“Jenna,” Karlie cried, rushing to her sister’s side, wrapping her arms around her. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
Jenna shrugged away from Karlie, “I’m fine,” she said. “I’d be even better if you would just go back to where you came from. Why did you even come here, Karlie? Was it to break Jake and me up? Well, news flash, you failed. I know all about you now. Jake told me what happened before Drew ran in to rescue you. He told me that you were begging him to leave me.” Karlie was backing up, shaking her head in denial. “He told me that you offered to have sex with him, that you ripped your dress.”
“Oh, and did I hit my face too?” Karlie spat, seeming to find her voice.
Jenna’s smile was mean. “Yeah, you did that to your pretty face when you hit the floor. Poor Jake had to fend you off, and you slipped and fell to the floor. I explained to the nice police officers that you have been upset about Jake and me. I told them that he broke up with you and started going out with me, but you wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Karlie gasped like she had been slapped again. “He broke up with me to go out with you. I found you two in bed while Jake and I were still together. He cheated on me with you.” Jake was just standing behind Jenna, smiling at Karlie. God, Drew just wanted to punch that smile off his smug face.
“Karlie, you know we broke up a week before Jenna and I hooked up. You always did love drama, baby.” Drew launched himself at Jake, but Jenna stepped in front of him. Drew growled in frustration and stood down. He’d never do anything to hurt Jenna. She was just as much a victim in all of this as Karlie was. Jake was just spinning a web of lies and had everyone in the Angel family all tied up.
Drew looked over Jenna at Jake. “Don’t you ever talk to Karlie again.”
“And, if I do?” Jake was hiding behind Jenna and his unborn son, like the coward he was.
“If you do, I’ll rip your tongue out.” Drew knew his smile was mean. He could feel the anger rolling off his body.
“So, she’s yours now? Is that it? Well, careful there, Drew, she sure does get around. Just eight months ago, she was mine. Ain’t that right, baby?” This time, Karlie stepped in front of Drew, facing him. He could see the pain in her eyes, and he wanted to rip Jake in two.
“Let’s go. Please, let’s just go.” Karlie had her hands flat on Drew’s chest, trying to hold him back from Jake. Had Jake been telling the truth? Was Karlie protecting him now?
“Karlie,” Drew said, “why the hell are you stopping me from pounding on him?”
“I don’t want you getting arrested for my past. He’s not worth it. Jake can tell all the lies he wants to, but sooner or later, the truth will come out.” Karlie turned toward her sister. “Please don’t let him hurt you or your baby. Please don’t let him hit you like he hit me yesterday. Like he hit me in the past. Jenna, he gets off on hitting women. I don’t know if he’s ever hit you, but don’t lethim start. Please, for your baby’s sake, get away from him now.” Jenna laughed right in Karlie’s face, and she backed into Drew’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively.
“You think you know everything. You’re the oldest, so you always get what you want. Well, guess what, big sister, you can’t have Jake. No matter how much you want him, he’s mine, and we are having a baby together. It just kills you that I have something you want, doesn’t it? Jake and I are getting married. You ruined our special day, but I won’t let you ruin our life together. We are going to the justice of the peace on Monday and getting married. There is nothing you can do about it, so just go back to Atlanta and do us all a favor and stay there.” Jenna turned to Jake, grabbed his hand, and started for her car. Jake, the fucker, just turned and smiled back at Karlie and Drew, giving them a little salute. Yeah, he’d like five minutes alone with that jerk. Karlie turned in his arms and cried into his chest.
“Come on, baby, let’s go home,” he whispered.
Chapter Eight
Karlie couldn’t stop crying. How could her sister say such horrible things about her? Sure, she expected Jake to be nasty to her; she was pressing charges against him. But Jenna? Did Jenna believe that Jake had broken up with her before they jumped into bed together? If Jake had lied to Jenna to get her into bed, that would change everything. Jenna could be as innocent in all this as Karlie had been. Was Jake just using them both? Karlie wished her sister would just listen to her. She wanted Jenna to just talk to her so they could figure out what Jake was up to. Karlie just wanted to keep Jenna and her baby safe. The only way she could think of doing that was to go back to Atlanta. If she weren’t around, her sister wouldn’t be under so much stress, and the baby would be safe. But how could she leave Drew? She had to just make a clean break. She loved him, but it wouldn’t be fair to sacrifice her sister and her nephew’s safety for her own.
Her cell chimed as soon as they pulled into Drew’s driveway. It was her dad. “Hi, Dad,” she answered, her voice husky from crying.
“What the hell did you do to your sister?” he accused.
“Is Jenna okay?” Karlie unbuckled and headed for her car, ready to go back to her parents’ house. Drew blocked her from her car door, shaking his head, looking even angrier than before.
“She’s on the way to the hospital. She’s having contractions and may lose the baby.” Karlie gasped and looked at Drew, unable to stop the tears.
“Baby.” Drew was wiping her tears, not caring that she was still on the call with her dad.
“I’ll go to the hospital now. I want to be there for—”
“No.” Her father’s denial was sharp. “You stay away from her. You’ve already done enough. Jenna told me what happened yesterday at the church. Just go back to Atlanta and let her and Jake live in peace.” With that, he hung up. Karlie dropped her phone on the pavement and followed it down, scraping her knees but not caring.
“God, baby.” Drew was next to her, lifting her into his arms. “You’re okay, baby, I’ve got you.” He was carrying her to his house. She started to protest, trying to tell him that she should just leave. But he kept walking, taking her to his bedroom.
“Drew,” she sobbed, “I need to just go home. I need to leave.” She wiped her nose on his sleeve, and he even found that to be adorable. “I have ruined everything, and everyone wants me to leave.”
“Not everyone,” Drew snapped. “Damn it, baby, you’re not going back to Atlanta. You and I, we’re a team. You seem to keep forgetting that.” He leaned in to give her a hard kiss.
“But my dad told me to leave. My sister’s going to the hospital. She may lose the baby, and I just can’t—I can’t even think about that happening. I need to go home and just let everyone get on with their lives. I’m so sorry, Drew. I don’t mean to hurt you.” He was holding her so tightly that when he dropped to his knees before her, she went down with him.
“Baby, you can’t leave,” he pleaded. “I don’t think I can live without you. Do you think I will be able to get on with my life? There’s no fucking way I can do that without you. I need you. I finally found you again, and I won’t let you go. I love you. Please, Karlie, just stay tonight, and we can work out everything else tomorrow. Stay with me. Let me show you how much I need you; how much I love you.” Karlie hesitated, not knowing what to do. If she left now or tomorrow, it would still feel the same. It would still hurt the same. She knew that she would never be with another man like Drew. She would never love another man the way she loved Drew. He was it for her, her forever. But she couldn’t stay in Alabama with him, and she couldn’t ask him to leave with her. His whole life was here, his business and his family. Drew stared intensely into her eyes, framing her face with his big hands, waiting. He seemed to be able to see straight into her soul.
“If you decide you still want to leave tomorrow, I’ll go with you. We’ll figure this all out, but I can’t get on with my life without you. Baby, I meant what I said earlier, you are mine. Everything else just needs to be sorted out. We’ll do that together.” God, she wanted to believe him. He looked so earnest, his eyes shining with hope. How could she take that from him? She nodded her agreement, and he exhaled, collapsing into her, pulling her into his tight hold.
