She looked into his eyes and sighed. “Lucas, I think I might have made a mistake.”
“Don’t say that, Cassie. I love you.”
“I mean, I think I made a mistake by saying no. I think I was just afraid.”
“I’m scared too.” He touched her cheek. “But we can be brave for one another, can’t we?”
“Yes. I think we can.”
Chapter 35
Once Cassie was settled into her own wing and had her studio in operation, Lucas could relax—at least he thought he could. But his attention was forced back to business matters as crisis after crisis kept coming up. A few of his associates seemed to be noticing his recent distraction. He did his best to make up for it, while still offering Cassie as much attention as he could spare. Midnight strolls, dips in the pool, and hours spent watching her paint blended together to create a strong relationship. The more confident he became, the less attention he paid to the time that had passed.
One day she pulled him aside with a devilish smile.
“What is it?” He smiled.
“It’s almost your birthday.”
“Is it really?” He blinked. “I hadn’t realized.”
“It is. I want to take you on a trip.”
“Where to?”
“It’s a surprise. Can you spare the time?’
“For you, anything.” When he’d made the promise, he meant it. What he didn’t expect was a call from Texas that a corporation’s president and vice president were at war. He tried to get someone else to handle it, but when that failed to work, he knew that he had to go himself. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Cassie, but he had no other choice.
He found her in her room, humming as she packed for the trip. He leaned against the doorway and sighed as he watched her.
“Don’t bother. I have to leave.”
“For the trip. Right, we have to go in twenty minutes.” Cassie picked up the last of the clothes she’d been folding.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I have to leave for a business meeting. There’s a problem in the Texas office. If I don’t go, it’s only going to get worse.”
“When did you know this?” She stared at him. “Some problem just suddenly came up?”
“Yes Cassie.” He narrowed his eyes in frustration. “That’s how it works for me. Haven’t I made that clear to you?”
“I think that if you’re going to cancel our trip you could have given me a little more notice.”
“This is as much notice as I got. I just received the call.”
“And no one else can take your place?”
“Cassie, I don’t need this from you. I’m leaving, that’s the end of it.” He turned his back to her and opened the door to her room.
“Lucas, wait.”
“I don’t have time to wait, Cassie. I’ve never lied to you about any of this. I have to go.” He pulled the door shut behind him.
The moment he heard the loud thump of the door, he knew he’d gone too far. But he didn’t have a minute to spare. The crisis in Texas needed his attention and he couldn’t spend the time smoothing things over with Cassie. If she wanted to be with him, she would have to get over it. As he rushed down the stairs to the first floor James ran behind him.
“I’ve got the pilot getting the plane ready and there’s an extra suit in the car for you to take on board. Do you need me to come with you?”
“No. I can handle it.” He grabbed his coat from the closet and pushed past James.
“Is something wrong?”
“Does it matter?” He growled at James. “I have to go, I don’t have a choice.”
“I know that.” He studied him for a minute. “Is it Cassie?”
“You know how it is, James. You’ve seen it enough. She planned a birthday getaway for me and I just had to cancel it.”
“I’m sure she understands.”
“I’m not.” Lucas shoved the door open.
“Try not to worry. I’ll talk to her about it.”
“There’s no need. Either she deals with it, or she’s not the right person for me.”
He slammed the door closed behind him. He didn’t want to see the judgment in James’s eyes. He didn’t want to think about what he would face when he returned to the mansion. Would she even still be there? Would she give up on him that fast? He’d had women do it before.
He took a deep breath as he climbed into the car. It was better to know now if it wasn’t going to work. There was no point to dragging it out.
He spent the entire flight to Texas dwelling on Cassie’s reaction. Maybe if he’d handled it differently she would have had a different reaction. But maybe not. As much as he wanted to be with her, his work was important too. If one of his businesses collapsed it would mean thousands of people out of a job. That wasn’t something he could tolerate for the sake of a romantic getaway.
Chapter 36
When Lucas arrived at the Texas office it was in chaos. On the surface everything looked fine. The employees were in their cubicles quietly working. The supervisors were in their offices with their faces buried in their computers. But Lucas could sense it.
There was animosity, panic, and indecision in the air. The disagreements within the company were causing such a strain that many employees were looking for other jobs. Turnover was never good. Since no one else seemed to be able to get through to them, it was up to Lucas to straighten out the mess.
He stepped into the room where the president and vice president of the company were waiting and closed the door behind him. All of the anger he felt about missing his trip, all of the frustration he’d experienced trying to figure out how to convince Cassie to forgive him, melted into an indifferent state.
He’d learned early on in his career that if he allowed the emotions of his personal life to bleed into his work life, he appeared reckless and untrustworthy. Worst of all, he lost respect and his ability to intimidate.
