“Don’t I always?” she countered before slumping down into her chair and looking out the window.
She barely listened to the lecture though she was sure it’d seeped into her subconscious. She let out a silent sigh as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Jordan standing next to the Jeep and she covered her gasp with a cough that brought Tate’s attention to her.
“What?” he mouthed silently and she cocked her head towards the window. “What’s he doing here?” he added the question on the softest whisper ever.
She shrugged her shoulders widening her eyes to show her surprise at the turn of events. “What do I do?” she replied just as quietly to him.
“Go,” he said nodding towards the door.
“I can’t,” she argued.
“It’s you or the entire school,” he told her pointing at her and then gesturing to the rest of the classroom. “After class…”
She nodded watching the clock like a hawk. The second the bell rang, she was out the door and hurrying through the hallway to the parking lot. She slowed down once she hit the side of the building, and she took a moment to calm her wildly beating heart. She reached him praying no one was watching.
“Jordan, what are you doing here?” she asked cautiously.
“I thought you’d want to know I found your mom.”
“You did?” she asked taking a step back. “Where?”
“She’s in jail in Kentucky.”
“Oh my god, I half expected her to be dead,” she admitted leaning back against the hood of the Jeep. “So what now?”
“We can get married this Friday. I have a lawyer flying out to meet with her and she’s agreed to sign the papers.”
“How much? How much did she ask for to do it?” she questioned turning to look up at him, hearing the angry note in his voice on the word agreed.
“Nothing,” he told her, but she knew better.
“Jordan, if we’re going to do this there can’t be lies between us, so how much?”
“Fifty thousand,” he admitted and her face fell. “Mel, it doesn’t matter, honey. I pay her, she signs the papers and disappears. That all she’s getting and if she says one word to the press or anyone, she’ll be back in jail before she knows it. I pulled some strings to get her out once she signs the papers and the gag order.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked as he pulled her into his arms for a hug.
“Because you deserve so much better than what you’ve gotten. Hey, look at me,” he said lifting her chin. “This is all going to work out I promise. Friday afternoon we’ll get married. There’s this little gazebo in the back part of the park and I have a friend who’s a judge, he’s agreed to marry me and my special bride. I didn’t tell him the whole story just that I’d fallen for abeautiful girl but she’s too young for me to marry without her mother’s approval.”
“And he didn’t tell you to wait?”
“No, he figured if your mom was agreeable to it, it would be better for us to get married than be together than the other way around.”
“He’s a bit old-fashioned I take it?” she asked with a grin.
“Completely, which means you need a dress.”
“Well I’d go dress shopping, but I have this pesky little thing called school and I have a boss who doesn’t like to give me time off,” she joked leaning her head against his chest.
“Then I’ll just have to speak to your boss and make sure he gives you time off. I’ll handle things this afternoon. Take it easy, okay? I know this is a lot to process and you don’t have to deal with it all alone. Talk to me; talk to Tate. Finding out your mom was still out there…I know that hurts so promise me you won’t keep it all bottled up.”
“Okay,” she agreed with a sigh.
“I should go; I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah,” she agreed and took a step back. He reached down and dropped a kiss on her forehead before walking away to get to the office. She gave another sigh before turning back towards the school. She saw Tate waiting for her at the side door and she hurried over to him.
The hallway was full of students, and she gave him a questioning look.
