Chapter 12 #2
He’d discarded his tie at some point earlier in the evening, but he was still wearing his tuxedo.
He finally slipped the jacket off his broad shoulders and laid it on the back of a chair.
“The real news from tonight is that the fire was set in Frederick’s suite.
The rest of the building is fine. We can go back to our rooms tomorrow.
I did talk to Frederick tonight, though.
He’s convinced the competition is trying to take him out. I told him I agreed.”
“I’m not surprised,” Knox said. “So, is he backing out? Giving up on acquiring his dad’s stuff?”
“Nope. Quite the opposite. He said he wants to meet tomorrow.”
“Meet?” Knox asked. “With us? What about?”
Jason’s face grew taught. “He didn’t give specifics. He said he had something we would want. And that he wanted to make a deal. He said he needed to arrange some logistics first.”
Knox looked equal parts confused and suspicious. “I don’t like it.”
“Me either. But he said I could pick the time and place. As long as it was after ten tomorrow morning.”
Both men stared at each other in silence for a few beats.
“Okay,” Knox said. “We can talk in the morning. I’m going to get some sleep.” He stood and pointed toward the hallway. “Which bed do you want?”
“I’m going to take the couch in here.”
“Okay, suit yourself.” He shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea. You’ll be further from Leland’s snoring.” He gave Tayla a wave. “Goodnight, Tayla.”
“Goodnight, Knox.”
He retreated through the dining area and down the hallway.
When her eyes found Jason’s, he was already looking at her. They were finally alone and, of all the things she was feeling, ‘sleepy’ was not one of them.
She heard Knox’s bedroom door shut.
Part of her wanted to run into Jason’s arms. But that wouldn’t be appropriate. She decided to unleash some of her questions. “Do you trust Frederick? About meeting tomorrow, I mean? You don’t think it’s some kind of trap?”
He smiled. “I like the way you think. But don’t give Frederick too much credit. No, I think he wants our help with something. And he thinks he can negotiate.” He shrugged. “We may not want to play ball with him, but I feel safe enough to see what he has to say.”
Tayla nodded.
“Listen,” he said. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier .
. .” He stepped closer to her, but a chair sat between them.
“I wanted to say I’m so sorry for everything Spencer put you through.
It’s unimaginable. The fact that you’re living your life with your joy and hope still intact is a huge testament to the kind of person you are. ”
She felt color rush to her cheeks. “Thanks. But now, you’re giving me too much credit.
The fact that I can get out of bed every day and have some semblance of sanity is nothing but a miracle.
God has given me so many reasons not to doubt him.
He’s proved over and over that he’s taking care of me, no matter how horrible life gets. ”
She tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. “And, hey, I want you to know . . . even though I know I made a huge mistake in marrying Spencer, I didn’t marry him for his money.”
“I didn’t suspect you did.”
“Most people would. I get that. But it wasn’t like that.
We met in Haiti, of all places. I was on a mission trip and he was doing some publicity for one of his charities.
And honestly, that’s what life was like during our whirlwind romance.
He traveled to areas in need, gave speeches in the states, raised money.
I went with him, learning about the needs in the area and helping with aid.
When he proposed . . . I thought I had the perfect life ahead of me.
He was nice then, and charming. My full-time vocation was going to be traveling the world, helping different ministries and charities the Carlisle family created or supported.
He said I could do so much good going in person to assess the needs on the ground.
Not long after we married, I realized he was only interested in the publicity those charities provided his business interests. ”
Compassion flooded Jason’s gaze. She was shocked at how comfortable she felt voicing this part of her past out loud.
She never imagined feeling this comfortable with another person.
She’d eked out some of these details to her therapist, and while it was helpful, she’d never felt as relaxed as she felt with Jason.
“It was beyond naive,” she continued. “It was absolutely reckless to marry him as quickly as I did. He painted a perfect picture of our life together, and I bought it. I’ve been paying for that decision for years. But it’s my fault. He didn’t force me to marry him.”
“Tayla, you can’t blame yourself. You—”
She held up her hands. “No. Don’t. You don’t have to say anything. I was just trying to explain . . . “
She felt emotion adding more color to her face.
She must be bright red by now. But the words kept flowing.
“Even if Spencer had succeeded, I’d be with Jesus now, and that would be more wonderful than I can imagine.
But . . . for some reason, God wanted me to survive that day.
He still has a purpose for me here. I’m not saying I know what it is, but I’m determined to try to live a life worthy of his grace. ”
Wow. Did she really just say all that out loud?
A mixture of awe and . . . something else swirled in Jason’s eyes.
She thought he was about to say something, but his jaw stiffened.
He walked around the chair and his arms enveloped her—like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Holding her, he lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, “You are amazing.”
She eased her head back to look him in the eye. “Not really. But I’m glad you think so.”
Her eyes betrayed the strength she wanted to show in that moment and allowed a few tears to fall. He brushed one away, then his hand slowed. He continued to wipe her tears, but at some point, his touch became a caress.
She hadn’t been conscious of where her hands were until she realized she could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm. Beating in rhythm with hers—a telltale rhythm as old as time.
His eyes asked permission. She had no idea what her expression looked like, but he must have read it correctly because he lowered his lips to hers, and heart-stopping fireworks ensued.
Sweet mercy. No one had ever kissed her like that.
Strength and passion balanced with tenderness.
A heart-pounding, head-swimming, breath-taking kiss.
She wasn’t sure how long it lasted. Long enough to leave her out of breath. But, to be fair, she felt out of breath when his hand first touched her cheek.
When their lips parted, he eased back and looked her in the eye again. Was she supposed to say something? Hopefully not. Because she didn’t know what planet she was on.
He didn’t say anything either. They just stood there for a few seconds in their shared silence. Trying to breathe normally. Unsuccessfully.
Eventually, he placed a light kiss on her forehead and whispered, “Goodnight, Tayla.”