Convince Me (Holton Series #1) (14 page)

They talked of general things while
they ate and then Steven sent Anna into the living room while he fixed them
some coffee.

“Steven,” Anna said after he handed
her a cup and sat down.  “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

“Why?” Steven asked calmly.

She threw him a startled look and
then swallowed quickly.  He waited for her answer wondering if she would
tell him the truth.

“I just don’t want to see you anymore. 
We don’t belong together.”

Even though he knew why she was
saying it, the words still angered him.  He rose from the couch and paced,
trying to decide what to do.  Stopping, he turned to her and raised his
hands in surrender.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” she said.  Steven
could hear the surprise in her voice.

“Sure,” he replied.  “If you
don’t want to see me, I certainly can’t make you.”

He could see the conflict on her
face and she rose from the couch also.  “Well, okay…then we won’t see each
other anymore.”

“Okay.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“If you are not willing to
acknowledge that we have something special and fight for it for all you’re
worth, then I don’t know what else to say to you.”

The dullness left her eyes and
Steven silently rejoiced at the spark of anger he saw there.  Anna stomped
over to the door.  “I think you better leave.”

Steven walked slowly toward
her.  When he was at her side, he stopped.  She reached for the
doorknob but he grabbed her hand.  Her beautiful brown eyes rose to his
face and he leaned forward to kiss her lips.  For a moment, they both
stood perfectly still then the dam broke and Steven gathered her into his
arms.  He nibbled at her lips and began to outline her jaw with little
biting kisses.  She moaned and leaned into him turning her head to allow
him assess to her neck.

Heart pounding, Steven bent down
and picked her up before carrying her to the couch.  He sat down in one
fluid movement pulling her closer.  His lips returned to hers and Anna’s
response grew stronger.  Steven turned so that he could lie on the couch
and pulled Anna down on top of him.  His hands slipped under her shirt and
when he discovered that she wasn’t wearing a bra, desire surged through
him.  Anna began sprinkling kisses across his face.  He captured her
lips with his as his hands reached up to cup her breasts.  He felt her
gasp against his mouth and he drank in the sound.  Turning to his side so
that Anna now lay half under him, Steven deepened the kiss.  Her hands
tugged at his shirt and the fire spread.

He was about to go up in flames so
he tried to slow his racing heart and control his surging body before it was
too late to stop.  He gently pulled his hands from under her top and
brought them up to frame her face.  He drew back and then kissed her
lightly before resting his forehead on hers.  Taking several deep breaths,
he willed his body to cool down and then looked at her.

She stared back at him confused but
grateful.  No matter what the physical cost to him now, he knew he had
made the right decision.  Anna wasn’t ready for a physical relationship no
matter how badly they wanted each other.  He took another deep breath and
then sat up pulling her with him.  They sat there silently for several
minutes.  Finally, Steven rose from the couch and took the chair opposite
her.

“Anna,” he said, “do you really not
want to see me anymore?”

Her face flushed a dusty rose and
she laughed a little self-consciously.  “I suppose if I said yes you
wouldn’t believe me.”

Steven laughed, glad to see her
spirit had returned.  “Well, after what just happened between us, I would
find it hard to believe.  Do you want to tell me what is going on?”

She studied at him a moment but
didn’t say anything at first.  He could tell she was fighting an internal
war with herself.  She shook her head before saying, “Sorry, Steve. 
I guess I was just running a little scared.  Things have been moving
pretty quickly with us.  I am still adjusting.  I met your mother
today and got a text from your sister.  It just seemed like suddenly our
relationship was far more serious than I am ready for.”

Steven thought about what she said
and what she didn’t.  He decided that his mother and sister were probably
contributing factors.  Rachel had been right.  He wasn’t going to
mention Howard Williams unless Anna did.  He would let her tell him when
she was ready.

“I understand.  Just next time
something happens, let’s talk about it.  Okay?”  He walked to the
door.

“Okay,” she said following him.

He gave her one quick kiss. 
“I’ll see you at the party.  Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No,” she replied shaking her
head.  “Julie is going to come by on her way back from the airport with
Victoria.”

