His to Love (Titans Quarter Book 2)

by Sierra Cartwright

  Mason had sent out the invitations himself, and he’d included high-profile names on the guest list, including the mayor and the local congresswoman.

  “Let me know if there’s anything else you need from me,” David said.

  “Food and drink will be delivered by three.”

  “I’ll make sure the last client is out of here before that.”

  Trevor wondered about that. If someone walked through the door at four, David would no doubt see them.

  “I need to get home,” Mason said, leading the way to the main room where he rolled up the blueprints. “Hannah and I are having lunch with my mom and Norman. Wedding details. Never ending.”

  “When are you going to start planning your own?” David asked.

  “Keep hoping Hannah will agree to have me.”

  “You’ll wear her down.” David’s voice oozed confidence. “Everything worthwhile takes time.”

  Why was everyone a damn philosopher?

  David extended his hand. “Appreciate everything you’ve done, Lawton.”

  He was genuinely pleased to be part of this. Not only did it give him a way to channel his angst into something useful, but partnering with others was something he enjoyed. Far too much of his work was solitary.

  “Get some rest. You look like shit.”

  “Thanks for that.” Trevor scowled at David, but even Mason nodded. The realization that they were both right made the insult even worse.

  On his way out the door, Trevor paused. David had been right earlier. All of this, including the renovation and David’s new position at Barney and Scheck, was due to Shelby’s loyalty to her friend and her willingness to put herself on the line.

  Trevor just wished to hell that she had been by his side today to see all the good her bravery had created.

  “You’re on your way, right?” Fiona demanded.

  Pacing the kitchen floor, Shelby sighed. Why had she answered the phone?

  “Shel? Tell me you’re in the car driving right now.”

  A couple of weeks ago, David had called to let her know how excited he was about the Getting Hammered event, and he said he wanted her in attendance. He was pleased by the changes at the building, and he wanted to share them with her. Several times since then, he emailed her with updates and pictures. Most recently, he informed her that he had rented out four of the upstairs offices.

  “Shel?”

  “To be honest, no. I’m not planning to come.”

  “Are you serious?” Outrage streaked across Fiona’s voice. “You know how much this event means to David.”

  Shelby stared at the vellum invitation on the kitchen table. “Trevor might be there.”

  “Oh my God. So what? Everyone will be there, including me, Hannah, Mason.”

  When Shelby didn’t respond, Fiona filled the silence. “Look. We are all part of the same social circle. You can’t avoid him forever.”

  Rationally she knew that.

  “You might as well get it out of the way.”

  The image of an anchor in the tea leaves floated through her mind. Fiona had guessed that it meant something—someone?—was weighing Shelby down. Hannah suggested perhaps it meant stability. It turned out that they were both right. Shelby’s feelings for Trevor were keeping her from moving forward, and their week together had brought her brought her a peace that she hadn’t known she was missing.

  After the reading at Madame’s apartment, Shelby had given in to temptation and unblocked his number. Not that it mattered. He hadn’t called or sent a single message.

  Shelby told herself she should be grateful. But in the darkest hours of the night, she was forced to face the truth. She was devastated. The moment she found a little bit of courage, he’d stopped trying.

  If she knew he was still interested in her, going tonight would be easier. But what if he was there with another woman?

  “How about if I pick you up? That way you don’t have to show up alone.” Fiona suggested. “Say yes.”

  Fiona was right about one thing. Even if it wasn’t tonight, Shelby would eventually see Trevor again, especially now that he was serving as an advisor to David. And she wasn’t certain she wanted to avoid going to the Quarter for the rest of her life. Her self-enforced isolation was wearing her down. She needed to go out with her friends and start having fun again. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Fiona echoed. “Really? You mean it?”

  “I need half an hour to get ready.” Already she was questioning her sanity.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Shelby hurried to her bedroom closet and flipped through the hangers until she found a short skirt and a black top that she liked to wear with it. Strappy sandals completed her outfit.

  Critically she surveyed herself in the mirror. The skirt was tight around her hips, and the shirt hugged her breasts. The heels may not be the best choice for a building that was undergoing renovations, but self-confidence was more important to her than anything else right now.

  In the bathroom, she swept her hair up into a messy bun, then applied eye shadow a little darker than usual, then swiped on a second and third coat of mascara. Finally, she highlighted her cheekbones with a brush of pink blush.

  If Trevor was at the event, she wanted him to notice her.

  Which was why she also opted for red lipstick.

  She grabbed her purse and headed for the door just in time for Fiona to honk the car horn from the curb.

  “Whoa, damn.” Instead of dropping the gear shifter into Drive, Fiona stared at Shelby. “If I was into girls, I’d date you myself.”

  Shelby laughed, unsure how she’d gotten lucky enough to have Fiona as a friend. “Thanks. But let’s go. I’ve already made us late.”

  As they neared town, the roads grew more congested. “I can’t help notice you didn’t mention Andrew’s name earlier, when you were talking about who will be there this afternoon. Is he working or something?”

