“I’m not a good son. I waited too long to find you,” Gavin said, putting his forehead against her knee. “I’ve also done a terrible disservice to a woman I care deeply about. A woman who has been nothing but generous and giving to me.” He looked at his mother and reached into his pocket to pull out the velvet jewelry box and open it. “I’ve kept this with me ever since you left. I would like your permission to give it to this woman if I can convince her to offer me a second chance.”
His mother touched the heart-shaped ruby at the center of the locket with her fingertip. “It was the only thing I had of value to give you. My mother was wearing it when she died, so the police passed it on to me. I don’t even know what its history is.” She dropped her hand. “You don’t have to ask my permission. I’ve forfeited any right to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. However, I’m still your mother, so I would like to know who the woman is, if you would share that with me.”
Gavin came to his feet. “Allie Nichols. She began as my physical therapist but has become much more.”
“I’m so relieved. I was afraid it would be that actress.” Her lips thinned as she pressed them together.
He shouldn’t be surprised that she knew about his very public love affair. “No, I’ve been done with Irene since Dad died. Allie is as different from her as gold from arsenic.”
He passed the velvet box from one hand to the other and back. “May I ask your advice?”
Susannah raised one dark eyebrow. “How do you convince her to give you that second chance?”
He nodded.
“What I was prepared to do with you.” His mother paused. “Grovel.”
Chapter 32
Allie wished she were anywhere other than sipping mediocre wine as she stood beside Jane Dreyer in a fancy hotel ballroom at a literary-awards ceremony.
“Has your client arrived yet?” she asked the agent. Jane had invited her to the dinner to meet a prospective patient who was reluctant to embark on physical therapy. Jane thought Allie’s presence would persuade him. Of course, that reminded Allie of her first meeting with Gavin. She winced as hurt and a searing sense of loss twisted in her chest.
Jane glanced around the room and shook her head. “Not to worry. Writers are notorious for losing track of time. He’ll show up.”
Allie hadn’t told Jane about her ugly split with Gavin. She was afraid it would appear unprofessional. Instead, she had casually asked if Gavin would be at the awards dinner. “He didn’t buy a ticket,” Jane had said. “And he’s not getting an award. Or presenting one.”
Allie had skimmed the ceremony’s program to confirm the truth of the latter statements, so she’d been able to relax up to a point. He was the one who was in the wrong, so he should be nervous about running into her. But she couldn’t quite convince herself of that.
She had braved the possibility of encountering Gavin because she was desperate. The patient Ben Cavill referred her to had hired her for the next couple of months, but even at the exorbitant rate she charged, it wasn’t enough income to keep her afloat. Damn Gavin for interfering with that, too.
Of course, the check that he had sent to her, claiming it was compensation for her work on the Julian Best bible, had been beyond anything her work was worth. Guilt money, to assuage his conscience. She’d kept what she thought was fair and sent back the rest.
But for all that, she missed him so much that she felt empty. Funny that she’d never felt that way about Troy. With him it had been a sense of failure and disappointment, not like her guts had been ripped out. Gavin made her feel fully alive, whether they were trading sass and snark, discussing Julian Best’s character, or making love with an intensity that lit up every inch of her body and soul.
Allie shifted on her high-heeled pumps. She’d been afraid that Jane would want to talk about Gavin, but the agent had simply thanked her for her excellent work with the writer and moved on to another topic.
Now Allie smoothed down the silk skirt of the only black cocktail dress she owned, plucked off the sale rack at an outlet store in Hackensack. It was a demure sheath in front, but the back was sheer black lace down to the waist. When she’d bought it, she’d felt very daring. Now she just felt miserable.
“You remember Kendra Leigh,” Jane said, waving over the young woman who had shared Gavin’s book signing.
Allie exchanged polite conversation with the author, all the while scanning the crowd in fear that Gavin would appear. She saw many people who carried tension in their shoulders, or rolled their necks in discomfort. If she could get some word-of-mouth recommendations, there would be plenty of work from this group.
“Ladies and gentlemen, would you please be seated? We’d like to begin dinner.”
Jane led the way to a round table near the stage while Allie wished her tardy client would show up.
Four people were already seated there. Jane introduced Allie as a physical therapist who specialized in writers’ issues. When one woman began to describe her symptoms and ask what Allie would advise for them, Allie felt a surge of confidence. This she could discuss with authority, rather than sitting silent as the others reviewed who had moved from one publishing house to another or decided to self-publish their work.
As a man stepped up to the podium and signaled for quiet, Jane murmured, “He’s won two Edgars and sold over a million books. Which doesn’t make him a good writer.”
Allie nearly spit out the sip of water she’d just taken as she choked on a laugh. No wonder Gavin and Jane made such great business partners.
Her laughter died as she remembered Gavin’s roguish smile when he said something snarky. He always invited her to join in the joke with that gleam in his eyes. She mentally shook herself and focused on the speaker.
“Before we begin the awards, a colleague of mine has asked for a few minutes at the microphone. He guarantees that you will be astonished by what he has to say. My curiosity got the better of me, so I agreed to his request.”
Jane made an odd noise in her throat. “This is not what I expected.”
