Timothy

by Katie Dowe

  “Fine now that you called.”

  “How's the boy?”

  “He's doing well, breathing on his own.”

  “Good. I had to fly out of town but I'll be back later. Wait up for me?”

  “I will.”

  “And try and get some sleep as soon as you close the center.”

  “I'll do my best but you know that if I'm waiting up for you I won't want to sleep.”

  “I'll try not to be late,” he promised.

  “See you later. I love you.”

  “Love you too, darling.”

  ***

  Timothy hung up the phone and made his way towards the hospital entrance. He'd been here a few times because he'd contributed towards medicine across the country and he was friends with several doctors as well as several people on the board. Several members of his club who were also friends were on the board as well. He'd found out that both doctors were working the afternoon shift, which suited him fine. He was going to have a talk with both of them and depending on how the conversation went he would stop there. If it took another turn he was going to use his influence to make things very uncomfortable for them. Nicholson might be wealthy and his parents might have reach but nothing compared with the kind that he had. He had every intention of flexing his muscles if it came to that. No one hurt the woman he loved and got away with it.

  He asked for them and was told to go by the doctors’ lounge to wait for them to come to him. He found an empty table and took a seat, looking around idly at the hospital personnel milling around, having coffee and discussing some surgery or the other. His Robyn had sat maybe at this very table where he was seated, with him! The thought made his lips tighten a fraction and he willed himself to calm down. He lifted his head as he saw the two people approaching and got to his feet automatically as they came forward. He didn't extend a hand and didn't miss the resentful look Brianna sent him.

  “I see there's no need for introductions,” he started sardonically. “You already know who I am and I know who you are. Sit, please.” He gestured to the two chairs opposite him.

  “We don't have time—”

  “I suggest you make time.” His tone was mild but his expression glacial as he interrupted the man who'd shattered his woman’s heart. “I know you're busy playing doctor and I will let you get back to that as soon as possible.” His eyes swung to the woman who was bristling with anger. “Ms. Michaels I trust that you got whatever it was out of the way when you came to visit my fiancé last evening?’

  Timothy saw Nicholson swing a startled look towards the woman next to him and presumed correctly that she hadn't shared that piece of information with him.

  “You went to see Robyn?” Sean’s tone was accusing and Brianna stared at him defiantly.

  “You wouldn't stop calling her even though she's engaged!” she hissed. “You claim that you love me and yet you're still hung up on her.”

  “I love her! I mean loved—” He gestured helplessly as he glanced at Timothy. “What the hell were you thinking going to see her? What did you tell her?”

  “She had some pretty illuminating things to say to Robyn.” Timothy’s voice was cool but the anger was churning inside him. He still loved her? “Want to tell him or should I?”

  “I told her the truth!” Brianna burst out. “I told her how much I loathed her and how I pretended to be her friend. She didn't appreciate you and I wanted her to see that.”

  “You broke us up deliberately?” Sean’s face contorted for a moment as he stared at Brianna.

  “She didn't deserve you!”

  “You bitch!”

  “Oh please, do not pretend that you weren't into it, Sean,” she told him heatedly. “I didn't have to put out much effort for you to take my clothes off.”

  “You—”

  “As much as I'm enjoying the drama, I really don't have time for this,” Timothy said coldly. “I'm here as a courtesy just this once. Stay away from Robyn or you'll answer to me, and trust me you don't want to do that.” He leveled a look at Sean. “I know your parents are wealthy benefactors of the hospital but I've contributed here as well and I have long reach. Stop calling her and keep her—” he sent a contemptuous look towards Brianna “—in check or I will make sure she never works in another hospital again.”

  “You can't threaten me—”

  “Shut the hell up!” Sean hissed at Brianna. He turned to Timothy and taking a deep breath he continued. “I love Robyn. She was the best person I've ever known and I didn't deserve her, I knew that but I refused to accept it and I regret that I wasn't man enough to realize that. I've been trying to call and apologize to her but she isn't taking my calls. I can't say I blame her. Will you please let her know how sorry I am and that I wish her all the best?”

  Timothy had come prepared to fight to the death and the fact that the man was extending a peace offering wasn't something he'd expected or appreciated right now. If he continued to threaten it would appear that he was insecure about the man who'd been first in her life and he couldn't afford to portray that image. He was going to have to let it go. He nodded and got to his feet. Sean got to his feet as well and held out a hand. Timothy hesitated before taking the proffered hand, giving it a perfunctory shake before letting go.

  “You're a very lucky man,” Sean said wistfully. “She's the best.”

  “She is,” he agreed and giving one last look at the fuming woman seated at the table he walked away.

  ***

  He picked her up from home and took her back to his apartment. He'd called her from the plane and told her to pack a bag as she would be spending several nights at his place. “I'll get you back in time to open the center,” he'd promised her.

  “What if there's an emergency?”

