Unable to help herself, she pulled the band from the box and slid it on. A perfect fit—just like the man who had walked out the door moments ago.
As she studied the ring on her finger, Cassie knew there was no way she would go down without a fight. No way at all. Emily would come first, as always, but who said she couldn’t have the man of her dreams and her family?
If Derek wanted to fight dirty, well, bring it on, because Cassie had just gotten a whole new level of motivation to fuel her fire. And there was no way in hell Derek would take her child or the dreams Cassie had for a future with Ian.
The depth of Ian’s love was so far beyond what she’d dared to imagine. His strength as a man and father was exactly what she needed, wanted...deserved. She wouldn’t let his sacrifice go to waste.
Twenty-One
Ian wasn’t sure why he didn’t book a trip somewhere exotic to just get away. He’d come back to L.A. after breaking things off with Cassie. Max had more than understood his need to leave, but his friend had also had some choice words for him regarding the stupidity of his decision.
Ian wished there’d been another way. He’d had many sleepless nights looking for another way to protect Cassie and Emily, but it was because he loved them so much—because they were his family—he knew he needed to remove himself from their lives.
The pain after he’d left was unlike anything he’d ever known. Sharp, piercing pain had settled into the void in his heart that Cassie and Emily had left. But he also knew, in the long run, this was the best for the ladies he’d quickly grown to love.
Now, back in his beachfront home, he saw Cassie and that precious baby. How had two females he’d known only a short time infiltrated every single corner of his life? There wasn’t a spot in his house, his mind or his heart that they hadn’t left their imprint on.
He’d been home almost a month, and in the phone calls and texts between Max and Lily, he knew the filming was nearing the end. He hadn’t asked about Cassie.... He just couldn’t. The thought of her possibly playing house with Derek to keep the peace for Emily nearly crippled him.
Ian sank down onto the sand and pulled his knees up to his chest. The orange glow from the sunset made for a beautiful backdrop and not for the first time was he elated to have all of this for his backyard.
But he’d give it up in a heartbeat for a chance at happiness with Cassie. Letting her go was hands down the hardest thing he’d ever done in his entire life.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d said this decision was better for Emily in the long run. When he’d been younger he would’ve given anything for his parents to have stayed together. Perhaps his father would’ve been a little more relaxed and his mother not so much of a free spirit always seeking attention from men.
Ian couldn’t alter Emily’s future by coming between her parents. His broken heart was minor in comparison to their safety. All that mattered was that sweet Emily wasn’t a pawn, that he gave her the best chance to know her father. A chance he’d never had.
Damn it, he loved that little girl. He missed those little fingers wrapped around his thumb as he gave her a nighttime bottle. He missed that little two-toothed grin she’d offer for no apparent reason.
He missed everything...even the diaper changes.
“Beautiful place you have here.”
Ian jerked his head over his shoulder, his heart nearly stopping at the sight of Cassie in a little green sundress, her hair whipping about her shoulders and Emily on her hip.
“I was just in the neighborhood and was curious if you had room for two more,” she went on, not coming any closer.
In an instant, Ian was on his feet. “Room for two? Were you wanting to stay here?”
Cassie shrugged, her face tipped up to hold his gaze as he moved in closer. “Your house, your heart. Wherever you have room.”
Ian’s knees weakened. She’d come for him. When he’d thought they were finished, when he’d thought he’d done the right thing by setting her free, she’d come to him.
“I’ll always have room in my heart for you and Emily.” Ian reached out, slid a crimson curl behind her ear. “But my house? That depends on what’s going on with you and Derek.”
Cassie grabbed his hand before he could pull away from her. “Derek is being taken care of by my team of attorneys. I hired three to make sure he didn’t blackmail me, you or use Emily as a bargaining chip. He’s agreed to supervised visitation because Emily is young and would view him as a stranger. He’s not allowed to take her from the state for any reason and I have approval over any and all visits.”
Shocked, Ian merely stared. When Emily reached for him, his heart tumbled. Pulling her into his arms, he held her tight, breathing in her sweet scent.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her ear. Her little arms came around his neck and Ian had to physically fight back tears.
“We’ve missed you,” Cassie told him. “But I had to make sure Derek was being handled before I could come to you.”
Ian lifted his head, slid his arm around Cassie’s waist and pulled her against his side. This right here was worth everything. The heartache he’d felt, the worry, the sleepless nights.
“If you ever try to be noble again, I’ll go to the press with horrid lies.” Cassie smiled up at him. “I know why you left—I even admire your decision on some level—but being without you for weeks was a nightmare. I never want to be without you again.”
