You Are My Love: Breathless Book 2 Read online

  "I know how much she hurt you, David," I replied. "I'm not trying to make things worse for you, but I feel like she still owns a part of you. I feel like she keeps overshadowing our relationship, tearing away at it every time she tries to contact you. I just want her to leave us alone. I want you here with me, not drowning in the pain that she causes you. I hate what she's doing to you, to us, and I wish we had never gone to that goddamn wedding." I felt tears gliding down my face now.

  He leaned his head back and framed my face with gentle hands. His eyes were filled with pain. "I'm sorry that I keep hurting you over this. That was never my intention, but I need you to please let this go, Natalie, and I promise that I'll try to do the same. I don't know how long it will take, but I just need you to be patient with me. Okay?" he pleaded with eyes glassy from unshed tears.

  "Okay." The word came out of me with a sob. "I'm sorry I pushed you to talk to her, but I keep seeing what she's doing to you, and it's killing me to see you in so much pain."

  He let out a deep sigh. "I've been in pain for so long now, that I don't remember being without it anymore. I want it to go away, but I've been holding it so close to me for so much time that it has become a part of me. But you, you make me feel like I can get past this, like I can have a future that won't be filled with pain."

  "Oh, David, I love you," I breathed out with a sigh. His words comforted me and erased the hurt feelings that I'd been harboring since last night.

  "I love you too, sweetheart," he said softly as his thumb glided across my lips. His mouth finally curved into a genuine smile as he looked at me with bright blue eyes. There was hope for us. I just knew it, but I needed to be patient like he asked. It wouldn't be easy, but the payoff at the end would be worth it.

  *********

  "I hope you realize the insanity you've gotten yourself into here," I told David as he opened the car door to help me out of his Audi.

  "I'm not afraid of crazy people, sweetheart," he answered with a wry smile as I took his outstretched hand and climbed out of the car. "I hang out with them all the time, remember? Besides, your mother isn't crazy, she's just eccentric."

  "That's just code for a crazy rich person." I smirked back at him as I paused to enjoy his body being close to mine. I let my breasts brush against his chest.

  "True, but I'll be fine, Natalie," he said with a low laugh as his eyes flicked down to appreciate them in the brown sweater dress I was wearing. It was knee length and hugged my body to perfection, and the matching three-inch suede boots that came up to my knees, had riveted his attention since he had picked me up. He caressed the bare skin just above my left knee all the way here, his eyes glancing at me constantly. It made me happy that it was warm enough that I could skip the leggings I usually wore with this outfit.

  He looked gorgeous in gray slacks and a white dress shirt with the top button undone. I kept finding myself admiring his broad shoulders and his amazing ass. I hoped to be able to rip his clothes off of him later tonight.

  It was Wednesday, and my mother had guilted my brother and me into having dinner at her townhouse. She asked me to bring David along since she was completely enamored with him. When I told him about it, and that I couldn't go to Jensen and Sydney's place with him, he had insisted that he go with me. I didn't want to interfere with his plans, but he assured me that it was no problem. He could just see them next week instead. To be truthful, I was relieved. It would be nice to have Mom focus on something other than Ford or me.

  Mom's townhouse was four stories of luxury and entirely too big for one person to live in, but Mom had certain expectations to live up to, partially for her society friends, but mostly for herself. It must be exhausting living like that, but Mom seemed to enjoy it. If it made her happy, who was I to judge. Once again, I was amazed that I didn't turn out like that myself.

  David closed the car door and offered me his hand. I took it gratefully and led him to the front door. He glanced around with an impressed expression as he took in the immaculate landscaping and the beautiful warm tones of the sandstone building. We stopped in front of the heavy wooden front door, and I rang the bell. Within moments, Audrey, Mom's cook and housekeeper, answered it. She was a few years older than my mother, but her exact opposite. She was short and stout, and her face was open and kind. Her gray-streaked dark hair was gathered into a bun. She was dressed in a sweater and slacks with an apron over it.

