Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series) (12 page)

“All right, I don’t even know where to begin.” He continued
holding her hand while he spoke. 

She caressed the back of his hand with her thumb to reassure
him.

“You already know most of the story. Marnie and I were the
ideal up and coming young couple. I owned a business and she had a good job and
we lived in a nice home in Carmel, Indiana. Ten years ago, we’d been married
about five years, she had gone on a business trip with her boss, Joe. It wasn’t
an uncommon thing for her to do. They were on their way home. They had driven
instead of flying because he had some fancy new car he wanted to try out. But
it was raining very hard that night. Joe lost control of the car and they hit
another car head on.  Joe was killed instantly and Marnie lived long enough for
me to get to the hospital, but she never regained consciousness. I drove there
like a madman trying to get to her. I stood by her hospital bed crying, pouring
my heart out to her, pleading with her not to die, not to leave me. She passed
away shortly after I arrived.  I was devastated. I took her belongings home
with me and didn’t look at them until the next morning. That’s when I found the
divorce papers that she had already signed. I also found what appeared to be a
very impressive engagement ring and some other disturbing items in her purse. I
did some investigating and found out that she and Joe had been carrying on
behind my back for at least two years. Everyone in their office had known, but
I had no idea. I was a blind fool. Or maybe I really didn’t care enough to
notice what she was or wasn’t doing. I really don’t know. Anyway, I got through
the funeral, trying to act like the dutiful, mourning husband, and then I sold
my business, sold our house and packed up my belongings. Shane and Chloe had
just opened the restaurant and they asked me to come out and help them with
it.”

“Oh, Ryan, I am so sorry you had to go through all that.
It’s no wonder you were sour on women for all these years. But rest assured, we
are not all like Marnie.”

“Yes, Chloe keeps telling me that. She never did like
Marnie, you know. She knew from the first time she met her. But she certainly
likes you. You have not only made quite an impression on me, but with Shane and
Chloe too. You should be honored.” He kissed her hand again. “Chloe has wanted
me to find someone like you for a long time now.”

Katy shivered.
If kissing my hand has this much effect on
me, what would I do if he
actually kissed me? I can’t wait to find out
.
Ten years was a long time to go without the love of a man.

“There is one thing I regret about the whole thing, though,”
Ryan added sadly.

“What’s that?” she asked curiously.

“The people in the other car, it was a man and his little
girl. The little girl was about ten or so, I think. I was told she was wearing
a Girl Scout uniform. I always felt like I needed to contact his widow to
apologize for Marnie and Joe taking her husband and little girl away from her.
But I never could bring myself to do it. She lost so much, because of Marnie
and Joe, so much more than I had lost that night on that Chicago highway. I
even got her name, it was Kathleen or Katherine or something. I can’t remember
the last name now. It’s been too many years. I always felt guilty about not
apologizing to her and sending my condolences, but I honestly just didn’t know
how she would handle it. Of course, it is way too late now. The tenth
anniversary of the accident was last week. I’m sure she has moved on by this
time.”

Oh, my God
. Katy was as white as a sheet. She could
not breathe – she felt as if she were suffocating.
How can this be
? Even
when she had heard about his wife’s accident and the fact that it had been ten
years ago, it never dawned on her that his wife was in the car that had hit
Bill and Bree that night. But she should have guessed. It was a rainy night on
a Chicago highway and they had been hit head on.

What in the world would Ryan think if he knew that she was
the Kathryn that he had wanted to apologize to? What would he do if he knew
that after all these years, he had just done what he wanted to do then?
Darling,
Ryan, you have no reason to apologize to me. You didn’t do anything wrong
.
It
was not your fault
. Yes, she was stunned by the news, but she had moved on.
She would always love Bill. And she would never get over losing her baby girl,
but it was not Ryan’s fault. And she truly felt now that it was some form of
destiny that brought the two of them together this week, ten years after the
accident. Their meeting was meant to be, but not for the reasons they had
thought. Katy honestly did not know what to say to him.

“Katy, are you all right? You look pale.” Ryan seemed
concerned. His hand brushed her cheek.

“I am all right, Ryan. Talking about these things just makes
me sad.”

“Do you want to talk about your husband?” Ryan urged her gently.

“Not really, Ryan. I came to terms with his death many years
ago. We had a wonderful life together. It came to an end much sooner than I
expected it to. I spent a lot of time at first grieving, but I had a son to
raise. I’m ready to move on. I will always love him. He was my first love. But
that doesn’t mean that I can’t love again.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. And I’m glad we had this
talk. What do you say we get out of here? It’s getting late and all this
talking about unpleasant things has taken a toll on both of us, I am afraid.
You look a little tired. I need to get you back to the hotel. After a good
night’s sleep, we can get together and discuss more pleasant things. Like the
rest of our busy, happy lives…together…”

Katy smiled wanly.
I thought I wanted a life with this
man
. But how could she ever tell him about Bill and Bree? She would have to
think this over. She needed the ‘Fab Four’ to help her through this one.

She allowed Ryan to link her arm in his as he walked her to
his car, her thoughts racing, her stomach tied in knots. It had been a jolt,
learning the details of the accident.

As they reached the car, Ryan leaned over and lightly
brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Forever,” he said. “The confirmed bachelor
and the yellow rose who turned his head and opened his heart in a matter of two
days.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose before
opening the car door and settling her in the front seat.

Katy thought her heart would burst.
His words should be
music to my ears
. The chemistry between them was undeniable. If only there
was not the nagging little secret of her identity standing between them.
I
have to figure out a way to tell him who I am. I have to figure out where we go
from here. Is there a future for us? Or were we only supposed to meet for
closure’s sake?
He would never believe that she could love him if he knew
the truth. He felt too much unnecessary guilt.
Why does it have to be this
complicated?

