Page 65 of Waiting for Acceptance (Nashville Nights #5)

FITZ

I’m filing a fucking restraining order on this woman as soon as I leave this building.

After what Frank shared with me about the article that came out this morning, and her cornering me at my mother’s birthday party, while I’m here with Lauren, no less, is the last straw.

If I lose Lauren over this, I’ll burn the entire company to the ground, along with everyone who played a part in my losing her, inside of it.

“Come on, Fitz. You know you two won’t last once you’re back in New York for good. Just accept that this is going to happen. Everyone already expects us to be together, we make sense together, why can’t you just see that?”

“Jessica, I—” Before I can tell her to fuck off, or anything else for that matter, she digs her claws into the back of my neck, and slams her lips to mine.

It’s forced, uncomfortable, and unwanted in every single way possible.

I wrap my hands around her arms and pull her off me.

My heart stopping when I look to the side to see Lauren standing next to us with tears in her eyes.

I hear a noise come from Jessica, likely accompanied by a smirk, but I refuse to take my eyes off Lauren.

“Excuse us, Jessica. I need to speak with Fitz. Alone .” Her tone is calm and shakes me to my core.

“I’m not so sure I want to leave my fiancé with some random girl.” I open my mouth, ready to tear into her about how delusional she is when Lauren beats me to it.

“It’ll only take a minute.”

The fuck?

Jessica drags her hand slowly down my arm, Lauren’s eyes watching every movement before I shrug her hand off. Then she disappears into the party leaving Lauren and I standing in the hallway together.

“Fitz, what am I doing here?” Her eyes are filled to the brim with unshed tears, breaking my heart and infuriating me all at once.

“You’re here because you’re my girl. That wasn’t what it looked like, okay? Jessica came out of nowhere and ambushed me and… I swear I’m filing a restraining order against her when we leave here tonight.” The first tear falls down her face and she blinks more away.

“I don’t belong here, Vince. We can pretend all we want that I do, but you and I both know that I don’t.”

I grab her arms, ducking to catch her eye when she tries to avoid my gaze. “Yes, you do. You do belong here.”

“No, I don’t! Look around us. Everyone here is at the top of a corporate or social ladder.

People who will help you succeed in life, in your career, and then there’s me.

A sales agent with anxiety and a favorite thrift store.

I’m not a socialite. I don’t fit this image, I don’t even live in New York!

I have nothing to offer you, Fitz. You shouldn’t be with me, you should…

you should be with someone like Jessica. ”

“No! Everything you just said is exactly why I love you. If you don’t belong here, then I don’t either.” She shakes her head and I can feel her slipping away and I’m pissed the fuck off that I can’t seem to catch my grip on her.

“Yes, you do, and I can’t do this. I can’t be selfish and ruin everything you’ve worked so hard for.

I’m going to go back to Nashville, and you’re going to stay here, and you’re going to do so many amazing things at this company.

” I shake my head, refusing to hear any of this.

“And I will always be so proud of you for it.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.

” I grip her hands tight, willing her to snap out of whatever she’s thinking.

“Don’t leave me. Please. I thought…I thought you loved me?

” More tears fall freely down her face and I can feel my heart screaming for her to say she’s only joking. That she isn’t going anywhere.

“I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, Vincent Fitzgerald. That’s why I have to leave. Please forgive me.” She reaches up and kisses my cheek, but I move and pull her lips to mine, begging her to stay with every movement. Then she pulls away and runs out the door.

My entire fucking world just walked out the front door, and I have no idea why.

But I’m sure as hell going to find out.

She said she couldn’t let me lose everything I’ve worked so hard for, and outside of working on getting her to fall in love with me, that can only mean one thing.

Losing the firm. My mind is foggy as I walk through the party looking for my parents, knowing they’re the only ones who could have provoked this sort of reaction out of Lauren.

When I finally see them at the bar together I take my opportunity to interrogate them about what happened—or that’s my plan at least—until I hear clear as day the absolute fuckery they’re discussing.

“I’m telling you, it worked. I just saw her running out of here and right after we told her what would happen if he didn’t end up with Jessica.

Her seeing them kissing was just icing on the cake.

There’s no way she’ll come back after that.

Everything is going to work out just as planned when Fitz realizes it’s in his contract that he will lose the company if he doesn’t agree to marry Ms. Vanderbilt, everything will be fine, dear.

Now, enjoy the party. We have a lot to celebrate tonight. ”

These motherfuckers.

They have no idea what they’ve done.

Lauren thinks I was at risk of losing everything, but she clearly doesn’t realize I lost it the moment she walked out the door.

I manage to turn around without a word to my parents, for now, to head home and get my girl.

On my way out I catch a worried expression from Frank, but I don’t have time to deal with explaining things to him right now.

The only person on my mind. Is her. But when I get back to the place she’s so easily called home, it’s empty.

“Fuck!” I yell, folding my hands behind my head. I walk to the bar cart and go to pour myself a scotch when my phone begins to ring.

“What, Frank?” I snap.

“What happened?” I’ve always loved the way Frank just knows when something’s wrong and actually cares enough to check in.

“Too fucking much to explain, but I need you to be straight with me about something.” I abandon my unmade drink, standing to look out the window at the city below.

“Always am, son. You know that.”

“Do you know what all is in the contract for me to take over the firm?” He sighs and I know my answer already.

“I didn’t until tonight. I asked your parents about the article I told you about when I saw you at the party with Lauren and they told me. I was on my way to find you when I saw you leaving.”

“Fucking assholes,” I grit out through my teeth.

“I had no idea before tonight though, I swear. I’ve always seen you like a son, Fitz. I would have never kept this from you had I known before.” A warm feeling spreads across my chest at his words.

“We need to meet.”

“Tell me when and where and I’m there.” I give him a time and a place, hanging up the phone before heading straight out the door. I can’t stay here without Lauren. It feels too fucking empty and I hate it.

Lauren isn't answering my calls. She isn’t responding to my texts and she turned her location off, again.

It’s like she turned into a ghost last night.

The contract for me to take over the company is supposed to be signed by the end of the week, which is the only reason I am not already back in Nashville, busting down her door.

Instead, I’m stuck in New York, trying to find a loophole in this god-forsaken contract.

“Are you serious?” I sit across from Frank, looking over the paperwork, seeing the undeniable condition that the merger between Vanderbilt Hotels and The Fitzgerald Firm includes Jessica and I getting married.

Over my cold, dead, body.

“I’m afraid so. It states that within 30 days of you becoming CEO that you two set a date, and that if within a year you two aren’t married, then…” he trails off, likely too worried to finish saying that the company will go to him.

“Only my parents would even consider something as insane as an arranged marriage just to further the success of their career. It’s not even going to be their career anymore so why the fuck do they care?

” I throw the contract across the office, making Frank sigh.

I snatch my glasses off my face, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

“You trust that this wasn’t my idea, right Fitz? I would never want to take this away from you. This is going to be your legacy, I only ever wanted to be here to support you.” I do. I trust Frank more than I trust most people who have been in my life for as long as he has.

I look over, my eyes narrowing on him. “You really mean that Frank?”

“Scouts honor.” He holds up his fingers and I chuckle.

“Then we have to fix this. Now.”