7. Tommy
7
TOMMY
S he loves me. Kate loves me.
The weight of her words crushes me, a relentless pressure against my ribs as I sit at my desk. Her confession, defeated and unguarded, echoes in the hollows of my office, bouncing off the cold glass walls with a taunting persistence.
I rake a hand through my hair for the hundredth time this morning, the salt and pepper strands a testament to the years that separate us, to the barriers that should exist but I won’t allow. My heart is a traitor and beats only for her. I’m torn between my bond with my oldest friend and the love I feel for his incredible daughter.
I want to let her go. I should. I need to.
I can’t.
I can’t live without her now that I’ve experienced real happiness for the first time. Life is sweeter when she’s with me and I’d be a damn fool to give that up.
I stand, a decisive motion that scatters papers from my desk. They flutter to the ground like the remnants of my restraint, but I refuse to wait another minute. I love my friend, but I love Kate more. And I’ll make him see that no one could ever be a better man for his daughter than I am.
I grab my keys and my wallet, then rush to my car. On the way, I dial my assistant to help me with my newly formed plan.
“Hi, Mr. Sinclair. You sure left in a hurry.” Nadine chuckles nervously. “Did I miss an appointment on your calendar?”
“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day.”
“But it’s not even eight thirty yet. You have a full schedule,” she protests.
“I’m sorry, Nadine, but I don’t have a lot of time. I need you to book me on the next flight to Chicago. I don’t care what airline or what seat you put me in, just get me on a damn plane. Book a private flight if you have to. I need to get there as soon as possible.”
“Oh! Okay, um… I’ll make it happen, sir.” Her tone lacks confidence but she’s never failed me. That’s why she’s been my assistant for the past four years.
“I’m counting on you, Nadine. This is important. And have a private flight on standby ready to bring me back to New York this afternoon.”
“This afternoon?” she questions, but I’ve no time to explain.
“If you can make this happen for me, I promise to buy you that Hermes bag you’ve been looking at for months.”
“How did you?—”
“I’m the CEO. I know everything.” Not true. I actually overheard her talking about it with some of the other women in the break room. I make a point to listen to the people around me, and that’s how I’m able to give the best gifts. “I’m headed to the airport. Just send all the details to my phone. See you when I get back.” I end the call and speed to LaGuardia, breaking about fifty traffic laws on the way. I’ll gladly pay for a million tickets if that’s what I have to do to get Kate back.
Landing in New York hits me like a punch to the gut, but it’s all for her. Everything is for her. I half-jog through the private airport with a single-minded focus as images of her smile and the sound of her laugh echo in my mind.
Nadine went above and beyond and had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for me as soon as I returned. I think that warrants me buying her a wallet to go with her new bag, because she’s a damn good assistant, and I don’t mind rewarding her. The drive home is a blur, and before I know it, I’m under the steaming-hot spray of the shower in my penthouse, washing away the last six hours I’ve spent on two different planes, travelling between two cities.
Dressed sharply in a charcoal suit that fits my muscular body just right, I scrutinize the man staring back at me in the mirror. Is he worthy of her?
He fucking better be, because I can’t afford to fuck this up.
I grab the keys to my Audi R8 and slip out the door with anticipation zinging through me like electricity. When I arrive at Kate’s building, I sign in at the main desk, and the receptionist directs me to the sixteenth floor. The elevator dings and my heart stutters when I step into the sleek lobby of CyberTech Communications. Her colleagues’ heads turn as I move, their whispers sparking into a wave of murmurs. They’re either gossiping about my face or the giant bundle of white roses I’m carrying. Either way, let them talk. It’s not the first time people have gossiped about me and I’m definitely about to give them something good to talk about.
There’s a large, frosted-glass desk straight ahead and a well-dressed older woman stands as I approach. “Thomas Sinclair to see Kate Roush,” I announce, my voice steady and confident.
“Thomas Sinclair…” She repeats my name, mulling it over as she tries to place where she’s heard it before. Then her eyes go as wide as dinner plates. “Thomas Sinclair of Quantum Investments?”
I give her a debonair smile. “That’d be me.”
“Oh! Well, alright then.” She clutches her pearls while gathering her composure. “One moment, please.”
It takes all I have to remain rooted in place and not dart past her to find Kate myself. The old dear doesn’t keep me waiting long, though, and quickly escorts me to the woman I’m looking for.
She keeps glancing back at me as I follow behind her through the maze of cubicles surrounded by several glass offices along the walls. I give her a wink, and I swear she blushes before turning back around with an extra sway to her hips. She’s a charming older woman, I’m sure, but no one exists for me other than Kate.
After walking through several corridors, we come to a quieter area of the massive office space, and I finally see my girl. There she is, sitting in the midst of her domain, her fingers flying across her keyboard as she stares at three computer screens.
“Hi, Kate. You have a special visitor,” my escort announces.
“Thanks, Martha. Who is it?” Kate chuckles, as my face is hidden by the four dozen flowers I’m holding.
“I think I’ll let you find out for yourself,” Martha muses before pivoting on her sensible heels and heading back to her desk.
