My Chance (Chance #2) (15 page)

“Hey, relax. You’re making me nervous,” I said.

He kissed my hand then lowered it to his thigh. “I’m fine.” He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but it wasn’t working.

“Would it be better if I didn’t go into his office? I can wait in the lobby.”
Please tell me I can wait in the lobby.

“No, you’re coming with me. This is about us.”

Damn.
“Okay.” My nerves were getting the better of me. I kept taking deep, deliberate breaths.

We pulled up in front of the building encased in black glass, and Alex turned his car over to valet. We headed to the elevator. As people hurried in and out of it, I felt as though we were entering the subway. Everyone looked professional in their business attire. I had on jeans and a sweater, as did Alex. For some reason, he looked better than I did. The only person dressed more casually than us was the bike messenger guy who had on a spandex riding outfit. I watched the numbers increase by floor. Fifteen—ding—Alex excused us through the crowd. I noticed some women’s roaming eyes, which just made me roll mine.

We approached the door to Logan Industries, and Alex stopped and pulled me into a hug. He didn’t say anything. He kissed the top of my head. I loved it, and he needed it. We walked in and were greeted by Darla. She gave me half a glance, but Alex got the majority of her attention. I remembered her from the benefit and how she’d wanted him to kiss her hand and he didn’t. That thought made me smile.

“Mr. Logan, your father said to send you in when you arrived. I was unaware…” Darla looked at me. “What’s your name?”

Alex chimed in, “Aubrey. Her name is Aubrey.”

She gave me a once-over. “Yes. I didn’t tell your father you wouldn’t be alone.”

“That’s fine, he’ll know soon enough. Thank you, Darla.”

We continued down the hall. He had a beautiful office. It was different from Walker-Stone’s. That reminded me I needed to call Brian. I was losing my train of thought. I heard a light knock, and a man’s voice told us to go in.

Alex squeezed my hand, opened the door, and we walked in. Mr. Logan saw me first and couldn’t hide his surprise and something else—maybe disappointment. I didn’t know.

He stood and came to greet us. “Aubrey, nice to see you again. I didn’t know you would be here.” He looked at Alex and extended his hand. “Son.” They shook hands.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Have a seat, please.”

Alex and I sat on the deep brown leather sofa situated on the left side of the rather large office. Mr. Logan’s beautiful desk was in front of the wall of windows with a wet bar to the right.

His father sat across from us in a matching leather chair. “I’m glad you wanted to see me. I’ve been meaning to call you.”

“Really, why did you want to see me?” Alex asked.

“Well, maybe this is better discussed in private.” His father looked at me and then at the door.

“I can step out.” I went to move, and Alex stopped me.

“No. You can say anything you need to, Dad. Aubrey and I don’t have secrets.” He looked at me and smiled.

Confidently, and with a little snark, he said, “Okay, if that’s the way you want it...”

“I do. Just come out with it, and then I can tell you why we’re here.”

His dad cleared his throat. “I received a call from Jarrod Pierce. To say that he’s extremely disappointed in you would be an understatement.”

I knew that last name, but I couldn’t place it.

Alex looked perplexed. “Why would I give a shit if he was disappointed in me?”

I felt my body tense.

Jack looked at me and then back at Alex. “Is it true that you banned Leah from the club?”

That’s where I knew that name; it was Leah’s last name. Jarrod must be her father.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s my place of business, and she’s disruptive. I don’t understand why that would disappoint him. He should be thankful I stopped his daughter from sleeping her way through my staff.”

He looked at Alex as though he couldn’t believe Leah would ever behave like the slut she was. Then he glanced at me and blurted, “He also wants her to be a Logan. For her not to be near you makes that nearly impossible.”

My eyes filled. Did Alex’s father want her to be a Logan too? I needed to get the hell out of there, but I knew Alex would never let me leave. I glanced at him, and his eyes were daggers. I’d never seen that look on his face. He was furious.

“So you marry her then. That brings me to why we’re here.” Alex sat up straighter. “I have asked Aubrey to be my wife. We’ll be married on December twenty-first. I hope you’ll be happy for us. We’d like to have your blessing. It isn’t necessary, but it’d be appreciated.”

