LOVE AND HATE (A Billionaire Romance) (37 page)

Her mind drifted to the way she felt when she was with Chance, the way he made her feel wanted, and she knew then how difficult it would be to forget him—to walk away and give him up. She couldn’t just up and leave. It was crazy how she had just been jilted by Trent, and now her mother was making her give up the one man who could have helped her heart heal. Her mother was oblivious of it, too!

Claire looked at the clock and saw that breakfast wasn’t a long way off. She needed to go meet her extended family and figure out how to be a good stepsister.

She was dressing when she heard a knock at the door. She swung it wide open, ready to battle her mother once more. “Oh, it’s you,” she said and walked back inside.

“Who did you think it was?” he asked and followed her into the room.

“My mother. She was just here, inviting us to breakfast,” Claire said and rolled her eyes.

“My dad asked, too,” Chance said. “I told him I’m not going.”

Claire walked over to him and traced the outline of his face with her forefinger. “I think we should, though. We can’t accomplish much if we keep them at bay.”

“We can’t?” he said, relaxed to her touch.

She tilted his head to hers and lightly kissed him. “You see, I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I don’t believe we have to end this because of them. If we play nice, they will ignore us, which means we will have more time to…you know.”

“I like how you think,” he said as he pulled her closer to him. “Maybe we’ll find a way.”

“Maybe. Let’s go eat, shall we?” she said and tucked her arm in his.

***

Bryan and Willow seemed surprised when they saw their children enter the dining area with bright smiles.

“Well, I must admit I am a little shocked,” Bryan said, standing for Claire. She waited until he pulled out the chair for her.

“Claire talked some sense into me,” Chance said. “If we are a family now, we may as well get along.”

Willow looked proudly at her daughter and gripped her hand across the table. “Thank you, Claire,” she said.

“So, Bryan, we haven’t formally met,” Claire said across the table, trying desperately to ignore Chance, who was rubbing his leg against hers; she tensed as she imagined the things he had done to her before.

“That’s right. We sort of just bumped into each other on the island. But I didn’t know at the time you were Willow’s daughter. Now I see the resemblance,” he said, smiling. “You’re as pretty as your mother.”

“Thank you,” Claire said with a smile.

“Well, I don’t know you at all,” Chance said to Willow, a fake smile on his face. “And now you’re my stepmother.”

“Chance, was that really necessary?” Bryan asked. “Be nice.”

“Sorry,” he sighed. “It’s just strange.”

“That’s understandable,” Willow reassured. “I’m sure we’ll all be fine with time.”

“That’s right,” Bryan said. “We’re a family now.”

“Okay, enough of the heavy stuff. When can we eat? I’m starving,” Claire said, desperate to change the subject.

Bryan signaled the waiter, and the man took their orders before leaving with a smile. The family had breakfast amidst talks of how Bryan and Willow came together and other meaningless banter about the children’s childhoods. Meanwhile, Claire and Chance exchanged secret glances and leg rubs under the table, anticipating the next time they would be together.

“So, where are you going to live?” Chance burst out. “I assume you won’t be hopping from place to place with Willow now that you’ll be more settled.”

Bryan looked at Willow and then at the children. “We have been talking about that. I understand that you live in Miami now, and if it isn’t too much of an inconvenience, Claire, maybe we can move to my house in Los Angeles. Willow told me how much she would appreciate you being there with her.” Chance cocked his head to the side and smiled at Claire in an ‘I told you so’ manner. “I have a lot of connections, so if you want to change jobs, I can help you with that.”

“Wow! My entire life is being rearranged,” Claire said, sarcasm dripping from her lips. “You’re asking me to leave all I have in Miami at the drop of a hat?”

“I know it’s a lot, Claire, but I really need your blessing on this,” Willow pleaded with her eyes. “I know I cannot force you to go with me, but I’d really like it if you did.”

