His Ex: The Cohan Billionaire Brothers Book Two (A Second Chance Romance)

by Layla Holt

  “Thanks,” Ruby said and then placed her hands on her hips. “Are you going to pretend that my arrangements are good?”

  “This is not your profession Ruby. I don’t expect you to know how to get the best camera shot angles. You’re usually on the other side of the camera. You tried, that’s what matters. Let me get the rest of the stuff.”

  “There’s more?” Ruby said. While he went out, she picked up the necklaces, earrings and bangles and shoved them back into their cases.

  Dean returned moments later, laden with a tripod and his camera. She widened her eyes.

  “A tripod?” she said.

  “Yes, for reducing camera movements to prevent blurred images,” Dean said. “And to adjust depth.”

  That went right over her head. She didn’t bother asking what depth was. “Is there anything you want me to do?” Ruby said, as she watched him set up the camera on the tripod and start to remove things from the box.

  “Yes,” Dean said. “Let’s start with pieces made from silver and gold. We are nearing the magic hour and we want to take advantage of it.”

  That she knew about. Having worked on numerous photo shoots, Ruby understood the basics of photography, but taking photos of jewelry was vastly different from posing for the camera.

  Dean at work was different from the every day Dean. She had imagined stolen kisses as they worked. No such luck. His concentration was wholly on getting the perfect angle on each piece of jewelry.

  She had to content herself with eyeballing him. She fought the urge to reach out and fork her fingers through his hair when he came within reach.

  In five minutes, her living room resembled a mini studio, complete with a lightbox, a mannequin bust for necklaces, a huge foldable light and a reflective umbrella. Dean had thought of everything.

  Ruby whistled in admiration at the creative way he arranged the pieces. A set of gold earring and bangles on a white bowl. He clicked away, shifting pieces around until he got the perfect shot.

  After he’d taken several pictures, Dean stood up and came to her. Ruby’s heart stopped when he stopped right in front of her, their bodies a breath away from touching. He trailed a finger around her neck and then parted the top of her blouse slightly.

  “You have perfect skin Ruby,” Dean said. “Rather than use the mannequin, we could use you as the background. Take pictures of the necklaces around your neck. It will be more personal.”

  Ruby let out the breath she had been holding.

  “What do you think?” Dean said.

  Her chest rose up and down and no matter how many discreet breaths she took, she could not control it. Her eyes lingered on Dean’s mouth. She knew he had spoken but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what he had said.

  All she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him. She curled her hand around his neck and drew him to her. His lips were soft and warm, melting into hers as soon as they touched.

  His hands found hers and curled around them. She had missed this. Kissing a man who by a mere touch ignited all her senses. Dean made a throaty sound as their kiss deepened. She removed her hands from his and moved them to his neck, exploring his shoulders and back.

  She became aware of his hands on her waist holding her back. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.

  “Just a few more pictures and we’re done for the day,” Dean said.

  Ruby swallowed her disappointment and stepped back. “Sure.”

  She should have been pleased that when Dean took to a task, he did not entertain distractions. It was to her advantage that he was so professional about his work. Instead, all she felt was a stupid surge of disappointment.

  “I’ll get dinner started while you finish up,” Ruby said.

  “Great, thanks,” Dean said and did not even look at her.

  In the kitchen, Ruby busied herself prepping ingredients for a simple meal of chicken salad. She ran the lettuce through water and tried to empty the doubts sprouting in her head.

  Four years ago, Dean could not keep his hands away from her. Not even the lure of capturing the perfect picture would have made him break a passionate kiss.

  Was he discovering that he’d gotten over her? She had assumed that like her, he still had feelings for her. What if she was wrong and he was just being kind to an old girlfriend? Humiliation washed over her as the thought took hold.

  She ached with sadness and confusion.

  “That is done,” Dean said, startling her.

  Ruby held her breath as she felt him move behind her and wrap his hands around her waist. She felt his breath on her neck before his lips grazed her skin. She closed her eyes to savor the feel of his hands and lips on her.

  He twirled her around and hungrily brought his mouth to hers. The last coherent thought she had was that Dean was not being kind. His heartbeat beat against hers. Their bodies crashed against each other as he pulled her tight. Heat enveloped her body.

  This was where she belonged. In Dean’s arms. Losing herself in his kisses. Feeling his hands around her, holding her protectively. Caressing her back and letting her know with just a touch, that he loved her.

  Her thoughts stumbled. Dean hadn’t said he loved her. But he didn’t have to. Juts like she had not said it but their love was there, sitting between them waiting until they were both ready to acknowledge it verbally.

  A burning smell wafted up her nostrils.

  Ruby pulled away. “The chicken!”

  Dean held on to her. “Who needs to eat,” he growled.

  Ruby giggled and wriggled out of his hold. “Maybe you don’t but I do. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”

  “Why?” he said.

  “Busy day,” Ruby said. “There was no time to eat.”

  “If you tell me where everything is, I’ll set the table,” Dean said.

  Ruby pulled the chicken out of the oven, a huge smile on her face. She was overthinking stuff. Worrying too much. It was enough that Dean had feelings for her. Maybe he was at the stage where he could not define what he was feeling.

