The Executive's Decision

by Bernadette Marie

  She stood the moment she saw them and headed them off before they could go to the front desk.

  Regan ran into her arms and hugged her sister. “How terrible this must have been for you. Thank you for staying with Audrey.”

  “It was my pleasure,” she said as she watched Zach walk toward them, his face long and drawn. His eyes were sad like his mother’s. “Zach, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She gathered him in her arms and held him tightly. “She’s okay,” she whispered in his ear, and he held her tighter.

  “I appreciate you being with her.”

  “They are wonderful people. I’m so glad I got time to be with your dad. He’s so proud of you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “C’mon, I’ll take you up to her.”

  Arianna laced her arms around them both and escorted them to Audrey’s room. It was dark and quiet when they entered. Regan and Arianna stood by the door while Zach moved to his mother.

  “Mother,” he said softly as he touched her cheek.

  “Tyler?” Her voice cracked as she opened her eyes. “Zachary.” She sat up into his arms.

  Zach stayed with her, and Arianna took her sister back to her apartment.

  Arianna handed Regan a cup of coffee as she sat at the counter of her small kitchen. She watched her sister dig through her bag and pull out her notebook. Her eyes were purple and black with bruises. Red marks marred her cheek. Cuts and gashes covered her arms. And yet she sat at the counter in the kitchen going over notes she’d handwritten in regards to Zach’s father’s services, calling the hospital, making more notes. Arianna shook her head.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. This is such a shock. I certainly wasn’t prepared for…”

  “Reg, I mean how are you feeling after your attack?”

  “Oh.” Regan laid down her pen and slowly shifted her eyes to Arianna’s. “I’m sore. My face is ugly, my arms are all cut up, and I’m pissed off. Other than that…”

  “You’re amazing.” Arianna lifted her mug to her.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Some maniac attacks you one day and the next your making funeral arrangements for your boss’s father.”

  “He’s more than just my boss’s father.”

  “Say it. He’s who?”

  Regan smiled. “Zach asked me to think about spending the rest of my life with him.”

  Arianna nodded her head, not shocked by the statement. “And what did you tell him?”

  “I told him I love him and that’s what I want too.”

  “That’s a big step for you. This hasn’t been one of your better years. Are you sure you want to commit to that?”

  Regan fisted her hands on her hips and gave her a long cautious look. “I haven’t decided whether you’re testing me or just being a ray of sunshine in my life.”

  Arianna let out a snort. She knew her pretty well. Regan’s problem had always been too much optimism, and she’d been the opposite, always full of pessimism. “You love him?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want to marry him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alexander?”

  “Thinks I’m dead and so is the baby.”

  “And if he finds out otherwise?”

  Regan waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “There’s no reason for him ever to find out.” But her voice cracked, and that worried Arianna.

  “And Zach knows what you went though? He understands that you gave birth to another man’s baby and then your family told him she died? You told him that Curtis told him you died too? He understands that the asshole got away with almost killing both of you just so he could move on with his life and you wouldn’t be any problem? He understands?” Her voice was rising because she found it highly unlikely that any man would be perfectly okay with such a thing. Even the wonderful Zachary Benson.

  Regan was biting her bottom lip. “I don’t think Zach is the kind of man to back away from me for any of those reasons.”

  “You haven’t told him everything? You didn’t tell him about the baby?”

  “No.” Regan stood and walked toward the window. “I’m not ready for that.”

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  “Like I said, I don’t think he’s the kind of man to back away.”

  “You don’t think he is. That’s an awful lot to swallow.” Arianna sipped her coffee. “I hope you’re right.”

  They flew back to Nashville with Tyler’s body the next afternoon, and Regan went back to work arranging everything for Audrey, at her request.

  People began to stop by the house, and Audrey accepted the visitors graciously. She needed to be a hostess; it was what she did best. Zach followed his mother through the house, which Regan assumed he’d probably done as a young boy as well.

  John Forrester stood at the door of Tyler’s office and watched Regan work. His arms crossed as he leaned against the doorjamb. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. How do you feel about marrying older men?” He smiled as she looked up at him.

  “I almost didn’t recognize you.” She stood and crossed the room to greet him.

  “Most people are surprised to find I have clothes that require shoes without steel toes.”

  She laughed easily with him. “Oh, John.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. “I feel so bad for Audrey and Zach.”

  “Tyler Benson was a wonderful man. I knew him for thirty years. He was like a brother to me.” He held her at arm’s length and gazed over her. “Damn it, that asshole did quite a job on you, didn’t he?” He pushed a strand of hair from her face and looked over the bruises that still lingered three days later.

  “Hell of a week.” She smiled, but tears were in her eyes.

  “I should never have taken you on that site.” He kissed her gently on the forehead and gathered her back in his arms again. “I should have known better.”

  “There is no making out in my father’s office.” Zach stood in the doorway, his voice humorous but weary.

  “I asked her to marry me.” John held tight to her. “But hell, I think she likes you better.”

