Forgotten Promise (Forgotten Series Book 2) (25 page)

~Bryer~

Sagged against the
wall, my eyes glued to the four positive tests, one in each hand, I finally
come to terms with the results. Each box included two tests, four tests can’t
be wrong. I’m pregnant. But how do I feel about the reality? The fucked-up
truth that Nathan and I are not really married, or the one where I tell him
he’s going to be a father, but I’m married to Cash.

I can’t wrap my head
around any of it, beaten down by the master of manipulation. I’m afraid it will
all be too much for Nathan, it feels like too much for me.

The real pain comes
when you realize you can’t get them back, I don’t know how this could ever end
with happily ever after. Some love stories are short stories.

I slither up the
wall, supporting my weight on the counter, gathering my strength, and recouping
my balance. I throw away the four tests staring at me, and then curl up under
the covers of Gen’s comfy guest bed. I see my mother’s journal and hold it
against my chest, tears streaming down.

Dearest Bryer,

My sweet girl, I stopped writing here
a long time ago, but since the doctors told me my mind would be affected due to
the combination of medicine, treatments from the cancer. I wanted you know how
much I have loved you, still love you, even after my mind and body will fail
me, I will go on loving you.

Honestly I never set out for this
journal, to be shared, but looking back at my entries, it’s perfect. The life
lessons I’ve always instilled in you, the reasons why things happened the way
they did. And why I protected you the best way I knew how.

You will be independent, both
emotionally and financially, but I want you to find the kind of love that I
found, share a life, as I shared mine.

Don’t hate him, Bryer, I know it
will be easy to hate him. I’m asking you not to.

David wasn’t strong enough to
witness the woman he loved deteriorate before his eyes. I can let him go
knowing he loved me, just enough. He wanted to remember me today, not months
from now when I’ll be someone else.

You sweet girl are so strong you
will see me through this, you will slay the dragons, and return to fight
another battle. That’s how I raised you. My sense of pride as a mother is
monumental, always know that even when I’m not able to say the words.

You too will become a mother, then
you will truly know a love like no other. An unconditional love that burns a
steady flame for eternity. You are my hero, sweet girl. Be the woman I know you
can be.

Your Mother & Best friend,

Mary

My hormones must be
all over the place because the quiet screams of grief are brought to the
surface, the memories transported here and now. I love her for this gift that
allows me to peek into her life, a life I never knew about. I’ve never felt
closer. Do I hate my Dad for leaving us? No, I forgave him by letting him go,
and we each can go on with our lives. It’s OK, Mom, I don’t hate him. I close
my eyes and drift off, hoping to dream of her. Hold her, and tell her
everything will be okay.

“Bryer, wake up,
Bryer.” Feeling the gentle shake of Gen’s hands, as she sits on the side of the
bed. “What time is it?” I ask.

“Late.”

I look up in a hazy
surprise as to why she’s here. “What’s wrong?” Propped up on my elbows now.

“It’s Nathan.”

“Is he okay? Is he
hurt?’ Sitting up as I grab both her arms, urging her to give me the details
faster.

“He’s here.”

Words escape me, as I
fight the nausea.

“He wants to talk to
you,” she continues.

As if I didn’t
understand what she was saying. I nod my head in agreement, and I push the
covers off me and slide on my jeans and a T-shirt.

“I’m leaving to see
Clayton, you’ll have the place to yourself.” She pulls me into a hug and
whispers, “You love him, he loves you. Please work it out, you belong
together.” I squeeze her in tightly, in lieu of a reply. She leaves and after I
find my fluffy slippers, I take a deep breath and walk out to the living room.

I see him before he
sees me. He’s looking out the window, his back to me, his head hung low, the
weight on his shoulders insurmountable, his hands are in his pockets, his hair
is a disaster. Making him even more gorgeous, he complains about being
pussy-whipped, well I’m dick-whipped. I’m his before a word is ever spoken.

He turns.

I get my first
glimpse of the pain in his eyes.

“God I fucking missed
you,” he says, but doesn’t move towards me.

