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"I am being honest. He does not deserve what you dish out. He was not that bastard who beat on us every chance he got. Do you love him?"
She gave him a look. "What the hell kind of question is that?"
"A reasonable one. Answer it."
"I feel like a suspect," she muttered as she picked at her wrap. "You know I do. I am scared of disappointing him. He could have any woman he wants and he chose me. Sometimes I find myself wondering why.
He is Wade Bramwell and I am well - I am me. I have learned to be confident in my looks after being beaten down by that - that sperm donor, but it is still hard, difficult for me to accept that a man like him could be interested in me."
"You need to take another look in the mirror." David's expression softened as he reached for her hand. "You are beautiful, talented, and fiercely loyal. No wonder he is in love with you."
"He gave me this." She used her free hand to snag the necklace from beneath her sweater.
"Crap!" He whistled, staring at the stone. "That's - it's a beauty."
"I told him about the one I was eyeballing at that jewelry store so long ago when we were walking home from school and he remembered."
"My God." David's eyes flew to hers. "He is-" His voice petered off.
"Unbelievable.' Sighing, she put away the stone. "I am going to have to do some serious groveling."
"Are you certain you are ready? It's a damn big step."
"I am. It's just that I have some lingering issues that won't go away."
"And probably never will." David shrugged. "I am learning to live with it."
"And you are saying I should do the same?"
"Something like that. Or you are going to run the risk of messing up the very good thing you have going on."
"And I certainly would not want that. God!" She took a gulp of the water. "I love him so much and every single day, I wonder what the hell he is doing with me. When will he find someone who is worthy of him? I am from a crappy background, what the hell does he see in me."
"The same thing I see." David gazed at her fondly. "Someone who is one of the best people I know."
*****
He could feel the anger taking over. He had originally thought to wait for her, have it out right there in front of her staff. But he had been too riled up and if he had stayed, he would have said something they both regretted.
Damn her! He shoved at the proposals he had in front of him. He could not concentrate on the damn contracts although he needed them for his meeting this afternoon.
That's what she did. Whenever she was going through something, he could not keep still. He wanted to fix things for her, to make it so that she was not hurting. He wanted to erase the past, to take away the hurt and pain she had endured growing up.
The minute she answered the phone, he had known that something was wrong. He was attuned to her every mood and he sensed that she was going through something. He thought they had reached a place where she would want to share whatever it was with him and it burned him that she was holding back.
His head jerked at the discreet knock on the door.
"Yes?" he snapped.
"I am sorry sir, the conference call you have been waiting for is on."
"Thank you Corinne. Give me five minutes and put the call through." He hesitated briefly. "Has- Did she call?"
His assistant knew him well enough to know who he was referring to. "No sir. Would you like me to call-"
"No." He shook his head. "Give me five, will you?"
"Of course. You have not touched your sandwich."
