Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Myrah

“ Y ou can’t really be kicking me out, Myrah. This is my house. I’m Lloyd’s wife and your mother.”

My mom’s shrill voice is grating on my nerves. She doesn’t get it. And the problem is, she never will. Even after she found out the truth about her husband—not only what he did to Knox, which I suspect she already knew about based on her face turning red with guilt and her lack of surprise by the news, even after she found out he was trying to blackmail me for sex—she still went to see him in prison and met with an attorney on Lloyd’s behalf.

Ryker had bugged her purse, so Knox and I got to hear every lie she told her lawyer, trying to make a case to get her shady husband set free. And when the attorney said there was nothing he could do to help her, she switched angles, trying to figure out if she could sue Knox for part of her husband’s estate. But again, the lawyer said that the will was iron clad and since every dime Lloyd made was from his father’s company, it all reverted to Knox. Now my stepbrother is a mega millionaire and will never have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to.

I snag a cookie from the tray and earn myself a teasing glare from Lorena. I take a bite and turn toward my mother. Mmmmmm….the warm melted chocolate gooeyness is so good. There’s nothing like the first bite of a freshly baked cookie.

“Myrah!” my mom shouts again, ruining my delicious moment. God, I want her out of this house now. She’s awful. Not one apology to me or to Knox. Not one single regret has even crossed her conscience. There isn’t a shred of kindness left in her. The greed has completely taken over and she’s now a soulless leach who wants to live off her stepson who she cast off just like his father did.

“It’s not your house,” I state. “And the fact that you’re still claiming that monster as your husband is pathetic.”

I see Lorena’s nodded agreement from the corner of my eye. Our housekeeper isn’t a fan of my mom either. Probably because Lorena is actually a good person with a warm heart. “I’ll give you two days to get your shit moved out.” I take another bite of my cookie, tasting the molten chips on my tongue. “And then I’m donating the rest to Goodwill.”

My mother’s pleading face turns into a scowl as she crosses her arms. It’s a shame she’s spent so much money on Botox and plastic surgery; she now looks like a weird doll.

“And where do you expect me to go, Myrah? I don’t have a dime to my name.”

I bite back my laugh. All this time Lloyd was feeding her cash and she didn’t save a penny of it. Didn’t even save a few grand for a rainy day. I guess she just never thought her money train would run out. Probably figured that as long as she sucked his dick, he’d keep it flowing. Well, it sucks to be her.

“Not my problem.” I shrug. “Maybe you should get a job. Now that I quit, the restaurant is hiring. Or you could clean houses like Lorena. She makes really good money.” I give Lorena a wink. Knox just gave the kind woman a huge pay raise, paying her triple what stingy Lloyd was paying, hence the cookies. She made his favorite as a thank you for his kindness which is why she doesn’t want me eating them all.

“Are you kidding me?” My mother balks. Even her fake eyelashes look offended by my suggestion. “You can’t really expect me to wait tables or scrub toilets.”

I roll my eyes. Clearly, she thinks it’s beneath her. Ever since I could legally babysit, I’ve had a job. Managing my schoolwork, taking automotive classes, and making sure I could support myself. Just like my father taught me. I would shovel dog shit if I had to in order to make my own way. What my mother needs is a big slice of humble pie and a lesson on how the world works. But I don’t think that will happen.

“I don’t expect you to do anything,” I tell her. Honestly, what I expect to happen is that she’ll find herself another rich man who’s willing to support her and then she’ll become his little puppet. “I was just making a suggestion, but take it or leave it. I don’t care. Now, do you mind?” I snatch another cookie from the tray, this time with Lorena’s approving smile. “I really want your stuff gone so I can move mine into the room.”

The look on my mother’s face is priceless. Her daughter is going to be the queen of this house and she has now been banned from her kingdom. Maybe one day it will all finally sink in and she’ll realize that there is more to life than money. In the meantime, good riddance.

My mother turns and stomps out of the room on her Louboutin heels and I return to what I was doing before she interrupted, going through all the mail that piled up from last week. Everything with Lloyd’s name on it gets tossed into the trash. Which reminds me. I need to go down to the post office and do a change of address for him. The state prison is now his home, and they can deal with all of his mail.

I toss another credit card statement into the trash, then come across an envelope addressed to me. It’s a letter from Knox on the same prison stationery he always used. He must’ve sent it to me before he was released.

My Dear Sweet, Sexy Myrah,

I miss you already and it’s only been an hour since you left. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get through the next one hundred and sixty-seven hours before I get to see you again and hear your sweet voice. But know that every second ticking by, I’m thinking of you.

