Complete Indelible Love Series

by Cee, DW

  For sure, I wanted this new assignment. Who wouldn’t want to be vice president of any company? The title, the prestige, the money—everything enticed me. There really shouldn’t be any question about whether or not I’d take this promotion, but there was.

  Damn Chloe Darcy. It was less than a year ago that we met. It was less than two months since we started dating. But, every time I thought of moving, Chloe stopped me from making my choice final.

  What was it about her that made me want to stay and explore the little that we had? I knew so little of her. She knew next to nothing of me. She was willing to let go of me without another thought. Why couldn’t I do the same?

  Wracking my brain, I could come up with nothing more than the fact that deep in my heart, I knew I’d regret letting her go. I didn’t want to be eighty thinking about the girl who got away. Whether this relationship was headed for another sixty years or not, I wanted to try and find out.

  After Chloe returned from the wedding, I’d ask and see if she’d want to give us a try. Even if she said no, my decision was made. I wanted to give us a try.

  I’d make us work…somehow.

  Chloe: Disgruntled (Self) Relationship

  Watching Jane walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams in a sun-setting ceremony placed me in the mood Michael was in during the rehearsal dinner. As happy as I was for the lovely couple, I was just as sad and depressed for myself.

  Michael was mainly to blame for this despondent mood. My heart didn’t know how to react when Michael explained that he’d never been in “true love” until he met Laney Reid.

  I wanted to cry.

  I wanted to be angry.

  I wanted to yell at this insensitive clod.

  What the hell was I if Laney Reid was his one true love? Was I just a girl he decided to lose his virginity with? He not only took my innocence—truth be told, I gladly gave mine to him—but he also stole my first kiss at nine and my heart not long after.

  I considered Michael my first and only true love. No boy/man who came after compared, except maybe Brendan. What to do about Brendan? There was another subject that made me want to scream and pull my hair out. One man outright told me I never meant anything true to him, whereas another told me he’d like for me to move my life to be with him.

  Why couldn’t life be a little easier? I was doing a fine job getting to know Brendan. He could have been the one to erase Michael completely from my heart. But, nooooooo! He has to move to the States.

  What I felt the other night was real. I’d wait for as long as it took to find the man who’d make me first in his life.

  My head was such a mess thinking about my crappy life that I didn’t realize the wedding was over. Shit! I rushed to the bride and groom and moved them along so they could enjoy their reception. After taking breathtaking pictures in the sunset, I saw them to the tent while I made sure food and drink services ran smoothly.

  “How you doing?” Ruby popped into our kitchen to say hello. “I think this is the first time I’ve been able to say more than one word to you.”

  I giggled. Ruby and I tried several times to have a bite to eat together, but one of us was pulled in a different direction each time.

  “I’m surviving. As much as I enjoyed helping with this wedding, I’ll be relieved when it’s over.”

  “You’ve done a spectacular job. I’m hiring you now for my wedding.” Lord! What would I do if Michael came to me one day and asked me to plan his wedding? “What’s the matter? Do I see tears in your eyes?”

  I shook my head and wiped the already-drying tears with my fingers. “It must be the fumes in this kitchen. Let’s go out and see how our guests are faring.” Ruby knew better, but she didn’t contradict me. She was a true friend.

  Doing my best not to attract attention, I weaved and bobbed through the party making myself as invisible as possible. I wasn’t feeling jovial. Before I could hide out in the kitchen again, I needed to make sure the bride and groom didn’t have any special requests for me. As much as I didn’t want to put the smile back on my face, it was a must. Max and Jane deserved my best until this wedding was over.

  “I’m not the one you need to thank.” Michael grabbed me unexpectedly. “This woman here did all the work.” His hand on my shoulder weighed heavy.

  Jane hugged me exuberantly. “We can’t thank you enough for giving us a week of your life to make our wedding dream a reality. Whatever price you ask, we’ll gladly pay.”

  “You better take her up on that offer now, Chloe. No price is too high for the future head of AAP.” I liked seeing the joy on His Grace’s face when he teased Jane.

  “I’m only a lowly junior partner. Don’t reveal the full picture at its inception. I’ve a long way to go to even reach Donovan’s status.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Donovan Taylor, one of the best-looking men I’d ever seen, joined the conversation. His wife, Laney, hugged us all. She was as cheerful as the bride.

  “Thank you for being so kind to my cousin, Your Grace. Your villa is breathtaking.” No sooner than the hugs were done, Donovan Taylor brought his wife back into his fold.

  “This could have been yours had you picked the right man.” Grandpa Harry spoke in a jesting tone, but that statement broke my heart. I was so very hurt; I struggled to bite back tears.

  “I did pick the right man, Your Grace. Very soon, I think your grandson may pick the right woman. Right, Michael? Don’t you want to fill that big flat of yours with a smart wife and beautiful kids?” Everyone laughed at Laney. I recited the alphabet backwards to regain composure. “Chloe?”