I lower my head,
questioning if I should return those exact words, they’re the truth. “I missed
you too.” Watching his baby blues that draw me in, too raw for comfort, I look
away, the intensity invading every pore, every fragment of my broken heart.

“That’s a start,” he
says with an unrelenting stare. A slow smile appears then quickly melts away.

“Can we talk?”

I only nod as I walk
to Gen’s couch, timidly taking a seat, attempting to construct the story that
needs to be told. But my thoughts interrupted.

“I’m so sorry, baby,
I’m ashamed of how I reacted, and where my mind went. To watch the one you
love, love someone else is a slow death.” I start to interrupt but he puts his
hands up.

“I know that’s not
what happened, that’s where my jealous, angry mind leads me. I know, Bryer, I
know there’s nothing between you two.” He reaches for my hand.

I let him, knowing
the words that I’ll be saying may change everything.

“Please forgive me,
please.” He takes both my hands and brings them to my lips.

His warm mouth
grazing over my fingers, my knuckles. I can see the moisture in his eyes as he
waits for my words. And my world just falls away. “I look at you and I forget
everything I was about to say.” Meeting his eyes, I know his heart is just
within reach, and I comfort myself in that feeling for a brief moment I have
him back. Before chaos begins and the possibilities fade away. I take him in,
breathe him in. If only for a moment.

Barging ahead, I put
distance between us, and I understand his confusion as I stand. “I need to
start from the beginning Nathan.”

He nods but he’s
oblivious to how bad this will be.

“I warned you, didn’t
I?” Not waiting for a reply. “Cash is the devil, and he destroys everything and
everyone in his path.”

“Yes, lesson
learned.”

“The Austin trip.” I
take a long breath. “I admit it was reckless, but Cash was blackmailing me,
threatening me that he would bring down M&M, he showed me proof of his
control. I thought I was protecting you by lying. I thought I could confide in
you when I returned, less risky, but you found out faster than I could make it
right.” I let that sink in. “I turned in my resignation today.”

He looks at me
instantly.

I watch as he shakes
his head, no and I assume the worst.

“Baby, we have been
fighting relentlessly to get everything back in our name, lawyers, John myself,
we won. Cash lost.”

I can feel the
triumph rolling off him, the pride I’ll be destroying in moments.

“But I won’t deny
that fact that I’m happy you are away from him, and the danger that circles around
him. I’m sorry you had to give up your passion, trust me, we’ll figure it out.”

I’m going to prove
him wrong, the pain radiating off me is causing me to sway, and physically, I
can feel my stomach churn.

“Are you alright?”

“No.” I support
myself on the table that holds the TV. “I’m not. This will hurt, Nathan.”

And a brow is raised
in worry.

“Our friend Kahale,
Cash got to him, paid him off to rig the wedding.” I watch as Nathan attempts to
comprehend, but doesn’t process it. So I hammer on. “We are not legally
married.” A tear falls, I have to reach deep inside for strength.

“What the fuck? No,
Bryer, that can’t be,” he says

“It gets worse.”

“How could it
possibly get worse?”

My heart goes out to
him, I’ve had some time to process, he doesn’t see the hit that’s coming. “The
Austin trip was a farce, a trick. The papers that I had to sign to receive my
mother’s box, they were all lies, tricks he orchestrated to have me sign the
one document he needed to finish his diabolical plan. He even distracted me by
using my ole’ friend who had just lost her husband.”

“What document?” He
slowly stands, bracing himself for the worse, and moving a step closer.

“A marriage license.
Between Cash and myself.” It all happens in slow motion. He processes my words
and I watch his arm fly back and punch the wall with everything he has, every
raw nerve exposed in that one hit. Unfortunately, I have to go on. I don’t want
to, but this is the only way I’ll know if we are moving forward together, or
apart.

“Christ Almighty,
Bryer, did he want you that bad?”

“No, Nathan, he
didn’t want me at all.”

He quickly looks up
to my eyes.

