More Than He Expected

by Andrea Laurence

  Gwen nodded, biting her lip to keep from yelping and waking up her patients.

  “Any spotting?”

  “A little at my last lunch break. But that’s normal, isn’t it?”

  “It can be. But not when you add it all together. How many weeks are you now?”

  “Almost twenty-five.”

  Wilma frowned again. “That’s about twelve weeks fewer than I’d like. I haven’t worked in L and D for about twenty years, but this kind of stuff doesn’t change. Mama, I hate to say this, but I think you’re going into premature labor.”

  * * *

  Alex strode into the temporary office space he leased as the headquarters for his latest building project. It was about a block away from the actual build site of the apartment high-rise, so it was both convenient and spacious for their needs. A local office supply had rented them the furniture, and a temp agency provided a receptionist for the front desk and janitorial staff.

  Their temporary admin, Lisa, looked up as he came through the doors, placing a call on hold. “Good morning, Mr. Stanton. I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. Does Miss Jacobs know you’re here?”

  Alex chuckled softly to himself. “No, I don’t believe Tabitha is expecting me.” Actually, he knew she wasn’t. He’d deliberately not told his project manager he was coming to New Orleans. She was competent, driven, successful… All the things he wanted in an employee. Normally, this meant he could get engaged with the fun, creative parts of starting a new real estate project, then leave her to actually execute the details. That was how he liked it.

  Of course, normally, he wasn’t hell-bent on getting out of Manhattan before he did something stupid he would regret. He already had enough regrets as it was; he didn’t need any more. Especially where Gwen was concerned.

  In the weeks since he’d left the Hamptons, he’d tried to continue on with his life as usual, but everything felt wrong somehow. The women were disinteresting, the jokes flat, the drinks bitter or tasteless. Will even beat him at racquetball for the first time. He found himself wandering through his empty penthouse without purpose. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, his life didn’t seem to work without Gwen in it anymore.

  He kept finding himself dialing her number but unable to hit the call button. Instead he would just hang up. Gwen had left him out of self-preservation. Calling her was the worst thing he could do. Especially if he wasn’t willing to offer her what she wanted.

  And yet, he’d find the phone in his hand again, or ask his driver to cruise past her apartment or the hospital in the hope he’d catch a glimpse of her walking outside.

  No luck, so far.

  But he was playing with fire. The last time he’d needed to get Gwen out of his head, he’d flown to New Orleans and started this project. It seemed like the best course of action now as well. So he’d gotten on a plane and headed down here unannounced.

  “Shall I call and let her know you’re here?”

  “That won’t be necessary, Lisa. I’d like to surprise her.”

  The look on Lisa’s face made it painfully obvious that she knew Tabitha very well. Surprises were not on the top of the list of things she enjoyed. Even a good surprise could piss her off because it messed with her schedule.

  That just made it all the more fun.

  Although he normally was not involved much past the planning stage, he still maintained an office of his own at each site. He buzzed past Lisa and headed straight for his long-abandoned desk. Flipping on the light, he set down his laptop bag, threw his coat over his chair and headed to the kitchen. He poured a cup of coffee into one of the paper cups and snatched an apple fritter from a pink bakery box on the counter.

  Alex took the fritter and carried it down the hall with his coffee. Without ceremony, he walked into Tabitha’s office and sat down in her guest chair to eat his breakfast.

  She was busily typing at her computer, her pale red-gold hair pulled into a tight bun and her curves stuffed into one of her favorite, unflattering business suits. He could tell by her pinched expression that she knew someone was there, but she hadn’t torn her eyes from the screen to see who.

  The moment she did look, her expression was a jolt of pure joy he was in sore need of. He’d felt like hell since he’d left the Hamptons. Harassing his project manager was one of his small pleasures in life.

  “Alex? I mean, Mr. Stanton? What are you doing here? Is there a problem?”

  “Yes,” he said, trying to maintain a straight face. “I am very concerned to report a severe shortage of cream-filled doughnuts in this office. It’s shameful.”

  Tabitha’s wide violet-blue eyes narrowed at him as her initial panic faded to irritation. “What are you doing here, Alex? In the last six years and seven projects I’ve executed for you, not once have you shown up during the build phase.”

  “Can’t I come check on how things are going?”

  Tabitha sighed and pushed an imaginary loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course. And everything is fine. Great. We’re ahead of schedule. Under budget. We’ve secured contracts for over half the units already, and we’re on track to being completely sold out before the last inch of drywall is painted.”

  Alex nodded, pleased with the progress. “You’re worth every penny I pay you, Tabitha.”

  “I’m probably worth a few more than you pay me.”

  He had to admit he liked her sass. He’d date her if it wouldn’t ruin their perfect work situation. Even a man with a reputation like his had boundaries. No ex-anythings of friends, no sisters of friends, no employees and no nurses. That last one was a new addition.

  “Remind me to give you a raise when this project is done, then.”

  Tabitha opened up her calendar software, typed a note into her computer and nodded. “Done. Now, tell me why you’re really here. Who is she? Is it the same woman you were down here hiding from last time?”

