Forever Branded (Billionaire Love Series #1) (35 page)

He stalked toward the front door. “Then, you know what to do. Break up with Beau. Be convincing and I’ll make sure you get guardianship of Emma.”

“What if I don’t?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Try me, missy, try me! You will not take my boy away from me!” he spat out angrily. “I told you what you need to do or you will suffer the consequences.” He slammed the front door, leaving me in a shaken state.

Shocked, I sat back down on the couch. The possibility of breaking up with Beau boggled my mind.

I couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t live without Beau.

But I couldn’t bear to let my baby sister go into the foster care system either.

My heart split in two as I despaired over my choices. I couldn’t believe Beau’s father was out to ruin his happiness. That was really fucked up.

Looking back, I should have consulted a lawyer or at the very least told Beau, but life experience and hindsight were not luxuries I had at the time. I believed James Shepard would put his hounds on me, regardless of who I told.

It weighed heavily on my mind, but I ignored the dilemma for a couple of weeks, until I received a notice in the mail that Emma’s guardianship case was under further review. That was enough to scare the crap out of me. I knew Beau’s father was giving me a warning.

His awful demand became more reasonable to me as I contemplated the fallout. If I did what he said, Beau could still have his career, and I would still have Emma. If I didn’t, I would still have Beau, but Emma could be ripped away from me at any time.

The bottom line was I couldn’t risk Emma.

No matter what.

My heart sank as I cherished those last days with Beau. I knew what was coming; he didn’t. I hugged him a little tighter, kissed him harder, laughed longer, and said I love you every other breath. I willed him to remember those last moments we had together, to know, somehow, I really loved him despite what it looked like.

I bit the bullet the day before he was due to leave for Canada. I figured it would be a clean break, best for both of us. It was a perfect summer day, in every way, except I was about to destroy the one thing that mattered most in my life.

Heartsick, I waited for him at my apartment as my stomach roiled in distress. Exactly on time, he came home from practice as I heard his quick step on the landing.

“Hey, where’s Emma?” Beau asked as he threw down his hockey gear bag by the couch. “I thought we were going to a movie.”

“I sent her to Katy’s house,” I answered numbly.

“Oh good.” He pulled me close from behind. “Then we can get busy doing something sexy,” he murmured as he kissed me behind my ear.

I loved that kind of kiss.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I was just in a nightmare; but I wasn’t. I was going to have to rip Beau’s heart out.

“Cut it out!” I snapped and walked over to the window. “We’ve gotta talk.”

“Talk about what? Your sweet body under mine?” he teased as he followed me.

Goddamn it, he was gonna make this super hard.

My heart was in my throat as I peered out at the vibrant grass soaking up the light rain that was falling. My love for Beau was immeasurable, but I would never know his affection again. I let my fingers trail along the yellow cotton of the curtain, trying to find the will to break his heart. 

I didn’t want to do it! I didn’t want to do it!

I fiddled with the silver ring he had given me. “I can’t marry you,” I said quietly, taking off the band and putting it on the window sill.

“What? Why?” He stared at me in denial as I turned toward him.

“We lead very different lives, Beau. You have a big destiny to fulfill and I’m just a simple girl who needs more than a hockey head has to offer.”

“What are you talking about?” He took two steps toward me, his blue eyes stark with worry.

“I can’t be with you anymore,” I said, a tear slipping down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly.

He encircled his arms around my waist. “I love you, Marla. I don’t want to break up.”

“It’s not your choice. It’s mine.”

“So you don’t want to be with me?” he asked in disbelief.

I couldn’t answer that.

I shook my head, my glance pleading with his to understand. “I need someone who’s gonna be there for me, not going around the country being hit on by every hockey bunny out there.”

“That’s a low blow, Marla.”

“You can’t deny it, though. All those sweet girls ready to keep you warm at night. I’m not that naive. I know that happens all the time with athletes.”

“That doesn’t mean it will happen with me.”

God, he had an answer for everything.

I tried another tactic. “It’s just easier, Beau, this way. I won’t get tired of you and you won’t get tired of me.”

His mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you’re saying this, Marla. You don’t mean it.”

I tried to grow indignant. “Please don’t tell me what I mean. You’ve got your hockey. Emma and I can’t go with you and it doesn’t make sense for us to stay together.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said, pushing me up against the window. “We belong together. I know we do.”

God, I couldn’t do this. Not to him. Not to me.

“You don’t understand, Beau. This is as good as it gets for me. You are moving on and I can’t move on with you.”

Confusion crossed his rugged features. “Wait. I don’t understand, Marla. I thought you loved me.”

God, he was killing me.

“Love has nothing to do with this,” I said dismissively. “We can’t be together anymore. It’s not working.”

He stared, floored by my heartless words. “No, this isn’t right. We belong together.”

“No, we don’t. Not anymore.”

“NO! I’m not leaving! You can’t mean it, Marla. I won’t give up on us!”

“Stop making this so damn difficult,” I spat out coldly, even as I died inside.

“I don’t get it,” he uttered, his face growing pale as he ran his hands through his hair.

“You don’t have to get it. We are OVER!” I yelled.

He backed up in stunned shock. I knew I had him on the ropes. I just had to push a little more to ruin everything between us.

“There is no us anymore. I don’t love you and I don’t want you anymore!” I shoved him hard toward the door.

