Her heart fluttered in her chest from a combination of surprise and worry that his parents and brother were standing right behind him, like some sort of receiving line.
“Baby, I’m so glad you’re all right! I tried texting you, but got no response.”
She peered around his shoulder and breathed a huge sigh of relief that no one was there.
“I left my phone at home by mistake. And they were laying new tar on one side of the road I took to get here, so traffic got backed up. That’s why I’m late. I’m sorry to keep everybody waiting.”
He shut the door and ushered her inside. “No worries. They hopped on an emergency conference call, so they didn’t notice.”
He took her elbow and led her down the hall.
“I hope nothing is wrong,” she said as he guided her into the brightly lit kitchen, one of the largest she’d ever seen.
“Nah, just another day in the cutthroat business of real estate.” He held up two bottles of wine. “White or red?”
“Red, please.”
She accepted a glass, which was followed by a passionate kiss that sent tingles cascading through her body.
She stroked his chest, slightly embarrassed by his affection, but left her hand there, because she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to touch him again that evening.
“Don’t you think we should be on our best behavior tonight?”
His lips moved to her neck. “But it’s so hard being good when we’re together.”
She felt his desire for her press against her body, and she had to stop herself from dropping her hand lower.
Sonya giggled as he began to nuzzle his nose behind her earlobe. “If you don’t quit right now, I’m going to drop this wineglass on the floor.”
He took a step back and sulked. “Okay, but only because my mother would kill me. Those are apparently very valuable, but don’t ask me why.”
They looked up when his mother walked into the room.
Sonya gulped when she made a beeline right for her.
“Why are you making me out to be such a fiend, Trent? Everything is replaceable.
“I’m Agnes Waterston, Sonya. Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you,” she replied, accepting the hug. “I’m happy to be here.”
Agnes poured a glass of wine and looped her arm through Sonya’s. “Come on into the dining room. My husband and Steve are still on a call, so we won’t wait for them. We’re doing buffet style tonight.”
Trent grabbed the wine bottles, plus the rolls, which were warming up in the oven, and followed them.
“My mother made all the food. She’s a great cook.”
Agnes glanced behind her. “We used to have a personal chef, but I decided to start cooking again recently.”
“She uses cooking as an excuse to get out of the office early,” Trent said.
“That’s right, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
Agnes and Trent shared a knowing glance and began to laugh. Sonya was heartened by the easy repartee between mother and son, and some of the nervousness went away.
Trent lit the candles on the table, as Agnes pointed to the food on the sideboard. In addition to Waldorf salad, there were fried scallops, grilled shrimp on skewers, roasted potatoes and peppers. For dessert, Sonya spied a choice between apple and pecan pie.
Just as they were done filling their plates, Trent’s father and brother spilled into the room. By their raised voices, it was apparent they were in the middle of a heated argument.
“I need you to fix this,” Trent’s father barked. “Like, yesterday!”
Steve patted him on the back. “I’m on it, Dad. Just as soon as Mom and I get back from Albuquerque.”
“You see the trouble you got me in?”
Sonya thought Steve was talking to her, but he was speaking to Trent, who placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Boys, we have a guest. Please refrain from talking business at the dinner table.”
“My mother is the peacemaker,” Trent said before introducing his father and brother.
“And we make all the money.” Steve winked, shaking her hand.
She sat down at the table, with Trent to her right. While everyone else was getting their food, he reached under the table and squeezed her hand.
“How’s the new dance studio coming along?” Agnes asked as she sat down at the head.
Sonya slipped her hand away and picked up her fork.
“Nearly ready. I hope to open soon.”
She’d hoped she wouldn’t have to talk about her plans too much. She didn’t feel like having to explain herself.
“Good. I plan on signing up for lessons myself,” Agnes announced. She stared down the shocked looks of the men around the table. “What the devil are you all staring at me for? I heard ballet is very good exercise. After fifteen years of sitting at a desk, I need some toning.”
“I’ll be happy to have you as a student, Mrs. Waterston,” Sonya replied, hiding a smile.
“You’re not going to have time for much, Agnes, once we get the affordable housing project underway.”
Sonya glanced at Trent. “That’s wonderful. I’ve heard more housing is a real need in Bay Point.”
“Yes, I’m looking for some land to build it on,” Steve jumped in. “That’s what my father and I were just talking about when we walked in.”
Lawrence picked up a piece of shrimp. “The Maddox brothers turned us down. We’re running out of options.”
Trent sipped his wine. “Not a chance, Dad. Not with Steve on the loose.”
Steve raised a brow and raised his glass. “You’re sticking up for me? That deserves a toast.”
“Only if you don’t take what doesn’t belong to you.”
Sonya heard the undercurrent of a threat in Trent’s tone. She felt Steve’s eyes flicker toward her, and then they were back on his brother.