  “They have your number and I promise that if there is, I will get you there fast enough. I just want us to be away from your work for a couple of nights.” So he'd picked her up and brought her back. He was going to have to tell her what he'd done because he didn't want secrets between them. He'd also asked his housekeeper not to prepare anything. It was time he cooked for her and he'd asked her not to eat anything. He left her in the living room to go and take a quick shower and coming in to take her hand he led her into the large ultra-modern kitchen. “You're cooking?” she asked him in surprise as he started to take out the ingredients to make a pasta.

  “I can cook, you know,” he told her in amusement. “It’s just that I never had the time or inclination to do so until now.”

  “What can I do?” she asked him.

  “Sit and look pretty while I do all the work.”

  She watched as he sliced expertly. “I cannot believe that you actually cook.”

  “Why do you find it so hard to believe?” he asked as he dumped the noodles into the boiling water.

  She shrugged, placing her chin on her hands. “You always look like you're more into telling people what to do.”

  “Than actually doing the deed?” His thick brows lifted as he reached for the bottle of wine and two glasses. He eased the cork out and poured wine into the glasses, handing one to her before taking a seat opposite to her. His kitchen was the domain of his housekeeper and he didn't spend a lot of time in it but he'd made sure it wasn't stark but actually a cozy haven where he sat and ate his meals whenever he was at home, which wasn't often. “I would have you know that I am a very hands on person.”

  “I'm sure you are.” She gazed at him. “I like this side of you.”

  “What side is that?”

  “This domesticated side,” she teased.

  “I'm not going to tell you to get used to it.” He warned her with a smile. He was happy to see how relaxed she was and had thought about taking her out to dinner but had decided that he wanted to be alone with her. And he had no idea how she was going to take what he was going to tell her.

  Chapter 14

  They ate around the kitchen counter with her telling him that the special pasta sauce he'd made was t
he most delicious she'd ever tasted! They were drinking wine after the meal when he told her what he'd done. He wasn't used to explaining his actions to someone else but with her it was different and he wanted to share things with her. He'd told her about his father, who had died a few years ago and who had tried to reach out to them. Malik had embraced him and had forgiven him but Timothy hadn't done so, had only provided for him, never bridging the gap between them as the man had fervently hoped. He'd seen the way his mother had struggled to take care of them and it was something he hadn't been able to forget. He hadn't felt close to anyone since his mother had died and loving someone the way he did Robyn made him feel a little vulnerable and confused at times.

  “I saw two people from your past today,” he told her casually as he twirled the stem of the glass between his fingers.

  “Who?’

  “Your ex-fiancé and former best friend.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “Timothy, what did you do?”

  He finished the wine and put the glass in the sink. “Shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the living room.

  She got up, taking her glass with her as she followed him down the steps into the sunken living room. He went to one corner and touched a button, allowing the cabinet hidden there to glide out. He took a bottle of bourbon and poured a generous amount into a glass before coming to join her on one of the leather sofas. “I did what I had to do,” he murmured as he took a sip and watched her closely. “He's still in love with you.”

  “No he isn't—”

  “Trust me, I would have preferred that the man who held my fiancée’s heart first would just fade away and would have rather been anywhere else than at that table hearing him express his love for you. I'm sure Brianna felt the same way as well.”

  “Why did you go see them?”

  “To set things straight and to make sure that what happened with her and you in that kitchen never happen again. And also to tell him to stop calling you.”

  “I never answered his calls—”

  “He said that. He also said to tell you that you were too good for him and that he was sorry. I pondered a lot if I wanted to tell you what he said but I figured I would be the better man.” His eyes met hers. “How does that make you feel?’

  “What do you mean?”

  “Now that you know he isn't the asshole you thought him to be how does that make you feel, Robyn? Does it change the way you feel about him? About me?”

  She stared at him. “Are you trying to ask me if I still love him?”

  “Do you?” He tossed back the drink, his eyes still on her face.

  “How can you ask me that?”

  “You're prevaricating and the fact that you are gives me concern, love,” he said sardonically. “How exactly do you feel about Nicholson?”

  ***

  She got to her feet in agitation and he watched as she walked over to the window. He'd gone to see them and probably threatened them. She wasn't sure how she felt about him fighting the battle for her and taking it so far. She saw the movement in the glass and realized that he was walking out of the living room swiftly. She turned and walked after him and caught him just as he entered his bedroom, the vast open space with the king sized bed placed in the middle and a wraparound sofa just in front of it. The closet was easily the size of the small house she now lived in and a light had been left on inside, revealing the array of clothes there. An entire section had been dedicated to various footwear stacked neatly on the transparent shelves. She caught up with him and pulled at his arm, forcing him to turn and face her. ”I love you and it appears that I'm going to have to tell you over and over again that I do. I was just not sure how I felt about you going all the way to Manhattan to make a point and doing so without telling me. I was over what Brianna said to me the minute you took me into your arms and I cried right there on your chest, Timothy. That’s what you do for me—you make everything right and I was over that episode that very night. You didn't have to go and be my savior—” She broke off and shook her head. “But you will always do that, won’t you?”

