Tangled Hearts

by Tea DeLuca

  “I’ve eaten. I’m going to shower and pack.”

  “We have to be at the airport in a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “Are we going home, Daddy?”

  “We sure are, pumpkin, and I’ve got a big surprise for you when we get home.”

  “What is it?” she asked eagerly.

  “Wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” he grinned. He had even missed walking Rufus. He was more convinced than ever that they could be a family, but he hoped he wasn’t too late. He had a history with Mags and her heart. How far could the cowboy have gotten in less than a week?

  Chapter 53

  Maggie stared at the lake from a picnic table in her park. She missed the walks with Rufus, the apartment, and especially Mark. The day had warmed considerably, the humidity sapping her energy, but the need to put her life in motion drove her. Decisions had to be made with Mark returning tomorrow, and her strength would fail her if she saw him, if he touched her, and if she didn’t have a well thought out plan in place. She had asked Craig to meet her here at lunchtime deliberately. She didn’t want a long drawn out discussion. Just an agreement between them, a plan. She shook her head sadly. This wasn’t the way she had envisioned her future. Life decisions made with practicality in mind, with a definite sense of purpose, and with a security blanket to protect her from getting hurt. What had happened to the girl? What had happened to the spontaneity, the passion, the excitement of not knowing what was around the next corner?

  Craig approached her quietly and slipped onto the bench across from her. “Beautiful day.” She could see he was nervous, clueless as to why she had called this meeting. And that was exactly what it was, negotiations. She set the black box on the table between them, and the stone glittered in the bright South Carolina sun.

  She cleared her throat. Her thoughts were crystal clear. “You’ve mentioned moving in with you and exploring a trial period to see how we mesh together with the kids and everything.”

  His hands stretched across the table, but hers lay in the skirt of her sundress in her lap. “We’re already doing things as a family, Magnolia. Ryan’s games, Tammy’s dance, the barbecues with friends and family, my folks loved you. It’s all gone well.”

  He was almost right. He had stopped by for an hour last night. Her father was in some kind of mood, not his usual self. He barely spoke to Craig then left the room and didn’t return. “You also asked me to marry you.”

  “I hoped in time you’d agree to that.”

  He didn’t say he loved her, because he didn’t. His heart was still Elizabeth’s, and she couldn’t fault him for that. Mark securely held hers forever. “A trial period isn’t a commitment, Craig. We’re not trying to make this work. You can say no if you want, but I think we should get married and give it our best shot.”

  He reached for her hand and kissed the knuckles. “Yes, it would send the right message to the kids, too, about commitment and about sleeping around. Do you have a date in mind?”

  She forced her eyes to his. She’d get past the pain. She’d make this work, and she’d release Mark to love again and find the right woman for his daughter. “In a month. Small wedding at the chapel. I think that would be appropriate. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s great.” He took the ring, no words, no gesture and slipped it on her hand. “When do you want to move in?”

  Maybe this was a cop-out, but he had to buy the next part. “After we’re married, I’ll move in, and we’ll sleep together, not before.”

  He smiled and blew out a breath. “It’s going to be a long month.”

  “Anticipation is part of the joy,” she teased. “Can we get away for a couple of days? I can’t leave the store for long, and you probably can’t leave the garage, but a couple of days, maybe up the coast.”

  “How about New York? Never been. Five-star hotel, sightseeing, and dinner and dancing?”

  She would have rather been on the beach, but… “Sounds wonderful. Can you take care of that?”

  “Sure.” He came around the table and pulled her into a hug and a kiss. “I’ve got to get back. Talk more later. Okay?”

  She nodded and watched him walk back to the street to his car. Mark would be livid, but in the end, she was right about this. Someday he’d see it, too. She brushed away the tears, left the park, and lingered a minute at the sight of the apartment building on the street. It was the past and behind her now. Her future was Craig. Her mother would be so glad.

