Chapter 8 #2
"Scotch, on the rocks," he told the bartender tersely as he took his seat.
"That Dean is no longer." Sliding onto the stool, he deliberately turned his back on the woman still bobbing around in the pool. "Do either of you find her attractive?"
Adam glanced over at the curvy blonde with appraising eyes.
"I am a connoisseur of women, and I can objectively say she's quite attractive.
" He lifted his Perrier with the twist of lemon and took a sip.
"Amber will have my head if I display the slightest interest." His lips curved slightly.
"And frankly, I think my wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. "
"Only second to my Kelly." To his absolute fascination, the mostly stoic Kane had a bemused look on his face. "Kindly remember that." They both turned their attention to Dean who was dividing his glance between them.
"Don't tell me you've joined the club?" Adam asked in amusement.
"What club might that be?"
"The one where we're completely and utterly monogamous."
"It seems that I have." He sighed softly.
The two men chuckled at his beleaguered expression. "Believe me, it has its perks."
*****
After being slaughtered at the poker game, he took his losings and went to his suite, declining the invitation from several of the members to go another round. He had just stepped from the shower when his phone rang.
He felt his heart doing a quick dive when he picked up the phone and saw her name.
Sliding the icon quickly, he sat on the edge of the bed and answered.
"Hi."
"Hi."
He fully expected her to be sulky and angry, but her cultured voice was warm, filling him with a sense of contentment. He was beginning to realize that the woman he was about to marry did not bear grudges. It made her very unique.
"How are you?"
Lonely without you. Out of place and out of sorts. Missing you like crazy.
Instead, he answered, "I was trounced at cards. They took me for several thousand dollars." Leaning back on the pillows, he stretched his legs out. "Fortunately, it's for a very worthy cause." He paused slightly. "Are we okay?"
"I am. Are you?"
He smiled slightly. "I'm getting there. I apologize for bailing like that. I suppose you're wondering if it's still a good idea to spend the rest of your life with someone like me."
"I don't know, Dean, you didn't tell me you were perfect and I happen to be in love with you."
He felt a jolt at those words that he had avoided his entire life. Words he had heard only in the context of lovemaking. Empty meaningless words spoken in the throes of passion as a way of getting him to propose. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that this one was meaningful.
"Catherine..." He barely recognized the sound of his voice.
"Just thought I would put it out there." There was a smile in that distinct voice of hers that warmed him from the inside out.
He had practically forced himself on her and after not getting his own way, he had simply walked away.
On top of all that, he had refused to call her.
For all that indignity, she was declaring her love for him.
He didn't deserve her, but oh Christ, he didn't care.
He was going to hang onto her until there was no longer any breath left in his body.
"Catherine..." He could not say the words. They were stuck inside his throat and refused to be released.
"Be mine," he whispered instead. "Please be mine."
"I already am," she told him gently. "I'll let you get some sleep..."
"No." He gripped the phone. "Talk to me some more. I just want to hear your voice. Tell me what you did today."
They spoke for more than two hours, and he found himself laughing when she told him about cleaning the house and Galahad tromping through after he had dug up a patch of dirt in the garden.
"I hope you meted out the appropriate punishment."
"I took him outside and doused him with some cold water, giving him a bath. I think he learned his lesson."
She spent another twenty minutes regaling him with some antics from some of her kids both at school and at church.
He waited until she had wound down before asking the question that was haunting him.
"Why?" he asked harshly.
"Excuse me?"
"Why aren't you angry with me? Lashing out. Is this the way it's going to be? I hurt you and you simply what? Forgive me and put it aside?"
She paused and he waited with bated breath, wondering if he should have just let it go. But he wanted to know.
"I'm not a pushover. But I don't think we should hold onto anger or pain.
I did that when I was a child and it almost destroyed me as well as my mother.
I swore to myself that it would never happen again.
Yes, I was hurt and angry, but I love you, Dean, and I know where you're coming from.
I'm here to change your mind about people, about love and relationships.
I want to be the person who makes a difference in your life. "
He swallowed the large lump that had lodged itself inside his throat and was not surprised to feel the tears burning the back of his eyes.
"I don't deserve you," he whispered hoarsely. "But I promise to do everything in my power to be worthy of you."
"What more can I ask for?" she asked tremulously. "Come home to me."
"I will," he vowed. "And I cannot wait."
*****
He decided the most wonderful thing he could do for her at the moment was to surprise her.
He hadn't told her he was leaving Sunday morning, hadn't given her any specifics concerning his plans to return.
The next morning, he woke the pilot from his slumber and within an hour and a half, he was at the private airfield.
He had showered and changed before he left.
The only thing left was to just show up.
A smile touched his lips as he visualized the look on her lovely face. She had not told him if she was going to the chapel, but he knew her well enough to realize that she took her commitment seriously. And she loved the children in her charge.
Children, he mused. Before now, the thought of being a father never entered his sphere of thinking. Until now, until he met her. Now he had every confidence that with her as a mother, he could do a fairly passable job at parenting.
She would make up for his considerable lack.
A frown touched his forehead as he wondered if somehow the bad genes had been passed down to him.
Martin Collier was a lousy father, and his grandfather had been one as well.
The Colliers were not only famous for making money and doing well in business, but they were notorious for their indiscretions.
Shaking his head to get rid of the nasty thoughts crowding his mind, he made the left turn that would take him to the small Baptist church.
The parking lot was crowded. Searching for a place to park, he found one near to her vehicle.
He could hear the singing going on. A glance at his watch showed that service had started a few minutes ago.
He had stopped attending the elaborate Catholic church when he was old enough to make his own decision.
His family were significant contributors and had been members for several hundred years.
Their name was on several plaques, and his parents, who pretended to be pillars of the community, never missed a service.
They were greeted as soon as they entered the lofty chapel, with the priest always mentioning the generosity and 'selfless' giving of the family.
It made him sick to his stomach when he thought of the hypocrisy.
He saw heads turning as soon as he made his way inside and was shown to a seat in the middle. He noticed her immediately. She was directing some teenagers onto the podium where they were going to be performing.
He had the extreme pleasure of looking at her.
She had worn a soft pink and white cashmere dress that outlined her very seductive curves.
Her hair was loose and tumbled past her shoulders to her waist. Her smile seemed to light up the entire surroundings.
He also saw that he was not the only one noticing her.
A surge of pride and possessiveness raced through him, and he had to tamp down the urge to stand up and declare to all and sundry that she belonged to him.
It wasn't until the young people had finished performing that someone whispered something to her that had her turning in his direction. The absolute stunned pleasure on her beautiful face made the hassle of waking up early and rushing back here worthwhile.
*****
Later, he further surprised her by taking her to their place for a picnic. Leaning back on the thick trunk of the sturdy oak tree, he passed his hand lazily over her arm as she nestled her head on his lap.
"You could have warned me," she murmured, content to just stay this way forever. When she looked around and saw him seated there, her heart had simply stopped, only to pick up again in rapid beats.
"And spoil the surprise?" He brushed back a coil of hair that had blown across her cheek. "You looked as if you had seen a ghost."
"I couldn't believe you came." She tilted her head to gaze at his beloved face. She had also felt pride at the way he looked. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome. How about taking a walk to get rid of some of the food we just consumed?"
"I would love that."