Stay With Me (The Montgomery Brothers) (4 page)

William observed his son.  Mac never admitted to any kind of weakness and this was as close as he’d ever gotten to
share his personal feelings.  “Do you begrudge your brothers their happiness?” he asked cautiously.

“No, no…of course not; I’m thrilled for them both but, well…I just wish that I didn’t have to hear about it from everyone all the damn time.  Everyone keeps asking if I’m happy for them and then they ask when it’s my turn…I’m beginning to dread going into the office.”

Unable to help himself he pulled his son in for a hug and pat him on the back.  “It’s the nature of the beast, I’m afraid.  I think that part of the problem is that you spend too much time in the damn office.”

Mac held up a hand to stop the lecture.  “I am there as much as I’m needed.”

“That’s bull and you know it.  It wasn’t that long ago that you were picking on Jason for all of the time he spent in the office and you’re no better.  Take some time off, Mac.  The company won’t fall apart without you.”

“I can’t right now; you’re heading out of town.”

William waved him off.  “Please, I’m not talking about taking a month-long vacation or anything…yet.  But how about trying to leave by six?  While the sun is still out.”

“And do what?” Mac asked, confounded by the thought.

Did he have to do all of the thinking for his children, William thought to himself.  He caught a glimpse of Gina as she climbed from the convertible; a smile of pure satisfaction on her face.  “Look after Gina while your mother and I are out of town.  This isn’t going to be an easy visit for her and as much as she says she’s going to be fine, I’ll feel better knowing that she’s not alone.”

Mac looked at his father as if he’d grown an extra head. 
Look after Gina?
  Was his father out of his mind?  Did he see what Gina looked like?  The last time he’d seen her, she’d been a kid; the woman walking around the garage right now was a living, breathing fantasy.  Her long curly hair and big expressive eyes were slowly killing him.  In the short span of time they’d been together today, he’d done his best to not look at her because when he did, he wanted to do more than just look.

His father was probably thinking that it wasn’t a big deal because Gina was like family but for crying out loud, Mac was only human.  Any man who had breath in his body would find it hard to look at Gina Micelli in a sisterly way.  “She doesn’t need a babysitter, Dad,” he said a little too sharply.

“No,” William said softly.  “But I’m sure she could use a friend.”

Mac eyed his father suspiciously.  “You know, I’m not gullible like Lucas and Jason.  If you think that you’re going to play matchmaker to me and Gina you’re seriously mistaken.  It’s not going to happen.”  He was shocked by his father’s sudden outburst of laughter.  “What?  What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“Oh, Mac, I’ll admit that I had a hand in getting your brothers married off but believe me when I tell you that I wouldn’t do that to Gina.”

He wasn’t sure why but that one statement felt like a slap in the face.  “Why?”

William reached out and put a strong hand on his son’s shoulder.  “As much as I want all of my boys happily married, you’re just not right for Gina.  Besides, do you really think now is the right time to be playing matchmaker for her when her father is gravely ill?”  He shook his head and tsked at Mac.

That only irritated Mac more.  “Okay, I understand that the timing is wrong but if she was here for any other reason, are you telling me you wouldn’t be trying to fix us up?”

“It’s a moot point,” William began diplomatically.

“To hell it
is!” Mac snapped and then noticed that Gina was watching them.  He pulled his father farther away from the garage.  “Let’s be hypothetical then, okay?  If Gina was here for a social visit, can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t be doing everything in your power to get us together?”

“Yes,” William said simply, secretly enjoying this little turn of events.
  When Mac continued to glare, he decided to elaborate.  “It was different for your brothers; Lucas was already attracted to Emma.  I just gave them a nudge.  And Jason and Maggie?  Well, your brother needed to see that he wasn’t as irresistible as he seemed to think.  He needed a challenge like Maggie.”

“And what?  I don’t need a nudge or a challenge?”

William laughed.  “Oh, I’m sure you do but I wouldn’t do that to Gina.”

There were a million thoughts racing through Mac’s head at that moment and yet he could barely make his voice function.  “Care to explain that?” he growled lowly.

With a dramatic sigh, William led Mac away from the garage and toward his car.  “Your brothers were ready to settle down.  They may not have realized it at first, but it was true.  You?  You’re not ready for it and Gina needs someone who’ll want to be there for her and take care of her; someone with staying power.  That’s not you.”  It pained him to say the words, especially because he didn’t fully believe them but he was merely planting a seed.

“What do you mean I don’t have staying power?  When have I ever walked away from anything?”

“Mac, you are my son and I love you; it’s not that you walk away from anything, it’s that you don’t get attached to anything.”

