by R. C. Martin
“You know the answer to that. Since the moment I laid eyes on him.”
“So, why haven’t you?”
“It’s business, Teddy. I can’t cross that line. Only he can.”
I nodded, not entirely opposed to what he was saying. It had been Geoffrey who sought out Louis. It was art that brought them together. It was almost like a fairytale—only it sounded like Geoffrey needed me to play the part of fairy godmother.
“Will you let me have his number? I mean, if you tell me no, I can go through our files and find it myself—but I’m hoping you won’t.”
Geoffrey hesitated before he replied, “I’ll give it to you under one condition.”
“What’s that?” I murmured, peering into his piercing blue eyes.
“Dinner. Drinks after, nothing more.”
As we neared the local, farm-to-table diner I’d recently come to love, I slowed my steps and narrowed my eyes at him. “Add in lunch with me. And a pedicure,” I demanded, jabbing a finger at his chest.
“Fine,” he muttered with a knowing smile.
“Good.” I pressed up onto my tiptoes and kissed his cheek before we continued toward the restaurant. “He’s going to come,” I stated. Then, winking up at Geoffrey, I added, “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Five
His
As I rode the airport shuttle toward the main terminal on Thursday morning, I swiped through the pictures I captured of my finished project. It had been a whirlwind of a trip. In many ways, I felt like my head was still spinning—conversations, proposals, and ideas circling through my mind on repeat. While I was anxious for the end of the day, when I’d go home to my wife, I was equally as impatient to head into the office. Eddalyn’s Interiors was just that—Eddalyn’s. I was part owner, but she was my business partner. More than that, she was my mentor. She was my family. If anyone was capable of setting my thoughts straight, it was her.
When the shuttle arrived at baggage claim, I was quick to make my exit. As I accompanied the crowd toward the escalator, my phone alerted me to an incoming message. Upon seeing a text from my brother, I was quick to unlock my screen. What I found was an image that tugged at my insides in a way I’d grown used to over the last couple of years. I’d have been a fool to deny it, so I never did.
The image was a picture of Teddy, Harper, and Theo. Only, none of them were paying attention to Ben, who’d obviously snapped the shot. Harper sat in a rocking chair, situated near a window in the nursery, gazing down at Theo. Teddy was bent over, her camera held in front of her face as she got the perfect shot. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy knot at the nape of her neck, which clued me into her state of concentration. She hated when her hair got in her way while she was working.
Just before the escalator reached its summit, another text from Ben came through.
BD: How the hell did we get so lucky?
Me: No idea.
It was the truth. A decade ago, if someone showed me a picture of my life in that moment, I wouldn’t have believed them. Sometimes, it still took me by surprise. It was usually Benjamin who held the mirror in front of my face and dared me to look at who I’d become. The sentimental fool. Then again, he’d just become a father. I couldn’t even come close to imagining how it was he saw the world anymore.
I pocketed my phone and headed for the airport’s exit. When I made it to my SUV, I stowed my luggage in the trunk and then folded myself behind the wheel. After riding in the backseat for most of the week, it felt good to be in control. That said, a ride in the Porsche would have been better. Spring couldn’t come soon enough.
Connecting to the Mercedes’s Bluetooth, I pushed a call through the Teddy as soon as I was out of the garage. She answered on the third ring.
“Hi, baby. Are you home?”
“Headed into the office now. You at work?”
“Yeah. Playing catch-up a little and wrapping things up before next week. I won’t be late, though. Can’t wait to see you. You’ll be home around six?”
“I’ll do my best,” I replied, not wishing to deliver an empty promise.
“Okay. Do you need company while you drive? I could go for a quick walk.”
“That won’t be necessary, sweetheart,” I assured her, certain I wasn’t ready to share any of my most recent thoughts with her. “I’ll let you go. I’ll see you tonight.”
“All right. I love you.”
“Tell me again tomorrow.”
“I’ll tell you again tonight. Bye, baby.”
“Bye.”
It took forty minutes for me to reach the office. It was nearly lunch time, but I was too distracted to be worried about my hunger. When I passed through the front doors and saw Aunt Eddalyn exiting one of the conference rooms, I hoped she wasn’t rushing off to another meeting.
“Welcome back, Judah. How was L.A.? How was Curtis?”
“Fine,” I replied distractedly. “Listen, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you about something?”
“For you, I have several. Come.” Eddalyn tilted her head toward her office.
I followed after her, closing the door behind us before I dropped my messenger bag in one of the two chairs opposite her desk. Rather than sit as she did, I wrapped my hands around the back of the chair and leveled my gaze with hers.
“If what I’m about to propose is crazy, you’re the only one who can convince me.”
“Hmm,” she hummed with a smile. Folding her hands atop her desk, she leaned forward and said, “I’m listening.”
I blew out a sigh and shook my head, almost as if I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. And then I said it—said all the things I’d been holding back for the previous couple of days.
“Curtis has been trying to get me to relocate almost since the project started. I never gave it a second thought. Words of a loyal client, nothing more. But this time was different. This time, he set up three separate dinner meetings with potential clients—clients who have seen my work and, based on Curtis’ testimonial, insist that I would get their business if I wanted it.”