  Her brown eyes lit up when she saw me. "Miss Natalie, it's good to see you, honey." Her eyes swept over David appreciatively. I smiled. I couldn't blame her. He looked gorgeous tonight. "You must be David," she said and reached a hand toward him. "I'm Audrey, Miss Victoria's housekeeper."

  David shook her hand and greeted her warmly before she ushered us into the house. We followed her upstairs to the second floor where she disappeared into the kitchen, and we found Mom and Ford in the living room. Ford was on the couch, and I noted the annoyed expression on his face as Mom fussed over the pillow she was trying to shove under his broken foot.

  "Mom, please," he grumbled. "My foot is fine. It doesn't need elevated. It barely hurts anymore." Ford had broken his foot over a month ago when he wrecked his Triumph motorcycle, but that didn't stop our mother from smothering him with love. I caught his eye, and the pained look on his face made me smirk at him. That earned me a glare from him. I decided to have mercy on him.

  "Hi, Mom," I announced loudly. She looked up and a huge grin spread across her face.

  "Natalie," she said happily as she came over to us. She wrapped me in a warm hug that I returned. She stepped back and looked at David. I swear her smile got wider. "David," she said dramatically, "what a surprise." I rolled my eyes; a surprise, my ass. I think I was the only one who noted David's slight smirk as he took my mother's hand and brushed his lips across the back of it. Mom's eyes lit up with delight. I couldn't help rolling my eyes again. David definitely had my mother figured out.

  "You look lovely tonight, Mrs. Spencer." David was laying it on pretty thick, but it was working. Mom beamed appreciatively at David's compliment.

  "You look quite handsome yourself, David," Mom replied happily. "Please, call me Victoria."

  David nodded. "Thank you for inviting me into your home for dinner," he added.

  "You're very welcome," she answered him. "I'm glad you could come with Natalie."

  David and my mother continued their conversation for a few minutes as he asked about her charity work and seemed genuinely interested. He slipped in subtle compliments here and there, and Mom ate it up, smiling and giggling at the attention. I caught movement from Ford, and glanced over to see him shaking his head and rolling his eyes behind Mom. I had to stifle the laugh that almost burst out of me.

  Audrey came in and announced that dinner was ready. Mom hooked her arm in David's and dragged him along with her to the dining room, still talking. I grabbed Ford's crutches off the nearby chair and handed them to my brother.

  "He's good," Ford said in amazement. "We might make it through dinner without getting judgmental stares over our life and wardrobe choices."

  I smiled indulgently at my big brother. He had shown up for dinner in jeans with a hole in one knee and a well-worn gray Henley that was fraying around the cuffs. He only dressed up for Mom when she invited him to something public. My poor suffering mother and her two stubborn ill-dressed children, the only reason I was wearing a dress tonight, was for David's benefit, not my mother's. Otherwise, I'd be in jeans too. I guess David was more sensible than Ford or me. Neither of us were very good at picking and choosing our battles. I don't know how our parents survived our teenage years, especially Ford's.

  My rebellions were mostly over clothes and other minor things. Ford had gone with heavy drinking, fighting, and probably a bunch of other reckless behaviors I didn't want to know about. I was pretty sure he was responsible for most of the gray hair Mom had to cover up at the salon.

  I followed Ford as he gimped on his crutches to the dining room, and we all t
ook a seat around the beautifully set table. Audrey came in with a tray of salad plates and set one in front of each of us. Mom was going all out tonight with a full-course meal to impress David. She had no idea that she was wasting her time.

  It was one of the most enjoyable meals that I had ever had with my mother. Every time she started to focus her attention on my brother or me in a negative way, David would redirect the conversation in a subtle way that was absolutely amazing. The man should have been a diplomat or a politician. Mom had no idea that she was being handled.

  As we were finishing the main course, the conversation got away from David as my mother brought up a recent wedding that she had been too. She started telling him how much she was looking forward to me getting married someday, and going into great detail about the big wedding that she was going to plan. David's eyes turned hard. This was one subject that I knew he probably wouldn't be comfortable with, but Mom didn't know about his breakup with Paige or his canceled wedding. He got eerily quiet, but my clueless mother didn't seem to notice as she prattled on about it.

