by Anna Mara
In a split second, Christina was on fire for him and it was like they'd never been apart. She kissed him back as her hands wrapped themselves around his neck and his were plastered on her back, molding her to his strong, aroused male body.
Breathing heavily, he pulled away first and rested his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes briefly. "Oh God… it's been so long… and I needed to taste you again," he groaned. It was still there! The electricity and the sparks were still there between them. He hadn't imagined any of it.
Christina suddenly pulled away from him and took a step back. "Is that why you're here? For sex?"
"No. I'm here about the baby; our baby."
Christina gasped. "How did you find out?"
"My father told me. You should know by now, Christina, that he always breaks his promises."
She straightened her spine with courage and determination. "I'm not apologizing, you know. I wrote you."
Bill shook his head at his own stupidity. "I know." He paused. "And I'm here… to apologize to you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you… for the baby… for what happened. I guess I let you down. I'm sorry for that." He spoke the words softly.
He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up in a boyish fashion. Wow, Christina thought, he's just as gorgeous and hot as ever. But she wasn't going to let her guard down with him. She still needed to be on the defensive where he was concerned.
"Well, it's done and over with. Me losing the baby… it wasn't my fault," she challenged.
"I know." He paused for a few seconds as he searched her face, looking for clues about how she'd really felt about having his baby. "I… guess it was a relief to you. You wouldn't have wanted to be saddled with my child."
"How can you say that to me?" Christina angrily answered back. "I desperately wanted to have that baby and it killed me when it was gone. And if you think that it was a 'relief' to me, then you don't know me at all." She took another step away from him and there were unshed tears in her eyes. "Maybe you'd better go."
He came to her then and wrapping his arms around her, hugged her tight to him. "Oh Christina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Please forgive me."
She broke out of his arms. "You've said your peace. Just go."
Bill took a deep steadying breath as he looked at the hurt expression on her face. "I would have been here for you… if I'd known. Please believe that. I would have wanted my baby, Christina; don't ever doubt that."
She turned away from him. "There's nothing more to discuss. The baby's gone."
Bill felt her pull away from him emotionally. If he didn't do something, say something now, tonight, he knew he'd never get another chance with her.
"There's another reason I'm here tonight. And that's to say I'm sorry for what I did to you in high school."
She quickly spun around to him at hearing those words. "You've never said that to me before."
"No, but it's time that I did. I was a drunk and a jerk and what Jake and I did to you was mean and cruel. Jake feels the same way. I had no idea you'd been sent away to boarding school. My father told me today. I just thought you decided to go to another school but I was so drunk and spaced out back then that you might as well have been on another planet for all I knew." He took a long look at her and shook his head in amazement. "You're the girl under the bleachers. Do you know you're the first girl ever who told me to go fuck myself? Figures." Bill laughed. "I couldn't believe anyone had the balls to say that to me, let alone a girl. You certainly got my attention back then."
Christina had been listening very closely to his speech and she smiled at that. "You deserved it."
"Oh, I know I did. I even knew it back then. It's just that no one ever had the guts to put me in my place but you did." He stopped for a few seconds as if gathering up his courage. "I got away with a lot. And I never realized the damage it had caused you. So, on behalf of that stupid, immature, drunken kid I was, I want to say that I'm sorry. You had every right to hate me and I can understand now why you wanted to get revenge on me. It was payback and I had it coming… not just for what I did to you but for all of the other drunken, stupid things I've done over the years. Life kicked me in the teeth, with your help of course; and it's taken me these eighteen months to realize that I deserved it all. I'm sorry, Christina."
Christina was stunned at Bill's admission of guilt. He was actually taking responsibility for his past actions and he was apologizing to her, not waiting for an apology 'from' her—which is what she'd thought when she'd first opened the door to him tonight.
She slowly smiled at him. "You know, I hated your guts for the longest time and when I found you again, the only thing I could think of was revenge. I wanted to hurt you as much as you had hurt me. So, I set my plan into motion. And it was a damn good plan if I say so myself except for one little catch…"
"Which was?" Bill warily looked at her. He still didn't know where he stood with her—if he still had a chance to patch things up.
"Like an idiot, I fell in love with you and I didn't hate you anymore. And I was ashamed of what I had been doing to you. And I guess… I'm apologizing too. I want to say that I'm sorry for the hurt I caused you and I hope you can forgive me." Christina smiled at him then and put out her hand towards him for a handshake. "No hard feelings between you and me?"
A feeling of triumph coursed through Bill's system. This was going so well and maybe he did have a shot with her again after all. He suddenly gave her one of his megawatt, dazzling movie star smiles and he clasped her hand in his. "No hard feelings," he agreed.
And they shook on it.
For some strange reason, the atmosphere in the room felt cleansed and lighter as their hands released. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other and smiled. They both instinctively knew that they had passed a test of some kind that life had thrown their way.
"I have something for you," Bill said.
He suddenly, reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a long box. Opening it, he presented it to Christina and she gasped. Inside were all of the diamond jewelry pieces that Bill had given her during their brief engagement—the necklace, earrings, pin, engagement ring and wedding band.
She was shocked. "It's my jewelry," she whispered as Christina took the box and began to lift out the pieces. She turned incredulous eyes back up at him, "I… I thought you'd have returned all this?"
Bill was studying her closely, hoping. "I couldn't. They all belong to you; they're yours."
"I can't accept these."
"You can… if you're my wife."
Christina held her breath as her heart pounded against her ribs. "What are you saying?" She could barely get the words out.
