Crap. Was I going to miss him? "Okay, thanks, Vince. "
I went back to the elevator and changed my mind. Id take the stairs. Woods normally took the stairs. I might miss him if I took the elevator.
The moment the door to the stairs closed behind me, I heard Woodss voice from below. Stopping, I considered going back into the office. I didnt want to eavesdrop.
"I dont know how youve dealt with the crazy as long as you have. " Jaces voice stopped me from leaving, as did his words. I froze with my hand on the door.
"It was what I had to do. I couldnt just let her be alone. But its affecting my work. At least when Angelina was here she helped. " Woodss words were like cold water being poured over my head.
"You need to keep your ass away from her insane shit. You have a corporation to run. Dropping what you need to do to deal with one of her batshit crazy episodes isnt fair. You need to fix this problem. " Jaces words made the numbness in my heart start to spread.
"I cant. How the hell do I do that?" Woods said in a frustrated growl.
Id heard enough. I had to get away. I had to leave. I couldnt breathe. The darkness was closing in again, and this time I wasnt going to be here for everyone to witness it.
I forced a smile at Vince when I walked back out of the stairwell and headed for the elevator. He didnt ask and I didnt explain. I just kept my focus on the elevator doors. They opened and I stepped inside. Taking deep breaths, I fought off the darkness. I would not do this here. My craziness was affecting his work. No, no! I would stay focused.
When the doors opened, I stepped out and walked straight to the parking lot. When I reached my car I got inside and reached for my phone.
"Tripp," I said when he answered.
"Yeah?"
"I need you to come get me. Its time I left," I replied.
He was silent.
"Trust me. I will tell you after you get here. Dont tell Woods. Just come get me. Its past time I left. "
"What did he do?"
I let out a heavy sigh and grasped at the strength I hoped was inside me. "He wants out. My issues are too much for him. He just doesnt know how to tell me. Please, its time I left. I want to live my life now. "
"Ill be there by lunch tomorrow. I just have my bike. "
"Ill pack light," I replied.
"You can ship everything else. Ill text you an address. "
"Okay. "
"Youre sure about this?"
"Yes," I replied.
Page 13
Woods
My mother had called two of the board members my dad was closest to and told them that I was letting Della work at the club. Then shed proceeded to tell them Della was mentally unstable and dangerous. Shed gone as far as to make up shit about Della trying to hurt her. My mother had lost her mind.
Jace walked into my office after Id had a long meeting with the two men and lost my argument about Della. They wanted background checks on her. I knew what they would find and I refused to do it. She wouldnt want that.
"You look ready to murder an entire village with your bare hands, bro. Whats up?" I stormed past him and to the stairwell. I needed to yell and hit a wall. That was the safest place to do it.
I ran up two flights of stairs before I stopped and slammed my fist into the wall, cursing everyone responsible. Della didnt need this right now. She was doing so much better. How was I supposed to tell her about this?
"What happened?" Jace asked from behind me. I hadnt realized he had followed me.
"My fucking mother happened. Her and Angelina. Theyre evil and twisted. How is it that my mother is so damn screwed up? What happened to her and my father to make them such fucked-up individuals? To make them think they can control lives? They cant! This club is mine and if I want to fire every motherfucker on the board that my father set in place, I will! Its time for a new board anyway," I snarled, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.
"I dont know how youve dealt with the crazy as long as you have," Jace said, sitting down on the steps and watching me pace.
"It was what I had to do. I couldnt just let her be alone. But its affecting my work. At least when Angelina was here she helped," I said.
"You need to keep your ass away from her insane shit. You have a corporation to run. Dropping what you need to do to deal with one of her batshit crazy episodes isnt fair. You need to fix this problem," Jace said, as if it were easy. How was I supposed to just turn away from my mother? I was all she had.
