Chapter Twenty-Six—Jace

Dammit. My entire resolve stood on a hill, staring down at the prize below, adamant on breaking any bone in a deathly leap to claim it.

Lidia's hesitance at looking at me, her long gazes at her food and drink were driving me crazy. I needed to get a grasp on my frustration quickly because I felt heated on the inside.

At myself, at Lidia and at the entire situation. Seeing the sad look on her face when I told her that I couldn’t be a husband broke my heart.

I was too big of a person to allow myself to lie to her. She deserved more than a lie. I wouldn't lie to get into her pants, and I wouldn't promise marriage when I wasn't sure I could handle it.

Shoving my fingers through my hair to keep them from her, I stretched out my legs from underneath the living room table. I couldn’t think of anything to say. All the things that I would normally talk to her about floated out of the window and down the drainpipe.

This is Lidia. Your Lidia. Talk. To. Her.

Sighing, I grabbed the pizza box and shut it once I knew Lidia had finished. Some Netflix show was on, but I couldn’t have recited the name. My mind race at the thought of this being over after my birthday.

I'd have to see her every day in my office, because she was a good worker, and I wouldn't deprive her of a job that she really needed and earned. No matter how uncomfortable it made me.

"Do you need to call Scotty and let him know you aren't coming back home tonight?"

She scoffed and chugged the remains of her dark red liquid in her glass. "No, Daisy is there, and I wouldn't dare bother them. Plus, he's used to it. Even apologized."

I lifted a brow at the thought of him apologizing after all the hell he put her through. I stood with the pizza box and shoved it into my refrigerator, feeling her standing uncomfortably behind me.

"You can take a shower if you want, I had Gemma bring over some clothes for us to sleep in and some dresses for the week."

Lidia nodded. "A shower would be nice."

I gestured for her to follow me to my bedroom, offering her the stack of underwear, sleep clothes and things Gemma gathered for me.

Lidia's gaze lowered to the stack and back up to mine. I wondered what she thought, and I realized I'm a thirty-five-year-old man that isn't in high school anymore.

Before she turned, I grabbed her elbow and drug her near me. Lidia kept a tight grip on her clothes and positioned them in-between us like a shield.

I didn't like it.

I opened my palm to slide it against the back of her neck when someone knocked on my door. She let out a tight sigh and took a step backward. "Wait for me," I whispered.

"I hope it's not Rebecca," she mumbled but sat patiently on the bed.

The knocks sounded louder, and by the time I made it to the door, I felt pissed. I swung the door opened to a very please Seth. You've got to be kidding me.

"Brother!" he said, sashaying into my home without invitation. "It's been a while; I haven't seen you since my wedding that you abruptly left."

My blood ran cold. I didn't move away from the doorway, I stood with the door opened and my hand clutched around the wood. "I thought you'd be happier to see me," he said.

"Why are you here?" I asked through clenched teeth.

Seth glanced around, his eyes traveling over the two wine glasses sitting on the living room table, and he glanced back at me. "You entertaining a woman tonight, Brother? I can't imagine it's your little assistant—oh, excuse me—your fiancé, since she doesn't look like she's old enough to drink."

I balled my fist into a tight ball at my side. Seth could say whatever he wanted to say about me, but he wouldn't say anything about Lidia. "You have ten seconds to say what you need to say before I toss you out."

Seth chuckled, leaned against my kitchen island and crossing his legs. His light hair fell into his face, and he pushed it back gently. "You have poor Rebecca scared to death for her job right now, Jace. She called me crying. I had to talk her down so she wouldn't call Grandfather."

"Which brings up the question as to why she is calling you in the first place?"

Seth's lip twitched in a way that called my first to hit it. "She confines in me because she knows you want me there much longer," he said. "Since your birthday in a mere three weeks and you haven't gotten married. I have," he said, flashing his wedding ring.

I felt myself take an involuntary step toward him when my bedroom door opened, and Lidia walked out, in one of my shirts, wet hair and a tie in her hand.

