by Tracy Wolff
“Do you need a label?” he asked.
Part of her wanted to call this something. Maybe then she could justify her feelings for a man who’d let her go so easily before.
She had no idea what she was going to do once she got back to Alma. Working for Patrick was not going to happen. She’d put up with his arrogance for too long. Thankfully she’d only worked for him a short time because up until recently, James had been the one occupying the Playa del Onda home. Catalina had had a hard enough time working for Patrick knowing what she did about her mother, but now knowing he’d manipulated his son and crushed their relationship, Catalina couldn’t go back there. Never again.
So where did that leave her? She didn’t think she was quite ready to head out with her designs and start pursuing her goal. She had a few more things she’d like to complete before she made that leap.
“What’s going through your mind?” Will asked, studying her face.
“You know the sewing set you got me?”
Will nodded.
“You have no idea how much that touched me.” Catalina raked her hand through his blond hair and trailed her fingertips down his jaw, his neck. “I’ve been sewing in my spare time. Making things for myself, for my mother. It’s been such a great escape and when I saw what you’d gotten me, I...”
Catalina shook her head and fell back against the bed. She stared up at the ceiling and wished she could find the right words to tell him how much she appreciated the gift.
“So you’re saying it was a step up from the flowers?” he joked.
Shifting her gaze to him, her heart tightened at his playful smile. “I may have cried,” she confessed. “That was the sweetest gift ever.”
Will settled over her, his hands resting on either side of her head. “It was meant more as a joke,” he said with a teasing smile. “And maybe I wanted to remind you of what we did in the utility room.”
Cat smacked his chest. “As if I could’ve forgotten. That’s all I could think about and you know it.”
He gave her a quick kiss before he eased back. “It’s all I could think of, too, if that helps.”
Catalina wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. “What are we going to do when we get back?”
“We’re going to take this one day at a time because I’m not screwing this up again.”
“We can’t seem to function in normal life.”
Will’s forehead rested against hers as he let out a sigh. “Trust me, Cat. I’ve fought too hard to get you back. I’m going to fight just as hard to keep you.”
Catalina prayed that was true, because all too soon she was going to have to reveal the final secret between them if she wanted a future with this man.
* * *
Cat lay on the deck sunbathing in that skimpy bikini, which was positively driving him out of his mind. Right now he didn’t give a damn that the radio was beyond repair or that their phones weren’t getting a signal. For two days they’d made love, stayed in bed and talked, spending nearly every single moment together.
Perhaps that’s why he was in such agony. He knew exactly what that lush body felt like against his own. He knew how amazingly they fit together with no barriers between them.
Will couldn’t recall the last time he’d taken this much time away from work. Surprisingly he wasn’t getting twitchy. He’d set his plan into motion a couple months ago for Rowling Energy and it shouldn’t be too much longer before everything he’d ever wanted clicked into place like a perfectly, methodically plotted puzzle.
Will folded his arms behind his head and relaxed on the seat opposite Cat. But just as he closed his eyes, the soft hum of an engine had him jumping to his feet.
“Do you hear that?” he asked, glancing toward the horizon.
Cat sat up, her hand shielding her eyes as she glanced in the same direction. “Oh, there’s another boat.”
Will knew that boat and he knew who would be on board. Good thing his brother hadn’t left to go back to training for football yet because that meant he could come to their rescue. Which was what he was doing right now.
“Looks like our fairy tale is over,” Catalina muttered.
He glanced her way. “It’s not over,” he corrected. “It’s just beginning.”
As James’s yacht closed the distance between them, Will slid his shoes back on. “Stay here. I’ll wave James to the other side of the dock where the damage isn’t as bad. And I’ll carry you on board once we’re secure.”
Cat rolled her eyes and reached for her wrap draped across the back of the white sofa. “I can walk, Will. My ankle is sore, but it’s much better than it was.”
Will wasn’t going to argue. He’d win in the end regardless.
As soon as James was near enough, Will hopped up onto the dock and made his way toward the other end. By the time James came to a stop, Bella was at his side, a worried look etched across her face.
“Coast guard has arrived,” James said, coming up behind his wife.
“I figured you’d come along sooner or later,” Will replied.
James took in the damage to the dock and the yacht. “Damn, you’ve got a mess. That must’ve been one hell of a storm. It rained and there was some thunder and wind in Alma, but no damage.”
“Let me go get our things,” Will told his brother. “I need to carry Cat, too. She’s hurt.”
“Oh no,” Bella cried. “What happened?”
“I fell.”
Will turned to see Cat leaning over the side of the yacht. “You’re supposed to be sitting down,” he called back.
“I’m fine. I will need some help off this thing, but I can walk if I go slow.”
Will shook his head. “I’ll carry her,” he told his brother. “Give me a few minutes to get our personal stuff gathered.”