I watch the blood
drip from his knuckles and quickly reach for a kitchen towel. “Here.” As I wrap
it, he doesn’t register my actions.

“My mother had, or
has, a very lucrative insurance policy that Cash wanted to get his hands on.
There were stipulations, my age and I had to be married.”

“He went through all
this for an insurance policy. It can’t be worth more than…”

“5.2 million,” I
interrupt again.

“Fuck.”

I take a step back a
little afraid of his temper. But he collapses on the couch instead. I
cautiously approach him and take his good hand in mine, I hold it to my cheek.
I know I have one more confession and it will be all out, no more fucking
secrets.

His eyes meet mine.

“I’m pregnant.”

~Nathan~

As I wait for the
aneurism to hit, it’s a slow process to absorb the depth of destruction Cash
was able to achieve, the anger hasn’t hit me yet, although I know it’s coming.
The wrath I will bring down on this man will be deadly. I want his head on a
stick. Dismantle him limb by limb, crush his very existence.

But first, I push all
of that aside, force it to the back of my mind, and act like the man I want to
be. “C’mere.” Reaching for her, I put my arm around her shoulder, and touch her
face with the other, I wipe a few tears away as I consider my words carefully.

“Nathan,” she starts.

But I interrupt her.
“Shhh…” I gently push her hair behind her ear, and never waver, focusing only
on her. “We’re having a baby?” I say with a smile. Another tear falls down her
cheek and I catch it with my thumb. “Don’t cry, baby, this is good, so fucking
good, I promise you, I’m overjoyed, proof of our love growing inside you.”
Fighting back the tears of happiness. This bond we have will never break, even
when faced with the most trying of tests.

“The implant was
supposed to last longer. I should have…”

Stopping her once again.
“I love you, Bryer, I never stopped, and this only makes me love you more. What
do you need? What can I give you?” I ask.

“More of this.” She
rests her head on my shoulder, while my heart beats violently through my chest.
And in that exact moment of time. I know what I have to do, but tonight I’m
hers.

“You’re not just a
good guy, you’re THE good guy,” she whispers.

Seizing my heart in
one breath. “I’ll fix it baby, trust me.” Holding her shoulders at arm’s
length, needing her to believe in me. Her eyes never leave mine in an act of
faith. I kiss her wet, soft lips, and my world feels as if it’s slightly turned
a corner leading to happiness. I want her in every way.

My mouth is on the
tender flesh of her neck, my lips feeling the pulse beneath them. Desire
suspended in need wanting all of her. A brutal strength of passion screaming to
be unleased. As I witness my resistance crumbling. God, how she can turn me
into a mad man in one moment and a fucking poet the next.

Grabbing her hand,
strolling into the bedroom, provocatively glancing over my shoulder at her. I
lay her down, fully dressed as I do the same. I pull her towards me so we are
face-to-face. My arm draped over the curve of her hip. “The feel of you next to
me is both intoxicating and comforting, but it will never be enough.” Her
smoldering eyes disintegrating my thin edge of control.

“Never enough,” she
says.

Her familiar scent
tormenting me with memories of me buried so deep inside her. I kiss her mouth,
my tongue swirling passionately within hers. Tension building as our bodies
press against each other.

Peeling off her tight
blue jeans, then her top leaving her in the matching white lace bra and
panties. I’m stoking the fire beneath my touch. Watching her face as I remove
my shirt and pants I’m caught in her web of lust.

Gently laying on top
of her, my mouth finding every inch yet discovered. She pulls her straps down,
causing my testosterone to get a workout, and her bra is off, allowing me full
access to her beautiful fucking tits, sucking them into my mouth one-by-one.
Her breath catches like a whisper in my ear.

My hand slides into
her panties, finding her pussy wet and wanting, my touch provoking a cry of
pleasure. Circling her hidden clit until it swells with hunger. Her blissful
moans mending my heart, pulling me in, bringing me home. I slide her panties
down her legs, admiring every inch, mine all mine.

Our naked bodies
molded together as I enter her gently inch-by-every inch, filling her,
controlling the wildness just beneath the surface.

