Back to the Drawing Board (32 page)

I crossed the room so fast and jumped into his arms that he struggled to catch me. “Carter McIntyre, I love you. You just never cease to amaze me. Yes. Absolutely yes.”

“I didn’t know if you’d rather stay here, but my lease is new, and I can’t get out of it yet, so that’s why I suggested you move in with me.”

“My parents own this place,” I said. “So yes, I’d happily give it back to them.”

“Not tonight, though,” Carter said, nuzzling my neck. “Tonight we make good use of it and get some sleep. I have to go to the office tomorrow.”

Dread settled in my stomach. “Are you sure, Carter?”

He frowned. “What else do I have to say to convince you?”

“I just don’t want you to regret it,” I said. “I don’t ever want it to be a point of contention between us, that you gave it up for me.”

“After I saw what I saw, I’m not sure I’d want to stay there even if you were going back. I’ve had this company up on a pedestal in my mind for years. I can’t stand by and allow them to think the way they’ve treated both of their children is acceptable to me. Johnny is part of you; therefore he’s part of me now, too.”

I nodded, my throat too thick with tears to answer. What did I ever do to deserve this amazing man in my life? He lifted me up, making me squeal in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting that serious look off of your face and taking you into the shower, where I’ll make you think something different altogether.”

“Which is what?”

Carter unbuttoned my shirt, flinging it on the floor. He then made quick work of my jeans. “All you’ll be thinking is, oh my God what is he going to do now, and I love it, give me more.”

After that, there was no more thinking
or
talking.

I STEPPED OUT OF THE
elevator, straightening my tie. It was reminiscent of the same thing I’d done many months ago, the first time I came here hoping for the job of a lifetime. Boy, how just a few months could change everything. My outlook on this ‘amazing’ company and the people that led it had changed significantly, and Julia had become everything to me. That wasn’t to say I wasn’t worried about where I would go from here, but I had faith that it would all work out. With my parents’ and Julia’s backing, I had nowhere to go but up.

Julia and I had talked to my parents last night in between our other activities. She’d laughed and giggled with them, and I could tell immediately they were going to be close. When she’d handed me the phone and went to grab us each a beer, my mom’s voice had been thick with tears when she expressed her love for Julia already.

Julia had told me this morning before I left that she was going to get in contact with some connections she had across Denver about a new internship for me. I suggested maybe even Colorado Cares if they did such a thing. She’d smiled, and I knew she’d been thinking of my extreme jealousy over Colby. I was over that now. She was mine.

I was up for looking at other places for my internship and subsequent job, but I wanted to do whatever she felt comfortable with. She’d lived here her entire life, and if she wanted to stay, I was staying, too.

Brandi smiled at me as I walked past. I wondered how much any of them knew about Julia. My stomach rolled with nerves. Her parents had no idea that I was in love with her
or
that I was going to leave their company. I made it to my cubicle and looked around, seeing if I had anything there I wanted. I snagged a GSJ pen, just for a memento.

“Hey, Carter.” Ethan clapped me on the back. “How are you doing?”

“Hey, man,” I smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too. You guys get everything worked out?”

“Yes, thankfully. I’m about to meet with her parents, and I’m scared shitless.”

His eyes widened. “What are you about to do?”

“I love her.”

Ethan’s mouth dropped. “Really?”

I nodded. “Absolutely.”

“So, you’re going to do what? Quit?”

“I’m going to tell them how I feel about her, and then I’m going to quit.”

He whistled. “Shit, man. I don’t envy you at all. How’s she doing?”

“Now, she’s great. We’re going home to Florida for Christmas. I think it’ll be good for her to be out of here for a while. Plus, I’ll get to see her in a bikini. That’s a bonus itself.”

He laughed. “Man, I’m so happy for you. You’re a different guy than you were when I first met you. Good luck in there. I’ll miss you around here, that’s for sure.”

“Keep in touch, okay? I think we’re staying in the area, at least for now. We’re both going to look for other opportunities. I love it in Denver, and she grew up here, so it’s home for her. And now, for me.”

I shook his hand and took a deep breath. I headed for the closed office door, knowing that her parents were both waiting for me but that they had no idea what I was about to say.

When I knocked on the door, both of their voices echoed ‘come in.’ I knew the time was here. I was doing this, and I felt at peace about it. For the first time in my life, I was confident in what I was doing. This job might’ve made me an architect, but Julia had made me a man I could be proud of, one that had learned what was truly important in life.

“Welcome back, Carter,” Mr. Gibbons said, outstretching his hand. I took it, smiling over at Mrs. Gibbons. “How are your parents?”

“They were great. They enjoyed their time in Denver. Neither of them had ever been here. Thanks for giving me the time to spend with them.”

“You’ve been doing great work here, Carter,” Mrs. Gibbons said. “We’ve been noticing your dedication and drive, and we know we made the right decision in having you here.”

This was it. I needed to get to the point. “I appreciate your kind words. It was a dream come true to get this internship. Thank you for the chance to be here. I wanted to talk to you about a few things this morning.”

The smiles that were on both of their faces were about to disappear if I predicted correctly. “Go ahead, son.”

