“Oh, she didn’t,” Hope said, feeling humbled that Norma would even think of doing something like that for her.
“She’s a good person.”
Hope nodded in agreement. “What time will she be back tomorrow?”
“That depends. I told her not to rush back so it probably won’t be until tomorrow night. Why?”
She sighed. “I think Ted’s coming in the morning. I told him not to, but he’s freaked out that I’m still here and that I’ve asked him not to come. I didn’t want him to ruin anything, especially not our Christmas, but I can’t guarantee that he won’t show up here and make a scene.”
Beckett knew it was a possibility. Reality was bound to intrude sooner or later. It just sucked that it was sooner. “We knew he was going to come back eventually,” he finally said. “I guess we’ll have to deal with that tomorrow.”
“That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say about it?”
“Hope, he’s your brother. Your family. I’ll admit that it makes things a little awkward, all things considered, but we’ll handle it. Right?” He skimmed a hand down her cheek and rested his forehead against hers.
It would have been the perfect time to mention his family, but Hope just didn’t have it in her. Their time was already being cut short thanks to Ted, so she didn’t want to waste any time arguing with Beckett unnecessarily.
As if reading her mind, Beckett stood and held out a hand to her. “What do you say we move this to someplace that’s a little more comfortable than the floor?”
“That could be just about anywhere,” she said saucily as she rose to her feet. “But I’m hoping that you mean your bed.” Then she let out a screech as Beckett scooped her up into his arms and started to make his way across the room. “Beckett!”
“You’re not the only one who had plans tonight,” he said and kicked the bedroom door closed behind him.
***
“Okay, I know how I was able to get your gifts without you seeing them, but how did you happen to manage all of this?” Beckett asked the next morning. They were back on the floor in front of the Christmas tree opening gifts. He had already opened a scarf and a sweater from Hope and she was handing him another box.
“I have a feeling we shared a personal shopper,” she said with an impish grin and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Norma offered to pick up whatever I needed when she went shopping the other day. I gave her my list and she got just about everything that I asked for.”
He laughed. “I did the same thing.” He shook his head. “The poor woman. She probably just needed to get one or two things from the store and we had her doing all of our shopping for us!”
Hope couldn’t help but join in on the laughter. “I don’t think she minded. This whole situation seemed to amuse her.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” he said and tore into his gift. “Oh my God! I wanted to get this game but I haven’t had the time to order it!” He flipped the video game case over in his hands and read the description. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. The reviews are all raving about it.”
“You were missing quite a few of the top games so I was hoping you’d like this one. We may have to set it up after breakfast and play it. I’ve only had the chance to play it once or twice so there won’t be an unfair advantage.”
“Ha, ha. You you’re hilarious. We’ll see if you can beat me a second time.”
“Sure. Let’s see how long you can pay attention this time,” she teased.
Without a word, Beckett reached under the tree and pulled out a box and handed it to Hope. “I’m afraid this is one category where I kind of floundered. I don’t know exactly what you like so…I hope you like it.”
Hope didn’t doubt that she would. She tore open the wrapping and tossed it aside. Taking the lid off the top, she smiled. Inside was a beautiful cashmere scarf with a matching hat and gloves. She ran her hands over them and loved the way they felt. “They’re beautiful! Thank you!”
Beckett loved the look of pure delight on Hope’s face. If he had purchased anything this simple for some of the women he’d dated in the past, they would have been annoyed with him. But not Hope. It just proved to him yet again that she was an incredible woman, one who was with him for him and not his money.
“I love you,” he said before he could stop himself.
Hope dropped the gift, her eyes wide. “What?”
Beckett smiled and reached for her, caressing her face, cupping her cheek. “I love you.” This wasn’t how he’d planned it. Hell, he hadn’t planned it at all. But if he had, Beckett knew he would have staged the scene for something a little more romantic than the two of them sitting on the floor on Christmas morning in their robes. He would have had champagne and flowers and they’d be dancing slowly by the fire or something equally…
“I love you too.” Those wide eyes softened as she pressed a hand to his. And then they closed as Beckett leaned forward and kissed her, slowly and thoroughly. They sank down onto the carpet, his hands never leaving her face, her hand never leaving his.
When he finally pulled back, he looked at Hope in amazement. “How did we get here?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem possible. It all happened so fast.”
“That doesn’t make it any less real, Hope. I love you.”
“That’s the best Christmas present you could ever give me,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Slowly, they sat back up. “I guess I don’t have to give you this last present then,” Beckett said lightly and went to stand up.
“Oh no you don’t,” she chuckled. “I get to open that or no breakfast for you.”
He pretended to contemplate his options before kissing her soundly and handing her the gift. “I really took a gamble on this one,” he began nervously. “Norma didn’t help me with it. It’s just something,” he stopped and paused. “It’s something that I wanted you to have.”
Hope looked over at him with love in her eyes. “I already have everything that I could ever want,” she said simply. “Whatever is in this box is just a bonus.”
