Chapter 9

If there was one thing Megan loved about Alex, it was how he was a man of his word. So when he said to brace herself, she did.

And she was very happy about it.

The sun was starting to come up, and they were tangled together, and even though they couldn’t have had more than a few hours of sleep, she felt perfectly content. Snuggling closer to Alex, she placed a kiss on his chest and felt his arms tighten around her.

“You can’t be awake already,” he said sleepily. “If you’re awake, that means I’ve overslept.”

Megan laughed softly and kissed him again. It was true that he was the early riser of the two of them. She was content to stay in bed and hit the snooze button on her alarm several times when she needed to get up, whereas Alex didn’t even need an alarm.

“It’s a Sunday,” she softly reminded him. “You can’t oversleep on a Sunday. It’s impossible.”

Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he said, “I disagree. What if we had plans to leave the house early and go…say…camping.”

That had her laughing a bit harder. “There are so many things wrong with that sentence that I don’t even know where to begin.”

Alex pulled back and looked at her with mild amusement. “What could possibly be wrong with that?”

“For starters, no one leaves on a Sunday morning to go camping. That’s just crazy. And secondly, I would never go camping. Like, ever. So…you never have to worry about saying I’ve overslept for that.”

“You should try it.”

She shook her head. “Nope. I enjoy sleeping in a bed, indoor plumbing, and having heat in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer. Oh, and electricity,” she added while fighting the urge to laugh again. “I’m a big fan of electricity.”

He shook his head. “Everyone should camp out at least once. I’m not saying it has to be a weeklong thing—”

She placed a finger over his lips and shook her head again. “The closest you will ever get me to camping is sitting on the back porch making s’mores over the fire pit. That’s it.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he said casually.

“Bug bites, a bad night’s sleep, getting eaten by a bear…the list is endless, I’m sure.”

This time he laughed. “What if I promised to take you to a bear-free campsite? Would you try it?”

Megan held firm. “Sorry. No can do. I’ll go walking in the park and even do a little hiking, but beyond that, it’s a hard no.”

“And here I was thinking I had found the perfect woman,” he said as he rolled over.

“And someone who camps is your perfect woman?” she asked, maneuvering so she was now lying on top of him.

Nodding, he said, “Definitely.” Then he sighed. “Well, we gave it a try, and it didn’t work.” Another sigh. “I guess we’ll look back on this someday and laugh and…ow!” he cried out with a laugh when she smacked him on the arm.

“How would you like it if I told you my perfect man wasn’t outdoorsy? How would that make you feel?” she questioned.

Alex anchored a hand in her long hair and gripped it. “I wouldn’t like it because I’d know you were lying. Or teasing,” he added, guiding her closer. His voice went husky when her lips were almost to his. “Just like I’m teasing right now. I don’t care if you don’t want to camp, Megan. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to do that with you—to have that experience with you—but it’s not so important to me that I’d give this up.”

Her smile was slow and sexy as she wiggled against him and felt how he was already aroused. “Good. Because I don’t want you to give this up.” Then she kissed him and hummed her approval as his free hand smoothed down her spine. He squeezed her bottom as he moved against her.

The kiss went from slow and languid to wet and untamed. When Megan moved to catch her breath, Alex gently nipped at her neck. “Is this what you were talking about last night?” he murmured against her skin. “This kind of tangled-up morning where we forget about everything else?”

With a moan of pleasure, she continued to move with him. “Yes…”

“Then you know this was all part of my plan when I told you to brace yourself last night,” he said, rolling them so she was beneath him. He took her hands in his and pinned them above her head on the pillows. “And there’s nothing I want more in this world than to make you happy.”

Alex was good with words.

But his actions were even better.

* * *

A week later, Megan was sitting in her office when her phone rang. Looking down, she saw her father’s name on the screen. Panic instantly filled her because her father never called her. Something had to be wrong.

“Dad?” she answered anxiously.

Joseph Montgomery chuckled. “Did I catch you at a bad time, Megan? You sound a little out of sorts.”

She instantly relaxed and let out a breath. “I…no…I’m fine. I guess I was a little surprised to see your name on my phone. I thought something was wrong.”

He laughed again. “I can see why you’d think that. Your mother is usually the one to call, and then I simply get on the phone and say a quick hello.”

At least he’s aware of it, she thought.

“So what’s up, Dad? Everything okay?”

“I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about you,” he began. “It sounds like the transition to the new programs and new system went more smoothly than anyone expected. As a matter of fact, you now hold the record of the fastest and most efficient installation in company history.”

“Really?” she squeaked, unable to hide her glee at the praise.

“Really,” Joseph said. “I’m not going to lie to you, I wasn’t so sure you were up to the task when we first talked about offering you the position. The company you were working for in Albany is tiny in comparison to Montgomerys.”

“It was, but computers are something I’m good with, Dad. And once I had everything set up, it was just a matter of training the staff properly. We had a great system in place to work with everyone in smaller and more diverse groups, and Zach was pretty emphatic about our time management, so all in all, it was the perfect combination.”

