The Exception Page 11
“Why? And wouldn’t Jane do that for you?”
“I like to pick out my own dishes. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
“Not particularly. No.”
“Too fucking bad, Drew. I’m going to tell you anyway.” Her voice began to get loud. “I’m here buying new bedding because I can’t sleep on the ones you slept on. It makes me sick.”
I arched my brow at her. “Okay. While you’re it, why don’t you just go and buy a whole new bed?”
I heard Jillian snicker from a few feet away.
“Maybe I will, and for the record, you’re a total asshole. The next time we run into each other, do me a favor and don’t approach me.”
“You’re the one who came over here. Not me. I have no interest in speaking to you ever again.”
“Ugh.” Tears started to fill her eyes. “Enjoy your boring pathetic life.”
“I will. Don’t you worry about that.”
She turned on her heels and pushed her cart down the aisle as fast as she could. I watched as she stood in line, waiting for the next available cashier.
“Sorry you had to witness that,” I spoke as I turned to Jillian.
“No worries. She’s still broken up over you.”
“Too bad. She needs to move on.”
“I have a feeling that getting over you isn’t easy.” She smirked.
Giving her a small smile, I kissed the side of her head. “Let’s get you some dishes and get the hell out of here.”
When we arrived back at her apartment, I helped her unpack and put the dishes in the cupboard.
“Why are you putting them over there?” I asked.
“Because this is where I want them.” She smiled.
“But it’s more convenient for them to be placed in this cupboard.”
“I’m sorry, but do you live here still?”
I sighed. “Sorry. Old habits. We haven’t eaten since lunch and I’m starving. How about we go eat at that little Chinese restaurant down the street?”
“Sounds good to me.”
She had her laptop sitting on the counter and a call came through.
“I have to get this. It’s Kellan and we’ve been playing phone tag today.”
“Who’s Kellan?”
“My best friend. You’ll see.”
She accepted the call and his face appeared on the screen.
“Hey, Jilly Bean. Where the hell have you been all day?”
“Here and there. There’s a few things I need to tell you, but now isn’t a good time.”
“Why?”
“I’m with someone right now,” she spoke.
“Hmm. Just by you saying ‘someone’ indicates that it’s of the male species. Because if it was Kristen, you would have said you were with her. Who is he, Bean? Let me see?”
She looked across the room at me and then turned her laptop around.
“Drew, meet Kellan. Kellan meet Drew.”
I gave him a wave and a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
He stared at me as if he was at a loss for words. Jillian must have told him about me from Hawaii.
“Nice to meet you too, Drew. Jillian Kathryn Bell. What is going on?”
“How funny is it that Drew lives in New York too? Okay, got to go, my love. We’re heading out to dinner.”
“Wait! Don’t you dare end the call. I want details!” he shouted.
“Tomorrow. Bye, Kel.” She ended the call.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Jilly Bean?” I asked.
“Pet name. He loves me. He’s been calling me that since we were thirteen years old.”
“It’s cute. I like it.” I winked.
“Don’t you dare, Mr. Westbrook.”
She grabbed her purse and we walked down to the Chinese restaurant.
****
Jillian
As we were sitting in the restaurant eating, Drew asked me to tell him about Kellan. So I did.
“He’s the best friend anyone could ever have. The things he did for me. Wow.”
“What did he do for you?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. “Drew, I’m a terrible person.” I looked down in shame.
“No you’re not. Don’t say that.” He reached across the table and placed his hand on mine.
“No, actually, I am. Remember when I told you that I booked the flight to Hawaii for a ‘just in case’ I decided to leave Grant?”
“Yeah. I remember.”
“I had it planned all along.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I purposely waited for that day to leave him. It was the perfect plan and Kellan went to great lengths to help me.”
“Why?” he asked in confusion.
“Because I wanted revenge on him and my parents for what they did to me. Mostly my parents. But Grant had it coming. I already told you that he was a cheater and a liar.”
“And how did you and Kellan plan this so meticulously?” Drew cocked his head.
“Well.” I sighed. “Where do I begin? About three months before the wedding, I placed an ad under an alias name on Craig’s List for my wedding dress to be shipped out the day after my wedding.”
“Did you sell it?”
“Yeah. A nice woman in Wisconsin who couldn’t afford a wedding dress bought it for $50.” I smiled. “A fifteen-thousand-dollar wedding dress for fifty bucks. Patricia would be so pissed.”
Drew picked up his glass and took a sip of his drink. “Look at it this way. You made someone who couldn’t afford a wedding dress feel like a queen.” He smiled.
“I guess. So all in all, some good came out of what I did. A couple of days before the wedding, Kellan went and bought me a new phone and he rented a hotel room.”
“Why the hotel room?”