  Damn! After taking a big, silent breath, I answered, “Yes?”

  “Are you seeing anyone?” What??? Where had that come from?

  “No…not at the moment.” I whispered.

  “Would you agree Michael would make a wonderful boyfriend/husband/father?”

  What was wrong with this woman? Why was she putting me on the spot? “Um…well…I dunno…I suppose…?” I answered.

  “I can tell you for a fact, he was wonderful to me the short time we dated.” Since you were his one true love, I’m sure he was more than just wonderful.

  “Do you have any girlfriends you can introduce to Michael? Since you’re childhood friends, I’m sure Michael trusts you implicitly. Perhaps you have a friend who would suit our dashing future duke?”

  It was at this moment I wanted to run away and hide for the next year. The last thing I wanted was cheerful banter about Michael and his future duchess.

  Donovan watched me and noticed my despair. “Princess, I’m sure Michael will be fine on his own with all the pomp and circumstance that’s included in his life.”

  Laney could care less about what her husband said. Caught up in the euphoria of love and marriage, she was now trying to set me up with someone. “Maybe you have a friend or two you can introduce to Chloe?” She asked Michael. “I know!” Laney spoke as if she’d found gold. “What about Niles? He’s just as good looking, and not as serious. He’s perfect for Chloe. What do you think?”

  Lord! Just take me away!!!

  “First of all, Laney Reid,” Michael started but Donovan interrupted, inserting his rightful surname on his wife. “Niles is not as good looking as I am, and I am not as serious as you make me out to be. And no, Niles would not be perfect for Chloe.” Of course, Niles wouldn’t be perfect for me. Was I good enough for any Bennington?

  “May I speak with you?” Laney pushed the four of us into a corner. There was no denying this pregnant woman.

  “Princess, I think Chloe needs to be everywhere but here.” I’d found an unexpected ally in Donovan Taylor.

  “I promise I won’t take long.” She appeased her husband with soothing words. “First, I wanted to thank you, Chloe, for all you’ve done for my cousin. The wedding was incredible and you’ve made Jane smile like I haven’t seen her smile since Max proposed to her.”

  “It was my p
leasure to help. If you’ll excuse me? I have to set up for the finale.”

  I walked away before anyone could say anything else. Honestly, I didn’t want to hear it. I was determined to celebrate my own pity-party regardless of the wedding party.

  Michael: Confounded Relationship

  What the hell was wrong with Chloe…? Again…! Damn woman drove me nuts.

  I had one woman who wouldn’t stop calling—Helene. Then there was the other woman who wouldn’t show her face—Chloe. I didn’t know why I tried so hard with her. Since the whole Laney debacle, I’d been working overtime to return our relationship to the way it was.

  As to what kind of relationship we had, who the hell knew? We were friends—most of the time. We were not lovers—anymore. We were family—but not blood related. There was always something about Chloe that never left my mind for too long, except for those few months where a certain blonde captured my heart. All the years we’d been friends, we were always close. Whether in proximity or by phone, we always kept in touch.

  My heart was a complete mess right now. Max and Jane’s wedding shook up everything I thought was copacetic in my life. Realizing one’s life is empty with no fulfillment in sight would alarm any self-proclaimed pacifist. I wanted to love again. I wanted a little Elizabeth Reid of my own to spoil and cherish. I wanted the ideal life. Whatever I had to do, I’d go in search to fill this void.

  “Solving the EU crisis, again?”

  “Hey, Rubes. Where’s Grandfather? We should head back to London. I have work to catch up on.”

  “Where have you been? Hello? Earth to Michael.” I swatted away the hand she waved in front of me. “Grandpa left.”

  “He left?” When had this happened, and why wasn’t I told? “What about us? How are we to get back home?”

  “Wow. You really have been out of it since that rehearsal dinner.” Had I been? “Since you haven’t noticed the obvious, no one is left at the villa. The newlyweds left for their honeymoon. The family and friends all went home. A group of them hopped on Sir Roland’s plane bound for New York, with its final destination being LA.”

  “Where’s Grandfather, and Chloe for that matter?”

  “The two of them followed the Reids to New York and then to LA.”

  What??? “Why?”

  “Estelle batted her eyelashes at the duke and told him to come spend some time with her and Sir Roland in LA. The duke happily obliged and took Chloe with him.”

  “But I needed to talk to Chloe.”

  “Oh yeah? About what?”

  Shit. I was headed toward dangerous territory. Though I wanted to keep this quandary to myself, maybe my sister could help answer some questions.

  “Let me ask you something, Sis. What do you think of Chloe and me?”

  What a shocker. My sister was at a loss for words. “What…do you mean…?”

  “I mean. Well, I mean. I don’t know why I’m even wondering.” I scratched my head and decided to forget this conversation ever happened.