He looked shocked and then apologetic. “Congratulations to you both. Aubrey seems like a lovely young woman.”

I felt extremely uncomfortable. Did he think I was good enough for his son? Did he think Leah was better? He didn’t even know me.

He looked at me. “I think we need to talk about logistics, son.”

“And what would they be?” Alex sounded infuriated.

“Why don’t I go wait outside?” I stood to leave.

Alex stood by my side. “No, I think we’re done here.”

His father walked over to his desk, opened the top drawer, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Alex. “Here’s Matthew Garrison’s card. He’ll handle your prenuptial agreement. You
will
have an agreement in place. I’m sorry, Aubrey, but Alex will be worth more than a small fortune when I pass.”

I swallowed hard, and my eyes filled. I started counting because I had a feeling an attack was on the horizon. Did he think I only was with Alex for his money? I didn’t even know how much he had. I wondered if I should chime in and tell him I wasn’t interested in any of the Logan money or businesses; my only interest was Alex. Funny thing was, Leah was the one who would need the prenuptial agreement, yet he preferred her as a daughter-in-law. The only thought getting me through the meeting was Alex knowing that I loved him for him and nothing else.

“No. We will have no such agreement. My marriage is not a business arrangement, and it won’t be treated like one. Maybe if you’d felt that way about Mom, she’d still be here.”

I couldn’t believe Alex had said that to his father. I was breathing too much, and I was getting lightheaded.

Alex pulled me into his side. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I didn’t know if my voice worked at that point, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

He kissed my temple. “Let’s get out of here.” Alex looked at his dad. “Thanks for making my visit everything I hoped it wouldn’t be.” With his arm around me, we started for the door.

“Son, wait.”

Alex’s head dropped. He turned around. “What?”

“I’m happy for you and Aubrey. Apparently her sight has returned, and I’m happy for that too. I’m sorry if I dampened your announcement. But please think about what I said. It’s your future, son.”

I couldn’t look at Jack anymore, so I focused on Alex’s chest.

Alex motioned between us. “It’s our future. I won’t let you or anyone else tell me how to live or what I need to do. Aubrey is my life. Accept it or don’t, I really don’t give a shit.”

Alex opened the door and led me through it. We walked past Darla to the elevator. Alex pushed the down button and the door opened. I was happy that it was empty. Alex moved to the back wall and leaned on the brass bar running across it.

He elbowed the wall. “Fuck!”

I was startled. “I’m sorry.” My voice was shaky. I didn’t know what else to say.

“What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything. I’m the one who’s sorry for my jackass of a father. I suppose I should have expected it, since he’s all about protecting the family business, but he knows I don’t feel that way. It never dawned on me that he would spring this on us. But for you to apologize… I won’t have it, okay?”

I nodded. I felt as though I did a lot of that lately.

“How are you feeling? I was so worried you were going to have a black-out moment.”

“Honestly, I thought I would too. Thankfully, I had taken my pill, and I’ve been practicing my relaxation techniques.” I was happy I had an appointment with Dr. Russo tomorrow. I wanted her to help me recognize triggers before I felt as though I needed a paper bag to breathe into.

The elevator door opened, and I couldn’t wait to leave. We exited the elevator and went to get Alex’s car. Darla must have called down to valet because it was waiting for us. The valet went to open my door when Alex stepped in front of him.

“I got it,” Alex said.

And my door was opened by my man. After Alex closed my door and tipped the valet, he got in. He took off as quickly as he could, darting through NYC traffic.

I put my hand on his leg and felt his muscles tense as he pressed the accelerator. “Hon, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. He just pisses me off, ya know? I mean, be happy for me once in your fucking life. I excelled in sports, and he didn’t give a shit. I have a successful club, and that’s not good enough. I bring my beautiful fiancée to his office, and he mentions another woman and then a prenuptial agreement. My mom would have never done that. Some days I wish it had been him in the car, and not my mom and sister. That makes me just as awful as him, right?”

“I’ll sign.”

“What?”

