Without any words, Shawn pulled me closer so I was straddling him. Resting his head on my shoulder, he cried. Hard. His whole body shook with grief. Wrapping my arms around him, I held him as close as I could. My cheek pressed against the top of his curls as he grappled with his emotions. This wasn’t a time for talking; it was a time for just being there. Holding on as hard as I could.

  I’m not sure how long we sat like that, embraced in sorrow and comfort, but eventually, he pulled away and looked up at me. This beautifully broken man had never been more attractive to me.

  “Will you come with me?” he asked. His voice was cracking. “To the hospital. I don’t think I can do it alone.”

  “Of course.”

  He gave me a small nod. “I need a minute to splash some water on my face.”

  “And probably put on a shirt.” I smiled lightly.

  It brought a small one to his lips. “Probably wise.”

  I got off his lap, and he took my hand when I offered to help him up. He didn’t release it right away as we both looked at each other.

  “Thank you, Jasmine.”

  “Anytime. Anything you need. Just ask and it’s yours.”

  He looked at me intently, then squeezed my hand once. He went to his bedroom to freshen up while I took the Jack and dumped it right down the sink and tossed the bottle into the trash. He wasn’t about to slip up on my watch. Unsatisfied with the bottle in the trash, I took the bag out and brought it out to his bins in the back. I wanted there to be no trace of it when he came out of his bedroom. Out of sight, out of mind. That never worked for my dad, but I had to try.

  When I got back inside the kitchen, my heart leaped into my throat. I heard Shawn speaking to someone at the front door. Walking fast to the hall, I spotted the tuft of blond hair above Shawn’s curls.

  Joe. He was here to pick me up for our date.

  Fuck.

  “You must be Joe,” Shawn was saying as he pulled on his T-shirt.

  “And you must be the guy who broke my date’s heart.”

  At that, Shawn turned to look at me. He had one eyebrow raised.

  “Your date? Wow. You do move on fast.”

  The look of disappointment that washed over his face hit me like a truck. He brushed past me without even looking at me, scanning the floor probably for the Jack.

  “What do you care how fast she moves?” Joe asked, puffing up his chest as he came inside. “You don’t get to have a say in what she does with her life. You left her. You crumpled up her heart and took off, leaving your child in her belly. You don’t get to judge her for trying to make a better life for herself.”

  “Guys, please don’t fight—” I tried, but Shawn stopped his retreat to come back to stand face-to-face with Joe. He was easily two inches taller than Shawn, and twice as broad, but the fury in Shawn’s eyes even made Joe take an unintentional step back.

  “You think you can give her what she needs?” Shawn asked.

  Joe stood up to his full height. “I do. I’m here. I want kids. I can provide for her. I have 50K in stocks, I own my own house, and I run a successful business.”

  “Oh, rich guy, are you?” Shawn turned back to look at me. “Is that the sort of guy you want? Someone with money?”

  “Shawn, you know I’ve never cared about money,” I tried weakly.

  “Is it the muscles, then? Seriously, Jasmine. What is your type? First an old dude, then me, now this alpha prick? Do you even know what you like?”

  I took a step back at the comment. It felt like a slap across the face. So cruel. I’d never seen him like this. Not with me.

  “That’s it. She doesn’t need to listen to your toxic jealousy. Jasmine, let’s go,” Joe said, holding out his hand to me. I just stood there, my body still in shock from it all.

  “Yeah. You be sure and show her a good time,” Shawn said, focusing all his attention on me. “I have more important places to be anyway.” He grabbed his keys off the table and shoved himself past Joe, nearly knocking him on his ass.

  “What an asshole,” Joe said once Shawn’s car peeled out of the driveway. “Are you okay?”

  No. No, I was not.

  13. The Ultimatum

  “So. He’s back. For you?” Joe asked. I paced the living room, trying to figure out if I should stay with Joe or go after Shawn.

  “No. He didn’t come back for me. His dad’s had a heart attack. He’s in surgery now.”