“What do you mean?” Allie whispered.
The agent gave her a tight smile and looked back at the stage.
Allie followed her gaze and felt every nerve in her body jolt as Gavin strode onto the stage. He wore a dark gray suit with perfect tailoring that made his legs look longer and his shoulders broader than even her dreams recalled. His dark wizard’s energy crackled around him so that his thick hair almost seemed to lift and move with it.
Just the sight of him sent thrills coursing through her body. She wanted to escape out the door to stop the twisting agony of knowing she would never touch him again.
Instead, she sat upright, her hands knotted together in her lap, forcing the stiff muscles of her face into an expression of polite interest.
“Thank you, Chad,” Gavin said, shaking hands with the master of ceremonies. “I knew I could count on your inquiring mind to win me a few minutes of our colleagues’ indulgence.” He stepped up to the podium and swept his gaze over the audience, compelling their attention. “I’m Gavin Miller.”
A few people chuckled.
“While I am a writer like all of you, I hope you will forgive me for using this podium for a deeply personal matter.”
The last murmur of conversation cut off abruptly, and an expectant silence fell over the room.
His gaze swung in Allie’s direction. She felt pinned to her seat. “A very wise woman told me that when you’ve wronged someone you love, the best way to win forgiveness is to grovel.”
Somewhere in the distance, she heard understanding laughter, but her brain was focused on one word in the sentence. Love. He couldn’t be talking about her. Yet those gray-green eyes were locked on her face.
“The wise woman”—Gavin spoke directly to her—“happens to be my mother.”
Allie gasped. He had found his mom. Tears brimmed in her eyes as happiness for Gavin flowed through her.
He continued. “Trust is som
ething I have a hard time with, which might be why I created Julian Best, a man who consorts with a woman he knows is a double agent. He cannot love because love requires trust. Yet I have it on good authority”—he smiled at her without holding anything back—“that Julian simply hasn’t been fortunate enough to meet the right woman.”
He broke eye contact to announce to the entire audience. “I, however, have been lucky where Julian has not.” His gaze came back to Allie. “I knew I had found someone special, something precious, but I made the mistake of thinking she was like all the other women I thought I loved. I couldn’t see how unique she was. Until I drove her away with my inability to believe in her.”
He gripped the podium and leaned toward her. “So here I am to grovel. I want to admit before my peers that I was wrong in many ways, Allie. I was wrong to keep you from your work. I was wrong to think only of my needs. I was wrong not to trust you, because you are the most honorable person I know. I humbly ask your forgiveness.”
Allie felt the tears spill over.
“And that is all I will ask.”
The joy welling up inside her drained away. All he wanted was her forgiveness when she wanted to give him her heart?
His hold on the podium grew so tight that she could see his knuckles whiten. “That’s all I ask because I love you so much that your happiness is more important than any desires of my own. It’s a hard lesson, but I’ve finally learned it.” He released his death grip on the wooden lectern and straightened as he once again turned to the whole room. “Thank you for listening.”
Then he started to walk off the stage.
Shock vibrated through her as she stared at his receding back.
“Gavin Miller!” She thrust herself up from her seat, toppling her wineglass onto the table. “Don’t you dare say you love me and then walk away.”
“Attagirl,” Jane muttered.
“If you’re going to grovel, you need to do it right.” Allie marched toward the short flight of steps that led up to the stage, shutting out the excited murmurs hissing through the audience.
Gavin spun around, his face lit with surprise and hope. As she reached the top step, he came toward her.
“If you say my happiness is so important to you, then prove it,” she said, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the room. She wasn’t going to let him off easy.
He stopped two feet away from her. “You don’t want me, Allie. I’m a bad bet.”
“That’s my decision to make, not yours. Show me that you love me.”
He closed the distance between them and took both her hands in his powerful grip. He lifted first one hand and then the other to brush the backs with his warm, firm lips. Delight shimmered over the skin of her arms. Then she gasped as shock overshadowed all other sensations.
With slow, deliberate grace, he sank to his knees in front of her, so she looked down into his gray-green eyes.
His voice rang out as he said, “If you come back to me, I promise to love you the way you deserve. I will do everything in my power to make you happy every day of your life.” His voice dropped to a rasp. “And if you don’t come back to me, I will still love you, and I will still try to make you happy. Nothing will ever change that.”
The rawness of his admission clogged her throat with tears. But joy sang through her at the same time.
“I will always love you, too,” she choked out, tugging at his hands to make him stand up. “And I decided to come back as soon as you said the word grovel.”
In one fluid movement, he rose and swept her into his arms. “You’re making a terrible mistake.” Then he pulled her against him and kissed her in a way that convinced her he meant every word of love he’d said.
The feel of Gavin’s lips and hands made her body bloom and swell with pleasure. As his kiss gentled, she became aware of the sound of applause, and a blush seared up her cheeks. She’d forgotten they had witnesses. Gavin lifted his head, his eyes glowing with love and amusement. “Let’s find a place where we don’t have an audience.”
Allie nodded and turned to find the guests on their feet, clapping madly. Someone called, “Bravo!”
