Chapter 26

Cody

Cody stood in front of Julie's door, more nervous than he'd ever been before, and he'd been pretty fucking nervous in the past. She wouldn't turn him away. He wouldn't let her. If she tried, he was seriously prepared to camp outside of her door until she finally gave in and talked to him. Before he left that doorstep, she was going to hear him out. He didn't care what he had to do to make that happen.

Letting out a loud breath, Cody lifted his hand and knocked.

When the door in front of him opened not even two feet, it immediately swung back toward him, and he quickly thrust his foot out to stop it.

“Julie,” he snapped out, as he slowly pushed the door forward toward her.

When she came into view and their eyes connected, anger instantly filled him.

“Shit!” he barked out. “Are you okay? What's wrong? Who the fuck made you cry?”

By the time he was done, his words were coming out with a deep growl.

“Cody,” she said, as sadness filled her eyes. “You have to go. I can't do this right now.”

“Bullshit!” he snapped, as he pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into her apartment. “What's going on?”

“Nothing,” she said, barely loud enough for him to hear her. “You need to go. I'll call you later.”

“I don't think so,” he said sternly. “I've given you time, but I can't take one more second of you ignoring me. I need to talk to you, and I need you to listen. I will sit right outside this door all day and all night if that's what it takes.”

“Cody,” she said, as she looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen before looking back at him. “Please. I promise I'll call you.”

Cody could hear Jessie talking in the kitchen, but he wasn't sure exactly who she was talking to, and Julie's reaction to seeing him was pissing him off more and more by the second. She wasn't pissed. She wasn't telling him to leave her alone. Instead, she was quietly trying to get rid of him. There was only one person he could think of that would have her acting the way she was, and he couldn't stop his next words from flying roughly out of his mouth.

“Is he here? Is Jason here? Is he the reason you're crying?”

“What?” she let out quickly. “No. Why would you ask me that?”

“He was here,” Cody snapped out. “I know he was.”

“How the fuck would you know that?” she snapped back at him even louder.

“I just do,” he growled out.

“How, Cody?” she yelled.

Before Cody even had a moment to answer, he saw someone in the doorway of the kitchen, and he looked over to see Julie's dad staring back at him.

“Cody,” her dad said, in a stern tone.

“Gavin,” Cody replied, just as sternly.

Cody wasn't afraid of Julie's dad, and he was not about to turn and walk away, so instead, he looked him in the eye. Neither of the men spoke for a moment, and when Julie's dad broke the silence, Cody was shocked.

“She pissed at you too?” her dad asked.

“She is,” Cody answered, “and I deserve every single bit of it. I was a real asshole, and I did something stupid.”

“You like my girl?” Gavin asked, with a deep rumble in his tone.

“No,” Julie said.

“She's right,” Cody said, and he heard her gasp. “I don't like your girl. I love her.”

“What?” Cody heard Julie, her dad, her mom, and her sister all say at the same time.

“I said that I love her,” he said, as he looked back at her, took her hands in his, and continued. “I do. I love you so damn much, Julie. Everything I sent you through text is true. You're an amazing woman. I knew it the first time we actually spent time together, and I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since, not for one second. You have awesome ideas, and when we talk, the hours fly by. You're freaking brilliant, but I think you already know that. When I'm with you, there is nowhere I'd rather be. When I'm not, I can't wait to see you again. You wanted to take me to see your family. I couldn't believe it. That was a huge risk, but you didn't care. When we were there, you stood up for me, and you will never know how much that meant to me. That was the moment I knew that I loved you. You were mine, and I knew I would do anything to protect you. I didn't give two shits about it impacting me or my company. That didn't matter, and it never will. You're what matters. You're it for me, Julie. You're mine, and you always will be. I'm going to marry you one day. It might not be today, tomorrow, next month, or even next year, but it will happen. I won't give up until it does, and I don't care who tries to stand in the way. I will work hard every single day proving my love to you, and I will never stop. I don't care if I'm a hundred years old and barely moving, I will still tell you how much I love you. You're my everything.”

“Cody,” Julie said, as tears began pouring from her eyes.

“I mean it, Julie,” he said, as he took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “You're mine.”

Julie began to slowly lean toward Cody, and he couldn't help the excitement running through him. She was so close he could feel her breath on his face, but just before their lips connected, the look in her eyes changed, and she pulled away.

“Julie,” he whispered.

