Gone Too Far (26 page)

“This is now officially our house,” she'd said.

Carter had to admit the painting was beautiful, and he liked seeing it when he passed it every day. It was his reminder that he was no longer a “me” he was a “we,” and that was how it would be from now on.

Carter took his hands off the painting and turned to leave, but he couldn't move. He turned back and cursed out loud as he reached for the painting again. He couldn't escape the feelings that it brought back. He had been so happy, and even though he knew that he was keeping a very big secret from Avery about how he'd stolen her away from her then-fiancé Alex, he was full of hope. He had retired his black book several years before he had planned to, because he had met this amazing woman who drove him insane every time he got his hands on her. She was beautiful, determined, stubborn, smart, and had a heart as big as the sun.

“Who would have thought the sun wasn't big enough?” he asked himself.

He leaned in and picked up the painting. It was heavier than he remembered, but he lifted it out from the bunch with ease. He held it close as he squinted his eyes, but he couldn't see the flints of gold he remembered. Avery told him he was imagining things, but he swore that if he looked at the painting out of the side of his eye or with just a quick, stolen glance, he could see gold.

His mind was yelling at him now to put it back. Then he tried to reason with himself and say he was taking the painting to give to Avery, yet another gesture of goodwill. But he knew what his heart wanted, and he wanted to put it on the wall in his hallway. He thought, possibly, when he came and went from his apartment, maybe for a second he could pretend he was still there. There in that time when he had been happy and no matter what happened at work or with his crazy family, he had peace and love waiting for him when he got home.

“This is crazy,” Carter said as he placed the painting back on the floor. He leaned it against a wooden chair and headed out. He could buy a new painting for his hallway. That was the right thing to do, to start over.

As he stepped outside the unit, Carter shut the door behind him and closed the lock. He took one step before glancing back at the painting one last time and froze.

He saw it! He saw the gold!

Turning to the gate, he reached in and tried to pull the lock open but realized he couldn't. He continued to pull at it and felt himself begin to panic because he couldn't open it.

“Damn you, Avery!” Carter yelled as he kicked the gate.

 

The first thing Leigh said when she burst into Max's D.C. office was, “Shut up.”

Sitting at his desk with his cell in one hand and a thick document in the other, Max only got his mouth open before she started in.

“You wanted to know if I loved you?” she asked. “Well—”

“I already know,” Max answered. “You do.”

Leigh stood at the edge of his desk and placed her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?”

“You do love me.” Max leaned back, resting the back of his head on his hands. “Did you fly all the way back to D.C. to see me?”

“You think because I flew here, I love you?” Leigh huffed. “How can you even fit your ego in this office?”

“I didn't say that you love me because you flew over here,” Max said. “I know you love me because you said you did.”

“When?”

Max pushed away from his desk, his chair sliding back. “When you threw your little tantrum at my parents' house.”

“Tantrum?” Leigh asked angrily. “You thought that was a tantrum? That is nothing compared to what you're going to see if you stand here and tell me you agree with your parents.”

“I told you in the car that I didn't,” Max said. “You responded by demanding I take you to a hotel.”

Leigh slammed her purse on his desk. “You didn't put up a protest.”

“I don't cater to spoiled brats,” he said. “Even if I love them.”

“Well, I…” Leigh was both angry and confused. “I am not a brat, but I will not have my life dictated to me by your parents or mine.”

“I never said you should,” Max answered nonchalantly.

“Or you,” Leigh added.

“Now, wait a second.” Max stood up and walked around his desk to face her. “If I'm going to be your husband, I think I should have some say.”

“You think this is all a joke, don't you?”

“On the contrary,” Max said. “I take this very seriously, and if you do, too, you can't have a fit every time someone pokes their nose into our lives.”

“For your information,” Leigh said, “that is exactly what I came here to tell you.”

“No kiss first?” Max leaned in.

Leigh pushed him away. “No. You have to know that I don't give a damn what your parents want me to be. I won't live my life according to any preset plan.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Aside from your parents or mine, you need to know what you're dealing with. I'm not the mild-mannered, well-behaved woman you think I am.”

“When did I think that?”

“Stop it.” Leigh smacked him on the shoulder. “I'm being serious. I have passion for causes that are not so pretty and neat. They don't fit well within a political campaign. As a matter of fact, they are quite risky for anyone running for office. They're real and they are volatile. I'm going to spend my life speaking out for them, especially for those that involve women and children. I'm not going to temper them no matter who I'm with. I do love you, but I believe this is my calling, and I won't sacrifice it to be…appropriate.”

Leigh waited a few seconds for a response, but Max only looked at her with a mildly amused look on his face.

