Forever in Love (22 page)

Standing in the center of the room, Blaine spread his feet and crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

“My lawyer didn’t tell you? I’m going to have to fire her for not doing her job.”

“She told me. What I don’t get is why you care. For a guy as popular as you are with the ladies, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only accidental kid out there.”

“Actually, you are. And I don’t regret it.” Salazar munched on his bagel. “But I do regret that I didn’t know sooner. Georgia Love was one of the sweetest women ever.”

And Blaine was supposed to swallow this bullshit? “Yeah, sure. Sweet.”

“Seriously. She really was something special. If I hadn’t been married, I might have proposed to her.” Salazar paused, pursing his mouth for a moment. “Then again, I might not. It’s difficult to say.”

“What’s so difficult about it? You liked Ceinlys enough to marry her, but Ma wasn’t good enough for you.” Blaine remembered the first time he’d seen Salazar’s gorgeous wife. He’d only been five at the time, and he’d thought she was an angel with her shiny black hair and heart-shaped face…until she’d spotted his mother and spoken with enough venom in her voice to kill a water moccasin.

“I married Ceinlys because I knew she’d be able to handle my inability to stay faithful. She wanted to marry the Pryce name and what it represented, not me. I don’t think your mother would’ve been okay with that. She would’ve wanted me all to herself, and I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to resist the urge to stray…even for her.”

“Bullshit. That’s just some cheap copout to justify what you did.”

“Is it? Ask yourself this: would your mother have been happy with an unfaithful husband?” The two men stared at each other; Blaine didn’t say anything. “I would’ve been able to give her everything except fidelity,” Salazar said.

“Seriously?” Blaine asked, unable to believe the man’s gall.

“Hey, everyone has their flaws, and the world would be a better place if we were honest about them. I loved her, but I couldn’t have reformed myself.”

“If it had been true love, you could’ve.”

“Son, the fact is, love
doesn’t
conquer all. I bought this house for your mother, you know. But she refused to accept it, and so I let it sit just in case. I thought she’d change her mind, the way she probably thought I would change mine. Now… Well, now it’s too late to think about
what-if
s.”

Blaine stared at the man he’d thought so poorly of all his life. In his mind, Salazar had been a cool, slick user who didn’t care about anybody except himself. But the reality seemed different. Salazar didn’t appear to be lying. He was serious about his shortcomings. And it was true: his mother would never have been able to tolerate an unfaithful husband.

Salazar finished his bagels and coffee. “I’ve got things to attend to, so I’m leaving now. Get your passport ready. In three days somebody’s going to pick you up, and you’re going to Thailand with my son Mark. That’d be your younger brother, by the way, though not as young as Sean.”

Blaine laughed. “You really think that’s how it works? Just waltz into town and start telling me what to do?”

“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m letting you know what your options are. If you aren’t on the plane to Thailand, the money goes to Ceinlys. If you are, then we can sign papers to transfer ownership of the fund to you there.”

“Why Thailand?”

“There’s an important wedding, and everyone’s invited. I want you there so I can properly introduce you to the people who matter. I’m serious about you joining the family.”

“I can’t get a passport in three days.”

Salazar produced a business card. “Call this number. That’s my assistant, Kimberly Sanford. She’ll take care of everything.” When Blaine didn’t take it, Salazar put it on the coffee table.

Blaine glared at the white rectangle. Since his confrontation with Sean, he’d thought long and hard about the situation with Salazar. Sean was right about the money. It could change their lives for the better. Sticking to his pride might feel good now, but at the end of the day, he was the one who was fifty million bucks poorer. And if money were no longer an issue, Sean would go back to school. All that was required was for Blaine to be a little more flexible about how he saw the world.

Then there was another thing he’d been thinking about. “By the way…”

“Yes?”

“What’s between you and Catherine? She one of your lovers?”

Salazar chuckled. “I really must look like a complete idiot. Do you honestly think I would send an ex-girlfriend to convince you to join the family?” He tossed the empty coffee cup and bagel bag in the trashcan. “She’s the daughter of a man named Sebastian who was a good friend of mine. She’s had some bad stuff going on in her life, and I thought it’d be good for her to get away from everyone and stay here for a while. And do me a favor while she was at it.”