“Don’t worry. I know my place.”
Agnes and Lawrence seemed ignorant of whatever was transpiring between the two men. Even Sonya was confused, although she did remember Trent saying at one time that he and Steve didn’t really get along.
It was one more thing that they shared in common.
Neither had a perfect family.
Chapter 10
Trent secured the remaining stack of brochures with a rubber band and dropped them into a small box. Steve had texted him about two hours before the second annual Bay Point Home Expo had opened that he couldn’t make it. So he’d called Sonya, who had agreed to help him at the booth.
He picked her up in his truck and drove to the high school, where the expo was being held in the gym and the first-floor hallways. He’d been able to sign up about ten people for appointments to view the remaining five lots in the company’s latest development.
Though his brother and father wouldn’t consider the leads a true success until they had signed contracts and deposits in hand, his mother would be surprised at his efforts.
Ever since he was a little boy, Agnes had always encouraged him to work with his hands. She knew that a hammer in one hand and a couple of nails in the other was all that had ever made him happy. She didn’t know that someone else had made all the houses he’d built over the years seem like he was playing with pixie sticks. He knew what happiness was now, being with Sonya and loving her, mind, body and soul.
She hadn’t told him that she loved him, but in his heart, he knew that she did. He could tell by the way her breath caught every time he touched her hair. He loved to kiss her hand when he arrived on her doorstep, like an old Hollywood movie hero, because her lips would always tremble with surprise. And when he took her in his arms, she would cling to him, even if he’d only been away from her a short time.
Some force in the universe had thrown them together, and he would do all he could to k
eep them together forever.
Now, all Trent wanted to do was have a quick meal, a hot bath and climb into bed with Sonya.
“How can I ever thank you for helping me out today?”
Sonya finished wiping off the rental table and tossed the paper towel in the trash can. “I’m sure I can think of a couple of ways,” she said with a grin.
“With your active imagination, I can’t wait to hear your ideas. What are you doing later?”
He waited in anticipation as she folded the red tablecloth and then put it on the chair.
“I’m sorry, Trent, but I’m busy tonight.”
His heart clenched with disappointment. “Okay, I was hoping to spend some time alone with you.”
Ever since the dinner at his parents’ house earlier that week, Sonya had found excuses not to see him, and he was getting more than concerned. He was downright scared.
That evening, when she’d gotten home, he’d been overjoyed to receive a text from her soon after she arrived home. When he arrived, she was naked and she took him into her arms. Their lovemaking had been sweeter than ever, and he’d held her long into the night. He’d taken their time together as a celebration that they’d presented themselves as a couple to his family, and that she was ready to take the next step.
When he’d left the next morning, she’d been sleeping, so he hadn’t been able to get her reaction to the dinner.
At that time, he’d assumed that she was okay with how the evening with his family had gone. But now, he wasn’t so sure.
He grabbed a bunch of pens and shoved them in a plastic bag so hard that it broke.
She began to stack up the leftover magnets. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Trent.”
“You didn’t,” he lied and threw the bag away. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
She lowered her voice, mindful of the people still milling around the room.
“I know, but sometimes I feel like I should.”
He stowed the pens in another box. “It’s been a long day for both of us. Why don’t I just take you home?”
She waited as he did a last spot check of the space to make sure everything was cleared out before they made their way outside to his truck.
When they got there, Trent opened the passenger side for Sonya, and then stuffed the box in the back seat.
He got in, put on his seat belt and backed out. He thought about taking the long way, just to have more time with her, but she seemed distracted. It was killing him not to know what it was, like having a mosquito bite in a place he couldn’t reach.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” he asked.
She glanced over at him. “I thought you said I didn’t have to explain.”
“You don’t, but I wish you would. I care about you so much.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for a red light to flip over to green.
She stared out the passenger window. “How can I when I don’t know myself?”
“Maybe I can help.”
She bit her lip and turned toward him in her seat.
“There is something that has been bothering me. While you and Steve were clearing the dishes, and your mom was making coffee, your father asked me a strange question.”
“What did he ask?”
“He’d heard about my father’s gambling debts, which isn’t surprising, because practically everyone in town knows my dad had a problem. They laughed at him behind his back.
“No one says it to my face,” she continued. “But I still think some people blame me for my father’s downfall, and maybe they’re right. Maybe it is my fault he gambled his life away.”
Trent heard the shame in her voice, and it splintered his heart. “We’ve talked about this before, Sonya, and we both know it’s not your fault.”
She wrung her hands in her lap. “How can you be so sure? My aunt said he got worse after I left Bay Point. At first, it was poker games with his friends once or twice a week, and then the trips to Vegas. It was like he had nothing left to lose.”
“We can’t be responsible for the actions or motivations of our parents.”