“Well?” she asked.

“What could be more appropriate than a life of purpose?” he asked.

Leigh was confused. “How can I tell if you're being serious?”

Max's faint smile disappeared as a very serious expression took hold of his face. “You've eloquently told me what your passion is, and I respect that. But your passion isn't the only one that matters if this is going to work. Are you ready to hear about my passion?”

Leigh felt herself relax. “Yes.”

Max leaned back and reached across the desk. He grabbed a copy of the
Washington Post
and held up the front page to her. The statement was clear. A very large picture of the White House was placed above the fold.

“Are you sure that it is what you really want and not what everyone wants for you?”

Max nodded. “I'm just like you, Leigh. We may not have the same specifics, but I have passion and I want to change the world just like you. The White House isn't the only way to do it, but it's the way I want to do it. You need to know that.”

“But what if being with me hurts your chances?” Leigh asked. “Even if you end up with someone else, having been with me and tied to my family could hurt you.”

“It could hurt me or help me.” Max tossed the paper back on his desk and faced Leigh again. “But one thing is certain. I won't be there with anyone else. Leigh, I love you in a way that I never thought I could again. If I get into the White House, it will be because of the man you will make me by being with you, not because of your name.”

“I can't imagine you'd be too much of a hindrance in my goals,” Leigh said happily. “Not that I would be using you or anything.”

“Now I'm disappointed.” Max stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Ever since you walked into my office, I've been hoping you could use me a little. Right on this desk if you have the time.”

Leigh resisted the urge that the heat from his body caused. “This is going too well.”

“What do you mean?”

“We're agreeing on everything.” She held her hand against his chest to keep him from leaning in for a kiss.

“Dr. Chase,” he said. “You have got to stop expecting everything to be so hard. Do you love me?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. She certainly did.

“And I love you,” he said. “Trust me, considering who we are, there will be plenty of time for the hard stuff. Let's enjoy the easy while we have it.”

Leigh reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him to her. She leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips, savoring every bit of it.

“Lock the door,” she said. “We don't want any pictures in the paper tomorrow.”

J
anet Chase couldn't imagine being happier, and as she sat in the front pew of a church that she had never been to before, she had to reflect on how lucky she was for this day to come.

Once Leigh told her that Max had proposed and that she had said yes, Janet was euphoric. Not because of what it could mean for the family, but because of the look on her daughter's face when she told her. Leigh was happier than Janet had seen her in years, and even though the media had gone full-court press once the engagement became public, Leigh and Max's relationship only got stronger. Their refusal to play it out for the press had in no way hurt his campaign. He was ahead by more than twenty points in an election only five months away.

Janet and Steven had done their part to make this as easy on Leigh as possible. They had a family “come to Jesus” meeting in which they asked all of their children to do the same thing they themselves promised to do: end the drama. At least in public. They knew that ending it altogether would be too difficult a task. Because of Leigh's decision to be with Max, the public eye would be unforgiving, and everything they did would reflect on the woman who had quickly become the most famous Chase.

To Janet's delight, the meeting had been somewhat unnecessary. Her children were already figuring out how to make sense of their lives and limit the foolishness to a minimum, which for them, was still more than most people. What mattered was that there was a different aura and sense when it came to her family. No, the dysfunction that took a lifetime to build wouldn't disappear in six months, but things had definitely turned the corner for the Chase clan.

Well, at least for most of them.

Janet's gaze went to Haley, sitting to her left. Looking at her, it struck Janet how beautiful and peaceful her baby looked. Of course, $30 million richer, who wouldn't be happy? What was unexplainable was that she had not yet divorced Peter and was not dating anyone as far as Janet could tell. Janet refused to intrude as to why. She had made a promise to Steven to let their children live their lives. Although she wanted to believe that Haley had calmed down and was considering what it might mean to be married and be an adult, she knew her daughter, and she assumed Haley, being Haley, remained Mrs. Peter Hargrove because she had her eyes on more than $30 million. One had to take their blessings where they could with her youngest child, and while Haley had moved out and gotten a place of her own, knowing Haley was in L.A. to stay was good enough for Janet.

Sitting next to Haley, Daniel Chase looked incredibly handsome in his tiny suit and had done a perfect job as the co–ring bearer with his brother. No playing around, they had walked briskly and carefully as instructed, delivered the ring, and took their seats in the pew. Evan, sitting next to Daniel, seemed much more interested in turning his cummerbund in circles than the wedding ceremony. He was healthy and happy and showed no residual signs of his illness from the previous year.