“That’s not true.”  Mac’s tone was deadly calm and if it were anyone else but his father saying these things about him he’d have already knocked them out.

“When was the last time you were in a long-term relationship?” William asked.

He wanted to answer; the answer should have been on the tip of his tongue and yet for the life of him, Mac couldn’t remember the last time he’d had more than a couple of dates with the same woman.  “How can I have a long-term relationship when I’m so involved with work?”  Mac thought he was being clever by throwing the ball back in his father’s court.

He was seriously mistaken.

“That just proves my earlier point!” William exclaimed, a smile crossing his face.  “Effective immediately, I’m putting you on a leave of absence.”

“
WHAT
?”  How the hell had he gotten to this point?

“You work too hard, you have no personal life and you’re too proud to admit that you need a break.  There’s nothing wrong with needing some time off, son.  We all do.  Look at me; I’m taking your mother on this cruise because we needed some time away.  I hate that the timing is what it is; I hate to leave Gina here to take care of things with Arthur but we’ll only be gone for ten days.”

“Dad, I don’t need a leave of absence; especially while you’re away.  I’ll be needed at the office while you’re gone.”

“Nonsense.  Jason is there and we have a very capable team of executives that can handle things if you take some time off.”

“I don’t
want
any time off!”  Dammit, why didn’t his father ever listen?  “I promise to cut back a little but there’s no need to do anything drastic.”

William watched as Mac’s features ran from panic to anger
to uncertainty.  Just for fun he took a long pause to make his son sweat it out a little bit more.  Finally, he spoke.  “Okay, we’ll put off the leave of absence for now but if I don’t see some changes in you and your work habits, I will enforce it.  Am I making myself clear?”  It was a tone he’d used on his sons since they were little and it gave him great joy to see that it still had the desired effect.

“Yes, Sir,” Mac answered begrudgingly. 

“Good.  Now it’s getting late; I want to walk Gina back to the guest house and make sure she’s settled.  Make sure you stop by and see her tomorrow night after she gets home from the hospital and see that she’s okay.”

Mac nodded, hating how he felt like he was ten years old and getting his punishment handed down to him.  On the up side, at least by doing this he could get his father off his back and off the idea of making him take time off.  That was the last thing that he needed.  Work was very fulfilling for him and the thought of being cut off from it was not the least bit appealing. 

For now he’d humor his father and force himself to leave the office before dark.  He’d check in on Gina – briefly – and make sure that she was doing all right. 

And maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to forget that she was a beautiful woman who he was
apparently all wrong for.

Chapter Three

The large hospital structure loomed in front of Gina and although the doors kept opening and closing, she couldn’t seem to make herself walk through them.  She didn’t think she’d be this freaked out at the thought of seeing her father but for some reason the thought of her robust father lying in a hospital bed frightened her.  They may not have had the best relationship but he always was larger than life to her and she was afraid to see him
in this weakened state.

Standing on the sidewalk
,
Gina watched as people came and went; visitors, staff and patients getting to go home.  She smiled as a young couple came out with their new baby and wished that she was here for a joyous event.  She let out a sigh and decided that standing outside wasn’t going to change what was going on inside. 

“This is just a visit,” she said quietly taking one slow step at a time.  “It just happens to be in a hospital but other than that, I’m just spending the day with my dad.”  She repeated those words in her head all the way up to the fifth floor and down the hall to Arthur’s room.  The hesitation was there and Gina didn’t realize how long she stood frozen to the spot until a nurse came up beside her.

“You must be Gina,” the woman said and Gina turned and looked at her in confusion.  “Your father has been talking about you all morning.  He made sure that he was looking his best for your arrival.”

She tried to smile, she truly did, but Gina knew that it didn’t quite reach her eyes.  “Is it okay to go in?” she finally asked.  The nurse nodded and walked away.  Gina longed to call her back, to talk to her, to do anything humanly possible to prolong her having to go in and face the unknown.

Not known for her bravery, Gina knew she’
d wasted enough time.  Standing up straight and plastering what she hoped was a genuine smile on her face, she walked through the door to her father’s private room and said a silent prayer that she was going to be all right.

****

She wasn’t all right. 

Hours later back at the Montgomerys
’
guest house, Gina collapsed on the sofa and cried.  The first glimpse of her father nearly brought her to her knees.  He looked pale and fragile and her tower of strength was suddenly desperately in need of someone to lean on.  It had been a swift role reversal and while she was there
, Gina had done everything that she could think of to make him comfortable.   They’d shared lunch and had talked non-stop for almost six hours.  Arthur had been exhausted by the time she’d left and Gina hated to admit that she felt the same way.

