by Nita Brooks
“He doesn’t have a problem with you. He just doesn’t trust you.”
Richard’s eyes widened. “Why not? You explained to him what happened.”
“Yes, but that didn’t change his mind. He’s worried you’ll hurt me or Jacob. He’s just being protective.”
“I can take care of you and Jacob,” Richard shot back.
Her stomach flipped. “It’s not your job to take care of us.”
Richard shook his head, clearly frustrated, and shifted to sit sideways in the booth. “Then what is my job? I can’t let people know I’m Jacob’s father. I can’t step on Nathan’s toes. I can’t get too close to you.” Richard grimaced and rubbed his temple. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Yvonne sucked in a breath. He wanted to get closer to her? She shook her head. “Look, let’s not get in over our heads. We’re still working out how all of us will fit together. I’ll talk to Nathan and get him to understand it’s hard for Jacob. He loves us. He’ll understand.”
Emphasis on us. Nathan did love her and Jacob. Soon he’d feel more comfortable with the situation. He’d understand and do this for them.
Richard’s shoulders relaxed. “Who’s Cassidy?”
“His stepsister. Why?” she hated that she sounded defensive.
“He just said Cassidy needs help and ran off. You didn’t seem to mind, so I wondered who she was.”
“She’s family. Why would I mind. It’s great that he takes care of his sister.” Now she really sounded defensive.
Richard shrugged. “Very admirable of him. Nathan’s a real stand up guy.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes. “I know you, remember. I can hear the sarcasm in your voice.”
Richard chuckled and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “No sarcasm. He really is a great, upstanding, good guy.”
She held up a hand. “Just stop. I know Nathan can be a bit . . . old-fashioned in his approach to things, but what’s wrong with that? Too many people are willing to go with what society says they should do. Nathan stands up for what he believes in. I admire that.”
Richard shifted and met her eyes. “Admire.” He said the word as if considering the meaning behind it. “You admire a lot about Nathan.”
She held up a finger. “Nope. Once again. Not discussing my relationship with him with you.”
He smiled as if he’d won something and turned back to Jacob in the play area. She got a sinking suspicion she had proven something to him, but she wasn’t sure what. Time to spin this conversation to something else.
“Tell me about your daughter.”
He met her gaze. His eyes asked if she were sure. She nodded and waited. No more pretending as if Jacob’s sister didn’t exist. Nathan and Cassidy were close, and they weren’t blood siblings. She wanted Jacob to have that same relationship with his sister.
Richard’s face filled with pride. “She’s wonderful. Smart, silly, just a little spoiled.” He held up his hand with the thumb and forefinger a few centimeters apart.
Yvonne laughed and pointed at him. “And who’s fault is that?”
“All mine. I can’t deny it,” he said placing a hand on his chest.
His smile held the same love and affection she’d seen when she’d caught him looking at Jacob. Like then, the expression sent something fluttering in her chest. Yvonne shifted and glanced away. “Does she play any sports?”
He shook his head. “She dances. Ballet and tap. She loves it.”
“I don’t imagine there is as much of a chance of getting dirty at a dance recital,” Yvonne said nodding toward him.
Richard looked down at the dust stains on his white shirt. The kids had also bombarded him after the game in their enthusiasm. His expensive suit was now covered in a layer of grime, but he didn’t seem to care. “I don’t know,” Richard replied with a laugh. “I’ve left her recitals covered in glitter and fairy dust before.” His smile slowly faded. “I’d like for Jacob to meet her.”
“So would I.”
His back straightened. Hope filling his expression. “Would you like to see her picture?”
Yvonne nodded. “Sure.”
He slid out of his booth and over next to her. The heat of his body sizzled against her side. He seemed to take up the entire space of the booth. She didn’t slide away.
Richard tapped through his cell phone and pulled up a picture. “This is her right before I left.”
Yvonne leaned over to see the phone. A cute little girl with her hair in two curly puffs and a sweet smile grinned from the screen. “She’s beautiful.”
“I think she’s kinda cute,” Richard teased. He flipped through the phone to other pictures of her. “This was at her dance recital earlier this year.” He pulled up one of her in an ice blue leotard and matching tutu.
“She looks happy.”
“She loves to dance,” he said with all the happiness of a proud father.
“You sound so proud.”
“I am,” he grinned at the phone. He looked at her. “I never want to break her heart.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” His love and devotion were written all over his face.
“I feel the same way about Jacob.”
He put the phone down on the table and stretched one arm across the back of her seat. Richard shifted to his side until he faced her. The movement brought him closer. So close the air between them thinned. So close her body hummed.
“Yvonne, I thought that was you.” A woman’s voice.
Yikes! Yvonne looked up and met Bree’s curious gaze. Richard frowned and turned around. Though the interruption was probably needed, did it have to be her ever observant assistant?
“Hey, Bree,” she said brightly.
“I saw Jacob in the play area and immediately looked for you and Nathan.” Her eyes landed on Richard and she raised her brows.
“Nathan had to help Cassidy with something. This is Richard. He’s a friend of Nathan’s.”
