Anabel Unraveled (28 page)

He swallowed and looked down. “No.”

I studied him for a moment. I’d never seen him so shamefaced. But I had learned that Jared was proud, and wouldn’t own up to any wrongdoing unless I prodded him. So I turned away. “So that’s it? No apology? No explanation? Nothing?”

“Would it matter if I did apologize?” He came up behind me, and I felt his breath on my neck, and that was when I realized that Jared really did know me too well.

So I started to cry. “No,” I sniffled. “It wouldn’t.”

“I am sorry, Anabel.” Now his arms were around me.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re insensitive and self-centered.” I should pull away, I should go back into the safety of my home, and I should get as far away from him as I could.

“You knew what I was when you met me,” he pointed out.

“You’re right about that one,” I sighed. Then I turned to look at him. “But I also saw what you could be, and I’m extremely disappointed that you won’t even try to be that man.” I started to step away, but he held me firmly in his grasp.

“It’s hard to change, baby. Even for you.”

“Like you even want to.”

“I do, Anabel.” His grip on me tightened, and I could feel myself relenting, but I tried to hold fast to my resentment.

So I sighed. “I just don’t know, Jared.”

“Let me make it up to you,” he pleaded in my ear.

I shook my head. “I don’t see any way you can do that. I only have one birthday. The next one won’t be around for another year.” I extricated myself from his arms. “I can’t believe you couldn’t at least do this one thing for me.”

“Will you at least let me try to fix this?”

“How?” I scowled at him.

“We could go on a date,” he offered.

“A date?” That threw me for a loop.

“You. Me. Alone,” he intoned, coming closer to me again. “I could take you anywhere you wanted, Anabel. It would be fun.”

I stared helplessly up at him. The fact was, I wanted to tell him to go away and just come back when his daughter was born, but I couldn’t. I also knew I shouldn’t be with him. But there I was, and it was crystal clear to me what the problem was. Stupid Jared with his stupid good looks and his stupid charming smile and . . . why was I not running away? But I was glued to the spot, and he was close enough to kiss me. I wouldn’t let him, I thought, I wouldn’t let him hurt me again . . .

But he was smiling, in that smug way, indicating to me that he knew he had won. Because Jared knew I would forgive him, and he knew all he had to do was smile at me and I would let go of my animosity. One look from him was enough to send my very confused insides into frenzy, and he knew that too. He knew he had a hold over me. So he also knew very well that I would agree to go out on a date with him.

Jerk.

Chapter 31—Jared

A few days later I was in Georgetown with Meghan, who had agreed to take the afternoon off and help me find a gift for Anabel. “Of all the idiot things to do, how could you forget her birthday, Jared?”

“I don’t know,” I grimaced, gritting my teeth.

“The poor child, you should have seen her. Everyone tried to talk to her but she just sat on the couch, moping. The only one who could get through to her was that Matt Moore . . .” She trailed off.

“Not you, too.”

“I can’t help it. He’s a beautiful man, Jared.” She gave me a mischievous smile. “Alas, he wants nothing to do with me. I think I have some guilt by association by being related to you. He’s only got eyes for her.”

I looked at her, alarmed. “Are you serious?”

She nodded. “I wouldn’t worry about it. She’s a bit oblivious. I don’t get her, she’s a smart little thing, but then she does things like not notice when men fall in love with her.”

“Meghan,” I said, pained.

“I do think he has a thing for her. The way he watches her . . .” She shivered a bit. “I know what you’re going to say, that it’s some sort of revenge tactic, but you couldn’t be more wrong. He’s a good guy.” She patted my arm. “Look, it’s clear that she’s still very hung up on you. She did sulk for a long time before you showed up.”

“I guess I should be relieved. Now what should I get for her?”

Meghan considered. “I have no idea. I got her a gift card for Barnes and Noble. She was fascinated by the concept. I sometimes forget she lived on a desert island.”

“It wasn’t exactly a desert.” We walked into a jewelry store.

“Um, she’s an October baby, so you should get her opals if you’re going to get her jewelry. She’ll be impressed you knew that.”

“Or suspect I had help.” I raised an eyebrow at my sister. “So does this mean that you like her?”

