by Claire Adams
The next few weeks were a period of adjustment as I settled into my new role as Senior Executive VP. The guys in the warehouse cheered for me and then took me out for drinks after work. They realized that I was going to have a lot more responsibility, and they all signed on to contribute whatever they could to make the whole thing work. Of course, I'd petitioned for and gotten raises for all of them, so the celebration was really for all of us.
The following months were easier as we all settled into a routine. Every day I came in to work and met with Jack. These meetings were difficult at first because I ached to tell him I was sorry and throw myself into his arms, but each night I reminded myself that it was important that I maintain a level of professionalism that would allow me to be taken seriously. Being Jack's girlfriend would never allow me that. I still wanted him with every fiber of my being, but as we worked together, I began to appreciate him in other ways.
Riley and I moved into a nice apartment in Brooklyn near the office, and Betty helped me find a good school for Riley so that she wouldn't be isolated from kids her own age. It was a bit of an adjustment for her after spending all of her time with adults and having a tutor focused on her individual learning. But slowly she began to find her way in the new school. Soon she was hanging out with kids her age as she worked to keep up with her lessons.
We visited Betty regularly. Riley would often hop a cab after school and meet the tutor for individual sessions, and then stay for dinner afterwards.
"Mother likes it when Riley drops by," Jack said after we'd finished discussing the third quarter plan and how we were going to expand the shipping department by hiring more workers to take over the tasks. "I think she's been lonely since you two moved out."
"I thought she was getting ready to do some traveling," I said, surprised that he'd brought her up.
"She is, but I think she really enjoyed having you and Riley around," he said. "Kind of like the daughters she never had, but desperately wanted."
"We can drop by more often if you think that would make her happy," I said. Betty had been so kind to us and, truth be told, I missed her too. I liked the new apartment, but it wasn't the same as padding around the mansion. Somehow the apartment seemed lonelier.
"I think she'd like it if you moved back in," he laughed as he gathered up the reports we'd been working on and stuffed them into a folder. He looked even more handsome now that he'd relaxed his work wardrobe and wore more casual clothing than the designer suits he'd started out in.
"I think Riley would like that, too," I said laughing with him as I stood and got ready to go back to my office.
"And how about you?" he asked. The question caught me off guard, and I hesitated as I tried to think about how to answer it.
"I miss having all of my meals cooked and my laundry done for me," I laughed, trying to downplay the fact that living in the apartment was lonely. I'd spent my life taking care of my family, so I hadn't developed any close friendships. Now with Patrick in the church and Mama in a retirement home, I only had Riley to look after. She was growing more independent by the day.
"We miss having you in the house," Jack said, and then more quietly, "I miss you."
"Jack . . ." I said.
"I know, I know," he held up his hand to stop me. "If we're going to work together, it has to stay platonic. I know that."
"No, I was going to say that I miss you, too," I said as I looked into his warm eyes and held his gaze.
"Leah, why are we doing this?" he asked.
"Doing what?"
"Why are we staying away from each other when we both want it?" he asked. I winced as he said it because I wasn't sure I knew why. I just knew that I'd done my best to keep up appearances and not put either one of us in an uncomfortable position.
"Because it's the right thing to do," I said, trying to hide how I really felt.
"What if I say that I don't care anymore?" he asked as he moved dangerously close. "What if I say that every night, I lie awake in bed thinking about how it felt to have your body pressed against mine, your lips touching mine? Do you know how much I want you to be close to me all the time?"
"I . . . I . . . I . . ." I stuttered as he reached out and ran his fingers down my cheek. I shivered as I felt his hand slide around the back of my neck. He pulled me to him. I let go and melted into his arms.
"I don't want this distance between us anymore, Leah," he said as he bent down and lightly brushed his lips across mine before he slowly kissed his way across my jaw, whispering in my ear, "I know you don't really want it either, do you?"
"No," I sighed as he flicked my earlobe with his tongue. "No, I don't."
With that, Jack wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me against him as he kissed me hard and deep. I slid my arms around his neck and returned the kiss with all the fierce longing I'd felt since the last time we'd kissed. He spread his lips and urged mine apart as he slipped his tongue inside my mouth and teased mine. I could feel the deep well of desire suddenly explode and course through my veins as we let our mouths pick up where we'd left off.
"Jack," I sighed as I pulled back from the kiss. "Jack, stop . . ."
"What? What's wrong?" he asked as he furrowed his brow. "Something wrong?"
"No, just not here," I said resting my palms on his chest and looking up at him. "I can't do this here. Not now."
"I see," he nodded stepping back.
"I'm not saying no," I reassured him. "I'm just saying not here. I don't want it to be like this."
"I understand," he said. "You're right. It needs to be special."
"Don't get me wrong," I said with a half grin, "You're pretty irresistible, and I'm not sure that I could actually say no to you if you really set your mind to it."
"This is good to know!" he laughed as he stepped around to his desk and picked up the phone. He turned his back and spoke quietly for a moment, then hung up and smiled at me. "Will you come with me? There's something I want to show you."
"Of course," I said, wondering what was going on.
