A Promise of Forever

by M. E. Brady

  There is more to her story than she is telling me. But rather than push her for the information, he would find out the information himself, his way. There was something she didn’t want him to know. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Katelyn; was a terrible liar. What is she hiding from me?

  “I was thinking about going out to see Kevin again myself. Perhaps we could make the trip together?” he suggested considerately.

  Katelyn managed to hide her discomfort. All she could think of was how close he would be to his own child. If I agree, how will I avoid the inevitable? He will never forgive me if he finds out about Jenny and I will be the target of his wrath, truth be told. He would never forgive her for keeping his child from him for so many years. She found herself questioning why she had come to make that fateful decision.

  “Cancel your reservations if you’ve already made them. Let’s all fly there in my jet. It’ll be fun for Jenny and you won’t have to deal with airport hassle,” he added as an afterthought, as though it would make a difference.

  Warily, she scrambled to come up with an excuse, one that he’d believe. “I get very nervous on small planes. Thank you for the offer anyway,” she said the only thing that popped into her head.

  “You sound more afraid of me than you are of the smaller planes, Katelyn. Besides, my small plane is not so small at all; it’s a Boeing 727. I assure you that it’s big enough for all three of us,” he said wanting to put her at ease, suspecting that her reluctance had little to do with closed quarters and more to do with being alone with him.

  Katelyn lightheartedly smiled; she couldn’t help seeing images of the three of them on that plane together. Not even a plane that size would keep his child’s eyes from looking back into his own. “I’m sure you’re much too busy to chauffeur us around.”

  “Katelyn, I didn’t make the suggestion out of friendship. I was making the trip myself anyway; I wasn’t going out of my way.” He glanced past her toward the bedrooms and let out a deep discernible breath. “I don’t know much about her and for that, I’m sorry. Is she much like her mother? How old is she?” he added disappointedly. He wanted her to be like her mother. He couldn’t take it if she were more like her father. If she looked more like him, then little, innocent Jenny would be a constant reminder of how little Katelyn valued what they shared together.

  “Why the twenty questions?” she asked, trying to keep her anxiety under wraps. Suddenly, she realized her anxious response seemed just a little peculiar. “I guess I’m a little overprotective,” she added to distract him.

  Gianfranco knew something wasn’t right about this whole situation. His sharp business sense warned him when someone was trying to put one over on him; he was getting that distinct impression while speaking to her. It was obvious from the way she spoke and if that wasn’t enough to convince him, he saw it in her eyes.

  Katelyn felt terribly guilty that their child slept only a few feet away. With tears threatening, she moved against the wall for added support. Once he found out the truth, there was no telling what he’d do. She knew one thing for certain and that was that the truth had to come from her first. There might be a very different outcome if he heard it from her. “I have something I need to tell you,” she whispered. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Then don’t say a word. I’m not sure I’m ready to hear your admission,” he said with dread. She was going to tell him about her child’s father; Gianfranco was sure of it and he didn’t want to hear it. He wasn’t prepared to hear the explanation she would give and needed time to escape quickly before his chest burst open from the pain her confession would cause him. “I’ll make all the arrangements for our trip and have Dana, my assistant call you with the details. Are we in agreement?” he asked.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said offering him a way out.

  “I’m doing it. It’s already been decided. I’ll have my assistant Dana call you with the details tomorrow.” He made a mental note to have Dana arrange the trip for two days from now, alert his pilot and when it was set, notify Katelyn with those plans.

  This whole situation is utterly and completely mad. Katelyn knew the admission would come eventually but she didn’t know if she was ready, just yet. How could two people who wanted each other so much not love each other? She was glad that he was withdrawing, running from what was happening between them because she was frightened as well. She was afraid she would lose herself to him and never be able to pick up the pieces that he would leave behind. But the look on his face pleaded with her to agree to this trip. What choice do I have? He would be even more suspicious if she had declined his offer.

  Yet, as he retreated, she longed for the touch that had left her so empty for far too long. She fantasized about being held by him, making love to him, the only man she had ever loved. He was the one man who could make her body act as he saw fit. He was the only man who ever made her body cry out with pleasure. Her burning hunger for him could never be extinguished, as much as she wished it could.

  Gianfranco shut the door behind him as he left, ensuring that their actions wouldn’t affect her daughter, just as Katelyn wanted it. She had to explain to Jenny when she woke up, that there was a change of plans; they wouldn’t be leaving today but would be traveling to Montana with Kevin’s good friend, Gianfranco Broccolini, on his private jet.

  Chapter Five

  Katelyn woke from sleep to the sound of her phone in the distance and knew it would probably be Gianfranco’s assistant calling with their itinerary. She reached for the phone on her nightstand and was greeted by a young sweet sounding voice.

  “Miss Donavan, My name is Dana and I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Broccolini. All the arrangements have been made for your trip to Montana and I’ve sent the flight information to you by email. Please call the office if you don’t receive it. Mr. Broccolini has also arranged car service to pick you and your daughter up as well. If you need any further assistance, don’t hesitate to call me here at the office,” Dana said.