“Sure. Fine,” Claire said and threw her hands in the air in defeat. She did deserve some time off from work, and what better way than to live in the comforts of a mansion, all expenses paid, under the same roof as Chance, if she could convince him not to move to an apartment of his own. And even if he did, she could move in discreetly with him. She didn’t know how the logistics would work, but she knew they’d figure it out.

“Great,” Bryan said with a sigh of relief. “I think it’ll be a good idea for all of us to be together for a time just to get to know each other better.”

“Okay, so now that that’s settled, let’s enjoy this day. Why don’t we go on a little excursion together?”

“Oh, no,” Chance said and got up. “That’s too much family for me.”

“I have to agree,” Claire commented. “Too much, too early.”

“That’s okay,” Willow chimed in. “Completely understandable. Baby steps.”

“Alright,” Chance said and wiped his lips. “I will see you folks later.”

“I’m coming with you, Chance,” Claire said as she finished the last morsel of food on her plate. Anywhere but right there with their crazy love struck parents.

CHAPTER 14

Claire sat on the balcony looking across at the one similar to hers. She could see his silhouette, and she smiled as she thought about his hands on her body. Her mind circled around to their parents. By all indications, she and Chance wouldn’t see each other much, at least not openly. She wasn’t yet sure how they would keep their relationship a secret, but at present it was a necessary evil.

She didn’t want to spend time with Chance so soon after their parents’ announcement and their apparent accord, and she didn’t want to run into her mother or Bryan, either. She was, therefore, left with her wayward mind for company. Claire spent a majority of the day in her room with her tablet, catching up on a novel she had begun reading a month ago but had not finished. Back then she’d had a wedding to plan, and most of her time had been consumed with the preparation of it. Right now she should have been parasailing with Trent or biking along the coast like they had planned to do. They were supposed to have children and spend the rest of their lives together. So much was supposed to happen that didn’t and wouldn’t happen again, and even more was happening that she had not planned for.

She had taken the advice of her mother and best friend and had come to St. Lucia to unwind and get away from the stress of a broken heart. But how does one do that while carrying the heart inside? She had brought her broken heart with her, and instead of nursing it to keep it from being wounded again, it had decided to latch itself on to the first moving target. She had not planned on Chance, and in some ways she wasn’t sure she was ready for him. And even while she was trying to figure it out, her mother had made sure he would be in her life forever. Such was her tragedy, she thought as she tried to focus on her tablet.

It was at page 184 where she had left it, but she saw nothing but white. Her mind was a maze of confusion.

“Claire?” she heard Amy call from the other side of the door.

“It’s open,” she replied.

Amy walked in and saw Claire in bed, and the expression on her face made her smile disappear. “Claire, are you all right?” she asked as she climbed into bed next to her.

“That’s a good question,” Claire responded. “I don’t know how I feel about anything. Two weeks ago I was happy. A week ago I was confused and hurt, and three days ago I was happy again. Now I just don’t know. Chance was supposed to be nothing but a fling, and even that turned into something else,” she said and threw her hands up in the air. “And my mom had to go and marry his dad. What are the odds?”

“I know,” Amy said. “I’m pretty speechless about the whole thing. I knew they were seeing each other, but I didn’t see this coming. I thought we would have a great time here and go back to our lives. Now it seems I’m the only one leaving the guy behind.”

For the first time that morning, Claire smiled. “Maybe you should invite Mario along. At this rate, why leave here without a man?”

“Hold on, let me get my cell,” she said and attempted to move.

“Get back here, silly,” Claire laughed.

“So, what are you going to do about Chance? You can’t see him anymore.”

“I don’t know,” Claire said. She couldn’t mention she was still involved with Chance; it would make it a lot easier and less uncomfortable for everyone.

“So,” Amy began. “Will you have to move again?”

“I have been thinking of getting my own place. I was really supposed to leave home after the wedding that never happened,” she told her. “Mom asked me to go with her. I guess she needs my company to settle down.”

“Maybe Chance won’t be there at all,” Amy suggested.

“Perhaps he won’t,” Claire repeated and sighed. “He probably has his own island, too.”

