by Joanna Sims
Ian’s stomach bunched up in a knot as he prayed that she wasn’t going to turn him down.
“But—” Jordan said after another pause “—they aren’t set in stone.”
He jumped out of his chair. “That’s a yes, right? Thank you, Jordan. I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll have David pick you up in an hour. Is an hour okay or do you need more time to get ready?”
“An hour’s fine...but, Ian. Wait. I do want to come over. I do want to see you again. But...”
“Jordan,” he said in a rush, “I’m sorry I interrupted you, but I already know what you were going to say. You want to know if anything’s changed. And without going into too much detail on the phone, let me just say this—for me, everything has changed. I promise you, Jordan. I’m not wasting your time.” Ian closed his eyes. “Jordan. Please. Just come over. Give me a chance to make things right between us.”
“Okay, Ian,” she said gently. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
After she hung up the phone, he looked in the direction where he knew Dylan was sitting. Incredulous, Ian exclaimed, “I’ll be damned! She actually said yes!”
* * *
It was only a short distance to his condo, but Ian had sent the Bentley to pick her up. As she slid into the backseat and moved her hands over the supple leather seats, she could feel Ian’s energy in the car. She could smell a faint hint of that spicy, delectable cologne that always drove her senses mad. Her entire body was trembling with anticipation and trepidation as David pulled in front of Harbor Club Towers. He parked and then came around to her door. He offered her his hand and she accepted.
“May I say,” David said as he closed the door, “it’s good to see you again, Ms. Brand.”
“Thank you, David,” she said sincerely. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“And may I also say—” he tipped his hat to her “—you look lovely tonight.”
Jordan glanced down at the midnight-blue cocktail dress that her mother had insisted she buy, but she had never worn until tonight. “I hope I’m not overdressed.”
“No. You got it just right,” the chauffeur assured her. “Mr. Sterling has a very special evening planned for you.” David walked with her to the front door of the building and opened it for her. “Enjoy your evening, Ms. Brand.”
Jordan rode the elevator up forty floors. She felt jittery and freaked out, and didn’t know what she was doing back in Ian’s building. She had thought it was over between them, and now, out of the blue, he was back in her life. Was she crazy to be here?
As she stepped out of the elevator, she felt a little bit as if she was returning to the scene of a crime. Instead of heading directly to Ian’s condo, she walked in small circles in front of the closed elevator doors, holding her arms out from her sides so the AC would cool her perspiring armpits.
“You either do this or you don’t.” She stopped in place and scolded herself. “What’s it going to be? Make up your mind. One way or the other.”
After her moment of self-talk, she tossed up her hands and headed toward Ian’s door. There was a doorman waiting to open it for her, who no doubt had seen her acting crazy in front of the elevator and had tagged her as a nut job.
The minute Jordan stepped into Ian’s ornate foyer, she saw her painting, Curaçao Sunrise, hanging on the wall, with downlighting.
“Oh, my God,” she said under her breath as she walked slowly over to it. She reached out and ran her hand lovingly over the frame. To the painting that she loved and had thought she had lost, she said, “There you are.”
Jordan was touched by Ian’s simple, quiet gesture of love and support. And it bolstered her hope that taking a chance, seeing him again, was a gamble that was going to pay off...for the both of them.
With a renewed sense of confidence, she climbed the marble stairs and up into Ian’s world. Poised at the top of the steps, she eagerly searched the great room for her first glimpse of the man she still desperately loved. There, standing by the wall of windows, dapper in his black tuxedo, with the dusky San Diego sky as a backdrop, Ian was waiting for her. She hadn’t said a word, but he turned around and faced her.
“Jordan?” he asked. “Is that you?”
And there it was—that swarm of butterflies fluttering in her stomach the moment she heard the sensual sound of his voice as he said her name.
“Yes.” Jordan took a step toward him. “I’m here.”
She crossed the room to where he was standing, then stopped a few feet away from him and let her greedy eyes roam his handsome face. How she had missed this man. But when she sought out Ian’s eyes, it struck her instantly that he wasn’t making eye contact with her. While she was away from him, while they were apart, his ability to do so had been lost. He was looking in her direction, but he wasn’t looking into her eyes.
“How are you?” Jordan asked, wanting to reach out to him.
Ian’s hands were tucked away in his pockets. “Do you want the polite answer or do you want the truth?”
“The truth.”
“I’m 20/200 in both eyes now, Jordan,” he said quietly. “I’m legally blind.”
His words, words that weren’t completely unexpected, broke her heart.
“Oh....” Jordan said without thought as she dug her fingers into her arm.
Ian took a step toward her—he wanted to comfort her. “But I’m okay, Jordan.”
She lifted her hand to her throat. “You’re okay?”
“Actually, I am.” He took another step toward her. “And I don’t want us to dwell on that tonight. Not tonight.”
“Okay, Ian.” Jordan knew that although he couldn’t see the pain in her eyes, he could hear the pain in her voice.
