Forever Moore (Moore Family Book 1) Read online

  “Good, I will be in New York tonight and tomorrow. I will let you know when I land, and then I will call you tonight.” He leans down giving me one more deep kiss.

  A cough distracts us both and we look at a security guard observing us from the corner, who will likely yell at us at any moment to get moving. “I better go,” Jax says reluctantly.

  “I will miss you,” I say, giving him one more kiss. “I love you, Jax.”

  “I love you, Tilly.”

  We avoid the word “goodbye”, because it would make it sound as though he is not coming back. And we both know, without a doubt, he will be home soon.

  Chapter 34

  Matilda

  Fortunately, Jake is not on call at the firehouse this weekend. He took some time off, not only to help at the shop while I was gone, but also to ensure that I am not alone. Sunday, all of my brothers were home and Letty came over. We spent the whole day together, which was nice. I only wish they would stop treating me as though Jax and I broke up.

  Yes, I have been a little sad due to a mixture of hormones and missing Jax. But I haven’t been breaking down and crying or anything. For some reason though, they still all treat me like I am fragile glass and about to break. Jake insists on helping me at the shop during the day this week, since he is on call at night. Then Scott was adamant that he would bunk here the nights that Jake was on call. While it is a little annoying, I do appreciate the fact they love me so much.

  It has been tough, but Jax has kept to his word. We either call or video chat every evening, then send texts throughout the day. He has been sending me the most beautiful images of Vietnam. He is in Nha Trang currently shooting for a resort that has recently undergone major updates. The photos are absolutely breathtaking—crisp blue water, white sand beaches, and palm trees. Then the pictures of the local cuisine are mouthwatering. He says this location is definitely on his list of places to take me. He has also been rubbing in his eighty-two-degree weather; the highs here have been in the mid-forties. But honestly, I don’t care. I have always loved the cooler weather. I have lived with it all my life.

  It’s Thursday and I am at the shop working on a quick display for a photo to add to our social media. Jax started this throwback Thursday thing, where we feature classic must-reads on the page. While it is a lot of work to maintain, I cannot deny that Jax’s social media strategy has been very successful for us. It isn’t even officially the holidays yet and we are already in the black. With the volume of online orders that I am getting, I need to set up some sort of mail pickup arrangement with the post office.

  Hearing a ding above the door, I quickly make my way to the front of the shop. Jake is out grabbing us some lunch from the diner. I stop dead in my tracks when I notice Keith inside, holding a letter. “Good evening, Matilda. How are you today?”

  “Fine, how can I help you?” I just want him to say whatever he has to say and get the hell out of my store.

  “I haven’t noticed Jackson around recently. He already wander off to bigger and better things?”

  The nerve of this asshole. “What do you want, Keith? I have a business to run.”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to strike up a nerve. I know breakups can be hard.” While we are very much not broken up, I do not feel any need to dignify his curiosity with an answer. “Anyway, I came by to deliver you this notice.” He holds up the letter in his hand.

  “What is it this time?” I ask, keeping my arms crossed and not even attempting to take the envelope from him. I don’t want to be within touching distance of that man.

  He motions to the letter. “Well, if you read it, you would know.”

  I cautiously inch forward to take it from him, ensuring I only get close enough to grab it from his outstretched arm. As I get within reach, he pulls the letter back. “You know, Matilda, all this could be avoided.”

  I cross my arms again over my chest, cock my hip and begin tapping my foot. “Give me the fucking notice or get the hell out, Keith.”

  “The hostility is completely uncalled for, Matilda. I would like to think our local shop owners were more hospitable in their establishments.” He extends the letter to me. I quickly snatch it from him, then take a few steps back. “Have a good night, Matilda. I’m sure I will be seeing you soon.” Keith goes to exit, bumping into Jake on his way out. “Jacob,” he says, jutting his chin in acknowledgement before finally leaving.

  After Keith is gone, Jake asks, “What the fuck did that twat want?”