"This is something I've wanted to show you for a while, but I wasn't sure if I ever would," Jack said as he reached out and took my hand.
I took a deep breath and followed him.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jack
I knew that what I was about to do was risky, but I also knew that if things went the way I hoped they would the payoff would be worth the risk. As Jimmy drove us through Brooklyn, Leah and I discussed the future plans for Baby Steps and what we hoped to accomplish with the expansion. There was a nervous energy underlying our conversation, but neither one of us was willing to be the first to acknowledge it.
I knew Leah had to be curious about where we were going, but to her credit, she kept her questions to herself, occasionally looking out the window to gauge where we were and where we were headed. I wanted to keep the destination a surprise, so I just kept talking.
We finally pulled into the circle drive in front of a red-brick house with a wraparound porch and white trim. I got out and went around opening Leah's door, only to find that she was halfway up the walk already.
"Wow, this is pretty spectacular, Jack," she said as she noticed the brightly colored flowers that lined the walk and breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass. "Ahh, that's summer to me! Hey, we're not far from your mother's, are we?"
"She's less than a mile away," I nodded as I followed her lead and inhaled deeply. "If you think the outside is amazing, just wait until you see the inside."
We walked up onto the porch, and I quickly slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the front door. I motioned for Leah to go in first, and I was rewarded by her reaction to the interior.
The whole house had been gutted and most of the walls on the lower level had been removed. There was a large winding staircase that led to the second floor, but aside from that the entire first floor was an open space that flowed from one room to the next. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and the wa
lls were an earthy taupe accented by white crown molding. As she moved from the living room and its floor-to-ceiling front windows to the kitchen where stainless steel appliances and white cabinets gave the area a professional but welcoming feel, Leah just shook her head.
"Is this your new home?" she asked turning around to look at me.
"Something like that," I nodded as she ran her hands across the marble countertops and admired the modern silver hardware on the drawers.
"I can only imagine what it will look like once you've got furniture in here," she said, moving on to the dining room and then standing at the top of a small set of stairs that led down into a den area with a fireplace on one wall and a set of French doors that led out to the back patio across from it.
"Want to see the upstairs?" I asked, knowing it was unlikely that she'd say no.
"Of course I do! Lead the way, boss!" she grinned as she followed me toward the staircase. Our footsteps echoed on the wood as we climbed to the second floor, and I let Leah take the lead as she made her way through the upstairs, opening doors and looking into various rooms.
"This is really quite lovely, Jack," she said as she peered into a room that had been custom built as an office full of cubbyholes and shelving. "You've picked very soothing colors and clean lines."
"Check this out," I said, opening the door to the master bedroom. It was an enormous space that took up the entire back half of the upstairs and looked quite similar to the downstairs den, complete with a fireplace on one side and a set of French doors that led out to the balcony which overlooked the pool and the yard stretching out behind it. Leah stood staring out at the scenery for a long time before turning around and leaning against the rails of the balcony.
"You've built an incredible house, Jack," she said looking up at me. "I'm sure you'll be very happy here."
"Thank you. It is quite a house, indeed," I said as I walked toward her. "But it's not a home yet. It's still missing something important."
"Yes, well, furniture will definitely help that!" she laughed as she looked away.
"That's not what's missing," I said as I reached out and took her hand. She looked up with a confused expression as I continued, "Leah, I know you don't want us to date while we're working together, and I respect your reasons. But since the moment I met you I knew you were different, and while the past few months have been a challenge, they've also made everything much clearer to me."
"How so?" she asked, holding my gaze.
"I knew I wanted you, but I didn't know what I was willing to do to earn you," I admitted with a wry grin. "I've been used to getting almost anything I wanted, and you showed me that there's an advantage to working for some things."
I looked down into Leah's blue eyes and took a deep breath before I continued.
"I don't like the distance between us, and I want to do something about it," I said. "So, I renovated this house in the hope that you would . . ."
"You think I'm just going to pick up and move in with you because you have all the money in the world to buy things that you think I might like?" she asked.
"No, I didn't . . ." I began.
"Look, it's nice of you to offer, and the house that you've picked is definitely a nice one, but I'm not interested in some kind of live-in arrangement," she sighed. "Six months ago, I might have jumped at the offer, but now . . . well, now I want something more. You've shown me that I am capable of getting more."
She let go of my hand and walked across the deck toward the bedroom. Her shoulders slumped as if she'd had all the air let out of her.
"Leah!" I called causing her to turn around. I could see that there were tears welling up in her eyes. I inhaled and swiftly crossed the deck to where she stood. I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly against my body. "I wish sometimes that you would hear me out before you jump to conclusions."
"It's just that I can't . . ." she began as she choked back a sob.
"Leah, I wasn't asking you to move in with me," I said as I reached up and ran my fingers through her curly dark hair. "I love you, and I was asking you if you'd be interested in something more permanent. Oh, say, like marrying me?"
"Wait, what?" she said swallowing hard and looking up at me, again, confused.
"I'm asking you if you'd consider marrying me," I repeated as I watched her struggle to comprehend what I was asking.
