At First Hate, page 17
His eyes fluttered open. He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Morning. What time is it?”
“Early.”
“Mmm,” he groaned, tugging me even harder against him. He rested his chin on the top of my head. “Sleep, my little planet.”
I snickered. “Your little planet?”
“Mars.” He cracked open one eye and smirked at me. “It’s better than how you react to Minivan.”
I huffed. “I’m coming around to Minivan when you say it.”
He rolled over so that I was crushed underneath him. “Oh yeah?”
“Does it make you that happy?”
“You make me happy.”
I ducked my chin at the words, a flush coating my cheeks. “Stop.”
He laughed and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I love when you blush.”
“It happens far too frequently.”
“But somehow not when I’m talking about how wet your pussy is.”
I blushed even harder and tried to hide my face. “Derek!”
“Or is that only when I’m inside of you?”
“Shh!” I crushed my lips against his again to get him to shut up. But he just laughed against me.
“Oh, I like this side of you,” he said with that cocky smirk.
“You know, I’ve always thought you were gorgeous,” I admitted. “Then, you open that mouth of yours.”
“And it makes it better?” he teased.
He rolled us back over so that, suddenly, I was straddling him. Our hips perfectly aligned. His hands on my hips, grinding me downward.
“Always worse,” I gasped out at the feel of him. “You are trouble.”
“Well yes.” His hands moved up my bare sides, under my breasts, and then back down my stomach. “You don’t seem to mind my brand of trouble at all.”
“I mind.”
He arched an eyebrow at me. “Back to the point. You think I’m gorgeous?”
I huffed and leaned forward, patting his head twice. “Your poor ego. I should have thought about how to keep it from getting any more inflated.”
“I noticed you first,” he admitted. His hands stilled on my body. He stared up at me as if I were a vision.
“Yes, yes, I was a cheerleader, and you invited us to your party.”
“No,” he said immediately. “We’d never invited the public school cheerleaders to our parties. The guys thought I was crazy for saying we should go over to see y’all.”
“So?”
“So, I saw you and wanted you there. I wanted you. You had this spark.”
“I was a challenge,” I said with an eye roll.
“No, before you were a challenge, you were a beautiful mystery that I wanted to solve.” He brought my face down to his and kissed me. “Then, you were a challenge.”
I laughed against his mouth. “You’re the worst. You know that, right?”
“Ah, but it makes you keep coming back.”
“Psh! You keep finding me.”
“Same thing.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “So, what’s the plan today?”
“Whatever you want to do. Interview is over.” He winked at me. “We could stay inside all day.”
“As tempting as that is…” I said. And it was tempting. Derek, shirtless and staring up at me with desire, would always be tempting. “I want to see more of the city.”
He thrust upward again, and I closed my eyes as I heated straight through.
“Maybe we could just skip breakfast?”
I laughed. “You make a very convincing case.”
It was at this point that my phone began to ring loudly.
Derek groaned and tried to keep me in place. “Don’t answer it.”
“Only a few people can bypass my silent setting,” I told him, sliding off of his lap. “Probably Lila.”
“Ah, Delilah Greer, always ruining my fun.”
I laughed at him. “You’re silly.”
I picked up the phone and frowned. It was Gran.
“What?” he asked, sitting up on his elbow.
I answered the phone immediately, “Hey, Gran.”
“Marley, chickadee,” Gran said with a sniffle. She sounded like she’d been crying.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Derek arched an eyebrow and leaned forward, as if he could somehow help whatever was coming next. He mouthed, What’s going on?
I shook my head at him. I didn’t know yet.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry to call you so early.”
“It’s fine. You can call whenever. You know that.”
“It’s Gramps,” she whispered. Something wheezed in her chest, and then the tears came again. “He… he passed in his sleep. He’s with the angels now.”
I sank back into the bed. All the wind rushed out of my sails. My heart stopped beating. Everything went deathly quiet. I didn’t have words to respond to my Gran. I had no idea what to say to that.
My Gramps was dead. The man who had taught me to drive. Who had loved to garden and fix cars and do the New York Times crossword every weekend. The man who had been at every one of my dance recitals. Who had cheered for me at every competition. Who had known that I was going to go bigger and better long before I did. He was just… gone.
The only father I’d ever known. The only man in my life. A constant rock. I’d known at Christmas that he wasn’t doing well. I’d gone to see him at the home with Gran. He recognized me despite the dementia running through his mind and muddling everything up. He was shockingly lucid. Even the doctors had thought so. How could he go from that to this in a few short months?
“Marley?” Gran must have repeated. “Are you still there?”
“Yes,” I gasped out. My voice cracked on the word, and tears welled in my eyes.
“I’m so sorry to tell you this. I know that you’re in New York with that boy of yours.” She didn’t even sound disapproving. Though she had been cautious when I told her about it on the phone. “I don’t know how we’ll get you down here for the funeral. I have some money saved, but most of it is tied up.”
