The One of Many

by M. Jane Early

  “Studying abroad?” I didn’t like the look on his face.

  He took a breath. “No. I worked at the hotel.”

  “The hotel we’re at now?”

  He nodded and chuckled. “It was the only way I could afford to bring everyone here. I’m getting a deep discount from the owner.”

  I waited for more information, but he didn’t seem to want to offer it. “What made you want to live here?” I kept my tone casual.

  “It’s a long story.” He watched the sunset.

  “You seem to have a lot of those,” I said, and he glanced at me, then cleared his throat. “Can I assume it has something to do with your father?” I asked.

  He didn’t acknowledge me. His face was somber.

  “David?” He met my eyes. “I know you have a hard time talking about your family. And you have no reason to trust me yet. But if you need to talk about it, I’ll listen,” I said.

  He nodded. It was obvious he still wasn’t ready to share that part of himself with me. There was a lot about David my patience would have to overcome my need to understand.

  “But for now,” I said livelier, “we’ll talk about something else.”

  His grin was more pronounced. “I’m sorry.”

  I shook my head. “There’s no reason to be. I have to earn the right to your history. I’m okay with that.”

  I understood the central reason David didn’t do relationships—he didn’t want to have to open up to anyone. One-night stands or having women you sleep with is one thing. Having a relationship meant having to communicate about things you may not want to.

  I leaned back. “What about the rest of your family?”

  He smiled. “I have a younger brother, Rick, and my twin, Allison.”

  “She’s your twin?” I was going to kill Trevor for the information he was spreading about the blonde visiting David. How embarrassing.

  “Six minutes apart.”

  “Who’s older?”

  “I am. Although the way she bosses me around, you’d never know it.” He chuckled.

  I smiled at the love he held for his sister in his eyes.

  “Ricky is overseas,” he continued. “Living the life of a punk rock star.”

  “No way, really?”

  He nodded and smiled.

  “Were you the only one that wanted to take the business route?” I placed the napkin in my lap.

  “Allison owns an online bakery. Allywaycakes.com.”

  “Are you kidding?” I asked, surprised. He looked at me. “I order her cherry cheesecake for my father every year for his birthday. Her bakery is something like the third most popular online food store in the US, right?”

  “That’s her,” he said proudly.

  He relaxed a bit the more we talked about his siblings. They were all close, but they didn’t get to see their baby brother as much as David and Allison saw each other. The way he described it, the rift David had with his father spread to all of them in some way or another.

  “Where did you go to school again?” he asked while we ate.

  “Ohio State.”

  “Buckeye?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m proud to say I never went to a single football or basketball game.”

  He laughed. “Is that where your dad lives?”

  I nodded. “He owns a hardware store in Columbus.”

  David wiped his mouth. “Your father would probably hate me.”

  “Why?”

  “I couldn’t handle a tool to save my life.”

  “He wouldn’t hate you, just teach you a thing or two.” I winked at him.

  He laughed again. I loved how calm he was becoming around me.

  “My dad tries to be a tough guy, but he’s really a big ole softy. He really misses my mom. I’ve tried to get him to go out on dates, you know, just so he wouldn’t be alone. He refuses.”

  “They were really in love, huh?”

  I nodded. “I think that’s where I get it from. My parents were married for twenty years before my mom died. Their marriage wasn’t perfect, but they genuinely loved each other. I always wanted that.” I picked up my fork again and stared at my plate.

  “You deserve that,” he whispered and looked away.

  I smiled but worried about his expression.

  “Where are your brothers?” he asked abruptly.

  “Garrison helps with the hardware store. My other brother, Rainn, is a pitching coach for Cleveland.”

  “Those are, um…unique names.” He chuckled.

  “They came from Harlequin romance novels my mom used to read. My dad said he was so happy they were going to have a girl because if they had another boy, his name would’ve been Falcon.”

  We both laughed.

