Forbidden Contract (The Birmingham Brothers Series) Read Online Free PDF

gave out….she loved you….she fought as long as she could for you.”
    Beckett looked at her and his eyes filled with tears . “I know.”
    “Oh Beckett .” She said pulling him into her arms. “You can’t run from love forever.”
    “I can ’t go through that again…the pain of losing someone I love.” He said looking at her as he once again closed off the pain and regained control of his emotions. “Mom….this arrangement for marriage….it doesn’t mean anything….it’s just business.”
    Kathleen wanted to argue with him, force him to face the pain, grieve for Lachelle and hopefully begin to heal but she recognized that mask he wore was once again in place and he would not listen to her. She sighed as she touched his face.
    “Ok .” She said.
    Beckett kissed her cheek then headed back out to where his brothers were as his father passed him. Roark entered the kitchen and found his wife busy putting dishes in the dishwasher. When Kathleen felt Roark’s hands circle her waist she stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. Tears streamed down her face and she welcomed the comfort of his arms.
    “Hey….what ’s this?” He asked.
    “Oh Roark, after all this time he still hasn’t grieved Lachelle….that’s why he’s never settled down…”
    “I know .” He said as he looked at her surprised face.
    “You knew….why didn’t I know ?”
    “Because you haven’t fully grieved for her either .” He said honestly.
    “What are you talking about….I grieved for her ?”
    “Yes…for her…..but not for them .” He said. “Kathleen we all loved her, despite their age we all assumed they would marry….but you planned this whole life in your head , you were going to have the daughter we never had, you were going to have the wedding, the family holidays, the grandchildren.” He said as he touched her cheek. “Lachelle didn’t just fight to live for him....she fought for you too.”
    She looked at him and realized he was speaking the truth. Lachelle was the daughter she miscarried and she had become the mother Lachelle had lost. Lachelle was going to be the one who came over and helped with Thanksgiving meals, the one who would have helped her decorated the house, wrap the presents and bake the cookies. Then when she was pregnant they would shop together for the baby. Elizabeth would help her decorate the nursery, give her advice when she got nervous, be there when her grandchild was born.
    “Oh my god !” She said touching her cheeks.
    Roark smiled. “Don’t worry…it’s why we all love you.”
    “ The boys knew too?”
    “Yeah….all but Beckett .” He said. “Look….the boys and I were talking….we don’t think Macy is going to take the news as well as Beckett thinks…this may be the thing that finally breaks them up.”
    “You think?” She asked hopefully.
    “Yeah….but don’t tell Beckett that .” He grinned. “He might change his mind.”
    “ But marriage….is he jumping from a frying pan and into the fire?”
    “No…I looked over the contract…Regina Montgomery is no fool….she ’s assured her family name will retain its status, her family is going to be taken care of and we will get the business…at the end of the year Beckett will be free and hopefully Macy will be gone.”
    “ What about his bride….what if she tried to trap him?”
    “Not likely….I don’t think Regina wanted her family ’s blood tainted with ours.” Upon seeing Kathleen raise her eye brow he explained. “There’s a no sexual contact clause in the contract, I think she put that in specifically for her granddaughter to prevent her from getting any ideas of making the marriage permanent.”
    “I see .” Kathleen said suddenly despising this woman. She already had a low opinion of any woman who would sell out her granddaughter just to save her family’s name; then again she also wondered what kind of woman would agree to marry a total stranger. She wasn’t as certain as