The Trouble With Valentine's Day (27 page)

Rob's trip to Seattle turned into the trip from hell. Since his last visit, Amelia had decided to take up permanent residency in terrible-twos town, and she regularly threw fits like she was possessed. The first hint that she'd turned to the dark side happened the day he took her to play with his former teammate's, little girl, Taylor Lee. They'd only been at Bruce Fish's about half an hour when Amelia strong-armed Henry the Octopus from Taylor Lee, then whacked her in the head with it.

The fit at Fishy's was tame in comparison to the spectacular fit she threw his last night in town when he took her to the Old Spaghetti Factory. She was perfectly fine during dinner—well, as fine as a two-year-old could be—but on the way out, he told her she couldn't have the Lifesavers she knew he had in his pocket. She threw herself on the ground and beat her heels on the floor, and all he could do was watch, for fear that if he picked her up, she'd nail him in the nuts with her little pink boots.

His sweet baby girl had turned into a demon child, and to top it off, Louisa had clearly lost her mind, too. Just as he was leaving for his return trip, she mentioned that she and Amelia should come and stay with him in Gospel. Not permanently, just on the weekends.

During the summer months, business kept him from seeing as much of Amelia as he'd have liked, and he wasn't opposed to seeing more of her. But he didn't want Louisa staying with him. If she brought the subject up again, he'd give her the names of local real estate agents.

By the time his plane landed in Boise around noon, he was exhausted and not looking forward to the long drive to Gospel. An hour from town, he called Kate on his cell phone. She arrived fifteen minutes after he got home, and seeing her standing on his porch was like looking at sunshine.

The second the door shut behind her, she pushed him up against the hard wood. A surprised
oomph
left his chest, and she grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head. The gold Rolex he'd been given when he'd signed with the Seattle Chinooks slammed into the door and dug into his skin. He didn't mind. “What are you planning?” he asked.

“An assault.”

She kissed his neck, and the touch of her wet mouth sent shivers down his spine, working out the tension he'd felt for days. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Yeah, but I don't think you'll complain.”

He closed his eyes. “Does this mean you missed me?”

“No,” she said, but her actions attested to the lie. “I was too busy to miss you.” She let go of one of his wrists and slid her hand down his chest. “Mmm,” she murmured as she softly sucked his throat. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from the waistband of his pants. Then she cupped his crotch and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Does this mean you missed me?”

“God yes,” he said through a tortured breath.

She laughed and kissed her way down his chest and scar. She knelt in front of him and pressed her face into his belly as she unbuttoned his pants. She looked up at him and took him into her hand. Then she kissed the head of his hard dick, and he spread his feet to keep from falling. She sucked him into her hot, wet mouth and she stayed with him through his climax.

When it was over, she pulled his underwear and pants back up. “I think I'm in love,” he said, totally relaxed.

She reached for his fly and buttoned it. “No, you're not. That's just your afterglow talking.”

She was probably right, but there was a little part of him that wished she wouldn't have dismissed what he'd said so quickly, as if he couldn't possibly mean it. He didn't know why it should bother him, but it did. He liked her a lot. Liked having her around. He loved how she made him feel. He loved having sex with her, but that wasn't love. Love didn't feel this relaxed. This good.

His life here in Gospel was turning out to be just about perfect. Why would he want to mess it up with love?

Eighteen

Kate pulled her CRV to a stop at the only
traffic light in town. On the passenger seat next to her sat a little Tiffany box with an Egg Sucking Bugger inside. For the past week, she'd worked on tying the fly for Rob's birthday. It wasn't near as good as anything he could tie. She'd worked hard on it, though, and she wondered if he'd appreciate the effort.

She shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. The rhinestone thong she'd ordered from Frederick's of Hollywood was uncomfortable as hell and cut into her hips, not to mention other places. It was made of hundreds of clear glass stones, all strung together to form a shiny triangle. The matching bra itched her nipples, and the center clasp dug into her left breast. She looked like an escaped showgirl from the Rio. She didn't have to wonder if he'd appreciate her underwear.

