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“Oh my God!” Hope cried, but she wasn’t exactly sure who she was addressing. “Ted! What in the world?”
To his credit, Beckett didn’t swing back. He stumbled back a few feet but didn’t fall. He rubbed his jaw where Ted had hit him, but kept his anger in check, while glaring at Ted.
Hope ushered her brother in and shut the door. “I cannot believe you just did that! How could you?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ted yelled. “This is the same man who commanded all of my time, fired me when my fiancée was injured and now you open the door and it’s obvious that you’re more than just a guest here...I mean, you’re not defending him, are you?”
A loud sigh escaped before Hope could stop it. “Did it ever occur to you to maybe try to talk about it first?”
“I tried to talk. Last week if you’ll recall. I did my best to try to get him to listen to me, but he wouldn’t. And now, knowing all that you do, you’re still here all cozied up to him! How could you, Hope?”
This was just the kind of discussion she had hoped to avoid. “Okay, let’s just...calm down. I was just putting breakfast on the table. Why don’t we all go and sit down, have something to eat, and discuss this calmly, okay?”
Neither man spoke as they followed her into the dining room. Once they were seated and Hope had made up their plates, she looked over at Beckett and touched his jaw. “I think you need some ice for that. I’ll be right back.” She heard Beckett try to stop her, but she needed a minute to herself and preparing an ice pack seemed like the perfect excuse.
“How is your fiancée?” Beckett asked calmly as the two men eyed one another across the table.
“She’s doing better. She’ll be on crutches for about six weeks and she’s bruised all over. She was lucky; it could have been much worse.”
Beckett nodded. “Are her parents still in town?”
“Yes. It only made sense for them to stay through the holidays. It made Merry feel better.”
Beckett’s lips twitched at the mention of her name, but he hid it behind his napkin. “I’m sure it does.” He paused. “Listen, Ted, I realize I was a little irrational last week when Hope showed up here and...”
“Yes, you were. I’ve worked very hard for you and you wouldn’t allow me a day to go and make sure my fiancée was all right. I’ve never lied to you in all the years I’ve worked for you. You should have trusted me.”
“I know and...”
“Now, thanks to you, Hope is furious with me. She never gets mad at me. I mean, sometimes she gets annoyed, but she gets over it. But this whole situation? She wouldn’t talk to me and when she did, it was to yell at me.”
“You deserved it,” Beckett said. “You abandoned her. You dumped her stuff in the snow and stole her car. She went out of her way to let you know about Merry and you thanked her by leaving her here with a guy she hated.”
“Clearly she got over it,” Ted mumbled.
“Yeah, she got over it, but it doesn’t make what you did all right, Ted. She’s going to forgive you. You’re her brother and the only family she has. She loves you and she deserves to have someone in her life who has her back. It seems to me she does a lot of stuff for you and you don’t reciprocate.”
“How can I? I’m always working!”
Beckett knew he had a point.
“Although, I guess that will change now. I’m hopeful my next job won’t demand so much of my time so I can actually have a life outside of the office.”
“Listen, Ted, about that...”
Hope came back into the room. “Here’s the ice.” She looked at the two of them as she slowly sat down. “How are the waffles? Have you tried them yet?”
Beckett reached for the syrup and poured some on before cutting into his breakfast. “Mmm...delicious. Why am I not surprised?”
She beamed under his praise. “Ted, try them. They’re the gingerbread waffles I told you I wanted to try.” She waited until he took a bite before tasting her own. Silence was a good thing at the moment. There was no doubt Beckett and Ted had been talking while she was out of the room, but Hope had no idea what was said or if anything had been resolved.
And then the silence began to grate on her nerves. “So,” she began brightly, “what did Merry get you for Christmas, Ted?”
He shrugged. “A sweater.”
Figures. “And what did you get her?”
“A vacuum.”
“And they say romance is dead,” she said cheekily and smiled even bigger when Ted frowned at her. “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. It’s Christmas.”
