The Tycoon's Reluctant Cinderella

by Therese Beharrie

  ‘Stop.’

  The single word was said so sharply it might have sliced through metal.

  ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about. She put everything on the line for me.’ Blake ran a hand through his hair. ‘She told me exactly how she feels, and she was perfect. I’m the problem.’

  Finally, after repeating the words had Callie told him the last time they’d spoken, something cleared inside his head. He was the problem. He had pushed her away because he’d thought that was best for them—for her.

  He turned to Connor, saw the look on his face, and realised he’d been baited.

  ‘How did you do it?’ he asked Connor, who was watching him with serious eyes. ‘How did you get over your parents’ deaths? In your relationship?’ He saw the surprise on Connor’s face and realised there was no point in pretending he didn’t know. ‘Callie told me you’re expecting. Congratulations.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Connor paused, as though trying to gather his thoughts, and then he said, ‘I’m sure you know that losing our parents broke both of us.’ He rubbed at the back of his neck. ‘When I found out Elizabeth was pregnant it scared me. I don’t know how to be a father, and I was terrified of caring about her, about our baby, and then losing them. And then I realised that going through life being scared wasn’t living. I thought about coming home to Elizabeth, to our child, and I realised my parents would have wanted that for me. They wanted me to live, to be happy.’

  Blake thought about how he’d imagined the same thing, and how it had thrown him into a panic. ‘And that was it?’

  ‘Pretty much.’ Connor shoved his hand back into his pocket. ‘I’m still scared of losing them. I still don’t know how I’ll be a father. But the thought of not being with them, of not being a father, scares me more.’

  Something shifted for Blake as he realised he felt the same way. The misery he felt now because he had lost her—the irony of that gave him a headache—was testament to that. But he still couldn’t shake off that one thing...

  ‘You had a father to learn from.’

  ‘We all do. Even if they aren’t perfect,’ Connor continued when Blake opened his mouth to interrupt. ‘We learn from them. We learn what to do and, sometimes more importantly, we learn what not to do. And we should have a partner to help us through it.’ He smiled slightly. ‘It’s not so scary when you realise you’re not alone. Unless, of course, you choose to be.’

  He stopped, and then nodded at Blake.

  ‘I think I’ll head home now. And by the way...’ Blake looked at Connor. ‘I don’t care if you’re my boss. If you hurt her again I’ll kick your butt.’

  Blake smiled wanly in response, and then sat down heavily at his desk. Connor had a point. With Brent, Blake had tried to be there as much as possible, and he’d thought he had succeeded until the divorce. It was still a sore point for him, the fact that he couldn’t be there for Brent now. One he had used when he’d decided he couldn’t give Callie the family she needed.

  She would be an amazing mother, he thought. She was caring—passionately so. And she would sacrifice her own happiness before letting anything happen to the people she cared about. He could only imagine what she’d do for her child, for her family. She would never leave them—not for one moment...

  She would never leave, Blake realised. If Callie had any choice in the matter she wouldn’t leave the people she loved. But he had left. He’d left her, failed her, disappointed her, lost her. All the things he’d wanted to protect her—and himself—from had happened, because he’d chosen to leave the woman he loved.

  The realisation hit him like a bomb, and he leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. He loved her. And he had hurt her. So much so that the woman he knew in his heart would never leave the person she loved—him—had left. Because he had left her first. He’d done the very thing she’d been afraid of. He’d shown her that opening up to him had been a mistake.

  Convincing her to take him back would mean she’d have to trust that he wouldn’t leave again. And how could he do so when he’d already left?

  The weight on his shoulders nearly crushed him.

  * * *

  Callie’s heart broke over and over again each time she thought about it—which felt like every second of every day.

  She had taken the week off work, which no one had questioned, despite the fact that she hadn’t taken any time off since she’d started—because she couldn’t bear to see Blake every day. Not when there was a hole in her chest where her heart was supposed to be.

  She knew the pieces lay somewhere, broken in her chest, and would no doubt remind her of their brokenness when she saw him. She would forget, just for a second, about the fact that he had left her and she would run into his arms, feel his warmth, smell the comforting musk of his cologne.

  And then she would break when she realised that would never happen again.

  She shrugged her shoulders and forced herself to breathe as she walked into the hotel on Friday. Kate had called, telling her that a young honeymooning couple had begged her to arrange a tour for them, and since Kate had no idea what to do she’d called Callie. Her favourite tours were those she organised for honeymooners—they were always so happy to be with one another it was infectious—so she’d reluctantly agreed to come in.

  Even though she didn’t want to see the man who’d broken her heart. The man who, according to her brother, was a negotiation tsar.

  Of course she was happy that the negotiations were going well. But somehow it just didn’t seem important any more. So she would just focus on what she’d come to do.

  Kate had told her the couple wanted to see Table Mountain at sunset. That would be in an hour, giving her enough time to introduce herself and travel there with her guests. And to remember that the last time she had been up there had been with Blake.

