I thought about that for a second. And then I dropped my fork on the table.
Celia Preston has been scary since I first met her, I thought, but I’ve never been afraid of her. Until just now.
“What’s the matter?” James asked, his brow furrowed. “Do you feel okay?”
“No,” I said. “No, I don’t.”
“Then let’s go back to our room. I can have room service bring me something.” He stood and clapped Todd on the back. “Audrey’s not feeling well—we’re going to turn in.”
“Hope you feel better soon, Audrey,” Todd called.
I hoped so, too. But I doubted it.
“What is it?” he asked once we were safely inside.
“I don’t know how much I should tell you,” I said, pacing.
He stepped in front of me, and I stopped. “Tell me everything.”
“Well, first of all, before I forget—Jenny’s in love with Cole. He offered to set her up when we get back to Boston. He offered to buy her a townhouse, a car, the whole deal.”
“Okay,” James said, clearly confused.
“She’s upset about it. She wants more. And she’s mad at herself for having feelings.”
“Okay,” James said again. He still sounded lost. “I know Cole cares about her. I can see it on his face. I’ll talk to him.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Moving on, your mother knows that Jenny and I are prostitutes.”
“Huh?” James asked, completely taken aback. “What the fuck?”
I started pacing again, and this time, James got out of my way. “She said she thought you had… feelings for me… and so she decided to have me checked out. She hired someone to investigate me, and she found out that I work for Elena. She knows about my mother and my brother. She found out about Jenny, too. She knows where I live.” I shivered.
“And?” James asked.
“And she’s sending me home on a flight tomorrow morning. And paying me to never come back.”
James
My head was pounding. “You know I won’t let you go anywhere—not without me.”
“You should let me finish ’cause that’s not all she said,” Audrey whispered. A blush was creeping up her neck, which was never a good sign.
“What else?” I asked. Ice-cold fury was pulsing through me. My mother had crossed her final line with me. “What else did she say?”
She held up her fingers to count my mother’s grievances, ticking them off like a list. “She said that I was going to ruin your life if I stayed with you. She said you were dating me just to spite her. She said that our children would practically be famous, and everyone would find out about my past. And that the kids would have to live with the fact that their mother used to be a whore.”
“Audrey,” I said, “we already discussed this.”
She looked up at me and let out a shaky breath. “It’s a little different when you hear it from a third party.”
“She’s not just any third party—she has an agenda.”
“She told me her agenda was to protect her family. That’s the only motivation she has, James.”
“That’s bullshit. She doesn’t know anything about family. All she cares about is the image of family.” I stopped her from pacing and pulled her to me. Her skin felt hot to my touch. “I told you she was never going to accept us. What does this change?”
She looked up at me. “She threatened me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked her what she would do if I said no. If I stayed. She said that she would think of something.” Audrey pressed her face against my chest. “She…she was a little scary, James.”
I stroked her hair. “She can’t do anything to you, babe. I won’t let her.”
Audrey looked back up at me. “What exactly do you think she’s capable of?”
“I wouldn’t put too much past her. But what do you mean? What are you worried about?”
“I’m not sure.” She paused for a second. “But I know I don’t want to tear your family apart.”
“You can’t tear my family apart—there is no together in my family. My mother is a nightmare; my father does nothing to rein her in. That leaves Todd and Evie. Todd already cares about you. Once he knows I love you, he’ll welcome you into the family with open arms. Evie will follow suit. And that’s enough for me, Audrey. I don’t care about my mother. The worst thing she can do is disinherit me. You know what? I don’t even care if she does. I went out and made my own fortune. I don’t need her money, and I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone except for you.”