by Thalia Eames
He barely looked up. “Because it’ll get Garrett out of my town faster.”
His cold vehemence took her aback. She wouldn’t pretend she didn’t understand. Garrett had always been a threat to what she and Ian might have together. Before she went to college the dream of meeting a man like Garrett had stood between them. Now the man himself blocked Ian’s way.
Ian put down his breakfast and wiped his hands. “It’ll hasten Garrett’s exit because it’ll help Nox understand who he is.”
“How? What is this fraternity you’re all members of?”
She looked down as the thrum of his fingers tapped the table. He did that when he needed to think. “There’s an old bond between us, Leni. An ancient one. It’s hard for me to define for you.”
Exasperation must have shown on her face because he clarified without her asking. “Truthfully,” he said, holding her gaze with steady intensity. “The reality will scare you.”
Lennox stood up so quickly her chair toppled over behind her. “Are you telling me Nox will be in danger at camp?”
A server apologized for the chair and straightened it. Lennox waved the teenager away with mumbled thanks. Ian looked up at her. “You know better than that.” He nearly gritted out the words.
She knew Ian well enough to have no doubts he’d take good care of Nox. So why would the truth about their organization scare her? “Break it down for me then.”
“Can you sit, please?” After she sat he continued. “The closest organization I can relate it to is Freemasonry.” He held up a hand to quiet her down. “Beyond that I’m not ready to tell you yet. And before you go asking Garrett I doubt he is either. You’re going to have to trust me.”
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. Fixing Ian with an intensity to match his, she said, “You’re promising camp will be good for Nox.”
“Definitely.”
“All right then. We should eat before it gets any colder.”
They finished quickly after their talk. Although she despised being left in the dark she trusted Ian to do right by Nox. She also trusted Garrett wouldn’t follow through with anything that might be dangerous to his son. It had to be okay.
Content for the moment, Lennox pulled her phone out of her pocket and called her right-hand woman. Jules assured her all was well at the Peach Pit. Apparently Paolo had turned into a kitchen warrior. Jules also asked if they should revise their no jailbird hiring policy. Since Lennox didn’t discriminate in her hiring practices and she’d recently been released from the county lockup she explained she had a middle finger she wanted to show Jules the next time they got together. Lennox tried her best not to ask about Garrett. Her best wasn’t good enough. Jules chuckled in response and said she hadn’t seen Captain Sexy Ass all morning. The news pissed Lennox off. Why the hell hadn’t he been there to pick her up?
While she called Garrett a eunuch under her breath, using the foulest language possible, Ian took a few of the crayons out of the plastic cup beside the napkin dispenser. With a deft hand, he began to draw on the white paper-covered tabletop.
Lennox hung up and watched him as circles and scratchy lines became a drawing of two pudgy animation-style adults and three pudgier kids. Ian stole glances at her as he drew. From moment to moment a hint of a satisfied smile curved his lips. In less than twenty minutes he finished with a flourish and signed the drawing just below the male character’s feet.
“Can I see?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said, grabbing an unused butter knife. “It’s for you.” In several strong strokes he traced around the drawing. Setting the knife aside, he gingerly tore it from the table covering. It came away in an irregular square shape. Staring at the drawing one final time, he handed it across the table. She took it, flipped in right side up, and sucked in a breath.
The cute caricatures could easily be called L’il Lennox and L’il Ian. In his arms, L’il Ian held a beautiful baby girl with Averdeen curls and Somers blue eyes. The other two children were toddlers, one a few years bigger than the other, both a blend of her and Ian’s features and coloring.
Lennox blushed as a tingle she couldn’t name spread through her. “It’s gorgeous,” she said, “but why do we have so many dogs?”
Ian had drawn three reddish-brown wolf dogs, a full-grown one at his feet and two puppies at the feet of the toddlers. The baby held a plush dog clutched tightly in her plump arms.
He cleared his throat. “I’m hoping you’ll get over your fear of dogs.” Reaching across the table, he took her hands into his. “I really wish you would.”
