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Anger rises in my chest like a volcano and so many emotions swirl inside me. If I go to Tommy and ask him about it, he’s going to deny it, like he has in the past. I’m afraid if I speak to him, I would end up going to jail for assault or attempted murder.
“A month before her death, he took out a thirty-million-dollar insurance policy on her. He was swimming in debt and hiding from loan sharks.”
That son of a bitch.
He took away the one person who cared about me, the one person who loved me, because he didn’t like to lose. I’m going to help bury the bastard and I want him to rot in jail.
“I’ll get to the bottom of it,” I say, “I’ll find a way to make him pay for this shit.” I rake my fingers through my hair again. “Why didn’t my mother leave him?”
My grandfather shakes his head. “She wouldn’t tell me, but I suspect he had something over her head, something that could destroy her life.”
I nod, trying to process his words. I’m going to find out soon.
He places his hands on my shoulders. “Marriage looks well on you,” he says, switching the topic. I’m glad. Speaking about my mother’s death makes me feel as if I have boulders on my chest.
I nod.
“Are you going to give her a child?”
I shake my head. “No. She agreed to it.”
I know I’m being selfish, but I can’t experience the pain I had with Harper, of losing her. I wouldn’t be a good father. I failed to protect Harper, and I’ll do the same if I had a child with Poppy.
“Poppy has given you everything you want. She took your last name, even went to the extent of changing her life for you. She deserves to be happy.” He kicks his feet up on the coffee table. “And you have to stop blaming yourself for Gemma’s mistakes. Harper wouldn’t want you to. Accident happens all t—”
“I’m going to be late to work, Grandfather,” I say, cutting him off.
I don’t want to hear a lecture on something I know isn’t true.
“Have a great day at work, and give Poppy a hug and a kiss on the cheek for me.”
“Will do,” I say as I head out the door.
Poppy
I soak in the tub; I needed to relax and clear my mind. My mother has been on my mind heavily, especially after the dinner we had on Sunday. The more I ponder my relationship with her, the more I’m convinced Jasper is right. She’s jealous of me. My mother hasn’t called me since Sunday’s dinner, but then again she’s always been a prideful woman. She was never the type to apologize. I feel like I’m losing everything: my mother, my dream of becoming a mother, myself.
I’m trying to find a new purpose for myself, and the idea of opening up a daycare has been playing on my mind more and more lately. It’s not the dream I originally had, but at least I’ll get to work with children this way. Plus, I don’t want to be to be sucked into Jasper’s world anymore. The last time I did that with a man, it didn’t end well. My life revolved around him, and I ended up losing myself in the end. I don’t want to start that habit again.
“How was your day?” I hear Jasper’s voice from the entrance of the bathroom.
I sink farther into the water as the jets massage my back.
“It was okay.” I’ve been sulking all day, but he doesn’t need to know that. He doesn’t need to know that I feel like life has been kicking my ass lately. “Well… besides texting you all day while we’re at work.” I’ve never noticed before, but Jasper can be a little clingy. I actually love it. He sends me memes throughout the day, even though I’m his executive assistant. It feels wonderful to have someone care for me. “I had lunch with Lake and Atlas, did a little shopping, and volunteered at the hospital for sick kids.” It felt amazing going to the hospital and reading books to the kids. It feels nice to do something for someone even when you feel shitty, that’s one thing I learned from Lake.
Surprise flickers across Jasper’s face. “I had no idea you did volunteer work.”
“Yeah, it feels good to give back to the community.”
Once he removes his clothes, he slips into the steamy water with me, sloshing it over the brim of the tub, wetting the marble floors.
Smiling, he slides me between his legs, and I rest the back of my head on his chest as his thick erection brushes against my ass. Desire blossoms inside my stomach.
We sit in complete silence, but then I feel the need to ask him a question.
“Can I ask you something without any judgment?” I ask. “I need your honest opinion.”
He nods, running his fingers through my hair and gently scratching my scalp. It feels so damn good.