Ian slid his lips over hers. “What about your family? What about the school?”
Reaching up to pat his cheek, Cassie smiled. “Emily and I are staying here for a while. As for the school, I’d really like to open it on the estate, but I’ll move it to California if you’re needed here.”
Ian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was willing to part with her life, live across the country from her family, her rock, all because of him.
“I’d never ask you to leave your family,” he told her. “I actually want to be near them. What do you say we keep this home for our getaways and vacations? We can live on the estate or build nearby. The choice is totally up to you, but I want you to have the school at Stony Ridge.”
Cassie’s smile widened, those sparkling blue eyes glistening. “Sounds like a plan. Of course, we’re missing something, you know.”
Curious, Ian drew back slightly. “What’s that?”
“Well, I’ve worn my ring since you left.” She held up her left ring finger and the sight had his heart jumping. “I assumed that this ring had a question that went along with it. I mean, I’m assuming the man I’ve fallen in love with plans on carrying out his intentions.”
Ian looked to Emily. “What do you think, sweetheart? Should I ask your mommy to marry me?”
Emily clapped her hands and grinned. “Mom-mom-mom.”
Laughing, Ian glanced back to Cassie. So many emotions swam in her eyes. So much hope and love, and it was all for him.
“How did I get to be so lucky?” he murmured.
Shrugging, Cassie said, “I’d say fate has been pushing us together since the moment I fell into your arms.”
Pulling her tighter against him, he held the two most precious ladies. “This right here, in my arms, is my world. Nothing will come between us again. Not an ex, not my tendency to be noble, nothing. You’re mine, Cassie.”
Easing back to look down into her eyes, Ian saw his entire future looking back at him. “Tell me you’ll marry me. Tell me you’ll let me be Em’s dad. That you’ll even teach me all about horses. I want to be part of everything in your life.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she told him, wiping a lone tear that had slid down her cheek. “Besides, I still owe you that horseback ride you’ve never been on.”
Ian laughed. “How about we lay Emily down for a nap and we’ll discuss other plans for our family?”
The gleam in her eye told him she hadn’t missed his hidden meaning. “Our family. Those are two of the most beautiful words I’ve ever he
ard.”
He kissed her once again. “Then let’s get started on building it.”
* * * * *
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Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.
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One
Strawberries. The leading story on the news was about strawberries. No murders, no robberies, no political scandals. “Xander,” he said to himself with a wry chuckle, “you’re not in D.C. anymore.”
Xander Langston had been glued to the local news tonight, as he had been for the past two nights, waiting for things to hit the fan. He’d come home to Cornwall to handle the fallout, but so far the local broadcasts had focused on the unseasonably mild weather, the local youth baseball team’s successes and the upcoming strawberry festival. He flipped off the old fuzzy television in the living room and tossed the remote onto the coffee table. He was ordering a flat-screen television for the bunkhouse and the main house the next time he got on his laptop. He wouldn’t have time to drive into Canton and buy them in person.
If the biggest buzz around town was the Strawberry Days Festival, life was good. No news was good news—especially with his first book hitting shelves next week and an election year coming up. His critics liked to point out that he’d been elected the first time only because his predecessor and mentor, beloved longtime congressman Walt Kimball, had hand-selected him to follow in his footsteps. Whatever the reason, Xander had succeeded in a landslide victory over his opponent. At the time, he was one of the youngest congressmen ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, just making the age requirement of twenty-five.
This fall he would be kicking off yet another reelection campaign and Xander would prefer to remain gainfully employed. That meant a solid voting record, no sound bites that could be taken out of context and absolutely no scandals of any kind. Typically, it was easy for Xander to avoid scandals. He wasn’t married, so he couldn’t have affairs. He didn’t have an interest in prostitutes. He’d never been offered any bribes, and even if he had, he would have turned them down.
But everyone had a skeleton in their closet, so to speak. And that was why he was back in Connecticut at the Garden of Eden Christmas Tree Farm watching this crappy television instead of burning the midnight oil in his Capitol Hill office.
With a sigh, Xander got up from the couch and walked over to the window. The sun had already disappeared behind the rolling green hills, but it was still light enough to illuminate the farm. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but balsam and Fraser fir trees.
