Dahlia let out a breath. “My mother is institutionalized. Lost her mind about ten years ago, if not earlier. She was dedicated to making a greenhouse of flowers that bloomed only at night, one that included some flower from Sri Lanka which only lived a few hours. She was determined to find a way to make it last longer. All this, without a greenhouse in sight. Then she went catatonic on us.”
“When last have you seen her?”
“I go every year on Mother’s Day. It doesn’t matter, though; she has no idea who I am or doesn’t care. Looks at me like I’m a stranger every time, and a highly uninteresting one at that.”
Alec was silent a moment. “Mother’s Day is coming up soon,” he said.
“I know. Since Zinnia will be in town this time, she’s going to come with me.”
He grabbed her hands. “I’ll come too, if you’d like.”
She smiled. “No, I think…I think this is something she and I should do. Maybe you and I could go sometime later.”
“Whatever you want, Dahlia. So what was it like? Losing her at that age? And where was your father in all of this?”
“I took on a lot of responsibility. I mean, my father already had his new family going and we were practically grown so I guess he figured we could handle ourselves—which we did. I mean, he sent us to live with his sister, at least. She was childless and out of work at the time, so she agreed since he promised to send her a check every month.”
“So you left Cedars, too.”
“Yeah, I guess we both ended up ditching it around the same time. Mine was out of necessity, though—different zone and all. Anyway, our aunt was fine; barely there in a way. Physically, yeah, but what was she supposed to do with two teenaged girls? I ended up working at a department store after school. Helped Zinnia with her homework when I could. Put Dad’s and my money away for our schooling. I did my best.”
“Dahlia, you really are remarkable. Your heart’s always been three sizes too big, hasn’t it? Not many people can do what you did—putting so much of their own needs aside on account of somebody else’s. You’re such a generous spirit, Dahlia. I…I’m in awe of you.” He kissed her hand. “I feel so lucky being with you—you have no idea how happy it makes me.” Alec’s eyes burned into hers. “You know, I saw it a long time ago—your essence. And to see that girl from long ago go on to dedicate her life to making sure others get what they need, and help them reach their goals and potential warms me. But what about you, Dahlia—who looks after you? Who makes sure you have everything you need?”
“I have everything I need, Alec—I’ve got my little boy, he got into the school he needed to get into, we’re living where we need to live…”
“See what I mean? You’re still talking about your son, not you.”
“But what he needs is what I need!”
“Aha. Now you understand my position, Dahlia. I want to do something for you, help you relax—for longer than a night. I need you to have a few days where you don’t have a worry in the world, where you can simply enjoy all the fine wine, dining, entertainment and accommodations I can provide.”
“I can’t just leave work…”
“Let me handle it. Now think about a place you’d like to go. Anywhere. Anywhere on the planet, Dahlia.”
She hesitated.
“Come on, just name it and we’re there.”
She still felt reluctance. “I’d love to see that Hawaiian home of yours.”
This time, Alec seemed to hesitate. After a moment, he said, “I’d love to take you to Hawaii, but maybe we’ll skip the beach house. I’d feel weird taking you there.”
“What do you mean? Why…? Oh. I get it—memories.”
“Yes, and not exactly sentimental ones. But listen, it’s probably gonna end up Brandon’s anyway, although Connor loves it so; in fact, one of my brothers might be staying there right now. I’ll find out, but I’d still rather just get a nice resort to stay in. Find out when your sister is coming exactly, and we’ll work around it. Maybe she can even watch…”
“Yeah, right—babysitting on her vacation?”
“Oh my gosh—don’t let me ruin whatever time you manage to get off!” Zinnia said when Dahlia called for the details of her trip. “I’m taking a whole week, so it’s fine if you’re not here the first few days of it. And why don’t you let me watch Angelo? You really think it’s a good idea taking him with you? You and Alec need some time alone—I’d be happy to babysit the little bugger. Dahlia, you think I don’t know all you’ve done for me? You think I don’t remember? This is the least I can do for you, big sis.”
Dahlia smiled to herself, holding the cell to her ear.
Alec considered making Dahlia a member of the mile-high club as his jet headed for Maui.
“Of all the places in the world, you stick to U.S. territory,” he said to her, smiling.
Dahlia grinned. “Come on, don’t act like we’re headed for just any old U.S. state.”
“I see it as your way of staying in some sort of comfort zone with me; I’m sure you’ve got a number of places on your list, and I intend to get you to each of them.”
Dahlia smiled, looking shy again. He couldn’t help smiling back—she looked so cute when she smiled like that.
“Connor is there, by the way. He wants to meet you, so we’ll probably arrange a minute with him—probably close to a minute anyway; now that I’ve got you all to myself for a few days, I have all sorts of plans for you and that body, so I’m feeling pretty selfish. Maybe we’ll arrange something on our last day, but first, I want to get you to that hotel.”
She definitely blushed then. Then, in true, Dahlia-style, she changed the subject.
“I’m so glad everything is working out for my sister,” she said.
