Otherwise Engaged (21 page)

“I don’t know,
Skylar.” He’d missed the first few softball practices. He’d been avoiding
Skylar’s parties. He probably owed Skylar a night out, but he wasn’t feeling
it.

“I’m tired of
you moping around, acting like the world is about to cave in on your pitiful head.”

“Hey. I made it
to softball this week.”

“What an
accomplishment. You’re still moping, though. In fact, you’ve been kind of a
zombie since we went out to California.” Skylar paused for a moment. Then he
said, “Is this still about that girl? The one you mentioned in California.”

“Don’t worry
about that. She’s gone.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Forever.” He thought about his conversation with Carolina. Could he salvage
things? Maybe the most unselfish thing to do would be to respect Daphne’s
wishes and stay away. But how was he supposed to know? Apparently, he sucked at
being unselfish. He didn’t even know what word you used for it, but unselfish
didn’t sound right. Generous maybe? Selfless?

“This is really
affecting you,” Skylar said as if this was just dawning on him.

“Yeah
whatever.”

“You wouldn’t
let me wallow in my own misery. So I’m not going to let you do it, either.”

“There’s really
nothing I can do to get out of this?”

“Not a thing.
I’ll harass you until Saturday if you say no. And if I don’t see you here
Saturday, I’ll come over and drag you out of your apartment. I’ll do it. Don’t
forget. I know the code to get in there.”

“I could change
it.”

“You won’t,”
Skylar said sunnily.
Too sunnily.

“Fine,” Rain
growled.

“Oh, I’m such a
horrible friend. I’m going to make you have a good time. How dare I?”

“You’re gonna
wish you let me wallow.”

“I’m tired of
the days of you being no fun. So I declare those days over. You’ll see on
Saturday.”

“Yeah.” Right.
If Skylar believed that, he was a fool.
 

#

Daphne and
Bettina went out for sushi Thursday night.

“What are we
doing this weekend?” Daphne asked once they were both working on their sashimi.

“You remember
that crazy client I told you I used to work with?
The
software giant?
I worked for my old boss, Whitney, when I worked with
him. I miss her so much. Anyway, you remember? His name is Skylar.”

“Yeah.” Daphne
nodded. “I think I remember because I sort of knew him. He went to my college.
He was a friend of Rain’s, but we never really hung out. Engineering student.
Computer science or something,” she said.

Bettina nodded.
“He has this company. Bevyx.”

“Sure. Rain
used to work with him a while ago. Right out of college.” Why did his name keep
finding its way into her mouth? It was only because the topic of conversation
happened to overlap with him. That was all.

“Well, Skylar
is hosting a party to celebrate some new venture for Bevyx. He’s invited me.
Want to go?”

Daphne
hesitated. She took a sip of her sake to buy time. She didn’t know if Rain and
Skylar were still friends or not. What if Rain was at that party? She wasn’t
sure she wanted to see him. She also wasn’t sure she didn’t want to see him.
Damn. “I guess.”

“I really just
want to see Skylar’s house. I’ve heard stories about his place from some of the
lawyers at the firm. Apparently, he has this insane place in Northwest near one
of the embassies.”

Daphne nodded
thoughtfully. “I’ll bet. Isn’t Bevyx in the news a lot now?”

“I heard it’s
headed for the Fortune 500 soon. Very soon.”

“Is that
insider information?” Daphne teased.

Bettina rolled
her eyes. “Hardly. If you kept an eye on these things, you’d know.”

“How’d you get
an invite to this party anyway?” Daphne asked.

Bettina
shrugged and smiled. “I have my connections.”

“Okay,” Daphne
said.

“So it’s a
date?”

“It’s a date.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“What if…Rain’s
there?”

“I guess we’ll
find out,” Daphne said. She gulped down the rest of her sake.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Daphne wore a
slinky red thing with gold jewelry Saturday night. Her black hair fell down
over her shoulders. Not because Rain liked it down. She felt like wearing it
down was all. Bettina drove them to the party. Daphne was glad because she
didn’t think she was capable of driving at the moment. Her stomach was a ball
of knots. All she could think of was the possibility of seeing Rain there. And
what would she do if she saw him? Would she turn around and leave? Ignore him?
She didn’t think she could do either of those things, so what would she say to
him?

She realized
how much she missed him coming around all the time trying to get her to talk to
him now that he’d stopped. She hadn’t tried to contact him, telling
herself
she’d told him she wanted things this way. And it
was best for things to be this way. But she was having more and more doubts
about that all the time.
Especially since her conversation
with Arlen the other day.

Did Rain
deserve another chance?

When they
walked into the dark living room of Skylar’s house, she didn’t notice all of
the showy luxury furnishings Bettina kept murmuring about in the room. She
barely noticed the pounding house music despite the driving beat. Her eyes were
drawn across the room almost as if they knew. As if they’d expected this very
moment.

Bettina was
trying to get her attention for some reason, and she barely uttered a few words
in response. She had no idea what those words were. She thought maybe Bettina
was trying to introduce her to someone, but she couldn’t focus on that. In this
moment, all of her could only focus on one thing. One person.

