Chapter Thirty-Two
Cash
Her painting hung above the fireplace in my office. I’d taken it down twenty times only to put it right back up over the past week. The quietness of my phone only added to the empty feeling inside of me. The look on her face at the gallery had replayed in my mind over and over like slideshow on repeat.
She wanted me like I wanted her, I could sense it—see it in those pretty eyes. But I’d fucked things up royally. Getting her back wasn’t near as easy as any of us had hoped. After the gallery auction I didn’t go after her; it was clear that having Asher buy her painting didn’t win her over. Hell, I was still waiting to see if she’d cash the check I’d written out for it.
“I made you some cookies,” Gloria said from my office doorway.
I knew she had because I’d smelled them all the way upstairs. Not to mention she’d been making me baked goods for the last week, every day. “Are you tryin’ to get me fat? I don’t think it will look good on me.”
She gave me a smile and placed the cookies on my desk. There was definitely something she wanted to say. “Go ahead with it,” I said, snatching a cookie from the plate.
“You were supposed to go public tonight.”
I didn’t know how much Gloria knew about the deal. She’d been suspicious the first time Sydney had come over, but I never told her the truth unless she overhead, which wouldn’t be surprising.
I didn’t answer because it would catch in my throat every time someone brought it up.
She sighed. “I don’t know all of the details, Cash, and I know it’s none of my business, but if you love her, you need to show her. Whatever it is that you did to mess it up, undo it.”
I lifted a brow but didn’t look away from my computer. I couldn’t undo the deal any more than I already had. I’d already torn up the check and begged for forgiveness. I’d already called off the event for tonight.
Nothing seemed to help.
“Gloria, I don’t think it’s going to happen. She doesn’t want to see me or talk to me. She’s finished.”
Gloria nodded. “I’ve known you for a long time, and I hate to say that I never thought you would fall in love.” She laughed. “I definitely didn’t think it was a good idea for Ms. Henry to live here, but now—now, I’m glad. You are capable of loving someone more than yourself, more than your money, more than your empire. Don’t let your pride mess this up. You’ve got what she wants somewhere down in there. Go show her why she fell in love with you too.”
Gloria gestured toward the food she’d brought me and walked out of my office.
Whoever said that truth hurts was right. I was never the relationship type, only because it meant giving up my precious time. But time seemed to disappear with Sydney. It no longer existed.
I grabbed my phone. I would show her how much she meant to me, and everyone else.
Sydney
“Let me go!”
Panic crept up my body and grabbed my breath. Sweat clung to my skin and soaked through my clothes. I was in the process of locking up the art gallery when someone grabbed me. The dark sky haunted me. I knew I shouldn’t have stayed so late.
“Please!” I screamed again. My arms failed, catching my captor in the nose.
“Shit!” he screamed. “Stop moving around.”
Wait a minute …
My arms dropped to my side when I recognized his voice. “Joey?”
He placed me on the ground beside Cash’s limo but kept his palms on my shoulders. “Yes. Now get in the car and do not hit me again, you’ll catch a reflex next time.”
Aggravation set in. “What in the hell is this about? I thought I was going to die. Couldn’t you have just asked me to get in the car?”
He squared his shoulders. “Would you have gone?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Exactly.” He grabbed me, tossed me over his shoulder and hauled me into the back of the limo.
My face hit the leather seat, and I grabbed for the handle, but it was locked. Damn childproof locks.
I climbed toward the front of the limo. Joey scooted inside the driver’s seat. He ignored me as he pulled out into the road.
“Oh no, the silent treatment is not working this time.” He didn’t answer, so I reached over and grabbed his ear, pulling his head to the right.
“Shit!” he screamed. “You lunatic, let go!” He yanked his head the other way and rolled up the limo window.
“Asshole!” I yelled, pulling my arm back through quickly.
“Now, I suggest you sit your little ass down. It’s not that long of a drive, but I don’t want to hear your mouth.”
I was beyond frustrated. It’s one thing to grab someone in the dark, making them think they’re being kidnapped—but to refuse to tell them where they’re going?
I knew it had something to do with Cash. It always did. But what? I hadn’t talked to him since the gallery. Still hadn’t cashed that check either. I watched as we traveled away from downtown, and my body sank as I realized where Joey was driving.
Back to where the art gallery showing had been. I searched my brain as to why—but then I realized. The Jenkins Brothers had planned an event to go public. Though I had heard it was canceled, I guessed they reconsidered. There was no way I planned to go inside of that building and watch them use the money they’d gotten from their agreement with my mother to further their business.
No way in hell.
“You can go ahead and save your time. I’m not going to that damn event!” I yelled, but with no response.
The minutes ticked by. Sure enough, Joey pulled into the huge circular drive that led to the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center. The parking lot was packed, several cars waited for the valet.
Joey pulled up to the front, got out, and walked around toward the back door. I scooted up toward the front and sat still when he swung the door opened. I felt like a huge child. When I was twelve, I had hidden in the backseat of my mother’s SUV because Ryder wanted to me to go trick-or-treating with him. I hated it because he would make us go to Old Man Donald’s house, who would hide in his yard and scare the little kids.
I wasn’t trick-or-treating, but I did feel scared.
More than scared—sick to my stomach.
“Get out,” he said. “Don’t make me come in and get you, Sydney.”
No, no way in hell.
Joey said something underneath his breath and leaned down to crawl inside. He was beyond pissed, and he was about to be even more pissed. He went to grab me and I rolled to the left, scrambling by him to get to the door.
