A Promise of Forever (6 page)

She had kept her toy in her nightstand and had aptly named it Gianfranco.
If she couldn’t have the real man, she would settle for the fantasy.

After a quick shower, Katelyn pulled herself together and tried to decide what to tell Jenny about their unexpected trip to Montana.
They would be leaving in the morning and if she hoped to be ready on time she would need Jenny’s full cooperation.
It wasn’t long before Jenny was bouncing through the door from school.
She was more than happy to hear about their upcoming journey.
Jenny was excited to be visiting her Uncle Kevin.
To her young daughter, this trip meant plenty of fun with her uncle and aunt who loved and spoiled her.

“We need to start packing tonight if we’re going to be ready to leave in the morning.
What do you say to pizza for dinner tonight after packing?” Katelyn asked while taking Jenny’s school bag from her little shoulders.
If there was one thing in her life that she had no regrets about it was the birth of her beautiful daughter and the unconditional love she felt for her.
For that very reason she was grateful for having had Gianfranco Broccolini in her life.

Although most of their dinner conversation weighed heavily on what Jenny would wear to the airport and what toys she would be allowed to bring aboard the plane, Jenny couldn’t contain her excitement about seeing and riding the horses again.

“Sweetheart, this is going to be a short visit.
I don’t know how many activities we are going to be able to fit in,” Katelyn reminded her daughter.
But Jenny didn’t care; all she knew was that she would get to see her uncle and aunt and get to ride a horse.
Jenny also knew that Sylvia would have a surprise for her; she always did when they came for a visit.
And her uncle would make sure that there was a tame horse ready for her to ride.
It was all Jenny could talk about.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
I can’t wait to leave,” Jenny chuckled excitedly.

“I’ll draw you a warm bath; then we’ll read a story together.
You’ll be asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.”
Katelyn smiled at her daughter.
What could be better than this?
She enjoyed all their private moments together so much.

An
hour later, Jenny was fast asleep.
Katelyn soaked in the sight of her beautiful sleeping child, thinking,
I was right
.
Moments like these were most memorable, watching Jenny as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
She caught Jenny’s little smile every once in awhile and thought angels had to be speaking to her child; at least that was what her mother had always told her in the past and believing it lifted her spirits.

Katelyn stood there, enjoying her daughter, for a few more seconds before reaching for the switch to turn off the light.
Someday
,
I will have to tell Jenny about her father and it seems as though that day is looming nearer and it’s a lot sooner than I expected
.
She heard the doorbell ring again and wondered who it could be this time.
She was hoping that it wasn’t Adam.
She couldn’t deal with him right now, and, whoever it was they weren’t leaving.

“Who is it?” she asked before opening the door.

“Well, it’s refreshing to know that you have some sense,” the voice said from the other side of the door.
“I need to talk to you,” Gianfranco stated quietly but firmly.

Katelyn took in a deep discernible breath before opening the door for him and didn’t hesitate to tell him what she thought about his unannounced visit.
“If I had any sense at all, I’d keep you locked out of my life permanently,” she added curtly.
She was working the chain on the door when she remembered just what she was wearing but it was a little too late.
She didn’t have time to be shy; the door was already ajar.
She was in her nightgown and getting ready for bed when she’d heard the knock.
She knew he noticed her state of undress right away and seemed to enjoy her discomfort.
She politely told him she needed to change into something more appropriate and would be back shortly.
Before he allowed her to step past him; he held up a bottle of wine and a bag chips and salsa he had in his hands.
It was Mexican salsa and chips from her favorite restaurant.
It was the only place that made the salsa hot enough for her.
It didn’t neglect to register with her that he had remembered.

“I come bearing gifts.
I know two weaknesses you have and one is very hot salsa.”
He smiled teasingly, holding up the jar again.
“
I am your other weakness”…he said under his breath.

“You don’t want to send me away now, do you?
I’ve never had to beg for anything in my life; I don’t think I would be very good at it,” he added knowingly.

Katelyn couldn’t help but be amused by his candor.
“You win; you can stay for now but after we talk you’re out of here.
Do we understand each other?” she asked nervously as she waited for a reply.

“I’ll agree on one condition…” he said as his eyes moved feverously down the length of her body.
It was then that she became flushed from head to toe.
“I would love to stay and admire the view, Irish, but you are killing me.
I’m not sure I could stand here without touching you.”
He patted her behind through the silky nightshirt and laughed as she strode annoyingly away.
He disappeared into the kitchen but not before she had a chance to shout out what an arrogant, egotistical ass he was.

Katelyn glanced at her reflection in the floor length mirror in the hall on her way to her bedroom and saw what he had for the first time.
She realized that her appearance left little to the imagination and with the lighting in the foyer she looked practically naked.
She reached into her closet and hastily picked out a white wool sweater to throw over her head and added a pair of blue jeans to complete the toned-down, covered up look.

The table was already set when she joined him in the living room.
He had dimmed the lights and added candles.
The atmosphere was perfect but for what?
Everything screamed of romance, down to the logs she saw burning in the fireplace.
She shook her head slightly to dismiss the memories she was conjuring up, memories from another, happier time.
She was becoming skittish by what was going on in her mind and she knew he was well aware of her feelings.
Yet, he silently challenged her to put a stop to what was occurring between them because he knew better than anyone that she would never back away from this challenge.

