Our gazes meet and we give each other a sad knowing smile. “You really think this is something we should do?”
I wish it weren’t, but I don’t see any other way. Cutting out losses now before we’re over our heads in debt is the logical thing to do. “I really do.”
Rachael nods slowly. “Okay. I’m in, then. Let’s do it.”
That’s trust. That’s what Elias should have felt, instead of jumping to conclusions. “I’ll contact Marsha tomorrow and have her get started putting it on the market.” We take a few moments to simply hug and cry a few tears over the dream we’re letting go.
After Rachael leaves, I pour myself a glass of wine. It will hurt seeing someone else own our house. But I know what we’re doing is the right thing. As for Elias, I know I’ll miss him dearly, but he’s made his decision. It’s time to put what we could have had behind me and move forward. He never promised me anything. We never even spoke of anything more than what he gave me.
Elias
I sit in my trailer waiting for production to call me on set. It’s been a month since Belinda’s wedding. Every day, I fight down the memories of my time with April. I keep checking the show’s schedule, but White’s Manor hasn’t shown up. Sometimes issues with permits can slow down the process, though. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel when I see that name pop up, or how I’m going to deal with returning to Treemont.
The door opens, and Belinda comes in. I brighten when I see her sweet face. “Hey, B. What are you doing here?”
She smiles. “I had to come into town to deliver a contract, so I thought I’d stop by. I hope you don’t mind.” She gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but I can tell something is up.
“Now, why would I mind?” I act as if I don’t see through her ploy of stopping by. Since she returned to California after the wedding she’s been pushing and nagging until I finally had to tell her I didn’t want to hear anymore. However, it didn’t stop her from getting her point across in much more creative ways.
“Well…” she starts what I know will be another ruse to get me to admit things I’m never going to.
I interrupt her before she can get started. “Belinda. I love you, but I’m not discussing her anymore.”
Her eyes flash with irritation, then she lays a piece of paper on the couch beside me. “I just thought you might want to see this.”
I don’t want to look down, but I can’t stop myself. I pick it up and don’t understand what I’m seeing. “What is this?”
“It’s a house for sale,” she answers, looking a little too self-satisfied that she had my interest enough to ask.
It’s not just any house. “I see that. It’s White’s Manor. Why is it for sale? April loves that house—she’d never sell.” I’m floored. There’s no way this is true. They still had a lot to do but they were doing such a great job. Why would they stop? Why would they sell a house they both love?
Belinda takes a seat beside me. “I don’t think they have the money to finish. Personally, I think April’s heart lost the will to finish it.”
I shake my head. That makes even less sense. “But I thought the show was picking them up?”
Belinda shrugs and leans back. “You know, April declined the offer. Oh wait, you don’t know that, do you?” She gave him a condescending look and crossed her arms. “Because you wouldn’t listen to anything anyone had to say. If you had, you would have known that she told John that at the wedding. You’d also know that other than expenses, April didn’t charge us for my wedding.” she says offhandedly, looking very pleased with herself, and completely put out with me.
No. That can’t be right. “Then why did she apply for a spot?” Belinda casually glances around the trailer, and I want to throttle her for not spitting it out.
Her gaze connects with mine, her eyes gleaming. “She didn’t. Rachael did, without April’s knowledge.”
I want to take a breath, but it feels like bands around my chest are constricting my air flow. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t April tell me?”
Our eyes clash and she tips her chin upward. “Didn’t she try? Several times.” Belinda asks.
I feel dizzy until I’m able to work a gulp of air into my lungs. Yeah. She did. I toss the paper on the floor and run my hands through my hair. That’s what she’d been trying to explain when I cut her off and left. I heard what John said at the wedding and then closed down. I keep judging April based on the past sins of others simply because I want to protect myself…my heart from being broken.
Belinda’s eyes are boring into me. I feel her ire. I deserve it. “What are you going to do? Are you going to go see her?”
