The Billionaire's Best Friend (The Sherbrookes of Newport) (24 page)

“
Trying to talk me out of it, Joe?” Nate pulled into the parking lot of an office complex.

“
Never. Just preparing you. Life in a field office can’t prepare you for life with HRT. So before you take the plunge, make sure you think it through.”

***

The entire house was dark when he pulled into the driveway. Not even an outside light remained on, a reminder that Lauren wasn’t home. Since he’d moved in, she’d gotten into the habit of leaving the driveway light on for him on those nights he got home late. He’d started to think of it as a welcoming beacon. The absence of that light tonight only drove home how close he was to losing her again.

When Nate walked inside the kitchen Maggie and
JoJo immediately greeted him, their tails wagging. The two dogs had become inseparable. Tomorrow when he moved back to his apartment, Maggie wasn’t going to like it. And the dog wasn’t the only one. No place he’d lived since joining the Marines had felt like home until now, and all because Lauren was there.

Is it worth it?
He replayed Joe’s words from the afternoon. Yeah, he wanted this, but was it worth risking his and Lauren’s future for it? If he spent the rest of his career working cases in Boston, he’d be satisfied. Would it be as thrilling? Would there be the same adrenaline rushes? Hell, no. But he did have other options. An email had gone out yesterday about the SWAT team tryouts. A spot on that would allow him to stay in Boston and still fulfill his desire for a bit more excitement. Not only that, but from the sound of it, it would put far less stress on their relationship. Not that Lauren couldn’t handle it, but was it fair for him to do that to her? Especially without preparing her for it? Maybe if he’d told her about it from the start. If he’d done that rather than making his own assumptions, they could have discussed it. If he’d done that she would’ve had a chance to digest the idea before he uprooted her life.

What he should have done, no longer mattered. The mistake was made. Now he needed to find a way to fix it.

Pulling a beer out of the refrigerator, Nate headed for the living room. With Lauren gone, the house felt like a tomb. He needed some background noise, anything on television would do tonight. He knew the Sox had another game tonight against the Yankees. It was the third game in a four-game series. Only that past Wednesday night they’d cuddled together on the couch watching the Sox beat the Yankees. They’d talked about catching a few games at Fenway that summer. Maybe even asking Callie and Dylan to join them.

Now, that whole night seemed like another lifetime.
Nice job fucking things up.
Tipping back the bottle, he took a swig as the dogs jumped up on the couch next to him. What if he stayed put? Passed on HRT. He reached out and scratched Maggie under her collar. In response, the dog dropped her head on his lap, her eyes closed. “Too bad I can’t make Lauren happy this easily.” He glanced down at the dog and then turned up the volume on the television as the announcer rattled off the starting lineup for the game.

The voice from the TV became little more than white noise as he sorted out the questions in his head. Would she stay with him if he didn
’t report to Quantico next month?
Only one way to find out.
She asked for time and space. He’d give her until Sunday night—then he’d make his offer. If she wanted, he’d pass on HRT. A life with her meant a hell of a lot more to him. In the meantime he had no intention of moving out. When she returned from Newport he’d be right here waiting for her, ready to fight for her. Because the truth was, he had no life without her. He’d already tried that, and the thought of going back to it left him numb.

***

She stared into the empty mug, her mind on the conversation from lunch. Both Charlie and Sara had given her a lot to think about. Before Charlie’s comment, she’d never considered that Nate broke up with her because he would have found a relationship too difficult while in the Marines. Now though, she saw there may have been multiple reasons for what he did. Sara’s warning also resonated with her. If she let her anger from the past influence her decision now, she may regret it later. If she sent him away now, she’d likely never get another chance with him. Was that really what she wanted?

“
Hey, I thought I was the only one up.” Allison walked into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator.

Lauren shot her a weak smile.
“Couldn’t sleep, so I came down for some warm milk with cinnamon.”

“
Does that work?”

“
Sometimes. Not so much tonight.”

“
I wanted to tell you this earlier but you seemed done with the conversation.” Allison dropped into the seat next to her. “Guys don’t think the same way we do. Trust me, I have four brothers. Sometimes I wonder if they think at all.”

“
Four, ouch. I’m sorry. I have one, and that’s more than enough.”

The comment elicited an immediate laugh.
“You have no idea. Anyway, today you said your boyfriend left out a few details when he proposed. Maybe it was unintentional.”

“
How—”

Allison held her spoon up as a signal for Lauren to stop.
“One sec, I’m getting to that. My brother Trent would’ve done the same thing. He focuses on the here and now, not the what-ifs. If your boyfriend is anything like Trent, he failed to tell you because it was a what-if. It didn’t play into his immediate plan.” Allison scooped up a spoonful of chocolate pudding as Lauren digested the words.

Snippets from her conversation with Nate surfaced. He
’d admitted that when he proposed tryouts hadn’t been announced. Was Allison’s theory correct? Had it been less a matter of his making all the decisions for them and more because he figured it may never happen? In many ways, Nate lived in the here and now. He never lost sleep over what the next day would bring, and for the most part he didn’t dwell on the past.

“
Don’t get mad when I say this, but I don’t think he’s trying to control your relationship. I think he was just being a typical guy. And unfortunately, they don’t always use their brains.”

“
You and Sara might be right. Still, I need to sort stuff out.” Lauren took another sip of her milk. “How do you survive with four brothers, anyway? Are they all younger?” Over the past few years she’d met many of Callie’s cousins, but with the Sherbrookes being such a large family it was difficult to remember all the specific relationships.