  When Fiona turned up the volume on the radio instead of answering, Shelby turned in her seat. “What’s going on?”

  “We are…uhm…taking a break.” Fiona’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Crap. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” Shelby mentally kicked herself. She’d been so wrapped up in her own issues that she hadn’t noticed her friend had ended her relationship. “Are you doing okay?”

  “Damn tea leaves.”

  That, Shelby could relate to. “Those trees you saw?”

  “You know, I wanted to do the reading for fun. I thought it would be a kick. You know, something to laugh about later. I didn’t know it would stir up stuff for me.”

  Shelby proceeded with caution. “Like what?”

  “I can’t ever seem to see my way clear of the past.” Instead of looking at Shelby, Fiona glanced in the rearview mirror. “The whole thing that Madame said about protection. I’d never thought about how much a part of my nature it is.”

  “It is, though. Isn’t it? You take care of others. Even today. You are looking out for David, but you are also staying by my side, even though you’ve got your own set of troubles.”

  “You’d do the same for me.”

  “But that doesn’t make it any less true, right?”

  “Yeah.” Fiona smiled. “Maybe.”

  “Do you want to talk about it? Andrew, I mean.” The two had been together for a while, and Andrew had easily fit in with their small group.

  “I guess you could say he brought a lot of complications to my life.”

  “In what way?” Shelby wasn’t sure what her friend meant. “Was he demanding? Controlling?”

  Fiona stopped for a traffic signal. “No. Not really. He just wanted more than I was willing to give.”

  Now it seemed a little clearer. With care, Shelby chose her words. “Did he want to protect you?”

  “Where’s the line between trying to protect and not honoring my need to take care of myself?”

  The answer confused Shelby. “But you said he w
asn’t controlling.”

  “He wasn’t. At least not in the way you might think.” Fiona accelerated after the light turned green. “It’s just that he wanted to assume some financial responsibilities. He was at my place quite a bit, and he felt he should help out more. Take care of me a little. He’d never let me pick up a check in a restaurant. Then he started buying gifts and such, like a new television that I didn’t need.” She slid a glance toward Shelby. “I can pay my own way.”

  And she took care of others too. Including her sister, if Shelby remembered correctly. “Do you miss him?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Isn’t give-and-take part of a relationship?” Shelby’s question echoed inside her head. It applied to her as well. “Would it be so bad to have a protector?”

  “Maybe not for other people. But to me, being self-sufficient matters.”

  “Relationships are complicated.”

  “Speaking of that.”

  “Let’s not,” Shelby implored.

  “Are you doing better?”

  No. The closer they came to the law offices, the faster her pulse beat. “He stopped calling.”

  “You sound hurt.”

  “I shouldn’t be. But yes. I am…at least a little.” She glanced out the window before looking back at Fiona. “It’s what I wanted. Right?” The truth Shelby didn’t want to see was there, bright and unavoidable. She wasn’t over him.

  “You asked me if it would be bad to have a protector. It’s a good question, and a version of it applies to you, as well. Would it be bad to trust someone? Lean on them?”

  “I see divorces all day long. Not to mention my own craptacular and short-lived marriage.”

  “Did Trevor propose to you?”

  Shelby blinked. “Uhm… Of course not.”

  “So all of this is you freaking out about something that didn’t happen and might never come to pass?”

  Put that way, her reaction sounded ridiculous.

  “Isn’t that what dating is for?” Fiona’s voice was not as forceful and animated as it usually was, as if she understood, really understood, what Shelby was going through. “That’s where you learn more about the person you’re with. You see if they have integrity and can be trusted. See if they have addictions, find out if you’re compatible once the first rush of pheromones has settled down and you have to pick up his dirty clothes from the floor. Or fall into the toilet in the middle of the night because he forgot to put the seat down.”

  “Eww.” But the image made her laugh, which was something she needed.

  Fiona turned on her signal and changed lanes. “What’s really going on?”

  “The problem is, I was starting to fall for Trevor.” And his kindness, as well as the mind-blowing sex they shared.

  “Did he discourage that? I mean, some guys are right up front that they don’t want to be in a relationship.”

  “Trevor wasn’t like that.” Shelby shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “From what little you’ve said, I got the impression that he was into you.”

  “He was.” The was reverberated in her mind, sending pangs of sorrow and aching loneliness through her. Before she’d spent time with Trevor, she’d enjoyed her life and solitude. But the companionship she shared with him had enriched her so much that she realized how dark things had been before him.

  “I asked Hannah this question when she left Mason. Were there any red flags during your week together? Is your intuition trying to give you a warning that you’re ignoring?”

  “Everything was fine. Honest.”

  “He was safe when you played? Treated you well?”

  Shelby turned the question around. “You visited us at his house. What did you think?”

  “That he’s crazy about you. From what I know—and what I saw—he’s the real thing. A man who can be trusted, one who would rather hurt himself than the woman he loves. There are good men out there. I know you see the absolute worst of the worst. You know…”

  “Go on.”

  Fiona slid her a glance. “You won’t want to hear this.”