The way she held her bottom lip in her teeth, made me confused and hot for her all at once. She titled her head to the side and made a surprised face when she noticed Seth.

"Oh, Baby, I didn't realize we still had company. You said you'd get rid of them. I would have put some clothes on if I'd known."

Seth's eyes narrowed just a fraction before he shoved off the island and made his way to her. "Lovely to see you here, Lidia. I didn't realize you were here."

Lidia sashayed around Seth to me, reaching up, she grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine rack on top of my refrigerator and began to pour two more glasses of wine. "I live here, Silly."

Seth's mouth opened a partial, his eyes searching her for any sign of a lie.

She hummed and made her way around the kitchen as if she did in fact live there. Once she poured us bot a glass, she handed me one and took a long gulp of her own. "Oh, did you want some Seth?"

He watched her carefully, shaking his head slowly, eyes skating her to her toes, making me crazy on the inside. What is she doing?

"We were just about to hop in the shower together when you came over, I'm surprised to see you here Seth, being a newlywed and everything."

Seth's demeanor stiffened. "Well—"

"When Jace and I married last week, we didn't leave the apartment for an entire weekend, not to mention the things we do in Jace's bathroom at work, plus, not to be rude, the things we were about to do now. In other words," she said with a sad side, "you're interrupting."

Seth's hand clutched the edge of the granite of my island, and when he noticed I saw, he shoved it into his pocket. "Married, huh? Too bad we didn't get an invite to this wedding. Some people might not think it happened."

I went to answer when Lidia interrupted me with a giggle. "Not everyone needs an expensive wedding to get married, Seth. Come on, I didn't come from money, and it doesn't mean much to me. I wanted something private and sexy. We went down to Florida and now I'm Mrs. Jace Archer. Oh!" she shouted, walking over to him. "I'm sure you've seen this before, but your mother handed it down to Jace. It was your Grandmothers."

She showed off the oval cut diamond that she'd had since the beginning. I'd almost forgotten about the gaudy thing. Seth's eyes lowered to her hand and then he made eye contact with her. Lidia's smiling pissed him off; I could sense it across the room.

Lidia walked back over and put her empty wine glass into the sink before making her way to me. She slipped her arm around my waist, and I relished in the way she smelled of my body wash.

Silence enveloped us, and Seth stood in sheer shook. "So, Seth, where is Leanne this evening?"

Seth and Lidia played some kind of staring game—where Lidia grinned sarcastically, and Seth mimicked a mime. No words or movements. Had Lidia finally taken the words from my mouthy brother?

I wanted to bend her over the counter and take her until next week. No one had ever made my brother go silent. I tightened my fingers against her waist, feeling her squirm against me and make my heart hammer hard against my chest.

Seth swallowed deep. "She's at home. I can see you're both busy, I will see myself out." Seth walked past me, not another word mumbled from him.

When the door slammed so hard it rattled the glasses in the sink, Lidia stepped back from me, leaving me cold, to give me a smile. "You're welcome."

I couldn’t help myself; I interlaced my fingers into the wet hair at the nape of her neck and kissed her. A surprised sound formed in her mouth, but I swallowed it.

She didn't stop me, and I was so thankful for it. Her soft mouth molded to mine, her back against the granite of the island, I maneuvered her up to a sitting position, never breaking our kiss—because it felt like air, I needed it to live.

Lidia's small hands curled at my T-shirt, pulling and tugging as if she wanted it off, but I knew she didn't. I knew this was wrong, and not what we agreed on.

I knew Lidia wanted me as badly as I wanted her, I could taste the sweet scent of need on her tongue, but I wouldn't push her, not after what we talked about.

I broke our kiss and let my head fall between my shoulders. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "That … that turned me on so bad."

When Lidia didn't answer, I glanced up at her, she wore hooded eyes and soft smile. "I'm not mad at you for kissing me, Jace. I've wanted it so bad since our … talk. I still don't want to fall anymore for you, but I'm glad you put me out of my misery."