“Well, do you?” Eddalyn asked with a raised brow.
“What I don’t want is to travel back and forth. Two years ago, if this had been an option, I would have jumped at the chance. But I have a wife and a home now. I chose this life, and it’s not a transient one.”
“Nephew, what is your proposal?”
I stood up straight and folded my arms across my chest as I queried, “Have you ever thought about expanding? And I don’t mean another office in Colorado—I mean outside of this region. The way I see it, if expansion was on the table, California would just be a start. We could take the coast, and every metropolitan area in-between, making Eddalyn’s Interiors a western brand.”
A crooked smile played at the corner of her mouth as she sat back in her chair, but she didn’t speak right away. Unsure whether the expression was one of amusement or agreement, I occupied the empty seat in front of her and kept talking.
“It’s ambitious, I know. It would take years—which I haven’t fully wrapped my head around; but if I could make this work in California, there’s no doubt in my mind we could go bigger. And based on the meetings I’ve had over the last couple of days, what we offer—what I can bring to the table—it’s competitive.”
“Well, of course it is,” Eddalyn muttered on a laugh. “We have a standard of excellence that has brought us this far. And you are brilliant. You know that. This is not about whether or not you could make it in California.”
“If not that, than what?”
She said nothing for a moment, but stared at me with a glint in her eye I couldn’t explain. “It’s about whether or not you want to,” she finally stated.
Frowning, I murmured, “What are you saying?”
Eddalyn took a deep breath and then reached down to pull open one of her desk drawers. She picked up a binder, set it on her desk, and rested her hands on top of it.
“I’ve been doing this for more tha
n twenty-five years. I built this company from the ground up. By the time I was ready to open an office in Denver, I knew I’d put you there until you were ready. Ready for more. Now, it’s been nearly a decade since you came to work for me full-time, and you are my partner. I trust you implicitly. But what I didn’t expect was that you’d relocate as a managing partner and fall in love.
“I wanted you to have that. So, I took a step back and asked myself if this was enough; if I had grown the business to a point where I could be satisfied. The truth of the matter is, I’ve still got some fight in me, but I’m not getting any younger. Starting over in another city—it’s not on my bucket list. But if you wanted to—if it was a challenge you wanted to own—I would have your back completely.”
Flabbergasted, I only stared at her for a moment. When I found my words, I jerked my chin in her direction and asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s my expansion plan. I started putting it together nearly five years ago. It’s sat in that drawer, untouched, for the last two and a half years.”
“Are you serious?”
“Quite. Though, I will admit, it’s not as ambitious as your proposition—but that is why I admire you; that is why I love having you as a partner. You challenge even my most extraordinary ideas.”
“So—California? That was a possibility?”
“I originally thought New Mexico and then down into Texas. But if California is calling you, we’ll start there. We’ll flesh out the idea.”
“Holy shit,” I mumbled, running a hand over my mouth and down my stubbled jaw.
“The question remains—is this something you want to do?”
My gut told me yes. But just as suddenly as I thought the word, I remembered the picture Benjamin sent me not two hours before. While I knew my ambition had never steered me wrong, my heart belonged to someone—someone I needed to consult before I followed my gut. The old me would have resented such truth; but I wasn’t him any longer. Teddy loved me every day. Even at our worst, I knew her love was real. More than that, she’d chosen me—not just for the moment, but forever.
I’d chosen her. Forever.
“Can I have that?” I asked, pointing at the binder.
Without a word, Eddalyn handed it to me. I took it and stood to my feet.
“I need some time to think about it. It’s a crazy idea.”
“Bold,” she said with a crooked smile. “Not crazy.”
“Theodora—Theodora’s doing some big things right now. Benjamin and Harper—I just…”
“Take all the time you need, Judah. We’re not in a hurry. At the end of the day, whatever is best for you and your family is what I want, too. They’re not just your family—they’re mine, as well.”
Not sure what else could be said, I offered her a nod, strapped my bag over my shoulder, and took my leave.
Chapter Six
Hers
As soon as I got home from the gallery, I headed straight to the closet and removed every bit of clothing. I then carefully selected the lingerie I intended to hide from my husband until he’d have his way with me later—just as he always did after a few nights apart. I chose a pair of bikini cut, dark green, lacey panties and a matching bralette. I always felt so sexy in lace—the fragility of the fabric against my skin a contrast to the memory and anticipation of the hardness of Judah’s body in mine was enough to make my belly tingle in excitement.
Satisfied with my choice, I covered up in a long, simple, dusty-rose, maxi t-shirt dress. It draped loosely around my body, extending all the way to my ankles, with two short slits on both sides. When I was dressed, I put my discarded clothes where they belonged and then made my way to the kitchen to start dinner.
I still wasn’t a chef, by any means, but Judah had taught me a few things over the years. Certainly enough to get by. If I got too ambitious, our meal could be hit or miss. Most nights, Judah and I made dinner together—but I liked to surprise him every once in a while. Deciding to stick with my tried and true talent for chicken alfredo, I set about gathering all the ingredients. I opened a bottle of wine after I’d made the sauce and enjoyed a glass as I cooked the chicken. I prepared the pot to boil the noodles right at six and didn’t hide my grin when I heard the garage door open a few minutes later.
