Taking Heart (24 page)

His heart beat a million miles a minute, and for a moment, he wondered if
his reconstructed heart could take all of the extra exertion. Before he could
dwell too long, the door opened to reveal Ren in a pink bathrobe. “Hi,” she
said with a sleepy smile. “You’re early.”

He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried. “I wanted to surprise
you.”

She covered her mouth and stifled a yawn. “Consider me surprised.”

He stepped inside and looked around, and though only a lamp was on to
illuminate the space, he could tell that the apartment was comfortable and a
touch quirky, much like Ren herself. All of her furniture, including her couch,
was white, with pops of color from the couch cushions, the curtain, and a group
of framed art on the wall.

He turned back to Ren and found he couldn’t wait another minute to speak.
“I love you, Ren,” he blurted out.

She gasped, her lips parted slightly. She blinked a few times. “Did you
just say you loved me or did I fall asleep for a second?” she asked, obviously
bewildered.

He laughed, a sweet release from his chest. “I said I love you,” he said,
wrapping his arms around her and squeezing. “I’m in love with you, Renee
Lawton.”

She smiled widely and reached up to kiss him, her arms winding around his
neck as the kiss deepened. With one hand on the small of her back and one on
her neck, he pulled her closer, his body telling him that they were not nearly
close enough.

The kiss went on without any signs of stopping, so he lifted her up and
carried her down the hallway, their lips never losing contact. He found her
bedroom instinctively and laid her on the rumpled bedspread gently, looking at
her for approval before tugging at the ties of her robe.

Her hair splayed around her head like a chocolate halo as she smiled up
at him before grasping the edges of her robe and slowly, excruciatingly,
peeling it away to reveal a white tank top that left little to the imagination.

The shedding of clothes took all but three seconds, and as he fumbled in
his pants for his wallet, she said urgently, “In the side drawer. Get those.”

He dropped his pants and pulled open the drawer, surprised at finding a
brand new box of condoms sitting inside. He pulled it out and held it up. “I
can’t believe you thought I was going to put out,” he said with a grin, then
ripped open the box.

When he went to put the box of condoms back, he saw a black velvet box
nestled amongst various items inside the drawer. With a sinking feeling, he
picked it up and, though he was wildly hoping it contained earrings, was not at
all surprised to find a diamond ring inside. “You still have it,” he said
softly, his eyes flicking back towards the beautiful but damaged woman on the
bed.

Ren sat up. “I'd forgotten I even had it. I haven’t thought about that
ring in months.”

“I thought you were going to get rid of it?” he asked, dropping the
condom on the floor. They wouldn’t need it now, not with this enormous bucket
of ice water.

“I was. I am.” She extricated the box from his fingers, snapped the lid
shut, and threw it back inside the drawer. “Can we please get back to what we
were doing?” she asked, kissing his neck.

Unable to believe what he was about to do, he pulled away and reached for
his underwear.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m putting my clothes back on,” he said, slipping a shirt over his
head. He stopped and met her eyes. “I love you, Ren, but I don’t want to be
with you until you’re completely over Ben.”

“I
am
over Ben.”

He shook his head emphatically. “I don’t think you are. Otherwise, you
would have gotten rid of that ring a long time ago.”

“I tried to give it back to his parents,
a long time ago
,” she
said, slipping her arms back into the bathrobe. “But they told me to keep it.
So don’t tell me that I’m not over Ben.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and searched her face for clues. “I
want to believe you. I believe you’re telling the
truth
as you know it. But having that ring around still means something.”

“Don’t be so condescending,” she said angrily, hopping up off the bed.
She stomped off into the hallway and a minute later was back with a blanket and
a pillow. “And if this is your way of just running away at the first sign of
emotion, then I’d appreciate it if you left Ben out of it.”

He grabbed the blanket and pillow from her arms, fatigue and
disappointment rolling together into one recognizable emotion: anger. “You
think I’m just trying to run away? You think I flew all the way over here just
to get blue balls and then run away from my feelings for you?”

“Well you’ve done it before.”

With his lips set in a firm line, he turned on a heel and stalked out of
the room. A moment later, he called out, “For the record, you couldn’t be more
wrong.” He threw the pillow on the couch and lay down, pulling the blanket over
his head.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, knowing that they had quite a
drive to accomplish later that day, but as tired as he was, his mind refused to
wind down. He had known that Ren was still not completely over Ben, but
somewhere between the flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, he had somehow
convinced himself that declaring his love for her would erase all of those
lingering feelings for her ex. He should have known better than to compete with
a dead Olympic hopeful.

He rolled over to his side and tried to focus on the road trip, hoping
wildly that the surprise didn’t pull her further from him. Despite the risk, he
knew it would mean the world to her and, at the end of the
day,
it was Ren’s happiness that he was ultimately after.

Eric awoke some time later with the sunlight warming his face. He sat up
and stretched languidly before noticing movement in the kitchen. A few
seconds
later Ren's head popped up from behind the counter.

“You're awake,” she said, folding a fabric grocery sack. “Do you need a
shower or anything before we hit the road?”

Eric checked his watch. “You let me sleep in till nearly eleven?”

“Seemed like you needed it.”