“That’s where I kept my luggage for my one-way ticket out of Seattle, which by the way, Kellan purchased for me. Before I left the church, I called a cab from my old phone and had him meet me at Pier 59. I did a factory reset and set it on the chair next to my ring. Once I left the church, I had the limo driver take me to Pier 59 and then I climbed into the cab and took it to the hotel. I changed out of my dress, grabbed everything I needed, and hopped on a plane.”
“Did you pay off the limo driver?” He smirked.
“I sure did. Except he opened his mouth to my parents, who apparently paid him more than I did.”
“Ouch. What a dick.”
“Yeah. Except he didn’t tell my parents that I got into a cab. The next day, Kellan went to the hotel, boxed up the wedding dress, sent it off to Wisconsin, and checked out of the hotel.”
“So no paper trail on your end?”
“Nope. I left all my credit cards at home and my bank account untouched.”
“If it’s not too personal, how are you paying for everything?”
“When my grandmother died, and I turned twenty-one, she left me four million dollars in an offshore account that was untraceable because she knew I would need it someday.”
“So you literally vanished.”
“Yep. I sure did.” I smiled.
“Remind me never to cross you.” He winked.
“They made me that way, Drew. I’m not really that person. I just needed to escape and find me. Not the Jillian Bell they made.”
“I understand. You did what you had to do. That doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“Thanks. But somehow I still feel like it does.”
“Come on. I’m going to take you home now. It’s getting late and I have an early meeting.”
As soon as Roland pulled up to my building, Drew walked me up to my apartment.
“Thank you for making my shitty day a little less shitty.”
“It was my pleasure.” He placed his thumb on my chin. “I’m happy you’re here.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine.
“Good night, Jillian.”
“Good night, Drew.”
/> He turned and began to walk down the hallway. Pulling my phone from my purse, I dialed his number and watched as he answered his phone.
“Drew Westbrook.”
“Hi. Now you have my number.”
He turned around as his lips gave way to a sexy smile. “Indeed I do.”
Stepping inside my apartment, I headed to the bathroom and turned on the water for a hot bath. After pouring a capful of lavender-scented bubble bath, I stripped out of my clothes and climbed into the warm, soothing water. My head was a mess. My sister was dying and I was reunited with a man whom I never thought I’d see again. A man I couldn’t give my heart to, even if I wanted, because I didn’t know who that heart belonged to.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Drew
I hated leaving her, but I had no choice. I had to be at the office in the morning by seven, and I would have had to have gotten up really early to leave her place to come home and get ready. Today confirmed what I already knew. I was in love with Jillian Bell. This strong feeling was something I’d never felt before. I’d never felt this way about any woman I had ever dated, including my ex-fiancée. All I wanted to do was hold her tight and tell her that everything was going to be okay. What the fuck was I doing? She shouldn’t be alone tonight after hearing the news about her sister. Fuck it. I went into my closet, grabbed a suit, packed a small bag, and took a cab back over to her place since I sent Roland home. Whether she needed me or not, I was going to be there.
As I stood outside her door, I took my phone from my pocket and called her.
“Hello,” her soft voice answered.
“Hi. Come to your door.”
“Drew?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
I heard the locks unlocking and she opened the door as her phone was still pressed to her ear.
“I don’t think you should be alone tonight,” I spoke as I stared into her beautiful blue eyes.
“I agree.” She smiled.
I slipped my phone back in my pocket and stepped inside her apartment. She took hold of my hand and led me to the bedroom. After stripping out of my clothes and setting my alarm, I climbed in where I wrapped my arms tightly around her and she snuggled against my chest. Neither of us spoke a single word. I kissed the top of her head and we both drifted off to sleep.
The annoying sound of my alarm going off woke me out of a deep sleep. Letting out a moan, I reached over and turned it off. Jillian stirred and opened her eyes.
“Good morning.” Her lips gave way to a sleepy smile.
“Good morning. Go back to sleep. I’m just going to take a shower and get ready for work. I promise to be quiet.”
“Nah. I’m good. I’ll go make us some coffee while you’re in the shower.” Her lips pressed against my chest.
“You don’t have to, Jillian.”
“I want to, Drew. Now shush up and go take your shower.”
“If you insist, Madame.” I rolled on top of her and kissed her soft lips.
After getting out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked to the kitchen.
“Here you go, sir. One fresh cup of coffee in a brand new stylish mug compliments of Bed Bath & Beyond.”
I chuckled. “Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take it in the bathroom with me so I can finish getting ready for work.”
“I don’t mind at all. I’ll take mine back to bed with me.”
She climbed into bed while I shaved in the bathroom.
“So tell me how it felt to take a shower in your old shower.”
“Weird,” I replied. “What are your plans for today?”
“Kristen is getting out of the hospital, so I’m going to spend the day with her.”
“Good idea.”
“Anything exciting going on at work today?” she asked.
“If you consider spending the day in meetings, then yes. The day will be filled with excitement.”
