He tilted my head up to look at him, affection glittering in his eyes.“Me either. But we’ve got a second chance now. We can have what we had before, Kiki, I know we can.”Warmth rushed through me, the barbed wirethathad been embedded in my heart from the day he walked away from me ten years ago unraveled.“No more secrets, though. No matter what happens, we always tell each other the truth.”
Acid rose in my throat, bitterness toward my father coursing powerfully through me. Needing space, I quickly stood, turning my back on Jackson but feeling his curious gaze on me.
“Kiki?”
I spun to face him, and at hearing the concern in his voice, my heart splintered into two. I still held onto a secretthathad the power to bring any hopes of a future together grinding to a halt. I had to tell him, though. I wouldn’t keep anything else a secret, and ifthatmeant he walked away,thenso be it.
I couldn’t do anything to hurt him again.
“I can’t have any more children,”I blurted, numbness sweeping through my body.
Jackson stood, and in two strides, was in front of me.“What?”
I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at the disappointment on his face.“When I had Billie, I…I was told I had complications, but the truth…the truth is, my dad paid a surgeon to give me a hysterectomy after she’d been delivered.”
A tender finger stroked against my cheek, and my eyes fluttered open. Jackson gazed down at me, sympathy shining in his eyes.“Kiki, I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head.“I’m the one who’s sorry, Jackson. I can’t…I can’t give you any children, and I know how important a child is for Legion to continue.”
Overcome with emotion, a sob burst free, and I burrowed my face into the palms of my hands. Jackson pulled them away, delicately lifting my chin up.“Baby,”he cooed, lowering his lips to mine.“You think I care aboutthat?”He raised a brow, but a reply caught in my throat.“Kiki, I spent ten years of my life without you. There is nothing you can say or dothatis going to stop me from spending every damn day of the rest of my life with you. Kids or not, I don’t care. Ijustwant to be with you.”
His mouth pressed against mine, my hands flying to grab his hips as his tongue slid past my parted lips to twirl with mine. A deep groan rumbled in his chest as he deepened the kiss, his cock twitching against my stomach.
Breaking the kiss far too soon, he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine.“I love you, Kiki,”he breathed against my lips.“I loved you when we were kids, I love you now, and I’ll love you when we’re old, and we don’t remember each other.”
I giggled, feeling a tad lighter, but knowing the weight wouldn’t lift from my shoulders until Billie was safe.“I love you too, Jackson. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved.”
Lifting to tiptoes, I looped my arms around the back of his neck, pulling him down so I could kiss him again, and never wanting to let him go.
Minutes felt like hours as they ticked by until James stopped the car at a set of metal gates. A man, armed with a gun strapped over his shoulder, stepped out of a hut, glowering at the car as if we were an inconvenience.
“Can I help you, Sir?”the guard said, leaning down to peer through the window.
“Open the gate,”James instructed, his voice full of unspoken threat.
“Sir, I’m afraid-”
“My name is James Carter. Now let us the fuck through before I have your head on a plate.”
The guard’s face turned pale as he apologized and darted back into the hut. A second later, the double gates creaked open, and James drove the car through. From the back seat, I scooched forward to look through the gap between James in the driver’s seat and Jackson in the passenger seat.
Ahead loomed an enormous old house, old enough to have dated back to the 1800's.
“I can’t believe I’m back here,”James hissed, his eyes whipping to Willow in the rear mirror.
I glanced at her, her head bowed as though she couldn’t bring herself to look at her old home. Lacing my fingers through hers, I squeezed her hand, hoping to reassure her.“It’s okay, Willow. No one will hurt you.”
During the rest of the plane journey to Georgia, James and Willow had told me the truth about their marriage and recent events involving my cousin, Elijah, my father, and the old director of Peartree House.
I couldn’t help but be in awe of Willow. The quiet, timid girl had experienced so much in her short life, yet she still had the courage to go against Alec to save my life. I’d always be grateful to her.
“She’s right, Mouse,”James said, his tone a fraction softer.“Over my dead body will anyone hurt you.”
The reassurance my brother offeredseemedto help; her shoulders relaxed fractionally, but she still kept her hand in mine, gripping tight so I couldn’t let go. Finally, James stopped the car outside a set of stone stepsthatled up to double oak doors.
“Stay here,”James ordered, releasing his seat belt and reaching for the door handle.
“No, I’m coming-”