She was quiet all the way back to the hotel. Ryan reached across
the seat and took her delicate hand in his. He looked over at her several
times, thinking how pretty she was. And soon she would be his, in every way. He
liked the sound of that.

But right now she was too quiet.
I hope I didn’t upset
her by discussing Marnie and
the accident. She never said how her
husband had died. But she was right about one thing.
He did feel much
better now that he had talked about it. He felt like he was ready to move on
with her and put his past to rest, once and for all.

When they reached her hotel, Ryan parked the car and turned
to her. “Katy, I want to thank you for this evening. You have no idea how happy
I am at this moment.”

“I had a wonderful time, too, Ryan.”

“This is a whole new beginning for both of us, my love.”
Ryan leaned over and kissed her. He kissed her lightly at first, before the
kiss grew more passionate. She responded willingly. Her stomach was churning,
her heart was pounding, the warmth slowly spreading through her body again. Her
senses were reeling and any type of coherent thought was gone. She was falling
in love with this tall, dark, and handsome Irishman. Or was she? His kisses
stirred forgotten feelings within and brought a flush to her cheeks.

He kissed her again and again she responded with a passion she
did not know she possessed.

Ryan pulled away and with his words brought her back to
reality. “I’d better walk you to the elevator, Katy. In my car in a hotel
parking lot isn’t exactly the place for this.”

Embarrassed, she straightened her dress and agreed with him.

“But know this, my yellow rose. There’s plenty more where
that came from, and when you’re ready, you’ll know how loved and cherished you
are.”

Katy wished that could be true. There was nothing more she
wanted in the world right now. But she knew deep in her heart that it might
never happen.

He walked her to the elevator and bade her goodnight. He
blew her a kiss as he walked away and mouthed, “I’ll call.”

Angie had gone to the lobby shortly after Katy had met Ryan.
She sat nervously in a maroon and mauve plaid winged chair in the corner,
enjoying the roaring fire in the brick fireplace as she waited for Michael. She
thought she might run into him on the elevator, but luckily, she had not. She
was still very nervous about this evening. What in the world did she think she
was doing? She had not had time to call her mother and tell her that Michael
was back in her life.
Mom had always liked Michael
. She had tried her
best to convince Angie not to go through with the divorce. She had tried to
talk her into telling Michael the truth about what happened. Even though Angie
could not do as her mother wished at the time, her mother had finally supported
her decision, although she had always felt that her daughter had made a huge
mistake. She would be very much in favor of the idea of the two of them working
out their problems and reuniting. Deep in thought, Angie did not hear Michael
come up behind her.

He leaned over and whispered, “Penny for your thoughts,
pretty lady. Thinking about me?”

She laughed. “You wish!”

“Where would you like to go for dinner? How about my room
and we can order room service?” He smiled down at her devilishly.

“What and waste my new outfit just to go to your room?”

“Ah, so you bought a new outfit for me? And it is gorgeous,
too, I might add. Pink. You remembered that I always loved you in pink?” 

“Don’t flatter yourself, big guy. I was shopping with the
‘Fab Four’ today, remember?” She would never admit to him that she had, indeed,
bought the pink outfit just for him.

“Seriously, Ang, there are some things I would like to talk
to you about. I thought we could have more privacy in my room. I am not trying
to seduce you. I promised you that I would be a good boy and I will keep that
promise. We do need to clear the air and it might be better to do it with no
one else around. I will behave as long as you want me to, I promise.”

Angie could tell Michael was deadly serious. There was no
joking around now. He really did want to talk to her. Was he thinking along the
same lines as Angie was? Did he want to try for reconciliation? Or did he want
to clear the air and tell her there was no future between them and that theirs
was to be a strictly professional relationship now? There was only one way to
find out. She would agree to go to his suite, have dinner, and talk. Whatever
happened after that, well…
I really need to make sure nothing happens after
that
.
If I
sleep with Michael again after all these years, I will
be lost forever
. It had taken her years to get over missing him. She could
not risk opening herself up to that kind of hurt again. But wasn’t that exactly
what she was doing by working with him, dining with him, talking with him? And
what if the conversation came around to her secret, which she was going to have
to eventually tell him if they were going to work out their differences? How
would he react? And how could she relive the agony all over again?

She took a deep breath, looked Michael straight in the eyes,
and said, “All right, I will call your bluff, Mr. Gray. I’ll agree to go to
your suite, order room service, and have polite conversation and possibly a
serious discussion. I will hold you to your promise that nothing will happen
after that, unless I agree to it.”

Michael looked at her for a long moment and said simply,
“Right this way, Mrs. Gray.”

Where did that come from? Mrs. Gray? Yes, she had kept his
name all these years. She had not been able to give it up. She had given up too
much. It was the one thing she could hold on to of his. Of course, when asked
why she still went by the name Angie Gray, she always said it was because that
was how she had been known professionally.
I’ve always used that career as
an excuse when I did not want to face reality
. It had become her crutch for
all of these years.  

“Mrs. Gray, now is it? We are being formal this evening,”
she teased him as she walked beside him.

“No, I just like calling you Mrs. Gray. It still has a nice
ring to it after all these years.”

She smiled to herself. Her heart leapt into her throat at
his words. This was going to be a very strange evening indeed. Was she up to
it? 

He led her into his suite on the fourth floor of the hotel.
“Actually, my dear, I was hoping you would agree to my plan, and I took the
liberty of ordering the food already. I ordered all of your old favorites. I
just have to call down and let them know what time we want the meal delivered.
I’ll go ahead and give them a buzz. Pour yourself a glass of champagne. It’s
chilling over there.” He pointed to the desk, where the bottle of bubbly sat in
a bucket of ice, two fluted glasses next to it.