I nodded, not understanding the overwhelming feeling of dread in my stomach. I've known since the beginning of this what her morals where, but I didn't think it'd be so damn hard to stay away from her.

What if I could consider a real marriage …?

Lidia's small palm engulfed my shoulder. "You have enough on your plate. Don't worry about our relationship. We just need to focus on making sure your brother doesn't get the gallery."

I admired the strong look on her face, because I didn't feel strong. I felt weak, not like the man that first met Lidia. A weak, love-stricken man that would consider being her everything.

I just wished my heart would win the battle with my mind, because my mind fought tooth and nail against the idea of trying to make her happy.

How could I make this perfect girl happy when I didn't know how to make myself happy?

My heart answered for me …. She makes you happy.

And that scared me to death.

***

The announcement made the newspaper the next day after paying off the head journalist at the Houston Chronicle. My cell phone began to vibrate as soon as we both walked into the gallery the next day.

The gallery phone rang loudly shortly after, but Rebecca hadn't made it in yet since we hadn't technically opened. Lidia gave me a sideway look. "Should we hide somewhere?" she asked. "I mean as much attention as we're getting this early in the morning, you'd think we shot the president."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Seth already told my parents, and Grandfather. I'm sure he's hired a P.I to track down our license."

The door to the gallery opened as we started up the stairs. Rebecca ran inside, her heels clicking unforgivingly against the tile. "So," she said, plopping down her purse on her desk and leaning her elbow against the top of it. "You two got married and didn't think to tell anyone?"

"Funny how you already know, and I'm sure you haven't read the paper since it's still rolled up outside."

Her cheeks turned a bright pink. "It's all over social media."

"Is it now?" I asked, descending the two steps I'd climbed. "Or is it in your text messages from my brother? Or did he come see you last night after he barged in on us? Do you think I'm stupid, Rebecca?"

She clenched her jaw tight. "Obviously, if you married her."

That's it. Lidia's soft grasp on my button-down did nothing for my nerves. "You're right, I'm stupid, but not for marrying Lidia, I'm stupid for keeping you around. Pack your shit. You're gone."

Rebecca's face morphed into fear. "Jace," she whispered. "I can't lose my job …"

I laughed. "You should have thought about that before you hired Mervin and stuck a tape recorder underneath Lidia's desk. Go ask my brother for money, he's been draining his trust fund for years."

Rebecca quietly grabbed her purse, not denying any of the acquisitions, and left. A weight slipped from my shoulder for the briefest moments before another landed there.

"We need a new receptionist. Can you put up an ad with the newspaper, and some of those job websites, please?"

Lidia nodded. "That didn't feel as good as I hoped."

"She needed to leave; it was going to happen sooner or later."

Lidia nodded and walked the rest of the way up to her office. My phone vibrated again in my pocket, and I snatched it opened. "What?" I barked.

My mother's surly voice filled my ear. "So, I guess your phone does work. I assumed your phone was broken and you were waiting on a replacement, but then I'd have to assume your vehicle broke and you lost all your money. That's the only excuse I could gather on why you'd marry without telling us."

I started up the stairs. "I told you I was engaged, you ignored it. Lidia and I didn't want an audience full of regret staring at us as we said our vows."

She chuckled, and I swore I heard her take a puff of a cigarette, which I thought she'd quit years ago. "So, is this to keep your job, or because she's pregnant?"

I grabbed the handle of my door, watching Lidia place her coffee and belongings on her desk for the day. "Neither," I said watching Lidia take a sip of the coffee we grabbed on the way.

She wore a dress down to her mid-shins and a pair of booties that must be new. When her eyes drew to mine, I felt a pinch inside my chest. "I married her because I love her."

I hung up before my mother should drop any annoying speeches or her regrets on our marriage. I didn't care. All I cared about was making things right with Lidia.

For the first time in a long time, I felt worthy enough to try for her—to try for myself. My job didn't hang over my head like a dreaded rain cloud anymore.

The fear of losing her did.