Amy laughed at her words. “That’s a genuine possibility. Don’t worry about it, Claire,” she said. “In time, this will all seem more and more like a dream.”

“I hope so.”

“I can’t say I’m happy about any of this; it doesn’t seem right that you have been shafted twice in two weeks,” Amy pouted. “What about you and Chance and you know…sleeping together and stuff?”

Claire blushed at Amy’s words. She hadn’t mentioned they had slept together, but anyone who had hung around them would see that they had. Plus, Amy knew he slept over in her room that first night.

Claire placed her tablet on the bed and got up then. “Okay, now I need a distraction; let’s go get some sun before we go back. Goodness knows when we will get to see a beach like this again. Chance is really in the past. Whatever we had between us was fleeting and is over. Tomorrow is our last day on the island, and I want to make the best of it.”

They spent the day swimming in the cove, after which they enjoyed the spa at the hotel. At the end of the day, they felt light and rejuvenated. But Claire had an uneasy feeling about Chance, and she wondered how he had spent his day. She didn’t disclose this to Amy; she had to keep up appearances to convince everyone nothing was going on anymore. Maybe it was good they found a different way to spend their day.

The following day, she didn’t get to say goodbye to Chance. Claire was distraught, but she also understood his position. Maybe it was best they didn’t see each other before she left. Less painful that way. Not that she could avoid him forever. He was a permanent part of her life, whether she liked it or not.

Bryan drove them to the airport after promising Willow a few days to tie up loose ends in Miami. The flight home was uneventful, and as soon as Claire stepped into her house, she received an unexpected call.

“Trent?” She recognized his voice instantly. “What the fuck?”

“Claire, can I see you? I’ve tried calling every day but couldn’t get through to you.”

“Trent,” she barked, “I have nothing to say to you. Go back to your lover.”

“It’s over, Claire. I was stupid,” he said. “I made a mistake.”

“That’s your prerogative. Please leave me alone and stay away from me. I want nothing more to do with you.”

“Claire,” he pleaded. “I love you.”

“There was a time when I actually believed that,” she yelled. “Until I saw you with someone else.”

“Claire, that was…Gosh! It’s not what you think,” he said, frustrated. “Just let me come over and I will explain.”

“You think I’m stupid? Don’t call me again,” she said and hung up before he could plead with her.

“Trent?” Willow asked from behind her.

“Unfortunately,” Claire said, her palm on her forehead. “Not quite the welcome I needed.”

“Just ignore him,” Willow said. “I know you have a lot to deal with, but just give it some time.”

“All I have is time,” she said sarcastically. “I’m not in a rush.”

“I know, Claire, and I feel terrible for the part I played in this.”

Claire didn’t respond; she simply sighed and wheeled her luggage upstairs and sat on her bed. She looked at the house that had been home to her for so many years. So much had changed for her in such a short time. She had lost her fiancé, had sex with her stepbrother, acquired a stepfather, and was preparing to leave the home she had grown up in. To be honest, she didn’t mind moving to Bryan’s because that meant Chance would be more accessible, but she had so much to do before she actually left town. She had to quit her job, change her address, cancel accounts, and say goodbye to her friends. Claire wasn’t sure she was ready for that, and she laid sprawled on the bed while her world spun out of control.

Three days later, she only had her personal items to pack. Her office hadn’t been pleased when she’d informed them of her immediate resignation, but they understood she had no choice.

Willow was in high spirits, and Claire didn’t blame her. After all, she was a new bride. By the time the moving truck pulled up a week later, Willow was over the moon. To Claire’s disappointment, Chance wasn’t there, but Bryan had flown in ahead of the truck. They would ship some of the items Willow wanted to keep, and the truck would take the rest to a storage facility Bryan had leased. It wasn’t a long drive to the airstrip where they saw the same jet they had seen at the island. They boarded the plane, and for most of the flight, Claire kept to herself while watching her mother and her lover talk for a time that seemed endless.