Racing Heart, page 16
“Well, I’m his wife, and this is between us.”
She takes my bag from the chair and hands it to me. My stand obviously doesn’t work and snatching it from her bony fingers, I pull it onto my shoulder.
“Fine.”
With more tears streaming down my face than I could ever anticipate losing over a man, I give up and storm from the room. I hear Finn calling my name as I slam the door behind me, but it doesn’t stop me. I don’t stop walking until I’m safe in the opposite corridor. Leaning against the wall, I try to calm myself down, blowing out deep breaths.
“Jordan.” I hear Braydon’s voice calling me as it echoes through the corridor, but I don’t answer him. Instead, I walk again at a faster pace so he can’t catch me up. I need to be away from here.
Once I’m inside my car and away from everyone, I drop my head onto the steering wheel and cry everything out.
My hurt.
My anger.
My frustration.
Lifting up my head and drying my face, I clutch tightly onto the leather of the steering wheel in front of me, so tight that my knuckles go white.
What am I doing? Who the fuck is she? I think to myself.
I’m so fucking angry right now. Clutching the strap of my bag, I open my door and get out. Puffing out my chest and breathing in deep, I prepare myself to take on the bitch.
I’m not taking this lying down.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Finn
I glare at Belle as she stands tall in front of me. If my leg was in full working order, I’d drag that bitch right out of here.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand some answers from my so-called wife.
“Now Finlay, don’t be like that. I was worried. I saw on the TV that you’d had a crash and I wanted to be here.”
“That’s a crock of shit. Did you get the court papers?”
I don’t need this shit; I got enough going on in my fucking head as it is. Now to top it off, my wife has kicked out my girlfriend, the one I actually want to be with, and has left.
Life can’t get much better than this…
The door slams against the wall, signaling my brother's entrance.
“Are you fucking happy now?” Braydon growls at me, “And what are you even fucking doing here? Nobody wants you here.” Braydon directs to Annabelle.
I’m not happy, far from it. My brother has never been able to hide his dislike for my wife. Belle lifts a hand up in front of her face, inspecting her nails.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
My patience is beginning to wear thin, if I had any at all in the first place. But her, she knows how to fucking play on my last nerve.
“Did you get the court papers?”
“Yes, I got them. When you said you wanted a divorce, I thought you were just having a moment. I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Braydon cuts in, “He should never have fucking married you in the first place.” He shouts out angrily.
“Why?” I ask, ignoring Braydon’s little outburst. “Where in this little arrangement did, we ever, have any feelings for each other. It was an arrangement. That’s all. Now I want you to leave, your little fucking stunt has probably just ruined my life.”
“Oh, Finlay, you always were dramatic.” Inhaling a breath, she rolls her eyes and speaks again, “I’ve just got here. I mean, I flew all the way to this godforsaken country to see you…”
“I never fucking asked you to.” I growl, “I came back to California for one reason, and that was to deal with business, that is all.”
“You heard the man.”
Swinging my wide-eyed gaze behind Annabelle, I see my sassy redhead standing in the doorway; with a face of thunder and an unnaturally calm voice but looking like she’s about to commit murder.
“You need to leave.”
Annabelle turns around to face Jordan with a bored expression on her face like she’s heard this all before.
Crossing my arms across my chest, I sit back and watch the drama unfold. I know I shouldn’t be enjoying this but honestly, what man wouldn’t enjoy this show.
When Annabelle doesn’t move, Jordan moves further into the room, taking Annabelle by the elbow and marches her towards the open door.
“I said... leave.” When she reaches the doorway, she shoves Annabelle out and slams the door behind her.
“You can’t do this to me,” Annabelle shouts from behind the closed door. I glance at Braydon, a smirk set on his mouth, failing to hide my own.
“I just did.” She yells back through the closed door, before turning her back on her.
She swings around to me and closes the gap between us until she’s standing at the foot of the bed.
The expression on her face even has me a little scared if not a little turned on. “We need to talk, Finlay.” She states, mocking Belle.
Oh shit.
“Braydon, can you give us a minute, please.” She asks my brother, sweetly. I don’t think I’m going to get that sweetness.
She watches Bray leave the room and close the door, before spinning back to me.
“God, you’re sexy when you’re angry.”
“Fuck you, Finn.”
Pulling myself to sit upright, I swing myself around until I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, placing my casted foot on the tiled floor. She comes to stand in front of me while my gaze is working up her beautiful, fit body. Which I know I shouldn’t be doing right now, but hey, I’m a hot-blooded man. Seeing Jordan angry, makes my dick harder than steel.
I probably shouldn’t have taken my eye off the ball, though, because the slap that connects with my cheek reverberates around the room and off the white walls.
“Fuck Jord, that hurt.”
“Good. You deserve it; you fucking hurt me.”
“I'm sorry.” I relinquish. I have to. This is all my fault after all.
“Would you ever have told me if you hadn’t had this crash?”
“Yes, of course I would.” I scowl, smoothing my palm over my cheek. “I’m not a liar or a cheat Jordan.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She huffs, “Do you know what hurts more Finn? The fact that I’m not sure if you’ve ever really told me the truth.”
