Chapter 37
K NOCKS STRUCK AGAINST the door to Carrah’s bedroom before it opened and Dominic popped his head inside. “You rang?” Carrah shushed her little brother and pulled him inside her room. “Where are you going?” He strolled over to the foot of her bed where she had a duffel bag packed to the brim.
“New York,” she whispered over her shoulder before taking off to the bathroom and coming back with a few more toiletries she stuffed in her bag as Dominic watched with big eyes. “I need you to take me to the airport this evening.”
Before Dominic had the chance to respond the wall speaker crackled. “Carrah, Dad wants you to come downstairs now, please.”
They both gave an audible sigh as Carrah’s attention went to the bag by her bed. She truly didn’t have time for this. She needed to get to Chris. After the last few days and then hearing his voice yesterday, going to his New York office became her mission. He deserved to know that she loved him and could not imagine life without him.
“Do you know why I rarely attend or chime in at family meetings?” Dominic asked, and it made Carrah refocus.
“Because you don’t care?”
“Actually, I do. I wholly know if I answer, then it’s always expected of me regardless of what I want.” He sighed. “You want to leave but can’t because you’re expected to be at this meeting. Oh, and FYI, when I was downstairs earlier, neither Dad nor Mom were in good moods since most of their friends keep asking what happened at the Red Party.”
A huff escaped her as she gathered her bags and placed them by the door. “Well, there’s a surprise.”
“Ahh, but it is.” Dominic gave Carrah a foolhardy grin. “They never expected you to be the one to bring scandal. That was my job.” He winked and Carrah couldn’t help laughing while hating that anything associating her with Chris was perceived as a scandal. “Don’t not go, Carrah. Stop denying your happiness for a company that only takes. You’ve given Noir everything. It’s okay to have something for yourself. Let me know when you’re ready to go to the airport.”
Dominic left imparting wisdom that she never counted on coming from her younger brother. A few minutes later, she followed after making herself presentable. Beau and her father were waiting along with her mother in the study.
“You wanted to see me?” She stepped in, garnering the three’s attention.
“Yes.” Her father smiled and pulled her deeper into the room. “We’ve just heard from Chauncy and his attorney. They want to meet to discuss the venture. Miles is attending as well so we think it would be a good idea for you to come and be ready to present or speak on any questions they may have. We need to get this finalized.”
Carrah dropped her father’s hand. Whatever it was they wanted to say about a so-called scandal was pushed to the wayside. It no longer had a bearing on their ability to execute business as usual. Once they solidified this venture she was done. She could no longer be a pawn in a game while watching her life turn into figments of an imagination, as Mr. Chennault had warned. Besides, her memory of Chris owed him more. She couldn’t have reached this point without him.
“Is something wrong, darling?” her mother asked, and came to her side. “You seem unhappy.”
Four days later her mood was finally noted by her mother. Not a one of them seemed to consider that maybe she was hurt. She would return the same uninterested energy once she gave her farewell to the company. “I’m fine. When is the meeting?”
“In a few hours at their building downtown.” Beau’s words spun her around, making her relive the times she’d been there with Chris. She closed her eyes and counted to three. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t she be? That blunder at the party is water under the bridge. Chauncy doesn’t seem to be holding on to any grudges, so why should we? It’s time to focus on the future of Noir.”
“Is that all you care about, Dad?” Carrah finally pulled through the fog and looked at her father. She wouldn’t miss her flight tonight or the chance to be the captain of her heart. “It’s forever and always about Noir. You never bothered to understand what happened at the party or how I felt about it. Only that I made a spectacle with our family’s rivalry that garnered unsavory attention.
“But now it seems that rhetoric has changed since the Chennaults are still agreeing to collaborate with you on a product I created… oh, but wait, it isn’t mine because it belongs to Noir.”
“Carrah, I beg you to stop.” Her mother stood and came to her. She took her hands. “We need to close this deal, and we need you to do it. Nothing has changed between our families. This is business.”
“Is that how you compartmentalize the fact that Miles looks like Dad?” She eyed her mother and then glanced to her father, who remained staunch. She feared more than ever that the words of his longtime rival had been spot-on. “I will do my part for this family as I always have. However, once the deal is cemented, I intend on resigning.” She turned away from her family and left the study to prepare for meeting the Chennaults.
After hearing Carrah’s voice on the other end of the phone yesterday and then learning from his siblings that she had come by their family home, he realized that the world he’d created in which he was attempting to forget her collided with the one that needed her. However, it wasn’t enough. The courage she gained to find him would leave again if her parents had their way. Proof was in the fact that her agent had called and made him aware that Carrah declined to sign an updated deadline schedule. A problem for him to navigate since she was still, in fact, his client.
