Chapter 7 #2
A second round of applause pulled Michael back to the engagement party.
He looked down at Paige and was surprised by a flood of tenderness.
Thinking back to the day they met reminded him of why he was here tonight celebrating their engagement.
He had loved her since that first day, maybe even from that first moment when their eyes met across the crowded room at the dean’s house.
He kissed her as the orchestra played the final notes of the song he quoted in his proposal when he’d asked her what she was doing the rest of her life.
Responding to his unexpected kiss, Paige seemed almost startled.
The Admiral’s booming voice ended the moment. “Don’t they make a fine-looking couple?”
Their guests applauded.
Eleanor, lovely in a mauve evening gown, stood next to her husband.
“Paige’s mother and I would like to propose a toast to our daughter and future son-in-law.
I’m proud to say I was with Paige when she met Michael almost four years ago.
He’s a fine young man, and we look forward to welcoming him into our family.
Eleanor and I were delighted by their engagement, and we’re pleased you all could join us tonight to celebrate.
Now, you know Paige is our only child, so we’ve been known to dote on her a bit. ”
That’s putting it mildly, Michael thought, keeping an arm around her.
“The idea of her getting married and moving away breaks our hearts, especially when there are sure to be grandchildren before too long,” the Admiral said with a guffaw. The guests applauded again.
Michael looked down to find Paige’s cheeks pink with embarrassment.
“Anyway, I think we might have a solution to this geographical problem, but before we get into that, I ask you to raise your glasses in a toast to Paige and Michael. We wish you a long and happy marriage that’s blessed with many, many children!”
“Hear, hear,” the guests chimed in.
Because he knew he was expected to, Michael touched his champagne glass to Paige’s and kissed her. His stomach took a nervous dip when the attorney general joined Admiral and Mrs. Simpson on the stage. What’s this?
Derek Gantley shook hands with the Admiral and stepped up to the microphone.
“Congratulations to the happy couple. Michael, I’ve been impressed with your work in Maryland, especially on the Benedetti case.
There’s an assistant attorney general position opening up in Jacksonville, and I’d love to have you come to work with me.
What do we think? Wouldn’t Michael make a fine addition to the Florida team? ”
As the guests applauded, Michael’s arm dropped from Paige’s shoulders.
“I know you’ve got more important things on your mind tonight, Michael, but I look forward to talking with you soon,” Gantley said, shaking hands again with the Admiral.
“How about that?” the Admiral asked with glee.
Michael heard nothing but the roar of anger. “Did you know about this?” he asked Paige.
“I thought you’d be happy about it.”
“You thought wrong,” he said, making no effort to hide his fury.
“I need some air.” He headed for the French doors that led to a terrace overlooking the golf course.
One person after another called out their congratulations.
Nodding politely, he didn’t stop until he was outside.
On the terrace he paced back and forth, trying to control the anger.
Goddamn it! What a fucking operator the Admiral is!
He knew that by having the A.G. offer the job publicly, he made it all but impossible for me to say no.
Paige joined him on the terrace. “Michael? Michael, honey, please don’t be mad.”
He shook her hand off his shoulder. “This is how it’s going to be, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father will say ‘jump,’ and I’ll be expected to ask, ‘how high?’”
“You don’t have to take the job.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right. If I say no your father will be embarrassed in front of the same people he’s counting on to put him in Congress. Yes, I’m sure my future father-in-law would be delighted to welcome me into his family then.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Paige reached for his hand. “I don’t care where we live as long as we live together.”
He pulled his hand free. “I’ve already let him push me into one job I didn’t want.
I’ve given that one my all, and I’ve grown to like it.
I don’t want the job with the A.G., but more than that, I don’t want your father thinking he can make career decisions for me.
I’m not one of his sailors he can just order around. ”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t put a stop to it when you found out about it.”
Tears spilled from her eyes. “I just wanted you to be happy.”
“Give me a break, Paige! You weren’t thinking of me when you let this happen.” He shook his head in frustration and anger. “I need to get out of here.”
“You can’t leave your own party,” she said franticly.
“I can’t trust myself to be civil right now.”
