Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (18 page)

But there she was, another night out, another couple of drinks under her belt. Sadness in her heart. It was a roller coaster of emotions and she was ready for the ride to end. She just wanted her life back. She wanted to be happy again. Like she was when she belonged to Ransom, when she felt like a woman instead of a naïve college girl just trying to figure out where she fit into life.

But now it was clear that she’d have to find it on her own.

TWENTY

“SO I HEAR THAT you’re dating my daughter.”

Ransom was standing in the breakroom fixing himself a cup of coffee, when he heard the male voice behind him. There was one other instructor in the room, but somehow Ransom knew that the question was for him.

Stirring in creamer, he turned to find Frank Griffin standing less than an arm’s length away. He was wearing a simple mint green button-down and a pair of black slacks, but it was his face that had Ransom staring.

Behind the distinguished white and gray full-face beard and rimless glasses, it was obvious that he was Dani’s father. She definitely took after him.

Meeting his caramel brown eyes, Ransom ignored the jolt of grief it brought him, instead choosing to focus on the severe bout of apprehension. “Mr. Griffin. How are you today?”

Holding up his hand, Frank pushed past Ransom and began preparing his own mug of coffee. “Let’s skip past the niceties, shall we?”

“Okay.” Setting his cup down on the counter, Ransom smiled as the other instructor politely left the room. It vanished as soon as he was gone. “Yes, I
was
dating Dani.”

“So I heard. Imagine my surprise when I had to hear it from Robert Goodwin, at his engagement party no less. I heard you were there?”

“Yes, we attended, but something came up and we had to leave early. Sorry we missed you.”

Frank nodded as he turned and fixed Ransom with an intense frown. “You know, when Dani told me about you, I didn’t say anything because I haven’t exactly been the kind of father that she deserves. When we reconnected, I made a conscious decision not to interfere in her life. But now, since you two broke up and I’ve seen how it’s destroyed her, I’m inclined to say something.”

Ransom stiffened. “Destroyed is a strong word, Frank.”

“But no less true. You know, when you become a father, your whole world changes. For the first time, someone else besides you matters. When I had Dani I was young and I didn’t know how to navigate that road yet. I made mistakes. But I’m making up for them now.”

“I appreciate the life lesson,” Ransom cut in, “but please cut to the chase. I have class in five minutes.”

“You made a mistake. Dani deserves a man who is willing to stick by her, no matter what. She told me everything about what happened between you, and I have to say, I think you overreacted to the situation. Honestly, I’m disappointed to find out that you’ve dated a member of the student body. It’s not exactly something the university looks favorably on, but it’s not my place to judge. My only concern right now is my daughter, and for some reason, she’s stuck on you. So whatever your plans are, at the very least I ask that you give her closure. She deserves that much from you.”

“Look, Frank, I appreciate the advice. I do. But I don’t know what my plans are right now. If you think Dani is hurting, imagine how I’m feeling. She broke up with me, not the other way around.”

“And with good reason from what I hear. But if I may say one more thing?”

Ransom nodded, though he wasn’t too sure he had anything to say that he wanted to hear.

“Just like when I became a husband and a father, there comes a time when everybody in their life comes to a fork in the road, and it’s up to you which path you choose to take.” Stepping in front of him, Frank set his hand on Ransom’s shoulder, his daughter’s eyes staring back at him. “Make the right choice.”

With a firm pat, Frank left Ransom alone with his thoughts. Only, Ransom wasn’t sure what to think. He had his mom’s words in his ear, his brother’s words, and now Frank’s. But what was he going to do with them?

***

IT TOOK TWO DAYS to figure out where Dani worked, and another one for him to work up the courage to go and see her. Facing rejection was the hardest part about being in love, and he was in love with Dani. Irrevocably.

He found her sitting behind a desk inside a little corner office with her name engraved on a plaque mounted on the door. “So, this is where the magic happens.” Her head whipped up, surprise widening her eyes. Ransom’s heart sighed. “Hi.”

“Hi…erm…what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.”

“Clearly,” she said as she stood and rounded the desk, breezing past him to close the door. “Have a seat.”

