Convince Me (Holton Series #1) (21 page)

After
a week without her, he had started to grow angry.  If she had so little
respect for his love then she didn't deserve it but Steven knew the anger
wouldn't last.  It was just a defense mechanism to stop the pain.

He
stopped the television on the local sports channel and tried to get interested
in a tennis match but his mind soon wandered.  He tried to think about
work.  The case against Cofax Chemicals had finally gone to trial. 
Andrew had been brilliant and they had won a hefty settlement for their
clients.  It was rewarding to know he helped someone but it was not enough
to satisfy the need inside him.

What
is she doing?  He thought to himself as his mind went back to Anna. 
Julie had told him that she seem okay.  He knew that her apartment had
been fixed and he no longer worried about her oven.  His mother had seen
her at the store and told him that she appeared to be fine but Steven couldn't
rid himself of the fear that she was in danger.  He knew it was
unreasonable but it didn't change the way he felt.

The
doorbell interrupted his thoughts.  He tossed the remote onto the table
and went to answer the door.  Michael Peters, a local high school student,
was standing at the door.  He gave Steven a grin and then handed him a
large bouquet of flowers before walking away.

Mindlessly,
he closed the door and walked back into the living room.  He had never
received flowers before.  There was no card but Steven knew whom they were
from.  The lilies were the exact same kind he had given Anna on their
first date.  His heart began to pound as hope began flooding through
him.  Steven searched his kitchen for some type of vase for the flowers
all the while trying to determine what the flowers could mean.  He finally
found a large jar which he filled with water and deposited the bouquet just as
the doorbell rang again.

Hoping
it was Anna, Steven rushed to the door.   It wasn't Anna but the
owners of The King's Court.  Jeff and Margaret Ross had their hands full
and Steven caught a whiff of beef stroganoff.  His mouth started to water
and for the first time in days he realized he was hungry.

"Evening,
Steve," Jeff said as he walked through the doorway followed closely by
Margaret.  "We'll just set this up in the kitchen, alright?"

"Sure,"
Steven replied as he followed them into the kitchen.  Things were
beginning to get quite interesting.  Steven's mood was changing rapidly
and he was beginning to really enjoy the evening.  The smells from their
bags were growing stronger and Steven's stomach began to growl.

"Don't
worry, Steve, we will take care of everything," Margaret told him which he
took as a hint to leave the room.  He did so walking slowly back toward
the living room when the doorbell rang again.

Grinning,
Steven answered it.  Michael had returned.  This time he was holding
a large silver bucket, which contained a bottle of champagne.  The look on
the boy's face was comical and Steven couldn't help laughing out loud.

"My
brother went all the way to Dallas for this," Michael told him as he
handed over the wine.  "I sure hope it was worth the trip."

Jeff
and Margaret had finished in the kitchen and they followed Michael out the
door.  Steven stood by with the champagne in his arms and watched them
leave.

"Everything
is all set, Steve," Margaret told him.  "Have a great
evening."

"Thanks,"
Steven said as he closed the door.  He carried the champagne back into the
living room and sat down on the couch.  Finally, Anna had made her
decision.  Steven grinned as he leaned back on the couch to wait for
her.  He smiled faded a little as he thought about her problems.  He
hoped that all of tonight arrangements meant that she trusted him but he knew
they had a long hard battle ahead of them.

The
doorbell rang again and Steven rose to answer it.  She was standing there
dressed all in blue.  She was wearing the navy dress that so molded her
body and flattered her small waist.  Her face was carefully made up and
every hair was in place.  She was beautiful.  Steven stood a moment
and just drank in the sight of her.  He looked into her eyes and saw the
sadness and the fear there.  He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold
her close but knew the time was still not right.

Slowly
he smiled at her and watched as the sadness and fear faded.  He stretched
out a hand and she placed hers into it.  He felt her tremble as he pulled
her across the threshold.

"Hi,"
she said breathlessly.  He could tell she was nervous as she fiddled with
the button on her dress.

"Hello,"
he answered softly.  "Would you like to go into the living
room?"

Anna
nodded once and hurried into the other room.  Steven followed her and then
offered her a seat.  She refused and instead began pacing the floor. 
Steven watched a minute before he calmly walked over to the couch and sat
down.  Anna continued to pace but glanced at him from time to time. 
Steven waited.  He had waited this long.  He could wait a few more
minutes.

She
stopped pacing and turned toward him.  Steven could tell she was trying to
find the words.  Her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes were
worried.  Finally, she spoke.

"I
need to tell you about my father."

"Okay."

"As
you guessed, he beat my mother," she began softly as she resumed
pacing.  "It was never so bad that she had to be hospitalized or even
go to the doctor but it was bad enough.  People knew.  I really don't
know why but for some reason, he only hit me once.  The night he died. "

Steven's
eyes never left her face.  He could tell she was suffering and wondered if
it was worth it.  He wanted to know about her past but not at the cost of
her pain.  "Anna, you don't have to tell me anything else.  You
can st..."  

"No!" 
She gave him a tight smile.  "You need to know and I need to tell
you."

