Until You Believe Me (10 page)

"I don't need you to wear it on your sleeve, just promise you'll be honest. I can take waiting for information until you're ready but I can't bear to have you lie. I'd be more hurt from a lie than the truth."

"I don't plan on hurting you Connor. Ever." I truly felt that I'd be willing to do anything to keep from hurting him.

"Good, now when do we eat?" He smiled that grin and immediately all my cares and worries disappeared.

After dinner, I finally convinced Connor to let me clean up, and I joined him on the sectional. He turned on the fireplace and was sprawled out on the couch when I came in. I lifted his head and laid it back down on my lap. I smiled and stroked his hair softly.

"Tell me about the business," I said.

"Well, I keep minions in line, isn't that what you say?"

I laughed and playfully tugged his hair. "Really, how did you end up with it, why didn't your brother?"

"Well I was working for my dad when he got sick. I was mostly doing the on site stuff while my dad was out bidding and doing the paperwork. Once he got sick, someone needed to run the day to day stuff so I started there. We thought he'd be back to work in a few months, and he was. He quickly got sicker, you know that part so I moved in and took over. My brother is a bit of a, drifter, to put it nicely. He's still not sure what he wants. So here I am holding down the business."

"And is it, you know, umm, do you do ok at it?"

He chuckled. "Do we make money? Yes, we make money. Good money. My dad was a phenomenal business man. He didn't play on being a mom and pop company for long. When he left the company was actually worth a couple million. He's had some contracts with some big hotel chains. He's done some jobs for Disney. The university is the biggest project we've had. We stand to make about 5 million if they hire us on again in the fall. And more if they sign us for the whole contract."

I was shocked that there was that much money in construction. "Was this house your Dad's?" The question had been in the back of my mind since I learned about his father.

"Yes, it belonged to him. I moved here to stay with him when he first got sick. I never went back. I kind of put a lot of stuff on hold when it happened, I don't regret it, but looking back I realize I did a lot to be here."

"You love him, I can tell."

"I worry about him. He's only sixty. I want him to be around to see the business grow, to see me get married, to have grandkids. He is not lovey dovey kind of guy. I realized that. He shows he loves you by ordering you around. I accept that but it's not who I want to be. I've made it a conscious choice to be better at showing how I feel. I guess you can see how that's turning out." He gave a weak smile and I patted his cheek. He yawned a big yawn.

"I think you need some sleep. You were exhausted last night. You need to catch up on sleep." He turned in my lap and nuzzled his head against my stomach.

"I'm not willing to leave you just to sleep. I just got home." Even as he spoke his eyes were clearly heavy and closing.

"Up, come on. You have to go to bed. I'll come with you."

At this he lifted his head looking kind of shocked. "You will?"

I nodded.

"Madison, you don't have to. I told you, no pressure."

"Stop arguing or I might get the wrong idea that you don't want to sleep with me. Er..I mean sleep with me there too."

He smiled at me while I blushed. "Either will do for me sweetheart, believe me." He smiled as he got up off the couch. He went and grabbed my bags and carried them down the hallway to his bedroom.

I followed behind and watched him set down my bags. "I'll give you a few minutes while I got turn off the lights and et the alarm." He closed the bedroom door behind him.

I quickly sorted through my bag pulling out my pajamas and throwing them on. I opened the bedroom door, signaling to Connor that I was done. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly. As I walked out of the bathroom Connor was taking off his shirt and replacing it with a tshirt. His back to me, showed every defined muscle. I watch them flex under his smooth skin as the T-Shirt slipped down his back. I noticed that he was already wearing a pair of basketball shorts. I said a silent prayer that I didn't have to watch that because at that point I don't know how I would have kept it together.

He smiled as he climbed into bed. "C'mon sweetheart. Let's get to sleep." He opened up the covers for me and I crawled in next to him. He reached for a remote and the suddenly the lights went out.

I laughed and snugged close to him. "That's awesome." I heard his laugh from beside me as I felt his arms circle around my waist and his cheek was pressed to my back.

"I made plans for us tomorrow afternoon, so please don't try to escape in the night. On that note I set the alarm so please don't try to open the doors or windows until you've turned it off. Thank you for staying baby. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams Connor." And within minutes I feel into the deepest most peaceful sleep I could remember.

Chapter 13

When I woke up the sun was bright outside. It took m a moment to realize I wasn't in bed. After I realized where I was my next realization was that I was alone. I turned to the bedside table and picked up my phone. The clock read 8:07 A.M. I slowly got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to make myself presentable.

As I walked down the hallway toward the sitting room I smelled coffee and suddenly could think of nothing else. I walked into the kitchen and Connor was sitting at the island counter in his T-Shirt and basketball shorts. He was thumbing through the newspaper and sipping his coffee.

He looked up and smiled at me, getting up and pulling down a coffee mug and filling it with coffee. "Come sit." I took the stool next to him and put some sugar and milk in my coffee.

"Did you sleep well?" Connor asked as he closed the paper and put it to the side.

"Very. What about you?"

"Absolutely."

"You're up early."

"I slept until seven which is about an hour later than normal."

"I spend five days a week getting up too early. Saturday and Sunday are so worth wasting an hour or two in bed."

"That's why I left you alone, you looked much too precious to wake." Connor got up and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek on his way to the coffee pot. "What would you like for breakfast?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, coffee is good."

