Off Limits Lovers

by Reese Ryan

  The ranch was large and her father’s bedroom was in a different wing of the house from hers. Still, it felt as if she was encroaching on their big night.

  “Maybe I should go and give you kids some space,” Annabel teased.

  “No, don’t go.” Angela grabbed her hand. “This is your home. I’m the intruder.”

  Annabel smiled. “You’re not an intruder. You’re family. Starting right now.”

  * * *

  Ryder smiled to himself as he watched his beautiful fiancée sleeping in his king-size bed. His son, Xander, and his lovely fiancée, Frankie, had come over and joined them for a celebration toast. They were gone and it was late, but he couldn’t sleep. Partly because of the excitement of the engagement. Partly because he felt guilty that he hadn’t told his youngest daughter, Maya, yet. She’d spent the summer at a job in Cape Cod and was about to start her second year at school in Boston College. He missed her.

  He sent her a quick text message.

  Hey darlin’. You up? Got some news.

  His phone rang almost instantly, and he stepped outside on the patio to take the call.

  After their pleasantries, he jumped right in to the reason for his call.

  “Engaged to a Perry? Wow, Dad. I can’t believe it. You’re actually marrying into that family.”

  “A few months ago, if anyone had predicted this, I’d have thought they were auditioning for a straitjacket. Guess life really is stranger than fiction.”

  Maya suddenly got quiet and Ryder held his breath, waiting for his youngest daughter to ask the question she’d been asking more frequently lately.

  “I hate that I’m not there with you all to celebrate,” Maya said finally. “Sometimes, I feel so disconnected from everyone.”

  “It’s just homesickness, sweetheart. That’s all. You’ll adjust, I promise. And know that even when you’re away, my baby girl is always in my thoughts.”

  Maya sighed softly. “I know, Dad. And I love you.”

  “Something bothering you, buttercup?” Ryder asked. He realized he was giving Maya a pathway to the very topic he didn’t want to discuss, but it broke his heart to hear her sounding so sad and alone.

  “Tonight’s not the time. I’ll call you later. After your champagne buzz wears off.”

  Ryder chuckled. “Sounds good. ’Night, sweetheart.”

  He ended the call and poured himself the last of the champagne. Ryder knew exactly what Maya had wanted to ask. She wanted to know who her biological parents were.

  Off to college and no longer a little girl, Maya had become more persistent about learning the identity of her birth parents. But when he and his wife Elinah had adopted Maya a little more than eighteen years before, he’d assured the girl’s grandfather that he would never reveal the identity of her biological family. It was a promise that had become much harder to keep now that Maya was officially an adult and as stubborn as her sister, Annabel.

  Maybe Maya would learn the truth one day. But as long as it was dependent upon him, he would try to keep his promise to her grandfather.

  Now that all three of his children knew his happy news, Ryder felt a sense of relief. He turned off the bedside lamp and crawled into bed with his bride-to-be.

  Twenty

  Annabel entered Farrah’s and scanned the coffee shop for Elliot Lewiston. He wasn’t there for their meeting yet, but she was fifteen minutes early.

  “What can I get for you, hon?” the woman behind the counter asked in a thick Texas drawl.

  Before she could respond, a deep voice wafted over her head. “Slice of lemon icebox pie and a large Sumatran blend.”

  She didn’t need to turn around to know whom the authoritative voice belonged to.

  What is he doing here?

  The cashier shifted her gaze to Annabel to confirm that was what she wanted. She nodded and pulled out her credit card, but Roarke handed the woman his instead.

  “You really don’t need to do that.”

  “I want to. Please.” His tone was soft and pleading.

  Annabel thanked him, then moved to the other end of the counter to wait for her order. Roarke joined her there after he’d placed his own.

  “So...your dad popped the question to my sister,” Roarke said as they stood side by side, watching the baristas prepare their orders. “They’re both good people. I’m happy for them.”

  “Me, too. It’s good to see my dad happy and in love again.” Annabel scrolled through the comments on her Instagram feed.

  “How did your brother and sister take the news?” Roarke asked after a few awkward moments of silence.

  “They’re happy for them, too.” She didn’t look up. “What about your father and your sisters?”

  “Melinda and Esme adjusted to the news well enough. My father... Well, he reacted pretty well for him. I was actually kind of proud of him,” Roarke said. “Have you met with Mason yet?”

  “No.” She turned to face him fully. “He had a family emergency out of town. He says he’ll contact me when he returns.”

  “That’s well past the stated deadline. You should’ve informed me that Mason didn’t keep his end of the bargain.”

  “It didn’t really seem like you wanted to hear from me again.” She shrugged.

  “I’m still your lawyer, Annabel. I wouldn’t let...” He huffed. She wasn’t sure if he was frustrated with her or with himself. “It’s still my job to protect your interests in this matter.”

  “Well, Mr. Attorney, consider yourself informed. You now know everything I do.”

  “And I’m still waiting for you to forward me your renovation contract.”

  “Look, Roarke, I know you have more pressing client work to handle. I can find another attorney, if that would be better for you.” She slid her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, picked up her order and put a tip in the jar.

