“Can I take you to dinner?” I asked.
She grimaced. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to go out. Not right now. There is still a lot of media and it’s hard to say what she’ll do after that little showdown. If we’re seen, it’s only going to add fuel to the fire.”
“My house,” I said. “I’ll have the cook prepare us something good. It will just be me and you and some candles. A little music, some wine, and whatever happens after that. I miss you. I haven’t seen you in days. We can catch up on our Netflix show and just hang out.”
She didn’t look convinced. Her body language was all wrong. She wasn’t leaning into me. She was leaning away from me, like she wanted to get away from me. I couldn’t understand why she was pulling away from me. I had proven Amber was lying. I wanted to shake Amber for what she had done. She had dropped a bomb on my relationship with Cherie. I had a lot of work to do to repair the damage. Judging by the way she was acting, I had a long way to go.
“I’m tired and was planning on going to bed early tonight,” she said without looking me in the eye.
“An early dinner and an early bedtime?” I offered.
I had to get her to have dinner with me. Tonight was the night I was going to ask her to marry me. I would have already asked if Amber hadn’t busted in on my weekend with her. All the progress we had made vanished in one very unfortunate moment. I needed to woo her. I was prepared to do that. Hell, I was kind of looking forward to doing it.
She sighed. “Fine. Just dinner.”
I grinned. It wasn’t exactly the resounding yes I would have liked, but I would take it. “Great, should I pick you up?”
“No, I’ll drive.”
“Okay. I’m going to get out of here early. We can do an early dinner. Let’s say six?”
“I’ll be there. I need to go now.”
I stepped back and extended my hand to help her up. I put my arms around her. She gave me a very soft hug back before dropping a quick, cold kiss on my lips.
“I’ll see you tonight,” I told her, watching her walk away.
I called my cook and asked him to do something extravagant. I wanted a dessert that was worthy of a proposal as well. Tonight would be the first night of the rest of our lives together. I knew I had some work to do but I was counting on her to give me a chance to prove to her I was worth her time.
I cut out of the office early and went home to check the setup. The dinner looked and smelled amazing as always. I found the chocolate cream pie covered in thick, fluffy whip cream and smiled. It was her favorite dessert. I cut the pie into slices and placed the ring inside the fluffy cream. I knew it was cheesy, but I wasn’t exactly the creative sort.
The staff left, leaving me alone to put on the finishing touches in the dining room. I put the roses I had picked up in a vase, leaving one next to her plate. I flipped on the music system, turning it on to something bluesy and romantic.
I checked the time and realized she should be arriving any minute. I was counting on her not to stand me up. I heard the security system beep and grinned. She had shown up.
I greeted her at the front door. “Hi,” I said, giving her a quick kiss.
“Hi.”
I took her jacket and hung it up before taking her hand and leading her to the dining room. “Dinner is ready. I just poured some wine.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I pulled out the chair for her before quickly taking my seat. The ambiance was damn near perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better.
“Thank you,” she said, waving her hand over the table. “This looks delicious.”
“You’re welcome.”
“What’s the occasion?” she gently teased.
“I was hoping we could celebrate us. I know we had a slight hiccup the other day, but I wanted to let you know it’s all behind us. We can move forward now.”
I could see the turbulence in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“How do you know that? She obviously really loves you. I don’t think she wants to give you up. Are you sure there’s nothing more between you? I don’t want to be the reason for your split.”
I reached across the table and held her hand. “Cherie, we were never right for each other. I was going through the motions with her. I never loved her.”
“Why were you with her? You proposed to her. That’s kind of a big deal.”
I blew out a breath. “It was a mistake. I felt like I was going through the motions. As we spent more time together, I started to see her for who she really was. I promise you, when we first started dating, she wasn’t like she is now. Her true colors came out when I put the ring on her finger. She was all about herself. Everything she did was about making her look good to her adoring public. No one mattered. I sure as hell didn’t matter. I was a means to an end. I was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for her.”
“You felt used.”
“I was used. When you walked back into my life, it all felt right. I knew you weren’t that way. You are genuine and down to earth and kind.”
She offered a small smile. “Why did you have me there this morning?” she asked. “Was it to embarrass her?”
“No,” I quickly answered. “I wanted you to see her for what she was. I wanted you to know she wasn’t pregnant.”
She took a bite of the roasted duck. She was still holding back. “That was a lot to see. Today and at your house. I don’t know if I like the way that happened.”
“She came to my house. It wasn’t like I invited her. I forgot I gave her a key and didn’t change the locks. That’s been taken care of now. She won’t be coming back.”
“Did you ever have feelings for her?” she asked, looking me directly in the eye.
I mulled it over. “In the beginning, I thought she was someone different. I got caught up in the excitement of her life, but I quickly got tired of it. I felt like a prop. Hell, she used me as a prop.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I looked at some of the pictures of the two of you. You didn’t look miserable. There was a picture of you two on the beach in a rather steamy session. I didn’t get the feeling you were forced.”
