“I need to tell him.”
“If he’s dumb enough to believe her lies, let him. He’s a big boy. He doesn’t need you to protect him from the mistakes he was stupid enough to make.”
Douglass gawks at me. “Youbelieved her lies for years.Youwere going to marry her. Pot meet kettle,” she points out.
Okay, she has me there.
“And I thank God every day that I didn’t. You know what else I’m thankful for?”
I pull the Jeep along the curb because there’s another car in the driveway behind Natalie’s. I don’t recognize the silver Mercedes.
“Please enlighten me,” she drolly sasses, her hackles raised, and her cheeks flushed. She’s so incredibly sexy when she’s pissed off.
“You.”
I yank her over the console and kiss the hell out of her.
Breathless, she weakly replies, “Good answer. But—”
I groan in protest because I don’t want to talk about Amelia or Chase anymore.
“Seriously, Jordan. Hear me out. You can’t just assume Amelia is lying to Chase because she lied to you. I won’t even get started on how problematic that mindset is and the problems it creates and has created for women in our society. And if she is pregnant, the child will be my niece or nephew. An innocent baby who has nothing to do with how either of us feel about his or her mother or father.”
Shit. She’s right. Douglass and her goddamn beautiful, big heart.
“You’re amazing,” I tell her.
She looks unsure and a little surprised. “Thank you?”
It’s cute how she says it as a question, so I kiss her lips one last time before getting out of the Jeep. “Stay there.”
Rounding the hood, I open the passenger door for her, then reach for her hand to help her out. As soon as I close the door, I push her back against the car, claiming her mouth again. I can’t seem to kiss her enough.
Douglass wraps her arms around my neck and raises on tiptoe.
“How are you at weeding flower beds?”
I grab her hips. “Pretty damn good. I am my mother’s son. Green thumb and all.”
I don’t care what we do today so long as we do it together. I’ll call Mike and see if he can pick up some wood boards and power tools and drop them off, so I can help Douglass fix the porch steps.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.
Douglass and I both turn when Amelia’s shrill voice blasts obscenities from the front porch. She’s the owner of the Mercedes? For someone who hasn’t worked a day in her life, how the hell can she afford that car? The base model of the S-class costs over a hundred grand.
I can feel Douglass’s heart start to pound, and anger quickly rumbles up, thick and viscous.
“I won’t let her anywhere near you.” I keep my voice low so only she can hear.
Douglass shocks the shit out of me when she cups my face with one hand and kisses me right in front of Amelia. Her smile is reassuring and filled with resolve, letting me know she’s got this. I grip her hand and squeeze it. My way of telling her that I’m here. I’m hers. That I support her one thousand percent.
Douglass straightens her spine, holding her head up high. Pride fills my chest until it almost bursts open.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” she says.
With our hands joined in solidarity, I walk with Douglass across the lawn to the house, toward an enraged, red-faced Amelia.
