Chapter Twenty-Three
AS THE WEEKS WENT BY, we eased into an uneasy pattern, at least for me.
We kept it professional at the office and passionate on the off hours and weekends.
With each passing day I wanted more and more to be just Kelli.
But I soon got an up close and personal view on why Ian was so adamant about keeping the two separated.
A few weeks after the accident, Ian and I were having lunch together.
I reveled in that hour every workday where I was Kelli and he was Ian, but that particular day he received a phone call from his attorney that he had to take.
I could tell right away the news wasn’t good.
I’m not sure I had ever seen Ian turn so red, and I won’t even talk about the swearing.
I was glad we were at the park and not at a restaurant.
He got up from our blanket and began pacing around while ranting to his attorney on the other end.
I sat there and watched. I knew better than to try and intervene.
After several minutes, he sat down and joined me again. I was afraid to even ask what that was all about, but I wanted to make it better for him. I reached up and placed my hand upon his still reddened cheek. “Ian . . .”
He reached up and touched my hand with his own and then slid it down my arm. “I didn’t mean to ruin our lunch.”
“Don’t apologize. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t want to involve you.”
I dropped my hand. “Why?”
His features softened, as did his tone. “Numbers eight and nine on your list.”
I half grinned. “I already know you come with a lot of baggage, buddy.”
“Well, that phone call just added to it.”
I took his hand in mine. “If you want us to be a couple, you can’t hold things back from me.”
He brought my hand up and kissed my palm. “Kelli, you know that’s what I want. Why do you think I moved to Nashville?”
“I thought you came to run Chandler,” I teased.
He pulled me to him and groaned against my ear. “Fine, apparently my ex-wife and Alexa have teamed up in an attempt to take more of my money. Alexa is now claiming we had an affair while she was at IAG and I was married.”
I pulled back and looked into his troubled eyes.
“Kelli, please tell me you don’t believe that,” he begged.
I ran my fingers through his hair. “Well . . . I know how you like blondes and big boobs.”
He pecked my lips. “You drive me crazy.”
“I know.” I grinned. “And I also know you didn’t have an affair with Ms. Manselle. But even if you did, not that I would be okay with it, what’s the fuss about? Didn’t your ex-wife cheat on you?”
“Marissa,” he snarled, “and I had a prenup in place. It kept our property separate, namely IAG and her family’s wealth.
The investment her father’s firm gave me was paid back with interest as agreed upon several years ago, removing any claim he might have on the company.
Of course, his venture capital firm that Marissa worked for still got a lot of leverage out of the success of IAG.
This was all well and good until IAG outperformed any of our expectations and our marriage went south.
My wealth increased as theirs decreased because of bad investments, and things just got out of control from there.
She’s lobbed accusation after accusation at me.
She’s desperate to get her hands on the money I received from selling IAG.
She’s trying to paint me as manipulative and a liar. ”
He was beyond tense. Every muscle in his face was tight. I moved, knelt behind him to rub his shoulders, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
He kept lamenting. “I already offered her a hefty sum, so she’ll go away, but I think this has become more of a vendetta for her. I never should have married her.”
I kept rubbing his back and shoulders while he kept ranting.
Next on his list was Alexa. I had a few choice words for her as well, although I kept them to myself.
Ian was doing a good enough job. It was also nice to hear him say what a mistake he made in bringing her here.
I couldn’t have agreed more, but again I kept my mouth shut.
There was no sense in making him feel worse.
He finally had it out of him. He reached up and grabbed my hands that were on his shoulders and pulled me over onto his lap. He searched my face silently for a moment. Worry lines were etched into his forehead. “Kelli, your name has been brought into it too.”
“What do I have to do with it?”
“They’re going to claim that I have a pattern of having affairs with women who work for me.”
I tugged on Ian’s tie and brought our faces as close as they could get without us actually kissing, which was coming, but first I had something to say. “Well, they just messed with the wrong Southern girl.”
Ian closed the small distance between us. He kissed me until I saw stars in the middle of the sun-filled day. As soon as I was out of breath, he kissed his way over to my ear. “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”
Oh, he had, and I knew he was waiting patiently for me to reciprocate. Someday I would, but not today. “I’m here for you,” was all I could offer.
“I know that, but this is my battle.”
I sat up and leaned away from him. “We’re a team now. If Alexa and Marissa want a fight, then we’re going to give them one. And I don’t plan on losing.” Alexa Manselle wouldn’t even know what hit her after I was done.
“Hell, you’re sexy.”
