Chapter Twenty-three

Mia arrived in Omaha just before noon on Monday. She’d debated whether or not to drive straight to Montgomery & Adler to tell Connor goodbye in person, but the risk of running into Ben was too great, so she called instead. After apologizing profusely for leaving him in the lurch, she thanked him for taking her under his wing and showing her the more human side of corporate raiding.

Connor had wished her well, gave his best to her family, and encouraged her to call if she ever needed anything, from a job reference to a friend.

It was no wonder why she’d cried through the first hour of packing. Not everything about her life in Omaha had been a sham. She’d met a lot of great people and she’d done a lot of amazing things in the name of charity and helping others have a better life. Things she’d continued to do from a new office in River Bend, being strategic with the money she’d banked from M & A.

She was proud of her accomplishments during her time in Omaha, but nothing compared to the life she was rebuilding in River Bend.

Nothing compared to family and love.

She’d lost herself in a daydream, thinking about how she could turn what had happened to Pam all those years ago and Reed now into something positive when her alarm system beeped.

Specifically, when it deactivated and her front door opened.

And Ben Montgomery walked in.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped from the living room. Damn it, why hadn’t she thought to change the code?

A feral grin spread across the smarmy bastard’s face as he stalked inside, hands stuffed in the pockets of his overpriced suit. “Heard you were back. Figured I’d drop in and give you a proper welcome home.”

Ugh, gross. She rolled her eyes and went back to swaddling her picture frames in bubble wrap. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d get the hint and go back to the gutter he’d crawled out of. “No, thanks. Besides, River Bend is my home now.”

“The fuck it is,” he barked, and she flinched. “Your life is here. With Montgomery & Adler.” His jaw flexed as he took measured steps into the living room and ground out his next words. “And me.”

Wow. How romantic. “Jeez, Ben, you’ve lost your touch. You can’t even lie about giving a shit anymore.”

“I give a shit,” he growled and was suddenly in front of her, snatching her arm in a fierce grip. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“You’re only here to save face. Because having your girlfriend and partner walk out on you makes you look exactly like the pathetic bastard you are.” When he jerked her hard and brought her face to his, her momentary fear was drowned by a sudden surge of confidence.

He couldn’t control her anymore, no matter how hard he tried.

She laughed. Right in his disgusting, manipulative, lying face. “I’m not one of your companies, Ben. You can’t buy me, because I’m not for sale.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that.” His fingers dug harder into her forearm as his face went red. “I made you what you are today. Or what you were, anyway. Before you threw it all away for an old man who should’ve been shipped back to Mexico thirty fucking years ago.”

Her free hand came up, connecting hard with the side of his face. “You heartless son of a bitch.”

Ben took an awkward step back, holding his palm to his cheek, while cold fury blazed in his eyes.

“Go home, Ben. Before I call the police and ask them to take you someplace else instead.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you.” He grabbed her left hand and a wicked smirk spread across his face. “You’re still wearing my ring,” he sneered, jerking her fingers up between them. Then he blanched when he got a good look at what she wore. “What the fuck is this?”

“Not yours,” she snarled, knowing she shouldn’t bait the beast, but she couldn’t resist. There was power in freedom, no matter how caged he’d tried to make her feel.

“You bitch.” He lowered his chin, nostrils flaring, and she braced herself for his wrath. He’d never hit her before, but there was a first time for everything.

But before he could lift a hand, movement caught her eye behind him. Ben heard, too, and he spun, his tall, looming body blocking her view.

But soon enough, she knew.

“Let her go,” a familiar voice growled, and both relief and gratitude washed over her in waves.

He’d come back to her.

Reed stalked forward, fists bunched and all of the muscles in his arms bulging. His dark eyes were lit with fire and when he grabbed Ben’s forearm and squeezed, he let go.

She scurried out of the way as her husband—her tall, handsome, badass husband—stepped in front of Ben and stared him down.

“Ah, look, it’s the wannabe football player,” Ben sneered. “The revenge fuck from last winter, too, if I’ve got it right.”

Reed lowered his chin and she swore she could hear his teeth grind from ten feet away. “If you ever lay another hand on her, so help me God, I will snap your fucking neck.”

