Mr. Forever

by Sara Daniel

  Chapter 15

  Olivia managed to smile as she stood at the dining room table and introduced Caleb and Bryce, although it was obviously forced. Bryce laughed as he offered his hand. “So your theories kept on ticking after our divorce?”

  “So far.” Caleb accepted the handshake, although he’d have preferred to twist the man’s arm off.

  “And you have a kid?” Bryce smirked at him. “You got a sweet deal. Wish I’d thought to do what you did and proclaim myself God. Then I could smite everyone who didn’t follow my rules while I’m doing whatever I want with whomever I want.”

  The moment of truth had arrived. Insulated in The Scot’s Mansion, he’d managed to forget he’d been hiding Liam from the world to avoid those very remarks. “Liam is my son, which came as quite a shock. I hope to have a Forever marriage in place soon to give him the stable home he needs.”

  Ethan made a derisive noise. “Too bad you threw away all those marriage proposals.”

  “Why can’t just you and Liam be a family? He can visit his mom, like I visit my dad,” Austin said with all the innocence of his six years.

  Caleb wanted a better life for his son than Olivia was providing for Austin. He caught himself before he said so aloud. He didn’t want to hurt Austin or offend Olivia. He was simply admitting the truth.

  But the truth was Olivia had made a good life for Austin. If Jennifer had handled her situation similarly, he might never have known the truth of Liam’s existence. He would never have experienced the wonder of his son’s gummy smile.

  “Not everyone’s lucky enough to have the wonderful mom you have,” Caleb told Austin.

  “Some mothers aren’t so wonderful when their kids are little, but they get their act together after their kids are adults,” Ethan said.

  Then it was too late. The kids didn’t need them anymore. Caleb wasn’t going to call his mother and reacquaint himself with her idiosyncrasies. She’d had plenty of chances to be his mother when he was a kid.

  “Where’s Caleb?” Penelope’s gaze collided with Ethan waiting by the front door.

  “Liam fell asleep so he decided to stay here for another night. The plane will come back for him tomorrow. Are you ready to go?”

  She glanced around. They were alone in the hall. It felt weird leaving like this, as if they were a couple with no one to answer to but themselves. “I’d like to say goodbye to Caleb and confirm when and where I’m meeting him.”

  “I’ll take care of the details. We have cell phones if something goes awry.”

  “We can wait for him,” she suggested.

  “Actually, we can’t. We have a meeting with investors this evening.”

  She shifted her duffel bag on her shoulder. Inside was her toothbrush, a change of underwear, best dress, two-dozen bottles of perfume, and Ethan’s business model. “You’d be smarter to kick me off this trip and do the schmoozing yourself. Otherwise, you’ll have to hold up my end of a conversation as well as your own.”

  “Oh, the sacrifices I make to look into your eyes for an extra day.” He winked at her. He must have somehow slammed her unattractiveness, but she hadn’t heard any snideness or sarcasm in his tone.

  “Penelope.” Olivia came out from the dining room and engulfed her in a tight hug. “Have a good trip. Don’t be too hard on Ethan.”

  “Isn’t it the other way around?” she tried to joke.

  Olivia glanced between them. “No, I don’t think so.” She went to Ethan and wrapped her arms around his neck in an easy, unembarrassed hug. “You’re welcome here any time. You’ve been a good friend to me. A woman would be even luckier to win your love.”

  “Come with us. I need a date for dinner tomorrow night,” he said.

  Penelope flinched. She’d agreed to this trip. She wanted to turn her business into something, and Ethan was offering her the chance. If she turned it down, she’d spend her life in the basement kicking herself over what-ifs. Watching Ethan with other women draped on his arm was something she had to get used to. If this trip was successful, she’d see a lot more of him. A handsome, charming man like him wouldn’t stay single or interested in her for long.

  Olivia shook her head, declining Ethan’s invitation. “No. It’s time I gave Penelope the room to do something without me looking over her shoulder. I want you to call me, Ethan, whenever you need anything, or just to talk.” Then she turned to Penelope and clasped her hand. “Call if you need anything.”

