I Promise (16 page)

N
oah assisted Rosa out of their limousine and down the red carpet leading into Opulence's promotional party. His smile widened as he escorted her past the local press and through the maze of the gathering crowd.

Rosa waved to her friends and displayed her new black-and-white sequined gown. She resembled a regal queen surrounded by her loyal subjects.

With the burden of Opulence's financial problems lifted, Noah had an odd feeling that he might actually enjoy this function.

They entered through the brass doors and into the lobby. Rosa leaned over and whispered, “Should I be worried about this jovial mood you're in tonight?”

“Of course not,” he patted her hand. “I've never felt better in all my life.”

“That's what worries me.”

“Ah, look who was able to make it tonight,” Noah led his wife to Malcolm's side. “Our new member of the board.”

“Hello, Dad, Mom.” He kissed his mother's cheeks. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you.” She fixed him with a pointed look. “I heard the news, but I swear I can't believe it. You're actually a member of the board?”

“Don't sound so shocked. You'll destroy my self-confidence,” he joked. “Do you know if the models have arrived?” he asked casually.

Rosa's eyebrows rose. “Well, at least I see some things haven't changed,” she joked.

Malcolm grinned, ignoring the sharp barb from his mother before taking a glance around the room.

Noah's attention riveted to Wong Chin across the room. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked Rosa.

“Yes. I think some bubbly would be nice.”

“Good, then I'll leave you with Malcolm and he can fill you in on all the details of his new job.” Pulling away, he made haste across the lobby to the entrance of the parlor. “Good evening.”

Wong Chin turned. His casual good humor faltered when his gaze met Noah's.

“Mie-Lin.” Noah nodded in greeting to Chin's wife.

“Good evening, Mr. Williams.” She shared a polite smile. “Lovely party you're having here.”

“Thank you.” He returned his attention to Chin. “Glad you were able to make it tonight. At least I know you were invited to this party.”

“Noah,” Chin greeted in a flat voice. “No doubt you're here to gloat over your miraculous victory yesterday.”

“Well, you're not the only man who never passes up an opportunity.”

The corners of Chin's mouth lifted, but there was no amusement in his eyes.

A rumble of laughter shook Noah's entire body. He was definitely going to enjoy this party.

 

Alexandria waltzed into the hotel with George Roberts, a fellow model, as her escort. With a bright, artificial smile, she stood with her head held high and her depression suppressed.

Her sparkling red gown flowed from narrow straps at her shoulders and clung to her hips and ended in an open swirl above her toes. When she walked, a split cut close to her hips displayed her long legs. Her hair cascaded in waves to just below her shoulders.

Aware of the eyes that were drawn to her, she hated that she had agreed to model the Lexsburg diamond necklace for Opulence tonight.

Attention was the last thing she needed or wanted.

“You look gorgeous,” George assured her as if sensing her discomfort.

“Thank you.” She released the death grip on his hand. “Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I guess I'm a little nervous.”

Surprise lit George's face. “Well, you look terrific,” he said with unabashed admiration. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Do you want me to run and get you something to drink?”

“Vodka, if they've got it.”

He laughed.

“A white Zinfandel will be fine.” She changed her order.

When he moved away, she took a deep breath and exhaled. She'd just stay for an hour, just long enough to do her job. With any luck—

“Hello, Alex.”

A jolt of recognition shot through her as she pivoted to face Malcolm.

“I'm glad you could make it.”

His voice coursed through her.

Alex smoothed her features and managed an air of cool aloofness. “Good evening, Malcolm.”

“Ah, so you do remember me?” He offered her a glass of champagne.

She forced herself to accept the glass. “Of course I remember you.”

“Which is why you returned my phone calls.”

Tilting her head back, she ignored his razor-edged sarcasm. “I've been busy.”

“I see.”

Alex glanced around.

“I need to talk to you.” Malcolm seized her hand to reclaim her attention.

“We have nothing further to talk about.” She pinned him with a sharp look.

He released her hand. “Don't I get to tell my side of the story?”