“You talking about her bigamist husband?”

“You know about that? News travels fast.” Salazar brushed crumbs from his slacks. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but whatever you did must’ve been bad. The way she sounded on the phone…I’ve never heard her like that.”

Blaine clenched his hands. Because of him, probably. He’d said some truly cruel things to her. And he was getting a sinking feeling that he had misjudged everything due to his dislike of Salazar.

“Just so you know, I didn’t appreciate it,” Salazar continued. “She’s an amazing woman, but extremely unlucky. Her entire life and self-worth have been defined by her beauty. Most people can’t see beyond it. Helen of Troy might’ve had a face that launched a thousand ships, but Catherine’s could launch a million. Her mother knew that and tried to capitalize on it when Sebastian lost everything in a series of poor investment decisions. Catherine wasn’t very”—he cast around for the right word—“academically inclined and didn’t do well in school. Surprising, because she’s no dummy. But her mother used that to bully her, telling her the only way she’d be able to become anything was marrying a successful—and by that she meant
filthy
rich—man. I treat her like one of my own, and if I thought Catherine could stand up for herself against her mother, I would’ve set her up with a trust fund the same as all my real children. Sadly, I don’t. I often wonder if I could’ve done something to prevent her from marrying that bastard Jacob in the first place.” His voice turned cold and hard. “So I don’t like it that one of my own kids hurt her.”

“It looked like she seduced me for money,” Blaine said almost defensively. He hated how small and mean he was feeling after Salazar’s portrayal of Catherine.

“‘For money.’ That’s hilarious. Blaine, fifty million seems like a lot to you, but it’s nothing to people in her social circle. One of her exes is worth twenty
billion
dollars. And you don’t even have the money yet.
And
you live in this small town, which, let’s face it, has very little to offer to somebody like her. If she slept with you, it’s because she liked you. As for Sean… He’s a big boy. If he can’t think with the head that’s sitting on top of his shoulders, he has no one to blame but himself. Now, there’s food in the fridge and the keys are on the counter. Have some breakfast if you like, and lock the house on your way out. Irene will come by later and pick them up at The Line.”

Salazar walked out the door and Blaine heard the car start outside. As much as he didn’t care for his so-called father, he had to admit Salazar had no reason to lie about Catherine. Based on Salazar’s description of the men Catherine used to date, it was clear that Blaine couldn’t compete with them on money. What had she called him?

Not even half a billionaire
.

He thought back on everything she’d said and done and couldn’t find anything that seemed like she was pushing for reconciliation between him and Salazar. True, she’d asked about his father once, but she hadn’t tried to defend the man or anything…even when a perfect opening had presented itself.

He remembered how alone and desolate she’d been when she’d spoken of her broken marriage, nasty in-laws and unsupportive mother. Then how shattered she’d looked when he’d come accusing her of spying for Salazar and trying to get to him for the fifty million bucks—he’d essentially called her a whore.

Why had he been so cruel to her? He wasn’t like that, not even to Zoe. He’d been pissed off, of course—
really
pissed off—but there hadn’t been the same kind of keen disappointment or sense of loss, like something had reached inside his chest and ripped out his heart.

Don’t you get it
,
you moron? You’re in love with her
.
That’s why it hurt so much when you thought she betrayed you
.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Still standing in the center of the room, he rubbed his hands slowly once up and down his cheeks. How could he have hurt her so much? He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain. No wonder she’d lashed back with those cutting words. He should’ve known Catherine wasn’t like Zoe or Ceinlys. Neither of them would’ve shown any kindness to a guy like Dusty or dirtied their hands helping out behind a bar. But he was still stuck in the past, and so he’d wounded her.

Blaine started pacing. There had to be something he could do. The wedding Salazar had mentioned must be the one Catherine was going to. All right, he would go. He’d take the damn money and go, and once he got there he’d do whatever he had to do to see if he could earn her forgiveness and even her love.

The family let Stella, Gavin, Amandine and Catherine take the main house they owned in Thailand and took over other resorts in the area. Gavin’s uncle Tony had sailed over on his yacht the
Betsy Doll
, and anchored at a local marina. A few of the older members of the family stayed with him.

