Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
JAMES
I can’t take it in. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, and Ana stares at me with concern.
“I’m sorry, James, I realize you wanted to make your own way, but this was my brother’s idea.”
“Mikhail’s?”
She shakes her head. “No, Titus.”
“But why?”
I’m so confused, and she says gently, “Because you are a good man and because you care and will make a great CEO. You deserve this after what she did to you, and the charity is lucky to have you.”
“It’s too much.”
I still can’t process it all, and she reaches across and takes my hand. “How is it too much? You do all the work anyway and deserve the credit and the right to make the decisions. You are now in control of this charity and in your mom’s memory, you will make it the most successful charity in existence and help many worthy causes. There really isn’t anyone else for the job.”
I have no words. I can’t believe how lucky I was the night fate delivered Ana to me. I don’t deserve her. Far from it, in fact, and if she discovered what a monster I really am, she would reconsider that opinion.
I hate to dampen the mood and merely smile gratefully. “I owe you everything. What can I give you in return?”
“Brunch.”
Her smile almost blinds me as she reaches for my hand.
My life has taken a surreal turn lately, and this is another one of those occasions. I don’t do brunch. I never have and always considered it was for rich people, not for me. Even when I became the CEO of The Rose Foundation, I never took up the offers of social dining and events. I am uncomfortable in this world, but with Ana beside me, it’s easy. She makes life interesting and fun and as we head into the restaurant, I note many famous faces as they chat quietly in corners, hoping not to be bothered.
I am proud to walk beside Ana because she stands out like the brightest star among them. Her willowy body floats along on heels and her blonde hair touches the curve of her back, her green eyes flashing with wicked delight. She is so beautiful and I wonder why she is even trying with me. Especially after what she witnessed in the hotel room. Any normal person would run a mile, but not her.
We are shown to a table by the window and as the sunlight catches the lights in her hair, she resembles an angel.
I can’t tear my eyes away from her and she appears not to notice as she studies the menu, chewing her bottom lip as she contemplates her choices.
It gives me an uninterrupted view of the beauty I will never tire of gazing on and, as the waiter approaches, she sets the menu down and smiles.
“What are you having?”
“Whatever you choose. Surprise me.”
“You never looked, did you?”
She raises her eyes and I nod. “Guilty as charged.”
The waiter hovers, and she smiles. “Please may we order two smoked salmon bagels with hollandaise and two mimosas.”
As the waiter heads off, I shake my head.
“Why not coffee?”
“Because that’s boring.”
“But necessary.”
“So are mimosas.”
She giggles and I can’t stop myself from reaching out and lacing my fingers with hers.
“Tell me, Ana. What happens now? ”
I hate that I sound so needy, but it’s weighing heavily on my mind and for a second a shadow crosses her face and she whispers, “I must return to Russia. Titus has called an urgent family meeting and we leave tomorrow.”
My heart plunges off the cliff, and she says quickly, “I’m sorry, James. It’s unavoidable.”
“So, you’re leaving.”
My appetite suddenly deserts me, and she nods ruefully. “For now. It’s only a plane ride, though. I’ll be back as soon as this is settled.”
“How long?”
“I can’t tell you that but?—”
She lifts my hand to her lips and kisses it softly, her lashes batting in my direction as she whispers, “I am coming back. I promise you that.”
I would like to believe her, but I’m fearful when she returns home she will be caught up in her life and I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t come back because what is there here for her? A screwed up executive who needed her family to bail him out—twice and couldn’t defend her if her life depended on it. I have nothing to offer her but devotion, and that could wear off pretty damn quickly when somebody more deserving of her comes along.
I say nothing.
She doesn’t need to hear my reservations, but she does need to hear one thing.
“If you do return, baby, I will be waiting for you.”
“Will you, James?”
I love how her eyes light up, and she smiles with genuine happiness. “I really hoped you’d say that.”
“Of course I’ll wait. You are already everything to me, Ana, and while you’re away, I am going to prove to you and your family that I deserve you.”
“How?”
She cocks her head to one side and smiles sweetly and I physically ache to hold her right now.
“I will make The Rose Foundation thrive and the good causes we serve benefit even more. I will honor my mother’s memory and make you and Dylan proud and if you still feel the same when you return, I will make a home for us here but before you ask, I insist on some form of color to complement the white.”
This time I roll my eyes and she laughs out loud. “Do you want to know why every home we own outside Russia is the same, James?”
“It may be interesting to find out.”
“Because when you are born a Romanov, you live and breathe the business. There must be no distractions in any way at all. White is good. It shows everything. Every mark and every shadow. There is nowhere to hide with white and all the imperfections are in plain sight to be dealt with. It’s the way we do business. Nothing to hide and any problems are dealt with swiftly and easily. Nothing to distract us from what matters most and when we are away from our home in Moscow, we are away for business purposes.”
“What, no vacations?” I raise my eyes and she shrugs.
“Of course, but the business comes too. Back home in Russia, we have a very different home. Full of beautiful art, flowers, amazing furniture and an explosion of color. That is where we thrive. Where our lives make sense. It gives us the greatest pleasure because that is where our family is.”
“What if your brothers marry, or when you do?”
I am fascinated by her life and she smiles coyly. “Nothing will change. When you marry a Romanov, the business is part of the package. I’m guessing that’s why my brothers travel a lot. They get their privacy and their girlfriends get their man’s attention.”
“What happens when kids come along?”
She shrugs. “We will deal with that when they do. Mama will insist she’s on hand, although–” She falters and I note the pain cloud her eyes and she looks down and whispers, “I hate what Adele said.”
I squeeze her hand and whisper, “Of course you do. It’s not what you wanted to hear, but I have to ask, do you think it’s a possibility?”
The waiter arrives with our drinks before she can reply and as we wait for him to leave, I study the anguish on her pretty face.
“You think she’s telling the truth, don’t you?”
I answer the question for her and she sips the mimosa and then sighs.
“It makes sense. I mean, our home is security central. Nothing gets inside and everyone who does is screened and watched twenty-four seven. If something was slipped inside his food, it would have been picked up by the search on entering the premises, or the cameras that are everywhere.”
“It could be somebody else, on the inside, that is. What about the chef, the supplier of the food?”
“They have all been checked out and everything was analyzed.”
She sighs deeply. “Titus is going over everything again in finer detail with what Adele said in mind. He has called the family meeting and I’m scared its bad news.”
“Your mom?”
She nods miserably.
“What if it’s her, James? What do we do about that?”
She cuts a dejected figure, unlike the strong confident woman who walked in here beside me, and I whisper, “You will do what’s right for your family.”
Our food arrives and as we make small talk and eat, I hate the feeling that I’m losing Ana, because her mind is now back in Russia—back with her family and the outcome of her trip is uncertain. Without her, my future is uncertain because now I have her, I never want to let her go.