Falling For Him

by Ali Parker

  “His ashtray?” Her lips twisted with disgust. “I hate those cigars the men smoke.”

  “It was from the ashtray of this old, beat-up car he used to drive.” I smiled at the memory, losing myself in it as I talked. “He took me to the fanciest restaurant he could afford, which wasn’t really fancy at all. But I loved it. I was just so excited to be going out with him.”

  “That’s a lovely story, dear. I’m sure he’s been taking you to much nicer places since. I hope he doesn’t expect that you’ll still just be excited to be going out with him.”

  “I am still excited just to be going out with him.” Just a couple of hours ago, I’d been giddy about coming to the gala with him. Although I supposed it was a much fancier dinner than that first one we’d had together. “I guess we do go to nicer places now, though.”

  She grinned triumphantly. “That’s wonderful. I’d have hated to think that he was one of those men who squirrels all his money away and keeps it to himself.”

  Leaning with a conspiratorial look in her eye, she gave a deliberate glance at the table behind us. “Susan’s husband makes her work. Can you believe it? He insists that she earns her own money.”

  Oh, the horror. I caught myself before my eyes could roll. I didn’t think she would take kindly to that, and considering that she was the Club president’s wife, I had to keep my cool.

  “The only thing Noah has ever insisted on me doing is whatever makes me happy.” At least, he used to back when he still insisted on anything when it came to me. “He’s always been incredibly supportive.”

  When I first started carrying my sketchbook with me, Noah was the only one who didn’t think I was just going through a weird phase. He encouraged me, spoke to me about my dreams, and even stood up for me when Ryan made fun of me for always have a pencil behind my ear.

  Marguerite, however, seemed to take my comment about how supportive Noah was in a different context. “You see? I’ve always wondered why Susan stays with him when he refuses to support her financially.”

  Sigh. “Doesn’t she live with him?”

  She frowned, but it was only the slightest line between her eyebrows. “Yes.”

  “I’m sure he owns their home,” I said. “Isn’t living with him already a measure of financial support he provides to her?”

  Narrowing her eyes in thought, she shrugged. “I suppose you’re right, but she doesn’t have access to a single one of his accounts.”

  Neither did I, nor did I want access to them. Deciding it was my best chance of getting out of this conversation without blowing up and saying something Noah would regret, I changed the topic.

  Before dinner, they’d been terribly interested in my shared history with Noah. I was sure I had enough tales to regale them with that I could steer Marguerite clear of money until the men got back.

  “Speaking about accounts. Noah, my brother, and I went together to open our first ones. We deposited fifty dollars each and walked around like having our own bank accounts made us royalty.”

  The other women around the table laughed, some nodding their agreement. I saw a gleam in Marguerite’s eyes that I’d come to recognize as being the precursor to her making a stupid comment. So I spoke again before she could make it.

  “Of course, our parents had to be there to open them for us because we were under eighteen. They took us out for ice cream after, and when they suggested we all pay with our own cards, Noah offered to pay for everyone. I was so relieved. I’d been saving up for a new set of pencils, and I desperately didn’t want to have to spend a dollar I didn’t have to.”

  “It sounds like you’ve had plenty of good times with Noah,” one of the other women remarked.

  I was about to agree with her when Marguerite chimed in again. “Try to remember those, dear. Lord knows you’re going to need something to hang onto once he puts a rock on your finger and then leaves it to guard you while he works all hours of the day and night.”

  Ah. So that was where the bitterness came from. I didn’t have the opportunity to ponder the revelation, though.

  “Here’s a little tip for you. When you can’t remember the good times or when they just weren’t good enough, spend his money. That’s what it’s there for.”

  My blood had been running hot since Noah had left, having to sit there and listen to this. That last comment set it to boiling. Who the hell did this woman think she was?

  I got that her husband was the president of some elite club filled with super rich men, which was patriarchal enough in and of itself to annoy me. Telling me that spending Noah’s money when the times we shared weren’t good enough, though, was preposterous.

  Surely, the only reason why anyone would stay in a relationship was when the person and the memories you made with them were good enough. Spending someone’s money out of spite didn’t seem like any way I wanted to live. It certainly wasn’t what the money was there for.

  These people had children, I’d heard from a few snippets of the conversation. Surely, the money was there for them, too. Most of all, though, the money was there because of hard work.

  I didn’t care how rich these people were. Did it really justify them staying with their husbands only to spend their money? That didn’t seem right.

  She’d mentioned earlier that they were in love, but it sounded like she was only in love with his money. I couldn’t take it anymore.

  I’d tried to indulge her, to be polite, and then I’d tried to change the topic. None of those tactics had worked, and I was over having to sit here listening to this.

  “Excuse me, please.” I pushed my chair back with a scrape, offering the women the politest smile I could muster. “I’ll be right back.”

  Noah appeared at my side as soon as I was standing. “Everything okay?”

  Turning around, I placed my hands on his chest and nodded. Some of the tension that had been building in my muscles melted away when I looked into those hazel eyes, and my irritation immediately dissipated.