“Oh, there you are, Malcolm,” Sheila cooed, crashing their private party. “Shame on you for disappearing on me.” She leaned against him. “Oh hi, Alex.”

Her gaze narrowed, Alex's attention returned to Malcolm. “Trust me, I already know your side of the story.” Furious, she turned, drained her drink, and put her glass on a passing waiter's tray.

Walking away, she reined in her anger. By this time tomorrow, she'd be on a plane for France and Malcolm would be out of her life for good.

“Alex?”

She turned at the sound of her name.

George excused himself through a throng of people, then handed her a wineglass, “Where were you going?”

“Out.”

“What?” He frowned as he moved closer. “Did I do something wrong?”

Catching a glimpse of Malcolm as he strode toward her in long measured strides, she looped her arm with George's and ordered him. “Laugh.”

“Huh?”

“Just start laughing.” At his lost expression, she added, “Please.”

Awkwardly, and just in time, George leaned back and dramatized a burst of laughter.

Malcolm stopped next to Alex's escort. His eyes narrowed, while she and George pretended to enjoy a private joke.

George sobered when his gaze met Malcolm's. “Mr. Williams.” His smile broadened. “It's good to see you here. This is a wonderful party your company has put together.”

Malcolm exchanged a brief smile and a curt nod, then shifted his attention to Alex. “We need to talk.”

Her cheeks burned at the simple way he dismissed George.

“Do you two need time alone?” George asked.

“No.”

“Yes,” Malcolm answered at the same time. He frowned and darted a glance between Alex and her date.

Alex tightened her grip on George's arm and lifted her head with defiance. “There is nothing to discuss.”

Something glittered in the depths of Malcolm's eyes as a muscle twitched along his jaw. “George,” he said in a low, almost menacing, tone.

George slid his arm away from Alex and gave her an apologetic smile. “I'll go and get us a refill,” he said, taking her untouched drink and guzzling it down.

Stunned, Alex watched her escort abandon her. She turned her disbelieving eyes to Malcolm. “Well, all right then.” She crossed her arms. “Talk.”

“Alone.” He took her by the hand before she could protest.

Alex yanked her arm against his steel grip, but to no avail. Humiliated as he dragged her by a growing crowd, she forced a polite smile in the face of their curious stares.

Thrust outside a long, narrow terrace, she thought she had won her freedom, when in fact, he had imprisoned her with him on a deserted balcony.

Her courage dissipated. Twin urges to laugh and scream assaulted her senses. Electricity charged the silence that hung between them accompanied by the painful irony of having to listen to the orchestra play “I Will Always Love You” nearly killed her.

Alex's emotions shifted and she stood perilously close to tears. “Okay. Now that you've gotten me out here, what do you want to talk about?”

Malcolm's stern expression softened beneath the glow of flickering gaslights hanging from the terrace's wall. A yellowish luminescence bathed his entire body while contrasting dark shadows cloaked the space behind him. “I've been wanting to talk to you,” he began. “But now that you're standing in front of me, I don't know what to say.”

Her breath hitched at the seriousness of his tone.

His hand reached out and lazily caressed her cheek. “I miss you.”

His deep voice had dropped an octave and poured over her senses. Her mind warned her heart not to listen to his soft words. They guaranteed her a lifetime ticket to heartache.

Malcolm moved forward, leaving less than an inch between their bodies.

Alex stepped back.

“I meant it when I told you that you're the last person I would ever want to hurt.” His dark, penetrating gaze met and held hers.

Despite the night's sultry atmosphere, a chill coursed down her spine and the normal task of supplying oxygen to her lungs seemed impossible.

“Malcolm, don't do this,” she said, frustrated by the slight quiver in her voice.

“I have to.”

Desperation edged his voice as well as another emotion she hesitated to name.

He captured her hand and gently rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “I need to apologize to you.”

She pressed her trembling lips together and blinked to clear her blurred vision.

His intense gaze held hers. “I took you for granted. I guess it's true when they say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I never knew how much you meant to me, or how much I needed you, depended on you.”

