Redesigning Happiness

by Nita Brooks

  Nathan grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “What are you doing?”

  She grinned. “What do you think?”

  “We shouldn’t push things.”

  She pulled back. “Push things? We’ve pushed things in the past.”

  Nathan rolled away from her and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know. That was my fault. I don’t want to push anymore.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means no more going too far. We said we’d wait and that’s what we’re going to do. No sex of any kind until the wedding day. If we’re more disciplined, then . . .” He dragged his fingers through his hair.

  “Then what?”

  “We’ll make better role models. It’ll be good for the show. People will love it.”

  They were back to this? She pushed off the bed and marched around to stand in front of him. “You said this wasn’t about ratings or the show.”

  “It’s not.”

  “Then who cares what the public thinks? Nathan, we’re engaged. If you want to wait... fine, I’ll wait, but don’t tell me now you’re suddenly putting everything off the table and the only reason you’re giving me is because it’ll make us better role models. I don’t care about being role models to people we don’t know. I care about making sure we make it. That you want me.”

  He ran his hands over his face. “I do want you, Yvonne. I do. I don’t deserve you, but somehow, I found you, and we’re making this work. I don’t want to mess things up.”

  Tears burned her eyes. He didn’t want to mess things up? She was the one who’d already messed things up. She was the one who, despite all her efforts to get Nathan in bed this weekend, couldn’t get Richard’s kiss out of her mind.

  “Nathan, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Nathan’s cell phone vibrated. Yvonne looked to the ceiling and threw up her hands. Really? Her confession interrupted by a phone.

  Nathan jumped up and snatched his phone off the dresser. Almost as if he dreaded hearing whatever she had to say as much as she dreaded saying it.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s a text from Judy. Have you seen this?” He mumbled reading the words on the screen. “There’s a link.”

  Yvonne went over to him. “What’s the link to?”

  Nathan clicked on the link. On his screen was a picture of Yvonne and Richard and the headline “Home Renovation’s Latest It Couple Sells Show to Yvonne Cable’s Baby Daddy.”

  Chapter 22

  Yvonne hadn’t appreciated how much being a mini celebrity sucked until she and Nathan got back to Atlanta. Paparazzi hovered around his home trying to catch a picture of them. Until then, she’d enjoyed her minor celebrity status. The clients who’d come to her company because they’d heard of her, or the rare person who recognized her in the grocery store. Even when she’d agreed to pursue a show, she hadn’t thought she would be swarmed by the media. Sure, there was interest in the lives of the hosts on the cooking and home improvement shows, but they weren’t the ones on the cover of every tabloid and magazine in the grocery store.

  Now, with the photographers camped out in front of Nathan’s place and her place based on what Valerie had seen when she’d driven by, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to do the show anymore.

  Nathan pulled his car through the crowd and into the back of his house. They quickly went in through the back door. Judy was already there waiting on them. Nathan wouldn’t look at Yvonne. She’d deal with that after talking to her mom to see if she was willing to watch Jacob for her until things died down.

  “Well, this is good!” Judy said, after Yvonne got off the phone with her mom and joined her and Nathan in the living room.

  Nathan turned away from the window. He’d been peering through the curtains at the group outside. His brows drew together, and he looked at Judy as if she’d just grown another arm. “How is this good?”

  “For publicity,” Judy said. Her eyes were bright with the possibilities as she looked between Yvonne and Nathan. “I’ll admit the way it was announced could have been better, but we can spin this.”

  “Spin it how?” Yvonne asked. From what she’d read, the article not only spilled all the tea about her and Richard’s prior relationship and child, it also insinuated that the reason Richard’s network made the offer to sign their show was because of lingering affections between him and Yvonne.

  “We’ll make it a family thing. Say that you two were trying to be very private about your family life, but you’ve always worked together for the good of Jacob. With the image you’ve cultivated the public will eat up the idea of you all coming together to be one big happy, blended family.”

  Nathan shook his head. “It won’t work.”

  “It will,” Judy said sternly. “If you two want to continue to hold your golden glow then you need to get ahead of this. You do want to keep your golden glow... don’t you?”

  Yvonne looked at Nathan. She couldn’t answer. He wouldn’t even talk to her. She’d kissed Richard. Well, Richard kissed her, but she’d taken way too long to push him away. None of that meant she didn’t love Nathan, or that she didn’t want the future they talked about.

  But are you still in love with Richard?

  “You’re right,” Nathan said nodding. His jaw set with determination. “We need to stay the course. We’ll get ahead of this. Control the story.”

  Yvonne stepped closer to him. “Are you sure?” He still hadn’t met her eye.

  When he looked at her there was resolve in his gaze, but not the sweet affection he typically had. “I’m sure. We’ve worked too hard to let this come between us.”

  Not quite the words she wanted to hear. Her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket expecting a call from her mom or sister. Richard’s number is what she saw instead.

  “It’s Richard.”

  Nathan snorted. “Typical. Ask him why he decided to release this story.”

  “We don’t know Richard did this,” Yvonne said quickly. “He agreed to the terms.”