Beckett wasn’t so sure and he felt his whole body go tense as he watched her open the gift. Then he watched the confusion on Hope’s face as she lifted the folder from the box.
“I…I don’t understand. What is this?”
“That is a contract,” he said slowly.
Her brow furrowed. “A contract? For what?”
“A year ago, you submitted a business plan to me for a café to go in one of my hotels. I rejected it based on the fact that you were related to one of my employees. Your plan was solid, Hope, and I shouldn’t have just disregarded it based on a hang up that I have. That contract states that you have the option to open your café in any one of the hotels in the chain. Not just in Raleigh, not just in North Carolina even, but any hotel in the chain, in the world.”
When Hope didn’t say anything, Beckett went on to explain it a little bit further. “James Enterprises will build to your specifications and supply all of the appliances and furniture that you need as well as your startup inventory.”
Her eyes went wide again. “Beckett? Are you serious?” she asked and he nodded. “No. It’s…it’s too much. I didn’t…I mean, I never…” She placed the folder down and stood up and began to pace. “I can’t accept that.” She crossed her arms protectively across her middle.
Beckett quickly stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, what’s this all about? I thought this would make you happy?”
She quickly stepped out of his grasp. “No. It’s not right. I can’t ask you to do that. Any of that.”
“But you didn’t ask, Hope. I offered. It’s a gift.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Don’t you see, by accepting that, I’m no better than all of those people you hate. The people who you say take advantage of you. I’d be one of them!”
“No! No you wouldn’t. You could never be like that, Hope.
I know that.” He reached for her again and forced her to look at him. “What is this all about?”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Your family,” she said sadly. “Norma told me about Logan and Julie and the things that they asked of you. It was wrong of them, I know that, and you were right to be offended by the things they expected of you, but by accepting this gift, I’m no better than they are.”
“Hope, you are nothing like them!” he said as his voice rose with frustration. “Don’t compare yourself to them. You’re better than that! Better than them!”
“How can you say that? They’re your family!”
Now it was his turn to step away. “Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think that is the exact reason why it hurt so much more? All at once, it seemed like they stopped seeing me as their brother and started seeing me as a way to make some easy money! I worked hard my entire life to get where I am now! I may have inherited the company, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t give everything I had to it before then! And then they just…”
“I know, Beckett, I know,” she said softly, trying to soothe him. “When your family betrays you or you feel like they’ve betrayed you, it’s the worst kind of hurt.”
“I can never forgive them for that. I’m here, I’m alone because they felt that if I wouldn’t finance them, then I wasn’t worth knowing.”
That one statement broke her heart. “Beckett, have you ever tried to talk to them about it? Have you talked to either of them since it happened?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“You need to. You need to clear the air. I’m sure if they knew how…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted roughly. “I don’t want to discuss it. It’s done and over with and what I’ve drawn up for you is about me giving you something. You didn’t come here and sleep with me in order to gain some real estate. I know that. You’re not that kind of person.”
“I’m glad you realize that,” she said with a nervous laugh.
Beckett stared at her hard. “I knew from the moment I met you that you were different. It had nothing to do with the fact that you didn’t like me. You are someone with morals and a kind heart. On so many levels, you’re too good for me, but damn it, that didn’t stop me from wanting you…from falling in love with you.”
“I don’t want this between us, Beckett. I can’t accept this gift. I wouldn’t feel right about it. The café? That’s a dream of mine that I’ve always had but it’s a dream I want to accomplish on my own. I need to prove to myself that I can do it. If you do it for me, it’s just not going to be the same.”
“Hope…”
She reached out and gently touched his face. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you even wanted to do it. No one’s ever given me so much.”
“Can we just…table it for now? Maybe, sometime in the future, you might consider it?”
She smiled sadly. “Okay. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up and I don’t want you to push me on this.”
He nodded and then pulled her into his embrace. Together they stood like that in front of their tree until their emotions were more under control. “How about that breakfast?” he asked quietly.
“That sounds good to me. I asked Norma what she normally made on Christmas morning, but she left the decision up to me. I have a great recipe for gingerbread waffles. What do you think?”
After a light kiss to the tip of her nose, Beckett said, “I think anything you make is amazing.”
“Aw, aren’t you sweet?” They walked into the kitchen and began working together, but Hope still had something on her mind. “Beckett?”
“Hmm?”
“I know it’s really none of my business but…”
“But…?”
“Maybe you should call your brother and sister. It’s Christmas. You don’t have to hash anything out. Just call them and say ‘Hey, Merry Christmas.’”
His expression hardened for a brief second. “I don’t think so.”
“They’re the only family you have,” she said pleadingly. “Don’t you miss them?”
“I did for a while. Now I’m used to it. And what about you? What’s going to happen when Ted gets here? Are you just going to run up and hug him and wish him a Merry Christmas? I thought you were on the verge of killing him.”
“I’ll admit that I was really ticked off at him, but I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life. That would destroy me. He’s the only family I have. What he did benefited me – benefited us! Do you think we’d be here like this right now if it wasn’t for Ted being such a jerk?”