“
Trent and Grayson are older. Derek is my twin, and Alec is two years younger.”

She remembered meeting Trent and Alec, the other two didn
’t sound familiar.

“
What’s it like with that many brothers?”

While Lauren finished her milk, Allison kept her entertained with stories about her brothers. From the sound of it, her relationship with them wasn
’t much different than any other brother-sister relationship, despite the family’s wealth.

“
Your brother Trent sounds a lot like my brother. He always thinks he’s right, too. Must be an older brother syndrome or something.”

“
Must be. Sara’s complained about the same thing, too.” Allison looked across at Lauren, and her carefree smile faded away. “I think I’m ready for bed now. But, Lauren, whatever you decide about your engagement, don’t rush your decision. Take your time and think it through. And if you want to talk again, I’ll be here all weekend. I know you’d probably rather talk to Callie, but if you need a fresh pair of ears, I’m around, too.”

Prior to this weekend, Lauren had only interacted with Allison a handful of times, and she appreciated the other woman
’s kind gesture. It never hurt to bounce ideas and thoughts off more than one person.

“
Thanks. I might take you up on that. See you in the morning.”

Alone once again, Lauren stared down at the empty mug, just as awake now as she had been when she came downstairs. Still, her trip to the kitchen had not been a total waste. Allison had given her a lot to think about. Her opinion not only made her think, it gave her hope. If Nate omitted the information about a possible move because he thought it might never happen rather than because he wanted complete control of their relationship, it put a different spin on things. How was she to know for sure, though?

“Sitting in here isn’t going to help.” She came to her feet. Even if she didn’t fall asleep, her bedroom upstairs would be a more comfortable place to contemplate her future.

Chapter 15

“You did what?” Callie asked in a voice so loud Lauren suspected everyone in Cliff House heard her.

“
Callie, you heard me. I gave Nate back the engagement ring.”

Callie leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Lauren
’s. “Have you lost your mind? Why did you do that? This doesn’t have anything to do with Kevin, does it?”

Unable to hold her friend
’s stare, Lauren looked away. “Thursday night he dropped this bomb on me. The FBI has this thing called the Hostage Rescue Team. I have no clue what they do, but Nate wants to be a part of it.” For the first time since she’d heard the words, she realized she honestly had no clue what the team did. The name implied they rescued hostages, but really they must do more than that. After all, how many hostage situations could there be in the US on a yearly basis?

“
Anyway, this week he learned that HRT tryouts start next month. He needs to be down there for the 15th. If he makes the team, he’ll need to relocate to Virginia.”

Leaning back, Callie
’s eyebrows creased with confusion. “I understand all that, but I don’t see why you called off the engagement. Either push-up or postpone the wedding. Don’t call the whole thing off.”

“
Don’t you think he should have told me his plans before now?” she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. “I feel like he’s making all the decisions for us. Controlling our relationship.”

“
He should have said something sooner, but I don’t think he did it because he wants to control you. Think about it for a minute. In all the years you were together, did he ever try to control you? If that was the kind of a guy he was, don’t you think he would’ve done it back then?”

Callie
’s question cut off any argument she had prepared. She had not stopped to consider that before, but now that she did, Callie was right.

“
If you push him away now, you might regret it. Besides, moving isn’t the end of the world. I did it. And they need teachers in Virginia, too. Before you do anything, take some time and consider if ending things is what you truly want, Lauren. Maybe go home tomorrow and talk things over with Nate. Explain to him why you got so upset and ask him point blank why he never told you. Then if you decide you still want to marry him, set a new date for the wedding. It would be tight but I think we could get everything rearranged for Fourth of July weekend.”

Lauren appreciated Callie
’s complete honesty. Not that she expected any less. They had been friends too long not to be completely honest and open with each other. She’d done the same thing in the early stages of Callie’s relationship with Dylan when they hit a snag.

“
Do you think so? I’m not saying I’ve made my decision, but do you really think we could make it happen for that weekend?”

Callie nodded and squeezed her hand, a small knowing smile on her face.
“Just say the word, and I’ll make it happen for you guys.”

Lauren didn
’t know what she’d done to get a friend as loyal and loving as Callie, but she was darn glad she had. “As soon as I decide, I will let you know. Now, we probably should get ready for tonight.”

***

Kevin surveyed the room. So far that night, he’d been unable to find Lauren, but his instincts told him she was there somewhere. The fundraiser was for a new education initiative that Callie had backed the year before so it made sense that Callie would’ve invited Lauren, her best friend and fellow educator. They had not spoken since she had returned the ring and he had lost his temper. He’d expected her to come around by now, to realize what she’d given up by turning down his proposal. Yet she hadn’t made any effort to contact him. Rather than track her down at her house, he’d decided to purchase a ticket to the fundraiser with the expectation of running into her. Perhaps surrounded by the lifestyle that was within her reach if she married him, she’d reconsider, realizing the mistake she’d made.

He still believed she would eventually regret her decision, but he needed that to happen sooner rather than later.
Sherbrooke Enterprises would be calling for bids on their new development soon, and he needed to start positioning himself for the election in another year.

Not to mention, he found himself missing her. That wasn
’t to say he was heartbroken, but he missed the time they spent together. While she may not be a part of his society, Lauren was a good woman and she’d never made any demands on him. Unlike many of the women he’d dated in the past who were after him for something, she’d never asked for anything but his time.