  “What’s your middle name?” he questioned, pushing his plate away.

  “James.” I rolled my eyes.

  He tilted his head and smiled.

  “I know.”

  “No, I actually like that. Farren James Hallston.”

  I liked the way my full name rolled off his tongue.

  “What’s your middle name?” I asked.

  “Why?”

  I shrugged one shoulder. “It’s only fair. And you come from a rich family. Don’t they give you like five names? Teague Palmer Hall William or something.” I chuckled. “I don’t believe for a second that your name is just David Powers.”

  “We were not rich,” he clarified.

  “Still.”

  He scrunched up his face and scratched the back of his neck with his forefinger, then returned to my gaze. “David Magnus Powers.”

  “Magnus?” I smiled.

  “They really wanted me to go to Harvard,” he said wryly. He took a sip of his wine and looked away, which made me laugh harder.

  “You should go by Magnus,” I teased.

  “Do I look like a Magnus?”

  I shrugged. “Can I call you Maggie?”

  “No dessert for you.”

  I chuckled while picking up my wine.

  A small vibrating noise came from David’s pocket. He put down his glass and took it out.

  “It’s Allison,” he said to himself. He looked up at me with an apology etched on his face.

  I nodded at him. He answered and got up, making his way towards the inside for privacy. I pushed my plate back, full of the paella. The mystery behind David’s father was still no clearer than when we had first met. This powerful, beautiful man was reduced to a small child whenever I mentioned Samuel Powers. It hurt to watch him dwell on whatever happened between them. Not as someone I liked or was attracted to, but as a human.

  He came back to the table frantically. “I’m so sorry.” He exhaled and closed his eyes.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “No.” He stared at me.

  His expression told me we needed to go. I grabbed my bag and stood. He held his hand out, and I took it as we walked. We went down the stairs from the restaurant and to the car. When he got in, he sat with one hand on the steering wheel, the other lingering on the key in the ignition. His head was almost leaning on the wheel. He focused on something in front of him.

  “I’m sorry, Farren.”

  “David, what’s going on?”

  He exhaled. “I have to go back to the States.” He looked as if he wanted to say more. I remained quiet. “It’s my father.”

  “Okay.” I kept my voice small and wouldn’t ask anything else. He waited for a moment, then peeked at me. I tried to give a reassuring smile. I didn’t need any further explanation, not yet.

  He nodded, then started the car.

  Nineteen

  I walked out of the elevator with David at my heels. We hadn’t said two words to each other since we’d left the restaurant. He was with me physically, but mentally, he was with his father.

  When we reached my door, I turned to him. He searched my face, but I didn’t know what for. His eyes, usually so striking and vibrant, became hurt and confused. I moved towards him and wrapped
my arms around his neck, hugging him close. After a few moments, he embraced me too and squeezed. The rigidness in his body was disturbing. The pain and panic radiated off him. I wanted to take it away. I leaned my head against his neck and closed my eyes. His scent was all over me again, and for the first time, it didn’t make me dizzy with desire—I felt sadness. Whatever David was going through was too much for him to share with me—with anyone.

  I pulled away. “You should go.”

  He nodded. “I’ll email you the agenda for the rest of the weekend. Are you sure you’re okay with running the meetings?” His hands were on my hips.

  I smiled. “I think I can handle it.”

  The corners of his mouth barely turned up. “Farren—”

  “No apologies,” I whispered.

  “How’d you know I was going to apologize?” He ran his finger against my cheek.

  “Because you do it a lot. I can read it all over your face now.”

  He pulled me closer. His eyes sparkled like rain in headlights. His lips parted as he bent. Meeting him the rest of the way, I curled my fingers around his neck.

  Our mouths barely touched when the elevator down the hall announced its arrival. We moved away from each other without direction—like it had become second nature. He put his hands in his pockets, watching me walk backwards towards my door.