When her body began to ache from the sobs that seemed to come from a place inside of her that she hadn’t known existed, Gina knew she had to stop.  Yes, seeing her father and knowing that his condition was much worse than he’d let on had come as a complete shock but she had to be strong; she needed to be able to function and focus on the positive so that he wouldn’t know how devastated she truly was.

Standing, she walked to the kitchen in search of something to eat.  Monica had been considerate enough to have it stocked with homemade meals for her to just heat up as needed but nothing was appealing at the moment.  Gina wanted to break free of her normal, healthy, boring habits and indulge in a junk-food binge.  Cheeseburgers, French fries, soda…her stomach growled loudly in agreement, but the thought of getting back in the car and picking something up was not something she was prepared to do just now. 

Grabbing a bottle of water she moved on to the bathroom and washed her face to try and recover from her crying jag.  She was tense and on edge and needed something to do.  It was an unseasonably warm night and without letting herself doubt her decision, Gina walked down the short hallway to the bedroom and grabbed her swimsuit.

“I’ll go for a swim and burn off this energy and then maybe something in that refrigerator will appeal to me.  I’ll work up a killer appetite and then it won’t matter what I eat,” she said to herself.  Changing into the blue bikini that she had never been brave enough to wear back home, she admired her reflection.

Her mother had always said that she was too curvy to wear a bikini ‘decently’, so Gina had stuck to wearing modest one-piece bathing suits to avoid arguments.  Why she had brought the bikini
with her she wasn’t sure but right now it made her feel good.  A quick rummage through her things had her pulling out a teal blue sarong that she wrapped around herself before heading out the door.

****

It was six o’clock in the evening and Mac was feeling ridiculous.  He’d left the office thirty minutes ago and was making good on his promise to his father and checking up on Gina.  As a peace offering, he had stopped and picked up a pizza for them to share for dinner.  It smelled delicious and as much as he wanted nothing more than to just go home, Mac figured there was no harm in sharing a quick meal. 

“Just a pizza,” he said as he grabbed the box and climbed from his car.  “Just a pizza and some beer.  Just a friendly meal between friends and then I’m out of here.”  He walked through the gate leading to the back part of the property where the pool and guest house were.  By this point he felt some of the tension leaving his body.  The weather was being particularly cooperative and he placed the pizza down on one of the tables by the pool and figured it might be nice to eat outside.  “Just pizza and some beer and…a bikini.” 

A bikini?

Mac almost swallowed his tongue.  There, walking out of the French doors of the guest house was Gina – wrapped up in scraps of blue
Lycra and green silk. 

He should have taken the leave of absence.

Gina didn’t notice Mac at first and for that he was glad.  He took his time looking his fill.  She was curvy in all the right places and between the long curly hair and the jeweled colors she was wearing she was bewitching.  He could picture her with gold bangles on her wrists and maybe one of those barely-there gold chains around her waist…and found himself breaking out in a cold sweat.  He was just about to clear his throat to alert her to his presence when she looked up.

“Mac?  What are you doing here?”

“I came bearing gifts,” he said lightly, hoping that she didn’t notice that he was standing in a puddle of his own drool.  “I hope you haven’t eaten.”

Gina looked beyond Mac to the pizza box on the table and nearly screeched with delight.  “You are a lifesaver!  I was just wishing for some junk food and here you are with pizza.  It’s perfect!”

“You were wishing for junk food?”

“Your mother stocked the kitchen for me with all kinds of wonderful home-cooked meals and stuff to make salad
s with but right now, after the day I had, all I wanted was comfort food.”  She walked over to the table and opened the box as she sat down.  “Oh, pepperoni is my favorite!  Thank you, Mac; this was very thoughtful of you.”

Had he known he was going to have to sit and eat with a half-naked Gina, he would have gone straight home.  As it was
, he was thinking he should run while he could and take a cold shower.  He eyed the pool and considered his options. 

“Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked, grabbing a slice from the box and not waiting for him before taking a bit
e.  She moaned in pure ecstasy.  “Now that is what I’m talking about.”

He was in hell.  There was no other way to describe it.  He was tired, hungry and now he was horny too.

Perfect.

Not having any other choice, Mac pulled out the chair opposite Gina’s and sat down.  She handed him a slice and then a beer and Mac took a long swallow of it before he could make himself speak.  “So how did it go with your dad today?”

Gina finished chewing and then sighed.  “He’s worse than I expected.”

“Did you talk to the doctors?”

