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She whipped her gaze back to his face. “What do you imagine is meant to happen now? I’ll throw myself into your arms? Then what? What should we do? Where should we go?”
“I’ve thought about this a lot,” he lied.
Once he’d realised he had to give this one last shot, he’d rushed straight there. He hadn’t had a chance to decide on every tiny little detail.
“Okay, a little. I love you, Hope. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. As stupid and dramatic as it sounds, I ache for you. I gave up California because I had to talk to you, no matter the cost. We might not have a chance, but I know I don’t want to be an old man looking back at my life knowing I didn’t give it a bloody good try.”
“What do you propose we do, Xavier? Sail off into the sunset? My yacht is in being repainted. We’ll have to take yours.”
Her words had a sarcastic chill to them.
“I—look, I don’t know. I could stay here. Get a green card, get a job. We could even try dating, you know. Whatever you want.” His heart was in his throat. “Don’t—don’t shut me out without at least giving this a try.”
She stared at him, still as a statue. What was happening inside that wonderful mind of hers? Her lips parted as if to saysomething, but she was cut short by a booming voice from the doorway.
“I heard something smash. Emily are you—what thehellis he doing here?”
They both turned to see Michael blocking the entrance of a grey-haired man in a three-piece suit. The man’s jaw was clenched, his features steadily turning red. He side-stepped the butler and stormed across the room directly at Xavier.
Hope moved in front of him before he’d made it halfway, blocking him with a hand on his chest. “Daddy, stop.”
He halted his advance, but his lethal glare bore into Xavier like a laser. “I asked you a question.”
Xavier glanced at Michael, then squared his shoulders and told her father, “I’m here to tell your daughter I love her.”
“Ha! That’s so sweet coming from her kidnapper.”
“I never kidnapped her. She fled from you. There’s a difference.”
With fists balled, her father took a step towards Xavier, but Hope’s palm slapped his chest before he could move any further. That caused him to pause.
“Daddy, I don’t know how many times I have to say the same thing. Xavier didn’t kidnap me.” She sighed. “He might not have the best timing in the world or even the most tact, but it’s true. I did kind of need a break from you, at least for a little bit. No matter how much I love you and the boys, you smother me so much sometimes I can’t breathe.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your brothers and I love you. We’re your family. We look after you because we care.” His gaze flicked back to Xavier as though he were something the dog had dragged in. “This reprobate with his empty declarations of love will never understand that. Michael, please see this piece of trash out and make sure he never dreams of darkening our door again.”
The perfectly tailored servant made no move to escort Xavier anywhere.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t do that.”
“It’s a simple request, Michael. Throw him out, or you’re fired.”
Michael’s head bobbed towards the only female in the room. “Sir, I believe on this occasion, the decision is entirely up to Miss Emily. Ma’am, how would you like me to proceed?”
All heads swivelled towards her.
“Thank you, Michael.” She gave him a slight, thankful smile and studied the rest of them in turn. “What I want is for you all to stop trying to run my life for five minutes and listen.” She looked at him squarely. “Daddy, I’ll always be here for you and Malcolm and the other boys, too, but it’s time I lived my own life. I can’t stay here in this house forever. You must know that.”
Her father threw up his hands. “This is hardly the time to discuss it, but if you want to, perhaps we can look at buying you an apartment, there are some new ones near the office that look nice.”
He glanced at Xavier, and his mouth twisted. “Pumpkin, I know he sounds like he means it, but I assure you, he won’t be there for you when you need him. How can he possibly fall in love with you in such a short time? What’s it been, three weeks? I know his type. I meet them at the office every day, and they’re always on the wrong side of the court room. He doesn’t know you. He doesn’t appreciate you. He never will.”
Xavier gave the older man his due. Impassioned monologues like these were clearly why he earned the big bucks. He was almost swayed, himself. He was pleased to note, however, that Hope seemed unmoved.
Her father continued. “I seriously hope you’re not considering giving this charlatan the time of day. Do you really want to throw away a family who loves you for him? He doesn’tknow you, and he never will. Do you want to throw everything away? Never see your family again?”
“That’s the thing.” She looked up at her father. “You never saw me, the real me, even when I was standing right in front of you.”
“That’s simply not true. We love you. We always will. Your family has loved you, all of you, from the moment you were born.”
