Reunited in Love

Chapter Twenty-Six

KERRI RETURNED TO ETHAN’S PLACE in the Audi. Sure enough, Barron’s men hadn’t noticed as she’d driven the fancy new car past them.


She’d bought some time, but now had to find a more permanent solution. They’d come back to Ethan’s penthouse once they figured out she wasn’t at Natalie’s anymore. If they were smart—and Barron didn’t hire stupid people—they would leave a few men at Natalie’s place too, just to make sure.

She’d already told Ethan about her family, and he’d believed they were estranged. But that might change if she told him her grandfather had sent three SUVs’ worth of men to “keep her safe.” Estranged families didn’t send bodyguards.

She shook her head. No no no. Shouldn’t be thinking like that. Ethan wouldn’t doubt her story. But how would he react? He could be so single-minded in his desire to protect those he cared about. She didn’t want him to do anything rash and get hurt.

Damn it. She paced, jittery with nervous energy. Maybe she should just go to Houston and confront Barron—hell, her whole family—and be done with it. Say that she didn’t want anything to do with them. All she wanted was to be left alone.

She didn’t want to have to give up what she’d worked for. She didn’t want to force herself to be aloof and emotionally detached so she could leave them without feeling anything. Barron had hurt her so much already with his uncaring actions and neglect. He’d had the power to do so because she’d been young and vulnerable without resources of her own.

Did she still want to allow him that much power over her?

Ethan came home a little after noon. He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss, then looked around. “Where’s Natalie?”

“Natalie?”

“I saw her car outside.”

“Oh, we decided to trade for the day.” He opened his mouth and she added quickly, “Are you finished with work?”

“Um, yeah, I am. Wanna go get some lunch?”

“Yes,” she said, desperate to get out of the penthouse before her grandfather’s goons showed up. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Sushi?”

“Sounds good.”

“By the way, did you notice those armored SUVs when you went out earlier? There are five of them.”

Her mouth dried. “Five?” she croaked.

“Uh-huh. Looked like somebody’s entourage.”

Kerri rubbed her forehead. “Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?”

She went to the sofa and sat down, elbows on her knees and hands clasped together. “Ethan, they’re for me.”

“For you? What are you talking about?”

There was no way to avoid the topic. “Barron sent them.”

Ethan’s voice sharpened. “Barron? What does he want?”

“I don’t know.” She buried her face in her hands. “God, this is crazy. I think he’s trying to turn me into a prisoner or something because he’s angry I refused to meet him earlier in Hong Kong.”

Ethan sat down next to her. “Okay, let’s figure this out. Did he say why he wants to see you all of a sudden?”

She shrugged. “No, and I don’t care what the reason is. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“Then don’t. You don’t have to see him.”

“Ethan, you don’t understand. Barron Sterling isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. He’s going to keep it up if he doesn’t get what he wants. This morning there were three SUVs. Now there are five.” She told him about sneaking out of Natalie’s place.

Ethan threw his head back and laughed.

She stared at him for a moment. “This isn’t funny.”

“Look, Kerri, I’ll take care of this. You don’t have to see Barron or anybody else unless you want to. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“It’s not about what he deserves. It’s about what he’s doing to make my life hell just because he can.”

The doorbell rang. Kerri jumped, though Ethan remained relaxed. He rose to his feet and went to answer it. She followed him.

An impeccably uniformed driver stood on the other side of the door. The man was in his mid-fifties, his dark hair glinting with streaks of dull silver.

Ethan stood looking down at the man, his larger body dwarfing him. “What?” he demanded, uncharacteristically rude.

“Good day, sir. Mr. Barron Sterling sent me,” the man said, not even raising an eyebrow. “I’m Miles Wellington. I understand that Miss Kerri Wilson is currently residing here, and I am to pick her up.”

He must’ve thought the name Barron Sterling would be enough to make Ethan back down. He had miscalculated.

“You can tell Mr. Barron Sterling he may come in person if he wants to see Kerri,” Ethan said.

“As it happens, sir, he is currently in town. So he has, in fact, come more than ninety percent of the way already.”

“It’s that last ten percent that makes all the difference, isn’t it?”

