Cassie stepped between them. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to bring you home,” Devane snapped. “Your grandmother confessed that she sent you off on some ridiculous quest to find yourself and you’ve been ignoring your responsibilities. You need to return to New York. The company doesn’t run itself, you know.” He cast a derisive look at Wyatt. “This isn’t like you to forget everything you’re supposed to be doing.”
Cassie didn’t say anything for a second, looking as stunned as Wyatt felt about the intrusion into their sensual cocoon. At least Cassie had some clothes on, but she still looked vulnerable, with bare feet and her hair wrapped in a towel.
She also looked more beautiful to him than any other woman in the world.
Wyatt waited, wondering what she was going to say, though he suspected he already knew. Damn, he wished the moment of truth hadn’t come quite so soon. He’d have liked to spend a little more time with her—being with her, loving her—before having to watch her choose to be the eager-to-please daughter rather than the passionate woman. His woman. His wife.
Money wasn’t the issue this time—he no longer mistakenly believed Cassie needed the cash that came with her family’s lifestyle. Besides, he certainly was no longer the poor kid he’d once been. Of course, he was nowhere in the Devane family league either. But he didn’t believe that mattered to Cassie.
What he wasn’t at all sure about was whether or not Cassie had ever lost that need to keep her parents happy, to have their approval. As she had all those years ago, she was standing between her parents and Wyatt, and her parents were trying to pull her away.
He couldn’t bear to see her make the choice and he loved her too much to stand here and pressure her into it. Something in him couldn’t stand to watch it in person. “You know what?” he said, his throat tight. “I’m going to give you some time alone.”
After grabbing his shirt off the edge of a chair and his shoes from the floor, he walked past Cassandra’s father toward the door. He needed to get away from the Devanes before he exploded with the resentment he’d carried toward them for the past eight years—a resentment rooted in the knowledge that their coldness had been at least partly responsible for the divorce. They’d given their daughter money and demands when what she’d wanted was their love and support. Then Wyatt had tossed that hated money into her face and allowed it to tear them apart.
But before he could get out with his emotions still somewhat in check, Cassie grabbed his arm. “Wyatt…”
He touched her hand lightly, then shook his head. He didn’t want to have this conversation here, in front of her parents. One thing he would not be able to bear were any excuses, apologies or explanations. He didn’t want to hear Cassie tell him she had to go back to her real life, her family. Without him.
So he didn’t wait around to hear it. Instead, he met her steady stare and spoke what was in his heart. There was, really, nothing else to say.
“I love you, Cassie. I always have. You know where to find me.” Shaking off her hand, he took one step to the door. Then he paused, adding, “I hope the next time I see you at my door it’s to hear you say you never want to leave.”
Then he walked out of the room, leaving the Devane family staring after him.
Chapter 7
Cassie was so mad at Wyatt she could scream. She couldn’t believe he’d walked out of her room a moment ago, visibly wounded and angry. He’d acted as if he just knew she was going to do something stupid…like throw away the incredible connection they’d found again.
She had absolutely no intention of doing that. Zero. She might have come to Boston questioning her life and the road she was on, but now her questions were answered. Her future was set and it was all wrapped up in Wyatt Reston—the man she was going to smack for walking out on her, right before she was going to throw herself into his arms and tell him that he was still her husband.
But first, there were her parents to deal with. “What are you doing in Boston?” she asked as she reached into her suitcase and grabbed some socks and shoes. If she was going to be running after Wyatt, she ought to have her sneakers on.
“We were worried. You practically disappeared off the face of the earth for three weeks. First to Texas, then we found out you were in Boston. Only your grandmother had any idea what you were doing.”
A brush. Where was her hairbrush? “My office knew where I was and how to reach me at all times,” she said absently, wondering if Wyatt had made it out of the building yet.
“You hardly ever called the house!”
“I hardly ever call you when I’m home,” she said in her own defense. “Because you’re almost never home.”
“Well, we’ve been home for the past three weeks, and you were not,” her father said. “Cassandra, are you even listening to me?”
She looked up from tying her shoes. “Not particularly, Dad. Were you saying anything important?”
His face grew red and suddenly her mother took his arm. “Larry, I think it’s time for us to go. Cassandra’s obviously got something pretty serious going on in her life right now.”
Shooting her mother a grateful look, Cassie grabbed her purse and dug out her tiny brush. It wouldn’t make much headway on her tangled curls, but it was better than her fingers.
“I can tell how serious,” he father said, with a disdainful look at the rumpled bed.
The old Cassie—the girl she’d once been—might have been ashamed or embarrassed by her father’s obvious derision. This Cassie—the ball-breaking executive—might have been outraged and told him where to go.
But she’d changed. She wasn’t either of those women anymore. Nor was she an immature, hungry-to-please daughter trying to find anyone to blame for the mistakes she’d made.