  “I won’t.” Olivia couldn’t help her this time. She had never flown across the country, culling investors and clients. She hadn’t wined and dined at A-list parties. For once, Penelope was going to outshine her sister. And she was doing it in both her career and her social life.

  Caleb’s plan was to call Maude after dinner while packing his things to leave. Liam was fussy and resisted both his swing and falling asleep, and Maude wasn’t answering her phone, so his productivity was a big goose egg at the moment. He paced the foyer, trying to calm Liam. He’d have asked Olivia to watch him for a few minutes, but she was upstairs preparing Austin for his trip. He could hear Bryce up there too, ostensibly helping, but he seemed to disrupt Olivia’s rhythm more than he added anything constructive.

  Austin, though, was clearly excited. He didn’t need the bond Caleb had worked so hard to forge during their sledding outing. He had his real dad now.

  “How could you let Penelope get involved with that guy?” Bryce’s voice floated from Austin’s bedroom down the stairs. “He’s totally messing with her.”

  Caleb froze at the bottom of the steps. Liam gnawed on his fist, momentarily creating silence.

  “He’s genuine, and he’s the best thing that ever happened to her.” Olivia was defending him. Caleb’s insides warmed that she thought so highly of him. He kissed Liam’s cheek absently.

  “He’s conning her. Her perfumes are worth ten bucks a bottle. I mean, really, who would pay more?”

  “You did today.” The smirk in Olivia’s voice charged straight to Caleb’s groin.

  “I know when I’m the butt of some big practical joke. This guy’s a con. Once he runs off with all the money he’s supposedly collecting for her, I expect a full refund.”

  They weren’t talking about him. He didn’t care what Bryce thought of his brother, but Olivia believed Ethan was Penelope’s “best thing.” As if he understood Caleb’s betrayal, Liam wailed and squirmed against him.

  Liam needed the foundation of Forever. Forever needed its leader to prove his dedication. From his own son to strangers he’d never met, people were counting on Caleb. He couldn’t let them down.

  Olivia and Ethan didn’t know what was best for him or Penelope or Liam. But he did. He’d dedicated his life to bringing the right answer to everyone. The world needed the steadying, calming hand of Forever. With the right partner, he could provide it.

  Liam’s cries sent Olivia down the stairs to investigate. Caleb was at the bottom, pacing the floor with him. “I thought he was already asleep for the night.”

  “I’m hoping he waits to sleep until we’re on the plane. If you have Austin organized, I’d appreciate it if you could look after him while I pack.”

  Olivia stared at him. Apparently, they were having another miscommunication. “You are aware that Ethan and Penelope already left, right?”

  “What?” Caleb looked incredulous and then furious. “Was this your idea to get them alone for the night? Did you think once she spends time with my brother Penelope won’t want me anymore?”

  “My idea?” He had an amazing talent for turning everything into her fault. She pried Liam from his arms and cradled him against her chest. Then she marched down the hall to Caleb’s room, so they’d be out of earshot of both Austin and Bryce. “Is that why you and Beth never married? Ethan stole her away?”

  Caleb slammed the bedroom door behind her. “I was never going to marry Beth. She was practically my sister.”

  “You weren’t?” This was the dead girlfriend he’d never got
ten over. She couldn’t remember exactly how he’d described her, but she knew the woman had marked his soul in a way Olivia could only hope to be remembered by a man when she was gone.

  Caleb paced to the window, pulled open the curtains, and stared out at the darkness. “Beth was my step-sister from Mom’s fourth husband. They moved in with us when I was twelve. By the time I was fourteen, Mom was back together with Ralph again and Beth was living in another state.”

  “She obviously made a lasting impression.” Olivia sat on the edge of the bed. Her bravado and indignation had faded, but her curiosity demanded to know about this woman who’d been in perfect accord with Caleb. Liam stared at her with wide eyes, seemingly fascinated by the drama unfolding around him.