I cringed, pulling back a little. That was one of the downfalls of being in the public eye. “Please don’t look at those pictures. It’s you I want. You are the only woman I want.”
“The way you went after her,” she said, shaking her head. “I would have been mortified if you would have done that to me. You went to great lengths to make her feel like shit and prove her wrong. I don’t understand why you would want to be so mean.”
“I would never do that to you because you are nothing like Amber. She deserved what she got. It isn’t like I blasted it in the tabloids. You were the only witness. I needed you to know what kind of person she was. You have to know there are likely going to be stories that come out. You saw how vindictive she is. When you see those tabloids, you’ll believe me when I say they are bullshit.”
She leaned forward. “Evan, I would have believed you without your little show today. That wasn’t necessary. You hired a private investigator? That’s kind of crazy.”
I frowned. Her reaction was not what I expected. I was a little pissed that she was actually scolding me. “I had to make sure I had evidence to prove she was lying. I knew she was lying but she could go to the tabloids and spin a story about me knocking her up and dumping her. It isn’t just me that she’d be screwing with. I have over a hundred people that work for me. If my business slows or goes down, those people lose their paychecks. I’m not about to let Amber destroy other people’s lives because she’s a selfish bitch.”
She flinched. “Wow.”
“Cherie, she isn’t you. What happened between Amber and I isn’t going to happen to us. Would you ever do half the shit she did?”
She shrugged, pushing the food around on her plate with her fork. “What if I do end up doing something that pisses you off? What if I go out with my friends and you susp
ect I’m cheating on you?”
“Because I know that wouldn’t happen.”
She dropped her fork and scowled at me. “Which part?
“You don’t piss me off. I’m sure we’ll have some arguments from time to time, but we know each other. We know what makes one another tick. I know what pisses you off and you know what pisses me off. We’re good together. We have a bond that can’t be broken.”
“I don’t know about that. It’s been broken before.”
“Cherie, what’s really going on here? You don’t even like Amber.”
“Maybe not, but you sought revenge on her,” she said, her voice full of anger. “You hired someone to get revenge on her. Every time we get in a fight, I’m going to have to wonder if you’re pissed enough to seek out some kind of revenge. Will you have me followed? Will you have someone take pictures of me doing something untoward?”
“God dammit, Cherie, why would I do that? You saw what Amber was doing. You heard her. She would have made my life a living hell if I didn’t stop her.”
I was really getting pissed. I was trying to keep my temper in check, but Cherie was making me out to be the bad guy. I had done nothing wrong. I had protected myself, my company, and ultimately her. I would have thought she would have at least been grateful to have Amber exorcised from our lives.
“It seems like overkill to me,” she snapped.
My mouth dropped. “I didn’t know what else to do. She was going to get in-vitro to carry off her scheme. Don’t you think that’s overkill?”
“I’m not saying what she did was right, but I don’t think I like the idea of being with someone who could be so vengeful.”
It was my turn to drop my fork. “Please tell me you’re not serious. You’re joking, right?”
“No, I’m not joking. What I saw today, I didn’t like.”
I scoffed. “I didn’t have a particularly good time. Life isn’t a tea party. It had to be done. I did what was necessary and I’m not going to apologize. It isn’t like I did anything terrible. She got what she deserved. No, actually, she didn’t. She deserved a lot more than what she got.”
Cherie was shaking her head. “It’s too much,” she whispered.
Chapter 30
Cherie
“You’re being ridiculous,” he blurted out. “Why are you jumping to conclusions? Wrong conclusions.”
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m not jumping to conclusions. I saw what you did. You wanted me to see what you did. You raked her over the coals.”
“I did nothing of the kind,” he insisted. “I would never do that to you. You would never do anything like she did.”
All I could think about was the little fetus in my belly. He was right about part of it. I didn’t pretend to be pregnant. I was actually pregnant. I didn’t see him handling the news well. He knew she was lying and had freaked out. How was he going to react when I told him I was carrying his child? He would have to believe me.
“I need some time,” I said. “Please.”
He nodded. “Okay. Let’s just enjoy the dinner. Please. I know things are tense. I get it. I’m sorry you had to see it. I really thought I was doing the right thing.”
I picked up my fork and stabbed at the chicken. I had been mulling over the situation all day. I kept replaying the incidents. He’d been so different. His words about not wanting a family kept echoing through my head. He didn’t want a baby. Period. It didn’t matter if Amber was the one carrying the baby or if it was me. He didn’t want a child.
Our relationship was doomed. I didn’t want him to stay with me out of obligation. I didn’t want my child to have a father that was uninterested. I wanted my child to feel loved and wanted. I didn’t think Evan could do that. He seemed pretty adamant he didn’t want kids interfering with whatever he had mapped out for his life.