"I cant. How the hell do I do that?" I asked, stopping my pacing and leaning against the wall. If it was a choice between Della and my mother, I would choose Della. If she forced my hand, I was going to have to turn away from her. First, I needed to decide about the board. I needed a lawyer. My own lawyer, not my fathers. I was done using the people he had set in place. Things were different now and I didnt need a crazy-ass phone call from my mother sending board members to my office questioning my decisions.
It was time I made sure this place was run by me. My board would be made up of people I trusted and confided in. It was time for a new generation.
"Jace," I said, turning to look at him.
"Yeah?"
"You ready to be a board member?"
Jace frowned. "What?"
"Im getting a lawyer. Im firing the old board and starting my own. "
A grin spread across Jaces face. "Hell yeah," he replied.
For the first time since Id gotten the call earlier that day, I felt lighter. I wasnt going to let my mother control me. I was in control. My grandfather had left it all to me. Even her home was now mine. If she wanted to fuck with my life Id fuck with hers enough to make her stop. She was my mom, but Della was my life.
Four hours had passed since Id left Della. Dammit. Id lost track of time. Grabbing my phone, I headed out the door to my truck. My call went straight to her voice mail. Shit!
Dellas car was in the driveway. She was there. Maybe shed been outside when Id called her. I had promised her dinner tonight in Seaside. I was two hours late. This wasnt fair to her. I couldnt keep her here all the time. She was coming back to work with me. I needed her help. She was good at her job.
Opening the door, the smell of roasted garlic and tomatoes met my nose. I closed it and followed the smell to the kitchen. Della was standing at the stove with a black apron on from the club, stirring a pot.
"Hey," I said quietly so I didnt startle her.
She spun around and smiled at me. There was a sadness in her eyes she couldnt hide. Id made her sad. My leaving her here had upset her. She had wanted to go to work today. I would have to explain all that tonight.
"I decided to cook instead of us going out," she said.
I walked over to stand behind her and wrapped my hands around her waist. "It smells incredible. "
"Good. I havent made lasagna in a long time. This sauce is hard to get right. "
Something was off in her voice. I hated that she was upset.
"Im sorry about today. "
"Dont apologize. Please, dont. You had work to do. I know that and Im okay with it. "
She didnt want my apology. What was upsetting her then?
"You can come back to work tomorrow," I told her.
"I dont think Im ready for that yet," she replied.
She wasnt ready for it? Today shed tried several times to go back to work. What had changed?
"Why do you think youre not ready? Did you have another episode today?"
She shook her head. "No, I think its just too much on me right now. I need to get a better grip on myself first. " She turned and looked up at me. "Lets not talk about it tonight. I want to cook you dinner and enjoy being with you. "
I tucked my head in the curve of her neck. "Okay," I replied. We would talk about it tomorrow then. "How can I help you with dinner?"
She turned and kissed my head. "You can slice the French bread, butter it, then sprinkle it with garlic powder. I need to t
oast it. "
"I can do that," I said, stepping back from Della and reaching for the bread.
Page 14
Della
I had known deep down that this wouldnt be forever. Id thought once Woods realized how impossible life would be with me that he would end it. But that wasnt true. He was already tired of dealing with my being "crazy," but hed never let me know. He made me feel cherished. If I hadnt heard him talking to Jace I would still have been holding on to the belief that we could work through it all.
Years of not living among other people had hindered my ability to read them. Jace had known that Woods was tired of dealing with me but I hadnt gotten the hint. I knew now. Tonight would be it for us. I had cooked for him and enjoyed looking at him and listening to him talk. I wanted to etch every moment of tonight in my memory.
When I left tomorrow, that would be it. I wasnt coming back and Woods would be relieved. At first he would be upset. I thought he loved me. I was just more than hed bargained for. When he realized Id taken myself out of the picture for him, his life would get easier. He could be free of worrying about me.
Tonight, though, he was still mine. I could hold him and believe in what we had. Just once more.
