I chuckled. “So does Daddy.”
He lifted one eyebrow in amusement and kissed me fast. “Yes, he does. I want to spend the weekend with my girls. I’ve missed you all too much.”
I cupped his cheek. “A family weekend sounds perfect.”
“Great. I looked at my calendar and next week is going to be crazy. Graham has me booked solid. You have a sitter for Thursday, right?”
“Yes. The dinner?”
He nodded, a grimace crossing his face. “Graham is certain we’re going to grab a few awards for the campaign for BAM. Otherwise, I’d skip it.”
I studied him for a minute. “Why?” He usually enjoyed the dinners and spending the evening talking with his peers about marketing and strategies.
“David will be there. From the rumors I’ve heard, things aren’t going well with his company. That will make him especially nasty. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”
I stroked along his jawline, feeling the tension simply talking about David caused him. “He’s in the past, Richard. He can’t hurt us now.”
He huffed out a long breath, not meeting my eyes.
“Hey.”
He looked up, wary.
“What is it, darling? Tell me,” I insisted.
He slid his arm around my waist, pulling me close. His breath tickled the hairs on my forehead. “Seeing him, being in the same room as he is, reminds me of the man I was before. The bastard I was to you—to everyone. It reminds me how close I came to becoming like him. I hate even hearing his name, never mind being around him.”
I hugged him close. It was rare, even now, that Richard showed his vulnerable side.
“I know he’s going to bait me. Make his snide remarks—remind me of my past.”
I held him tighter. “Nothing he says will make any difference.”
He laid his cheek on my head. “I worry I’ll slip back into that behavior someday,” he confessed in a low voice. “That I will lose everything I hold so dear to my heart.”
I tilted up my head, meeting his worried gaze. “No, you will not. You will never be like him, Richard. You’ve totally changed. You were lost and alone before. You have me now. The girls. The Gavin family. We would never allow that to happen. You would never allow that to happen.” I studied him, worried. “Maybe you should tell Graham you don’t want to attend. He would understand.”
Our eyes locked. Anxiety was evident in his stance. “Katy…”
“I love you,” I insisted. “I love you with everything I have. I love the man you are.”
“I know.” He stroked my cheek with his finger, but he still looked worried.
“David baits you because you have something he will never have, Richard. Happiness. You’re fulfilled and complete. At the end of the day, you have a home and a family that loves you. He’s alone and miserable.”
His tension drained away. He stood straighter, and the frown lines eased from his face.
“You’re right. I have everything he wants and will never have. He can’t affect me because I won’t let him. I have too much good in my life.”
“Yes, you do.”
He lowered his face and kissed me, his mouth moving with mine gently. “Thank you, sweetheart. I don’t know what came over me, but thank you for listening and being there for me.”
“I’ll always be here.”
He kissed me again. “Then I have everything I need.”
RICHARD
“I
s that everything, Mr. VanRyan?” Sheila, the woman who owned my favorite flower shop, inquired.
“Yes. Those will be delivered this morning?”
“Absolutely.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Satisfied, I ended the call, the music returning to the speakers in my car. Katy would have flowers arriving by lunchtime.
I had no idea what had come over me this morning. I’d dealt with David on several occasions since leaving his firm. We attended many of the same functions, and we often competed for the same business. I ran into him on occasion in the same restaurants. Victoria wasn’t a huge city, and the marketing world was small, so it was inevitable. I would acknowledge him at the dinner and move on. Why knowing I would be seeing him next week suddenly bothered me, I couldn’t comprehend. However, as usual, my Katy had been there and offered me precisely what I needed to sort it out in my head and be able to move forward.
She was correct. The man I had been was gone. The person I was back then when I worked for David and lived his cutthroat ways no longer existed. I had a real life now and the one thing David would never possess, because he was simply incapable.
Love.
It made me richer and stronger than he could ever be.
Sometimes, I simply needed reminding.
K
aty descended the steps, her deep-red dress swirling around her knees. The off-the-shoulder look was sexy, and the cut of the dress hugged her curves. She was perfect.
Gracie clapped her hands in delight. “Mommy, you look tho pwetty! Doesn’t she look pwetty, Daddy?”
“Yes, she does. Beautiful, in fact.”
Katy lifted Gracie from my arms. “Thank you. Are you going to be a good girl for Mrs. Thomas?”
