The Boss's Fake Fiancee (17 page)

Chapter Twenty

Melissa was standing in her bedroom, peering into the mirror over her dresser and carefully applying her last coat of lip gloss when the buzzer rang from the outside door to her apartment. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. Five forty-five. Garth was early.

Damn.

She set down the rose wand and trotted over to the intercom in the living room. She wore a brand-new dress she’d just bought from Estalyn. It had been a bridesmaid gown, but was perfect for the auction. The evening blue gown was cut in a similar style to the wedding dress she’d fallen in love with, but was gathered at the hip in a series of pleats that gave a little extra curve to her figure. She wore it with a pair of strappy golden heels, long earrings, and gold necklace. Her hair hung in loose curls around her neck and shoulders.

Melissa felt beautiful and sophisticated, and knew with an absolute certainty that Garth would do everything in his power to ignore her.

She’d left her mother at the wedding dress boutique just an hour before with a hug and a promise to call the next day. Amazingly enough, her tough words with Phoebe seemed to have broken down an unspoken barrier that had stood between them for years. Even though her mother didn’t like Garth any more than she had before, at least she understood Melissa’s choice, and was committed to doing whatever she could to support it.

The anticipation of seeing him after her outpouring of love to her mother had Melissa’s palms sweating and her throat clutching shut. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would see it in her face. Did “I love you” leave a visible marker on her lips or in her eyes?

“Come on up!” She pushed the front door buzzer without waiting for a response. She hadn’t yet decided what her tactic would be for the night. She wanted to talk to him about her feelings but wasn’t sure if she could without getting overly emotional. And she had no idea how he would react if she did.

Well, no, that wasn’t entirely true. She had a really good idea what he would do. He would shut down. Turn off. Refuse to listen.

But surely there was some way to make him listen. She didn’t know how deep his feelings for her went, but she knew he cared about her. She had to find a way to persuade him to take a risk on that emotion.

If only she knew how.

A knock sounded sharply at her door. She checked the keyhole as a matter of habit and sucked in a breath.

It wasn’t Garth.

She blinked, took a deep breath, and peered through the hole again.

The vision did not change. Standing on her doorstep was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a bump in his nose and the trademark Bencher blue eyes. And he was scowling hard enough to break glass.

“Brit?” Melissa stepped back from the door, her hand clutching instinctively at her chest. “Oh dear God, no.”

“Open the door, Melissa,” he ordered calmly.

Melissa actually felt a wave of dizziness pass through her. She sucked down a lungful of air.

No, no, no, no,
NO
.

He would ruin everything.

Orelian. ThinkSpeak.

Reporters.

The auction. Press. Pictures.

She forced her body into action, throwing open the door and grabbing his arm. “So what are you doing here?” she hissed as she dragged him inside.

He shook off her hand. “I want to know what the hell you’ve been doing. And where I can get my hands on that asshole.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. That was when Melissa noticed his rumpled button-down shirt and wrinkled khakis, and the line of exhaustion etched around his eyes.

“When did you get back to New York?” she asked.

He glanced at his watch. “Twenty-five minutes ago. Tori’s getting us coffee. I told her I needed a few minutes alone with you.”

“So you had time to dispose of the body?”

“So I could figure out what could possibly possess you to lie to your entire family, and most of the free world.”

His voice had taken on that eerie, quiet quality he only used when he was absolutely furious. “You have no right to talk to me this way.” Melissa injected as much confidence as she could into her tone.

“I disagree.” Brit ran his fingers through his hair. It had grown long, curling over his ears in a thick black wave.

“You shaved,” she realized with a start.

“What?”

“Tori told me you were growing your beard. I wanted to see it.”

Brit looked slightly shamefaced. “It was silly. But fun.”

Melissa studied him more closely. He looked different, though what exactly had changed was hard to identify. The dark shadow on his jaw was familiar, but the tan on his face, the relaxed attire—the shirt open at the neck, khakis sitting low on his waist—the thick gold band on his finger…

She squealed and grabbed his hand. “Wait, what is this?”

Brit dropped his eyes. “It’s…well…”

“It’s a wedding band, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Tori and I got married a week ago.”

