Page 87 of Bump and Run
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I was strategically placed across from my father at the dinner table. Beverly was to my left and her parents were to my right. Alice sat next to my father, on his right, and I didn’t miss the way she kept looking at my father. What was he planning? Was he going to try to make a wedding date decision tonight or something else? So far, the conversation had been light, but now that dinner was over and dessert was about to be served, I could feel the tension in the air.
“Charles.” Dad took a sip of his brandy. “I’ve booked the Davenport for this time next year. It will make a lovely wedding venue for you and Beverly. Invitations are already being prepared.”
I met Beverly’s eyes as I looked up. She was the one who was supposed to go first. She was going to yell at me, throw back the ring, and tell me we were over. That she was in love with someone else and now I was free to be with the man I loved. She started to push her chair back, and I squared my shoulders.
I shook my head. “Dad, we talked about this.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Beverly climbed to her feet, and the ring smacked me in the chest as she threw it at me. “I’m in love with someone else.”
Her parents looked horrified, but not my father. He looked calm, cool, and collected. He opened his mouth just as the doorbell chimed throughout the house. Alice climbed to her feet and disappeared only for Jones to come rushing back into the room seconds later. Along with Ollie and Kit. That wasn’t something we had discussed.
“Charlie loves me!” Jones exclaimed. “And I love him.”
My throat tightened. “What are you doing, Bashful?”
“Taking what’s mine.” He stepped up onto his toes and brushed his lips over mine. I could feel the anger radiating from my father when I gripped the back of Jones’s neck to deepen the kiss.
“That’s enough!” Dad slammed his fists against the table, and I felt Jones jump. I wrapped an arm around him and tugged him against my chest. “Charles, we discussed this. You were either going to marry Beverly, or let me—”
“He married me instead.” Jones raised his chin as he glared at my father, whose eyes had suddenly grown wide. “Yeah, that’s right. Charlie and I got married this morning. He’s my husband.” He beamed happily at me, and my heart thumped against my chest.
Kit snarled as he got right in my father’s face. “You think you’re going to out me? You don’t have the right, old man.”
Ollie’s fingers dug into the back of Kit’s shirt. “Kitten, we said no violence.”
“Yousaid no violence. Give me five minutes with this prick, and I’ll rearrange his fucking face,” Kit promised between clenched teeth.
“Young man.” Dad narrowed his eyes. “You will not come into my house and threaten me.”
Ollie straightened his shoulders. “You threatened us first.” He glanced over at me and gave a quick nod. “You destroyed Jones’s life when you forced Charlie to leave, and now you’re trying to do it again. You’re trying to hurt all of us.”
“Remi, what is Oliver talking about it?” Alice looked between her husband and her son.
Dad’s lip twisted into an angry snarl. “I did what I had to do. I couldn’t have Jones screwing up everything that I had worked for. The career that I was so close to achieving. Yet despite that, here we are. Our sons have gotten married, and now that’s something I’m going to have to deal with it. And Charles’s mother, K—”
“Don’t you say her name,” I warned. “You don’t deserve to even think about my mother. And if you threaten the man I love one more time, I’m going to sic Kit on you.”
Alice took a step back. “Why didn’t you come to the wedding, Charlie?”
“Because I wasn’t invited,” I answered and saw my father flinch. “He was too worried that I would tell you all his dirty secrets. Starting with forcing me to leave so he wouldn’t ruin Jones or you. I love your son. I only want to be with him, and that’s how it’s going to be. This arrangement with Beverly was just that. An arrangement.” I couldn’t be sure if Dad cheated on Alice or not, but that wasn’t my secret to divulge.
Alice moved closer to where I stood with her son, and I let Jones untangle himself from me so he could go to her. He wrapped an arm around his mother and pushed their heads together, murmuring in hushed tones. I glanced over at my father, who looked livid.
“Are you happy now?” he hissed. “Happy that you’ve ruined everything?”
I barked out a laugh. “I ruined everything? Oh, you’re really a piece of work, aren’t you? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through since I left Jones that night? Or what it did to him? Don’t answer that, because the answer is that you don’t fucking care. You cared about one thing and that was yourself. You’re a selfish, horrible person, and I can’t even believe we’re related.”
“You will stop this nonsense at once, Charles,” Dad demanded. “You’re married now, not the way we planned, but that’s fine. You and Jones can—”
“Stop it!” Jones cried and the room went silent. “Stop trying to control everything and everyone around you. Just because you have all this money doesn’t mean you can do this. You’re such a horrible person. I can’t believe Charlie came from you.” His chin quivered as he tried to hold back tears.
I clenched my jaw. “Do you see what you’ve done?” My nostrils flared. “You’ve upset my husband. I can’t have that. Not ever. Jones deserves nothing but happiness, and you’re trying to take that away from him.”
“Remi,” Alice whispered.
Dad took a step toward her, but Jones blocked his way. “Don’t you dare.”
