Cecelia sighed. “I thought about doing that, but my parents were very strongly against it. They don’t want to ruin the image of the picture-perfect fa
mily they’ve created over the years. I paid the blackmailer, but he still went ahead and started sending out messages to club members that alluded to me. I got another one from him today demanding another payment. There’s no way out of this trap. I tried to confide in Chip, thinking that he could help me somehow, but he accused me of living a lie and broke off our engagement instead.”
When Cecelia turned to look at Deacon, his jaw was tight and his skin was flushed with anger. “What a bastard! I can’t believe you were going to marry a man who could be so careless with your heart. You deserve better than him, Cecelia, not the other way around. By the time he figures that out, I hope it’s too late for him to win you back.”
Once again, she was stunned by his words. She just couldn’t understand how he could say things like that to her after everything that she had done to him. “Why are you being so nice to me, Deacon? I don’t deserve it.”
Deacon reached out and took her hand in his. His warm touch sent a surge of awareness through her whole body, bringing back to mind memories of their recent night together. She pushed all of that aside and tried to focus on the here and now.
“What are you talking about? You’ve already apologized twice for the other night, unnecessarily I might add.”
Cecelia met his gaze with her own. “I’m talking about high school. We were in love, we had made plans to run away and live this amazing life together, and I threw it all away. Don’t you hate me for that?”
“I was angry for a while, but I have to admit that it fueled me to make more of myself. I couldn’t hate you, Cecelia. I tried to, but I just couldn’t. The girl I loved wasn’t the one who broke up with me that day.”
Cecelia felt a sense of relief wash over her. At least that was one thing she hadn’t completely ruined. “I’ve never been strong enough, despite all my successes, to stand up to my parents. I made the mistake of telling them that after graduation, I was leaving with you. They had a fit and laid down the law. I wasn’t going anywhere, they insisted. It broke my heart to break up with you, but I didn’t know what else to do. And now, when they told me to keep my mouth shut and pay the blackmailer, I did it even though I didn’t want to. I dated Chip for years because that’s what they wanted. I probably would’ve married him to make them happy if he hadn’t broken up with me. They’ve never really allowed me to be myself. I’ve always had to be this perfect daughter, striving to prove to them that I’m better than my mother was.
“I’ve only ever done two things in my life just because it made me happy. One was starting my business. Marriage and family didn’t come as quickly as I’d hoped, so designing and decorating nurseries for a living was the next best thing.”
Deacon stroked his thumb gently across the back of her hand as she spoke. “What was the other thing?”
She looked at him, a soft smile curling her lips. “Falling in love with you. You made me happy. You never asked me to be anybody other than who I was. You knew the truth about my mother, and it never seemed to bother you.”
“That’s because you were perfect just the way you were, Cecelia. Why would I ask you to change?”
No one had ever spoken to her the way Deacon did. His sincere words easily melted her defenses, cracking the cold businesswoman facade that she worked so hard to maintain. She’d always felt so alone, and she didn’t want to be alone anymore.
Unwelcome tears started to well up in her eyes. Cecelia hated to cry, especially in front of other people. She wasn’t raised to show that kind of vulnerability to anybody. In the Morgan household, she learned at a very young age that emotions made one appear weak, and that wasn’t tolerated. Her birth mother had been weak, they’d told her, and look where she had ended up.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away from him to wipe her tears away.
“Stop apologizing,” he said. He reached for her and pulled her into the protective cocoon of his strong embrace. Cecelia gave in to it, collapsing against him and letting her tears flow freely at last. He held her for what felt like an hour, although it was probably just a few minutes. When she was all out of tears, she sat up and looked at him.
Deacon’s face was so familiar and yet so different after all these years. He still had the same kind eyes and charming smile she’d fallen in love with, there was just more maturity behind his gaze now. She found that wisdom made him more handsome than ever before.
In that moment, she didn’t want him to just hold her. She wanted to surrender to him and offer him anything she had to give. Slowly, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. This kiss was different from the one they’d shared before. There was no desperation or anger fueling it this time, just a swelling of emotion and her slow-burning desire for him.
Deacon didn’t push her away, nor did he press the kiss any further. It was firm and sweet, soft and tender, reminding her of warm summer nights spent lying in the back of his pickup truck. It was a kiss of potential, of promise.
Cecelia wanted more, but as she leaned farther into Deacon, she felt his hands press softly but insistently against her shoulders. When their lips parted, they sat together inches apart for a moment without speaking.
Finally Deacon said, “That’s probably where we should end tonight. I don’t want you to have any more regrets where I’m concerned. Or expectations.”
Cecelia didn’t regret a thing about what had happened between them, but she understood what he meant. What future could they possibly have together? She was still picking up the pieces from her broken engagement, and he’d be back in France in mere weeks. She nodded and sat back, feeling the chill rush in as the warmth of his body left her.
Setting her drink on the coffee table, Cecelia stood up. “I’d probably better get going, then. Thank you for listening and being so supportive. You don’t know how rare that is in my life.”
Deacon walked her to the door, giving her a firm but chaste hug before she left. It felt good just to be in his arms. She felt safe there, as though Maverick—and Chip and her parents and the gossipmongers of Royal—couldn’t hurt her while Deacon was around.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” he said.
Cecelia waved at him over her shoulder, feeling an unusual surge of optimism run through her as she climbed into her car. For the first time in a long time, she couldn’t wait to see what life had in store for her.
Six
“The chef has put together the tasting menu for the grand opening celebration. I didn’t realize it was happening today, and I promised Brandee that I would go with her to shop for some things for the ranch. Can you handle it without me?”
Deacon looked up from his desk and frowned at his business partner. “I may have lived in Europe for the last few years, but I don’t exactly have the most refined tastes. I am a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Are you sure you want to leave the menu up to me? That’s a pretty important element of the party, considering we’re trying to lure customers into the new tapas restaurant.”