by Leanne Banks
“What do you mean?” he asked, unsettled by her lack of emotion.
“I mean I have to figure out if it would be best for me to leave.”
It surprised the hell out of him, but the prospect of her leaving hit him broadside. “You can’t leave,” he told her. “We have a contract.”
She met his gaze. “With a thirty-day trial period.” Her lips lifted in a brittle smile. “A lot has happened, but thirty days aren’t up.”
“You wouldn’t use that against me,” he said.
“Use what?” she retorted. “How could I use anything against you? I’m starting to think you’re a closet misogynist. Or maybe you’re a masochist. You refuse to believe that a woman could love you and be willing to do anything for you. You refuse to trust when you’ve been given every reason.” Her eyes grew shiny again, and she closed them, lifting her hand as if to collect herself. “I need to figure out the best thing to do. You may not need me, but Molly does. At least for now,” she said, and whirled out of the room, leaving him to face some hard questions about himself.
Nicholas drank enough scotch to drown out the questions and bitter rumblings of regret. It was enough to leave him with a vicious hangover the next morning. After a long shower he made his way to the kitchen, his head pounding. Rubbing his hand over the hollow feeling in his chest, he nodded at Ana. “Good morning.”
She smiled. “Almost noon, Mr. Barone. You never sleep this late. I hope you’re not catching the flu.”
He shook his head. “No, but I could use some coffee.”
“Coming right up,” she said, and placed a cup in front of him as he sat down at the table.
“Thank you. Where’s Molly?” he asked, thinking it was extremely quiet.
“She’s with your mother. Gail said she needed to take the day off and arranged for Molly to visit with your mother.”
Nicholas paused mid-sip. “Did Gail say where she was going?”
“No.”
“Or when she would be back?” he asked, getting an ugly feeling in his gut.
Ana shook her head. “No. She just said she was taking a drive.” Ana glanced out the kitchen window. “It’s a nice day for a drive. No snow.”
He gave a noncommittal murmur and walked toward the den, nursing his coffee. He wondered if Gail was with Jonathan. In the clear light of day, he knew she wasn’t. He’d been hard on Gail. It had been damn tough for him to see her in Jonathan’s arms, but he knew her eyes didn’t lie. She hadn’t lied when she’d confronted him in his bedroom.
She hadn’t lied when she’d said he couldn’t trust her even when he had every reason to trust. Amazing what a scotch-induced night of sleep could do to his reasoning capability. He remembered the shuttered look in her eyes. She had closed him out. He deserved it. What the hell could he do about it all now?
He drank two more cups of coffee and swallowed a gallon of regret. Edgy with the need to talk with Gail, he thought about calling his mother to find out where she might have gone. The phone rang just as he went to pick it up.
“This is Boston Community Hospital. May I speak to Nicholas Barone.”
Alarm raced through him. “This is Nicholas.”
“We have your name in case of emergency for Gail Fenton. We found it in her belongings at the emergency room.”
Nicholas felt his heart stop. His coffee cup fell from his hand to the floor, shattering. “Gail? What happened?”
“She was in an automobile accident. She’s unconscious and a doctor is evaluating her condition. We tried to contact her brother, but we haven’t been able to reach him.”
“I’ll be right there,” Nicholas said, and dropped the receiver into the cradle.
As Nicholas paced the emergency waiting room, he wished Gail had been taken to Boston General. He had connections there, namely his sister Rita. Here, he was relegated to waiting and to the stock answers from the nurses.
The bitter taste of regret and fear filled his mouth. What if Gail was seriously injured? Worse yet, what if she didn’t make it?
Nicholas broke into a cold sweat, and the hard realization he’d unsuccessfully dodged the past weeks hit him head-on. He didn’t want to lose Gail. Not to an automobile accident, not to another man, not to anything. She had become the most important person in the world to him, and he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t even want to begin to think about a future without her.