“From way the hell over there in Bum Fuck Egypt? Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Not when she’s here. Where she belongs.”

Reed stepped forward, his chest bumping Ben’s. “She’ll be with me, asshole.”

Oh, God, this wasn’t going to end well.

“And that ring on her hand?” he spat. “It’s mine. That finger she wears it on? That’s mine, too.”

Ben had the audacity to smirk. “How about that pussy? I suppose you think that’s yours, too.”

Thud! Reed drove his shoulder into Ben’s gut, flattening him against the hardwood floor. With one hand wrapped around his neck and a knee to his ribs, he gave one last warning.

“You ever look at my wife, touch my wife, so much as fucking think about my wife again and I will end you where you stand. Are we clear?”

“Your wife?” Ben sputtered and Reed grinned.

“That’s right, motherfucker. My wife.”

* * *

It took every ounce of control Reed had to drag Montgomery’s ass to the door instead of beating the ever-loving hell out of the guy.

But fighting wasn’t what he’d come to Omaha to do.

“You’re here,” Mia said with hopeful eyes as soon as he’d shown her ex the way out and had given him a not so subtle description of what would happen if he chose to come back.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Mia. Pushing you away was the last thing I should have done.” He hung his head and balled his hands into fists. “And then I went and put you in a situation where you had to deal with that bastard on your own.” It was his responsibility to protect her and right out of the gate, he’d fucked up.

“I don’t give a shit about that right now, okay?” She went to him, pressing her hands against his chest. “Baby, I’ve been worried sick.”

“I know. I...” Was scared to fucking death that you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore. “I just had some things to work out.”

“We do that together now.” She poked his chest with a stern finger. “Us, remember?”

God, he hoped that was true. He nervously met her gaze and the sincerity he saw there made his chest ache. “I’m not the person I thought I was and I’d understand if that changed things with us.”

She shook her head with tears in her eyes. “Reed,” she cried softly. “I’m not going to stop loving you because of something that’s out of your control. I wouldn’t stop loving you, even if you could change it. You are who you are in despite your past, not because of it.”

Wasn’t that the same thing?

“What was it you said to me once? We run deeper than one night in bed? Well, we run a hell of a lot deeper than this, too. He might’ve given you his DNA, but I’ve given you my heart.”

And that was just it. He couldn’t change who he was at the core and that was a hard pill to swallow. He owed part of his existence to a man who’d thought nothing of forcing himself on a woman. That scared the shit out of Reed.

“Stop,” Mia whispered. “Baby, you’re not him.”

Except some of him was and that would take a long time to accept. But with Mia by his side, the task didn’t seem so daunting.

“I’m probably going to need you to tell me that more than once.”

She toed up and pressed her lips to his. “That’s what I’m here for. Always.”

Thank Christ for that. Gathering her close, he buried his face in her hair and just breathed. Funny how everything seemed so much easier and clearer in her arms.

“Why did you call Samantha?”

“What?” He pulled back and the pain in Mia’s expression gutted him. “Samantha who?”

“Harris. She showed up the night you left because you called her.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I saw your number on her phone.”

“No.” That didn’t even make sense. “I don’t have her number.” Not anymore, anyway. Unless... “Shit.”

Mia chewed on her lip, waiting.

“I mean, I had her number, but I deleted it and a bunch more. I might’ve accidentally called, I guess. I don’t know.”

“You didn’t call her for...you know, a distraction?”

Was she serious? “Mia, you’re the only woman I want.”

She nodded, but something about the look in her eyes said she wasn’t convinced and he only had himself to blame for that.

“I need to show you something,” he said, stepping back with her hands in his. It was the only thing he could think of that might finally make her understand how much he wanted a future with her. “Are you almost done here?”

She nodded. “The movers are coming tomorrow. I was just packing up some personal things.”

“Good.” He smiled despite the nerves in his gut. “Because you’re going to need them.”

***

They arrived back in River Bend early Monday evening and after dropping Mia’s things off at home, he drove them to the outskirts of town without any explanation. Part of him wasn’t ready to say the words that needed to be said while the other part wanted to look into her eyes when he finally said them.

“You’re taking me to the river?” she asked when they got closer, and the excitement in her eyes gave him hope.