  “I hope so. I’ve told her to give some thought to that as well, but she’s stubborn.”

  “Okay, okay.” Regan pulled herself from John’s arms and wiped away her tears. “I’ll marry you both, but I want my own bathroom.”

  “Well at least we could design and build you one.” John smiled.

  “Under budget and on time,” Zach added.

  Regan laughed. They all did, and it felt good. Then she turned her attention back to Zach. “I’ve finished the funeral arrangements. Will your mother want to have a reception here afterward?”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  John patted Zach’s back. “I’ll go find Mrs. Benson.” He turned back as he walked out of the office. “Hey, Regan. What’s your sister’s name again?”

  “Arianna. Why?”

  “Well, maybe if I can’t coax you into marrying a man pushing fifty with both feet, I can convince her.” He winked and left them alone in the office.

  Zach took Regan’s hands in his. “Thank you for doing all of this for her, for us. I think it’s helped.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I love you. I haven’t gotten to tell you how sorry I am.”

  His eyes had gone sad again, and his shoulders rolled forward. Zach let out a quick breath and shook his head. “I just can’t believe our children won’t meet him.”

  Audrey was pleased that there had been over a hundred people at the funeral. The reception at the house attracted even more mourners who came to pay their respects. Her husband would have been furious with the attention, but she thought he deserved it. The Benson family filled the house… but the Keller family made it a home.

  Alan and Emily Keller made food and helped serve it. Curtis and Carlos picked up glasses and coffee mugs and cycled them through the dishwash
er. Arianna greeted people at the door, and Regan stood by Zach’s side with their fingers interlaced. Even Carlos’s ex-wife, Madeline, and their children were there helping and paying their respects to the father of the man Regan loved.

  Audrey couldn’t have made it through the week without the Kellers. They were an amazing family. And when she laid her head on her pillow that night, she sent a prayer to her husband and to God. Let them stay in love and marry, she whispered in the dark. I pray they find the same happiness I had. They both deserve that.

  Chapter twelve

  Regan watched Zach nearly drive himself mad going over old plans of his father’s just to make sure he’d done his own job right. He checked and double-checked every detail of every plan of every building, trying to make sure he was living up to the standards of what his father and grandfather before him had done. He was the only male Benson left, and he told her time and time again that it felt like the world weighed on his shoulders.

  She watched him go from a high-powered CEO to a young man who was looking for his father’s approval and wasn’t getting it because there wasn’t anyone left to give it to him. It broke her heart.

  Regan opened his door at lunchtime, and his head snapped up. His eyes were narrow and his cheeks flushed. “I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.” He ran his fingers through his already messed sandy hair. The tousled look made her want to smile, but she held it in.

  “Can it, Benson. You know, I’m sorry your father passed away, but you don’t have to talk to me like that.” Her voice was steady and calm. She’d expected him to burst out at some point, but even if he did she knew it wouldn’t be like Alexander’s fits of fury. There might be words, but they wouldn’t be hurtful. There might be action, but it wouldn’t be forceful; in fact, he was most likely to take a long run. She could address him the way she needed to and didn’t have to fear him. There was a power there. A force that wasn’t about who owned a company or made more money. It was a partnership and she was part of that—and so was he. Her skin warmed and peace filled her.

  “If I remember correctly, you were the one who drew the line about the workday. Between the hours of eight and six, we’re on company time. You’re my assistant and that’s that. So I told you I didn’t want to be interrupted, and here you are.” He stood behind his desk, trying to look professional and missing the mark terribly.

  “That’s right. Here I am in your office after you asked me to stay out. I guess you’ll have to fire me.” She laid out their lunch on the small coffee table by the couch. She fixed each of them a sandwich on a plate and opened a bottle of water as he looked on. “Even if you’re behaving like an asshole, you have to eat.” Regan stood with her fists on her hips and her lips tucked between her teeth.

  “Don’t you have any compassion for how you speak to me?” He walked toward the table, keeping his eyes to the floor.

  “It’s been three weeks, and I was by your side the whole damn time after your father died. And if I remember correctly, I wasn’t looking my best.” She knew he still felt guilt over her attack, and by God she was going to use it to shut him up. “Now sit down and eat.”

  He reluctantly crossed the room and sat down on the couch, shoulders hunched and head down. She knew he was reconsidering the way he’d come across.

  Zach lifted his head, and his eyes had softened. “Regan, I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are.” She leaned closer to him and kissed him gently.

  He sipped his water and sat back on the couch. “I haven’t been very good company lately.”

  “No you haven’t, but I understand.” She snuggled closer to him. “It’s been a hard few weeks. It’ll get easier.”

  “I just feel like I have to do it all right now. I can’t miss one step or he’ll be disappointed. I’m afraid of messing up what he and my grandfather built together.”

  “You’re amazing at what you do. Do it your way, and you’ll be fine. John and I will be here to catch your back.” She smiled and he pulled her closer.

