Their Heart Search: Bethany & Jordan's Story (Search Series) Read online

  “I’m having fun,” she whispered, he almost didn’t hear her, but it made him happy to know that she was having fun.

  “Good,” he replied simply. Together they laughed and prepared the cake. The smile on her face was brilliant and Jordan found out that she hadn’t had all of his heart like he thought, but the moment they shared baking the cake, she took the rest.

  Six weeks, he could make it six weeks, for her, he could make it years. “What are you thinking about?” she asked breaking his thoughts. His hand was no longer stirring the batter. He had been lost in a trance that only Bethany Donald could achieve.

  “I was thinking about how much I love your smile,” he answered as he began stirring the cake batter again.

  “You got lost on me.” She chuckled.

  “Well, beautiful, you have that effect on me.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

  She took the bowl from him and poured the batter into the waiting pan. “Can we watch a movie while this bakes and we wait for it to cool?” She asked as the pan was being slid into the oven.

  “We can do whatever you want, baby. It’s your day.” Hell, if she wanted to watch a chick flick he would watch it with a smile on his face because if she was happy today and enjoying the day that was all that truly mattered.

  They cuddled on the couch, and when the oven dinged, Jordan got up to take the cake out of the oven. “That should be ready to frost soon,” he said, entering the living room again. She smiled up at him as she wiped tears from her eyes. He wasn’t worried this time, he knew it was the movie making her tear up. He shook his head and chuckled as he sat down next her again.

  She cuddled close and slapped his arm playfully, “Stop, it’s sad,” she scolded. He laughed harder and pulled her closer to him.

  Bethany

  While they frosted the cake they messed around having a blast the whole time. She swiped her finger covered with frosting across his cheek. He raised an eyebrow at her, “Oh really now, beautiful?” He laughed grabbing her before she could escape.

  He placed frosting on both of her cheeks, the tip of her nose and just below her bottom lip. Her breath caught as he began to run his tongue along her left cheek. “Chocolate, mmmm….my favorite,” he whispered before moving to the right cheek and repeating his actions. He sucked on the tip of her nose removing the frosting he had put there. Her heart raced faster with every move he made.

  “Jordan?” she breathed. She didn’t know how much more she could take of this. He remained quiet and moved to the last bit of frosting just below her bottom lip. He kissed her there then ran his tongue along the frosting till it was gone.

  “Yum,” he muttered against her lips before closing the gap. He pushed her against the refrigerator. She gasped at his bold move and his tongue entered her mouth. She kissed him back with passion, with all the sexual tension she had been feeling. She ran her hands down his chest and untucked his shirt. Her hands move under it and then up his body. That was when he just stopped everything. He pulled back from their kiss, their most intimate kiss ever. Even more so than the kisses they shared when they first had sex. His eyes were shimmering with emotion, but she couldn’t read him at all. He grabbed her arms and pulled her hands from under his shirt. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said with sadness, guilt, and a thousand other unsaid emotions. He turned away from her and walked towards his room.

  She was left stunned, confused, and heartbroken. What was going on? What was he doing? A loud thud broke her thoughts and she raced down the hall towards his room. “Jordan?” She said as she knocked on the door.

  Jordan

  The second her hands started running up his chest under his shirt, he knew he had gone too far. He had to get away. He raced to his bedroom and locked himself in despite the fact he saw hurt and confusion in her eyes.

  “Stupid fucking moron,” he muttered to himself. Oh how could he have done that? It wouldn’t help him explain the ‘No Sex Policy.’ He slapped his hand against his head.

  Sex was a weapon. A weapon that had been wielded against him once before. Something he refused to use against her. He didn’t want sex to be the reason she chose him. Sex was something that had affected her before. Kai Lukas slept with her, asked her to join him as a Dark Night Vampire and then betrayed her. Jordan wanted sex to mean something for them. He needed it to mean something.

  “Jordan?” He heard from the other side of the door along with a soft knock. She sounded crushed, defeated, and heartbroken. Fuck! This was not what he wanted out of today. He slammed his fist into the wall to relieve the tension, but it didn’t help. Jordan knew he had to face the music. Jordan knew it was time for the full explanation. Another part of him that Meredith ruined.