And now this. The SOS his father sent late last night demanding his presence today for an unexpected meeting with the Andrewses over the joint venture had him on edge. He’d left the Shores to get away from Carrah and now a meeting like this would pull him back into her orbit. It was a place he didn’t care to be for fear of losing himself again.
He pulled up to the downtown building about ten minutes later than the meeting’s start time and quickly exited his car and went up to the suite. The temporariness of the suite mocked him, reminding him of how his time with Carrah had been the same. Voices from the conference room lulled him from that dark place. He invoked the teachings of his mother, remembered this was business, and put on his game face.
People hurt you only if you wore your heart on your sleeve. A mistake he’d made with Carrah Andrews, and it was not to be repeated.
“Christopher,” his father boasted with natural pride as he stopped in the door. The players at the table were different this time around. Not as many and not less important. Carrah was present with her parents, brother, and their attorney. His father had only brought their attorney. “Here, take your seat next to me.”
Chris greeted everyone purposely avoiding eye contact with Carrah, and sat between his father and their company attorney. When he glanced up, she was staring at him from across the table. She was beautiful as ever with glowing skin and those almond eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. His heart couldn’t take the punishment, and so he focused back on his father.
“As I was saying,” Chauncy continued, “I am glad we could meet before drawing up the formal paperwork. Present-day circumstances have forced me to dwell in the past for much longer than I should.” He directed his attention to Melvin. “I in good conscience cannot submit to a joint venture with Noir Cosmetics.”
“May I ask why?” Melvin shouted over the audible shock that bounced around the room.
Chris perched up from his seat and focused on his father. He was intrigued by this sudden change of heart.
Chauncy’s gaze darted into the other man. “My intentions of this transaction were not honorable. I planned to take advantage of your financial situation and exact revenge for the way you tore Noir apart and treated my sister. My son disagreed. His shame over my actions reminded me that revenge wouldn’t change what you did or the fact that my nephew, Miles, is yours and Hannah’s son.”
Camille clutched her chest, shaking her head. She scooted her chair out and then went to Chauncy. “When I first saw your nephew, he reminded me of a younger Melvin, and it hasn’t sat right with me since. Now I know why.” She fingered a tear from the corner of her eye.
Chauncy pointed to Melvin. “He couldn’t keep his hands off my sister even after your daddy gave him keys to the kingdom.” Chauncy then softened a bit and looked Camille in the face. “Claudette and Hannah never forgave you for intentionally breaking his and Hannah’s engagement, Milly. The unwed pregnancy stained my sister’s reputation and created a rift between her and our parents.”
Camille’s face melted into tears. Her sobs became louder before Carrah stood and went to comfort her mother. “All this time I believed Hannah ended things with you. I lost two best friends. Is it true, Melvin?” Her father didn’t answer. “Is it true?” she screamed.
“That I loved Hannah and continued to see her after we were married, yes.” Guilt clung to him. “That I knew she was carrying my son, no.”
“How old is Miles?” Camille’s voice trembled.
“A few months older than Aubrey.” Chauncy remained astute, and Chris finally understood why revenge was his father’s answer for Melvin’s crimes. Still he didn’t agree because it would not change anything, only bring more pain. “Miles is unaware. Hannah thought it best due to Melvin’s nature to manipulate situations for his benefit and greed.”
Melvin got to his feet and moved around to where Chauncy stood, then walked up into his face. “Neither you nor Hannah had a right to keep this from me. Now you want to deny a business venture because I have a son I didn’t know about?”
“You see, you keep making this about you. Look at them.” Chauncy pointed to Chris and Carrah, who were lost in each other’s gazes. “They are why I cannot exact revenge or keep the fact that you and Hannah have a child a secret any longer. It will ruin us all. My son and your daughter don’t deserve to reap sins of the father.”
Camille cleared her throat. She straightened her dress and primped her hair after dabbing a wet sheen from her eyes. “I was a fool back then to how much you loved Hannah. I thought my family’s money and status within the old guard was enough. I was wrong, and though it happened a long time ago, I can’t turn a blind eye to your infidelity or the way our daughter looks at a boy who never had to be her rival.” Camille glanced at Carrah and then followed her line of sight back to Chris.
“Milly,” Chauncy started, “if Claudette were here, I’m not sure what she would say. What I do know is that somehow in the midst of all our bullshit, our children found a way to mean something to each other. They’ve given both our families back a lost legacy that is worthy of rebuilding. I will gladly work with you to restore Noir to its greatness.”
