All I Want Is You (13 page)

Authors: Kayla Perrin

BOOK: All I Want Is You

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Chapter 15

Mikki hadn't known how to respond to Barry's proclamation, and when she'd heard the shower start, she had quickly left his hotel room.

She went back home and straight to her bedroom, relieved to find that her parents weren't home, even though she wondered where they could be.

She felt . . . She didn't know what she was feeling, except a definite sense of unease. As much as she'd like to have all of the answers, she simply didn't.

Why didn't Barry understand that?

Mikki undressed and got into the shower, Barry's surprise announcement playing in her mind the entire time. He'd been in love with her in high school.

How had she not known?

Or had she on some level always known? Was that why she had trusted Barry enough to go to bed with him? Because she'd instinctively known that he was a man she could trust with her heart?

Ever since her first night with him, Mikki had been asking herself how she could sleep with him, because it was so out of character for her to just jump into bed with someone. But what if she'd slept with Barry because, even though thirteen years had passed, the friendship bond they'd formed had still been there?

Mikki exited the shower and wondered if her sister hated her. Chantal was probably already on the plane with Ken, heading to Hawaii for her honeymoon. Mikki wondered if she had questioned Ken about what he'd done or if she would pretend it had never happened.

The knock on her bedroom door had Mikki whipping her head in that direction. She thought she was alone in the house.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“Mikki, it's me. Chantal.”

“Chantal?” She was still here? Maybe her flight was a little later. “Um, just give me a minute, okay?”

Mikki hurriedly got into a robe, then went to the door and opened it. Facing her sister, she said softly, “Hey. I thought you left already.”

“Can we talk? Mom and Dad aren't here.”

Chantal sounded serious, and Mikki couldn't gauge her mood. She didn't want to rehash the argument she'd already had with her sister, but she said, “Sure.”

Chantal headed into the bedroom and took a seat on the armchair. Mikki followed her, taking a seat on her bed.

“What you said about Kenâ”

“Chantal, I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry. But you have to believe meâI was trying to protect you.”

“Well, as you know, I was supposed to leave for my honeymoon today.”

“You're not going? I . . . I'm sorry,” Mikki repeated.

“I realized something,” Chantal went on. “Last night, in the honeymoon suite with Ken, I thought about your comment. The warning not to make the same mistake as Mom. And it got me thinking that maybe I've been living a lie, just like she did for so many years. Here I was with a wealthy, gorgeous guy, and I can't deny that I thought I'd hit the jackpot. I overlooked a lot of things because on paper, Ken was a woman's dream. I forgot about all the things that were really important.”

“Chantal,” Mikki began, sighing heavily, “I didn't expect you two to break up. I just . . . I guess I just wanted you to know in order to make sure nothing like this happened in the future. Like maybe if you talked to him, he'd realize the error of his ways. I don't know.”

“I confronted Ken, and at first he lied. Then he told the truth, blaming it on the alcohol. He thought he could simply apologize and I'd forgive him, but I told him that I can't go on a honeymoon. Not when I don't know if I still want to be married.”

“No.” Mikki shook her head. “Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Ken was drunk, and I probably overreacted.”

“No, don't apologize. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted you to know that I'm not mad at you. You did what any good sister would do, and I'm sorry I didn't appreciate that right away. I got really angry with you, but the truth is, I was angry with myself. Because Ken cheated on me before. And like Mom did with Dad, I forgave him. I forgave him because, like I said, on paper, he was every woman's dream man. He told me he'd never do it again, and I wanted so badly to believe him, even though in my heart I wasn't sure I could.”

“Is it over?” Mikki asked softly.

“I'm not saying it is. Not necessarily. But I need to take some time and see what I want. Maybe we'll go to counseling and everything will be fine. All I know is that I don't want to settle, and I won't settle. I hope things will work out, but that can happen only when I'm convinced that Ken isn't going to break my heart down the road.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No,” Chantal said. “Don't apologize, because you talking to me about what happened was a wake-up call for me. If need be, we can get the marriage annulled now. And like I said, I woke up realizing that I deserve better. I deserve a man who loves me wholeheartedly. A man who's crazy about me. If that's Ken, great . . . but I need to take time to figure it out.”

Chantal got up and walked over to Mikki, and Mikki stood to meet her. Then Chantal wrapped her in a warm embrace, one that erased all of Mikki's doubts about whether she had done the right thing.

“Where are Mom and Dad?” Mikki asked as they pulled apart.

“They're with Ken and his parents, discussing the situation. As you can imagine, Mom is beside herself. And warningâshe's not happy that you told me. But, given her own history with Dad, that's no surprise.”

“I'm sure.”

“I'm sorry I said you were jealous of me. I . . . I feel real bad about that.”

“It's okay.”

“I also said something about working it out with Alex. That was the anger talking. I don't think you should. In fact, I can't help thinking that something special is sparking with you and Barry.” Chantal's voice rose on a hopeful note.

“Barry?” Mikki asked, her heart immediately beginning to thump.

