No Ordinary Love (A Modern Vintage Romance #5)

22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Lucas

B asil had come up with the idea of funding a project that he knew Amara would not be able to resist working on. After that, it was just a matter of having Grandma call the Chancellor, who was an old friend, to set the whole thing up.

No doubt, I was manipulating Amara into spending time with me, the sponsor of the South Carolina Women's Health Advocacy Network, which Grandma established early in the year. With the Chancellor's support and others who were like-minded, Grandma had stood it up and was delighted for the women's health communication initiative to be a project the network supported. The goal was to have the research done in the next three months with a recommendation from the College of Charleston on how to proceed. If I was successful in keeping Amara in town, not only would we have her do the research, but we'd have her run the implementation of the project as well. The Chancellor had liked that idea very much, that we'd go beyond research and take what we learn to help women and girls in our state.

Jax had told me that I'd given Kath too much leeway and this debacle was on me. I got that. I owned up to it. But Kath and I grew up together, and in all honesty, I didn't think she'd pull the stunt she did at the gala.

Worse were her father and my mother, who were relentless in their pursuit of my marriage to Kath. Case and point was them coming to my place to nag and threaten me.

I left work late, not wanting to come to my empty and forlorn townhouse. I wished I'd stopped somewhere to eat, I thought as I stepped inside. Life had become monotonous for me. I worked a lot because what the hell else was there to do? I was home for as little as possible. Amara had taken all her things with her. I missed her artwork, her stuff in the bedroom, her kitchenware—all of it. The housekeeper kept everything spotless and even made sure there were fresh flowers every week, but it wasn't the same. There were no warm smells of food when I got home. No laughter when she saw me. No hugs and kisses waiting for me. I was one sad fucking puppy.

I usually got home after she used to, but she never bitched about it like I knew some spouses did. My colleagues and friends, both male and female, often talked about how their partners thought they were workaholics. In couples where both people worked long hours, there were frequent debates about whose job took priority—a tension that only intensified once they had kids.

We hadn't had any of those discussions. Granted, we didn't have children, but Amara's job was as important as mine to me, regardless of how much money we made.

I collapsed on the couch and stared at the walls that had been covered with art, but now there wasn't much left. Amara had taken all the color with her, and I hadn't bothered to put any of my artwork on the bare walls. I wasn't home enough to give a shit.

Home? No, this wasn't home. It had become a place to sleep since Amara left. How could I have been so dumb to not have understood how I felt about her? I asked her to move in with me, and that sure as hell should've told me that I loved her. Instead, I'd let my ego and pride take over when Mama told me how Kath was single again and wanted to be with me. The worst thing was that after all this, I knew that Kath and I were bad news. That toxicity could survive when we were kids, but as grown-ups, that was just too much drama for anyone to tolerate.

I didn't understand why Kath wanted to be with me. I'd asked her, and she kept saying she loved me. I didn't believe her.

She probably wanted to be back in her father's good graces after she'd screwed up her status as the golden child when she left me for Mercer.

Flynn was never Hugh's heir apparent because he wasn't very bright. We had given him a position at LPC that paid him well enough, especially since he was married to my sister. It was a sales role and he more or less did a decent job. He liked to wine and dine clients—and did no harm, which was all I asked of him. Kath had been the one who was going to do amazing things—and she was. She was the CFO and a senior executive at LPC, which was a multi-million dollar company. But Hugh wanted more—he wanted her to marry me.

The doorbell rang, and I sighed as I lumbered to the door. When I saw it was my mother and Hugh, I was tempted to pretend I wasn't home. I reluctantly opened my door to let them in.

Mama kissed my cheek, greeted me, and all but pushed me into the townhouse.

I shook hands with Hugh and stood aside, feeling more exhausted than I had in a long time. Just when I thought I was making progress with Amara, not because we had sex, though, that had been fucking amazing, but because she was finally talking to me—it had all gone back to square one. She blamed me for letting Kath get away with humiliating her. I blamed myself, as well.

"Would you like a drink?" I asked. I may have found Hugh and my mother's presence irritating, but I was still a good ol' Southern boy.

They did, and I poured Hugh and myself a finger of Scotch and Mama a glass of port. They had apparently had dinner with some friends and decided to drop in to talk to me.

I drank my Scotch and waited. I had zero fucks left, and I was ready to throw both of them out of my house if they were going to do the same old song and dance, Southern hospitality be damned.

"Son, I was happy to hear that you and Kath went public with your relationship at that university charity thing," Hugh started.

"Kath made the announcement, which I didn't approve of then and don't approve now," I stated bluntly.

"But now everyone thinks you're in a relationship," Mama smiled indulgently. "Which is lovely, isn't it?"

I sighed. "No, Mama, it's not lovely, what it is, is fucked up."

"Lucas Jonathan Covington, mind your language," she immediately chastised me like I was ten fucking years old.

"I think we're past worrying about language, Mama," I drawled. "Hugh, I was clear with you. I was clear with Kath. I'm done. There is no relationship. There will be no engagement and no wedding. Kath and I are finished. I can record it for you and you can play it whenever you feel the desire to have this conversation with me so we don't waste our time."

Hugh's face went beet red. He was angry. Well, so was I, and he could go fuck himself. I was so tired of everyone trying to make their children live life on their fucked up terms. I used to think it was my duty, my obligation—what everyone expected of me. But marrying someone I didn't love was a line I just couldn't cross.

"Son, I told you that if you screw this up, I'll fuck up your life," Hugh growled.

I looked at Mama, and she nodded at Hugh, who was threatening her son and using the F word, which she didn't seem to mind. It was clear whose side my mother was on.

"Feel fuckin' free, Hugh."

