MISTAKEN - The Complete First Season (38 page)

“
W
hat exactly do
you want me to say to you, Brandon?” I stood up from the sofa and began to pace in front of the window.

“I want you to get pissed off. Throw one of those vases.” He pointed to a shelf where some of my mother’s treasures stood.

I clasped my hands behind my back and walked back and forth in front of the window. “So when you and Daniel were putting this plan together…” I paced a few more steps before turning back to him. “Did you two idiots think about how this would affect me? How your little plan was going to affect
me
? Or were you only worried about taking down the senator and the Hennesseys? Because I don’t think…”

“Jen, this wasn’t my plan, I already told you that.” His eyes grazed over me from my toes to my head. “This reaction you’re having right now, however, is more what I’m talking about.”

My cheeks burned with my anger. “Get over yourself. You haven’t done anything but lie to me.”

He nodded. “Keep going.”

My nostrils flared and I crossed my arms over my chest. “You said you were getting out of this business. You were going to stop with the lies and the blackmailing. What happened to that?”

He sucked in his bottom lip and released it with a loud pop. “It’s not like this is a business you can just walk away from. I’m trying. You have to trust that I’m trying.”

My gaze darted to meet his. “I don’t trust anything you say.”

“That’s probably the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”

I took in a deep breath and heard my voice rise. “What the fuck? Am I some delicate flower who can’t handle the truth? You, Daniel, my father. Why can’t you guys just be straight with me? It isn’t like I’ll wither and die if I hear the truth about something.”

I saw him set his jaw, and I knew immediately what he was thinking. That I really was some delicate flower that actually might tip over the edge if there was too much.

I shook my head. “You have to be kidding me. I had just given up the only thing in the world that was important to me.” I swept my arm toward the piano. “The only thing
I
had ever wanted. The only thing that was all mine. I gave it up for Daniel and he killed himself that night. Who wouldn’t have snapped?”

He pressed his lips into a line, waiting for me to continue.

“I did the best I could, but I blamed myself. I blamed myself forever, until I met you. And then you…” I stopped, turning to face him. “You.”

I saw him flinch a little. “Me.”

I glared across at him. “You, who may or may not have known what he was doing that night we met. You, who tells all of these beautiful stories about meeting your soul mate and fate and there not being any coincidences or mistakes. You, who made me feel like I might not have to grieve for the rest of my life. You, who filled some Brandon-sized hole in my heart that I didn’t even know was there.” I turned away, fighting back the tears that I could feel threatening me behind my eyes. “And then it was over. You lied to me. You lied and it was all like a house of cards that just came crashing down around me. And then everything was worse than it was before I met you.” My eyes burned with the tears I knew were about to come. I shook my head, gritting my teeth. “I wish I had never met you.”

“Jen…”

Tears filled my eyes. “Nothing you’ve ever said was true, was it? Everything was a game, another piece in your puzzle. Another step toward some vendetta that’s consumed you since you were in preschool. You don’t care who you step on, as long as it gets you closer to what you really want. You don’t care how many hearts you break, how many people you destroy.”

He shook his head, cocking it toward me. “Jen, that’s not true…”

“You never cared, did you? All of the poetic bullshit that comes out of your mouth, that’s all it is, right? Bullshit? You never loved me. You ripped my heart out and you never even fucking cared. I hope I was at least a decent lay.”

“Give me a fucking break. You were a fantastic lay.” He clapped his palm against his forehead when he realized what he had said. “Fuck, Jen, that’s not what I meant…”

My eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t ever call me that again. My name is Jenna.”

He tilted his head. “Jen…”

Every muscle in my body quivered with anger. “No, this is what you wanted, right? You wanted me to get pissed off. Well, here I am. I’m about as pissed off as I’ve ever been.”

He nodded and I could see something else in his eyes. Fear. “I can see that. It’s good. Part of the healing process.”

My pulse sped, my heart beat pounding in my ears. “Fuck you. What are you, psychoanalyzing me now? You can go straight to hell, Brandon. I’m fairly sure that’s where you came from, anyway.”

His eyes narrowed and his cheeks flushed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

My eyes narrowed to slits to match his. “Your contracts. Fucking people over. You make people sign a deal with the devil to get what they think they want. That’s you, right? The devil. You’re the fucking lord of the underworld, and I never even saw it.”

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes hardening. “That was a little below the belt.”

