by Jessica Wood
“Oh. Wow.” I wasn’t sure how my mind worked, but I knew about this show Ethan was talking about. I couldn’t recall any episodes, but I had a feeling that I’d watched it several times. “Okay, fine. You’ve convinced me. I’ll get that.”
He beamed and swung his arm over my shoulder. “Had I known you were this easily swayed, Liv, I would have taken you somewhere else.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed him playfully. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m only agreeing to stay and eat here because I’m trying to be nice.” I kept my tone casual, but on the inside, I wondered where else he would have taken me if he knew I was willing. As I watched him place our food order, my body became increasingly sensitive to the fact that his arm lingered around my shoulder, and his seemingly-casual touch was sending waves of desire to ripple down my body.
Finally I took a step back from him and casually combed through my hair. “So you seem to really know Philly, Ethan. How long have you lived here?”
“About six or seven years now. What about you?”
“About two years.”
“Ahh, so you’re still a newbie,” he teased. “Good thing you have someone like me to show you around.”
I laughed.
“If you ever want some company or need a personal tour guide, give me a call.” He winked at me.
“Thanks for your offer, but that probably won’t be possible seeing as I don’t have your number. What a shame,” I said with a sarcastic tone and faked a disappointed face. Why did you just say that? I berated myself as I cringed inside. Why are you flirting with him?
“Well that’s a quick fix.”
Before I could tell him I was just joking and didn’t need or want his number, he grabbed my iPhone from my open bag and keyed in his number. Seconds later, I saw him dial the number, causing his own phone to start ringing. He smiled up at me. “You know, Liv. If you really wanted to give me your number, you could’ve just said so. You didn’t have to beat around the bush like this?”
I stared at him in surprise with my mouth gaped opened, ready to give him a piece of my mind. But before I could, he got up to get our food order. As he walked away from me, he looked back and chuckled as he winked back at me.
“Ugh, why is he so annoying?” I muttered under my breath. But as I thought about it, I knew I wasn’t really annoyed. He was bold and cocky, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I was having fun hanging out with him.
When he returned with our food, he had a big smile on his face.
“Why are you so happy?” I eyed him suspiciously.
“Well I’m here, on my day off, having one of my favorite sandwiches with a beautiful girl that’s feisty, blunt, and adventurous. How could I not be happy?”
I rolled my eyes as I tried to play off my indifference to his comment, but on the inside, my heart skipped a beat when I heard his words.
“Now stop rolling those seductive eyes of yours at me, and start eating your delicious sandwich before it gets cold, woman.”
I laughed and looked at him as I deliberately took a large bite from the sandwich to taunt him. But as soon as I bit into the beef brisket and fried egg sandwich, I realized my mistake. My bite broke through the yolk, causing it to ooze out of my mouth.
Ethan laughed. “Damn, now that’s how a girl should eat.”
I blushed and made a face at him. “You bring the messiness out of me.”
He leaned in with a smirk. “I like it messy,” he said in a low, hoarse voice that only I could hear in the crowded shop. I swallowed hard and washed down the bite with my glass of water. He then held my face with his hands and wiped the corner of my lips with his thumb.
As his rough touch moved along my lips, I felt a jolt of electricity explode from the end of his thumb to my lips, radiating out to every fiber of my body. I swallowed hard as I watched him suck the yolk from his thumb as he held my gaze with his deep, dark eyes.
“I…” I tried to say something, but I couldn’t seem to think of anything to say. This is just crazy, Liv. How can you just fall for this man? Should you even trust him? I heard a voice scream inside me. But I pushed away those thoughts. Something about his previous words rung in my mind. “Life’s waiting.”
“Liv, my life has been filled with too many regrets, and I vowed a long time ago that I wouldn’t stop myself from saying what I wanted to say when I wanted to say it.” He paused and leaned closer to me, leaving only a few inches between us. “I like you. I don’t care if you’re with someone else. I don’t care if this might make you feel uncomfortable. I don’t care if you think this is sudden and crazy. I can tell you feel something here too. I want to see where things can go.”
Then he leaned down toward me and I could feel the heat of his breath on my lips. But just before our lips met, I backed away from him as I took in his words. I’m with someone else. Connor!
He frowned as I pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this.”
“You can, and I know you want to. I can sense it.”
I shook my head, trying to not think about what I wanted at the moment. “No, Ethan. I’m engaged. This is wrong. You’re a good guy, Ethan. I had fun today. You helped me relax and forget about some of the things going on in my life. But…”
“So why is it wrong if you’re having fun and enjoyed yourself today? I can tell you want me as much as I want you. What’s wrong with that?”
“Because I’m with someone else…” I realized I was reasoning with him as much as I was trying to reason with my own feelings.
“I don’t care,” he repeated. “I only care about what you want.”
“But I care.” I looked away from him, and shut my eyes, trying to not let his words confuse me on how I felt. “And this is what I want.” I paused and looked back at him. “I enjoyed your company, Ethan,” I said in a flat voice. “That was it. We can’t be anything more than what we are now—friends. I’m engaged. That may not mean anything to you, but it means something to me. I’m engaged to a kind, loving, and generous man who adores me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.”
