Divinely Living (Surviving Series) (31 page)

“I feel better thank you,” I narrowed my eyes. “So, what’s with the suit? Where have you been while I’ve been back there playing sleeping beauty?”

He strode across the room and sat down beside me. Stretching out my legs, he pulled them across his lap. “I’ve spent the afternoon ridding you of A.M Enterprises, once and for all. I promised you I would and I have.”

I straightened instantly. “You have? How the hell did you manage to do that? You know the inheritance stipulation.”

He grinned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “The stipulation has been upheld, I can assure you of that,” he shrugged cockily. “What can I say? Sleeping beauty is about to marry a fucking genius rather than some grumpy old dwarf.”

I chuckled at his arrogance then shook the humour from my head. Alex’s demands were clear. Admittedly those demands were dictated by Mason, who under a warped sense of love believed keeping me tied to the business would in time, bring me back to him. Regardless, I inherited the entire estate, but the company had to remain in my family hands indefinitely. Family hands, the pieces clicked into place as realisation dawned on me.

“Mason! You made Mason CEO.” I was stunned but not surprised. I should have thought of my father before. But when you meet your dad after twenty two years, the last thing on your mind is asking him to head a company, you, have fuck all interest in dealing with.

Jonah shot me a wink. “We did better than that. Apart from your signature, the paperwork is signed and sealed. Once you do sign my love, it will be delivered to the jerk off shareholders and board, informing them that with immediate effect, A.M Enterprises is now under the rightful ownership of one Mason Grant Carter.”

“Mason has full ownership?”

Jonah’s face fell slightly, his blue eyes dimmed in sincerity. “I thought you wanted to relinquish all connections with the company sweetheart. Shit, Ava, if I’ve done the wrong thing then I’m sincerely sorry, baby.”

“The wrong thing?” I gasped loudly. “I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Mason deserves that company, after everything he risked to rid me of Alex, it just seems right he gets to control the one thing that kept him so close to me for so long, even if I had no knowledge of it.”

His famous panty dropping smile crept across his face and a deep look of satisfaction settled over his heart stopping features. “That’s not all.”

“There’s more?” my voice heightened as I shuffled closer to him.

His fingers ran smoothly across my upper thighs as he gave me a firm nod. “The main house, all the properties you own and all other assets left to you by Alex will be officially up for sale and very much on the market once you put in a short call to Thomas. All you have to do from there on in is sit back and offload everything he owned, piece by piece.”

I stopped his wandering hand reaching the apex of my thighs and gave him a querying glance. “You had no authority to do that. Jacobson and Fitzgerald are no longer in charge of Alex’s estate. I made sure of that when I believed you were engaged.”

He drew his brows together as his gaze fell to where my hand held his, as if questioning why I was refusing him entry then glanced back at me. “I’m well aware of that, Ava. Let’s just say I pulled a few strings. My people got in touch with their people etc, etc. Thomas Collins knows we are a couple again and after much reassuring that I was acting on your behalf he agreed to speak with the solicitor you appointed, once he was given the verbal go ahead from you. They’re preparing everything as we speak so it will be all systems go as soon as you give him the nod.”

My heart doubled in size in my chest as I stared into the eyes of the man who, not only saved me, but pulled me into the living and was now taking care of me on a level I had never experienced before. “Thank you,” were the only words I could utter even though they meant so little in the bigger picture.

“Thank you for what, sweetheart?” he replied.

“Thank you for being you, for finding me, for loving me and never giving up on me. Thank you for taking care of me like no one else ever has. The list is endless Jonah.’

He kissed my lips, slowly and tenderly. “I have the only thank you I will ever need. I have you and that’s the greatest reward I could have ever have wished for.”

“You’re easily pleased,” I teased with an eye roll, and a playful slap against his chest. “You’re one hell of a catch Jacobson. You should have set your standards higher than me.”

Catching both my wrists in one of his hands, he pulled me easily into his lap and grazed his nose over my cheek. “You were an impossibly high standard to attain. I sometimes have to pinch myself to remind myself that I actually have you here with me.”