“You eloped?” Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

“You know how Mom is,” he said, almost pleading. “And Tori doesn’t have any family to worry about. She really wanted you all to be there, but I didn’t want to get everyone in a tizzy over it, and we just fell in love with Scotland.”

“You are in so much trouble,” she breathed happily, thrilled to have the attention turned away from her own failures as a daughter. “Mom is going to kill you!”

“Oh, stop it,” he snapped. “We’re going to have another ceremony in a few months so she can do her whole crazy Phoebe thing. Besides, you’re the one who’s apparently faking an entire engagement, which I had to find out because our photographer had apparently been following the story of ‘America’s Sweetheart Steals the Heart of The Human Computer.’ So let’s talk about that again, shall we?”

Melissa crossed her arms over her chest. “Let’s not. It’s my business.”

Brit glowered. “You’re my sister. It’s my business, too.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure that familial tie doesn’t give you any right to meddle around in my affairs.”

“Really? Even if they’re singularly crazy? Even if you’ve been pressured by some jerk to pretend you’re engaged? Even if you’re lying to our parents and brothers, all of whom I called before I came, all of whom insisted this whole thing was real?”

Melissa stuck out her chin. “Yes. To all of that. My life. My crazy. Not yours.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“You’re going to leave,” she said, “and then you’re going to go home and sleep for the next twelve hours. After you wake up, you will pack, get on a plane and go to Aruba, or St. Croix, or wherever you and Tori want to spend the rest of your honeymoon. In a few days, you will discover that my engagement is over. You will roll over, apply a little more sunscreen to your wife’s back, and go back to reading whatever gruesome serial killer novel is popular right now. In a few weeks you’ll return and the whole thing will be over.”

“If you think I’m going to let him get away with this, you’re even loonier than I thought.” Brit’s hand formed a fist. “Tori told me everything. I don’t care if you did start the rumor—he had no right to force you into this.”

“He didn’t force me. I walked into this of my own accord.”

“Right,” Brit said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “He’s your boss, Melissa. You would have done whatever he told you.”

Her blood pressure rose. “Actually, brother dear, I happen to have both a brain and free will. I created this situation and I decided to help fix it. And yes, it might be more than a little strange, but you don’t know Garth. He would do anything to protect his grandmother, and now that I’ve met her, I would, too.”

Brit gritted his teeth. “This conversation is getting us nowhere. I’m going to kill him and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He finally seemed to take in her outfit. “Why are you dressed like that, anyway? I’ve never seen you in that sort of a dress.”

“If by that you mean a beautiful, sexy number that makes me look fantastic, you’re right. I’ve never owned a dress like this before. And I’m going to the Autism Advocates auction with Garth. Which is why you are going home, and shutting the blinds, and doing whatever you have to do to keep your big fat mouth shut.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “I realize I’ve let you push me around in the past, but it’s not going to work this time. I’m not going to let you hurt Garth, do you hear me? He’s in the middle of a very important deal right now, and I’m not going to have it all blown apart because my brother decided to make a scene.”

“I don’t understand why you’re protecting him,” Brit said. “He’s been treating you like a fool. You’ll never just walk away from this
engagement
.” He used finger quotes to demonstrate his disdain for the very word. “This story is going to follow you for the rest of your life. How is he going to repay you for that? I’ll tell you—he can’t. Which is exactly why I’m going to kill him.”

When some men got angry, they got loud. Brit got quiet. Now, his voice dropped to a silky, menacing promise. That, coupled with his bar-room brawl nose, not to mention his fighter’s stance, completed the picture of a man prepared to do exactly what he had said.

All of which had the odd, unintended effect of washing away Melissa’s anger.

“Of course he can’t repay me,” she said, placing her hand on her brother’s arm. “He doesn’t have to.”

Brit’s bossy, overprotective behavior was painfully familiar. Yet how could she stay mad at him for wanting to come to her rescue? This was
Brit
. The man who had been more like a father than a brother to her. The man who do anything to protect her—even risk a lifetime with the woman of his dreams.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “You’re a first-class busybody, you know that?”

He paused for a moment before returning the hug. His voice shook a little when she finally pulled away. “I won’t let any man hurt you again,” he said. “I didn’t keep Mark away from you like I should have. I can’t let it happen again. Not when you’re just starting to recover.”