  Chapter 54

  She didn’t expect him to come right from the airport with Liddy in tow and barge into her shop. She was already having second thoughts, but the sight of the little girl, firmly holding his hand and the puppy tucked in tight to her chest confirmed her worse fear. She was doing the right thing.

  Liddy circled the desk, her eyes traveling over the top. Mags smiled and pulled a sugar cookie from her drawer. “How was Italy?”

  She filled her mouth with the cookie and smiled up at her father. “I like the ice cream best.”

  “I’m sorry. I had to bring her, but we need to talk today.”

  She nodded. “I know. After work?”

  She was too agreeable; he expected resistance, and it made him nervous. “More flowers from the cowboy?”

  “Yellow roses this week.”

  “No red?” Mark said sarcastically. “You used to be into what the color of flowers meant. Yellow is friendship, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “It’s just a flower.”

  “Not even your favorite flower, not a sweet vanilla Magnolia or a …”

  She interrupted him quickly. “Not important. So, do you want to meet after work about six?”

  Something didn’t feel right. “Meet me at the pier. We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Not the pier,” the color draining from her face. “Somewhere else.”

  “The pier where we met. Remember, Mags? I was with some chick, and you were with a couple of girlfriends taking that boat ride. By the time the boat docked, I had your number, and three months later we moved in together.”

  It had been crazy. He kissed her on the first date, they slept together on the second, and they exchanged I love yous when they moved in. They were young and excited, and life didn’t get any better for three years till they got engaged. “The pier then. That’s fine.”

  Mark dropped off Liddy with Stacy then picked up an excited Rufus and took her home. He walked the dog then unpacked, trying not to anticipate his meeting with Maggie. Craig was obviously still in the picture, but he intended to change that today, intended to make her a part of Liddy’s life, and intended to make love to her all night long till she agreed to be his heart forever.

  He had all the arguments covered. She’d understand his concern for his daughter, and he’d make her see Melissa hadn’t meant anything to him. Nothing happened in Italy, because he wanted her. They could work this out.

  Nervously, he showered and dressed casually in cut-offs, arriving at the pier a little before six. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride, and the early evening cruise boat was filling rapidly. He smiled as he remembered how she had caught his attention that day. It wasn’t the t-shirt and shorts or the flipflops and ponytail. Before he even saw her, her laughter, clear and sexy, slid over his skin like a silky lotion. She was inches away from him, but he was distracted by the little blond that didn’t want to go on the ride. When he settled in his seat and saw her, he was mesmerized by the wind lifting that long dark hair behind her, the curve of her ample hips, the lift of her smaller breasts, and those eyes, the deepest blue, penetrating, staring back at him. He nearly knocked a teenager down, getting around him to get her number. Yes, this is where they would talk.

  A few minutes later she crossed the parking lot to the pier. She had changed into a light blue sundress. Beautiful, but determined, she moved toward him. He felt the tension, the way her shoulders squared to do battle, the way her eyes refused to meet his. He took her ha
nd, fingers naturally threading together. She didn’t resist, didn’t argue as he pulled her toward the water. This talk proceeded for seconds, minutes without words with their hearts, reaching, wanting. She finally broke the silence.

  “I have something to tell you.”

  “Me first,” he said, turning her around to face him. “I screwed up, Mags. I kept some things from you, but I had my reasons. I want you to understand so we can start over.”

  She pulled away, and the sun reflected off the stone on her hand. “Mark.”

  He didn’t hear her. His gaze locked on her hand, the one with the solitary engagement ring. No, she wasn’t marrying the asshole. Rage filled him as he fought for control. “You are not!”

  “I’m marrying Craig at the end of the month,” she said softly. “That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

  “No. Why? You don’t love him, Maggie. You love me. We belong together.” He sat beside her on the sand.

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I do love you, but we’re no good together. We’ve tried twice, and it just doesn’t work.”

  He rested his arm around her shoulder. “Ask me,” he said angrily.

