Table For Two: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Two (20 page)

“Z
oey, stop trying to mother me. I never needed one, never will,” Dean said harshly. He didn’t know why everyone seemed to be gathered in his room this morning, everyone except Tessa.
The only one I really need to see right now.

“Dean, you can tell yourself you don’t need anyone, but we all know differently. Don’t we guys?” Zoey asked the brothers.

“I’m not sure he needs us, but I agree with Zoey; Dean does need one person,” Shaun answered.

His head was pounding and his body hurting like a bastard because he refused to take any more pain meds. He wanted up and out of this place. If no one was willing to get him some clothes, he had no objection to walking out of there in his hospital gown with his bare ass exposed.

As if there weren’t enough people in his room already, Bennett and Beckett entered. Dean noticed Bennett’s arm was in a sling.

“Good to see you’re alive,” Beckett said.

“You’re damn lucky to be alive with a fool-ass move like you pulled,” Bennett added.

“Give the guy a break, Bennett. Maybe one day when you find a woman who can put up with your sorry ass then you’ll understand,” Beckett said.

“What foolish thing did my brother do?” Zoey asked Bennett.

He shook his head. “Decided to play hero and step in front of Beckett and me, blocking our line of fire. He’s lucky he’s alive.”

“You did what?” Zoey yelled, turning to Dean.

“I would have done the same thing for my wife, Danielle. Thankfully it worked. Your foolishness caused him to take the gun off Tessa. Your actions probably saved her life,” Beckett said. “With Tim no longer being an issue, it looks like my work here is done; you’re alive, and Tessa is safe back home in Denfield. Unlike my friend Bennett here, I have a wife and kids waiting to see me.”

He didn’t see them leave. Beckett’s words replayed in his mind again and again.
Tessa’s in Denfield. She really left.

It was what he wanted, or at least, what he had said he wanted. She should be able to have a normal life there, maybe meet and fall in love with the guy next door, and have a bunch of kids.

Thinking of her with another man filled him with tension, causing even more pain to run through him. He didn’t care. The physical pain was nothing compared to seeing a gun pressed against Tessa’s temple. At that moment, he could have lost her for good. If she were to stay here with a man like him she would be risking her life all over again. It was better this way.
For you, at least, Tessa. Your happiness is all that matters to me.

Dean turned to Logan. “Can you get me sprung from here?”

His brother looked at all the machines, reading his vital signs. “Probably not a wise idea Dean, but that isn’t something you’re taking into consideration. If I get you out of here, you’re going to need to stay with one of us.”

Hell, no. That ain’t ever happening.
“I can take care of myself,” Dean said gruffly.

“Well then, you might as well look at the lunch menu because I’m not signing the release papers,” Logan said seriously.

“I’ll stay with him,” Zoey said.

Dean shot her a warning look.

“Let her stay with you, and I sign. Your choice,” Logan stated.

Dean hated this. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Having a live-in babysitter, making sure he followed the doctor’s orders, especially when the doctor was your own brother, was going to be bad enough. Zoey as that babysitter was going to be torture. She’d never shut up and let him rest. But it was better than here.

Nodding to Logan, Dean said, “Get it done.” Then turning to Zoey, he said, “You can start by getting me some clothes, unless you want me walking out of here like this.” He threw the blankets off and tried to get up. He winced from the pain. The stitches pulled where he was shot twice in his right leg and then once in his right shoulder.
Suck it up buddy, or you aren’t going anywhere.

Logan walked over to the bed. “Let’s get one thing straight. You are not walking out of here. Not walking anywhere for a least a week. That leg needs to heal. If you’re leaving, it’s going to be in a wheelchair, and that’s what you are using at home too. Understood?”

Dean normally would tell him off but he would play the good patient now.
When I get home, it’s my rules.

He lay back on the bed, faking a smile with his good arm resting behind his head. “You’re the doctor.”

Alex laughed. “You really must have him medicated, Logan. He’s agreeable and smiling. I better get out of here before he starts crying on us.”

“Leave him alone, Alex. He’s had a rough week,” Brice commented. “And if Zoey is staying with him, it’s only going to get worse.”

“You guys are horrible,” Zoey said as she walked over and kissed Dean on the forehead. “I’ll go get your clothes and be back.”

Once she and Logan were out of the room, Dean turned to Brice and said, “You’ve got to get me out of this. There is no way I can do this for a week. Did you see her? She kissed me like I’m five years old. I’m not going to have her nagging and taking my temperature and watching what I eat or drink. There has to be another option.”

Brice nodded. “I have a few ideas. You just rest; I’ll handle everything. And call me if you need anything.”

I know what I need. Tessa. But she doesn’t need me. She needs someone a hell of a lot better than I am.

Tessa had been able to hold it together the first two days back in Denfield, but as time went on, she was losing it. She spent the last twenty-four hours crying her eyes out. First, because she loved him and couldn’t be there to take care of him, and second, because he told her to leave and never look back.