She shook her head. “Brit, I know you’re doing this because you love me, but it’s not your job to protect my heart. That’s
my
job.”

The front door buzzer startled both of them. Brit walked over and pushed the intercom. “Tori, is that you?”

“Yes—but why are you answering Melissa’s door? Is she alive in there? You promised me you wouldn’t kill her. Melissa, I am so sorry! I wanted to call but Brit insisted we jump on a plane the second he found out and he was hell-bent on talking to you in person first. He was so mad that I hadn’t told him about this from the start that I agreed but I feel terrible and—”

She started to say something else but Brit pushed the button to unlock the door. He shook his head and leaned into the intercom. “Just come up,” he said.

Brit turned to Melissa and heaved a deep sigh. “That woman talks more than any other person on the planet.”

Melissa didn’t have the heart to be mad at Tori. Not when she knew just how difficult the other woman’s road to love had been. Not when her brother’s voice spilled over with such obvious affection. “And you love her for it.”

“I do.” He paused, and a tender look appeared in his eyes. Then gave his head a quick shake and focused again on Melissa. “But ’Lis, I don’t understand any of this. Can’t you explain, just a little?”

The confused, concerned note in his voice, following the moment in which his love for Tori might as well have been written across his face with a giant permanent marker, turned some internal spigot to “on” and tears welled up in Melissa’s eyes. She waved a hand in front of her face and sucked in a breath, trying for calm. “Oh, it’s just…the whole thing is absurd, really…” Her throat closed, and she had to stop to hold back a fresh wave of tears.

“Now you’re worrying me.” Brit touched her shoulder gently. “What’s really going on?”

“I’m in love with him, okay?” she burst out. “I love the stupid man more than I can possibly express. So you’re going to have to hold off on killing him. At least until I figure out what to do about it.”

Brit’s reaction—the first wave of realization and pity, and then slow build of anger and fear—hurt almost as much as the confession. She knew what he was thinking: what would happen to her this time? How bad would things get when she was rejected again?

But then she heard the sound of a quiet, feminine exclamation. Melissa turned to the door in horror. The door she’d left unlocked when she dragged Brit inside. The door in which Tori and
Garth
now stood. Tori, barely standing as tall as Garth’s shoulder, her curly hair loose and wild around her shoulders, looking happier and more relaxed than Melissa had ever seen—except for the look of shock on her face.

Garth, wearing his tuxedo, looking dark and distinguished, his jaw sharp, eyes steely.

Standing in the doorstep.

Watching.

And listening.

Chapter Twenty-one

They’d heard every word. Of course. Because really, in Melissa’s world, things didn’t just go wrong. They went horribly wrong. Horribly, spectacularly, fantastically wrong.

She didn’t just get cheated on by her boyfriend—she discovered her boyfriend making whoopee on her kitchen table with her only friend for three thousand miles.

She didn’t just lash out and make up a stupid rumor that a few people spread—her rumor ended up on the cover of a tabloid read by millions.

And she didn’t just fall in love with a normal man—she fell in love with the human computer, and then inadvertently confessed her love to him with her brother and his wife standing alongside.

“Sorry, Melissa,” Tori squeaked. “He walked up right as I…” She trailed off, her gaze darting between Garth and Melissa.

She couldn’t look away. Garth’s dark, fathomless eyes were locked on hers. No emotion, not a trace of sympathy, pity, or love passed across his granite features. Nothing. He was as rigid and cold as a statue. Finally, after an endless, interminable pause, he drew a breath.

They all drew a deep, collective breath.

Garth turned to her brother. “You must be Brit.” He stepped forward, hand extended.

Brit crossed his arms over his chest. “I am.”

Garth dropped his hand. He eyed Brit calmly. “And you’re not happy.”

“You used my sister,” Brit said, his voice full of silky menace. He rubbed his knuckles lightly, his fist a surprisingly competent reminder that while he might now be a successful businessman, inside he was still the boy who’d grown up on the streets of New York, looking for trouble. “You lied to my parents and my brothers. You’re damned lucky you’re still standing.”