  “Yes,” he told her succinctly. He turned fully and gripped her arms. “I will always feel the need to look out for you and try and shield you from pain and sorrow. I will always try and protect you in every possible way because I love you with every fiber of my being and always will.”

  She stared up at him and felt humbled by what he said and knew that he truly meant it. She would never have to wonder if he loved her, never have to wonder if she was the only one in his life because she would always be and that was something she'd never had with Sean.She took a deep breath and walked into his arms, her head resting on his chest as she breathed in his scent. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “You are welcome.”

  ***

  “I wanted to show you the church.” He held her hand in his, his fingers linked with hers as he guided her among the rubble on the floor. It was the end of May, which meant that it was fast approaching the time for the wedding. He'd contacted Monique Romano and had hired a wedding planner to take care of the details. The church would be ready and the reception would follow at the town center. The invitations had all gone out and her parents would be flying in a few days before the wedding. Her father would be staying with him and her mother staying with her. He couldn't wait to be hitched! He knew now that she loved him and the doubts and insecurities had been put to bed. “It’s lovely,” she whispered as she looked around the high beams and stained glass windows everywhere. “I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful place to pledge my love to you,” she told him.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “You've made my life complete,” he whispered.

  She was about to say something when they heard footsteps coming from behind.

  “Come to investigate the work, boss?”

  Timothy kept his arm around her as they turned to face the man coming towards them. “I'm hoping that I won’t have to fire you if this place isn't ready for our wedding. Darling, this is Bob McLean, the contractor on the job—if he manages to pull it off in the allotted time.”

  The man stuck his hand out, a smile on his face as he stared at her. “Dr. Robyn Faulkner, a savior to Fallen Oaks and to Timothy McLaughlin. I never thought I would live to see the day. I've known the boy since he was knee high and he was as rough and rude as they come—and becoming an adult only made him worse—and you've managed to tame him.”

  “You make him sound like a wild beast,” Robyn said with a laugh as she shook his hand.

  “He was that and more,” he said with a grin as he let go of her hand. “It really is a pleasure to meet you. I taught Timothy all he needed to know about construction.”

  “Don’t you have work to do?” Timothy asked him mildly. “Like getting this place ready in the next few weeks without delay?”

  “That I do.” He saluted both of them and ambled away.

  “You like him.” Robyn observed as she looked up at him.

  “He's a pain in the ass but he's like a father to me. One of the reasons I haven't fired him already.”

  “I'm sure you wouldn't do so even then.” She looked around. “This place is magnificent.”

  “Another reason why I haven't fired him. He knows his job.”

  ***

  They had dinner at his brother’s place on Friday night, Hillary suggesting they have an engagement party. The two little girls were climbing all over Timothy as he sat on the carpet in their playroom with them while Hillary and Robyn sat in the comfortable sofas in the room. Malik had gone outside to make a phone call. “Is that what you want?” Timothy looked over at his fiancé enquiringly.

  “I'm not sure.”

  “I think the town's expecting one.”

  “We have a wedding in another three weeks, which the entire town will be expected to attend. Robyn has a busy practice and we frankly don't have the time.” Timothy handed the piece of puzzle to Madison absently. Holly was seated on his thigh
playing with the latest doll he'd bought her.

  “I would make all the arrangements,” Hillary said swiftly. “You would just have to show up. We could have it by the pool and make it into a sort of barbecue. The weather is really lovely and I'm sure the people would appreciate it.”

  He looked at Robyn. “It’s up to you, love.”

  Robyn looked at him for a moment and then at the woman who would soon be her sister-in-law. “If it is not too much for you.”

  “It’s not,” She said firmly. “How does next Saturday sound?”

  “It’s fine with me.” Robyn looked at the man sprawled on the carpet.

  “Fine with me as well. Okay girls, how about a walk in the garden so that we can count how many butterflies we see?”

  “Yay!” Holly shouted.

  “I want to catch one and put it into a bottle,” Madison declared as she got to her feet.

  “Now why would you want to do that to the poor thing?” he asked her mildly as he took their hands in his.

  “I want to study it.”

  “Still, it deserves a chance to live out its life,” he told her gently and with a wink at Robyn he left with them.

  Both women watched them leave. “He's going to make a great dad,” Hillary commented.

  Robyn turned to look at her. “I know,” she smiled secretly. She'd suspected she was carrying his child but wanted to make sure before she told him. She'd done the tests herself and while she'd hoped that it would happen after they'd been married for a few years she couldn't have asked for a better gift than carrying the child of the wonderful man she was in love with. She was unaware that the glow on her face was revealing it to the woman seated next to her. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed.