Highest Bidder Collection
Page 79
A huge lump forms in my throat as try to hold back the tide of tears that threaten to fall from my eyes.
The guilt is almost enough to choke on.
It wasn’t supposed to end up this way.
I squeeze the picture frame against my chest, despair and anger coursing through me.
“You okay, sweetheart?” asks a deep, sexy voice.
I look up and cover my mouth with my hand, nearly collapsing on the floor.
“Zander!” I cry, setting down the picture frame on the oak wood stand with shaky hands. It falls over, but I don’t care. I have to run to him. To feel him. I bury my face into his chest and hold him with everything I have in me. I’ll never let him go.
“How did you…” my voice trails off as I’m at a loss for words when I lean back to look at him.
He smiles weakly down at me, his eyes focusing on a stray strand of hair in my face as he brushes it away and leans forward to kiss me. The simple touch melts me. My body relaxing into him, finally feeling the warmth of his body. “I’m not going to be charged.”
His words hit me slowly, taking their time before I fully comprehend what he’s saying. I pull away from him out of shock, but he holds my lower waist close to him as I stare into his eyes.
I can’t speak. My voice is robbed from me from the shock. I shake my head slightly and ask, “No charges?”
“Nothing.”
“How?” I finally manage softly.
Zander's eyes go dark momentarily, his body tensing. “My father has his connections,” he replies, his voice low. “He’s still owed a lot of favors.”
“Is everything...,” I breathe when I get over my shock. “Is everything okay? It’s over?”
I can barely breathe as he pulls me into his chest. His hand is gentle on my back, but still it stings to the touch. “Sorry,” he breathes into my hair as I settle against his chest. I don’t give a fuck about my back. Not right now. I bury my face into his shirt, just breathing him in. “It’s all over.”
I don’t want to let go.
I’m afraid if I do, I’ll lose him forever. And I’ll never have a chance to hold him again.
“I’ve got you,” Zander whispers as he kisses my hair. “And I’m not letting you go.”
I close my eyes, and nestle deeper into him. Don’t, please don’t ever let me go. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to let you know for a while now. Something that I’ve wanted to say but haven’t had the courage.” I talk with my eyes closed, but he pulls back to look into my face and I have to stare into his eyes to tell him.
Zander arches an eyebrow with curiosity. “What’s that?”
A large lump forms in my throat.
“I love you, Zander Payne,” I tell him, my voice aching with emotion.
Zander doesn’t respond immediately, causing my heart to skip as I wait for his response. It’s beating so fast and hard I’m sure he can feel it pumping against his chest. But when he breaks out into a handsome grin, I know I have nothing to worry about.
“And I love you too, Arianna Owens,” Zander says softly, coming in for a deep, passionate kiss. “And I always will.”
Epilogue
Zander
“They’ll be expecting you,” my father’s voice comes out clear on the phone.
“I understand that,” I answer him simply, walking out of the kitchen, with the phone to my ear. It’s the Gala of the Year, the third one with that title so far.
Veronica Marsett is hosting it for her charity, and over four hundred attendees will be there. Most of whom I know firsthand, and half of them will be expecting me to address them. To notice them publicly and pose for photo ops. To rub elbows, as my father used to say when I was younger.
These are the scenes that matter most. It’s all about who you’re seen with.
But with my Arianna, my sweetheart hardly sleeping, I doubt she’s going to want to go. And if she’s not with me, I’m not going.
I don’t want to be anywhere without her by my side. Because my father’s right. It’s all about who you’re seen with. That’s who matters. And right now, she’s the only one who matters to me.
Even if he saved me. He can wait. Business will always wait from now on.
“You’re really going to snub them?” Oddly enough, my father’s voice holds only a trace of admonishment.
“It’s not a snub, she’s not feeling well.”
My father’s silent on the phone for a moment. The glow from the fire in the back of the library lights the dim room. The floor-to-ceiling curtains are closed tight on the far end, but the ones closest to me are open, just enough for someone to peek through.