“I’ll figure it out. When is the funeral?”
Derek jumped at that word. His eyes going soft around the edges. His hand settled over mine. I squeezed his once and swallowed back the tears.
“We can wait until you’re here if we can scrape together enough to get you home again so soon.”
Christmas had cost a small fortune. I couldn’t expect her to do this. I’d have to use up the rest of my savings for the flight.
“I can do it, Gran.”
She gave me some more reassurances over the phone, and then we ended the call. The minute Derek’s arms came around me, I burst into tears. I sobbed until I had no more tears and was practically hyperventilating. Still, he kept me tight to him, running his fingers through my hair and being the constant presence that I needed.
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough,” he told me gently.
“I… I have to get back to Savannah. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t apologize to me. This is way more important.”
I broke away from him and swiped at the tears on my cheeks. “I need to look up flights and…”
“Hey,” he said, catching a stray tear as his thumb brushed across my cheek. “Let me handle it. You don’t need to do anything. Just get back into bed for a bit or take a shower.”
“Derek… I can’t… I can’t let you do that.”
He kissed my forehead again. “Let me take care of you, Mars. This is something that I can do.”
I wanted to object. Derek had more money than God, but that didn’t mean I was okay with him using any of it on me. But there was something so sincere in his eyes. Something so commanding in that touch. Something I’d never seen in him as he tucked me back into the bed and went for his laptop.
A half hour later, I had a flight back to Savannah the next morning. He didn’t tell me how much it cost, only that he’d booked one for himself too.
“You’re coming with me?”
He grinned as he sat on the bed next to me. “You think I’m letting you go down there to deal with it all alone?”
“I don’t know.”
“I will be there as much or as little as you want, Minivan,” he said endearingly. “But either way, I’ll be there.”
I nestled against him as the tears fell again. It was exactly what I needed. I’d never known I could get it from Derek, and I fell for him all the more in that moment.
23
Savannah
Present
Sailing couldn’t happen right away. Something had come up with Derek’s cousins in Charleston, and he’d driven up there to help Daron, Marina, and Tye out. I didn’t ask specifics, but it hadn’t sounded good. Something about someone trying to purchase their company. His cousins owned Hartage Boating, and it was their entire life. Anything that threatened the company would be cause for great emotional turmoil.
He’d gotten back in last night and already messaged me to see if I was free this weekend. Enough time had passed that I was definitely second-guessing whether or not I should go out with him. What good would come out of this?
I needed a professional opinion before I decided.
“You’re doing what with Derek?” Josie gasped.
I laughed as I walked through Forsyth Park. It was empty for the middle of the day on a weekday.
“He asked me to go sailing with him.”
“And you said?”
“Well, I said yes, but we had to push it back, and now, I’m not sure.”
Josie’s huff was evident. “You girls and these Holy Cross boys.”
“It’s been a long time since he was a Holy Cross boy, Josie.”
“Yeah, yeah. I just love you and don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
“Me neither.” I kicked a small rock off into the grass.
“But do you like him?”
“Of course I like him.”
“He hurt you.”
I headed off down a path that led back to Gran’s house. I’d never get used to calling it mine. “I remember.”
“So, do you want to go through that again?”
“No. I don’t want to be stupid about this, but I’ve dated around. It’s not like I’ve been alone. I just haven’t found the right guy.”
“And that makes Derek the right guy?”
“Probably not,” I said with a laugh. “What do you think?”
Josie sighed dramatically. “Go sailing.”
“Really?” I gasped. “I for sure thought you would tell me to skip it.”
“I’m not saying you should marry the guy. But some good sex might help.”
I cackled, drawing attention from a passing jogger. I waved apologetically. “We did always have good sex.”
“Be careful with your heart. Second chances aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.”
Didn’t I know it?
“Love you, Josie. When are you coming into town?”
“Hopefully for your birthday! Pencil me in for around Halloween.”
“Sounds good. And, Josie? Thanks.”
“Always here for you, Mars.”
We said our good-byes by the time I made it back to the house. I had my phone out, preparing a text to Derek when I froze in place. The front door was wide open. I’d closed it. And locked it. I knew that I had.
Fear gripped me. What the hell did I do? Did I call the police to report a break-in? Go inside?
I stopped at the front of the property and shot off texts to both Maddox and Derek, letting them know what was going on. Derek responded instantly.
Don’t go inside. Wait for me. I’m on my way.
My heart fluttered at the response. I was scared of what I might find inside, but it made me feel better that he’d drop anything to take care of me. As he always had before.
I hovered over the phone number for the police. I didn’t know if it was an emergency. I didn’t want to call them here for no reason.
I was about to make the call anyway when I heard voices from inside. Not in anger or yelling or anything out of the ordinary. Just calm voices. And worse, I recognized one.