We stood side by side and cleaned up the dishes. Normally we talked and laughed but I couldnt find anything fun to talk about. My heart was too heavy.
"Are you okay?" Woods asked when he put the last dish in the dishwasher and closed it.
I nodded and smiled.
He reached over and laced his fingers through mine. "Are you sure? Ill fix whatever is wrong if you just tell me," he said, gently tugging me to him. He was a fixer. He wanted to fix my life, and that wasnt possible.
Instead of answering, I stood up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his neck. "I want you," I whispered against his warm skin . "Right now, all I want is you. "
Woods let me kiss down his neck, and when I tugged at his T-shirt he lifted his arms and let me take it off. His chiseled chest was always tanned and perfect. I ran my fingers over the beautiful skin and each hard ab muscle that fascinated me. This had been mine for a time. It would be a chapter in my life that was hard to look back on, yet it would be my favorite.
I pressed my lips to the taut skin of his lower stomach and started undoing his jeans. He stood there and let me. I was glad there was no resistance or questions. If we were ending this chapter tonight, I wanted it to be perfect.
I pulled his jeans down with his boxer briefs.
"Fuck, Della," he whispered as I licked the tip of his cock. Both of his hands were now buried in my hair as I lowered myself to my knees in front of him. I wanted him to know I loved him. When I was gone I wanted him to know that he was a part of me. That this hadnt been empty for me.
"Oh, hell," he groaned, leaning back against the counter for support as I sank his length into my mouth until it slid into my throat. I loved the way this made him feel. Knowing the trembling in his legs was because of me was a wonderful feeling. He made me tremble all the time. I liked making him tremble in return.
"Thats so damn good, baby. Your hot little mouth is fucking perfect. " His voice was husky and deep. I reached up and cupped his balls in my hand. He let out a low growl and suddenly I was being jerked up. "Not gonna come in your mouth. Not tonight. I want inside you," he said, kicking off his jeans and leaving them on the floor before picking me up and walking to the bedroom.
His hands were on my shorts, jerking them off. I raised my arms and let him pull my top off. My bra and panties went just as quickly.
"Youre beautiful," he said as he knelt above me and stared down at my body.
When I was with him I felt beautiful. "Make love to me," I told him as I opened my thighs and reached up to pull him down to me.
"I want to taste you," he said, stopping me from pulling him down farther.
"I want you inside me," I replied.
"Dont care. I want a taste first. " His crooked grin warmed my heart. Id let him have whatever he wanted.
"Okay," I replied as he lowered himself until his head was between my thighs.
His lips brushed the sensitive skin on the insides of my legs as he trailed kisses, switching from one leg to the other until the heat of his breath touched my tender flesh. I shuddered and grabbed handfuls of the sheets underneath me just before his tongue slipped inside of me and then moved up to my clit.
I cried out his name until I came against his mouth. Every single flick of his tongue had taken me farther under the wave of pleasure that overtook me.
As I gasped to get air into my lungs, he filled me in one swift move. I lifted my knees and pressed them to his ribs. "I love you, Della. I love you so much, baby. So damn much," he said with a hoarse voice full of emotion. It was as if he knew this was it for us. That tomorrow wouldnt come. This was the end. I fought back the tears clogging my throat and grabbed his face so that I could kiss him. I couldnt talk. I didnt trust myself to talk. I showed him how much I loved him with my mouth.
With each thrust I lifted my knees and cried out. He never stopped telling me how much he loved me. It was a chant as we both climbed to our release.
"Woods!" I screamed his name in ecstasy as the world blurred.
He held me to his chest as he jerked inside of me. My name was a strangled cry from his chest as he shuddered against me.
Our chapter was over. It was the most beautiful chapter in my life. I knew Id had the happy ending way before it was time and now I had to live the rest of the story without him. It wasnt the way life was supposed to be, but it was my life. And Id had Woods in it. That made it all okay.