“If you’re afraid, I can move all this to the kitchen,” he said, pointing to the food and the candles.
“That is, if you would be more comfortable where it’s all lit up and less scary for you.
It just seemed a waste not to enjoy the sound of the ocean while we talked,” he said as he pretended to gather the food to move the venue.
He knew without looking in her direction that she had the courage to face him.
But would this new, more mature Katelyn need more time to take the bait?
She was one of the few people in his life who wasn’t afraid to confront him and he loved that about her.

“Don’t be ridiculous; what would I have to be frightened of?” she asked, assembling all her wits to take on the demon in the room.

“Indeed, you have nothing to be afraid of.
I pride myself on being the perfect gentleman.
I always control my baser instincts…at least around most women,” he added unmercifully as he smiled.
The Katelyn he knew and loved was present just below the surface and begging to break free.

She laughed at his teasing out of sheer timid desperation.
Her nervous laugh must have amused him because he was enjoying himself at her expense.
For a long drawn out moment, they stared into each other’s eyes; each not knowing what to expect or want from the other.
She had changed very little in the past seven years but those emerald eyes that told her story never changed.
They spoke a language all their own.
At this moment, they were reaching out to him but he didn’t dare touch her.
This had to be her decision and she had to come to him, willingly.

She was a stubborn little minx back in the day and he had hated to leave her behind.
At the time, he didn’t believe he had much of a choice.
She was eighteen years old with a promising future ahead of her; one he had no right to deprive her of.
He knew that, no matter what the cost to him, he would have to let her go and give her time to explore her dream.
He wanted her to have all the things she craved; he didn’t want to be the one to hold her back.
Of course that was then and this was now.

He moved closer to her drawn in by eyes that were willing him to do so.
He brushed at the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and wondered if she had missed him as much as he missed her.
It was the connection between them that moved her to reach out and touch his face.
At this moment, she invited him into her space.
The wall they built between them shattered with just a tiny touch of her hand.
No matter what happened now, he knew they were both fighting the same demon; neither had the power to control it.
He only hoped that he could make her fear disappear as they answered the need that compelled them.

“I promise I’ll stop if that’s what you want.
All you have to do is say the word,” he stated huskily.
“You do trust me, don’t you?”

“What?” Katelyn asked, barely whispering, as she tried to inhale and make sense of what he was saying to her.

“You don’t trust me?” he questioned as though she offended him somehow.
He didn’t need a response from her; it was written in the expression she wore on her face.
“Don’t answer that.
I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.
I came here tonight with good intentions; I mean that.
I came to talk about your employment.
What made you quit your job at
Glitz
?” he asked attempting to change the mood in the room.

“I’m not sure what business it is of yours but if it’ll make you stop pestering me I’ll tell you.
I’m sure you’ve already figured it out for yourself that Jack Taylor does not approve of me for his son.
It’s unfortunate for me though that I’m employed by the man who believes I’m wrong for his son.
It never occurred to him to ask how I felt about his son; when I said that my feelings for Adam were purely platonic, I don’t think he believed me.”

Gianfranco coughed and interrupted her train of thought before she could say another word.
“I hear that Jack Taylor no longer owns any part of
Glitz
.”
He reached over to the back of her neck and instantly she felt tension begin to disappear as he began to massage her there.
“I heard somewhere that
Glitz
had recently been acquired in a hostile take-over,” he stated factually.

“Jack told me the same thing; but he didn’t tell me that it was made public yet.
If anything, he warned me against divulging that information,” she said in shock as she turned to look at him.
“For some reason, I’m not surprised that you know about the takeover.”
He had her turn her away from him again and she could feel his fingers kneading down either side of her neck softly and methodically.

“He warned me that he would see to it that Adam and I lost our jobs before he’d sit back and watch any relationship between us develop.”
She felt his body tighten and his hands abruptly stall at her statement.
The longer his fingers touched her neck, the more aware of him she became.
“Did you say something?” she asked as she turned to face him.

“I said I agree with the old man,” he said.
Here, is where you belong
, he wanted to say out loud, but he only thought it.
It was the coldness of his remark that Katelyn responded to so negatively.
Again he was deciding what was best for her, as if he had the right to do so.

“I didn’t solicit your opinion nor do I want it.
Jack’s reason for disapproving of my relationship with Adam had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Jenny.”
She flung his arms away and sighed in frustration.
“He thought that Jenny was a liability to his family.
He didn’t want my bastard child to inherit any part of the Taylor fortune or taint their good name.
He was kind enough though to offer me a deal.
He suggested that I allow Kevin and Sylvia to adopt Jenny.
Do you believe that?” she asked as she began to shutter.
She couldn’t stop the tears or the impulsive convulsing from the ultimate anger at Jack’s suggestion.
Katelyn saw the look on Gianfranco’s face too.
He looked totally and utterly disgusted as well and irritated by the man’s comments.