Heir to Scandal

by Andrea Laurence

  And even though he didn’t always deserve it, Rose was someone else he could count on. And he wanted to be there for her and their son, as well. To start, he wanted to spend the next few days getting to know Rose again. She wasn’t the teenager he’d fallen in love with anymore. She was more.

  Unfortunately, they couldn’t just lie in each other’s arms all week. She had work. He had to travel to D.C. in a few days for a charity fund-raiser and book signing. Of course, he also had the police to worry about, but he would make the most of the time they had.

  He knew Rose had to work today, so he planned to spend time on the farm and meet her later. “What time did you want me to come by tonight?”

  “Nine-thirty, maybe? That will give me a chance to get home and get out of my uniform.”

  Xander glanced over at her with a wicked smile curling his lips. The tank top highlighted the curves he’d touched only a few days ago, and yet it felt like years. “I can help you out of your uniform.”

  Rose laughed. “I bet you can.”

  “Shall I bring some takeout with me? Or do you eat at work?”

  “You can bring dinner if you want to. I got burned out on the diner food a long time ago. I usually eat something light when I get home. There’s a pizza place not far from my apartment complex.”

  “Pepperoni and green peppers?” he asked. That had always been her favorite in school.

  Rose smiled and nodded. “You remembered.”

  Xander’s eyes stayed focused on the road. Somehow it was easier to say the words that way. “The night we broke up, you told me to go off to school and forget all about you, but I didn’t. How could I possibly forget about you, Rose?”

  Rose didn’t respond, but he heard her sharp intake of breath just before his cell phone chirped. The highway was clear, so he glanced down briefly at the incoming text. He sighed when he saw the message from his brother. One more thing to take away from their time alone together.

  “When is your next day off?” he asked.

  “Wednesday,” Rose said. “Why?”

  “I just got a text from my brother Wade. He wants to go to dinner this week.”

  “That sounds nice. I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

  “No,” he clarified, “he wants all of us to go to dinner. He’s going to bring his fiancée, Tori, and I am to bring you.”

  Rose stiffened in the seat beside him. “Does he...know?”

  “About Joey? No.” Unless Heath had opened his big mouth. “But he knows I’ve been seeing you. And Tori wants to see you, too. She’s missed you since their house was completed and she has no excuse not to cook.”

  She relaxed a little and chuckled softly. “She ate in the diner nearly every day while she was living in the Airstream. I miss talking to her, too.”

  “Shall I tell him that Wednesday night works?”

  “Sure,” she agreed.

  Xander slowed to turn off to her apartment and parked at her building. Rotating in his seat, he reached out to cup her cheek and draw her close to him. She leaned in, their lips meeting and sending a shot of need down his spine. Her tongue glided along his as his fingers caressed the soft strands of her dark hair.

  Reluctantly he pulled away, eyeing his watch. “When do you have to go to work?” he asked. Perhaps there was time to—

  “No,” Rose said, answering his unasked question. “But...” she grasped the straps of her tank top and pulled them down her arms until she exposed the edges of the red lace bra she was wearing beneath it “...a little anticipation won’t hurt you. You can spend the day fantasizing about taking this off.” Her fingertip grazed over the curve of her breast seductively. “See you tonight,” she said, adjusting her top and slipping out of the Lexus.

  * * *

  Rose sipped her wine nervously and chastised herself for it. This dinner should be no big deal. The restaurant was nice, but not so fancy it would intimidate her. The company was pleasant. She’d spent many nights chatting with Wade’s fiancée, Tori, at the diner. They’d talked about Tori’s romantic ups and downs while she navigated the waters of her relationship with the eldest Eden boy. At first the two had been adversaries, battling over land. One day Tori came into the diner fuming and the next time Rose saw her, she was smitten.

  Admittedly, Wade was charming when he wanted to be and handsome, as all the Eden boys were. She remembered the upper classman from the high school campus and the trips she’d made out to the farm. Her older sister had had a huge crush on Wade.