It was a startling view after being away for so long. Looking out the window of his office in the Longworth House Building earned him an excellent view of the Capitol Building and the sea of tourists and buses traveling up and down Independence Avenue. Those people traveled thousands of miles for the sights he ignored on a daily basis. He was too busy to appreciate the classic architecture and historic significance surrounding him. Most of the time, he took the underground tunnels to the Capitol Building and missed it entirely.
He might have a plush, professionally decorated town house a few blocks from the office in the Capitol Hill district, but this place—with its old, worn furniture and acres of trees—was home. This was where he’d grown up. Being back here, surrounded by the calming influences of nature and fresh air, Xander felt more at ease than he had since he left home for Georgetown and a fast-track career in politics. There was no traffic gridlock here, no honking cabs, no frantic running through the metro stations. He could finally breathe.
Things wouldn’t stay peaceful here for long, though. The literal skeleton in Xander’s closet belonged to Tommy Wilder and last Christmas it had been unearthed by a construction crew on land that used to be part of the farm. So far there had been no luck in identifying the body, but that would soon change. Brody, his computer-genius foster brother and one of the four “Eden boys,” had emailed them all about a week ago with news that the police had commissioned a facial re-creation sketch, but it hadn’t been released to the public yet. Xander hadn’t asked how Brody knew about it. He was just grateful for the heads-up.
When the sketch hit the news, people would start sniffing around the farm for answers. They’d garnered some attention when the body was first unearthed, but no one really believed it had anything to do with his foster parents, Ken and Molly Eden. The sketch would change that. When Tommy was identified, it would place the dead teenager in their care and people would be forced to consider their involvement. His foster parents weren’t fit to deal with the journalists and police that would knock on their door looking for information. Ken was recovering from a heart attack and Molly would be too distraught by the idea of Tommy’s death to answer questions. They needed someone at the farm to run interference and Xander was the best choice.
From a very early age, he’d had a way with people. He could talk anyone into anything. His mother used to tell everyone he was a born politician. Ladies found him charming. His constituents described him in a poll as “trustworthy, well-spoken and honest.” He would use every tool in his arsenal to fight off the press and protect his family.
Xander had been back in Cornwall for two days and so far nothing but Little League and strawberries. That meant he should really take advantage of the peace to run the errand he’d been considering since he arrived home.
He picked up the hardback book on the coffee table and admired his handiwork. “Fostering Faith by Xander Langston,” he read aloud. It was still a little surreal even after having author copies for a month already. He’d never intended on writing a book, especially a memoir. Xander had never thought his life was particularly exciting, but the publishing house that had approached him about the project felt otherwise. He was a young and successful congressman whose parents had died tragically and young, thrusting him into the foster-care system. Apparently, that was nonfiction gold.
It had taken
a year to write between his official duties and volunteer work at the D.C. Fostering Families Center. Knowing a portion of the proceeds would go to his favorite cause had kept him going when he was stuck in the middle of chapter seven. That and the hefty advance he’d have to return if he changed his mind.
The book came out next week. There would be a charity gala and signing in a couple weeks back in D.C. to raise money for the Fostering Families Center. Hopefully, his reason for coming home wouldn’t sink his plans and his sales.
While he was in Cornwall, he wanted to make one special personal delivery. He’d already given copies to his foster parents and his brothers and sister, of course, but he’d brought an extra one on this trip for his high school sweetheart, Rose Pierce. She’d featured heavily in the book as one of the best things to ever happen to him. He wanted her to have an autographed copy and he needed to give it to her in person.
Xander looked down at his watch. It was after seven. His foster brother Wade now lived in Cornwall and had told him that Rose still worked most evenings at Daisy’s Diner, just up the highway. This seemed like the perfect time to go. Tonight was Molly’s night to play Bunco, so he was on his own for dinner anyway.
He could deliver the book and get a good meal. Daisy’s had been a favorite haunt of his teenage years. Rose had worked at the diner back then, too, and he’d wasted many an hour sitting at the counter, sipping milkshakes and talking to her between customers.
Xander climbed into his black Lexus SUV and decided he would get a milkshake tonight for old times’ sake, especially if Rose would make it for him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had one. It might have been the summer before he left for Georgetown. The August heat and his lovesick heart had lured him to the diner nearly every day for a chocolate shake and a few last moments with Rose.
Once he’d left town, life had started moving so quickly. Years had flown by in what felt like minutes. His trips back to Cornwall had been short and infrequent. Lately, he was more interested in a crisp Chardonnay with his meal than a tall glass of chocolate ice cream. Daisy’s Diner and its milkshakes had become a distant memory from his childhood.
Single Man Meets Single Mom Page 16