Gracie bobbed her head eagerly. Mrs. Thomas had been a staple in our home since Gracie was born. A grandmotherly sort, she doted on both our girls, and us as well. She lived a few houses over—her husband was retired and enjoyed golf. She preferred to stay busy and had a small group of parents in the neighborhood she babysat for. I made sure to pay her enough and treat her very well, so she was always available for us. It was easy since she reminded me a little of Penny and I liked how she cared for my girls.
All of them.
“We’re gonna do a puthzel.”
I grinned at the lingering lisp in Gracie’s voice. It was slowly disappearing, and I hated to see it go, although I knew it was part of her growing up.
I hated that part as well. It was happening too fast.
Katy rubbed her nose on Gracie’s affectionately. “I made a treat for you to share too.”
Gracie threw up her little arms. “Yay!”
“Give Mommy a kiss goodnight,” I instructed. “Then Daddy needs one, and we have to go.”
Kisses, snuggles, and more nose rubs later, we were headed to the dinner. Katy slipped her hand into mine.
“You’re wearing my favorite suit. You look very handsome.”
I squeezed her fingers. “Thought you’d like it.” I winked. “Hoping if I show you a good enough time, maybe I’d get lucky. My good looks should seal the deal.”
She chuckled low in her throat and turned to the window. “Such ego. Go fuck yourself, VanRyan.”
I laughed, feeling my tension ease as I steered the car toward the banquet hall. Katy always knew how to get me to smile.
“God, I love you, Katy VanRyan.”
She looked at me, her beautiful eyes bright in the dimness of the car. “I love you. And I’m right beside you. Okay?”
I lifted her hand to my mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Okay.”
The noise level was intense, the lights too bright, and the dinner, as usual, ho-hum. Looking at the two awards, however, sitting on the table and knowing it was my efforts that brought them to The Gavin Group was an incredible high. Graham had been lavish in his praise, accepting the awards and making sure the entire room knew who made them possible, even making me stand up and take a bow. Katy was so proud, she wept—silent drops of joy that told me how she was feeling. I kissed them away, then kissed her mouth.“Does this cinch the lucky part at the end?” I asked against the softness of her lips. I felt her wide smile.“Definitely.”“Win for me.”I waited in line at the bar, accepting congratulations. I ordered a round of drinks for the table and waited patiently for them to be ready, glad for a quiet moment to myself.“How does it feel?”I stiffened at the voice and turned my head slightly. David Anderson stood beside me. He looked older, the deep furrows on his forehead more pron
“Good for him.”There was a pause. Graham leaned back, now relaxed and confident. “We had a family meeting yesterday afternoon. We discussed Terence and the void that will be left with his departure. We’re going to change things up. Spread out his duties and make some adjustments. And we’re going to hire a new associate.”I was confused. Hiring a new associate wouldn’t really fill Terence’s spot. “Okay?”“We’d like it if you took him under your wing.”I was even more confused. “Sure, Graham, whatever you need.”“He’s a bit of a handful. Brad is Laura’s nephew—not long out of school. He interned with a place in Calgary but has decided to come back to BC. I know Laura and her sister have hoped he would end up here. Her sister lives an hour away, which means he’ll be close to her again. Frankly, I was never sure why he insisted on going elsewhere to work when he had the chance to be here, but he was always adamant on forging his own way.” He paused, rubbing his chin in amusement. “Lots o
Her eyes widened as she picked up the box and opened the lid. She lifted her gaze to mine then back to the box. “Richard…”She removed the diamond and sapphire bracelet from the box, the gems glinting in the light. “It’s lovely!”I reached across the table and fastened the clasp around her wrist.“The blue reminded me of your eyes, Katy. I love how they look at me—the way they see me.” I held her hand, staring at the glittering jewels. “I wanted to give you something to mark today.”She blinked at the tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you, my darling. I will treasure it always.”I leaned close and kissed the tender, thin skin of her wrist. “I’ll treasure you.”Her gaze was luminous as she regarded me. “Take me home, Richard. I need to be alone with you.”“I got a room here, and I told Mrs. Thomas we’d be really late. She said she’d sleep in the guestroom.” I winked. “I want you loud tonight.”“Take me upstairs.”I signaled for the check.We barely made it into the room. Katy was all