  “Ask you what?”

  “I know you want to know. Ask me if I slept with Melissa in Italy, because I didn’t. I never touched her, because all I could think about was you. Did you sleep with Craig while I was gone?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  Her hand tentatively touched his cheek, but she pulled back quickly. “No, but this isn’t about Dr. Stratton or Craig. It’s not my business who you’ve been with, who you married, or the women you may have seen in between. We didn’t have a commitment when you left on your trip. That’s not the problem.”

  “We did have a commitment,” he argued. “That’s why I didn’t have sex with her. It’s why my ex-wife still blames you for the reason our marriage didn’t work, because I wanted you.”

  “It’s not Melissa that’s the problem. It’s Liddy.”

  “Mags, I can explain. Any woman I’d bring into my daughter’s life I’d have to be cautious. I have to protect her.”

  “I know.” She rose and put a few steps between them. “But I’m not any woman. You haven’t trusted me since we reconnected. You straight out told me there were no secrets between us. You lied for good reason, I guess. Any other woman you would have told you had a daughter, kept her at bay till you were sure of the relationship, then introduced her slowly. You didn’t even tell me you had a child, and I wonder how long you would have waited if we hadn’t run into each other in the park. Till Liddy was in high school? College? Married? You didn’t trust me enough to just say it. I wouldn’t have pushed to meet her till you were ready.” She moved a step closer, wanting so much to touch him. “You’re a wonderful father, Mark. I always knew you would be, but this isn’t something we can get past. You don’t trust me to love you and Liddy. We’ll never work.”

  He stared at her in stunned silence as she moved past him and headed back towards the lot. “No,” he shouted after her. He grabbed her arm as she reached her car. “You’re wrong. Liddy likes you, and you have good instincts with her. We can make this work. You can’t settle for a loveless marriage with Craig, because I made a mistake.”

  “I’m marrying, Craig.” Anger replacing the hurt. She had to get away.

  “No, damn it. You’re not, and you’re coming with me.” He firmly held her arm above the elbow and tugged her to his car.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Get in. Get in,” he repeated, “or I’ll put you in.” His eyes dark as his mood. His stance defying her to reject him.

  She slid onto the warm seat. “Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere you’ve never been. I should have taken you there a long time ago.” He pulled out of the lot. His knuckles white on the steering wheel. Neither spoke as the landscape sped by. Finally, he parked in front of an old building of about five floors. It was walking distance to the park and close to where she had lived.

  “What is this?” she asked again. He ignored her, taking her hand and guiding her to his second-floor apartment.

  “Come on in,” he directed as he made his way to the refrigerator. “Careful of Liddy’s toys. Can’t seem to get her to pick them up.”

  Mags bit her lip and studied the room. “Makes you feel like she’s here. That’s why you don’t pick them up.”

  She knew him too well. “Want something to drink?” He took a long drink of his beer.

  “No, I don’t belong here, Mark.”

  He eyed her angrily but tapped it down. He’d show her what he couldn’t make her believe with words. “Don’t think so?” He walked to the end of the hall to an eager husky who bounded into the room toward her.

  “Rufus.” Her arms circled her neck as the dog licked her appreciation.

  “I kept her locked up after I picked her up from Perry’s today. I want to be here as she settles in. See how she reacts.” He squatted down beside her as the dog fought for both of their attention.

  “I’ve missed her.”

  “She’s missed you, and so have I.”

  She stiffened and rose, backing toward the door then turning to leave. “I have to go.”

  “No.” He trapped her between the door and his body. His hand keeping it shut while he inched closer. Heat radiated between them as his arms circled her waist, and his lips brushed her shoulder. “This is us, Mags, powerless to fight what looms between us.” He nipped softly on the column of her neck to the sensitive flesh behind her ear.

  She couldn’t control her body as she leaned back against him, her head tipping to the side, and his warm breath warming her inside. “Lust,” she murmured.

