by Marie Force
“I think we could’ve done that.”
“Eventually,” he said with a small grin.
She smiled. “I’m sorry I was so crazy. I’ve thought a lot about that last night, the night of the engagement party, the way I acted.” Shaking her head, she added, “I can’t believe I hit you. I’m sorry, Michael. I was just out of my mind. I can’t even explain it. There’re so many things I wish I could do over again.”
“I’m sorry I insinuated the baby wasn’t mine. That was an awful thing to say.” He kissed her hand. “And if I’ve learned anything from the last couple of months it’s that being an adult means piling up the regrets.”
“I was horrified when I heard about the shooting in the courtroom. Thank God you weren’t hurt.”
“It was pretty crazy. I’m just glad it’s over.”
She squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that you came, Michael, but you can go home now.”
“I’m not going to just take off and leave you in the hospital.”
“It’s okay. There’s nothing you can do, and we’ve said everything we needed to say. I want us to end on a good note.”
“Paige…”
Her eyes glistened with new tears. “Please, Michael.”
“I’ll call to check on you,” he promised with a kiss to her forehead.
She nodded.
“You’re a special girl. You just need to believe in yourself, and you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, releasing his hand. “Thank you for everything, Michael. You waited for me to grow up a lot longer than most guys would have.”
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I loved you, and I won’t forget you.”
“I love you, too. I probably always will.”
“Be well, Paige.” He waved one last time from the door. In the waiting room at the end of the hallway, he found Admiral and Mrs. Simpson. “We, um, we had a good talk.” His neck stiff with tension, Michael ran a hand through his damp hair. “She asked me to go, but I don’t feel right about leaving while she’s in here.”
“What she needs hasn’t been of much concern to you lately, Michael,” the Admiral said.
“Be quiet, Joe,” Eleanor said to her stunned husband. “Paige behaved terribly, Michael, and I know she’s ashamed of herself. I was ashamed of her, too, when I found out just how awful she’d been to you. It’s no wonder you cut all ties to her. I have no doubt you would’ve done the right thing by that child, if it had lived. Just the fact that you came here after the trial like you said you would, despite what she put you through, tells me everything I need to know about you. But you have no reason to be here anymore. We’ll take care of our daughter, and when she’s back on her feet, it’ll be time for her to take care of herself. In fact, it’s long overdue.”
Astounded by the longest speech he had ever heard Eleanor Simpson make, Michael had no idea what to say.
She went up on tiptoes to kiss Michael’s cheek. “It was a pleasure knowing you, Michael. I wish you all good things in your life.”
“Thank you.”
“Joe, let’s go back in with our daughter.” She took her husband’s hand to lead him from the room.
Overcome, Michael sat down in the waiting room and dropped his head into his hands to weep for the child he hadn’t wanted until he lost it, for the woman he once loved, and for the woman he loved now who was somewhere in the world tonight with the other man she loved.
Chapter 32
Juliana woke up disoriented in the fading light of the late afternoon, and realized she must have dozed off on the sofa while Jeremy was upstairs taking a shower. He had covered her with a blanket and left her to sleep.
She looked around the room, remembering when they bought the furniture on a payment plan they feared they wouldn’t be able to afford. That was before Jeremy landed the job he had now, which took care of most of their financial worries.
The stylish entertainment center came from IKEA, and Juliana smiled when she recalled Jeremy complaining that there were no fewer than ten thousand pieces to it when they got it home. But as usual he put it together in no time. His ability to fix anything, build anything, or puzzle through any mechanical problem made him the “go-to” guy in their group of friends. It was only thanks to him that her old car still had any life left in it.
Everything in the room, from the color of the paint to the framed artwork to the curtains, was chosen together. Juliana’s friends liked to tease her about living with a guy who cared about things like curtains, but she enjoyed the shared pleasure they took in making his mother’s place their own.
It was hard to believe what had happened to them in the last couple of months. After ten almost perfect years together, it all came undone during one disastrous weekend that undermined everything she believed to be true about them. And it had opened the door just wide enough for her to find a new, unexpected love.
She reminded herself that Jeremy claimed he hadn’t acted on the freedom he’d thought he wanted so badly. If anything, he’d done nothing but regret asking for it. So if she had never met Michael, would she be lying here pretending to still be asleep while she heard Jeremy moving around upstairs? Or would she be celebrating his return home after the long separation?
She tried to find the words she would need… Jeremy, it’s over between us. I’m sorry, but the time we spent apart has shown me I want other things out of life. We both outgrew this relationship while we were apart over the last nine months, and it’s time for us to learn how to live without each other. Her eyes teared when she imagined his reaction to hearing that. No way would he let her go without a fight, and the idea of an emotional battle exhausted her.
He came downstairs looking handsome in one of her favorite shirts and black dress pants that must have been new. As he made his way to the sofa, he tugged the maroon cashmere sweater she bought him one Christmas over his head and adjusted the collar on his shirt.
