by Jamie Wesley
Phillip sighed, his sympathy clear. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“You’re right. We are—were—involved on a personal level.”
“Were?”
“She said she wanted to take things slow.”
“Did you ask her why?”
“I did, but she didn’t have a good answer.” He shrugged. “Besides, I already know the answer. She had time to think about my past. I’m not the one she wants for the long-term.”
“And you want her for the long-term.”
Alex shrugged. “I thought I did.”
“You love her.”
The devastating weight of Phillip’s three words hit Alex so hard and fast in the chest he almost doubled over in agony for what he’d lost. Almost. But he’d survived a lifetime of pain and knew the only way to survive was to live life on his own terms and to be as true to himself as he could be. Instead, he lifted his head and met Phillip’s understanding gaze. And admitted the truth out loud for the first time. “Yes. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
He’d been so afraid to admit it. So afraid it would be taken away from him. That Fliss would be taken away.
Phillip nodded like he’d expected the answer. “I see why. Fliss is a wonderful woman, and I know damn well you couldn’t do any better. You really think she’s so shallow that she would hold your childhood against you?”
Alex blinked. “No.”
“Then why do you think she gave you the brush-off? Think about her and not yourself for a moment.”
He remembered the look on her face as she’d told him she wanted to take things slow. The uncertain look. The panicked look.
Shit.
He’d gotten so wrapped up in his own insecurities he’d hadn’t taken the time to find out what was bothering her. And he might have lost her forever because of his stupidity. “I’m such an ass. I have to go.”
Without waiting for Phillip’s answer, he raced to the door and broke every speed limit on the books to get back to the Crescendo office.
But Fliss wasn’t there.
Panicked, he turned in a circle in the middle of the office, searching for an answer. Any answer. Then it hit him. He exhaled. Of course she wasn’t here. She was meeting with her manager.
That logical explanation only satisfied him for a moment. He wanted her here now, not in ten minutes or an hour. He needed to apologize and tell her he loved her.
Pete came out of the break room and headed toward him. “Hey, man. What are you doing standing here looking pissed off at the world?”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Pete, for your concern. I’m not mad. Just frustrated that Fliss isn’t here. I have something to discuss with her.”
“She didn’t tell you? She called in and said she wasn’t coming back to the office today.”
Alex ran toward the front door.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Fliss yawned, covered her mouth with her hand, and stumbled down the hall. Her need for caffeine was at an all-time high. Amazing how that happened when you didn’t get much sleep. But the coffee would help her focus. Then she could prepare for what would happen in an hour or so. Maybe a little longer than that.
Knock, knock.
She leaped about ten feet in the air. When she landed, she slapped a hand over her chest and reversed field, her quest for coffee forgotten. She quickened her pace when the pounding started again. There was only one person who’d show up here, unannounced, demanding to be let in so early in the morning. She looked down at herself. Pajamas and no makeup. Not how she’d envisioned meeting him, but she’d officially run out of time. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
“So you are alive.” Alex didn’t look happy to see her. No, livid was a more accurate description. Angry Alex wasn’t part of her plan. But she’d been here before. They’d been here before. And she believed in what they had together.
Fliss produced her most welcoming smile. “Alex, you knew I was alive.”
He stormed past her into her grandparents’ home. “Oh, that’s right. You told Roberta you weren’t lying in a ditch somewhere, but not me.”
Underneath the anger was hurt. She’d caused that. But she was ready to make amends. If he would let her.
“Can I get you some coffee?”
“No.” The word snapped out low and vibrating. Alex crowded into her space, all glowers and coiled tension. “You can tell me what the hell is going on.”
Fliss swallowed hard, fully awake now.
“Why did you run away? Why didn’t you tell me where you were? Why didn’t you return my calls yesterday?”
She squared her shoulders. “I needed some time to think.”
“So you didn’t answer me until early this morning.”
“I wasn’t ready to talk until this morning.” After she’d stopped obsessing over the what-ifs that had plagued her yesterday and finally accepted and embraced that what she felt for him was real and wasn’t going to change.
“Of course,” he said, sarcasm dripping. “That’s when I got the good ole email, ‘You want what I’ve got? Come and get it. You know where to find me.’”
“I thought it was appropriate.”
He didn’t look impressed with her cleverness. “Do you know how worried I was about you? You had Roberta lie for you and say you weren’t up here. I had no clue where you were.”
“I’m sorry I made you worry, but I did need some time to think.”
“About what? How to torture me?”
She took in his face, his handsome face, frustration paramount, the tension racking his frame. “No. I seem to do that effortlessly, don’t I?”
To her relief, he answered with a small smile. “You do.” He touched her then. A gentle hand to her face. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?”
She turned into his touch. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. “I wasn’t going to fall in love again. Not me.”
His hand fell away. “I see.”
Fliss huffed out her frustration. “No, you don’t. I’m not handling this right. I’m not saying the right thing. Just like yesterday. I woke up this morning believing I had this great plan, and now, when you’re here, I’m falling apart. You weren’t supposed to get here so soon.”