  “I’m listening.” She exhaled, trying not to be defensive.

  “Maybe you should consider another line of work or at least cut back on the number of divorce cases you take.”

  Shelby wasn’t sure she was capable of taking a step back. Her commitment to ensuring kids were not used as pawns between their parents was too strong for that. Even if it reopened her own wounds.

  “You’ve got to take care of yourself the way you look out for others.” Fiona’s voice softened. “I think you’re so caught up in what you do that you see the world from a skewed perspective. There are success stories. People who fall in love and grow together. Partners who are there for each other. Look for them. Find them. Let them serve as inspiration and guidance.” She shrugged. “Mason’s mom, for example.”

  Judith and her husband had been high school sweethearts before marrying. They’d endured massive hardships that strengthened their bond, and they’d stayed remained deeply in love until her husband passed. And now, her commitment to Norman, the man she was engaged to, was every bit as deep and abiding.

  “All relationships have issues. It’s how we deal with them, right? If both partners are determined, it can work. Right?”

  Fiona made an excellent point.

  “You’ll just have to decide what to do about your fear. Face it? Take a chance?”

  To deal with the sudden flood of nerves, Shelby fiddled with her purse strap. Maybe Fiona did have a point. Shelby had spent a lot of years mucking around in other people’s divorces. Maybe it had affected her outlook. But still, there was the fact that Mason had stopped trying to reach her. “What if he’s moved on?”

  “I can damn well guarantee you that he hasn’t. He’s as mopey as you are. Looks like hell too.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “He was at the Quarter last week. Didn’t look like he shaved. He stayed in the bar the entire night, not talking to anyone, looking as if he’d lost his best friend.” Fiona shrugged. “Maybe he has.”

  They turned onto the street where David’s offices were located, and Shelby’s heart constricted, as if wrapped in steel bands.

  Fiona pulled up in front of the building where a valet stand had been set up.

  As two young men headed toward them to open the car doors, Fiona grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

  When they were in front of the law office entrance, Shelby pulled her shoulders back. Unbidden, memories of Trevor flashed through her in frantic, kaleidoscope-like images, making shivers race down her spine. In one image, he was smiling at her. In others, his eyes blazed with intent before he leaned in for a kiss or ordered her to her knees. She saw herself before him, filled with trust as she was helplessly bound in his dungeon. That was replaced by a picture of her standing over him on the couch as he purposefully moved his mouth toward her naked sex.

  With a gasp, Shelby reached for the wall to steady herself.

  “You’ve got this,” Fiona promised.

  A final, haunting portrait shattered all the others: his blue eyes, stark with pain when she shut him out of her life.

  “It’s showtime, my friend. Hold your head up high. Behave however you want, but for God’s sake, look like a badass while you do it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Unable to hear much of anything over the sound of her internal warning system blasting a siren in her ear, Shelby followed Fiona into the building.

  The main room was filled with people, most of them in small groups standing around bar-height tables. Frantically she scanned the room, but she didn’t see Trevor. She exhaled relief that was mixed with profound disappointment.

  “There’s David.” Fiona pointed to the far corner.

  As if he’d heard her, he detached himself from the conversation he was having with a tall blonde. If Shelby wasn’t mistaken, the woman was a lawyer with the district attorney’s office.

  “Damn,
Shel. I’m glad you’re here.” David dragged her into a huge hug. “I was afraid you wouldn’t show up.” He pulled back but kept his hands on her shoulders.

  His smile was enormous and so heartfelt she couldn’t believe she’d been so caught up in her own fears that she considered skipping his big event.

  “Told you I’d get her here by any means, fair or foul.” Fiona reached over her own shoulder to pat herself on the back.

  “You’re a hero.” David released Shelby to look at Fiona. “Heroine. Whatever you want to be called.”

  “Goddess will work, and yeah. I am. And I’ve spent most of the afternoon on the road to ensure that Shelby was here for you. And that means I’ve worked up a powerful thirst. Which way is the wine?”

  “Back there.” David released Shelby and pointed toward the kitchen area. “And I think Mason’s mom is manning the bar. She seems to enjoy making people happy.”

  Fiona waggled her fingers as she sashayed away.

  “She’s something,” Shelby said.

  “For once, I’m glad she’s such a powerful force of nature.”

  Shelby glanced around, pretending a general interest when she was focused on looking for Trevor. “You’ve got a great turnout.”

  He grinned. “Better than I hoped for. Mason promised the Getting Hammered people would show up, and they did. A couple of members have already made contributions to the building fund.”

  “Are you kidding me? That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you. And joining Barney and Scheck?” She smiled. “Your star is rising, David. No one deserves it more. Really.”

  “None of it would have happened without you. You know that, right? None of it.”

  “That’s ridiculous. It’s all about you.” She shook her head. “From the beginning, Shaughnessy Law Center was your idea. You honed the vision and did whatever it took to make it come true.”

  “Without you, Lawton would never have looked at the proposal let alone set up a meeting with me or bring in his mentor.”