  She stopped when he materialised in front of her. And blinked just to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. That she wasn’t dreaming of him again.

  ‘Callie.’

  ‘Blake.’

  She nodded, and hated it that her body heated at the memory of his. Even worse, that her heart still longed for him.

  ‘I’ve missed you around here.’

  ‘I’ve...er...’ She cleared her throat. ‘I’ve been on leave.’

  ‘I know.’ He put his hands in his pockets. ‘I was hoping we could talk.’

  ‘Yes, well...let’s pretend you’ve left already, when there won’t be any more talking between us,’ she said, and then tried to walk past him.

  But she stopped—as did her heart—when he placed a hand on her arm.

  ‘Callie, please. I have to tell you something.’

  She looked up at him, and though her heart urged her to agree her mind warned her not to. And for once she chose to listen.

  ‘I think it would be best if we didn’t speak any more.’

  Their eyes locked for a moment, and then he let go of her arm.

  ‘Okay.’

  She nodded and walked away with an aching heart and the sinking feeling that this might be the last time she spoke to her boss.

  To the man she loved.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ‘AND IF YOU look over there you’ll see Camps Bay Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful, isn’t it?’

  Callie pointed out the area for her guests, and watched the sun cast its orange glow over the city, grateful that Cape Town was showcasing its romance for the couple. She smiled and walked to the other side of the mountain, giving them privacy. And giving herself time to think, to grieve for the man she would have loved to share the experience of sunset on the mountain with.

  ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite as beautiful in my life.’

  Callie heard the words and for a brief moment wondered if she had conj
ured him up again. But when she turned around Blake was standing in front of her, looking directly at her.

  She squared her shoulders. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I came to talk. I thought that you would have no choice on a mountain.’ He smiled slightly.

  She bit her lip, feeling the heat of tears threaten. Why couldn’t he just leave her be?

  ‘How did you know I was here?’

  ‘Kate. Connor. A number of other people who gladly offered me the information when they realised we were together.’

  ‘You told them that?’

  He took a step closer. ‘I did. I wanted them to know how serious I am about the talk we’re going to have.’

  Her heart ached with longing, with heartbreak. The combination left her a little breathless.

  ‘I have guests here, Blake’ She gestured to the couple. ‘I don’t think I’ll have much time to talk.’

  ‘That’s okay. They’re with me.’

  It took Callie a moment to process that. ‘What do you mean, they’re with you?’ She repeated the words slowly, hoping it would help her make sense of it.

  ‘I mean I asked some friends of mine to request a tour. I knew you wouldn’t come if it wasn’t for your guests, so I called in a favour.’

  His eyes were so serious, so hopeful, that her indignation faltered. And her heart wondered what was so important that he’d had to pull strings to see her. She turned to the couple, who waved gaily at her, and felt the ends of her mouth twitch. And then she noticed that the mountain had cleared in the moments she’d spent with Blake, and that her pretend guests were also moving in the direction of the cable car.

  ‘Blake, I think the last cable car of the day is leaving.’ She said the words even as her mind told her that it wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another hour.

  ‘No, there’s one more. For us.’

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘How did you...?’ But she trailed off when she saw the determination and the slight desperation in his eyes. ‘You did all this for a moment alone with me?’

  He nodded and took her hand. Tingles went up her arm as he led her to the end of the mountain where it overlooked the ocean. They stood there like that for a while, and then he spoke.

  ‘I’ve been trying to find the words to tell you how sorry I am since the moment I realised how wrong I was.’ His hand tightened on hers, and then he stuffed it in a pocket. ‘I did things so poorly. I made decisions for you, for us, without talking to you. I let my fears become more important than my need for you.’

  He turned to her and she resisted the urge to comfort him.

  ‘And I do need you—more than I’ve needed anything else in the world.’

  Her lips trembled and she took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. But he continued before she had a chance to respond.

  ‘I have been so miserable since you walked out through the door of that office. I justified my actions, and cursed them, and I went back and forth doing that for a long time. And then I spoke to Connor, and I knew I was wrong.’

  ‘You what?’

  Blake gave her a nervous smile. ‘He caught me moping in the office and offered me some advice.’ Then he grew serious. ‘My whole life I’ve tried to avoid disappointing the people I care about. I thought that by being in control I could do that. And then you came along, and I’ve never felt less in control in my life.’

  He exhaled, looked out to the ocean.

  ‘I was falling for you even when I was trying not to. Then we got to know one another, and I knew the falling would never stop. Not with you.’

  He looked back at her and she felt her breath catch.

  ‘It scared me, Callie. I’ve never felt the way I feel about you. And I began to think about how I’d lost my mother, how much it would break me if you left. I thought about Brent, about disappointing him, and how it would hurt if I did that to you. How I had failed in my marriage, with my family, and how I wouldn’t survive if I failed you. If I failed to give you the family you deserved.’