My blood froze over as I stomped across the yard and up the steps. “Mom?” I shouted.
She appeared then out of Gran’s kitchen, holding up an old teapot. I recognized it as an heirloom that had been passed down for generations. One that I loved very dearly.
“Oh, Marley, I didn’t know you’d be in today,” she said as if it were completely normal for her to be in the house. She’d even dressed herself up. She wore a knee-length black skirt and shiny pink shirt. She looked half-presentable, if I didn’t know she was completely rotten on the inside.
“What are you doing here?” I snarled.
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t your property. I don’t even know how you have a key. You shouldn’t be here.”
A second woman stepped out of the kitchen. She was also dressed sharply in a black suit with a blue blouse. She smiled sweetly at me. “You must be the daughter.”
“Who are you?”
She stepped forward and offered her hand. “I’m Regina McGregor. Your mom has hired me to help appraise the house and the belongings within. Let me tell you that I am so sad for your grandmother’s passing, but don’t worry. You’re in safe hands.”
I saw red. My eyes snapped to my mom. “You did what?”
“Don’t overreact, Marley Sue,” she said, saccharine sweet.
“Get the fuck out of my house.”
Regina startled. “But we’ve only just begun.”
“What lie did she spin for you? This isn’t her house. It doesn’t belong to her. Gran left it for me and my brother. She didn’t get a dime. Not a single cent from the woman she never treated like a mother. So, no, you can’t be in here, appraising my belongings.”
Regina gaped. “I… I wasn’t aware. Hannah said that she had been given the property and there was some legal dispute.”
My mother’s face soured at my outburst. “Marley, you are going to have to come to terms with reality.”
“Reality? You’re the one suing me, your own daughter. You’re not going to get the house or anything in it. Not a single thing as far as I’m concerned.”
Regina held her hands up, clearly floundering between the two of us. “I’ll just wait outside. We can start things again at a later date, Hannah. There’s plenty of time.”
Then, she crossed Gran’s house and went to step outside, but in her way was all six foot five of Derek Ballentine.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, low and venomous. His eyes found mine in the room, unhurt and in one piece. He released a breath. Then, he saw my mother standing a foot behind me. “Ms. Christianson?”
“Derek,” she said coolly. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes snapped between us, as if trying to decipher something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. I minutely shook my head once. He shouldn’t give my mother the ammunition she needed.
“I was in the area. I saw the door open as I drove by.”
“I see,” she said. “We were having the property appraised.”
I stiffened all over at those words, and he must have sensed it because his voice hardened when he replied, “As your attorney, I would encourage you to step away from the matter. We can speak about evidence for the trial, but you shouldn’t be… entering a property that doesn’t currently belong to you.”
“Fine.” My mom huffed and dropped the teapot into my hand. It bobbled as I grabbed for it, nearly losing the priceless thing. I clutched it to my chest as she passed by without a word.
Derek waited for my mom and Regina to vacate the premises before turning back to me. He was still formal, considering they were so close. “We’ll close this behind us. Sorry for all of this, Miss Nelson.”
“Thank you,” I breathed. My eyes were wide to show how much I appreciated it.
He nodded his head. “Just glad that I… happened to be in the area.” He winked at me.
I held back my snicker. “Saturday?”
A smile broke through his polished veneer. “You’ve got it.”
Then, he pulled the door closed behind him and was gone. I crumpled onto the floor, holding Gran’s teapot close to my chest. A sob escaped my lips, and tears fell all over again. I hated my mother so much. So, so much. What a horrid woman. I needed to get the locks changed, but I didn’t even know if I could do that while we waited for all of this to be fixed. I’d have to call my attorney and ask.
A few minutes later, Maddox burst into the house. “Marley?” I was still on the floor. He skidded forward, dropping to the floor next to me. “What happened?”
“Our mother happened,” I growled.
I divulged all that she had done in a long-winded panic.
His own fury clouded his vision, and he said the only thing that needed to be said, “We’re going to fucking win.”
24
Savannah
March 11, 2013
We landed in the Savannah humidity the next afternoon. The air hit me in the face, and I nearly cried again, thinking about all the days out in this weather with Gramps. The news kept hitting me fresh. It was still too real. And at the same time, completely unfathomable.
“Who’s picking us up?” I asked, brushing aside the tears again. I’d put the entire trip into his hands. I hadn’t even considered who could get us at the airport.
“Dad offered to send a driver.”
“In Savannah?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I could have called Maddox.”
“While you’re all grieving? No.”
He seemed so adamant that I just went with it.
Derek recognized a man in the crowd. They shook hands, and then we were escorted into the back of a black Mercedes. It’d have made me feel vaguely important if I didn’t feel utterly ridiculous.
“Here you are, sir,” the driver said when he pulled up in front of Gran’s house.
“Wait here for me while I get Marley inside.”