  I wave the notice in front of him, before tearing open the envelope and reading it. “That fucking asshole!”

  Jake grabs the notice from me and reads it over. “What the hell is this?” The letter contains a list of violations my shop has that need to be corrected within thirty days. Failure to do so would result in the suspension of my business license. If it is suspended, I would have to go through an appeal’s process to get it reinstated. Not to mention, I’d be forced to pay a hefty fine, and I’ll give you one guess who would review my appeal. All the violations are absolutely ridiculous. Some are miniscule—like a fine for still having Halloween decor up, even though Halloween was over three days ago. But looking down Main Street, my storefront is only one of many to meet that criteria. Another violation is that the layout of my store is considered a fire hazard, due to my bookshelves. The notice states that they “block and/or prohibit access to the emergency exits”. However, that one is easy to resolve because I know we are within regulations, given that my brother is a fireman and would be the first to tell me if something was wrong. Even so, this will make me go through the hassle of getting a sign-off from the inspector. Some others are bigger, such as my awning is too faded and needs to be replaced, and my door needs to be repainted. The citations go on and on.

  I sit down, put my hands in my face, and begin to cry. That asshole, even with thinking Jax is gone, is still trying to manipulate me. “Tilly, this notice is bullshit. What aren’t you telling me? I know something is going on with you and Keith. I know there is more to that bullshit story than what you told us.”

  Shit, I don’t want to lie to Jake. Honestly, it is almost impossible. Even if I want to lie to him, with our twin-link, he would know right away. “Fine, but you have to keep it a secret.”

  “I don’t like keeping things from Scott and Robbie, Tilly, and you shouldn’t either.” He crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at me.

  “Please, Jake. This has to be a super special twin secret. You can’t tell Robbie or Scott,” I plead with him.

  “Fine, I promise. Now tell me what’s going on. Don’t skimp on the details. If I get any inkling you are holding back, I am telling Scott and Robbie.”

  I agree and proceed to tell him everything about Keith. How he insinuated that in order to get Jax the job, I would need to sleep with him. How he has essentially banned Jax from helping shops around town. How he kicked me off the board of tourism. Then today, how he implied this notice could be forgotten, if I would just give into him. I even went back to high school and explained what happened that night of prom.

  As I told Jake the story of all the assholery that is Keith, he was furious. He paced back and forth for a half an hour before talking. “Why did you keep this from me?” I can see the hurt in his eyes. “I always thought that out of all of us, we were the closest? I thought that no matter what, you would always confide in me. We used to tell each other everything. I would have never kept something like this from you.”

  Fuck, now I feel guilty. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just didn’t want my brothers getting all riled up and causing problems. “I’m sorry, Jake,” I say quickly, hugging him. I immediately feel better when he wraps his arms around me. “I wasn’t doing it to hurt you. It’s just… I was embarrassed and then I didn’t want you guys going to prison after you killed him.”

  He chuckles. “Tilly… if we killed him, I promise that between the three of us, we would cover our tracks and no body would ever be found.” I can’t help but
chuckle as well. “We need to do something about this. He is trying to destroy your business over not getting some. Besides being a next level douche, what he is doing is also illegal.”

  “I know. Jax and Letty both wanted me to report him. But it would just be a battle of he-said-she-said, and I would end up being the guilty party when it was all over.”

  Jake steps away from me. “You fucking told Letty and not me?”

  “Seriously? Get over it, Jake. She is my best friend and was there the night it happened. If it makes you feel any better, she doesn’t know about him kicking me off the board.”

  “It only makes me feel a little bit better. But seriously, moving forward, you tell me anything and everything before you tell Letty. I don’t care what it is. Jax only gets a pass because he is your boyfriend.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Sure, Jake, whatever. Well, I better get working on this list. Do you think you can help me get the chief to come here and sign off on fire safety?”

  “Seriously, Tilly, are you just going to roll over for him like a good puppy?”

  “Well, I am not going to let him shut down my business.”

