Part 39 (1/2)
”But what? The man ought to know if he loves you or not.”
”He's grateful, Dad. I helped him find Molly. He feels like he owes me.”
”More bulls.h.i.+t. Why'd he stop seeing you?”
”He didn't. I mean, he was busy at first with his daughter, but then...well, I stopped seeing him.”
”Why, for the love of Pete?”
”Because he asked me to marry him.”
The teapot whistled, cutting off whatever tirade Max started to make. He scratched his gray head. ”I'm confused here, little girl. If Ben asked you to marry him, why the h.e.l.l are you crying?”
”Because I can't do it. I can't marry a man like Ben.”
He blew out a breath. ”I guess I'm missing something here. What the devil's wrong with him? Seemed like a fine enough fellow to me.”
Autumn squared her shoulders, looked him straight in the face. ”Ben's a lot like you, Dad. Women love him and he loves them. I could never be enough for him.”
Max frowned. ”Tell me this ain't because of me and your mother.”
She glanced away. ”I know how men are, Dad. They can't be faithful. It isn't in their nature.”
Max's busy eyebrows came together. ”Well, you've had a belly full of losers, that's for sure. But if a man loves a woman-really loves her-it isn't hard to be faithful.”
She snorted a laugh. ”Yeah, sure.”
Max caught her hand, led her into the living room, sat her down on the sofa, then took a seat in the overstuffed chair. ”I never thought to say this. I didn't want to hurt you. Now I see it has to be said.”
She looked up. ”What is it, Dad?”
”I never loved your mother. I know that sounds like a terrible thing to say, but it's true. Kathleen was a fine woman and she deserved a whole lot better than me but the fact is, I was never in love with her. We were both a little reckless and while we were dating, Kathleen got pregnant. We got married because it was what our families wanted. I tried to be a good husband but something was missing right from the start. I was a young man then, as l.u.s.ty as they come. For years I carried on, before and after your mother died.”
”You never cared about her feelings. You knew how much it hurt her, but you didn't stop.”
”I tried. I couldn't seem to help myself. Not until I met Myra. For the first time in my life, I fell in love. I always kind of played down my feelings for her when I was with you, but the truth is, I'm crazy about the woman-was right from the start. I love Myra and I've never cheated on her. I never will.”
Autumn stared at him, more than a little surprised.
”What I'm trying to say is when the right woman comes along, if a man loves her with all his heart-he would never do anything to hurt her. If Ben loves you that much, grab onto him and never let go.”
Her heart was pounding, thumping away inside her, beating with something she recognized as hope. Was it possible? Her father had changed, become a faithful husband. But Ben was younger. Could he be happy with just one woman? Could she trust him with her future? With her heart?
”You hear what I'm sayin', honey?”
Autumn blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. ”I hear you, Dad. But how will I know if he loves me enough?”
”You ask him. And when he answers, you look him straight in the eye.”
She nodded and managed a tentative smile. It seemed like a good idea. Her heart couldn't hurt any worse than it already did. ”Okay, I'll ask him.”
Max reached over and patted her hand. ”That's my girl. And don't you wait too long. A man in love don't have a lot of patience.”
Autumn chewed her lip. If she was going to do this, she had better do it soon. Ben had never been a patient man.
Ben sat behind the desk in his study. It was a weekend but he had work to do. They were closing the deal on A-1 Sports, doing a stock takeover that would end with him owning the controlling portion of the company.
Earlier, he had declared his intent to make an open tender offer for A-1 stock at above-market prices. The company was undervalued, he had discovered. There were several pieces of real estate A-1 owned that had gone way up in value but the increases weren't yet reflected in the books.
He had made a run on the company and succeeded in taking over the majority of the stock-putting an end to the threat A-1 posed once and for all.
And making himself a good bit of money in the process.
If he hadn't been in such a foul mood, Ben might have smiled. The deal was about to be completed and though it had required a considerable amount of work, at least it had helped keep his mind off Autumn.
Keeping busy had helped, but the waiting was driving him crazy.
Ben shoved to his feet. He was tired of staying away from her; he had waited long enough. He was going to talk to her, get things straight between them once and for all.
Grabbing his jacket off the back of a chair, he headed for the door just as the intercom sounded, signaling a visitor at the elevator in the parking garage. Wondering who it could be on a Sat.u.r.day, he reached over and pushed the b.u.t.ton. He was amazed to hear the sound of Autumn's voice.
”It's me...Autumn. I...um, I was hoping we could talk. If...if it's not a bad time.”
As if he wouldn't know the sound of her voice. As if there could be a bad time.
”I'll buzz you in.” He strode down the hall to the entry, then paced nervously as he waited for the elevator doors to slide open. Autumn walked into the room in a gauzy flowered skirt and mauve sweater, s.e.xy yet sweetly feminine. His heart clenched so hard it hurt.
”Hi,” he said, suddenly at a loss for words.
”Hi.”
G.o.d, she looked good, her hair in s.h.i.+ny auburn curls around her face and wearing a hint of make-up, nothing at all like the determined woman she had been on the climb to the top of the mountain. The combination of soft femininity and hidden strength stirred his blood and made him ache with desire for her.
”Would you like something to drink?” he asked, trying to force his thoughts in a different direction and hoping she said yes because he could use a stiff drink himself.
When she nodded, he headed for the bar hidden behind the mahogany panels in the living room. ”White wine?” he asked over his shoulder.
”Yes, that would be nice.”
He poured himself a Scotch on the rocks and took a sip, then brought the gla.s.s of wine over to where she stood. Their fingers brushed and the familiar electricity sparked between them. Autumn looked a little surprised.
”You didn't think the physical attraction would be there anymore?” His gaze ran over those soft, full lips, and he wanted to kiss them, sink into them. He remembered her tiny b.u.t.terfly tattoo and thought how much he wanted to take her to bed.
”I don't know,” she said. ”I guess I thought the attraction had probably-you know-faded.”
He took a sip of his drink. It seemed like forever since he had been inside her. ”You thought it was over between us. You figured once we found Molly, we were finished. Is that about right?”