Page 70 of Deserving Maisy
He was overly polite when hedidspeak to her, which cut her to the bone. It was as if they were strangers, which hurt more than anything else that had happened in recent months. He might find it easy to turn off the memories of their time together, but she couldn’t. She loved him still. And it sucked to realize that he didn’t care about her the same way in return, no matter what he’d said before regaining his memory.
When Alaska invited her to come over and hang out with her and the other women, Maisy jumped at the chance. She shouldn’t. Shouldn’t try to make friends with these women because as soon as the three months were up, she’d be leaving. But if she had to sit in the cabin for one more night with Jack acting like she was a stranger, a house guest he barely tolerated, she was going to go crazy.
The cabin was crowded, but no one seemed to care. Alaska was currently in the kitchen pouring drinks for those who weren’t pregnant. Jess, one of the housekeepers, was shuttling snacks and drinks back and forth from the kitchen to the living room, and everyone else was sitting around laughing and talking.
Maisy was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch next to Ry. Cora and Lara were on a love seat. Henley, Reese, and Luna—who was the daughter of the main chef at The Refuge—were all on the couch behind her and Ry. The mood was relaxed and happy, and Maisyrealized that she’d never experienced anything like this. At least not since she’d attended some sleepovers when she was in high school.
“What has Stone told you about all of us and the crap we went through?” Henley asked Maisy.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing?” Reese asked.
“Just that. Nothing,” Maisy said slowly.
“What do you talk about at night?” Cora asked.
“Um…nothing.”
“Right, they probably have better things to do,” Jess said with a grin. But no one else looked as if her comment was amusing…proving they all knew things weren’t going well between her and Jack.
“No, it’s not like that with us,” Maisy told Jess, trying to sound casual and not let the devastation that surged through her show. Looking around at the women, she felt a sudden need to confess all her sins. She had no idea what they thought of her—although she didn’t think they hated her; if they did, she wouldn’t be here right now. But she wanted them to know she was sorry. Sorry about her role in what happened to Jack. Sorry about going along with her brother’s scheme, not that she had much choice, but still. Sorry about all of it.
“Jack’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met. He’s everything I ever wanted in a partner. The few weeks we were together were…the best.” Her voice lowered at the last two words. They seemed so inadequate for how Jack made her feel. “But I knew as soon as he got his memory back, that brief time would be over. And it was. My brother, he’s…evil. I don’t know why. We had the same upbringing. But he’s decided that money is the most important thing in the world to him. I don’t know for sure, but I think he killed my parents. And Iknowhe killed Martha, his wife. All for money. And then he decided he wanted my inheritance too.”
Maisy was rambling, but she couldn’t stop. She was also talking fast, but she didn’t want to be interrupted for fear she wouldn’t be able to get out everything she wanted to say. “Since I had to be married in order to get my money, he kidnapped Jack and was going to hold a gun to his head, or mine, probably both, and force him to sign the marriage certificate. Then I guess he planned to keep him locked in our basement for the required three months until I could claim my inheritance, then kill him. And me. I didn’t want to do it. Marry Jack against his will, that is, but I didn’t have a choice.
“No, that’s not true. Idid. I could’ve said no. Could’ve told my brother to go to hell, but I didn’t, too afraid of the consequences. So it’s my fault as much as it’s my brother’s that Jack’s married to me. And now he hates me for it.”
She was out of breath by the time she was done, and Maisy had a momentary pang of guilt that she’d brought the mood of the room down so much. But she felt so much better now that she’d gotten all that out.
“It’s not your fault,” Henley told her.
“I went along with my brother’s claim that we were already married. Lied to Jack, perpetuated the story. And Jasonwasn’tholding a gun to my head. I was alone with Jack all the time. I could’ve told him. Told him to get the hell away from there. But I didn’t,” Maisy said sadly.
“What would your brother have done to you if you didn’t go along with his story?” Reese asked.
Maisy shrugged. “Kidnapped some other unsuspecting guy? Locked me in my room. Hit me.”
“Exactly!” Reese exclaimed so fiercely it made Maisy jerk in surprise. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, but seriously, you had no choice. If you didn’t do what your brother wanted you to do, it wouldn’t have gone well for you. You’re just as much a victim as Stone was.”
Maisy appreciated Reese trying to cut her some slack, but she wasn’t at a point where she could forgive herself.
“And Stone doesn’t hate you,” Alaska said as she came out of the kitchen and joined everyone. She sat on Maisy’s other side and put a hand on her knee. “He doesn’t,” she insisted when Maisy gave her an incredulous look.
“He barely speaks to me. Most of the time it’s like I’m not even there. He’s overly polite when he does, and he goes out of his way not to touch me or even get too close to me at all. I understand, of course I do, I’d hate me too if I’d been through what he has, but…it hurts.” Maisy took a deep breath and looked around the room. A lot of the women here were married. Had men who would scorch the earth to make sure they were safe. Probably told them every night how loved they were.
“We were together almost twenty-four hours a day for weeks. And I…I made the mistake of getting too close. Of believing that we reallywerea couple. He rarely went two minutes without touching me. Sitting so close that our thighs were pressed together. Always keeping a hand on my leg, or brushing his fingers along my cheek. And at night…” Maisy’s voice cracked as she looked down at her lap. “He’d hold me so tight, I used him as a pillow. And now if he so much as accidentally brushes his fingers against mine, he acts as if he’s touched a live wire. It was all a lie. But it didn’tfeellike a lie,” Maisy said so softly, she wasn’t sure anyone could hear her.
“It wasn’t a lie,” Lara said firmly. “For either of you. He watches you. When you aren’t paying attention, he can’t keep his eyes off you. He’s constantly assessing, making sure you’re all right.”
But Maisy shook her head miserably.
“The other day, when you were at the barn with Tonka, he burst into the lodge wanting to know where you were, telling Brick and Spike that he couldn’t find you. He sounded frantic,” Henley said.
“My dad told me that he specifically requested he make a green bean casserole, because it was one of your favorite things the cook at your house in Seattle used to make,” Luna added.
“And he’s been almost as bad as Tiny, hovering over me while I work, insisting I be extra careful and not let your brother know anything about where you are so he can’t get his hands on you,” Ry told Maisy.