Had she misread him so much? Although he had never said the words, Tessa really thought Dean loved her. He was still recovering from being shot three times, but he actually told her to leave. That was shocking enough, but she thought he would try to stop her or contact her. Neither had happened.
I guess he meant it when he said go home. He really doesn’t want me. If it weren’t for getting kidnapped, he probably never would’ve been shot.

Bennett had warned her about Tim. She chose not to listen. Look where that got her.
Look where it got Dean. Almost killed because I had to prove I belonged in the big city. Me, a country girl, pretending that I belong there. What was I thinking?

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door. “Tess. There is a man here to see you,” her mother said.

Tessa pulled herself off the bed and ran to look in the mirror. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her hair a mess. There was no way she could go downstairs to see Dean looking like this. If she thought he didn’t want her before, he surely wasn’t going to after seeing her like this.

“Mom, tell Dean I will need a few minutes.”

“It’s not Dean.”

The overwhelming joy she had been feeling was crushed. There wasn’t anyone else she wanted to see. She wanted to stay locked in her room all day and cry it out. Was there a problem with that? One day of crying, and then tomorrow would be better.
At least, I hope it will be.

“Mom, tell whoever it is I’m not here.” Asking her mother to lie for her was not a wise choice, and she was going to hear about that later, but right now she couldn’t face anyone.

“Young lady, get yourself ready, and I’ll give him some tea while you do. But you are not going to sit in this room pouting. Do you hear me?”

It was a tone she remembered too well from growing up. At twenty-six, she would think her mother wouldn’t still use that on her, but it was not going out of style in this house.

“Thanks, Mom.” It was the only answer she could give without getting her father involved in the lecture.

When she came downstairs about ten minutes later, she was shocked to see Brice standing there. “Brice, what are you doing here? Is Dean okay? Nothing happened to him, right?” The panic was evident in her voice.

“No; that’s why I am here. Is there someplace we can talk more privately?” Brice said, hinting that her parents might not want to hear what was about to be said.

Tessa wasn’t sure she was ready for it either. “Let’s go out on the porch.”

She followed him, and on her way out she grabbed a couple of tissues.
Whatever it is, it can’t be good.

D
ean didn’t mean to take his foul mood out on Zoey, but it didn’t matter what she tried to do, it wasn’t her he wanted there. If he couldn’t be with Tessa, then he wanted to be alone.

“You’re not eating dinner in that ugly T-shirt. For once, please get dressed like you care,” Zoey said. “Tonight we are eating outside. It is a beautiful night, and I deserve better company than this, but I’ll settle for at least a great view of the city.”

He really wanted his penthouse back to himself. Having a sister tell him to dress better was pushing it over the edge. Dean’s leg was far from healed, but he could get around without her assistance.
She only keeps me from doing anything I want.

Dean humored her, pulled off the shirt he was wearing, and put on a nice polo shirt. Nothing matched the sweat pants he was wearing. Once the swelling went down on his right leg and the bandages were taken off, he was putting on jeans no matter what Doctor Logan Henderson said.

He headed for the patio where he reluctantly had agreed to have dinner. When he was outside, he saw the night sky lit up with stars and heard soft music playing in the background.
Great. A perfect setup for a night with Tessa, and I get to spend it with my sister. What a fucking cruel joke life is playing on me.

As he wheeled around the corner of the patio, he saw the table set for two, and in the center was a vase filled with daisies. All he wanted to do was push the wheelchair back inside and lock the door, leaving Zoey outside. Instead, he felt a push from behind, and his chair was heading to the waiting table.

As the wind blew, he inhaled the sweet scent that he had yearned for,
Tessa.

Peering over his shoulder, he saw her standing behind his chair. “What are you doing here?”

“Zoey was tired of getting yelled at all the time, so your family thought maybe it was time to bring in someone who could tolerate your . . . should we say . . . difficult attitude,” Tessa answered.

He didn’t really care why she was here. He only wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her he was sorry for acting like such an ass, sending her away. Of course, he was still not in any shape to fulfill those wishes and show her his feelings.
At least not the way I want to.

“I hope you’re hungry. I made dinner,” Tessa said.

Dean could only stare at her. She was the most beautiful sight he could ask for. It had only been a week since they last saw each other, yet she seemed different.
More confidence maybe?

“Where’s Zoey?” Not that he wanted to talk about his sister, but he needed to make sure she was gone, and Tessa was staying.

“I suspect she went home. Would you like me to call and ask her to return?”

“No,” he blurted out. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate and love his sister, but enough was enough. All he needed was right in front of him.

Tessa sat opposite from him. “You look like you’re healing well. What have the doctors said?”

“I don’t want to talk about them.”

She arched her brow. “Then what do you want to talk about?”

This was not the way he envisioned saying the words to her. The last few nights he could only dream about it. He would be making sweet love to her and telling her how he felt. Dean knew no injury was going to interfere with him enjoying her tonight.

“I want to talk about us,” Dean said.

“That would be nice. Why don’t you go first?” Tessa asked, smiling sweetly.

You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you? That’s okay, I deserve it and more. But I plan on making it up to you.
“I’ve missed you.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell since you didn’t call,” Tessa said plainly.