“I’m proud of you, Megan,” he said. “I know I don’t say that to you nearly as often as I should, but it’s true. I’m seriously impressed with all you’ve accomplished.”

She wanted to put the phone down and do a little victory dance right there next to her desk, but she knew she’d have to wait at least a little while to do that.

“Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

“I was in a meeting with your Uncle William and Uncle Robert, and we want to extend a position to you.”

Her eyes went a little wide. “Oh?”

“I know we talked about it when you were first hired, but after seeing the kind of results you’ve achieved, we want you to keep going with it throughout the company.”

Megan’s heart began to race. This was it! This was what she’d been waiting for! “O-kay—”

“We’re going to need you to hit our San Diego office and work with Christian and his staff, then come to North Carolina to work in Charlotte with Uncle William’s people, and then Chapel Hill for Robert’s people. Then you’ll come to New York and work with my staff. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like I’ll be living out of a suitcase for a while,” she said with a nervous laugh. Thinking about having the position was one thing; planning it and seeing how time-consuming it was going to be was quite another.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not all going to happen at once—although we are all looking forward to making the transition sooner rather than later. And you won’t be working alone, so it’s not like you’ll have to stay in any one place for an extended period of time. You’ll have a team of people working under you who can handle most of the grunt work. You’re going to be the executive IT director, Megan. That means you can delegate responsibilities. What we most want from you is to make sure things happen in the same timely manner as they have in Zach’s office.”

She breathed a little easier. “Oh. Okay. I can do that.”

“I know you can,” her father said confidently. “William is on the phone with Zach now discussing when he feels will be a good time for you to step away and meet with Christian first. No one wants Zach to be left shorthanded, so the two of you will have to work out who will cover your responsibilities while you’re gone or if Zach will have to hire someone to take over the position.”

“But…I enjoy working here,” Megan said defensively. “I’d like Portland to be my base office, Dad.”

“And it can be, but Zach is still going to need someone there to handle any problems while you’re gone. That’s common sense.”

“I get that, but—” Then she stopped herself. “I’ll talk to Zach about it.”

“Very good. Once you get a timeline in place with him, we’ll have a conference call to get things going and put your travel plans in place.”

“How come I’m starting with Christian? I would have thought I’d start with either you or Uncle William.”

“Christian’s got a smaller staff, and the process should go faster. Plus I’d like for you to check on him.”

“Check on him? Why?”

“I’m hoping that having you work there will force him to interact with his staff a little more. We’ve had several complaints about his disinterest in working with just about anyone. Which is a complete change from how he was with our London office. So naturally, we’re concerned.”

“Dad, this isn’t new information. Everyone’s been going on about this for years. Obviously this is who he is now. If people are so upset by it, why not send him back to London?”

“Because he doesn’t want that either,” Joseph said sadly. “I don’t know what to do with him.”

Thinking about the conversation she and Alex had had a while back, she said, “It’s a lot of pressure for him, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…Christian was—for a while—the only one of the three of us to work for Montgomerys. I’m sure he felt a lot of pressure to make you proud and do things in a way that would meet with your approval.”

Her father didn’t make a sound, and she questioned whether to go on but ultimately did.

“We all want our parents’ approval, Dad. That’s natural. But…what if this corporate life isn’t what he wants anymore and he doesn’t know how to get out of it?”

“I guess I didn’t want to consider that,” he said in a low voice. “It wasn’t an issue with any of your cousins—they all willingly went into the business. Part of me was a little embarrassed at how my own kids didn’t want to follow suit.”

“I did,” Megan said, her voice equally low.

“I didn’t want that life for you. I wanted to see you with someone who would take care of you. This world—this corporate world—there are times when it leaves little time for a life. It’s not what I wanted for you, Megan.”

“It wasn’t your choice to make,” she said, her heart hammering in her chest at how brutally honest she was being. “I’m not saying this is the perfect life, but I enjoy what I do. I worked so hard for so long for you to notice me and not pass me over as some sort of…I don’t know…trophy child or something.”

“Megan, you see how much I worked when you kids were growing up, you’re seeing how miserable Christian is now—can you honestly say you want that for yourself?”

Suddenly she wasn’t so sure.

“But that’s not the case for everyone. Summer’s found a balance between work and motherhood, Zach has cut back on his hours—”

“Zach fell off of a mountain. He didn’t have a choice but to reevaluate his life.”

“Okay, maybe Zach’s not the best example. But Mac and Jason and Ryder and Lucas…they’re all making it work,” she argued, but she wasn’t sure why.

“But it was a rocky road for them. Remember that.” He paused. “No matter what you do, Megan—whether it’s working for Montgomerys or not—I’m proud of you and want you to be happy.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“And I’m sure you have work to do and want to talk to Zach about scheduling, so—” He stopped and sighed. “Just know you can talk to me. It doesn’t have to be about work. I enjoy hearing about your life. I should say that a little more, huh?”

