Chapter 15
Jolie had managed to stay out of the house for the rest of the day. She hadn’t been back in Boston in five years, ever since she left her mother’s home. She’d spent the day out shopping and trying to keep herself distracted from thoughts of Brandon.
But everywhere she went, she wished that he was there with her. She felt this overpowering need of wanting to show him the sights of her hometown. She wanted to hear him speak in his deep smooth voice. She found herself wishing that they could hold hands, that they could take a walk in the park, that she could find out who he really was…as a human being. But that was never going to be possible. He had already picked her mother.
At six, she was returning back to their house and as she walked down the driveway, she saw a black Audi pull in. Brandon stepped out as she approached him, and she felt her feet stop moving.
She knew she was going to see him again when she returned, but she hadn’t prepared herself enough for it.
He banged the door of the car shut and then remained standing where he was. Jolie tried to walk past him, but he had caught hold of her wrist and she had no other choice but to stop in her tracks.
“Jo, we need to talk,” he said gruffly and she tried to wring her hand free from his grip. He let her hand go and she stepped away from him.
“What is there to talk about?” she hissed and looked about her nervously. If her mom was at the window looking out, she would see them standing together and talking…which might appear strange since technically they were two people who had never met each other before.
“We need to talk about how we’re going to do this thing,” Brandon said and she noticed again, how handsome he was. His beard was neat and speckled with gray, which added a wise feature to his face. His green eyes were intelligent and deep. Every time she looked into them, Jolie felt like she was drowning.
“Do you mean how are we going to conduct ourselves around each other? Don’t worry, Brandon, we won’t be seeing each other that often. My mother and I don’t exactly share a working relationship. I won’t be visiting for Thanksgiving or Christmas if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said and crossed her arms over her breasts.
She knew she sounded mad. She wasn’t angry with him, she was angry with herself and furious at the situation. For the first time, in several years, she had actually felt a connection with someone…which went beyond just the sex. And the Universe was making sure that it couldn’t lead to anything. She shouldn’t have left New York!
She shouldn’t have gone on this stupid vacation!
Brandon seemed to understand. His eyes were soft and his expression was kind. He wasn’t blaming her for taking her anger out on him. Instead, he stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants and clenched his jaw.
“Okay, I just don’t want to put you out. Alice will expect me to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with her, of course,” he said and Jolie felt hot tears pricking the backs of her eyelids. So, this is what it had come to…a form of business negotiation. They were going to have to schedule themselves around each other, so they didn’t bump in.
She nodded her head and tried to hold back the tears.
“Well, she won’t expect me to be here, so you’re safe,” she said and Brandon made a move towards her, trying to reach for her hand again but she had yanked herself away.
“That’s not what I meant, Jo. I don’t want to be safe, I don’t want to keep away from you,” he said and she shook her head, as she felt her eyes watering up. She was struggling to keep up the appearance of strength and control.
“But you have to, because you’ve committed yourself in marriage,” she said and Brandon’s eyes became dim. He looked like his mouth had run dry.
“I hadn’t met you when I married Alice, and, now, I have no choice but to see this through. There is nothing more that I need right now, than a family,” he said and Jolie felt like he had slipped a dagger into her heart and now he was in the process of turning it. He wanted children, and he wanted children with his wife.
“Of course. I understand,” she said, in a voice that was verging on breaking. She whipped away from him and ran up the steps of the porch and into the house.
Brandon Calloway wanted a family, and he wasn’t wrong to want children with his wife. She should have known all along; that he was the kind of man who would want heirs. He was a business tycoon and he would want to leave his wealth and fortune to his children…of course he would!
Jolie locked herself in her lavish bedroom upstairs. She felt like her heart was going to explode as she leaned the back of her head against the door and slid down slowly to the carpet. Her limbs felt like clay, her knees were buckling…whatever sliver of hope she had foolishly harbored all this while, had just disappeared. Brandon Calloway would never leave her mother, because he had married her with a fixed purpose in mind.
She felt like she was going to be sick.