Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book 2) (29 page)

A smile spread across Simone’s face as she continued to walk. She had the answer. She could delete a few other emails in the coming days. She would make sure none of them were vital, but they would all be messages their senders would follow up with him on. When Luc was questioned about them, she could blame it on their server. A glitch she could offer to take care of for him.

She hurried along now, her heart pounding. She had gone too far to go back now. She could never admit what she had done, but she could cover her tracks.

“You’re getting married?! Oh, Mom, I’m so happy for you!” Megan hugged her mom tightly.

“You don’t think I’m crazy? It’s been only a few months since we started dating.” Helen pulled away from her daughter’s hug so she could see her face.

“I don’t think that at all! I’ve known Charlie for a long time and I know you’ll be really happy together. He’s kind and funny and I know you’ll take good care of each other.” Megan gave her mom a wide smile.

“Oh, I’m so relieved. I thought you were going to give me a hard time about it,” Helen replied, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m the one who’s relieved,” Meg answered with a wry expression. “Now I’ll have you off
my
hands.”

Helen shook her head. “You little brat. And here I was just about to ask you to be my maid of honor.”

“Really? Thanks, Mom!” Megan wrapped her arms around her mom again.

“I was going to, but now I’m thinking I should ask Charlie’s daughter,” Helen teased.

“Wow! It didn’t take long for you to replace me with a new daughter.” Megan laughed.

“It was only a matter of time, really. You’re a bit of a pain in the butt,” Helen replied. “Now, should we have the wedding before or after the baby is born? I was thinking before so you won’t have so much on your plate.”

Megan’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

“Of course I know. I knew when we were at the barbecue. I’ve been waiting for you to be ready to tell me about it, but you seem to be intent on keeping it a secret. Don’t worry, I’m not going to lecture you about it or ask you any questions. You already know I’m here if you need to talk, so there’s not really anything else for me to say.”

Tears of relief sprung to Megan’s eyes. She had felt very alone with her secret for weeks now. Helen wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed the top of Megan’s head as she cried onto Helen’s shoulder.

“It’s all going to work out, sweetie. I have a feeling that things will be okay. I’m going to sell my house and move in with Charlie, so we’ll be right next door. Between all of us, we’ll manage nicely.”

Megan pulled back and nodded her head as her mom wiped the tears off her cheeks with her fingers.

“Thanks, Mom,” she whispered.

“Thank you! When this year started I thought things would just stay how they were. Because of you, I’m getting married to a wonderful man,
and
I’m going to have another grandchild to spoil.”

Luc sat at his desk at Cloud, rubbing his temples with the pads of his fingers as he stared down at a copy of the listing for his new house in Boulder. His head ached as much as his heart just looking at it. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to call his realtor and admit that the house needed to go back up on the market. It had sat empty for weeks now waiting for an owner who would never come.

He knew he needed to get rid of the house but he hadn’t been ready to face doing so yet. It would be the final nail in the coffin for his relationship with Megan, and the humiliation of calling the realtor was something he had been avoiding. The despair that had fallen over him the night he stood in front of Meg’s house watching her with Ian still had a hold on him in spite of the time that had passed. Even after their angry exchange of texts, Luc still had feelings for Megan. She had been trying to reach out to him, and his pride and mistrust had turned her away. It didn’t sound to him like Ian was still in the picture, but Luc could never feel confident that he wouldn’t be back again. Not after what he had seen.

Today he realized he needed to get on with it. Once the house was sold he would finally be able to move on with his life. Texting the realtor, Luc told him they would have to meet in two days. He felt a need to go back in person to see the house one last time and take care of all of the paperwork in person. Somehow he felt that the trip would allow him time to grieve the end of his relationship with Megan, and hopefully that would put an end to this horrible yearning.

The house had sat on the market for several months before he bought it, and he knew it would be a long process to sell it now. There were few people who could pay over two million for a home these days. Luc hoped that by the time the house did have a new owner, the memory of Megan would be faint.

He looked up to see Simone standing in the doorway watching him. Her eyes glanced over the page. “What are you looking at?”