  I heard Gwen’s voice before I saw her. She, Julie, and a few other people came towards us. I leaned against my room’s door and silently groaned. David was directly across the hall, his eyes still on me while I avoided his gaze.

  When Gwen reached us, she stopped in front of David while everyone else passed. She was close enough to touch him but didn’t cross that line.

  “Are you done with your meetings? We were about to go to the club,” she said, then peered over her shoulder at me.

  I gave her a half-hearted smile.

  “No, Gwen. Actually, I have to get on a plane to go home.”

  “You’re leaving?” she said, the disappointment apparent.

  “Yeah, family emergency.” He glanced at me.

  She nodded. “I could ride with you. Make sure you get everything you need.”

  “I’m okay. Thanks.” He glanced at me again.

  She made a hard line with her mouth and nodded again. She looked up at him for a moment, then walked away to join the rest of the group ahead of her. Gwen eyed me before walking down the hall. I looked down and turned, bringing my plastic key out of my purse to slip into the slot.

  The sound of the door unlocking was loud in the empty hallway. I walked in and turned to look at David again.

  “I hope…” I didn’t know what to say as I lingered in the doorway. I glanced at the red and green carpet, then back to him. “I’ll see you back in LA.”

  David didn’t move or even blink. He stood like a statue, staring at me. The door began to close, but he moved forward to stop it with his hand. He pushed it open and grabbed me, pushing me farther into the room while moving his lips against mine. The sound of everything I held hitting the floor didn’t distract us. His hands moved urgently into my hair, bringing me closer to him.

  His warm mouth made its way to my neck and around my ear. “I want you, Farren.”

  I let out an audible sigh.

  I pulled back. “David, you have to go.”

  He stopped and looked at me. “I don’t want to go. I just want to be here with you. I want to forget, Farren. Even if it’s just for tonight. Let me get lost in you.” His kiss calmed and turned seductive, nipping across my cheek until he reached my mouth again. He held me against his body as he grew against my leg. His fingers lightly traced along my bare back, then across my shoulders, causing vibrations from my head to my toes.

  It hurt to see him in any kind of pain, so much so that I wanted to do whatever to take it away. But I couldn’t. Not right then. He needed to leave to get to his father thousands of miles from where we stood.

  I stepped back, gently pushing him away, trying to stop us before we went any farther. He watched me, confused. “David, even if you stayed tonight, it wouldn’t erase whatever’s going on. You’d still have to deal with it.”

  He paused, then his hands landed on his hips, and he exhaled. The shock of me rejecting him wore off, and his worry surfaced again.

  I exhaled and moved closer to him. “I don’t know what’s happening, and I hope one day you’ll be able to tell me. And as much as I want you too, your family needs you.”

  He clenched his jaw tight and took my hands in his, staring at them as if they were his only lifeline from him falling apart.

  I turned and walked backwards, leading him towards the door. I hesitated, then put my hand on the handle as his eyes changed again, from wanting to disappointment—maybe even fear.

  “I’m here, if you need me. Please let me know you landed okay,” I said, but he remained silent.

  I opened the heavy door and leaned my body against it. He stepped in front of me, hesitating, maybe hoping I would change my mind. When I didn’t, he leaned in to kiss me again. Only our lips touched. Without a word, he walked towards the elevators.

  DAVID TEXTED ME WHEN he landed, then didn’t speak to me at all for the next two days. I wanted to give him space and let him deal with whatever was going on, but his lack of communication frustrated me. We were in the beginning of our relationship, and I didn’t take it as a good sign he was already keeping me in the dark.

  I broke down and told Yvette about what happened between David and me while we waited by the curb for the hotel’s shuttle service.

  She wasn’t surprised. “The way you guys danced around each other at the party, I knew it was only a matter of time.” She smiled, leaning on her luggage’s handle. “Although, I thought you’d be more enthusiastic about it.”

  “I mean, I’m happy.” I shrugged.

  “You’re about as happy as a cow going to slaughter.”