Ian’s personal chef appeared from the kitchen, shattering the tension. “Dinner is served, Mr. Sterling.”
“Thank you,” Ian said as he held out his arm to her. “Shall we?”
Jordan accepted his arm, and touching Ian again felt as if she was coming home. She felt the bulge of his biceps beneath the fine material of his tuxedo jacket, and she breathed in that familiar, masculine scent that was so wonderfully Ian.
“We’ll be dining on your favorite balcony tonight.” He covered her hand with his. “If you don’t mind steering us through the doorway.... I hate to admit it, but I sometimes need more than one try to get through a doorway unscathed.”
Jordan glanced up at him in surprise. She had never heard him joke about his condition. It seemed that Ian’s eyes had gotten worse, but his attitude had improved.
“Oh, Ian.” She paused just beyond the French doors. “It’s beautiful.”
A table set for two, with crystal and fine linens and candles, was placed to maximize her favorite view of the San Diego harbor.
“You did this all for me?” she asked, as he pulled out her chair for her. She was always aware that he was relying on his peripheral vision to help him navigate his world, and she helped him whenever she could without being too obvious.
Ian joined her at the table. “I was trying to make an impression.”
“Well, you did that.” Jordan looked out at the harbor before she turned her head back to him. “You must’ve been pretty certain I’d come.”
“No. Not certain,” Ian said. “Hopeful. I was hopeful you’d come.”
A waiter arrived with a bottle; he quietly poured them each a glass.
“I took the liberty of ordering sparkling cider for two.” Ian slid his hand across the tablecloth until his fingers made contact with the base of his wineglass. “I’m taking a break from the hard stuff.”
“That works for me,” Jordan said as she lifted up her glass. “What shall we toast to?”
“To the success of your show,” he said as he held up his glass to her. “I’m so proud of you, Jordan.”
&nbs
p; “Thank you.” She took a sip of her sparkling cider, and then it hit her—she hadn’t even mentioned the painting in the foyer. “Ian... I can’t believe I didn’t mention this the minute I saw you. I suppose I was too...overwhelmed by seeing you again.... You bought Curaçao Sunrise!”
“I wanted to have part of you with me, no matter what happened between us tonight,” he said with a pleased smile. “Besides...I wasn’t about to let someone else own a painting that I thought was always meant for me.”
“It was meant for you,” Jordan said. “It was always meant for you. And I feel really...honored that you bought it.”
“The honor is mine, beautiful.” Ian used her lover’s nickname for the first time and it made her stomach flip-flop. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Jordan touched her glass to his one more time. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
One by one, the waiter delivered all her favorite dishes: hearts-of-palm salad, lobster bisque, salmon fillet with baby asparagus. And for dessert, chocolate-marble cheesecake. During the meal, the conversation was easy and comfortable, as if they had never been apart. Ian wanted to hear about her family and about the success of her show. And he filled her in about the progress of the book that had brought them together in the first place. They talked about many things as they enjoyed their meal, but Jordan knew that Ian was building to something. Something he would share when the time was right.
“Okay....” She groaned as she put her hands on her stomach. “I’m stuffed and I’m cold.”
Ian had given her his jacket halfway through the meal, but even with the added warmth, the chill in the air was too brisk to be comfortable.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said. “We can have coffee in my study...in front of the fire.”
“Perfect.” Jordan took hold of his arm and helped guide him back inside.
Once settled in his study with mugs of coffee and a lit fire, Ian dismissed the staff, and then they were finally alone for the first time in months.
“That was an amazing meal, Ian. Thank you,” Jordan said as she slipped out of his jacket.
“You’re welcome.” He sat down next to her. “I wanted to make sure, if you did accept my invitation, that you would feel how much...I still love you. How much I’ve missed you.”
She reached out and put her hand on his. “I do feel loved, Ian. And...I want you to know that I love you, too. Very much.”
He intertwined his fingers with hers. “You know...my life fell apart the day I lost you. But I didn’t know it right away. I had the book to keep my mind busy. Once that job was done, that’s when it really hit me just how much I had lost the day I let you walk out the door.”
Ian paused before continuing. “You know...I didn’t think anything could be worse than losing my eyesight.” He shook his head slightly. “But nothing prepared me for what it was going to feel like to lose you. And I knew that if I was ever going to have a chance of winning you back, I was going to have to change. But change isn’t easy. It takes time. And I didn’t even know where to begin, didn’t even really believe that I could change enough to...make things work between us. But I just missed you so damn much, Jordan, that I felt like I had to try....”
She held on tightly to his hand. “What did you do?”
“I went back to my shrink, for one. Then I went to a support-group meeting,” he said with a smile in her direction. “And I know what you’re thinking. You can’t believe that I actually went to one of those things—but that should prove to you just how much I wanted you back.”
“I’m shocked,” Jordan said. “I admit it. I never thought, not in a million years, that you would actually agree to go to one of those meetings. You were just so...adamant about not going.”
“You’re right. I was.... But go I did.”
“And...?”
