up.
She swallows loudly, her eyes on my shoulder.
“I have to go back to my parent’s house. You know that.”
I do know. I just didn’t think she’d leave before I woke up. I glance at the clock by my bed. “Is he back?”
“No, but I have to be in the house before they are.”
And so it begins….
“Let me take you,” I sit up.
She holds up her phone, a sheepish expression on her face. “I was going to call a cab.”
I look at her incredulously, a dozen questions run through my head and I can’t decide which one to ask first.
So, I just ask the one that covers them all.
“When will I see you again?”
She flushes and looks away, “After the party.” She meets my eyes then, and there’s pleading in hers, like she wants me to let her go without explaining.
At that look, my anger fizzles.
If I’ve learned anything from this is that loving doesn’t make her mine. Only she gets to decide that. I won’t add myself to the list of men who think she owes them something.
Everything about this pisses me off, but if I want her to be my woman, I’ve got to act like I deserve to be her man.
I swing my legs over the bed and pull on my jeans before I stand up and search for my t-shirt.
“I’ll take you.” I say and she comes rushing toward me.
“Carter—”
I hold up a hand to halt her protests and she stops her advance.
“I’ll just drop you off.”
She doesn’t say anything and I glance up at her as I finish buttoning my pants.
Her expression steals my breath. She’s smiling and her eyes… my heart lodges in my throat at the love I see there. She walks to me, presses her head to my chest and wraps her arms around my waist.
“You are the best everything I’ve ever had. Ever. And, I love you, too.” She whispers against my chest before she presses a kiss to my heart.
Relief sings in my blood. I wrap my arms around her, too, and savor the feel of her in my arms before I force myself to let go and take a step back.
34
ORNAMENT
ELISABETH
“Jeb, don’t be a complete shithead. That boy’s barely off his mama’s titty,” My father shouts into the phone. A deep, smoke charred laugh bursts through the large speaker in the center of his desk.
“He’s older than Old Wolfe was when he started this company. And look what he did? Let’s be honest. You’ve been distracted. Our dividends have been smaller every year since the public offering. And you’ve sold so many shares, that you can’t afford to buy back—”
His head swivels in my direction and I avert my gaze to the ceiling. He picks up the receiver and swivels in his chair so that he’s facing the window. I turn to look in the same direction. The view of Winsome from here is spectacular. He sits atop the hill like a king.
I’ve been sitting here, my stomach in knots, waiting for him to hang up and finally address me. His ever-present bodyguards stand, silent sentinels at his side. It’s just one of the ways he makes himself look important. As if he needs any protection. People around here are afraid to sneeze around him, much less touch him.
“Come to the house this week. We’ll talk about it. But, remember what we did for this town. And remember that soon, I’ll be in Austin, and all of those line items you want will be up to me.”
The sound of an audible gasp, surprises us both and we turn to the door and see Fiona standing there.
“Jeb? Hold on— actually let me call you back.” He slams the phone down and fixes her with a fierce scowl that shocks the shit out of me. It’s ugly and certainly not how I’d expect a husband to look at his wife.
“What do you mean coming into my office without knocking” He growls at her.
She flushes with embarrassment and looks down at her hands. Her eyes dart to me before she looks back at him.
“Ms. Bates said you were alone.” She hesitates for only a moment before she steps fully into the room.
“And since when has that meant you could just mosey on in here without knocking?” He snaps and pulls out one of the pieces of nicotine gum he chews almost compulsively these days.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I was hoping… we could speak in private?” I don’t look at her, but