Frustrated as hell that he couldn’t be with her, he approached the nurses’ station again. He wanted to make sure Gail was getting the best possible treatment. “I think Miss Fenton would respond better to treatment if someone familiar to her is with her.”
The nurse glanced up. “She’s conscious now. Exam room three. I’ll ask if you can see her. Sir!”
Nicholas walked past the indignant nurse. Let the woman call Security. He’d waited long enough. He rounded the corner, strode down the hall and walked into exam room three. A nurse and doctor stood over Gail as she lay on the table. They immediately looked up at him.
“I’m the contact in case of emergency for Gail Fenton.”
Gail sat up and gaped at him. “Nicholas?”
“Keep your head down, Miss Fenton,” the doctor said. “We want you to remain as quiet as possible for the next couple of hours. You’ve been banged up and you need to give yourself a chance to heal.”
Gail’s heart pounded. She was still dizzy from the concussion and her head felt as if it was going to split open. She wondered if she was seeing things. Was that really Nicholas?
“Miss Fenton is recovering from a concussion, and we’re making sure there is no internal bleeding from her accident,” said the doctor. “It’s important that she remain quiet. I may admit her for the night.”
Gail closed her eyes. She couldn’t think about Nicholas right now. Her head was hurting too much. Her heart was hurting too much. She might have been hit on the head, but her memory was perfectly sound. She recalled every hurtful word he’d uttered to her last night.
“That’s good. Close your eyes and rest,” the nurse said, patting her arm “We’ll let you know when we get the results from X-ray.”
She heard the door whoosh open, then close. A moment passed before she felt another touch on her arm, but Gail knew it wasn’t the nurse this time.
“What happened?” Nicholas asked in the gentlest voice she’d ever heard him use.
She inhaled his scent and pushed aside a twist of bittersweet longing. The purpose of her drive had been to get herself together and to put her feelings for Nicholas behind her. So far she hadn’t done a very good job. “A guy with a Jeep ran a red light. He wasn’t hurt. They tell me I’m lucky, but my car was totaled.”
“We can replace the car.”
“The guy who hit me was insured, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I was worried about you,” he said in a low, intimate voice.
“I’ll be okay,” she said, refusing to read anything into his words.
A long pause followed. “Things need to be different between us.”
Her stomach tightened. “Yeah, you’ve made that perfectly clear.”
“No. I haven’t made myself clear at all.”
“Oh, I would say you have,” she said, unable to keep her eyes closed any longer. “You told me I had taken our relationship far more seriously than I should have. You told me I could go to bed with Jonathan. You didn’t care. You told me—”
He swore, his face flinching in remorse. “I was an idiot, and I’m sorry.”
Looking at him hurt her heart. She looked away from him. “No, you were right. I took things more seriously than I should have. I’m going to try to put what happened between us in the past,” she said, although she still hadn’t figured out how to accomplish that. “I don’t have as much experience being blasé about…” She couldn’t finish. Her head throbbed with renewed vigor.
“No,” he said, touching his finger to her cheek. “I don’t want you to change. I was the one with the screwed-up a
ttitude. Look at me.”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t. My head is killing me.”
“Okay, then just listen. I was wrong. I’ve been wrong. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I didn’t expect you to become so important to me. I didn’t expect anyone to become so important to me. I fought it. I have never felt so safe and yet so incredibly aroused by a woman.”
A bubble of hope formed in her chest. Gail was afraid to open her eyes. What if she was suffering from a delusion?
“I love you,” he said, and she felt his lips brush the back of her hand. “I need you.”
She swallowed over the lump in her throat. This couldn’t be true. This couldn’t be happening. She’d dreamed it, but it wasn’t really possible. “For Molly,” she said more for herself than for him.
“Yes, I need you for Molly. But if I didn’t have Molly, I would still need you for me.”