Gavin nodded to the room, a grin lighting his face, before he put his arm around her and practically carried her off the stage. He kept walking down a hallway that opened into the hotel lobby.
“Where are we going?” Allie asked, jogging to keep up with his long strides.
“Home. Because there’s one particular location where I’ve always wanted to make love to you.”
Jaros stood waiting by the Bentley as they burst out the front door onto the red-carpeted sidewalk. “Good to see you again, Miss Allie,” the chauffeur said, opening the car door.
“Same here, Jaros.” Allie gave him a big smile.
Gavin slid onto the seat beside her. He pulled her onto his lap, his arms wrapped around her, but instead of kissing her as she expected, he blew out a long breath. “I was so afraid I’d never feel the warmth of you against me again,” he said. “That I’d never hear you sass me with that West Virginia twang. That you’d never touch me with your hands that heal and incite and soothe, all at the same time.” His grip tightened. “That I would never be able to show you how much I love you.”
Allie tilted her head away from him so she could see his face. She combed her fingers through his hair, reveling in the familiar texture. “I thought I’d never hear your snark again. Never run my fingers through your hair like this.” She swallowed. “Never feel this alive again.”
“I’ve been an idiot, just as Luke said. No, I’ve been a bastard, like my father.” He cradled her face in his hands, stroking his thumbs over her skin. “But my mother showed me that love is endlessly forgiving.”
Allie smiled through her tears. “You found her. I’m so glad.”
“And she asked nothing of me. She offered me everything and asked for not a single thing in return.” His eyes glittered. “All the bitterness, all the sense of abandonment, all the anger just fell away. That’s when I began to believe that I might win your forgiveness.” He brushed the most tender of kisses over Allie’s lips. “But I knew that I had to offer my heart with no expectations, only hope.”
She smoothed her hands over his shoulders. “The man you were at the ball was someone else, someone I didn’t know. That’s why I left.”
“I should have listened to you.” He blew out a long breath. “I can’t guarantee I’ll never be an ass again, but I promise always to hear you first.”
“I’ll take that promise.” Allie smiled at him. “If you’re an ass, I’ll just give you a smack and tell you to settle down.”
He laughed as his eyes went hot. Lowering his head, he kissed her in a way that sent streamers of longing fluttering through her body. That reminded her of something, and she pushed at his chest to separate them by an inch. “You said you had someplace in mind to make love. Where is it?”
“The massage table in my gym. I spent every session with you imagining that you would strip off your PT uniform and climb onto the massage table naked. I plan to make that fantasy a reality.”
Desire coiled its roots deep inside her. “I wanted to lick down the muscles of your back and swirl my tongue around the dimples just above your glutes.”
Gavin growled and ran his palm up her thigh under her skirt, focusing all sensation in a liquid pool between her legs. He brushed his fingers against the lace of her panties. “Let’s combine our fantasies and see what happens.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ll explode.”
His smile had a wicked edge. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Epilogue
Eight months later
Gavin put his arm around Allie’s waist. “It’s time to meet the others,” he said, guiding her through the press of guests in the Officers’ Club at Camp Lejeune. They were celebrating Chloe and Nathan’s wedding, and Allie had been beyond flattered when Chloe had asked her to be a bridesmaid.
“It seems strange to do
this at a wedding,” she said. She touched the antique gold locket she wore around her neck, the one Gavin had presented to her the night he proposed, saying his mother had given her blessing to go with the gift.
At the same time, he’d told her that this was what he’d wagered in the insane bet he’d made with Nathan Trainor and Luke Archer a year ago. She was shocked that he’d risk the one memento of his mother that he had carried with him through all his life, but he just shook his head. “It was a dark time.”
Now he steered her past the wedding guests twirling on the parquet floor under the bright brass chandeliers. “A wedding is the perfect place to do it,” he said. “Especially this wedding.”
Nathan and Chloe’s celebration, with all its military pomp, was very different from Gavin’s and hers. They had decided on a small, informal wedding on the beach, attended by only family and very close friends, which included the Archers, as well as Chloe and Nathan. Allie had nearly ruined her bridal makeup by crying when Gavin gave his mother a big hug before he handed her into a seat of honor in the front row.
“There they are,” Gavin said, moving toward a doorway where Luke and Miranda had joined Nathan and Chloe. “Frankie is waiting for us.”
Chloe looked stunning in her elegant cream gown with its long chiffon skirt. The fitted bodice was overlaid with lace from her grandmother’s wedding gown and dotted with little clusters of pearls. True to her designer-shoe addiction, she wore a stunning pair of pumps with crystals and pearls swirling in ornate patterns. Of course, the happiness on her face outshone all the beautiful details of her clothing.
Miranda wore the same long, rose-colored chiffon bridesmaid’s dress that Allie did. Chloe had made sure that their strappy sandals encrusted with glittering pink rhinestones were just as fantastic as her own shoes.
“Follow me,” Nathan said, turning to lead the group down a paneled hall to a closed door. “This is the commander’s study,” he said, pushing open the door to reveal a book-lined room with a big oak desk. “It’s private and has a working fireplace.”
The VIP Doubles Down (Wager of Hearts Book 3) Page 34