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Chapter eighteen

"You asshole! Tell me you didn't say that to her" Beth demands and I've never seen her angry I notice.
"Yes I did, I'm sorry" I say shocked.
"Do you know? Of course you know, you're her big man, she tells you everything!" She punches me again.
"Angel, why are you so angry with me?" I ask.
"You told a woman who wants but can't have children you would leave someone you loved if they couldn't give you one?!" She fumes.
"She told you?" I ask, now it makes sense.
"Yes on her wedding day"
"I didn't know when I told her that, she was speaking hypothetically. Asking me questions about my dream girl, we were dreaming up our perfect lives. You can punch me again, I made her cry. She was going to leave Coop, leave us all so he could have children without her. I forced her to tell Coop how she felt, I knew Coop wasn't like me. He would never choose the possibility of a child over his girl, because he's madly, blindly in love with her. I know now neither would I, because that's how I feel about you" I try to explain and I cop another punch to the arm.
"You would stay with me if I couldn't get pregnant?" She asks softly.
"Yes Angel I would, I need you in my life. You are my life, when I'm not with you I'm thinking about you. Everything I do now is because I love you. If we couldn't raise children we could raise puppies" I shrug and she kisses me hard the confusing woman.
"I feel the same way, about you, about babies, about puppies. I just want you and everything we have on top of that is a blessing, you have made me lose my mind Masters. We have not been together a week and I'm hoping I'm pregnant. What have you done to me? How can I look my parents in the eye and tell them I'm your friend when there is a good chance you have started a tiny life inside me?" She sighs and collapses into my body exhausted by the thought.
"Then don't, tell them I'm the love of your life. I'll tell them you're mine. I don't want to hide us anymore, Lilly says she's an adult? Make her prove it. Amber knows, we didn't fool her, my mother knows, we didn't fool her either. Jess knew too, everyone can see the way I look at you. You're my woman Beth, everyone should know it" I feel like this is the right thing to do, why should one teenage girl control our lives?
Beth comes first now, always.
"Really? You want to tell everyone?" She asks shocked that I would claim her in front of our families.
"Yes Angel, I want everyone to know you are mine" maybe then her father can see how good I am for his daughter.
I'm asking his permission for Beth's hand, Sunday I will pull him aside he can ask me whatever he likes and then I'm asking a question of my own.
"What's that determined look about Masters? What are you planning?" Beth smirks at me.
"I'm planning on eating my lunch before it's completely cold, come on, up" I grin and help her to her feet. "Oh the view from here" I wiggle my eyebrows as she stands over me adjusting her panties and skirt.
"Oh behave" she blushes laughing.
"Sorry honey, you make me want to be very naughty" I grin zipping up my pants
"I noticed, I've never had sex at work or on the floor. You obviously make me very naughty too" Beth covers her face embarrassed.
I jump to my feet and pull the almost cold containers of some vegan cashew noodle stir fry from the paper bag.
"I'm not sure what this is or if it's any good but it smelled fantastic" I say sitting on the couch and Beth follows me over.
I slip off her heels and lift her feet into my lap before passing her lunch across as her back rests on the arm facing me.
"You did like that place" she smiles.
"Yeah, I really did"
"Might even get you to try the cauliflower and quinoa salad one day?" She giggles and she sight of her happy face makes my chest ache.
"Don't go too far" I smirk.

We eat our noodles and damn they are good, even cold.
"Beth, not that I want to get back into our earlier conversation but why would you be taking Becky out to celebrate tonight?" I ask curious
"You can bake me that cake now, I just got promoted. That's the meeting I was in. Next time you visit this won't be my office, not only did Mark get fired he didn't get the open position we didn't know about upstairs. As of Tuesday I'm a boss. Two down, one to go. I'm so close to getting my name on my work, one day soon my name will be on my collections and in print" she tells me proud and happy.
"Oh that's my Angel, congratulations honey. I'm so proud of you" I lean forward and kiss her.
"Thank you Jace, if you weren't here yesterday I would have caved in. I would've gave up my lunch break to do someone else's work for someone else's benefit and he would have been going upstairs instead. You make me stronger, you make me believe in myself and want to be better. Someone who deserves you" she looks down into her food hiding from my face.
"Elizabeth, you are too good for someone like me. You work hard, you are so smart, you deserve this promotion, I'm so glad I can make you brave enough to go for what you want. Your insecurities are the only things holding you back, a man gave them to you and you think only a man can take them away but the truth is you are amazing with or without me. I'm hoping you'll remember I need you when you realise you don't need me"
"I think I'll always need you Jace, one day it might be beside me but I know right now I need you behind me, watching my back and pushing me forward. You are my strength, my confidence" she shrugs embarrassed for sounding needy.
"I'm glad Angel, but you really don't need boosted strength. My arm is still dead" I rub the spot where she punched me dramatically but truth is it did fucking hurt.
"Then you will remember next time you want to hurt my friends to keep your insensitive mouth shut" she lifts her chin stubborn and I laugh.
"You are a fierce protector of the people you love, you were going to defend my honour out in the foyer weren't you? Then not even half an hour later you wanted to take even me down for hurting someone you love" I am in awe of her.
"Yeah well Isabel brings out the protector in everyone, I heard the stories about you King punching Cole in the face. And you Masters, well, I'm not sure if you noticed but I'm kinda batshit crazy for you. I've never felt jealousy with a man, but she was touching you and maybe I could have handled that if she wanted more than your body. That shallow hoe bag hurt your feelings and I wanted to hurt her" Beth mumbles adorably and I smile so big at my woman for protecting me when she thinks I'm her protector.
"Thank you Angel, for seeing there is more to me than this body. I do have feelings and yes they get hurt"
"Do you really not have much time today?" Beth asks remembering my excuse to get us away from that woman.
"I have exactly as much as you need" I sigh rubbing her foot in my lap.
"Did you get everything you need to do done already?"
"Yep everything was easier than I expected. Might even get time for a nap this afternoon" I grin.
"Good boy, you need to rest. You have seven more weeks of running Cooper's bar remember" she smiles.
"Six, I'm taking this beautiful blonde on a short holiday for a week. Can't fucking wait, no work, no reason to get out of bed" I sigh.
"Well tell her I said hi won't you" she teases.
"Oh honey no, my mouth will be too busy to talk" I wink at her.
"Jace!" She laughs blushing and I see the heat in her eyes, hmm it's been a while since I kissed her there.
"Beth do you have copies of your work I can see? Is your collections in magazines or something?" I ask suddenly to keep my thoughts from straying.
"Sure, do you want to see them? It's mostly women's clothing and homewares, I rarely do the menswear" she asks doubtful.
"I do, I'm interested in what you do. I want to know what you like, I want to know everything about you" I tell her honestly.
"Well I have copies of our catalogs on my computer or I have a portfolio if you just want to see my stuff?" She tells me.
"May I borrow it? I'll bring it home with me tonight" I tell her.
"Home" She repeats under her breath.
"Please" I give her my dimple smile to throw her off the fact that I just called her my home.
"Sure, if you want to look at pictures of girls in lingerie and lounge cushions go for it" she sighs with a smile.
"Lingerie?" My face lights up.
"Dirty boy" she laughs pushing a fork full of noodles in my mouth.