  Time. What they both needed was time. Ruby scraped off the burnt sides of the chicken and cut the rest into small slices for the salad. When the salad was ready, Dean came into the kitchen and carried the bowl to the dining room.

  Ruby brought him up to date on everyone at the café as they ate dinner. He told her about going for the last venue walkthrough with Adrian and Lance.

  “Do you remember when we did ours?” Dean said, his voice soft.

  Ruby’s memories for the period preceding the wedding were hazy. She vaguely remembered trailing behind Dean like a lost puppy. He had asked all the questions and looked at her for confirmation. She remembered nodding throughout but absorbing nothing.

  “A little,” Ruby said.

  His eyes bore into hers. “You wore a pinched look the whole time. I wish you’d been able to talk to me.”

  “I wish I had too,” Ruby said. Shame and regret flooded her when she thought about that period. She forked her salad and took a huge bite. “You’re really good at photography.”

  “Thank you,” Dean said.

  “Why did you never pursue it? Make it a career even?” Ruby said.

  He did not answer for a moment. “I was needed at Candin Inc.”

  She heard the change in his tone but brushed it away and forged on with her line of questioning.

  “But what about your dreams?” She sounded exactly like her mother. She couldn’t stop herself from talking. Words spilled from her mouth. “Everyone should have the option of pursuing their own goals without feeling obligated to follow a certain path. What about your needs?”

  Dean speared her with a look. “Some of us don’t just run off to pursue ‘our dreams’ at the expense of other people. We take responsibility and commitment seriously.” He pushed his chair back. “I’ve had a long day. I need to go home and rest.”

  “But you’re not finished yet,” Ruby said standing up.

 
; His eyes bore into hers. “I’m done.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It didn’t take going to a therapist for Dean to know why he had been so upset with Ruby the previous day. Her little speech about following one’s dreams had jarred him. That was exactly what she had done. She had dumped him and run off to pursue her dreams.

  Nothing wrong with that, except when you hadn’t let your fiancé know that you’d be a no show at your own wedding. Still, his own reaction had surprised and disappointed him. It showed that deep down, he still harbored anger towards Ruby.

  The other thing that had angered him was that Ruby had come off as though she was excusing her behavior. There was no excuse for what she had done. Sure, she had apologized countless times but when she went ahead and made such statements, it negated the apology.

  He parked the car and killed the engine. It was a good thing that she wasn’t home yet. He needed to lose himself in his work and give his brain a chance to relax and focus on something else.

  The key was where Ruby had told him. Under a stone by the door. He unlocked it and pushed the door open. He worked fast, arranging a stool by the window and creating a white background with cardboard. He whistled as he worked, pausing every so often to admire the images his camera had captured.

  He lost all track of time until he heard the sound of a door turning. He looked up expectantly as Ruby walked in.

  Her smile was unsure. “Hi, I didn’t think I’d find you here. Leah and Maisie passed by the café.”

  “Hi,” Dean said and glanced at the time. “Is that the time, I had better finish up here and leave.” He turned off the lighting, folded the umbrella and set about neatening the temporary mini studio.

  “Dean, please don’t go,” Ruby said. “We’re behaving like strangers. Let’s talk. Come to the kitchen, I’ll make us some coffee.”

  He looked up. “Okay.”

  He followed her to the kitchen minutes later and pulled out a chair at the table. Ruby brought their coffee and sat down on the chair opposite his. They looked at each other.

  “I don’t understand what went wrong yesterday,” Ruby said. The look she wore tore at him. She looked frightened and he hated that he had made her feel that way.

  Suddenly what had transpired the previous day did not matter. “It’s fine Ruby, it’s gone now.”

  She shook her head. “We used to talk to each other Dean. We can’t lose that.”

  “Okay then. You reminded me that you had left me at the altar to ‘pursue your dreams’ as you put it.”

  She blinked several times and then covered her face with her hands. After a moment her hands fell away. “Will you ever find it in you to forgive me Dean?”

  “I forgave you a long time ago,” Dean said. “But that’s not my point. It’s that you still don’t get it. You think its fine to go off with the excuse that you’re chasing your dream while hurting someone else. Nothing about that is right, whichever way you put it.”

  A look of horror came over her features. “I didn’t mean that at all. Of course, it’s wrong to hurt someone while going after your dreams.”

  It hit Dean then that it wouldn’t be as easy as he had believed. There was a lot of hurt and pain between them. He felt suddenly tired. His feelings for Ruby had stayed intact for four years, secretly hoping that they would have another chance at happiness.

  Then against all odds, she had come back to Lockwood and they’d started seeing each other. But there was so much water under the bridge and for the first time since Ruby came back, Dean felt tired of it all. Every sentence he or Ruby spoke was loaded with double meaning.

  The seamless understanding they’d had between them was gone. One of them said something and it was wrongly misconstrued by the other. Or maybe their values were not aligned anymore. Whatever it was, he felt as if maybe they’d come to the end of the road.

  Maybe they had needed that time together to know that for them it was truly over.