“Mmmhmm,” Bree said, not sounding convinced. She held out her hand. “Bree Foster. Yvonne’s assistant.”
Richard shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Bree dropped his hand and glanced at Yvonne. A hundred questions in her gaze. The most prominent was who-is-this-man and why-are-you-sharing-a-booth? “Don’t forget you and Nathan have the interview with Southern Living tomorrow. They called today, and the reporter said she couldn’t wait to hear from home improvement’s newest it couple.”
Richard’s body tensed. He slid away from Yvonne. She pretended she didn’t miss his closeness.
“I remember, Bree. Thank you,” she said, with a dose of please move along.
Bree sighed, but got the message. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Hope to see you again, Richard.”
“You will,” was Richard’s confident reply.
Bree lifted a brow and grinned before striding off.
“Southern Living wants to meet the new it couple,” Richard said tightly.
“Yep,” she said happily. “Which is great you know. It means more publicity before the show airs. Now that we’ve signed with W.E.W., Judy has set up a big press tour.”
He nodded and drummed his fingers on the table. “You and the man you respect and admire.”
His eyes met hers. A challenge in his gaze she wasn’t ready to face. “Richard don’t. This is good. For all of us.”
Their hands were next to each other in the seat of the booth. Richard softly brushed his fingers over the back of her hand. “If you say so, Yvonne.”
He got the look in his eye that said he was going along with her bullshit again. Along with a look that said he wasn’t going to go along with it for long. Richard was going to push eventually. Instead of making her angry, the idea sent a rush of exhilaration through her.
Yvonne snatched her hand away. “Whatever, Richard. Let’s get Jacob home and in bed.”
He slid over and out of the booth and stepped back so she could get up
. “I’ll get him from the playground and tell him it’s time to go home,” he said.
Only after he walked away did she realize when she’d said home, she’d thought of him being there with her and Jacob, and that her hand still tingled from where he’d brushed against it.
Chapter 17
“Who was that man and don’t tell me it was Nathan’s friend.”
Bree hit Yvonne up two minutes after she got in the office. Yvonne knew this was coming. Not only was Bree always straightforward, she was a big fan of Yvonne and Nathan.
“He’s the head of the W.E.W. Network.” Yvonne said, sipping her coffee. At least Bree had waited until Yvonne had coffee in her hand before bombarding her with questions.
The answer was obviously not what Bree expected because she seemed to deflate a little. “Oh.”
“Who did you expect me to say he was?” Yvonne asked.
Going with a part of the truth was better than going through with a lie. Later, when she Nathan and Richard decided on the best way to release Richard’s real relationship with Jacob, then she’d deal with explaining more to Bree. For now, she had too much to straighten out on her own without getting grilled by her admin. Once again, she’d dreamed last night. Once again, she’d woken up with memories of being in Richard’s arms flooding her system.
Bree crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t know. From the way he looked at you.”
“He was showing me pictures of his daughter. I was talking about Jacob. That’s all that was going on.”
Bree pulled on her ear. “Alright, I’m sorry. I saw him and you and you both looked kind of . . . I don’t know. Into each other, and I got worried.”
“Why would you worry? You know I’m engaged to Nathan.”
“I know, and you two are great together.”
“But?” She definitely heard a “but” in that statement.
Bree shrugged. “But nothing. I was being silly. So, did he say anything new about the show?”
“Just that he’s excited to work with me and Nathan. After you left, we talked about the interview with Southern Living this afternoon. He said he can’t wait to read the article.”
Bree seemed relieved. “Good. Sorry if I made it weird when I popped over.”
“You didn’t make it weird because nothing weird was going on,” Yvonne said confidently.
Bree nodded and uncrossed her arms. “Right. Do you need anything from me this morning? I’ve got a meeting with Nancy Harmon about her guest house. Were you okay with the final design?”
“Yes, you did a good job incorporating her recycled artwork. She should be excited about the concept.”
“Thank you! Hey, look, again sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have even implied anything was going on there. I know you love Nathan. You two are perfect together.”
Yvonne forced herself to smile. Bree hadn’t been out of line. There was something there. The old attraction Richard brought up and tried to get her to discuss before. The attraction she wanted to look the other way and ignore. She and Nathan were perfect. Everyone kept saying they were. Everyone could see it. They were role models. A couple people could look up to.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Bree left, and Yvonne lost herself in work. She worked on a few projects, returned phone calls and emails, and set up a few meetings for the following week. Business continued to pick up thanks to the news of the upcoming television show. The network was currently looking for potential homes for her and Nathan to renovate for the show. They had a meeting with the producers in a few weeks to go over details of prospects. Yvonne sifted through a few of her current clients who’d mentioned possible renovations in the future. She may tap into that arena to see if there was any interest.
The morning went by quickly, and before she knew it the time to leave and meet Nathan and the reporter for the interview had come. They were doing it at Nathan’s house. A good way to show off the work he’d done and get a feel for them in a comfortable environment.
Her cell phone chimed just as she was shutting things down and getting ready to leave. A text message from Richard.
Good luck with the interview.
He remembered. She smiled. He’d always been that way. Remembering when she had something important coming up.