The persuasive tone of his voice made her pause.
“I know you’ve decided to see where things go with Garrett. I can tell. But you can change your mind, Leni.”
She wanted to. She wanted to leave her craving for Garrett behind. Truly. And she could do it too. If letting go was all it took to grab happiness with both hands, she could release Garrett.
The warmth of Ian’s fingers stroked over hers, turning her brain into a jumble of confusion. “You want to, right?” he asked. “You want to forget him and come to me?”
Her mind screamed Yes. Her tongue went numb. She tried but couldn’t get the words out. Yes. Yes, Ian, I want to let go of the past, to forget the pain and the uncertainty, to let you love me.
Despite her intentions, only one word broke the silence between her and Ian.
“No.”
Chapter Twelve
“No,” Garrett said. “She has other plans.”
Lennox and Ian looked to their left in tandem but she doubted Garrett had the same effect on Ian as he did on her. Garrett didn’t say anything. He stood there in a wide-legged stance, arms relaxed, hair in a wildly sexy array—not unkempt but seeming to have a mind of its own. In a battle of good looks Ian took the gold. No contest. Garrett’s almost hawkish features, his sharp nose, slightly long chin, and full lips, combined in a look too rugged to be called traditionally handsome. And she’d still pick Garrett every time. No question.
Lennox scanned Garrett from head to boots. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He regarded her and Ian as though waiting for a decision to be made.
In a battle of bodies Ian waved the white flag of surrender. Ian’s hands tightened around hers but she couldn’t take her eyes off Garrett. His broad shoulders, Spartan warrior chest, slim waist, and long legs were perfection worthy of a master sculptor. Despite being in a restaurant full of people, she wanted to walk over to him, unbutton his shirt to his navel, and rain kisses over his chest.
One look—just like the first time they’d met—one look and he grabbed a hold of her in an unbreakable bond.
Their first meeting came flooding back as clearly as the day he ripped her heart apart. Garrett had a way of causing both her best and worst memories to mix together in a ball of confusion. That confusion fluttered in her belly now, sending ripples of love and regret through her body. The table shook. At least she thought so until she realized her legs were doing the shaking.
The day they’d met she arrived at Coburn Elliott University–School of the Arts, got off the train and followed a listing for student housing. When she’d reached the two-bedroom rambler, located no more than a few steps from campus, she’d stepped into the foyer and fallen in love. Not with the house. It’d been quaint. Not much more. She’d fallen for the bright-eyed young man who’d followed her inside.
“You here to rent one of the bedrooms?” she’d asked.
He’d rubbed his, back then, completely smooth jaw. “Sure.” Then he’d smiled. Damn him. His smile lit his cognac eyes and had ignited the love she still couldn’t put out.
After that day they’d been inseparable. Nothing, and no one, came between them… Until Lennox tried to fry frozen chicken and ended up in the infirmary, where a pretty little medical student named Tina had been on duty. One look at her and Garrett had fallen as
deeply and irrevocably in love as both women had fallen for him.
Yet, Tina had been Lennox’s friend too. After the chicken incident, the three of them formed a trio of sorts. But somehow Lennox got pushed more and more to the outside as the semester went on and Garrett’s love for Tina deepened. Lennox had become a satellite, orbiting their relationship without truly being a part of it.
On the day she’d left school her grandmother called. She’d known by the crack in Gran’s voice when she said, “Leni,” something had gone wrong. She remembered patting her chest to restart her heart before her grandmother even began to explain. Her father had gotten sick—the kind of illness leading to hospitalization without a return trip home. Trembling and on the verge of tears, she’d hung up and instinctively went to find Garrett.
He’d disappeared.
She’d called Tina.
No answer.
So she’d taken a long walk to figure things out. Of course there wasn’t any way to wrap your head around the news of your father’s imminent death. Or that it would be slow enough to give you time to say goodbye, but last long enough for him to feel every step of the journey and for you to wish his suffering would end.
