Chapter Thirteen
Temperance started back at the Thompsons’ a week later. The moment Robert took her to his home they were all waiting, and they rushed toward her, wrapping their arms around her, each of them complaining about what had been going on and how their life had nearly been destroyed. She listened to them talk, and then she was swept upstairs to their rooms, where they showed her everything she’d missed out on.
Each of the children signed her cast for her, and Catherine came up to the room, handing over the file. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to make a new one.”
“Okay.”
“It’s good to have you back,” Catherine said before disappearing.
A lot of people thought taking care of kids was easy, but it wasn’t.
The kids had gone to have something to eat, and grabbing her crutches, Temperance headed down toward the kitchen. She never ate with the family.
A large bouquet of roses arrived as she was heading downstairs.
“Oh, Robert, you didn’t have to,” Catherine said.
“I didn’t.” Robert frowned, grabbing the card and opening it up. He began to smile and looked up toward her. “They’re for you, Temperance.”
She moved downstairs, being careful, and taking the crutches that Britney had been kind enough to help her with. Taking the card, she opened it up.
I’m not a monster. I’m going to get him back, and then I’m coming for you. Those were the words, signed with a simple W.
Licking her dry lips, she stared at the roses. Was he going to get Timothy? It seemed … crazy. He’d wanted the boy gone. She leaned in, sniffing one of the roses just as the doorbell rang.
Robert opened the door, and she heard Wayne’s voice.
“I’ve only just got her,” Robert said.
“I want to take her for a walk, if she’d go with me.”
She nodded, holding onto the crutches. Following him outside, she was aware of everyone watching them. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
The door closed, offering them privacy.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to see you. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I hurt you badly, and that’s my fault.” He reached out, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Your hair is always so wild.”
“I’m thinking of getting it cut.”
“Please don’t. Wild is the look that suits you. You’re a beautiful woman, and you don’t need to tame anything. Let it be wild and free.”
She smiled. “You’re using charm now.”
“I can’t get the sound of you and Timothy out of my head. My apartment is empty, and the cleaner I employed put his toys away. I put them back on the table. She tried to remove his pirate room. Again, I put it all back. I put everything back the way it was because I thought I wanted something, but I don’t.” He reached out, cupping her face. “I love you, Temperance. I have never spoken those words to anyone else. I didn’t even think I was capable of love. I wanted it. I always wanted it, but I didn’t think I’d ever find someone I’d want to give it to.” He stroked her cheek.
“This is all really sudden.” She wanted to believe him. All she could remember was the look on his face on that day in the hospital. He’d been so cold, so closed off from her. “I don’t know what’s real.”
“I’ve never taken my time with anything. I’ve gone after what I wanted, but with you, I want it to be different. It’s going to be different. I know you’re working for Robert, and the kids adore you. I was wondering if on Saturday you’d go out with me. On a proper date. I want to take you to dinner.”
She saw his nerves.
Temperance closed her eyes, enjoying the touch of his fingers on her face. Every part of her was saying to hell with it, but she had to protect herself. He’d broken her heart once before, and even though she loved him, he had the power to ruin her.
“Dinner?”
“Yes. Dinner and a second chance. I’ve never asked for anything like that before in my life.”
She nodded. “I’ll go to dinner with you.”
“I want to get to know you, Temperance, and I want you to get to know me.”
“You’re putting yourself out there?” she asked.
“Yes.” He stroked her cheek. “I want to kiss you right now.”
Temperance tensed up. She wanted his kiss. If his lips touched hers, she was gone. She couldn’t deny him anything.
As she licked her dry lips, he groaned and stepped back. “I’m going to be the gentleman now. I’ll be back here, seven o’clock on Saturday, waiting for you.”
She smiled. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Don’t let Catherine get you down. You’re better than her. Remember your worth.”
She stood in the garden, watching him walk away. He hadn’t spoken about Timothy, but something was different about him. He’d changed. She saw the man she’d discovered in that villa in Italy, the man he seemed to hide from everyone else.
When she entered the Thompsons’ house, Robert was waiting.
“I’m going to guess that you may not be staying with us all that long.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. If you’d like me to find a suitable replacement for when I leave, I could do that.”
He nodded. “It was my biggest regret, firing you. Catherine and I, we argued constantly. She wanted a chance to prove that she could run the house and the kids. Work wasn’t coming her way, and for all of her faults, she likes to keep busy. I saw the papers, the stories, and with his appearance, I’m guessing they were all true. You know, in the past three weeks, I’ve seen him a couple of times, and not once has he ever been as happy as he was when he saw you.”