Alex didn't trust herself to speak, too afraid she would shatter the romantic interlude, or worse, discover this to be a dream.

“I want you,” he said. His fingers brushed against her cheek.

His unexpected confession stunned her. She pulled her hand from his grasp and walked to the balcony's railing. As she looked up at the stars hovering above, she crossed her arms, and inhaled the surrounding flowers' fragrance.

“Alex?”

His words had elicited a pain so deep and sharp, she feared she'd die from it. She closed her eyes as if expecting to find refuge behind her lids.

His hands lay across her shoulders. “I love you, Alex.”

She turned then, careless of the tears shimmering in her eyes. “Love?” she questioned with a tinge of disbelief. “Almost a week ago you were all set to marry my best friend.
Now
, you love me?”

His gaze moved from hers, whether from guilt or shame, she couldn't tell.

“I'm no fool, Malcolm.” She wiped at the few remaining tears with the back of her hand. “I refuse to fall for this prepared speech of how much you think you need me.” She pushed away from the rail and headed for the door.

Malcolm blocked her path. “Why can't you give me a chance?”

“To do what?” she challenged. “To break my heart? You've got to be kidding me.”

“Of course not,” he thundered with an air of indignation.

“What makes me so different from anyone else you dated and cast aside?”

“It's nothing like that.”

“I don't believe you.”

Her retort found its mark and he lowered his hands and stared at her. “I'm sorry you feel that way,” he said, and stepped out of her way.

Through a new sheen of tears, Alex forced her gaze ahead of her and forced one foot in front of the other as she left him alone on the terrace.

J
ordan stood beneath the night's shimmering moon, gazing over the lake. He tossed a stone and watched as it skipped over the water. Time ceased to exist as his mind struggled to grasp what he'd learned today.

Breast cancer
. He reviewed everything that had happened between him and Christian in a new light. He cringed at his behavior. He'd pushed his way into her life whether she wanted him or not. He'd hoped in the end, she would acknowledge the fact that something powerful bound them together.

A dull ache throbbed in his heart. His pain was like nothing he'd ever experienced. His mind brimmed with questions. The one foremost in his mind was what did this all mean?

The sadness he'd often witnessed in Christian's eyes haunted him. It wasn't fair. He considered everything she'd lived through in such a short time and he became angry.

How could life be so cruel? How could fate deal such a rough hand? His vision blurred. He threw another stone out into the lake. He needed to talk to her, more than that, he needed to hold her.

Jordan looked up into the beautiful sky. His gaze searching for answers from a higher power. When no answers came, he closed his eyes and prayed. “Oh, Lord, I don't know what to do.” He pressed his trembling lips together and took a moment to collect his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, he grimaced from the anguish building inside of him. How would he work to erase her suffering when he didn't know how to handle his own? Even from behind his closed lids, Christian's image flashed clearly in his mind.

He had to be strong, not just for himself, but for her as well. He turned his gaze across the vast distance to focus on the main house. Pete had told him why she'd gone to see her doctor today. What were the results? The possible answer terrified him.

 

Christian stood naked before her bathroom mirror, assessing every curve that shaped her body. Her hand moved along the thin scar beneath her left arm to the center of her chest. She shook her head. There was no way any man would want her like this.

Depression hung over her as she reached for her robe and left the bathroom. It was dinnertime and she wasn't hungry. Not to mention, she couldn't stand another night of her family playing matchmaker. With luck, this time tomorrow, Jordan would be on his way back to Atlanta.

She would never see him again.

Her heart sank.

Dropping onto the bed, Christian lay back and stared up at the ceiling. She toyed with the idea of joining her family. Bobby would, no doubt, consider it rude if she didn't come down. Tonight could also be her last chance to see Jordan. She wrapped her arms around her to ward off the room's sudden chill. Wasn't that what she wanted, for him to leave her alone in her safe world?

She closed her eyes and forced the images of Jordan from her mind. A low sob tore from her lips, while fresh tears streaked her face. It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair.

