Claimed by You, page 5
“I'm sorry. I never planned for things to turn out like this.” He says.
“But they did just the same.” I say on a weak shrug, once again turning away from him.
“Scar!” He attempts to come after me, but stops the moment he registers the look on my face when I whip back around.
“Goodbye Westin.” My words catch in my throat and I have to physically force myself to walk away and leave him standing in the middle of my bakery.
The minute I hit the staircase leading up to my apartment, my legs give out and I collapse half way up the stairs. The sobs rip through me with the intensity of a thousand suns.
The betrayal he's inflicted is one that I can not simply overlook. If there is one person that I despise more than anyone in the world, it's Jonathan Ryan. My father. A man that is only interested in his own wealth and achievement. A man that will sacrifice anyone, including his own daughter, if it gets him what he wants.
Westin was always the son he never had. And now.... Well now he's got the child he's always dreamed of. And his actual child... Well, she continues to be torn apart by his selfish nature.
Collecting myself and finally getting my emotions in check, I stand and straighten my shirt before making my way into my apartment and heading straight for my bedroom. Collapsing on my bed, I am sure of only one thing. My days of falling at the feet of Westin Carver are long over.
Chapter Eight
“Westin wait up!” I call after him as he jogs through the thick woods of Auburn park, the sweat rolling down his sculpted back, catching little rays of sunlight that give his skin a sparkling effect.
We have visited the park several times before but this time feels different somehow. I can't put my finger on it but I know, without a doubt, that my life is about to change forever.
“Westin?” I call through the thick trees, having lost sight of him.
Suddenly arms wrap around me from behind and I scream out in surprise. Immediately laughing when Westin nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck and places a gentle kiss to my pounding pulse.
“That's not funny.” I whine, pulling his arms tighter around me. “One of these days you are seriously going to give me a heart attack.”
“Don't be over dramatic Scar. You're sixteen. I hardly doubt a little scare is going to send you into cardiac arrest.” He laughs when I lightly elbow him in the ribcage, freeing myself of his grasp.
I turn to face him, expecting to see the playful grin that he almost always wears. Instead, he is staring at me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle and my heart drop somewhere in my abdomen.
“Come here.” He says, pulling me to him and gently placing his lips to mine. It's the most divine feeling in the world and I jump at the opportunity to deepen the kiss, even though Westin immediately hesitates.
“What?” I ask, my voice riddled with hurt and confusion as I pull away.
“Scarlett, I love you.” He says, gripping both of my hands in his.
“And I love you.” I say, stepping back.
“I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always do everything in my power to do what's right by you. You know that right?” His blue eyes burn so deeply into mine, I swear he can see directly into my soul.
“I know.” My words come out barely above a whisper, before I am taking his mouth with mine once more and pouring every ounce of love I can into the kiss. I want him to know how deeply I love him. More importantly I want to show him.
“Scar, you up?” My aunt Kari's voice echos off the walls around me and pulls me from my dream. I slowly peel my eyes open, not prepared for the brightness of the sun as it hits my sensitive eyes.
“Scarlett Elizabeth!” I hear Kari as she steps into the doorway of my bedroom. “Girl, do you have any idea what time it is?”
“No. And I don't care.” I whine, pulling a pillow over my face.
“Well you should care.” She says, just as I peel back the pillow and glance at the clock.
“Seriously Kari! It's only six thirty.”
“Exactly. Which means you have less than eight hours to finish the lighthouse cake and have it delivered to town hall in time for the fall festival this afternoon.” She says, laughing when she sees the realization dawn across my face.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I chant, quickly peeling myself out of the bed and throwing on the first outfit I see, which happens to be old faded jeans and a long sleeved fitted black shirt. With everything going on with Westin, the fact that the fall festival was today somehow slipped my mind.
“You didn't seriously forget?” Kari laughs, watching me run a brush through my long hair, practically ripping half of it out just trying to quickly get through the knots.
“I didn't forget.” I throw her a vicious glare. “Okay so maybe I did.” I admit, when she throws me a disbelieving look and her hands go to her hips. “But it's okay. I've got the base done and the layers. I just have to decorate it and attach the light. Shouldn't be too hard.” I say, completely aware that I am trying to convince myself of this fact, because I know my words are false the moment they leave my lips.
“Relax.” Kari says on a small laugh. “I have Jules and Maria both working today. Jules can run the front while Maria keeps the stock well supplied, which means you can utilize me anyway you need.”
“Thank you.” I say, exhaling loudly.
Within twenty minutes, I enter the bakery and start working. I do my best to push Westin from my mind, but given that the dream I had is still bouncing around up there like a pin ball, the task proves quite difficult.
As the minutes pass and the cake starts to look more and more like a lighthouse, my mind drifts further. I know it was only a dream. But it was a dream based on a memory. I remember that day. I remember every moment of that day.