  “Yes, everything is fine now. Nothing to worry about.” I smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”

  I visited the ladies’ room to pass the time and to give myself an excuse for having gotten up in the first place. Dessert had already been served when I returned, and I tuned out of whatever was being talked about while I scarfed down the most delicious chocolate and caramel creations.

  Relieved when dessert was done and most of our dining companions excused themselves to dance or go to the bar, I rested my head on Noah’s shoulder.

  “Hey, you sure you’re okay?” His tone was laced with concern, his hand planted firmly on my leg under the table.

  It had been this way with us all day. We couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other. One of us would constantly seek out contact, and the other would lean into it. It felt good.

  How could these women not savor these little moments, the small touches that made my heart race, more than they did the money? Maybe they had been married for a long time, but I couldn’t imagine ever valuing anything or anyone more than I did Noah himself.

  Raising my head from his shoulder, I brushed a kiss to his neck and nodded. “I’m sure. I’m okay. Just don’t leave me again if you can help it, okay?”

  “You got it.” He tilted his head to rest it on top of mine. “I have to make a speech about the product tomorrow. They called me this week to ask, but I now have a much better idea what they want from me. I want you to come with me. Will you?”

  “Of course,” I agreed.

  Even though I was uncomfortable with the way these women seemed to feel about their husbands, I was there to support Noah. I couldn’t let them get to me. I wouldn’t.

  “I’d love to be there when you make your speech. It’ll be interesting to see how you’ve grown in the years since you used to bribe me with cookies and chocolates to write the things for you.”

  Because yes, Marguerite. We’ve had more than enough good
times to remember them always. I don’t need his money to motivate me to stay.

  Chapter 25

  Noah

  Curling my hands around the sides of the podium, I grinned at the members of the Commerce Club gathered in the room. They were all looking up at me expectantly, even if some of them were doing it through watery red eyes.

  Maggie and I had excused ourselves from the gala after dancing to a few songs after dessert, so I felt fine. Like a million bucks actually.

  Despite the relatively hungover audience, I had a good feeling about my speech today. After leaving the gala, I’d lost myself in Maggie all night. I’d woken up in bed with her, feeling refreshed, ready, and strangely amped for the future.

  After Carter’s comment, I’d experienced a moment of doubt. I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t gotten to me for a minute there.

  When we came back inside and I saw there was something off with Maggie though, I’d forgotten all about it. All that mattered was that she was happy and enjoying herself.

  Whatever had been bothering her must have passed. By the time we hit the dance floor, she was smiling again. That one realization that all that mattered to me was her happiness was enough to dismiss any lingering concern about what Carter had said.

  Maggie wasn’t one of those girls. One look into her eyes when we were dancing had reassured me of that with absolute certainty.

  “When I developed this product,” I said, starting with my speech when Carter nodded at me from the table in the front. It wasn’t how I’d envisioned kicking it off, but the words were coming out by themselves now. “It was the only thing that mattered to me. Getting it perfect was my obsession.”

  I made eye contact with every man in the room while I talked. “It was going to be my contribution to making the world a better place.”

  My gaze fell onto Maggie’s. “But the problem was that I didn’t really have anyone I wanted to make it better for. I had my family, yes, and I wanted my niece to grow up in a world where all children had access to clean water.”

  I paused. “All that is still true, but there’s something else now too. For the first time, I can find myself relating to each of you because I now have someone in my life that I don’t only want to make the world better for, but myself too.”

  Maggie smiled, but her eyebrows rose, and she mouthed, “Me?”

  I inclined my head yes, then finally tore my eyes away from hers and continued with my speech. This time, I managed to stay on track. I’d blurred personal and business right at the beginning there, but it had needed to be said.

  Since it now had been said, I could focus on the system itself and what it was capable of. When I was done, I learned that the company had gained a few new investors. They were happy to buy in and wanted the system as soon as possible.

  Production was definitely going to have to be expanded, as Carter had hinted at the night before, but I could handle it. He winked when he shook my hand. “This is only going to make you a richer man. Welcome to the club, son.”

  He’d talked to me about becoming an official member of the Commerce Club—the youngest ever—but I hadn’t given him an answer yet. As a result, I was pretty sure the club he was referring to now was the unofficial grouping of the richest people around.

  All I could think of were how many systems we were going to be able to donate as a result of the large orders we were about to start getting. That thought alone had gotten me through the schmoozing for the weekend so far, and it was what made me grin now.

  “Thanks, Carter. I look forward to doing business with you.”

  “I’ll be in touch.” He offered me a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “See you later, Noah.”

  “See you.” I had to stay for a few more product presentations, updates, and speeches, but I’d told Maggie to go back to our room when she’d had enough.

  She stayed with me for another hour or so before ducking out. I wished to every god out there that I could’ve followed her, but I had to stay.

  The afternoon dragged on and on. When we were eventually done for the day, I found Maggie lying on our bed with the hotel notebook open in front of her.