RichardThe next morning, I was still high from the evening with my wife. We had slept for a while, then I had made love to her again before we drove home in the early hours of the morning, dawn beginning to break as we arrived home. We snuck into the house like a couple of kids worried about being caught breaking curfew by their parents, and we tiptoed upstairs. Our girls were sleeping, safe and sound, and Mrs. Thomas snored away in the guest room, the monitor beside her blinking and ready to alert her should the girls need her.I tucked Katy into our bed and went for a run. As I pounded the pavement through our quiet neighborhood, I contemplated my life over the past few years. How it had changed. How I had changed. Contentment and happiness were two emotions I never expected to find in this life. Love was another one.Katy gave them all to me.Her gentleness, the sweetness that resided in her soul, had transformed the terse, emotionless man I had been into a person I barely recogn
He swallowed, suddenly still in the chair. “Of course. I apologize.”“Better,” I acknowledged. “Now, I have work to do. Go find Graham or Laura, and they’ll direct you to HR. Get your paperwork done, and come back and see me—knock this time before you come in. We’ll talk about my expectations.”With another hair flip, he headed for the door.“One last thing,” I called.He turned.“Get a damn haircut.”He left, pulling the door shut behind him. I sat down, staring at the closed door. I was somewhat amused, a little annoyed, and mostly confused.What the hell was Graham thinking?It wasn’t long before I had my answer. Graham appeared, pausing in my doorway, lifting his hand to knock.“May I come in?” he asked, his eyes dancing.I waved my hand. “Funny.”He sat across from me, still grinning. His wife, Laura, followed him in as he sat down.I stood and greeted her, accepting her kiss on my cheek and smiling at her. You had to smile at Laura—it was impossible not to do so. She projected
He shifted. “I’m not used to that.”“Neither was I when I got here. This place, the people, are different.” I studied him. “Graham told me he offered you a job right out of school, but you refused. May I ask why?”He was quiet. “I thought Uncle—I mean Graham—was boring. That his company was old-fashioned and dull, which is why I went to Calgary and got on with a different firm. I wanted to make a mark. My mark.”“Graham is anything except dull. This company is one of the most respected marketing firms in the country—the world, in fact. Dull isn’t a word associated with The Gavin Group.” I indicated the walls and the awards sitting on my shelves. “Their track record speaks for itself.”He stared, not saying anything.“Never confuse integrity and class with being dull, Brad. Be proud to be part of this team. Use it and learn. This place will make you better.” I closed the files on my desk. “This is an opportunity to grow.”He stood, contemplative and silent. He took the files I held out
I indicated the awards on my shelves. “A lot of people think so. Including Graham. Show some respect.”“You show me some.”I was on my feet, yelling again. “I will when you do something to deserve it!”“He was out of line telling me what to do.”I threw my hands in the air. “You were out of line!” I shouted. “This is his product—his baby—and you tell him we know it better? You’re a moron!”“Well, you’re an asshole!”My door opened, and Graham strode in, upset.“I can hear the two of you all the way to the elevator. What the hell is going on?”“Why don’t you tell him, Brad?” I sat down, done with him. “Explain this to Uncle Gray.”Brad lifted one shoulder in a dismissive gesture. “A client didn’t like what I had to say.”I couldn’t stop the growl. “Because you talked down to him. You belittled a client!”Brad opened his mouth to speak, but Graham raised his hand. “I already had a call from Marcus Whitby. A very unhappy one. He told me to straighten out my staff and to call him when it
RichardI ran a hand through my hair, tugging on the cowlick. I glanced at my phone, groaning when I saw the time. I was late again. I called Katy immediately, smiling at the sound of her gentle voice when she answered.“Hey, you.”“Hi,” I responded. “I’m late.”“No, you’re not. I didn’t expect you, so that means you’re still on time.”I sighed, leaning my head back on my chair. “I have no idea what I did to deserve you, Katy, but I am grateful for it every day.”“With Graham and Laura out of the office, it’s hardly a surprise you’re working all the time. Jenna dropped by earlier and said everyone is burning the candle at both ends with her parents gone,” she assured me.I hummed in reply. I always knew Graham had a lot on his plate running the company, but without him here, I had discovered exactly how hard he worked. No wonder he needed a vacation. We had divided up his duties, and I left the daily running of the company to Adam and Jenna, and I took care of his clients and oversee