  “I was not hiding,” Alex said, setting his coffee cup forcefully on the edge of her desk.

  Tabitha shrugged off his display of male aggression, picking her smartphone up off the desk as it started to buzz. Her eyes never left the small screen as she spoke to her boss. “Call it what you like. You were completely unfocused when you were here before. I assumed it was a woman.”

  Defeated, Alex took a bite of his fritter. “It was.”

  “And this time?”

  “Same one.”

  This finally caught Tabitha’s attention. Her eyebrow arched curiously at him. “Sounds serious.”

  “It’s not. I don’t do serious.”

  “Which explains why you’re here with me instead of there with her.”

  Damn his ability to hire smart, capable women. They saw far more than he wanted them to see. “Possibly.”

  Tabitha sighed and pushed up from her chair. “I’ve got an on-site meeting with the head contractor in ten minutes. Are you going to walk down there with me?”

  Alex drank the last of his coffee and tossed his napkin into her trash can. “Yes,” he said with the last mouthful of apple fritter garbling his words.

  She nodded and marched out the door. He followed behind Tabitha, finding her waiting impatiently at the elevator. “So how long are you going to be around?” she asked as they waited for the car to arrive at their floor.

  Honestly, Alex wasn’t really sure. How long did it take to get over a woman? He’d never been involved enough with one to know. But he rounded up to goad his project manager. “A couple weeks at least.”

  Tabitha didn’t even have the decency to muffle the groan of displeasure as the elevator doors opened.

  There were no more discussions once they reached the street. The central business district was busy and loud this time of day, reminding Alex of Manhattan. Part of their building design centered around heavily insulated walls and double-paned windows specifically crafted for soundproofing. You could close your eyes and convince yourself you were in the country, it was so quiet. No sirens, no honking, no neighb
ors’ music or arguing.

  The people buying his apartments wanted to be at the center of the New Orleans excitement and energy but wanted to keep the luxury and security they were accustomed to. Stanton Towers would provide all of that for an astronomical fee, and yet, he usually had waiting lists of well-off clients chomping at the bit to get into one of his facilities.

  The site was currently a mess of construction. Alex was typically not involved in this phase. Cement and jackhammers were not of interest to him. Right now, the steel skeleton of the high-rise stretched nearly ten stories in the air. That was about two-thirds of its final height. A large chain-link fence enclosed the site and protected passersby from the heavy equipment and chaos surrounding the project.

  Tabitha paused outside the fence and grabbed a hard hat. She handed one over to Alex, then glanced down at his shoes. “I hope those aren’t expensive.”

  “Of course they are,” he responded irritably, then realized they were about to walk through the dirt and mud to the large trailer where the site manager operated. He glanced down at Tabitha’s shoes, expecting heels, and found that with her suit, she was wearing steel-toed work boots. You didn’t see that every day, but she was nothing if not prepared.

  “Nice look. Do you wear those shoes on the first date?” he asked as they started off to the trailer.

  Tabitha frowned. “I keep these at the office for trips like this. My other shoes are tucked safely under my desk for when I get back. And for any dates that might pop up. If you ever stuck around for the dirty work, you’d have seen these already.”

  Alex tried to step carefully the first few feet, then realized Tabitha would leave him in her dust before too long. She was a no-nonsense woman. Probably just the kind to give him the straight answers he needed right now. The question was whether or not he wanted to hear it. “Tabitha, you’re a woman,” he said.

  “Last time I checked,” she said, drily.

  “Let me ask you something about women.”

  “Oh, lord,” she groaned, turning in her boots to face him. “I don’t have time for this, Alex, so here’s a quick tip. Whatever you’ve done, apologize and beg her to take you back.”

  “What makes you think I did something?”

  Tabitha didn’t respond, but crossed her arms over her chest and sighed heavily.

  “Okay, I know I’m typically guilty of something, but this time she left me.”

  Alex regretted having this conversation with Tabitha immediately. Watching his uptight, driven manager crumble into a fit of hysterical laughter was too much. “You… got…dumped?” she asked between hard-fought breaths.

  “Will you stop laughing? This is serious. She’s in love with me,” he blurted out.

  The laughter faded and Tabitha fought to hold her composure. “Poor woman. Running was probably the right choice. But don’t act like you didn’t give her a reason to leave.”

  “She decided I was a flight risk if I found out the truth, and she left before I could.”

  “You are a flight risk. And a jerk if you’re even considering chasing after her if you’re not serious about this. Do you love her, Alex?”

  That was the sixty-five-thousand-dollar question. He thought he didn’t believe in love. That if it existed, he was immune to it. But these last few weeks without Gwen had been absolute torture. He’d lain awake at night, thinking about the time they’d spent together in that very bed. Every show on television or song on the radio somehow reminded him of her. And the worst part was this constant, dull ache in his chest that refused to go away no matter how many antacids he took.

  Was that what love felt like? He had no clue. No basis for comparison. All he knew was that he’d never felt like this after a relationship ended. If this was love, it was no wonder Gwen opted to leave when she had realized she loved him. Love could seriously suck when things weren’t going right. He could only hope it felt better when the relationship was doing well.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been in love before. But I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m absolutely miserable.”

