Reluctant Surrender (43 page)

“What the hell?” Ted came around the corner and scowled. “I thought I told you to stay put?”

Jo snorted. “If I had, your buddy would have been dead. You’re not the boss of me.”

Ted reached over Jo’s head and wrestled the candlestick from her. “You can let go now, I’ve got her.”

“Yeah, only after I saved the day. Some Dom you are.”

Ted growled. He got hold of Jade and wrapped his hand over her mouth to silence her before he turned to Jo. “Stay right there,
mera pyar
.”

“Quit calling me that. I’m not your love. I’m from Philadelphia, fuckwad. I may look East Indian but my native tongue is English.”

“That’s debatable.”

Although Ethan was enjoying the odd exchange, he wanted to make sure Ted knew what they were dealing with now. “I think Jade was the one with gun at the preopening and if I’m not mistaken she just threatened my life.”

“Huh.” Ted shifted his hand.

Jade yelled, “Get your hands off me. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Posting the riot on YouTube was supposed to guarantee you’d fail.” She fought against Ted’s hold to no avail. “You were supposed to fail, but then she got involved and she’s making it a success with that blogging. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were supposed to Top me so I could find a Do—”

Ted clamped his hand back over her mouth, managing to get her under control again and was about to speak to Ethan, when he stopped. “
Mera pyar
, what are you doing?”

Jo didn’t look up as she continued dialing and spoke between her clenched teeth. “Don’t fucking call me that. I’m warning you. I’m calling the police.”

“No,” both Ethan and Ted said in unison.

Jo looked at Ethan. “No?”

“Don’t look at him, look at me.”

She did, but only to say, “Fuck you.”

“Jo.” Ethan adjusted Colin in his arms. If he weren’t mistaken she was laughing her ass off. “Trust us on this. No police here. We’ll have her taken to the station.”

By now Ted was fighting to keep his hand over Jade’s mouth because she had plenty more to say, but apparently he figured she’d said enough. And Jo? She was fuming. Ethan had to give it to Colin’s friend. She didn’t argue with him. “Is Collie okay?”

“She sure is, but she and I have some unfinished business. Ted?”

“I’ll take care of her.” When he said this he nodded toward Jo and Ethan had to do the hard stare at the more important issue that needed taking care of. Namely Jade. When Ted saw it he assured, “Oh, and her too.”

“You’re not taking care of me. I take care of myself. Just stay the fuck away from…”

That’s the last Ethan heard as he descended the steps and strode across the dew-dampened lawns toward the boathouse. When Colin wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed, he asked, “What’s the matter, baby girl?”

“I’m worried.”

He gave her a reassuring pat and said, “Don’t be. Ted will take care of Jade.”

“Oh, I know that.”

“Well, don’t worry about Jo either. Ted has a way with the ladies. Especially exotic beauties like Jo.”

She snuggled in deeper and grumbled. “Jo? I’m not worried about Jo. Did you see the way she cleared that sub to tackle Jade? She’s got a way with the guys too and none of it’s good. I’m actually worried about Ted.”

Ethan laughed, but recalling Jo’s grin as she held the candlestick with one hand and Jade hostage with the other? His laughter died. “We’ll call him in twenty minutes and make sure he’s still alive.”

“Why don’t you call him now?” Colin breathed the second they were inside the boathouse and he let her slide down the length of his body.

“Because I’m busy.”

“I’m not,” she taunted and backed up until she hit the wall.

He stepped forward to cage her in, dropping his forehead down to hers, he whispered, “But you will be. I’m going to make sure of that. Give me your mouth.”

And she did.

Epilogue

Colin was happier than she’d ever been in her life. So when Ethan pulled his fancy sports car into Wakefield’s drive she didn’t panic. She only felt a small twinge of disappointment because she guessed what was coming next. Another open-you-up lesson. Although recalling the night when she was in front of the window with the boat horn sounding, she had to admit the guy really was Steven Hawking-esque. Just a few days ago he’d admitted that it was his boat honking that night. That he’d had a remote in his pocket and used it to sound off the horn and lights that she would have seen if she’d been brave enough to take off the blindfold. The other lights, she’d learned were security buoys that cordoned off a section of the lake that Ethan owned the exclusive boating rights to. That night, just like the night he’d fed her dinner in the bedroom, there were no boaters there. They couldn’t get close enough. She knew that now, but she also knew Ethan was always looking for ways to allow her to grow and safely explore her fears. She loved that best about him.