“I love your little pregnant princess,” she conceded, frowning as she considered the items on the counter. “She’s something else. I find myself wanting to hang out with her just to hear the absurdities that pop out of her mouth. I was telling Crystal about it the other day, and she can’t wait to meet her.”

“Is Crys coming home sometime soon? I haven’t talked to her in over a month.”

Meghan shook her head. “I think she’s having some torrid affair with her dissertation advisor over there. I’m the only one of us who doesn’t feel the need to be constantly embroiled in a scandal.”

“You need to be more adventurous.”

She grimaced. “Not like that. Sometimes I feel like I’m not even related to you two.”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that you and Crystal are mirror images, I’d agree with you,” I told her.

She ignored me. “About Anabel, though . . . well. Just don’t break her heart again, Jared. I’m pretty sure this was strike two.” Then she opened her mouth as if to say something, and then closed it again.

“What? Meg-a-han, tell me what you’re thinking.” I poked at her arm.

“Don’t call me Meg-a-han, I hate that.” She turned away. “It just keeps coming back to this for me: how has she forgiven you? If I were her, I would’ve slapped you with a restraining order so fast your head would’ve spun. But from what I understand, she tried to protect you from Sam? And now she has all these convictions about having this baby and having you in its life? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

I shrugged and shook my head. This was something that bothered me too. “Maybe it’s because she’s a better person than the both of us?”

“I’ll say,” she grunted, pausing to look at some bracelets. “That one. You should get that one for her.”

I glanced at the price tag. “You have expensive taste, sis.”

“Is she not worth it?” Meghan challenged.

“She’s worth it,” I responded. “I just doubt she thinks that I am.”

When Meghan didn’t say anything, I tried to cover. “Thanks for your unwavering support.”

“Jared, it doesn’t really matter what I think, it just matters what she thinks. And right now she thinks that you don’t have your priorities in line when it comes to her. Especially after you went out with Carly Waterstreet last night. And let me just say that when I found that out, I wanted to beat you. She’s disgusting.”

“She’s a very well-respected businesswoman,” I snapped back.

“Why are you even bothering with her? That woman only wants you for one thing, as much as that grosses me out to say.” My sister shuddered. “Now that you don’t have the political connections anymore, how often has she called you? Except when she wanted—well. You know.”

Meghan had a point. I looked away from her.

“Now don’t get me wrong,” she said, “I love you, and I know Anabel loves you, because she’s said as much.”

“Has she come out and said it?” I asked.

“Well, no,” she admitted, looking uncomfortable. “But if she didn’t want to at least give you a chance, she would have told you so, right?”

“Well, I would hardly expect her to spare my feelings.” I nodded at the guy behind the counter. “I’ll take that one.”

“Good call,” Meghan approved. “Next time we can look at rings.”

“I’ve asked her twice, she’s avoided it each time.”

“Yeah, about that. Jared, let me ask you a question. Have you asked her in person, or just over the phone?”

I frowned at her. “On the phone, and I’m guessing she told you.”

“Okay. You need to consider who you’re dealing with. This is a girl who has read all of those romantic sappy claptrap books. Do you honestly think going, ‘hey, we should get married’ will work with that one?”

She did have a point. “Well, what do you think I should do?”

“Give her some time to get her head together, she’s a cosmic mess. And then ask her the right way. Barring her falling in love with someone else, I think you’ll be fine.” Meghan smiled.

“What about Matt?”

“I think he’s too professional to go after her. Besides, she is having your baby. After what happened to Natasha, he probably doesn’t want anything connected to you.”

“How do you think she feels about him?” I didn’t want to hear the answer, but I knew I needed to.

Meghan pursed her lips. “It’s hard to say. Anabel seems to love everyone she comes in contact with. I think she definitely respects Matt. But she hasn’t confided any romantic attachments to me.”

“What did she say when he told her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Meghan, I’m sure he’s told her by now.”

Meghan looked guarded. “Here’s the thing. He may have told her, but I don’t think Anabel’s connected the dots yet. I don’t think she’s figured out that Matt’s sister and Natasha from the night you . . . well anyway, I don’t think she’s associated the two yet.”