Hugh glared at me. "I have influence on the board. I'll strip you of the CEO position."

"Knock yourself out." I stood up then. "If this is what y'all wanted to talk about, I'll see you to the door."

"Don't be rude, Lucas," Mama scolded.

"No, Mama, I'm not. You both coming to my home, threatening my job and position in the company because I don't want to marry a woman I don't love, a woman who left me for my friend—a woman I absolutely do not trust or even like— that is rude." I looked into Hugh's eyes. "You wanna fuck with me, Hugh? Go right ahead and see who comes out a winner."

"You'll lose your job, son."

Hugh obviously had no sense of self-preservation. He was one of those entitled rich white men who thought he had more influence than he did.

"I don't give a shit," I informed him. I had enough money in trusts to live several lifetimes, never worrying about a thing. "In fact, get someone else to do that thankless job. I'm sure the board will thank you for relieving me from my duties."

The board had a significant financial interest in LPC, and there was no way they'd want to lose the CEO who had brought so much prosperity to the company and increased their investment considerably. Hugh was living in some fantasy land where he thought he could threaten me.

Mama stood up and walked to me. She put a hand on my cheek. "Lucas, honey"

I stepped away from her touch. "Mama, I need you to listen to me carefully. My relationships are none of your business. They're not Covington family business. Don't interfere in my life again."

She gasped, and I knew she was shocked. I never spoke to my mother this way. I was the polite son, the considerate one who kept everyone happy. What had it gotten me? I was one unhappy son of a bitch who drank at night so he could sleep and worked all day so he'd be too tired to think about the woman he loved and lost.

"You both should go." I walked out of the living room toward the front door.

Hugh and Mama followed.

Hugh was angry. Mama was hurt, wiping tears. I hated hurting her; hell, I hated hurting anyone, but in protecting my mother and sister, I had caused Amara pain time and again. I had to man up and point out bad behavior when I saw it and not excuse it.

Mama walked out of the house, but Hugh waited at the doorstep. He leaned closer. "Don't think you're better than me. I will destroy you."

"You know in the movies where they say if you wanna shoot, shoot, don't talk? If you wanna destroy me, go ahead and do it; just stop talking about it." I tucked my hands in my pockets to stop myself from punching him on his angular hawk nose. "Oh, and let Kath know that if she steps over the professional line by even a millimeter, I will fire her on grounds of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior."

I didn't wait for Hugh's response. I slammed the door shut on his face. Too bad he wasn't close enough to have gotten the heavy mahogany to knock him out.

I sat back on the couch and called the LPC General Counsel, Gene Lombardi.

"You in jail?"

I laughed. "No. Sorry, I know it's late."

"What's up?"

"Hugh is making a lot of noise that he's going to get me removed as CEO."

"Hugh is dreaming. The board members can vote you out if you go to jail—and someone can take over if you die, but outside of that, between Rena and you, your voting share is high enough that no one will fuck with you."

"Thanks, Gene."

"Why is Hugh being a hard ass?"

I sighed but didn't say anything.

"He's upset that you're not panting after Kath now that she got dumped by Mercer?"

I stilled. "She told me she left him because he was having an affair."

"Nah, man. He left her because he found out that…you really don't know?" Gene sounded perturbed by that.

"No."

"Well, I guess you wouldn't since you and Mercer probably haven't talked since ."

Mercer had tried to reach out in the past, but I'd rebuffed him. He stole my girl, and I was pissed. Now, maybe I should send him some of those Cuban cigars he liked and say thank you.

"You guess right," I remarked.

"You know that he and Kath had a drunken one-night stand when y'all were together." I didn't, but I let him continue speaking. "She got pregnant."

I stopped breathing.

"She knew it wasn't yours because you were always suited up. I'm sorry that I know so much. You know Mercer and I are close."

I couldn't say fucking anything. I was too shocked.

"They got together, and she had a miscarriage. But he found out a year or so ago that she had an abortion. She said she had to because she didn't know whether the baby was yours or his."

Nausea roiled through me.

"Mercer went ape shit when he found out. That's when he decided there wouldn't be a wedding. He moved out and started seeing—"

"They've been broken up for more than a year?"

"Well, they'd been going to counseling. But then he fell in love with Lola. He's engaged and they plan to marry after their baby is born."

"He knocked up another woman?" I growled.

Gene laughed. "Yeah."

"You think Hugh knows?"

"I doubt it. He'd have gotten Mercer married to his daughter, shotgun and all."

"Sounds like a clusterfuck." I leaned back into the couch. Kath had made a mess out of her life and saw me as her way out. "I thought she left me because he was more successful."

"Of course she did."

I chuckled. "Thanks for telling me."

"I just…I've been seeing you these past months since you and Amara broke up, and you don't look well, Lucas." Gene seemed to be quiet for a long moment. "Look, it's none of my business, but when you announced that you and Kath were together at that university thing, I felt like maybe you should know in case you didn't know what went down between her and Mercer. I wasn't sure if you did or did not know. I thought maybe Kath would have told you."

"I didn't announce shit. Kath did."

"Yeah, but it felt like you both did."

No wonder Amara wanted to kick my balls into my throat. "She ambushed me."

"If that's the case, I think you may have grounds to get rid of her for inappropriate behavior," Gene informed me. "We can also give her a generous severance if you wish her gone."

"It may come to that." Gene was a good lawyer and friend and smart as hell because he could read the tea leaves just fine.

"I'll make sure we're covered legally."

"Thanks, Gene."

I hung up and stared at my phone. This was not how I wanted to live my life. I wanted the life I had with Amara back—the peaceful, comfortable one—the one I had mockingly thought wasn't all-consuming enough. I wanted love and affection. I wanted ease. I wanted to have babies and a family…with Amara.