Bad Boy's Honor: An MMA Bad Boy Romance (80 page)

“So you’re rich now?” I asked Chloe as we left the lawyers office.  

“I guess so,” she replied casually.

We held hands and walked around town with no particular destination in mind. The meeting with the lawyers seemed a distant memory even though it had only been ten minutes ago.  

The sun had come out in the short time we’d been in the office, but that only seemed appropriate given the mood we were both now in. I guess it was just going to be one of those days.

In all honesty, I didn’t know how I felt about Chloe’s new found wealth. I was delighted for her of course, and I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than her. She’d use the money wisely and wouldn’t waste it. She’d probably do something boring like invest it. We were both very different people really.

Very different indeed.

I still loved her though.

That’s why I had mixed feelings about all this. Many women had professed their love for me in the past, but the vast majority of them were just obsessed about my wealth, looks, sexual prowess, or just my status as a powerful man.

I’d seen right through them.

What would Chloe think of me now if I told her I loved her? Would she assume I was just after her money and a comfortable life? Hopefully not, but there was no way to be sure.

“You want to get something to eat?” I asked.  

I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry, but we had to stop walking aimlessly at some point, and I could hear Chloe’s tummy rumbling.

“Sure,” she replied dreamily.  

I pulled back on her hand as we passed the best Italian restaurant in the city. I’d never been one to order pasta when there was pizza on the menu, but the freshly made pasta here was so good, I’d chose it over anything but sex. That was rarely on the menu though. Except that one time.

Hopefully that waitress didn’t still work here…

A few of the staff recognized me so they gave us the best table, although whether that was out of fear or respect, I had no idea.  

I’d been thinking about that a lot lately. Money could buy a lot of special treatment, but perhaps it was my reputation as a criminal that had people looking after me. Were they scared of me? It’s not like I’d have harmed an innocent business owner, but I couldn’t blame them for being worried.

“This place is expensive,” Chloe remarked as she scanned the menu.  

“I don’t care.”

“You should. You said you’re going to step down from your business operations. You should start saving money.”

“I know,” I agreed. “I don’t care because you’re paying.”  

“Oh.” Chloe laughed. “Yeah, I guess I can do that now.”  

“You’re rich,” I reminded her. “That’ll take some getting used to.”

“You don’t seem to happy about it. Everything okay?”  

“I have mixed feelings about it,” I admitted.

“I thought you’d be pleased. I have mixed feelings because I now have a new grandmother, but I’m guessing that’s not what’s bothering you.”

“I’m not exactly used to being the poor one in a relationship.”

“You’re not exactly used to being in relationships, period,” Chloe reminded me.

“Good point.”

“So we’re in a relationship?” Chloe asked.

“If you tell me you’re dating someone else, I’m going to have to go back to a life of crime temporarily while I kick his ass. I’m only partly joking.”

“I just didn’t want to get my hopes up. I never took you for the type to settle down.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you before. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s true. If it weren’t for you, I might have killed my own father. At the very least, I’d have given him one hell of a beating. And James--I mean Roddy--would still be trying to take over the city.”

“Glad I could help,” Chloe said. She sounded a little disappointed with my explanation, and I couldn’t blame her. That wasn’t what I wanted to say.

The restaurant was quiet, so I couldn’t use lack of privacy as an excuse. Lack of courage maybe? I didn’t have that problem very often. I usually went in with all guns blazing; punch first ask questions later.

“That’s not it,” I added. “I’m pleased you stopped me from making a big mistake, but if I’d listened to you in the first place, I never would have gotten myself in that situation. But that’s not why you’re special to me.”

“Careful, Denton. You’re getting awfully close to saying something sweet. You’re going to ruin your image.”

“Maybe I should take my shirt off?” I suggested. “The tattoos should cancel it out a bit.”

“Well
I
wouldn’t complain, but this is a nice restaurant.”

“I’ll leave the shirt on. Just picture me naked and covered in tattoos when I say it.”

“Say what?”

“Chloe, I’m not sure when this happened, but at some point in the last few weeks, I fell for you pretty hard. I’m in love with you.”

“You’re in love with me?”

“Yes. I know it’s a bit soon, but with all that’s happened to us, I think we got to know each other really well in that time. I know how I feel.”

“This has been one hell of a day,” Chloe said, sounding exasperated. “New grandmother, big inheritance, and now Denton Russell is sat there telling me he loves me.”  

“Most people would think of that as a lot of good news,” I pointed out. “You don’t sound too sure.”  

“I’m not,” Chloe replied, quickly breaking my heart without seemingly giving it a second thought.  

“You’re not?”

“No. I told you, I’m not sure what I think of having a new grandmother. The bit about you; that’s easy.”

I’d been staring at Chloe so intently that I hadn’t even noticed the waiter standing over us waiting to take our order.  

Chloe ordered some food, and for a few moments I thought she was going to conveniently forget about our conversation.

“I’m starving,” she said. “I hope the food doesn’t take too long.”

“Yes, I hate waiting,” I replied dryly.

Chloe pursed her lips, and I could tell she was fighting back a smile. Finally she gave in. The corners of her mouth spread up the sides of her face in the same way that’d had me smitten back when I first interviewed her.