Garth’s voice revealed nothing. “I see.” He turned to Melissa. “Shall we go?”

Brit narrowed his gaze. “That’s it?”

“I’m not going to argue, if that’s what you’re expecting,” Garth replied. “And given that, I’m not sure there’s anything else to say.”

Brit took a step closer. Up close, the two men were similar in height and build, though Garth had a few inches on Brit, and where Brit practically vibrated with repressed fury, Garth was a chilly emotionless statue. “I want an explanation. I want to know exactly what happened, why, and how you’re going to fix it.”

“Well, you’re not going to get any of that,” Melissa said. She grabbed Brit’s arm and tugged hard in the direction of the doorway. “You’re going to leave. Garth and I need to talk.”

Brit crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m staying.”

“Oh no, you aren’t!” Tori grabbed Brit’s other hand, helping Melissa to pull him out of the apartment. She shot a quick, meaningful glance at Garth as she did. “I’m not sure whether to say sorry or punch you, but for now, I’m going with removing my oaf of a husband from Melissa’s apartment.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Brit’s scowl deepened. “Not if he’s here.”

Melissa pushed him the last of the way out the door. “Sorry, big brother, but you have no role in this.” She spared a quick glance at Tori, unable to take in the concern in her friend’s big brown eyes. “I’m sorry you had to cut short your honeymoon.”

Tori waved a dismissive hand. “I was getting bored of being on vacation anyway.” She darted forward and grabbed Melissa in a quick, tight hug. “So sorry, hon. Call me in the morning,” she whispered into Melissa’s ear.

Melissa nodded, watching as her brother and Tori disappeared down the stairs. Then she took a deep breath and looked back at Garth. “I apologize for my brother.”

“It’s understandable. I’d probably feel the same way, if you were my sister.”

Melissa stepped back inside and closed the door behind her. A chill broke over her skin, and goose bumps danced across her arms and shoulders. “So I guess you heard what I was saying,” she said, her voice wobbling. Her heart beat like a hummingbird, whirring in her chest so quickly it was difficult to catch her breath.

A tiny part of her imagined him taking her into his arms, kissing her deeply, and sharing his own, everlasting love. But even that tiny spark of hope sputtered moments later, when he made no move in her direction. If he was going to take her in his arms, he had clearly missed his cue.

“I did.” He paused, and the moment hung in the air with deep, painful tension. “But Melissa, you have to know I don’t—”

She cut him off, knowing what was coming. “You care about me, Garth. I know you do. And we’re good together. Really good. I know this isn’t what you wanted, and it’s inconvenient and messy, but that’s what life is about.” She put her hands on her hips, staring defiantly at him, refusing to look away. “The truth is that I fell in love with you. And you may not feel the same, but at least I know you feel something. So why not give this a chance? Why walk away now, when we have the chance for something more?”

“I don’t do relationships. You know that. I’ve said it over and over.”

“You’ve said a lot of things,” she said. “A lot of things that don’t make a bit of sense. You love deeply—perhaps more deeply than any man I’ve ever known. I know relationships aren’t easy for you, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to walk away from someone you care about.”

Garth spread his hands. “Melissa,” he said, his voice rough, “you’ve made up some fantasy of who you think I am, but you’re wrong. This is all wrong. You’re looking for something I can’t give, and you’ll only be disappointed when you figure out the truth.”

“That’s bullshit,” Melissa shot back. “You don’t have the foggiest idea of what I want, or the man I fell in love with.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true,” she flared. “You can’t tell me not to feel it, or that I don’t know who you are. I
do
know. I’ve seen you at your best and your worst and I’m sorry, but I fell in love with the whole package. The guy who makes me feel beautiful and whole, who asks what I want and listens to my answers, and who couldn’t make it through a family brunch without turning into a cold stranger. Why can’t you believe that?”

Garth ran his fingers through his hair and turned toward the window. He gave a short, harsh laugh, not looking at her as he began to speak. “You know, Nan sent me to a therapist after my parents died. She worried that I was having trouble making friends, and didn’t understand why I got so nervous in social situations. The therapist had a label for me, something neither Nan or I had ever heard of: Asperger’s syndrome. She came up with lots of recommendations for helping me adjust, but in the end there wasn’t any way to fix it. I’m not normal, Melissa, and I never will be.”

