Forever Branded (Billionaire Love Series #1) (3 page)

“Thank you everyone for coming today,” Micah announced from a podium at the front of the room, looking strong and confident as he spoke. “I wouldn’t be here without my beautiful wife, Emma. She is my inspiration to do something greater with my life than just play hockey,” he explained as he smiled lovingly at his wife, his eyes shining with adoration.

God, I wanted a man to look at me like that.

“So today, we celebrate the opening of the Micah and Emma Turner Foundation...” he continued to speak and outline all the plans for the charity as I looked for Beau.

He was easy to spot, standing to the right of the podium, several rows in front of me. His back was toward me as I took in the width of his shoulders, the strength of his back, and the ruggedness of his profile as he turned to peer at his date.

I couldn’t stop staring at him.

He was still so beautiful.

The energy he’d exuded when he was young had grown into something more carnivorous and ruthless. He reminded me of a tiger—quick and deadly.

I couldn’t help but notice he seemed much more interested in getting it on with the redhead than listening to Micah’s speech. She was glued to his hip, draped over him like some flimsy nightie that would flutter to the floor, forgotten in the light of the day.

Still, he was with her.

Not me.

Her bare shoulder rubbed suggestively against his arm, letting me know they were intimate with each other. My stomach twisted hard as he whispered softly into her ear and then gently bit down on her earlobe.

Wow, that stung.

Tears formed in my eyes again as I looked away, unable to keep myself from being crushed by how easily he had moved on.

Give it break, Marla. It’s been twenty flippin’ years.

So what?

There were no statute of limitations on love.

Beau had been branded on my soul.

I wiped a tear from my eye as Micah wrapped up his speech. “So eat up and enjoy!” he said in closing, as everyone started clapping and cheering.

Good, I could go.

I’d had enough for one day.

I sought the crowd searching for Emma and headed over in her direction.

She was standing with the baby, looking happy and serene with her life.

For the first time ever, I was envious of my sister.

Not that I didn’t wish her every happiness or share in her joy.

But she didn’t have any skeletons in her closets just waiting to burst out and mess up her life.

She smiled sweetly at me as I approached her. I tried to grin back, but failed miserably as I got straight to the point. “I’m gonna take off.”

Her sweet blue glance pooled with sympathy as she tilted her head sideways. “Oh, honey. Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

It was all I could do not to burst into tears. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just gotta go.”

“I understand. Will you call me later?” she asked, patting my left forearm soothingly.

I nodded slowly after I kissed the baby on the cheek. “Yeah, I’ll call you later.”

More compassion filled her angelic face. “Okay.”

“Bye,” I managed to say as I turned around to leave.

Big mistake.

I plowed directly into Micah and Beau and bounced off the human wall they created standing together.

Oh, shit.
I did not need to see Beau face to face.

“Whoa, Marla. Where’s the fire?” Micah teased as he steadied me.

I caught Beau’s icy blue gaze. “Uh…nowhere...sorry,” I said, flustered.

“No worries. I just wanted you to meet one of our board members, Beau Shepard,” Micah introduced politely.

I managed to paste a fake smile on my face. “Yes, I know Beau.”

“Oh yeah, Marla and I go way back,” Beau agreed, staring at me coldly.

“You do?” Emma asked, looking back and forth between us.

“Yep.” Beau confirmed. “But that’s old news.”

Emma shot me a where-have-you-been-hiding-him glance. “Old news, huh?”

I shook my head discreetly, my eyes begging her to let it drop.

“Don’t you remember me, Emma?” Beau probed.

“No, should I?”

“I don’t know...should she, Marla?” He fired off another calculating stare in my direction, daring me to reveal the truth.

I cleared my throat, trying to relieve the painfulness of this conversation. “I knew Beau in high school, Emma, and I tutored him in English,” I said evenly, not wanting to rip open the whole sordid affair.

Beau scoffed. “Is that what you call it?”

“It was a long time ago. Emma was pretty young then,” I claimed, wondering how I could get out this mess.

“I kinda, sorta remember,” Emma said, closely studying Beau’s face as if it would trigger her memory. “But isn’t it weird after all this time, your paths would cross again?” she asked, pointing at both of us.

Great. My sister was enjoying my predicament.

I just smiled, willing her with my eyes to stop talking about the past.

She grinned back, acting as if she didn’t know what she was doing.

I wasn’t about to let this awkward discussion of our history go on any longer.

I turned toward Emma’s husband. “How do you know Beau, Micah?” I asked, hoping he would rescue me.

“Well—” Micah started.

“I own the team,” Beau cut in unexpectedly.

I was already aware of the fact, but I wasn’t about to let him know this.

“What team?” I questioned as he stood across from me.

“The Baltimore Gators.”

“Oh, I see. So the whole hockey thing worked out?” I asked casually, knowing it had.

He scoffed again, shooting me another frosty glance. “Yeah, you could say that.”

We stared at one another as years of silence, grief, and love welled up inside of me again, the air growing thick with unspoken hurt and an intimate past which had changed us both.

I suddenly wanted to reach out, to soothe the wild beast. “Well then, I’m glad you’re doing so well, Beau,” I said gently.

His blue eyes softened for a second and lit brightly.

There was the Beau I had fallen in love with.

The fun mischievous kid, who’d never backed down from a challenge.

I wondered how often he let himself be that way. Did he just save it for special occasions, or was he willing to be nice to everyone but me?