“So when do we leave?” I asked, suddenly remembering Mason. I needed to spend time with him before I left and from the haste with which Jonah was packing, I expected our flights would most definitely be imminent.

As if reading my thoughts without my having to speak, he stood quickly and lowered me to my feet. “Our flight is booked for eleven this evening which still gives you a couple of hours alone time with Mason while I finish off here. He’ll be here to pick you up in thirty minutes.”

I could smell the sweat and sex ingrained in my skin and my long auburn hair hadn’t seen a brush all day. After planting a firm kiss on Jonah’s cheek, I dashed for the shower, only stopping abruptly as I flung the door open. Rounding on my heels, I blew Jonah a kiss and flashed him a smile of pure happiness. “Have I told you lately how much I love you, Jacobson?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

A shy curl of his lip pierced my rib cage and lodged in the beating organ beneath. “Tell me,” he said with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

I searched for his reaction as I repeated his words, words he spoke to me, in what seemed a lifetime ago, but remained embedded firmly within my memory. “You, Jonah Jacobson, are the beginning, middle and end for me. You truly are my happy ever after.”

He closed his eyes, his chest swelling as he absorbed the meaningful words and I disappeared into the shower.

Strolling arm in arm through streets of Chicago, which were unfamiliar to me, with Mason, filled me with a feeling of contentment mixed with painful sadness. In a matter of hours I would be on a flight bound for the other side of the world leaving behind the man who had made my very short stay here a much easier and enlightening one.

A quiet Mason walked beside me, his arm cradling mine in his. I took a minute to truly look at him, to see him fully through a daughter’s eye. And boy was I impressed with what I saw. His shock of midnight black air reminded me of Jonah’s, as it hung slightly long over his tanned forehead. A straight nose, defined jaw and the richest, velvety dark brown eyes completed a highly impressive face. At thirty eight years old, he looked way too young to have a twenty two year old daughter. Add to that, his well defined, over six feet tall frame, I had to admit; Mason Carter was one hell of a catch. I tried to imagine him as a fifteen year old boy. If he was as devastatingly handsome back then and I highly suspected he was, he probably attracted Gina with little or no effort. His presence was undeniable, his warm, caring nature desirable and in that moment he felt more like my father than ever. Maybe I should have pushed for testing to be completely reassured, but I knew on instinct that there was no need to do so. I could feel our connection, a palpable bond we shared and although I shared my mother’s looks I also saw similarities within Mason that I undoubtedly possessed. He was my dad. I didn’t require testing to know that. And as we walked slowly, side by side, arm in arm, my hearted saddened with knowing that after only just finding him, I would be losing him again very soon.

Sensing my sadness, he squeezed my arm and slipped his around my shoulder nestling me flush against his side. “You need to leave for London, Ava, and we both know why. I just wish it didn’t break my heart each time I think of waking up tomorrow and I’m left without you again.”

I placed my arm around his waist. “I won’t be in Chicago when you wake up tomorrow but at least you know where I am, that I’m thinking of you and I’m only a flight away. You’re my dad and now I know the truth, I expect you to be a huge part of my life from now on. Especially when you have a wedding to attend and a grandchild to look forward to in the not too distant future.”

He stopped dead and circled me in his arms, his eyes wide and his face elated. “You’re pregnant, baby girl?” he almost shouted.

I nodded madly and smiled at his reaction. I also felt a twinge of warmth in my stomach each time he called me baby girl. It was a father’s endearing term for his daughter, which is exactly what we were. Father and daughter reunited at last. And I could never tire of hearing him refer to me with those words. “I have no idea how pregnant I am but I did a test and the results were definite. You’re going to be a grandfather in a matter of months.” I fisted his grey linen shirt and tugged him into an embrace. “So that’s even more reason for you to visit as much as you can. And after the baby is born, we’ll both come to visit you here. Chicago doesn’t seem as terrifying now, knowing that you’re here.”

