Colleen’s spine stiffened, and she retorted. “Shouldn’t you be thanking your mother? After all, she did everything.”
Terence correctly interpreted her underlying message and defended. “Mom was just trying to help, Colleen. I would think that you would be grateful that she was here to cook and entertain. You didn’t have to do much.”
“That’s just it!” Colleen emphatically stated. She splayed her hands and explained. “Francine didn’t allow me to do anything, Terence. She did everything. Then she insulted my hair and my clothes—”
Terence interrupted her before she could go on. “I don’t think my mother meant anything by it at all. You just took it wrong. That’s just the way she talks sometimes. She didn’t mean any harm.”
“You’re defending her. I can’t believe it! I’m your wife, Terence, not your mother—Me!” Colleen shot back at him. It rankled her that Terence acted as if his mother was some innocent Southern girl. His mother was cold and selfish. She wanted her son all to herself.
“Quit!” Terence warned. He raised his hand in a gesture meant to silence her. “Enough about my mother already!”
Colleen instinctively stepped back and clutched her chest. She didn’t know if Terence intended to hit her. Just for a second, Colleen felt scared. Then her temper kicked in. “You lifting your hands to me? Are you going to hit me now, Terence? Is this going to be another accident?” she asked sarcastically. “Didn’t your mother teach you how to treat women?”
Colleen stopped when she saw anger flare in her husband’s eyes. Perhaps she had gone too far. Terence took a menacing step toward her; then he paused. Colleen saw him regain control of himself.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Terence informed her calmly; then he walked away.
Colleen stood there for a few moments after Terence left. His placid tone of voice had caused chills to run up her spine. To her, it would have been better if he had screamed or snarled instead of giving her such a stoic response. It was downright spooky, and it needed to stop.
Gina’s warning flashed through her mind. Maybe she should just cut her losses and leave before things got too out of hand. Then Colleen rejected that thought. Despite it all, she loved Terence. Even though Colleen was discovering this new, seemingly heartless side to him, a part of her still loved her husband. She knew she sounded like a simpering Lifetime movie, but this was her life. Now that she was walking in these shoes, Colleen knew she’d never make fun of another woman again.
She looked at herself in the mirror, remembering a time when she used to brag about never taking any mess from any man. “If it were me, I would be out the door!” Colleen used to say with a snap of her fingers. Well, that was before she fell in love. That was before she got married. That was before she became dependent on a man. That was before she knew herself.
She thought about the saying that a person learned something new every day. How true that was. Colleen was quickly learning something about herself. She was realizing that when it came to matters of the heart, she could get just like any other woman in love.
Stupid.
Chapter Fifteen
He just might lose this one.
The prosecution was kicking his butt, and this might be the end of his impeccable track record. Keith was putting in some serious hours to attempt to counteract every single shred of evidence they were presenting. He may have to put Gina on the stand, and the thought of her going through cross-examination gave him a stress headache. They’d met several times to go over what she’d say, but you just never know. He massaged the bridge of his nose and eyes.
His phone rang.
“Keith Ward,” he said, distracted, still immersed in the Marshall case.
“Hello. It’s Gina.”
Keith immediately smiled. All thoughts of his case flew out of his head at her unexpected, yet much-welcomed call. His headache vanished. “Hi, Gina.” Keith had a wide grin on his face that he did nothing to temper.
“I was just calling to see how you were doing,” Gina hedged.
Just like that, Keith knew why she’d called. She and Michael had . . . He took a gulp while a piece of his heart cracked. But he would handle his feelings later. Right now, he was going to convince Gina that she had done nothing wrong.
“Gina, it was only a matter of time,” Keith assured her. Though inside, he was dying.
“Listen, nothing happened between us . . . I’m okay. Are you?” Keith’s heart pounded as he awaited her response.
“Yeah,” Gina said hesitantly. “I guess so.”
Keith gripped his pen, fighting raging emotions, but he sought to put her mind at ease. “Gina,” he reiterated, “nothing happened, so you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. We’re friends, remember? We even shook on it.”
“Yeah, but . . . He’s your brother.”
Keith yearned to console her. He wished he didn’t understand her so well, but he knew how her mind worked.
That’s why you’re perfect for her.
“Would you like me to come by later so we can talk about it?” Keith gently inquired. He wanted to see her to make sure she was all right. But he also had ulterior motives. He needed to see if Michael had managed to put a satisfied glow in her eyes. Maybe then he would be able to put daydreams of them being together out of his head.
Gina hemmed and hawed on the other end of the line. “I . . . No!” she panicked. “I mean . . . Yes! I want to see you.”
Keith knew that she wanted to see him. But she didn’t want to see him. He could relate to her uncertainty. Her dilemma made him feel consoled because he didn’t know how to handle the feelings that he was having.
Gina rushed off the phone after her admission.
Keith brought his mind back to work, trying to cool his excitement at the thought of seeing Gina. He missed her, and Keith welcomed that emotion. It made him feel alive, and he hadn’t felt that way in years. Since he was alone, Keith allowed himself to think about Gina and reminisce about the moment they had almost kissed.