Now she knew she was dreaming. She looked up at Nicholas and saw a deep love glowing in his eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “I think you’d better get the doctor. I think I’m imagining things because I just heard you say that you love me and need me.”
“That’s because I do.”
She felt her eyes well with tears. “Could you do me a favor? If this is real and you really mean it, could you tell me tomorrow when my head isn’t hurting and I don’t feel dizzy?”
His eyes were full of fierce, yet tender emotion. “I can tell you I love you every day for the rest of my life if you’ll let me.”
Yup, she was dreaming.
The doctor and nurse observed her for a couple of hours more, then released her with instructions for Nicholas. Back at his town house Nicholas insisted she stay in his bed with him, but he didn’t make love to her. The following morning when she awoke, she felt battered, but slightly better. Her cheek still resting on the pillow, she opened her eyes and took a quick inventory of her body and head.
She immediately noticed, however, that Nicholas wasn’t there, and her chest tightened in distress. Had she imagined the things he’d said to her yesterday? Had he said them impulsively and thought better of it?
Slowly sitting up in bed, she felt her stomach twist and turn. The door opened and Nicholas appeared wearing a pair of jeans and an unbuttoned shirt and carrying a breakfast tray. “Good. You’re awake,” he said with a smile that made her heart turn over. “Hungry?”
“I hadn’t gotten there yet,” she said. “I was making sure my brain and body were working correctly.”
“And?”
“I’m moving a little slow, but I’ll get there. Good grief,” she said as he pulled the silver cover off a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.
“You eat while I shower,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead on his way to the connecting bath.
Gail temporarily pushed aside her uncertainties and devoured a good portion of the meal. After returning the dishes to the kitchen, she went to her own bathroom to splash some water on her face and brush her teeth. She nearly plowed into Nicholas when she rounded the corner into her bedroom.
He caught her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes for a long moment. “Does your head hurt?”
“Not too much,” she said, her pulse picking up at his intense expression.
“Are you dizzy?”
“No,” she said. No more than I usually am when you’re touching me.
He lifted his hand to her cheek. “I love you, Gail.”
Her heart somersaulted. “Are you sure?” she asked, having difficulty believing it.
“Never more sure.”
“But why? I’m not a model or anything impressive. I’m just me.”
“Ah, Gail,” he said, shaking his head and pulling her against him. “I can see I’m going to have to prove to you that you’re the most impressive woman in the world. I’d given up on having a relationship with a woman that would last longer than one basketball season. I don’t know how you do it, but you make it okay for me to be human and not perfect every minute. At the same time, when I’m with you, I want to be better. I can trust you.” He pulled back slightly and looked at her. “I never thought I’d be able to trust a woman like I trust you. I just know that you’re always going to look out for me. I stopped feeling lonely when you came into my life.”
His words rocked through her, leaving her speechless.
He gave a sigh of exasperation. “I’m not saying this well.”
“Oh, you’re doing great,” she assured him, her eyes glistening with tears. “I’m just having a hard time believing it. I want to, but I feel like I need to be pinched or need some witnesses to tell me I’m not dreaming.”
“Okay,” he said, and gently pinched her. “Does that help?”
“Some,” she said, looking at him through the tears. She knew her eyes were filled with the love for him that had grown inside her despite her attempts to squash it.
“Okay. About the witnesses. How about a hundred of them in one week?”
She gaped at him. “A hundred. Wh-what…”
“At our wedding,” he said, his gaze utterly serious.
Overwhelmed, Gail moved her head in a circle. “Wedding,” she squeaked, feeling light-headed. “You just said two W-words. Wedding and one week. And I’m not supposed to get dizzy.”
“Do you love me?” he asked, and there was no room for compromise in his eyes. There was no need.
“Of course I do,” she said, his arms holding her while her knees grew unsteady.
“Then make me the happiest man in the world and marry me.”
Her heart could only offer one possible answer.