“Wonderful. So there’s still a chance that when she figures it out, she’ll never talk to me again.”

The look on Meghan’s face wasn’t comforting.

Chapter 32—Anabel

“I don’t like this at all,” came Matt’s voice from my doorway.

“I know you don’t,” I muttered, pulling on my boots. They were a gift from Alexis and Sam, and had come at a very opportune moment. It was sixty degrees outside, and to me, that was really stinking cold. “I told him I’d give him a shot, that’s what I’m going to do.”

“He forgot your birthday,” Matt stressed.

“Look, we’re going out to dinner, it’s not like I’m going to sleep with him.” I zipped up my boot and smiled at him from my bed.

Something flashed across Matt’s face then, something that looked an awful lot like relief. He nodded. “I still wish you would let me come with you.”

“It’s not much of a date if I bring another guy along with me.”

“I’m not just some guy. I’m your bodyguard.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sam,” I grinned at him.

“That’s not why, Anabel.”

I turned to him then, and it dawned on me that Matt was worried about me. “Oh, Matt,” I said, walking over to him and putting my arms around him, “it’s okay. If he tries anything with me, I’ll just call you and have you come beat the tar out of him. I know that’s what you really want to do,” I said in his ear.

“You have no idea what I really want to do,” he muttered.

I pulled back, grinning. “I won’t be gone too long. I’m sure we’ll run out of things to talk about at a point, and then I’ll come home to you.”

He cocked his head, and I turned away again, confused. I hadn’t forgotten about wanting to kiss him the other night, and the thought flitted through my head again. Bad Anabel, I scolded myself. Keep it together. You’re about to go on a date with another man—you know, the one whose baby you’re having? Still, the knowledge that I was coming home to Matt was calming.

There was a moment of supreme awkwardness. We stood there, and it seemed that neither of us knew what to do or say. But Matt seemed to get it together when the doorbell rang. “Alright,” he said. “I’m going to have a word with him.”

I started to laugh. “Oh good, and then challenge him to a duel to defend my honor? You’re being silly.”

He ignored me and walked out of the room. Sighing, I took a deep breath.

So this was it. Jared and Anabel: Part II.

Or Part III, if you counted the whole hearings fiasco.

Would it work this time?

I gave myself one final look in the mirror, and then I walked downstairs in time to hear Matt say, “If she’s not home by eleven, I’m coming after you.”

“That’s cute, Matt, but if she wants to stay over, it’ll be her doing, not mine.”

I cleared my throat. “Jared, knock it off. I’ll be home before eleven, Matt.” I smiled at him and breezed through the front door.

Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to see that Jared drove a Corvette. He opened the door for me, and I gingerly lowered myself in. As he got into the car, I shot him a sideways glance. As annoyed at him as I had been, I had to admit, he looked good. Really good.

“Before you say anything,” he began, “Meghan pointed out that I am going to need a new car.”

“Why?”

He gestured. “No room for the baby.”

“Good call. Seeing as how you’re the only one of us who can drive at the moment, it would probably be a good idea to get something that at least has a backseat.”

He grinned at the road. “Yeah. Wait, you can’t drive?”

I shook my head.

“We’ll have to fix that. And then get you a Mom car,” he suggested.

“Not funny. I’m not driving a minivan.” I leaned against the cool window.

“Minivans are hot,” he teased.

I bit back a laugh.

We drove in silence, me staring at the floor, him looking at me out of the corner of his eye until he finally spoke.

“Do you remember that dress?”

I feigned innocence. “What dress?”

“You know what dress. The white one.”

“Oh yes, the one that began my debauchery with you.”

He ignored that. “You looked great in that dress.”

“Yeah?” I smiled a little.

“Oh yeah.” Then he chuckled. “I was so mad at you that day.”

“Well I can’t really say I blame you,” I replied, embarrassed. “I’m ashamed of my behavior.”

He shot me a glance. “You certainly made an impression.”

“Yes, I’ve gotten very good at doing that.” I looked out the window. “Are we there yet? I’m starving.”

“Yeah, we’re almost there.”

“Where are we, anyway? I thought we were going into the District.” I leaned forward and looked at the unfamiliar terrain.