Alex shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. As soon as I got your email, I hit the road.”
“And paid no attention to speed limits apparently.”
“No. I needed to see you.”
As romantic as the words were, as romantic as his actions were, he didn’t sound or look happy with her. Fliss struggled to prevent a sigh from escaping.
His eyes narrowed. “What exactly did your great plan entail?”
She swallowed and forced the words out. “Luring you here.”
“Luring me here?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, it sounded better in my head than the reality is turning out to be. You’re upset, and I’m screwing things up.”
“Well, I’m here now. Ready to listen. So talk.”
“Could you take the scowl off your face first?”
“Fliss…”
The familiar, put-upon tone calmed her. She headed toward the kitchen, taking in the familiar furnishings of the cabin. “I came here to gather my courage. I love this place. The love my grandparents put into building this house surrounds me. I feel secure here.” She looked over her shoulder at the man who meant the world to her. “That’s the way I feel when I’m with you.”
“Then why did you back away and say you were having fun?”
Inside the kitchen, she turned and faced him. “When I said we were having fun, I meant it. I do have fun with you even when you’re driving me insane. The most fun I’ve ever had. But that’s not all I feel when I’m with you.”
He didn’t say anything, his dark eyes boring into her like he could wrest her deepest secrets from her soul. When she could no longer withstand the scrutiny, she turned to grip the kitchen island countertop.
“What do you feel
when you’re with me, Fliss?” Alex asked from right behind her, his heat seeping into her back. Making her remember lying in his arms, his warmth comforting her. Thrilling her.
She turned. He didn’t move back. He was so close. She couldn’t breathe. She never could when he was so near. But now was her chance to tell him how she felt. She opened her mouth to do just that, but he held up a hand, forestalling her.
“No, actually, I want to go first,” he said. “I drove up here to tell you how I feel, so that’s what I’m going to do.” The determination on his face let her know interrupting him would be futile. He was a man on a mission. One of the many reasons she was so fortunate to have him in her life. “You weren’t the only one confused about what was going on between us. Do you know how many times I picked up my phone to call my lawyer after I found out you finagled your way into owning half of Crescendo?”
“No,” she whispered.
His mouth kicked up in a dry half-smile. “I lost count, but it was a lot, believe me. But every time I picked up the phone, I put it back down without making the call. Something held me back.”
“We were working on the Farrah project. You needed my help.”
“That’s what I told myself because I was afraid.”
Fliss shook her head. “Afraid of what?”
His expression softened. “So many things. I was afraid of admitting my feelings for you. I was afraid you couldn’t accept my past. I’m not going to lie. It was hard to wrap my brain around us being together. I didn’t think I deserved you. You come from an all-American family even if it’s not perfect. I’m just a kid from the streets. You’re the light and all that’s right with the world. I’m not.” He paused. “Instead of admitting all that to myself, it was easier to say that we were incompatible. That you annoyed me instead of intrigued me. That I had to concentrate on making Crescendo a success before I could think about my personal life.”
Fliss covered her thundering heart with a trembling hand.
“Then, the night of Phillip’s party, I realized I’d never made the call and I never would because I couldn’t not be with you. Because of what you said to me. How you looked at me. Like you believed in me. Like you saw the real me. No one had ever looked at me like you did. I never wanted you to stop. My father was about nothing. Everyone in the old neighborhood knew it, and I felt their stares, their pity.”
“Everything I said that night was the absolute truth.” She needed him to know that, if nothing else.
He nodded again, his expression grave. “But then you pushed me away yesterday. You crushed me. I thought that you felt sorry for me or didn’t see me as worthy of being with you.”
“No, no, no, that wasn’t it.” Oh, God. She’d been so consumed with her own insecurities. How easy it was for her to forget this tall, strong, intelligent, resilient man had vulnerabilities of his own. That in trying to protect herself, she’d unleashed his demons.
“But yesterday, while talking to Phillip, I realized the person I had fallen for could never do that. I remembered how you looked at me, and I knew I was looking at the situation all wrong. I was so worried about my feelings I didn’t think about yours. I kept trying to reach you yesterday because I needed to apologize.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For losing my cool when you said you wanted to go slow.”
She waved a hand, fighting a grin. “Oh, you mean when you went all grumpy? You’re always grumpy. I’m used to it.”
“Fliss…”
She looked up into his handsome face. He’d poured his heart out. Now was her chance to be honest with him in return. That was why she’d lured him here, after all. “I love you so much it scares the crap out of me.”
He didn’t smile. “Why does it scare you so much, sweetheart?”
Time for more honesty. “When my marriage fell apart, my self-confidence took a beating. I was constantly doubting myself—my judgment, what I deserved. Everything. I wasn’t going to get involved with anyone.”
“Certainly not with me.” That heart-stopping smile that never failed to melt her heart made an appearance. This time was no different.