He sat, placing himself directly across from her. The position left him at a disadvantage, seeing as she was holding a seat of power, but he couldn’t care less. If anyone deserved to feel empowered, it was Dani.

“How is your day going?”

“Smoothly…until you got here.”

He smiled. “And your evening. Do you have any plans?”

Sitting back in her chair, she regarded him. “Ransom, what are you doing here? I haven’t heard from you in weeks. Why now?”

“Because I had to see you,” he said, sitting forward and clasping his hands between his knees.

“Why now though? Why here? Why anything? We broke up, Ransom.”

“No we didn’t,” he argued softly. “You told me not to contact you until I figured out what I want. I have.”

Her lips parted, forming a small O. She didn’t say anything, so he pressed on.

“I want you, Dani. With my heart, body, soul. Everything. I want you.”

As he spoke, her mouth snapped shut, her lips pressing together and her eyes narrowing to slits. “I don’t believe you. If you really loved me, you would have figured that out long before now.”

“What can I say, I’m a slow learner.” The joke fell flat, and Ransom cleared his throat. “Look, you have a right to be suspicious. I would be, too. I’ve said things that I shouldn’t have and my past…well, that speaks for itself. I’m a selfish man. Pigheaded, too. I don’t listen well and even though I’m pretty easygoing most of the time, I have a tendency to fly off the handle sometimes.”

“You’re not making a very good case for yourself.”

“I’m not trying to. I just want to be honest with you about who I am. I’m a mess, Dani. I told you as much when you asked to be a part of my life. I’m not good for you, I know that, too, but you’re good for me. You’re the very best part of me, Dani. These last weeks have been hell.”

Leaving his chair, Ransom went around to her side of the desk and dropped down onto his knees before her.  “I’m asking—no,
begging
you to forgive me, Dani. I don’t want to go back to the way things were before you came into my life. I can’t go back to that. My life was empty—meaningless—before you.”

He watched her battle against herself, her eyes shining bright with unshed tears and her hands gripping the arms of her chair so hard it was a wonder they didn’t break right off. “I—I can’t be what you want me to be, Ransom,” she finally said, her voice choked. “I can’t fix you.”

“I’m not asking you to fix me. I’m asking you to love me. If I have that, I can fix myself.”

“I do love you, but I’m not sure you can be fixed.”

His heart lurched and a knot formed in his stomach. Reaching out, he cupped the side of her face, stroking her pale cheek with his thumb. “I need you, Dani. I want you. I know you always thought that, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was still in love with my brother’s wife. I’m not. It took some time, but I finally realized that what I had with her was just lust. What I have with you? It’s so much more than that. I can’t breathe when you’re not around. I’ve spent these last weeks just going through the motions because this life is worth nothing without you to share it with. And if what Frank said is true, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Her gaze jumped to his at the mention of her father. “He shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No,” he agreed readily, “you should have. If I had known that you were hurting, too, I would have been here sooner. I failed you, Dani. I failed us. I promised you that we would be friends no matter what, and I couldn’t even do that. I threw it all away over old fears that had absolutely nothing to do with you. I allowed myself to doubt my worth to you, and I allowed my insecurities to ruin what we had. But I want to fix it. Please, let me make it up to you. Give me another chance and I’ll show you that I’m done running.”

Gently, Dani placed her hand over the one he used to cup her cheek, and turned her head to kiss his palm. Then, wrapping her fingers around his, she pulled it away.

“I can’t do this, Ransom. I should have listened to you before when you said that you weren’t good for me. Please, just go.”

“You don’t mean that.” He reached to touch her again, but she slapped his hand away. “Dani,” he said his voice taking on a fine tremor, “tell me you don’t mean it.”

She wouldn’t even look at him. “Please, just go.”

Angry, hurt, and upset, Ransom stormed from the room, just barely keeping from slamming the door behind him. He’d thought her walking away from him hurt? The pain of her rejection was like nothing else he’d ever experienced.