  “I know you will be.”

  “Just think. In another week you’ll be in L.A. finalizing your biggest project. The one you brought to the company. The one you designed yourself and will see through until the end. I’m very proud of you for that.”

  “It will be the finest building we’ve ever done,” he said as he pushed her back on the couch.

  She forgot about his mood and the lunch that went uneaten as he pressed his lips to her neck. There wasn’t anything better than breaking her own rules over lunch.

  The moonlight gave the bedroom a silver hue. Zach stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched Regan sleep. He hadn’t slept well since his father had died, and this night had been no exception. It was two in the morning, and he’d had to leave the bed that the woman he loved slept so peacefully in, and take a shower to release the tension in his shoulders and neck.

  Zach ran the towel over his wet hair and ambled back toward the bed. He pulled the robe from his warm skin and slid into bed next to her. He watched her and smiled. Her eyes darted beneath her lids. She was dreaming. He wondered what went on in her head when she slept.

  He touched her shoulder gently, but she shrugged off his touch and rolled away from him, still sleeping. He smiled and touched her again.

  “Stop!” she said, her eyes still darting beneath her lids. “Don’t touch me again!”

  “I’m sorry.” He pulled back and studied her.

  Regan pulled her knees up, and tears squeezed from her closed eyes. “Don’t touch me. No!” she repeated.

  Zach took a breath to speak before he realized she wasn’t talking to him. She was dreaming. A moment later, she sat up and screamed, “Take her away! Take her away!”

  “Regan, I’m here.” He reached for her.

  Sweat had beaded on her brown. Her pulse was racing under his fingers, and she was fighting for breath. Her eyes shot open, but he wasn’t sure she even saw him for a moment. Then the haze that clouded her eyes cleared, and she stared at him.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. You had a nightmare.” He drew her close. “What happened?”

  “I need water.” She gasped, and tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

  “I’ll get you some.”

  He was back a moment later with a glass of water from the kitchen. Regan took it with both hands and sipped it slowly as Zach sat next to her. He switched on the lamp on the nightstand and watched her.

  She took deep breaths. The water in the glass sloshed from the shaking of her hands. She sipped again and then handed it back to him.

  He set the glass down on the nightstand. “What happened?”

  Regan gathered the sheets up around her neck. “I just had a bad dream. It’s nothing.”

  “I’ve never seen you have a dream like that. Someone was hurting you.”

  “No one hurt me. It was just a dream, a reaction from what happened a few weeks ago.”

  “Regan, someone hurt you before that.” He pushed on. This wasn’t about Roger Byers and he knew it. “Curtis mentioned it at the hospital. Tell me what happened.” He watched her tense.

  “Damn it, Regan, you can’t hide this from me. Not if you love me.” He stood and paced by the bed. “You’re holding on to too many secrets. We can’t have secrets between us. Not anymore.”

  Regan shook her head and bit down on her bottom lip, still clinging to the bed sheet. “What happened to me before doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

  “It does now.” He turned to her, though he knew he wasn’t doing a good job of concealing the frustration in his eyes. “I love you. I care for you. I want to marry you and have a family with you. But if you lie to my face, we can’t have that. What are you hiding?”

  Her lip was trembling now, and her eyes filled with tears. “If I tell you, you won’t want to marry me. You won’t want me to carry your children.”

  “That’s not true.” His voice rose, and he took a deep breath to calm himself, but it wasn’t
working well. He sat back on the bed and gathered her hands in his. “That is what I want. I love you.” He couldn’t contain what was on his mind. “Will you marry me?”

  She wiped her eyes and stared at him. “Is this my proposal?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Oh.”

  “This is you telling me whether you would marry me. It would be nice to know before I set up a romantic evening and buy a ring and then you turn me down.” He set his jaw.

  Regan touched his cheek. “You really want to marry me? I wasn’t brought up in a fancy house. I didn’t go to school in France. In fact, the only French I know does not suggest nice things.”

  “You think that matters to me?” He tightened his grip on her hands. “I love you. My parents—my mother loves you. That’s all that really matters to me.”

  “But what about children?”

  “What about them?”

  “I’m adopted. I don’t know any history about my parents. I don’t know if they carried genes for disease. I don’t know if they lived to be fifty. What if I pass something on to my children that I don’t even know I could?”

  “Our children,” he reminded her with a bite to his words, “and we would deal with it all.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Yes would be good.” He shook his head, frustrated with the whole conversation. “Regan Keller, please tell me you’ll marry me, you’ll have children with me, and you’ll grow old with me.”

  Regan tucked her lips between her teeth and then let out a shuddered breath. “Zach, I can’t promise you to marry you just to calm your nerves.”

  There was no hiding his disappointment. Obviously, there was no more to say. He stood and walked to the foot of the bed. Picking up his robe, he put it on and pulled it tight.

  “I’m going to head down to the office.”

  “Zach, it’s three in the morning.”