I keep the phone to my ear as I peek out and see the snow settling on the ground. Early February has brought enough snow to lock us in for weeks, but I’m fine with that.
I turn around to face the large leather sofa as my father starts talking. It groans as Arianna shifts her weight on it to get comfortable. Her hand rests on her swollen belly, but she’s sleeping soundly.
I hate that she can’t fall asleep in bed with me; I guess I’ll have to start sleeping out here.
“There are deals to finalize and if you’re seen with the right investors, that will make their bids rise.” He tells me things I already know, but I simply don’t care anymore. There’s so much more than money. More than power. There’s love.
Arianna’s belly rises with a deep breath as she slowly rolls onto her side, dragging a cream chenille throw with her as she goes.
There’s a feeling of being complete. Of not wanting anything more than what you already have.
A soft sigh of satisfaction falls from her sweet lips.
“I’m sure they’ll understand,” I speak softly into the phone, but Arianna’s eyes flutter open. A small smile spreads on her face when she sees me.
It’s a genuine smile, one that makes me reciprocate.
My feet move of their own accord, drawn to her. I crouch down to the floor beside her and plant a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“I have to go,” I tell my father, cutting off whatever reason he’s trying to convince me of to go.
“Wait!” I’m surprised from my father’s sharp voice, it takes me aback and I flinch, pulling the phone away slightly.
Arianna rises on her elbow, wiping the sleep from her eyes and staring at the phone. She’s not used to my father’s temper and to be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to deal with it. I won’t let her witness this. I rise to my feet, straightening my shoulders and preparing to tell my father off.
He’s been agitated lately with me leaving more and more work in his hands, or simply to let go. There are plenty of investors, and I’m not interested in certain deals anymore. Not when I have so much to protect now.
My lips part as I suck in a breath, prepared for the worst, but I wasn’t anticipating the words that come from the other end of the phone.
“The baby shower, that’s next month?” my father asks me, clearing his throat and waiting for a response.
A deep crease settles in my forehead as I turn back to look at Arianna over my shoulder.
“It’s next month, yes.” I wait for a moment, still feeling tense and on edge as Arianna stands up, holding her stomach as though it will fall if she lets go. She’s so beautiful, carrying my child. There’s been a glow about her since she found out.
“I’d like to go,” my father says with firm conviction.
“It’s not for men,” I say and the words spill out of my mouth with disbelief.
“Sure it is, we’ll go at the end... Your mother loved that.” I’m taken back by his confession. “You go at the end with a gift for her and help load all the things. It’s what you do,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s probably the last thing I did right with your mother. But I know it’s a good thing to do… and I want to help you.”
My body’s frozen in place as Arianna walks toward me, one hand rubbing soothing circles over her swollen bump and the oth
er bracing a hand on her back.
“Sure,” I answer my father. The vision of what he must’ve looked like back then plays in my mind. Maybe they were happy then, all those years ago.
“It’s settled then. I’m sure I’ll see you before then?” The words come out as a question.
“Sure,” I say again, wrapping an arm around Arianna’s waist as she leans into me, her eyes wide with questions, but her body relaxed.
“Very well then, I’ll talk to you soon.” There’s a silence between us for a moment, and for the first time in years, I feel the urge to tell him I love him. As though it’s real, but I don’t. Maybe another time. The line goes dead, and I pull the phone away from my ear to stare at it in my hand.
“Are you alright?” she asks and her voice is soft, tinged with concern.
I toss the phone down onto the sofa a few feet away and turn her in my arms. Her belly rubs against mine as I pull her in close. “Of course.”
She eyes me warily, her one eyebrow lifting with skepticism.
“Everything is wonderful.”
That sweet smile plays at her lips again and she nods as she says, “It is, isn’t it?”
I kiss her lips softly, but she deepens it. My greedy sweetheart. I’m more than happy to give her more. I’d hand her over the world in exchange for what she’s given me.
When she breaks the kiss, I whisper between us, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Zander.”
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