“Yep, it all worked out,” he fired back, his gaze burning with intensity.

Crackle.

Sizzle.

Sizzle.

Damn. Our chemistry still grabbed hold of me with an electricity that blasted through my insides, leaving me breathless.

I cleared my throat, trying to shake the heat running through me. “Good to hear,” I added, hoping to see him soften again.

Instead, he just glowered. “Yep, everything’s just peachy,” he claimed with a sarcastic edge in his voice as he turned away from me. “Listen, Micah, I’ve got to be on my way. But, I’m lookin’ forward to seeing all the good you’re gonna be doin’.”

A puzzled look crossed Micah’s face as he shook Beau’s hand. “All right, man. Take it easy.”

“Will do,” Beau said. “Emma, always a pleasure.” He shook her hand warmly.

“Marla,” he said giving me a curt nod.

Ouch. That hurt.

He turned sharply and walked away, grabbing the redhead who had patiently been waiting behind him. She gazed adoringly at his handsome face, like the sun set on his shoulders.

Yikes.

I liked it better when Beau preferred a feisty woman, who wouldn’t take any crap from him. This one looked like she took whatever shit he doled out and asked for more.

Turning my attention back to Beau, I watched as he sauntered coolly through the door as if the world was at his feet, ready to do his bidding.

Wow.

It was
so
time for me to go.

“What was that all about?” Emma threw at me as soon as Beau was out of earshot.

“I don’t know exactly,” I admitted.

“Yes, you do. But I’m not going to press. God knows the things you’ve seen me through. But I’m here, waiting and willing. When you’re ready, talk to me.” She rubbed comforting circles on my back.

“We’re here for you, Marla. Anything you need,” Micah supplied, studying me thoughtfully with his warm grey eyes.

I nodded as if I was really processing what they were saying. “Thanks. I’m gonna go,” I said numbly, worn out by the afternoon’s events.

“Okay, let’s talk later,” Emma said as I headed toward the door.

“Sure.” I waved goodbye, determined to leave.

I caught Grace’s eye as I left. Her gaze told me she knew something was up.

Geesh, I had too many intuitive women in my life.

I couldn’t get away with anything.

CHAPTER TWO

Marla:

Feeling the need to get away from everything as fast as I could, I took off as soon as I was out the door, running as if my life depended on it. I hoofed it out to my car, jumped in, and tried to get a grip on my rattled senses after that frosty encounter with Beau.

No, no, no!
I hit the steering wheel with the palm of my hand over and over.

That wasn’t supposed to be how we met again.

I’d always imagined we would fall in each other’s arms, speaking words of forgiveness and adoration to one another. Beau would say how much he missed me; I would tell him I didn’t mean what I had said. Instant understanding would erase years of separation as we reveled in finding each other again.

That was the reunion I wanted.

Fat freakin’ chance, right?

You would’ve thought I would be prepared for his bitter disdain.

Nope. I wasn’t.

His scorn had poured over me like scalding hot water as he barely spit out a civil word to me.

Could he be any colder?

It hurt as if someone had plunged a knife in my heart and twisted it in a few times for good measure. I grabbed the steering wheel, trying to steady myself against the onslaught of feelings assaulting me.

Pain, regret, relief, and love all warred within my soul.

You can bear this...you’ve done it for twenty years.

Yeah, I had.

I had made hard choices and lived with the consequences of my actions, sacrificing my personal happiness to take care of my family.

Buck up. People made difficult decisions every day.

Yeah, that thought wasn’t bringing me any comfort.

I breathed deeply several times, trying to keep the grip of my emotions from crushing me. More tears sprung up despite my desire to let go.

I didn’t want to cry.

A million tears weren’t going to change anything.

I shook my head and sighed, putting my forehead against the warm steering wheel. After a few minutes, I was calm enough to drive. I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading home to de-stress. I wanted to take a nice bubble bath and try one of the new soothing masks I was perfecting.

I pulled into the driveway as my cell phone rang, making my purse vibrate with urgency. I rummaged through various lipsticks, forgotten receipts, and an overflowing wallet looking for the incessant thing.

“Hello?” I answered breathlessly when I found the phone.

“Sugar, are you okay?” Grace asked in concern.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“What happened to you today?”

“I just saw someone I hadn’t seen in many years.”

“Oh, come on, there’s more to the story than that. I have never seen you look like this. Put on a pot of tea and get ready to spill the beans. I’m comin’ over.”

Grace was like a dog with a bone. I knew she wouldn’t let this rest until she’d talked to me.

There was no use in fighting her. “All right,” I sighed.

I hung up and walked into my tri-level house, wondering if I was ready to unburden myself after all these years. It had all been so long ago. I didn’t even know if I had the words to express what had happened.

I put down my purse and turned on the kettle. Nothing like a cup of tea to comfort a wounded heart. I glanced around the kitchen, hoping it would bring me some sense of safety.

My sanctuary.

I had updated the kitchen a couple of years ago as a present to myself when Charlie graduated high school. I figured I deserved it after raising him to adulthood by myself.

The kitchen was a big rectangle with an eat-in area on one end, an island in the middle, and the rest of the kitchen on the other side of the room. I went with simple white shaker style cabinets, which Charlie had managed to damage when he was showing me one of his infamous Karate kicks one afternoon when he was nineteen.