Along her walk she’d stopped by her adviser’s office. They’d discussed how she’d take a year off. Then pick up her studies afterward. With a plan in place followed by hours of roaming aimlessly, Lennox went home. The moment she opened the door laughter grabbed her by the throat and celebration slapped her across the face.
Garrett swung Tina around the room as they danced to a classic Bollywood song about a lover taking his love away. Lennox recognized the song from a movie they’d watched together more than once. On Tina’s ring finger a diamond sparkled, winking at Lennox as it caught the light on each spin in Garrett’s arms. No, the diamond hadn’t winked at her. It had mocked her. Broken her.
Life itself had spent the day crushing Lennox while it lavished only the best on Tina. When the couple opened the champagne Lennox couldn’t stand any more. She remembered how her hands shook, how the coldness in her chest caused her teeth to rattle. When the couple looked her way she’d slipped into the darkened hallway—as out of sight as she’d gone out of Garrett’s mind.
But she never forgot. The memories wouldn’t let her go. Because of them she’d never let go of Garrett. She remembered everything, each hurt, each joy, every disappointment, every hope, the disillusionment and the desire. She recalled their time together as vividly as her night in jail.
Yet, right here in the present, she’d forgotten Ian still held her hand.
The past ejected her free of its hold with the painful pop of a rubber band stretched to breaking. Her hands tightened around Ian’s. Concern flashed across his face. Desperation filled her throat, muting anything she might have said. Ian had always been there. Yet she’d forgotten him simply because Garrett walked into the room. She knew then. She had to see her journey with Garrett through to the end. Wherever it took her, until she knew where she and Garrett ended she couldn’t begin with Ian.
Breathing hard, she gripped her friend even tighter. They stared at each other for fleeting seconds. Finally she told him the truth. “I’m not ready yet.”
A ringtone slashed the silence. They jumped, their hands still clasped. Ian eyed the phone lying on the table. His mother shook her finger at him on the display, as though daring him not to answer. With a look at Lennox, promising this wasn’t over, he picked up.
“Come back to the vineyard immediately.” Something had upset Cora Somers, the grand dame of Somerfield Vineyards. She rarely raised her voice yet today Lennox could hear her nearly screech over the phone.
“Why?” Ian asked. He straightened, giving his mother his full attention.
Garrett walked over and sat in the empty chair beside her. Lennox used her concern over Cora’s phone call as an excuse to ignore him.
“Because there’s a book club here on a tour and they refuse to leave until you guide them through the cellars.”
“There are a dozen people there who can do that. How do they even know I exist?”
“Did I mention the book club is called YA Moms? These YAMS, as they call themselves,” Cora cleared her throat, “only read young adult romances and someone told them you look like Damien or Demon or some other foolishness from some diary about vampires. I can’t begin to understand this level of nonsense and I won’t. Come home, you heartthrob, and quiet these YAMS down.” A deep intake of air. “For crying out loud, Ian, they’re giving me a headache. They’ve found the portrait gallery and they won’t stop squealing about all the quote ‘hotties in the family’.”
“Calm down, Mom. I’m on my way.”
“Do hurry, Ian. One of them is asking me about Steven or Stefano as we speak. They think I’ve got another son hidden in the cellars. Why on earth would they think that?”
Ian stood up, grabbing his keys. “I don’t know, Mom, but I’m coming to rescue you. Okay?”
Before Cora hung up she politely, although probably through tight lips, said, “Would you mind getting that book out of my face? I only have one son and he’s on his way.”
Ian called out for their server to put the meal on his tab. “I’ve got to run,” he said locking gazes with Lennox. “You coming with me?”
Garrett spoke first. “There are a few things I want to discuss with you, Elle. If you don’t mind staying.”
Lennox rolled Ian’s drawing into a scroll and tucked it inside one of the pockets on the hips of her blouse. The light in his eyes danced and she returned the sentiment with a soft smile. “I’ll see you later. It sounds like you’re going to have way too many ladies on your hands as it is.”