“Fucking Christ.” A
seductive growl urging me on when a passionate tide over takes me, my speed
increases, each stroke warm and welcoming. God, I love fucking this woman. My
chest rising now supporting myself with my arms I watch, and my punishing rhythm
causing her tits to move in sync. My cock entering her is too hot to watch, a
total fucking turn-on, I’m wrestling with my own need now.

Harder, deeper,
faster I fuck her with consummate skill, I witness the transformation and her
head flies back, calling my name as her legs are wrapped around my hips, and
her hands gripping the sheets riding it out, as I withdraw and slide home
again, asking for more.

My body presses her
into the bed, and my mouth claims hers. “Come again, baby.” I feel her nails on
my back, and she’s climbing to unbearable heights. Tremors start to claim me,
and I welcome the fight to hold on. “I want to own your pleasure, baby, give it
to me.”

“Jesus Fucking
Christ,” I yell out as I’m transcending love into physical pleasure, she follows
me, quivering beneath me. I collapse on top of her and wait ‘til  our
breathing returns. I roll off, bringing her with me, she’s on top our eyes
telling the same story of torment and happiness at the same time.

“I was afraid you
wouldn’t want me.”

“Yeah, if I was
comatose, Bryer, I want you more each day.” Reaching for her hair that is
slightly blocking her beautiful face, my fingers gliding down the soft waves.

“I love you, Nathan.”

Her glorious
afterglow stroking my ego, feeding the man deep within me. Looking up at her
above me. “I love you, too.” My hand touching her belly that will be growing
with my child.

~ ~ ~

I call Brett and make
the arrangements.

I’m walking into the dark
side, unashamed of what I’m about to do. I flinch as the gate clangs behind me,
I will never get used to that noise. Or the cold, or the lack of silence. I’m
ushered into the same room as the one and only time I’ve ever been here, and
that same damn chair is still there, small, and uncomfortable, as if it’s
telling you, your time here won’t be long. Fine by me.

I watch as he slowly
approaches, he’s deteriorated in the last few months. I reprimand myself for the
sympathy that stirs to the surface. That’s fucked up, for sure. He may look
feeble, but he’s still a cobra. Isn’t’ that why I’m here? To use the venom he
so easily produces?

He sits and points to
the phone.

I look away when his
shaky hand picks it up, stopping myself from having compassion, I purposely
recall the malice I’ve felt for so long. Numbing myself is the smartest plan.

“Son, I’m-I’m so
surprised you’re here, I couldn’t believe it when they told me it was you.” His
gaze dipping in shame.

But I stay focused.
“I’m here for a reason, James, a favor. I want you to use your connections,
your brutal strength, to help me bring down a man, a man whose sole purpose in
life is to crush me, and everything around me. And don’t pretend you don’t have
the power. Being locked up has only deterred you from one thing—walking past
these gates.

He looks at me in
question.

He understands what
I’m about to ask. I’ve crossed that line and I’m making a deal with the devil.
“He must have really upset you, Nathaniel, for you to reach out to me.”

His frown evident as
I proceed.

“You’re right, I’m
fucking upset, and I need you to fix it.” Leaning into the glass, knowing I
have to be careful with my words. Everything here is recorded.

“What do you need?”
he offers without thought.

“Cash Harrison,
lawyer from Austin. A liar, a thief, and a crook. He has no scruples whatsoever
and no moral compass. There is no limit to his deceit. First, I want you to
pull out your magic hat of tricks and get my marriage, that he fucked with,
registered in the state of Hawaii. The ceremony was rigged, the license applied
for, but on its way to be registered, Cash killed it.”

“You love her, son?”

“More than my next
breath.”

“Next, there is a
fraudulent marriage on its way to be submitted to the Austin courthouse, a fake
marriage license, between Cash and Bryer that she was not aware of. Stop it.”

He immediately
glances up in surprise. “I’ve worked with some pricks before, but this Cash
Harrison is one for the books,” he says.

