by Jill Sanders
“Have a look around,” he said as he tossed his car keys down on the front table. “All the furniture came with the place, so don’t judge me on the style.” He chuckled. “I’ll go change.” He turned to head down the hallway that would lead him to the main bedroom but stopped and glanced back at her. “Thank you. I know you may not think it’s much, but it means a lot to me that you’ll be the one helping me turn this place around.”
He didn’t know why he felt she needed to hear it, but when he saw the look cross her face, he knew his words had touched her.
Stepping into his bedroom, he cringed as he always did at the mauve walls. He should have set himself up in the bedroom in the basement that had been filled with sports paraphernalia and had dark blue walls instead. But he enjoyed the views from the main floor and liked the massive walk-in shower in the attached bathroom.
Stepping into the walk-in closet, he removed his suit, hung it up, and pulled on a pair of old jeans, a grey sweater, and some comfortable boots.
When he stepped out of the room, he found Laura in the basement, making notes on her phone.
“This place has good bones,” she said as she continued to type on her phone. “Terrible color choices and the furniture…” She glanced up and stopped talking when she noticed him.
For a split second, he watched heat flood into her gaze. She was assessing him as if she was trying to figure out how to swallow him whole.
His body instantly reacted to her desire. Without thinking, he closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms.
The moment their lips touched, it was like returning home. She fit against him perfectly as if they had been made for one another.
This time, she was the one who took the kiss deeper as she ran her hands over his arms and chest hidden under his sweater.
“Simon,” she sighed against his skin as he ran his mouth down her neck to the exposed skin just above her sweatshirt.
“My god, I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he trailed his fingers up under the hem of her sweatshirt to run his fingertips over her soft skin. “I’ve dreamed of you all these years.”
“I…” She shook her head. “I can’t.” She nudged him backwards. He dropped his hands and took a giant step back.
Hell. He knew he’d pushed it. He’d promised himself he was going to explain everything to her and here it was, days later, and he hadn’t even told her why he’d left.
“Laura,” he started, but she held up her hands to stop him.
“No, don’t.” She sighed and shook her head. “I think we can both agree that it would be a bad idea for anything to happen between us now. We have a history and because of that history together, there are bottled up feelings.” Her eyes met his. “Feelings I no longer have. Nostalgia. That’s all it is. That’s all it can be.” She straightened her sweatshirt and brushed her hair with her fingers to put it back up in the messy bun. He must have pulled it free when he’d been kissing her.
He hadn’t even realized he’d run his hands through her soft tresses. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the memory of how wonderful she’d felt in his arms. How sweet she’d tasted and how sexy she’d smelled. Too much. She’d been too much and his senses were vibrating and demanding more.
“Now, why don’t you show me the rest of your place so that while we’re at the store I can be on the lookout for items to replace all this.” She motioned around to the room and, before he could respond, she walked away.
Watching her back, he realized just how much it must have hurt her when he’d left all those years ago. He’d been such a fool.
Chapter 9
Okay, so Simon’s place was a direct blast from the nineties. Which would have been okay if the decorator had had any real taste. Still, it had good bones and a killer view. The kitchen and living spaces were big and easy to modernize. The basement with its shag carpet and dated furnishings could be gutted and turned into a beautiful space.
All of the bedrooms could be easily updated as well. The bathrooms that she’d quickly gone through needed the most work. Pink and teal tile filled two bathrooms. The third was a simple powder bath that would just need fresh paint.
She stepped into the very feminine mauve-painted main bedroom and couldn’t help herself from bursting out laughing.
“You’re staying in here?” She turned and looked at him. He was scowling, which made her laugh even more.
“Yes. Now you can see why I want it redecorated,” he said in a low tone.
If the walls hadn’t been bad enough, the massive four-poster oak bed would have tipped the scales for her.
“We’re going to have to get a chain saw and cut that thing apart to get it out of here,” she said, walking around the bed.
He chuckled. “I’d be happy to do the honors. The thing is highly uncomfortable to get in and out of.”
“Why not set up in one of the other rooms?” She smiled. “There was a teal room just down the hall.”
He glared at her. “Having fun?”
She chuckled. “Okay, enough. I think I’ve seen everything I need to. Let’s head out and see what we can find.”
“Gladly.” He followed her back out of the room, and when they stepped outside, big snowflakes were falling, slowly building up on the ground.
“Here it comes,” she said as she took in the fresh mountain air. “They said it was supposed to get bad later tonight.” She glanced at her watch and realized it was just past three. If they were lucky, they would have five hours to shop before the stores closed. That would be enough time for her to shop for a small project, but with the massive facility still needing some mattresses, a few bed frames, and furniture for the main areas, she figured she’d need at least a full week to fill every room. Not to mention starting on Simon’s place.