  “She was quiet and calm in the middle of our chaotic home. She never shouted at anyone. She never said anything bad about anyone.”

  Not only was she a saint, she was a dead saint. No other woman could measure up to her. Certainly not Olivia, with a failed marriage and a son who tied guests’ shoes to chairs.

  “Beth watched our parents. She watched everybody and she came up with theories about how to have a relationship without throwing chairs and slamming doors. No one would leave the kids to wonder which one walked out and what to do if their parent didn’t come back for them.”

  “Did that happen to you?” Olivia held out her hand to Caleb, wanting to comfort him, but he was too far away to touch and wasn’t looking at her. She stroked Liam’s silky smooth cheek instead.

  “My biological father did it when I was five and Ethan was a newborn. The door slammed and I never saw him again. When Mom slammed the door, she came back for us in a couple hours or the next morning.”

  “You must have been terrified while she was away.”

  Caleb finally turned toward her, but she knew he didn’t see her. “In Beth’s vision, children never had a reason to be terrified. They didn’t have to tiptoe through the house until they figured out their parents’ moods. They lived in the same house and went to the same school every year. It sounded like heaven to me, but Beth insisted some people experienced it every day. She wanted every child to live that experience. She didn’t live to see high school graduation.”

  “So you made it your mission.”

  “She was always sick. When she moved away, we wrote letters every week. We hashed out the preliminary theories of Forever and swore we’d dedicate our lives to helping people straighten out their marriages, so kids wouldn’t have the same childhoods we did.”

  Olivia suppressed a shiver. “Admitting your theory’s not perfect and doesn’t work for everyone doesn’t mean you failed her. Every woman dreams of a man who loves her so much he dedicates his life to making her dreams come true.”

  “I never mentioned love.” His eyes hardened.

  “You didn’t have to. It’s obvious.”

  “Love is a nasty, volatile, fickle emotion. Beth hated the word.” All traces of sorrow and devotion had vanished from his voice.

  Olivia was having trouble comprehending the change in him, but she could see that Beth had never said those words to him. “Did your mother tell you she loved you?”

  “A couple times. More often she complained that dragging around two kids slowed her down and turned off the men she was dating.”

  Now she understood, and her heart swelled. “Would you want the woman you married to tell you she loved you?”

  “No.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away.

  “Not at any point in your marriage?”

  “No.”

  She could tell from his tone that her questions were beginning to annoy him, but she wanted to make sure she had a clear picture. Now that she did, she carefully laid Liam in the middle of the bed and stood. His answers should have left her beaten down. Instead, she felt powerful and in control. “Then there’s something you need to hear. You haven’t heard it enough in your life. If you get your way, you’ll never hear it again.”

  He turned back to her with narrowed eyes. “Don’t say anything that’s going to hurt you.”

  His advice was undoubtedly sound. She ignored it and framed his face in her hands. “I love you, Caleb.”

  His body stiffened. Disgust rolled off him in palpable waves. She hadn’t expected a positive reaction, but it hurt to realize her love was vile to him.

  She’d proclaimed her feelings and she didn’t intend to back down from them. “Love’s an emotion. It’s raw. It’s volatile. It’s not nasty. It’s beautiful. It’s not fickle. It’s the truth. I love you.”

  “Stop it.” He jerked out of her grasp.

  “I love you.” As the words spilled from her mouth, she realized they weren’t just something Caleb needed to hear. They were true. She loved him. She hadn’t meant for it to happen and couldn’t pinpoint a defining moment when it had. But she knew what love felt like. She knew what was in her heart. It was even more important now for him to believe her. She couldn’t bear for his heart to remain empty when hers was so full.

  He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re purposely trying to sabotage my work. After everything I told you, you should have more respect for what I’m trying to accomplish.”

  Everything he’d told her had helped her understand the man he’d become and the hurting child that was still inside. “I don’t want any child to endure the childhood you and Beth went through. I want you to build a happy home for Liam. But I won’t let you destroy all the good in marriages by taking love out of the equation.”