The moment he stepped into the room, the two men looked toward him with a hint of fear in their eyes. That was what Lucas wanted to see.
After a few hours of battling out some of the issues they were faced with, he was finally able to get them to reach a compromise. And he left them with the threat of termination if either of them were to stray from the boundaries he’d outlined.
When he left the office, he noticed that several of the employees glanced in his direction. None dared to speak to him. That was how his life was. In his personal life he wasn’t available enough, and in his business life, he was too much of a force to be approached. The isolation could be crippling at times.
He thought maybe Cassie would change that. But then perhaps his expectations of her were far too high. Could any woman love a man who would abandon her at a moment’s notice? He decided it was time to find out, once and for all.
He sat down on a bench in front of the building and punched her number into his phone. At first he was sure that she wouldn’t answer, but on only the second ring he was greeted by her voice.
“Lucas? How did everything go?”
His heart softened. He didn’t expect her to be concerned about him.
“It’s settled now. I’m afraid it won’t be the last time it happens.”
“I know that, Lucas.”
“Yes, sometimes work is going to pull me away from the things that are important to me. If I’m not there, everything can collapse.”
“Lucas.”
“I’m trying to explain to you why it’s so important that I had to cancel our trip.”
“Lucas, would you just listen to me for a second?”
He cringed at her tone. “Yes.” He braced himself for the speech. He’d heard it so many times before. You’re a great guy, Lucas, but I can’t be with a man who puts his job first. We’re good together, but you don’t have enough time for me. The excuses never ended, and though he knew it would eventually happen with Cassie, he’d been foolish enough to hope that it might be different.
“I unders
tand that your work is important. I am well aware of how many people you’ve helped and how many people depend on your businesses doing well—”
“—But that’s not enough, is it?”
“Would you just be quiet for a minute?”
He raised an eyebrow and sighed. He didn’t expect her to understand. “Fine, I’m listening.” He started to tune her out. He didn’t want to hear those final words that would break his heart.
“As I said, I know how important your work is. But that’s no excuse for speaking to me the way that you did. Of course I was upset that the trip I planned was cancelled. I wasn’t angry at you, I was just disappointed. I should be allowed to express my emotions without having to worry that you will turn on me because of them. Did I ever ask you not to go?”
“No.” His eyes widened at her words. Did she really mean them? He pressed the phone against his ear. “But when you got upset I thought you wanted me to stay.”
“If I wanted you to stay I would have asked you to stay. All I wanted was for you to listen to my frustration and perhaps help me reschedule the trip. Instead, you turned your back on me and acted as if I didn’t matter at all to you. How do you think that made me feel?”
“I’m sorry.” He frowned and rubbed his forehead. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way.”
“Lucas, if you need to fly off for business at the last minute, I can be okay with that. It might take me a few minutes to get over it, if it interrupts something that was important to me, but I will get over it. But I can’t tolerate being treated like I am nothing to you. If you can turn your emotions for me on and off that easily, then maybe—”
“Don’t. Don’t say that. I can’t turn off anything about you, Cassie. I acted that way because I am so accustomed to being with someone who would rake me over the coals for taking off like that. I expected you to be furious, and maybe even to end things. I guess I just didn’t realize that when you were telling me that you were disappointed, you were only looking for some comfort. I was disappointed too. No one has ever treated me to a special trip for my birthday or made such a big deal about it.”
“I plan to make a big deal of every one of your birthdays, Lucas.”
“You do?” He held his breath for a moment. He’d truly thought that their conversation would end in a breakup.
“Of course. Do you really think your being dedicated to your work to ensure its success is going to change how I feel about you? Maybe it isn’t a mural on a wall, Lucas, but what you’ve created is still your work of art, and I would never stand between you and your creation.”
“You’re amazing, Cassie.”
“Come home, Lucas. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I have a better idea. I’m sending the jet for you.”
“You are?”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all. I’m already packed.” She laughed.
Chapter 37
Cassie boarded the plane to meet Lucas in Texas. She settled in and closed her eyes. It wouldn’t hurt to take a nap on the flight. The ride was smooth enough that she slept for some time.
When she finally woke up, it seemed to her as if the flight had taken longer than it should have. As she glanced at her watch she realized that it had. Just as she was about to ask the pilot about the time that had passed, the plane began to descend. She looked out through the window and realized where she was right away.
The plane wasn’t landing in Texas, it was landing in Tuscany. Could she still be asleep?
The wheels touched down on the landing strip and gave her body a sharp jolt. It seemed as if she was awake. When the plane came to a stop she noticed a black car on the airstrip. She stepped off the plane with her bag slung over her shoulder. It was disorienting to expect to land in one place and then land in a different country entirely.