“What are you trying to do?” Robert was her boss, and she didn’t like discussing her personal life with anyone.
“You’ve always come across as a selfless being. You don’t think of yourself. Do you love Wayne?”
“It’s none of your business.”
He held his hands up. “I know. Wayne can be a dick of mega proportions, but I’ve never seen him call for a woman, and he’s never taken a woman away with him. He’s genuine, Temperance.”
Robert walked away, and she leaned against the door.
She’d hoped already in Italy.
A second chance, she only hoped this time she’d be able to survive it.
****
On Saturday night, dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt, Wayne knocked on Temperance’s apartment door. She’d texted him to let him know that she now stayed at her apartment every weekend.
The past few days he’d found out that Timothy hadn’t been placed in a home, and was in fact a concern to the foster mom who looked after a house full of boys. He stayed in a corner, never speaking, not doing anything.
With Frances’s help, along with his lawyer’s, he began the process of adoption. He moved fast, but that was the way he liked it. Tonight, he intended to take Temperance to the home, and he wanted her to see that he had every intention of putting their family back together.
She opened the door, and he saw her dressed in a very sexy black dress. The signed cast didn’t exactly finish it off.
“Too much?” she asked.
“To me you’re more than fine, but I think I’m going to be pulling all the men off you with that sexy thing.” He patted her leg, and she burst out laughing. “I miss that.”
“What?”
“That voice. That laugh, it’s so fucking sexy.”
Her cheeks heated. “I’m feeling a little overdressed.”
He shook his head. “It’s not even a problem.” He took her hand. The crutches rested underneath her arms. Brian already said her cast would be coming off in another week.
“I have to say the sexual tension is filling the doorway and spilling into the room,” Lilah yelled from the living room.
Temperance rolled her eyes and opened the door.
“Oh, hello, Wayne, I didn’t see you there.”
“Hi, Lilah, I saw your commercial the other day. I’ll never look at toothpaste the same way again.”
She laughed, and he returned his attention to Temperance.
“I expect her back home by twelve,” Lilah said.
“Enough.”
He helped Temperance out of the apartment and shot a glare at Lilah, who winked at him. “Be nice to her.”
“I will.”
Wayne didn’t really get Lilah and Temperance’s friendship, but it was clearly there.
The elevator took forever to ride, and he hated seeing her on the crutches. It reminded him that he’d not been there for her.
Reaching out, he placed a hand on her back, and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted her body against his, underneath him, and to taste the luscious cream between her thighs.
Once they were out of the elevator, he helped her into his car and hoped that she could forgive his mistakes.
He’d made a mess of everything, and he needed to fix what he’d done.
“Where are we going to eat?” she asked.
“Somewhere special, but first I want to show you something.” He started up the car and began driving toward the foster home where he knew Timothy was waiting for them. Wayne had seen the young boy the day before, and he’d been so damn happy when he’d run into his arms and held him.
Wayne knew that he’d made a mistake by separating them.
“You’re not going to give me any clue about what is going on?” she asked.
He took her hand. “All will become clear. You’ll see.”
She rested her hand on top of his, and didn’t try to fight him.
“What’s it like being back with Robert?” he asked.
“Strange, I guess. I promised myself I’d find something else to do.”
“You couldn’t find anything?”
“I was alone on a sofa for what felt like a lifetime. I searched the internet, checked newspapers, got Lilah to give me tests to see what I’d be good at. Guess what, I’d make an awesome nanny.”
“I know you do.” He wanted to make a family with her, to take a chance with the future that he’d once wanted.
“How is work with you?”
“It’s the same. Frances doesn’t like me all that much.”
“I was really rude to her the last time I saw her. Could you please offer her my apologies?”
“I hope one day you’ll come to the office and maybe offer them yourself.”
“We’ll see.”
He pulled up outside the foster home, turning off the ignition and turning toward her.
“Do you trust me?”
She hesitated.
“One day I’ll earn back your trust.”
He climbed out of the car, grabbing her crutches and helping her out.
“Do you own this house?”
“No.”
Wayne walked behind her as they made their way up the steps. Tilly, the woman in charge of the foster home, opened the door.
“Everything ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Where are we?” Temperance asked.
Wayne didn’t tell her, and simply asked her to follow him.
He stood outside the door where he knew Timothy would be waiting with his lawyer. “I made a big mistake by letting you go, and letting Timothy go. Before I open this door, I want to make something clear. He’s ours, and I swear to you, I’ll never give you or Timothy up again.”