Anna
walked over to the chair opposite him and sat down.  "Steve, I adored
my father until I was about seven.  We spent a lot of time together when I
was young.  It wasn't until after my grandfather died that things went
wrong.  My dad started drinking and didn't stop.  The gossip about my
parents started circulating around town.  By that time, I was in school
and I heard it all."

She
took a deep breath and rose from the chair again.  "Well, after that
we grew apart and my father's drinking got worse and he started yelling at me
whenever any little thing went wrong.  I learned to be quiet, controlled
and organized.  The littlest things would set him off."

She
looked at him and Steven wondered what she was thinking.  "I'm
telling you this because of the fire.  I know you think I went a little
crazy but there was a reason.  My father died in a fire."

Anna
went on to tell Steven all about the night of her father's death and Steven's
heart went out to her.  He could now understand some of her fears. 
He knew how hard it must have been for her to deal with her childhood and her
feelings of guilt.

"I
finally realized today," Anna said, "that I was allowing all my fears
to control my life.  I know I have a lot of work to do but I want to try
to overcome those fears.  I need your help, Steve."

Steven
closed his eyes.  Finally, she had asked but it still wasn't enough. 
He wanted to know.  He needed to know.  "Do you love me,
Anna?"

There
was no sound and Steven slowly opened his eyes to stare at her face.  She
was watching him with tears in her soft brown eyes.  Then, she nodded
once.

"Say
it," he pleaded in a whisper.

"I
love you, Steven," she said, tears rolling down her face.  "I love
you with all my heart."

He
was out of his seat in a shot and he pulled her into his arms.  His hungry
mouth covered hers in a long, urgent kiss.  Anna's arms slid around his
neck to pull him closer.  Steven buried his face in her neck before
planting little kisses across her face and returning to her lips.  They
kissed deeply and then he pulled back and cupped her face.

"I
love you, Anna," he said.

"Will
you help me Steve?"

"On
one condition," he replied with a smile.

"What?"
she asked skeptically.

"That
you marry me."  He waited on baited breath as her eyes began to glow.

"Well,
okay," she replied with a grin.  "You convinced me."

The
church was packed and Anna stood nervously at the back waiting for her
cue.  She glanced through the open doorway and saw that most of the town
was present.  She could see Mr. Brockman and his wife along with Mr. and
Mrs. Dorman.  Tim Moreno was even present.  It was a good feeling and
helped calm her nerves.

The
music started and Anna looked at Rachel who flashed her a smile before heading
down the aisle.  Dressed in the soft green bridesmaid gown, she looked
quite pretty.  Both she and Julie had been delighted to be her attendants.

Julie
was next and gave Anna a quick kiss before following Rachel.  Anna watched
her with concern.  Julie had her baby just three weeks before and Anna
hoped the wedding wouldn't be too tiring for her.  Julie had assured her
she was fine and baby John was happily sleeping in his father's arms in one of
the front pews.

Anna'
eyes followed her progress before landing on Steven's family.  Patricia
and Phyllis sat on the front row with Andrew's children between them. 
Victoria was on the other end in an incredible dress.  It was a very
unusual shade of purple.  Her hair was pulled away from her face and she
looked wonderful.

Victoria
had handled most of the wedding preparations and Anna didn't know what she
would have done without her assistance although she did have to tone down most
of Victoria's suggestions.  Steven and Anna had not wanted to wait long
before getting married but still wanted a traditional wedding, which often took
months to plan.  That was not a problem for Victoria.  She had the
whole wedding planned and organized in less than six weeks.  Anna was
really glad that her soon to be sister-in-law was moving back to Holton.

Standing
at the front of the church, Mitch and Andrew presented a handsome front. 
Mitch, on time for once, looked quite respectable in his tux.  He had even
shaved.  Andrew looked like a man who was quite comfortable in formal
clothes.  He smiled at Julie as she joined them.

Her
eyes finally rested on Steven as he turned to see her standing in the
doorway.  He gave her one of his slow, gentle smiles and Anna responded as
she started down the aisle on the arm of Dan Carson.  Steven's father had
offered to escort her and Anna had happily agreed.  She already considered
Dan and Patricia her family.

Anna's
smile widen into a grin when she noticed Steven's tie.  He had ordered the
tuxes and Anna had assumed the ties would be supplied but she had forgotten
about Victoria.  Looking at Steven now, Anna was glad she had not asked
about the men's suits.

The
tie was the perfect bow and made of excellent material.  It was even the
exact shade of the bridesmaid's dresses.  It also had scattered all over
it tiny, bright red polka dots.  Anna thought it was perfect.

Anna’s
dress was very traditional with a long train and a bodice of delicate lace. 
She loved the traditional look but refused to wear a veil.  She wanted to
see everything with clear eyes and an unobstructed view.  In her arms, she
carried the same beautiful, pink and white striped lilies that Steven had given
her on their first date.

Dan
gave her away with a smile.  As she took her place beside Steven, Anna
placed her hand into the hand of the man who had convinced her to love.

Thank you for
reading Convince Me.  Please consider writing a review of this book on
amazon.com.

Also available:

Notice Me (Holton Series #2)

Andrew and Victoria

Coming Soon:

Trust Me (Holton Series #3)

Rachel and Paul