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Xavier didn’t knock. He had no idea who might be on the other side of the door. For all he knew it could be all three brothers brandishing baseball bats, heavy chains, and murderous dispositions. He hadn’t once considered not turning up, though. He had too much at stake.
Exactly twenty minutes after he’d last seen him, the butler opened the door and ushered him silently inside. They stood in a large laundry. Xavier started to stumble over his thanks when the butler held up a hand to silence him.
“I have only one question for you, Mr. West.” He stood between Xavier and the interior door, appearing to have no intention of moving. “Do you love her?”
It was a good question, but not one Xavier had expected from the help. Ever since Kalamazoo, Xavier had asked himself why he couldn’t let Hope go. This butler’s direct question brought it all back into sharp focus. Beth and all his previous girlfriendshad been wonderful. He’d loved being with them but had never truly beeninlovewith them. That was why it had always been easy to move from one to the next. None of them made him feel the way he did when he was with Hope. That was why he couldn’t let go. That was why he had to see her, even if it was to be for the last time.
“Sir, I can honestly say that I do. She’s…she saved me. I’ll never meet another woman like her.”
The butler seemed to consider that acceptable. “I have worked in this house for fifteen years. I know this family better than they know themselves, better even than my own family. I’ve watched over the years as Miss Emily hid herself from the world. It was never my place to tell her to live her life, nor could I tell her family they were stifling her.” His head jerked back, and his lips pursed as if he’d said too much. “If that is truly how you feel, might I suggest you tell her? She needs to hear such things directly from you.”
He stepped to the side and opened the door for Xavier. “She’s in the sunroom. Down the hall, second door on the left. I’ll see to it that you are not disturbed.”
“Will you get in trouble for this?”
A dry smile crossed his lips. “Some things are worth breaking the rules for.”
“You’re a good man.”
“Some days, sir, some days.”
Xavier crept down the hall as quietly as he could. He followed the butler’s instructions and came to a huge open room. Beyond the windows was a vast sea of green, the gardens spread out like a magnificent oil painting. A woman sat staring at the scene, unmoved by its beauty. Her face devoid of all makeup and emotion, she sat eating cereal, her spoon suspended in mid-air. She wore a white sun dress, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked like a vestal virgin, a poignant, vestal virgin.
“Hi, Hope.”
She spun around. Her elbow caught the bowl of cereal and it flipped onto the floor. She ignored it, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth. She blinked several times.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was a jumble of emotion.
He had no idea what she was thinking. “I had to see you.” He sounded like a B-grade actor from a daytime movie and didn’t care. “I’m sorry for being stupid back in Michigan. Those words weren’t mine. I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave it like that. You deserve better.”
He took a step forward, sure to look into her striking, green eyes. “Hope, you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. If you want to throw me out of your house and never see me again, that’s fine, but I couldn’t go another day without telling you I love you.”
She frowned, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them away. “You’re a fucking idiot.”
This was more like the Hope he knew and loved.
“Not exactly the response I was hoping for but, uh, thanks?”
She shook her head. “No, you can’t do this. It’s too late. Don’t you see? Why would you wait to tell me that?”
“I always said I was a bit slow.”
She leaned against the table and crossed her arms. “You have the worst timing ever. I can’t even—you shouldn’t be here. You should be in California.”
He shrugged. “They’ll survive without me.”
“You worked for years for that opportunity. I don’t understand. This was your last chance at the title. You love competing. You love the Iron Man comp.”
Xavier shrugged. “Yeah, but it can never love me back.”
She pushed his words away with a wave of her hand. “Jesus, Xavier, how could you throw all that away? The reputationyou’ve built. All those followers counting on you…your word…” She moved towards the window. Seriousness settled over her porcelain features.
“I’ll make it up to them. I realised as soon as you left that I’ve been living my life for them just like you’ve been living your life for your family. We both need to stop doing that. I’m taking the first step, and I’m begging you to do the same.”
“Your father…” she said quietly.
“I’ll deal with him later. One father at a time, okay? You’ve convinced me to deal with things head on and honestly. I’ll get to him, but this is about you and me.”