His heart beat frantically against mine, as I rose on my tip toes and rested my cheek against his warm neck. I inhaled his scent, captured it to memory. I knew without one single doubt that leaving him tonight was going to be painful and one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. I needed to remember everything I could about Mason to lessen the ache I already felt when we were separated.

“I feel like I’m being handed a second chance I don’t deserve,” he said sadly. Streams of people walked by as we stood locked together without a care for anyone else. Taking a step back, he held me at arms length and smiled down at me. “I won’t fuck this chance up, Ava, I promise you. I was a kid when I lost you. I was nothing more than a powerless, weak ass kid. I’m a big man now and may God help anyone who tries to keep me from you or my grandchild ever again.”

His hand splayed across my stomach and he rubbed it gently. “I missed all of Gina’s pregnancy. I’m not going to miss a second of yours. The moment you feel junior moving around in there, you let me know. I’ll be in London with my palm plastered permanently against your stomach.”

I laughed and covered his hand with mine. “I think Jonah may have something to say about that. He can be extremely proprietary when it comes to me. He’s going to be even worse with this little one.”

Mason dropped his head and the sadness was back. “Jonah is a good, good man, Ava. I have to admit I’m slightly jealous of the man who gets you full time and will experience all of the things a father should experience and I missed. But I’m happy for you, for the both of you. Finally, you’ve found your place, baby girl. And there’s no greater blessing than that.”

“And you are a massive part of the place I’ve found. And you’d better believe your ass that you’re going to be with me all the way. I can also be proprietary with what’s mine.”

He laughed, clasped my hand and began walking. “I’ll definitely bear that in mind.”

We walked and talked until the hands on my wristwatch showed it was time to head back to the hotel. We both filled in the blanks for each other and spoke mostly about our lives, post Gina and the plans we both had for the future. Plans that involved each other, as well as members of Mason’s family I still had to meet. His parents, my grandparents, retired to southern Spain two years ago and after Mason told them about finding me; it seemed they were as desperate to connect with me as he had been. There was also his twin sister Maggie. A woman I knew little about, mainly due to the fact I was so unbearably shut down as a child, but a woman who had put her own life on hold for a time and flew thousands of miles to keep a track on mine. Maggie moved from Chicago to Florida after I left for London and was married to a banker named Jack. Mason had to stop her jumping on the first flight to Chicago when she found about I was in Chicago and very much reunited with her brother. He wanted our first few days to be just about the two of us. There would be plenty of time to meet them all. It was overwhelming to know I did have a family after all and I was thankful that Mason agreed to give me time to adjust and allow things to sink in before unleashing other family members on me. After living so long alone, without anyone to care for me, or for me to care about in return, having people that mattered in my life was going to be enriching, yet equally as strange. One thing was for sure, I was more than willing to try, even if it did take time to adjust and truly let them in.

As we stopped outside the hotel entrance, Mason’s eyes misted with wet tears and so did mine. It was breaking my heart to leave him but this wasn’t goodbye. For me, this was just the beginning, the start of my new life. A life surrounded by love and support rather than hatred and violence. And I was determined to cling to my new life with both hands. That included my father. After hugging for long minutes with neither one of us wanting to be the first to let go, I eventually remembered Jonah and our booked flight, so reluctantly released him from my tight grip.

“I didn’t realise this would be so hard.” My voice was suffocated by the vast amount of tears falling from my eyes.

“Me neither, baby girl,” Mason replied. His hand scrambled around in his jeans pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. Holding it out, he placed it in my palm. “Open it, it’s yours.”

Carefully untying the small ribbon knot closing the pouch at the neck, I reached in with two fingers and removed its contents. A gasp left my lips as my eyes settled on the intricate diamond ring I held between slightly shaking fingers. The thick band was white gold or platinum with two thinner pieces of band encrusted with tiny diamonds that held a small princess cut diamond in place. Scribing on the inside caught my eye. Holding the ring up to eye level I read out the clear engraving on the inside of the band,
yours always, G - Mason.