A soft knock rapped on her bedroom door. “Chrissy?”

Christian sat up and wiped her face with the backs of her hands.

“Honey, are you all right?” Bobby entered then closed the door before rushing to her side.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she murmured the unconvincing lie with averted eyes.

“Humph.” Bobby jabbed her hands at her sides. “You sure don't look fine.” She draped her arm around her granddaughter's shoulders and drew her close.

Christian laid her head against her grandmother's shoulder as she had as a child. Bobby had always been her rock. She had been loving and constant, but Christian doubted she could help her this time. She lifted her head.

Bobby frowned down at her. “Do you want to tell me what happened at the doctor's office today?” A hint of apprehension laced her voice.

“False alarm,” Christian responded with a casual shrug of her shoulders. She couldn't bear to tell her the truth. If the biopsy showed that her lump was malignant, then she'd confess. Until then, there was no use in worrying anyone.

Bobby expelled a long, noisy breath. “Well, honey, that's great news,” she exclaimed, then fell silent at her granddaughter's lack of enthusiasm. “Then what's troubling you? We're all waiting for you at the dinner table.”

“I'm not very hungry.”

“I don't understand. If you had a false alarm, why are you moping up here?”

“I'm sorry. I don't mean to worry you. I'm just trying to pull myself together, that's all.” She stood and moved toward the window. As she absorbed the picturesque view, she struggled to remember how many times in the past she had stood there, bonding with the land. The ranch was what connected her to her mother.

Bobby's hand settled on her shoulder. “Chrissy, please tell me what's troubling you. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong.”

“That's just it. I'm not so sure you can help.”

They fell silent as they gazed outside.

“He's gone,” Bobby answered the unasked question.

With her chin lifted, Christian continued to stare out the window. Tomorrow he'd be gone and she could go on with her life. Gone.

“I know it's none of my business,” Bobby began. “But maybe you can enlighten me as to why you're so determined to be miserable?”

Christian pivoted and stared incredulous at her grandmother. “Determined? You mean fated, don't you?”

Bobby squared her shoulders and crossed her arms. “All right, so you've been thrown off your horse a few times. That's no reason for you to simply give up. I thought I taught you better than that.”

Her grandmother's words hit her with full force and she jerked away from the window. “Thanks for the pep talk, Bobby. I feel much better.”

“You're too old for me to coddle. What you need to do is face life.”

“That's easy for you to say,” she muttered under her breath.

Bobby's eyes narrowed. “Do you think that you're the only one that has problems in this world? You can't see the forest for the trees. You lost a mother—I lost a daughter.”

She strode closer and closed the gap between them. “You lost your breast to cancer,” she placed her fingers beneath Christian's chin and forced their gazes to meet. “But you didn't lose your life.”

 

Much later, Christian walked down the moonlit path toward the lake. She needed time to think. As a child, she favored the lake as a place to reflect and a place where she could hide from everyone's curious eyes. Her family meant well, but she couldn't bear to read sympathy in their eyes.

Jordan was gone.

Pain gripped her heart. She closed her eyes and continued to move down the trail she had memorized years ago. Images of the times she had shared with Jordan over the past week, flashed through her mind, deepening her sense of loss.

A delicious aroma drifted on the night air. She opened her eyes, inches away from the quaint gazebo near the lake. A gasp stole from her lips.

Jordan stood in the arc's entrance. Her gaze traveled his length. He wore a pair of tight Wranglers and a white oversized shirt open to expose half of his chest. He was breathtaking.

“I thought you would never get here,” he said in a low, seductive voice.

Candles flickered behind him and Christian shifted her gaze to an enticing candlelight dinner for two.

“What's this?”

Dimples grooved his cheeks as his slow smile weakened her knees. “It's dinner. I hope you're hungry.”

Their gazes met.

“I thought you'd left,” she whispered.

“Disappointed?”

Her mouth went dry as she shook her head.

“I'm glad to hear it.” He stepped down and offered his hand to her. “Shall we?”