“Alright,” he reached out to caress
her cheek.  “Try to get some rest.  I’ll see you soon.”

Steven drove home thinking that
gone better then he had hoped.  Anna was still a little cautious but they
had weathered that storm.

Two
days later, Anna found herself sitting on the floor in Steven's living room
cutting festive hearts out of red construction paper.  She already knew
the hearts wouldn't be used but it gave her something to do while she watched
Steven argue with his sister.

Anna
wasn't sure what she had expected Steven's sister to be like but Victoria Carson
wasn't it.  It was easy to tell they were related.  Put them
side-by-side and everyone would say they were brother and sister.  They
had the same light blond hair, the same sky blue eyes, and same fair complexion
just like their mother.  Although only of average height, Victoria had
Steven's long legs and thin build but that is where the similarities
ended.  Where Steven's smile was slow and gentle, Victoria's smile
dazzled.  Where Steven's eyes were calm and serious, Victoria's eyes
danced with life and humor.  Steven was the one you turned to in a
crisis.  Victoria was the life of the party.

When
Julie had arrived to pick up Anna, Victoria had already been in the car. 
A quick introduction and an exchange of polite conversation had not prepared
Anna for the real Victoria.  Once inside Steven's house her natural
exuberance emerged.  Nick had already arrived with the children and they
greet Victoria with enthusiasm and joy.  Nick had given her a huge bear
hug and lifted her off the ground.  Victoria had returned the hug with
equal enthusiasm.  Anna remembered what Julie had said about Nick's
opinion of Victoria and she had to agree Nick treated her differently, with a
respect that Steven lacked.

She
was dressed in flamboyant colors, a bold red and orange that should not have
matched but somehow looked great on her.  She quickly organized everyone,
passing out jobs and recruiting volunteers.  She moved with an amazing
speed and never seemed to stop talking.  In a matter of minutes, everyone
had something to do and was enjoying it.  Victoria was still the center of
attention and yet made Anna feel like she was part of the group.  Victoria
was everything Anna was not and had no desire to be but to Anna she was simply
a delight.

"Why
not?" Steven demanded.  He did tend to treat Victoria as a child in
some ways.  He questioned every decision she made and tried to change most
of them.  If Anna hadn't known how very much Steven loved his sister, she
might have found his attitude a little odd but she understood.  It was the
only way Steven knew how to deal with her which was a shame because Anna
believed they could have a wonderful relationship if Steven ever realized that
his sister was an adult.  The oddest part was that Victoria never said a
word.  To Anna, that seemed out of character.  Victoria did not
appear to be the type of person to avoid conflict.

"I
don't understand why the paper hearts won't work," Steven was
saying.  "They are pretty and easy."

Anna
hid a smile as she listened to Steven.  They had been arguing on and off
for about an hour.  Actually, Steven had been arguing.  Victoria
simply did what she wanted and ignored him.  Steven had protested the bold
red tablecloth, saying it was too bright for the other decorations.  His
sister had put the cloth on the table anyway.  He had objected to the
writing on the cake.  Steven wanted a simple `Happy Anniversary'. 
Victoria had decorated it with `35 years and going strong'.  Now Steven
wanted to know why Victoria wouldn't use the paper hearts.

"Because
my hearts are more romantic," Victoria stated in a soothing voice. 
It was her voice that had surprised Anna most of all.  The tones were deep
and rich and her speech, slow and easy.  It was in total contrast to her
appearance and personality.

"Romantic?"
Steven asked.

"Yes,"
Victoria replied patiently.  "The real thing is always more
romantic."

"Maybe
so, but Tori, where are we going to get hearts made out of dried rose
petals?"

"In
Dallas.  I ordered them.  Phyllis is bringing them."

Anna
chuckled at the look on Steven's face and waited for his reaction.  He just
shook his head before saying, "Okay, sis, what's next?"