“That’s not fair…”
“Fair. You want to talk about fair? All the time we’ve spent together, and not once did you think of telling me that you had a wife…”
“Fake wife, she means nothing to me,” I argue my case again.
“You say that now.”
“No. It was a favor. She needed my help.”
“What the fuck ever,” shaking her head, “She’s your wife, she has your name, Finlay.”
She mimics the way Annabelle said my name again, a small smirk pulls at my lips, I can’t help it.
“She kicked me out of here like I had no right.”
“I’m sorry,” I plead again.
She sits at the end of the bed, keeping some distance between us. Reaching across, I try to take her hand in mine and soothe her, but she soon tears it away.
“I don’t think you understand that here in the UK, next of kin holds a lot of weight with the doctors. I’m nothing to them. I’m definitely nothing to her, she showed her distaste for me from the minute she saw me, but that, I couldn’t give a fucking shit about. She wouldn’t be the first woman to give me dirty looks, but you know what hurts most of all?”
I don’t speak just shake my head; I daren’t even guess what she’s going to say.
“I’m obviously nothing to you either.” She stands from the bed, ready to make a quick exit, and I know I have to do something to make her stay.
“Jord, please don’t leave. I need you here.”
“No, you don’t Finn. You don’t need me at all, you have everything you could ever need.”
She begins to walk away from me again. Grabbing my crutch from the side of me, I try my hardest to get up as quickly as I can.
“I’m in love with you.” I blurt out. She stops dead in her tracks, her head dropping.
“Don’t lie to me, Finn.” She says in a small voice but doesn’t shift any further. I pray for her to turn around and look me in the eye. “You told me just you weren’t a liar.”
“Baby. I’m not; please look at me.”
“No.” She answers bluntly.
Hopping up onto my good leg, I put all my weight on one crutch while grabbing the other and balancing out my weight before attempting to move towards her. I stop all but a millimeter behind her. The sweet scent of her hair wafting up my nose giving me a sense of familiarity, a feeling of home. Which is crazy when I’m thousands of miles from my actual one.
“I’m not lying. I love you.”
The rise and fall of her back brushes my chest. I tilt my head to place a small kiss on her neck. Her soft gasps fill me with hope.
“You’re not going to get around me that easy, Superstar.”
Using my nickname she gave me, leaves me with a little hope as she begins to walk away. “I just need to think.”
I close my eyes feeling exasperated; all the breath escapes from my lungs and leaves me feeling deflated.
I have no idea how I’m going to work this shit out, but what I do know is, I meant what I said. I do love her. She’s the only woman I’ve ever said those words to, and I’ll be goddamned if I let her get away from me.
On hearing Jordan’s raised and high-pitched voice again, I carry on to the doorway. Getting there just in time to see Jordan let loose and smack Annabelle up the face, just like she did to me. It gives me a sick satisfaction to see it, but fuck it. Jordan pushes her backwards against the wall, pointing her finger in her chest. That woman came here to cause trouble, I don’t think she betted on Jordan Kennedy though. Chuckling at the shock on Belle’s face, I swing the door to, shutting out everything and everyone and get back into bed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jordan
His heavy breath blowing against the skin of my neck was enough to make me turn around, but the cold shudder that ran down my spine, I knew. I knew I couldn’t stay here. I need answers from him, but I also need distance. I love him too; I’d already come to that conclusion when I saw him unconscious.
As I walk away from him for a second time today, I come face to face with that stuck up bitch. Braydon is over by the window looking out; I’m assuming it’s so he doesn’t have to look at her.
Brushing her hair back with her hands and bunching it together, so it all sits on one shoulder, she comes towards me. Her fancy shoes, clip-clopping on the floor.
“Is it okay to go and speak with my husband now?”
I’m not sure where it comes from, but my temper is on overdrive today. Every time she says ‘husband’, I want to stab her in the eye with one of her stupid, fucking stilettos.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth? For all I know you could be lying.”
Opening her Gucci bag, she takes out a piece of paper and shakes it out.
“Because sweetie, I have the proof.”
My teeth grind together at her squeaky voice. Scanning the marriage certificate quickly settles the argument.
I actually want to punch her in the face.
Totally dismissing me, she bumps my shoulder on the way past me and I think, fuck it, I’m not taking this shit. Before she’s fully past me, I grab her by the elbow and swing her around until she’s facing me. My palm connects perfectly with her cheek, making her head turn to the side from the impact.
“For one, I’m not your sweetie, and it’s you that has no place here, not me.” Shoving her against the wall with my finger in her chest. “Why don’t you do everyone a favour and fuck off back to America.”
Braydon watches from the window, his hand covering a smirk that has set on his mouth.
“Finn doesn’t want you here, take the fucking hint.”
With the clip-clop of her high heels, she teeters away.
“Oh Annabelle,” I call her name with snark in my tone as she reaches the door, “I don’t want to see you here when I do come back.”
Curling her lip up in a grimace, I feel rather proud of myself.
Please don’t fall and break your neck when the door hits you on the arse on the way out.
