AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was obvious by Monday that she wasn't going to call. He’d asked her not to, and she was honoring his request. Charles encouraged him to call her, but he couldn't. Not yet. Everything was still too fresh. He knew he owed her an explanation, and eventually, he would give her one—whether it was sooner or later didn't really matter. Either way, there was no possibility of them continuing on. How could he build an honest relationship with her? The beginning of it, the veryfoundationof it, was built on a falsehood, a deception of the worst kind.
He sighed, and although he knew it would only cause him anguish, he let his mind wander back to the first weeks of their acquaintance, when she professed to dislike him, calling him on his arrogance and stuffiness. But then he’d courted her, determined to show her that he wasn’t a haughty, rich prick. For the first time, he’d wanted to romance a woman. She made him want to sing for her, dance with her, laugh and play with her. She’d brought him to life.
Now he just felt dead.
* * *
“When do you go back?”
Will shrugged. “I'm not sure. Maybe I'll stay and spend a little more time at the San Francisco office.”
“I bet you don't last five days out here without rushing back to Elizabeth.”
Will remained silent and turned to stare out the window of the cab.
Richard cleared his throat. “In any case, we're due at the realtor's office at nine tomorrow. She'll take us to the first building, and if we can squeeze it in, we'll head to the second building in the afternoon. Other than that, it's just paperwork and red tape.”
“Do we have to see the second building immediately?” Will asked.
“No. I was just trying to condense everything. I didn't think you'd want to be out here for very long.”
“Why don't we see the first building tomorrow, and the second building on Monday?”
“So we're going to spend the weekend here in LA?” Richard paused. “What's going on?”
“Nothing. I figure if I'm here, I may as well take advantage of it. I never get out to California. Except for my quick trip a few weeks ago, I haven't been to any of the other offices since last year. The last time I was at a satellite was last December. It’s been too long.”
“What are you going to do while you're here?”
Will turned to glare at him. “Keep an eye on you.”
The cab pulled up in front of the hotel, and the men climbed out. Will took a deep breath, then grimaced. “Nothing quite like the air in LA, is there?”
Richard chuckled. “Nothing like it.”
Richard had booked a two-bedroom suite, and Will was pleased with the accommodations. “Not a bad spot.”
“It's great. It's the closest luxury hotel I could get to the realtor’s office. She'll drive us around, so I figured we could walk to her office. It's not far.”
Will was staring out the windows, hardly listening, but nodded. “Sure. Um, were you expecting to be home for the weekend? I mean, wecansee the other building tomorrow, if it's easier for you. Then you can...go home.”
“Lauren will understand. We can do things on your schedule.”
Will turned to face him. “Um, how are things with her? With the baby?”
Richard smiled. “Everything’s great. She moved in last week, as soon as we got home from Boston.”
“We need to have another conversation about everything. Things can't stay as they are.”
“I realize that.”
“I've been thinking…how much longer will she work?” Will asked. “I mean, when is the baby due?”
“Not until February. You'll like this…she's due February first.”
Will's eyebrows rose. “You're kidding.”
“Nope. Her due date is your birthday.”
