Cover to Covers (35 page)

“It’s not a tiff,” he
coolly insisted.

“No, it’s more than that. You’re in love with th
is woman, and I would hazard a guess to say she is in love with you, but something is holding you both back.”

He patted his jacket pocket for his car keys. “It’s over. She has made
that very clear.”

“
Mr. Moore, you may be a whiz at business, but you are an idiot when it comes to women. If you want her, you have to prove it to her.”

“What are you going on about?”

“Women need the big gesture to forgive a man. I’m not talking about jewelry or gifts. It has to be something special.” She folded her arms over her chest. “My Ed dumped me once and then wanted me back, but I refused to talk to him. He sent a mariachi band to my house and they played outside of my front door for six hours before I finally called him and begged him to stop. Four months later, we were married.”

“I don’t think a mariachi band will work in this situation
, Lynn.”

“The big gesture isn’t about mariachi bands and roses, Mr. Moore.
It’s about showing her what she means to you.”

Tyler walked across
his expensive beige European rug to her side. “All right. Then how do I show her that?”

Lynn’s green eyes twinkled. “Be there for her, whether she wants you or not. That’s how a man proves he is in
it for the long haul. He puts her first.”  

“She has already found someone else to do that for her. She does not need me anymore.”

“I’m not talking about need, Mr. Moore. I’m talking about want. Do you still want her?”

Tyler sighed but said nothing.

“Is she as stubborn as you?”

He
ran his hand over his chin. “Yes.”

She took a step back outside the office doors. “
Then you have a problem.”

“How do you propose I deal with it?”

Lynn went to her desk. Opening a drawer, she withdrew something from it and then walked over to Tyler. Holding out a paperback book to him, her face lit up with a knowing smile.

“Did you know that Monique Delome is having a book signing today at the Barnes and Nobles Book Store at SMU for her new book?”

Tyler took the book from her and when he saw the title,
A Chance with You
, printed in bold red letters across the top, he grinned.

“You can get that signed for me while you’re there,” Lynn added with a wink.

He held up the book to his secretary. “You read this stuff?”

“I’m a fan.
Besides, there is nothing better for keeping a relationship going than reenacting the steamy scenes from a romance novel. Why do you think I’ve been married for twenty years?” She pointed to the book. “You should take a look at it; might give you a few pointers.”

Tyler laughed out loud
when he called to mind where Monique had gotten the ideas for her newest novel.

“Don’t
laugh, Mr. Moore. It’s actually a very revealing story about a man and woman who rediscover love after many years apart.”

H
e recollected that day in the French Quarter when he had grilled Monique about the book, hoping for a glimpse into their future. “Tell me, Lynn, how does it end?” he softly pleaded.

“
The hero has to put aside his pride in order to show the woman he loves how he feels. How he really feels,” Lynn declared.

“
He puts aside his pride?” Tyler reflected on her words and then shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“It
was the only thing standing in their way. Pride can do that. It can be your biggest asset, and sometimes your greatest enemy.” Lynn nodded to the hallway that led to the reception area. “You’d better get going. She’ll only be there for another hour.”

Tyler weighed the
paperback in his hand, as if contemplating the necessity of what he was about to do.

“Go,” Lynn insisted. “You need this, Tyler. You need her.”

He gazed into his secretary’s green eyes, somewhat amazed that she had finally called him by his first name, then Tyler turned down the hall. He moved slowly at first, but as he considered his final destination and the woman who would be there, his pace quickened. Apprehensive and elated at the same time, he gripped the book in his hand and rushed across the reception area of the Propel offices to the silver elevator doors. Suddenly, it all made sense, and he realized Lynn was right. He did need Monique, more than he had ever needed anyone.

***

While his black Mercedes sped through the rainy, cold streets of Highland Park toward the campus of Southern Methodist University, Tyler occasionally peered out the driver’s side window. Everywhere people were running to and fro, hoping to avoid the wet, wintry weather, but he never noticed the dreary conditions. His mind was elsewhere. When he finally parked outside the bookstore, he sat for a few minutes with the engine running, struggling to find the courage to get out of the car.

After
picking up the book from the front seat, he ventured into the rain. Pulling the blue suit jacket closer around his body, he jogged toward the gleaming glass storefront. The fluorescent lights in the store cast an odd light on the gloomy sidewalk. Standing beneath a dark green canopy, Tyler peeked in the wide picture windows, searching for Monique.

She was seated at a table close to the
front windows with a line of fans snaking deep into the belly of the store. Beside her sat an unfamiliar woman with flaming red hair and a pink pantsuit adorned with white flowers. Monique’s protruding belly was discreetly hidden behind a demure gray dress as she greeted and talked with her fans. Her features were glowing while her gray eyes appeared sharp and playful. Her alluring pink lips made Tyler’s heart skip a beat.

“Christ, what am I doing here?” he whispered, the uncertainty shaking his voice.

As she interacted with her readers, the confidence he had felt back at his office quickly fizzled. He glimpsed the book in his hand and realized that this had been a mistake. Monique was in his city, and never once had she contacted him. That was probably the way she wanted it. Lynn had been wrong; what he needed was to let her go.

Tyler turned away from the window and the dark skies above reflected his mood. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he
ducked from beneath the green canopy, heading back to his car.

“Ty?”

He stopped when the airy voice registered with him. Tyler knew that voice, too well. He had dreamed of it for so many nights that he had memorized its every intonation.