Melissa’s breath rushed out. She wasn’t surprised, really. She knew too much about the autism spectrum not to have recognized it in Garth. Still, it was the last piece of the puzzle, and it completed everything she already knew about him. His devotion to ThinkSpeak. His tireless intellect. His difficulty reading her emotions. She pictured him as a child, his awkwardness and dislike of social situations becoming magnified bit by bit as he was teased and bullied. She pictured him recovering from the loss of his parents even while he struggled to make sense of his own ability to relate to others—or lack thereof. She pictured a boy who was too smart, who liked all the wrong things and didn’t understand why people gave him such a hard time for being the person he was.

And fell that much deeper in love.

“Garth,” Melissa said softly, “you aren’t the only person to struggle with this.”

Garth held out his hands in mute acknowledgment of her words. “I’m no kind of partner, Melissa. I’m half a man, and there’s no way to fix me. No way to make it better.”

“You
are
a whole person. And I fell in love with him.” She willed him to understand, to feel what was in her heart. “I don’t want to fix you.”

A muscle jumped in his cheek. “What happened with your parents wasn’t a fluke. Remember how I pissed you off, that morning at Seesaw? That’s how I am. I’m better alone. That way no one gets hurt.”

Melissa’s stomach lurched. “No. You’re not better alone, and we’ve gone way too far to avoid having someone get hurt.” She walked over to the window and touched his arm. “What you’re talking about is window dressing, Garth. I’ve seen the person you are underneath all that. I’ve watched you with Nan, and seen how you care for Jess and those silly dogs. I know what happens when you love something. It isn’t what you say to them that matters. It’s what you do. It’s how you feel. But you have to be willing to take a chance.” She drew in a deep breath, steeling herself for the question she had to ask. “I don’t know how you feel about me, but if you do love me—even just a little—isn’t it worth giving it a try?”

She waited, her breath yearning in her chest, watching his face for some reaction. Some expression. But nothing came.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I can’t.”

The air expelled from her lungs in a whoosh. Jagged, tiny pinpricks of pain attacked her from all sides but she forced herself not to look away. “But why? Why walk away from this before you know what it could be?”

“Let it go.” His voice came low. Tense.

“I love you!” she cried. “I can’t let it go.”

A rough groan emerged from somewhere deep in his gut. “Damn it, Melissa, I’m tired of hurting, okay? I’m tired of trying and failing. I did it, over and over when I was young. I can’t tell you how many times I asked a woman out and she looked at me like I was crazy, or the way it felt when I realized I had no idea that Samantha didn’t share my feelings for her. I can’t do it anymore. Not for you, or anyone else. I’m sure it sounds fun and romantic to try to save me but you’ll just be disappointed in the long run, and I’m not prepared to go through it again.”

His words cut through her. She hadn’t expected that. She had thought he would reject her, tell her he didn’t love her, or maybe even look at her with pity. But she hadn’t expected the broken look on his face.

“I don’t want to save you,” she said, low and urgent. “You don’t need saving. I know things won’t be perfect and we’ll fight and I’ll misunderstand, and you’ll get frustrated. That’s okay. It’s worth it.”

He held up a hand. “No,” he said, in a tone that brooked no compromise. “It’s not. Not for either of us. You have no idea what it feels like to go through this, Melissa, or you’d agree.”

“You think I’ve never been hurt?” Melissa stared at him, her stomach locking with anger. “You think I’ve never been humiliated? Or had my heart broken by the man I trusted with my heart and soul?”

Garth looked down at his hands. “I wasn’t thinking about that.”

“No, you’re right. You weren’t thinking. You’ve convinced yourself that because you’ve got some special label, your pain is different or worse than everyone else’s. Well, it isn’t. We all fall down, Garth. People hurt us and we trust the wrong people and love the wrong people and then have to pick ourselves up and do it again.”

She stared at him for an endless moment, but his eyes only got colder, and his body more rigid. Finally, she blew out a breath in surrender. “Fine. I promised to play this game until Nan’s doctor visit, and I will. But come Saturday morning, I’m done.”