Black and Blue (Black and Blue Series) (18 page)

If Henry wanted to break up with her
, he would have to do it to her face, but she wanted one more night of sleeping in his arms. “Yes, I still want to go, just let me lean on you and the railing.” Jamie took a deep breath and she heard Emily mumble something. She reached out for the railing and Emily put her arm around her back and slowly they started up the rest of the stairs.

* * *

Henry entered the main house and walked toward the voices. He knew one of them was Mike. He strode into the large living room. Dark, rich, cherry wood filled his vision. It was his second home, and he would always be grateful for what the Rich family had done for him and his mother. When he walked in the room, everyone stopped talking and looked at him. He knew he still had Jamie’s blood on him. He just hadn’t had time to change yet.

“
Oh my god,” his mother said and he looked at her, her hands were covering her mouth, and he shook his head.

“
Mom, it’s not my blood,” he said and smiled at her to reassure her that he was okay, but he wasn’t. He still didn’t know who had tried to blow up Jamie.< [ow od,/font>

His mother was beautiful with her rich brown hair dark
blue eyes. “So it’s true? You are in love with a Moore?” she asked and arched an eyebrow at him.

I
t would seem that his best friend had told everyone about Jamie. “Yes,” he said and his mother shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. He was used to her giving him that look.

“
Are you crazy or stupid?” she asked and he heard laughter.

Henry glanced around and finally noticed
Matthew leaning against the wall to Henry’s right. He had his arms crossed against his chest and his once long ash blonde hair was now shaved. “Ms. Roarke, I believe he must be a little of both to be with Jamie Moore. I know people who went to school with her, and they say she is a daddy’s girl. Do you really think she will keep you from her father?” Matthew asked sardonically. “There’s a hit out for the leader of the revolution and reward,” Matthew said as he grinned at Henry.

He knew about the hit
, but he also knew that Jamie would never turn him in.

“
Henry! You need to end things with her now, before it’s too late,” his mother said approaching him and holding his face in her roughened hands. “I don’t know what I would do if you were killed.”

Henry smiled at her. H
e knew he was all she had. He wanted to change the world for the better because she had given him the hope, but he didn’t know if he could give up Jamie for good. She’d said she loved him, granted she was drugged up, but she’d still said it and he felt his own heart open up for her. “I don’t know if I
can
end things.”

His mother slowly brought her teary dark
blue eyes up to his, and it broke his heart. “Then she will be the death of you, my son,” she said and looked past him. She removed her hands from his face.

“
I-I won’t allow that.” Jamie’s voice filled his ears, he turned around and his eyes widened. She was wearing a long sleeve white shirt and dark jeans, but her face almost matched the whiteness of her shirt. He watched her take a couple of deep breaths. “I will give up my own life before that happened.”

“
That’s Jamie Moore? If so, I will guard her body any day,” Matthew said, and Henry wanted to punch him in his pretty face.

Jamie looked at Matt, and then
turned her gray-green eyes to him. “What the hell is he talking about?” She narrowed her eyes, and he realized that she was leaning heavily on Emily to hold her up. He focused on her chest, and noticed that her breathing was fast.

Henry went to her. H
e needed to get her to a bed to lie down. “Jamie why are you here? You should be resting and having Mrs. Hudson taking care of your pain.” He stopped in front of her and she closed her eyes. He quickly glanced at Emily and she shrugged.

“
I took a pain pill before I left. It just hasn’t kicked in yet. [ick="2em”

Henry
swept her up into his arms. He wanted to be alone with her, and she looked like she was in a lot of pain. He held his Jamie cradled in his arms as he strode out of the large living room, away from everyone. She felt so small and fragile in his arms. He left the main house and heard footsteps behind him, but he didn’t stop. He shoved open the door to his little house and moved toward his bedroom. Truth was, he was happy she was there. He desired to be with her, and wanted her to fall asleep in his arms again.

Gently
, Henry laid Jamie on his bed, and she opened her eyes. “We need to talk,” she said and he knew she was right. They needed to talk about a lot of things.

“
Sweetheart, I told you earlier we talked about what needed to be talked about. Right now all I care about is you getting better.” He sat next to her on the bed and took her hand in his. He glanced down at their intertwined fingers and smiled.

“
Henry I don’t want to be the reason you are put to death, maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she said and he tore his gaze from their hands to her face. She had her eyes firmly closed.

He
gently ran his fingertips down her face and cupped her cheek. “Jamie I want you, and I don’t care what happens to me as long as I have you.”

Slowly
she opened her teary eyes. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing I was the reason for whatever happened to you.”

Henry smiled and lean
ed down until his forehead was on hers. He knew he would gladly die for her. “Marry me,” he whispered as he stared deeply into her wide eyes.

Jamie blinked rapidly.
“W-what?” she stuttered. He didn’t mean to ask her that, at least not like that. He knew that his time was limited and he wanted every second to be with Jamie.