Unable to help herself, she smiled even as she felt the sting of tears at his heartfelt words. “I could say it too.”

“We’ll both have to remember to try a little harder, right?”

“Absolutely.”

They talked about how she was enjoying Portland and about some of the places Alex had shown her and how much she was doing in her spare time.

And then he specifically asked about Alex.

“And he treats you well?” he asked, sounding very much like a disapproving parent.

“He treats me better than I ever imagined a man could treat a woman,” she replied. “He’s kind and considerate, and he makes me laugh, and he challenges me to try new things,” she explained, and then paused and thought. “But more than anything, Dad, he accepts me for who I am. I’ve never dated someone who did that.”

“Everyone tells me how wonderful he is,” Joseph said begrudgingly, “but in my mind no man is ever going to be good enough for you.”

And her smile grew. “Alex is. Trust me. He’s just…he’s everything.”

Joseph said, “Then I guess I’ll have to approve. I don’t want to. You’re my baby girl, after all.”

“Aww, Dad…”

Then he cleared his throat, and she knew this sentimental time was over. Her father didn’t do sentimental for more than a few minutes at a time, if at all. And she was glad she’d had those few precious moments to experience it.

“So I guess we’ll talk soon,” he said, his voice getting businesslike again.

“As soon as I talk to Zach, we’ll set up a conference call.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“Good.”

“Okay,” she said and was about to say goodbye when she felt a little choked up with emotion. “Thank you, Dad. For believing in me.”

“I always have, baby girl.”

And when she hung up the phone, Megan spun in her chair, and rather than jump up and do her victory dance, she wiped away those few tears she couldn’t hold back and let herself relish those last few words.

They never talked about it, and she realized how she had missed the signs—mainly because they weren’t the same ones he was showing to her brothers.

There were ones that were especially for her.

If she hadn’t been so busy looking at how Christian and Carter were being treated, maybe she wouldn’t have felt forced to work so hard to be successful. To be seen.

Another pothole to working hard that she walked right into.

Another missed opportunity because she had been so focused on her own goals or what she thought was expected of her.

This was who she’d been—who she was—for so long that she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be from this point on. More than anything, she wanted to talk to Alex and share her good news. He was always a good sounding board for her, and right then and there she knew that as soon as she got home, they’d talk, and he’d help her make sense of everything.

He’d make everything all right.

* * *

“Stop. Please.”

Alex looked up and gave a weak smile. “This is very important. You know this. We’ve gone over it so many times. We need to keep your muscles moving so—”

“Alex,” Danny said, his voice weak and breathless, “please. I need you…to stop and listen…to me.”

The fact that his friend’s voice sounded labored bothered him. It was happening more and more lately. And it wasn’t surprising to him; in fact, he knew it was only a matter of time until things like this started to happen.

He just wasn’t ready for it.

Stepping away from Danny’s bed, he sat down. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Danny stared at him for a long moment, and for the first time in a long time, Alex saw how different he looked. For the most part, he always saw the face of the boy he had grown up with, but this time he was seeing him as the man he currently was.

He was tired.

He was broken.

“You’re the only one, you know?” Danny said, and when Alex looked at him oddly, he explained, “You’re the only one…who still comes to see me.” He paused and caught his breath. “After the first year…they all stopped.”

Alex knew exactly who he was referring to and it ticked him off. They were all there that day—everyone had played a hand in what had happened, and it simply infuriated him how they could all go on with their lives without taking any time to help with the life they all destroyed.

“I’m always going to be here,” Alex said, swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat. “You and me? We’ve been friends forever.”

Danny smiled, but it was small. “Tell me how things are going…with Megan.”

Every week since Megan had moved to Portland, Alex had talked about her during his sessions with Danny. It was their thing—Danny would agree to the therapy as long as Alex talked and told him about all the things he was doing. At first he felt guilty about doing it—about talking about all of the great things going on for him when Danny would never again get to experience any of them—but it seemed to make his friend feel better. So he would talk and Danny would listen, and they’d get through the exercises.

“I found out she has a secret hobby.”

Danny’s eyes went wide with curiosity.

“She crochets.”

And then Danny’s expression turned to confusion. “Really?”

Nodding, Alex explained. “She makes things for babies—blankets and sweaters and stuff—and then donates them to the hospital and shelters.” He smiled as he remembered how excited the nursing staff had been the day he had gone with her. “She’s incredibly talented, and it’s such a contrast to how she normally presents herself, and it’s just…I’m seriously impressed.”

“She sounds more amazing…every time you talk about her.” With a pause to catch his breath, Danny added, “So things are good?”

“Things are going really great,” he said, relaxing in the chair. “We had a long talk Saturday night about her not being just a temporary houseguest.”

“And?” Danny asked, his voice a little wheezy.