“I’ll be your date,” he said, trying to communicate to her the same message he’d been trying to send for the past two months or so, the same message she kept brushing off. But damn it, he planned to be around then, despite her skepticism; he planned to be with her for a very long time.
“Alec, no. I mean, great—if you’re still around and up for it…”
Alec couldn’t take another word.
She’ll become a member of that club indeed, if only to shut her up for a few minutes.
He grabbed her hand and led her to the bathroom.
Dahlia felt like she was in a dream again—like it had never ended—and she never wanted to wake up. The dinners, the beaches, the moments of making love…everything was just too perfect. “I love you,” she almost said to Alec more than once—in a moment of passion as he was about to bring her to a climax, or in a moment of looking into each other’s eyes, and his hand reached out to cover hers before they left for a magic show. Even in moments where his lips met her forehead as they watched the sun set. “I love you,” she fought back at every glance, every embrace, every kiss.
“I…”
Alec looked at her expectantly with intelligent, ocean-colored eyes, and Dahlia realized, as they sat across from each other in the restaurant, that she had been about to say it again.
“I’m having the most magical time with you, Alec. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’m so grateful.”
“Is that what you were going to say, Dahlia?”
She looked down, and he grabbed her hands again, caressing them with his thumbs.
When she looked up at him, she saw his eyes burning with emotion, and she wondered if he felt even half of what was going through her. But he, too, said nothing more as he kissed her hand, allowing her the dignity of not answering his question.
“Connor Wilde!” Dahlia said, immediately recognizing Alec’s blond brother as he walked toward them. He looked almost the same as in high school—still handsome, but he had lost some of the sparkle he had back then when he had most of the girls in his class eating out of the palms of his hands.
She had thought he was cute, too, but was one of few who were uninterested in his type.
“You remember me,
” he said almost wondrously.
“Of course!” she said as they shared an awkward hug. “You pretty much look the same. I’m surprised you remember me!”
“Actually, I don’t, to be honest. You were two classes ahead and generally stayed under the radar, I’m guessing—since I never heard anything bad about you. Nothing at all.”
Dahlia felt deflated but kept her smile up. Why would he remember her? He was right—she stayed under the radar in every way. The one person who definitely remembered her—the only one who mattered—was right next to her.
“My brother’s charming, isn’t he?” Alec said, as if through gritted teeth. She noticed a slight shake of his head at Connor. “Anyway, here we are, you’ve met Dahlia, my beach house is still standing. My business is done, here.”
“Aw, come on—stay a bit. She’s practically family now, right?”
Alec sent Connor a glare while Dahlia’s cheeks flushed.
“What do you mean?” she asked against her better judgment.
“Come on. My brother can’t stop blabbing about you.”
She saw Alec frown, but it was as he looked at the face of his phone.
“Excuse me a sec—I’ve got to take this,” he said. He kissed Dahlia on the cheek then said, “Connor, behave,” before picking up the call and heading away from them.
Connor smiled at her—an empty smile nowhere near reaching his eyes.
Despite his good looks, in that moment, he looked like the mugshot of a serial killer.
“You’re a lucky woman, Dahlia, to grab my brother’s heart like that. And to think this all started because of some stupid game.”
Dahlia frowned at him. “What are you talking about, Connor?”
“Anyway, I hope you guys work out. He lasted about three months with the last one. How long have you guys been going at it again?”
Dahlia decided not to answer. She had a bad feeling, and she needed Connor to stop talking.
“You mean, you don’t want to hear more about his plan?” he continued. “I think you do. See, my brothers and I—we have a sort of game we play. The best thing about life for us guys is girls, right? All this money—who cares if we can’t spend it on you guys? So anyway, as amazing as you guys are, and as amazing as it feels to sleep with a new girl every week or so, even that shit gets old in our circles; we start meeting the same types. So we shake things up a bit every year. Last year, we went for lingerie models. The girl Alec ended up with looked sort of like you, actually—a super-glamorized version, but nonetheless. He seems to like your type.”
As much as Dahlia wanted to ask what type that was, she didn’t want to give Connor the satisfaction of a response.
“Anyway, this year, we decided to slum it. Talk about shaking things up, right? From lingerie models and superstars, to girls like you. Well, I wish you guys the best, but I’m not sure I’d get too attached if I were you. I’ve got a good idea for next year’s catch.”
Dahlia had long lost her ability to play cool.
By the time Alec headed back, Connor had taken off to go inside the beach house, and she still stood there fuming, going over everything Connor had said over and over again.
Alec stormed inside the beach house to locate his brother.
Finding him calmly eating out of a fruit bowl while Dahlia sat curled up, sobbing outside on the sand, made fury overtake him to a degree he had never felt. He was afraid of what he’d do next and had to keep checking himself.
“Connor, what the hell did you tell Dahlia? And why?”
“I was real with her, Alec. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, but there’s no way you’re gonna stay with that girl; everyone knows it. No need to keep leading her on and giving her false hope. She needed to know and prepare—she’s got a kid, for Christ’s sake.”
“Connor, since when is it your business to ‘look out’ for any of our women? We never engage in interference—you want to tell me why the fuck you feel its your place in this case?”
