Page 5 of August

“Yes.” He asked her which one she was answering. “Yes to both. In the event that I’m pregnant—and I do hope that I am, no one will be the wiser about it. Not that I care…We’ve only known each other for a whole day, and I’m saying yes to marrying you. Don’t you think that’s a little fast? Anyway, and if you were serious, then I’ll help you find enough crap on my family to make it so that you get a good deal on buying Blackman.” She looked at him hard. “I think that I love you, August. I want you to know that I’ve never said those words to anyone before, either.”

“And I love you, Jacklynn.” She asked him if he was going to call her that all their life together. “Not unless you hate it, or if that’s what your family calls you. If so, then I’ll call you whatever you want.”

“My middle name isn’t all that much better. I get called Jacklynn Sue when someone is upset with me.” He asked her if he could call her Jacklynn. “So long as you only say it with love in your heart.” She laughed. “Now I sound sappy.”

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, they toured his home. It was a great deal bigger than her family home, and for that, she was thankful. That thought had her wondering if she was only marrying August to get back at her dad, and right then, he got down on one knee and proposed to her.

“Jacklynn Sue Blackman, will you consent to being my wife? Having babies with me and growing an empire by taking over your father’s business.” She asked him about the ring. “I have it. Hang on a minute.”

He left her standing in the kitchen with a very nice elderly lady who was introduced to her as May. The cook for the household. She winked at her when August came back and got down on the floor again. It was, she thought, one of the most romantic settings that she could ever want. A man in his jeans and dirty tee shirt proposing to her barefooted and mustard in his short but sexy beard.

The ring that Martha had left him was more beautiful than she could have picked out for herself. It was an opal, which also happened to be her birth month of October, that was surrounded by smaller diamonds. The band was Tiffiany, and the wedding ring to it was wide and had diamonds and opals alternating around it, making it look very sparkly and bright.

“Will you? Marry me, I mean?” She nodded the lump in her throat, making it impossible for her to speak over it. When he put the ring on her finger, she was surprised that it fit her so well. Almost like it had been made especially for her.”

The kiss was wonderfully soft and greedy. All she could think about was that even during the sex last night, they’d kissed several times. This one was special. It made her feel like a woman in all the right places. And all thoughts of thinking that she was marrying him for all the wrong reasons went right out of her head. She truly did love August with all that she had in her heart.

“Where is my wife?” The doorbell must have rang at some point and she hated tearing away from August. When one of her brothers spoke again, she could hear the anger in his voice. And he was spitting mad. “Jacklynn Sue Blackman, where the hell did you hide my wife? I’m going to beat you to death if you had anything to do with her leaving me. She’s going to give me a son that is worth something, or so help me, I’ll make you regret being born to me as a sister.”

“I already do regret that.” She didn’t engage with Richard all that often, especially when he was as upset as he was right now. “What on earth makes you think that—did you say that she left you? I’m assuming that she left you a note or something. Did she take your sons, too?”

“Those things are not my children. And I’ll say when she can file for—who the fuck are you?” Jack did the introductions; however, she left out the part where he’d proposed to her, and she’d said yes. No point in stirring the pot, she supposed. “You talked her into this. I know you did. You’re to stay out of my marital issues and keep your mouth shut. Where is she?”

“How am I supposed to keep my mouth shut and tell you where your wife is? Not very smart of you if you ask me.” When he doubled up his fist and looked as if he was going to punch her, August stepped in front of her and grabbed her brother’s hand. She couldn’t have been more happy in that moment. “Richard, I’d like you to meet my future husband. August, this is Richard, my pathetic excuse for a brother who seems to think that I’ve stolen his wife.”

“I think that it’s time you left while you still can. And I’m talking now before I have to—you know what, just get out of my home.” He asked him what he was going to do about it if he didn’t. “May? If you’d be so kind in calling the police, this man is making a nuisance of himself.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are? I’ll have you know that I eat men like you for breakfast.” It was May who asked him why he’d go around eating men. Unless that’s the way he rolled.

“Then I guess it will be all right. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. But Mr. August here has asked you to leave, and you should get your bottom out of here. The police won’t take none too kindly about you trespassing where you’ve been told to leave.”

He lunged toward August who didn’t move. Richard was biting up the wrong tree right now,and he was going to get himself killed. This would mean that her dad would find out about her getting married before she had a chance to make it right. Damn him for being such a prick.

The police showed up and arrested her brother when he refused to leave. Asking her again where his wife was, she told the officers she didn’t know. But she did wish her the best of luck in getting out of her marriage to her brother.

After he left, she was pulled into the arms of August. It was about the nicest place to be when she was upset. And right now, she felt as if she’d taken on the world and had come up short. Christ, she honestly felt like Richard had knocked her around a few times. It made her worry about Linda and Mary if she left her other brother, David.

“I’m calling the courthouse.” She thought that it was to press charges against Richard but he was asking if there was a time that the two of them could get married. Today wouldn’t be soon enough, he told the person on the other end of the line. “Great. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

After hanging up the phone, he pulled her into his arms. Telling her that the sooner they were married, the better it would be. He told her that Richard might not remember the introductions now, but he would soon, and that would not bode well for either of them. Then he asked her if she was all right with that.

“Even if you were to tell me no, I think you should stay here from now on. It’ll be safer for you in the event that either one of your brothers some looking for you.” She asked him what he’d do if they were to hurt her, telling him that they’d hurt her before. “They won’t again, on this I swear on your heart.”

She shivered at his words. It was scary. She thought whatever he would do to them, it would be the last time that they touched her. She had a feeling, too, that even if she wanted to put off marriage for a while, she’d still be as safe as she could be in his home rather than her own. Her brothers and her father were not men to screw with. Jack had figured that out the hard way.

“Let’s go. Not that I think that this is a terrible move. I want you to promise me that if you get sick of me or want out, just tell me, and I’ll do my best not to bother you again.” She looked up into his eyes and couldn’t believe the love that she could see there. “Oh, August, where have you been all my life? I love you so very much right now that I’m overwhelmed with it.”

His brothers stood up with him. No one was there for her but the court secretary. And she couldn’t have been happier about the arrangements. As soon as they were pronounced man and wife, she pulled him to her and sealed the deal with a kiss. She just hoped that he didn’t regret this anytime soon. She would hate for him not to be in love with her.

Chapter 2

“Like I care that you can’t keep your wife in line, Richard. You don’t need her anyway. She was doing something so that you’d not have a son worthy of our name. I just know it. And that mother of yours is in on it. Every time she comes around talking about you, they put their heads together and whisper to each other. You’ll see that I put an end to that too, don’t you?” He told him yes, he did. “You need to find yourself someone younger. I told you that after she gave you that first sissy. Useless things, women. And they don’t play fair either.”

He had his own troubles with women right now. His wife, whom he married only for her money, was telling him that she’d had enough of him and was going to invoke the prenup on him. And she would, too. Just to embarrass him. Damned women. Dick didn’t have a pot to piss in that her money hadn’t paid for. Not to mention him being able to have this company there as his own was out of the question. He’d used her money to get it started and she brought that up to him daily. Christ. He was so fucked right now.

“Have you seen David?” He said that he was home with his wife, where he should have been. “I can’t find him or his wife either. It’s like they all took a dump at the same time and were flushed away.” That made no sense; however, he didn’t point it out to him. Like he was thinking, he had himself a lot of trouble with women and his wife to care about his sons and their woes.

David was a pussy. He’d married that Mary when he’d told him not to and now they were all three stuck with women who thought that they ruled them. By damn, no one ruled him, and as soon as he found his errant daughter, he was going to make sure that she understood it too.