She shook her head.  “Today was just about spending time together.”  She stopped and considered her next words.  “I guess I wasn’t sure what I expected but once I walked in and saw him I knew that he was worse than he had let on.”

Mac didn’t know what to say to her just then so he simply nodded and waited for her to go on.

“I know that I said that I didn’t want to know; I didn’t want to focus on his prognosis but I realize now it would just be me being in a state of denial.  I know that there’s nothing that I can do for him except be here and that’s hard for me to deal with because I feel so helpless.”  Her breath caught on the last word and she was mortified that more tears sprang to her eyes.  She had thought
she
’d gotten them all out earlier but apparently she was wrong.

Without conscious thought, Mac reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Gina’s.  She looked up at him at the contact and he felt like he’d been struck by lightning, so powerful was the connection.  “I wish that there was something I could say that would make you feel better,” he began, carefully removing his hand from hers.  “I’ve never been in your position but I imagine if it was my father that I’d feel the same way.  Talking to his doctors might not change the outcome but you might find some comfort
in knowing exactly what he’s going to need.”

What Mac was saying made sense and Gina was both grateful for his words and the distraction.  Right now she didn’t want to think about her father
’s illness because it was still too raw and devastating.  Sitting and sharing this simple meal with Mackenzie Montgomery was exactly what she needed.

A thought entered her mind and she wasn’t sure if she was being clever or stupid.  Gina knew that she was going to be in North Carolina for at least a couple of weeks and that it would be nice to have a distraction for when things with her father threatened to overwhelm her.  Why couldn’t Mac be that distraction?  Granted
,
they hadn’t gotten off on the best footing last night but by the way he had looked at her when she came out in her bikini and the way he had just looked at her when he held her hand told her that he wasn’t completely unaffected by her.

She smiled to herself.  It wasn’t as if she thought that Mac was going to fall in love with her and if she was completely honest with herself, the timing was just plain wrong.  But for once in her life Gina wanted to be reckless.  Her mother controlled every aspect of her life and right now Gina wanted to experience having the control.  Convincing iron-will Mac to have a short fling might not be easy but Gina had no doubt in her mind that it was exactly what she wanted.

Reclining back in her chair, she finished her second slice of pizza in silence
and then looked over and smiled at Mac.  “This was way better than my plan.”

“What was
your plan?”

“I was going to swim a bunch of laps until I was exhausted and then sort of close my eyes and reach into the refrigerator and just eat whatever I grabbed.”  They both laughed.  “So I thank you for saving me from myself.”  She smiled at him and was relieved to see that he had visibly relaxed.  “Of course now I just feel ridiculous sitting here in a bathing suit with a pool five feet away and not swimming.”

She didn’t miss the fact that his gaze skimmed over her bikini-clad body.  Gina stood and stretched.  “I’m certainly too full to swim but I don’t think a relaxing soak in the hot tub would be a bad idea.”  The words were said lightly and she turned and looked at Mac.  “Care to join me?”

In that moment
, Mac realized that he must have been a horrible person in a previous life to be tempted like this.  Gina was staring at him expectantly and he knew he’d have to come up with a viable excuse.  “I’m not particularly dressed for the hot tub,” he said and then wanted to smack himself in the head.  What the hell was that?  Lame, he cursed himself.  Very, very lame.

Gina chuckled and shook her head.  “Correct me if I’m wrong but this is your
parents’ house; you grew up here.  I’m sure that you keep some extra clothes here.”

“Well sure, but…”

“Go get changed.  It’s still early and it’s a beautiful night out.  We can sit and relax and you can tell me what you’ve been up to for the last ten years or so.”  Without waiting for an answer, she picked up the pizza box and headed toward the guest house.  “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes,” she said over her shoulder as she kept walking.

Mac watched her go.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her; the sway of her hips
was mesmerizing.  The smart thing to do was run; get in his car and just go home.  He was an intelligent man and knew that staying and climbing into the Jacuzzi with Gina was going to test his endurance in ways that he really had no interest in testing.

Like a convicted man walking to his own execution, Mac turned and headed toward the main house in search of a pair of swimming trunks.

It was going to be a long night.

****

Gina hid in the shadows until she saw Mac exiting his parents’ house.  Then, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, walked over to the Jacuzzi.  Daintily, she stepped up the stone stairs leading to the heated tub and dropped her sarong to the ground.  Next, she gathered her long hair up and clipped it in a way that left random tendrils framing her face but keeping the bulk of it off of her shoulders and out of the water. 

She sensed more than heard Mac’s approach and she gave him a
beaming smile.  “Perfect timing,” she said.