Connor only shrugged, looking slightly peeved. Something else was definitely going on. “What are you getting mad at me for?” he said. “You’re the one who came up with this whole thing. You don’t think she should know? Like Brandon said, the usual ones know what game we’re playing.”
“Are you serious right now? You knew that she was different. I told you she was different. It’s no game when…”
“How was I supposed to know that? And anyway, what’re you worried about? She’s highly replaceable. I did you a favor. Not sure why you’d waste more time on a girl like that, anyway.”
“A girl like what, Connor?”
“You know what I mean, bro. I don’t care if you’re serious about settling down or not—either way, you have millions of chicks to choose from, with better pedigree in every way.”
“Are you deliberately trying to remove yourself from my life, Connor?”
“Whoa, brother, calm down. You’d choose her over me? I’ve been with you your entire life—I’m your brother. We’ve been through nearly everything together. I’d never choose some chick over you!”
“She’s not just some chick—I already told you, this is the real thing! Why would you try to destroy that?”
“I’m looking out for you.”
“No, you’re not, Connor—you’re very clearly acting against me and my happiness. And someone who acts against me, with such a bold attempt to cause destruction and misery to my life, is an enemy, not my brother. You’re dead to me, Connor. The terms of our deals—all of them—are done; in fact, get the fuck out of my house. Be gone in ten minutes or I’ll have you thrown out.”
Chapter Eleven
Damage Control
The dream disintegrated, pieces floating away far out of reach.
As Dahlia sat, knees pulled up to her chest, and unable to storm out, hail a taxi home, or go anywhere where she wouldn’t end up feeling scared and lost, she realized that this was what it would be like being with Alec. Going where he wanted to go, possibly getting stuck anywhere he took her. Being at his mercy. Living life on his terms.
How many ways had he manipulated her so far?
She heard movement behind her and braced herself, but after a while, she realized it hadn’t been Alec coming to her again as she looked up and saw Connor’s back as he took off.
She could only imagine what had gone on inside, and knew that any moment now, Alec would return to her with apologies and explanations.
She needed him not to speak to her again.
“Dahlia,” she heard him say before coming up to her. He bent to her.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Dahlia, what Connor said…”
“I knew it—I knew there had to be a catch,” she said to herself. “I knew it was all too good to be true.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and she shook it off.
“No, Dahlia, you’re wrong. This wasn’t just some bet or dare…”
“Get me out of here, Alec; I don’t want to hear another word.”
“We’re not leaving until…”
She looked at him, and was almost sure her look came close to actually cutting him.
“Get me out of here,” she repeated, emphasizing each word. She was surprised at how much like a growl her words had come out.
“Of course, Dahlia, but I need you to…”
“Is it all about what you need, Alec? Do you always disregard all your women like this? When you say, ‘jump’ are we all supposed to say, ‘how high?’ because you’ve bought us temporarily?”
“Dahlia, you know it’s nothing like that; you know I respect you.”
“I wonder how many decisions you made for me without my knowledge? All the strings you pulled? You admitted to paying the babysitter and starting that trust fund, and I certainly haven’t forgotten how you reintroduced yourself to me, trying to use my child. Heck, you probably even greased my boss’s palms.” She paused as something else fell into place. “Wait a minute—
did you have anything to do with Darren disappearing? Did you pay Zinnia to come down and babysit? To coincidentally be in town around the time you wanted to whisk me away for some romantic getaway?”
He looked guilty, but his words said, “I didn’t pay Zinnia.”
His omission did not escape her.
“What did you do to Darren?” she asked in horror. “Oh my god…”
“Dahlia, he’s fine—we just had a talk, man to man. Look, he didn’t have good intentions when it came to you guys.”
Dahlia laughed mirthlessly. “Why aren’t we on that jet yet? And when we land, I’m gonna need you to stay out of our lives.”
“You can’t mean that, Dahlia,” he said in an astoundingly soft voice, a voice that made her raise her eyes to him. She turned away immediately, unable to handle the look in his eyes.
Alec stayed quiet when she refused his hand to help her up, throughout their drive back to the hotel, and throughout all the motions of packing. He granted her silence all the way up until they entered the jet and had started soaring through the air, but she felt his eyes on her the whole time.
“Dahlia,” he began once, but she gave him a look that shut him up for the rest of the flight.
“Dahlia, we have to talk about this,” he said as they landed.
“Leave me alone, Alec. Please. I don’t want to hear it. Don’t call, don’t visit—don’t bother us again. We were fine before you, and we’ll be fine…”
“After you” came out garbled, swallowed by a sob she couldn’t stop. Alec headed for her, but she held her hand out, stopping whatever words of comfort or embrace he had planned.
She gathered herself. “I mean it, Alec, leave us alone.”
“You know I can’t do that, Dahlia. I know you’re mad at me, and I’ll give you the space you need, but you must know that I’m not going anywhere—at least, I’m not letting you walk away from me without a fight. I’ve waited far too long for you to do that.”
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7) Page 126