A wicked grin came to my face. “You wanted me to take a shot. There it is. It’s true, though, isn’t it? You give people what they want, and the price they pay is to live in hell for the rest of their lives. You can’t deny it.”

“Jen…”

My voice trembled. “Jenna.” I curled my lip up, my eyes narrowed. “So what would it cost me?”

He shook his head, his own voice trembling. “What would what cost you?”

I steeled myself. “To hire you. What’s the price? Do I get a discount for having fucked you for the last two months or is that just expected? Was that part of your deal with Robin Axelrod?”

He crossed his arms in front of him. “Tread lightly, Jen.”

I crossed my own arms, matching his stance. “Jenna.” I narrowed my gaze again. “You didn’t answer my question.”

His head cocked to the side. “What are we talking about?”

The corners of my lips turned up. “So there is a price. How much? And factor in that you will never, and I mean
never
, be fucking this again.” I motioned in front of my body with one hand. “What’s the price for you getting someone answers?”

He shook his head. “I’m not working for you, Jen.”

“Jenna. Get that straight, Richardson. I’ll never be your Jen again. What’s the price? You get me the answers I need, whatever it is. How much?”

“You couldn’t afford me.”

I clenched my jaw. “Try me. I’m a trust fund baby, remember? I may not be a Hennessey by blood, but I’ve got a lot of their fucking money in my bank account. A lot of Davis money, too. Does that make your skin crawl, Brandon? Knowing that you’ve been inside a Hennessey
and
a Davis? Because, you know, if I hated as deeply as you do, it would make my skin crawl.”

His eyes narrowed into a glare. “That’s enough, Jen.”

I dug my fingernails into my palms. “Jenna, god damn it. My name is Jenna Davis. Say it.”

He gritted his teeth. “Jenna. Davis.”

I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze again. “Good. Now how much? Factor in that I will not be giving you my body and that you hate both sides of my family. How much will it cost me?”

He shook his head. “I’m not for hire anymore. I made a promise to someone. I have other jobs I have to finish up, but I’m no longer for hire. Sorry.” He narrowed his eyes again, almost daring me to reply.

I shook my head, my lips turning up into an angry smile. “I don’t believe you. I think you’re discriminating against me because of my family. Do you think there’s a government agency that I can complain to? Because I don’t think I’m being treated fairly…”

He crossed the room in only a stride or two and grabbed me by the wrists. “Jen, stop.”

I shook my head, our faces impossibly close. If I spoke, my lips would graze his and then I’d be done. “No, this is what you wanted. You wanted to see me angry. Here I am. And the name’s Jenna.”

His eyes lowered to look at my lips and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Jen. Stop. It’s enough.”

My head barely shook. “It’s not enough. You didn’t answer my question. How much?”

“I would do anything for you. Anything.” He blinked several times. “But you have to stop.”

I shook my head again and my own voice was barely audible. “No. No more of your dashing promises. No more stories. No more lies.”

He tipped his head so that his forehead touched mine. “Jen, you said you had a Brandon-sized hole in your heart that you didn’t know was there until you met me.”

“I’m sorry I said that.” I winced as the grip around my wrists tightened.

“Jen, I didn’t even know I had a heart until I met you. My entire heart is Jenna Davis-sized.” His hands released their tight grip on my wrists and reached up to cup my face. “I love you, Jenna Davis. I didn’t even know I was capable of love until I met you.”

He tilted his head and brushed his lips across mine. His lips barely grazed mine in what was the sweetest, and yet most passionate kiss I had ever experienced. My breath caught in my chest and tears filled my eyes again.

His hands dropped from my face as he dropped to his knees. He wrapped his arms around my waist and embraced me, his head pressed against my belly. “Jen, I am so sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain.

I reached down and touched his hair, entwining my fingers in his locks and pulling him closer to me. One of his hands found mine and he threaded his fingers through mine, pulling me onto my knees to meet his gaze.

My mouth dropped open when he looked into my soul with his steely blue eyes, now the same color as the water outside. I couldn’t find my voice to speak.

He brushed his lips across mine again, barely touching them, but raining fire across them all the same.

He pulled back to look into my eyes one more time. I watched him struggle to speak. “Jen…”

I heard a phone ring in the distance, probably in the den where Cade was holed up. A split second later, Brandon’s phone chirped with a text.