She and Wyatt had been responsible for what had happened in their past. She had decided what her parents would think and how they would react all those years ago—never really giving them the chance to prove, one way or another, how they felt about her husband. God, they’d never even met the man, because she hadn’t been strong enough to force the issue.
That was another fault to lay at her feet. She’d wronged her parents, too, in some ways. But she wouldn’t make the same mistake. Any of the same mistakes!
It was Cassie the mature, independent woman—Wyatt’s woman—who answered. “Dad, I’m going to say this once and only once. That man who just walked out of here was, is and always will be the love of my life. I will be with him until the day I die. I denied you the chance to get to know him on honest, open terms the last time. Now, I’m hoping you’ll give all of us a chance to come together the right way.”
Her mother sucked in a quick, shocked breath. “Was that…”
She nodded. “That was Wyatt Reston.” Her head went up and her back straightened with pride. “My husband.”
“You mean your ex-husband.” Even her father’s frown began to ease. “I didn’t realize you were even still in touch with him. Are you…all right?”
Her parents were watching her closely, probably looking for signs of the completely dejected, heartbroken girl who’d sobbed in their arms after her divorce. Cassie gave them a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I’m better than fine—I’m going to be absolutely terrific. I just need to go after my still-husband—apparently our divorce was more of a failure than the first year of our marriage.”
Both her parents looked stunned. “Are you serious?” asked her mother.
“Yep.”
“How do you know?”
“Grandmother told me. I guess she was doing some legal paperwork and found out from her attorneys.”
Her mother frowned, biting her lip and looking away. “How strange.”
“I don’t know whether I’m going to move my job here, or commute for a while or what, but I am not letting him get away.” Narrowing her eyes, she added, “And I will never let anyone or anything come between us ever again. Not even my own self-doubts.”
Her parent
s stared at her for a long moment, but Cassie barely noticed as she closed her purse and stood. She was too busy wondering if Wyatt was already out of the parking garage. Probably.
Heading for the door, she glanced over her shoulder at her parents. “Well?”
They looked at one another and she’d swear they smiled a little. “Well,” her father said, “whenever you two get around to it, please do invite us over for dinner this time, all right?”
Her mother’s smile was slightly more secretive. “And I’d bet your grandmother would like to come, too.”
Giving them an appreciative smile, she blew her parents a kiss and walked out.
Wyatt really thought about going directly to the office after he left Cassie’s hotel, but he knew there was no point. He wouldn’t be able to get any work done because he couldn’t focus on anything except the look in her eyes when he’d left her there with her parents. But he’d had to do it. Cassie needed to decide what she wanted.
He only hoped and prayed it was him.
As he drove back to his apartment, he also acknowledged the other reason he couldn’t go to work. Considering he was wearing the same shirt and trousers he’d had on yesterday—with nothing underneath—a trip home to change was definitely in order.
Once he’d reached his apartment, he went into his bedroom and stripped off his clothes. He’d just turned the water on for a hot, steamy shower when he heard a loud knocking on his front door. He was instantly reminded of that moment, just about an hour ago, when a knock on Cassie’s hotel door had interrupted everything good in his life.
Was it really only an hour ago? It seemed like an eternity.
He at first intended to ignore the knocking, but some residual spark of optimism demanded that he at least see who it was. After turning off the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, he went to look out the peephole, almost holding his breath.
Seeing her familiar reddish-blond curls, Wyatt began to smile. Then to laugh. Because she’d chosen him. She’d chosen them. He knew it the way he’d known he would love her forever the day he met her on the beach in Florida so many years ago.
He yanked open the door and reached for her, only to have her whack him in the chest with her small fist.
“Hey!” he exclaimed.
“You jerk. I can’t believe you walked out on me.”
His lips twitched.
“Don’t laugh at me unless you want me to hit you again.”
“Oh, I’m shakin’ in my shoes.”
Her gaze dropped to his bare feet, then slowly traveled back up. Her pretty cheeks pinkened as she realized he was wearing nothing but a towel.
Wyatt reached around her and pushed the door shut. Giving Cassie his full attention, he smiled at her and reached out again. This time she came into his arms with a gentle sigh. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
“I won’t. I love you, wife,” he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly in his arms, pressing soft kisses on her temple and her forehead.
“I love you, too, husband.” She leaned away and tilted her head back to look up at him.
“I assume you were speaking metaphorically?”
“Only for as long as it takes for us to get back to Vegas and track down the appropriate Elvis.”
“That won’t exactly be necessary.”
“What do you mean?”
She took an audible breath and then admitted the truth. All of it. The reason she’d come here, the fact that she’d planned to tell him off and then make him sign. Everything.
He couldn’t quite take it all in and focused on the most important part. “Wait, you mean…we’re still married?”
“Yep.”
It only took a second for him to realize how utterly impossible that was. “Cassie, I’m not sure where you got that impression, but it’s not true. I have a copy of our divorce decree.”