  I was just about to tell my mother to drop the subject, when David interrupted her. His voice was crisp and to the point. "I would imagine, Victoria, that if your daughter was going to get married, that she would want to be involved in the planning of it herself. After all, it would be her wedding." That was not what I had expected him to say at all. He seemed more upset that my mother wanted to use my future wedding as a vehicle for her own desires, with little thought to mine, than the fact that we were talking about weddings in general.

  "David," my mother replied in a placating tone. "I've been planning events for most of my adult life. I know better than Natalie how to plan a wedding."

  "So what your daughter might want, doesn't factor into these plans at all?" David narrowed his eyes at my mother as he spoke. His tone was polite, but a tense undercurrent of anger was radiating off of him now. I knew that he was trying to stick up for me, but this situation was escalating, quickly.

  Shockingly, Mom looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. I didn't even know that was possible. "Of course, what she wants matters." She actually seemed nonplussed as her cheeks flushed, and she backpedaled in the face of David's confrontation. "I'd help plan it, but I certainly wouldn't ignore what she wanted." I expected her to start freaking out on David like she did with Dad, but the hurt in her eyes made it look like she would end up crying instead if this continued.

  David nodded, but I could see the disbelief in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak again. I was afraid of what he might say next, so I placed my hand on his thigh and squeezed his leg firmly in warning. He needed to let this go. If he kept this up, he was going to end up making Mom cry. I did not want to deal with that today. Especially, since it usually ended with her locking herself in her room, and anyone involved riddled with guilt. He glanced over at me, and the look on my face must have said it all. His eyes widened, and he clamped his mouth shut. He placed his hand on mine and squeezed me back gently with an apologetic look on his face.

  It wasn't that I didn't appreciate him defending me. It was just that I had learned a long time ago that confronting my mother directly backfired almost every time. It always ended up making my own mother cry or sent her into angry hysterics. It was easier to go along with whatever she said, then do what you wanted anyway without saying a word. It was better to deal with the judgmental glances later than to start a huge over-dramatic incident that accomplished nothing but guilt and hurt feelings. Managing my mother was a tenuous exercise at best, but Ford and I had figured it out, and it worked for our family. David would eventually figure it out for himself, since he was probably the most perceptive person that I knew. My mother loved David, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  Audrey began clearing our dinner plates from the table, and it was just the distraction that my mother needed as she started bragging about the cheesecake that Audrey had made tonight. Mom's housekeeper was an excellent cook, but really excelled at making desserts. If I lived here, I'd weigh half a ton from Audrey's cooking.

  David rolled with the subject change, and I was grateful for it. When Audrey served the cheesecake, David complimented her directly and profusely after his first bite. Audrey practically preened from the attention as she poured coffee for us. Audrey had just joined the "I love David" team herself.

  Ford remained mostly silent throughout the meal, especially when David had gotten angry at Mom. I glanced over at him now to see a faint smirk on his face. I glared at him. He simply shrugged unapologetically and focused on his dessert again. I think this was the first meal he had with Mom without her making a single passive-aggressive comment about his clothing or long hair and shaggy beard. At least, somebody was enjoying themselves here.

  After dessert, I got us out of there quickly with an excuse about having to get up early. Mom fussed over both Ford and David as the three of us were leaving. Ford tensed up as usual, but David indulged my mother with his easy smile and returned her hug. I think it was his way of apologizing to her.

  When we got into the Audi, David turned to me before starting the car. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. "I don't know what came over me at dinner. I don't like anyone hurting you or dismissing you like that, but I should have kept my mouth shut and let you handle it."

  "I appreciate that you stuck up for me, and I'm sorry that Mom brought up the subject of weddings in general." I smiled apologetically.

  "I don't have a problem talking about weddings, sweetheart."

  "I was afraid it would upset you. She tends to get a little crazy when I bring guys around her. Probably because it hardly ever happens."

