The Executive's Decision ~The Sweetened Version~ (The Keller Family Series)

by Marie, Bernadette

  A few minutes later, Regan walked to the entrance to the rose garden with a mug of coffee. Zach turned when he heard her, and she handed him the mug. “I made breakfast.”

  “Thanks.” He took the mug and held her gaze, but he said nothing else. Finally she walked back to the house. When he followed her, a seed of hope grew inside her.

  “It’s only eggs, bacon, and toast. But I think it’ll do.” She picked up the plates she had readied and set them on the table.

  They ate in silence.

  When he was finished eating he gathered the plates. “I think I’ll grab a shower. Feel free to make yourself at home.” Then he disappeared up the stairs.

  Regan cleaned up the rest of the breakfast dishes and pans. She refilled her coffee mug and headed out the back door, leaving it ajar so Zach would realize where she’d gone. It was time to show him she loved him.

  She strolled down the path through the rose garden and out into the pasture, her pulse drumming faster as she headed toward the creek behind the trees. The air was already hot and thick. To sit and listen to the creek roll past her as she waited for Zach would be heaven.

  Regan toed off her slippers and hiked up the robe as she stepped into the water. As it hit her ankles, a chill ran through her, but she braved it as she waded to the boulder in the center of the creek.

  She sat atop the large stone and listened to the babble of the creek below her. The sun warmed her aching body and felt soothing on her face. It had almost been a year since Alexander Hamilton had tried to kill her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought two different madmen would attack her. It made her uncomfortable in her own skin.

  She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t fragile. But the attacks had beaten her down. It had taken almost a year for her to regain who she was after Alexander Hamilton had left his mark. She wasn’t going to let that happen again. She was in love with a truly decent man who wanted to take care of her for the rest of her life. There were no monetary promises. There were no one-sided conversations. Zach cared about her, and she wasn’t going to let what Alexander Hamilton or Roger Byers had done to her hold her back. Today was a new day, a day for her and Zach.

  Regan rested her head against the stone and basked in the sun’s warmth. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there when she heard the sound of footsteps among the trees. Then there he was, standing on the creek bank, looking out toward her, his hair, still wet from his shower. The T-shirt he’d pulled on was old and faded. The hems of his jeans dragged on the ground, and his feet were bare. She laughed at the fact that he’d walked through the field without any shoes on. In his parents’ backyard he was absolutely at home.

  He gave her a nod. “Hope your wearing sunscreen.”

  Regan smiled.

  Zach climbed up the boulder and lay next to her. He gently touched her cheek and shook his head. She knew the look of guilt, and she regretted that he felt as though he’d had any part in her attack.

  He slid his arm around her waist and gathered her in close. “I’m sorry for the way I acted this morning. It wasn’t right. Especially after yesterday. I should have—”

  “I love you, Zachary Benson.” It floated from her lips like a sigh. “I love you.”

  His mouth opened wide, and she watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed hard. “What?” His voice cracked like a teenager’s, and Regan grinned.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. I have to repeat myself?”

  Zach nodded, his mouth still open.

  Tracing her fingers down his jaw, she said it again. “I love you.”

  He blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “I know. I was sure things weren’t going to work out. But I’ve decided it’s time to move on. It’s time to make them work out.”

  Zach lifted his face and looked down at her. “I love you.”

  “I love you. I want to be with you always.” She nuzzled her face into his neck and lay still, listening to the water move beneath them and the trees rustle in the wind.

  Zach tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you all right?”

  “Never better.”

  He gently brushed her lips with his. “Let’s go in. You need a warm, calming shower.” He smiled. “And since I’ve been kissing you on this boulder, I have the strangest feeling my mother is going to call.”

  Regan walked out of the bathroom, her hair wet and wrapped in a towel as Zach made the bed. They both smiled when the phone rang.

  He dove across the bed and picked up the phone, laughing. “I told you. I told you. She knows when someone is messing around on that rock!”

  She heard him answer the phone and turned to watch him. Though he was winded and knew his mother was on the other end of the phone, it didn’t seem to matter to him what she’d think about it.

  “Mother, how are you? How is New York?” He tugged at the robe wrapped around Regan and pulled to him. He kissed her lip while covering the phone with his hand. She pushed him back and shook her head. “I’m sorry I missed your call.”

  And then he stopped, sat up straighter, and turned his attention to the conversation with his mother.

  “Mother, what’s wrong?” He was on his feet now, and Regan pulled the robe around her and watched his face. The intimacy slid away, as well as his color. “Oh my God.”

  He sat back down on the bed and pressed his fingers to his forehead. “Mom, I don’t know what to say.” Regan moved to his side. He shook his head as he listened to his mother. “I’ll make arrangements and be out there in a few hours.”