Brandon pulled his phone from his pocket and Cade jogged the length of the house to where we were sitting. He was out of breath, almost doubled over when he slid to a stop in front of us. “Turn it on. Turn it on.” I could hear him struggling to breathe as he walked back to where I had left the laptop near the kitchen.

I rose to my feet and looked over at Brandon, who was still on his knees, slack-jawed, looking at his phone. He shoved it toward me, reading aloud. “He’s off script.” The text was from Krystal.

I hurried over to the computer and started the video from the news site. The two men stood behind me as I watched my father and mother sitting together on a love seat in what I recognized as one of the sitting rooms in our San Diego home.

The video was a few minutes behind live television and I watched the interviewer ask the questions I’d expected. My mother sat still, wedged against the side of the love seat. I could see she would have rather been anywhere other than there. Not that I could blame her.

Brandon touched at the laptop, fast-forwarding the video closer to the end. He took a step back and the three of us watched the two people sitting on the love seat in San Diego begin to unravel.

The interviewer asked about the DNA testing and my father went off the rails. He denied it, denied everything. He pulled a piece of paper from the inside of his jacket and laid it on the coffee table in front of him. He pointed at the camera. “The three of us went in for DNA testing on our own a few days ago.”

My brows knitted together. More lies.

Brandon whispered into my ear. “Did you?”

I shook my head and leaned in closer to the screen. I couldn’t hear. I could barely think.

My father continued. “As you can see, the results show conclusively that my daughter is the product of my marriage with Marian. The insinuation that she isn’t is absurd and the fault of one person, the brother of my campaign manager. This man has been on a vendetta against our family for years. It’s time for the lies to stop. It’s time for Brandon Richardson to stop living in the shadows and leave our family alone.”

I turned to look at Brandon, my jaw slackened. His eyes were narrowed, his hand scraping across the stubble on his chin. I turned back to the screen.

My mother was as white as one of her bathroom towels, appearing to have been drained of every ounce of her blood. She clutched the side of the love seat with both hands and I could see her fingernails digging into it. She sat open mouthed while my father continued spouting off about the horrors Brandon had brought upon our family.

My heart thudded in my chest and my eyes widened when she stood up. “Enough. Enough. I can’t do this anymore.”

Both of the men on the screen stopped talking long enough to look at my mother.

She continued. “Jenna shouldn’t have been dragged into this. And she is not my daughter.” She turned and fled from the small room where the filming was taking place.

I reached forward and closed the laptop. I had seen enough. I turned to Cade, ignoring the hand on my shoulder that I knew was Brandon’s. “I need to get to San Diego.”

T
wo weeks
later

“
T
ry again
.” I closed my eyes and pinched my brows together with my fingertips.

The man on the computer screen groaned. “It’s not as easy for me as it is for you.”

I opened my eyes to face him, shaking my head. “Stop being such a baby, Will. Try again.”

He let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes. “Fine. What was the question again?”

I gave him a small sigh of exasperation. I gritted my teeth before repeating what I had just asked him not a moment before. “I work at two minimum wage jobs to feed and clothe my children and I still can’t make ends meet. What are you going to do to help people like me, the working poor?”

He set his jaw and rolled his eyes again. “I know, I know. I can’t ask why she had kids if she couldn’t afford them.” He set his jaw and twisted his mouth around.

I looked up at the ceiling before looking back at him. “Damn it, Will. We’ve been over this. What is she really asking?”

“Right.” He chewed on his bottom lip and tapped his fingers on the desk he was sitting behind. “She’s afraid.”

My lips turned up into a small smile. “Good. Afraid of what?”

“She’s afraid she won’t be able to take care of her children. So I reflect that back to her.” He took a deep breath, nodding. “I understand the fear of not being able to care for those we love. When I’m elected, I’ll do everything I can to ensure that people like my friend here are given the help they need to care for their families. As long as they’re working…”

I cocked my head, narrowing my gaze a bit. “I’d leave that last little bit out.”

He shrugged, a small grin coming to his lips. “Whatever.” He drummed his fingers on the desk again. “You know, you could come back to Iowa. I gained three points this week.”

I lifted an eyebrow and feigned shock. “Wow, only seventeen more to go before you’re even with your opponent. Pick up a point a week until the election and you just might have a shot.”

He tilted his head, his mouth still forming a small smile. “I’m serious. We make a good team.”

I pressed my lips into a line and shook my head, trying to contain my own grin. “I don’t think so. I’m staying here in Cali, at least until something better comes along.”