This was the blessing that allowed Janet to reach within herself and accept what had come next. Michael and Kimberly's second wedding was something that Janet made peace with before they had even announced it to the family. She had to in order to prepare herself for the inevitable. Janet would never pretend it was easy, but seeing Kimberly's pregnant belly softened the blow considerably. Another Chase was on the way, and Kimberly would be the one to give this gift to the family again. For that, Janet would promise to try, and so far she had. As she looked at Kimberly sitting beautifully next to Evan, her hands on her belly, Janet could no longer convince herself that her hold on Michael was because of her exceptional beauty. As Michael had told her after announcing their decision to remarry, Kimberly was the love of his life, and there was nothing or no one who could ever change that. Janet intended to never try again.

Besides, their wedding, which took place three months ago, had only been the icing on the cake. After returning from the honeymoon, Michael had gone back to Chase Beauty and Steven appointed him as chief operating officer, one step closer to the crown and carrying on the legacy.

Then there was Leigh, and as Janet turned to look at her oldest daughter, looking as angelic as ever, she saw a different woman than before. She had always been the jewel of the family, the only really sane one among them. Janet had placed so much pressure on her to be the face of the Chase brand, because she was so beyond reproach. That pressure had led to good things and bad, and Janet blamed herself for Leigh's reluctance to accept who she was and how her last name meant more to the world than she might have wanted it to.

But now she saw a woman who knew who she was and who embraced herself completely. Only this time, it was on her own terms. She wasn't trying to be the good girl or please Mommy. She was pleasing Leigh and had taken complete control of her own destiny—which was to make history. Janet didn't doubt she would get into the White House, either as the First Lady or as the president. Either way, she was getting the happiness that she deserved, and to Janet's delight, she was putting up little resistance to her plans for the wedding of the year. They decided to wait until after the election, which gave Janet all the time she needed to make it perfect.

But for now she would enjoy today's wedding, and as she looked at Carter and Avery standing together exchanging vows, a sense of completeness came over Janet. It had seemed like a decade to reach this point, but they were here, and Janet couldn't help but believe that the union of these two was somehow a sign that the family was back in order.

Janet was amused at Carter's attempt to maintain his manhood regarding their reunion. He had told the family that they simply wanted to give it another try and warned them not to get too excited. On the other hand, Avery had told the truth. She told them all how she poured her heart out to Carter but expected him to reject her as he had been. But when he showed up at her doorstep telling some silly story about being locked out of a storage unit, unable to get a painting and suddenly realizing how much he still loved her and wanted to try again, excitement was an understatement.

From Carter, Janet had gotten the impression that they would take it slow, but everyone knew better. Seeing them together again was just too perfect and too right. Carter was happier than he had been…well, since he was engaged to Avery the last time. He continued to tell Avery he intended to be cautious and take it slow, but within weeks they were living together and within a month they decided to get married.

When Janet had asked Carter why the rush, he had simply told her it was out of his hands. Avery had owned his heart from the beginning and never gave it back. This had to be true, because Avery had accomplished what everyone believed was impossible. Carter had agreed to get married in a church. That was a miracle.

“This commitment symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives and still enhances the individuality of each of you.” The young preacher paused to clear his throat. “Carter, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

Carter looked into Avery's eyes, which were welling up with tears. She had never looked this beautiful to him, and he had never been this happy. He had run right from that storage unit to the Jackson home and bared his soul to her. He tried to hold on to his pride by making some demands, but Avery wasn't listening. She jumped into his arms and kissed him all over his face. After a while, he gave up and just kissed her back. They made love after that without any secrets or lies, without any husbands or girlfriends in the back of their minds. It was just each other. This, Carter told her afterward, was worth it. It was worth everything.

“I do.”

Avery felt the tension building up inside of her. With every second that passed, she was closer to her heart's desire. She was really marrying Carter, and they would be a family. Six months ago, when he'd shown up at her house, he was both cursing her and professing his love for her. It was somewhat confusing, but she got the gist of it. He loved her and wanted her back, and that was all Avery needed to hear. One second she had thought she would be alone forever, because no man could ever compare to Carter. The next second, she knew she would spend forever with the man of her dreams.

She knew she should have been scared and had doubts that she could actually get back what she had. With the history between them, she should have waited for something to mess it up, but she didn't. Each day, they connected more and the pain of the past washed away. They made new memories to replace the ones that hurt. They were once again parents, lovers, and friends. And now they were going to be married.

“Avery,” the preacher continued, “do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

“You better,” Carter whispered with a wink.

“I do!” Avery surprised herself at how loud she yelled the words, garnering more than a couple of laughs from the guests. She didn't care. “God, I do!”

Clapping had already started before the preacher could finish.

“Then by the power invested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss—”

Carter and Avery just couldn't wait.