“Babe?” He caressed her face. “Are you awake?”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“Almost five. You really conked out on me.”
“Sorry.”
“Have you been burning the candle? You know how run down you get when you don’t get enough sleep.”
She swallowed hard as visions of the erotic night with Michael flashed through her mind. “No, I was just tired.”
“I ran you a bubble bath. Why don’t you go soak for a while? We have reservations at Chiapparellis at seven,” he said, referring to their favorite restaurant in Little Italy.
“We do?”
He held out a hand to help her up. “Uh huh.” He kissed her cheek. “Go on up. Take your time.”
“Thanks for the bath.”
“My pleasure.”
She climbed the stairs to the master bedroom. The last time she had been up there was just before she left for the Bahamas with Michael when she came to get some summer clothes. As she pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it on the bed, she wondered how Jeremy would react to the news that she had no plans to sleep with him that night.
Peeling off the rest of her clothes, she walked into the large bathroom and gasped at the vases of pink roses—at least five or six dozen of them. In the tub, rose petals floated on top of steaming bubbles and soft music wafted from the speakers he installed a few years ago. On the edge of the tub, he had left a glass of wine for her.
“Oh, Jer.” She stepped into the tub and let the hot water ease the ache in her heart and in muscles still tender from a night spent locked in passion with another man. Sinking down into the tub, she thought back to Dewey Beach when Michael pulled her—suds and all—from the tub and took her to bed. Where is he now? What happened with Paige? She was dying to know.
Jeremy came to the door. “Everything okay in here?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“So are you.”
“When did you do all this?”
“You were asleep for a long time. I had some tim
e to kill.”
“Thank you.”
He walked in to hand her the glass of wine. “I’ve realized some of the romance had gone out of our relationship before I left for Florida. Now that we’re back together, I hope we can remedy that.”
“Jer—”
“Enjoy the bath. Call me if you need anything.” He bent to kiss her forehead and then left the room.
Groaning, she slipped underwater.
Juliana wore a long black skirt with high-heeled black boots and a sheer ivory silk blouse over an ivory camisole. She got dressed with a heavy heart, dreading what he most likely had planned for tonight and wondering how she would ever say no to him.
Out of habit, she touched perfume to her neck and smoothed on lipstick. “Well, here goes,” she whispered to her reflection in the mirror.
Jeremy came to the foot of the stairs when he heard her coming down. “Oh, Jule, look at you.” He offered her his hand. “God, you’re so gorgeous. So unbelievably beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, moved by the raw look of love and desire on his face.
“Will you kiss me?” His hands on her face, he bent to touch his lips to hers. “Just once?” he whispered, tilting her head to gain better access.
As his tongue caressed hers, Juliana’s stomach knotted with nerves.
His kiss quickly became hungry and needy.
“Jeremy,” she gasped. “Don’t. Please.
“I’m sorry. I can’t resist you. I never could.”
She reached up to wipe a trace of lipstick off his mouth. “We need to get going, don’t we?”
He ran his finger over her cheek. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Mr. Dixon, Ms. Gregorio,” the maitre d’ at Chiapparellis said. “Welcome. Right this way, please.”
Following him through the busy restaurant, Juliana remembered all the occasions they had celebrated here—anniversaries, birthdays, Jeremy’s big job. They came here long before they could afford it and continued to come even after they could afford better.
The maitre d’ opened a door and gestured them into a cozy private room filled with pink roses and a violinist playing just for them.
“Oh,” Juliana said, taking in the romantic setting. Again her stomach lurched with nerves mixed now with fear and regret—tremendous regret that he hadn’t done this a very long time ago.
“Jule?” Jeremy startled her out of her thoughts. He gestured for her to have a seat at the table.
Numb, Juliana slid into the chair he held for her.
He poured her a glass of champagne and handed it to her. After he filled a glass for himself, he raised it in toast to her. “I love you, Jule. Thank you for spending tonight with me.” He touched his glass to hers and took a long sip.
Juliana saw his glass tremble ever so slightly as he returned it to the table. In that moment she realized he was nervous, and her stomach took another sickening dip.
They were served fried calamari, which Jeremy knew was one of Juliana’s favorite foods, and a delicious shrimp Nicola, another of their longtime favorites. Even though she’d had almost nothing to eat all day, Juliana pushed the food around on her plate and had trouble actually swallowing anything. Dessert was a chocolate soufflé that she picked at without her usual enthusiasm for all things chocolate.
“Is everything okay, babe?”
“It’s wonderful. Thank you for doing all this. I’m overwhelmed.”
He put down his fork and pulled his chair closer to hers.
Oh God. Here it comes. She wanted to whimper. She wanted to beg. Please don’t, Jer. Just don’t.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
“I think so.”
“There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. There’s nothing you could want that I wouldn’t find a way to get for you. I hope you know that.”
