers with a grin. “How’s my new friend doing?”

“He’s falling apart without me,” I joke.

“I can relate to that,” Reed whispers, squeezing my hand tighter as we pull into his mom’s driveway. She lives in a small two-story red brick house with a small fenced-in yard with blossoming rose bushes framing the front door and a large oak tree standing in the front lawn. A bay window overlooks the front yard with wispy white curtains rustling faintly from the breeze and a heart-shaped sun catcher reflecting the sun’s rays.

“Home sweet home,” he exclaims, throwing the truck into park. He turns linking his eyes with mine. “She’s gonna love you, doll,” he murmurs, ghosting his lips over mine.

“I’m sure I’m going to love her, too.”

It only took a second for me to witness the undying connection and love that Reed has with his mother. He transforms to a little boy when he is around her, and his blue eyes twinkle, adding to his boyishness. I find it arduous to hold back the tears while watching them interact with each other, how Reed holds her tiny hands in his and how he kisses her repeatedly on the forehead. It makes me love him even more.

His mother, a petite, frail woman in a pale blue sweater and dark blue jeans, has so much presence, reminding me of Tyler’s mom. We talked about everything, especially her love of the ocean, cooking and the Cowboys. She asked me about my goals in life and why I wanted to become a doctor. She made it quite clear not to call her Rose, but rather Momma, stating that anyone who can make her son truly happy is already family.

“So, what do you think, doll?” Reed whispers into my ear after his mom leaves the room. “Is my mom okay?” He grins adoringly.

“What’s not to love about her?”

“Same goes for you. I knew she would love you,” he speaks, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“How’s she doing?” I falter, knowing this is a touchy subject for both of us being that I experienced a similar situation with Tyler and his mother. “With the cancer?”

“She’s doing okay. Juju told me she has her moments, but overall she remains strong.” I eye him cautiously, noticing the wetness in his eyes. I take his hand in mine and feel his body tense against me. “I can’t think of her not being here,” he mutters, closing his eyes momentarily and taking a deep breath. Finally, he looks back at me through rapidly blinking eyes that flash countless emotions across his face.

“She’s so strong, Reed. Whatever happens, she has us. She’s not alone. Be happy with that and take advantage of this time with her.”

He watches me intently as he contemplates my words. “You’re right, doll.” He stops and smiles, pulling me closer to him. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Oh…sure… you were going to tell me something earlier? What was it about?”

“Not now,” he whispers.

We left his mom’s house to take a short ride before dinner. Reed wanted to show me one of his favorite spots, a secluded area that overlooks Lake Arlington, to enjoy the view. It’s after five o’clock; the sun is beginning to drop in the horizon, and it is getting chilly. I told him I wanted to return to the hotel to change out of my skirt and blouse, but he said it wasn’t necessary. He parks the truck underneath a tree and slides closer to me without speaking a word and begins to knead my thigh with his strong, capable hand. Immediately, the muscles in my core clench from his touch and beg for relief.

“Well…you had something to tell me?” I press, placing my hand on top of his. He smiles broadly. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him smile like this since I’ve known him, so it has to be good news.

“It’s done,” he says as he exhales deeply, relaxing his shoulders. “The thing with Jerry is done,” he says hesitantly, like he’s still trying to process it all.

“How? Where did you come up with the money?”

“You’re not going to believe this.” One single dark brow arches up. “Luke.”

“Luke?” I bark out a short laugh. “How?”

“Come to find out my lazy, no-good roommate is not so lazy after all. His family owns Turner Construction. You heard of them?” He looks at me intently with his blue eyes.

“What?” Turner Construction happens to be the leading construction company in New England and is worth millions. To think that Luke’s family owns this company completely blows my mind.

“Yep, which means Luke has millions.” He laughs. The reassuring sound reverberates off the truck’s windows.

“This is too good to be true!” I eagerly lean up and kiss him.

“Believe it, doll. No more looking over my shoulder,” he says, glancing out the window and back at me with the gleam returning to his eyes. “You know what this means?”

I know what it means for our future, but it’s still not over. I don’t want to diminish this, but when we get back to Boston, there is still the matter of the paternity test. I haven’t had a chance to dwell on this, and I don’t want to. Not at this moment when he seems so relieved. He’s happier now that he’s ridded himself of his past, all thanks to Luke.
Luke of all people
, I think to myself.

“We have to thank Luke?” I laugh.

He chuckles and breathes deeply as he plays with a few strands of my hair. “I have to thank you first, doll.”

His voice is so quiet that I almost miss the words. I turn to him, allowing him the instant to express what he has to say as his eyes touch mine.

“You stood by me through all the shit of my past, took me back, and loved me. You didn’t deserve to deal with it, but you did anyway. Thank you for being you and for giving me another chance,” he says through eyes swimming with deep regret. He leans over, and his scent envelopes me. His breath tickles my skin when he kisses my forehead. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip and feathers his lips over mine. “I love you.”

The thoughtfulness of his words has me choking back emotions. I run my hand over his cheek and cradle it there; he closes his eyes at my touch. “I would do it all over again for you, Reed Austin. Every second I’ve been with you or apart from you has brought something I’ve never experienced in my life. I want to spend the rest of my life feeling this way, with you. I love you.”

His hands slide up to cup the side of my face, and his thumbs brush tenderly over my cheeks. “I’m yours. Always. Never doubt how I feel about you and how much I need you. There’s never been anyone in my life that makes me feel the way you do,” he breathes. “Every single day that I was apart from you I felt like I was losing you and a piece of me. I knew then like I know now that I need you in my life.” His lips reach for mine, beginning a kiss that I don’t ever want to end. Retreating, his eyes lazily wander over my body, pausing at my cleavage as he licks his lips.