Page 67 of Deserving Maisy
“Go to the house, get the evidence, and go the cops.”
“I said,no.”
“Yes,” Maisy said, straightening in her seat.
Jack glared daggers at her from across the table.
She didn’t look away from him as she spoke. “I fucked up. This ismymistake.Myfault. I should’ve gone to the police back when Martha disappeared. But I didn’t. I was acoward. And when Jason dragged you into the house and informed me that he’d gotten me a husband, I should’ve stood up for us both. But instead, I went along with his stupid plan because I was afraid. I knew it was wrong, and yet I did what I’ve always done—let my brother dictate my every action.
“I don’t give a shit about the money. I wish it wasn’t there, because then none of this would’ve happened. My parents might be alive, Martha woulddefinitelybe alive, and you wouldn’t be married to a woman you never would’ve chosen in a million years. I need to do this, Jack.”
“This isn’t your fault,” he said after a moment.
He was wrong. This wasallher fault. “It’s not yours either,” she told him. “You didn’t ask to be kidnapped, to be so traumatized that your brain shut down in order to cope. I didn’t ask to lose years of my life lost in a fog of anxiety and antidepression drugs. You once said you’d never make me beg for anything…but I will. I need to do this. To move on. To have closure.”
Jack’s jaw ticked as he stared at her. Then he growled, “Fine. But I have conditions. If you’re pregnant, you aren’t getting anywhere near your brother. I won’t endanger my son or daughter.”
Maisy heard a few murmurings from the men around them, but she kept eye contact with Jack. It sucked that he felt as if he could endangerher, but not his baby. But she understood it. She did. “Deal. If I’m pregnant, I’ll wait until after the baby is born before going to Seattle.”
Jack sighed, then nodded. “And you won’t go alone.”
Maisy nearly sagged in her chair in relief. She didn’twantto face Jason alone. There was no telling what he’d do if she showed up on her own. She’d probably end up in ahole in the backyard like Martha or drugged to the gills, at the very least. She was still feeling the effects of the Valium he’d forced her to take. She nodded at Jack.
“And you won’t ever lie to me again. I want to know everything. Where you are, where you’re going, who you’re emailing, who you’re calling—everything, Maisy. No more secrets.”
She had no problem with that. It wasn’t as if she had any friends to email or call anyway. “Okay.”
“I mean it. I won’t abide any more lies.”
“I said okay,” Maisy told him a little testily. “When will we leave?”
“When will you know if you’re pregnant?” he returned.
She frowned. “I don’t know.”
“You can make an appointment with Henley’s doctor in town,” Tonka said.
“I think Cora might have some of those tests you pee on,” Pipe added.
“We’ll do both.”
“It might be too early for either. It depends,” Brick suggested.
“How the hell do you know that?” Tiny asked.
Brick grinned. “I just do.”
“Anything you want to tell us?” Spike asked his friend.
“Nope. And even if I did, Alaska would kick my ass if she wasn’t the one to share any good news we might have.”
“You had your period just over a week ago, right?” Jack asked Maisy.
She blushed furiously. Jack was purposely making their business public, and while she didn’t like it, she knew she deserved it. Andheknew darn well when she had her period.He’d seemed upset that he hadn’t already knocked her up, and when she protested his advances, saying she wasn’t sure she wanted to have sex while she was bleeding, he’d managed to override all her concerns. He’d protected the bed with towels, made love to her in the shower, and made sure she was cleaned up and good to go before they fell asleep.
But they’d made love plenty of times since then. And while the timing might not be ideal, she wasn’t so naïve to think she couldn’t get pregnant right after her period was over.
She nodded at Jack in acknowledgement.