“And then there’s Sea
Blue, you own it. Fire him, and I won’t even ask why the fuck that happened.” I
don’t get a read on that one, his lack of expression gives nothing away, I
don’t care. “And in return, you’ll get what you’ve always wanted, I’ll take my
seat on the board.”

His eyes spring to
mine, a huge smile appears. “That will do just fine,” he says, satisfied.

“So do we have a
deal, James?”

“Yes, Nathaniel.”

“This needs to be
done yesterday. I’m depending on you, which is risky, I know, so don’t let me
down. Do. You. Understand?”

He nods yes.

And as I stand I lean
over the small table just inches from the glass, forcing him to look up at me.

“And you’re going to be a
grandfather.” I immediately turn, not allowing myself to see the expression. I
know officially that was a lie, but a small part of me wanted to give him that.
I know he can make all this happen. He understands what it took for me to come
here asking for help.

“Wake up, mother of
my child.” Kissing her bare shoulder, attempting to keep my desire in check.
“Our appointment at Augusta Law Firm is in two hours, I made you breakfast.”

“You made breakfast?”
She stretches and her sweet belly peeks.

Still flat but
cooking my baby. What a feeling, it’s unlike any joy I’ve experienced. “I
pushed something down in the toaster that counts right?”

She giggles.

And my heart melts.

“I’ll shower first, I
need a few minutes in the morning before eating, I’ve learned the hard way.”

“Do you need help in
the shower? It would be purely medical.”

She smiles and ignores
my offer, obviously questioning my motives.

Arriving at Brett’s
office, we are ushered in to the conference room, I pick up a water and hand it
to Bryer, her look is sweet, but on the inside I can feel her nerves are just
under the surface.

“Welcome, Nathan,
Bryer, how are you both?” Shaking both of our hands, always the professional.

“Good, considering,”
I answer.

“I think you’re going
to determine that for us today, Brett,” Bryer adds.

“Then let’s not waste
time. Good news.” He pauses while he goes though the pile of manila files in
the stack.

“That all ours?’ I
smirk, halfheartedly.

“Sure is.” Not
looking up. He holds one file up and taps it on the desk.

I glance at Bryer and
know she’s feeling the same anxiety I’m feeling.

“I’d like to pronounce
you man and wife,” he says so casually it takes a moment to register.

Once it sinks in I’m
on my feet. I pull Bryer in my arms, lifting her so her mouth is in line with
mine, our eyes telling the story we both understand, I kiss her hard. And
carefully set her back down.

“Should I go on?”
Brett teases.

“Of course. “Unable
to wipe the smile off my face.

“The CoCo Palms
Resort stepped in, an unknown source intervened, convincing them the license
you applied for was indeed valid, the resort corroborated that the wedding took
place and has sufficient evidence to submit a second one. They worked their
magic to get it recorded, and you are officially married.”

“Thank you, Brett,
we’re ecstatic.” Reaching for her hand and holding on tight.

“It gets better,
should I continue?” he asks.

“Please.” Shaking my
head at the level of his own satisfaction.

“We hit Cash with a
fraudulent indictment, several charges are brought up against him, and the
marriage between the two of you is null and void.” Nodding his head toward
Bryer. “There’s consequences for his actions, they intend to reprimand him and
do it swiftly.” Another file is opened.

“We can’t forget
Sonja, she’s turned on Cash, and now is a witness for the Bar. She wasn’t too
pleased when she got a call from Carla, the Niemen buyer he spent the night
with in Austin. So not only does she want to save her own neck, she wants to
snap Cash’s. Justice.” He gloats.

“Not to mention other
illegal activity throughout this entire encounter, they are looking under every
stone.”

“This can’t be real.
Karma doesn’t happen this quickly,” Bryer says.

“No, but the law
does. He’ll be disbarred in a matter of time. I’ve protected your life
insurance, with a provision you are the only one who has power over it, the
stipulations still stand, but you’ve met them all. Bryer, I have one last item
for you, apparently Nathan James Sr. has signed over ownership of Sea Blue to
you, and you alone.”