Once I finished shaving, I walked into the bedroom and stared at Jillian as she sipped her coffee and checked her phone. God she was so beautiful and my cock was starting to get hard just looking at her. I’d never wanted to make love to anyone like I wanted to with her. Fuck it. I walked over to the nightstand, picked up my phone, and called Lia.
“It’s me. I’m running late this morning, so tell Harrison I’ll be there soon. I have some business to take care of first before I head into the office.” I smiled at Jillian.
“And what kind of business would that be?” Jillian asked.
“Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.” I removed my towel and climbed on the bed.
****
Jillian
“Can I see you later?” Drew asked as I walked him to the door.
“I don’t know. It depends on Kristen.”
“I understand.” He kissed me. “Call me later, okay?”
“Okay.” I smiled.
As I poured myself another cup of coffee, a call came through on my laptop.
“Good morning, Bean. I was hoping you were up. I take it your guest spent the night since I didn’t hear from you.”
“He sure did.” I smiled as I leaned over the counter with my hands tightly wrapped around my coffee mug.
“How fucking freaky is this whole thing?”
“You haven’t heard the freakiest part yet.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Oh my God, tell me.”
“The apartment I’m renting is his old apartment. He’s my freaking landlord.”
“Shut the fuck up! You’re lying.”
“I swear on my grandmother’s grave.” I held up two fingers.
His jaw dropped and he was speechless. “Okay, Jill, this is all too weird. Like crazy universe shit weird.”
“I know, right? Anyway, I have something to tell you.” My light mood turned somber.
“What’s wrong?”
“The chemo and radiation hasn’t helped Kristen and the cancer has spread. She’s dying, Kel. The doctors gave her six to nine months.” Tears filled my eyes.
“Jesus, Jill. I’m so sorry. I can be on the next flight to New York.”
“It’s okay. Just come this weekend like planned. I know with work and everything, it’s hard.”
“Fuck. Are you okay? Of course you’re not. That was a stupid question.”
“I’m hanging in there. In fact, I’m getting ready to head to the hospital.”
“All right, go. I’ll talk to you later and I want to hear all about Hawaii guy. I thought you said you’re in a man-free zone. I knew it wouldn’t last.” He smirked.
“I’ll be honest with you, Kel. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. My head has so much shit going through it right now.”
“Maybe you need to go talk to a shrink or something.”
“Maybe I do. I’ll talk to you later.” I blew him a kiss.
“Bye, Bean.”
Kellan was right. Maybe I did need to talk to someone. Grabbing my phone from the counter, I sent Noah a text message.
“Morning. When is Kristen being released?”
“Morning, Jill. We’re on our way home now. She wants to see you.”
“Tell her I’m on my way.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Drew
As I stepped into the conference room, Harrison and Lance both glared at me.
“You’re late, Drew. You know how I hate to be kept waiting,” Harrison spoke.
No one and nothing was going to ruin my good mood today.
“Well, Harrison, some things are worth being late for.” I smirked as I took a seat across from him.
“Is that so? Then maybe there’s another company out there that would respect my time and the contract to my new software program.”
I sighed. “If that’s how you feel, then you’re free to leave.”
“Hold up a second,” Lance interjected and shot me a look.
Harrison narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. Or should I say glared at me.
&n
bsp; “I’m serious, Harrison. If me being late has you all hot and bothered, then maybe you should find another company for your software. But I will tell you this; you came to us for a reason. This is my company and I decide whom I want to do business with, and right now, I don’t care for your attitude. You think your software is unique? I can find someone else with something just as good, so it’s no skin off my back.”
“Drew!” Lance snapped.
Harrison sat there, contemplating his next words.
“You know what, Drew, I like you. You have balls and balls is what I need for my company. So let’s get started, shall we?”
After our meeting ended and the contracts were signed, I shook Harrison’s hand and walked him to the door.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Lance asked. “And why were you late?”
“She’s here.” I smiled as I grabbed the contracts and headed back to my office.
“Who’s here?” Lance asked as he followed behind.
“Jillian. The girl I met on the plane and spent some time with in Hawaii.”
“Huh? She’s here in New York?”
“Yes. We ran into each other yesterday on the street. We had lunch, talked, did some shopping, and I don’t think I need to tell you what happened next.”
“So you were late because you had sex with her this morning?”
“Yep.” I took a seat behind my desk.
“Okay.” He nodded his head. “That’s a damn good excuse for being late. So now what? Are you two officially dating?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. Remember I told you she was on that self-discovery journey? We hadn’t talked about what happens next. She just found out yesterday that her sister is dying.”
“Man, that sucks.” He looked at his watch. “But what matters is that you were reunited with her. You’re Drew Westbrook and you always get what you want. Remember that. I have to go. I have that meeting with the tech department. I’ll fill you in later.”
After he walked out of my office, my phone pinged with a text message from Jane.
“Mr. Drew. You didn’t sleep in your bed last night and you weren’t home this morning. I’m dying to know why you were going to look at dishes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ll fill you in when I get home. I promise.”