  "I'm glad that you want me around your family." He lifted my hand up and kissed the back of it gently.

  "I'm glad that my mother hasn't sent you screaming off into the night," I said wryly.

  "It's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to chase me off, Natalie." He smiled warmly, his voice calm and self-assured, but he hadn't spent much time with both my parents in the same room. They were on their best behavior in public the first time he'd been around them. I wondered how he'd handle the insanity when Mom and Dad went at each other in private. I guess only time would tell.

  Chapter Five

  David

  I hadn't heard a peep from Paige since Monday, and I was starting to think that she had finally stopped trying to contact me. She caused enough problems for Natalie and me. So when I walked out of the hospital after work on Friday around four o'clock, I wasn't expecting to find her standing near the exit waiting for me.

  I jolted to a stop as I stared at her in disbelief. Her face was a mask of fear and distress. She was dressed in an unzipped jacket over a tight top that highlighted her swollen pregnant belly. Her dark hair was swept back from her face in a high ponytail. She took a few steps toward me, and her approach was enough to set my feet into motion again. I hardened my face and turned aside from her, stalking across the parking lot swiftly to get away from her.

  "David!" she called out, but I ignored her. She was far enough into her pregnancy, at least five or six months, that she couldn't keep up with me at first. Unfortunately, I ended up fumbling around trying to figure out which pocket my keys were in due to my flustered state. She came up behind me, just as I pulled out my keys, and touched my arm. I jerked away from her, not wanting her to touch me, and turned to face her.

  "Leave me the fuck alone, Paige," I growled at her. "Just go away!" Pain slammed into me like a blow as I looked at her and the reminder of how she had ripped my life apart, of how she was still ripping it apart.

  "David, please," she pleaded as she wrung her hands together, drawing my attention to her damn engagement ring. "Please let me talk to you." Her eyes were filled with desperation and what I swear was genuine remorse. It made me feel sick. It was too little, too late for that.

  I stared at her in utter disbelief. "No," I snapped out as I glowered down at her. I clenched my hands
into fists and took a menacing step forward. She visibly flinched and stepped back with a terrified expression. I had never seen her do that before when I was angry, but I decided to use it to my advantage. "Go back to your fucking fiance. Leave. Me. Alone," I snarled at her, my rage threatening to overwhelm me. I needed to get the hell out of here, now.

  I turned my back on her as I unlocked my Audi. She kept pleading my name, but thankfully she didn't come any closer or try to touch me again as I climbed into the car. I started the vehicle and then made the mistake of meeting her eyes once more before driving away. Her dark eyes were pained and pleading, the exact opposite of the harsh and cruel look on her face that I remembered from the day she dumped me. Rage surged up inside me until my hands gripped the wheel so hard that my knuckles cracked. This was the Paige that I fell in love with looking at me, and I tore my eyes away as the pain stabbed deeper inside my chest. I didn't look at her again as I drove away. I didn't dare, or it was going to unman me completely.

  As I pulled out of the employee parking lot onto the street, a shell-shocked feeling fell over me. I could feel tension vibrating through me. My tight grip on the steering wheel was the only thing keeping my hands from shaking uncontrollably. I needed to go talk to Natalie. I needed her to help me pull myself back together, but she was stuck late at work for at least another few hours before she came over to my house. I didn't want to go home and be alone right now, so I made an impulsive decision and turned at the next light. I drove toward Jensen and Sydney's condo, hoping like hell that one of them was home.

  Thankfully, it didn't take long to get there. I let out a harsh sigh of relief as I pulled into the condo's driveway next to Jensen's green Silverado. I surged up out of my car and hurried to the front door. I jabbed my finger into the doorbell button multiple times in desperation. I didn't want to lose it outside, and I was damn close to tears right now. I hated feeling out of control like this, and I needed help. Jensen and Sydney were two of the few people that I trusted in this world. I could lose control in front of them and be okay with it. Lord knows, both had done the same around me many times. I could hear Jensen swearing loudly as he stomped down the stairs to the foyer.