Thanks. She texted back.
She waited for more. Nothing else came, but her smile remained as she left the office.
* * *
Nathan ran his hand down her back. “You okay?”
She jumped and heat spread across her cheeks. She felt guilty and she hadn’t even done anything. Well, she’d been thinking about the little things Richard used to do when she’d been nervous or excited about something upcoming. The flowers he’d sent her the afternoon after a brutal exam. The note he’d left on her car that said, “I love you and you got this” the morning when she’d had an interview with a designer she wanted to work for. When he’d called to check and make sure everything was okay when she’d had to fly to Atlanta for the weekend because her mom was sick.
One stupid text message and she remembered some of the good things about them being together. She was being an idiot. One text message shouldn’t have her looking back with rose colored glasses.
“I’m fine, just distracted. It was a long morning.”
He kissed her temple. “Try to focus. She may try to find a weakness to exploit,” he whispered in her ear.
Yvonne pulled away. “Do we have a weakness to exploit?”
Nathan’s neck and face reddened. “No!” he said quickly. His eyes darting away.
What the hell was that about? Then it hit her. Richard was their weakness. She may be distracted, but she wasn’t going to be so unfocused as to bring up her history with Richard.
The reporter, Robin Ellis, walked over to them. She’d been strolling around Nathan’s backyard, capturing photos of the gazebo he’d built along with pictures of them.
“This place is amazing,” Robin said, grinning. “Nathan, you really are handy.”
“Thank you,” Nathan said easily. “I love working with my hands. Luckily, I was able to make a living doing just that.”
They settled around the glass table on Nathan’s patio. Robin put a recording device on the table between them and used a stylus to take notes on her tablet. “Will you two live here after the wedding?”
Yvonne was shaking her head when Nathan answered. “Yes. I want to start my life with Yvonne right here in the home I renovated for my family.”
Robin’s eyes lit up. She beamed at Yvonne. “Are you excited about moving into Nathan’s home?”
She hadn’t thought about moving into Nathan’s home, because they hadn’t discussed it. She loved her place. It was close to her mom which made picking up Jacob from school easier for her mom. Moving would mean she’d lose that convenience and Jacob would be forced to change schools.
“I’m excited about our future together. No matter where we live,” she said. Not wanting to contradict Nathan in front of the reporter.
He rubbed her back again. When she looked at him there was an apology in his eyes. He knew he’d spoken out of turn. She relaxed a little. They could discuss this later.
“Now that you have an offer with W.E.W. do you have plans to delay the wedding?”
“Why would we?” Nathan answered. “The television show is just another aspect of our jobs. We wouldn’t let our work delay our wedding, therefore the show shouldn’t either. In fact, our fans may get a treat and catch glimpses of our wedding during the show.”
“Oh really! That would be great,” Robin said taking frantic notes.
Another news flash for Yvonne. She didn’t want the media anywhere near their wedding. She wanted things to be private between them. So much of their relationship had been public. Their introduction, courtship, and even their sex life. Their wedding should be a private affair between them and their families.
“That’s not set in stone, yet,” Yvonne chimed in. “We’re still deb
ating that. I do like the idea of keeping the ceremony itself private.”
“I can understand that,” Robin agreed. “You both have been instant sensations since you met on the set of Celebrity Housewives. Your attraction was instant, and yet your relationship is viewed as a sweet exception to the rule in today’s hypersexual society. What do you say to that?”
“We want to be role models,” Nathan said instantly. “To show people it’s important to build a foundation before rushing into anything.”
“Oh, really?” Robin said.
“Mostly it was our personal choice,” Yvonne replied. “Nathan is a man who believes in traditions and building a strong base in everything he does. I’ve chosen to respect his decision.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to wait?” Robin asked eagerly.
Nathan took her hand in his. “We both are committed to this. It wasn’t one of us pushing our beliefs on the other. We talked about this and we both wanted to build a friendship first. Yvonne has a son and we wanted to set a good example for him of what real love is about.”
“Real love?” Robin raised a brow. “Are you saying people who chose to do differently than you aren’t really in love?”
“I’m saying emotions and desires can lead people to make hasty decisions they regret later,” Nathan answered. “We were very deliberate about our relationship. Yvonne knows I am with her because I love her. Not just because I lust for her. I won’t abandon her, and she won’t have to worry about me leaving her because I fell for someone else. She knows I’m a man of character and a man of my word.” He looked Yvonne in her eye. “I’m not like the other men who’ve hurt her in the past.”
“Well, sounds like you’re saying you’re better than the men she’s known before,” Robin prompted.
Nathan’s smile was full of cocky swagger. A look she’d never seen on him before, and one she wasn’t sure she liked. “Well if the shoe fits.”
Robin laughed. Nathan joined. Yvonne tried to force a smile but couldn’t. She slipped her hand away from his.
“Nathan isn’t like the other men I’ve dated, but that doesn’t make him better or worse. We’ve all had disappointments in our past. Just because one person disappointed or hurt you doesn’t necessarily make them a bad person. Things happen that can be out of our control. How we bounce back after a tough relationship is what’s really important.”