“I love you too,” she said at last.  

“About time. Now, let’s order some champagne. We have a lot to celebrate.”

“You look beautiful, Chloe. I know everyone’s going to say that to you today, but you know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” I replied.  

“How many times do I have to tell you, call me Doris. No one ever called me Mom, so I can’t skip straight to Grandma. You’ll make me feel old.”

I was ready. As ready as I’d ever be.

An expensive make up artist had just spent two hours doing up my face which was more time than I had ever spent on makeup in my entire life.  

I’d been squeezed into a dress that had my boobs pushed up and out like I was playing a part in some nineteenth century English romance.  

Now I was about to walk down the aisle to marry Denton.  

Doris had spared no expense on this wedding. We hadn’t wanted her to pay for it, and she’d already given us more than enough to live on, but she insisted on handling it. She even made it on to a first class flight to New York, which was no easy feat at her age.

The first time Denton and I had met Doris, I thought it might also be the last. She’d looked on death’s door when we’d turned up, and other than sneaking in a few dirty jokes, she hadn’t exactly been full of life.

Apparently having a new grandchild to spend money on could give you a new lease on life. Denton and I certainly weren’t complaining; she was so much fun to have around that we ended up flying to D.C. a lot more than we otherwise would have.

“You nervous?” Doris asked.  

“A little.”

“Everyone gets nervous before their wedding, but you’re marrying a great guy, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, I’m not nervous about that. I’m nervous about tripping over in these heels.”  

“I could tell you stories about that dear,” Doris said with a grin. “One night, I was out with a young man and we were taking a shortcut through a field. I tripped and fell on my arse, bringing him down on top of me. Well, needless to say we didn’t get straight back up again and we--”

A knock at the door interrupted Doris during another one of her stories that no doubt ended in sex. I was used to them by this point. We’d been chatting a lot over the last eighteen months, but she never really acted as a grandmother. Not a stereotypical one, anyway.  

More than once, I just wished I could have known her growing up, but then I probably wouldn't get the rude stories. Some of them had definitely been worth the wait.

“Chloe,” Denton called through the door. “Are you decent?”  

“You can’t come in,” Doris yelled. “No pre-wedding nookie for you, young man. You’ll have to keep that thing in your pants for a few more hours.”

“I didn’t think we were doing all the superstitious stuff,” Denton yelled. “You don’t really believe it’s bad luck for me to see you before the wedding, do you?”

Doris answered for me again. “I don’t care about all that bollocks, but I’ve seen you two together; you’re at it like I was in the sixties. I don’t want Chloe to mess up her hair and makeup.”

“And I’m not getting out of this dress,” I added. “It took me long enough to get in this thing.”

“Alright, alright,” Denton replied. “I guess I can wait a few hours. See you soon, Mrs. Russell.”

“You going to take his name then?” Doris asked once he’d left. “It’s a bit… tarnished at this point isn’t it?”

“Denton’s old fashioned in some ways. I think he’d be a little offended if I didn’t take his name. Besides, he’s not his father. We’re working hard to reclaim the name and make it mean something positive in the city.”

“Well, worst comes to worst, you’re still married to the hottest man in Chicago. I’d do whatever he wanted me to.
Whatever
he wanted.”

I didn’t doubt her for a second.  

The music started up outside; it was my time to shine.  

When I’d first met Denton I’d been an undercover agent, and had to impress Denton by pretending to be someone I wasn’t.  

Now, I would be heading down the aisle with hundreds of pairs of eyes on me. Not something I was used to. I was the girl who’d always stuck to the shadows whenever possible. I helped out backstage for school productions, just so I wouldn’t have to be on the stage in front of people.

“It’s showtime, honey,” Doris said holding out her arm.  

Dad wasn’t around to give me away, and Mom was an emotional wreck watching me get married, so Doris agreed to do the job. She hadn’t exactly taken a lot of convincing.

I closed my eyes for the first few steps, letting Doris guide me up the aisle. When I opened them I saw Denton standing there waiting for me. He stood under a white awning in a full suit and tie, not a single tattoo on show.

I preferred the tattoos covered up. I liked him presenting himself to the world this way. Then, when I got him naked and alone, I got the private viewing.

The aisle was too long. I just wanted to get up there and marry him. The quicker we got married the quicker we could get on our honeymoon.

Doris tugged on my arm to slow me down, and keep me in time with the music. I always did have two left feet.  

Doris made it all the way to the end, but I could tell she was relieved to take a seat on the front row next to Mom. She always put on a brave face--especially on days like this--but you could only fight aging so much.

Another person in the crowd looked almost as nervous as I did. I wasn't sure Kara would ever be back to normal again, but she was making good progress. These things took time, but she'd made it here today and that meant the world to Denton.

I stared down at the floor. A part of me expected to look up and see that Denton had disappeared. I’d look around and see that I’d been imagining the entire thing, as if it were all a dream. If it were a dream, I’d probably be naked; I always had those dreams about being naked in public for some reason.  

When I looked up, Denton was gazing down at me with the same look he had on his face every morning when I woke up. He’d stare at me as if he couldn’t believe I were real. I knew the feeling.