She went with the flow when he coaxed her lips apart. When he shifted his position so he could wrap both arms around her, she moved and looped her arms around his neck. All the while, though, she remained strangely detached. Her body went through the motions, yet her mind remained elsewhere, passing the time until the kiss ended.
The cool metal of his watch brushed against her back when he slipped a hand under her top. Still, her body remained unaffected. And when Kevin pulled back, her eyes popped open, and she found him staring back at her. His eyes searched her face. Exactly what did he see? Could he tell the kiss had no effect on her? Did he somehow know her thoughts were filled with images of Nate?
“Lauren, I want to ask you something.” He held her gaze, his voice confident and business-like. Leaning back he reached into his pants pocket.
In slow motion, Lauren watched him pull out a ring box.
Popping open the box, he held it up to her. “Will you marry me?”
She heard the words. Saw his lips move but her brain couldn’t put the two together. For years she’d dreamed of a handsome man proposing with a beautiful ring. Now she had her dream in front of her, yet she couldn’t reply. Couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Lauren glanced down at the intricately set diamond then back up at Kevin as her utter confusion set off warning bells in her head. Nothing had prepared her for this. He’d never once hinted that he loved her. That he wanted their relationship to be permanent. Heck, she didn’t know if she wanted their relationship to become permanent.
“I . . . Kevin, I don’t know what to say.” Somehow she managed to get the words from her brain and out her mouth.
Kevin’s lips curved upward. “Usually a woman says yes when a man asks her to marry him.” He pulled the ring from the box and held it toward her.
Yeah, but usually they love each other. “We’ve only been together a few months.” She fought down the hysterical laugh threatening to escape.
“So? My parents only knew each other a month before they got engaged. They’ve been married for thirty-eight years.”
He trailed his hand down the side of her face. Again, she couldn’t help but notice how smooth and soft his hands were. The complete opposite of Nate’s. His hands had been callused and dry. The single thought of Nate’s hands brought back memories of their kisses. Not now. She couldn’t let him into her thoughts now. Not with Kevin’s gigantic ring in front of her. Lauren jumped to her feet, turned, and took several steps away from him. “Kevin, we don’t love each other. At least not yet.”
His immediate laugh surprised her, and she spun back around.
“What does that have to do with anything? Marriages are a lot like business deals in my family.”
Okay, had she walked into an alternate universe or something? “Business deals?” Maybe she’d misheard him.
In one smooth motion, Kevin rose. “My parents were married to solidify the Walsh and Miles merger. Olivia’s marriage to Greg expanded the company on the West Coast. In both relationships they respect each other and support each other, but they didn’t marry for love.” Kevin moved closer. “We respect each other. Have fun together. Share a lot of the same interests. Get along well. What’s the problem?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. The weight of his arms pressed down on her. “So if marriage is all about business, how does marrying me make sense?”
“I can give you financial security for life. You could stop teaching and open the dance school you told me about. In fact, you could open several. You could travel. See those places in Europe you have up on your walls. You’d be part . . .”
He rubbed her lower back as he spoke, but rather than help relax her, the movement increased her unease. The more Kevin spoke, the more she wondered if she’d left planet Earth.
Lauren pressed her index finger against his lips. “Stop, please. I get the benefits to me, Kevin. But what do you get out of this business deal?” I’m not going to like the answer.
Before he said another word, he pulled her hand back and kissed her knuckles. “A solid friendship with the Talbots and Sherbrookes. A personal connection would help in the bidding war for the contract to construct Sherbrooke Enterprises’ newest resorts in California. Not to mention the extra boost it’d give me when I run for a seat in Congress in another year.”
Her mind flooded with a jumble of thoughts. For a moment, she felt as if she were back in Mr. Tasca’s senior calculus class. The one and only class she’d ever failed in high school because nothing the man had ever said made any sense to her.
Rubbing at the sudden throb in her forehead, she took a step back. For the first time that night, she really looked at Kevin. No one would deny that he was a handsome man in a sleek metro way. He always wore the best clothes. His hair always appeared just right. And they did have fun together. They had similar senses of humor, enjoyed the theater and the latest music. He treated her with respect. With the exception of his proposal, she always knew what to expect from him. He was safe and predictable. And at the moment he was offering her the world.
That’s what I want. The thought ran through her mind, yet she held back from accepting the diamond. Even with everything he offered, something told her to hold off. A marriage treated like a business merger may protect her heart, but was it what she wanted? Since she’d gotten her first bridal Barbie, she’d dreamed of marrying her own prince charming. A man head over heels in love with her, that she’d have children and eventually grandchildren with. The future Kevin presented didn’t come close to her dream. At the same time, though, he could give her everything else she’d always dreamed of. And who knew? Maybe someday they would love each other.
Beneath his hands, her back tensed as the silence stretched out. He’d expected Lauren to be surprised. Never during their time together had they spoken of marriage. Still, he’d assumed she’d accept his offer tonight. Why wouldn’t she? Most women would jump at what he offered her. Lauren didn’t strike him as any different.