“A ridiculous lapse in judgement,” he replied, putting the paper into the top drawer of his desk.

He looked back up at her, his face impassive. “I need you to cancel my appointments for the next few days and book me a flight to Boulder for tomorrow. There’s something I need to take care of.” Luc hadn’t told Simone about the house, wanting Megan to be the first one to know. He could see her stiffen at his request.

“Boulder? I thought things were over between you and the American.” There was fear in her eyes as she tried to steady her voice.

“They are. This isn’t about her. Why does that concern you?”

She waved her hand nonchalantly. “It doesn’t. It just seems like you came back from there in a bad temper. I’m thinking maybe I should take a vacation when you get back so I won’t have to be on the receiving end of it.”

Luc fixed her with a cold stare. “Just book the flights. I’ll only be there for one night, and then I need to go to Aspen for two days, then New York for a week. If you choose to take a vacation when I get back, that’s entirely up to you. You have time owed to you, and I will manage without your attitude quite nicely.”

Simone turned on her heel and walked away without answering. Luc felt a pang of guilt at his response to her. He
had
been excessively harsh lately with everyone, especially her. His restlessness and anger were never far from the surface. Rubbing his face with one hand, he stood and went to find her.

She was standing outside on the balcony of the club, having a cigarette. Her arm was folded across her chest protectively and she avoided his gaze as he approached her.

“I’m sorry, Simone. I’ve been in a foul mood for the past few weeks, and it’s not your fault. I’m going through something and have been taking it out on everyone around me.” He lifted her chin slightly with his fingers as he spoke.

Simone’s eyes were brimming with tears. She gave him a little nod but said nothing as he let his hand drop down to his side.

“I apologize. When I get this trip over with, I’ll feel better. And even if I don’t, I promise to be kinder to you.”

“I hope so, Luc.” She touched his arm with her hand as she spoke. “I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you.”

“I know you have. You’re a good friend and an excellent assistant. I need to show you more appreciation.” Luc’s voice was tender now.

“I hope that I’m much more than just an assistant to you. I’ve been part of your life for over six years now and yet you’ve never let me in. I thought I would have earned your trust by now.”

“You have, Simone. I tell you more than I tell anyone else.”

“And yet you have a secret from me now. Something has been upsetting you for months, and you refuse to speak of it.”

Luc leaned against the railing and folded his arms. “I haven’t wanted to talk about it. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve broken all my rules when it comes to women. I let myself get drawn in much deeper than I ever intended with Megan, and I’ve been having trouble getting over it. I need to go to Boulder to sell a house I bought.”

Simone’s mind was racing, but she managed to appear calm. She dropped her cigarette onto the floor, pivoting her red stiletto over it to extinguish it before speaking again. “You bought her a house? Is that the lapse of judgement you were referring to?”

Luc kept his eyes trained on the wall of the nightclub to avoid her gaze. “I bought it for myself with the intention of moving there. I thought it would convince her that I was serious about making things work with her. When I got to her house to tell her, I saw her with another man. I think it was her ex-husband, but I’m not sure. I left before I found out.” He stared at a little scuff mark on his shoe, feeling thoroughly humiliated to admit this to anyone, least of all Simone.

Simone reached out for him, wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. Although her heart ached to see him so unhappy, she was relieved to find out that he thought Megan had moved on already. She had been right to delete the email. Obviously Megan had never loved Luc if she could throw him over so quickly.

She tilted her head up to face him. “I’m so sorry she hurt you like that, Luc. You must have really loved her to consider leaving everything for her.”

Luc held his arms at his sides, wishing Simone would let go of him but not wanting to hurt her feelings after how he had been acting. “I did. I have never felt that way about anyone before, never been so happy. It didn’t even feel like it would be a sacrifice for me. It felt like it would be a privilege to give it all up so I could be with her. I was going to start a life with her and her son. When you love someone like that, you would do anything for them.”