I think to myself, but I don’t voice that. Raising my gaze up, a smirking Finn is in the doorway. Ignoring the stupid expression, he has on his face as well, I spin away with my chin held high.
Marching to the lift, I stab the button with my finger assuming it will come quicker. It doesn’t. In fact, it goes up to the sixth floor to come all the way back down to floor one. This isn’t doing any good for my patience levels; they’re on red alert already with that bitch. Although, slapping her made me feel a little better. When the lift comes, it’s full. I squeeze in and stand at the front so I can make a quick getaway. I still can’t believe what he said; I mean… what makes him think he can say he loves me; does he think I’ll just let everything go?
Bastard. Who does he think he is?
I march through the automatic doors at the entrance of the hospital; people are looking at me like I’m going fucking crazy. Which I actually think I might be. It’s him. That man drives me fucking crazy.
I get back into my car, once again taking my frustration out on my steering wheel, before starting the engine and heading for home.
I’ve let him stew for the last three days. I didn’t message him, ring him, and I certainly didn’t go back to the hospital. I may have been cutting my nose off to spite my face though. I’ve done the whole stage process. I’ve been angry, I’ve also cried, but now though, I miss him.
“So, what’s happening with Finn?” Maria asks from the floor, where she’s playing with Charley.
She decided to pay me a visit after picking Charley up from nursery.
Shaking my head, I shrug. “What do you mean?”
She mimics my shrug.
“Don’t be coy, it doesn’t suit you. Have you spoken to him yet?”
“No.” I sigh. “After I slapped him and slapped that… that, stuck up ho-bag…”
“I still can’t believe you did that.” Maria cuts in, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I wish I’d seen it. Was she that bad?”
“Fuc…” I slap my hand over my mouth, remembering Charley is in the room, “Yeah, she came waltzing into the hospital with her Gucci bag and her Louboutin heels.”
My lip curls showing my envy for the shoes that I’d love to own.
“Then,” my hands go up over my head, “She starts throwing her demands around and calling him her husband, oh and kicks me out of the room. She’s lucky it was only a slap, I wanted to punch her freaking face in.”
I know she knows all this because when I came back from the hospital that night, I rang Maria and told her everything. Just thinking about it all though, just brings it all back to the surface and makes me fucking, wicked angry.
“Well, next time she’ll think twice about talking and looking at me like I’m shit, won’t she? If I ever see again anyway.”
“I think she’d be crazy to go up against you in the first place.” She chuckles.
“I don’t see what’s funny about all this?”
“No? Jordan, you love him, that’s plain to see. What’s not to love, he’s hot. His brother’s hot. If you stay with Finn, I get to admire the fittie that is Braydon. You know, do your best friend a favour.”
“Oh my god. Really?”
“What?” Maria questions raising her eyebrows with a smirk.
“Is this about me or you?”
“You… I think. I’m only joking, ease up. So, that brings us back to the original question, what are you going to do?”
I shrug again. I’m refusing to be held accountable for my answers right now.
“Shall I tell you what I think?”
Holding out a hand in front of me, I direct her to go on…
“Be my guest.
“I think you should speak to him, let him explain. Both me and you know you’re head over heels for him, so go sort it out. Let him have his say, you can have yours, I mean it’s not like he can escape is it?” she giggles way too much at her own sick joke.
“That’s so bad.” Shaking my head at her, I huff again. “I suppose so.”
“I take that as you agree with me then…”
Looking a little smug with herself, she gets up and goes to the kitchen, putting the kettle on. I get on the floor with Charley and help with her jigsaw puzzle, blanking my best friend, because I bloody hate it when she’s right.
My phone pinging with a message wakes me from sleep. I was probably waking up anyway, to be honest. Reaching out until I feel the hard surface of the bedside table under my hand, I tap around until I find it. Lifting my phone up to my eye level, the first thing I see is Finn’s name on the screen.
Looking at my watch on my wrist, I see it’s just after nine. Blinking my eyelids to allow myself to focus, I open his message.
When are you going to talk to me?
Looking at it for a lot longer than I probably should. I click on reply and look at the blank screen. I mean, I’ve let him stew for long enough, I think. I probably should hear him out. There might be a perfectly good explanation - but then that’s the reasonable side of me. Not only that, I can hear Maria’s voice in my ear. Acting like the good angel sitting on my shoulder and giving me all the good advice. Where’s the devil when I need him? He’d tell me that he’s a lying bastard and to kick him in the dick. Not that I didn’t want to do that anyway.
Fuck me, where the fuck did all this come from? Not once did he give me any idea that he could be married. I suppose when he suddenly upped and went home to California, I should have asked why, but why would I? I’d warred with myself over that question. I’m not that kind of person; we all have little secrets. You know the odd thing we want to keep in the closet - of course, I don’t, but that’s because I’m boring. I haven’t had really bad relationships that have left me damaged or a little cuckoo shall we say. I think my dad leaving us was the only big drama in my life, but even that was a good thing in the end. Him and mum are still friends, it was a mutual decision. Ugh, my life sucks. I’d love to have a story attached to me.