She accepted his hand while butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She stared down at the romantic setting with disbelieving eyes; it brought a subtle smile to her lips.

“I'm glad you like it,” he said, pulling out a chair for her.

Christian sat. “It's beautiful.”

“Just like you,” Jordan whispered. He moved to the opposite side of the table and grabbed the bottle of champagne that chilled in an ice bucket.

“May I ask why you went through all this trouble?”

“I thought that was obvious.” His gaze caught and held hers prisoner.

The intensity in his eyes rendered her breathless. The sight of him raged havoc on her senses. The magic wouldn't last long, she reminded herself. “I really appreciate what you're trying to do—”

“What am I trying to do?”

Speechless, she struggled for the right words. She had to stop this, stop where they were heading. “What I mean to say is—that
we
will never work.”

Instead of getting angry, which she'd half-expected him to do, Jordan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair to stare at her. “Are you about to give me your let's be friends routine now?”

She averted her eyes and swallowed the rest of her speech.

“I think you forgot I've heard this one before. It was the night we met; only then, you thought I was Malcolm.” When she said nothing, he continued. “I believe the next phrase is something about how you consider me to be more like a brother and that you want us to remain friends. How am I doing so far?”

Christian shifted in her chair.

He reached across the table to take her hand. “I'll tell you what. Let's not think about anything past this moment. Right here, right now. Let's just let tomorrow take care of itself.”

A tempting offer, too tempting, but the voice of reason shouted in her ears. She withdrew her hand. “You're making this difficult for me.”

“Good. I intended to.”

“Please don't do this,” she whispered. “There are some things you don't know about me.”

He took a deep breath. “You mean about your breast cancer?” he murmured.

Christian sucked in a sharp gasp of air. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Silence stretched between them as she gathered her thoughts.

Jordan tried again. “I didn't mean to be so blunt. I just wanted you to know that it doesn't matter to me.”

“So you think you have me all figured out? Is that why you came here and staged this big production?” She jumped to her feet. Anger, rage, and a deep sense of shame washed over her in waves. “I have to go.”

“Christian, wait.” Jordan stood and cut off her path before she stepped a foot out of the gazebo. “Please, just talk to me.” The wounded look in her eyes pulled on his heartstrings. “I came here because…I love you.”

A hysterical laugh stumbled from her lips as if he'd told a cruel joke. “Love me? Love me?”

A thin gloss shimmered in her eyes. Jordan's hands rose to touch her cheek. “Don't do this.”

Christian recoiled from his touch. “So, who told you?”

“Does it matter? Why didn't you tell me? I know you care for me. I can see it in your eyes. Why did you think it would matter to me—”

“Stop it,” she shouted, shaking her head to block his words. “You have no idea what it's like.” Accusation trembled in her voice. “I wake up every morning and face…” She stopped and closed her eyes. “Do you know what it's like looking at your body in the mirror and not being able to feel whole? To wonder why this had to happen to you.” She faced him. “You can't possibly want me. You can't. I'm not whole. I'm not…”

Infuriated, Jordan grabbed her shoulders. “Don't you ever talk like that.”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “I've come to terms with my mastectomy. I have one breast, Jordan. That's my harsh reality. Can you deal with that?”

He searched her eyes. “If only you could see yourself through my eyes, you would never ask me that.” He lifted his hand, and traced the delicate lines of her face. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

With her vision blurred, she shook her head.

“I see my life,” he answered in a low voice. He moved closer, his head lowered until their faces remained only inches apart. “I see everything that makes me complete. At this moment, I can't remember what I did or how I lived before you. But I do know there is no way I can go on without you. I can't leave without you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Her head spun, while her heart swelled.

“You do believe me, don't you?”

Spellbound, she couldn't answer, she was afraid to, afraid that she would wake from a dream. She'd spent so much time pushing men away; afraid once they'd learned about her breast cancer, learned she wasn't what they wanted, they would reject her. And now, the man of her dreams had told her he couldn't live without her.

“You have to believe me,” he whispered. “I want you to be a part of my life. I want you to be my wife.”