“If you want a long engagement, we can do that. The wedding doesn’t need to be next month. We could wait until the fall or after the holidays if you want.”
Lauren closed her eyes, her chest rising and lowering as she took in a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, she met his gaze but remained tight-lipped, not offering him a single hint at her answer.
“What are you thinking?” Over the months, he’d learned that while Lauren may like to be silly and have fun—her crazy earrings were a perfect example of that—she was a practical woman. Once she thought about what he’d just offered, she would agree to the marriage.
She shook her head, her hair brushing against his hands. “I . . . Kevin, I don’t . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she took a sudden step backward, forcing him to let go.
“I enjoy spending time with you. But marriage? I don’t know.” Her voice wavered.
He smiled to himself. She hadn’t said no, and from the sound of it with a little coaxing she’d agree.
“I need some time to think about it.”
“I can understand that.” Kevin moved back into her personal space but kept his hands by his sides. “Take as long as you want.” He could be patient, and in the meantime he’d work on swaying her toward a yes.
Lauren flashed him a tentative smile. “Thank you.” Her relief echoed in her voice.
“Why don’t you hold on to this for now?” Kevin pressed the ring box into her hand. Before she could offer up a protest, he said, “Let’s put on a movie.”
Her eyes darted down to the ring and then back to him. “It might be better if I go home.”
A twinge of doubt flickered through his mind. “I thought you planned to spend the weekend.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “It’s late, Lauren . . . stay.”
Despite his efforts, ten minutes later, Kevin walked back into the house alone. He bypassed the open bottle of wine and headed toward the back of the house. After changing into shorts and a T-shirt, he hit the weights. He’d
learned a long time ago that exercise helped him plan. Some of his best business decisions came to him when he worked out.
By the time he punched out half of his hour-long routine, his annoyance had subsided enough for him to look at things from Lauren’s point of view. She would come around at some point, but maybe he did spring it on her too soon. Looking at a marriage as a business deal was the norm for him. In his world, people did it without blinking an eye. In fact, most of the time he didn’t consider marriage as anything more than a business deal. Other people did, though. He needed to remember that. He also needed to show Lauren that, even without love, a marriage between them could thrive. His own parents never claimed to love each other, at least not in his presence. Regardless, they worked well together. They complemented each other. His mother left all the business and financial details to her husband, while his father left the social and charitable details to his wife. But Lauren wasn’t his mother.
Sherry Miles had come from a family already well-established in society. When she’d met Clinton Walsh, she’d already set her mind on taking her position in society to the next level. From the start, she’d known marriage to Clinton would do that for her.
Lauren didn’t think in those terms, which sucked. He’d spent his life around women like his mother. He understood how they thought and what they wanted. His relationship with Lauren threw him into new territory. At times the challenge of figuring her out exhilarated him. Made him realize how routine everything in his life had become, including his relationships with women. Other times, like now, it drove him up the wall. Since he’d met her at a charity dinner, he’d known she could be the catalyst to push him and his company into the elite circle of the Sherbrookes and Talbots. Before that chance run-in with her, he’d never been able to quite breach the inner sanctum where the Talbots and Sherbrookes lived and worked. At the same time, his association with Lauren—and thus her friend Callie Talbot—would help launch his political career.
Kevin took a seat on the rowing machine. Of course, his decision to propose hadn’t only been influenced by how their marriage could benefit him. Not only did they have a lot of interests in common, she was hot. In fact, the night they’d met, that was what had drawn him to her. Only later during dinner did he learn she and Callie were best friends.
He exhaled as he started rowing. If Lauren needed flowers and romantic dinners before she said yes, then that was what she would get.
***
Come on. Lauren glanced at the clock again, but only a minute had passed since the last time she checked. Was it possible for time to run slow? It sure as hell felt like it. All she needed was for the clock to hit nine then she would head over to Callie’s.
Tapping her fingers against the counter, she watched the second hand move around the clock that hung on the diner wall. The waitress refilled the coffee mug in front of her, and Lauren gave her a smile. So far that morning she’d drunk enough coffee to keep an elephant awake. The night before she’d left Kevin’s and started toward home. Half an hour from his house, she’d changed her mind and headed for Greenwich, Connecticut where Callie and Dylan spent most of their weekends now. She’d arrived in a small town not far from Greenwich around five o’clock. Too early to visit Callie, she found the twenty-four-hour diner and had been drinking coffee ever since, waiting for the clock to hit nine. While still on the early side, Lauren figured Callie and her husband would be awake by then.
Lauren reached for her coffee, more to give herself something to do than because she wanted any more. The box with Kevin’s engagement ring dug into her leg, a constant reminder of the previous night’s events. She’d tried to leave it with him. No matter what she said, though, he refused to take it back, insisting she hold onto it until she made her decision. Fed up with arguing with him, she stuffed it into her jeans pocket and had not looked at it since. Now, as the extra-strong coffee slid down her throat, she pulled it out and slipped it on her finger. Even in the florescent light, the ring sparkled. She’d expected the large diamond to look gaudy on her hand, yet the unique ring looked perfect. As if it’d been made just for her. Knowing Kevin, it had been designed with her in mind. In the time they’d been together she’d learned Kevin liked to have the best of everything. He’d view an engagement ring in much the same way.