My fingers caught the door handle, but Joey grabbed my waist and hauled me toward him, trapping me against his wall of muscle. “Oh no, ma’am. I’m not chasing after you. You’re gonna walk right in the front door with me.”
“I’ll scream,” I said.
He groaned, tucked me underneath his arm, and carried me out. Several people stared as he dragged me toward the door. I didn’t want to stoop so low as to scream, but I opened my mouth when I saw the conference hall. It was packed full of people—not an empty seat.
Jesus …
“No, no, no,” I whispered to Joey.
He looked down at me. “Let him do this, Sydney.”
Let him do what? Humiliate me? Not that anyone would know how he’d gotten the extra funds or sponsorship to do it, but I did. And that’s who he’d hurt. Me.
Joey bypassed the crowd and took me backstage. My heartbeat hammered in my chest. He sat me down in a foldout chair in the middle of the back area. He stood behind me, diminishing any chance of my escape.
“What is goin’ on?”
No answer.
The audience’s conversation stopped, and I heard footsteps on the stage in front of me, which I couldn’t see because of the huge red, velvet curtain.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. It’s an honor to have so many friends and business partners,” Cash said. Regardless of the anger and shame I felt, goose bumps traveled up my arm to my neck. “I hope everyone is enjoying the meal we had prepared for you.”
A long pause set my skin on fire. “Now, to what we’re really here for. I know your invitations said The Jenkins Brothers would be going public tonight, and this would be our launch. Well, that’s not true.”
What? I gripped the edge of my seat, sitting forward, eager to hear what he had to say. “Truth is, I’m here to apologize to someone. To set some things straight.”
Oh God …
“A couple of months ago, Mrs. Rosemary Henry from Henry’s Hunting World came to me with a proposition that I couldn’t refuse. She wanted me to date her daughter, have her show up to events with someone of my status. In return, she said they would sponsor us.”
Cash paused, and a low hum of whispers settled over the crowd. Holy shit, he just called my mom out. “And I took the deal, only thinking of myself. It was the worst thing I have ever done.”
My mouth went dry. He’d told me this before, but hearing him tell everyone—it was overwhelming. “And I fell in love with her. I’ve never been in love with a woman before, not until I met Sydney Henry. But she found out about our deal and, understandably, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. And it’s breaking my heart.”
He cleared his throat. Suddenly the red curtain pulled back. The stunned crowd gawked at me. Cash stood in a suit and tie, hands shoved into his pockets, his piercing eyes locked with mine.
This is insane. I swallowed the lump in my throat and gripped the foldout chair tighter. “Sydney,” Cash said, taking a step closer. “I don’t know what else I can do to show you how sorry I am. I’ve given up what I always thought I wanted the most in life—taking my business to the next level. But it doesn’t compare to the way I feel for you.” He took a step closer. “I love you, Sydney. And I need you to forgive me. I need it. If you don’t do it now, I won’t stop. We both know that when I want something, I won’t stop until I get it. Please.”
Cash stopped in front of me, dropped slowly to his knees, and took my face in his hands. Tears tore from my eyes and dripped down my face. I clung to my paint-smeared cut-offs, my bottom lip trembling. “Cash, I … ” I looked out at the audience. “Can we talk in private?”
He nodded, and before I knew it Asher took the stage. I couldn’t focus on anything he said, it all ran together. I followed Cash off the stage to the exit. The night was warm and heated my already burning skin.
“Why did you do this?” I whispered.
The moon shone on his face, illuminating his strong features and piercing eyes. “I didn’t know what else to do,” he said, his voice low. “This was the only thing I could think to do that I hadn’t already tried. I’ve publicly shown everyone what an ass I’ve been, apologized, and hopefully showed you that you mean more to me than my job. You mean more to me than anything else, Sydney. I just need your forgiveness.”
My dry mouth dampened as I stared at him. I’d built a wall around my heart years ago. The feeling of being wanted had consumed me before. I’d needed that wall to survive, so I thought.
But this feeling of acceptance, this feeling of want, felt different. It felt warm and true. This man wanted me knowing all I’ve done. He accepted my ugly past, and the humiliation that came along with it.
“Cash, you hurt me,” I whispered. “So bad … because I truly love you. I’ve never felt like this, and when I saw that e-mail, I felt my heart sink.”
He didn’t interrupt me, but I could see the eagerness to apologize again on his face. “I don’t know how long it’ll take me to fully trust you—but, I’m willing to give it a try. You did just make an ass out of yourself in front of half of Savannah’s elite.”
That full-blown smile he only graced me with periodically crept across his face. He pulled his hands from his pockets and cradled my face. “Peach, I swear to you, I’ll spend forever showing you how much I love you.”
I closed my eyes, loving the way my chest tightened when he said it. “Forever is a long time,” I whispered, looking up at him.
He nodded. “And it doesn’t seem long enough.”
Cash ran his thumb across my bottom lip, pulling down slightly before dipping his head toward mine. “You’re safe with me, Peach,” he whispered.
I breathed in his scent and memorized those beautiful green eyes that stared into me. Of all the hands that had ever touched me, and all the kind words that had been spoken, I knew he meant it.
I knew he was the prince who had changed for me. All those blank spaces I’d filled in with forgettable names, and boys who didn’t care two cents about me, vanished. It left me with one space that I knew would be filled and never erased. Cash Jenkins.
I felt the guard around my heart weaken, and the feeling of being loved slowly seep into my heart.
I lifted up an inch, grasping his thick neck in my hands. “I know,” I whispered as he diminished the space between our waiting lips.
THE END