Taking the elevator down to the parking garage gave Ransom time to think, though, time to cool off and see things more clearly. For the first time, he was fighting for something he truly cared about: Dani. He knew she loved him, too, could see it in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It would be so easy to just do what she said and walk away. Leave her alone and move on with his life. But he didn’t want to move on. He wanted
her
. He wanted a future with her.

As he walked up the incline to his car, Ransom knew only one thing: he wasn’t giving up. She could push him away all she wanted, but he was going to fight for her and he wasn’t going to stop until he made her his again.

TWENTY-ONE

“DELIVERY FOR MISS DEVICHE.”

Dani looked up from her desk to see a young man around her again filling the door to her office and holding a giant vase filled with flowers. “That’s me.” She put on a friendly smile, all the while eying the flowers with curiosity.

“Please sign here.”

She was handed a clipboard and, after signing, exchanged it for the flowers. “Have a nice day.”

“Thanks.” Dipping her nose into the elegant bouquet, she inhaled the soft fragrance of the lilies before looking for a card. She found the square note tucked between a couple sprigs of baby’s breath and opened it.

I’m not giving up on us.

Yours,

R

She shook her head, dropped the note in the trash can, and deposited the flowers on the edge of her desk, out of the way of her work. They were lovely, but they weren’t enough to sway her. She’d made her choice, and she was sticking to it.

“Secret admirer?” her boss asked from the doorway.

“Ex-boyfriend.”

He lifted a dark brow and entered the room. “I just wanted to let you know that I have a meeting scheduled for the end of the week right before lunch. Keep your schedule open, yeah?”

She nodded and said, “Sure thing, Mr. Gates,” even though she thought it odd that he’d come to tell her personally. Usually his secretary handled any correspondence, in office and out, but what did she know? She was just the accountant.

Getting back to her work, Dani spent the rest of the day trying not to pay any mind to the flowers that seemed to be calling her name. By the time she was ready to go home for the day, she just couldn’t keep her eyes off them.

Deciding they’d add some life to her living room, she scooped the tall vase up and headed out.

***

“DELIVERY FOR MISS DEVICHE.”

Surprised, Dani stood and signed the clipboard that was handed to her, thanking the man as he handed over a small black box wrapped with a silver ribbon. Sitting down in her executive chair, she plucked the bow and tugged the lid off.

“Oh, my God.” Inside, a small, round, single solitaire winked back at her from its platinum setting. Noticing a sliver of folded paper sticking up from beneath the cushioned base, she pulled it out and unfolded it.

Promises made are promises kept.

Yours,

R

It was a promise ring. A soft smile played on Dani’s face as she took out the ring and slipped it onto the third finger of her right hand.

Perfect fit.

***

THE NEXT DAY, DANI laughed when she looked up to find the same delivery guy standing there, holding another wrapped package.

“You’re pretty popular,” he said, holding out the clipboard to her.

“So it seems.” They made their exchange. “Thanks.”

Sitting back at her desk, she felt the tingling of anticipation in her fingers as she ran her hands over the paper. She shouldn’t be getting excited over getting presents from Ransom, but she couldn’t deny it either. It made her happy to know that he was thinking about her as much as she was about him.

The paper tore off easily, and when she saw what was inside, she broke out into a fit of giggles. “She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman,” she read as she stroked her fingers over the cover.

Shaking out the discarded wrapping paper that had fallen to the floor, she found the note she’d come to expect.

I promise to spend every hour of every day devoted to making you happy.

Yours,

R

She hated to admit it, but she was starting to believe him. Tucking the book away in her purse, she left her chair to get ready for her meeting.

***

LATER THAT EVENING, DANI was sitting down to catch up on episodes of Outlander as kind of celebration for making partner, when her phone lit up. Picking it up, her stomach tightened when she saw who was calling.

She almost didn’t answer, but she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.

“Hi,” she said softly, her insides tangling together.

“Hi.”

“I got your presents.”

“Did you like them?”

“They’re…different. Thoughtful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But you don’t have to keep sending me gifts,” she said, wanting to bite her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him, but she was torn, because she also didn’t want to lead him on. Or, more accurately, she didn’t want to lead herself on. She was keenly aware that she had been sucked in by his tokens, and she was also aware that by keeping them, she had placed herself at a disadvantage, because what little distance she had managed to place between them was now gone.