  But then and now, she’d only had eyes for Xander.

  She turned to look at him. He was wearing a well-tailored suit with a narrow tie. He was talking with Wade, who was just as nicely attired, laughing and cutting up the way brothers did. He seemed very at ease, his political facade put away for the evening.

  “How is your son doing, Rose?” Tori asked.

  Rose turned her attention to the attractive redhead across the table from her. She’d always thought Tori was a strikingly beautiful woman, with flame-red hair, porcelain skin and ice-blue eyes. Tonight she had on a silk dress that was just the same color as her eyes. It was a stunning combination that made Rose feel decidedly dowdy in the floral sheath dress she’d dug out of the back of her closet.

  Tori was a brilliant eco-architect who had designed a stunning home on the hill that overlooked the valley. Beautiful, smart and talented—the trifecta. Fortunately, she wasn’t one of those women who realized she was special. She was very down-to-earth and friendly, even with a small-town nobody like Rose.

  “He’s great. Getting bigger every day. His broken arm isn’t slowing him down at all. He’s at scout camp this week.”

  “Do you have a picture? I haven’t seen him in forever.”

  “Sure.” Rose took out her phone and pulled up a recent shot. “Here he is at the parade the other day. Ignore the bright red lips. He’d just eaten a strawberry snow cone.”

  Tori took the phone and smiled when she saw the picture. “He’s grown so much. Turning into quite the little man.” As she studied the picture, a curious expression came to her face. Her blue eyes narrowed at the phone and then quickly shot over to Xander and back to the screen. “He’s very handsome,” she said, her tone pointed as she handed Rose the cell phone back.

  Rose felt her heart start to speed up in her chest. Tori knew. One glance and she knew. Her eyes grew wide, words escaping her. What should she say? Xander hadn’t wanted to go public yet. He hadn’t even told his own family.

  “You shouldn’t have let his daddy out of your sight,” Tori said with a knowing wink. “Oh, I heard about your win at the festival.”

  Rose finally let the air escape from her lungs and nodded, thankful for the change in subject. Tori wasn’t interested in spreading around gossip. She’d probably made a point of letting Rose know she’d figured it out only in case she needed someone to talk to. It would certainly be nice to have someone she could confide in about all this.

  “Thanks,” she said, a touch of embarrassed color coming to her cheeks. “It’s not a very difficult recipe, really.”

  “Have you had that cake at the diner?” Xander injected himself back into their conversation.

  “No,” Tori admitted. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on the menu. I’d love to try it, though. It sounded divine.”

  “It’s a new item,” Rose explained. “I’ve only made it this summer once the berries came into season. I’m sure since it won, we’ll have it on the menu for a while. You two should stop in and have a slice.”

  “The name strawberry cloud doesn’t do it justice. It’s like...” Xander’s voice trailed off. “I can’t even describe it. It’s so light and flavorful.”

  “Like a strawberry cloud?” Wade suggested.

  “Yes,” Xander replied sarcastically. “Thanks so much.”

  “We should come by,” Tori agreed. “We’ve been so busy lately. Wedding planning isn’t for sissies. And Wade’s wrapping up a development project. Seems to be taking
up all our time. We’ve barely seen Xander and he’s been in town for two weeks!”

  “That’s not entirely our fault,” Wade pointed out. “I went by the farm twice but Xander was preoccupied.” He turned and fixed his dark green gaze on Rose. “I don’t know who could be taking up all his time.”

  “What can I say?” Rose said with a smile and a shrug.

  Wade glared at his brother. “It’s like you’re back in high school again. I recognize the signs.”

  “Signs?” Xander frowned.

  “Oh yeah. I remember when you two started dating. All of a sudden, Xander was distracted and spending all his time doing his hair or trying to bribe us to take on his chores so he could spend more time with Rose.”

  “Xander was a party to bribery?” Tori said, her mouth open in mock shock.

  “Shh!” Xander said, his eyes wide with panic. “Don’t say that so loud. If someone heard that, they might not get the joke.”