For an instant, Keith felt like kicking himself for not making love to her when he had the chance. But then he pushed that bad feeling aside. Now that Gina had been with Michael, he knew that his opportunity was gone. She was now irrevocably his brother’s woman.
A couple of hours later, Keith pulled his car into Gina’s driveway. He saw her look through the window before coming to open the door for him. She greeted him with a soft smile and led him into her kitchen. Keith looked around, satisfying his curiosity about her place. The last time he hadn’t entered far from the front door.
He heard her house phone ring, and Gina went to take the call. She waved her consent for him to look around.
She didn’t have to tell him twice. Keith took her up on the offer. This might be his only chance, and he intended to take advantage of it.
From her tone, Keith figured that she had to be talking to his brother, so he was only too glad to make himself scarce. He was not too keen on hearing her sweet-talk Michael. Keith wandered back into the living room.
He liked the whole setup of the place. He walked into the dining area. Gina’s home was nice, but Keith did not see any hint of the woman he was getting to know. He came to the stairs. He listened keenly and heard Gina still talking on the phone.
Boldly, Keith went upstairs. He peered into the first two bedrooms and a bathroom. Then he went to a door that led to what was obviously the master bedroom—her bedroom. Without thinking about it, Keith opened the door and went in.
With a whistle, he stopped. Gina was written all over this room. He could tell that this was all her. His eyes took in the blatant sensuality displayed. Everything in her room, down to the printed shoe-chair, brought intimacy and passion to his mind. Keith felt a huge bout of jealousy hit him at full force.
He gritted his teeth hard. He wanted to . . . He didn’t know what. Coming here to Gina’s home, and especially into her private quarters, had not been a good idea. All it did was ma
ke him realize how right he was about Gina. She had a passion hidden under her reserved demeanor that was begging to be released. Had Michael released it? Keith felt jealousy consume him at the thought.
As if a siren were beckoning him, he went to sit on Gina’s bed. It was comfortable. Gina would probably be horrified if she found him here. Keith could not imagine too many men making it up there. She was way too private for that. This room told a lot about her. Keith leaned back on the sheets. He inhaled her scent. Lying on her bed, Keith knew he was exactly where he wanted to be . . .
Gina got off the phone with Michael feeling exasperated. He had been sorely disappointed that she declined his offer to come over for a movie night—and for seconds.
But . . . Keith.
Gina went into her living area and looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. “Keith?” She called out his name again, but didn’t get a response. Frowning, Gina looked out of her window. His car was still there. Where could he have gone? She turned around slowly and looked at the staircase.
No . . . He would not have gone up there . . . into my bedroom?
Gina bounded up the stairs two at a time. She checked out the other two bedrooms, which turned up empty, and then raced toward her bedroom. She covered her mouth with her hands, not knowing what to expect. Had Keith mistakenly believed she’d invited him over to sleep with him? She hoped not . . . Gina wavered. She tapped her feet. If he is waiting for me in the bed, I don’t know if . . . I will say no . . .
Gina took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and cracked her door open. She did not see Keith at first. Then Gina went all the way in.
A quiet laugh escaped her mouth. Here she was worried about saying no or saying yes or possibly sleeping with brothers, and the object of her worries was . . . sound asleep and snoring.
Gina didn’t think to wake him. Instead, she did an about-face and decided to let Keith sleep. She went down the stairs into the kitchen to cook dinner.
He made it up here in your bed before Michael . . .
“Shut up!” Gina groaned to her inner voice. Sometimes she wished that she could just block out those traitorous thoughts. They were so annoying at times.
That’s because we always tell you the truth . . .
Keith woke up at exactly 12:38 a.m. Befuddled, he looked around while he got his bearings. Where am I? His disorientation dissipated as it all came back to him. He slapped his forehead. He had fallen asleep on Gina’s bed. He felt embarrassed but could not muster up one ounce of regret. This was the best he had slept in weeks.
He reached into his pocket and checked his cell. He had a voice mail. His phone had been on vibrate, and he’d been too knocked out to feel it. Eve had called to say she was at his place tonight. She hated to be alone in his mausoleum, as she called it. Keith returned the call to check on her, but it went straight to voice mail. She must be asleep.
He straightened Gina’s covers and bounded down the stairs to find her. She was munching on popcorn and watching the Matrix. He knew he looked tousled and wrinkled. He could not have known that with his rumpled clothes and bare feet, he looked hot and appealing.
Gina gave him the once-over. Keith gulped and strove for normalcy.
“Hey, why didn’t you wake me?” His voice was even deeper because of sleep, and he cleared his throat.
“Huh?” He realized that Gina hadn’t registered what he’d said and grinned sheepishly. He pretended not to notice that she was still checking him out and was looking at his mouth like it was a piece of candy. Keith’s smile faded. He would bet all the money he had that she was remembering when they’d almost kissed. He resisted the urge to ask her what she was thinking.
“Gina,” Keith called her again. If she didn’t stop looking at him, poking out those pretty lips of hers, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. “Gina, I’m sorry I fell asleep. I must have been tired.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t mind. You looked so comfortable that I didn’t have the heart to wake you,” Gina replied. She patted the couch, inviting him to join her.
