Last Call (31 page)

Then it occurs to me, isn’t this what you want from the person you love? Don’t you want to feel the highest of highs when they smile at you or simply touch your skin? When you love someone, don’t you put everything on the line to let that person know just how you feel about them? Is that what I feel about Mariah? Do I love her?

I can feel my heart swell in my chest as I look upon her face. I stand from my chair and look at the black and white picture of her looking back at me. She is incredibly beautiful. Then it hits me like a fucking truck.

I do love her.

Then there’s Royce, the kid who is a replica of his mother. He, too, is funny and friendly. I loved spending time with him on the beach when we first met, but it was the last time we went to the beach when I knew I felt something intense for that kid. He asked me about my father, and then admitted he didn’t have one.

He said I’d be a good dad, and then I up and left him, like my father did to me. I love that kid, and I love his mother. I need to be with them more than I need to breathe right now.

I can’t believe I’ve been such a damn idiot. I’ve dreamed about her for all these years, and she’s been standing in front of me this entire time. She’s fucking tattooed on my arm! She is my enigma, and I walked out on her because I was too much of a pussy to make it real. I was still living in that Goddamn nightmare of loneliness, thinking I was happier there. Well, not any more.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I run from my office and fly down the steps. The music is loud and the crowd is thick, but I have to get over to her. I have to tell her that I love her. I have to hope to hell she still feels the same. I’m not going to allow myself to chicken shit out this time. I’ve already been living in misery. If she tells me she can’t be with me anymore, then I will continue to live in agony.

I stop by the bar and move my head back and forth, looking for her body. Just like in my dream, I only get faint glimpses of her. In that moment, I realize I may have lost her or maybe she wasn’t there to begin with.

Then a flash of brown hair catches my eye, heading deeper into the dancing bodies on the floor. I know that’s her. I push my way through the crowd, not caring who I knock over or step on. I have to get to her. I have to tell her I love her.

The wall of bodies is slowing me down, the smell of beer and sweat flooding my nose as I make my way deeper in the crowd. Some of the people stop dancing and look at me, knowing I never grace the audience with my presence. Well, not in this manner, anyway.

As I get closer, I can see her friends, who have now made eye contact with me. The short, fiery one freezes and shoots me a death glare, but I ignore her. Mariah keeps moving to the beat until Giselle taps her on the shoulder, motioning in my direction. The crowd circles around us, every one of them have stopped moving to take in this very private moment. I don’t think about my image or what might be in the papers the next day, though. I only think of the words I want to tell her and sealing the deal with her lips pressed to mine.

Mariah slowly turns around, her eyes apprehensive. She knows. She knows who is standing behind her, but what she doesn’t know is why.

Before I can get a single word out of my mouth, she holds her hand up, stopping me in my tracks. “Jason, I… can’t.”

Her friend Shelby comes to her side, trying to usher her away from me; however, I won’t fuck this up again. I have to keep her in my life, and I will do anything to fix what I broke because, if I don’t, I will die.

“I should have never left you,” I say breathlessly. I haven’t exerted myself physically, but the very sight of her navy blue eyes takes the air straight from my lungs. “That night in the hotel, I should have stayed. I should have never fucking left.”

Mariah looks blankly at me, her body language telling me she is indifferent to my words, although I know her heart says otherwise. “Well, what’s done is done, and I don’t want to revisit that night. I said my peace and you said yours, so let’s just leave it at that.”

The crowd seems to be getting closer to us, eavesdropping on our conversation, and the music isn’t pounding in my ears any longer. I am standing in the middle of my club with the world watching me, and I don’t care. I can’t allow this moment to slip through my fingers. I have to tell her what is truly breathing inside of me—her love. It’s her love and my unbelievable desire to never be without her again.

I swallow deeply and let the fucking words fly out my mouth. “I was scared, Mariah.” Her tough façade finally crumbles as she looks to me with curiosity. “No one has ever loved me before, and I didn’t know how to react. I’ve had to live my life with only myself to depend on, and I was afraid. I was afraid, if I finally gave my heart over to you, you’d crush it and destroy me.”

When I step closer to her and thread my fingers with hers, she only stares at me; her eyes glazed over with unshed tears. Her beautiful lips are parted slightly as she attempts to control her breath when I continue with my speech.

“I saw you up there the night we met, but that is not the first time I laid eyes on you. You’ve been a significant part of my life for seven years; only it’s been in my dreams. My tattoo”—I nod my head in the direction of the angel marked on my skin and continue—“it is you, Mariah. I’ve been dreaming about you from the moment I saw you from a distance. When I marked myself with this tattoo, it was you I was marking myself with. I just didn’t know it until I saw you in Toxic for the first time. That’s why I approached you that night. I knew it was you, the woman of my dreams.” I lift her hand and brush my lips over the soft skin of her knuckles. “And I had to make you mine. You are supposed to be in my life, and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize just how significant you are to me. I love you, Mariah. I. Love. You.”