  When Zach finally shifted his eyes to Regan’s, she could see the tears welling up. She reached for his hand. “Mom, I can call Arianna to sit with you.” He gave Regan’s fingers a squeeze, and she began to sob, not even knowing what was being said on the other side of the conversation. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  He hung up the phone and sat quietly. Regan didn’t want to ask about the conversation. She’d wait until he could speak.

  When he was ready, he looked her in the eye. “My father died.”

  His father was gone. The more he said it in his head, the worse it got. Regan pulled him to her, and then he let out his sob. Suddenly he was shaking and tears were streaming. He was a child again, he needed his mother, and his father, and neither were in his grasp.

  He pulled away and went for his clothes. “I have to go to New York.”

  Regan stood, her shoulders shot back, and her professionalism pushed the sentimental lover aside. “I’ll get arrangements made for you.”

  “For us.” He looked at her, pleading. “God, Regan, you have to go with me.”

  “Zach…”

  “You said on that rock you wanted to be with me always. Well, always is now.” He slipped on his pants and went to her, taking her hands. “Please, my mother and I both need your cool head and way of thinking. You’re part of our family. I want you with me.”

  She nodded. “Should I call Arianna?”

  “She was with them when he died.”

  Regan’s eyes widened and her eyebrows rose. He thought about the conversation with his mother and rubbed away the pain forming behind his forehead. “They’d met for brunch. They were laughing over mimosas and eggs Benedict. She and mom had hit it off. They were going to go shopping later. And then…” The words lodged in his chest. “He had a heart attack at the restaurant.”

  She raised her hand to her mouth. Tears streamed as freely from her eyes as they did from his own. He said took her face in his hands and wiped the wet trails away with his thumbs. “Regan, I need you. We are a family. My family and yours are already intertwined.”

  “Zach, what are you talking about?”

  “You’re always here when I need you most. Arianna was there for my mother. Carlos works for me and takes care of you. My mother and Curtis work together with the hospital bettering life for others. Our lives are knotted together.” He took a step back and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m no
t proposing. That would be so uncalled for at this moment.” He took a deep breath to try and separate the jumbled thoughts that clouded his mind. “But I feel closer to you than I ever have, and closer to you at this moment than I have been to anyone. I want us to make a life and a home together. I want you to think about it.” He pulled his shirt on. “I need you,” he said once more before he walked out of the room, praying she needed him too.

  Regan arranged their flight from Tyler’s office. She booked a direct flight into New York City and arranged for a car to pick them up. She’d phoned the hospital, and Zach received the status on his father’s body and was able to make arrangements to claim him and fly him back with them.

  Zach knew where his father kept the important papers, and he opened the safe in the wall and handed them to Regan. Her breath caught as he entrusted her with the information and walked out of the office.

  In her hands, she held Tyler’s personal plans for being laid to rest. He’d thought of everything, but having had previous brushes with death, she assumed, you’d think of those things. Her cheek throbbed, reminding her that she too had had a few too many brushes with death. It wasn’t something she even wanted to think about, but as she heard Zach move about the house packing for a trip he’d never wanted to take, she knew she’d better think about such things for herself. After all, she had a man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

  As Zach finished packing his things, she looked over Tyler’s papers and made a list of people she would call on his mother’s behalf, if Audrey would allow it. If she could help it, she wouldn’t let Audrey touch any of the specifics, unless she wanted to. Something told Regan she would want to mourn her husband and would be grateful for her help.

  Being Zachary Benson’s executive assistant had taken on greater meaning as she made the few first phone calls to the mortuary. Giving the woman on the other end of the phone the information she had made her feel like less like an employee and more like a wife. It was a warm feeling at such a cold time.

  Zach set his suitcase by the door of the office and looked at her. His eyes were hollow and his color pale. But as she discussed arrangements with the woman on the other end of the phone, a weak smile surfaced on Zach’s lips. An appreciative smile. It was something no other man had made her realize before. He appreciated her for more than her organizational skills. He did need her, and she needed him.

  At that very moment, she knew she was his forever.

  Zach and Regan headed to Regan’s house so she could pack her things. He drove faster than usual, and every thought he’d ever had regarding his father raced through his head. No matter how much he’d thought about his father’s health in the past, and the times Dad had scared them with past heart attacks, Zach wasn’t prepared to deal with his death.

  Carlos met them at the door. Before he pulled his sister to him, he scanned a look over her. The cuts and bruises from her attack had settled in, and she looked worse than she had.

  Carlos’s lips grew thin and his eyes hard, but silently, Regan shook her head and his demeanor softened. He kissed his sister and then moved her aside and hugged Zach.

  He would have expected a handshake. A slap on the back even. But the hug set him off balance.

  “Zach, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for your loss.” Carlos pulled back and looked at them both. “Arianna called this morning.” Zach nodded as Carlos stepped back. “If I can do anything, anything at all, please let me know.”

  “I appreciate that.” Having someone there who would always catch your back, as a brother would, wasn’t something he’d ever known. He’d had dear friends and employees that would be loyal to him, but Carlos wasn’t acting on behalf of his boss. This was a brotherly offer, and it gave him warmth he’d never experienced.