“And we both agreed it’s what we want.” Alex raked a hand through his hair and grinned. “I feel like…man, it’s so weird, but…I feel like I’ve been waiting for her for, like…ever. The day she moved in—even though I thought it was temporary—the minute she started to unpack, it was like, ‘Okay, this is what I’ve been missing.’ It’s strange, and I can’t even describe it, but…she’s the one. I know she’s the one.”

“You deserve to be happy, Alex.” Danny paused and took a few moments to focus on his breathing. So much so that Alex almost called for a nurse. “You…more than…any person…I know…deserve happiness.”

“Danny…”

“It’s…true…”

Alex stood when Danny began to cough violently. He looked around, and fortunately, a nurse came in. It took a few minutes to get Danny to calm down and for his breathing to return to normal, and for the first time in years, Alex began to fear his friend wasn’t going to get better.

“Remember to talk slowly,” the nurse reminded Danny and then looked at Alex. “He’s getting tired, so maybe you should do more of the talking.”

Alex nodded and waited until she was out of the room. “She’s right. I don’t want to cause you any more pain. So…why don’t we wait and talk more next week?”

He stood closer to the bed, and something in Danny’s eyes held him there. “Just…one…more…thing—”

“Danny, you need to rest. It’s important.”

“You’ve…blamed…yourself…” He started to cough again but not as badly as he had moments earlier.

“Stop,” Alex begged. “Just…this time you need to stop.”

“It…wasn’t…your…fault,” Danny rasped. “Never.”

And then it was Alex who couldn’t breathe. In all the years since the accident, they’d never talked about it. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of his friend, and yet he knew he couldn’t stop the tears from starting.

“I should have stopped you,” he said, his voice cracking. “If I had tried harder, you wouldn’t have jumped. You wouldn’t be here like this right now!”

“You…couldn’t…stop…me. Never could,” he added and gave him a weak smile. “My fault. Not…yours.”

But Alex shook his head. “I knew you had been drinking, and I knew that stunt wasn’t safe. I should have spoken up and taken the razzing from everyone about being the buzzkill of the group!”

“It would…have made…me…want to…jump…more.”

Alex hated to admit that Danny was right. Their whole lives he could never talk his friend out of anything he had set his mind to.

But it didn’t change how Alex felt. The guilt. The anger.

“It’s okay…to be…mad,” Danny said, and that’s when Alex realized how his face must look at the moment. “You…can…yell. It’s okay.”

But he couldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

What good would it do either of them?

Instead, he squeezed Danny’s shoulder. “Rest. I’ll see you next week, okay?”

And there was that look in his eyes again, and it nearly gutted Alex.

He was about to say goodbye—that had been his plan—but something else entirely came out. “I’m sorry,” Alex said, his voice breaking. “I’m so damn sorry.”

“I’m…the one…who’s sorry,” Danny rasped. “My fault. Stop…blaming…yourself.”

Alex shook his head, and tears began to fall.

“Forgive…me.”

Shaking his head again, Alex said, “There’s nothing to forgive. I need you to forgive me!”

The slight shake of Danny’s head was the only response.

“Dammit, Danny!”

“Forgive…me,” he repeated, and when Alex was about to respond, the nurse returned and told him he needed to leave.

With one last look at his friend, Alex said, “We’ll talk next week.” Walking around the room, he collected his things, and as he was about to leave, he heard Danny repeat the phrase one more time.

When he got out to his truck, he sat for a long time behind the wheel and cried. He cried for the loss of his friend’s ability to move and for his role in it.

But mostly, he cried because he felt like a failure and a fraud.

* * *

Champagne was chilling.

Candles were lit.

Her little black dress was showing off her curves.

And Megan played with her hair to give it a bit of a sexy look as she waited for Alex to walk in the door.

She couldn’t wait to share her good news with him—praise from her father and the position she’d been hoping for? It was probably one of the best days ever for her. Of course…it meant she’d have to spend time away from Alex, and then there was the chance that things might not go as smoothly as they had in Zach’s office and…

Stopping the negative thoughts, she forced herself to think positively. For all the years she had felt inferior to the rest of her family—after all, most of her cousins were overachievers and way more successful than she would ever be—this was finally her time! She was going to be able to prove she was just as dynamic as all of the Montgomerys, and she was going to rock this position and show them all that she was…

What?

Their equal? That didn’t seem right. No one had ever made her feel inferior or that she wasn’t keeping up with them. That was her own issue. So really, the only one she was proving anything to was…herself.

And that took a little wind out of her sails.

Still, if this was going to make her feel better about herself, wasn’t that a good thing? A great thing? Maybe this newfound confidence would help her in other aspects of her life? Like…like…

She was stumped.

Right now, life was pretty damn good. She had a job she loved working for Zach, she was making friends, she was going out and socializing and had an amazing relationship with Alex. So…what exactly was she still looking for?

The sound of the door opening broke her out of her reverie. Turning, she smiled, and when she saw Alex, she knew immediately something was wrong. She cursed the fact that she’d set the scene for seduction and immediately blew out the candles and turned on the lights.