Ian nodded and pocketed his phone. His suddenly cold blue stare fell on Garrett. “This is only the beginning, Wolfman. When Lennox is ready to settle down she’s going to come to me.”
Garrett looked at her for longer than comfortable. She fidgeted although she knew she ought to be cursing the pair for arguing over her again. Warmth filled Garrett’s cognac eyes, turning them honey golden. He smoothed a thumb over one of her eyebrows then looked down at the table for a split second. His gaze rolled slowly up to meet Ian’s. “I truly hope so, Chuckles, and you better not fuck it up.”
What could Ian say to that? He nodded again and left. She and Garrett watched him jog out to his car. Afterward Garrett stretched his legs under the table and folded his arms behind his back. The smile curving his lips could only be called sinful. No other term fit.
“What did you do?” Lennox asked. She gave him her Sith Lord glare for good measure.
Rather than answer he waved to their server. With the young woman’s blushing attention on him, he pointed to a picture on the menu and held up two fingers for a double order. The server nodded.
“I had no idea how hungry I was until Mr. Chuckles left.” Garrett grinned at her. She didn’t return his good humor. “What?” he asked.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
“Come on, Elle. I’m Anderson G. Westlake, world renown philanthropist—”
She grumbled. “Also known as world renown asshat.”
“That too.” He pushed Ian’s plate and utensils to the edge of the table for pick up. “He’s a millionaire. I’m a billionaire. Clearly he could use my help. So I gave his business a little nudge.”
Lennox covered her eyes and sighed. “Get to the point.”
“Did you know there are thousands of young adult book lovers all over the country? Many of them are members of clubs who love the movie and TV adaptations as much as the books.”
This could get dangerous. Ian seemed to bring out the prankster in Garrett and no woman could resist Garrett’s roguish side, especially not her. He looked so cute, like the nineteen-year-old bad boy he’d once been. “You did not do what I think you did, Garrett.”
His food arrived. He gave the server a
nod of thanks and shot Lennox an exasperated look before he dug in. He cut his food up, chewed and swallowed in a gentlemanly fashion. Wow, such a freaking asshole and she adored every bit of him.
“The thing is, these women love nothing better than to meet real-life men who look like their favorite characters. Mr. Chuckles is a diamond mine.” Garrett waved his knife in the air. “He’s Jacob, Damon, Ash, Four, and Gale all in one.”
She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before picking up the conversation. “I’m guessing those are the popular male characters. How do you know so much about young adult books?”
Garrett finished a bite of home fries. “My darling, Elle. I’m a movie mogul and the father of a twelve-year-old boy who schemes on impressing girls twenty hours out of a day. If I didn’t know about YA books, I’d be totally oblivious.”
She shook her head.
“I did a good deed here, Elle. I had Cash call the vineyard office and set up a special rate for book clubs. The ladies get to meet a fantasy come to life and the vineyard makes money. Everybody’s happy.”
“Except for Ian who makes a serious effort to stay under the radar. He can’t stand being singled out for his looks.” Thinking about it, Lennox swatted Garrett on the arm. “He doesn’t even have a picture of himself on the vineyard website.” She eyed her breakfast companion warily. “To summarize, you promised a bunch of excitable fans a living paperback hero, whipped them into a frenzy, then sent them to the vineyard where upon seeing Ian they will begin to adore him to death?”
Garrett chuckled. “Sounds better when you say it.”
“How many tours did you book?”
“So far, seventy-five. But there’s the assurance of many more.” He looked off into the distance and sighed in contentment.
Wow. To her great and wounded dismay she wanted to kiss him so badly. She yelped instead. “He’s going to go crazy.”
“Ah, well.” Garrett shook his head in mock regret. “Sometimes growth is pain.”
He finished his meal. She sat in silence beside him. Finally she got miffed enough to ask, “Can you take me to pick up my truck?”