Susan Mallery - Sweet Trouble

He might have done his best to destroy her emotionally, but he wasn’t the only one who had changed. She was stronger than he could imagine. He could do what he wanted to her but Matt was never, ever taking Gabe from her. She would fight him to the death if she had to.

The difference between them was that while he would revel in his thoughts of triumph, hers only made her sad. Defeating her son’s father wasn’t going to be a victory for anyone, especially not Gabe.

MATT ARRIVED AT HIS mother’s house, only to find no one home. He went by the bakery, but Nicole hadn’t seen her sister since lunch. He returned to his office with a vague feeling of unease. Jesse wasn’t answering her cell phone.

He told himself that he would catch up with her later, only he had a gnawing sense he had to talk to her now.

It was nearly two when the door to his office burst open and Bill walked in.

Matt saw past him to Diane’s empty desk. Had the old guy timed his visit when his assistant was out of the way or had he just gotten lucky? Did it matter? One look at Bill’s face told him there was a big problem and Matt could easily guess what it was.

He stood to face the other man, cursing the disaster that couldn’t be undone. Jesse had been served. She’d read the papers, she knew what he’d had planned. She was hurt, confused and probably terrified.

“Let me be clear,” Bill said. “I’ll do whatever is necessary to take you down. When I’m done with you, just lying in the gutter will seem like a step up.”

Matt had to respect the other man’s balls, even as he knew it was all just talk. There was nothing Bill could do to hurt him.

“She got the papers,” he said, ignoring the threat. “She wasn’t supposed to.”

“So it’s a clerical error,” Bill said sarcastically. “Great. I’ll tell her that, because that will make everything just fine. She can sure ignore the fact that you planned all this, that you set her up. What the hell were you thinking, boy? Trying to take away Gabe? Why not just take a lung or a kidney? You’ve seen them together. You’ve seen how much they love each other. They’re a family. You don’t mess with that. Who the hell are you to hurt Jesse this way?”

Matt felt every one of those words as if they were individual punches. They hit him hard in the gut and the chest and the heart.

“I can explain,” he started, knowing it was a feeble attempt at best.

“Explain what? That you didn’t lie? To Jesse? To all of us? It’s too late for that. Whatever it takes, Jesse will win. Your mom and I will make sure that happens.”

Because they were on Jesse’s side. He was oddly comforted to know that she wasn’t in this alone.

“You’re right. I lied to her. I was angry when she first came to see me. No, more than angry. She’d kept my son from me for four years, then she showed up with no warning. She didn’t even seem to understand what she’d done. Telling me she was pregnant, then taking off, wasn’t enough.”

“You think anyone cares about that argument? You think that comes close to being enough?”

“No,” Matt said quietly. “It’s not anything. It’s why I did it. I wanted her punished. I wanted her to feel what I felt. I wanted her to suffer and I was wrong.”

Bill’s gaze never wavered. “I hope you’re not expecting points for that.”

“I don’t. I’m telling you what I was thinking. As I got to know Gabe, as he became more real to me, I was even more angry at what I’d missed. All that time, all those firsts I didn’t get to see. They can never be recovered. They’re lost forever.”

“Jesse should have tried harder to tell you about him,” Bill told him. “She’s admitted that. She made an honest mistake, but that doesn’t justify you sneaking around, pretending to be one thing while waiting to destroy her.”

“I know. I need to talk to Jesse. I need to tell her she doesn’t have to worry. I can fix this.”

“Now that’s the first thing you’ve said that makes me feel sorry for you,” Bill told him. “There’s no fixing this.”

Matt hadn’t actually been worried until that minute. He knew he’d hurt Jesse, that she would be scared and angry and upset, but he believed he could make it right. That he could explain in a way she would understand.

What if he was wrong?

He pushed away the thought. He could get through to her. He’d always had the ability, because he knew her.

“She loves me,” Matt said, more to himself than Bill. “She’s loved me all this time.”

“That makes the situation worse. It sure doesn’t help you. Jesse is never going to forgive you. Just as bad, eventually Gabe’s going to figure out you’re the reason you’ve made his mother sad. A boy doesn’t forget that sort of thing.”

Without wanting to, Matt remembered a time years ago. He’d been maybe seven or eight and had found his mother crying. She’d been stretched out on the bed sobbing that she couldn’t do this alone, that it was too much. He’d been scared and wondered who she was talking to. His father was the only person he could think of.

He’d hated him then, had vowed never to forgive him. It had been nearly twenty years before he’d been willing to try and get in touch with the man.

Matt sat heavily in his chair. The reality of the situation, the potential disaster, weighed on him like the side of a mountain.

“He’s my son,” he muttered. He’d just discovered Gabe. He couldn’t lose him now.

“You should have thought of that before,” Bill said contemptuously. “You had it all, you stupid bastard. Everything you could have wanted. It was all there for the taking. The love of a good woman, a son who only wanted to be with you, a happy family. Everything that matters. But you would rather be right. You’d rather get your revenge. How does it feel now?”

Matt didn’t have an answer. He was too focused on everything that had gone wrong.

“Jesse isn’t alone,” Bill continued. “She has a whole lot of people on her side. People who aren’t afraid of you. People who have resources. I, for one, plan to enjoy every minute of your fall.”

With that, he turned and left. Matt watched him go. When the door closed, he was left alone in silence. He hadn’t felt this alone for a long time. Not since before he and Jesse had first met and she’d changed everything.