“Hey,” she said softly. “What’s going on?”

Alex kissed her distractedly and looked around. “Did you just blow out candles?”

“Um…yeah. I had lit some and…but you looked like…”

He turned and faced her as he placed his keys on the kitchen counter. He spotted the champagne. “What are we celebrating?”

And just like that she watched him transform. Gone was the solemn look of a minute ago, and in its place was the relaxed and happy man she was used to seeing. She easily could have been distracted by the change in his demeanor, but she wasn’t fooled.

“It doesn’t matter. I want to know what’s wrong. You walked in here looking like you’d lost your best friend.”

The devastation was back, and she knew she’d hit a nerve.

“Alex?”

He raked a hand through his hair, walked into the living room, and collapsed on the couch. Megan was instantly beside him and then sat in stunned silence as he told her all about his relationship with his friend Danny and the accident that had left him paralyzed. She looked over at the framed picture he had of the two of them, and her heart broke.

Taking one of his hands in hers, she lifted it and kissed it. “So…every Friday…”

He nodded. “I go there every week. He has a therapist who works with him, but I go because I always felt like I could make him do it—I could be the one who got him to feel or move again. Our whole lives we’ve encouraged one another, pushed one another. And I wanted so damn much to be the one who did that for him—showed him that he shouldn’t give up.” He paused as his voice cracked. “But he is. I can tell. He’s…his body is working against him, and he’s not willing to fight it anymore.”

“Maybe he was having a bad day,” she said softly. “I’m sure—just like everyone else—he gets overwhelmed.”

But he shook his head. “I’ve witnessed him have a lot of days like that. This was different, and…and it just about killed me. It brought all of it back—not that it’s ever far away. But the guilt about how I could have prevented this…”

Megan squeezed his hand to get his attention. “Alex, you don’t honestly believe that, do you?”

He didn’t answer.

“I know I wasn’t there, and I didn’t know you back then, but it sounds to me like Danny is a pretty strong-willed person. Chances are you might have tried a little harder to get him not to jump, but he was going to do it no matter what—and just to prove to you he could!” She paused and watched as a myriad of emotions played across his face. “It was an accident. A horrible, horrible accident. Has he ever blamed you?”

He shook his head again. “Never. Even today he tried telling me it wasn’t my fault.”

“That’s because it wasn’t.”

Alex jumped to his feet and began to pace as he furiously explained all the ways she was wrong—how Danny and everyone else were wrong. “I knew he couldn’t do it—or shouldn’t do it. I could have stopped him, and then he’d be walking around, having a life! And because of me, he’s lost everything! Every week I go and I try and different therapy options, and…I should have healed him!”

“You’re not God, Alex!” she cried as she came to her feet. He instantly stilled at her words, and she saw the anger written all over his face. “Do you hear yourself? You could have stopped him? Everyone has free will! There are no guarantees you could have stopped him. And as for healing him? He broke his neck, Alex! I may not know a lot about the workings of the body like you do, but even I know there’s no cure for that.”

“I could have—”

“No!” she said fiercely, going to him and taking both his hands in hers. “You couldn’t have. You can’t save everyone! You can’t heal everyone!” Pausing, she took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Alex, you are a gifted therapist. My family and I saw that firsthand by what you did for Zach, but can you honestly stand here and tell me every patient is a success story? That every person you’ve ever worked with was healed?”

He stared down at her, but his expression never changed. He was angry, she could feel it radiating off him, but she knew this was something they had to talk about. They might not have known each other long, but she had a feeling this was a side of himself he didn’t show very often.

If ever.

Pulling away from her, Alex stalked across the room and went to look out the window that gave him the view of the backyard. But Megan wasn’t deterred. She walked right over and started talking again.

“I get that you’re angry, Alex. I even understand your guilt. That’s something you have to come to grips with, and it doesn’t matter what anyone says. But you have to know that sometimes things happen that we can’t change. Accidents happen every day. Good people get hurt and lose their lives every day. You’ve done more than most people would have done, and Danny knows that. You’re hurting, but so is he. Every day is a struggle for him to survive.” Swallowing hard, she said the hardest thing she had ever had to say. “Who are you fighting so hard for—him? Or you?”

When he looked at her, his expression went from rage to sadness to…nothing. “I’m going to the gym,” he said, his voice void of emotion.

And before she could even blink, he was gone.

* * *

All the lights in the house were off when Alex got home, and even though the car was in the driveway, that didn’t necessarily mean she was here.

Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d left after the way he’d carried on earlier.

He’d gone to the gym and punched the bag until his hands went numb and then ran on the treadmill until his legs were about to give out. And the entire time he was there torturing himself, all he could think was how she had been right. When she’d asked who he was fighting for, he knew the answer, and it shamed him.

He was fighting for himself.

To clear his conscience.

To make everything right.