“And you’re still mooning over Richardson. That guy’s a douche.”

I cocked my head to the side, lifting a single eyebrow toward him. “And you have room to talk?”

He shrugged again, biting his lip to keep from laughing. “Whatever, Davis. Same time next week?”

I nodded and reached to turn off the webcam. “See you then.” I pushed the button and closed the laptop. He may not have been worth much, but Will Howard was at least good for a little comic relief.

Melissa came out of our bedroom with her phone to her ear. Her face was scrunched up and she was shaking her head. She pulled the phone from her ear and held it in front of her mouth, screaming into it. “You are a crazy person. Do you hear me? Crazy!” She pushed the button to hang up her phone. Her face was red and her whole body quivered.

I stood up from the bar stool and walked around the island into our kitchen, trying to hide my amusement. “You know, some people would say you’re the crazy person for taking that job, Mel. What does she want this time?”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. “She wants to throw her kid a birthday party. Today. His birthday was four weeks ago and he already had a party then, but she thought about it last night and decided they should have another one. Today. And she wants me to arrange it. Now.” She shook her head again. “Amanda Agostino is certifiable. What the fuck is that girl’s problem, anyway?”

I shrugged. “You can quit, you know.”

She shook her head. “Not with how much they’re paying me, I can’t. And…” She forced a fake smile on her face.

I tilted my head at her, lifting an eyebrow. “And?”

Her smile widened. “And they own an apartment building in Palo Alto. In one of her moments of clarity, she said I could have one. They’re beautiful, Jenna.”

I nodded, chewing my lip to hide my momentary disappointment. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t seen this coming. Palo Alto was quite a commute, especially for how much Amanda was asking of her. “So you’re leaving me?”

She winced. “You could move in with me if you want. It would be fun…”

My lips tugged into a small smile. “No thanks. I was just teasing. You should definitely take the apartment.”

She bit at her bottom lip. “You think?”

I nodded, pressing my lips together. “Definitely. You’ll be closer to her highness when she comes calling for you. She can come to your door…”

She clapped a palm to her forehead. “Christ, I didn’t even think about that. Maybe when her brother gets back in town she’ll mellow out a little.” She dropped her hands and motioned with her head toward the computer on the counter. “Was that ‘roid boy?”

I nodded and took a mug down from the cabinet, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes again. “Why are you even giving that guy the time of day?”

I shrugged and took a sip from my cup. “He’s not that bad. Misunderstood.”

“I think you’re the nicest person on the face of the planet, Jenna.” She twisted her mouth around. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you today?”

I gave my head a small shake. “I’ll be fine. Besides, it sounds like you have a birthday party to get planned.”

She looked up at the ceiling with a scowl. “Aww, fuck. I forgot about that for a second.” She tilted her head back to face me. “If you change your mind…”

I shook my head, forcing my mouth into a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, but will Marian have a freak out on live television again is the question.” Her lips turned into a pout. “You don’t have to do it, you know. Not on TV.”

I shrugged and took a sip from my cup. “It’ll get the point across. Show everyone who the liar is.”

She shook her head and narrowed her gaze at me. “You’re way too calm about this. If my dad…”

I held up my palm to stop her, shaking my head again. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She turned to face me, giving me a very pointed look. “You don’t have to pee into a cup on live television, right?”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “No. No peeing on TV. Cheek swab.” I pointed to the side of my face. “It only takes a few minutes, I guess.”

“Huh. Very
CSI
.” She stepped around the bar and came over to embrace me, pecking at my cheek. “Call me or text me if you change your mind. I can be there in a flash.”

I nodded into her shoulder and returned her hug.

She pulled away, crossing the room to the door before turning to face me again. “And don’t let them ask too many personal questions. Just cut them off.” She made a chopping motion with her arm. “Don’t even let them go there.”

I lifted a brow. “It’ll be fine. I’ll call if I need help.”

She pointed her index finger at me. “Good.” She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. “I have to go plan a kick ass birthday party for a spoiled little boy.”

I bit on my bottom lip to contain my grin. “Have fun with that.”

“I will.” She pulled on the door handle and opened the door. “Aww, fuck. What are you doing here?”

“Hello to you, too, Melissa.”

I recognized the rich tone of his voice immediately. My stomach fell to the floor as heat rushed into my face.

“Is she here?”