She furrowed her brow. “Like the fact that your father insinuated that I was going out with you for your money. You know I don’t care anything about your wealth. I told him the same thing, but I’m not sure if he believed me.”
He felt his stomach clench at her words. It was bad enough having his mom ask him when he was going to get married, but to have his dad butt into his love life and practically accuse Sonya of being a gold digger was just too much.
“Don’t take it personal. My dad was just having a knee-jerk reaction to the type of women Steve normally brings around. Why, Violet was the only woman he’s ever dated that was worth marrying.”
“I think Violet still cares about him,” Sonya mused. “She only went after you to make him jealous.”
“If Steve would ever wise up, he’d know it, too. My father razzed me for years because I broke up with my college girlfriend.”
“Was she cute?” Sonya interjected with a hint of a smile.
He shrugged. “She was okay in a college coed kind of way. She wanted me to be more about business than construction. To her, working with my hands was a little too blue-collar for her, and my father has a similar attitude. It never would have worked.”
Although she looked unconvinced, he knew she had nothing to worry about. Given time, his father would come around and see Sonya as a wonderful choice for a wife. His mother was already smitten, and Trent expected her nudges to marry would increase.
“It doesn’t matter what my father believes, or anyone else. All that matters is you and me and what we think about each other.”
He felt her eyes on his face, and he wished they were sitting across from each other while having this conversation. It would have made it a lot easier.
“I just don’t want to be the cause of any tension in your family. I’ve already broken up mine. I don’t want the same to happen to yours.”
He placed his hand on her thigh. “You don’t have to worry. While we have our disagreements, the Watersons always prevail. We wouldn’t have amassed the amount of land and property we have without working together as a family.”
She turned her head toward him. “It’s just me and Aunt Nelda now. We have to stick together, too.”
“Any news on what she plans to do with the house?”
“No, nothing. Whenever I ask her, she changes the subject.”
“Why do you think your aunt is keeping you in the dark? Do you think she’s doing it on purpose?”
“Like your brother not showing up for duty?”
“There’s no subterfuge with Steve. If he doesn’t feel like doing something, he simply doesn’t do it. Period.”
“Anyway, I keep worrying that I’ll come home one day to an eviction notice.”
“That’s not going to happen, Sonya.”
“It could, and frankly, I’m scared.”
He heard the catch in her voice and wished he could pull her into his arms. Instead, he took her hand in his and squeezed gently.
“If it does, you have a safe place to go. You’ll stay with me.”
She slipped her hand away. “You can’t spend your life rescuing me, Trent.”
“Why not?” he asked. “I love you.”
She closed her eyes. “Don’t say that, Trent.”
“It’s true,” he sputtered. “And if I weren’t driving and if I wouldn’t get a ticket for indecent exposure, I’d show you just how much.”
Her laugh bubbled up and gave him hope. “I don’t doubt it.”
“Then let me show you—when we get to your house, of course,” he said, taking her hand in his again. “I think I can wait that long. Can you?”
“No,” sh
e whispered. “No, I really can’t.”
She rested her left hand between her thighs and he groaned. Not because that was all she did. But because that was enough, and he knew what her actions meant.
She kept her gaze on the road, as did he, although he knew his need for her could be felt, and his excitement barely contained. And for once, he was glad he’d taken the shortcut home, because every few minutes she would hike up her navy blue skirt a few millimeters with her right hand, exposing her thigh to him more and more.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the delicate lace of her bra, curved against her breast as she undid a few buttons of her shirt. His mouth watered a little more with every pop of her button.
And yet, her hand didn’t move, even as he grew harder and harder, hot as a volcano.
By the time they were on the road that led to her house, he was so turned on that he almost missed her driveway.
When they were safely stopped and under the cover of her garage, she had her seat belt off before he did.
She hurriedly unzipped his pants and leaned over. He put his hand on her arm to stop her.
“I know I must be crazy to refuse you, but you’ve got me too hot. You’ll make me explode with that sweet mouth of yours.”
He pushed his seat back as far as it would go, and quickly lifted his polo shirt up and over his head.
“Climb over here, baby.”
She kissed up his bare forearm and licked the bend of his elbow. All he could think about was that he wished her tongue could be in two places on his body at one time.
“Hurry up, Sonya. You’re driving your man crazy.”
Her sultry smile let him know that she was going to take her time getting to him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He grunted when she arrived, settling her lower half on his thighs as if they’d belonged there forever. She gyrated against him slowly as he devoured her mouth in a passionate kiss.
“Am I your woman, Trent? You’re only one?”
“You know you are.” He bunched her hair in his hand and nuzzled her neck. “I love you, Sonya. And if it takes a million years for you to admit that you love me, too, I’ll wait.”
Winning Her Forever Page 12