She swallowed, and he saw the tears in her eyes as he opened the door. There, at the table coloring, was their boy.
Timothy looked up, gasped, and rushed toward Temperance. Wayne held her up so that she could hold Timothy as he charged at her.
The lawyer nodded at him. Everything was ready and handled. Timothy didn’t have anyone to take care of him. Money helped him to rush the adoption through the courts, especially as his name was on the birth certificate, falsely or otherwise, and he’d taken care of Timothy.
Tonight, he’d be taking him home with him after going to dinner with Temperance.
“I missed you, Tempe,” Timothy said.
“Oh, honey, I missed you, too.”
“Why don’t you go and grab your stuff? We’re leaving, Timothy.”
“I get to come and live with you again?” Timothy asked.
“Just like we discussed.” He felt Temperance’s gaze on him, the shock clear to see when he turned toward her. “I made a mistake. Timothy is my son now. He will be my son, and I hope, one day, you’ll agree to be my wife.” Her mouth was slightly open, and he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. “I love you, Tempe.” He pulled away to find Timothy waiting. Taking his bag, he picked him up. “Ladies first.”
He waited for Temperance to take the lead. Tilly helped her down the slope, and he went to the car, putting Timothy on the curb.
“You don’t have a car seat.”
Tilly chuckled. “Have a wonderful night.”
He nodded at the other woman and went to the trunk, pulling out a car seat that he and Timothy had purchased together.
“You’re full of surprises.”
He strapped Timothy into the car seat and stroked his head.
Standing up, he looked at Temperance. “I can see that you’re unsure about everything.”
“This is moving really fast.”
“I made a mistake. Everything else I’d do, I’d change to make it right.” He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “I hope you can see what a mistake I made, and that I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that I’m sorry. I took Timothy away, and I miss him. I know you do as well. You’ve not found that family you’re looking for because I’m right here. I’m your family, and Timothy. We can have everything we ever wanted.”
“Until you get bored?”
“Never. I’d never get bored of you. I never have, and I never will.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’ll see. I know I have a lot of flaws and fears. I didn’t think I was capable of loving anyone, but these past few weeks, they’ve been the worst times of my life. I don’t want to live without you, ever.”
He helped her into the car before he drove them to a family restaurant. Timothy screamed as he ran into the play pit. He and Temperance took a seat at the booth. They were sitting in a way that allowed them to watch their boy.
“I didn’t know what to expect from this date,” she said. “When you gave him up and seemed to go back to your old life, I really didn’t think the best of you, and it hurt. I know you could be such a good father, a good person deep down, and that you were fighting it for some reason.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know what to say. You’re adopting him, and you’re telling me you love me. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared a little. I love you, and I know you’ve been afraid about being able to love, but I know you can love, more than anything.”
He reached into his jeans pocket. “I’m an asshole of mega proportions. I screw everything up, but I also learn from my mistakes. I want you, Tempe. I want you for the rest of my life as my wife, and one day, I hope as the mother of my child.” He opened up the box, displaying the simple diamond ring. “I’ve never been good with speeches. I’ve not had any practice with proposals, and I know I’m screwing this one up. I was hoping you’d give me a chance and marry me.”
Her mouth was open, and she glanced around the restaurant. No one paid them any attention, and he saw the tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t want to make you cry.”
“How can you make me hate you and love you at the same time?”
This time he felt tears spring to his eyes. “I’ve been told there a fine line between love and hate. I’m hoping that it’s a pretty big line.”
She nodded her head. “I never stopped loving you. I tried to stop, and I wanted to hate you, but I can’t do that. You have no idea just how much you’re capable of love, Wayne.”
“Is that a maybe?” he asked, smiling.
Temperance chuckled. “You know my mom said that you’ll know the right guy because he’ll drive you completely crazy. One moment you’ll want to make love and dance the night away. Other times you’ll want to beat him over the head with a skillet.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to marry you,” she said. “I want to marry you, and to show you that you’re a man who can love, and who doesn’t have to be afraid of screwing it up. You won’t. You can put your trust in other people, and above all, that you can love someone without expecting anything in return.”
“I know I love you, and I know I love Timothy. Without you two, I’ve been so lost. There’s no way I could live without you two, and I don’t want to.”
He leaned over the table and pressed a kiss to her lips. Plunging his tongue inside her mouth, he kissed her hard and deep, and for so long that the waiter had to clear his throat for him to pull away.
Sliding the ring on her finger, Wayne knew that he’d never give her a reason to doubt him again.
He’d learned his lesson, and there was no way he’d risk the love of his life again.