The Billionaire's Runaway Bride (18 page)

It was indeed a lovely day and she stopped at the coffee shop, reading the newspaper while sipping her coffee in the bright sunshine outside the coffee shop.

After her coffee, she strolled through the shops and picked up a card about a book club. There were so many wonderful shops in the village, so many she hadn’t explored. And everyone was so nice, never too busy to slow down and chat. Some of it was too gossipy and those conversations she just stepped away from. But overall, it was a wonderful morning.

On the way home, she picked a bouquet of early summer flowers. She hummed a little tune as she strolled slowly home, starting to become hungry since it was almost lunch time and she’d already skipped breakfast and dinner the previous night.

It was all because of Jason, she thought. She chuckled. Last night she’d been too upset to eat dinner, then this morning, she’d been too happy to take time to eat breakfast.

Higgins opened the door as soon as she walked up the stairs. “Good afternoon, ma’am,” he replied.

Sophie looked at the expression on his face. “Is something wrong, Higgins?” she asked, stopping to look around. She sensed something but couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Your stepmother has arrived, ma’am. I apologize but she came in through the back door. She also arrived with her own catering staff and has taken over the east parlor.” Higgins bowed low.

Sophie had forgotten the day but she wasn’t about to take this sitting down. “Don’t worry Higgins. I’ll deal with this,” she said. Handing him the bouquet of flowers, she smoothed down her sweater and walked down the hallway.

Luckily, Sophie ran into Evelyn outside the kitchen. “Evelyn, what on earth are you doing here?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Evelyn turned to face Sophie, a smug smile on her face as if she’d just won an important battle. “I told you dear. I’m having a luncheon here. And since you were so rude the other day, I never got to finish my discussions with Nancy so I could arrange for the menu. Not very nice of you, Sophie dear.”

Sophie gritted her teeth against the patronizing tone Evelyn was using.

“Yet another bad choice of clothes, Sophie. I thought we advised you to wear more subtle colors, didn’t we?” Jocelyn chimed in, looking cool and sophisticated in a pink suit with a pearl choker.

Sophie looked down at her sweater and jeans, noting that they still looked clean and sophisticated. She smiled up at Jocelyn. “You know, the consensus is that you’re jealous of me and that’s why you have been trying to make me look awful all these years. Could that be true?” she asked.

Jocelyn eyes widened and then she glanced worriedly over to her mother, needing direction. Sophie saw the communication between the two women and was amazed. It was true! The expression on Evelyn’s face and the worry in Jocelyn’s eyes showed Sophie the truth.

That knowledge was liberating. Sophie couldn’t believe it. For the last twelve years she’d lived with two, evil, malicious women who were so insecure about their own beauty that they had convinced her that she was ugly and useless.

“It’s true?” Sophie asked.

“You’re delusional if you think you’re beautiful,” Evelyn sneered. “No man could possibly think that garish hair of yours is pretty. Give it up, Sophie.”

Sophie sensed Jason’s presence before she heard his voice. “Actually, I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, his deep voice came from behind Sophie. He walked into the room and put his arm around Sophie’s waist. “I thought Sophie told you she didn’t want you to have your luncheon here.”

Evelyn’s face turned white underneath her makeup. It made her blush and lipstick seem too bright against her skin. “Jason, you can’t be serious! You’re not going to support this…this woman with ridiculous red hair and no sense of style when you could have Jocelyn by your side, helping you to build your empire. Just think what you could accomplish with a sophisticated companion beside you instead of this mousy thing,” she ended, sneering her dislike at Sophie.

Sophie could feel Jason’s anger build inside him. She glanced up at his face, trying to determine if he was genuinely as angry as he seemed. And yes, he was. The muscle twitching on his jaw showed her that he was barely hanging on to his amazing control.

She put a hand on his chest, silently asking him to not become angry on her behalf. He looked down at her and pulled her closer. “Why do you let this woman into our house? Has she been this vile always?”

It was as if the two other women were no longer in the room. Jason was furious simply because he felt that her feelings had been hurt. Surely that meant he cared for her and wasn’t just married to her because of the acquisition. Her heart soared with hope.

He was still waiting for an answer she realized. “Yes. But only when you weren’t around.” Jason’s anger almost exploded with that answer but she shook her head, and pushed slightly harder on his chest. “Jason, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Anymore? That means that it has hurt you in the past. Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded, turning her so that she was facing him. He put his hands on her arms and looked down into her eyes. “I would never have allowed her to be near you if I’d known how she was treating you. I swear it Sophie.”

“I know that now,” she said. “For a long time I didn’t understand why she came around so often but now I understand. And it wasn’t at your behest.”

“I swear I never invited them. I thought you were inviting them here and couldn’t figure it out.”

Sophie laughed with joy. “I thought you were inviting them. I guess we need to work on our communication skills, don’t we?” she suggested, lifting one hand to caress his cheek. Jason turned his face into the caress and kissed the palm of her hand. “I’m sorry, love,” he said.

Jason tucked her into the security of his embrace, then turned back to face the two women who had been hurting Sophie for so long. “I suggest that the two of you leave the premises immediately.” Jason’s voice was soft and deadly calm.

Evelyn looked like she was about to argue but she noted the look on Jason’s face and decided it would be better to just leave. “I’ll discuss this when that woman is no longer around to disturb us Jason,” she said haughtily.

Jason stopped her with is next words. “Evelyn, if you ever address my wife or speak to her or about her with anything other than complete respect and kind, polite words, I will cut off your annuity. You can challenge me in court, and you’ll win eventually, but the cost for the lawyers will cut your return in half.”

Evelyn’s mouth dropped open and Sophie could tell that she wanted to argue with him, perhaps plead, but she saw the furious look in his eyes and thought better of it. “Come along, Jocelyn,” she snapped and left without saying another word.