  Everyone laughed. “Xander was all about school and baseball until Rose came around. It’s probably a good thing you guys broke it off before he went to Georgetown. He would’ve flunked out hard.”

  “Hey,” Xander argued, “I managed to date in college without dropping below a three-point-eight grade point average, thank you.”

  “Yeah. But those were just anonymous college girls. That’s not the same as dating Rose. You had him wrapped around your finger,” Wade turned to her and said with a smile. “Putty in your hands. And from the looks of it, you’ve worked your magic on him again.”

  Rose’s eyebrows shot up. She turned to look at Xander, trying to see what Wade saw, but it was the same face that had looked at her the past few weeks. Wade couldn’t possibly be right. They were just having fun for old times’ sake, right? At least he was. Rose had known she was in too deep the moment she laid eyes on him, but she had held back, knowing it would never be a two-way street.

  Or could it?

  “It’s true,” Xander said matter-of-factly, making her heart stutter in her chest for a moment. “She is a tasty treat and I can’t get enough.” A smile broke out across his face as he turned to Rose and lifted the back of her hand to his lips. His hazel eyes were fixed on her as his warm skin met hers and sent a tingle of awareness through her whole body. “Rose has entranced me with her...strawberry cloud.”

  “Ugh,” Tori said, wrinkling her nose. “You make that sound dirty.”

  Xander laughed and placed Rose’s hand back in her lap. She drew it under the table and smiled to hide her own disappointment. She’d thought for a moment that maybe he was being serious, but that was because she’d forgotten how much the Eden boys all joked around when they were together. Even Brody, the most serious of them all, would have a good laugh with his brothers.

  The waiter brought their entrées to the table. Everyone took a few moments to settle into their meals, tasting and seasoning and softly groaning with approval. It was a very good restaurant. Rose had picked a blackened fillet of tilapia that had just the right amount of heat to complement the buttery white meat. With rice and grilled asparagus, as well, she could easily stuff herself.

  “What will do you without her strawberry cloud when Congress is back in session?” Wade asked after swallowing a large bite of steak.

  At that, Xander frowned at his rib eye. “I don’t know,” he said, turning to look back at Rose with all signs of humor gone from his face. “We still need to talk about that. There are a lot of unknowns right now.”

  “Why don’t you sweep her off her feet and take her far away from this dull little town?” Tori asked.

  “We’ve hardly b—” Rose started to argue away the importance of their relationship, but she was interrupted by Xander.

  “I’ve given it some serious thought, if she’s interested.” He turned toward her. “Rose, would you ever consider moving to D.C.?”

  “Move to D.C.?” she parroted back to him. Was he asking her to move in with him? With his brother and future sister-in-law as witnesses? Rose certainly couldn’t afford to live there on her own. “What would I do there?”

  “Whatever you like. You’re an award-winning baker. You could try working at one of the nearby bakeries. There’s some great ones. You could even open your own.”

  Open her own bakery? How could he know what she’d dreamed of doing when she couldn’t even voice it aloud to another living soul? He knew her better than she believed. She’d fantasized about opening a bakery, but it required up-front cash that she’d tried, and failed, to save. Every time she’d get a good amount put away, disaster would strike and she’d need new tires or X-rays.

  “Yeah. There’s some nice bakeries around,” he continued, “but nothing like what I’ve tasted of yours. I think you and Joey would really love D.C. The museums are great and the food is fantastic. No offense, but Daisy’s has got nothing on the places around town. Everything from Ethiopian food to Korean barbecue within a few blocks’ walk. There are some great private schools in the area, too. We could get tickets to the Washington Nationals games. I think Joey would...”

  Xander continued talking, but Rose’s disappointment made it hard for her to follow along. She forced a smile on her face and nodded appropriately as he chatted on. She should’ve known better than to make that mental leap. Really, they’d reunited less than two weeks ago and had had a couple great nights together. That wasn’t grounds for anything other than maybe a call for another date. Moving in together so soon? That was a fantasy. He might want her to move to D.C., but it was more about seeing his son than anything else. She was a means to an end.