“I will not work for you,” she said sternly.

“I would never expect you to,” he replied.

“I will not work with you either,” she said.

“That's fine, as long as you're doing what it is you really want to do,” he said.

“I will bid against you,” she said, and Cody heard her dad mumble under his breath from behind her.

“I don't doubt that,” Cody replied.

“I will one day be your biggest competition,” she said, as she pointed over her shoulder. “He's nothing compared to what I'll be.”

“I would expect nothing less,” he said, trying with everything in him not to laugh at her tough girl attitude.

“I mean it,” she said. “I don't need a man. I will make it in this business on my own.”

“I know you will, baby,” he said, as he took a step toward her.

“One more thing,” she said.

“Anything,” he said. “I will do anything for you.”

“The two of you better figure out how to get along,” she said, as she looked back at her dad and then at Cody again. “I've missed you so damn bad, and I've missed my family too. I don't care if it's totally fake, but you need to be civil to each other. I will not ruin another family function because someone's ego is fucking huge. Besides, you might need each other one day.”

“How's that?” her dad asked from behind her.

“You might need to console each other when I beat both your asses,” she said.

“Do you know what she did?” her dad asked Cody.

“Oh, I do,” Cody answered, “and I'm so damn proud of her too.”

“You are?” her dad asked, in a shocked tone.

“Hell yeah I am,” Cody answered. “She underbid us both, and neither of us saw it coming. How could I not be proud?”

“You're right about that,” her dad answered, with a grumble behind his words. “You really like my little girl?”

“More than you will ever know,” Cody answered. “You still planning to give me shit?”

“No,” Julie's dad answered.

“What?” both Cody and Julie asked at the same time.

“I'm not,” her dad answered. “You're not the man I thought you were, Cody. You knew something about my family, and you didn't use it to get to me. I respect that. You also took care of my family when I wasn't there. I respect you more than you'll ever know for that. You were here for my girls. They're all that really matters.”

“I agree,” Cody said.

“I will say one thing though,” Julie's dad said, as he narrowed his eyes at Cody. “If you ever do anything stupid or hurt her again, I will crush you with my bare hands.”

“That will never happen,” Cody said sternly, as he stepped forward, wrapped his arm around Julie, and pulled her in against his chest. “And if you ever speak to her again the way you did when I was in your house, I don't care where we are or who's around, I will put you through the damn wall. She's my woman, and I will protect her, even if it's from her own family.”

“Cody,” Julie gasped.

“Don't Cody me,” he replied, as he took her chin in his hand and lifted it so he could see her eyes. “You can dominate the shit out of me all you want in the business world, but when it comes to keeping you safe, happy, and feeling loved, I'll always be the one on top of that.”

Then he leaned in close to her ear.

“Unless you're on top of me, riding my cock,” he whispered.

“Cody,” she whispered, as her cheeks turned the sexiest shade of pink.

“I love you, baby,” he said, as he wrapped her in his arms and held her tight.

“I love you too,” she said, as her body melted against his.

“Enough of this lovey shit,” Julie's dad barked out, pulling Cody and Julie out of their moment. “Get your stuff ready girls. We're going home for Thanksgiving. Josh and Gracie are cooking.”

“Will you come with me?” Julie asked, as she looked up at Cody.

“Under one condition,” he said, as he leaned down close to her ear and whispered again. “We come home tomorrow, and when we do, we go to my place.”

“Cody,” she whispered.

“You better get used to it,” he said, as he placed tiny kisses along her neck. “I've been without you enough, baby. It's not happening anymore.”

“Can I drive?” she asked, as she let out a tiny whimper when his teeth scraped across her lower ear.

“Of course, but I have to run home to grab some clothes and switch cars,” he said, using every ounce of strength he had to pull back just a tiny bit “Now hurry up and get your stuff ready, before I throw you over my shoulder, carry you to your room, and show you just how much I've missed you. I've got no idea how I'm going to make it until tomorrow.”

Cody leaned in closer again and covered her mouth with his. Then he quickly pulled away, turned around, and left.

He wasn't even out of the parking lot yet when he picked up his phone and sent her a text.

Cody: Meet me outside when I come back. No fucking way can I come to that door again and not bury myself deep inside of you. I love you so damn much, Julie. I will never let you down again.

With a smile on his face that he hadn't felt there in weeks, he took off toward home, a home he couldn't wait to bring her back to.