  He shakes his head at me. “Tilly, Tilly, Tilly… you see, you should have come to me first. Of course, Jax and Letty were no help. You are right—reporting dickwad with nothing more than your story wasn't going to go anywhere. But if you would have come to me, I could have helped you resolve this, and we could have prevented him from scaring Jax off.”

  “Seriously, Jax is not scared off. He is going to be gone for a bit, but it is just temporary. Hopefully after these couple assignments, he will be done.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Without a doubt, Jax is going to come home and he will come home for good. I know it.” I don’t tell Jake about the pregnancy or the proposal, but I know there is no way Jax would break his promise to me.

  “Alright then, are you ready to fix this shit and get back at the fucker?” Jake asks with the grin of an evil mastermind about ready to conquer the world.

  Chapter 35

  Matilda

  “How is Akihabara?” I ask, looking into Jax’s cerulean eyes on the video chat. I wonder if our babies will end up with my amber or Jax’s bright blue eyes?

  “It is good. This hotel is amazing. I really want to bring you here. I think you would love the city. It's crazy with all the technology and manga. I went to a maid cafe yesterday. It was great. I will send you pictures when we are done.” I smile at him. So far in the past two weeks that he has been gone, every place he has stayed at he also wants to bring me to.

  “You are such a dork. With the list of places that you want us to travel to, I'm not sure when we will have the time to work… or raise our children.” Internally, I worry. While traveling, he has been so happy. I wonder if he could truly be satisfied here with me and the babies full time… Guilt has me feeling bad for wanting him home all the time. I know he would never ask me to give up the bookshop, so it seems unfair for me to ask him to give up traveling.

  “Hey, what’s that look?” Damn, he reads me too well.

  I try to wave him off. “Nothing. Everything is fine.”

  “No, Tilly. Something is bothering you. I need you to talk to me… Tell me what you are thinking,” he pleads with his bright blue puppy-dog eyes (which are still trying to shed sleep). God, he looks so sexy when he wakes up. Damn, these hormones. I am horny all the damn time. I read it is normal and I think (because of the twins) it is even worse—because well, double the dosage.

  “It is nothing, really. It is just my stupid hormones. I am just feeling guilty for expecting you to give up your career to be here with us all of the time. Since you've been traveling, you have seemed so happy.”

  “That’s because I am.”

  “Oh.” I try not to let the disappointment show on my face.

  “I’m happy because the love of my life is pregnant with my twins. I’m happy because I am going to marry the girl I have loved as long as I can remember. I’m happy because in a week I will be back home in time to go with my beautiful pregnant fiancée to her first official doctor’s appointment and see our beautiful babies. The only thing that is getting me through being away from you right now… is trying to imagine how much you and I might enjoy one of these places together, as a family.”

  I can feel the tears running down my cheeks. “Ugh, I hate these stupid side effects. I never used to cry.”

  “Ah, it’s okay, babe. I still think you are the most beautiful and radiant woman ever.” I snort—yes, very attractive. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I leave Japan and I am heading to the Maldives. After that, I will be coming home. I verified I have a whole week home with you before I have to take off again. It sounds like Greg has a couple photographers lined up, who should be replacing me and the other guy. I promise, this distance… it is almost over.”

  We chat a little more about Akihabara and the crazy tech culture there. Today, he is actually going to some sort of anime convention; and he is completely geeking-out about it. I haven’t told him about Keith’s most recent visit. I really don’t want to worry him. Not to mention, Jake and I have a plan to handle it. Once everything is settled and Keith is no longer an issue, I will fill him in.

  ∞∞∞

  Tonight is the night. Jake and I have everything set. While my stomach has nothing more than the smallest baby bump, pregnancy has already made my breasts fuller. Which makes showing off my cleavage in this button-down shirt much easier. Jake thought it would be good to dress sexy, but not too sexy. If I went overboard, Keith might get suspicious. I went for a sexy librarian look: an almost sheer button-down blouse with too many top buttons open and my black lace bra peeking through, a tight black pencil skirt with a slit up my thigh, and tall stilettos that I had to borrow from Letty. I have my hair lazily piled on top of my head and held up there by a pen. I kept my makeup to a minimum, since I never wear it. But I did put on bright red lipstick.