“But…”
“Why do you think we’re not?”
“Well, my grandmother told me her lawyers…” A gasp, then she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “My God, I can’t believe it.”
“Believe what?”
“I think I’ve been played.”
“Played?”
She was half-smiling, half-laughing as she admitted, “My grandmother has been nagging me for several years to try to find out why I’ve been so unhappy for so long. I have the feeling she found out about my history with you.”
“She hadn’t known?”
She shook her head. “And once she found out, I have no doubt she got somebody to track you down and make sure you were single, then came up with an excuse I wouldn’t be able to ignore. She made sure I’d have to come see you.”
“And trusted that fate would take care of the rest?” He tightened his arms around her waist. “That once we were together again, we’d realize we should never have been apart?”
She twined her arms around his neck and leaned up to brush his lips with hers. “Something like that.”
“Wise woman, your grandmother.”
“Very wise.” She rolled her eyes. “And so damn sneaky.”
“I think I’m going to forgive her,” he said.
“I think I already have.” She kissed him again, deeper this time, her soft lips parting so their tongues could slide together and dance. Eventually, a long sigh emerged from her mouth and she admitted, “I want you so much.”
Wyatt reached down and dropped the towel.
Cassie’s eyes flared in excitement. She wiggled against him, but she also chuckled. “I meant, I want you forever.”
“Not now?”
Her eyelids lowered and her smile turned sultry. “Oh, yes, I definitely want you now.” She leaned up to kiss him again. “But forever, too.”
He began to stroke lazy circles around the small of her back. “You’ve got me forever.”
“I want us to live together again.” Her voice sounded breathy now as that familiar, wild spark of desire danced between them.
“We will.” He pulled her shirt free of her waistband, tugging it off so he could feel her smooth skin against his.
She shook and moaned, whispering, “I want your children.”
He tossed the shirt away, then her bra. “Three at least.”
Cassie arched toward his hand, rubbing her breast against his palm. “I will never let anyone or anything—not money, not a job, not family—come between us again. I’ll always put you first, Wyatt. I’ll always put us—our relationship—ahead of everything.”
His hands grew still. “I’ll do the same thing, Cassie. I’m not the impatient hothead I was and I’m sorry that I reacted so badly in the past.” He kissed her temple, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin. “I won’t doubt you again,” he whispered, before lowering his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply until their hearts beat in unison and they shared every breath of air.
Wanting her again, desperately, Wyatt bent down to lift Cassie into his arms. “I’d do anything for you,” he said as he carried her into his bedroom.
She nodded, tucking her head in the curve of his neck, tasting his skin with delicate little nips. “Will you read me the letters you wrote to me?” she asked.
He lowered her to his bed and followed her down. “How do you know about those?” Then he shook his head. “Never mind. Jackie?”
She nodded. “Will you read them to me?”
“I don’t have to read them,” he said as he gently removed the rest of her clothes. He began to stroke her, the long delicate lines of her thigh, the curve of her hip, the sweet indentation of her belly, where he hoped to soon feel one of those babies she wanted. “I know them all by heart.”
Cassie sighed and caressed him in return, her hands gliding over his body as if she wanted to memorize him. “Prove it.”
So impatient. Always so impatient.
“I will. Later. When I can think of something besides how much I’m going to enjoy loving you every day for the rest of my life.”
She sta
red up at him, emotion shining in her blue eyes. “Starting now?”
He nodded and lowered his mouth to hers, whispering, “Yeah, Cassie. Starting right now.”
Epilogue
It was official. Ellen Devane was dying.
She didn’t mind that so much. Dying seemed pretty fair after eighty-four years of a good, strong, secure and wealthy life.
Others would say she’d been completely blessed, spoiled even. While she might disagree with that, she couldn’t deny she’d been fortunate.
Maybe her life could have been happier. Perhaps she could have had a little less money and a little more love.
Or maybe not. Maybe things happened for a reason and things had happened exactly as they were supposed to.
It wasn’t for her to decide. She could only look back on all the things she’d done, the choices she’d made, and accept the results of those choices.
But that wasn’t her concern right now. Not today. This death the doctors had warned her about wasn’t at the top of her to-do list, at least not for the rest of this year. She had a while yet—time to get things in order. To see her sweet Cassandra happily settled with the man she’d loved through her entire adult life. A man Ellen liked very much.
There was a wedding planned for the fall, and Ellen fully intended to be there, wearing rust silk because the autumn colors really had always favored her.
There were flowers to choose and cakes to sample. There were photographs to look over and toasts to make.
Mostly there were words to be said. Words like I love you. And I’m so very thankful I had you in my life.
Yes, there was time. Time for all those things. Maybe a short amount of time…but time enough.
Then it would be over. Ellen could go on to whatever was waiting for her around the next corner. Hoping—always hoping—that somewhere along the way that unknown future would include Rex.
And maybe even one more adventure.
The End
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