“First, the most important thing I need you to know is that I disagree with the way you handled things with your daughter. I know I’m no one here, but what I witnessed here that morning made me question your professionalism and lose a lot of respect for both of you. If that’s how you treat your family, it makes me seriously doubt your ability to respect your employees and customers. I know I’m young, but I’ve learned a lot about what’s important. A job is just a job. Family has to come first, because at the end of the day, that’s all we really need. It took me a long time to figure out where my priorities should be, but now I know. My parents taught me to be honest, hardworking, and to stand up for what’s right, so that’s why I’m here this morning.”

Their faces contorted with shock as they registered my words. I held up my hand to stop them from responding, and they both closed their open mouths.

“You should know something. I’m in love with your daughter. When I walked out of here that day and didn’t help her, I made the wrong choice. I loved her then, and I’ve probably loved her since the first time I met her. We’ve been seeing each other for months. That day you broke your child, the only one you have left.

“For the record, I also disagree with you cutting off your first born, but that’s not what this is about. Julia disappeared for
days
. I couldn’t find her. I even went as far as to report her missing. I was sick with worry, but neither of you knew because you
fired
her, and for what? For loving her brother, her own family?
Your son
. You don’t even know the whole story there, but that’s not for me to tell you. By the way, I found her, but I’d never seen someone so broken before. That’s on the both of you.”

“Carter . . .” Mrs. Gibbons had the decency to have tears running down her face, but it wasn’t enough. It was too little, too late for me. I was my father’s son, and I believed in respecting and loving your family, no matter what. “You’re in love with her?”

I nodded. “When I came here, all I wanted was this internship. Without getting into my past, I was closed off against everything involving relationships. Julia showed me what I was missing; what I could have. She’s an amazing woman, and she has her own hopes and dreams that neither of you have cared about knowing. As long as she was doing what you wanted, she was your prized possession. Now all she is to you is discarded trash, a casualty of your selfish lifestyle. So, respectfully, I quit. Thank you for the time I got to work under the both of you. Julia and Ethan were great mentors. They’re both brilliant at what they do, and I’ll leave here ready to go to another company and continue my growth to be ready to take on a career.”

When I stopped talking, the door opened and in walked Julia, looking every bit the calm, cool, and collected professional. She was wearing the same outfit she’d been wearing the day I met her, and for a moment I got lost in my daydream about that day. But it was the determined look on her face that I noticed this time. It wasn’t until she reached out her hand for mine that I noticed she was shaking.

I took it quickly, squeezing it gently so she could feel my strength. I didn’t know what she was doing here or why, but I wasn’t leaving this room without her.

“I’ve been listening to everything, outside the door,” she said, her voice wavering. “Thank you, Carter. No one has ever stood up for me like that before, well, not since Johnny. I just fell in love with you even more, right here and now.”

Mr. Gibbons stood up. “You’re
quitting
? Really?”

I nodded. “Yes. I was taught to stand up for what I believe in, sir. Right now, I believe in Julia and our love and I don’t believe that working for this company is the right choice. There was a time when I would’ve thought the only thing I needed was to be successful, but that’s no longer the case. Frankly, both of you need a reality check.”

Julia squeezed my hand, tears shimmering in her eyes. “No crying,” I whispered against her ear. “They aren’t worth it.”

“I’m not crying for them,” she whispered back. “I love you so much right now.”

“Ditto.”

I straightened, looking back at the people that produced the love of my life but also hurt her. “Thank you both. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never met her. Let’s go, Julia.”

She smiled, making her dimple pop as I led us to the doorway.

“Stop.” Her mom called out to us. I could hear her moving towards us. “John, did you hear him? Julia, Carter. I’m sorry. For everything.” I turned back to face her, but Julia stepped partially behind me, shielding her face from them. To me, that was horribly sad and telling.

John stood, his arms crossed. “I heard every word, Aileen.”

Julia came out from behind me, straightening her shoulders and looking her mom in the face. “Did you know that my brother is in prison for
me?
”

That got both of their attention. “What are you talking about, Julia?”

“He’s there because the people he was involved with have threatened to hurt
me
if he tells what he knows. The whole thing is a lie. Johnny was forced to be with those people. He tried to leave. He came back to Colorado years ago when I was in college and lived with me once he realized what they were doing. They sent him pictures of me. They were following me everywhere. So he went back. To
keep me safe
. Once he was arrested, someone came to visit him in prison and had my house key.
He didn’t do this
, but he refuses to give the information that will free him
because of me
. So I hope you can sleep at night, knowing you’ve lost both of your children.”

I willed one of them, either of them, to say something. When several seconds went by and they both still looked at her like she’d grown another head, I knew it was time to go.

“Let’s go,” Julia whispered. “Please.” I nodded, turning back and opening the door. She let go of my hand and put her arm around my waist. We walked all the way to the elevators, the entire office watching as we walked out. John and Aileen didn’t come after us.

When the doors shut, Julia crumpled against me. “What were you doing there, baby? I had it handled. You shouldn’t have come.”

“You told me love stands up. That was me, standing up with you and showing
my
support for what you were doing. For me. For us. And for Johnny. It was about time they knew the truth.”