Ethan looked at me, but said nothing. His eyes were dangerously dark and stormy, his jaws set as he clenched his teeth. I could tell it wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. It wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.
“Can you please take me home now?”
After a few more seconds of silence, his demeanor softened and he forced a smile. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”
***
“You look gorgeous, baby.” Conner looked me up and down. “Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful, Connor.” I forced a wide smile as I looked down at the elegant turquoise chiffon dress I was wearing. “You really shouldn’t have.”
“Liv, I felt terrible leaving you by yourself all of yesterday and most of today while I was in New York. This was the least I could do. And since we’re going on our first date night since your return from the hospital, I wanted tonight to be a little more special.”
“Oh Connor.” I felt touched by his thoughtfulness. “I checked out Talula’s Garden’s menu online and it looks amazing and extravagant. Just dinner there would’ve been more than enough.”
A smirk appeared on his face. “Well not quite enough for the future Mrs. Brady.”
“What do you mean?” I was puzzled by his expression and comment.
In response, I saw him reach for something from his briefcase. It was a velvet rectangular jewelry box. His face glowed with pride as he met my surprised gaze and handed me the box. “Go on, open it,” he urged with a light chuckle.
I held my breath as my fingers moved across the soft velvet. When I opened the box, I let out a loud gasp. Inside the box was a gorgeous, emerald pendant surrounded by diamonds. “Oh Connor…” I whispered.
“I had this specially designed and made for you, Liv. You have no idea how happy I was when you finally woke up from your coma. I was so scared that I’d lost you forever.” His words were strained and he
paused to regain his composure. “I wanted to give you something to show you how much you mean to me.”
So stunned by this surprise, I was left momentarily speechless as I gazed down at the necklace.
He helped me take the necklace from the box and placed it around my neck. “You once told me that emerald was your favorite gemstone because that was your mother’s birthstone. I know she meant a lot to you, so I wanted to have something special made that reminded you of her and me—the two people in your heart.” There was a warm smile on his face as he looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.
Tears welled up in my eyes at how sweet and thoughtful this man was—more sweet and thoughtful than I knew I deserved.
“It’s beautiful, Connor.” I grabbed his neck and kissed him passionately. “You’re just too good to me,” I whispered between our parted lips. I buried my face into his chest and the guilt of what I’d almost allowed to happen with Ethan consumed me on the inside.
“So does that mean you like it then?” He looked down at me hopefully.
I shook my head in amazement at how incredible this man was. “Yes, of course. I love it, Connor.”
“I’m glad.” He beamed at me. “I was worried you might not like it and wouldn’t wear it often.”
“I’ll wear it all the time. I promise.” I hugged him and inhaled deeply his familiar scent as I allowed myself to relax into his arms. “Thanks for being so amazing to me.”
“You deserve it, babe.” He then pulled away and looked at his watch. “Now let’s get going before we miss our dinner reservation.”
I nodded and smiled up at him. I felt lucky to have him in my life and wished I remembered him more.
***
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” I moaned as I took another bite of my skirt steak.
“I’m glad your tastes haven’t changed.” Connor laughed as he savored his red wine and watched me enjoy my meal.
Then I paused and frowned. “Is something wrong with your steak?” I looked over at his skirt steak, which he’d barely put a dent on, and wondered why he had also ordered the steak if he didn’t want to eat it.
“No, it’s perfect as usual. I had a late lunch, so I wasn’t too hungry. But don’t worry, Scooter loves the steak here. It won’t go to waste.”
I giggled and scrunched my nose at him. “You know what? You spoil everyone, including your dog.”
He chuckled. “I only spoil the ones I love.” He grinned at me and reached out for my hand from across the table. “It’s really so great to be here with you. It’s like we’re back to how things were.”
I forced a smile. “I really wish I could remember everything so we could go back to how things were.”
He squeezed my hand. “Have you been remembering anything lately? You mentioned going through your photo albums. Were they helpful?”
I shook my head. “They weren’t helpful, but I’ve had a few random memories here and there.”
“Oh? That’s great, babe. Any memories of me?” He looked at me hopefully.
I blushed and leaned toward him and responded in a hushed voice, “Well, the day I woke up from my coma, I did—”
Just then, Connor’s phone vibrated to life, cutting me off before I could tell him about the flashback I’d had of him as he was going down on me.
“Sorry, Liv. I have to take this.” He looked at me apologetically before answering his phone.
“This is Connor,” he spoke into his phone in his commanding, professional voice.
I noticed the couple at the table next to ours shot a quick glance at Connor and frowned. But Connor either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
Instead, he looked over at me and mouthed a “sorry.”
I smiled and shook my head and mouthed back a “it’s okay.” I took a sip of my wine and tried to keep myself busy as Connor sat there in silence, listening to the person on the other end of the line.