Victoria
put him to work while Anna dumped the paper hearts.  She looked around for
something else to do but was delayed by the arrival of Andrew.  He was
carrying a large box and was followed by his mother and his children. 
Anna had not met Phyllis Moore but she had seen a picture of her at Julie's
house.  She would have known she was Julie and Andrew's mother at a
glance.  They had the same coloring and the same green eyes.  Anna
knew that Phyllis was a research assistant at Southern Methodist University in
Dallas and was looking forward to meeting her.

"Phyllis!"

Anna
smiled at the delight in Victoria's voice and watched as she raced across the
room to greet her.  Why walk when you could run?  It seemed to be
Victoria's philosophy.  Phyllis seemed just as delighted and the two women
exchanged hugs.  Mark and Melissa also demanded their share of her
attention.

Andrew
had carried the large box into the living room and set it on the table. 
He dug through it and pulled out some rose petal hearts.  Victoria took
them from him with a quick smile that, to Anna, seemed a little forced. 
She also noticed that Andrew and Victoria did not hug.  For a group of people
so free with affection, this struck Anna as a little odd.  Briefly, she
wondered if there was something between Victoria and Andrew but she was not
allowed to ponder long.

Victoria
grabbed her hand.  "Anna, you and Andrew can put up the hearts. 
Place them all around the room.  Be creative and don't worry about how
many you use.  We have plenty."

"Okay,"
Anna said taking the hearts and tape from her. She turned to Andrew who gave
her a brief smile.  He pulled the rest of the hearts from out of the box
and then turned back to her.

"Well,"
he said.  "We've been given our orders.  Shall we get to
work?"

Anna
grinned and followed him to the nearest wall.  She was having a great
time.  It was hard not to be happy with Victoria present.  It was a
fun atmosphere and Anna could feel the excitement building.  Anna could
now understand Rachel's comment about it wearing her out just to watch
Victoria.  Anna had to agree.  Victoria's genuine love of life was
very appealing but also very exhausting.

Anna
had to admit she also liked being in Steven's home with his family.  It
just seemed to fit.  She felt at home here and everyone had made her feel
very comfortable.  For the first time in her life, she felt like she was
part of a family and that was something she had never felt the whole time she
was growing up.  Despite, the image her father had tried to project to the
community, Anna had not known what it felt like to be a family until she met
Steven.

It
didn't take long to put up each heart and they were almost finished when Anna
heard Steven across the room.  She turned to see him removing a small
machine from the box on the table.  It appeared to be a boom box with a
microphone attached.

"What
is this?" he asked his sister.

Victoria
swept across the room and took the machine from him.  Instead of
explaining, she set it on the table, picked up the microphone and flipped a
switch.  Suddenly, the room was filled with oldies music.  Victoria
immediately began singing to the words to the song `Sugar, Sugar'.  Anna
laughed and Steven grinned.  Julie and Nick stopped what they were doing
and Phyllis and the children returned to the living room to watch Victoria put
on quite an amazing show.  She only sang one verse before stopping the
machine.

"It's
a karaoke machine," Victoria said with a grin and a flip of her head.

"Apparently
so," Steven replied.  "What's it for?"

"Its
our entertainment."

"Come
on, Tori, there is no way we're going to get Mom and Dad to do this."

Victoria
just smiled and said in her rich, soothing voice, "We'll see."

Anna
laughed as she turned to place the final rose covered heart on the wall. 
She glanced at Andrew who had a perplexed look on his face as he watched
Victoria.  He saw Anna looking at him and smiled briefly.

"Well,
it should be an interesting evening," he said.

It
was an interesting evening and entertaining one too.  After the
decorations were completed, Steven went to pick up his parents.  Anna
glanced around the room and saw that it looked wonderful.  In spite of the
rather unorthodox style of decorating that Victoria used, the room had a
convivial glow.  The colors blended well and the bright red tablecloth
enhanced the less colorful streamers.  The room was full of fresh
flowers.  There were the traditional red roses but also intermingled were
fragrant marigolds and some baby's breath as well as several types of lilies
that Anna recognized as coming from Tim Moreno’s greenhouse.  The wide
scattering of balloons filled out any holes that were left and gave the entire
room a festive mood.