Forever Starts Tomorrow (22 page)

‘Wow, that’s good.’ Melanie chewed off another piece, enjoying the combination of sweet and tart. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘Tom’s wife makes them.’ Tom had been his partner for the last ten years, and she had met him and his lovely wife at the few parties she’d been to as Scott’s girlfriend.

‘She's started a new business,’ Scott continued, his tone cheerful. ‘Now that they are expecting their second child, it seemed like a good idea to have a company she can run on a more flexible schedule.’

She let the words sink in as she kept on nibbling. She knew Scott well enough to know that he was trying to get a message across.

‘Look, I'm not sure if it’s such a good idea to stop at your house.’ She looked down at her stained, torn blouse and dirt-smudged skirt. ‘I look like a total mess, Scott. I should go home and change, that’s all.’

‘You’ve got plenty of clothes at my home,’ he reminded her pleasantly, ignoring her statement of independence. ‘I admit, I kept one box when you decided to move out. I just couldn’t bear the thought that you’d be completely gone, so I put it in the attic.’ He cast her a side glance, checking her reaction. ‘I hope you aren’t too mad about that.’

‘I am not sure what to think.’ Melanie shook her head, dazed by his confession. ‘You keep my stuff in the attic? I was wondering what happened to some of my clothes, but thought I misplaced them during the move.’

‘Well, I promise I haven’t done anything inappropriate with any of it, however tempting it might have been.’ He had the nerve to smile. ‘I just liked having it around, to make me feel like you were still here.’

The house welcomed them with cool air and soothing silence, calming her frayed nerves after the hospital. It smelled faintly of coffee and eucalyptus. Her nose inhaled the familiar scent. She didn’t have the energy to protest too much as he installed her on the sofa, with a glass of cold juice and a platter of fruit on the low coffee table.

‘You don’t need to do that,’ she protested weakly when he started to unbuckle her sandals, her stomach doing summersaults as she felt his fingers caress her ankles. ‘I am perfectly capable of doing it myself.’

‘Of course you are.’ He didn’t stop, of course. He kept going, peeling off her sandals. For a second she felt like Cinderella, imagining Scott as her Prince Charming. ‘I just want to pamper you a bit, so quit complaining.’ His deadpan face made Melanie burst out laughing, but then she moved around, and shards of pain travelled up her arm. She gasped. Being around Scott meant forgetting she had just broken her arm.

‘See? You shouldn’t move too much—doctor’s orders.’ He rose to his feet in one fluid movement, looking down at her with an expression that tightened her throat and brought tears to her eyes. There was so much concern, warmth, and love in his gaze that she felt like rolling into a ball and stay like that forever, broken arm or not. Damn those stupid hormones, Melanie thought angrily, blinking away the tears.

‘OK, what would you like to eat? We can order something in or I can attempt to make it myself—your choice.’

‘A sandwich would be great.’ She didn’t feel like having a huge meal, anyway. The mild painkillers took away the edge of her pain, but she felt a bit woozy. Sleepiness weighed down her eyes, her eyelids getting heavier with each second.

Scott bustled around the kitchen, pulling ingredients out of his fridge and preparing her meal at a speed that was somewhat magical. He didn’t cook often, but when he did, the results were spectacular.

Soon the delicious smell of melting cheese and frying mushrooms wafted to her nostrils and she felt her mouth water in anticipation. She remembered that meal, she thought, as a feeling of joy washed over her tired and aching body. Scott had made it for them the first morning after she stayed over, explaining to her his hopes of addicting her to the pleasures of his cooking. It had worked.

‘Here we go, milady.’ A plate garnished with cherry tomatoes and arugula, together with a cheese and mushroom melt sprinkled with fresh chives and parsley, appeared on the table. ‘Tuck in, please.’

She did. Suddenly, Melanie felt ravenously hungry. The bread, golden and crisp, carried just enough crunchiness to support the gooey goodness of the cheese and the savory taste of the mushrooms. Scott didn’t do anything halfheartedly, be it a multimillion-dollar project or a sandwich.

He sat opposite her in an armchair, the elegant lines a perfect background for his masculine frame. He looked tired but happy, she decided, as the last crumbs of her sandwich found their way to her lips.