The chauffeur walked up to her. “Ms. Reed, would you come with me please?”
“Where is Lucas? Is he in the car?”
“Please, just come with me.” He opened the door to the rear seat of the car.
She nodded and slid inside. There was no reason to argue. Obviously Lucas had planned something to surprise her, and she was touched by it. After the back and forth that they’d had over his business trip, she’d wondered if he would even want to be around her. Clearly, he did. She looked forward to assuring him that his work would never be something that she would hold against him.
The car drove for some time. The afternoon turned into dusk, which set the horizon aglow with concentrated sunlight—just like she’d painted in the mural. She smiled at the memory of the last time they’d been in Tuscany together.
To her surprise, the car stopped at the end of the trail they’d walked together on the last day of their trip. She stepped out of the car and before she could say a word, the car drove away.
For a moment she panicked. Why would the driver just abandon her in the middle of the countryside? Then she saw him as he walked toward her. The remaining sunlight framed him, touching on his skin until it turned gold.
“Lucas.” She smiled and walked toward him.
He wrapped his arms around her without a word and kissed her.
She returned the kiss with all the pent-up passion that she’d been saving for the trip she’d originally planned.
When the embrace broke, he looked into her eyes. His expression was strained.
“What’s wrong?” She searched his eyes. “I’m not upset about the trip. I’m really not.”
“I love you, Cassie.”
“I know that.” She ran her fingertips through the shock of gray hair that trailed back through the rich black tendrils. “I love you too, Lucas.”
“Walk with me.” He wound his fingers through hers and they began to walk down the familiar trail.
She smiled when she saw the blanket spread out in the grass along with a picnic dinner.
“Lucas, it’s perfect.”
“Almost.” He paused beside the blanket.
“What did you forget?” She laughed. “Everything looks perfect to me.”
“Just one thing.” He cleared his throat.
“Don’t worry about it—whatever it is, we can do without it.”
“No.” He locked his eyes to hers. “I can’t do without it—not for another day, not for another minute.”
“Lucas?” She raised an eyebrow.
To her surprise he placed one knee to the ground. Her heartbeat quickened and she forgot to breathe as he pulled something from his pocket.
When she saw it was a single blade of grass she laughed and nodded. “Yes, now it’s perfect.” She held out her hand to him so that he could wrap the blade of grass around her finger.
But he released it and it fluttered away.
He opened his palm to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring she’d ever seen.
Cassie grew dizzy at the sight of it.
“Cassie, there’s so much I want to say, but there’s only one question that matters right now. I can’t spend another second of my life without you. Will you marry me?”
A million thoughts rushed through her head—thoughts about never marrying, thoughts about her wild and free lifestyle, thoughts about that deep pit in the depths of her stomach when she even considered her life without him.
“Yes, Lucas. Yes, I will!”
She thought she might burst with joy as he slid the ring onto her finger. Tears filled her eyes when he rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around here.
That moment in Tuscany, as the sun set and beauty stretched all around them, Cassie discovered the perfect canvas—a life to share, with endless possibilities.
Forty and Free
(Book 6)
To Dream Again
A Sweet Romance
By
Lillianna Blake
& Maci Grant
Copyright © 2016 Lillianna Blake
Cover design by Beetiful Book Covers
All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
One of the things she liked the most about taking a cruise was the amount of new people she could meet. That was why she skipped the luxury suites and private dining rooms and always traveled as an economy passenger. It gave her the chance to just be herself without the pressure of being known as a former model or even as the wealthy woman that she was.
When her ex-husband, Lucas, and his new wife, Cassie, offered her the gift of the cruise for her fortieth birthday, she jumped at the opportunity. It would give her daughter, Emma, time to adjust to a life with her father that included Cassie now.
Unlike many relationships she’d witnessed, she harbored no ill feelings toward her ex-husband or the woman who would serve as stepmother to her child. As long as Emma was happy and well taken care of, Natasha was happy.
A few days out on the open water, with nothing but the wind in her hair and new terrain to explore, might just give her the boost that she’d been looking for lately. It was time.
After her divorce, she’d spent some time getting to know herself—embracing her life as a single mother and keeping a close eye on how it all affected Emma. Now that her emotions were settled, she was ready to discover if what she’d once dreamed of having was still a possibility. Maybe, just maybe, in the array of faces that she passed by, there was a man who would sweep her off her feet once again.
She headed to her room and set down her bag. Not long after, she joined the others on the main deck to wave from the cruise ship as it pulled away from the dock. There was no one on the dock waving back at her, but it was still fun to participate.
Forty and Free: A Sweet Romance Series Bundle - Books 5 - 8 Page 13