He placed his utensils down–loudly. “I just don’t understand what’s going on here. A week ago, you hated him!” he yelled while pointing at Beckett. “You would freak out if I even mentioned his name! And now you’re here playing house with him and...”
“To be fair, Ted,” she interrupted, “I didn’t choose to stay here. You left me here.”
“So...what? You made the best of a bad situation by sleeping with him?”
“That’s enough,” Beckett said in a tone that left no room for argument. “I don’t like what you’re implying at all. What happened between me and your sister is none of your business.”
“Well I think it is,” Ted said with a hint of confidence before turning toward Hope. “I’m sure everything is nice and everything is sweet right now, but it’s going to change. Once you leave here, he’s going to be the same guy who you hated. Do you think he’s going to stop being a workaholic overnight for you? Do you think he’s going to actually have any time for you?”
“Ted,” she interrupted but her brother wouldn’t be deterred.
“Right now he didn’t have a choice because he was snowed in here with limited internet access and with little hope of getting people on the phone because normal companies close for the holidays. He was killing time with you, Hope. Trust me. In the five years I worked for him, no one’s ever seen him leave the damn office. You mark my words, you continue this...this...whatever it is with him when you’re back home and you’ll end up alone.”
It was as if Ted had reached into her head and pulled out her every insecurity regarding what would happen once she and Beckett left the lodge.
“Don’t do this, Hope. Don’t put your hopes and dreams into a man like him. He’s not worth it. He’ll break your heart and he won’t even care.”
“I’m sitting right here, damn it!” Beckett snapped.
Ted glared at him. “Yeah, I know. Go ahead and deny it,” he dared. “Go ahead and tell Hope you’re going to cut back on your hours and you’re going to make her your top priority.” He sat back and waited and then turned back to Hope. “He can’t, Hope. He can’t and he won’t.”
No words would come. It was as if her vocal cords were paralyzed. She and Beckett had been living a fantasy existence here but it wasn’t real. None of it was real. Well, that wasn’t completely true. She knew her feelings for Beckett were real. She knew she loved him. Unfortunately, she knew her brother was right and the fact that Beckett wasn’t arguing or denying any of it spoke volumes.
As if to put the final nail in the coffin, Ted leaned forward and said, “Family isn’t important to a guy like him, Hope. Look what he did to poor Jerome. He didn’t care that my fiancée was hurt. He didn’t care that he was keeping me here away from my family for Christmas...”
“You made that choice,” Beckett said darkly.
“I only received two days off when mom and dad died. That was all the time I was given. If I took longer, my job would have been in jeopardy. Do you remember that?”
She nodded slowly, her heart beating frantically. “I do.”
“Does he even have family? He was willing to work through the holidays so if he has them, he doesn’t care enough about them to want to see them.”
“Not all families are close, Ted,” she defended quietly.
“I know family is important to you, Hope,” he said and reached out and touched one of her hands. “Could you really be with someone who didn’t feel the same way? Where does that leave you for the next holiday? Or on occasions that are important to you? If you stay with him, you’re going to be alone for all of them.”
“That’s enough,” she cried. “Stop it. Just stop it!” With a strangled sob, she got up and ran from the room.
****
Beckett sat back at watched Hope flee the room.
Was this really how people saw him? Was Ted right? Worse, did Hope believe him? He was torn between going after her or staying here and hashing things out with Ted. He glared at the man who had essentially ruined everything.
“If you care at all about my sister, you’ll end this,” Ted said quietly. “You know I’m right. You’re not going to stop working long hours and ignoring everyone else’s feelings. She deserves better than that.”
In his heart, Beckett wanted to believe he could be the kind of man who was everything Hope needed, but now he wasn’t so sure. An hour ago he was confident that he could, but after listening to Ted, his confidence was slightly shattered.
“Let her go,” Ted said, all the anger and animosity of moments ago gone. “She’s had a hard enough time of it since our parents died. She needs someone who is going to be there for her, someone who is going to put her first. We both know that’s not you.”