"But what about Riley?" she countered.
"Well, funny you should ask," I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small blue box. "She helped me pick this out."
I flipped open the box to reveal a perfect diamond in a traditional Tiffany setting. Once I had talked with Riley about what I wanted to do and gotten her approval, she and I had spent an afternoon shopping for rings. I wasn't sure how Leah would feel about the fact that I'd discussed things with Riley first, so I held my breath as I offered her the ring. I said, "Leah Walsh, will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and agreeing to be my wife?"
"Jack!" she cried as she stepped back and buried her face in her hands. For a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake and dread began to take hold, but then Leah looked up with a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. She simply said, "I love you, too. Yes."
I swept her into my arms and swung her around in circles as she buried her face in my shoulder.
"You silly man, of course I'll marry you!" she laughed once I put her down and slipped the ring on her finger.
"Phew, I thought maybe you were pissed at me," I admitted.
"Why would I be?"
"Because I basically asked a twelve-year-old for your hand in marriage," I said, sending Leah into a fit of laughter as the reality dawned on her.
"Well, I know what you were aiming for, so it's all okay," she said with a smile. "But don't do it again."
"Yes, ma'am," I said as I smiled and saluted. "Shall we go tell the world?"
"I'd like that, Mr. Yates," she smiled as she took my hand and walked with me out to the car.
Jimmy stood next to the vehicle, beaming from ear to ear. When I'd closed Leah's door and walked around the car, he looked at me and simply said, "Your father would have approved."
I smiled, nodded, and climbed into the car next to Leah as Jimmy drove us toward our future.
Chapter Forty-Six
Epilogue
After Jack's surprise proposal, we headed to his mother's house for an engagement party he had asked her to plan. Betty had invited a small group of friends and family. She'd convinced Patrick to come to the party and had arranged for a nurse to accompany Mama.
"This is all quite the to-do, isn't it?" Mama said when I went to hug her. "It's pretty fancy."
"It is, Mama," I said leaning down to hug her and feeling sad when she leaned away from me.
"Remind me who you are again, would you?" she said.
I didn't have the heart to tell her, so I simply smiled and repeated that it was so good of her to come. Mama stayed for a short while before being transported back to the retirement community. She'd become agitated because she was away from her familiar surroundings, and it was a reminder of how far she'd slipped away from us. I was still glad that Betty had asked her and that she'd been able to be there. Riley seemed unworried by the whole ordeal with Mama and cheerfully called, "Bye Gram! See you soon!" as the nurse loaded Mama into the car for the trip home.
Once Mama was gone, Patrick pulled me aside and said that he'd tried to find out more about the envelopes we'd found in the house. Mama had only said that she knew Molly was gone.
"How did she know?" I asked.
"I think the letters were Molly's way of letting her know she was okay," Patrick said. "Once they stopped, I think the assumption was that Molly was gone for good, but we'll never really know for sure."
"Can't we hire a detective to follow her trail?" I asked.
"Leah, I've already done that," he sighed. "The trail went cold in Florida, and he wasn't able to find out anything more. She simply disappeared."
>
"I don't accept that," I said stubbornly. "There's got to be a way to find out what happened to her, and I'm going to figure it out."
"Suit yourself, Leah," Patrick shrugged. "But I'm not going to spend my time chasing after pipe dreams. I'm going to accept that she's gone and move on with my life. You really should do the same."
I turned and walked away from my brother, muttering under my breath about how I'd find our sister and then I'd show him what determination could accomplish.
"Why the sour face?" Jack asked as he caught me by the arm and pulled me into the sitting room away from the rest of the guests. I told him what Patrick had said, and he reminded me that having lots of money had its advantages. "I'll hire someone to do some checking. Now can we get back to celebrating this happy occasion?"
I laughed and assured him that we could, but before we left the room, I turned to him and said, "That was quite a risk you took planning the party before you knew my answer. How did you know I'd say yes?"
"It was a risk," he admitted. "But I had faith in you . . . and in us."
And with that, he leaned down and kissed me before taking my hand and returning to the party.
*
"You look beautiful, Leah," Riley said as she adjusted my veil one last time and handed me my bouquet. "You're the perfect Irish bride."
"I couldn't have done it without you, kiddo," I said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. I’d had a seamstress replicate Mama's white lace wedding gown as best as she could from what I remembered, and it fit me like a glove. The sweetheart neckline dipped just low enough to give me a hint of décolletage, but not so low that I felt self-conscious. The bodice cradled my breasts before sloping inward to give me a waist where it joined with layers upon layers of Irish lace that fell to my feet and stretched out behind me in a cathedral length train. On my head, I wore Betty's wedding veil. It was fitted on a tiara of crystals and fell just above my ankles. I felt like a Disney princess come to life when I looked at my reflection.
"I wish Mom could be here to see this," Riley said quietly as she fussed with the robin's egg blue sash on her dress, trying to get it to lie flat against her waist. I set my bouquet down and fixed it, and said a small prayer of thanks that she hadn’t fought me on wearing a dress for the wedding.