“Why don’t you leave your car here?” Simon suggested.
She turned slowly to him as she narrowed her eyes.
“You know.” He smiled. “To help save the environment and all.”
She thought about the drive into the city and figured that they could use the drive together to talk about what he had in mind for his home.
“Sure.” She pulled her purse and the leather binder with all her notes out of her car and climbed into his SUV. She enjoyed the warm leather seats as he started heading down the mountain.
“Do you have a security system?” she asked as they passed the house she and Amy had been in earlier.
“Not yet.” He glanced at her. “Why?”
“That place was broken into last night.” She motioned to the house as they passed it.
“It was?” His arms jerked slightly, causing the car to jolt.
“Easy.” She held onto the handle above the door.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “Did the police catch who broke in?” He kept his eyes on the road.
“No.” She relaxed slightly. “Amy says it was probably some local kids. They smashed some stuff up and didn’t take anything.” She glanced out the window and enjoyed the ride down the hillside.
He remained silent for a while until she asked him if he had any ideas about what he wanted his place to look like when it was done.
“Better,” he responded. “Modern.”
She smiled. “Okay, you don’t have any eccentric tastes?”
He glanced at her soberly. “As far as my home style, no.” His eyes ran over her and once again she felt her entire body heat. Damn. She seriously needed to get herself under control around him.
“When are you wanting your place finished?” she asked.
He shrugged. “After the facility is done. It doesn’t matter as much as getting the kids into their new place for the holidays,” he answered, and she felt her body warm for a completely different reason.
“Are we going to talk about it?” she finally asked after a few more moments of silence.
“Hm?” he asked as they hit the main highway.
“Why you left. Or are you just going to tell all my family
members and not me?” His expression changed, and she knew that he was thinking about it.
“I’d hoped to tell you first, but your family…” He shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
“So, tell me now.” She shifted slightly so she could watch him.
He glanced her way and sighed. “The condensed version is, I left town for everyone’s safety.”
“No. We have about twenty minutes until we get to Albert’s Furniture. That should be plenty of time for the extended version.” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
“I found my father,” he said finally. “The day after I turned eighteen, I asked the agency for my records to be unsealed and… well, let’s just say that when I showed up on his doorstep… things didn’t go as I had dreamed and planned my entire life.”
“You never told me.” She felt her heart break slightly for what he’d gone through all on his own.
“There’s a reason.” He glanced at her. “My dad is Joseph Wilson.”
She gasped. “The senator? The one who is suspected to be involved in…”
“Major crime syndicates? Apparently, he’s been happily married for thirty years, but rumors have circulated that he’s cheated on the elections to win his seat and taken bribes from the mob and foreign countries.” He sighed. “When I showed up on his doorstep alive and well, ignorant to the fact that I looked just like he looked at my age, he threatened me.” He shook his head. “He threatened everyone I cared about and then told me if I didn’t get off his property, he’d have the legal right to shoot me dead. He said he’d claim some no-good orphan had been trying to break into his mansion.”
She felt the sting as if it had been her instead of him.
“I’m so sorry.” She touched his hand. “What do you mean… alive and well?” she asked once his words sunk in.
Simon sighed. “My mother, reportedly a lady of the night, had taken money from my father to have me… removed.”
Her hand tightened on his. “Simon, I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “I tried tracking her down, but, apparently, she was found in an alley with a needle in her arm a few months after I was born.”
Laura closed her eyes and felt tears building up. “You have us,” she said, taking his hand in hers. Then she thought about everything he’d said. “You left because he threatened us?”
“No. Shortly after I left my father’s place, I met you and your brother for dinner. I spotted two muscular goons watching us. One of them had a camera and was taking pictures of you.”
She felt her heart skip again. “How do you know they were sent there by your father?”
“I confronted them. They told me the senator didn’t like me sticking around too close. He didn’t believe I wouldn’t go to the press. They handed me a ticket along with a picture of you, cut in half, and told me if I wasn’t on the plane and if I ever contacted any of you or told you or anyone what was going on, I’d never see you again.”
“My god.” She shook her head. “That’s… crazy.”
He sighed. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“Stuff like this doesn’t happen. Does it?”
“I wish I’d never looked into my birth parents,” he said under his breath.
“You couldn’t have known,” she said softly.
“When I saw his name… I could have…”
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” she soothed him. “You obviously feel comfortable coming back here now.”
He glanced at her. “Don’t hate me,” he warned.
Her eyes narrowed. She knew that look and tone in his voice all too well.
“What have you done?” she asked.
He motioned behind them and waited for her to spot the dark car behind them.
“Oh god! You don’t think that’s him, do you?” Fear spiked through her.
“God, no.” He took her hand. “That’s my security. I’ve had them watching you for a while now. I have someone watching your brother and mother as well.”