  “I hate to tell you this, but it sounds like love to me.”

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat in his chest when Tabitha confirmed the thought that had been plaguing him for days. Love. Love was a big, scary word for a guy like Alex. Just saying it out loud might break him out in hives. He wasn’t programmed for monogamy. He didn’t even know what step to take next. “But I don’t know how to fix things between us. No matter what I say, Gwen will never trust me to stay.”

  Tabitha glanced down at her watch, then back at Alex. “Here’s your last tip, then I’m going into that trailer for my meeting, alone. This woman loves you. I have no idea why. If you love her, you need to go to her and beg her to give you a chance to prove her wrong. Offer her everything she wants and deliver on it.”

  Alex swallowed hard. Going to Gwen would mean offering everything he’d avoided his whole life: commitment, love, trust. And those things he’d never thought he wanted: marriage, children, domesticity. But he wanted it with her. If she’d give him the opportunity to try.

  “You’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right. Now, get your ass on a plane back to New York and get out of my hair. I don’t want to see you again until the final walk-through before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

  Tabitha turned on her heel and disappeared, leaving Alex to make his way back through the obstacle course of the construction site.

  He took a different route, this time heading back toward his hotel instead of the office. He needed some time to process what Tabitha had said. In a matter of minutes, her take-no-prisoners attitude had cut through all the mental crap he’d been bogged down in for days. He loved Gwen. He knew that now. And if he wanted her, he had to be willing to offer her the life and the family she deserved.

  But he had to do something to prove to her that he was serious. He needed to knock on her door with an engagement ring in his hands. But not just any ring. Gwen wouldn’t be convinced by some vulgar and generic display of diamonds. She’d want something authentic. Something that was distinctly hers. Gwen was like no other woman, and she deserved a ring like no other. Knowing he’d put the thought into the purchase would be what made the difference for her.

  Alex started on the hunt for a jewelry store. With the help of his phone, he located and rejected several shops. They all had fine products, but nothing in the store said Gwen. Looking down on his phone, he noticed there was an antiques and estate jeweler a couple blocks past the hotel. Maybe that was what he needed. A vintage piece.

  By the time he reached the shop window, he’d been wandering around New Orleans for more than two hours. Waiting to catch his breath before he went inside, he admired the front display. A large and varied collection of jewelry was in the window, protected by decorative but sturdy wrought-iron bars.

  After hours of fruitless searches, he was surprised to find that one of the rings called to him immediately. He leaned in to look closer. The platinum-and-gold antique filigree setting was inset with tiny diamonds around the thin band. In the center was a large yellow oval-cut stone in a ring of additional tiny diamonds.

  It was bright and sunny yet extremely detailed and complicated. It was Gwen in jewel form. Curious, he went inside the store and summoned the old man behind the counter. He unlocked the case and took the ring with him back to the white pad where he displayed jewelry for buyers.

  “You have a good eye. It’s the best piece in my whole shop. I suppose most people don’t realize what it is or think it’s citrine or some type of costume jewelry.”

  Alex frowned. “What is it?”

  “A three-carat canary diamond. I bought it thirty-five years ago from the estate auction of an old New Orleans family. Their great-great-grandfather brought it here from France in the 1760s. Rumor is it was given as a gift to a lover of King Louis the Sixteenth, who popularized the use of platinum in Europe. I’ve got bulletproof glass and bars on the windows for a reason,
sonny.”

  It was beautiful, rare and priceless. Alex couldn’t be sure how much of the old man’s yarn was truth and how much was fiction to justify the price, but it didn’t really matter as long as the certification paperwork held up. If he was lucky, Gwen might not even know how valuable a ring she was wearing. If she accepted it. And he had no guarantee that she would. “I’ll take it.”

  The old man’s eyes widened. “Don’t you want to know how much it is?”

  Alex shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Well,” he chuckled, “okay then. I’ll box this up and get the paperwork for it together. You feel free to look around while you wait, and see if there’s anything else you might need at an irrelevant price.”

  A few minutes later, Alex walked out of the store with the ring securely tucked into the breast pocket of his suit coat. He moved with more purpose now. He finally had some direction. He was going back to New York. He was going to tell Gwen that he loved her. That he wanted to marry her. Have children with her. That he wouldn’t get scared and run away, and he wasn’t going to let her run, either.

  He could only hope that, after everything that had happened, she would believe him.

  Twelve

  Alex made a quick stop at his hotel. He grabbed his things, checked out and headed straight to the office. He asked Lisa to get on the phone and change his flight, and he grabbed his laptop from his desk. Thirty minutes later, he was downstairs waiting for the car to take him to the airport.

  When his phone rang, he almost ignored it. He was too hyped up on love and adrenaline to let business or family drama bring him down. But he couldn’t help looking to see who it was. It was Adrienne’s cell phone.

  Alex frowned and knew he had to answer. Adrienne never called him. Only Will. “Adrienne,” he said, tentatively.

  “Where are you, Alex?”

  “I’m in New Orleans. But I’m getting on a flight back to LaGuardia shortly.”