When the car stopped she asked, “Why are we here?”

“Because I have a surprise for you.”

He made it sound sinful. “I’m sure we aren’t supposed to be here.” She got out of the car and looked across the roof at him. “What kind of surprise?”

His smile was killer. “A good one. Are you game?”

With him? Most definitely. “Yes.”

He walked around the vehicle and held out his hand. “Come on then.”

When he pulled out a key to the main house she whispered, “Where did you get that?”

He whispered back without looking at her, “From my pocket.”

She rolled her eyes and would have grilled him, but then the door to her past opened up and she was mesmerized. She walked through the main house, surprised at how small the rooms were. In her mind they were always so much bigger. She went to the mud room—a small space off to one side that was surrounded by slatted windows. Yep, right there were the notches. The ones her mom made every year before they moved to mark Colin’s height. She reached out and the memories were bitter, but sweet. Her parents, no matter how bad they were together, had loved her.

“Are you doing okay, baby girl?”

She took one look at him, so strong and self-possessed, and knew she’d be okay. From now on she’d be just fine. No more hiding or making excuses. He dared her to live in truth and to be honest and it was a whole lot less stressful this way. “Yes.”

He let her explore the house on her own while he waited in the backyard. It was nice, but suddenly not as nice as being with him. At some point the single glass door leading to the yard had been changed out to double French doors. She went through them, crossed the weed-covered patio stones and went to him. It wasn’t until she sank in his arms, hooking her chin over his shoulder that she noticed the newly planted hedging and arbor at the back of the property. No wonder she didn’t see her rock or the expanse of three acres where the grapevines lay fallow.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I don’t know how you managed it, but it’s great. After seeing it I think I can let go now. I think that’s why we’re here.”

He was quiet for a few seconds and then he said, “No, that’s not why we’re here. Just the opposite and I want to ask you something besides. So,” he pushed her off his shoulder, forcing her look at him, “even though I would have liked to have waited until they had this place in better shape, I couldn’t. You mean that much to me.”

She gulped. “I do?”

“Oh yeah. I want you in my life 24/7.”

“You do?” She did the nose scrunch, she couldn’t help it. “What about Casper?”

Ethan frowned. “What about him?”

“If I’m in your life 24/7 what happens to him and Twinkles?”

She felt him stiffen. “Twinkles? Who the hell is Twinkles?”

“My cat.”

He shook his head. “Look, this is all small stuff we can work out later.”

She practically tripped over her own tongue. “Small stuff? They happen to be two of the most precious things in the world to me.” She was fighting to get out of his arms but he held her firm.

“Don’t you think I know that? That’s why we don’t need to discuss them. They’ll be taken care of. Twinkles will live with us and Casper? I think Casper needs to be around people his own age. I knew this was going to be an issue so I had David check a few places out. There’s an assisted living facility not far from here.”

Colin leaned back. “Regency Oaks? I know, but Casper doesn’t have the funds. He lost his savings in the real estate crash and for the last four years he’s been living on his social security with me.”

Ethan nodded and tucked her hair behind an ear. “And now I’m hoping you’ll live with me and when you do, your responsibilities become mine. In that, Casper will go to the best assisted living facility around if that’s what he wants. If not…” He shrugged. “Things could get dicey, but we’ll have to work it out. Call me selfish, but I don’t relish him living with us.”

“You’d pay for Regency Oaks for him? You mean it? I could chip in with the money I was going to use to buy this place.”

He nodded.

She threw her arms around his neck and laughed when he said, “You keep your money, baby girl. I meant everything but letting him live with us. The plan on that was a well-placed bribe. What’s his weakness? Women or whiskey?”

“Cards.”

“A gambler. I knew it.”