“You’ll embarrass me if you leave me here alone. This is our engagement party, Michael.”
“Our engagement is off. I can’t marry you. It’d never work. I’m sorry.”
“Michael!” she cried as he walked to the terrace stairs. “Michael, please. I’m sorry.” When he didn’t stop, she screamed, “Michael, I love you! I love you!”
Moving through the darkness, his heart raced.
After he walked for several minutes, he finally left the sound of her choking sobs behind.
Did I really just break up with her? His hands felt clammy, and his stomach lurched.
Cutting through the golf course, he recalled making love with her the summer before in a dark corner near the sixteenth fairway.
At the Simpson’s house, he found the key they kept hidden in the lanai that covered the pool.
He punched Paige’s birth date into the security system to shut off the alarm.
In the great room he poured a shot of whiskey and downed it.
After two more shots, the liquor finally did its job, and his heart stopped racing.
Reaching up to his collar, he tore off the bow tie and went into the kitchen to use the phone.
Ten minutes later, he slammed the phone down after learning he had missed the last flight out that night and the next day was booked solid.
“Shit,” he said on the way upstairs to the guest room where he shed the monkey suit and took a long shower.
With a towel tied around his waist, he lay down on the bed.
The whiskey and champagne had given him a buzz, and the room tilted in a nausea-inducing spin.
He had ended it with Paige, and now he was trapped in her parents’ house.
What a nightmare, he thought, resting his arm on his forehead.
Once the shock of the night’s events lifted, the numbness wore off and Michael began to hurt. They’d had their problems, but he did love her, and suddenly all he could think about was just how much he had once loved her.
The Sunday after they met, he went to Annapolis for brunch with her parents. Afterward, they walked through the Academy campus and along the waterfront in downtown Annapolis. On the way back, Michael stopped her on a quiet sidewalk near the state capital.
“What time did I get here?”
“At eleven. Why?”
He looked at his watch. “Three hours ago.”
“Yes,” she said, confused. “Do you need to leave?”
“No, but I can’t wait one more minute for this.” Bringing her into his arms, he kissed her with abandon. He had done more kissing in public with her than in his whole life before her.
She shuddered. “Michael.”
“I love that shudder,” he whispered in her ear. “I love knowing I can do that to you.”
“That’s not all you do to me.”
Michael’s mouth went dry. “What else?”
“My stomach flips, my hands sweat, and I—”
He tightened his hold on her. “What?”
“I ache for you,” she said shyly.
“Where?” His voice was hoarse and rough.
She held his eyes with hers and tilted her hips against his erection. “Here.”
With a fierce groan, Michael buried his face in her fragrant hair. “Come home with me. Now.”
“It’s too soon. We can’t.”
“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.
I haven’t slept since I met you, Paige. You’re all I think about.
I can’t study. I can’t work. I can’t do anything but want you.
” He steered her into an alley between two colonial houses and pressed her against one of them to kiss her again, leaving her with no doubt as to how much he wanted her.
“Please,” he said, kissing her neck. “Come home with me. Let me make love to you.”
“Yes,” she panted, clinging to him. “Yes, take me home with you, Michael.”
He kissed her again and took her hand to run back to his car at her parents’ house.
They were breathless by the time they got there, and he waited with impatience while she hurried in to tell her mother they were going for a drive.
When she got in the car, he broke speed records driving to Georgetown.
In the elevator, he was almost afraid to touch her on the way to his sixth-floor apartment.
But once the door closed behind them, they were both hit with nerves they hadn’t expected.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She startled when he came up behind her. “Relax, honey. I was just going to take your coat.”
“I’m sorry.” She shrugged off her coat. “I like your place.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re a neat-nik.”
He shrugged. “I guess. Law school keeps me disciplined. I’m afraid if I let things slide, it’ll snowball on me.”
She picked up one of the textbooks on his desk. “Is it as hard as they say it is?”
“Harder.”
The word hung in the air between them.
She put the book down and turned to him.
“Come here,” he said. When her cheeks flushed with color, any doubt he had that he’d fallen in love with her faded away as she took the first tentative step toward him.
He met her halfway, put his arms around her, and held her tight against him.