The light turned green and she took off from the intersection. She reached for the sunglasses clipped to her visor and slid them on her face. It was seven in the evening and the June sun was starting its descent. She'd never just shown up at his house unexpected before. She didn't think he'd mind.

He'd mentioned his birthday in passing a few weeks ago, but she'd avoided the subject so she could surprise him. She had plans for him that he wasn't likely to forget anytime soon.

She hadn't seen Rob all day, but it wasn't the first time. He'd gotten so busy lately that he'd hired two people to work for him in addition to the little boys he paid to clean camping gear. She figured he'd probably been at the marina.

The thin rhinestone halter dug into her shoulder, and she ran a finger beneath the collar of her wrap dress and adjusted the strap. Since the night Rob had returned from Seattle, she'd noticed a subtle change in him. His touch seemed more personal. More possessive, as if he was trying to pull her closer. He'd made her a fishing vest and given her some of his most prized flies. The day he'd given her a book on how to become an entrepreneurial genius had been the day she'd no longer been able to keep him at arm's length. She hadn't been able to tell herself that he was just her fantasy man. She'd looked up into his smiling face, and she'd done the one thing she'd told herself never to do.

She'd tried to keep her emotions at a safe distance, but her heart hadn't gone along with the plan. She'd fallen in love with Rob. Truly, madly, full tilt in love. The kind of love that snatched your breath away, and it scared the hell out of her.

She turned up his long drive and pulled to a stop in front of his garage. She grabbed the Tiffany box off the passenger seat and shut the car door behind her. The heels of her silver sling backs tapped on concrete as she made her way across the driveway. The rhinestone string of her thong pulled, and she walked very carefully up the steps to his front door. She rang the bell and had to keep her hands purposely at her side. She didn't want to get caught picking at her backside when Rob answered the door.

The door swung open, but it wasn't Rob. A short blonde in a red tube dress stood in the threshold. She had blue eyes and perfect skin, not a mole or blemish or enlarged pore to be seen on her beautiful face. An alarm bell rang in Kate's head.

“Yes?”

Kate looked beyond the blonde inside the house. “Is Rob around?”

“Yes. He's around,” she answered, but she didn't move. “Maybe I can help you?” There was a slight edge of hostility to her smooth voice.

“No. I don't think you can.” Kate hadn't a clue who the woman was, but she was acting like she owned the place. “Who are you?”

“I'm Louisa.”

Ah. The ex. “Yes. Rob has mentioned you.” He didn't, however, mention that Louisa was gorgeous. The kind of gorgeous usually found on the arm of a very rich man. He also didn't mention that she was going to be in Gospel for his birthday. The alarm bell ringing in Kate's brain got a bit louder, but she ignored it. Rob had divorced this perfect woman, and as Kate recalled, he'd said he'd loved her but never liked her. “I'm Kate Hamilton.”

“Hmm.” She tilted her head to one side, exposing one earlobe decorated with a few shining carats. “Interesting that Rob's never mentioned you.”

Whoa.
Kate hadn't been mistaken about the hostility. And as much as she hated to admit it, Louisa's barb nicked her somewhere in the area of her heart. “Why would he mention me to his ex-wife?” But why
hadn't
he mentioned her?

“Because Rob and I have been talking about a reconciliation. I think if you were an important part of his life, he would have mentioned you.”

Okay, she felt a little more than an alarm bell in her head and a nick that time. But she told herself that Louisa was lying. She had to be. Rob wouldn't do that to her. She opened her mouth to respond, but Rob moved into the foyer from the kitchen. He wore a white tank and blue swim trunks and carried a little girl in a pink bikini and flip-flops. The little girl had her arm around Rob's neck, and Kate recognized her from her pictures scattered around Rob's house. When he looked beyond Louisa and saw Kate, his footsteps slowed. “Kate.”

“Happy birthday.” She held out the Tiffany box, loving him so much that her nicked heart swelled beneath her rhinestone bra. She was going to remain optimistic or die trying.

“Thank you.” He set his daughter on her feet, then took the box. “Come in.”

Optimism was one thing. Sitting around with Rob and his bitchy ex while rhinestones rode Kate's crack was another. “No. I didn't know you had company. I should have called.”

