Wait for Me / Trust in Me (28 page)

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Oh, what have I done?”

William reached for her hand and gave her a comforting squeeze. “You did what anyone would do in your position. I had hoped that Jason would tell you what was going on, but he thought it was best to keep it a secret until it was over. He didn't want you worrying or being uncomfortable. Mostly he didn't want you to worry about seeing Martin. He thought he was doing what was right.”

Tears streamed down her face. “And I accused him of being selfish when he was trying to protect me. What am I supposed to do now?” Maggie stood and began pacing her small living room.

“Go to him, Maggie. He's at home kicking himself for what he put you through.”

Without conscious thought, Maggie grabbed her purse and keys, threw on a pair of sneakers, and was about to run out the door before she remembered that William was still standing in her living room. “Feel free to help yourself to some Chinese, but I have to go!” Slamming the door behind her, Maggie rushed down to her car and hoped that on the drive to Jason's she'd figure out just what exactly she was going to say.

* * *

It was a starless night. Jason sat out on his deck, letting the early winter weather wrap around him. He'd probably get pneumonia from it but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, not without Maggie.

Why hadn't he listened to his father and just told her what was going on? Why had he been so insistent that it all be a secret? His father had never steered him wrong, and the one time he went against his father's advice it had cost him everything. He took a pull from the beer he was drinking and it tasted bitter going down. Right now he should have been drinking champagne off of Maggie's body. They would have been enjoying the sight of the New York skyline and making love and planning their future. He reached into his pocket and played with the ring meant to go on her finger but now never would. Now he was just sitting alone outside in the cold kicking himself.

Some Friday night.

A loud pounding on his front door shook him out of his reverie. He placed his beer down on the deck and walked into the house. His hair was disheveled and his shirt was open, his feet bare. Jason had no idea who could be at his door at this hour, but he didn't give a damn about how he looked. When he opened the door, he wished he had taken the time to put himself mildly back together.

“Maggie? What are you doing here?”

She didn't answer right away; she was too taken aback by Jason's appearance. Maggie had seen Jason dressed in suits and tuxedos and in jeans and T-shirts. She'd seen him first thing in the morning all mussed up from sleep, and slick with sweat after making love, but she had never seen him look so utterly devastated. Holding her tongue, she stepped around him and into the foyer and shut the door.

“You lied to me,” she said by way of an opening.

He could only nod. Jason wanted to defend himself but knew it had taken a lot of courage for Maggie to come here and confront him, so he wasn't going to interrupt her. She deserved to have her say without him trying to make her see his point of view.

“Why didn't you tell me the real reason you had Martin at Montgomerys?” she demanded softly.

“I tried to tell you, Maggie, but you wouldn't…” He stopped. “I should have told you from the beginning. I'm sorry I didn't.”

She nodded. “Yes, you should have.” The look of defeat on Jason's face was almost more than she could bear. “I don't appreciate having you make decisions for me and thinking that you know what's best.”

“That wasn't my intention, Maggie. I honestly wanted to protect you from ever having to see him again. In Miami, you told me how it had taken you months to be able to close your eyes and not see him or hear him. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Maggie was about to walk into Jason's living room, but she stopped and turned to face him again. “That was before, Jason! I don't have to be afraid of him anymore, and do you know why?” He shook his head. “It's because of you! I know that there is nothing someone like Martin Blake can do to me and even back then, I did nothing wrong. I don't have to hide. I don't have to feel ashamed. I would have loved the opportunity to see his face when you told him you had proof of all of the hideous things he's done!”

Jason's eyes went wide. “I didn't want him anywhere near you!” He strode toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I never want anyone ever to hurt you again, Maggie. Don't you understand?”

She looked up at him and saw in his eyes how much he meant what he was saying. “But you hurt me, Jace. You didn't trust me enough.”

“Sweetheart, I do trust you. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to make it all go away and know he couldn't ever hurt you again.”

“He couldn't, Jason. He doesn't hold that power over me anymore, and I have you to thank for that. You did that for me back in Miami. I'm stronger now. You make me stronger! I wanted us to be strong together.”

Jason pulled her closer and was relieved when she didn't pull away. “We are stronger together. When you walked out today I thought I'd lost everything. Please tell me we're okay. Tell me that you're here because you know I love you and I need you.”

No words came to mind because she was so overwhelmed with emotion. So she answered him the only way she knew how. Stepping up and aligning their bodies, Maggie reached up and threaded her fingers through his mussed hair and pulled him down for a scorching kiss. She felt his sigh of relief as Jason pulled her tight against him. When they finally broke apart, Maggie cupped his face and stared up at the man that she loved. “I'm here because I love and need you, too.”

“Thank God,” he said before reclaiming her mouth with his.

“You know people think we're crazy, right?”

Maggie shrugged. “I don't care.”

“We had at least fifty other options that would have been more fitting.”

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she gave him a bland stare. “Still don't care.”

Jason leaned back in his seat and huffed. “I can't believe we missed going to Paris for this.”

Just then, Maggie jumped to her feet. “Oh, come on!” she yelled. “He hooked him! What is wrong with that ref?” Slumping back into her seat, she reached for her beer and pouted.

“Need I remind you that we could be drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower right now,” Jason said in a teasing tone, “rather than sitting here in this cold arena watching your team get slaughtered?”

Maggie turned and punched him in the arm. “They're not getting slaughtered, and you were the one who got the tickets for the playoffs,” she reminded him.

“I didn't think you'd actually choose this over Paris for our honeymoon,” he pouted.

“Aw…” She leaned in and kissed him sweetly. “I didn't choose this
over
Paris. I just chose to stop here first.”

“All I'm saying is I want to take you on a romantic getaway and you keep thwarting all my best attempts.” He wanted to say more, but his new bride was up on her feet again cheering as the Rangers scored and tied up the game.

“When are you going to learn that it doesn't matter to me where we are, just as long as we're together?”

He stood, wrapped her in his arms, and pulled her in for another kiss. “I'm a slow learner where you're concerned,” he admitted. “But I promise to get better.”

“Excellent,” she purred against his lips. “Besides, this little side trip makes up for the trip we missed when you proposed.”

“Yeah, sorry it took so long to reschedule.”

“Well, with you wanting me to move in right away and then all the wedding planning, there just wasn't time. I'm not complaining; this is perfect timing as far as I'm concerned.”

They sat back down and Maggie rested her head on Jason's shoulder, sighing with happiness.

Yes, having the man she loved sitting beside her while watching the team she loved, knowing that their future was wide open ahead of them, was definitely worth the wait.

Order Samantha Chase's fourth book
in the Montgomery Brothers series

Return to You

On sale March 2015

Order Samantha Chase's fourth book
in the Montgomery Brothers series

Return to You

On sale March 2015

Thank you for reading
!

At Sourcebooks we are always working on something new and exciting, and we don't want you to miss out.

So sign up now to receive exclusive offers, bonus content, and always be the first to get the scoop on what's new!

SIGN UP NOW!

New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestselling author Samantha Chase released her debut novel,
Jordan's Return
, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her forties to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Teaching creative writing to students from elementary through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams motivated Samantha to take that step as well. When she's not working on a new story, Samantha spends her time reading contemporary romances, blogging, playing Scrabble on Facebook, and spending time with her husband of more than twenty years and their two sons in North Carolina.

Where to Find Samantha Chase

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SamanthaChaseFanClub

Twitter:
twitter.com/SamanthaChase3

Website:
www.chasing-romance.com