Beckett couldn’t help but laugh. “Probably not, but it still doesn’t excuse what he did to you, Hope. He had no idea things would work out like this! He left you stranded and alone with a stranger!”
“You were hardly a stranger! He’s worked for you for five years! In his mind, you could walk on water. He idolizes you!”
That stopped Beckett in his tracks. “What?”
“Oh, please. You can’t tell me you didn’t realize that. He would do anything you asked of him because he thinks the world of you. All he’s ever wanted was for you to tell him he’s done a good job or that you liked his ideas. He was killing himself to get you to notice him. So while he wasn’t thinking that anything romantic was going to happen here, Ted would have trusted you with his life. And mine.”
That was a humbling thought. “Do you think I was too hard on him?” he asked, his voice low.
Hope nodded slowly. “I know and understand why you did what you did, Beckett. But maybe everything doesn’t always have to be so black and white. People screw up. They make mistakes. And it’s all right to get ticked off and yell and let them know they screwed up, but maybe you don’t have to make them dead to you because of it.”
He studied her for a long time while neither spoke. “Fine. I’ll think about it. When he gets here, we’ll sit and talk. I can’t guarantee that I’m ready to give him his job back, but I promise to talk to him like a rational human being. Okay?”
“That’s all I can ask for,” she said sweetly and kissed his cheek before turning to start the waffles. As if she’d worked in this kitchen her entire life, Hope whipped up the waffle batter and got the coffee started. Beckett walked out of the kitchen to clean up their wrapping paper debris in the study before setting the dining room table for them.
Hope was just putting the last of the waffles on a platter when the doorbell rang. “Showtime,” she whispered.
Beckett popped his head into the kitchen. “I think your brother’s here. Want to come to the door with me so you can see how nice I can be?”
“Oh, stop. I know you can be nice and besides, I trust you to keep your word.” Together they walked to the door and Beckett smiled at her before he opened it. “Hey, Ted!” she said with a big smile. “Merry…”
“You son of a bitch!” Ted snarled right before he pulled back and punched Beckett right in the face.
Chapter Nine
“Oh my God!” Hope cried, but she wasn’t exactly sure who she was addressing. “Ted! What in the world?”
To his credit, Beckett didn’t swing back. He stumbled back a few feet but didn’t fall. He rubbed his jaw where Ted had hit him, but kept his anger in check, while glaring at Ted.
Hope ushered her brother in and shut the door. “I cannot believe you just did that! How could you?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ted yelled. “This is the same man that commanded all of my time, fired me when my fiancée was injured and now you open the door and it’s obvious that you’re more than just a guest here…I mean, you’re not defending him, are you?”
A loud sigh escaped before Hope could stop it. “Did it ever occur to you to maybe try to talk about it first?”
“I tried to talk. Last week if you’ll recall. I did my best to try to get him to listen to me, but he wouldn’t. And now, knowing all that you do, you’re still here all cozied up to him! How could you, Hope?”
&nb
sp; This was just the kind of discussion she had hoped to avoid. “Okay, let’s just…calm down. I was just putting breakfast on the table. Why don’t we all go and sit down, have something to eat, and discuss this calmly, okay?”
Neither man spoke as they followed her into the dining room. Once they were seated and Hope had made up their plates, she looked over at Beckett and touched his jaw. “I think you need some ice for that. I’ll be right back.” She heard Beckett try to stop her, but she needed a minute to herself and preparing an ice pack seemed like the perfect excuse.
“How is your fiancée?” Beckett asked calmly as the two men eyed one another across the table.
“She’s doing better. She’ll be on crutches for about six weeks and she’s bruised all over. She was lucky; it could have been much worse.”
Beckett nodded. “Are her parents still in town?”
“Yes. It only made sense for them to stay through the holidays. It made Merry feel better.”
Beckett’s lips twitched at the mention of her name, but he hid it behind his napkin. “I’m sure it does.” He paused. “Listen, Ted, I realize that I was a little irrational last week when Hope showed up here and…”
“Yes, you were. I’ve worked very hard for you and you wouldn’t allow me a day to go and make sure that my fiancée was all right. I’ve never lied to you in all of the years that I’ve worked for you. You should have trusted me.”
“I know and…”
“Now, thanks to you, Hope is furious with me. She never gets mad at me. I mean, sometimes she gets annoyed, but she gets over it. But this whole situation? She wouldn’t talk to me and when she did, it was to yell at me.”
“You deserved it,” Beckett said. “You abandoned her. You dumped her stuff in the snow and stole her car. She went out of her way to let you know about Merry and you thanked her by leaving her here with a guy she hated.”
“Clearly she got over it,” Ted mumbled.
“Yeah, she got over it, but that doesn’t make what you did all right, Ted. She’s going to forgive you. You’re her brother and the only family she has. She loves you and she deserves to have someone in her life who has her back. It seems to me that she does a lot of stuff for you and you don’t reciprocate.”
Stranded: A Winter Romance Duet Page 16