  I couldn’t see what she was drawing, but lying there on her stomach with her legs curled up from her knees and her hair forming a curtain that hid her face, she looked so much like she used to that my heart clenched.

  Once again, I had the distinct urge to look around for Ryan. Whether it was on instinct to make sure he wouldn’t see me looking at her like that, as it had been in the earlier days, or later on when I just didn’t want to rub my relationship with her in his face, I didn’t know.

  What I did know was that, like always, the moment of clarity when it hit me that he wasn’t around anymore was like a punch in the gut. Maggie looked up then, seeing me standing in the doorway.

  “Hey.” She smiled. “Was the rest of the afternoon as brutally boring as those guys who came after you?”

  I nodded before reaching up to loosen my tie and trying my best not to let her see my moment of sadness. It wasn’t something I wanted to burden her with. “Thanks for implying that I wasn’t as boring as they were.”

  “You started out pretty strong.” She rolled to her side and sat up, swinging her legs around to stand up. “Was it true? What you said about me, I mean.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be true?” I tossed the tie on the couch and slid out of my jacket before undoing the top few buttons of my shirt and tugging it out my pants for good measure. “God, I hate suits.”

  Slowly walking up to me, her eyes raked up and down the length of my body in a way that made me think maybe suits weren’t so bad. “You shouldn’t hate them. You look way to good in them for that. I have to admit though, you look even better half out of one.”

  “Thank you.” I wound my arms around her waist when she reached me and lowered my forehead down to hers. “You look pretty damn ravishing yourself.”

  “I’m wearing my pajamas again. They have smiling donuts on them. If you think that’s hot, I think you may have some weird kink we need to talk about.”

  “The only kink I have is you.” My lips slanted over hers, my hands sliding into her loose hair.

  Just as I tugged her closer to me, she used her hands on my chest to push me away gently. I frowned but let her go. “What’s up?”

  “You haven’t answered my question.” She looped her arms around my neck. “What you said earlier, was it true, or were you just saying it for show?”

  My hands circled her hips, holding on to her tightly. “It was true, Mags. Every word of it. I promise.”

  “Yeah?” Her lips pulled into a soft, hopeful smile. “You’re not kidding?”

  “I’m not kidding.” I kissed her again, pulling away on a sigh but not letting her go. “We should go get some dinner.”

  “Now?” She brought her mouth to mine, kissing me before nuzzling my jaw and the crook of my neck. “Really?”

  “Really.” A low groan fell my lips. “Trust me. I’d much rather stay right here too. But I feel like we need sustenance for what I’m planning to do with you later.”

  Her head cocked. “Yeah? What are you planning on doing?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” I took another step back, talking while making my way to the closet. “But I promise you’re going to like it. Dinner first, orgasms later.”

  “You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll take it.” She grabbed some clothes from her side of the closet while I got some from mine.

  We were dressed and ready to go in no time. Walking hand in hand to an outside café-style restaurant on the hotel’s grounds, we got a table near a standing heater, and I draped a complimentary, soft blanket over Maggie’s shoulders before taking my seat.

  “I can’t believe it’s our last night here,” she said. “It feels like we just arrived.”

  “We did just arrive yesterday.” Someday soon, I hoped to be able to take her away for longer. We could take Lydia and maybe even Della with us, go t
o a resort with lots of activities and fun for them.

  Thinking about a future with her again, huh? It was becoming a habit for me and, surprisingly, not one that I minded at all.

  “I hope the weekend hasn’t been too much of a drag for you.” Considering that I planned to take her along with me wherever she would agree to go, her answer was more important than my casual tone might have implied.

  Maggie shook her head. “I’m having a great time with you, but I’m not so sure about the rest of these people. They seem a bit money hungry, don’t you think?”

  “They are.” I lifted a shoulder. “It’s not just them, though. A lot of people are like that.”

  “I guess.” Her expression turned pensive. “You know what else? I don’t know how those couples can stand being away from each other for so long. Do you know one of those women told me her husband isn’t even in the country six months of the year?”

  “Did you see the sizes of their rings? I think that more than makes up for it to them.”

  She rolled her eyes but played along anyway. “One of those rings is worth enough for me to fund my startup and have enough money to live off until it takes off.”

  “Startup?” I wracked my brain, trying to remember if she’d mentioned it to me before, but I was positive she hadn’t.

  Maggie averted her eyes and busied herself with spreading her linen napkin over her lap. “It’s nothing. Forget I brought it up.”

  “Hey, don’t do that.” I reached across the narrow table and caught her wrist, bringing her hand up and holding on to it. “Talk to me. What startup?”

  “I want to start my own designer company,” she blurted out, then sucked in a huge gulp of air before the rest came rushing out. “I don’t mean I want to start it right now. I love helping Addie out, and it’s a job, and I’m happy there. But my dream has always been to be a designer, remember? It will all come when the time is right. I’m not in hurry. I just meant that if I had even one of those women’s rings, I’d be able to sell it and do it all.”