After I took down another wine glass, I topped myself off and poured a few ounces for Judah. As soon as I heard his shoes on the metal stairs, I moved to meet him halfway, our glasses in hand.
“Hi, husband,” I greeted the instant my eyes found his beautiful, dark gray ones.
He shrugged his way out of his sports jacket. Casually, he folded and discarded it on the leather bench seat on his way toward me. He spoke not a word, but gave me a proper once over before he took hold of my hips and eliminated the space between us. When his lips met mine, I leaned into him. He hummed the moment I opened my mouth in offering.
I sucked in a breath of excitement when he circled his arms around me, holding me tighter as he kissed me harder. It was unexpected but entirely welcome. As I returned his affection, I regretted the idea of greeting him with wine. Had I’d known I’d be on the receiving end of such a greedy kiss, I wouldn’t have bothered. When he finally pulled away, I was short of breath and almost dizzy with a longing for more.
“Wow,” I breathed. “I missed you, too.”
“What are you making? Smells good.”
Smiling up at him, I answered, “My specialty. Are you hungry?”
He didn’t respond right away. Rather, he seemed to devour my face with his gaze before he replied, “Starved.”
I felt my cheeks warm at the implication found in that one word. Pressing up on my tiptoes, I leaned into him further. I loved that he could still make me blush.
“One more,” I whispered against his lips.
He didn’t deny me, but offered me a slow, wet kiss that made my panties damp.
When he pulled away, I held his wine glass between us and demanded, “Take this, before the floor is covered in wine and I’m naked.”
Judah chuckled, taking his glass in one hand as he reached down and squeezed one of my butt cheeks with the other. I winked at him before I forced myself out of his hold and returned to the kitchen.
“How was your day?”
“Interesting.”
“Oh?” I glanced back at him expectantly as I set my wine down and reached for the package of noodles. A slight frown tugged at my brow when all he offered me was a nod. “Well, are you going to tell me about it?”
“At dinner,” he replied as he joined me. He took a sip of his wine and then asked, “How can I help?”
“You can put together a salad, if you want.”
He nodded and then inquired, “How are things coming along for the gala?”
“Geoffrey insists it’s going to be great. I just need to narrow down my selection to twenty-five. I don’t even—I don’t know. Some days, twenty-five seems like so many. Other days, I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to narrow anything down to twenty-five. I just, I don’t know.”
“You’ll make the right choices. You’ve got hundreds of price-tag worthy images to choose from.”
“You think everything I do is price-tag worthy,” I muttered, dumping the noodles into the boiling water.
“I’m not a doting parent. I think you’re talented, intelligent, and critical. You’ll pick the right pieces,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, well, I have a week to do it. Though, in other news,” I began, anxious to talk about something that made me feel far less…anxious. “I finally got some plans nailed down for Geoffrey’s birthday next week. I even got Louis to agree to come.”
“Louis?”
“You’ll meet him on Thursday. He’s that new artist I told you about a few weeks ago. He mixes photography and paint. Anyway, Geoff is totally into him, but apprehensive about crossing professional boundaries. They’ve been talking a lot, though, so maybe someone will finally make a move after dinner and drinks.”
“Hmm,” was his only reply.
As I stirred the noodles, I glanced at him, curious what was on his mind. He seemed pensive, and I wondered what interesting details about his day I’d hear about when dinner was served. Acknowledging I wouldn’t be able to get him to spill before he was ready, I tried for another subject.
“I got some really amazing shots of Theo the other day. Also, a couple really good ones of all three of them together. I was thinking I might blow a couple up and get them framed. There’s a spot in the nursey I think would be perfect to hang them. Then, maybe, I’d do smaller prints for the grandparents.”
“Yeah.”
Temporarily abandoning the noodles, I went to occupy the space next to Judah. He didn’t seem to notice as he sliced through a tomato.
“Yeah?” I repeated, sounding as confused as I felt.
“Yeah. Sounds fine.”
I didn’t bother with conversation after that. There was only one thing I wanted to talk about, and it was whatever was on his mind. It was another ten minutes before dinner was ready, and another five until our meal was plated and we were sitting down at the dining room table.
“Baby, what’s going on? What’s got your head in a fog?” I asked before my first bite.
Judah filled his fork, glanced over at me, and then set down the fork. Propping his forearms on the table, he looked me right in the eye and queried, “What if I told you—I was thinking about relocating?”
“Relocating?” I asked, a little startled. “Relocating where?”
“California.”
I felt my whole body jerk at the same time my heart seemed to skip a beat. “What? Why? I thought—what?”
“Sweetheart, it’s just an idea right now.”
“An idea that came from where? Judah, our life is here. I…” I lost my words for a second, all the reasons why his idea felt ridiculous piling up in my head faster than I could sort through them. “Your job—Edda—my job, Theo—Judah, I thought L.A. was just a favor. I don’t understand.”