He could fix this, he told himself. He’d never found a problem he couldn’t handle. It was just a matter of figuring out the best strategy.

Only, he found it hard to think with the burning emptiness in his gut and the voice that whispered it was possible he’d gone too far.

JESSE PULLED THE MORNING orders from the computer and scanned the report. Thank goodness the software they used provided a list of products ordered by type. It meant they didn’t have to scan each individual order to figure out what to bake. She compared that list to the inventory being baked and noted how many extra batches of brownies and cakes they’d need to finish that day.

As she worked, she was aware of Nicole and Claire whispering in the corner. They weren’t subtle, she thought, both exasperated and touched by their constant hovering. They were worried about her, which meant they loved her. That was the good news. The bad news was every look of concern, every shared knowing glance, reminded her of what Matt had done and caused her to emotionally crash yet again.

At least she was getting good at picking up the pieces and moving forward.

She started toward the kitchen. Claire stopped her. “Can I help?” she asked.

“I’m going to tell Sid how many more batches of brownies we need.”

“I can do that.” Claire took the paperwork from her and glanced at it. She frowned. “Just tell me how to read this Sanskrit.”

Jesse retrieved her printouts. “I appreciate that you’re trying to help, but the truth is, I’m okay. I’m getting through this. I can do my job and still be sad. I’m great at multitasking that way.”

“I want to help,” Claire said.

“I know.”

Nicole sighed. “Hawk keeps offering to beat the crap out of Matt. Should I let him?”

“It’s not going to be as easy as Hawk thinks. Matt works out.” Jesse happened to know, having seen Matt naked. Something she didn’t want to think about. Although Hawk was the professional athlete.

“Would it make you feel better?” Nicole asked, obviously serious about the question.

Jesse made herself smile. “Look, this is great, but you’re making me insane. Let’s just act normal, okay? That’s best for me. Which means you shouldn’t even be here, Claire. You should be at home practicing for a concert or something. And, Nicole, you have babies waiting for you. I can totally handle this. I would prefer to lose myself in work.”

The twins glanced at each other, then at her.

“All right,” Claire said slowly. “Wyatt is looking around for the perfect lawyer to take on Matt. As soon as he has names, I’ll pass them along.”

“Thanks.”

“And I meant what I said about the money. I don’t want you to worry about it. Whatever the lawyer costs isn’t a problem.”

Jesse nodded. Claire had offered to give her what she needed to hire the best lawyer on the West Coast. Nicole had told her the resources of the bakery were hers to use. While she hated the idea of accepting money from either of them, she didn’t have a choice. She had to be able to fight Matt on his own terms.

Her sisters finally left. She sat in the small corner that was her office and tried to think about work. At the moment, it was impossible. All she could think about was how much Matt had hurt her. Last time he’d broken her heart she’d been crushed, but this time she wasn’t sure she was going to survive. She had so much more to lose. Her child was on the line.

Bill had told her about his visit to Matt. That Matt had said he’d never meant for her to be served. The problem was he’d still had the papers drawn up. He’d manipulated everything between them.

The front door opened and a woman walked in. She looked at Jesse. “Is this where the Keyes Bakery moved to?” she asked.

“Yes.” Jesse stood and approached her. “We’re not really open to retail right now. Our building burned down.”

“I know. I just went there and was horrified.” She smiled. “I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. I’m Cathy. My in-laws are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary this weekend. It’s going to be a huge party. Everything is taken care of, or it was. My mother-in-law just told me that when they got married, the groom’s cake was one of your famous chocolate cakes and that she would like to surprise my father-in-law with that cake again. Is there any way I can order one?”

The woman looked both frazzled and desperate. Jesse smiled. “Sure. You want to pick it up sometime Friday?”

“Yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Jesse took the information. They settled on a time, the woman paid for the cake, then left.

When she was gone, Jesse wondered what it would be like to be married to someone for that long. Fifty years seemed like a lifetime. Once, when she’d been young and foolish, she’d thought she and Matt might get that lucky, but she’d been wrong.

The front door opened again. This time Hawk, Nicole’s husband, entered. He was big and muscled, just like the football player he used to be. He was so not anyone she could imagine with her sister. Too bad she’d missed the courtship-that would have been amazing to see.

“Where’s Nicole?” Hawk asked by way of greeting.

“I sent her home. She was hovering. I can’t take that right now.”

“And she listened?” Hawk looked impressed. “You’re going to have to teach me that.”

“You do fine on your own.” Nicole was crazy about her husband. It showed in everything she did and said.

Hawk led her to her desk and motioned for her to sit. He took the visitor’s chair by her computer. “I’ll get right to the point. I’m rich.”

Despite everything, she laughed. “You’re not subtle, are you?”

“Why would I be? I made millions when I played football. I’ve tried to convince Nicole to let me pay for the new bakery, but she won’t let me. She wants to do it on her own.”

Jesse liked the combination of exasperation and love in his voice. “She’s very stubborn.”

“Tell me about it.” Hawk shook his head. “I hope you’re not like her in that respect. You’re going to need money for the lawyer you hire.”

Unexpected tears filled her eyes. First Claire, then Nicole and now Hawk, all offering her money. She was sure she would soon be hearing from Bill and maybe even Paula. They all cared about her and wanted to protect her. As far as her heart went, the damage had been done, but there was still hope for the rest of her problems.

He leaned toward her. “I’m not kidding about the millions. Say the word and whatever you need is yours. I mean it, Jesse. I want to help.”