  “Thank you Dana. I’ll check my email and if it’s not there I’ll give a call back today. Thank you for all your help,” Katelyn said before hanging up the phone and silently hoping that this trip didn’t turn into a total disaster.

  Jenny woke earlier than usual that morning and ran into her mother’s room as soon as she heard the alarm clock go off. Jenny couldn’t contain the enthusiasm she felt about their trip to Montana. Katelyn hated to burst her bubble but she needed to explain that their trip would be postponed until the next day. Jenny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She disliked the fact that the trip would be delayed another day but the news that they were traveling in a private plane excited her more than the disappointed delay and she couldn’t wait to share that news with someone else.

  “Mommy, Uncle Kevin has a friend with his very own plane?” Jenny asked with unbelievable excitement. “I have to tell Rosa,” she screeched lively. Jenny ran to the phone and, with her little fingers, dialed her mom’s best friend. She knew the number by heart.

  Within minutes Rosa returned the call and asked Katelyn all sorts of questions, grilling her about the mystery man, Gianfranco Broccolini. Who was he and why hadn’t she mentioned him to her before? “I want details and leave nothing out,” Rosa said. “I have a feeling there’s more about this man than you’re telling me, since, one, you have never mentioned him to me before and two, you dropped everything to follow him in his private plane. I’ll be over at noon and we can talk during lunch,” she said before hanging up the phone.

  Katelyn had decided last night, while lying in bed, that she would tell Gianfranco the truth; she would do it tonight. She would ask Rosa, when she came for lunch, if she could take Jenny overnight and she would invite him for dinner. She would attempt to tell him the truth and they would decide how best to break the news to their daughter.

  Katelyn stared at the phone and sighed. She had never told Rosa about Jenny’s father before and this was defin
itely going to be a lot to take in at one time for her friend. She had never told this to another living soul. It was her secret and it had been well guarded for so long that it finally felt as if a giant weight were being lifted from her shoulders as she prepared herself to tell the truth. It felt good. Finally, she would be able to admit the truth to someone else; who better to tell first than Rosa.

  The next hour or two went by quickly, Katelyn barely had time to clean the apartment and catch up on laundry before her friend was due to arrive.

  Rosa and a delivery truck from a local florist arrived at the same time. Katelyn smiled as the man handed her a beautiful and unexpected arrangement of red roses. They weren’t her favorite flower so she knew they weren’t from Gianfranco. “They’re not from him, are they?” Rosa asked, she noticed the disappointment in her friend’s face. Rosa knew roses were not Katelyn’s favorite flower; she also suspected that the mystery man knew that too, by the look on Katelyn’s face when she was handed the arrangement. So she assumed the roses had to have come from the only other person in Katelyn’s life, Adam. She couldn’t put her finger on it; but she just didn’t like Adam Taylor. Call it a woman’s intuition but she knew that Adam was not the right man for her good friend.

  “Why don’t you stop seeing Adam? You know, he thinks there’s more to your relationship than there is, right?” Rosa questioned. She walked passed Katelyn as her friend filled a vase with water for the flowers. Rosa had been emptying the grocery bag she brought in; she had everything she needed to make her famous chicken salad. She began to heat up the chicken in a frying pan and clean and shred the lettuce as the chicken cooked. She turned to her friend and told her to relax; she would take care of lunch. Katelyn smiled and continued her attempt at small talk while setting the table and opening a chilled bottle of wine. It took only a few moments for Rosa to join her again.

  “I’m sorry about that remark in the kitchen. It was uncalled for, regardless of how I feel about Adam,” Rosa said as she gently placed the lunch plates on the table. “Your feelings matter to me; and I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “So much has happened in one day that I’m not sure where to begin my narrative. I quit my job yesterday. Jack Taylor requested a private meeting with me yesterday morning. I went to it thinking we were going to discuss the article I just completed when, in fact, he had called the meeting to discuss my relationship with his son. He made me so angry during our meeting that I reacted before I had a chance to think,” Katelyn said with regret.

  She briefly told her about the events of the previous day and Rosa was a little shocked, to say the least, and she hadn’t gotten to the best part yet. Rosa knew Katelyn loved her job and did it well. “Why does Jack Taylor want to jeopardize your career when he was obviously impressed with your work?” Rosa asked.

  “Apparently, he finds the thought of Adam involved with someone who has a child to be repulsive. He called my Jenny a bastard and said she would never inherit a dime of his money if he had anything to say about it. He actually said that and then complimented my work in the next breath. He said that if I discontinued my relationship with his son all would be well.” Katelyn hated to repeat the revolting words he snarled at her, even to Rosa. “He had no idea during our meeting that I never had intentions of exploring that kind of relationship with Adam.” She said as she took a forkful of salad into her mouth.

  This latest development was bewildering to Rosa but she was happy to hear that Katelyn still had no interest in exploring a relationship with Adam. Though it seemed to her that Adam’s thinking was quite to the contrary.

  “Adam and I have been going down two very different paths for some time now. I’m sure you’re happy to hear that. He wanted more than I was willing to give,” Katelyn teased. The two friends spent so much time together these days they could finish each other’s sentences.

