Page 56 of Never Finished

I nodded, "Thank you."

"But as good as you are at making a drink, I can see you still haven’t learned your lesson. Hanging around my little girl, as if you actually have a chance. I would think someone who valued their job would know well enough to stay away from the boss’s daughter."

I bit back the retort on my tongue, wanting to oust him about the intel we had just gathered, but this wasn't the time or the place, and I knew that.

So I gave him a tight smile. "I would think you’d appreciate that I value your daughter’s safety and happiness above all else… sir," I bit off the last word. "Because she's worth it. I'm a faithful man and I have faith Emma will see what kind of man you really are."

John Carter laughed, and it sent chills down my spine. "You know I can't fire you on the spot because it would be an HR nightmare, but you can bet your ass I'm working on it. One toe out of line and you’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin."

I smiled genuinely, and it seemed to unnerve him. "But I'll still have Emma."

His expression soured, and he banged a fist on the bar. "We’ll see about that," he warned before storming out.

I knew I shouldn't have said that. I was definitely putting the cart before the horse, but I couldn't help but enjoy getting under his skin.

Now I just had to make sure my words wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass, that I would keep Emma by my side no matter how this went down.

Emma

Imust've looked pensive after our call with Abby, because Caroline huffed an exaggerated sigh. "If you're waiting for the perfect moment, Emma, I can assure you it doesn’t exist—just go."

I didn't need her to clarify. I knew exactly what she was telling me to do. Truthfully, I needed very little encouragement. I missed him so much. Even though I was still in the thick of it with my father, I needed his support. I wanted him by my side.

I gave Caroline a quick hug and rushed out the door, hoping I wouldn’t run into my father in the halls of the hotel.

Thankfully, it was late enough that I saw very few people on my way to the bar. When I poked my head in the entryway, I could see it was mostly empty. They would call “last call” soon and guests were already settling up their tabs for the evening.

Jaime was hunched over the bar, focusing on the ledger in front of him, so he didn’t notice me right off the bat.

He looked tired, with dark smudges beneath his eyes. I hated I had caused that. But I wanted to make things right, so I squared my shoulders and marched over to him. When he looked up and saw me, a smile tugged at his lips.

"Emma, I'm so glad to see you. Listen, I am sorry that—"

I held up a hand to stop him.

"Jaime, please. I’m the one who needs to apologize. Being back in Silverpine has been so painful… and surprisingly beautiful, because of you. I shouldn't have pushed you away. It’s been really hard for me to accept that my father isn’t who I wanted him to be—or needed him to be. I feel so ashamed."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You're not him, and you aren’t responsible for his actions."

"Maybe not, but I feel responsible for letting him bully me into leaving you years ago. It hurt like hell, and I've missed you so much, but what hurts more is the thought that I caused you pain. I could justify sacrificing to make my parents happy, but I can't justify you having to pay for it, too. "

I reached across the bar and grabbed his hand. "I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself, Jaime, and I feel like I was falling into it all over again. There have been so many times I've wanted to tell my father to stick it where the sun don’t shine, but he always played the mother card. When she first got sick, he told me if I continued seeing you, he would make sure I never saw my mom again. That he’d send her for treatment far away, and I believed him."

Jaime let out a low curse. "That son of a bitch."

"I know everybody thinks I've taken this too far, and stayed loyal to him for too long, but I had to protect what was my mother's. I was all she had, and with my dad running around, screwing every woman in town, I felt like I needed to make it up to her somehow. I had to make sure her sacrifices to keep our family together weren’t in vain. But I’ve realized she wouldn’t want this life for me. "

"She only ever wanted me to be happy and I don’t think she’d want me to sell my soul just to protect her family’s land. I'm tired of being a pawn in my father’s silly game. It's left me lonely and miserable, and I want my life back. A life with you, if you can ever forgive me."

Jaime rushed around from behind the bar and swept me into his arms. I let out a cry of relief as he held me tightly. I didn't even feel the tears streaming down my cheeks, but when I leaned back, he swiped them away with his thumbs. "Bella, don't cry. I want nothing more than a life with you, too. And I don’t blame you for any of it. Your father took advantage of your warm, generous heart and he’ll pay for what he’s done. Karma’s a bitch."

I gave him a watery smile, looking up into those chocolate brown eyes that were my home. "My only regret is I wanted to come here to tell you I had a plan, that it was all settled and he’d no longer bother us. But I’m still figuring it all out. I’ve hired an attorney to help me fight fire with fire, but I need more proof he’s going against my mother’s wishes."

Jaime's brow raised. "Emma," he started, "You said you knew about him cheating on your mom, right?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately, everybody knew. It was embarrassing."

"That makes what I have a little easier to hand over. I wasn't trying to meddle, I swear. I just wanted the fucker to suffer after everything he put you through. Sofia and I hatched a scheme, and her girlfriend Jen stepped up to help us."

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