“And I met a lot of really impressive people, Jordan. For the first time, I met people like me, who had Stargardt...who understood exactly what I was going through. I’d always thought that support groups were for weak-minded whiners, but...I was wrong. I’ve made a lot of friends and they have careers, they have...families. And even though it’s challenging for them, and none of them deny that or try to sugarcoat it, they’re succeeding. And meeting them, hearing about their successes, made it seem somehow possible for me. It made me think that maybe Dylan’s idea for us to start a modeling agency isn’t so far-fetched after all. And it made me think that maybe the idea of...you and me wasn’t so far-fetched, either.”
“Are you saying that...you’re willing to have a family, Ian?”
“I don’t know if my...diagnosis...would stop us from being able to adopt, Jordan. But I’ve always wanted a family. And I’m not going to let Stargardt stop me from having a family with you. I’m willing to give adoption a try.”
“Are you sure, Ian?” Her voice trembled on the question.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life, Jordan.” Ian wished that he could see her lovely face more clearly. “Jordan...can I touch your face?”
She lifted his hand so he could feel the contours of her face. His fingertips gently touched her forehead, her cheeks, her lips....
“Why are you crying?” he asked, concerned.
“They’re happy tears.” Jordan pressed his hand to her face. “Because I love you so much, Ian. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Beautiful...” He gathered her into the safe harbor of his arms. “Come here. Let me hold you.”
Jordan placed her palm on his heart, felt it beating strong and fast. She tucked her face into his neck and breathed in his scent. “You smell so good,” she murmured.
Ian tilted up her chin and brushed his fingers lightly over her mouth before he brought his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, tentatively...tenderly. Jordan was the one to deepen the kiss, to deepen the connection between them. Ian’s lips took a sensual path down the side of her neck, and she sighed at the feel of his mouth on her skin.
“You taste good,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ve missed you so much, you have no idea.”
He started to untangle himself from their embrace, and Jordan stretched out her hand. “Where are you going?”
“Not far.” He smiled in her direction. “There’s something I need to do, and I’ve been waiting impatiently all night to do it.”
He got down on one knee beside the couch and held his hand out, palm up. “May I have your hand, Ms. Brand?”
Jordan gave it to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago,” Ian said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
Jordan’s eyes widened as she watched him flip open the lid with his thumb. He held the box up for her to see the contents.
She gave an audible gasp when she saw the ring inside. “Oh, my God, Ian,” she said, and her hand went up to her throat. “It’s the blue diamond.”
Inside the box was the two-carat, cushion-cut blue diamond that she had worn during the Elite Jewelry photo shoot.
“The minute I saw this ring on your finger, I knew it was meant to be yours,” Ian said.
Jordan swiped fresh tears from her cheeks, but couldn’t find any words to respond. This night—this incredible, surprising, romantic night—was a dream...a dream that she hoped she would never awaken from.
“Jordan...” Ian said. “You’re the woman I’ve been looking for all my life, and I never want to be apart from you again.”
He let go of her hand so he could take the ring out of the box. With the aid of his peripheral vision, and Jordan’s help, he took her left hand in his. He poised the sparkling blue diamond at the tip of her ring finger as he continued.
“Will you marry me, Jordan? Will you be my wife?”
“Yes.” She laughed through her happy tears. �
��Yes, Ian. Of course I’ll marry you!”
With a shaking hand, he slipped the diamond over her knuckle until it was seated firmly on her ring finger.
“You’re trembling,” Jordan said as she pulled him up to join her on the couch.
Ian gripped her hand in his. “I’m nervous.”
She placed her palm on his cheek. “You don’t ever need to be nervous with me, Ian. I love you with all of my heart.”
He scooped her up and set her in his lap. Jordan wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately.
“Jordan,” Ian said against her mouth. “You’re going to be my wife.”
She tilted her head back and laughed. “I know. My silly high school fantasy actually came true.”
“A story to tell our children,” he said as his lips explored her neck.
“And our grandchildren.” Jordan gasped as Ian’s teeth grazed her earlobe.
She shuddered as every cell in her body revved up for the lovemaking that was only moments away. She could hardly wait to have Ian fill her as he joined his body with hers.
“And our great-grandchildren,” he said seductively, slowly beginning to unzip her dress.
“Ian...” Jordan said on a breath as his large, warm hand slipped inside.
“Yes, Mrs. Sterling?” he asked, smoothly unhooking her bra.
“I want to get married in Montana...with my whole family there,” she told him as he started to slip her dress slowly off her shoulders.
“Whatever you want, my beautiful bride....” Jordan arched her back when he pressed his lips to the swell of her breast.
“And Ian...?” She ran her fingers over his shorn hair.
“Yes, my love?” Ian asked with a frustrated laugh.
Jordan put her hands on either side of his face to make certain he was paying attention to her.
“Promise me that we’ll always stay together. No matter how much I annoy you or irritate you or micromanage you....”
“I promise.” He flashed one of his famous, charming smiles that showed off his dimple.