Hope came back into the room and came to stand beside Beckett. It was obvious she had been crying. “I think you should go, Ted,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry you drove all this way, but under the circumstances, it would be better for you to leave.”
Beckett watched the sadness on Hope’s face and knew he was to blame. Because of the way he was, because of the person he was, she was arguing with the only family she had. He had done this. And now he had to make it right.
“Actually,” he said, his voice gruff, “I think you should both leave.”
“What?” she cried.
Standing, Beckett put a little distance between the two of them. “Your brother’s right, Hope. Once I get back to the office, nothing’s going to change. I have a major corporation to run and I can’t just drop everything so we can hang out.”
“Hang out?” she parroted. “That’s not what we’ve been doing, that’s not what...”
“Look, I guess I got all caught up in what was going on here. I couldn’t work, you couldn’t leave, I mean...it was a fun way to spend the time.” He hated every word coming out of his mouth and hated even more the devastation they were putting on Hope’s face. “You were a nice diversion.”
“Why are you saying this? Why are you doing this?” she cried. “An hour ago you told me you loved me!”
He shrugged, unable to look at her. “I was caught up in the moment, I guess.” And he knew in that moment he had done it. He had lost her.
“Bastard,” she whispered.
“I never pretended to be anything else. You just saw what you wanted to see.”
Hope stared at him as tears streamed down her face. “Go to hell, Beckett.”
And there was the thing.
He was already there.
****
The drive home was spent in silence. Several times Ted tried to talk to her, but Hope spent the entire drive looking out the window and watching the miles take her farther and farther away from Beckett.
They had been happy. At least, she’d been. How could she have been so wrong, so hopelessly wrong? Was Beckett right? Had she only been seeing what she wanted to see? No. He took her dancing in the snow. He had decorated his house for Christmas for her. But why? If he truly didn’t love her and didn’t see or want a future with her, why do all of those things?
There was never going to be an answer because she was never going to see him again. With Ted no longer working for James Enterprises, there was no excuse to run into him anywhere. It’s not like their paths had crossed much before.
The thought of never seeing Beckett was almost more than Hope could bear. Her chest ached and she let out a shaky breath.
“Are you all right?” Ted asked softly, but she ignored him.
When they arrived back at her house, Ted helped her carry her things in, including the gifts Beckett had gotten for her for Christmas, but she didn’t ask him to stay. Once she was inside, she put down her suitcase and her purse, walked straight through to her bedroom and shut the door. Ted must have taken the hint because not long after, she heard the front door close.
And then finally–finally!–she allowed herself to cry. It was the kind of soul-searing, gut-wrenching cry she hadn’t allowed herself to have while still at Beckett’s house, the kind of cry she hadn’t had since her parents died.
Curled up in her bed, with all the lights out, Hope focused on just being able to breathe. In and out. In and out.
And realized that now she was well and truly all alone in the world.
****
A week later she was still feeling that way. Ted had called her several times a day but she never answered. Even Merry had called a time or two but she ignored those calls as well.
It was New Year’s Eve and her plans consisted of sitting on the couch in her yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt eating ice cream and leftover Christmas cookies while watching old movies. Maybe she’d stay awake until midnight but she doubted it.
A noise by the front door had Hope nearly jumping out of her skin. Turning around, she found Ted standing in the doorway. “That’s not what the emergency key is for,” she snapped and sat back down on the couch.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you ready?” he asked as he strolled into the room and helped himself to a cookie.
Hope looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What are you even talking about? Ready for what?”
He sighed loudly and sat down on the arm of the couch. “The Collins’ party remember?”
“No.”
He rolled his eyes. “I told you about it at Thanksgiving. You know Ally and Mike. They throw a big New Year’s party every year. They’re awesome. I asked you if you wanted to go and you said yes.”
“Well now I’m saying no,” she said and went back to reclining on the couch as she reached for a cookie.
“You can’t say no now. It’s too late. The party’s tonight and it would be rude to not show up.”