Would April want to see me? After the way I behaved…I’m not sure she would. But I I’ve got to at least try. My eyes land on the real estate listing lying on the floor. I pick it up and study the stately Manor. The first time I saw the house I thought it would make an incredible home. A home to fill with love and children. This house means so much to April. She’d even dreamed of living there. Is it my fault she’s selling? I’ve ached for her every single day since I left Treemont.
“April isn’t like Celeste, Elias,” Belinda says quietly, wrapping her arms around me.
“No. She’s nothing like Celeste,” I agree. April doesn’t have an ulterior bone in her body. If I’m being honest, I knew that the day I left. I was so quick to believe the worst.
Belinda takes a step back and crosses her arms. “Then why did you treat her like she is?”
Belinda’s right. “I did do that, didn’t I? It wasn’t intentional or…I don’t know, maybe it was.” When did I start having such a cynical outlook about people’s motives?
She lays her hand on my arm. “I get it, E. Falling in love is scary.”
I’m quick to shake my head. “I’m not…” I stop, because if I finish that sentence, it would be a lie.
Belinda grins like when she won that yellow stuffed duck she wanted at the fair when she was twelve. “What are you going to do about fixing this?”
Fix it. Yeah, I need to fix this. But how? “I need to apologize.” That’s a good first step. If April will let me. I also need to apologize to her family and to Rachael. If I’m not run out of town at the first sighting, that is. Will April let me back in?
“So, what’s your plan?” Belinda’s eyes are alight with serious scheming as she rubs her hands together.
I look down at the paper. “I’m not sure.” The one thing I do know is that April has to have White’s Manor. She and Rachael had such plans for the house. Plans that I’d like to help her finish. If she’ll allow me to. I keep coming back to the thought of White’s Manor as a home.
“I love her, Belinda.” I know April should have been the first one to hear me say that, but admitting it to my sister felt calming and terrifying at the same time. What if April is through with me? With us? I can’t let myself think that.
Belinda grins. “Yeah, I know.”
I want it all with April. I take a look closer at the real-estate listing. Maybe I have the answer. “I have an idea. She’s not going to like it, but it will push us together to at least give me a chance to earn her trust back.”
I like the conspiratorial grin Belinda gives me. “Well, count me in.”
After a long three weeks of planning, I’m finally back in Treemont, staying at the same B&B. This time, as the new owner of White’s Manor. If everything goes according to plan, I won’t be the sole owner for long. The crew should arrive in two days. That gives me forty-eight hours to convince April to help me with the renovations.
My phone rings. “Hey, brat. How did it go?”
The excitement in Belinda’s voice is contagious. “It took some mad bargaining skills from the realtor, but April agreed to meet the new owner at White’s Manor at four today.”
My heart flutters and then dives. A lot is riding on that meeting. “So, April thinks she’s meeting to show the new owner over the place and discuss the remodel?”
I can practically see Belinda’s head nodding. “Yes, she thinks you want to know what’s been done and what her plans had been to complete the project.”
Exactly. But once she realizes it’s me waiting for her, I’ll have to do some fast talking. I want her back in my arms. I need her to give me another chance. Give us another chance. “Perfect.”
“Do you think this is going to work, E?”
I’ve put all my chips on it, so I hope it works, because there is no Plan B. “I think once she sees me, she’ll either punch me or spin tires down the driveway getting away.”
“But this is going to work, isn’t it?” I hear the nervousness in her voice. I think Belinda loves April just as much as I do.
My voice softens. “I hope so, honey. I love her, and I’m counting on her loving me enough to give us a second chance.” I can’t be wrong about that. What we shared, the way we connected, it had to mean something. I was so incredibly stupid to ever think that April would be anything other than kind, caring, and the most remarkable woman I know. She deserves so much better than me.