The lump in Juliana’s throat became so huge she didn’t trust herself to speak, so she nodded.
“There’s something I want to show you. Will you come with me?”
That wasn’t the question she expected. Thrown off balance and more than a little confused, Juliana let him help her up. He thanked the violinist and led her through the jam-packed restaurant, the noise of the Saturday night crowd jarring after the quiet of their private room.
He retrieved their coats from the coatroom and helped Juliana into hers. While they waited outside for the valet to bring his car, he kept his arm around her.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked as they headed south on Interstate 95.
“I’m fine.” Baffled by the odd change in direction their night had taken, she asked, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said with a mysterious smile. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.”
The miles rolled by as they left the city behind. After about twenty minutes, Jeremy took the exit for Ellicott City and made a series of turns that seemed quite familiar to him. At last, he turned into a development Juliana recognized.
“Do you remember this place?”
“It’s where we came that day for the open house. What are we doing here?”
“Give me a minute, and I’ll show you.”
They traveled another half mile into the development of sprawling new homes before he pulled into a driveway and turned off the car.
“Where are we, Jer?”
“Come see.”
He met her on the sidewalk and took her hand. At the front door, Juliana watched astounded as he inserted a key and pushed the door open. “What’s going on? Where did you get a key to this house?”
He flipped on the lights, and she gasped when she saw more pink roses on the massive staircase, in the empty dining room, in the huge family room, on the hearth in front of the marble fireplace, and on the granite countertop in the kitchen.
“Jeremy.” Her hands came together over her racing heart. “I don’t understand.”
“The dream house. Isn’t that what you called it?”
“Yes, but… Jeremy. What—”
He took her coat, hung it with his over the banister, and reached for her hand. “Come with me.”
Leading her in to sit on the hearth in front of the fireplace, he kneeled down and took her hands. “I’ve told you this hundreds of times, maybe even thousands over the last ten years, but I’ve never meant it more than I do right now. I love you, Juliana. I love you more than anything in this world.” He touched his lips to both her hands and struggled to collect himself.
She found it hard to breathe as she waited to hear what else he had to say.
“Earlier, I told you there was nothing I wouldn’t do for you. To prove that, I have this for you.” He nudged the door to the fireplace open and withdrew a piece of paper, which he handed to her.
“What is it?”
“It’s the deed to your mother’s house. I paid off the mortgage so you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“What? Jer, oh my God. You can’t stand her. Why would you do this?”
“Because you’re worried all the time that you’ll miss a payment and she’ll end up homeless. Now you don’t have to think about it anymore.”
Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “You can’t do this.”
He wiped the tears from her face. “It’s already done, babe.”
“I can’t accept it, Jer. I just can’t.”
“You have to, or you’ll hurt my feelings.”
She tried to absorb the enormity of it. “I just can’t believe you’d do something like this.”
“I told you, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You’re my family, Jule. You’ve been my family and I’ve been yours for so long that I could more easily live without food or oxygen than I could without you.”
He leaned in to kiss her gently. “The other thing I told you before is there’s nothing you could want that I wouldn’t find a way to get for you, right?”
Wiping her tears,
she nodded.
“I never forgot how much you loved these houses or the look you had in your eyes that day—like you’d seen something you knew you’d never have, so you didn’t even let yourself hope for it. I promised myself right then and there that if I could ever swing it, we’d live here.” He held up the key, which now had a diamond ring hooked around it. “We have the dream house, now we just need the dream. Will you marry me, Jule? Will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and be my wife?”
Sitting in stunned silence trying to absorb it all, Juliana suddenly thought of Michael’s proposal.
Don’t forget who asked first.
Chapter 33
“Jule?”
“I, uh, I just don’t know what to say.”
“‘Yes’ would work for me.”
Juliana tugged her hands free from his and stood up. She looked around the huge room and struggled to comprehend the magnitude of his grand gesture. He’d made it all but impossible for her to say no to him. “When did you do all this?”
He turned to sit on the hearth. “I bought the house the weekend I was home when I couldn’t find you, and I closed on it yesterday. I was hoping I’d chosen the right one. We looked at quite a few that day, but I thought this was the one you liked best.”
“It was.” Chilled, she crossed her arms and went to look out the window. There was just enough moonlight to make out the large backyard and the wooded area behind the property. It now seemed so unimaginable that she had expected to just walk away from Jeremy after everything they’d been through together. How could she have ever thought he would step aside when she told him she had outgrown their relationship? Of course that hardly mattered since he had made sure she’d never get the chance to say any such thing. “How can you afford all this? My mother’s mortgage? This house?”
“We’ll have to sell the place in the city—pretty quickly,” he said with a grin. “But I told you, I made a bundle when I was in Florida, and I was working so much that I hardly spent a dime of it. Your mother’s mortgage wasn’t much really. There was just a year or so left on it, but I knew it would give you peace of mind to have that taken care of.”
