A Billionaire for Christmas(60)

In a lull between conversations, she touched his arm. “Do you want to go upstairs and see your niece and nephew?”

He nodded, relief in his harried gaze.

Luc and Hattie’s home was far different than Leo’s, but spectacular in its own right. Phoebe experienced a frisson of envy for the couple who had created such a warm and nurturing family environment. The little girl’s room was done in peach and cream with Disney fairies. The baby boy’s nursery sported a delightful zoo animal theme.

Leo stroked his nephew’s back and spoke to him softly, but he stayed the longest in Deedee’s room. His eyes were somber as he watched the toddler sleep. “She’s not their biological child, you know. When Hattie’s sister died, Hattie took her baby to raise, and then after the wedding, Luc and Hattie adopted her.”

“Has your brother been married long?”

“Less than two years. He and Hattie were pretty serious back in college. The relationship didn’t work out, but they were lucky enough to find their way back to each other.”

Phoebe stared at Leo’s bent head as he sat carefully on the corner of the bed and touched his niece’s hand. He took her tiny fingers in his and brought them to his lips. It would have been clear to a blind man that Leo was capable of great love and caring. He felt about these two little ones the way Phoebe did about Teddy.

He turned his head suddenly and caught her watching him, probably with her heart in her eyes. “Will you take a walk with me?” he asked gravely.

“Of course.”

Tiny flurries of snow danced around them when they exited the back of the house. Leo had retrieved her wrap, but even so, the night was brisk. In the center of the upper terrace a large, tiled fire pit blazed with vigor, casting a small circle of warmth. Other than the old man adding logs now and again, Leo and Phoebe were alone. Apparently no one else was eager to brave the cold.

A wave of sadness, deep and poignant, washed over Phoebe. If only she and Leo had met under other circumstances. No pain and heartache in her past. No devastating illness in his. Just two people sharing a riveting attraction. They could have enjoyed a sexual relationship that might have grown into something more.

Now, they stood apart, when only twenty-four hours ago, give or take, Leo had been turning her world upside down with his lovemaking. Their recent fight echoed in her mind. She had accused Leo of not wanting to change, but wasn’t she just as cowardly? She had gone from one extreme to the other. Workaholic to hermit. Such a radical swing couldn’t be considered balance at all.

In the faces of the crowd tonight, she saw more than the bonhomie of the season. She saw a kinship, a trust that came from working side by side. That was what she had given up, and she realized that she missed it. She missed all of it. The hard challenges, the silly celebrations, the satisfaction of a job well done.

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she jumped when Leo took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Again, as at her cabin, firelight painted his features. His eyes were dark, unfathomable. “I have a proposition for you, Phoebe, so hear me out before you say anything.”

Her hands tightened on her wrap. “Very well.” A tiny piece of gravel had found its way into her shoe. And she couldn’t feel her toes. But not even a blizzard could have made her walk away.

He released her as though he couldn’t speak freely when they were touching. She thought she understood. Passion had flared so hot and so quickly between them when they first met, its veracity was suspect given the length of their acquaintance.

“First of all,” he said quietly, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the heart attack. It was an ego thing. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

“But I…” She bit her lip and stopped, determined to listen as he had requested.

He ran a hand across the back of his neck. “I was angry and bitter and confused when I met you. I’d spent a week at the hospital, a week here at Luc’s, and then to top it all, they exiled me to Tennessee.”

“Tennessee is a very nice state,” she felt bound to point out.

A tiny smile flickered across his lips. “It’s a lovely state, but that’s not the point. I looked at you and saw a desirable woman. You had your hang-ups. We all do. But I didn’t want you to look too closely at mine. I wanted you to see me as a strong, capable man.”

“And I did.”

“But you have to admit the truth, Phoebe. Last night in my office. You stared at me and saw something else.” The defeat in his voice made her ill with regret.

“You don’t understand,” she said, willing him to hear her with an open mind. “I was upset, yes. It terrified me that you had been in such a dangerous situation. And I was angry that you didn’t trust me enough to share that with me. But it never changed the way I saw you. If you felt that, then you were wrong.”