“I think I’ll let you bribe him…”

He gave her a measuring look and sighed. “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

She waggled her brows and smiled. “You know me so well.”

“Is it a compromise on kale you want?”

She frowned. “No, I actually like kale now.”

He mouthed the word “wow”.

She laughed. “It’s about Jade.”

He mouthed the word “wow” again.

“Would you cut it out? I was just going to say she has other people looking after her now and I want you all to myself. So call
me
selfish but she’s out of luck.”

“I love that about you.” He kissed her neck, her shoulders and cheek.

“What?”

“That you don’t like to share because for the first time in my life I’m finding I don’t want to either. Loyalty, baby girl. I like the sound of your hard limit.”

She was drowning in a kiss that could have set Silver Lake on fire when it occurred to her. Hard limits weren’t just sexual in nature. God, she had a lot to learn.

She hugged him tight. Too afraid to let go. Too afraid that if she blinked, she’d refocus and discover she was dreaming.

Pulling back, she couldn’t stop the tumble of words before they fell out. “If you’re not careful I may fall in love with you.”

He peeled her off him and stared right at her. Those green eyes stunning and clear.

“That’s what I want more than anything in the world.”

Her nose scrunched. “Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

She would have dove back into his arms but he stopped her. “I want to show you something.”

He held his hand out and when she took it, he led her off the patio. Across the yard and under the newly erected arbor. They walked through the tunnel of greenery and exited out the other side. As they did, Ethan had to pull her toward her rock. In a strange way she was scared. As if maybe that important landmark, just like the house, would be different than she remembered. She didn’t want it to be different. She wanted it to be exactly how it was when she and her mother laid side by side on it.

Fear mushroomed within her. It was silly. Stupid, but when Ethan stopped she buried her face in the crook of his arm and grumbled, “I’m afraid to look. I’m worried it won’t be the same.”

He eased her off him and positioned her so that her back was to his front. “It’s not the same. It’s better. Look.”

His encouraging squeeze prompted her to open her eyes. She did, and was just about to say it was the same when she saw… “What’s—” She stepped forward, staring at a bronze-and-marble plaque. Taking three steadying breaths, she slowly knelt to read the words inscribed on it.

To my beautiful daughter,

I rage gently into that good night, knowing that I left the best and brightest part of me here on earth. I rest easy under the stars we counted together. Happy to dwell in the gleaming light they cast upon our vineyard now that you are here. Welcome home.

I love you, my dearest heart.

She read this last sentence through shimmering tears.

Ethan was there. He helped her up and cupped her face in the palm of his hands. “The vineyard is yours, Colin,” he whispered. “Whether you have me or not. It’s yours and your mom’s again.”

She absorbed that news with a shuddering breath. “What about the Germany winery that outbid me?”

“I own it and when Alistair assured me that Wakefield would go much higher than offering price I knew you didn’t have a chance. That’s when I had Ted, acting as the representative for Dueschand Brothers Winery, place a bid. I never would have interfered if I thought your offer would succeed.”

Her heart swelled. There was so much she wanted to say but couldn’t. He knew it. Just like he knew everything else about her. Then it occurred to her. Ben had said she was outbid by over a hundred thousand dollars.

“It was so much money. Why? Why did you do this for me?”

“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and wrapped her in magic. Strength. Grace. “I didn’t want you to be lonely anymore.” He turned so she could see the plaque. “I don’t want either of you to ever be lonely again.”

She clung to him for a good long while, sure that she was never going to let go.

“Are you all right?”

Softly he stroked the back of her head, pausing as she whispered, “Yes, but I mean it. If you’re not careful I may fall in love with you.”

“I hope so.”

She sniffled and looked up.

“Because there’s nothing in this world I crave more than for you and our children to be able to climb on this rock, to count stars and build exciting dreams together.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “What about you?”

“Me?” He squeezed her tight. “It will be up to me to make all those dreams come true. I swear I will, if you let me. Will you let me?”

She searched his face. The strong angles, the determined set of his chin and the brook-no-defiance gleam in his eyes and nodded. “You’re an honorable man, Ethan White. Your parents would have been proud of who you are.”