Taming Megan(19)

Finally, she turned away from the window. She had already written a note and both her engagement and wedding rings lay on top of it. She picked up the bag she had packed and her purse, took one last look around and walked out to her car just as the garage door went up and the headlights of Jake’s car shone on her.

She wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or afraid or what. Him telling her that he hated her—that would be the worst thing of all. Even if he did hate her, if she didn’t actually hear it, it would be easier for her. Even if she deserved it, she couldn’t take it if he said it out loud.

Jake pulled into the garage and parked his car. He climbed out and looked from her to the bag she held.

“What are you doing, Megan?” he asked.

“I’m leaving.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know. Anna’s maybe.”

“And then what?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shivering in the cool night air.

He walked to her and took her bag.

“Go back inside,” he said.

“Jake…”

“Go, Megan. You’re going to catch a cold.”

“I can handle a cold.”

He stopped and looked at her. “All right, let me ask you this then. Do you think it would be fair of you, given what I’ve learned tonight, to just leave? To just walk away, be gone when I get home?”

“I just thought you’d want me gone. Now that you know the truth about me…”

“That’s enough!” He grabbed her arm and turned her, marching her inside. Once in the door, he dropped her bag to the floor. “It’s time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself. I have never judged you for where you came from. None of us get to choose our parents, Meg. You were unlucky, to say the least. You made some mistakes when you were a kid. Guess what? So has every kid. You think I haven’t?” he snorted. “Sean Connelly is the asshole here. He was going to blackmail you into having sex with him. What do you think he would have done after that? Let you be? You think he wouldn’t have come back for more, making your life a living hell? You’re naïve, Megan.”

“I wouldn’t have slept with him! I never intended to, not then and not now!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Jake asked, his voice raised slightly.

That stopped her.

“Megan, that was a crappy thing to find out and the worst way to find it out, but I don’t hold it against you. What you did in the past, it’s not something you need to apologize to me for. The thing I don’t like is that you didn’t come to me straight away and instead let yourself get sick over the matter. Meg, what did you think I would do?”

“I don’t know, Jake. I…”

“Don’t you know me at all?”

“I do. I do. I just…” She turned away, walked a few steps then turned back to him. “I didn’t know what to do. I just didn’t want to lose you. I love you so much. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Jake, and sometimes, I’m pretty sure you deserve way better, but I love you. I don’t want to disappoint you, I don’t want to lose you.”

He covered the space between them and pulled her into his arms. “The only thing that would have disappointed me is if I had come home and you had been gone. I love you Megan. I don’t care where you came from. I don’t care about things you did before you met me. I will absolutely hold you accountable for your actions now, but I won’t ever blame you or judge you and I could certainly never hate you for things that happened in the past.”

She stared up at him when he took her face into his hands.

“I love you. Get it through your thick, stubborn head. I love you and that’s that. That’s all.”

She laughed and cried at once, reaching to touch his face. “Jake.”

He glanced at the note on the table and reached for her rings. “Put these back on where they belong and you’d better never take them off again.”

He slid the rings onto her trembling finger. “I won’t, I promise.”

“I’m tired, Meg. Let’s go to bed. We can talk some more tomorrow but I’ve got a headache and I just want to hold you and our baby and just forget today.”

“Me too,” she said, nodding. They walked up the stairs and for the first night in a week, Megan slept through the night while Jake held her tight to him.







The next morning, the doorbell rang early. Jake was up, but Megan was still sleeping. He went downstairs and opened the door to find Gray Manson standing outside in the rain. Jake looked at him, surprised to see him.

“I’m getting soaked out here, Jake,” the man said.

“I’m sorry,” Jake said, stepping aside. “Come in.”

He stepped inside, closing his umbrella and taking off his raincoat. “Christ, rain won’t let up.”

“What are you doing here, Gray?” Jake asked.

Gray looked at him for a minute before they both turned to watch Megan come down the stairs, wrapping a robe around her. “Good morning,” she said to them.

“Did this stubborn husband of yours tell you what he did last night?” Gray asked.

She looked at Jake, confused.

“Come into the kitchen, let’s get some coffee,” Jake said.

“What happened?” Megan asked when he passed her.

Jake turned on the coffee machine as Gray took a seat at the table.

“He turned down the bid, that’s what!” Gray said. “What the hell are you thinking, Jake?” he asked.

“Jake?” Megan asked. “You got the bid?”

Now Gray looked from one to the other. Jake pushed the button on the coffee machine and they were all quiet while he made three cups of coffee and brought them over to the table.

“Sit down, Meg,” he said, taking a seat himself. “I’m sorry, Gray, my decision is final.”

“Well, I’m sorry too, Jake, but I don’t accept that, not without a hell of a good reason.”

Jake felt Megan’s hand on his arm. “Jake, you don’t have to turn it down. What happened…?”

“Is none of anyone’s business,” Jake said, not looking at either of them.

“Jake,” Gray said, leaning across the table. “You’re making a big mistake.”

Jake leaned back in his chair and set his coffee down. He exhaled a deep breath. “Gray, I appreciate your coming out here today. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, I know how much you helped with the others.” He took a sip of coffee, buying himself some time, before facing the man. “This involves my family now and I can’t work with a man like Sean Connelly on the board. I’m not going to go into specifics and I need you to respect our privacy. I’m sorry, Gray.”

Gray looked at Jake, then at Megan, then back. “Well, then you’ve got no excuse to turn it down because as of last night, Connelly is no longer a member of the board.”

Both Jake and Megan now looked at him.

Gray smiled. “I say good riddance to the son of a bitch,” Gray said, then looked at Megan. “Pardon my language, young lady.”

“What happened?” Jake asked.

“Well, just as you can’t go into specifics, neither can I, and I hope you’ll respect that. All I can say is he and his wife have decided to spend more time at their home in Florida and he won’t be a part of the project. That said, I firmly believe you’re the best man for the job.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Jake?” he asked. “What do you say?”

“Jake, you have to do it,” Megan said to him, her hand on his arm. “This is too important.”

He looked at Megan, then at Gray. “So he’s gone?”

“Yep.”

Jake nodded and smiled, patting Megan’s hand. “All right, Gray,” he said, standing and holding out his hand.

Gray stood and the men shook hands. “Congratulations, Jake.”

“Thank you, Gray,” Jake said. “For everything.”

Gray only nodded.







“You had turned down the project?” Megan asked when Jake came back into the kitchen after seeing Gray out.

Jake made himself another cup of coffee. “That can’t surprise you,” he said, leaning against the counter.

“Did you do something to him? Yesterday I mean, when you were gone.”

“I only told him to stay away from my family.”

She nodded, bringing the now cold coffee to her lips, the silence heavy in the room. “Jake,” she began a moment later.

He looked at her, waiting for her to go on. She set her mug down on the table and turned to him.

“I think I want you to punish me.”

He dumped his freshly made coffee into the sink. “No, Meg. It’s not your fault. I chose to turn down the job. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“I think it has everything to do with me, Jake.”

He inhaled deeply and exhaled. “Well, it’s over now anyway. The project is mine.”

“Jake,” she stood and almost went to him. “I don’t want this to be us now. I don’t want us to not talk. I don’t want us to… I don’t want there to be anything between us.”

“Meg, the thing with Connelly,” he began, walking to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t blame you.”