  “I don’t think he cares very much about respecting boundaries.” Nathan’s voice was hard and nasty before he turned and marched out of the living room.

  Judy held up a hand. “Answer that. Tell him the plan. I’ll calm Nathan down.” She followed Nathan out.

  Yvonne took a deep, restorative breath before answering the call. She hadn’t spoken to Richard since he’d kissed her. He had to know she’d gone out of town with Nathan the next day. That shouldn’t bother her. Nathan was her fiancé. That didn’t stop the nerves from fluttering in her stomach.

  “Richard, did you do this?”

  “No. This was Natalie.” He sounded like a man who’d already gone nine rounds in a boxing ring and was prepping himself to go one more.

  “Natalie?”

  “She still has an interest in the company. She didn’t know about us purchasing your show. When she found out she was . . . upset. Words were spoken and the next thing I know, the story was released.”

  Words were spoken. No wonder he sounded as if he’d been through a fight. If what he said was true, and Natalie had known he’d still cared about Yvonne, then she could imagine the hell Natalie must have put Richard through. “Does this mean the deal is off?”

  “No. We’re trying to think of damage control. I still want you.”

  Yvonne sucked in a breath. He may be implying the show, but there was another meaning in the warm tone of his voice. Guilt warred with something else. A feeling that made her press a hand into her stomach. Why did her body still react to him like this?

  “You want me and Nathan. For the show.”

  There was several seconds of silence. “I think you made your choice very clear.”

  “What choice?”

  “You went out of town for a romantic weekend.”

  “I did.”

  They were both silent. Both calculating what this meant. She wasn’t sure about her choice. She’d been so sure of what she was going to do b
efore. So sure that she and Nathan were the right choice. But now, hearing Richard’s voice. Still feeling everything he’d done to her flowing through her body. Was it lust, or was it more? Was she being foolish?

  “Then there’s nothing left to say about that,” he said with resignation. “Now it’s on to damage control.”

  He’d given up. The realization was like an unexpectedly disappointing ending to a movie. She’d gone out of town with Nathan to reinforce their relationship, and Richard had accepted he wasn’t the one chosen. This was good. She was free to move forward and take Valerie’s advice. This was not another example of Richard not following through on the things he said.

  “We’ve already discussed damage control,” Yvonne said. “We’re going to go with the story, but say we’ve all been working together from the start. We’re one big happy blended family.”

  “Your idea?”

  She hesitated, not wanting to admit she was doing what Nathan wanted. “Yes.”

  “That could work. I’ll be in Atlanta tomorrow. We can talk about it then.”

  “Sure, we’ll come by your office. Just let me know when you’re in town.”

  “I will. I’ll talk with you later.” Richard ended the call.

  “Why are we going by his office?” Nathan asked.

  She swung around and faced him. “He likes Judy’s idea. Apparently, Natalie, his ex-wife, leaked the story. He’d like to discuss how we do damage control.”

  “I need to go back to Savannah tomorrow.”

  Oh, now he was leaving? “You can’t postpone it by one day?” Her voice was razor sharp.

  “It’s important.”

  “So is this. Or do I need to repeat what Judy asked? Do you even want to fight for us anymore?”

  For the briefest second, she saw no in his expression. Then he ran a hand over his face, the look of affection returned, and he walked over and wrapped her in his arms. “You’re right. I’ll be here tomorrow for the meeting.”

  “Thank you,” she said, hugging him back, but she didn’t feel any relief. What would he have said if she hadn’t gone along with the plan to paint over the cracks in their ideal relationship?

  Chapter 23

  Yvonne left Nathan’s place with Judy and spent the night at Valerie’s. After giving her sister the rundown of how the weekend with Nathan had gone, Valerie had sent her to bed with one question.

  “Are you sure you and Nathan should get married?”

  She hadn’t answered, but she’d stayed up all night thinking about what her sister said. When Nathan asked her to marry him, she’d been shocked. They’d only been dating a few months and while they’d both wanted the same things, a loving committed relationship, they’d only talked about marriage in the abstract. She’d known she loved him, but if asked if she was head over heels in love, she would have said no. Nathan’s wants didn’t always align with hers, and she hadn’t thought they’d be together forever.

  When he’d asked her to marry him in the middle of a large stadium full of fans, their picture on the jumbotron, and him confessing to the entire world how much he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, something inside of her had given way. Something she hadn’t realized had been attached to her for years. The idea that she wasn’t wanted. She was the accidental child. The other woman. The independent single mom. The high-maintenance chick. All the things she’d accepted whenever someone gave her a new label.

  Then Nathan came along. Sweet, conservative, loving Nathan, standing there, saying he loved her and wanted to marry her in front of thousands of people. She couldn’t say no to that. Before she could take the time to really consider the ramifications, Richard returned, making things even more confusing.

  Had she fought too hard to make her and Nathan work, only because she wanted to belong somewhere?

  That’s the question that still bounced around her head as she rode the elevator up to Richard’s office the next afternoon. Her cell phone buzzed as she got off on the top floor.

  Emergency. I can’t make it.