  Roarke caught her elbow. “I’d feel better if I reviewed that contract. I’ve seen a lot of the loopholes that unscrupulous contractors try to jump through.”

  “Fine. As soon as I get it, I’ll email it to you.” She tugged her arm from his grip. “Thank you again for the pie and coffee.”

  Annabel slid into a booth at the far end of the café. Her hands trembled beneath the table.

  It was the first time she’d seen or talked to Roarke since she’d walked out of his condo. She’d tried to act nonchalant about their casual encounter, but standing so close to him, she could barely breathe. When he touched her, she’d been reminded of the way it had felt to wake up in his arms.

  “Annabel, I think we should talk.” Roarke slid into the seat across from her, startling her. “I hate the way we left things the other day. I overreacted.”

  “I appreciate that.” She gripped her coffee cup. “And I apologize again for meddling in your life. I overstepped. You had every right to be angry.”

  “Annabel!” Elliot approached with a broad smile on his face, his clipboard underneath his arm. “Sorry I’m running behind. There was an accident on the way here.”

  “No worries. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She smiled warmly at him. “Elliot Lewiston, this is my attorney, Roarke Perry. He’ll be reviewing the contract once it’s ready. Roarke Perry, this is Elliot Lewiston, one half of my contracting team.”

  He reached down and shook Roarke’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Perry.”

  “Elliot and I have a meeting scheduled, so perhaps we can talk another time.” She looked at Roarke pointedly.

  “Of course. Keep me posted on the arrangements with Mason.” He stood and buttoned his gray suit jacket.

  Elliot slid onto the seat Roarke vacated and opened his laptop.

  “Roarke!” She called to him as he walked away. He turned back to her expectantly, his eyes wide and hopeful. She lifted the white bag and paper cup he’d left behind. �
��Your pie and coffee.”

  “Oh, thank you.” His voice was filled with disappointment. He came back to retrieve them. “Have a good meeting.”

  Annabel watched as he turned and walked out the door, her heart aching and her stomach tangled in knots. It’d taken every ounce of control she could muster to keep her expression neutral when she talked to Roarke. To behave as if running into him in her favorite coffee shop was no big deal, when it felt as if her heart was breaking all over again.

  “Annabel, is everything okay?” Elliot asked. “If this isn’t a good time for you—”

  “Now is perfect, Elliot.” Annabel forced a wide smile and rubbed her hands together eagerly. “I can’t wait to see what you and Mr. Lewiston have for me.”

  “Actually, it’ll be easier if I come on that side of the table.” Elliot turned his open laptop toward Annabel and joined her on the other side of the booth.

  Annabel shut her eyes momentarily and sighed quietly, determined to put all thoughts of Roarke Perry out of her mind long enough to focus on the future of Fairy Godmother.

  * * *

  Roarke returned to his rental SUV and slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

  Annabel was right. He was a coward. He’d been afraid to admit his feelings for her, even to himself. Afraid to consider that there actually might be something to this whole idea of their being meant to be together. Because since she’d walked out his front door, he felt as if his entire world had grown dark and cold.

  Until a few weeks ago, he’d lived a simple, solitary, focused life. One devoid of family or romantic entanglements. But he was doing a tremendous amount of good in the world, and he’d been content with his life.

  But then Annabel Currin had smiled at him in that damned coffee shop and it had turned his entire world upside down. She’d reminded him that he could do good in the world and be happy. And that just because his parents’ love story wasn’t a happy one, it didn’t mean that he was doomed to experience their fate.

  Roarke had always considered himself to be sensible and clearheaded. He had lofty ideals, which had prevented him from working with his father at Perry Holdings. Yet, he was quite practical about the realities of the way the world worked.

  None of that prepared him for the possibility of meeting the woman who felt like “the one” and falling in love so quickly. The realist in him had refused to believe it was possible. But the hole that had been left in his heart when he let her walk away made the depth of his feelings for her quite real.

  His heart and his home felt empty without her.

  He’d missed Annabel from the moment she’d left his condo. But he’d been too proud and stubborn to go after her or pick up the phone and call. So maybe there was more of Sterling Perry in him than he cared to admit.

  Instead, he’d gone to her favorite coffee shop twice a day, hoping their paths would cross so they could talk on neutral ground. Her meeting with Elliot Lewiston had thrown him off, and he’d lost his nerve. But he wouldn’t let her walk away again. Not without laying his heart on the line and telling her the truth.

  Because Annabel Currin was worth the risk.

  Twenty-One

  Annabel got out of her car at the future site of her business and popped the trunk. After her meeting at the coffee shop with Elliot Lewiston she’d gone to a home improvement warehouse to look at paints. She picked up a slew of sample paints within the three different color schemes the designer had proposed. Now she had to decide which one would look best in the space.

  She slid her phone into her back pocket and reached for the box of paint samples and brushes in her trunk.

  “Let me help you with that.”

  She turned at the sound of his voice. “Are you stalking me now, Perry?” The sound of his smooth voice still did things to her body. No matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise. “Wouldn’t have pegged you for the stalker type.”