  He walked to the door and unlocked it. He didn’t open it and hoped she heard the lock click telling her to let herself in. He walked towards the bed and fell onto it face first. He wouldn’t be able to look at her right away, he knew that.

  He heard the door open and her steps move towards him. “Are we going to talk about what just happened?” Jordan sighed into his pillow at her question. “What was that noise I heard?”

  He lifted his face from the pillow, but stared at the headboard. “I punched the wall,” he answered directly.

  “Why? Did I cause that? Because I…” She stopped and he heard the tears in her voice. He couldn’t have her blaming herself for this. It wasn’t her fault it was his.

  “No, beautiful. You didn’t cause that. Come sit and let me explain something.” He rolled to his back and put his hands behind his head as she crawled on the bed resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and sighed.

  “Sex is a weapon,” he said. She glanced up at him with pressing eyes. “Meredith wielded sex against me and Kai used it against you.”

  “What are you saying?” she asked lacing her fingers in his hand that was wrapped around her.

  “That I always want sex to be special for us. I don’t want you to ever think I used it so when these six weeks were up you would choose me. I want you to choose me because you love me and can’t live without me.” He chuckled a little.

  She nodded, “That makes sense. We went too far in the kitchen, didn’t we?”

  “No, beautiful. I went too far. I know how strong I am, and I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

  She sat up and turned to face him head on. “Please don’t blame yourself. I wasn’t exactly shoving you away.” She winked at him and he laughed lightly.

  He sat up and took her hands in his. “I love you, Bethany. Come, I think it’s time to open your present.” She lit up at his words.

  Bethany

  He led her back to the living room and pointed her towards the couch. She obeyed his silent order and sat down on the couch as he walked over to the breakfast bar where he had left the wrapped present this morning. As he walked back towards her she was giddy with excitement. She hadn’t been this excited for a birthday in a long time.

  “Happy birthday, beautiful,” he said as he sat down next her and placed the small wrapped gift box in her lap.

  She tore through the wrapping paper like a little kid. He laughed at her enthusiasm. “I’m excited,” she answered his laugh.

  “I can see that.” He chuckled. “Now I’m nervous.” She laughed at his statement as she opened the box before her. Inside a beautiful gold and white bracelet with the inscription ‘My Heart Search Ends.’ Placed in between two engraved hearts.

  “Flip it over, beautiful,” he spoke breaking her gaze from the bracelet for a moment before doing as he instructed. ‘You have my heart, Jordan.’ She gasped at the beauty of the gift.

  “This is amazing, Jordan,” she cried.

  “Can I put it on you?” She just nodded at his question and held out her hand so he could fasten the bracelet around her wrist.

  A Few Weeks Later

  Bethany was still reeling from her birthday, but things with Tai and Raiden weren’t going
so good. Tai was on her way over to the apartment to talk. Jordan was working at the clinic and Bethany had the day off from the diner. The first since Jordan had gotten her birthday off.

  Tai barely knocked before Bethany was there to get her inside. She was silently praying this wasn’t goodbye. “What’s going on, Tai?” she asked as they moved towards the couch.

  “I am just out of ideas.” Tai sat down and Bethany sat down next to her. She needed Tai to fight. The night of her birthday she made her choice. When they returned home from the wedding she was going to tell Jordan she loved him. She was only waiting now to work up the courage to utter those words to someone for the first time in her life. She had never been in love before and she wasn’t letting anyone take it from her now, especially Raiden.

  “Don’t tell me you’re giving up on him?” She asked as she took Tai’s hands in hers.

  “Never Beth, just out of ideas.” Bethany felt relieved, but only a bit. “Sometimes I wonder if happily ever after exists lately. My mom told me I would have that with Jordan and well…” Bethany understood Tai’s frustration another hurdle to jump over. “And now this with Raiden. The difference is I want happily ever after with Raiden.” Bethany felt like all was not lost at that point Tai sounded like she would fight. They just needed a plan.