I know things have happened extremely fast between us over the last week, but when you know, you know. And I know that the girl who stood by me all these years, the one who never doubted me for a second and who’s been not just my family but my best friend, is the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I love you more than you’ll ever know, Myr. More than I can ever express in this lifetime. And I’m selfishly hoping that you feel the same because I want you to be mine. My family. My best friend. My wife.

But in asking for you to give me your heart unconditionally, I know I’m asking you to put your dreams of getting married and starting a family on hold. I know I’m asking you to abstain from sex and to go to bed alone every night for another nine years. And I know that three thousand two hundred and eight-five days is a long time to wait.

But I’m on my knees, writing this letter, praying to the man upstairs that you’ll love me enough to say “yes.” That you’ll realize that what we have between us is worth waiting for. Something so few are lucky to find. So, although I wish I were on bended knee under the biggest rainbow you’ve ever seen shining in the sky and not having to do this by letter, I’m asking if you’ll promise me your heart from here until the end of time. I’m asking if as soon as I get free of this place, you’ll marry me.

I love you, Myrah June Lennon. And there is no one else in this world that I want to share this life with.

You own my heart. Forever and always, my sweet girl.

~Your loving man

And P.S.… If you can’t fathom the loneliness or if your heart isn’t as obsessed as mine, I want you to know that I’ll still be your loving brother. Always. You’re my family, Myr. And that will never change no matter what. So please don’t think for one second that you’ll lose me if your heart isn’t on the same page. I promise with all my heart that I’ll still chase every rainbow with you. And I’ll always be there to cheer you on and catch you when you fall. ~Your loving brother

The tears run down my cheeks; my heart is so heavy with love it’s almost sinking me to the floor. I turn from the counter and rush out of the kitchen, the letter clutched to my chest. I run down the hall to Lloyd’s old office and burst inside, ignoring the fact that Knox is in the middle of a meeting with the company’s board members.

“Yes!” I shout, finding my gorgeous man sitting at the head of the giant cherry wood conference table, looking powerful and commanding, and oh so lethally sexy in a suit. “Even if I had to wait for thirty years, Knox. My answer would still be yes.”

He’s looking at me, expression full of concern and absolute confusion. But then he sees the gritty yellow paper in my hand and his mouth tips up into the broadest smile. His eyes beam with a love so bright it’s better than any rainbow I’ve ever seen. It wouldn’t have mattered how long he was behind bars, there would never have been anyone else for me. He owns my heart and always will.

“You men need to leave this room,” he growls, his entire demeanor changing. Those soft eyes turning lethal. His broad shoulders cocked. And that jaw of his tight and pulsing.

The suited men who look like they all belong in a country club quickly rise from the table and scurry past me, fumbling over each other like scared kids trying to flee a burning school building. It’s obvious they’re terrified of their new boss. Probably afraid that they won’t just lose their jobs if they don’t do as they’re told.

I can’t help but smile at the fact that none of those men had an ounce of the same fear and respect for Lloyd. From what I’d overheard during the annual banquets my stepfather held, they hated the way Lloyd was running his late father’s company. They thought he was a greedy bastard too, caring more about the money than running a quality business.

The last man makes it out the door, and then…I’m alone with my predator. With the man who looks like he’s going to eat me alive. And I know he will. And I know I’m going to love every minute of it.

He rises from his leather chair and stalks toward me slowly. Every step closer making my heart beat faster. When he finally gets before me, he drops down to his knees. My pussy drooling with excitement for what’s to come. But he doesn’t spread my legs as I expect, ripping my clothes away like he’s done every time I have them on. Instead, he takes my hand and clutches it to his chest.

“I would live through it all again, Myr.” His voice is so raw with emotion that it makes me wobble on my feet. “The beating from the officers. My father’s betrayal. The endless days of living hell. If I’d been given a choice of freedom or the purgatory I was living in, I would’ve chosen the path that led me to you. I would’ve chased the most violent storm just to get to my rainbow.”

More tears spill down my cheeks. I love him so much it hurts. “And I promise, my sweet girl, that I will spend now until the day I die proving just how much you mean to me. Will you marry me, Myr?”

I reach out, clutching his stubbled cheeks, pressing my forehead to his. “I love you so much, Knox. Yes, I’ll marry you. And if I had to wait a life-sentence, I would’ve waited to be yours. No one else will ever own my heart. It belongs to you.”

He leans forward, stealing my lips in a kiss, a kiss that nearly sweeps me off my feet. Then in one swoop of his arms, I’m in the air and being carried over to the dark mahogany desk that once belonged to my evil stepfather but now belongs to the man who’s imprisoned my heart. And as he lays me down on the cold wood, I pray for a life sentence with my unruly man. I never want to be set free. I want to be shackled to him from now until eternity.