  “Why did he come here then, instead of going to the hospital?”

  Because he wanted to drink away the pain.

  “I don’t know,” I lied. “We’d just started talking when you showed up.”

  “Did you sleep with him?”

  I spun around and looked at him. “What?”

  “Look, Jasmine. I’m not an idiot. He answered the door without his shirt on—”

  “No, I did not sleep with him, God!” I screamed. “I was only here a few minutes before you showed up. It’s his own house. He can walk around without a shirt if he wants. It’s fucking hot in here, in case you can’t tell. Just because he wasn’t wearing a shirt doesn’t mean we slept together.” But I would have. If he had shown even the slightest interest, I would have. That was the power he held over me.

  Joe nodded once. “I believe you. But I don’t think you’re seeing what he’s doing, Jasmine.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “What? What is he doing?”

  “He’s trying to worm his way back into your life.”

  “His father had a heart attack! That doesn’t mean he wants me back. It means he cares about his family.”

  “So, his father he’ll come back for. But not you?” He raised a judgmental eyebrow. I hated how much his question hurt.

  “Yeah,” I admitted through forming tears. “Which just proves how little he cares about me. And why he’s not trying to worm his way back into my life. He’s here for his dad, okay? Not me.”

  Joe came up to me and put his hands on my shoulders gently. “Okay. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I guess, when I saw him, half-naked with you...jealousy got the better of me. And I know we’re not officially together. I know that you’re not fully over him yet. I just, man... When I saw him open the door, I’ll be honest, I wanted to pound him into the ground.” He moved the pad of his thumb to catch a tear that had slid down my cheek.

  In return, I rested a hand on his chest. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I had no idea he’d be here. I was over at Annabelle’s helping with the twins. I didn’t know he’d come back, I promise. I’m sure he’ll only be here for a few days to be with his father. Then he’ll disappear again.”

  Joe studied me for a moment.

  “Stay with me until he leaves,” Joe begged.

  “What?”

  “Just until he goes back to the place he ran off to. I don’t trust him here with you, Jasmine. I don’t trust him not to hurt you again.”

  I let go of him and took a few steps back. “Joe, I can’t move in with you. Even temporarily. We barely know each other.”

  “Did you know Shawn before you agreed to marry him and share a single bed with him for a five-day cruise?”

  “No, I—you know I didn’t,” I sputtered.

  “So, what’s the difference? I promise, no funny business. I’ll sleep on the couch. I just want to make sure you’re protected. Let me make sure you’re safe.”

  I smiled up at him. His heart was in the right place. But he got this all wrong. I wasn’t in any danger. “He won’t hurt me. There’s nothing left inside of me to break.” I shrugged.

  “But what if he starts drinking?”

  I cocked my head. “How did you know about that?”

  “Hank. Annabelle told him all about it. My mom was a drunk, Jasmine. A mean one. If he ever lifts a hand against you—”

  “He’s not violent. Okay?” I slid a hand inside of his to try to calm some of his building rage. “He’s never physically hurt me. He’s not an angry drunk. He’s an emotional one.”

  He cupped my face with his hand. “I don’t trust him, Jasmine. And neither should you. Stay with me. Just until he’s gone.”

  As much as it pained me, Joe did have a point. It probably wasn’t a good idea to be in the same house with Shawn for my personal mental sanity. How was I supposed to move on from him, if every time I turned around, he was there? But the thought of not being here, to help him through this awful part of his life... I couldn’t abandon him like that, could I?

  “Can I think about it? I mean, normally, I make decisions too fast, and I end up marrying strangers. This time, I’d like to take some time to process the options.” I looked up at him. “Is that okay?”

  “Sure. Take all the time you need. He pressed his lips to the top of my forehead. “Tell you what, I’ll even let you pick out the first movie we watch tonight. I rented like ten of them. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I picked a bunch.”

  “Movie? Oh, right. We were going to hang out tonight.”

  “Did you forget?”