When he turned around, Monique was standing
at the entrance to the bookstore with her belly poking out beneath her loose-fitting, A-line dress. He wanted to rush to her side and throw his arms about her, but instead he waited in the light drizzle of rain for her to make the first move.  

She stepped from beneath the canopy.
“What are you doing here?”

He held up the book in his hand. “My secretary is a fan.” He motioned to her. “How are you doing? I mean, is everything all right?”

She patted her round abdomen. “Everything is fine.”

The light rain
was beginning to leave dark spots on her gray dress, worrying Tyler. “You need to get out of this cold rain.” He took her elbow and escorted her back beneath the dark green canopy.

Safely out of the rain, she
looked down at the sidewalk and curled a lock of hair behind her ear. “You didn’t come here for me to sign your book, did you?”

He searched the parking lot next to them, hunting for the right words. “
In all those letters and e-mails I sent you I was trying to tell you…I know things haven’t been good between us, but with the baby coming…I want to figure out a way to keep in touch…not keep in touch. To share….” Tyler ran his hand through his hair, feeling completely confounded.

“Are you saying you want to be a part of her life?”

Tyler’s dark eyes swerved to Monique. “Her life?”

She nodded her head. “It’s a girl.”

The grade “A” bastard he had struggled to be over the past few weeks suddenly ceased to exist. As he stood there, imagining a home with Monique and his daughter, a lifetime of anger, hurt, and guilt drained from his soul. 

“Moe, I can’t stand by on the sidelines and watch you go through this without me. I
have to be a part of our daughter’s life.”

Monique’s stoic features remained unchanged. “Maybe we could work out some kind of arrangement for visitation. See how that goes, but I don’t want to get any lawyers involved and go to court fighting over when and where. Just you and me, we will settle it between us. Okay?”

Tyler’s body throbbed with disappointment. It was not enough. “You did not hear what I said. I want to be there for you and our baby. I’m not talking about visitation. I want the two of you to come and live with me.”

Monique took a step back. “I can’t do that, Ty.”

“Why? Because of Chris?”

“No, that’s over. I called off the engagement after the party.”

“Over?” A glimmer of hope streaked across his heart. “But why did you agree to the engagement in the first place?”

“When I found out I was pregnant, I panicked,” Monique began. “After I told
Chris about the baby, he seemed so happy that I thought maybe something was wrong with me for being…upset about the situation. He helped me to see the joy in things. Eventually, he worked his way into my life. When he asked me to marry him, I figured why not?” She paused and uttered a long sigh. “But the whole time I could not stop thinking about you. When I saw you at the party, and could no longer keep the truth from you…I knew I had to stop pretending. I had just settled with Chris for the sake of my baby, but in the long run no one was going to be happy with that decision.”

He snuck closer to her.
“What about your career? Chris will still be involved.”

“
I found another company to publish
A Chance with You
. They have rushed the publishing process along so I could do a book tour before the baby comes. Chris wasn’t happy about any of it, but I guess he figured once we were married he could fix everything. Or at least that is what he finally admitted to me after I fired him.” She waved to the redheaded woman at the table just beyond the windows. “My new publisher got me a new manager.”  

“A woman manager?” Tyler grinned. “I like the sound of that.”

She took in the contours of his face. “Thank you for coming to see me. I’m glad we can still be friends.” She swerved away from him.

“Where are you going?”

Monique gestured to the front door of the bookstore. “To my signing; I have fans waiting.”

“But we need to talk. Make plans. You live in New Orleans, I live in Dallas.”

“We’ll figure it out.” She gave him one last fleeting glance and then turned back to the store entrance.

As
Monique walked away, the hope that she had encouraged quickly dissolved. She wanted him, but only as a father, a helper, and a friend. Their brief interaction had left Tyler more desperate for her than ever. Unlike his former affinity for alcohol, he knew that his desire for Monique was something he would never be able to overcome.

She paused at the wide wood and glass door to the bookstore. “Do you want to have some coffee and talk when I’m finished with my signing?”
Then, she held up her hand, appearing as if she regretted asking the question. “Never mind. You probably have to get back to your office. Perhaps we could get together another time?”

“No
.” He quickly walked toward her. “I’m in no rush to get back. The business can wait.”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.” Tyler opened the heavy glass door and held it for her. “Shall we?”

“Thank you, Ty.”

Tyler became lost in her magnificent gray eyes. “I should be the one thanking you, Moe.”

“Me? What did I do?”

He spied the line of anxiously waiting fans. “I’ll tell you later.”

“And what if you leave before you tell me?”

His eyes returned to her. “I’m not going anywhere, Moe. I am never going to leave you again. I promise. I’m going to stick by you for as long as you’ll have me.”

“
But how can I be sure it will be different this time? When things get serious, Ty, you run.”

He
reluctantly nodded his head. “I know, but I’m not afraid anymore, Moe. I ran away from us in the past because I was terrified of how much I needed you…of how much I love you. I will do whatever it takes to hold on to you. Like I told you before, I would rather fail a thousand times with you than never take the chance.”

A gentle
smile crossed her lips. “Yeah, I remember. It was a hell of a line.”

“It
’s no line, Moe. It’s how I feel. I will never give up on us.”

She
touched the hint of gray hair along his left temple. “I know. I guess I’ve always known that. ”