  “No argument,” he mumbled, his hand warming the area just below her breasts. “We’ve always had that, but that fire is more than physical. It’s a part of us in every way we connect. Whether you’re naked below me or buying groceries, there’s a fever between us. That thing that forced you to call off the wedding the first time.” His thumb brushed beneath her breast just shy of the nipple. “That spontaneity, that desire, that force that drives us together, that joins us in the simplest of things. I dreamt so often of you over the years. Sexually, yes, I can’t lie, but in other ways, too. The dinners at that damn little table, the movie marathons, the walks, and the rain as we laid in bed. My soul missed you.”

  He slid his arms under her knees and carried her into the bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind him, he dropped her in front of the door. “Mark.”

  “Shush,” he pressed closer. “I think I know why I didn’t bring you here till now. We reconnected based on the past. We went back to who we had been which was great, but you moving out of our apartment forced us to the present. This is my present, Magnolia, my present with Liddy, and I want it with you.” He held her face in his hands as a tear trailed down her cheek. “Say no now if you want, if you can, or else I’m going to love you all night long.”

  She stared at this man with his heart in his hand. A man she would always love with her entire being. Her arms circled his neck, and she pulled him to her to capture his mouth. He reached around her releasing the zipper on the sundress, and it fell effortlessly to the floor. He punished her lips in the raging infernal, parted them, and found his sanctuary in the warm moisture of her mouth. Hands sliding against the sides of her breasts, his thumbs circled the nipples till he dropped his head, sucking one into his mouth. The taste, the pure pleasure of her body arching for him, hands buried in his hair, holding him against her. He cradled her, kissed thoroughly the beautiful mounds then lifted her as she found his lips. Her legs twisted around him. Hard as nails, he pressed against her, so ready to claim her again, but this wasn’t just a physical coupling. He laid her on the bed and undressed slowly. His eyes never left her body, enjoying her tremble and twist in anticipation of him. He lay beside her, connecting their eyes and hearts first.

  “I love you, Mags. You’re mine.” He kissed slowly over a cheek, her chin, past the
throbbing in her throat, between her breasts, peaks stiffened and ready, to the white lace panties, the last barrier. He kissed, enjoying more the complete connection to this woman who would feel it as well. He kissed her heat and relished the soft moan and the involuntary parting of her thighs. She reached for him, barely able to skim his shoulders. He lowered himself between her thighs, his head nudging her entrance, his hands tangled in her hair, and his eyes locked on hers. “Mags, look at me. We are so much more. We are everything.”

  She clutched him, cried his name as he pushed into her completely. He felt her body contract around him and draw him deeper, much deeper. “Say you love me,” she whispered. “One more time. I love you.”

  “I will always love you,” he gritted out as his body took over and dictated the need. His thrusts grew faster, harder. She welcomed them and matched her body with his till they exploded into the flames and heat.

  He lay on her unable to move as she held him in place with her legs and stroked his hair. They were perfect even if she didn’t believe it. She had easily dismissed Melissa, but Liddy was a different story for both of them. She fell asleep on his shoulder, and he drew gentle circles on her back. She was here in the present. He’d claim her future and add Liddy to the picture.

  He awoke twice that night, and he claimed her again and again, but early morning she left him without a word, and the fight was just beginning.

  Chapter 55

  Mags collapsed on her bed, though she needed to dress for work. She had tiptoed past her mother in the kitchen to avoid her questions. She would assume she had stayed with Craig, and she wasn’t going to correct her. Much as she had argued with herself the last hour, nothing had changed. She hadn’t needed to verify her feelings for Mark. That had never been the question, and the amazing lawyer had hit every issue to change her mind, but she was still marrying Craig. She stripped quickly and stood beneath the hot stream of the shower. She could feel Mark’s hands glide over her, feel his lips on hers and in her intimate places, and could see his eyes as he plunged in her. She nearly came apart in the shower then hurried to dry off and dress.