“So you go. Tell them I’m sick or something. I don’t care.” With the remote in her hand, she began to scan the channels for something to watch.
“Come on, take pity on me. Merry didn’t want to go out because she’s still sore and now I don’t have a date for New Year’s.”
“Yeah? Join the club.”
“Hope,” he said with a smile as he nudged her with his elbow. “I’m unemployed and I’m dateless. It's been a crappy year. Can’t we go and ring in the new one together and have some sort of hope for the future? Please?”
Ugh, she hated when he started making sense. “I’m not dressed to go anywhere, Ted. And I don’t have anything to wear to a party. My wardrobe is seriously limited.”
“Merry said you might use that excuse,” he chuckled as he stood and walked back toward the front door.
Hope looked over her shoulder and saw him pick up a large shopping bag and bring it back to the couch. “What’s this?”
“This, is a fabulous dress for you to wear tonight.”
“Tell me you did not go shopping for a dress for me. That’s just creepy.”
“Actually, Merry and I were at the mall yesterday because she was getting a little stir-crazy sitting around the house. So we were strolling around, well, I was pushing her in a wheelchair because it was easier to get around and...”
“Ted!” she snapped. “Focus!”
“Oh, right. Anyway, we were in the dress department of some store and she saw this dress on the mannequin and said she thought it was the perfect dress for you. So we bought it.”
Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. If Merry’s taste in dresses was like her taste in food and everything else in her life, Hope was certain she would pull out something that would be considered conservative by the Amish.
Without reaching into the bag, she sat up and looked at her brother. “Look, it’s not like I don’t appreciate the effort, because I do. But I’m really not feeling very festive.”
He sighed and sat down beside her and put his arm around her. “It’s okay. I get it. Merry mentioned you might say that too. So she said to tell you that if you didn’t want to go to the party, she’d have her parents bring her over here and she’ll make dinner for all of us. Her lasagna is really quite good.”
And there it was! The deciding factor!
“Fine. I’m going to take a shower and get dressed. Give me thirty minutes,” she said with a huff and grabbed the bag from the sofa.
She didn’t see the grin on Ted’s face as she walked away.
****
“I’m glad you had some leftover cookies. I hate showing up places empty-handed,” Ted said as they drove off to the party.
“Yeah, because that’s what most people bring for New Year’s. Cookies.” She snorted with disgust. “You could have picked up a bottle of champagne to bring. That’s traditional.”
“Oh, hush. Since when do we want to be traditional?”
“Um...Ted?” she asked when they turned onto a very familiar street. “What are we doing at your old office?”
“It’s on the way and I have to turn in my security badge and stuff before tomorrow.”
“And you waited until now to do it?” she cried. “How could you do this to me? I don’t want to be here! What if Beckett’s here?”
“He’s not,” Ted said, parking the car. “I already called and checked. I have to hand in all of my security passes and work files before the end of the year. At least, that’s what his Lordship said on the message he left me.”
Hope slouched down in her seat just in case.
“Come on. Walk in with me. I don’t want to do this alone. I feel like such a loser.”
“Ted, I don’t think...”
“Just do it,” he whined and walked around and pulled her out of the car.
“Fine. But if we run into Beckett, I will definitely kill you.”
“Great. Consider me warned,” he teased and tugged her along behind him. He carried a box under one arm and smiled at her over his shoulder.
“I don’t see what you’re so happy about,” she muttered. “You’re officially ending your job here.”
He shrugged. “I’m choosing to look at it as starting a new phase of my life.”
Sure, whatever, she thought as they made their way to the door. Not wanting to even look at the building, Hope looked down at her feet as they approached the door.
“Good evening, Mr. Cooper. It’s good to see you again, Sir.”
Hope looked up and gasped with surprise. “Jerome! What are you doing here? I thought...I mean, I heard...”
“Tonight’s my first night back on the job,” he said with a bright smile. “Mr. James called me himself and gave me my job back along with an apology. Normally I’m here until midnight, but he said to leave at ten so I can ring in the New Year with my wife.”
