"Good. I'm glad you're back, son."
Trent had to fight the urge to hang up. Tender concern just wasn't the way his father communicated and as many times as he'd wished his father gave a shit growing up, he had no idea what to do with that concern coming at him now.
Now that it couldn't help him.
"Look, I have to go. Give my message to Mom, will you?" He hit the button to end the call and closed his eyes.
Mara was still in the kitchen making something that looked like chocolate pudding. He winked as he passed her and entered their bedroom. His closet wasn't nearly as opulent as hers but it was a similar setup just slightly smaller in size. He closed the door behind him and pulled out one of the lower drawers of the dresser. After the day he'd asked Walter to remove all the personal pictures in the house, he'd never gone looking for them. He hadn't cared.
But they had to be in this room somewhere.
He stood on tiptoe and ran his hand over the top shelf. A box of shoes shifted and fell, narrowly missing the side of his face. With a curse, he moved to the side, his foot catching on something. He barely managed to grab the dresser in time to keep himself from falling on his ass.
The box had been pushed underneath the far right section of the closet beneath his winter coats. He pulled it out and ran his hand over the top. It was secured with a single piece of duct tape. After only a moment of hesitation, he pulled the tape off and spread the flaps open.
The picture on top was a companion to the one he'd found in the living room that day. In this shot, Tia looked directly at the camera, a bright smile on her face. Her dark hair was bundled up on top of her head in that messy bun, the way she'd always worn it. Avery had her arms thrown around Trent's neck, like she was trying to get his attention but his head was turned to the side, looking down at Tia.
His expression was like someone seeing fireworks for the very first time.
Time passed and he had no idea how long he knelt there, holding that picture frame, his mind immersed in memories. It wasn't until he heard the ding of a timer and Mara's voice singing a low tune that he came back to where he was. In his closet, looking at a picture that could rip the very fabric of his world right down the center. He put the picture back in the box and closed the flaps. Then shoved it back under the coats where he'd found it, his fingers trembling as he arranged the long coats to hide the box again.
It couldn't stay hidden forever though. There would always be certain things he couldn't say or do without fear. The truth would hurt her. As it hurt him. But as things stood she was hurt anyway, by the distance she sensed between them. Until she knew the whole story of how they'd met, that distance would just grow wider and wider.
At some point he would have to take that final leap and trust her to listen without judgment. They could never move forward otherwise. But how could he take that leap when there was such a high chance that she would leave him? That this was the one thing she wouldn't be able to forgive?
He would show her after the gala and hope that love was strong enough to overcome his greatest shame.
Chapter Fifteen
MARA STARED AT herself in the mirror, feeling like she was looking at an image of someone else. After she'd convinced Trent that she wanted to come to his mother's charity ball, she'd realized eventually that she'd committed to a black-tie event and had no idea how to prepare for it. The last few days, she'd been in a whirlwind of details, trying to make sure that she had everything she needed.
Although she wouldn't admit it to Trent, having a personal assistant as efficient as Gina had made the entire process as painless as it could be. Although she'd already had a dress, she hadn't had a formal purse that matched the dress or known of any local salons where she could get her hair done before the event. Gina, the miracle worker, after seeing a picture of the dress, had ordered a new bag for her. Then she'd arranged for a hairstylist and manicurist to come to the penthouse in the afternoon to get her dolled up before the event. They hadn't met in person yet but she knew that Gina would be in attendance tonight. As she looked at her reflection, Mara decided that she owed the other woman one big, grateful hug.
Her long, dark curls were swept up off her shoulders in an intricate twist that had taken the hairdresser more than an hour to create. She ran her hands over the bodice of her dress. The lavender strapless evening gown was one of the designs that Sophia had chosen for her. It hugged her bosom perfectly and then flared slightly over her hips. Even her shoes were exquisite, she thought as she gazed down at the silver Christian Louboutin stilettos on her feet. From head to toe she felt and looked like a princess.
She'd also had a massage. She let out a happy sigh. Her muscles were still humming after that rub down. Mara had been buffed and polished like a precious stone and now it was time to go.
"Baby, are you ready?"
Trent stopped in the doorway, his eyes going hooded and dark when he saw her standing in front of the mirror. He walked behind her and she watched in the reflection as he moved closer. He was a masculine vision in his black tuxedo, the edges crisp and perfect, the stark formality of it a contrast to his blond hair.
One hand came around her waist pulling her back against his chest. Her ass snugged up against him and he pressed forward, imprinting the length of his hard cock against her back.
"I see you're ready," she breathed.
"That's an involuntary response whenever I see you," Trent replied. His fingers trailed up her arm leaving a line of goose bumps behind. "You are breathtaking."
"Thank you. I'm kind of nervous."
"You have nothing to be nervous about. The other women who have to stand next to you are the ones who should be nervous."
Mara smiled, relieved that she looked okay. She'd never had low self-esteem but being around women like Trent's mother and sister brought out insecurities she didn't even know she had. It made her constantly self-conscious, worried that she'd do something stupid or make some social misstep that would embarrass Trent.
His lips descended and she closed her eyes, already anticipating the press against her skin. The dragging sensation over the side of her neck didn't disappoint, awakening a whole host of sensations, the tingles created by his touch warring with the butterflies caused by her nerves.
"My father sent over my old driver. I wonder if he'll tell on me if I put the privacy screen up and do dirty things to you in the backseat."
Mara gasped out a sigh as his teeth clamped down on her earlobe. A rush of desire made her clamp her thighs together. The tiny thong she was wearing was already saturated.