Even now as he walked through the darkened house, he was disgusted with himself. He didn’t turn on any lights; he simply walked up the stairs to the bedroom and hoped Megan was there. The bedroom door was closed, and he took that as a good sign. Slowly, quietly, he opened the door and could see her huddled under the blankets on their bed. The clock on the nightstand read eleven o’clock, and he hated how he’d stayed away so long.

Closing the bedroom door, he walked over to the bed, stripped down to his boxers, slid beneath the blankets, and fought the urge to move close to Megan and pull her into his arms. He needed to feel her and apologize to her and…hell, he just wanted to talk to her. She was the only thing keeping him sane right now, and he wasn’t sure if—

“Alex?” she said sleepily.

He took his first easy breath in hours as he rolled toward her and gathered her into his embrace. “Hey,” he said softly.

Megan willingly moved closer to him and even hugged him tightly. “I was worried about you.”

Alex inhaled deeply, loving the smell of her shampoo, and let the breath out slowly. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he said, “I’m sorry. I…I don’t even know what else to say.”

Megan kissed his shoulder and snuggled closer. “You were hurting, and I pushed, and I’m sorry too. That wasn’t very fair of me to do. I…I had no idea you’ve been struggling with this, and it wasn’t my place to make those observations or assumptions.”

His heart hurt even more as he listened to her. Tucking a finger under her chin, he gently nudged her to look at him. “You don’t owe me an apology. I was angry because…you were right. I…I never had anyone state things as plainly as you did, and I lashed out because you forced me to look at myself and…I didn’t like what I saw.”

They both fell silent for a long moment.

The last thing he wanted to do was talk more about this—he was emotionally raw and needed to let everything settle in.

“I ruined your night,” he said finally but quietly. “You had champagne and candles, and…I ruined that. What were we celebrating?”

Beside him, Alex felt her shrug. “It was nothing. It’s not important.”

Reaching over, he sat up and turned on the bedside light so he could see her. They both blinked for a few seconds as their eyes adjusted to the brightness. “Megan, don’t. Don’t make light of it. Obviously, you had something planned, and you had a good reason for it. Please. Tell me what’s going on.”

Megan sat up too and sighed. “My father called me today,” she began. “And…I got the promotion. I mean, I guess it’s a promotion.” Her eyes met his, and she gave him a small smile. “I’m going to be handling the transition to the new systems for the entire company.”

Alex’s eyes went wide, and he smiled proudly at her. “That is amazing news!” Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her but then immediately pulled away and sprang from the bed. “Wait! Wait right there!”

Dashing from the room, he went down the stairs and into the kitchen. It didn’t take long to find the champagne and the glasses she had set out earlier. Scooping them up, he took the stairs two at a time to get back to her. The sound of her laughter when he all but jumped on the bed beside her was like music to his ears.

“Alex…this is crazy! We don’t have to do this now! It’s not a big deal. Really.” But she was still laughing as she said it.

With little effort, he popped the bottle open and poured them each a glass. Raising his, he said, “I am so proud of you. You worked hard, and I know you’re happy to have your father and everyone acknowledge all you’ve done and how amazing you are.”

Her shoulders sagged, but her smile grew.

“I’ve always thought you were amazing. I’m glad everyone can see it now.” He touched his glass to hers. “Here’s to your dream job.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, “Thank you.”

They each took a sip, and Alex turned and adjusted their pillows so they could sit back and relax. “So tell me about this new position. I know you mentioned all it might entail a while ago, but now that it’s official, what’s going to happen?”

She told him about their schedule for each location and in what order she was going to be doing them. “I talked with Zach today, and we think that for now we’re going to see how things go with me being in San Diego. If they find that there is too much for my department to handle while I’m gone, he may need to either promote someone or hire someone as my full-time assistant.”

“Do you really think that’s going to be necessary?”

“At this point? No. The new system is a dream and shouldn’t require having a team of people on constant alert. And I’m not going to be gone that long—at least not with this first install.”

He took another sip of his champagne. “So when do you start? When do you have to leave?”

With a small grimace, she said, “Sunday night.”

“As in…the day after tomorrow?”

“Yup.”

Well…shit. The last thing he wanted to do was be the one to hold her back—especially since she seemed to finally be comfortable in her own skin and getting the praise and acknowledgment from her father she’d been craving—but he hated how it was all on such short notice.

“How long will you be gone for on this first trip? Do you have to stay from start to finish?” he asked and prayed he didn’t sound too clingy or needy.

“This is just preliminary. I want to meet with Christian’s IT people and see how things are functioning with their current system.”

“Don’t all the offices have the same system?”

She shook her head. “Some are a little older, and it’s not just the system but also how well the team works with it. I’ve seen some weird patches put in place and shortcuts that slow down the system and have people working way harder than they should. I want to get a feel for the employees so I can get a read on how easy or hard they’ll be to train.”

After another nod and another sip, Alex realized she’d never answered his question. “Will you be back for the weekend, do you think?”