  “This salad is delicious. I can never seem to get it right when I make it. Anyway, there is just so much I have to tell you but let’s finish lunch first. It’s too upsetting to repeat while I’m eating.”

  Katelyn pulled the bag of overflowing garbage from the kitchen pail and told her friend she would run it down to the curb before the garbage men were due for a pick up. The lunch was delicious as always and the conversation enjoyable. Rosa insisted on doing dishes while Katelyn ran the garbage downstairs. She promised to have two fresh glasses of wine poured before she returned.

  The incinerator wasn’t working and that meant either a trip outside or a garbage pile-up in her apartment. Katelyn could see that it was clear outside but unusually brisk for this time of year. She could almost smell the changing temperature in the air. The flowers were from Adam and that only meant that she would have to face him again at some point and make it clear, once and for all, that she only ever saw him as a friend. It had been obvious to her from the onset, that no other man would make her feel the way Gianfranco Broccolini did, which was proven once again last night.

  Mixing business and pleasure was something she had always frowned upon. When you mixed work relationships with personal ones, it always ended badly. She and Adam were certainly no exception to that rule.

  She had just dropped the bag in the can outside when she spotted the Taylor limousine approaching. She was a little surprised when it came to a halt next to her and that Jack Taylor stepped out onto the sidewalk. What more could he possibly have to say to me? He watched her cautiously, before speaking. It was his body language though that she had noticed first. He seemed like a changed man since yesterday afternoon and she was perplexed. He had the edge right now but she was sure she would learn the nature of this visit soon enough. There had to be a very good reason for him to make this trip to her neighborhood.

  “Miss Donavan, I was hoping that we could have a word. Could you spare a minute or two?” he asked properly. Katelyn was a little curious, to say the least. If he had asked that same question yesterday; it would have seemed more like an order but today he was a different.

  She stood silently for a moment, studying him, while he barked orders to his driver, Martin, to give them a few minutes alone. This was not the same calm, iron-fisted man she had witnessed yesterday. She didn’t like where this was taking her as the pieces began to come together. There was desperation in his voice and she had an idea who might be behind it. Hopefully, it wasn’t what she thought at all. Perhaps Adam had talked to him and, if so, that would all have been for naught since their relationship would never be more than platonic. But the longer she thought about it, the stronger she felt her first theory might be correct.

  “I’m here to talk about your resignation. I’d like you to reconsider and come back to work at the magazine,” he said impatiently. “If it will take offering you more money or an apology to get you back, then it’s yours. I’m willing to spend whatever it will take,” he stated mysteriously. Something was amiss and she suddenly realized that Gianfranco had his hand in this for Jack to have a change of heart.

  “I thought you were glad to see the back of my head,” Katelyn stated, knowing full well that the real culprit behind this offer was about to be revealed.

  “I want to apologize for the way our meeting went yesterday. It seems I’ve underestimated you. You’re more dangerous to me than I had given you credit for. Why didn’t you tell me that you and Gianfranco Broccolini were friends? You must have been amused when I confided in you about the takeover?” He paused for a second as if considering what to say next. He must have thought better about what he was going to say and opted not to go down that path. “He did everything but threaten to have me killed for dismissing you and I’m not sure he wouldn’t have done precisely that if he could have gotten away with it.” He looked up at the building in front of them and let out an exhausted sigh of defeat.

  “The mere fact that you never mentioned his name tells me a lot about the person you are. His name alone could’ve opened a lot of doors for you in the past but I think you know that. I’m more intrigued by you at this mo
ment, than I was before.” he stated with real interest.

  “I’m not sure where Mr. Broccolini fits into the scheme of things but I assure you that I would never have used his influence to further my career. So whatever has taken place between the two of you since yesterday has nothing to do with me.”

  The elder Taylor eyed her speculatively and laughed. “I admire your naivety, Miss Donavan; but I must point out just how wrong you are. I’m not sure what kind of hold you have on him but Broccolini has involved himself in your life whether you like it, or not. Truth be told, Miss Donavan, I don’t envy what you’ve gotten yourself into. He’s a hard man and not easily crossed. He may pretend to close an eye here or there but, believe me, unlike Adam he’s never asleep at the wheel. I learned the hard way that he’s not a very forgiving man and he has no problem stepping on anyone or anything that gets in his way.”

  Jack Taylor seemed a little hesitant to continue discussing his reason for being there but decided that he had little choice. “As I’m sure you’ve already been made aware, Broccolini robbed my magazine right from under my nose. I blame myself; I trusted Adam to do his job and his lack of business savvy has cost me dearly. Adam’s only job was to oversee our investments and to make sure our financial people were doing their jobs. Instead, he thought he could make investments on his own with the company money and that mistake cost me heavily. I was only warned about the risk from our traders who informed me that Adam was told months ago that what he was doing was too risky. Apparently, he was preoccupied at the time and didn’t see the need to bother me about what might happen. I now find myself in a bad position; I need this sale to go through in order to survive financially.”