Kate peeks around the massive bouquet, and shock contorts the features of her pretty face.
“Hi, honey,” I begin, my voice filling the space between us before we’re interrupted by several of her coworkers whispering across their cubicles.
“Who’s the hottie in the suit?”
“Shush! I can’t hear them!”
“What did he say?”
Kate rolls her eyes, then turns back to me. “Oh my God! Tommy! What happened to you?” She pushes the flowers aside to get a better look at me.
“Your dad happened.” I laugh, still feeling the sting of the punch my best friend delivered to my face only a few hours ago.
“What?” she exclaims, taking the roses from my hands and setting them on her chair. “When did you see my dad?”
“We had a nice little chat earlier today, and I got to find out firsthand that his jab is still as good as it ever was.”
Kate brings her warm palms to my cheeks, and I close my eyes, leaning into her touch. She tilts my chin to the left then the right, while she examines my new black eye. It hurt like a bitch, but I’d take the hit again if it got my friend to speak to me and begrudgingly forgive me.
“Earlier today? You went back to Chicago?” Her brow wrinkles and her gaze narrows.
“I had to talk to him. This whole thing has been eating me alive since the moment he walked in on us.”
Her smooth cheeks turn a subtle shade of red as she remembers our last night together. “So he hit you? My dad? Geoff Roush?” She acts as if we’re discussing a stranger.
“Yes, honey. Your dad. The man owns a construction company, Kate. I assure you he knows how to handle himself. He’s only a teddy bear to you.”
She snorts a laugh, imagining her father as a human-size plush toy. “I’m confused.” She shakes her head. “You flew all the way out there just to turn around and come right back. Why?”
“For you. For us.” I desperately want to pull her hips to mine, but I can tell she’s not ready for me to touch her yet, as she stands with her arms crossed over her ample chest. “Some things are better said in person, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Hmph.” A noncommittal sound is all she gives me, so I continue.
“I had to apologize in person. He’s my best friend and he deserves that much. I know I should have told him about us from the beginning, but honestly, I never planned for it to go any further.”
“I see.” Her response is clipped, a stark contrast to her usual melodic tone.
“I couldn’t stay away. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
Her features soften and I think I’m getting through to her. That is, until we’re reminded we have an audience.
“She should make him beg,” one of the women hisses.
“Quiet, Doreen. I can’t hear.”
“I’ll take him if she doesn’t want him?”
“Is he who I think he is?”
Kate huffs, and I know I better move fast before she kicks me out of her office so everyone can get back to work.
“I love you,” I blurt out, and her eyes widen again. “You walked into my life with your fire and brilliance, and I knew I had to have you. That one taste in Miami was not enough.”
Someone whispers, “What happened in Miami?”
“Hush, girl. I’ll tell you later,” someone else answers.
Kate rises on her tiptoes and looks at them over the low cubicle walls. “Can you let the man finish without your commentary, please?” she scolds, and I stifle my laugh.
“I love you, Kate. I love the way you challenge me, the way you care so fiercely about everything and everyone. You’re funny, and smart, and kind, and so fucking sexy I can’t stand it. Please forgive me,” I beg as I hold her gaze.
Tears well in her blue eyes and it feels like a stab in the chest, knowing I’m the one who put them there. “But you said?—”
“I was only trying to do the right thing. I swear.” I reach for her hands and she places her palms in mine. “I’ll do anything for your forgiveness, baby. I never meant to hurt you or make you think I didn’t want you.” Then I drop to my knees, earning myself a collective gasp from her coworkers. Guess they’ve never seen a man grovel before. “I promise to spend every day proving that you are my beginning and end. My reason for everything. You’re the love of my life, Kate.”
The silence is deafening and the tension in the room is palpable as we all hold our breaths and wait for her response. Her face is passive, and fear begins to creep in as I worry I’ve ruined all chances with her. Then she’s moving, crashing into me in a flurry of blond hair and soft curves. Her arms wrap around my neck, and our lips meet in a kiss that seals promises and mends the fractures of my once-guarded heart.
Cheers erupt around us, and the sound of Kate’s angelic laugh fills my ears and warms my heart. “I love you too.” Her absolution is sweeter than any victory I’ve ever known.
I surge to my feet, taking her with me and cradling her body against mine as I swing her around. A few tears roll down her face, but her smile is big enough to see from across the room. It matches mine, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be with this woman.
Everything else fades into the background as I set her on her feet. “Think you can cut out a little early today? I need to properly make this up to you.”
“Take her!” someone yells, and we all share a laugh.
I lean in so only Kate can hear me. “Oh, I’m gonna take you, alright. Daddy’s missed you, baby.” I can feel her cheek heat as it’s pressed to mine while I tug her earlobe between my teeth. “Shall we give them a finale?” I tease before leaning back to see her face.
“You mean… something like this?”
There she is. There’s the sassy girl who makes my heart skip a few beats. Then Kate lifts her hands to the sides of my face and pulls me down to hit me with a soul-shattering kiss.
Mocking kissing sounds mix with oohs and claps from the office ladies, forcing us to part with a laugh.
“Grab your stuff, baby. I’m taking you home.”