I remember the way he looked at me, the things he said. The way he touched me and kissed me just before he pushed himself inside of me for the first time. I remember the way he hovered over me whispering how much he loved me and how good I felt.
And then I remember the way it felt to learn that he had left, just hours later. I can still feel the shock and disbelief that radiated through me as I walked away from his grandparent's house after receiving the news.
His grandma was so confused, so sure that he would have told me. I mean, I knew he was planning to go to college, but that was supposed to be in the fall, not the beginning of summer. I didn't even know that he had been accepted to a specific college, only that he had applied.
I wanted to drop to my knees right there on her front porch but I refrained. Both her and Westin's grandpa were older and not in the best health. Left to raise their only grandchild when their daughter got pregnant at sixteen and the father wanted nothing to do with the child. Westin's mom left town after she turned eighteen and up until the time he left for college, had made no attempt to contact him.
I can't help but wonder if Westin ever got to see his mom again. Did she ever see the error of her ways and come back for him? Did she reach out to him when her mother died or two years later when her father died, leaving Westin essentially with no family at all?
I remember finding out about their passing months after his grandfather's death. My heart broke for Westin. No matter how much he had hurt me, the fact still remained that after everything, I still loved him. Hell, even now, I can't deny that he will always own a piece of my heart, a piece of me.
“Scarlett.” Kari calls into the kitchen, pulling me back into the present. “Jensen is here with the truck. You about ready?”
I look over my cake, adding a few last minute touches as I speak. “I think so. Can you have him come in and help me put it on the cart?” I ask, looking over the massive size of my masterpiece and knowing there is no way in hell I am going to be able to even budge this thing on my own.
Two minutes later me, Kari, and Jensen are very carefully loading a four feet tall and two feet wide, lighthouse cake into the back of Jensen’s delivery truck. Even though I am covered in flour and icing, I still insist on riding in the back with the cake.
I refuse to see days of hard work go to waste because Jensen can't slow down on a curb or slams on his breaks not paying attention.
So after ten nerve racking minutes in the back of a large delivery truck, we finally reach town hall and I watch as four men carry the cake into the main tent where it will be on display until it is served later this evening.
“Do you need a ride back?” Jensen asks, when I finally manage to let my masterpiece go and turn back to face him.
“That would be great. Thank you.” I say, this time climbing into the front cab of the truck.
Jensen scoots into the drivers seat and smiles at me. I know Jensen well enough to know that he's harmless, even if sometimes I swear he's trying to hit on me. He's a sweet man. Short and stocky with salt and pepper hair and jagged teeth, which honestly kind of add to his charm. He's been delivering for us for the past couple of years and is someone I know I can count on in a pinch.
“You okay Ms. Ryan?” He asks, just seconds after pulling up in front of the bakery, clearly sensing that something is off.
“Yeah. Everything is fine Jensen. Just glad to have that cake there and done.” I say, knowing that it's only partially the truth.
“Are you going to be at the festival tonight?” He asks.
“I don't really want to, but there is no way Kari is going to let me out of it. She sees it as a big promotional opportunity, so no doubt she's going to have me walking around with a sign that says I made the cake.” I laugh, but then wonder if that might be something she would do.
“Well I will see you there then.” He says, throwing me a nod as I open the passenger door and climb out of the truck.
I walk into the bakery on auto pilot and quickly slip into the kitchen where Maria is pulling out a fresh batch of sugar cookies. The smell dances around me and I inhale deeply. There is nothing like the smell of cookies just coming out of the oven.
Heading back to the office that sits off to the right side of the kitchen, I poke my head in the door and make sure Kari has everything covered.
“You good if I go get cleaned up?” I ask, when she looks up from her mountain of paperwork and meets my gaze.
“Yeah. But do you have a minute first?” She asks, pulling her reading glasses off and tossing them to the side.
“I don't like the sound of that.” I say, taking a seat in one of the chairs that sits on the opposite side of the desk. “What's up?”
“Westin was here.” She says. The moment the words leave her mouth, my heart is thumping so hard it's a wonder that it's not beating straight out of my chest.
I go to speak, but my mouth feels dry and my throat is clenching around itself. I thought for sure he would have left. Why is he still here?
“You met him? He was here?” I question, trying to let the knowledge that he didn't leave sink in as Kari nods her head at me.
“What's going on with the two of you Scar?” She asks, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the desk, her short blonde bob falling into her face.
“Nothing.” I say, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“Don't nothing me. He's here. Why?” She asks, leaning back and mirroring my actions. “Come on Scar, I'm probably the only person you can talk to about this that knows the whole story. Don't shut me out now.”
Letting out a long exhale, I proceed to tell her about the night before and how I left Carson only to come back and find Westin here. When I get to the part about him working for my father, I see that she's not surprised by the news, which makes me even more convinced that there's an ulterior motive there and that she thinks so too.
“What are you going to do?” She asks, when I finally stop and give her a moment to process everything I just said.