I get to the manor thirty minutes early. Mostly because I’m too excited about seeing April again. The place looks completely different from the last time I saw it decorated for the wedding. Everything has been cleaned out of the barn. There are no chairs placed in rows around the old white oak tree waiting for guests to watch two people in love become one. I wonder who took down the tulle and twinkle lights. I hope it wasn’t April. Thinking about her so high up on a ladder makes me sweat. But hopefully, another wedding will take place soon. If I’m lucky.
The house sits quietly on the hill, and I let myself in with the key. I see all the improvements April has already made, but I can also see how it will look finished. April and Rachael had plans for running an event center, but I can’t see that. I see…a home. A home filled with the smells of dinner cooking on the stove, the sound of feet running up and down the grand stairway, and laughter filling the rooms. I can see White’s Manor as our home. A home where we’ll raise our children. I can see our daughter walking on my arm down the grand staircase in her wedding gown. I see April and myself rocking our first grandchild in the nursery upstairs. Those are the dreams I want to give April. If she’ll let me. If it’s not too late.
I hear April’s truck coming up the driveway. Before all those dreams can become reality, I must first get April to at least listen to me. Something I didn’t give her the courtesy of. It breaks my heart when I hear her knock at the door instead of just walking in. Peeking through the window, I soak in the sight. I’ve missed her so much. She’s wearing my favorite pair of blue jeans, the ones that ride low on her hips and cup her butt perfectly. I know what it feels like to slip my hand under the waistband of those jeans. Before I go completely hard from just the thought of touching her, I take a deep breath and open the door.
Our eyes meet, and the smile on her face for the anonymous owner slowly fades when she realizes it’s me. “Elias. What are you doing here?”
Her eyes flash to the room behind me instead of looking at me. “Hello, April. It’s good to see you again. Won’t you come in?” I stand to the side to let her in, but she doesn’t move. Instead, she looks confused and a bit panicked.
“I’m here to meet the new owner,” she says, taking a step backward and looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
Come on, baby. Look at me. “I know. I am the new owner.”
Her head pops up and finally, our eyes connect. “What? I don’t understand,” she says, stuffing her hands in her pockets. Probably to keep from slapping me. But I’m going to think it’s to keep her from kissing me. That’s a much more positive outlook. I wish I could take the frightened hurt look from her eyes.
“I bought White’s Manor,” I say, and watch a flurry of emotions run across her face. It gives me hope to see interest in her eyes before she shuts it down. I know she loves this house—I’m just hoping she loves me enough to forgive me.
Her head gives a slight shake. “Why would you do that?”
“An investment property, among other things. Please come in. I have a proposition for you. A business proposition,” I add when I see her eyes widen in shock.
She blinks and glances around nervously as she tries to decide whether to come inside or leave. A muscle clenches in her jaw as her shoulders push back and she reluctantly marches past me. I could practically see her spine stiffen with resolve. She’s terrified but she’s not going to let me know that. My too-proud spitfire. I’m just pleased she hasn’t left.
“What do you want, Elias?” She glances around the room, noticing everything is exactly as she left it. The framing is still without drywall, the ceiling is still open to the second-floor studs above. The floors are still awaiting refinishing.
“First, I’d like to apologize…” I say calmly as I inch closer to her.
“Stop. If that’s why you tricked me into coming here today, I’m leaving.” She takes a step toward the door.
“Okay. Fine.” She halts, and I run a hand through my hair in agitation. How could I have forgotten how stubborn she is? I grin, because I wouldn’t have it any other way. “I want you to help me rehab this house.”
Her mouth falls open and her eyes bulge. “Why would you want to do a stupid thing like that?”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. You already know this house, you’ve already got the plans. I have a few things I’d like to change, but on the whole, I like your vision.” I explain as I try not to smile when she looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I have. I’ve lost my mind and my heart over her.
“No,” she answers and starts toward the door again, shutting me down without a backward glance.
“Just listen,” I say quickly and sigh with relief when she stops. “The show wants to follow us throughout the project.”
