Page 95 of Wed to You-
Once the door shut behind Earl, Chelsea stood paralyzed in her kitchen. It was like a dream. And Jagger had given it to her. But why? Their agreement was that he’d pay her debts. So why had he done this? How had he known? With the completion of the work only a week away, he had to have arranged for it weeks ago. Shortly after their marriage.
She propelled herself forward, touring the dining and living rooms, admiring the chandeliers, the crown molding, and the beautifully refinished pine floors. She made her way upstairs and found her black-and-white bathroom tile scrubbed to a bright shine and the claw foot tub looking brand new in the center.
In the master bedroom, her furniture was still covered, but the window seat had been cleaned and painted, and new pillows offered an inviting place to read. Wanting to see the full effect, she removed the sheets covering her bed and other furniture. It was like walking back in time to when the house was new. Whirling with emotion, shesat in the window seat. How would she ever thank Jagger for this? Sure, he had the money and so it hadn’t been a big deal on his end. But for him to think of it. To follow through as a surprise gift to her. That was something else entirely.
It made her feel inadequate and petty even. She’d withheld so much from him. Not just sex, but herself. She couldn’t hide her attraction to him, but she was constantly pushing down the emotions that ran deeper than lust. She couldn’t do something as significant as this, but there had to be something that would mean as much to him as this did to her. She didn’t know what it was, but she’d figure it out and, hopefully, he’d feel the belonging and gratitude he deserved.
Chapter 17
“Where’s Chelsea?” Jagger had made a beeline for the shower when he’d gotten back from the stables. Once dressed, he prepared to take Kaden to his visit with Tanya. But as he walked through the house, there was one glaring missing piece. Chelsea.
“She left, sir.” Grayson stood in the foyer.
“Left? Where? We have to take Kaden to his visit.” Jagger tried to wrap his brain around Chelsea’s behavior. She wasn’t one to run off, especially if she had an appointment. Granted, she didn’t need to go with him and Kaden, but he liked that she did. She had a way of keeping him centered. Even when she let him brood, just knowing she was there kept him from veering off too far into the darkness.
“She didn’t feel the need to tell me, sir.” Grayson’s voice held condescension that irked Jagger. Was the staff still mistreating her? He was so preoccupied with Kaden’s case and work, he hadn’t paidattention.
“What did she say?”
Kaden trotted down the steps with Mrs. Stanton behind him.
“She didn’t say a word.”
“I think she was sad.” Kaden jumped from the last two steps to the foyer floor.
“Sad?” Jagger turned his attention to Kaden.
“Yep. People were saying mean things.”
“What people?” But Jagger knew. He looked at Grayson, who avoided eye contact with him. Mrs. Stanton stopped short, her eyes wide with surprise and perhaps guilt.
“Miss Z said she ate too much and would get fat like a pig. And she didn’t wear shoes and then they said something about the sheets. I didn’t hear that part very well.”
“Miss Z!” Jagger bellowed from the foyer. Fury erupted from deep within him. How dare they say awful things about Chelsea? Especially since the complaints they had about her were the characteristics that drew him to her. He loved that she ate what she wanted. She was the first woman he met who enjoyed food as much as he did. She wasn’t glitzy or fussy with her dress or appearance, which he appreciated. Especially since she didn’t need to worry about how she looked. She had a natural, earthy beauty he found refreshing and so sexy, it was often hard to keep to his “no touch” rule. He didn’t want to think about what the sheets comment was about. It couldn’t have been good and Kaden had heard it all. More than that, Jagger hated that his staff, people he’d trusted, had hurt her. She was kind and gentle. She was sacrificing a lot, living in a home that wasn’t hers, pretending to be something she wasn’t, which was hard enough. To learn, she’d been mistreated made him feel guilty for not noticing and angry at his staff. “I’ll go—”
“You’ll stay right here.” Jagger pointed to Grayson. “Both of you.”
Miss Z hurried in. “What’s all the commotion?”
Jagger whirled on her. “Did you say Chelsea ate like a pig?”
Initially, Miss Z’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she pulled her expression back to nonchalance. “Eavesdropping is rude.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Jagger roared at her. He’d never yelled at his staff, but then he never thought he’d have to.
“What’s eavesdropping?” Kaden looked up at Miss Z with wide inquiring eyes.
“It’s listening to conversations that don’t concern you.” Miss Z was unfazed by Jagger’s anger, which pissed him off more.
“We weren’t listening. We were getting ants on a log for a snack. We could hear them in the dining room.”
“Did you say she ate too much?” Perhaps it was the low menace in his voice, as opposed to loud anger, that caused Miss Z to step back.
“We didn’t know she was there.”
“Why would you say that? What’s wrong with you? Mrs. Stanton? You were a part of this?” It was one thing for Grayson and Miss Z to be mean, but Mrs. Stanton was better than that. Wasn’t she? She’s the one who had taught him right from wrong, about respect and kindness.
“It was an unfortunate—”