He stood up
straighter. His eyes locked with hers. He looked even better than she
remembered in a loosing-fitting white button-down paired with dark slacks. He’d
cut his hair finally so that it no longer hovered over his slightly
almond-shaped eyes. He watched her carefully, not moving a muscle as she walked
toward him.

She didn’t feel
in control of her own legs. They crossed the room and didn’t stop until she was
standing a few feet in front of him. Rain Foster. The look in his hazel eyes
was a mixture of relief and wariness.

Rain licked his
lips. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” He shifted and seemed to not know what
to do with his hands. “This is a surprise. A good one.”

She smiled. “My
cousin works for Gibson and Grey.”

“Ah,” he said.
“That explains it.”

“I missed you.”
She wanted the words back as soon as they were out of her mouth, but there was
no changing the fact that they were out there now.

“Daphne.” His
voice was low with emotion and desire. He started to reach for her, balled his
hand into a fist, and drew it back to his side.

“I expected too
much,” Daphne said. “I mean, I knew what Puerto Rico was, but I thought. I
thought…it doesn’t matter what I thought. I still don’t like the way you
handled things, but I guess I wasn’t completely fair and honest, either. With
you or myself.”

He shook his
head. “Don’t. Don’t you dare blame
yourself.
There’s
no excuse for the way I was, Daph. I could have handled everything so much
better. I should have. And I’m so sorry I didn’t.” He spoke the words so
quietly that she barely heard them over the pulsating beat of the music.

“No, really.”
Daphne took a deep breath to buy time while she tried to decide how to say what
she wanted to say. “I wanted what we did as much as you did. I got greedy. I
got delusional.”

“Please stop.”
Rain stepped closer but kept his arms at his sides.

“Then I tried
to put it all on you. I helped destroy our friendship. It wasn’t all you.”

“Just let
me—”

“No, Rain, I’m
not finished—”

“Daphne, I love
you,” he said. “I’m a wreck without you.” He shook his head. “I was the greedy
one. I’ve been too stingy with you. No more. From here on out, no matter what,
you have all of me.”

She was
finished now. She had no idea how to respond to that.

“I’ve loved you
for a long time. Years,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “I just didn’t know
how to deal with it. I think that’s part of the reason I stayed away from you
so much after graduation. I didn’t want to face it. I was being selfish and
looking out for only me. I wanted to do what I wanted, and I didn’t want
anything interfering with that. And that was a jerk move. San Juan threw it in
my face. I can’t deny it anymore. I’ve been sick miserable since we got back
from Puerto Rico. And I’ve deserved every moment of it.”

“Rain.” His
name stuck in her throat. She could only stand there and stare at him. Nine years.
Nine years she’d been in love with this man and tortured herself because of it.
And he meant to tell her he’d felt the same way all along? She’d fantasized
about this moment so many times, but now that it was here in real life, she had
no idea how to handle it.

Rain stepped
closer so that there was almost no space between them. Placing a hand behind
her neck, he moved his thumb gently over the nape of her neck. He leaned in and
brushed his lips against hers twice. Her breath hitched. He pulled back and
stared down at her for a moment with half-closed eyes. Finally, when she
thought she would burst if he didn’t put his mouth on hers, he captured her
lips in a kiss. One hand remained behind her neck, and his other moved to
caress the side of her face. She moaned, wrapping her arms around him. She sank
into the kiss. That kiss was all she wanted. The rest of the world disappeared
as it always did when she and Rain kissed.

“Well, well. I
guess this is the big secret. Has to be her,” a voice behind them said. They
pulled away from each other, and she turned to see a tall, blond guy.

“Skylar,” Rain
said, sounding like he’d been caught in a lie.

Bettina sidled
up to them and gave Daphne a look. “Lucy,” she said. “You got some ‘splainin’
to do.”

“I think you
two have met briefly, but Bettina, this is Rain,” Daphne said. “Rain, my
cousin, Bettina.”

“And this is my
friend, Skylar.” Rain nodded in the direction of the blond guy. “Skylar,
Daphne.”

“I knew it,”
Skylar said. “She’s the one. The girl. I saw your face as soon as she walked in
here. Don’t try to deny it.”

Rain nodded,
looking at Daphne as he spoke to Skylar. “I’m not denying anything.” Rain’s
gaze turned private and smoldering as he spoke to Skylar while looking at her.
“She’s the one.”

Daphne’s heart
pounded against her ribcage as if it was being kept prisoner behind a door and
begging to be let out.

“Rain, huh?”
Bettina said. “Oh. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“What’s that
supposed to mean?” Skylar interjected, eyebrow raised.

“You stay out
of this,” Bettina said.

“You’re in my
house,” Skylar answered.

“We’re not at
the firm now. I don’t have to take your crap and pretend I like you,” Bettina
said, her eyes sparking as she turned to Skylar.

“You think I care
what you think of me?” Skylar scoffed.