It was history repeating itself. I was going to have to be the bad guy. I had to make the hard decisions. I got a glimpse of the future and it wasn’t pretty. I took a bite of the meal. I was sure it tasted great, but just then, everything tasted bitter. I slowly chewed, knowing what I had to do. Evan wasn’t a bad person. He was a good guy that had an idea about what he wanted for his life.
I couldn’t bring myself to take that away from him. He had obviously worked hard to get the life he had made for himself. I had been careless. I knew it was partially on him, but he had probably assumed I was on the pill. I had been more responsible as a seventeen-year-old than I was as a thirty-two-year-old. That was only a little embarrassing.
I stared down at the plate of food and knew there was no way I was going to be able to eat it. He was pushing his food around and eating very little as well. The dinner was not what he had planned. I could see that.
It was time to put us both out of our misery. “I need to say something,” I said, my throat feeling a little raw. “And I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
He looked at me, his eyes peering into my soul. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything. I want us to be able to be honest with each other.”
I smiled, nodding. “We’ve had a lot of fun this past month. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with you. It’s reminded me of some of the best days of my life.”
“I hear a but in there,” he said, pushing away his own plate.
“We come from very different worlds,” I started.
“No, not really. We both come from broken homes in Everglades City. Our worlds are more alike than anyone else I’ve ever met, besides my brother.”
I nodded. “We did, but that was a long time ago. A very long time ago. It was a lifetime ago. We’ve both changed a lot. We’re from different worlds.”
He shrugged. “Not so different.”
“Evan, I like my job. I’m a wedding planner that works with couples that can just barely afford a wedding planner. I’m never going to be the wedding planner that plans weddings for the A-listers. I’m the budget-friendly planner that knows how to get great deals for my clients. My clients that can’t afford luxurious weddings.”
He nodded. “And you’re building your business. One day, you will be planning those A-list events.”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think I will, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I want to. I like the people that I meet. I like giving hardworking people that have scrimped and saved the wedding they want.”
“Okay, I get that. But you have to want more for yourself.”
“I don’t think I do,” I told him, being completely honest. “You’ve done something amazing with your life. You’re a billionaire swimming in waters that only the elite have access to. To be perfectly honest, I don’t want to swim in those tabloid-infested waters. I’m not cut out for that life. You’ve made this new world for yourself and you’re thriving.”
He leaned back in his chair. “What are you saying? Because I’ll tell you what I’m hearing. I’m hearing you say I’m in a world you don’t like because everyone is rich or famous.”
“No, not exactly, but some people are meant for that life and some are not.”
“So you’re saying you’re not.”
“I’m saying, we’ve had so much fun and I have loved being with you again. It was nice to catch up. We had a good time, but this thing we have, it isn’t meant to be. We’ve tried this before and it didn’t work then. It is not going to work now. It was never going to work. We were both fooling ourselves into thinking we could overlook our different economic situations. We can’t. We want different things out of life.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked with a shocked expression. “Is this because of the Amber thing? I took care of it. She’s not going to bother us anymore.”
“It isn’t just because of the Amber thing. There is always going to be an Amber or someone else like her. If you and I were together, people would look at you and wonder what the hell was wrong with you. They would think you were slumming it. I don’t want to be the girl everyone is looking at and m
aking fun of while talking behind my back. And your back.”
“No, there isn’t going to be another Amber,” he said, his voice firm. “And I don’t care who says what. I only have to worry about what you think about me.”
He was making things very difficult. I knew he was trying. I wanted to give up my plan and fall into his arms and pretend everything was okay. “Evan, I know you’re going to find someone who fits in your world. I don’t. I’m not cut out for this life. I’m a simple girl who appreciates the simple things in life. You need someone that you can be proud of, someone who knows how to act in your social circle.”
“I don’t accept that,” he said. “Nope. I’m not letting you back out of this. Everything you’re saying is bullshit. I am proud of you. I don’t care what anyone thinks about us. I’m not letting you walk away without a fight.”
I offered him a small smile. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I have. You know I’m right. We’re not right for each other.”
“You’re wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re so wrong. I don’t know why you are doing this, but it’s not right. We’re happy together. We get along well.”
“We get along because we’re old friends, but I think it’s best we leave it at that. I don’t want this to end badly. I want to remember us as we are now.”
I wiped my hands on the napkin and got to my feet. I was on the verge of bursting into tears and had to get away from him. I couldn’t keep looking into the beautiful baby blues and expect to hold my resolve. I couldn’t let him see me cry. It was just like that summer. I had done what needed to be done and managed to hold back the tears then. I knew I was doing the right thing by letting him go. Maybe in another fifteen years, I would see him again and he would thank me for letting go once again.
“I’m not going to stop chasing you,” he said, getting to his feet as well.
“You have to,” I said, the lump in my throat growing bigger. “This is for the best.” I walked out of the dining room, focused on the door through burning eyes. I had to make my escape before I lost control of my emotions.
Heart Breaker Page 18