Eleven
Exactly one week later, with her brother, Adam, by her side, Gail walked down the aisle of the beautiful chapel of St. Christopher’s Cathedral. The smaller chapel provided the perfect atmosphere of intimacy for the hastily arranged wedding.
Between Nicholas’s mother and sisters, Gail had hardly lifted a finger. Bustling around, eager to take care of every detail, the women showed obvious delight that had moved her to tears. Gail had spent more than a few moments drying her eyes the past week. Nicholas’s entire family had embraced her immediately and made it clear that she not only belonged to Nicholas, but she also belonged to the Barones. One night she told him that his family was the cherry on top of the sundae as far as she was concerned. He’d told her that was okay with him as long as he was the main dish, and then he’d proceeded to make love to her.
She’d found her dress at a local designer’s shop, and the owner had been more than happy to make the necessary alterations for a Barone bride. Her old college roommate, Rose Trent, had been so thrilled she’d cleared her schedule to be one of Gail’s bridesmaids, alongside Gina and Colleen. Rita and Maria had volunteered to keep the baby happy during the ceremony.
Gail looked at Nicholas and felt her heart leap. Her brother joined her hand with Nicholas’s. “Take care of her and she’ll take care of you,” he said.
“I will,” Nicholas said, his gaze encompassing Gail and Adam. Then his eyes were only for her. The priest led them through their vows, and Gail felt Nicholas’s promises resonate all the way to her bones.
The ceremony was sweet and brief, and before Gail knew it, she was wearing a wedding ring on her finger and the priest was pronouncing them husband and wife.
Nicholas lifted her veil.
“It went so fast,” she whispered. “I wanted to be able to remember every second.”
“You won’t have to remember,” he told her. “I’ll remind you every day that I love you, Gail. Every day,” he said, and sealed the promise with a kiss.
Her tears of joy overflowed. She had finally found home in this man’s heart.
After hugs from Nicholas’s family and so many photographs Gail was certain she was left with a permanent smile, the group adjourned to an exclusive downtown club for the reception.
Nicholas coaxed her onto the dance floor for their waltz. The romantic tun
e and the love she saw in his gaze was stamped on her memory forever. More hugs followed as he introduced her to members of his extended family.
After the first crush passed, he pulled her away from the crowd. “Hey, even in football you’re allowed a few timeouts,” he said to the protesting guests. He guided her behind an ice sculpture for a glass of champagne. “To you and me,” he said, lifting his glass to hers in a toast.
She smiled, clinking her glass with his. “To you and me.”
“I’m ready to leave. I’ve shared you enough,” he said.
Surprise raced through her. “We’ve only been here thirty minutes.”
“Tell the truth. Would you rather stay here or take off with me?”
Her heart swelled and she leaned into him to feel his strength and warmth. “That’s easy. The party’s lovely, but you’re the main attraction for me. I’d rather take off with you.”
Nicholas lowered his mouth to hers and stole a kiss. He pulled back with a reluctant sigh. “One more hour, max,” he said. “Then you’re all mine.” He slid his arm around her and they both looked out on the crowded dance floor. “Looks like everyone is having a good time.”
“Your mother sure knows how to throw a wedding,” Gail said, still amazed at Moira Barone’s ability to put such an event together so quickly.
Nicholas gave a wry grin. “She says she’s been planning this since I turned twenty-one. The power of positive thinking, I guess.”
Gail laughed, spotting Carlo and Moira dancing. She saw Colleen with a tall, dark-haired man. “Hey, who is that with Colleen? Is he a Barone?”
Nicholas narrowed his eyes. He shook his head. “Not a Barone. Hell if it isn’t Gavin O’Sullivan,” he said with a mix of surprise and pleasure in his voice. “I don’t know if you’ve met him yet. He’s probably been waiting until the crowd thins out a little to greet us. He was a good friend of mine in school. He’s come a long way. When I first knew him, he was a foster child. Now he’s the billionaire owner of a luxury hotel chain.”