“No. I don’t
think you can pull your self-absorbed head out of your ass long enough to care
about anything that’s actually important,” Bettina said.

The air between
them crackled with tension.

Skylar crossed
his arms over his chest and smirked indignantly at Bettina. “Oh. Thank you for
that very informative assessment. You should be grateful for the invite. What
are you again? A secretary?” He wasn’t shy about letting his eyes roam up and
down the secretary’s body. Bettina looked good in her short, tight, black
dress, and Daphne was pretty sure she knew it. Her cousin had never been the
shy or self-conscious type.

“Yeah. That’s
right. Secretary,” Bettina said. “A damned good one. I would think that as much
as you ogle me at the office, you’d know exactly what I do and where I do it.”

Skylar’s face
reddened, and he blustered as he presumably attempted to come up with a reply.

“Yeah. That’s
right. I caught you. Don’t try to deny it,” she said.

Daphne jumped when
she felt a hand close over hers. She then looked down and smiled at Rain’s hand
wrapped around hers. Rain hadn’t held her hand many times in life. It reminded
her of when he had in Puerto Rico. It was nice.

“I think they
need to work this out amongst themselves,” Rain murmured to her.

She tightened
her fingers around his. “I think you’re right.” She let Rain lead her outside
to the balcony. “It’s nice out here tonight.” A gentle breeze blew. It was a
nice mid-April night. Not too warm, not too cold.

He moved closer
so that their shoulders were touching. “Please don’t tell me I’ve missed my
chance.”

Was it safe to
finally let herself give in to the thing she’d wanted for so long? Let
herself
believe it might actually be possible for her to get
it. She really wanted it to be. She felt lightheaded at the sudden rush of
emotion that surged through her. This sort of excitement was rare. Like the
feeling she got at the top of a hill on a rollercoaster right before it crashed
downward.

“I’m doing the
Rumpass in Bumpass triathlon next weekend,” he said.

“Interesting
name.”

“Yeah.” His gazed
locked on hers, transfixed her. “I’d like us to spend some time together after
that. I can change for you, and I want to. Let me show you that.”

Impulsively,
she threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and rested his cheek on top
of her head. She pressed closer as his hands moved down her back to caress her
waist.

#

Rain was coming
out of the water at the end of the first leg of the triathlon when he spotted her.
At first, he thought he heard a familiar voice calling his name and cheering
him on. He decided he must have been hallucinating. There was no way she would
come all the way out here just to see him struggle through a race. He hadn’t
even told her where it was—he’d just mentioned the name of the triathlon
to her when they talked at the party.

He did a double
take when he looked over to the sidelines and saw Daphne standing there between
Bettina and Skylar. Maybe he’d swallowed too much lake water or something and
was becoming delirious. But why would he hallucinate Bettina there as well?
Grinning and gritting his teeth all at once, he picked up his speed.

The idea of
Daphne there for him, cheering him on, spurred him through the next two legs of
the race, which were biking and running. He sprinted across the finish line and
finished the last 6.2 miles of the race among the top athletes, which shocked
him. He’d only started training less than two months ago. Granted, he’d been in
pretty good shape before that. Still. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t have done so
well if Daphne hadn’t been there. Knowing she was there gave him an extra burst
of speed.

When he was
done, he ran over to Daphne and the others. Skylar congratulated him with a
clap on the back.
Bettina, with a nod of the head, a smile,
and a lot of clapping.
Daphne reached for him. He grabbed her, lifted
her over onto the runners’ path, and swung her around. She laughed, clasping
him around the neck.

She looked
beautiful as always with her long black hair cascading down her back. She wore
skinny jeans and a T-shirt. How he loved those legs of hers in skinny jeans.
The only
thing
better was
those legs
of hers naked
.

“I can’t
believe you’re here. Thank you,” he said.

“I’ve decided
I’m going to meet you halfway on this thing,” she said.

He set her
down. “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been
fair. I think part of me was still holding back out of what? Fear. Anger. Maybe
a mix of both.”

“You’ve been
more than fair.”

“No. I
haven’t.” She looked up at him solemnly. “I’m so very in love with you. I was a
goner for you from the start. I’ve been in love with you since freshman year.
And I didn’t tell you at the party when you told me you loved me. I held out on
you.”

“I knew. You
told me before.”

“But I didn’t
tell you that night. And I should have. It’s important. Because I’m not giving
up on you.”

He smoothed her
hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. He held her close. “I love you,
too. So much.”

“I think they
want you over there,” she said, pointing to the guy who was in charge of
corralling the racers. He was gesturing in Rain’s direction.

“I hope I’m
wanted over here, too,” he said.

“Definitely.”
She gave him a generous smile with those soft, full lips of hers.

He squeezed her
waist one last time and jogged over to the other racers. He went through the
motions of accepting his medal and taking pictures, but his mind wasn’t on the
race. Ordinarily, he would’ve been stoked about finishing a race so well. At
the moment, though, all he could think about was Daphne, how lucky he was to
have not lost her forever, and when the next time she’d be in his arms would
be.