  I furrowed my brow. “That is a weird analogy.”

  “I know. I couldn’t think of anything else.”

  We both laughed.

  She looked over my shoulder and nodded. “I guess that means Gwen’s going to have to go back to drooling over Nick.”

  I turned around and saw Gwen and Nick talking intimately. “They do make a much better match.” When I faced Yvette, I sighed loudly.

  “Farren,” she removed her sunglasses, “you got the guy you wanted. What’s the problem?”

  “There’s just a lot going on right now. With his father, the launch, rebranding this struggling company. I know it’s selfish, but where do I fit into all this?” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Plus, he’s been with models and actresses for the last five years. Look at me. I’m a graphic design artist from Ohio.”

  “Who he agreed to be exclusive with. Stop it, you’re gorgeous. And you’ve known all of this for a while. Why is it an issue suddenly?”

  I paused. “You know how you want something so bad and you’d do anything to have it. Then when you get it, you think about everything that could go wrong because of it?”

  She smirked. “Be careful what you wish for?”

  “Yeah.” I exhaled and shook my head. My insecurities were already heightened with David. I didn’t want to admit it, but the lingering effects of Crew and his affair with Nina were at the forefront of my thoughts. Crew was an unknown actor who decided I wasn’t good enough for him until the actress he cheated on me with told him to piss off. What would the gorgeous, brilliant David Powers do to me?

  By the time Thursday came, the office had speculated on the whereabouts of our CEO. I couldn’t tell them anything more than he’d be back soon because I didn’t know myself.

  I knocked on Nick’s door later that afternoon. When he told me to come in, Gwen was sitting in the chair in front of his desk. She barely angled her head in my direction.

  I walked towards them. “Nick, could you take over the meeting at two? I have back to backs and can’t make it.” I glanced at Gwen. She turned a
way.

  Nick took a breath, still looking at Gwen. “What’s the matter, Farren? Is the job getting to be too much for you?”

  I exhaled. “Nick, I wish I had time to go ’round and ’round with you about this, but I can’t. Will you do it or not?” David’s absence was spreading me thin. My irritation with him was enough, I didn’t need attitude from Nick too.

  “Sure, Farren, I’ll save your ass and take over the meeting.” He smirked at me.

  I ignored the comment and glanced at Gwen again. She looked at her hands. “Fantastic. Thank you for doing your job,” I said as I walked out the door, shutting it harder than I needed to.

  My impatience with David grew with each passing day. I texted him daily with no answer, then sent emails regarding the progress with our project, getting only a “thanks” in return. The lack of communication was driving me mad. He was dealing with a lot, I understood that, but what I didn’t understand was him shutting me out completely.

  Yvette picked me up for work that following Monday. My mood was lighter, though anger still simmered under the surface. I couldn’t force him to fit me into his chaotic life. Maybe all David and I would have was Mexico. Our time apart might have made him realize he and I wouldn’t work out. If he was going to ignore me completely, maybe that was the right thing to do.

  “So, did you see Aaron?” I asked Yvette as we stepped into the elevators.

  “He was at my door when I came back from the airport.” She smiled. “With flowers.”

  I stared straight ahead. “Impressive. He’s still a jerk, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “Something just keeps pulling me back to him.”

  I laughed once. “You’re preaching to the choir, honey.”

  We walked from the elevator towards the bullpen when I stopped in my tracks. David was in his office on the phone, pacing. I stared with my mouth opened at the man behind the blinds while the hurt crept into my body.

  Yvette stopped beside me. “I didn’t know your boy was back. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I hesitated. “Because I didn’t know,” I said in a whisper. I told Yvette I’d see her later and took the longer way around the cubicles to get to my office to avoid passing by his.

  I slammed my door, closed the blinds, and plopped down in my expensive leather chair. He didn’t even tell me he was coming back. I clenched my jaw with frustration, then took a deep breath.