  “You’ll get it, Tai,” but as she said those words she wasn’t convinced. Tai might want to fight, but Raiden could be very hard headed.

  “How? Is there something I don’t know about the change that is making him fearful?” That was a great question, but Bethany couldn’t answer it. Her mom might be able to, but she couldn’t.

  “I can’t answer that. I have never changed a human before.” She thought about Jordan would she want to him? No. Would he want to change for her? She didn’t know. “And I don’t think Raiden can answer it either because he’s never done it. I think he just loves you too much.” She knew he did, but it didn’t change things, he was being unreasonable about this.

  “I know he does. I love him too, so very much. I just need a plan. I need him to know I’m not the same person who came to Aishan broken, lost, confused, only to be kicked again.” As Tai spoke, Bethany began to think she was onto something. “I’m stronger than that now he’s made me stronger. I’m not confused! I know what I want, who I want.” She stood as she stammered on and Bethany knew she just hit the nail on the head.

  “I believe you. Have you told him this? Like this?” Tai stared down at her.

  “No, Beth. No, I haven’t. I need to go.” Tai bolted for the door, and Bethany just sat their smiling. This would work Raiden would listen. He would understand. He had to.

  Jordan

  She looked like she was asleep on the couch when he arrived home from the clinic. He chose not to disturb her slowly and quietly he tried to sneak down the hall.

  “Trying to sneak in?” she questioned with a chuckle. He spun around and found her smiling at him.

  “I thought you were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you.” He answered as he walked back towards her.

  She shook her head, “Nope, just thinking. Tai just left.” He nodded in reply and sat next to her.

  “What’s happening?” he asked.

  “I think she might have found a way to get through to him.” She smiled.

  “That’s good, right?” he questioned, taking her hand.

  “It’s very good.” she responded. “Umm….I was thinking about something.” He stared at her.

  “Okay, beautiful, what is it?” He asked squeezing on her hand gently.

  “Well, Tai is going to need something borrowed right?” Jordan nodded. “I want to let her borrow my bracelet.” Jordan’s eyes widened. “I love it, and I wouldn’t consider taking it off for any other reason but this. I think it could be a symbol of how far we’ve all come since Tai arrived here followed by you.” Jordan got it and nodded.

  “Okay, beautiful, I think it’s a good idea, but I think you need to run it by Raiden. While yes, we’ve all come far, it doesn’t change facts. I’m still Tai’s ex and the gift on your wrist is from me.” Bethany nodded at him.

  The Next Night

  Bethany was in her room getting comfortable from her shift at the diner. Jordan was on the couch decompressing. Neither he nor Bethany had heard from Tai or Raiden since she bolted out of the apartment yesterday after her talk with Bethany. They were both worried about things. The wedding was three weeks away. Jordan had three more weeks before Bethany sealed his fate. His phone rang taking him from his thoughts about what the future would hold. ‘Raiden Calling.’

  “Hey, Raiden,” he answered.

  “Hey, Jordan. I want to talk with you about something. I need someone to listen and I can’t call Dale.” He couldn’t call Dale? Oh my, this wasn’t good.

  “You can’t call Dale. This is big news then?” He questioned while silently praying he wasn’t about to tell Jordan to take Tai back to States.

  “Yes, and you can’t tell a soul, but I just need someone to talk to.” As Raiden spoke Jordan noticed something in his voice that worried him. He wasn’t leaving Tai, but something was going on.

  “Spill it, dude,” Jordan spit out. He couldn’t wait any longer for what Raiden needed to talk with him about.

  “You know about Tai and having to become vampire.” Yes, this wasn’t news to Jordan. “Well, today was the official meeting for it. Right before the meeting we found out she’s pregnant.” Raiden spoke fast, and Jordan’s head was spinning as he jumped off the couch at Raiden’s words. This changed things. No matter what Tai’s choice was Raiden, couldn’t do this. Jordan tried to ask Grace a thousand times today what the change would do to Tai, but he couldn’t find the nerve, but this….this changed things.

  “Oh shit, man. What are you going to do?” Jordan asked trying to breathe and keep calm, but he was concerned for his friends.