“I could say it’s because I was recovering, but we both know that would be a lie,” Dean said.

Tessa nodded. Although she knew it was the truth, he could tell this still hurt her. That was not his intention, but he didn’t want to play games with her. He almost lost her twice. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.

“I thought it was best we didn’t talk.”

“So you thought after everything we shared, that just sending me away and forgetting about me was the best?” She snorted her frustration. “For an intelligent man, you sure can be quite dumb sometimes.”

“On certain things, yes.

“Like what exactly?” Tessa asked.

He moved his wheelchair so that he could sit next to her. Taking her hand in his, he said, “For one, only a damn fool would send someone like you away.”

She didn’t say a word, only watched him.

Lifting her hand to his lips, he placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “There are so many things I can’t resist about you.” Kissing one finger, he said, “First, your green eyes are the portal to your soul. No matter what you’re feeling, one look and I know.” He kissed another finger. “Second, your smile can melt my heart and drop me to my knees.” Kissing yet another finger, he continued, “Third, you are brilliant. You stepped into a billion-dollar company in shambles, took the top position in Human Resources, and did it better than any of your predecessors. I’m sure you could master anything you set your mind to.”

Then kissing her last finger, he said, “Finally, it’s not anything you do or who you are, but it’s what I feel when I’m with you.” Reaching out with his other hand, he softly touched her cheek. “You make me feel . . .”

“What?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Loved. I feel loved.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek and over his hand which was still touching her. “You are loved, Dean. More than you know.”

“And so are you, Tessa. More than you know, and more than I ever thought humanly possible.”

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

“Tessa, look at me,” Dean said.

She opened her eyes as he had asked, but they glistened with tears.

“I know I don’t deserve you, but please forgive me for how I treated you. You’ve had me tied up in knots from the moment I laid eyes on you the day I knocked the files out of your hands. You’ve been on my mind ever since. I can’t picture my life without you.”

“I’m here now,” Tessa said.

“Now and forever? That’s what I want. More than I will ever be able to express. If you give me a chance, I’ll like to spend the rest of my life trying to show you.”

Tessa couldn’t believe her ears. When Brice came to her and said Dean needed her help because he was struggling with his injuries, she had believed him. It was obvious that his wounds were far from healed, but a caregiver was not why Brice came and got her.

If she hadn’t come back, would he have gone to her? She wasn’t so sure. No phone call said a lot. He was still recovering from a serious life-threatening shooting. Many people trying to deal with such issues could get confused about their feelings. Was Dean going through that? Was he saying this now, but once he was fully recovered would he regret it? Would he want to go back to his old hard ways?

“Dean, what changed? Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

He looked at her and said sincerely, “Because I’m a stubborn jackass and knew that you deserved better than me. But now, I’m feeling very selfish, and I don’t care. I need you, Tessa. My life is never going to be the same, and it has nothing to do with getting shot. It happened the day you entered my life. I’m not going to let you leave again.”

“I didn’t want to leave; you told me to leave.”

He nodded. “That was a mistake. I thought it was best for you.”

That angered her. He sent her away for her own good, not even taking into consideration what she wanted? And now she was supposed to believe all the pain she felt was for her benefit.
Hell, no.

“Dean I knew what I wanted and was ready. You had no right to take the choice away from me.”

“You’re right. That won’t happen again.”

She still was not hearing what she needed to. He wanted now and forever. He could tell her he was sorry, but yet the three words she needed to hear still hadn’t been spoken. Maybe they never would. It was possible he was incapable of saying them, but she didn’t believe it.

“I know, but I need more.”

“More than forever?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“What more is there?”

She got up and tried to walk away. Telling him, saying the words, would only hurt her.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her onto his lap. She felt him tense up as her weight hit his lap. She knew she was resting on his injury and causing him pain.

“Dean, let me up. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then marry me,” Dean said.

The words echoed through her. “Why?”

“Tessa, why else would a man ask a woman to marry him? Because I love you, Tessa. More than life itself, so you better say yes,” he said while looking at her.

“I love you too, Dean.”

“Is that yes? Because if not, you might as well have left me on that floor; I can’t live without you.”

The tears were now streaming down her face. “Say it again.”

“Tessa Brooks, I love you and want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” Dean asked tenderly.

With all my heart, I’m yours.
Wrapping her arms around him, she answered, “Yes, Dean. I’ll be your wife, now and forever.”

As she leaned in to kiss him, he winced under the weight of her body. Tessa tried to pull herself off him but he held her in place on his lap with his left arm.

“Don’t leave me, Tessa.” His voice was not demanding like she had gotten used to. “The best medicine for me is you in my arms.” He cupped her face and pulled her to him. “I love you, Tessa. Welcome home.”

Home.
That is exactly how she felt. Dean was home. “I love you, Dean. I won’t ever leave you again.”

He kissed her, and all the nightmares of what happened while held captive began to fade away. She knew they still had so much to work out, to deal with; but like his wounds, they would work them out together. That was a journey she was willing to take, because it was going to be with Dean, the one man she couldn’t live without.
Finally, my timing is perfect.