“I know, Luc. I know from experience.” Simone’s voice broke as she unwrapped her arms from his waist and placed her hands on his chest. “Love can make you do things you never thought yourself capable of, things that make it hard to look in the mirror. Love will force you to accept someone taking you for granted but refuses to let you give up.”

Luc watched Simone’s face as she spoke. He realized for the first time that she was in love with him. Suddenly it all became clear. He had thought she just didn’t like other women in general, but she had been chasing them away from him all these years. He immediately felt caged by her hands on him, and something deep in his gut told him he needed to get away from her. He stood rigid as he stared at her.

“It’s over now, Luc. If you want, I’ll take care of selling the house for you. There’s no need for you to think about it anymore.” Simone took a step back, smiling lovingly at him.

“No.” He shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, but it’s something I must do for myself so that I can finally put this behind me.”

“You go on your trip, Luc, and when you get back I want you to think about who has been here for you, always waiting for you to return, caring for you, expecting nothing from you but always hoping. Always hoping, Luc.”

Simone turned and walked back into the club, hoping that she had given him something to think about.

* * *

Simone had just gotten out of the shower when she heard her buzzer ring. Looking at the clock, she realized it was after 10 p.m. Who could be wanting to come up at this late hour?

She threw on her bathrobe and rushed across her apartment. “Alright, I’m coming!” she snapped at the buzzer.

She hit the receiver button. “Yes?” Her voice did little to hide how annoyed she was by the interruption.

“It’s Luc. I need to come up.”

“Oh, Luc, of course. I just got out of the shower,” she purred as she pushed the button to let him through the front door of her building.

Simone’s heart pounded as she took the towel off her head and quickly combed out her jet-black hair. She covered her lips with gloss and applied some perfume. As she waited, she straightened her robe, making sure the front opened to reveal a little cleavage. Maybe her words had struck a chord with him and he had finally realized how perfect they were for each other. A light knock at the door caused her to draw a deep breath.

Simone swung the door open and leaned against it, giving him her best version of bedroom eyes. “Hey, boss, what brings you here at this late hour?”

Luc’s brows were knit together as he rushed in past her. She closed the door behind him, her heart in her throat. He didn’t look like a man who had romance on his mind. He looked like a man on a mission. And the thought of what his mission might be made her freeze with fear.

He didn’t bother with greetings. “You said you’ve done things you never would have thought you were capable of. What did you mean?”

Simone’s mouth gaped open for a second before she recovered. “I wasn’t referring to anything specific . . . I just meant people in general.”

“No, you said you knew from experience, you’d done things that make it hard for you to look in the mirror. I want to know what you’ve done, Simone.” His tone was harsh and his dark eyes bored into hers. He could see fear, confirming his suspicions.

She shook her head, trying to move away from him. Luc caught her by the arms and held her in place. Simone tried to avoid looking at him but said nothing.

“What things, Simone?!” He was yelling now, gripping her arms tightly.

“Nothing! You’re hurting me!” she cried.

Luc loosened his grip but didn’t let go. His voice was dead calm and his jaw was set as he spoke. “Answer me.”

Simone shook her head. “I haven’t done anything but take care of you. I’ve gotten rid of so much trash for you over the years, you have no idea. Women who wanted nothing but your money, who would have hurt you. I follow behind you and clean up all your mistakes! And instead of thanking me, you come in here to hurt me and yell at me! How dare you!”

Remembering himself, he looked down at his hands, releasing her with a sense of shame. His desperation to be back with Megan had him completely out of control. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing. Please forgive me.”

He turned and started for the door. As his hand turned the knob, the word
trash
popped into his head. He could picture her sitting at his desk smiling up at him.
Just clearing up some trash for you. . . .

He took a deep breath before slowly turning back to her.
Megan, she was talking about Megan
. His eyes were ice cold and his voice dead calm. “Tell me about the trash, Simone. What trash did you clear up for me on my computer that morning when I was in the shower?”

Simone opened her mouth, then clamped it shut, pursing her lips. Her eyes darted up to the ceiling, then down to the floor.

Luc’s voice was quiet now. He was using every ounce of effort to restrain himself. “If you really love me, you’ll tell me.”