Henry
got up and walked toward his dresser. He reached in his top drawer, grabbing something his mother had given him a few years ago. She’d told him when he found the one, to give her the ring. He knew that Jamie deserved the largest diamond in the world, not the petite gold band he held in the box, but it was all he had. He turned to stare at her and she was now sitting up in the bed. He took a deep breath and moved toward her. He dropped to one knee in front of her, and opened the black velvet box.

* * *

Jamie felt her heart race at the sight of Henry on one knee in front of her. She’d never seen it coming. She’d thought he was going to break up with her, not ask her to marry him. She looked away from him to the ring in his hand. It was a little yellow gold band.

“
Please say something, sweetheart,” he said.

She gazed at
his handsome and anxious face. She loved him, but wondered if it was enough. She knew her father would hurt him, maybe kill him just for being with her, but if they were married…could he really kill his son-in-law?

"2em">
Looking in
to his eyes she knew her answer. She wanted to be with him no matter what. “Yes,” she said and nodded her head.

His eyes lit up and
he took the ring out of the box. She lifted her left hand and spread her fingers for him. The cool metal of the ring slid gently onto her ring finger. “You know this isn’t going to be easy,” he said and lean his forehead against hers, and smiled down at her.

She felt her heart flutter at the thought of calling him her husband, she knew that their relationship wouldn’t be easy and the wedding would have to be a secret but she didn’t care as long as she had Henry.
Jamie felt her eyes burn from her unshed tears, she had never been that happy in her entire life. “Henry what we have is beautiful and dysfunctional, but it’s ours. I wouldn’t change it for anything,” she said and smiled at him.

H
e chuckled. “You are beautiful and I am dysfunctional.” Henry winked at her and she giggled. Which made her back hurt and she hissed. “Sweetheart, rest. We will talk in the morning.”

Jamie grinned and watched
her fiancé as he undressed to his black boxers, she felt her cheeks heat up. Her eyes leisurely roamed over his perfectly sculpted body, from his broad shoulders to his muscular calves. Her mouth went dry. Dark hair dusted his chest and down past his drool worthy abdomen and disappeared into his boxers. Jamie felt the mattress move as he got into the bed. He gently pulled up the covers, rested his elbow on his pillow and his head on his knuckles. She couldn’t get over how gorgeous he was with his brilliant light blue and navy specked eyes. His long dark eyelashes framed his striking eyes, and when he smiled at her, it nearly stopped her heart.

“
You need to sleep, I can see that you are fighting to stay awake,” he said as he softly ran his fingers down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and sleep took her over fast.

* * *

Henry watched Jamie drift off to sleep, and he couldn’t help the grinned that spread on his face. He couldn’t believe she’d said yes. He’d never thought he would get married. His mother had given him her wedding ring a few years earlier and told him when he found the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with to give it to her. It had been passed down from his grandmother, and now it rested on Jamie’s delicate ring finger. The girl lying next to him had come to mean the world to him in a short amount time.

He slowly got out of the bed,
careful not to disturb her, and walked soundlessly out of the room. He went into the living room and found his mother and Cameo sitting on the couch. He’d had a feeling they would want to talk about Jamie.

Kerri
, his mother, stood up. He could tell that she wasn’t happy with him and he understood why. He knew that being with the girl he loved was dangerous, but he didn’t care. “Henry we need to talk,” she said taking a step toward him.

H
e nodded. He needed to tell them about their engagement, and he hoped they would help him. “Fine, but we [Fi"> careful need to keep it down, she is in a lot of pain,” he said and his mother looked at him questionably.

“
I stand by what I said earlier. I don’t think you and she are a good idea. She will be your death.”

Henr
y didn’t miss the sadness in his mother’s voice.

C
ameo stood and joined his mother. “Henry, I agree with your mother. I know William personally and he
will
kill you. His daughter is all he has left of Becca, and he will make sure she is with someone he deems suitable for her. You aren’t what he wants for her.”

Henry shrugged. H
e knew that he wasn’t what her father had envisioned for his only daughter, but he was completely in love with Jamie. “I know what he has envisioned for Jamie, and I know that I’m not even closed to it, but we love each other. I will fight for her or die trying. She is the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. You two should know that I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”

“
What!” both women exclaimed in unison, and his mother’s face started to turn bright red.

Henry
reached down to take each of their hands in his. “I’ve never wanted anyone else like I want her. I know it’s crazy that we have only known each other for a short time, but I have been told my heart would know what it wanted when I saw her, and it’s Jamie that I want. Please support me, support us and help us with this. I need you two now, more than ever,” he said taking a deep breath and holding it in as he waited for their reply. He’d known it wouldn’t be easy telling his mother what he wanted. She was against the Moore’s and had been ever since he could remember. The Rich family were the only Blacks she loved and he used to feel the same, until Jamie walked into his club.

His mother squeezed his hand, and shook her head.
“Oh Henry, what if she won’t stand by you? You need someone that will be willing to give up her life in return. Do you think she will stand against her own father?” She looked up at him and he saw the tears in her eyes.