Keith walked over to the couch and sat down. Gina took his hands and pulled until Keith’s body turned toward her. As soon as their eyes met, the now-familiar tension between them began to rise. Gina broke the eye contact first.
“Keith, I cannot deny how attracted I am to you, but I . . .” she paused, unsure of what to say.
“I know, Gina. I would never try to hurt my brother, and I know you wouldn’t either. But this . . .” Keith gestured his hands back and forth between them. “This feels right.”
“It does,” Gina confessed with a rueful grin. “I’ve never felt so strongly about someone I barely know. It’s like we’re connected somehow.” She looked at Keith to see if he understood her point.
“I know,” he agreed.
The two fell silent before Gina said, “Talk about meeting the right person at the wrong time!”
Keith commiserated.
“Keith, I only know that no matter what, I still want us to build on this friendship. I still want you in my life, even if it is just as a friend.”
“I feel the same way too,” Keith countered, feeling her sincerity. “I mean, it’s as if I have known you all my life. I didn’t know that it was possible to feel this way. I’ve only ever felt this way with Vanessa.”
He saw Gina’s eyebrow arch curiously at the mention of that name. Keith then surprised himself and told her all about Vanessa. He told her everything, including the anger that he held so close inside of his heart at her untimely death. Gina listened to him and let him express everything that seemed to have been inside him for ages. She held his head close and let him cry.
“Keith, I never imagined you would feel comfortable enough to divulge so much of your personal life. I feel honored that you would trust me to open up like that.”
“Gina, I’m the one who needs to thank you. I had to open up to someone—and I am glad that it is you.”
“Keith, you’re so driven, and Michael told me how hard you work, and now I know why. You’re trying to run from something for which there is no escaping, Keith. You can’t run from your past.”
Keith nodded, accepting her admonishment. He felt such relief talking to Gina. He never realized that he’d been carrying around all that baggage for all those years. He’d never expressed all those emotions to anyone, not even Michael.
“Gina, you’re amazingly easy to talk to. You listened while I poured my heart out and gushed over another woman. Not too many women could do that, and I will be eternally grateful.”
“It was nothing,” she said shyly.
Keith saw her bend her head because of his profuse compliment. He put his finger under her chin and made sure she faced him. “Gina, this doesn’t happen. I don’t share my inner feelings with anyone. I told you things I’ve never mentioned to Michael. That is not ‘nothing.’”
Gina nodded again, before saying, “It was like breathing, listening to you, Keith. That’s how easy it was. It was like listening to a part of me. I don’t know how else to verbalize it.”
It was almost three a.m. when Keith pulled into his driveway. He had felt a great reluctance to go home. He would have stayed up with Gina all night if he could. But, he knew that he couldn’t stay there and not make love to her. Eve probably would’ve had a fit too if he stayed out all night.
Eve barely stirred when Keith entered the room, and for that he was grateful. He didn’t want to answer her prying questions, especially since he would have told her the truth.
Keith went over his and Gina’s conversation in his mind. He still could not believe how open he had been with her. She was therapeutic for him. Picturing her in his mind, his heart expanded.
Keith closed his eyes, envisioning how she’d cradled his head against her and had tenderly wiped the tears from his eyes. He had not felt embarrassed when he broke down in front of her because Gina had handled that with finesse. She made it okay for him to be human and just cry. Not t
oo many women could handle that.
He possessed such a forceful personality that he tended to stay away from people whenever he felt depressed. He would only end up bringing the other person down with him. Keith often ended up having to cheer the other person up. Gina, however, had wiped his tears away and soothed him so that Keith was uplifted. She was mentally equipped to handle him.
Keith could honestly say that he felt a thousand times better. Gina was good for him. She had missed her calling. She could be earning two hundred dollars per hour for what she had just done for him. He was glad to finally have someone that he could consider a true friend. He went into the bathroom to wash up and took a good look at the face staring back at him. Then abruptly, he looked away, not being able to handle what he had seen reflected there.
All night long the image taunted him. Gina’s face taunted him. He tossed and turned. Keith got up the next morning to face himself again, secretly hoping that it would be gone. But it was still there. He still saw the face of a man who had fallen in love.
Chapter Sixteen
Terence entered his office and dropped to his knees. For the past couple of days, he had been reflecting on what Colleen had hurled at him about his mother. She hadn’t spoken to him since then. Well, actually she did. But it was only if she had been spoken to. As he stood to his feet, he admitted that it wasn’t the same. Colleen was behaving like a marionette, and he felt like the puppeteer pulling the strings. She moved and did everything he wanted, but it felt—practiced. Her heart wasn’t into it. He could tell.
It wasn’t the same. Terence slapped his knee and sighed. Somewhere inside him, he accepted that what his wife said was true. His mother was meddling in his affairs. It had been that way all his life, but his eyes were just now being opened. Before Colleen, Terence had always followed and done everything Francine told him to do. She told him that he’d make a good architect, and he’d done it. She told him that he should be a minister, and he was almost there. The only thing he’d ever refused to listen to her about was Colleen.
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