“That’s the plan as of now. I’ll fly down on Sunday and be home Friday night, maybe Saturday morning. I’d like to spend time with Christian too. I’m going to stay with him so we’ll have a chance to hang out together. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.

“Just tell me when to drop you off and when to pick you up, and I’ll be there,” he said with a smile. Reaching over, he took the champagne from her hand and put her glass along with his on the bedside table. Then he maneuvered them both until they were lying down again. “I’m excited for you, but I’m going to miss you too.”

Megan gave him a small smile. “My schedule for all of this isn’t quite nailed down, but I’m going to request to not be away for extended periods of time.”

And as much as he loved her for trying, he knew it wasn’t practical. “That means a lot of traveling for you. Back and forth from San Diego isn’t going to be much, but once you’re going from coast to coast, I think you’re going to find it will be easier for you to stay longer.”

She snuggled closer to him. “I don’t want to think about that right now. I want to get through this first stage with Christian, and then I can see how things go from there.”

“Okay,” he said softly, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.

What he wanted more than anything was to kiss her and make love to her, but after the way they had argued earlier, he wasn’t sure that was the best thing to do. So he convinced himself to be content. Beside him, Megan yawned, and he realized he had sort of woken her up.

“C’mon, let’s get some sleep,” he said and turned to shut the light back off. “We’ll talk about your itinerary tomorrow.”

She yawned again and nodded, and they settled under the blankets—limbs tangled, Megan’s head on his shoulder, her hand over his heart.

Closing his eyes was easy; getting his mind to stop racing was not.

They hadn’t settled anything, and there wasn’t going to be time before she left. He didn’t want to spend what little time they had together this weekend rehashing their argument.

Hell, he didn’t want to argue at all.

His issues with Danny were his own, and there wasn’t anything anyone—not even Megan—could say to change them. This was why he never talked about the situation with anyone. No one would understand. And for the most part, he was fine with that. More than fine with it because it worked for him. The one time he did bring it up, look at how it had turned out! He had wasted a perfectly good evening with Megan and ruined her big celebration.

He’d have to rectify that tomorrow by doing something nice for her—dinner, flowers, another bottle of champagne…the works. It would be a romantic evening on steroids.

That brought a smile to his face.

But they’d do all of that at home. Knowing she was leaving Sunday had him feeling a little selfish and wanting to have her all to himself. This was the perfect distraction after the night they’d had. He was thinking about what he could make for dinner when he felt Megan shift a little closer.

Hmm…

Her nails lightly raked over his chest, and she kissed his shoulder.

Even better.

Megan carefully glided over him until she was stretched out on top of him. His hands immediately moved to her legs and skimmed up and…

No panties.

How did I ever get so lucky? he wondered.

“Something I can do for you?” he asked, his voice low and gruff.

In the moonlight coming through the curtains, he watched as she lifted her nightie over her head and then shook out her hair.

“Actually, there’s something I want to do for you,” she said softly.

Alex swallowed hard. “Really?”

She nodded.

“And what’s that?”

Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips right before she said, “I want to love you.”

With a groan, he wrapped her in his arms and gave himself over to her.

* * *

She was dazzled.

There was no other way to describe it.

When Megan had come down the stairs the following evening, it had been like stepping into the most romantic setting in the world. There were dozens of candles lit as well as a fire in the fireplace. Soft music was playing, and there were bouquets of flowers scattered all over the living room and dining room. A fresh bottle of champagne was chilling, and Alex was dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a crisp white dress shirt.

He was so handsome that he took her breath away.

Placing her hand over her heart, she looked around the house in awe. “Alex,” she whispered as she smiled at him. “When did you have time to do all of this?”

With a careless shrug, he walked over and kissed her thoroughly. When he lifted his head, he said, “I moved some things around and rescheduled some clients so I could shop. I wanted to celebrate properly since we didn’t get to last night.”

“It really wasn’t—”

But he placed a finger over her lips to stop her words.

“I don’t want to talk about yesterday. I want to have tonight to hear all about your new role and how much everyone loves you.”

She laughed. “That isn’t going to take all night.”

His smile turned a little wicked, a little sexy. “That’s good. Because I have other plans for us tonight that don’t involve talking about work.”

All kinds of sexy images came to mind, and she hoped they matched what Alex had planned. Alex took her by the hand, led her over to the dining room table, and held a chair out for her. She looked at all the delicious food he had prepared—stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, a salad, and dinner rolls.

“Oh my goodness, how many of us are eating?” she teased.

Taking the seat beside her, Alex grinned. “Just the two of us. I knew these were some of your favorites, so I thought it was a good place to start. Then I’ve got salmon, rice pilaf, and a vegetable medley for dinner.”

Her eyes went wide. “That’s a lot of food!”

“We’ll take a break in between,” he said mildly and then motioned to the food in front of them. “No rush tonight. We’ll eat at our leisure.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. There had been so much to do at the office today that she had skipped lunch, so right now, she was starving. Every bite she took was like a little taste of heaven. The man had some serious skills in the kitchen.