She considered his words then stole another look at Carrah and Chris. “Our fathers would celebrate our children, Ace. They did what neither you nor I could and reclaimed the bond that has existed between the Chennault and Chàvous lineage from before we were born.” A smile curled her lips, “Thank you. We are not too proud to accept your help. You and I will work together since, effective immediately, I’ll be resuming operating control of Noir.”
Melvin fumed. “Wha—”
“I missed you,” Carrah proclaimed as though she were speaking from the top of the mountain to people in a valley. She was done avoiding what she needed to say to Chris. He didn’t shy away, nor did anyone else. They were all watching her. “I called to tell you I was sorry a thousand times, but you never answered. And then when you called back… it wasn’t you.”
That business shield of armor cracked. The sincerity of her words coupled with the way she looked at him made him acutely aware of the truth she spoke and the stronghold she had over his heart.
He cleared his throat. “We can talk after.” Chris didn’t want an audience to witness his hurt. She’d broken a promise and that lingered.
Melvin took about four steps back. “So the rumors are true? He is the reason you won’t entertain Trent’s marriage proposal? Had you accepted, I wouldn’t have even stooped to ask for this joint venture.”
Beau glanced from Carrah to their father. “That is not the reason. You know that. Carrah told us why she doesn’t want to marry Trent, and I support it. Her happiness should mean something to us.”
“It should,” Melvin shouted, “but Noir—”
“Has always come first, Dad.” Carrah fidgeted with her hands. “I’m choosing me this time.”
“As you should, Carrah.” Camille squeezed Carrah’s hand. “I’m sorry it has taken me this long to understand. Your happiness is important. So tell me, what does Christopher mean to you?”
Carrah stared at Chris, hoping their hearts could find that secret place that had set them both free. “I’m in love with you, Chris.”
A tear slid down her cheek as his heart filled like a balloon in his chest. Words that he never wanted to hear from a woman had become music to his ears because she sang the song his soul recognized. Only, bitterness had settled within the crack of his heart from where she’d broken it.
“What helped you come to that realization?” His father nudged him under the table as Chris met her gaze.
“You told me once that I was afraid to live my happily ever after. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m here, right now, trying to fight for it because I love you… need you.” She broke into tears, and he pushed away from the table and went to her, pulling her into his arms.
“Perhaps we will leave you two alone.” Neither Chris nor Carrah acknowledged his father’s words.
Silence surrounded them like the sounds of darkness hiding secrets that needed to be set free. Maybe he had been a hardass for asking her to confirm her love. However, he needed to know, needed to be sure, before he submitted and confessed how utterly lost he was without her.
“Nothing else mattered without you. I didn’t breathe again until I saw you at that door.” She swallowed hard, fighting back tears as she clutched him tighter. “It took me longer than you to understand that I couldn’t be hostage to a rivalry that had existed since before we were born.”
“I know the feeling.” They came apart and he laced his fingers with hers. “You came when I least expected, but somehow needed.” The beat of his heart would have made a deaf man hear. The time he spent with Carrah had taught him how to give love without conditions, and he planned to do just that for the rest of his life. “You helped me breathe again. I was suffocating without you.”
He looked down into her eyes, and took her hand. He placed it against his chest. “Do you feel that?” She nodded and his forehead touched hers. “My heart belongs to you. I’m unexpectedly yours, Carrah Andrews.”
“Ditto,” she whispered. “I had packed my bags and bought a plane ticket to New York. I would have been on your doorstep this evening, begging you to forgive me and start over.”
He chuckled. “Oh, so you’re bold now.”
“For you, yes.” Her bashful admission made him weak. “You set me free.”
His brow arched, highlighting curiosity, as he pushed a wispy hair behind her ear. “You never told me that.” He scanned her quizzically. “Tell me something else I don’t know about you.”
She held her breath for a second and then closed her eyes before she said, “I don’t want to spend another summer in the Shores without you.” Without hesitation, Chris leaned in to seal her heady declaration with a kiss. Carrah reclined back, targeting him with a side-eye. “Fair exchange, Attorney Chennault.”
Chris nodded, enchanting her with those beautiful eyes. “I dreamed you were my wife.”
Their lips touched then teased and parted before he deepened the kiss, reaching to the essence of her soul. They were finally free of an unkind past, and now the way was paved for a future where he saw them starting a life together.
“Well,” she whispered, breathless against the flushed heat of his skin, “I can’t wait to see you make that one come true.”
“I told you that I wanted to give you everything you’ve always wanted and more. I mean that. I love you more than you could ever know.”