“Wow,” she said quietly. “That’s...that’s wonderful. Really. I’m so happy for you.”
Ted had walked away and placed a box on Jerome’s desk by the door and pulled out a tin of cookies. He looked at Hope and winked. “You really don’t think I’d only bring cookies to a party, do you?” He laughed. “I knew you had wanted Jerome to have some of these before Christmas, but I wanted to surprise you with seeing him for yourself.”
Jerome took the tin from Ted and thanked him before turning back to Hope. “I’m telling you, it was like a Christmas miracle,” he said. “My wife and I were trying to figure out where I was going to find work once the holidays were over and then the day after Christmas, Mr. James called me at home and apologized and asked if I wanted my old job back. With a raise!”
Emotions clogged Hope’s throat so all she could do was nod.
“Anyway, the extra money will go a long way with helping with the medical bills. Although Mr. James said he’s going to help me find a specialist to help Arlene with her asthma.” He smiled. “I think Mr. James must have been visited by those three ghosts Dickens talked about in that Christmas story because he’s like a different man.”
“We really need to go,” Ted said and clapped Jerome on the back. “Happy New Year, Jerome.”
“You too, Mr. Cooper. And you too, Miss Cooper. Thank you for the cookies. Arlene and I will enjoy them tonight as we watch the ball drop.” And then he walked over and hugged her.
Hope was nearly openly weeping by the time they were back at Ted’s car.
“Why are you crying?” Ted asked gently as they climbed in. “I thought you’d be happy! I thought seeing how Jerome got his job back would perk you up.”
“It did. It does. I’m just...I can’t believe Beckett did that.”
Ted didn’t comment and instead pulled out of the parking lot and in the direction of the party. He knew Hope’s mind was probably swirling with ideas as to why Beckett did what he did and he just wanted to let her have some time to absorb it all.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of a large, three-story townhouse. Hope seemed to snap out of her trance and look around. “Wow. I didn’t realize Ally and Mike lived in such a place.”
“I guess business is booming,” Ted said as he climbed from the car. He reached into the backseat and pulled out a bottle of champagne.
“I’m so glad you remembered some of the manners mom tried to teach you,” Hope said with a chuckle as she closed the car door. Looking at her reflection in the car window, she had to admit that Merry didn’t do a bad job with the dress. It was a classic little black dress–sleeveless and came to just above the knee and showed off her curves. Paired with her black stilettos and a red pashmina, Hope felt like she was looking pretty festive.
As if reading her mind, Ted came up beside her and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful. Thank you for being my date tonight.”
She hugged him and laughed. “What an exciting pair we are, sibling dates for a New Year’s party. Let’s make a pact right now to never do this again.”
Ted laughed out loud and turned them toward the house. “Deal.”
They rang the bell and waited. Hope shivered from the cold. “I probably should have worn a...” The words died in her throat as Beckett answered the door. She stared at him and then at Ted. “What...? I...I don’t understand.”
“Please come in,” Beckett said with a serene smile. “I know it’s cold out there tonight.”
Hope’s feet were frozen to the spot. With a little nudge, Ted got her to move and step up into the house. He smiled and shook hands with Beckett before moving into the house and greeting people. Hope still couldn’t seem to make herself follow.
Beckett stepped in close and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re freezing,” he said softly. “Please come inside and warm up.”
She snapped out of her stupor and looked up at him. “No...no, I...I need to leave.” Doing her best to move away from him, she found Beckett’s hands held her in place. She sagged as her eyes filled with tears. “Why? Why are you here?”
He shrugged. “I live here.”
Straightening slightly, she frowned. “But...Ted said Mike and Ally lived here. Why would he...?”
“Lie to you?”
Hope nodded.
“Because I asked him to. I knew you wouldn’t come if I asked and if you knew you were coming to a party I was hosting, you wouldn’t come. So we concocted a story that would get you to come out tonight.”