I leaned my forehead against his. “What’s the game plan?”
Ian was already planning to go to Colorado the following week for what he hoped was the final step in the litigation process, but now he wasn’t so sure.
I decided I would go with him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good idea in light of the accusations that were being tossed our way, but I was certainly not going to let someone drag my reputation through the mud and not have a say about it.
Besides, Ian had some great contacts in Colorado that we had been talking to.
This would give us the opportunity to dazzle them in person, so Ian eventually gave in.
Not like I was really giving him a choice in the matter.
I was looking forward to going back to Colorado. I missed it, and there was nothing like late springtime in the Rockies. I was hoping, too, that after the litigation ridiculousness there would be some time for romance. After all, Colorado is where it all started for us.
Ian was stressed out more than usual, which was saying something. He couldn’t stand not being able to predict or control the variables. I think he mentioned it was kind of like being in love with me, but horrible. I took that as a compliment.
We had Delfia set up some appointments for us in Colorado with two large banks.
This way, going together looked like it was a business trip, even though I was pretty sure Delfia didn’t believe it, just like she didn’t believe that we weren’t a couple.
I never said we weren’t, I just never validated her relentless claims. I knew we weren’t fooling her, but for Ian’s sake, I didn’t advertise it.
Of course, my family knew, and so did Boss and Holly. Ian felt he should be on the up and up with Gary about it. I wouldn’t have kept it from them anyway, they were like family to me. In fact, they weren’t surprised at all. I guess I was the only one who was.
Ian made all the travel arrangements. It was the first time I had ever flown first class, and it was the best flight I’d had to date.
I had forgotten what it felt like to be in a relationship that made every aspect of my life better, even mundane things like a flight.
I missed being able to talk to someone who I felt I could be just me with.
The ease and contentment I felt with him I’d never been able to duplicate with anyone else, and now, almost fourteen years later, he still made me feel that way.
The only downside was Ian was beyond tense.
He was worried about this ludicrous lawsuit.
It wasn’t the money that was bothering him.
No, what worried him was me. He felt this need to protect me, and I think he was more than ready to put this chapter of his life behind him.
He wanted to get rid of his baggage per se.
I tried to put his mind at ease that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Besides, I had a few tricks up my sleeve.
Marissa and Alexa were going to be sorry they messed with me and mine.
Ian let me have the window seat, and I couldn’t help but feel excited, even under the circumstances, when I saw the big, white, peaked rooftop of Denver International Airport.
It was the strangest looking airport I had ever seen, but oddly it made me feel, in a sense, that I had come home.
I turned and grinned at Ian. He looked past me out the window and smiled, too.
It was his only smile the entire flight.
“Have you missed Colorado?” I asked.
“I’ve missed being here with you.”
I’d missed it too. The more I was with him, the more I realized how much I truly missed him, missed us.
He was like the harmony to my melody, and together we created a more complete and richer sound.
I felt the more we were together, the more in tune we would become.
At least I hoped. I was still having a hard time separating our personal and professional lives.
While we were away, my plan was to be mostly Kelli and Ian.
Ian proved once again why he was the perfect boyfriend. We had just picked up our luggage in baggage claim when I heard two familiar voices call my name. I looked around to find Ian’s parents, Tony and Sheila.
I dropped my suitcase and hurried to them. “Tony, Sheila, what in the world are you doing here?”
They simultaneously hugged me. It was amazing to be in their arms.
Sheila kissed my head. “Ian told us you were coming to town with him, and it has been too long since we’ve seen you.”
My eyes began to water. “Yes, it’s been far too long.”
They looked almost the same as they had fourteen years ago, maybe a little more weathered and worn, but they were perfect in my mind.
Tony was an older, grayer, jollier version of Ian, and Sheila reminded me of Jamie Lee Curtis, with her short, gray, spiky hair.
She and Noelle shared the same mischievous gleam in their eyes as well as in their nature. Boy, had I missed them.
Ian sidled up to me carrying all our luggage. His parents stood back and beamed at us.
“It’s about time,” Tony said.
Ian put his arm around me. “I would say it’s long overdue.”
I leaned into him, but what I really wanted to do was grab his face and kiss him senselessly. It didn’t seem like the appropriate venue, but he had better watch out later. Ian did peck me on the lips. It would have to tide me over.
“Well, let’s get out of here so we can catch up,” his mom said.
Ian took my hand and Tony grabbed some of our luggage before we headed to our rental car. Sheila gave me one more hug. “It is so good to see you, honey.”
She had no idea how good it was to be seen.