She glanced up at the clock again as the cell phone in her purse rang. Anyone but Kevin, please. Lauren pulled out the phone. Should I answer it? The number didn’t appear familiar. Regardless, she answered it anyway. She had time to kill.
“Hey,” an oh-so-familiar male voice said.
Before she realized it, Lauren dropped her left hand into her lap so that the large diamond no longer glared up at her. “Nate, hi. What’s up?” Since his last visit when she’d told him she needed time, they hadn’t spoken. Not that it had mattered. He’d still been on her mind and in her dreams.
“I got two tickets to a Celtics game from someone at work. Interested in going tonight?”
She hadn’t attended a Celtics game since college, but before that she and Nate had gone all the time. “I’m not around today.” Under the counter she played with the ring on her finger.
“Right.” His single one-word answer spoke volumes.
“I’m visiting Callie.” She didn’t owe him any explanations. She had the right to go wherever she pleased with whomever. Still, something pulled at her, insisting she confirm that she wasn’t with Kevin. “I haven’t seen her since the retirement party.”
“Tell her I said hello.” The suspicion she’d heard moments ago disappeared from his voice.
“I will. Have fun at the game.”
He should not have called her. When he left her house, he promised Lauren space and time. He’d meant it, too, but the wait was killing him, as was the thought of her with someone else. Every time an image of her with Kevin popped up, his insides rolled over. So even though he’d intended to give her the space she wanted, when two Celtics tickets fell into his lap, he thought of her first. Over the years they had attended many games in Boston together. He’d hoped some time together at a game again would help remind her of what they’d once shared.
When she said she wasn’t around, anger and dread sucker-punched him. Only her admission about visiting Callie helped relieve the coil of dread wrapped around his heart. His Lauren wouldn’t lie to him. If she said she was with Callie, then that was where she was. Even if she had been with Kevin, he would have had no grounds for objection. She had every right to spend time with whomever she chose, just like him. In his case though, he had no desire for any other woman. In truth, during their years apart he’d hardly dated, and he had never developed a lasting relationship. On those rare occasions when he did date, it had been more for something to do rather than because he wanted a woman in his life.
What about her? How many relationships had she been in? Had she looked at another man and thought about marriage?
Thanks to his mother, he knew she’d never been engaged. His mom had always hoped they would get back together and made sure she dropped him hints about Lauren’s life over the years. He had almost convinced himself she had never gotten engaged because she still loved him. But her reluctance to take him back made him wonder. Maybe the real reason was because she’d never been asked.
Doesn’t matter. The important thing was that she had not outright said no to him the other night. She’d merely asked for time and space while she sorted out her emotions. If no chance for them existed, she would have told him to leave and never come back.
He had to hang on to that. Right now it was all he had as the wait slowly killed him. In the meantime, he needed a distraction. That brought him back to the two Celtics tickets on the kitchen table. A game at the Garden would provide him with a few hours of mindless entertainment.
Picking up his cell phone, he dialed his brother’s number. Maybe Ryan would be up for a game tonight.
Chapter 9
After a drive through town to kill time, Lauren pulled onto th
e long driveway leading up to the Talbot estate. She’d remained at the diner as long as possible, but eventually self-preservation won out. If she sat around consuming any more of the black ink the restaurant called coffee, she’d have a permanent hole in her stomach.
She’d visited Callie’s new home a few times since its completion, but when she pulled up near the multi-car garage she once again gaped at the structure in awe. Dylan had spared no expense, and it showed. I could have something similar with Kevin. While not quite as grand, his parents’ estate, as well as his home, was gorgeous.
Marriage is about more than a nice house. Lauren pushed open the car door and slammed it with all her might. She’d never approached a relationship in terms of what she could gain from it. The fact that she just had didn’t sit well with her.
Before ringing the doorbell, she slipped a hand into her jeans pocket. Her fingers wrapped around the velvet box. Then she took one more step and rang the bell.
Moments later the door swung open, but rather than the housekeeper who’d answered on her last visit, or Callie, Jake Sherbrooke stood in the foyer.
“Long time no see. Come on in.” Jake graced her with his legendary smile and then gave her a hug.
Unable not to, Lauren returned the embrace. Since their first meeting, Jake had been friendly and welcoming. Not at all what she’d expected after years of reading about him in magazines.
“Callie’s not up yet, but you can hang out with us till she comes down.”
Great. Callie has guests. That’s what I get for not calling first. “I can come back later.” She liked Callie’s family but didn’t want to intrude.
Jake gave her hand a little tug. “It’s just me and Charlie and Sara and Christopher. Besides, Callie would be pissed if I let you leave.”
Lauren refrained from arguing. If Jake and Callie shared any personality trait it was stubbornness. In fact, the Sherbrookes, or at least the ones she’d met, seemed to have a monopoly on the characteristic.
The Billionaire's Best Friend (The Sherbrookes of Newport) Page 11