Her muscles tighten as her head draws back stiffly. “No.”
I don’t relent. I keep talking. “They’ll pay you. You and Rachael will be part of the entire season.” I name the amount the network is offering each of them, and her face goes pale. I know she wants to cram the offer down my throat, but I also know how badly they need the money. While she might still turn it down, she’d never keep Rachael from that much money. My eyes never leave her as she walks to a window and gazes at the timber-frame barn in the distance. I hope she’s remembering the good times we had pulling Belinda’s wedding together.
She turns back around and meets my gaze with sad uncertainty marring her beautiful face. “Why do you want this house, Elias? You don’t even live here.”
Slowly a take a step toward her. “I want this house because you love it. And I don’t live here yet.”
She takes a step backward, shaking her head as her eyes fill with tears. “Elias, why are you doing this to me?”
I want to go to her and take her in my arms—they’ve felt so empty without her—but I don’t. She needs to hear me first. “It’s simple, baby. Because I love you.”
She cries out and looks down, shaking her head in disbelief. “No, you don’t.” Her head tips upward and a tear falls from her eye. “You hurt me, Elias.”
I’ve been living with the pain of hurting April. “I know I did, and I was wrong to think you’d do something like that. I’m afraid I reacted without taking time to think rationally. I hurt us both, you know. I’ve been miserable without you. The crew have been threatening to quit.” I smile sadly. Their actual words were, “Don’t come back without April.” I’m trying, guys. “There’s not been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t wanted to wake up holding you in my arms. Every night I lay awake and remember how you felt snuggled beside me with your hand on my chest and your leg wrapped around mine. And that cute little snorting thing you do in your sleep. I miss that, I miss you. I miss the man I am when I’m with you.”
I notice her eyes don’t seem as distant. “I’ve missed you too.” She bites her lip and gives me a lopsided sad grin. “And I don’t snort.”
F
or the first time in weeks, my heart feels lighter. “My mistake. April, will you give me another chance?” She’s quiet for much too long, but I know she’s working it out in her head. I wait patiently.
“What does that look like?” she finally asks. I can see the curiosity in her eyes.
I know I’m playing dirty by dangling her house in front of her, but I’ll use any means possible to get another chance to make us right. “Help me with the house. It will be fun, I promise. I don’t expect anything more from you than that. Let’s start over, and this time we’ll go slow until you can trust me again.”
“I’ve never been on television,” she says shyly, but she’s intrigued.
“I’ll help you. The viewers are going to love you. Does this mean yes?” She grins and I’m hopeful. Then her grin fades.
“I get that we’d only known each other a short time, but how could you think I’d use you like that? If you doubted me, then you questioned what we shared together. You hurt me, Elias.”
I can’t wait any longer. I take her beautiful face in my hands, and my heart flutters when she lets me. I look deeply into her eyes. “There are very few people in my life that I’ve truly trusted. It’s the way I’ve survived in this world. That’s a very cynical thing to say, but I’m giving you honesty. When I first started in this business, I hired a manager that used my newfound fame to her advantage. I put my trust, my career, and Belinda’s future in Celeste’s hands. She made decisions that weren’t in my best interest but got her noticed by the business. After that, I began to doubt everyone’s honesty. When something came along that seemed too good to be true, I didn’t allow myself to believe that it could. I didn’t want to be hurt again, so I didn’t allow myself to believe in you…in us. And for that, I’m begging for your forgiveness.”
I close my eyes and touch her forehead to mine, “I love you, April. I love you with all my heart. Please give me another chance.”
I feel her fingers caress my face and I look into her shining eyes. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. She presses her lips to mine, and I can’t believe the instant peace that overtakes me. It’s not a passionate kiss we share, but a kiss of healing and of promise. When her lips leave mine, I want to pull her back. Instead, I look into the eyes of the woman who holds all my tomorrows.
Heartbreaker: Billionaires of White Oaks Page 15