She was as vulnerable to Ransom Scott as a newborn calf among a pack of wolves.

“I have one more present I want to give you, and if, after you open it, you haven’t changed your mind and you want me to stay away, I will. I’ll leave your life forever and you won’t ever have to see me again.”

Instantly, her stomach cramped and her mouth parted, a protest ready on her tongue, but she didn’t know what to say.

“Dani? Are you there?”

“Y-Yes, I’m still here.”

“Can I come up?”

“You’re here?” She bolted to her feet, whirling around to stare at the door as if it would swing open at any second to reveal him.

“I’m downstairs. Can I come up for a minute to give you your gift?”

His voice, soft and filled with anguish and hope, twisted her gut and she found herself thinking that it couldn’t hurt any more than it already did. “Just for a minute.”

“Good. I’m on my way.”

Ending the call, Dani stared at the phone in her hand and cursed roundly. What the hell was she doing?

The whole point of staying away from him was to spare herself, and she’d just fudged everything by inviting him up. She began pacing the floor, wondering how she was going to dig herself out of it, but before she had a chance to come up with anything promising, there was a knock at the door.

Stilling, Dani debated whether or not she should actually open it, but as if Ransom sensed her hesitation, he spoke through the door.

“Dani?”

Just the sound of his voice tore apart her resolve. Her feet moved before she gave them permission to. Opening the door slowly, she looked out and found herself falling into the most devastatingly beautiful eyes she’d ever set her sights on.

“God, it’s good to see you,” Ransom breathed, his tone reverent.

She missed the way he looked at her. Looking him over, she soaked in the vision of him, so strong and handsome. He broke her heart just standing there. Noting that his hands were tucked behind his back, she asked, “So what did you want to give me?”

Ducking his head, Ransom huffed a laugh, and when he lifted his eyes to look at her from beneath a thick row of dark lashes, he stole her breath. “It’s nothing special,” he said as he got down on one knee.

Oh God.
Dani clutched her throat, feeling like she might pass out.

Bringing his hands around to the front, Ransom presented her with a single red rose.

Her excitement deflated, confusion taking its place. Tentatively, she accepted the gift, lifting it to her nose to take in its delicate, sweet fragrance.

“Dani,” Ransom said from his kneeling position, regaining her focus, “I know I don’t deserve a second chance. I was an ass to you, and I don’t blame you for walking away like you did. I regret everything about that night. My behavior, definitely, but mostly I regret not going after you.”

Dani’s heart rate intensified and all the oxygen evacuated her lungs, leaving her breathless. He was saying exactly what she’d wanted to hear.

“We didn’t meet under the best of terms. I wasn’t in a good place in my life and you accepted me into yours anyway. Your kindness and generosity floors me, because I can’t think of another person, myself included, who would have looked at that train wreck and seen something worth saving. You did. I don’t know how, but you did, and I can’t thank you enough. You gave me a reason to change my life. You showed me what was missing from it.” Taking her hand in his, he pressed his lips to her knuckles, causing silent tears to roll down her face.

“Daniella May Deviche,” he said, looking up into her eyes, “would you do me the great honor of being my valentine?”

A startled laugh erupted from her lips and Dani’s vision blurred behind a torrent of unstoppable tears. She was floored by his unexpected question and, if were even possible, even more taken by him than she was when they first met.

“Don’t you mean your forbidden valentine?”

“I’ll take you any way I can get you.” She only cried harder. “Is that a yes?” Ransom asked cautiously as he rose to his feet and brushed her cheeks dry.

“Yes,” she said as she continued to laugh. “Yes, I’ll be your valentine.”

“Thank God. I ran out of ideas for gifts and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if you said no.” Pulling her to him, he tucked her against his broad chest and held her tight. “I’m never letting you go again,” he said into her hair. “I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to, but I promise, I’ll never let go again.”

“I know.”

Because a promise made was a promise kept.