She balked. “You… what?” She jerked her hand away. “Does my family know this?”
“They do now. And after I explained everything, why I left in the first place, they agreed to the extra precaution.”
She felt a slight headache grow and instantly wished to talk to her family.
“How long have you had someone watching me?” she asked, feeling a slight jump in her gut. She’d never been paranoid but, for the past few months, she’d believed she’d seen the same dark sedan sitting outside her place. She’d chalked it up to someone new moving into her apartment complex, but now she wasn’t so sure.
He shrugged. “Does it really matter?” he asked as he turned off the highway. When she remained silent, he sighed and answered. “A few months. I wanted to make sure that my father wouldn’t try something when word got out that I was coming back to Colorado.”
“Do you think he would still come after us? I mean, it’s been five years.” She felt her chest ache now.
“No,” he said too quickly.
“Something tells me you don’t believe that.”
He sighed loudly. “I hope not,” he corrected. “The security is an added precaution.” He pulled into the parking lot of Albert’s Furniture. He parked, turned off the car, and turned towards her. “If I believed any of you were still in danger, I wouldn’t have come back here.”
Looking into his eyes, she suddenly realized that everything she’d been through over the past five years paled in comparison to what he’d gone through. What must it have been like for him? Finding his father. Having the man threaten him, threaten them.
She felt like a selfish fool. For the past five years, she’d never once thought of what might have happened to him to send him running away from the only family he’d ever had. The only people who had ever loved him.
For the first time since he’d returned, she looked into his eyes and realized that leaving had cost him everything.
Chapter 10
Simon could tell that Laura was struggling with something. She kept looking at him as they walked through the massive furniture store. When she wasn’t writing notes in her notebook, she was deep in thought.
“So?” he said as they walked out after purchasing several major items from her list. “I never thought I’d be cutting a check for so much just on mattresses,” he joked.
She stopped walking and turned to him. “We actually got a great deal…”
“Hey.” He touched her arm. “I was joking.” He shook his head as his hands ran up and down her coat. “How about we take a break and grab some dinner? We should still have enough time to hit the other stores after.”
She glanced down at her watch and took in a deep breath. He saw a puff of air as she exhaled. It had been snowing off and on since they’d left his place. Now the snow had stopped, leaving a light dusting all over the ground.
“Sure, there’s a place not far from here.” She pulled her coat tighter and shivered.
“Come on.” He took her hand and rushed to the car. “I’d forgotten how quickly the temperature can drop when the sun goes behind the mountains.” They got in the car, and he cranked the heater.
“It always felt colder in Illinois,” she said with a shrug.
“How many times have you been up there?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“A few.” She glanced at him. “Did you ever come back here before now?”
“No, the Friday before I came into the office was the first time I’d been back to Colorado since… the day my father’s goons bought the plane ticket for me.”
“You could have called,” she said, and he could hear the hurt in her voice. “Told us what was happening?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t. The senator has too long of a reach. Besides, I didn’t have a cell phone back then, remember?”
“Right.” She sighed. “Simon, part of me wants to be upset at you still. The part that, deep down, is still hurt that you’d be
able to walk away so easily.”
“Believe me,” he interjected as he glanced over at her, “nothing about walking away from you was easy.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant she’d suggested and turned off the engine again.
Reaching over, he took her hand in his. She was still chilled, and he rubbed her hands between his. “You were my everything. Do you know what it was like thinking…”—he shook his head quickly— “no, believing that you could be taken away? I would have done anything to keep you safe. Anything.”
He hadn’t meant to make her cry. When she used her free hand to wipe her eyes, he felt his chest tighten.
“Laura, I didn’t say these things to win you back, even though I’d be happy if it helped.” He figured since he was on a roll, he’d continue. “I said them because for the past five years, I’ve been just as miserable as you. Maybe even more so, since I left my family, left my heart here.”
She jerked her hand free from his and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him close.
“I’m so sorry.” She cried into his shoulder. “I never thought…”
He enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms again and closed his eyes to hold onto that memory. He never wanted to let her go. Then he heard her stomach growl and laughed.
“Guess we’d better head in and grab some food.” He released her and jumped out to open her door for her.
“Simon.” She stopped him by touching his arm lightly. “I’m really glad you’re back.”
They walked hand in hand into the restaurant and sat at a table by the large fireplace in the center of the room and ate dinner. He ordered steak since he knew it was one of the best places in Denver for the meal, and she ordered a chicken salad. It seemed like a waste to him, but still, he had to admit, it looked good too.
Thankfully, the conversation steered away from his disappearance five years ago to the project. She even pulled out her binder and took down a few notes.
“The question is, how many children do you expect to move in before Christmas?” she asked him after they were done eating.