Chantal grinned at her. “Come on. I think it's been obvious to all of us that you two are hot for each other. Being in a room with you two . . .” Chantal fanned herself. “Talk about smoldering.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The way you both look at each other? All. The. Time. It's intense.” Chantal paused. “And maybe it's love.”

The next morning, Mikki awoke to the sound of knocking at her door. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was almost nine-thirty.

More knocking. “Yes?” Mikki called.

“Can I come in?”

Her mother's voice. Mikki sat up, wondering if her mother wanted to come in for round two. She'd already given Mikki a good talking-to about causing problems between her sister and Ken.

“All right,” Mikki said.

The door opened, and her mother entered. “You have to get up, sweetheart. Alexander is here.”

Mikki's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “What?”

“He's here.”

Alexander was here? Mikki didn't know how to respond. She only knew that she was beyond shocked.

She said to her mother, “When you say he's hereâ”

“I mean he's at the door,” her mother told her, a look of definite excitement on her face.

Good Lord, Alex was actually here, in her parents' home.

“Go talk to him,” her mother said, speaking in a gentle tone. “Hear him out.”

And then she quietly exited the room.

Hear him out.
Her mother had done exactly that with her father, stayed in a relationship that she shouldn't have for the sake of appearances. Or perhaps she had done it for the children, but the only thing she had accomplished was to create two daughters willing to put up with bad behavior, instead of ones who had the guts to walk when the going got bad.

But thinking about her past wasn't going to solve anything. So Mikki got up, got dressed, and then headed out of her bedroom. She found Alexander sitting in the living room. When he saw her, he rose, a small smile lifting his lips.

This moment was odd, eerie almost. Seeing Alexander now was beyond surreal. It seemed as though a lifetime had passed since she had seen him, even though in truth it had been only just over a week.

But what an amazing eight days.

A life-changing eight days.

“Hey, babe,” Alex said softly.

“What are you doing here?”

Alex started toward her. “I'm sorry. Sorry for being a royal jerk.”

Mikki's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. In her silence, he went on. “I shouldn't have broken up with you. I was . . . I was confused. I was scared. My feelings for you were so strong that they terrified me.”

Mikki didn't want to have this conversation in the living room, where her parents could overhear what they were saying. So she said, “Let's go in here.”

She gestured to her father's study and then led the way inside. Once in the room, Mikki closed the door and wandered over to the window.

“I'm confused,” she said, turning to face him.

Alex crossed the room until he was standing right in front of her. “I needed to see you. That's why I got on a plane and came down here yesterday. I got in too late to come here last night, but I had to see you bright and early today.”

“Why didn't you leave me a message, give me some warning?”

“I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. And then I just knew I had to come down here, see you face-toface. Make you understand.”

“Just last weekâ”

“I know, it's crazy. I broke up with you, and now here I am. I guess . . . I guess the idea of a wedding terrified me. I knew you wanted to get married, and suddenly I was very scared of the idea.” He paused. “But I'm not scared anymore.”

Mikki wondered if she had been zapped into the twilight zone. “I don't understand.”

Alex chuckled softly. “I love you, baby. You know that. Even though I tried to deny it, even though I broke up with you as a way to avoid facing my deepest fear, I realize that I can't live without you. I couldn't let Christmas pass with us being apart.”

This was freaky, him being here. But it was also weird how a week could change everything.

One week ago, Mikki would have reveled in the idea of having Alex come to her the day after he'd broken her heart and say exactly these words. Instead, she felt strangely liberated.

And in total control.

“You told me that I was boring in bed. How do you take that back?”

Alex's eyes widened. Then he steeled his jaw and said, “I wanted to push you away. I was hurting you before you had a chance to hurt me.”

“Me? Me hurt you?” Where was this coming from?

“My mother left my father. I know I never told you that before, but I guess it affected me more than I ever thought it would. I'm afraid of getting hurt,” he said with a casual shrug.

“You said I was boring in bed,” Mikki stressed.

“I know, and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for being a jerk?”

The small smile on Alex's face said that he thought he only need flash his charming grin and all would be forgiven. It wasn't that simple.

Because Mikki was suddenly immune to his charms. And she was actually excited about what she was going to say next.

“A lot can change in a week.”

“I know,” he told her. “And that's why I have this.”

Suddenly, he reached into his jacket pocket. Mikki's breath stilled.

He wasn't . . .

He couldn't be . . .

He produced a small Tiffany box.

Oh God. He
was.

“Marry me,” Alex said. “Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth.”

Mikki stared at him in utter disbelief. To think that two weeks ago she would have easily said yes, but she knew now that had she said yes, heartbreak would have awaited her in the future.

“You want to marry me,” she stated without emotion.

“Yes.” He handed her the box, grinning like a fool.

“But what about Sandra?” Mikki asked, faking a tone of exaggerated concern.

“Sandra?” Alex asked, but she saw the way his jaw tightened.

Then he chuckled nervously. She knew he was about to lie, absolutely knew it in her soul.

“Sandra . . . The only Sandra I know is the assistant DA.”

“Yes, her. The one you're sleeping with.” Mikki crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep her lips from twitching.