If he thought she had recovered from their fight he was sorely mistaken,
as those were her last cordial words until they had driven out of the greater
Chicago area.

After driving for thirty minutes on I-55, Eric could no longer take the
silence. “This six hour trip is going to feel longer if you don't talk to me,”
he said.

She kept her eyes on the road and her hands firmly on the steering wheel.

“Will you just say something?”

She glanced at him, but only briefly. “Why are we going to Iowa?”

Finally!
he
thought
triumphantly. “I've set up an appointment for you in Des Moines.”

“That doesn't tell me anything.”

“And neither will I,” he said with a smile. He didn't think he could wait
another several hours to see her reaction, but he had no choice.

“It had better be worth six hours,” she said, and was again silent for
another fifty miles.

chapter
fifteen

Ren's stomach grumbled around four o'clock and it was only then she
realized they had skipped lunch altogether. She looked over at Eric, who had
fallen asleep sometime around two, and allowed her affection for him to shine
through the fog of anger for just a few moments. She really couldn't blame him
for thinking that she was still pining for Ben; she would have had the same
reaction if the situation were reversed. Still, she wished Eric would give her
the benefit of the doubt and accept that she may actually be over her dead
boyfriend.

She reached over and poked Eric in the arm. When he didn't rouse, she
looked in the rearview mirror and, after making sure they were alone on the
highway, stepped on the brakes abruptly. Eric's limp body lurched forward,
smacking into the dashboard. He woke up shouting, “What the hell?”

Ren laughed, a deep belly guffaw that felt good. She looked over at Eric,
who still appeared discombobulated, and laughed again.

“That was a dirty, dirty trick,” he said with a grudging grin.

She tried to quell her laughter but failed. “Sorry! I couldn't resist.”

“This means war.” His stomach chose that moment to rumble and made Ren
giggle again.

“Let's eat before we do battle,” she said.

They stopped at a sandwich shop connected to a gas station right off the
interstate. After they'd started eating, Eric said, “So what are your plans for
Thanksgiving?”

Ren finished chewing. “What we usually do, have a get-together at
Jolene's house. It's our tradition,” she said. “What about you?”

“We don't usually do anything since the family is at all ends of the
earth. A few times I've gone to see my mom in Norway, but that doesn't happen
often.”

“Do they ever come to you?”

He shook his head.
“Not that Mom hasn't offered.
I
just usually make the same excuses about being busy and whatnot.”

“Why? Don't you want to see your Mom?” she asked. “Or is it because of
your stepdad?”

“No, Jens has actually... he's surprised me lately. When I told him about
my business plan, I thought for sure he was rooting for me to fail. But he's
stepped back and just watched from the sidelines, offering me some really good
advice.”

“Such as?”

“He suggested that I should think bigger picture. He said that Hollywood
has some rich folks who want custom furniture, but so do other cities,” he
said. “I think the man wants me to take over the world.”

She grinned. “He could hope for worse for his stepson.”

“Sure, but it makes me uncomfortable. I can't even imagine spending time
with him without the possibility of animosity between us. I mean, what if I
find out that I don't actually hate the guy? My whole world would crumble,” he
said with mock despair.

“Yeah, that would be a travesty.”

“Maybe I will go to Norway this year.”

“I think that would be a great idea.” She sighed, looking around. “I'd
love to see the world some day. The only other country I've been to
is
Canada. Sad, I know.”

“Maybe you'll get to travel some day,” he said with a tiny smile.

“Maybe. When I win the lottery.”

They got back on the road a half hour later with Eric at the wheel,
giving Ren plenty of opportunity to study him. The carbs in the food were
making her sleepy, which in turn was making her chatty.

“So do you like it? Making furniture?” she asked as she studied his
profile. He hadn't shaved today, adding scruffy appeal to his already handsome
face. She could almost picture him in the country somewhere, shirtless and
chopping wood with an axe.

He gave her a flirty grin, making her wonder if he could read minds. “If
you keep looking at me like that, we may never make it to Iowa.”

She shut her eyes but continued to face him. “Better?”

“Much.”

“So answer my question.”

“Yes,” he said. Her eyes remained shut, which allowed her the opportunity
to really listen to his voice, which was deep and a bit gravelly. “I wasn't
sure what to expect at first, but Greg is a great instructor. And that moment
when I stand back and see what I made with my own two hands: wow.” He let out a
whoosh of air. “It's a hard feeling to explain.”

She opened her eyes. “I had the same feeling when I completed my first
wedding cake. It makes you feel...” She paused, searching for the right words.
“Like a whole world opens up. Like you can make whatever you want.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“Is it something you want to do for a living?”

“Definitely. I have so many ideas for designs already, and with Carson's
contacts, I think I can launch a business successfully.”

They shared a moment of complete understanding when it seemed as if
nothing outside the car existed, then Eric said, “We only have about an hour
and a half till we get there.”

“You're really not going to tell me what’s in Des Moines?” she asked,
sitting up. “Can I guess, at least?”

“No,” he said with a determined shake of the head. “You'll just have to
wait.”

She took a deep breath, trying to quell the curiosity. She had no idea
what Eric was up to, but somehow she knew it would change everything.