And suddenly, she wasn’t sad, she was angry. “Why? Are you bored? Looking for a way to pass the time? It’s New Year’s Eve, Beckett. I’m sure you could have gone to any number of parties and found a nice...distraction.” She sneered the word and wanted to kick him for making her remember the horrible things he’d said.
His hands skimmed down her arms until his hands could clasp hers. “You were never just a distraction to me, Hope. I’m so sorry I said that. You’re so much more to me.”
“But...”
“I promise we’ll talk about this, but there are some people I’d really like you to meet first.”
“Beckett, I...I really don’t want to meet anyone. I want to leave. Please. Maybe we can talk some other time. I...I just can’t deal with this right now.”
“Five minutes,” he said quietly, resting his forehead against hers. “Just give me five minutes and if you still want to leave, I’ll tell Ted to take you home. I promise.”
Hope sighed and had to fight against the urge to lean her entire body against his. How was it possible that she was still so mad at him and yet so attracted to him at the same time? Oh, yeah. She was still in love with him.
Dammit.
“Fine. Five minutes,” she said, but refused to meet his gaze. Hugging the pashmina close, she allowed Beckett to take her by the hand and lead her into the large living room where there were about a dozen people milling about. She spotted Ted immediately and saw him talking to...Merry. Merry? What in the world? There was an older couple standing beside them and Hope had to assume those were Merry’s parents.
Great. Now she’d have an audience of future family members to witness her running out of here. Fabulous.
Beckett stopped and Hope pulled her eyes from her brother to see why they were stopping.
“Hope, this is Logan, my brother. Logan, this his Hope,” Beckett said affectionately.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Logan said. He was a younger version of Beckett but a little stockier. He took her hand in his and shook it. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad you were able to make it tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said and cursed the tremble in her voice.
“This is my fiancée Debbie,” Logan said as a petite blonde came to stand beside him.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Debbie said with a big smile. She clung lovingly to Logan’s side and Hope couldn’t help but smile back.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” she finally said.
They didn’t move but Hope noticed a few other people moving in their direction. Beckett tucked her close to his side, his arm around her waist. “Julie, Colton, I’d like you to meet Hope. Hope, this is my sister Julie and her husband.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hope said, shaking each of their hands. Julie had the same dark hair as Beckett and Logan and an easy-going smile. She was also very pregnant. Hope couldn’t help but look at her belly and Julie chuckled.
“We’ve still got another month to go,” she said and smiled as Colton stepped closer and rubbed his hand over her belly. “Colton keeps saying it’s twins, but the doctors assure me there’s only one in there.”
“We’ll see,” Colton said with a wink.
“Oh, Hope! You’re here!” Norma came over and quickly embraced her. “I was hoping you’d make it. I still have your Christmas present waiting for you. I put in under the tree over there so don’t let me forget.” She kissed Hope on the cheek. “And thank you for the lovely bath set. I love all of those salts and scrubs and lotions. It feels like I have my very own spa.”
“You’re very welcome. I’m glad you liked them,” Hope said as she found herself relaxing. Ted walked over and handed her a glass of wine and kissed her on the cheek.
“When you get a minute, I’d love to introduce you to Merry’s parents. They’re very excited to meet you.”
She nodded in agreement and continued to look around the room as conversation flowed around her. Beckett leaned in close, his lips against her ear. “Do you still want to leave?” he whispered.
“I...I don’t know,” she said honestly.
“Will you all excuse us for a few minutes?” Beckett asked the group and they all waved them off and smiled and went about their own discussions. Beckett led her from the room and up the stairs and didn’t stop until they were in his bedroom.
“The bedroom? Seriously?” she asked, pulling her hand from his.
“It’s just the quietest place at the moment,” he said with ease. “Do you want to sit down?”
She shook her head, thankful for the glass of wine in her one hand while the other was still clutching the pashmina. “What’s going on, Beckett? I don’t understand any of this.”