  “I assure you that I’m not. But I do really need to talk to you.” Roarke lifted the cardboard box from the trunk.

  “What is there to talk about?” Annabel picked up a few plastic bags filled with additional items she’d purchased for her office and the upstairs bathroom at the shop. She slammed the trunk and headed toward the side door of the building. “You made your feelings...or lack thereof...quite clear.”

  “Like I said, I overreacted. All I could think of was the many times my father has tried to manipulate me. Maybe I freaked out a little.”

  She glanced up at him. His tortured expression and the pain in his eyes tugged at her heart. She unlocked the door of the shop and stepped inside without responding.

  “Where do you want this?” Roarke raised the box slightly as he glanced around the space.

  “All of this is going upstairs in my office.”

  He held out the box, indicating that she should put her bags inside it, too. “Anywhere in particular?”

  She handed over her bags. “On the floor in the corner is fine. I’ll be up shortly. I just need to grab the mail first.”

  He nodded. “Then I hope we can talk, because I’ve been having this conversation in my head for the last few days and I’m eager to get it off my chest.”

  A knot tightened in Annabel’s stomach. Roarke’s need to talk could go either way. Was he willing to take a chance on them, even if they had to compromise and try a long-distance relationship first? Or did he want to make a clean break and walk away?

  “Sure.” The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears. “I’d like that.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, then slowly released it, as she went to retrieve the mail that had been dropped through the little slot.

  Annabel sifted through the envelopes, most of them made out to the previous owner or the generic resident. But one hot-pink strawberry-scented envelope was addressed in fancy calligraphy to Ms. Annabel Currin at Fairy Godmother. She stood slowly, a broad smile spreading across her face.

  My first official piece of mail.

  It suddenly struck her that her dream of opening this shop was becoming a reality.

  Annabel wanted to squeal.

  There was a sudden knock on the front door and she jumped. She peered through the glass door and then struggled to unlock it. The lock, probably original to the shop, stuck badly because of disuse.

  “Mason? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call when you got back in town.”

  “I just got back, and I was driving past when I saw your car.” He leaned against the door frame and peered at her intently, as if seeing her for the first time.

  A gentle breeze stirred the scent of the expensive cologne he preferred. And as always, he looked immaculate in his designer suit and shoes.

  “I wish you had called. I don’t have your engagement ring. I assume you’d like that back.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t want to hold on to it until the check clears.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t have my checkbook with me.” He patted the breast pocket of his jacket.

  “Then why did you stop?” Annabel folded her arms.

  “First, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I was an awful boyfriend and an even worse fiancé. But I wanted you to know that I did love you, Annabel. I still do. I never intended to hurt you. And I thought you deserved to hear that in person.”

  “Thank you, Mason.”

  Despite the effort Mason had put into looking contrite and sounding sincere, his apology left her completely dissatisfied.

  Had he been sincere a single moment in the two years they’d spent together? Looking at him now, she doubted that he ever had.

  Suddenly, holding on to the ring until he had reimbursed her in full seemed like a prudent idea.

  “You can contact my lawyer, Roarke Perry, to arrange delivery of payment.”

  “Annabel, wait.” He put his hand against the door as she trie
d to close it. “I wanted to ask if you’ll reconsider.”

  “The amount of the settlement?”

  “No. Look, I know what I did was unforgivable, but...I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until—”

  “Wait, you’re not seriously asking to get back together, are you? Because if this is your way of trying to get out of settling my claim—”

  “No, I’m being sincere. I’ll drop down on one knee again if you want me to,” he said.

  “You didn’t drop down on one knee the first time,” she reminded him.

  Another sign she’d ignored.

  “It’s one of the many things I regret about our relationship. I didn’t realize until I lost you how important you are to me. I should’ve supported your dream just as you’ve supported mine. And if you give me a chance, I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Mason, please, just go away. Pay the claim or don’t. But make all further arrangements through my lawyer.”

  “Annabel!” he called as she shut and locked the door between them. She stood, glaring at him with her arms crossed, until he finally cursed and walked away.

  “Why is it that the men in my life only seem fascinated with me once I walk away?” she muttered as she climbed the stairs.

  “I can’t speak for Mason, but you were right about me. I was terrified of how my feelings for you would change my life.” Roarke stepped out into the hall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his gray suit pants.

  “You heard that whole thing with Mason?”

  He nodded. “I did. As your lawyer, I applaud the way you handled the situation. As the man who has fallen utterly and completely in love with you, I’m incredibly hopeful.”

  “Did you say—”

  “Yes, Annabel.” He stepped closer, placing his hands lightly on her hips. “I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. In a way I didn’t even know was possible. You changed everything for me. I never want to go back to the solitary existence I led before I met you. Not without a fight.”

  Annabel’s heart raced and tears stung her eyes. “What about your long list of objections, counselor? Me being fresh out of a relationship? You living in Dallas and me just buying this shop in Houston? What about our fathers hating each other? Are you telling me that none of that matters anymore?”