“Nothing. I am going to do nothing. He can't just come back into my life and deliver a blow like that and expect that I am just going to welcome him with open arms.”
“I get it.” She says. “But Scar, by the looks of that man when he came in here today, he's not going to give up quite so easily.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, leaning forward.
“I mean a man like that, doesn't fly across the country and give up the first time he's shot down. Him showing up here today only proves that fact. I hope you're ready, because honey, things are going to get much harder. I know that you are hell bent on resisting him, but before you make both of you miserable, take the time to figure out what you really want. I don't want to see you get hurt but at the same time, I don't want to see you deny yourself the happiness that you deserve either.”
“And you think he can give me that?” I snap, immediately regretting how harsh I sound.
Kari puts her hands up in the air. “I don't know Scar. But what I do know is, it is not in your nature to fight against your heart. Make sure if you do, it's what you truly want.”
I don't know what to say to that. Even though Kari is not that much older than me, she is wise beyond her years, and I have to remind myself that she too, broke away from a controlling family and followed her own dreams.
Honestly, I see more of Kari in me than my parents. Not just in my personality, but in my looks as well. From her slender short figure, to her blonde hair that is the exact same shade as mine, to her dark green eyes, it's like staring back at myself in a mirror. People swear that we are sisters, and while technically we aren't, I rarely correct someone when they assume we are.
But no matter how similar our appearance, it's our personalities that tie us. She knows me and she understands me, because in a lot of ways, she's just like me. As I make my way upstairs to get changed for the festival, I have to remind myself of that fact, along with the possibility that she is right, and that Westin is not going anywhere anytime soon.
As much as the thought terrifies me, it excites me just the same.
Chapter Nine
I keep my attire casual, deciding to wear dark denim jeans and a black top with three quarter length sleeves. Partnered with my favorite boots that give me just a couple of inches in height and are the most comfortable things in the world, I feel more myself tonight then I have over the last couple of weeks.
Customers that frequent Layers stop me here and there to tell me how beautiful the cake is. When I finally make it to the main tent, I see that Kari has placed a huge banner that runs just below the table with our logo on it.
That girl is business savvy through and through. I would have never thought to do something like that but then again, that's why she's the brains and I'm the talent. Or at least that's what we like to say.
Passing the tent, I make my way down through the main strip of town. All the intersecting roads are closed down and lined with games, food trucks, and a live band is currently setting up at the far corner of the area where a large green space sits in front of the courthouse.
Rockland is a beautiful town, and while I love the people and the simplicity of it all, there is one thing that I love more than anything. The lighthouse just off of Rockland Harbor. It takes nearly a mile of walking to get to it, but it's a trip I have made several times since moving here. It's the only place in the world where I have ever felt free.
“Scar!” I hear Jamie's voice through the crowd before I catch sight of her skipping through a group of elderly ladies, wearing large hats, entering for their chance to win a speedboat of all things.
Her pale skin is flushed and her shoulder length brown hair is piled haphazardly on top of her head, but like always, she looks incredible. Jamie is one of those rare beauties. The ones that you absolutely hate because they don't have to fix their hair or wear make up to look amazing.
Her petite figure is clad in jeans and a navy long sleeve t-shirt, and in true Jamie fashion, she has on her trusty flip flops, which she wears even in the dead of winter.
“Hey.” I say, when she finally reaches me standing just off to the side of the green space.
“I didn't know if you would be here or not. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How was California?” She asks.
“It was California.” I say, swiping my hand through the air. “Same old shit. Glad that I left. You get the point.” I say on a light laugh.
“Who do they have playing tonight?” I gesture towards the stage, trying to change the subject.
“Oh my gosh, I totally didn't get the chance to tell you. Deviant is playing tonight!” She practically squeals.
“Wow. That's amazing.” I say, looking back towards the stage and spotting Joey, Jamie's boyfriend, just as he spots us. He throws up his hand in a half wave and both Jamie and I wave back.
Joey is the lead singer of Deviant and probably one of the hottest men Rockland has to offer. With a body for days and a voice that will literally make your panties melt, Jamie has to always be on her toes.
Women are constantly throwing themselves at him and flocking to him, especially at his shows, which usually take place in the little dive bars around town. But it's clear to anyone who cares to really pay attention, that Joey is one hundred percent dedicated to Jamie.
Just one look at the man and you can tell, she's it for him. He looks at her in a way that most women only dream of being looked at.
“They're just playing covers tonight.” Jamie says, pulling my attention back to her. “But it's great exposure at least. Only problem is, I will have no one to dance with this year.” She says, pouting out her lower lip.
“I'm sure there will be plenty of men lining up to dance with you.” I say, my eyes traveling down her body and then back up to her face in a playful way that causes her to swat at me.
“Shut it Scar. And besides, there is only one man I want to dance with and he will be the one supplying the music for this evening. Looks like I am playing the role of crazed groupie tonight.” She laughs.