Once they transferred everything Will and Cat needed to his brother’s yacht and Will carried a disgruntled Cat on board, they were ready to head out. The trip back to Alma was filled with questions from Bella and James. Their worry was touching and Will actually found himself loving this newfound bond he and his brother shared. This is what he’d been missing for years. This is what their grief had torn apart after their mother had died. But now they were slowly making their way back to each other.
“I wasn’t quite sure which island you went to,” James said as they drew nearer to Alma’s coastline. “I went to two last night and had to start again today when I couldn’t find you.”
“Did you tell anyone what was going on?” Will asked.
“No.” James maneuvered the boat and pulled back on the throttle. “Bella and I are the only ones who know where you were.”
Will was relieved nobody else knew. He didn’t want to share Cat or their relationship with anyone just yet. He wanted to bask in their privacy for a bit longer.
“Dammit,” James muttered as they neared what was supposed to be a private dock where Alma’s rich and famous kept their boats. “The damn press is here.”
“What for?” Cat asked, her eyes widening.
“There were a few reporters here when I left earlier,” James stated as he steered the yacht in. “They were speculating because Will’s yacht had been missing for a few days and they knew a storm had come through. They asked me where you were and I ignored them.”
Will groaned. So much for that privacy he’d been clinging to. “Don’t they have anything better to cover? Like the fact Juan Carlos is going to be crowned king in a few weeks? Do they seriously have to focus on me?”
Cat’s eyes remained fixed on the throng of reporters and cameras turning in their direction.
Will crouched down before her seat and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Ignore them. No matter what they say, do not make a comment. They’ll forget about this by
tomorrow and we can move on.”
Her eyes sought his and she offered him a smile. “Ignore them. That I can do.”
Will stood back up and offered her his hand. “I’m going to at least put my arm around you so you can put some of your weight on me. Anyone looking will just think I’m helping you.”
“I’ll carry her bag,” Bella offered. “I’ll go first. Maybe they’ll focus on James and me. I can always just start discussing my upcoming fund-raiser for my foundation next weekend. I’m okay with yanking the reporters’ chains, too.”
Will couldn’t help but laugh at Bella’s spunk. She was the perfect match for his brother.
As they made their way down the dock, Will kept his arm secured around Cat’s waist. James and Bella took the lead, holding hands as they wedged through the sea of nosy people.
The reporters seemed to all start shouting at once.
“Where have you been for three days?”
“Was your yacht damaged by the storm?”
“Were you stranded somewhere?”
“Who is with you, Will?”
The questions kept coming as Will tried to shield Cat from the press. The whispers and murmurs infuriated him. Seriously? Wasn’t there other newsworthy stuff happening in Alma right now? Dammit, this was one major drawback to being a wealthy, well-known businessman. And if he thought for a second he could have any privacy with Cat now that they were back, he was living in a fantasy.
When he heard someone say the word “staff” he clenched his jaw. He wouldn’t respond. That’s what they wanted: some type of reaction. He heard his father’s name and for reasons unbeknownst to Will, the gossipmongers were starting to piece things together rather quickly. Where the hell would they have seen Cat? On occasion his father would allow a few press members to attend certain parties thrown by the Rowlings if there was a charity involved. Cat had been James’s maid, too, though.
Will groaned as he kept his sights on his brother’s back as the foursome pushed through to the waiting car in the distance. They couldn’t get there fast enough for Will.
“Is your mistress a member of your family’s staff, Mr. Rowling?”
The rude question had Cat stiffening at his side. “Keep going,” he murmured. “Almost there.”
“Wasn’t she working for your brother?”
“Is she on Patrick’s staff?”
“How long have you been seeing your father’s maid?”
“Weren’t you just engaged to your brother’s wife?”
“What does your father think about you and his maid?”
Will snapped. “This isn’t like that. You’re all making a mistake.”
Catalina’s gasp had him jerking his gaze toward her. “Dammit,” he muttered beneath his breath. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
Those damn words echoed from the last time he’d said them to her. And this time they were just as damaging when taken out of context.
Easing back from his side, Cat kept her eyes on his. “I’m not sure, Will. Because only moments ago you said ignore them and you said we’d take this one day at a time. We’ve only been back in Alma five minutes and you’re already referring to me as a mistake.”
Will raked a hand through his hair. From the corner of his eye he spotted James and Bella standing close. For once the reporters weren’t saying a word. They waited, no doubt hoping to really get something juicy for their headlines.
“Marry me.”
Okay, he hadn’t meant to blurt that out there, but now that the words hovered between them, he wasn’t sorry. Maybe Cat would see just how serious he was about them.
“Marry you?” she asked, her brows drawn in. “You’re not serious.”
He stepped forward and took her hand. “We are not a mistake, Cat. You know we’re perfect together. Why wouldn’t you?”
Cat stared back at him, and then shook her head and let out a soft laugh. “This is ridiculous. You don’t mean this proposal so why would you do this to me? Why would you ask that in front of all these people? To prove them wrong? Because you got caught with the maid and you’re trying to glamorize it?”