Sophie was quiet for a long time after that. She watched Jason, seeing how he eventually controlled his anger.

He turned to face her, taking her into his arms and kissing her hair, his hands tangling in the soft curls and then moving down her body, as if he needed to reassure her that she was all in one piece and that Evelyn’s and Jocelyn’s words hadn’t hurt her in any way.

“I’m fine, Jason,” she said, her face glowing with happiness.

She felt the shudder run through his system. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I honestly didn’t know that they were so awful.”

“Don’t let them bother you. I heard enough today to understand what they were really trying to do. And it actually made it all better in some bizarre way.”

Jason shook his head. “I’ve tried to protect you from anything that could hurt you but I failed, Sophie. I’m sorry. If possible, could you forgive me and let me start over? I promise I’ll redeem myself in your eyes and become someone worthy of your love,” he said.

Sophie gasped in joy. Her eyes searched his, wondering if his words meant what she thought they did. “You want me to love you?” she asked.

“More than anything,” he said, running his hands over her arms. “I love you so much but I’ve failed you. I promise I’ll do better, Sophie.”

His words were too sweet. “You love me?” she asked, feeling silly for asking so many questions and needing clarification but the words were too wonderful for her pained ears.

“Yes I love you! How could you think anything else? I think I’ve loved you since that very first dance we shared.”

Sophie threw herself into his arms, holding him with all her strength. “Oh Jason, I’ve felt the same way but couldn’t imagine a day when you could actually love someone like me.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like you’,” he demanded. “You’re incredibly beautiful with a soft heart and a generous spirit. I saw the way you made people feel comfortable at that party that night. You had no artifice, just genuine interest whenever someone spoke to you. It was so unusual for someone at those functions. I almost hit your father that night when he stopped me from dancing with you again. I knew from that moment that I wanted you by my side forever.”

“Jason!” she cried, tears of joy slipping off her lashes and onto her cheeks. “You can’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear those words. I’ve woven so many fantasies about you telling me you love me but they were only fantasies. I’ve loved you for so long and it has only gotten stronger the more I got to know you.”

He looked skeptical. “If you love me, why did you leave me?”

“Because I thought you were in love with Jocelyn. I loved you too much to bear it if you ever left me. The more I got to know you, the more I loved you. You’re so intelligent and overwhelming, any time you walked into a room, I felt like a silly school girl with a crush, dealing with the butterflies in her stomach and the blushes. I was so silly, but I couldn’t imagine anyone like you wanting someone like me. And then you married me! I thought it was out of pity,” she explained.

“Pity!” Jason pulled her closer. “Good grief, Sophie. If all I’d felt for you was pity I would have set you up in a house and given you an allowance.” He chuckled and she felt the humor deep in his chest since her cheek was laying against him. “No. Of all the feelings I have for you, pity is not one of them.”

She played with one of the buttons on his shirt front. “What feelings do you have for me?” she asked.

“Love,” he said and kissed her gently. “Desire,” he said and kissed her harder. “I think those two emotions could take me a long time to discuss with you,” he said, his voice hoarse as he looked down into her green eyes shining up at his with love beaming back at him. “And you love me too, don’t you?” he asked.

The breath she drew in shuddered as she filled up her lungs with his look. “Yes. I’ve loved you for so long I can’t remember a time when you weren’t a big part of my fantasy life.”

Jason grinned but this was a wicked grin. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned fantasies. Care to share them with me?” he asked, his hands moving along her spine were no longer soothing but were exciting, passionate.

“Perhaps,” she smiled. “If you’ll tell me you love me again.”

“I love you!” he growled, then picked her up into his arms and carried her upstairs.

Higgins and Nancy were standing out in the foyer and saw the two of them, both so into the other that neither saw them standing and watching. Nancy smiled broadly and nodded. “It’s about time,” she sighed.

Higgins nodded as well. “I agree,” he chimed in. Both of them went back to the kitchen for a cup of tea, knowing that neither would be needed for the better part of the day.

Epilogue

Sophie dropped her gardening gloves into her bucket and sighed happily. The area was coming along well, she thought. It would be perfect.

“Sophie! What are you doing out here?” Jason demanded, his long strides carrying him quickly across the vast expanse of the back lawn. “I thought I told you to rest today,” he said.

He arrived quickly to where Sophie was kneeling on the ground and helped her up. Sophie smiled up at his angry, concerned expression, putting her hand gently on her swollen belly. “Jason, the baby is fine. And he isn’t due for another week. You’ve got to relax. Besides, I can’t just spend all my days lounging around the house. It isn’t healthy. It is better to be out here, breathing in the clean air.”

Jason pulled her as close as he could with Sophie’s pregnancy at nine months. “It is going to be a girl with beautiful red hair, just like yours so stop referring to our daughter in the male pronouns dear. And yes, you should be inside resting. Or at least reviewing resumes for a nanny.”

He took her hand in one of his and her gardening bucket in the other as they walked back to the house. The spring sun was shining brightly as the sun started setting over the horizon. “Nancy, Higgins and I talked about it and the three of us decided that we didn’t really need a new nanny.”

Jason looked disapproving. “Jason, think about it,” she said. “Nancy doesn’t have any children nor does Higgins. So this baby is the closest thing they will have to a grandchild and they are excited. Almost as excited as we are. I swear, Nancy has been reading every book on infant nutrition and Higgins has put in every possible safety device known to mankind.”

“What about your landscaping business? Don’t you want to work after the baby is born?”

Sophie smiled brightly. “As for that, I received a call from Harry Smith yesterday. He asked if I would consider selling my business to him. He offered me an incredible price for it.”