Catherine’s gut twisted at the prospect of spending time with Stella. She hadn’t been a bad mother-in-law, but she also hadn’t been particularly warm or kind. The slightest twitch of her eyelids could convey a world of coldness and disapproval, and Catherine had been on the receiving end of it for years.

Still, she should try to relax. Jacob wasn’t around to poison things with his family. Hadn’t Amandine said Stella planted yellow roses in her garden? The family always looked at her garden to gauge her mood. It had to mean Stella no longer considered Catherine beneath them.

Besides, she hadn’t done anything to be ashamed of. Jacob was the one at fault for their marriage falling apart, and his friend Simon was to blame for the company’s financial problems.

When their two SUVs pulled up in front of the Lloyds’ family vacation home, Stella came out from the pool and patted herself dry. Water droplets formed on the wisps of hair that had escaped her dark, silver-streaked bun. A blue one-piece bathing suit looked good on her. She wrapped a white robe around herself, slipping her feet into pink flip-flops. “You’re all here,” she said, stretching her arms out.

“Mom.” Gavin hugged her.

Stella embraced Amandine, then turned to Catherine.

Catherine waited for the perfunctory nod, but Stella placed a quick peck on her cheek, then drew back, holding Catherine at arm’s length and looking her in the eye. “I’m very glad you decided to attend, Catherine.”

Taken aback, Catherine murmured, “Thank you, Stella.”

“Come. Let’s go inside. Oh, and look at little Jeremy! He’s
adorable!
Let me.”

Amandine relinquished her son to Stella to fuss over. The house staff came out and started dealing with the luggage.

“I’m leaving the master bedroom to the two of you,” Stella said to Amandine and Gavin. “The guest bedroom is really better for me. And the ocean view room’s yours, Catherine.”

Catherine bit her lower lip at the unexpected gesture. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. The sound of the waves keeps me up at night,” Stella said.

As excuses went, it was fairly lame. But Catherine didn’t argue. If Stella wanted to take the room facing the forest, that was her prerogative. And if this was an olive branch, Catherine didn’t want to upset her by turning it down.

The dinner went surprisingly well. The food was great—Catherine loved Thai—and the conversation flowed without any awkwardness or pauses. Stella was one of the best hostesses and conversationalists Catherine knew.

“I understand Salazar’s bringing a special guest,” Stella said. “I saw his crew preparing the house for their arrival.”

“Who?” Amandine asked, but Catherine knew—Blaine.

“I haven’t heard. Hopefully not another of his mistresses. I don’t know if Barron will stand for it,” the older woman said. “I certainly wouldn’t.”

“Even if he brings a mistress, Ceinlys won’t make a scene,” Gavin said. “She won’t do anything that could jeopardize her social status.”

He was probably right. Even with her status as matriarch of the Pryce clan, ruining Kerri’s wedding would infuriate Barron. And the man was heavily into revenge.

“But the awkwardness! It simply won’t do. Even if that old mule is okay with it, I’m not.”

Catherine felt her jaw drop. Had Stella just called Barron an old mule?

“He and I organized the wedding together,” Stella said to Catherine. “If it had been up to him, he would’ve bought an island for the ceremony. Outlandishly expensive and frivolous. The man has no concept of proportion at all. He’s worse than you, Gavin.”

“Hey!”

“I’m sure that’s what gave him the reputation for being so excessive,” Catherine said diplomatically.

“Undoubtedly.” Stella sighed dramatically. “Men.”

After dessert, Amandine and Gavin excused themselves, saying they needed to check up on Jeremy. Once they were gone, Stella poured another glass of sherry. “Would you like more, dear?”

“No, thank you,” Catherine said, mindful of the additional calories.

“How have you been?”

“Well…” She smiled wanly. “What can I say?”

“I wish you’d come see me, but I understand why you didn’t.” Stella sighed. “When I heard about your visit to Ethan”—she shook her head—“I couldn’t believe he was so insensitive to you, especially given the circumstances.”

“He was probably just worried about The Lloyds Development.” The company was the Lloyds family’s biggest cash cow—or it had been once. It had generated a handsome return for its shareholders. Not everyone in the family needed the money, but some did, and when it stopped producing, certain people had had to scramble.