  “I think you lost her at Korean barbecue,” Tori said, catching Rose’s attention. “I said sweep her off her feet and you’re rattling off neighborhood details like a real estate agent.”

  Rose laughed it off and shrugged away her concern. “I’m not a very adventurous eater. It sounds nice, but maybe we could start with a long weekend visit before we start packing my things.”

  “Now that you mention it,” Xander said, “I do have to go back to D.C. this weekend. The Fostering Families Center is having their annual fund-raising event. It’s a very swanky black-tie party. I’m also doing my first signing there to cross-promote the book and the charity. You should come with me.”

  “Be serious,” she said with a nervous laugh. Even if she could take the time off work, and she couldn’t, she’d stand out like a sore thumb at a black-tie gala. Her nicest dress had cost her fifty dollars at a department store in Hartford. It probably wouldn’t suit the event any more than her awkward shuffle around the dance floor and desperate clinging to Xander.

  “I am being serious. I want you to come with me.”

  “I have to work.”

  “I don’t know, Rose,” Wade said. “You know when he wants to, he can be very persuasive. He’ll turn that charming politician shtick on your boss and you’ll be on a plane to D.C. before you know it.”

  She appreciated that Wade would think Xander wanted her in D.C. that badly, but she was tougher to convince. If Wade had known the truth, he’d have realized Xander wanted Joey closer. She had no reason to believe that their sexual holiday was something serious. Taking her to D.C. for a romantic weekend was just a way to grease the wheels and convince her she’d enjoy living there.

  “That sounds nice and all, but it’s a pointless effort. Once you get back to work, you’re going to forget all about little old me,” she said. “There’s a country to be managed, and frankly, you all need to focus on that instead of me. It’s not going so well.”

  “I take my constituents’ concerns very seriously,” Xander said in his formal politician’s voice, and then he propped his arm on the back of her chair and leaned in close to her.

  The movement brought a warm rush of his cologne to her nose, reminding her of the night before, when she’d buried her face in his shoulder and shouted the roof down. His light golden eyes were penetrating, his voice no more than a low rumble only she could hear.

  “
But I’ve told you before...there is no way, no how, I’d ever forget about you, Rose.”

  Nine

  “I hope that wasn’t too painful,” Xander said as they got out of his SUV at her apartment.

  Rose took out her keys and paused on the sidewalk. “Why would it be painful? I like your brother and his fiancée.”

  “I know.” He followed her up the walkway to her place and they went inside together. “The conversation dipped into some places that seemed to make you uncomfortable. Like you moving to D.C. I could tell you didn’t care for that idea. If I had the kind of job where I could move back here, I would, but I—”

  “No,” Rose interrupted. “It’s not that I don’t want to move. It’s not like we have a lot going on here. Moving there would be the only way for you to spend quality time with your son. That makes sense. It was just difficult having that conversation without being able to mention that our son was a key element of us moving down there. And why I’d be able to afford it. And why we seemed to be moving so fast when we’ve only had a few dates. Your brother seems to think you’re in love when that’s hardly the case.”

  Xander snorted. Since when was she the expert on his emotions? Frankly, he didn’t know how he felt. He wanted Rose. He didn’t want to leave for D.C. and face a lonely bed without her. Was he in love with her? He didn’t think so. He had feelings for her, but he couldn’t know how much of it was genuine and how much of it was the situation and their past together. Loving her would make their situation easier. They could get married, have a real family together. He liked the idea of that. He just wasn’t sure how it would work in practice with his long hours and brutal pace.

  What he did know was that he didn’t care for how easily she dismissed their relationship. “How do you know how I feel, Rose?”

  She set her purse down on the coffee table and shook her head. “I don’t know, Xander. We’ve talked about our life with Joey and spending this week together and now maybe moving to D.C...but I’m just not sure where the two of us are going with this.”