Come Midnight by Kat Martin
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I WISH I could stay longer, Mom, but I’ve got so much work to catch up on back home.”
“I know, honey. Maybe we can plan a vacation together this year. We haven’t done that in a while.”
Bree smiled. They were sitting at the big oak table in the breakfast area of her parent’s gigantic kitchen. Huge plate-glass windows looked out at a turbulent sea. “I’d like that.”
Allison Wingate was an older version of Bree, only a little shorter, with the same blond hair and blue eyes. “Anywhere but South America, right?”
An image of Derek popped into her head, and her throat tightened. She remembered the way he had looked at her the last time she had seen him: not the least sign of emotion in his face, nothing that could give her the slightest indication of his feelings. It was as if they had been strangers. Bree turned to stare out the window, afraid her mother would see the tears that sprang in her eyes.
“I can tell what you’re thinking,” her mom said softly. “You’re thinking of Derek again.”
She turned away from the window. “You should have seen him, Mom. Derek was amazing. He took incredible risks to protect me.”
“I know how much he means to you, sweetheart. You need to talk to him, tell him the way you feel.”
“If he loved me, Mom, he wouldn’t have let me go.”
Her mother toyed with the handle on her coffee cup. “Maybe you should consider it from his point of view. No matter whom you marry, people will say he married you for your money. He’d have to put up with that for the rest of his life.”
It was true, but still... “Derek’s strong, Mom. You can’t imagine how strong he is. I think he could handle whatever anyone said. The thing is, Derek comes from a broken home. His childhood was dark and ugly. He doesn’t think you and Dad would ever accept him.”
Her mother sat up a little straighter. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but your father and I talked about this. He knows all about Derek’s past. He had him checked out thoroughly when he found out the name of the man you were with.”
“If he doesn’t think Derek is good enough for me, he’s wrong! I would be lucky to have him.”
Her mother smiled. “Your father admires Derek for the things he’s accomplished. The man dragged himself up by his bootstraps and made himself a success. He’s exactly the kind of man your father and I hoped you would find.”
Bree sighed. “If I told him that, he wouldn’t believe me. Even if he did, the fact is he just might not love me. At least not the same way I love him.”
“Talk to him, sweetheart. Tell him how you feel and ask him how he feels about you.”
Her throat ached. She wanted to believe her mother was right, but deep down she couldn’t convince herself.
“I’ll call him when I get back to Texas.” But she didn’t think it would matter; she didn’t want a man who didn’t love her.
“Don’t just call him,” her mom said. “Talk to him in person.”
She swallowed and nodded. The sad truth was, even if she stood right in front of him, there was no way she could read Derek’s thoughts if he didn’t want her to.
Her father walked into the kitchen just then. She had told her dad about Derek on the jet as they were flying home. He knew she was in love with him. She had asked him not to interfere in any way.
“What is it?” her mother asked, far better at reading a man than Bree was.
“Apparently, there’s some kind of disturbance at the front gate.” The brown eyes behind the glasses fixed on Bree. “The man’s name wasn’t on the visitors list. The guard asked him to leave, but he refused. Turns out his name is Derek Stiles and he’s here to see you.”
Bree’s heart jerked.
Her dad looked at her and smiled. “Shall I let him in?”
Her heart was pounding. She had no idea why Derek was there, but she prayed with everything inside her he had missed her as much as she had missed him.
“Maybe he just came to say goodbye,” she said. “We didn’t get to talk before we left. Maybe he just feels like he needs to clear the air.” Or officially put an end to their brief relationship.
“You won’t know until you talk to him,” her mother said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Whatever happens, I’d really like to meet him.”
Bree nodded.
Her dad gave her an encouraging glance. “I’ll tell the guard to let him in. Why don’t you talk to him in the library? It’s nice and quiet in there.”
Bree would rather talk to him in a little coffee shop in town—anyplace but her family’s palatial home. But maybe it was better this way. Better if he saw the world she had been born into, the world she still sometimes lived in.
She waited nervously in the library, a two-story, wood-paneled room lined with acres of books. She had always liked it there, had spent hours sitting on the dark green velvet sofas, curled up with a favorite novel.
She stood up when Derek appeared in the doorway, his wide shoulders nearly filling the opening. He was dressed in a navy blue blazer, tan slacks and a white dress shirt with no tie. His dark brown hair had been neatly trimmed. He looked amazing.
“Hi,” she said dumbly, wishing she could have come up with something clever.
“I needed to see you,” Derek said, looking every bit as nervous as she was. “I wanted to talk to you. I probably should have waited until you got back to Texas, but I’ve already waited too long.”
She just stared, thinking how wonderful he looked, wishing he was holding her the way he had in the jungle. She thought of the way she had felt when he kissed her and wished he would do it again.
“I missed you,” she said, the words just popping out.
“I missed you, too, Bree. So much.”
And then somehow he had moved and so had she, and she was crushed against his chest, his arms wrapped tight around her. He looked into her eyes, tipped her chin up and very gently kissed her.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “I know I’m not the guy your dad would have chosen, but I love you. If you love me, too, I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Her throat closed up. Before she could speak, her father’s voice rang from the doorway.
“You’re exactly the man I would have chosen for my daughter, Derek. You risked your life more than once to protect her, and you never let her down. And I know all about you, son. From the moment the kidnappers mentioned your name, I started digging. I know about your past—which you managed to spectacularly overcome—but also about the things you’ve accomplished. You represent everything I believe a man should be. Now I’ll leave you two alone so you can finish the conversation I so rudely interrupted.” Her dad closed the door.
Still wrapped in Derek’s arms, Bree looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Derek. So much.”
“Will you marry me? I know it’s too soon to ask, but whenever you’re ready—”
“I’d love to marry you.” She smiled, her eyes glistening. “Anytime. Anyplace. Whenever you want.”
The sweetest, sexiest grin spread over his face. “I should have come sooner.” And then he kissed her. A deep, timeless, endless kiss that promised everything she had ever dreamed. Both of them were breathing hard when he finally let her go.
“I’ve got a week off, two if I want. I know you probably have a lot of work to catch up on, but we deserve to spend some time together. So what do you think?”
Bree smiled. “You owe me a week in bed. I’m holding you to it.”
Derek laughed, and she could hear the relief in his voice. For once, she knew what he was thinking.
He kissed her very softly. “I almost didn’t come. It took me a while to work up my courage.”
Bree cocked an eyebrow. “So asking me to marry you was harder than fighting a jungle full of terrorists?”
His mouth edged up. “When you put it that way—yeah.”
Bree laughed. She went up on her toes and lightly kissed him. “My mom wants to meet you.”
“Good. She can help us plan the wedding.”
Her eyes stung, but they were tears of joy. “I didn’t think you loved me.”
Derek wiped a tear from her cheek. “I think I fell in love with you on the plane when you held a stranger’s baby in your arms.”
Her heart squeezed. “I was coming to Houston. I was thinking I wasn’t going to let you go so easily.”
“Yeah? Well, now that you’re mine, baby, I’m never letting you go.” Then he kissed her, and Bree had never loved him more.
Except maybe in the jungle when he had saved her from that python.