Fliss offered up a smile of her own. “Certainly not with you. But I did.” She took a deep breath. “I got scared that you’d come to mean too much to me in a short amount of time and I panicked.”
Alex gently cupped her cheeks. “Sweetheart, you’re the most fearless person I know. You see something you want and you go for it. Sometimes that makes me want to wring your neck, but ultimately I admire you for it. I love you for it.”
“You do?” she whispered.
His gaze didn’t waver. “Have I ever lied to you or misrepresented myself to you?”
“No.” The easiest, most truthful answer she’d ever given.
“Then believe me when I say I love you. I’ll never regret becoming involved with you. It was the best decision of my life. The insecurities about who I was as a person, what I had to offer a woman, what I had to accomplish in my career to consider myself successful—they all disappeared. Because of you. I’m a better person when I’m with you. I’m a better businessman. I’m a better man.”
“I’m a better woman because of you,” she said with no hesitation. “You were always there building me up. Your support at Crescendo, your willingness to let me contribute meant the world to me when I was looking to redefine myself.”
“That’s so good to hear.” He lowered his forehead to hers. She inhaled his scent and reveled in their closeness. How she loved this man.
“Tell me more about this plan of yours,” he murmured.
Fliss chuckled. Trust Alex, the man who dealt in facts, to want to know every single detail.
Before she’d sent that fateful email, she’d known and accepted that she couldn’t turn her back on her true identity any longer. She didn’t want to. Alex was the man who’d opened his heart to her. He was the man who’d never lied to her. Who would never lie to her. She’d fallen in love with him because her heart, which she’d trusted her entire life, had led her straight to him.
She gripped his hand, wanting the connection. Needing him to feel it. “After thinking about it all night, I woke up this morning knowing I had to tell you I love you, so I sent the email. I thought it would make you smile. A miscalculation.”
He shrugged. “It did get me here, so it wasn’t a total bust.”
Fliss shared a smile with him. “It worries me that I can’t predict the future, but I believe in us and what we have. I want to be with you. I just ask that you be patient with me.”
Unabashed joy filled his face. “Sweetheart, I invented the word patient.”
Fliss’s laugh was cut off by his seeking mouth. She melted into his embrace, warmth spreading through her veins as he deepened the kiss.
Minutes later, he slowly pulled away. “I’m here,” he whispered against her mouth. “I love you. You and all your crazy plans.”
Laughing, she placed a hand over his heart. Steady. Strong. “I know. I love you, too.”
EPILOGUE
A few weeks later…
Fliss stopped at the entrance to her living room and studied Alex. He was so cute. He’d hate that description, but it was so accurate. He sat on the couch reading a script while neat stacks of paper—research, he’d said—surrounded him in some carefully considered pattern. Even the vee that bisected his forehead was cute.
She could count on one hand the hours they’d spent apart since he’d come to her at her grandparents’ cabin. The happiest time of her life. She didn’t know what she would do without him. He loved her. He supported her. She loved and supported him.
She was finding it harder and harder to remember why she’d ever doubted his feelings for her and her feelings for him. The truth was, he was perfect for her. They were perfect together. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
And yet she still hesitated to give him a full commitment.
What was she waiting for? A trip in a Delorean to the fut
ure to guarantee everything would work out perfectly?
“Are you just going to stand there?” Alex asked without looking up from the paper in his hand.
No, she wasn’t. Fliss rushed across the room and straddled his lap, knocking aside his neat stacks of paper. She grabbed the sheet out of his hand and tossed it behind her.
He frowned at her. “I was working. You know that, right?”
“I know. Don’t be grumpy.” She nibbled his neck. “It’s eight o’clock. We’ve worked enough today. Speaking of, did I ever thank you for casting me as Farrah?”
“Pretty sure you cast yourself, but you’re welcome.”
Chuckling, she made her way to his mouth and leaned in for a soft kiss. “I have a confession to make.”
“What?”
She grinned when his hand landed on her hip and slipped under her skirt to massage her bare thigh. “You were right. About us.”
“I know.” His hand slipped higher.
“No, you misunderstand me. I’m ready.”
His hand stilled. “Ready for what?”
“For everything. I want us to be us with no reservations. No more hang-ups about not being able to predict the future. About not being able to trust my gut. You don’t have to be patient anymore.”
His hand tightened on her leg. “Do you mean that?”
“With everything in my heart. My gut has been screaming at me to listen to it for the longest time. You’re it for me. I finally realized it’s not what you say but what you do. You’ve shown me over and over how much you care about me and how much you get me and love me for me. You’re what I’ve been looking for my whole life. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m sorry I made you wait.” She met him halfway for a lingering kiss she hoped would be the first of many.
“You’re the love of my life,” Alex murmured against her mouth. “If you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you how much you mean to me.”
Fliss settled back on his hard thighs. “Is that a proposal?” she asked with a teasing grin.
“Yes.”
She gasped when he reached into his pants’ right pocket and pulled out a black ring box. He opened it to reveal a dazzling diamond ring.