“I’ll sign whatever your dad wants. I heard everything you said, but whether you like it or not, he’s your dad. He’s all you have left. If it’ll make things better, I’ll sign the agreement. I’m not with you for your money. Having you and your love makes me the richest woman alive, so I’ll sign.”

He pulled into the small lot next to the club. “No. There won’t be an agreement. The thing you will be signing is the marriage license. He’s not all I have left. I have you and our future family. I know you aren’t with me for money. You’ve never made me feel that way.”

Deep down, I was a little relieved that Alex didn’t want me to sign anything. That would have made me think he didn’t trust me or us; we’d promised to always trust one another. “Okay, but I want you to know that if you need me to, I will.”

He opened the car door and walked around to mine. He closed my door and backed me up against it. His hands threaded through my hair as his lips crushed mine. I felt his tongue, so I opened to him. I closed my eyes and savored his taste. I breathed him in and prayed that everything would work out. Our tongues danced together, and I felt a growing need for him. I wanted to cross my legs, but Alex was standing between them. He broke the kiss and rested his head against mine.

“Me and you, right?” He sounded desperate, like he did when he told me he was Chance.

I smiled. “Forever.”

“Good answer. Now, I need to check on a couple things in here. I won’t be long. No one is here except for a few staff members.”

“I think I’d like to call Brian and talk to him about my job.”

“I think that’s a great idea. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you. If you don’t want to go back to Walker-Stone, I could use you here.” He winked.

I laughed. “Why, Mr. Logan, what are you proposing?”

“Well, I’ve heard that some secretaries like to help their bosses relieve tension.” He winked and smiled that smile I loved.

“Hmmm, is that so? Well, remind me to never let you hire a secretary. Let’s go in and see if I can relieve your tension.”

We practically ran into his office. He reached for the bottom of my sweater and removed it. My bra quickly followed. His hands roamed all over me. He picked me up and laid me down on the couch. He unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, pulled them off, and stood. He looked at me as if he didn’t know what to do.

“You’re stunning. Do you know that?”

I looked at him. “Take your shirt off.”

He did.

“And your pants.”

He did.

I stared at every inch of my man. “Now that is stunning.” I licked my lips and reached for him.

He lay on top of me. “I want you so much. Every day, I need you more. You’re my addiction.”

I licked my lips. “What are you going to do about it?”

He made a sound that sounded like a growl. He removed my thong and his boxer briefs. “I’m going to love you eternally.”

I melted. “Good, now come here.”

We made love, and we held on to each other. I loved that part of love making. There’s nothing better than being held by the man that holds my heart. I kissed Alex and asked him if he still had work to do since he hadn’t done a thing except make amazing love to me.

“Yeah, I need to go check on deliveries and bar stock.”

I started to move.

“Wait, just a few more minutes.” He kissed my cheek and the corner of my lips. He pulled me close and breathed into my hair. “I need to hold you a little while longer.” He brought put his ear over my heart. “Let me listen to the beat of your heart, okay?”

I had never felt more connected to anyone. I knew something was bothering him, which bothered me. I figured it had to be his dad. “Are you okay?”

Not moving away from my chest, he said, “Yeah, I’m perfect. You’re perfect. I was thinking that I’d like to go to the cemetery to tell my mom and sister about us.”

“Okay.”

“I want to introduce you to them. I prayed for my mom to bring you back to me, and then to God to make you see again. I’d have given you up for you to have your sight back. I was so afraid when my dad brought up all that bullshit today. I didn’t want you to have an episode.”

I pulled back and looked into his eyes. I studied him. I saw the worry, but more importantly, I saw the honesty. “I’d love to go to the cemetery and see your mom and sister. I wish I could’ve met them. I don’t want you to worry about my vision anymore. I want to live with you and for you.” I closed my eyes and traced his face with my fingers the way I had when I couldn’t see. I opened my eyes, and he was studying me. “You’ll never lose me, and I’d give up my sight to be with you. My heart will always be yours.” I gave him a soft kiss. His lips made me feel safe and loved.

We laid there for a few more minutes until we heard his cell phone vibrate. Alex went downstairs, and I sat at his desk to call Brian about my job. He told me that of course I could come back. Thanks to the increase in business, Mark wouldn’t be affected by my return. I would go back to work next week.