  She realized with sudden clarity that Forever hadn’t destroyed her marriage. She and Bryce had stopped loving each other. Love was the glue that kept all the other elements in place.

  Caleb faced the window again. “I have to pack. You need to leave.”

  She watched him, his shoulders rigid beneath his suit coat. She ached to wrap herself around him, but he had to come to her now. She picked Liam up to take him out with her. “I love you, Caleb.”

  Caleb waited a full minute after the door closed behind Olivia before he dropped to the bed and covered his face with his hands.

  She loved him. What a damn-fool, irresponsible thing to do. She had a small child from a previous marriage. Austin was going to feel the effects. Caleb would be the bad guy, the one who left the mother and kid in an abyss of miserable emotions. He’d sworn he’d never do this to a kid, and Olivia had deliberately undermined him. She didn’t really love him. She didn’t know what she felt. She was just trying to piss him off.

  In that, at least, she’d succeeded.

  He shoved himself to his feet and ripped off his suit coat and tie. He unbuttoned his shirtsleeves and rolled them up just below his elbows. It was time to get to work. He’d carefully selected two journalists to attend his company dinner party tomorrow. He would speak to each of them personally to stress that love was not a part of a Forever marriage or of any good marriage. The day after tomorrow he would go on national television to make sure the rest of the nation knew the truth about love.

  In the past, his editor and Ethan had advocated playing down this tenet of truth by simply neglecting to mention the word love. That approach was no longer enough. He had to shout it from the rooftops. For a marriage to last and family life to move along at an even keel, love could not creep into their relationship. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ethan.

  “You’re pissed I left without you. Too bad. We’re flying over Ohio right now,” Ethan said.

  He was pissed, but that wasn’t the reason he’d called. “Get the pilot to turn the plane around, you sneaky bastard. Then tell me about your marriages.”

  “What’s to tell? You already know everything.” Ethan’s voice lowered. “We had a great sex life, and then things fell apart.”

  Caleb didn’t want to turn this into an inquisition like Olivia had, but he needed exact details. “Did you love all of them?”

  “Not at once.” Caleb could practically hear the cheeky grin in his voice.

  “
Don’t deliberately misunderstand me.”

  “Then don’t push this. You won’t like the answer.”

  “That you loved the women you married,” he said derisively. “No big surprise that I don’t like the answer. I warned you about it. Beth warned you.”

  “You and Beth are wrong.” Ethan’s voice turned ferocious. “I tried three goddamn times to make Forever work for me.”

  Clearly, he should have gotten the plane to return to Illinois first, so he could have demanded answers from his brother, face-to-face. “You never tried Forever. It was under your nose and you purposely avoided it.”

  Instead of his usual “pisses you off, doesn’t it?” or an equally flippant quip, Ethan was silent for so long only the crackling of the line told Caleb they still had a connection. “That’s what I wanted you to think. I didn’t want my every move scrutinized by you. I didn’t want my failure exposed.”

  “You divorced. How much more exposed could your failure be?”

  “I followed the model,” Ethan said. “I failed while using the Forever model. Those women were my friends, but I didn’t love them.”

  He didn’t love them. The entire foundation of Forever crumbled under the weight of Ethan’s statement.

  “All I have to show for my personal life,” Ethan railed, “are three divorces, an ungodly sum of alimony payments, and a pitiful attempt to save face for The Forever Marriage by blaming it all on a man’s natural obsession with sex.”

  Caleb still couldn’t believe he’d been duped. Three times. “You might have mentioned it to me.”

  His brother laughed harshly. “You don’t know how many times I tried and you blew me off. I’m the little brother who doesn’t know how to do anything right. And I’m sick and tired of it. You can find yourself a new marketing director, because I quit.” The phone clicked and then was completely silent.

  Caleb slowly set down his phone. Ethan wasn’t thinking clearly. He’d wait until the plane returned for him and try again.