  He reached a hand up and touched her cheek, and without even realising it Callie leaned into it. ‘I thought the only way to prevent that was to leave. I couldn’t break you, disappoint you or fail you if I left. But by doing that I did all those things, and I’m so, so sorry.’

  His voice broke and Callie took a step forward, wanting to comfort him.

  ‘I know, Blake. I know that you thought you were doing the right thing.’ She looked up at him, drew a ragged breath. ‘I was scared, too. I realised I was in love with you but I had no commitment from you besides the things we’d shared. I convinced myself that it was enough. I convinced myself that loving you would be okay even if I lost you. Because I loved you.’

  She couldn’t stop the tears now, even if she wanted to.

  ‘And then I did lose you, and it hurt more than I could imagine because you chose to leave me.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  He pulled her into his arms, and the pieces of her heart stirred.

  ‘For everything. I can’t imagine ever hurting you like that again.’ He drew back. ‘I’m not going to leave, Callie. I will never leave you.’

  ‘Why should I believe you?’ She whispered the words that whirled around in her mind, keeping her from accepting what he was saying.

  ‘Because this week has been the worst of my life.’ He gently brushed a piece of hair from her face. ‘And it’s made me realise that I want to give you the family you want. I want to create a legacy with you.’ He tipped her chin up so that she could look at him. ‘Believe me, because I’m telling you I won’t leave you. Trust me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I love you, Callie. And if you still love me let me prove to you for the rest of my life that I will stay with you. That I will fight for you. For us.’

  And with those words—the words she’d dreamed about hearing from him—her broken heart healed and filled.

  ‘I still love you.’

  He smiled tenderly at her. ‘I hoped you would.’

  ‘So much that it scares me.’

  She looked at him, and the agreement in his eyes comforted her.

  ‘I am, too. So let’s be scared together.’

  He got down on one knee and Callie’s heart pounded and melted at the same time. Suddenly she became aware that the sun had set and that their only source of light now came from candles and lanterns, all over the top of the mountain. And then she saw the ring—a large diamond sparkling brightly up at her surrounded by what seemed like a thousand smaller ones—and she realised Blake was offering her the biggest assurance he could that he was staying.

  ‘Will you marry me, Callie McKenzie?’

  ‘You want to marry me?’

  ‘I really, really do.’

  She laughed, and nodded, and was swept up into his arms before she had a chance to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Her hand shook as he slid the ring on her finger, and then he kissed her, and any remnants of fear she’d had disappeared. The kiss was filled with all the longing they’d felt for one another since they’d been apart, with the joy of their future together, with the heat of their passion. And when they finally drew apart they were both breathing heavily.

  ‘We’re engaged,’ she said when she’d recovered, and she looked at the ring on her finger.

  ‘We are.’ He smiled and drew her back against him. ‘I’m thinking we should get married at the hotel. A rooftop sunset wedding could be pretty amazing.’

  ‘I think that would be perfect.’ And then she realised she hadn’t even asked him about the deal. ‘Did we get an investor?’

  ‘We did. Marco signed the papers a few hours ago. He’s going to be a silent investor. Although he did say he will still actively try to poach you.’ He waited as she laughed, an
d then said, ‘I have so many plans for the hotels. I can’t wait to do it all with you.’

  ‘So I’m going to help with the Owen legacy, huh?’ She smiled and drew his hands tighter around her waist as they looked down at Cape Town at night.

  ‘Yeah. Which means it’s probably only fair that I help you with your legacy.’ He looked down at her with a glint of amusement in his eyes. ‘Family, right? I think the best way for me to show my commitment to you is if we start on that as soon as possible.’

  Her laughter rang out on the top of Table Mountain, and for the first time since her parents had died Callie finally felt whole.

  EPILOGUE

  ‘ARE YOU READY for that?’

  Blake gestured towards the chubby toddler who was steadily making his way over the grass in their backyard to his father, knocking down every toy they’d put out for him. He gave a happy gurgle when Connor picked him up and spun him around, and Callie smiled when she saw the absolute love in her brother’s eyes as he did so.

  ‘I keep thinking about a little girl with your eyes, or a boy with your hair. And every time I do I fall in love with the little person in my imagination.’ Callie snuggled closer to her husband—she would never tire of the thrill that went through her when she thought that Blake was her husband—and kicked at the ground so that the swing seat they were sitting on would move.

  She couldn’t quite believe they were already celebrating her nephew’s first birthday. Tyler was such a little ball of happiness, with his father’s steady presence and his mother’s zest for life, that it made her excited to see what combination her own child would be.

  She resisted the urge to rub her stomach and imagined how happy her parents would have been if they’d been there. They would have loved enjoying their grandson in their home—the home that she and Blake now shared and had gladly offered to host Tyler’s birthday at—and feeling the comfort of family. Connor and Elizabeth hadn’t wanted a big party for their son when he wouldn’t remember it, so instead they’d just organised a day when the McKenzies and the Owens—she and her brother had married within a few months of each other—could spend time together.