  She stopped abruptly in front of the receptionist’s desk. Nathan couldn’t make it? What kind of emergency was he dealing with? This meeting was supposed to be about all of their futures.

  Her fingers flew over the letters on the screen. What’s going on?

  Three bubbles flashed in the conversation letting her know he was typing. The bubbles stopped and started a few times. Yvonne tapped her foot. If it was really an emergency, he shouldn’t have to think about what he was sending.

  Finally, his answer came.

  Savannah job imploding. Not literally. I have to go. Ask Richard if we can meet later. I already called Judy.

  Yvonne gripped the phone to keep from throwing it. The hospital was a big job. As a business owner she understood that sometimes sacrifices had to be made to get a job done, but, damn, she really needed him here today.

  She smiled at Richard’s receptionist. “Looks like I’m going to have to reschedule.”

  Ava smiled and nodded politely. “It’s no problem. You can go on in and tell Mr. Barrington. He’s in there with his brother right now and said to send you in when you arrived.” Ava stood and grabbed a folder from the chair. “I need to run these downstairs. It’ll only take a second. When I come back, I’ll look at his schedule for a new time later this week.”

  Yvonne thanked her and went to the door. It wasn’t closed all the way. She assumed because they were expecting her and Nathan to show up at any moment. Richard and Michael’s voices carried through the partially opened door.

  “You can’t go through with their show,” Michael was saying. A warning in his voice.

  Yvonne hesitated with her hand on the knob. Eavesdropping was rude, and Yvonne typically didn’t listen in on other people’s conversations. But when the conversation was obviously about her, she couldn’t help but stop. All she’d heard up until now was that Richard thought their show was perfect for the network.

  “Yes, I can, and I will,” Richard replied in his self-assured professional voice.

  “Richard, this is crazy. I get it, you want her back, but to go this far is ridiculous.”

  “It’s not just to get her back.”

  Not just? Had getting her back even played a role in his offer? He’d said he’d been interested in the show even before he’d known she was involved.

  “Then what is it about? You and Natalie made a choice to move the network to more original programming,” Michael countered.

  “This is original programming.”

  “Scripted shows. Not home improvement. Now you find out your old side piece is doing a show and you suddenly want to include them.”

  “She was never a side piece. The show is good. I know what I’m doing by making the offer.” The slightest bit of hesitancy in his voice.

  Yvonne’s hand tightened on the knob. Obviously, he wasn’t so sure? Was he feeding her a bunch of lies about how viable the show could be?

  “Natalie won’t go through with it, you know,” Michael’s voice was resigned. “She’s already angry you’re coming to Atlanta every weekend. Once she finds out you’re buying this show she’s going to go ballistic.”

  “Natalie will be okay,” Richard said dismissively. “Once the money comes in she’ll get over herself.”

  “I don’t think so. I saw her the other day at Mom’s. She’s threatened to sell her stake of the company. She said, and I quote, I’ll run that business into the ground before I let him put that woman on the air.”

  There was a moment of silence. Yvonne imagined Richard thinking over what Natalie said. This is when he’d stand up for the show. When he’d say he had faith in her ability to bring a successful program to his network. When he’d say to hell with Natalie’s threats and support Yvonne.

  “Look,” Richard said. “We’ll film the pilot and test the show with some audiences. That’ll give Natalie enough time to cool off and enough time for me to try and work things out with Yvonne
.”

  Yvonne’s stomach lurched. He’d played her. He’d been playing her all along. This had never been about wanting her show. It had been about getting back with her. Nathan had been right all along. She never should have trusted Richard. Never should have believed he would change. Risking his business wasn’t worth taking a risk on her, and it never would be.

  She pushed open the door. It hit the wall with a thud. Richard and Michael jumped and spun to face her.

  “Was this your plan all along?” She threw the accusation at Richard along with a glare. Pain she’d been sure she would avoid feeling again with his return exploded in her chest like bundles of emotional C4.

  “Yvonne, this isn’t what you think,” Richard said calmly. He had the gall to look nonchalant and unfazed by being overheard.

  “It’s exactly what I think. I never should have believed what you said. All those words about wanting our show and believing it will be good on your network were just that, words. Just like before, you talk a pretty game to get me, then prove you’re full of it with your actions.”

  She turned and rushed to the elevator. Richard’s hurried steps followed. “Yvonne, listen to me. I do believe in your show. I wasn’t lying about that.”

  She pressed the buttons on the elevator. “Sure, Richard.”

  He moved between her and the elevator. “It’s the truth.”

  “And if it comes to picking up our show or losing your company because Natalie won’t like it what will you do? Huh, Richard, what will you choose? Oh wait, you’ll prolong filming so you can finish wooing me and getting me back in your bed.”

  “It’s not about getting you in my bed. What I said the other night was true. I love you.”

  She crossed her arms and scoffed. Unwilling to be fazed by the apparent sincerity or pain in his eyes.

  “But you let me know loud and clear I have no chance,” he continued. “I was out of line on the Fourth. You were right, I didn’t respect what you have with Nathan, and I did think our past was stronger than your present. I never should have kissed you, and when you left to go out of town with Nathan the next day, I knew I’d lost you.”