Chapter 8
“So, it seems we both have stories to tell.” Amy settled into a rocking chair on the wraparound porch of a house that appeared to be vacant at the moment.
“It would seem so.” Jayce sat in the chair next to hers.
She chewed her lip and stared out at the street.
“I’ll go first,” Jayce said. “My story seems a lot shorter than yours.”
“Thank you. I’m afraid my story is a bit long and convoluted. To be honest, I’m not looking forward to explaining everything to Kristine.”
Jayce crossed his feet at the ankles and stretched out. “I think Kristine will be more understanding than you realize.”
Amy looked over at him. He seemed sincere, but how could she trust him? She didn’t know this man, and she thought she knew all about Kristine’s boyfriends. Could this be the guy from the other night?
Jayce steepled his fingers and said, “Kristine and I met a few months ago in Boston. There was an instant attraction, but acting on it at the time wasn’t, well…appreciated.”
“You mean to say that Kristine rejected you?”
Jayce smiled as if he were remembering the scene. “I don’t consider it a rejection so much as just poor timing. You see, we met at my brother’s funeral.”
“Oh! I think I remember her saying something about that.”
He looked hopeful. “Really? She talked about me?”
“In a matter of speaking. I heard her muttering to herself something about the only man to spark her attention recently was a jerk at a funeral. And something about how she had the worst taste in men and should just give up and become a nun.”
Leaning back, Jayce laughed. “She did say something about taking a vow. Fortunately for me it wasn’t a nun’s vow. She had vowed not to sleep with firemen.”
“So, it sounds like you’re saying you’re sleeping together.”
Jayce looked over at her and simply asked, “Is that a problem?”
Amy thought about how this guy had saved her. If Kristine trusted him, knowing she wasn’t all that trusting of men—at least when it came to romantic relationships—he must be a special guy. “No. No problem at all. As long as you treat her right.”
“I’ll let you ask her if she’s being treated well. But to ease your mind, I care about her, maybe more than I should. We’ve only been together for a few days, and I’m already in love with her. I live in Boston, but we’ve agreed that making the effort to overcome the distance and our crazy schedules is worth a try.”
Amy nodded. “So you’re the guy… The one from Boston that she was muttering about.”
Jayce shrugged. “Unless there was some other jerk she was attracted to who frustrated her by hitting on her at a really bad time.”
Amy laughed. “I doubt that very much. Kristine keeps most men at arm’s length. I’m sorry if that’s my fault. I’ve told her nothing about her father for good reason.” She took a deep breath, knowing she was going to launch into the story.
“Kristine’s father was a very dangerous man. I was young and naive. We had a whirlwind romance during which he took me to Paris, gave me beautiful jewelry, and quickly moved me into his mansion in Southampton. He promised he’d help me with my acting ambitions, and he paid for private coaching.” Amy worried her lip and began wringing her hands. “By the time I realized who and what he was, I was already pregnant.”
“I have a sister-in-law who is also a dragon. She mentioned that she can only have children with another dragon. So she and my brother will never have any kids. Is that true?”
Amy nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so. I knew Kristine would be my one and only, and I couldn’t allow her to be in danger all her life. Plus this man had become incredibly possessive, not allowing me to go anywhere without him or one of his most trusted guards. I felt like I was living in a prison. And if I tried to get away, he could shift into dragon form and come after me.”
She looked Jayce in the eye and said, “He wanted me to get an abortion. He wanted me all to himself. I couldn’t let that happen, so the first chance I had, I ran.”
“How far did you get?”
“I managed to hitchhike my way to Hicksville. I found a job waitressing and saved enough money to pay for the delivery with a midwife in my little basement apartment.”
“You must have had to use a fake name—”
“No. Not on the birth certificate. I didn’t want Kristine to have anything that raised red flags hanging over her head. I had planned to tell her that her father died before we got married, so that’s why she has my maiden name. We couldn’t get married anyway. We were…related.” She felt like she was sucking on a lemon. “I’ll elaborate on the bombshell after I talk to Kristine.”