  “Don’t walk away.” Rubes grabbed my hand and sat me in the nearest chair. “Are you asking if I think you and Chloe would make a good couple?”

  “What?” I yelled. “Hell no. That’s not what I’m asking!” Was I?

  Ruby held back her laugh until I stopped my tirade. “The woman you are not thinking about could not stop thinking about you either. She’s in New York right now. If the wedding inspired you the way it inspired her, talk to her. What good are friends if you both aren’t there for one another?”

  “You used a lot of letters that spelled very few comprehensible words. I don’t know what you’re trying to say. Let’s find ourselves a plane ride home.”

  “Ok…” Ruby headed toward her room but stopped midway. “Humor me one more time. Chloe couldn’t leave this wedding fast enough this morning. No different from you, something about all this love and talk of forever awakened/encouraged/spooked/scared the shit out of her—take your pick—and she needed to reassess her life. If you feel anything remotely close to what she’s feeling, I think you two should talk.”

  “I don’t love Chloe. I haven’t in a long while. She’s not the woman I’m looking for in a duchess.”

  “No one ever said your duchess was short, with dark hair, big brown eyes, and a smart mouth. In fact, your last possible duchess was the exact opposite, except maybe the smart part. We haven’t printed the wedding invitations, yet, Michael. Just don’t be closed off to anyone just because it didn’t work out the first time.”

  “Why am I so confused, Rubes? Watching everyone this weekend made me want a life that’s nowhere on the horizon for me. I’m not even dating anyone.”

  “I don’t know if confused is the right word, Michael. If you’re confused, it’s because you’re denying whom you already want. I think the wedding just made you speed up your timeline. If you decide not to jump on your embattled instincts, know that you have plenty of time. You’re only twenty-six. For you men, you have at least a decade before you have to marry.”

  “It’s like your speaking in tongues, Rubes. I have not understood much of anything you’ve said to me today.”

  Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed. “OK, Michael.” She spoke slowly. “Let’s. Go. Home.” She always was a smartass. “Is that simple enough for you?”

  Home. I’d go home and think more about this whole relationship business.

  Decisions: New & Old

  Brendan: Relationship Decision

  Chloe didn’t return to London, from the wedding, as expected. Instead, she ended up in Los Angeles without letting any of us know. It was only by chance that I learned this information when I bumped into Michael at a uni gathering. I sent Cat on an info-gathering mission, and as soon as I found what was needed, I decided to visit my possible future home.

  “Good morning.” I called when she walked out of her room looking like a paper-bag princess. This reminded me of the first time we met.

  Chloe froze when she saw me sitting in the comfortable greatroom, right off the kitchen. “Good morning? What brings you here? How did you find me? Is this real?”

  “Yes, Sleepyhead. It’s real. I found you through your friends. I came here to talk to you, and you have you slept away the morning.”

  Chloe was still a bit freaked, searching for answers that wouldn’t come unless she asked me. “All the time changes have been tough on the body. I must be getting old. I don’t know how the duke does this at his age.”

  “Where’ve you been? We expected you home almost a week ago.” I fixed Chloe a cup of coffee in hopes she’d wake up and talk to me.

  “We went from Florence to New York with Grandpa Harry’s friends. We stayed in New York for a night and the duke checked out the few changes we made. As soon as he wrapped up business in the city, we came here.”

  “What are you doing here, and why haven’t you come home yet?”

  “Grandpa Harry is living it up with his old girlfriend and her new husband. At this rate, I may end up staying here indefinitely.”

  Looking around at the posh digs, I mentioned, “Nice place to stay indefinitely.”

  “All of the duke’s residences are beautiful. A little too much fluff, if you ask me.”

  “Will you be fixing this place up?”

  “A bit. There’s not much to do here.”

  “So what have you been doing to keep yourself busy?”

  “The past few days, I’ve been ordering all the items for the house. Today, I thought I might hop on one of those tourist buses and see the sights.”

  “You want company?”

  She didn’t agree. I’d have to try harder. “Why are you really here?”

  “Upon learning that you were hiding out in sunny Southern California, I told my company that I needed to see for myself if LA was as great as purported. I came out here to check out the new office, to check out possible living situations, and to check out my girl who’s not acting like my girl any
more.”

  “You’re making this really difficult, Brendan. I thought you were done with me.”

  Tamping down the irritation, I answered, “If you want to be done with me, tell me now. We can be over. I won’t bother you anymore.”

  “Aargh!” She groaned and sat on a stool. “I want what all girls want—to be loved, to be with the man of her dreams, to have kids, a family. At Jane’s wedding, I decided I wanted to wait on being with a man unless I knew he would place me first in his life. With you moving thousands of miles away, you can’t give me what I want. If we continue, the chances of me getting hurt are guaranteed.”