Connor frowned. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day Madison and I have an exciting day planned for you."

"I think I"ll survive."

"Well excuse me then because I won't be. I get cranky when I'm hungry." He started pulling things out of the fridge.

I couldn't imagine Connor cranky. He has always been happy-go-lucky, except for that one night. Otherwise he always had a smile on his face.

While he cooked and ate I hopped in the shower and got ready. As I put on make-up and brushed my hair Connor showered.

I nearly passed out when he steppe out of the steaming bathroom in perfectly fitting jeans and no shirt. His bare chest was slightly damp from the shower and steam and every muscle rippled as he walked and bent to grab a shirt from a drawer.

I had to literally shake my head to break out of my trance. He was an amazing specimen, that was for sure.

**

We had just left the house in Connor's truck and were driving down the freeway. It was only twenty minutes before we pulled into a long driveway. In front of us was a two story house with an amazing wrap around front porch. The house was clearly large but it was understated. It wasn't pompous big, it was old southern money big.

Connor opened my car door and helped me out. We walked up to the porch and was very surprised when he stuck a key in the lock rather than knocked. We walked into the house and it was not what I expected. The front hallway floor was missing and I noticed various tarps and tools all over.

"What is this?" The outside was beautiful, however the inside was clearly in need of repair.

"This is an 1890's plantation house. It sits on four acres of land. I'm currently restoring it." Connor led me from the front hallway to the huge front room. There were beautiful bay windows that looked onto the land on the side of the house. They filled the huge room with an unbelievable amount of sunlight.

"It's gorgeous. When will it be done? Who needs this much land?"

"It's mine. I'm restoring it myself and I hope to live here within the next few years." He gave a small smile, but I could tell he was waiting for me.

"Yours, like you bought this to live in? I love it Connor."

"I'm so glad." He squeezed my hand as we moved around the house some more.

After seeing five bedrooms and three and a half baths we went out back to the porch. It was land as far as you could see. Way back behind the house was another building. It almost looked like a barn.

We stood there and talked about the house and how Connor had come about finding it. Originally he was asked to renovate a house down the street but saw this and had to have it.

"Wow, I can't imagine ever owning this much space or this much house even. It's beautiful."

"I'm very grateful to be able to. There isn't a day that I don't make myself stop and realize how much better off I am than some people, not just financially.  I appreciate it a lot more since my dad got sick, ya know? This could end and I might never get to enjoy this house. I pray it doesn't go down like that but I just never know. It's not part of my job to decide."

I laid my head on his shoulder. I've seen houses and land like this in Better Homes and Gardens or some Southern Living magazine. But to see it in the flesh and to know somebody who's reality it is was interesting.

"It's so quiet out here. That's why I really like it. I can enjoy the time with my future family. I'm not interrupted by city life or people coming and going. I feel like I could enjoy my family and keep my kids safe. That's why I love it out here. I feel like out here I could be the best father, husband, man I can be."

"You'd be a great father, I think. You're patient and kind and you seem like a grown little boy anyway."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "That last part might be right."

Our drive back to town was full of him telling me the history of the house. I asked questions about his restoration and listened to him speak. I loved to hear him talk, he spoke without hesitation. He was happy to talk about the things he was passionate about.

We pulled into a restaurant a little ways from his house. I had been here a few times before. We were in the general vicinity of my mother's stomping grounds, but thankfully this was somewhere that she or her nosy friends would frequent.

We sat at the table and joked and laughed and I shared some of my better stories about students and work. We were almost through with dinner when I noticed a very unwelcome patron of the restaurant. About five tables away the hostess sat the couple down and I felt slightly sick, suddenly very done with my dinner. Involuntarily I felt the heat leave my body and started to get chills.

"Madison, are you ok?" Connor noticed the change and looked extremely concerned.

"I just need to make a quick stop at the restroom. I'll meet you outside, really, I'm fine." Hesitantly Connor nodded and headed toward the front to get out check from the waitress. Without taking my eyes off the table I slipped back to the restrooms and  locked myself in a stall. Of all the things that could happen tonight, this couldn't be real. I stood there trying to collect myself and assumed I better head out before Connor got the wrong idea about why I needed to make a quick escape to the restroom. I washed my hands from fore of habit and stepped out of the restroom. I nearly got sick at the sight. Standing against the wall opposite the door was a man I hated with the smuggest smile I had ever seen on anyone's face.

"Now I can't imagine why you were so rude and ran off to the restroom rather than stopping by to give a friendly hello. Then again I guess you always were a bitch. I still have the fucking marks to prove it." He stepped closer and it was only moments before he was uncomfortably close

"Brad, you deserved worse than that. I wish I could have cut your fucking head off. I guess the cops came a bit too soon for that though."

He laughed and I felt the slime from the laugh roll down my spine.

"Bullshit, you loved it and I'm only sorry that I didn't get to enjoy it more. You had to go ruin all our fun with your lies. They didn't believe you Madison, that's why I'm here now. You wish you had fucking evidence to keep me behind bars but you didn't because you imagined it. You and your crazy fucking mom. You ran and told her like I did something you didn't like. I call your bluff Madison. I think about the night probably more than you do, except I know that you enjoyed it. Everything up to that point you fucking drove me to that. You're too fucking hard-headed. If you'd just know your role all would be well."