The tears have fallen down her cheeks now, and the entire room is silent. As hundreds of eyes stare at the two of us, it feels like it’s only her and I in the room. Just like the night we danced at the wedding, the entire room fades away, and it is Mariah and I on an island of our own.

I wait for what feels like an eternity for her to speak then, finally, she does. “You love me?”

I nod my head. “Yes, Mariah Huxely, I love you.” I lift her hand to my lips once more, kissing her skin. The scent of jasmine trickles into my senses, awakening them yet again.

“You love me?” she questions again as she tries to grasp what I am saying.

A small smile forms on my face as I answer her question again. “I love you.”

She glances back at Giselle and Shelby and whispers, “He loves me.”

Before another thought passes through her mind, Mariah plunges herself into my arms. I bend down, sweeping her into my embrace as the crowd cheers with excitement. I waste no time kissing the love of my life, and Goddamn does it feel good.

M
ariah

I
don’t think my heart can swell anymore at this point. Jason confessed to an entire audience that he loves me, and I keep pinching myself to know it’s real.

Hours later, in my bed, I lie in his arms, tangled in his embrace, as we catch our breaths from the fabulous make up sex we’ve just finished. Our breathing has finally returned to normal, and the smile we had when we left the club is still gleaming from our faces.

Jason loves me. M
E
! Millionaire, playboy Jason fucking Cain loves me. Eat your heart out stupid, trampy bitches because Mariah Huxley has scored the best boyfriend in all of creation. This hot, fucking dude is mine, and he loves
me
. I am giddy and acting like a real moron right now, but I’m just elated.

“What’s that giggle for?” Jason kisses the corner of my mouth, making my body tingle all over.

“Oh, I’m just thinking that I’m one lucky son of a bitch to have someone like you love me,” I say and kiss him back.

However, before Jason can respond to my comment, the sound of the front door opening snaps me from my lovesick trance.

Oh, shit, Royce. This is the last thing I need my son to see.

I hop up from bed and stumble to find my clothes. Luckily, we shut my bedroom door last night; otherwise, he would have had a clear shot of my naked ass hopping around, trying to get clothes on. While I quickly pull a T-shirt over my head and put my legs inside my yoga pants, Jason laughs as he nonchalantly slips his boxers over his fine ass and pulls his pants on.

“Mama!” Royce shouts from the living room.

I look to Jason who is standing right behind me. No shirt, shoes, or socks. Well, this will be interesting. I might need to explain the true meaning of boning before the day is over.

I pull open the door and walk down the short hallway with Jason right behind me. Royce doesn’t miss a beat as he watches the two of us emerge from my bedroom. Aunt Maggie only gawks at my boyfriend, surely thinking horrible, nasty things she’d like to do with him. I ignore her completely.

I bend down to capture Royce with a hug, but he bypasses me and heads straight for Jason. Awe, that’s so sweet.

Just when I think Royce is going to give Jason a hug, he hauls off and slugs him in the nuts. Like full-on blasts him in the junk.

Maggie releases a belting laugh as Jason cups his balls and holds onto the side of the wall, keeping himself from collapsing.

I run to Royce’s side and scold, “Royce! Why the hell did you do that?”

“Jason told me, if he hurts you, I could punch him… so I did.” Royce scratches the back of his head, looking very proud of himself.

As Jason coughs and sucks deep gasps of air into his lungs, I get a good look at his face. He appears as though he’s going to puke his guts out. His skin is slick with sweat, and he all of a sudden looks green.

“Are you okay?”

“Mmmmhmmmm,” is all Jason can muster as he wills the pain away.

“Royce, you need to say you’re sorry to Jason. That was really uncalled for.”

Royce steps around me as Jason finally gets the strength to stand upright. He looks Jason up and down, sizing him up, before he asks, “Are you sorry, Jason? For hurting my mama?”

Jason clears his throat and gets down on his knees, coming eye-level with my son. “Yes, I am very sorry I hurt your mom.”

“Did you kiss her and tell her that you love her? Because that’s what I do when I’m sorry for being a shithead.”

Did my son just say shithead? Dammit, now I need to have another conversation about cursing.

Jason looks to me and winks in my direction, the ever present smirk gleaming from his face as he thinks about how much he apologized to me for being an ass.

“Yes, buddy. I kissed her many times and told her I loved her many, many times.”

Royce shrugs his shoulders. “Okay. Sorry for punching you in the balls.”

Jason lets out a big laugh and picks him up in his arms. Royce wraps his arms around his neck and they embrace in a hug. The very sight brings tears to my eyes, knowing how long I’ve wanted this happiness for my son.

Royce leans back and looks over to me. Just as he’s set down, he pulls an old chicken leg from his pocket and shouts, “I’m going to bone you, Mama!”

While Jason looks to me as bewilderment covers his face, I simply smile and mouth to him that I will bring him up to speed later. Afterward, the three of us move to the living room, ready to enjoy the afternoon. Royce pulls
The Avengers
up on Netflix and finally gets to show Jason what superheroes are all about.

As we sit on the couch, I look over to the men I love. I can’t hold in the joy as we embark on this new, exciting adventure together.