This Man Confessed - Malpas Jodi Ellen (книги без регистрации TXT) 📗
Another chance? That’s what she said. I can’t blame Jesse for his meltdown, not when his mother has just suggested that everything can be righted by the birth of his own twins. That’s cruel and selfish, and it will never make up for the years of sorrow and betrayal that have come before.
These babies and I are Jesse’s chance at happiness, not his parent’s opportunity to right all of their wrongs. If she intends on using my babies as some sort of family therapy, then she can think again.
* * *
I have no idea where I’m going, but I just about manage to coax directions from Jesse. The familiar fragrance of Paradise finally has me relaxing completely as I make my way up the cobbled driveway to the villa. He gets out of the car and strides towards the veranda, leaving me to follow tentatively behind. I don’t know what to do. I know we won’t be talking, so I need to do what instinct is telling me and that’s to just be there for him. Not fish for information to ease my own inquisitive mind, or stamp my feet and demand answers. I already know what I need to. I know Jesse’s parents have influenced his life too much. Now he’s making it right all on his own, just like he said, and I need to let him do that.
Following him into the villa, I find him standing in the middle of the room. I’m quiet as I approach behind him, but he doesn’t flinch when I slide my hand into his. He knew I was close, as he always does. I lead him into the bedroom and start to unbutton his shirt. There is no sexual tension ricocheting between us, or heavy desperate breaths. I’m just looking after him.
His head is dropped, he’s completely despondent, but he lets me undress him until he’s standing before me naked and quiet. I go to direct him to the bed, but he stands firm and turns me back towards him, then sets about unzipping my dress and pulling it over my head, encouraging me to lift my arms. I let him do his thing, anything to drag him from his melancholy state. I stand quietly while he sees through his task, unhooking my bra before kneeling and taking my knickers down my legs. I’m lifted to his body, my legs finding their place around his hips, and he positions himself on the bed, back against the headboard so I’m sitting on his lap, pressed against his chest. He’s not prepared to have any space between us, which is fine by me. His arms are completely encasing me, his nose is in my hair and his heartbeat is slow and steady under my ear. This is all I can do, and if need be, I’ll do it until the day I die.
Chapter 26
I feel different this morning. I’m on my back, but I’m not sprawled across the bed with a light breeze tickling my naked skin, and I’m unable to stretch. It takes a few seconds to register why. It’s because I’m cocooned beneath Jesse, who is half laying on me, half off, so he isn’t putting pressure on my tummy. His face is nuzzled in the space between my jaw and my shoulder, his palm is flat on my abdomen and his hot, minty breath is heating my neck. Why isn’t he out running? My rousing brain is a little confused, but not for long. It speedily kicks into gear, reminding me of the events of last night, the pain, the anguish and the shock. Paradise was turned upside down. His parents now know about me, and after Jesse’s little trampling mission in the restaurant, they also know that he has twins on the way.
My fingers slip into his hair as I gaze up at the ceiling and massage gently. I don’t want to think about this. I don’t want to delve deep, and I really don’t think I need to. All I need to do is be here, listen when he wants to speak, and hold him when he needs some comfort. His pained face has brought back a whole black past of memories between us—the moment we were standing in Kate’s lounge and he begged me not to leave him, the time I left him drunk at Lusso, and the moment I found him in his office with a whip wielding Sarah. All of those incidents lead to further excruciating pain, and I need to avoid any repeat at all costs. And I will. This man has a troubled history, but I’m fixing all of that hurt and suffering. It’s no wonder he wants to keep me from it all. I’m his little piece of heaven, and I’ll never allow him to fall back into his hellish, hollow past.
As I lay giving myself a little mental pep talk, I know he’s awake. I feel the slight flicker of his long lashes against my neck, but I remain quiet, allowing him to have his thinking space, my fingers keeping up the gentle twisting of his hair and the odd massage of his head. He would know I’m awake, even if I wasn’t moving.
‘I would never have brought you here if I’d have known.’ His raspy voice breaks the silence. ‘I never wanted my life with you to be stained by my past.’
Our lives have been tarnished by his past in many ways, and I know he never wanted any of it to affect us. But it has. And now this might, too, if he allows it. ‘It hasn’t affected us.’ I assure him. ‘So please don’t let it.’
‘They have no place in my life, Ava. Not before, and even less now.’ His hand starts a slow movement across my stomach.
I know why he’s saying this. His babies will not replace Jake. They will not ease Jesse’s parent’s guilt. And I know for sure they’ll never be reason for reconciliation. Some things are unforgivable, and your mum and dad doing anything other than loving and supporting you are just a few of them. My dad has always said that he could never tell me what to do, only advise me. He has said he would never force my hand in anything, knowing it would make me unhappy. He said he would always be there, despite my choices and he would make things better if it was the wrong choice. And he did. Many times. Not for such extreme things as I know Jesse’s choices have entailed, but the principle is still the same. That’s what parents do. They don’t influence their children for their own benefit. My compassion is fierce. Jesse has always said that I’m all he needs, and I know he wholeheartedly means it. And it’s completely understandable, given what this man has been through, not just the history of women and drink, but with his parents. That is the root cause of everything.
‘You don’t need to explain anything to me. You and me.’ I repeat his words to enforce my own.
He rolls onto his back and pulls at me, encouraging me to crawl onto his chest. I find my way and start my slow, light trailing of his scar. ‘This place was Carmichael’s.’ he says quietly. ‘It was part of his estate, as was the boat.’
‘I know.’ I smile to myself. I was right on the money with my own private conclusion.
‘How did you know?’
‘Why else would you have a villa so close to where your parents live?’
I can’t see him, but I know he’s smiling. ‘My beautiful girl is frightening me.’
‘Why?’ I ask, frowning into his chest.
‘Because she’s usually so demanding for information.’
I have to agree, but I’ve found out more since I convinced myself to keep my trap shut than I ever did when I was stamping and screaming. ‘There can’t be anything else you could tell me that would convince me to run away from you again.’
‘I’m glad you’ve said that.’ he says quietly.
If there was anything he could say that would make me stiffen and wish I could retract my words, then that would be it. Instinctively I know I’m not going to like what I will hear. It’s like I’m unintentionally pulling confessions from this man.
‘Ava?’ he says quietly.
‘What?’
‘I need to tell you something.’ He goes to move, but I make myself a dead weight, ensuring optimum difficulty for him, not that it makes a blind bit of difference. I’m removed from his chest with minimal effort and turned onto my back. He straddles my waist, but doesn’t rest himself fully on me. He chews his lip for a few moments while I look up at him, a sceptical expression plastered all over my face. I know knowledge is power is the sensible option, but given what Jesse has presented me in the knowledge department, it scares the fucking life out of me.