  “Okay, you remember what to do right?” Jake asks for the millionth time.

  “Yes, I remember. Now go in the back. He will be here any minute.” Jake scurries off to the back office to monitor the exchange.

  A few moments later, the bell over the door rings as Keith enters the shop. I look him over and it is a shame… He could be an attractive man, if his soul was not so black on the inside. He comes in, wearing pressed black slacks and a grey cashmere sweater. His dark hair is pushed back. He is definitely trying to dress up for this interaction.

  “Matilda,” he says in greeting, as he is looking me up and down and practically eye-fucking me. It makes me sick to my stomach, but I need to hold it in. “I was surprised you called and wanted to see me. How may I be of service to you this evening?” I don’t miss his innuendo.

  “Well, Keith I wanted to discuss this list of violations with you.” I try to say calmly. If I get hostile, he will bolt.

  “Let me see.” He walks over, grabbing the list I hold in my hands; his fingers purposefully caress my wrist. “It is a lot of work, Tilly. You only have a few more weeks to get everything wrapped up. I would hate to have to suspend the license of one of our primary businesses.”

  “Keith.” I try to give him my best puppy-dog eyes. “This list is ridiculous. My shop has been running the same way it always has for the past almost thirty-five years now. With the exception of my tardy removal of Halloween decor, all of this seems to be coming out of the blue. Then, with you removing me from the board of tourism… because I suggested Jax as a possible candidate for a position… Well, I am just curious as to what you are hoping to get out of all of this?”

  “Matilda, I think you know very well what I am hoping to get out of this?” Keith says, stepping into my space and lightly caressing my cheek.

  “And what is that, exactly?” I ask, pretending to be coy.

  “I just want you. I’ve always wanted you. I’ve watched you since we were small children. You are kind, loving, compassionate—exactly the type of woma
n a McCalester should have by his side. I have tried to be nice about this over the years. Be friendly. Be professional. Hoped that you would get over this silly little crush on Jackson and come to your senses. I apologize. But when I saw how the grief over losing your parents was messing with your judgement and that he was taking advantage of you, I needed to intervene. You are too special to waste your life with someone like him.”

  God, he is a complete psychopath. “What are you proposing?”

  “It’s simple. You are mine, completely. We will get married. You will become a McCalester and produce me a worthy heir. Together, we will rule this town. If you agree to this, you will be put back on the board. All these silly little violations will disappear, and that property next door that you and your brother have been looking at is yours. My family maintains the holdings, so you can consider it an engagement gift.”

  “Let me get this straight… I marry you, and all of the issues with my store are gone? My life goes back to normal?”

  “Well, I mean mostly normal. Obviously, there will be some changes. But yes, as far as your role on the board and your shop, everything will be forgotten.”

  “Perfect,” I say, giving him my most evil smile. “Did you get all that?” I yell back to Jake.

  Jake strolls out from the office (very casually) with his hands in his pockets. “Sure did.” He smiles at Keith, who looks as pale as a ghost.

  “What did you do?” Keith asks, panicked.

  “I did nothing.” I continue to smile at him. “You, on the other hand, did everything. You tried to convince me to sleep with you to give Jax a job. Then, you removed me from the board for refusing. Finally, you give me this bullshit to-do list in hopes that I what? Marry you?”

  “No one will ever believe you. All you have is your brother as a witness.”

  “And me.” Derek Lafferty, a lieutenant with our Sheriff’s department, walks out. “I heard everything Keith. I can’t fucking believe it. To think when Tilly and Jake came to me with this story, I thought it was a prank or something. But to hear it from your own mouth… I feel sick calling you a friend for all of these years.”