“I’m sure you’re correct, sir. However, if I might speak with Miss Wilson herself?”

Suddenly Kerri felt tired. Before Ethan could answer, she put a hand on his arm. “It’s fine, Ethan. I’ll go see what he wants, get this whole stupid thing over with.” He wouldn’t intimidate her into running this time. Justin had been right. Natalie had been right. Kerri couldn’t keep giving up what she’d worked for, what she’d built, just to avoid seeing Barron.

“But—”

“Excuse us for a moment,” she told the driver.

“Of course. I shall wait.”

She pulled the door closed and lowered her voice. “Look, my grandfather won’t give up. He’s used to getting his way. Kind of like you.”

Ethan ground his teeth. “Number one, I’m not like him. Number two, I’m going with you.”

“What?” This was unexpected. “Why?”

“I’m not going to let you go by yourself, knowing how your family’s treated you. You don’t have to face them alone.”

“Ethan…thanks. Really. But I’ve always faced them alone. I’ll be all right.”

“Maybe in the past, but not this time. Now you have me.”

She held his hands. His concern for her formed a small lump in her throat, and her eyes stung with what felt suspiciously like tears, but she couldn’t let him get in the middle of this mess. Barron squashed anyone who got in his way, and Kerri didn’t want Ethan to go up against her grandfather. Ethan was supremely capable, but he already had a full load of problems he needed to deal with: his own career, The Lloyds Development, the awkward situation in his family with Jacob and Catherine… She had a feeling that since Jacob had proven himself incompetent, everything was going to fall on Ethan. He didn’t need Barron after him on top of everything else.

Barron was her problem.

“I have to,” she said, her mind made up. “He’s my family.” His hands tightened. “I’ve been running from my family for a long time, and it’s time I faced them. But it has to be alone.”

“I won’t let them hurt you again.”

She sighed. “Ethan, I’ve always taken care of myself without you, and I can continue to do so. Maybe you don’t want to acknowledge that, but it’s the truth. You can’t protect me from my family.”

“I’m telling you it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“And I’m telling you I don’t need a protector. Barron can’t hurt me any worse than he has already.” God, this was hard. All she had wanted was someone manageable to have a little fun with. Now she might end up being indirectly responsible for ruining him if Barron decided to get ugly about it. “We both wanted an affair until we grew tired of each other. So let’s not get too mixed up here. You really, really don’t want to make an enemy of Barron. Stick to the spirit of the deal we agreed to: no strings attached, no messy emotional drama.”


Ethan’s face hardened to a stony mask. “You think I’m doing this for emotional drama?”

“No.” She winced inwardly. A bad choice of words, but now it was too late to take them back. If she gave in even a little, Ethan would press his advantage. “But this is my decision, not yours.”

“People in relationships don’t turn their backs on each other when the going gets tough.”

“It’s not about turning our backs—”

“Kerri, if you walk out to face that son of a bitch on your own, it’s over.”

She clenched her hands. She should’ve known her family would come between them sooner or later. Fury boiled up inside her, and she wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, but that wouldn’t serve any purpose. That wouldn’t change the fact that she had to face her family or that Ethan had given her an ultimatum.

The end had come a little earlier than she’d expected, that was all. Ethan would’ve eventually wanted out anyway when he realized the kind of conflict her presence would create in his family, or when he realized the full extent of the baggage she brought as Barron Sterling’s granddaughter, estranged or not. The SUVs outside were just the beginning.

She took a breath. “Then it’s over,” she said, doing her best to control her unraveling emotions and thoughts. The one thing she’d mastered growing up around her family was how to keep herself together regardless of the circumstances.

She started to turn away. Ethan gripped her arm almost too hard, but the physical pain was nothing next to her emotional turmoil.

“Tell me you don’t love me,” he said.

She looked at the large beautiful hand holding her. Why did he care what she felt for him? If she said she loved him, would anything change? Would he take back his ultimatum?

No, she realized. He’d insist on coming with her, get tangled up with Barron and make enemies out of the Sterlings.

“I don’t love you,” she said quietly.

His face turned blank. He let go.