He just shrugged and kept his mouth shut until he turned into the paved driveway with the fancy rocks on either side, posing as both greeters and guards. 

Mia frowned. “Should we be here?”

He nodded and continued on until the house came into view and she gasped.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous.”

Yes, it was. Vaughn Henry had made sure of that.

They got out of the car, with the sunset over the river providing the perfect backdrop. Guilt and anger still rioted in his gut, but Reed was more at peace with the decision now that she was here with him than he had been when he’d come alone yesterday.

“Why are we here?” she finally asked, turning to him with concern etched in her furrowed brow.

“He left me everything, Mia. This house, the money, even his fucking cottage in the Hamptons.”

Tears filled her eyes and she squeezed his hands.

“I don’t want any of it,” he confessed, emotion of his own thick in his throat. “He can’t fix what he did to my mother by throwing this shit at me. It can’t take away that brutality or the fact that he wasn’t man enough to come forward sooner. I mean, he waited until he was dead to come clean. What the hell kind of coward bullshit is that?”

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, casting his gaze to the water.

“I want to put most of the money toward a charity for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. I’m kind of hoping you’d help me with that.”

A small squeak rose in Mia’s chest. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I also want to start a state scholarship fund for talented kids who need help going to college. Kids like Donnie.” He told her about Donnie’s parents splitting up and their fall to tough times financially. “He shouldn’t have to worry about how he’s going to pay for school. He should be focused on enjoying those years. Playing ball and living life to the fullest.”

“We could absolutely do that. I have money to invest, too.” Mia nodded eagerly.

“I’ll sell the house in the Hamptons and even though I know she’ll argue with me, I want my mom to have that money. I also want to offer her a role in the charity, too. If that’s something she’s interested in.”

“Oh, Reed.” Mia threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. “She’ll be so proud of you.”

God, he hoped so. Knowing what she went through with his father felt like a knife buried in his gut, but knowing how strong she’d been since that time brought him to knees.

She didn’t have to keep her pregnancy.

She didn’t have to keep him.

She sure as hell didn’t have to raise him on her own or love him the way she had, but she did and he’d be grateful for that for the rest of his life.

“The only thing left is this house.” He brushed Mia’s hair back from her face, his eyes locked on hers. “And that I’m leaving up to you.”

“Baby...” she protested, but he shook his head.

“He built it for us, Mia. For my family and future.” The bastard had written as much in his will and that alone made Reed want to strike a match and watch the place go up in flames.

But Mia was his family and his future now, so the decision wasn’t his alone.

“He never lived here. Never intended to. He gave my best friend creative license to make this place phenomenal and I want to hate him all the more for thinking that far ahead with me in mind, yet never having to balls to admit what he did. I don’t want to live with that kind of shame, M, and I’m going to need your help moving past the guilt he’s dropped in my lap.”

Tears poured down her face as she nodded. “You know how much I love you. Of course.”

“I know you love this view and I’m not going to deny that having our kids grow up so close to Josh and Carissa’s has its appeal. Maybe a couple of them will even end up like us someday.”

She smiled brightly.

“So, if you want to keep it, we can. Only because I don’t know anyone else who can turn a shitty situation around like you can. I mean, look what you did to me.”

At that, she winked. “It helps that you’re hot.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“But in all seriousness...” She curled a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his face back to hers again. “You want a family with me?”

He swallowed hard and dipped his chin. “You really are it for me, M. I want everything with you.”

“Even when I’m nine and half months pregnant and craving weird shit at three in the morning?”

“Especially then.”

“How about when I’m old and gray?”

“I’ll be old and gray, too. Just another thing we get to do together.”

She smoothed her fingers along his cheek and spoke quietly. “And when you’re scared? Maybe even unsure if my love is enough?”

He gulped hard and  “I’ll remember that we’re in this together. Always.”

“You won’t let go?”

“I can’t let go.” He smiled with his forehead pressed against her. “Wouldn’t want to if I could.”

“Good, because I won’t let you. I love you too much and if you’re game for building our life out here, I am too.”

“I am. And I love you more.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“No? Well, I guess I’ll just have to prove it.”

With that, he scooped her up off the ground and carried her toward the house. Toward their future and their family and their eventual gray hair.

To their life.