A dumbfounded look filled with hurt, and horror rocked across his heartbroken face. “But you just told me this morning, that you lov—.”

“Things change,” I said, cutting him off. “You can’t believe everything you hear. You were wrong to trust me, Beau. Now, go get on that damn plane and get out of my face.”

“This is a mistake. You don’t mean i—“

“GET OUT! GET OUT!” I bellowed from the depths of my soul, my voice shaking. “Take your hockey shit and get out!”

My heart split open as I saw him break.

He really believed me.

Shaken, I tried to memorize every detail of his face, his slightly crooked teeth, the way his reddish brown hair glinted in the sun, his troubled eyes bewildered by my callous words. Everything.

Walking away as if I had whipped him with a belt, he picked up his bag, opened the flimsy door, and left without looking back.

I froze there, stone faced as the tears poured down my cheeks, trembling with shock that I’d actually been able to do it…to breakup with Beau.

I wanted to take it back, Oh God, what had I done…but it was too late, he was running…”Oh God, I am so sorry!” I shouted, but he continued to run and more of my heart cracked open, my eyes spilling over in a torrent of tears as a wrenching sob tore out of my throat.

I’d broken up with him, I really had.

There was no going back.

I had ruined everything.

I fell to my knees, unable to move under the shattering heartbreak ripping through me. I wretched hard, my stomach roiling over in nauseous pain as my heart fell out of my chest, stomped on by the brutality I was forced to commit.

I would never love anyone like that again.

I was forever branded.

*****

“Ms. Matthews?” A woman with a clipboard was turning in a circle calling out my name in the middle of the cavernous hallway.

I tried to focus on the present, the past replaying in my head at an alarming rate. Those old memories were still so powerful. I’m still not sure how I survived the break-up.

“That’s me,” I mumbled, trying to get the pain of the past to recede into the depths of my being.

“Come with me, please,” the plain woman said, motioning me down the hall as I was led to a conference room across the way.

A bald, middle-age man with a friendly face greeted me as I stepped inside the room. “Hello, I’m Jim McGovern.”

“Marla Matthews.” I reluctantly shook his hand.

“I’m sorry for the confusion, Ms. Matthews. There seems to have been a case of mistaken identity.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I believe that. But I’m willing to let it go if you’re dropping the investigation.

“Again, Ms. Matthews, you have my sincere apologies. Here’s my card if you run into any other issues.”

I took the card from him. “Uh-huh. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Beau has this guy in his pocket, like a piece of lint buried in a dryer vent.

Our meeting was short and sweet, and I felt relief as I left. The whole salon saga was over and I was glad Beau had backed off from shutting Casa Oschun down. He may have been cutthroat in his other businesses, but I knew he didn’t want to hurt innocent people.

My phone rang as I walked down the concrete steps of the courthouse.

“I’m here!” Charlie announced as I answered.

“You are? I thought you were coming in later tonight.”

“I got an earlier flight.”

I looked at my phone for the time. “I have to get back to the salon. Do you want to wait for me at the airport?”

“Nah. I already grabbed a cab and I’m headed home. I’ll meet you at the salon in a little while.”

“Oh, good. I have one more appointment and then we can go get dinner. We’ve got so much to talk about.”

“I know. I can’t wait to show you the five hundred pictures I took!”

I groaned out loud. “Five hundred? That will take all night.”

“You’re my mom and you’re just gonna have to suck it up. I’ve got fifty pictures of the train alone.”

I could only imagine what he wanted to show me. He’d always had a sense of the bizarre. “All right, I’ll suffer through for your sake. Can’t wait to see you, Charlie Brown!”

“You, too, Mom. I’m excited to see you.”

We hung up as I walked three blocks to my car. I headed back to the salon, excited my boy was home. I breezed through my appointment, a facial with a long time client. She was always willing to let me experiment on her and give me her true opinion on my latest concoction.

I handed her a small jar. “Here’s a soothing mask to try for your face. Let me know what you think. Remember to eat plenty of fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water. Those are the best beauty treatments.”

“I will.”

“Take care, Becky,” I said, giving her a hug.

I waved as she left the salon and made my way to the back, where I found Charlie standing in the hallway.

I ran toward him. “Oh, my boy! You’re home!” I gleefully greeted as I threw my arms around him.

“Hi, Mama!” he said, hugging me super hard.

“It’s so great to see you!” I gushed as I kissed him on the cheek a thousand times. I was so happy to see him, but he smelled like tuna fish and sweat. “Oh god, you stink.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been traveling non-stop for twenty hours.”

“I thought you were going to go home and shower.”

“I was, but I decided to drop off my stuff and come see you right away.”

My world suddenly felt right. “Well, go get in the shower in the back and we’ll go get some dinner.”

“Sounds good. Be out in a jiff.” He hustled down the hallway as I gathered cleaning supplies to sanitize the room I used.

My step was a little lighter as I put everything back in order. I just had a few last minute details to check on, and then Charlie and I could catch up. I wanted to talk to him about his father and figure out what he wanted to do.

“Marla, come out here, now!” I heard from the other end of the salon.

I stepped into the hall, wondering what the ruckus was all about as Beau suddenly appeared in front of me looking madder than a hornet’s nest that had been kicked.

“YOU!” he yelled at me.

Oh, crap.

He knew.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Beau:

The day my life blew up, started out normal. The morning went smoothly as I went for a quick run, practiced some Jujitsu, dressed, and headed into the office.