Bill reached into the jewelry box clutched in her hands and pulled out the engagement ring. He held it up.
"I'm saying that I'm crazy in love with you. There hasn't been one damn day that's gone by since I left you, that I haven't thought about you, wondered what you were doing, what you were thinking, how you were feeling? You get to me, Christina. And I'm so hopelessly, desperately in love with you… and I want a life with you. Please say you'll marry me; please say yes."
There—he'd said it—and now it was his turn to anxiously hold his breath, waiting for her answer.
She stared at him and a smile slowly started to form on her lips. "Yes," she breathlessly whispered back.
A triumphant smile beamed across Bill's lips as he slowly took Christina's left hand and gently placed the engagement ring back on her third finger—where it belonged. The diamonds twinkled in the living room light as she raised her hand and stared at it.
Suddenly, she launched herself into his arms and he grabbed her, holding her tight to him.
"I love you so much, too," she cried as she held him.
"God, I've missed you," Bill rasped as he kissed her temple and buried his head in her hair. "And I was such an ass for sending you away like that." He pulled back and suddenly cupped he
r face with his hands. "I've been a fool… a stubborn, mule-headed fool to have stayed away from you for so long."
Christina gave him a sexy smile. "I agree there," she teased as she clung to him.
He smiled at that. "I promise you, Christina, that I'll never leave you again and I promise that I'll love you and cherish you… and…"
"And… what?" she prompted.
"And… that I'll stay sober." He lowered his eyes from hers in shame. "I don't know if you know this but I went back to drinking after we broke up."
"I know," she softly whispered as she caressed his cheek. "And it's all right. We all make mistakes and do stupid things. But you came out of it and you're not drinking anymore and from now on we'll work on it together."
"Together; I like that word," he teased her.
"Get used to it because we're going to have a lot of 'together', you and I, starting right now," Christina claimed his lips with a sweet, breathy kiss and he responded with a promise kiss of his own that seemed to go on forever.
He pulled back from her and gazed into her eyes.
"Christina, there's something you should know… before you marry me."
Oh no, Christina thought, now what? "You can tell me anything," she softy encouraged him.
"I… I'm not rich anymore. In fact, I don't have any money. As the head of the GME group, I get paid the least of all the employees there and a portion of what I do make is plowed back into the cause." Bill paused as he kept his worried eyes focused on her. "I… live in a one-room apartment and my furniture is Goodwill secondhand cast-offs," he laughed as he continued, "In fact, your apartment is a palace compared to mine… so…" he turned serious again, "I… I won't be able to buy you any more diamonds for quite awhile. You probably make more money than me anyway. I don't have very much now and nothing to offer you…"
Christina became angry. "Bill Havenwood, how dare you think I care about that stuff. I love you, not your money and not your Havenwood position and together we'll do just fine." She smiled at him as she snuggled deeper in his arms. "Besides, I happen to like Goodwill castoffs. Where do you think I got my couch?"
Bill laughed as he started to feel better.
Christina gave him a swift kiss and coyly added, "And if I make more money than you, then maybe I should be making you sign a pre-nup rather than the other way around?"
He laughed again as he returned her kiss. "I'll sign anything you want me to sign, Miss Matteo so long as you promise to be by my side for as long as I live."
"I promise, so long as you promise to make an honest woman out of me and marry me."
"That's one promise you can count on, so long as there aren't anymore Stanley Moore creeps mooning over you."
"Well, they can moon over me all they want but I'm only interested in you, Mr. Havenwood."
"I hated seeing you with him at the opera. I was so jealous that he was there with you… touching you and who knew what else… that I almost hit him."
Christina was shocked, as she gasped, "You didn't?"
Bill nodded. "Yes, I did. I came this close…" he brought his index finger and thumb up with an inch of space between them, "… to sucker punching him at the bar at intermission."
Christina giggled, "So that's why you were so angry that night. Jenny was right. I promise, no more Stanley Moore's." She pulled him then onto the couch and positioned herself on his lap. "I think it's time we sealed this deal with more than a kiss, don't you?"
"What did you have in mind?"
Christina wrapped her arms around his neck and wiggled her sexy derriere into his hard lap. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and desire shot through Bill.
"Well, I still have your handcuffs in the other room. We never really did get to use them properly," she giggled again as Bill lowered his mouth to hers.
They came together then…
And they knew they would never come apart again.
Epilogue
The following Saturday night, Bill brought an uninvited guest to the Havenwood mansion for dinner with William.
Christina.
And they announced their engagement—and William was thrilled.
The dinner went well.
Christina acted like a referee between the two—and it was the first step in repairing the bond between father and son.
* * *
A month later, Christina and Bill were married on a beach in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. Jenny was the maid of honor, Jake was the best man and little Taylor was the flower girl.
The only other invited guests were Christina's parents, Gabriella and Nunzio; William and Maddie; and Eudora, of course, the Havenwood maid whom Bill adored and was like a grandmother to him.
The ceremony was simple. The bride and groom were both barefoot in the hot sand—and Maddie caught the bridal bouquet.
William had been upset at first when he'd heard about the wedding plans. He had wanted a big, high society New York splashy shindig where he could invite all of his rich friends.
But Christina and Bill had stood firm. No way. No Havenwood billionaire wedding for them. They had wanted it to be simple, a special day just for the two of them and their loved ones.
In the end, they caved a little and agreed to have William and Maddie host a large post-wedding reception party on the Havenwood grounds to introduce the couple to their rich, snobby crowd. After all, William argued, Bill could use the high society connections if he truly had plans to run for Congress, couldn't he?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Epilogue
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