  “Doing what we…what she chose.” Oh my God was he serious? “And then…well, we are going to pray really hard.” Raiden sighed.

  “Fuck, dude! You can’t make her do this. Not with her being pregnant.” Jordan hissed at Raiden looking up in time to see Bethany walk out of her room. She paused and stared at him. He turned away from her stare.

  “I don’t have a fucking choice. If I could’ve made this decision disappear I would have.” Raiden snapped back at him.

  Jordan inhaled and then exhaled. Raiden was right. He tried for weeks to make this go away he couldn’t and now it was done. “Shit. Sorry, man, I know Dale knows about the vampire thing but what about Meredith?” Jordan didn’t want to bring her up, but Tai would need her mother now more than ever.

  “I don’t give a shit what she thinks, she still wants Tai with you.” Raiden hissed. This took Jordan back. She did? This was not good. Raiden didn’t answer his question, but Jordan knew he had a much bigger problem now.

  “She does?” Jordan questioned only because he needed more confirmation. If this was the case Jordan knew he would have to protect Bethany from the venom she would spit at her.

  “You didn’t know that? Every time Tai and I speak with her, your name comes up at least once.” Shit! “One time she accused Tai of breaking your heart because you agreed to be my best man. She didn’t think it was fair for you to watch the woman you love marry someone else.” Raiden chuckled and Jordan sunk back down on the couch. This was not good.

  Bethany joined him on the couch and he took her hand in his. “Damn, I didn’t know this.” He assumed she had gotten the message the last time they spoke that he didn’t love Tai like that anymore, that he really didn’t ever love Tai like that. “She’s going to cause problems for us all at the wedding.” It wasn’t a question because Jordan already knew the answer, he sighed.

  “I’m thinking, yes. I need to get to Tai. Thanks for listening,” Raiden said casually and Jordan smiled at the friendship they had. If you told him they would be friends when he first decided to stay in Aishan he would’ve laughed.

  “Anytime, ma
n.” The moods from the start of the conversation had shifted Raiden seemed lighter, but Jordan felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  Bethany

  She swallowed hard before asking something she already knew the answer to. She heard him say the words ‘Not with her being pregnant.’ Bethany knew Jordan was talking with Raiden. “So ummm…” He stopped her by holding up his hand.

  “I can’t, Beth. I made a promise, you know what you heard.” He wouldn’t say the words again.

  “You’re upset,” she stated.

  “Yes, but not for the reason you think.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m concerned for Tai and Raiden, I know this changes things big time.” She nodded. “I’m upset because I don’t know if I can protect you.”

  “From what?” she asked.

  “From who, actually. Raiden said Meredith wasn’t happy when she found out I agreed to be Raiden’s best man.” This confused Bethany a bit.

  “Why?”

  “She asked Tai how she could make me the man who loves her marry another.” The words, ‘the man who loves her,’ hit Bethany like a ton of bricks and she started breathing heavily. “Beautiful, no. I love you. Meredith just has her own diluted sense of reality. Please, Beth.” He had her in his lap instantly. He was reading everything she was thinking and that relieved her.

  “What’s Meredith going to do?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but promise me you won’t let her get to you. If she says something to you, don’t let it get to you,” he begged.

  “Okay, I promise, Superman,” she replied softly resting her head on his shoulder. He held her tightly to him. ‘Three more, Jordan, that’s all I need. I love you.’ She thought as they cuddled.

  Week of the Wedding

  Jordan

  Jordan was outside waiting on Raiden and Dale to come and pick him up. They were going to be picking him up soon to go pick up their tuxes for the wedding which was Saturday.

  They pulled up and Jordan climbed into the backseat. “Hey, Raiden. Hey, Dale.” They didn’t return his greeting and both looked like they were brooding over something. “Okay guys, what the hell is up? He finally asked. Raiden glanced at him through the rearview mirror while driving. Shit! “Oh, let me guess. Meredith arrived.” Raiden nodded. “Ah, shit!” That explained everything. “Tell me again why she was invited, douchebag.” Jordan joked with Raiden, but he was serious too, why even bother inviting her?