“I see.” He furrowed his brow. “Yes, certainly, I’m more than happy to review the numbers for you. Just send the documents over.”
Then Connor hung up the phone and focused his attention back on me. “Sorry, Liv. It’s that client with the time-sensitive business deal that I went to New York for. I hope you didn’t mind.”
“No, of course not.” I shook my head reassuringly.
“Thank you. You’ve always been so understanding with how important this company is to me. Now where were we?”
“Um.” I tried to remember what we were talking about before the interruption. “I can’t remember.”
“That’s okay.” He looked down at his phone and I could tell he was distracted. “So how was your day yesterday? What did you end up doing?”
I bit my lip and thought about my answer. I knew that in order to answer his question honestly, to rid myself of the guilt I felt inside, and to be the fiancée he deserved, I’d have to tell him about Ethan. I looked at my engagement ring as my other hand move to the emerald diamond pendant that seemed to burn against my skin. I knew I had to tell him.
“Connor, I ended up going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and…” I avoided his eyes. “I actually bumped into that guy who caught my fall in front of the hospital two weeks ago.”
“Oh, that’s great, honey. You always did love museums.” Connor’s voice seemed distant.
Confused by his response, I looked back at him. It was then that I noticed that he hadn’t heard what I’d say about Ethan, because he was preoccupied with whatever he was reading on his phone.
“Connor?”
“Yeah, honey?” He responded without glancing up from his phone.
“Everything okay?”
Finally, he seemed to snap out of trance and looked up at me. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, Liv. That client just sent me something.” He motioned at his phone as if that was enough to explain what had happened. “You know how it goes. Another fire drill and the client comes first.”
“I…” I wanted to say that I didn’t know “how it goes” but I held my tongue. I didn’t want to ruin the special night he had planned for us.
“Liv,” he interrupted my thought, “I hate to do this, but do you mind if we cut the evening short?”
“What?” I heard myself blurt out, completely surprised by Connor’s request.
He frowned. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t expect this to happen, but I need to go into the office for a few hours. This client wants this deal finalized tonight or he’s backing out.”
Before I could respond, I saw Connor motion to our waitress for the check.
“Don’t be upset, Liv.” He noticed my shock and disappointment.
“I’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure him as I forced a smile on my face.
Fifteen minutes later, we were standing in front of the restaurant waiting for the valet to pull Connor’s car around.
“I need to go straight to the office, so I can’t drop you off at home. Let me call Jim to come pick you up.”
“No, it’s really okay,” I insisted. “It’s still early and some of the shops haven’t closed yet. I want to walk around and do some shopping.” I lied. I didn’t really want to go shopping. I just wanted to walk home alone and clear my head.
“Are you sure, honey? Jim can drive you around.”
“Don’t worry. We live less than a mile from here, and there are shops the entire way home.” I forced another smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Just then, Connor’s car pulled up, stealing his attention away from our conversation. “Okay. I love you, Liv.” He hugged me tightly and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be home before you know it.”
“Okay. Don’t work too hard.”
“Oh yeah, do you mind feeding Scooter my leftover steak when you get in?” He handed me his to-go bag of food.
“Yeah, of course. Not a problem.”
“Have fun shopping, gorgeous. I’ll see you soon,” he said as he slid into the Aston and drove off.
“Bye,” I whispered as I watched t
he car disappear around the corner.
On my walk home, I thought about everything that’d happened tonight. I knew Connor had a demanding job—he was CEO of his own multi-million dollar company. But I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t disappointed by how the night had ended. I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t disappointed by how quickly he’d ended our evening for his work. And the selfish part of me couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t disappointed that he failed to hear my attempts to tell him about Ethan—my attempts to rid the guilt that’d been weighing me down.
As I began to have doubts about my relationship with Connor, I remembered something Anna had said to me a few weeks ago.
“You are one of the hardest working people at Brady Global…In fact, everyone actually thinks you and Connor are like the perfect couple. You’re both hot, smart, and hardworking. It was actually your hard work and dedication to the company that first caught Connor’s attention.”
Was Anna right? Was I a workaholic like Connor before my amnesia? Had I cared about Brady Global just as much as Connor did? Was this what brought us together? If Anna was right, could I fault Connor now if this was how I was, how we were, and how we had fallen in love?
CHAPTER FIVE
I was so consumed with my thoughts on my walk home that I found myself approaching the front door of the mansion before I even realized it.
Jim greeted me at the door when I walked in. “Good evening, Ms. Stuart. Mr. Brady informed me that you would be out shopping this evening. I was prepared to pick you up from wherever you were if you had called me.”
I managed a small polite smile. “Thank you for being available, Jim. It’s a nice, cool night for June, so I wanted to walk home and enjoy the refreshing evening air.”
“Very well, Ms. Stuart. It has indeed been a brisk night. The weather report says that a storm is rolling in.”
“I’m glad I got home in time then.” I looked out the window and saw large threatening clusters of shadowy clouds approaching from the distant horizon.