And everywhere else.

And he was all hers.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked.

Busted.

With a flirty grin, she confessed. “I was sitting here and smiling because you made all this wonderful food and you’re just so…good with everything that you do. And I’m lucky to have you.”

“Wow…that’s some serious thinking over a stuffed mushroom,” he teased.

But she shook her head. “I’m being serious, Alex. You are so amazing and…and…” She sighed happily. “Some days I still can’t believe someone like you would want someone like me.”

He frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Any man who didn’t want you is a fool,” he said fiercely, and then he seemed to relax. “Although their loss is my gain, so why am I complaining?”

They ate in silence for a few more minutes before he asked about her itinerary for the next day.

“Christian is picking me up when I arrive in San Diego. We’ll go right to the office, and I’ll work the rest of the day with him.” Then she gave him a rundown of what she had planned for the week. “I’m going to come home Saturday morning. I wanted the opportunity to stay late on Friday in case we make some decent progress. And if we can leave the office at a reasonable time, then I’ll enjoy having dinner with my brother.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” He reached for her hand again, and his thumb stroked the inside of her wrist. “Promise me you’ll call when you land.”

Her heart simply skipped a beat at the look in his eyes and sincerity in his voice. “Of course. And I’m going to call you every night before I go to sleep because that’s one of my favorite times of the day for us. I love talking to you until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.”

“I love that too.”

When they finished the appetizers, Alex rose, held out a hand to Megan, and gently pulled her to her feet. Music was still playing softly, and he moved them into the living room where he pulled her in close and began to sway to the music.

Seriously, she almost swooned right then and there.

It was beyond romantic—the candles, the flowers, the music—and they didn’t need to talk. Sharing the moment was enough.

One song turned to two. Two songs to four, and Megan was simply enjoying the intimacy of being close to him. It occurred to her how she was finally learning to enjoy life after five o’clock. For the first time in her life, she had…a life. Something to look forward to, someone to come home to. And suddenly, the thought of leaving and taking on extra responsibilities at work didn’t seem quite so appealing.

Alex kissed her on the cheek and pulled back a little. “I’m going to get our dinner started. Why don’t you go up and take a nice hot bath and relax, and I’ll call you when everything’s ready?”

That sounded glorious, but her mind was still racing with whether she wanted to leave in the morning. Before he could walk away, she said his name.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I…I was thinking…maybe…” She paused and sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t do this.”

“Do what? Take the bath? It was just a suggestion,” he said lightly, kissing her one more time before heading toward the kitchen. “I’d be just as happy to have you sitting here and talking with me while I cooked. Then after dinner we can sit in the hot tub for a while. How does that sound?”

Well, that sounded even more glorious, but it still didn’t put her mind at ease.

Alex was in the kitchen, and she could hear him moving pots and pans around. “What if I’m making a mistake?” she called out, and all activity in the kitchen stopped.

The look on Alex’s face as he walked back toward her showed how confused he was. “So this isn’t about the bath, is it?”

She shook her head.

“What’s going on?”

“Remember all those times we talked about me wanting to change my life? And how working so much wasn’t good for me?”

He nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Well…I’m having a life,” she said, her voice cracking on the last word, and then she took a moment to get her thoughts together. What she wanted most was for Alex to wrap her in his arms and tell her it would all be okay, but he was keeping a little distance—probably because he didn’t want to influence her.

Because he was good like that.

“I’m finally at a place where I’m happy and comfortable in my own skin. And that’s all because of you,” she said softly. “And even though this job is something I thought I always wanted, now that I have it…I’m not so sure.”

He let out a long, slow breath and then closed the distance between them. With his hands on her shoulders, he gently squeezed. “It’s okay to be nervous about this, Megan. Like you said, you’ve wanted this for so long, and I’m sure there’s a lot of anxiety about it. I think anyone starting a new job feels that way.”

“I don’t know—”

But he silenced her words with one finger over her lips. “Then it’s a good thing your first project is with your brother. Talk to him about how you feel. He’s worked for the company for a long time, and even though you’ve been here with Zach and Summer, I have a feeling you’ll be more comfortable taking advice from Christian.”

He has a point, she thought. But it still seemed like she wasn’t completely comfortable with this whole thing.

Now he did pull her into his embrace and kissed her on the lips—slowly. Thoroughly. When he lifted his head, he smiled at her. “Go and spend the next week with your brother and see how you feel. If you’re really not into it, when you get home on Saturday, we’ll talk about it some more. Okay?”

Silently, she nodded.

It wasn’t quite what she was hoping for from him. She wanted some guidance, direction.

She wanted someone to tell her what to do.

Alex took her by the hand, led her over to the kitchen island, and motioned for her to sit down. He poured her a glass of wine and then began to talk to her about a food truck rodeo that was going to be in the city next Sunday. It was a great distraction, and for now, she’d take it.