“Dammit, Cat, this has nothing to do with anyone else. We can talk later, in private.”
He didn’t want to hash this out here in front of the press. And he sure as hell didn’t want to sound as if he was backpedaling because he’d chosen the worst possible time to blurt out a proposal.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she tipped her chin up just a notch, but enough for him to know she was good and pissed. “Would you have proposed to me if all of these people hadn’t been around? Later tonight when we were alone, would you have asked me to marry you?”
Will gritted his teeth, clenched his fists at his side and honestly had no reply. He had absolutely no idea what to say. He didn’t want to have such an intimate talk in front of the whole country, because that’s exactly what was happening. The press would no doubt splash this all over the headlines.
“That’s what I thought.” Cat’s soft tone was full of hurt. “I’d say it’s officially over between us.”
When she turned, she winced, but just as Will reached to help her, Bella stepped forward and slowly ushered Cat to the car. James moved in next to Will and ordered the press away. Will didn’t hear much, didn’t comprehend what was going on because in the span of just a few minutes, he’d gone from deliriously happy and planning his future, to seeing that future walk away from him after he’d hurt her, called her a mistake, once again.
This time, he knew there would be no winning her back.
Sixteen
“What the hell is this?”
Will turned away from his office view to face his father, who stood on the other side of his desk with a folder in his hand. Will had been waiting for this moment. But he hadn’t expected to feel this enormous pit of emptiness inside.
“I see you received the notice regarding your shares in Rowling Energy.” Will folded his arms across his chest and leveled his father’s gaze. “Your votes in the company are no longer valid. I held an emergency meeting with the other stockholders and we came to the decision.”
Patrick’s face reddened. “How dare you. What kind of son did I raise that he would turn around and treat his father like this?”
“You raised the son who fought for what he wanted.” Will’s blood pressure soared as he thought of all he’d lost and all he was still fighting for. “You raised a son who watched his father put business first, above family, and to hell with the rest of the world. I’m taking Rowling Energy into new territory and I need sole control. I’m done being jerked around by you.”
Patrick rested his palms on the desk and leaned in. “No, you’d rather be jerked around by my maid. You two made quite a scene yesterday—it made headlines. You’re becoming an embarrassment and tarnishing the Rowling name.”
Will laughed. “What I do in my personal life is not your concern. You poked your nose in years ago when you threatened to dismiss Catalina if I didn’t dump her. I won’t be manipulated ever again and you will leave Cat alone. If I even think you’ve tried to—”
“Knock off the threats,” his father shouted as he pushed off the desk. “Your little maid quit on me and has really left me in a bind. If you were smart, you’d stay away from her. You two get cozy and she quits. I don’t believe in coincidences. Those Iberra women are nothing but gold diggers.”
Will stood up straighter, dropped his arms to his sides. “What did you say?”
Patrick waved a hand in the air, shaking his head. “Forget it.”
“No. You said ‘those Iberra women.’ What did you mean?”
Will knew Cat’s mother had worked for Patrick years ago. Maria had been around when James and Will had been young, when their mother was still alive.
“
What did Maria do that you would call her a gold digger?” Will asked when his father remained silent.
Still, Patrick said nothing.
Realization dawned on Will. “No. Tell me you didn’t have an affair with Maria.”
“Every man has a moment of weakness,” Patrick stated simply. “I expect this past weekend was yours.”
Rage boiled to the surface. Will clenched his fists. “You slept with Cat’s mother while my mother was still alive? Did Mum know about the affair?”
The thought of his sweet, caring mother being betrayed tore through Will’s heart. Part of him prayed she never knew the ugly acts his father had committed.
“She found out the day she died.” Patrick let out a sigh, his eyes darting to the ground. “We were arguing about it when she left that night.”
For once the great Patrick Rowling looked defeated. Which was nothing less than he deserved. Will’s heart was absolutely crushed. He reached out, gripped the back of his desk chair and tried to think rationally here. Finding out your father had an affair with the mother of a woman you had fallen for was shocking enough. But to add to the intensity, his mother had died as a result of the affair.
Dread settled deep in Will’s his gut. Did Cat know of this affair? Surely not. Surely she would have told him or at least hinted at the knowledge. Would this crush her, too?
“Get out,” Will said in a low, powerful tone as he kept his eyes on the blotter on his desk. “Get the hell out of my office and be glad my freezing your voting rights in this company is all I’m doing to you.”
Patrick didn’t move. Will brought his gaze up and glared at the man he’d once trusted.
“You have one minute to be out of this building or I’ll call security.”
“I never thought you’d turn on me,” his father replied.
“I turned on you four years ago when you threatened the woman I love.”
Will hadn’t meant to declare his love for Cat, but it felt good to finally let the words out. And now more than ever he wasn’t giving up. He was going to move heaven and earth to win her back because he did love her. He’d always loved her if he was honest with himself. And he wanted a life with her now more than ever.