Woods had kissed my head, telling me to sleep late. He had an early meeting and I could come to work when I was ready. I had pretended to be sleepy and nodded, keeping my head buried in the pillow to hide my tears. When the door clicked behind him I turned over and stared at the ceiling.
My heart had just walked out that door.
I moved without thought as I showered and dressed. I boxed up the things I would be shipping that morning to the address Tripp had texted me. I then packed a small bag I could carry with me. I wasnt sure where we were going and when we would make it back to the South Carolina address I was shipping my things to.
Woods called me around ten and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him. I didnt want to lie to him but I couldnt tell him the truth either. So I told him I was behind on work and if he wanted me to come back, then I needed to catch up. He didnt argue with me. When I told him that I loved him one tear rolled down my face. I was glad he couldnt see me.
On a piece of paper I wrote:
I will never forget you. Thank you for everything but its time I move on. I want to see the world. This life isnt for me. It doesnt fit. It isnt what I dreamed of. Dont come after me, just let me go. I hope you find the happiness you deserve.
Im sorry,
Della
Page 15
Woods
I ended the strange phone call from Tripp and stared down at my phone for a few minutes. Nothing about that conversation had made sense. Hed asked me how life was. Id told him it was good. He had said I should strive for great. I told him it was perfect and he had gone silent. Then hed said, Sometimes what we think is perfect is royally fucked up. I had asked him what he meant and he said he was just checking in and hoped Id figure life out soon.
What the hell had all that meant? Was he drinking before lunch? Glancing at my clock, I realized it was my tee time with Jace. When Della had turned me down for lunch Id let her because she wanted to work. I couldnt keep making her feel like she wasnt important. So to keep myself from begging her to have lunch with me, Id called Jace and set up a tee time for us.
I had a meeting with my new lawyer at three, then after that I would hunt her down. I thought shed be ready to take a break then. Smiling, I let Tripps weird phone call go and I headed down to the golf course.
Jace w
as standing at Bethys golf cart with his hands on the roof as he leaned in, flirting with her. I never would have guessed those two would have made it so long. Bethy had been the wild local girl who lived in the next town over. She slept with the rich boys and they acted like they didnt know her in public. Until Jace. Hed decided that she was worth it. He had seen something more.
"You gonna stop making out with my employee long enough to play a round?" I asked as I approached them.
Jace grinned over at me, then flipped his middle finger. "Suck it, Kerrington. "
"You two need me to get yall a caddy?" Bethy asked.
"Were real men, baby. We dont need a caddy," Jace said, winking at her.
"Lets do this. I have a three oclock appointment," I informed Jace.
The cart Id ordered was brought around with my clubs. Jace said his good-byes to Bethy and put his clubs in the back of the cart. "Its been a while since we played a round," Jace said. "Boss man never has any time. "
"Della has taken a lot off me. I need to give her a raise. "
Jace chuckled and propped his feet up on the dash of the cart. "You told your momma about the new-board idea?"
"I wont be telling her. It isnt her business. Im meeting with the lawyer today to make sure this is handled the correct way. The lawyer will make sure the board knows theyve been terminated. "
"You know, I always thought the board, like, owned a portion of the club," Jace said.
"My grandfather forbade it in his will. He wanted the club to always be under the Kerrington name. He didnt allow investors unless they were family. That was one of the reasons my father wanted me to marry Angelina. She would become family and he would merge her fathers clubs with the Kerrington Club. My grandfather wouldnt have wanted that. Ive looked over his business plan. I know his dream for this place. My father had other ideas and he was going to use me to accomplish them. "
Jace let out a low whistle as we pulled up to the first tee. "Damn, no wonder your dad was ready to marry you off to a psycho. So, you really own it all now. You make the decisions. That board was just so your father had people to help him build and make decisions. "
"I think he had promised them a piece of the pie once the Kerrington Club was part of the Greystone empire. Everything would have changed then. He also paid them well. I looked over the payroll. "