  “Can this really work Ruby?” Dean said, his voice carrying the sadness he felt. “Maybe we’re too broken to be fixed.”

  Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. She placed her hand on his arm and he covered it with his. Sparks leaped from her hand to his. They had never been short on chemistry but a relationship needed so much more. He didn’t think they had it in them to make it work.

  “Don’t say that Dean. We’re bound to run into roadblocks,” Ruby said and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Is that what this is, a roadblock?” Dean said.

  She smiled and nodded. “A temporary roadblock.”

  THERE WAS SOMETHING about spring that planted hope in Ruby’s heart. Maybe it was the scent of newly sprouted flowers or the sweet sounds of singing birds and buzzing insects.

  It was more evident here in Lockwood than in New York. With her hand firmly held in Dean’s, she felt at peace.

  Around them, night closed around them and though there were no other people or cars on the road, Ruby felt safe. She liked that about Lockwood. The crime rate was way down, almost nonexistent, especially in the suburbs.

  She was glad that Dean had suggested they take a walk after dinner. It was refreshing after the heavy conversation they’d had. A slice of fear went through her at how close she had come to losing Dean. She had sensed it when she came home.

  He had looked and sounded tired. As they spoke, she had come to understand that Dean had gone through so much heartache that he couldn’t stomach a fight or a disagreement that would otherwise be normal for a couple that did not have the history she and Dean had.

  “How are Leah’s pieces coming along?” Dean said.

  “Pretty good,” Ruby said. “I’m doing the final touches now.”

  She sensed his stare.

  “Will you be my date for the wedding?” Dean said.

  She inhaled sharply. Her legs turned to jelly. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to go to the wedding with him. Especially because the same people who had been invited to their wedding were the same ones who would be at Leah and Adrian’s wedding.

  Not to mention that they were getting married in the same church. “Is Father Martin still at St. Patrick’s?” she said.

  “Yes,” Dean said “We talk every so often and check up on each other. He became a friend. He asks after you every time. He’ll be pleased to see you.”

  “Father Martin was pretty cool,” Ruby said.

  He had counselled her a lot in the weeks leading to the wedding and had been the only one to sense her growing panic. He’d tried to get her to confide in him but she couldn’t. Not when she wasn’t sure what was going on herself.

  She turned her mind to Dean’s invitation. How could she say no? She had left him to deal with the mess she had left behind when she fled their wedding. If it was a different church, a different family...she would have loved to go to Leah’s wedding.

  “Leah will make a gorgeous bride,” Ruby said with a sigh.

  “You don’t want to go do you?” Dean said. “You don’t have to. I understand.”

  She opened her mouth to speak. To say that she would be there. Her mouth refused to form the words and she felt like a complete jerk. Cold sweat trickled down her sides at the thought of being in St. Luke’s, the church where she was supposed to have said her vows four years ago.

  “Let me think about it,” Ruby managed to say.

  “Fair enough,” Dean said. “Shall we turn back?” he said.

  “Yes,” Ruby said. “It was a good idea to go for a walk. It’s so nice and peaceful here. I keep expecting to here the blare of a police siren.”

  Dean laughed. “A rare occurrence in Lockwood, though it has changed a bit in the last couple of years. More people equals more trouble. ”

  They talked about Lockwood and the changes it had undergone through the years. These days, Ruby could walk down the street and not meet a single person she knew. There were also quite a number of young families, like Jonathan and Ella and the number of schools
had grown.

  “It’s a good place to raise a family,” Ruby said.

  “It is,” Dean said. “I bought some land in Glenn Acres. The lot that borders my parents’ to the North.”

  Ruby stopped walking. “Really? Wow Dean, good for you. Does it have a creek running through it?”

  “Yep. I remember what you said. A creek running through it and woodland. And one better. A wild orchard hidden in the woods.”

  It grew vivid in Ruby’s mind. “I’d love to see it,” she said. “Can we go on Sunday?”

  Dean laughed. “We have a date to go to the art gallery on Sunday.”

  “Why can’t we do both?” Ruby said.

  “Why not indeed,” Dean said.

  Bittersweet feelings flowed through Ruby as they sauntered back home. Her mind played a nasty game of what if, taunting her, showing her images of what might have been.

  What if she had not run away and had married Dean? What if they had built their dream home on the land he had bought? The answers and corresponding images came fast. They would probably at that moment be taking a walk on their land, surrounded by familiar sounds of the night.

  After their walk, they would walk up to the wraparound porch of their ranch style home and shut the door behind them. They would be enveloped by the warmth of the fire roaring in the huge fireplace.

  “Thanks for dinner,” Dean said, jolting her out her fantasies.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a hot drink?” Ruby said.

  “It’s tempting but I’d better not. I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” he said.

  At first, she thought he was leaving without kissing or hugging her. Relief came over her when he took her hand into his. He cupped her cheek with the other hand and stared intently at her.

  The moonlight cast shadows across his face, giving him a surreal look. “You’re so beautiful sweetie,” he said, caressing her with his voice and words.

  She pictured them spending their days together and hearing Dean’s voice whispering sweet words into her ear. But she had to earn his trust. Make him understand that this time, she was staying with him.