  “No. It’s just, with so much that just happened... I’m sort of all over the place emotionally. I don’t think I’d make good company tonight.”

  Joe’s smile shifted. “You want to go after him, don’t you?”

  “No,” I said, though I didn’t believe myself.

  Joe took a step back from me. His eyes looked distant. Cold, somehow. “Right. Well, I’m gonna head out. You clearly need some time to think. To sort out what it is you want.” He walked over to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. He paused there for a moment before he turned back to look at me.

  “Look, Jasmine, I know I said I was willing to wait for someone I thought was worth investing in, and I still think that could be you. But I won’t wait around forever. And I sure as shit won’t be your backup plan. Understood?”

  He was giving me an ultimatum. Him or Shawn. “I understand.”

  He walked back over to me and lifted my chin with his hand to look into his eyes. “I want you to pick me, Jasmine. To give us a try. But if you can’t, I need to know that, too, so I can move on. If it’s him, you’ll never hear from me again. But if you do pick me, I don’t want his name to ever cross your lips. Deal?”

  “He’s the father of my child,” I said. “I can’t cut him out of my life entirely.”

  “You honestly think he’s going to want to play a role in this kid’s life?” He raised a questioning eyebrow, and I hated that he was probably right.

  “No. I don’t think he will, but if he does decide to be involved, I can’t deny him access to his kid. That would be cruel.”

  “Because he’s never been cruel to you?” He ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. That was mean. I’ll go. Give you time to think. But just let me say this. I’m not Shawn, Jasmine. I’m not gonna bail on you. I’ll take care of you. Both of you. That said, I’ll say it again: I’m not Shawn. I never will be. If he is what your heart wants, there will be nothing I can say or do to change your mind. Consider your options carefully, okay?”

  He leaned down and kissed me on the head again before he left me alone in Shawn’s house to think. He had every right to know where my heart was. The only problem was that I didn’t know the answer to that myself.

  14. The Waiting Room

  I’d like to say that I mulled the choice for a long time on if I should stay at the house or go to the hospital to check on Shawn, but in reality, I left the house the second Joe cleared the driveway. There was nothing to mull. Shawn asked me to be there. He needed me. Or maybe I needed him to need me there. The way he’d latched onto me and held me moments earlier was enough to fuel me for a lifetime. In that one brief moment I felt like I saw a glimpse of his heart. And that included me.

  I got in my car and raced to the hospital. At this hour, the roads were mercifully quiet, allowing me to park and get inside in record time. Fighting back the familiar nausea hospitals gave me, I headed to the surgery waiting room. It wasn’t hard to find. It was the only one in the building, and I knew it well. I paced these same carpets myself while my father was here.

  Instantly, I saw a sea of dark curls all standing in a joint embrace. The women had to be his sisters. I’d know that shade of brown hair anywhere.

  I gasped, hearing their soft sniffles. “Is he...” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “dead.” Slowly, Shawn lifted his head out of the group hug. His eyes were red, and tears leaked down his face. My heart sank.

  I thought he was going to yell at me to leave. That I had no right being here. But instead, he walked over to me, dropped to his knees, and placed his head against my stomach, holding me close to him.

  “He’s okay,” he whispered. “The surgery went well. He’s going to be okay, Jasmine.”

  Relief flooded over me as I pressed my hands against his head, pulling him to me. Tears of joy ran down my face as my fingers laced themselves effortlessly inside his curls like they’d done countless times before.

  When I looked up, I saw five pairs of eyes on me. All of his sisters. Not the ideal time to meet family for the first time.

  “I’m sorry to barge in on you all,” I said apologetically. “I just wanted to make sure Shawn made it here okay. He was so upset...”

  “Mr. Maven? Can I speak to you for a second?” a voice came from behind me. Shawn lifted his head as he stood up.

  “Dr. Kaden. Is it my father? Has something happened?”

  “Everything’s fine. I’d just like to discuss his recovery plan and arrange for a home health nurse visitation schedule once he’s been discharged. There’s also some insurance paperwork we need to go over. He’s asked me to talk to you about that.”