I saw Melissa point over at me and she lifted a brow in my direction before walking through the doorway. “You kids behave yourselves.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to the coffee pot to refill my cup.

“You haven’t returned my calls.” I turned around and saw Brandon leaning against the bar that separated the tiny kitchen from the rest of the apartment. He leaned his elbows onto the counter top and drummed his fingers against the granite. “No texts. No calls. If I didn’t see your picture on every magazine in town, I might think you were dead.”

I avoided his gaze, instead staring out the window of the living room behind him. I tried to ignore the heat that I felt rising through my body. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” I licked my lips. “Things have been complicated.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “There’s nothing complicated going on here, Jen. You want to know what I think?” He raised his head to meet my gaze. “I think there’s a part of you that believes what your father said about me on that news show a few weeks ago.”

I turned my head away, breaking our eye contact. My stomach twisted with the knowledge that he could still read me so well.

“Let’s go grab some breakfast, talk through whatever it is that’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours and talk about the terms of your offer.”

I tilted my head, meeting his steely blue gaze. “What offer?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “The one where you hire me to do your bidding. I think I’m uniquely qualified to meet your every need.” He deepened his gaze and his voice lowered into what almost sounded like a growl. “And I do mean
every
need.”

I rolled my eyes. I could feel the crimson begin to stain my cheeks. “And if that didn’t sound downright pornographic, I might actually listen to you.” I set my coffee mug down on the counter, trying desperately to ignore the magnetic pull I still felt when he was anywhere near me. “Look, I have to go meet with my mom for brunch. Then we have to go shopping for a dress, because, you know, I don’t have anything in my closet that won’t look hideous on national television.”

“You’re still calling her ‘mom’?”

I lifted a shoulder into a shrug. “She’s the only mom I’ve ever known.” I bit on my lower lip. “Brandon, I just don’t have time for this right now. The games, the lies…”

“I haven’t lied to you, Jen. Just give me a chance to talk about this with you. We have similar goals here, you and I. You want to know who your mother is and I want to know what happened to my parents. The two are linked; we both know it.”

I shook my head and pressed my lips together. “I don’t know if I want to know, Brandon. I haven’t had much time to think about it. Things are just so crazy right now…”

He shook his head, mirroring my movements. “You think too much, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard.” I walked around the bar, being careful to avoid coming anywhere close to him. I crossed the room to the door and opened it, motioning him out. “I just can’t do this right now.”

He crossed the room in only a few strides, pushing the door closed. He turned to face me, fishing into his pocket and pulling out a small black velvet box. He stared down into my eyes. “Jen, I can’t promise you everything.”

I shook my head, wishing that the way he looked at me didn’t make me feel like I was going to have a heart attack. “I never asked you to promise me anything.”

He shook his head at me, not releasing my gaze. “I know. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Neither do you.”

I closed my eyes to break the hold he had on me. I opened them to stare at the floor.

He placed the closed box in my hand. “This is yours. I had the clasp fixed.”

The necklace. “Oh, right. Thanks.” I forced the corners of my lips into the prim smile my mother had made famous. I clutched the box in my hand and motioned toward it with my head. “Thanks for this.” I set the box down on the table next to me and took another step toward the door, trying to reopen it.

He caught me by the wrist. I saw him fishing in his pocket with his other hand. “Jen, let me finish.” I saw a flash of silver as he pulled something from his pocket. “I can’t promise you everything. I can only promise you right now.” He held out his hand to show me an antique platinum ring with a single small diamond. “I’m not perfect. I don’t know how to make you believe me, Jen. I don’t know how to make you trust that I love you.” He knelt down on one knee and took my right hand into his. “I can’t promise you forever. It wouldn’t be fair. I have demons I still have to slay. So do you. But I can promise you right now. I can promise you that I love you.” He slid the ring onto my right ring finger.

I stared down at my finger, realizing I still hadn’t even said the words to him. I could barely raise my voice above a whisper. I was acutely aware of the sound of my heart racing in my chest and the heat that was flooding my body at that moment. I didn’t know where I found my voice, a voice I barely recognized as it quivered with the words I knew we both wanted to hear. “I love you, Brandon.”

He took my hands in his, his blue eyes boring into my soul once again. “That’s all I need to know.”

He saw me the way no one else ever had. My stomach fluttered with the realization that it was enough. That ‘right now’ was all I needed. That it was enough.