Kenzie
Manhattan, New York
It had been almost a month since I tried to take my own life. Leave it to me to mess up something as simple as hanging myself. I’d no sooner kicked out the chair from beneath me when I fell to the floor beside it. I could still remember lying on the carpet and praying for a death that wouldn’t come. Jim came home and the rest was a blur. He called my sister who came rushing back. If nothing else came from that, Madeleine and I were able to make amends. She then got Tori from our parents and we made a pact promising to fight for her. I got them into this mess, and I would figure out a way to get them out of it.
First, I needed to return to New York and pack up what was left of my life there. Reece had gotten signed to an agency and would be moving to Los Angeles once her fashion show in Cannes was done. I had promised to get my stuff from the studio and as I looked out the window of the Uber, I let out a small sigh. I would miss the scenery that was so quickly passing me by. I’d met many people during my time in the city, but my life wasn’t here. My bestie was moving across the country, and I would just be alone with memories of what might’ve been.
Jonas Courtland was a Titan, and in Manhattan, they reigned supreme. They were easily recognized, and both admired and feared citywide. I felt the latter toward him and not because of his success, but because of our history. And as if fate continued to mock me, I saw a billboard for the CHG Seaport Hotel. I had the Desert Grille, but it did little to ease the sting of knowing I could’ve been here in New York City instead of there in Phoenix.
“Is this the place?” the driver asked as he pulled up to a cross section.
“Yes, you can let me out here.” I didn’t have anything with me other than my purse and its contents, so I grabbed it and stretched as soon as I was upright outside of the car. Between the long flight and cramped quarters, I’d been in desperate need of a shower and a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, it was Friday, and my return flight back was booked for Saturday evening. I didn’t have long to get everything packed, so it was going to be a long night. I reached into my purse for my keys and once I found them, I entered the building. It was a lot different than the single level home I currently shared with my sister. I didn’t have flights of stairs to climb, and when I reached my floor, I was already exhausted.
“I’m glad I don’t have to do this every day,” I muttered as I put the key in the door. A few seconds later, I opened it and was greeted by darkness. Muttering something incoherent under my breath, I fumbled around for the lamp. When I found it and turned the light on, I looked up and dropped everything in my hands. “Jonas?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. This had to be some trick from the long day I’d had. I blinked a few times, and each time my eyes reopened, I saw the man I still loved standing there smirking. I didn’t know whether I wanted to smack his face or sit on it, and I decided the former was more suitable. The latter was what kept getting me into trouble where he was concerned.
“I thought your flight got in hours ago,” he finally said, breaking up the silence in the room.
“An unruly customer caused the flight to get diverted and...” I stopped when I realized what I was doing. “Wait. Why am I telling you any of this? Get—”
“I’m not leaving until we talk, so save your breath for it, Kenzie.”
He was still so infuriating. There was a hint of amusement on his face, and I wondered what he was up to. I felt the need to call my sister, and ignoring his overwhelming presence, I knelt down, then reached into my purse for my phone. There were no missed calls or messages.
“Why are you here?” I had to know.
He pushed off the wall and moved over to me. He took my purse and phone, then set them down on the table beside me. It was then I realized everything had already been packed. The long night I intended to have had just been made easier, but by who? I arched my brow at him, and he continued to smirk. “I took the liberty of having some movers box your stuff up for you. They’ll be ready to ship at your order.”
“I, uhh.... Thank you,” was all I could manage to get out. He was in such close proximity to me and the scent of his cologne wrapped around me like a blanket. His breath was warm against my skin, and it took all the willpower I possessed to not lean into him.
“I want to apologize, Kenzie.”
My head snapped up at that. “About?”
“Everything,” he said before he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. He didn’t pull me closer, but just kept his palm resting there. “I shouldn’t have threatened to take Tori away from your sister... and away from you.”
A small sob escaped as he’d essentially given me exactly what I had prayed and wished for since that fateful day in Phoenix. “Why now? What kind of game are you—”
“I can assure you this is not a game. I thought about things and I’ve decided to not uproot her from the only life she has ever known. She seems adjusted there with your sister and—”
“Madeleine in the best mother in the entire world. If you could only see the two of them together. They...” My voice trailed off and I needed to know something else. “Why didn’t you return any of my calls? You could’ve told me this over the phone instead of breaking in here.”
He chuckled, and the sound made me shiver. God, how I’ve missed the sound of his voice. “Reece helped me.”
“S-she did what?” I sputtered, unable to believe my bestie would have any hand in duplicity against me. I then remembered how she’d tried to throw me and Jonas together, and combining that with the romantic spirit she possessed, I could now see why.
“She lured you here and gave me the details on when your plane was arriving. She also gave me a key so I could surprise you. She—”
“She needs to mind her own damn business.” I went to pull away, but this time, Jonas did pull me closer. His warm breath tickled my chin and nose, and when my gaze raised to his, he lowered his head.
I knew he was about to kiss me, but the voracious way he did so caught me off guard. I swayed against him as his mouth devoured mine. His hand, which was behind my neck, tunneled into my hair and he held my face immobile. At first, I wanted to deny any remaining attraction to him, but it was too hard a task. I still loved him so much. As I lay on the floor the day of my failed suicide attempt, I relived the precious moments spent with him. His confession of love had echoed in my head so loudly it eventually drowned out the sound of my heartbeat throbbing in my ears.
I clutched his shirt and clung to him as his tongue explored every inch of my mouth. By the time he finally came up for air, the two of us were both gasping for some of our own. My eyes were damp with unshed tears, but I knew they would soon start falling. If there was a way for my body to betray me, it would.
“God, I’ve fucking missed you so much,” he told me while cradling my face in his palms. “I have an unfortunate talent of screwing things up between us, and I hoped and prayed I hadn’t irreparably ruined things this last time.”
I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, so I stared up at him. He leaned in and kissed my forehead, cheeks, and below each eye. I’d never felt more cherished, but this was Jonas Courtland so there was always an angle. “You ignored my calls and never returned the first one.”