  Relief seemed to flood his body. “Of course.” He looked back at me as though to say stay. I nodded once at him as he went out into the hall to speak to the doctor, leaving me alone with his sisters.

  “Jasmine?”

  I instantly recognized Wendy’s voice as she approached me.

  “In the flesh.” Wendy smiled at me, showing off a slightly crooked set of teeth. Raising her arms, which were covered in a billion bracelets, she pulled me into a hug.

  “Thank you for coming,” she whispered.

  “I couldn’t stay away.”

  She squeezed me again, and shortly thereafter, his other sisters followed suit. My eyes leaked with emotion.

  Eventually, we came apart, and Wendy made the proper introductions.

  “Jasmine, this is my sister Sandra and her wife Cassie.” The darker-haired woman smiled and waved while the blonde sitting in the corner nodded at me.

  “This is Bethany,” Wendy continued. “She’s single AF if you happen to know anyone who isn’t afraid of a woman with some muscle.”

  Bethany shoved her sister with her elbow. “Always the matchmaker, this one. Yet, do you see her out on the field?”

  Wendy blew off the comment and continued with her introductions. “The short one here is Cara. She’s a teacher whose boyfriend is...?”

  “Having a smoke,” Cara said with a tone that indicated she wasn’t fond of his habit.

  “And last but not least,” Wendy said, “this is Janice.” Janice was typing something on her phone.

  “Sorry. Sorry, James was texting me. One of the kids got a scrape on his knee. My husband is useless on his own. He doesn’t know where anything is. Even the Band-Aids.” She shoved her phone into her pocket. “Nice to finally meet you.”

  “You all as well. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “You have?” Bethany asked.

  “Well.” I blushed. “Enough to know that you’re all pretty close and that you loved to torment him as a child.”

  Cara laughed. “We did torment the little bugger, didn’t we?”

  “That’s what older sisters are for,” Janice said. She looked exhausted. Like she hadn’t slept for months. “My two are constantly at each other’s throats. I thought, let’s have a few kids so the one won’t be bored. Now, I spend my days breaking up their bickering.” She looked at her sisters. “We were way nicer to Shawn than Kaylee is to Ryan.”

  “So,” Sandra said, coming closer. “You’re our sister-in-law. I never thought he’d get married, and then when he does, he denies us all the privilege of being there to tease the hell out of him. Typical.” I couldn’t tell if she was joking or was sincerely hurt.

  “Sandra, don’t scare her off.” Cassie laughed. “It’s hard joining this family. There are lots of opinions to contend with,” she said, smirking at her wife.

  “Pft. Mine’s the only one that matters. I’m the oldest, and therefore, the wisest,” Sandra said as though that settled the matter.

  “How is your mom doing?” Cassie asked me. I blinked at her.

  “My mom?”

  “Shawn told us you went to Florida to be with her for a bit after your dad passed. That’s why he came up to visit us. Though why he didn’t just go with you to Florida, I have no idea.”

  He told them I was in Florida? I glanced over at Wendy, who looked down at the ground. She hadn’t told them the truth about us. That our marriage was fake. That he’d abandoned me. But more interestingly, neither had he.

  “Oh,” I said, scrambling for a lie. “I told him I wanted to go alone. My mom was going through a lot, and she didn’t know Shawn well. I didn’t want things to be uncomfortable for her. And I know he was missing his family, so...”

  “Right. Kind of you,” Cassie said with a look that told me she wasn’t buying it. “Well, we will have plenty of time to get to know you better since we’re all crashing at Shawn’s for a few days.”

  “Not me,” Janice said, typing on her phone again. “I can’t leave James that long. One of the kids will burn the house down, and James would never even notice. I’ve got a flight back tonight, assuming Dad is still doing well.”

  “Ugh. Kids ruin everything,” Sandra said. “Remind me to never get pregnant.”

  Cassie kissed her on the nose. “I promise to never impregnate you.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10