  Regan started up the stairs. “I have to pack. Our flight leaves in two hours.”

  “Do you need a ride?”

  Zach shook his head. “No, we have my car.”

  “C’mon back. I just made some coffee. You look like you could use some.”

  Zach followed him into the kitchen and sat at the table as Carlos poured them each a cup of coffee. There was silence, but it was comfortable.

  He’d never had a brother, but he assumed Carlos was being brotherly in his silence. After all, what did you say to a man you hardly knew when his father, whom you didn’t know, died?

  A few minutes more passed and Carlos finally spoke. “The initial shock isn’t as hard as the weeks that follow.” He sipped his coffee as Zach lifted his head. “Right now you still think he’ll walk through the door. That he’ll have something to say. But you know he’s gone. Then you’ll go through the arrangements, the funeral, and those who will come to pay their respects,” he continued. “Then next week you’ll pick up the phone to call him and he won’t be there.”

  “You have a lot of insight.” Zach said with a bit of animosity in his voice. How could Carlos know what he was going through? His parents lived twenty minutes away and…

  His thoughts stopped as he suddenly remembered who Carlos really was. Yes, he did know what he was talking about. The only difference was that Carlos spoke of the pain of a seven-year-old boy. The pain was still in his eyes.

  “Regan told me about your birth parents. I’m sorry about what happened.” He tried to sound as sincere as the sentiment he felt.

  “It was a long time ago. But you don’t forget the pain.” He looked up at Zach. “It will ease in time.”

  “Thank you.”

  Carlos nodded. “Regan is going to go with you?”

  “I’ve asked her to. I’ve become very dependent on her.”

  “As your assistant?” Carlos’s words had a sharp bite to them, and Zach couldn’t blame him. He’d seen him look her over when they’d walked into the house. Both Carlos and Curtis blamed him, even if they didn’t say so, for the marks Roger Byers had put on their sister. He blamed himself too.

  Zach put down his mug and looked at him. “As the woman I love and want to spend the rest of my life with.” He looked Carlos in the eyes. “I love your sister. I would never hurt her or abandon her,” he promised.

  “She’s told you about the last man she loved?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “I’m not him.”

  “There are many likenesses.”

  “And many differences. I will not let her suffer. I will take care of her. I have asked her to think about spending her life with me. When I know that’s what she wants too, I will ask for her hand in marriage.” He smiled. “With the consent of your father. And you and Curtis, of course.”

  “Of course.” Carlos tilted his head and gave him a slight smile. “She loves you.”

  “I know.”

  Regan bounded into the kitchen, pulled a travel mug from the cupboard, and filled it with coffee. “I’m ready. I’ll call you when I get there and let you know where I’m staying and what the return plans are. I’m sure we’ll be back very soon. Audrey will probably want to get things taken care of as soon as possible.”

  “Then again, I do depend on my assistant. She happens to be the best at what she does,” he said with a smile, and then shook Carlos’s hand, and Regan kissed him on the cheek.

  Arianna sat in Audrey’s hotel room with her and waited for Zach and Regan. She’d never witnessed such chaos as she had that morning when she’d met the Bensons for brunch. She never would have known Tyler was sick until he slid from his chair and his wife screamed.

  There were no words for her to say to make Audrey feel better. She’d seen the pain on her face when she’d yelled for help and then when the paramedics arrived and she’d rattled off his medical history and medications he was on. Everything had become surreal when Audrey rode off in the back of the ambulance with her husband and Arianna followed in a cab. By the time she had arrived at the hospital, Audrey stood there, as pale as her husband had been, shaking.

  It had just been instinct to pull her into her arms and hold her. There was a need to tak
e care of her even though she’d only met the woman.

  Now she waited for Zach and Regan to take her place so she could go back to her life. But her life would never be the same. She’d watched a man die. She’d watched a woman lose the love of her life. She’d witnessed love that wouldn’t end even now that Tyler Benson had passed away.

  Audrey sipped a small bottle of brandy from the bar. “I appreciate you giving up your day off to be with me.”

  “My sister loves your son very much. As far as I’m concerned, that makes us family.”

  “Zachary and Tyler were my family. My father died ten years ago after Zachary started with the firm.” She dabbed her eyes. “I feel so alone.”

  Arianna moved closer to her side. “Perhaps you should lie down. You haven’t had any sleep. I’m going to go down to the lobby and wait for them, and I’ll be only a phone call away. You call down if you need me.”

  “Thank you, darling. Thank you so much.” She patted Arianna’s hand.

  Arianna sat in the lobby and waited as she’d promised she’d do. Carlos had called, and her parents had as well. Her mother was already cooking for Mrs. Benson, and her father waited for word of something he could do to help. She’d been in the lobby forty-five minutes when Zach and Regan walked through the doors. 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.”