“When Ted went on his little tirade on Christmas Day, he made me take a hard look at my life. I knew I was a hard-ass; I actually enjoyed being one, but to listen to the way he talked about me, it bothered me. A lot. It was like every bad thing I ever thought about myself was confirmed. When you ran out of the room, he laid it on the line and told me that if I wasn’t ready to give you everything you deserved, then I should let you go.”
He took a nervous step toward her. “So I said all those horrible things to push you away. I needed you to make the decision to leave, to hate me, so that maybe it would make it easier on you.”
“It was horrible, Beckett,” she cried. “You have no idea how much it hurt to hear you say those things.”
“I know, sweetheart, I know. And I’m so sorry. I wish I’d been stronger. I wish I was more confident about myself and being capable of being the man you deserve.”
“So what’s changed?” she asked quietly, staring at the wine in her glass.
“I missed you. I don’t think I’ve ever missed someone the way I missed you. From the minute you walked out the door, I felt like I was dying. I should have stood up for myself, for you, for us. I don’t know how I can ever make it up to you, but I want the chance to try. Please, Hope. Tell me I’m not too late. Tell me I didn’t ruin this.”
“What about all the things Ted said? What about your work schedule? The people in your life?”
“I called Logan and Julie on Christmas Day. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve never asked anyone for their forgiveness, but I did to both of them. We all cried and then laughed and today is the first time I’ve seen both of them in years. I missed so much of their lives because of my own stubbornness. I don’t want to keep missing out on life.”
She gave a small shrug. “Okay, so...you made some calls to your family. That’s an easy one.”
“I gave Jerome his job back,” he said, taking another step toward her.
“I know. We stopped by the office on our way here. Ted wanted to surprise me. Jerome told me how you called him personally and how you’re going to help them find a specialist for his wife.”
“Arlene,” he said. “I’m hopeful with the right doctor she’s going to start feeling a lot better.”
Hope nodded. “I hope so. Jerome’s a sweet man. I’m sure his wife is a good person too.”
“I have to admit, though, I didn’t give your brother his job back.”
Her head snapped up. “What?”
He shook his head. “Ted’s over-qualified for the job he had. He’s now the vice-president of our finance department. Fewer hours, paid vacations and holidays. He should have plenty of time to spend with his family and he’s even going to have his wedding at our hotel on the Outer Banks. It was Merry’s request.”
Hope chuckled. “Just as long as she doesn’t cater it, I’m sure it will be lovely.” She took a sip of her wine. “Let me guess, Ted didn’t tell me because you wanted to surprise me with it.”
He nodded and finally closed the gap between them. “That’s the last secret, Hope. Everything else is out there for the world to see.”
“What about you? And your hours? Are you planning on cutting back?”
“Absolutely. I’ve promoted most of my executive staff. They’ll all be taking on the responsibilities that should have been theirs before, but I kept holding on and trying to control everything. They’re all qualified to run the company in my absence.”
“Absence? Why? Where are you going?”
“I plan on taking a very lengthy vacation. The plan is to spend a month traveling and visiting as many of our resorts and hotels as possible just to check in.”
She nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. There could be a lot of work involved in that. Just because you’re not doing it from your office, it still counts as work.”
Slowly, Beckett took the wine glass from her hand and placed it on the bedside table. Then he carefully unwrapped the pashmina from around her shoulders. And finally, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. “There won’t be any time for work. I’ll be too busy pampering the woman I love the way she deserves to be.”
Her eyes went wide as she looked up at him, her mouth forming a perfect “o.”
“I don’t suppose it’s possible that your boss would be willing to give you a month off for such a trip, is there?”
She smiled. “I have an in with the boss. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Beckett visibly sagged with relief. “So that’s a yes, right?”
Hope nodded.
“I love you, Hope Cooper. I love you more than I ever thought a man could love a woman. Thank you for coming into my life and saving me and giving me my life and my family back.”
Reaching up, Hope cupped his cheek. “And I love you, G.B. James,” she teased. “Thank you for showing me there is some goodness in the world and for giving me my hope for the future.”
“That’s what you are to me, my Hope.”