‘Would you like some more?’ He took her empty plate, his eyes fixed on her face. ‘I can prepare something else too, if you’d like.’

‘No that’s plenty, thank you.’ She sighed, a pleasurable heaviness taking over. It was good to be with Scott, just the two of them, without any interruptions. Melanie couldn’t remember the last time they’d been like that in his house, during the day. Still, she felt bad for making him miss his work; she knew how much he cared about what was happening in his company at this very moment. It wasn’t fair to keep him away from the entire action.

‘If you’d bring me my clothes to change into, I’ll take a quick shower and we can head back to the city.’ His eyebrows furrowed. She added, ‘I mean, I feel much better as it is. You can drop me off at my place and get back to work. There is really no reason to waste your time.’

‘Waste my time?’ He stared at her incredulously. ‘How can you even call it that, after all you’ve been through today and after what you did?’

‘You know you want to be at work; don’t deny it.’ She wouldn’t let him silence her. ‘I didn’t do anything unusual, Scott. If you feel that you have to wrap me in wool just because I took care of José …’

‘This has nothing to do with José.’ He got up, his movement fast and impatient. If Melanie hadn't known better, she’d have thought he felt hurt by her comment. But there was no reason for him to feel that way, was there? ‘Jesus, of course I'm extremely grateful for what you did for him—that goes without saying. But being here with you has nothing to do with anyone but us. If this whole mess in the last week taught me one thing, it's the fact I can’t put it off any longer. I need to have a chat with you, Mel. Just you and me, no interruptions.’

‘Today is your project release day.’ Did she really have to remind him of that? ‘You know you worked like crazy in the last months to get to this point. Don’t tell me you don’t want to be there to keep your hand on the pulse.’

‘Screw all that.’ His instant response silenced her for good. Melanie could only sit and stare at the man, who got to his feet and paced the room, reminding her of a sleek, dark panther trapped in a cage. ‘No project is more important than what we have, Mel.’ He came to stand over her, his gaze hypnotic. ‘Sure, I would like to be there to oversee things, no doubt about that. But if I had to choose, being here with you wins every time, ten times over.’

He crouched next to her couch, his hands coming to trap hers, the warmth of his fingers soothing.

‘You are the most important person in my life.’ He swallowed, his voice breaking slightly on the next sentence. ‘I’ve never wanted to let anyone have such control over me; I admit it. I thought that if I did, I’d get hurt sooner or later. So, I created this perfect reality where everyone and everything have their proper place and role, fitting into my life, but not in charge of it.’

His fingers trembled against her skin, his composure more of an act than he was admitting.

‘I saw you across a room full of people and I knew you were the one person I didn’t want to disappear from my life.’ He smiled and his eyes took on a faraway look. She knew he was back there, in the room full of people. The music and chatter of all the voices came back to her as if it were yesterday. His tall good looks had blocked out the world the moment she set her eyes on him.

Scott looked back at her, and their eyes locked in perfect understanding. They both knew that whatever had happened was meant to be, and however full of obstacles their path might have been, it had led them to that very moment.

‘I had plenty of time to think about what I messed up, during the last few days.’ He didn’t let her interrupt. His long-fingered, elegant palm went up in a plea for attention. ‘I realized that I let you down more than once. I can’t even properly explain why I acted this way. It’s just that ever since we agreed to get married, I somehow felt that I could put our relationship on a back burner, like it was a done deal.’ He laughed a short, mirthless laugh, his eyes disbelieving. ‘Now that I think about it, it’s a pretty dumb idea, but I felt like I already had you where I wanted you to be—at my side. I didn’t stop to think that I had to work on it every day, to keep it alive and healthy.’

‘We don’t need to go there, really.’ Melanie didn’t want to see him so humble, and she took no pleasure in his admission of guilt. If anything, she ached to pull him close and silence him with a kiss. ‘I understand.’

‘No, you can’t really.’ He gave a swift, warm glance that tugged on her heartstrings. ‘I didn’t myself, until the story with José and my family. You see, I realized I was trying to test you, however horrible it sounds—to see how far I could push you and still have you in my life. I can’t really explain it, but it gave me comfort to see you with me even though I was less than perfect as your fiancé, burying myself in work and taking you for granted. I guess it gave me hope you’d stay with me forever, unlike some other people in my life.’