“That would have been nice,” Louisa said.

Rob looked at his ex and frowned. “You don't have to call first. Stay for dinner. I'm just about to fire up the barbeque.”

If he was planning to reconcile, would he invite her to dinner? asked her newfound optimism. “No, thanks.” But optimism only went so far. It didn't mean she was suddenly blind. “Louisa was just telling me that the two of you are planning to get married again.”

“That's not true,” he said, and Kate felt the pain in her chest recede. A deep furrow appeared between Rob's brows, and he patted his daughter on the head. “Go get your baby. She's on the couch.” When Amelia took off, he turned his attention to his former wife. “Let it go.”

Louisa looked up at him. Even her profile was perfect. “You told me you'd think about it.”

“I did and the answer is still no.”

“You really need to think harder about whether you want to throw away a chance at being a family again.”

“Louisa, for God's sake!” he exploded. “Why do you always have to keep pushing at the same thing until I get pissed off? I'm not remarrying you. I'm not marrying anyone. Ever. Once was enough.”

It took several long seconds for his words seeped into Kate's brain. When they did, she felt the direct hit, and she took a step back.
Oh God.
The pain shot up and slapped her. It was happening again. Déjà vu. Different guy. Different naughty underwear. Same heartbreak.

“Sorry to interrupt your birthday.” She turned in a blur of pain and confusion and walked away before she did something really embarrassing like burst into tears in front of that raving hag Louisa.

Rob caught up with her at the bottom of the step. “Kate. I swear I'm not getting back with Louisa. You don't have to leave.”

“Yes. I do.” She kept walking. She needed to get in her car. If she could just get into her car.

“I didn't even know she and the baby were coming until she called me from the airport in Sun Valley this morning.”

“It doesn't matter.” She reached for the door handle.

He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I'll call you tomorrow.”

The backs of her eyes stung and she felt as if she were about to implode. She recognized the symptoms. She was going to fall apart, but not yet. Not until she was alone. “No. Don't call. I can't do this anymore. I thought I could, but I can't.”

His brows wrinkled. “Can't do what?”

“I can't tell myself that the fantasy is enough. It's a lie.” Her voice wavered, and she looked down at her feet. “No matter how many times I told myself that you'd hurt me, I've fallen in love with you.”

After several heartbeats, he said, “I care about you.”

She'd told him she loved him, and he'd said he cared about her. She guessed it was better than a “thank you.” She looked up at him and blinked back tears.

“You care about me?”

“More than any other woman.”

It wasn't enough. Not this time. “For how long? What's going to happen in a year from now? Two years from now? Five years from now? How much of my life do I give up for you? How many lies do I tell myself? How much longer until you decide we should date other people or just be friends or you've found someone else?”

“I don't know! For as long as it lasts.”

She took a breath and let it out slowly. “That's not enough.”

“What the hell is?”

“A man who will promise to love me forever.”

He squeezed her arms. “Christ, are you talking about a wedding ring?” He shook his head. “That's crazy.”

Crazy.
Anger mixed with heartbreak. “Let go of me.”

His eyes narrowed and he dropped his hands. He stepped away from the car, and she yanked the door open and climbed inside before she started to cry in front of him. She shoved her key in the ignition and drove away. She glanced in her rearview mirror one last time and caught a glimpse of him walking up the steps before her vision blurred and she turned her attention to the road.

What was the matter with her? She'd told herself to stay away from Rob. She'd come to Gospel to try and figure out what was wrong with her, not to fall in love, heart and soul, with a man who could never fully commit to loving her as much as she loved him.

She pulled onto the highway. No, there was a difference now. The difference was that she was no longer willing to settle for less than she deserved. She loved Rob. More than she could remember loving any other man, but her grandfather was right. She was worth everything a man could give her. His heart. His soul. His promise to love her forever.

Rob took Louisa and Amelia to the airport the next morning. It had cost him a lot of money to get them on another chartered flight out, but he was afraid he was going to kill his ex-wife. And he really didn't want to do that. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life in jail and have Amelia raised by relatives.