He was talking about his parents, of course. Ever since they'd walked out of his life, he’d been bent on proving to himself he didn’t need anyone or anything to be happy. His relationships with women were no exception. She'd heard all about it before, mostly thanks to Sam.

‘Meeting José and learning about my dad’s other life taught me that life was too short and too precious to wreck things the way I did with you.’ He leaned closer, his sweet breath on her face. ‘I don’t care if I'm vulnerable anymore. I want to be with you, now and forever.’ He drew a shaky breath, his eyes glistening. ‘And no, I came up with this speech even before I found out about our baby, so don’t think that had any impact on what I wanted to say.’

Our baby
. She liked the sound of that. Truth be told, she liked everything he said. For the first time in their relationship he had bared everything, exposing himself to her judgment and hiding nothing. She knew him well enough to truly appreciate the scale of his change of heart.

‘I’d like that too,’ she whispered, not trusting her voice enough to talk louder. ‘I missed being with you.’

Melanie had more to say, but it had to wait. He might have learned a thing or two about communication, but his impatience remained the same. His lips silenced her with a kiss, the demanding pressure of his mouth accepting no resistance. Not that she really wanted to resist him anyway. She kissed him back, her whole love in the kiss, which lasted long enough to rend her breathless. She wanted him close; she thought dazedly, her arms going up to pull him to her. Only then did she remember her cast, the heavy bulk getting in the way. Scott’s chest shook with laughter, and he pulled away just enough to be able to look into her face.

‘We’ll have to come up with some new techniques for the next few weeks. For now, you’ll have to let me take the lead.’ He wasn’t kidding, she realized as he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He lay her down on the bedspread, his movements gentle and careful. Before she had the chance to move, he came to lie next to her, propped on his elbow. There was slow fire burning in the depth of his eyes, low and smoldering, taking away whatever little breath she still had. But what mattered even more, there was affection and tenderness that needed no covering up or hiding any longer. She felt as if she were looking at the man for the very first time again, her eyes relearning his features, inch by inch. She let them travel from the raven-dark hair, to his straight, elegant eyebrows, to his onyx eyes, to the high-bridged nose and firm mouth, softened by a smile that was for her and her alone. She thought she'd known him before, but in that moment of absolute bliss, she realized she was wrong. It was the beginning of a journey, and they were embarking on it together.

‘You’ll pay for it once I'm free.’ She wiggled her cast and was rewarded with the sound of his laughter, rich and warm.

‘I’ll pay you with interest,’ he assured her, his lips coming down to kiss the tip of her nose. ‘I'm reliable that way; you know that.’

She did, and she looked forward to collecting that interest, her brain already conjuring images of possible methods of payment.

‘How about a little advance?’ she mumbled, pulling him to her, wanting him too much to wait any longer. ‘I think that the negotiations are over.’

He obliged, and no words were necessary.

EPILOGUE

Two months later
.

He noticed her right away—the girl in the red dress. The room was packed with people, the hum of numerous conversations peppered with bursts of laughter. He was already regretting committing to the event. The thought of spending the next hours rubbing shoulders with people he didn’t care about when he could have headed back to the office and put in a few extra hours was depressing.

But he promised he’d show up. The event his friend’s friends had organized to promote a charity they had started only a few months ago needed every bit of help it could get. And if they thought that his presence could tip the scales in their favor, he had no good excuses to refuse. Maybe total honesty could get him out of his dilemma, he mused, sipping the excellent brandy served to him by an awestruck waitress. If he said what he really thought of that bunch of overpaid people who cared more about having their photos taken than the actual cause of the evening, he’d be out of the door in no time. Or maybe not. Being successful and making an obscene amount of money had taught him that those who could afford it lived by an entirely different set of rules. Sure, if he spoke his mind, someone would get offended, and he’d find an article about it on the web. Spoiled and rude Scott Masden, the genius with no manners. Still, he’d be in the game, no real harm done. As long as he managed to stay on top, he was invincible.