Before dawn the next morning, Kyle slipped from the bed, being careful not to awaken Kimara. Going into the master bathroom, he put on his robe, and then left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
In the family room he took a quick swallow of Scotch. He needed it to get his bearings and to clear his mind. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t dismiss the truth. He had fallen in love with Kimara. And he had fallen hard. Entrusting his love to another woman was something he had vowed never to do. And to make matters worse, she had whispered that she loved him before drifting off to sleep in his arms.
He knew he had to put distance between them. Although he loved Kimara and there was a certain degree of mutual trust between them, it was not enough for him. He could trust her with some things, but not his heart. No woman would ever betray him again. His ex-fiancée had taught him a valuable lesson. He’d been hurt once and he refused to set himself up for that kind of pain again.
* * *
“I don’t understand, Kyle. You just got back last night. Why are you leaving?”
Kyle stopped his packing. “I told you, Kimara. I need to get away. I’m going to New York for a while.”
Their conversation was interrupted when Mrs. Glass informed Kyle the car that would take him to the airport was ready. “Thanks, I’ll be right out.”
“Here’s the number where I can be reached if you need anything,” he said, placing a business card in Kimara’s hand. “I’m sorry things just didn’t work out for us. But I still want to know if . . . if you’re pregnant. I meant what I said about being a part of my child’s life.”
Kimara threw the card down on the bed. “I think I deserve more from you than that, Kyle. I want to know what’s going on. Just last night you were warm and loving, and now this morning you’re cold and distant. What’s wrong, Kyle? Please talk to me.”
For a moment Kyle simply stared at her. “There’s nothing to talk about.” He turned to leave, and then stopped. “Call me if you need anything, Kimara. Take care of yourself. Good-bye.” He walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
“Kyle,” Kimara cried out softly, knowing he couldn’t hear her. She closed her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Twelve
Kimara was grateful for the last-minute hustle and bustle in preparing for the Valentine’s Day ball. Since Valentine’s Day fell in the middle of the week, a decision was made to end the ball at eleven o’clock instead of midnight, to accommodate the students, who had to attend school the next day.
She did everything she could do to stay busy and fill the loneliness. But nothing she did eased the pain. Nicky knew she and Kyle had separated and had gone out of her way to be there for her friend. She invited Kimara over to dinner a couple of nights and even spent the night with her a few times so she wouldn’t be alone in the huge house.
Although she tried not to think of Kyle, Kimara found herself doing so anyway; especially in the wee hours of the night, when she longed to be held by him and loved by him. She was hurt and angered by the way he’d left, without an explanation of what had driven him away. He hadn’t even bothered to call.
Over the next ten days she’d come to accept that Kyle’s fiancée’s betrayal had made him into an unloving and hard man, and no one would ever be able to change that about him. He would never be capable of loving anyone. He would never let himself be completely vulnerable again.
She should have known better. How many times in the past nine years had she picked up a magazine or newspaper that had given an account of one of Kyle’s affairs?
None of the women he’d ever been involved with had been able to hold his interest long.
What had made her think that she would be any different? After all, she’d been forced on him as a result of the terms of his grandfather’s will. She should not have allowed her head to get filled with a lot of romantic notions of her, Kyle, and their child being a real family and living together happily ever after.
Kimara knew she would have to go on with her life without him, just her and the baby she now knew for certain she carried. The at-home pregnancy test had confirmed what she’d known all along. She would give birth to Kyle’s child in the fall. She and her baby would make it without Kyle in their lives.
* * *
Kyle sat in his office, trying to study the financial documents Jake had sent over-night. But he couldn’t concentrate, and if he was completely honest with himself, he would admit his concentration level had been at an all-time low since leaving Kimara.
It had been ten days since he’d left her to come to New York. Ten days of pure hell. Nothing had gone right since then. His employees had sensed his foul mood and made it a point to stay out of his way. And when he left the office in the afternoons, the loneliness he felt for Kimara was like a sharp knife, always cutting inside him. He tossed in bed most of the night, not getting much sleep. And she was the first thing on his mind when he did wake up in the morning. No matter what he did, he couldn’t quiet the feelings that always rolled around in him whenever he thought of her.
And he couldn’t stop loving her.
His grandfather had pulled a fast one on him. He had set up the conditions of the will knowing that Kimara was the type of woman any man could love- the type of woman that he would love. She had all the characteristics of a Garwood woman-- caring, devoted, and trustworthy.
Trustworthy. He knew without a doubt that she was worthy of his complete love and trust. With his grandfather’s help, he had been shown the very thing he hadn’t realized until then.. It wasn’t meant for him to marry nine years ago. Kimara was the woman intended for him to marry. She’d always been a part of his life, a part of his family. Without even trying, she had captured his heart and had made him want to love and trust again.
He made a vow then and there to keep her a part of his life, to always love her. The pain from his past no longer mattered. It wasn’t important. He was determined that a bond of love as strong as the one his father had for his mother, and his grandfather had for his grandmother, be created between them.
But first he had to ask her forgiveness for what he’d done. He stiffened when he thought about how cold and distant he’d been to her the morning he’d left. She had been right when she’d told him she deserved more from him. What if she didn’t want him anymore? What if she no longer loved him? What if she couldn’t forgive him?
No! He would not let doubt rule his mind and his heart. He and Kimara were meant to be together, and that was final. After all, they had his grandfather’s blessing, and everyone knew that Kyle Garwood III left nothing to chance.
* * *
The huge ballroom filled with people got completely quiet when the two men made their entrance. They were the last two people anyone expected to make an appearance tonight-- Kyle Garwood V and Sterling Hamilton. Both men were handsomely dressed in black tuxes. Last year they had been named by People magazine as two of the fifty most beautiful people in the world, and it was quite obvious why. And there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they would make the list again this year.
After the brief moment of silence, buzzing of excited conversations swept through the ballroom. But Kyle paid no mind to the slight commotion he and his best friend were causing. His gaze was too busy sweeping the crowded ballroom that was decorated in traditional valentine colors of red and white. He was looking for his wife.
“I’m dying to meet her, Kyle” Sterling Hamilton said. “She must be one hell of a woman to get you all tied in knots. You’ve been a mass of nerves all day.”
Kyle took a deep breath . “And with good reason. I’ve wronged her, Sterling.”
“Then I guess you’d better be prepared to get on bended knees, bro.”
Kyle shrugged broad shoulders that barely moved beneath his jacket. “I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“Is she worth it?”
Kyle met Sterling’s gaze and clearly understood the question. He and Sterling had been close friends a number of years, and was one of the few people who knew how a woman had also hurt Sterling- his mother. Her desertion when Sterling was young had left him bitter and distrustful of women. Kyle hoped one day love would come into Sterling’s life as it had his.
“Yes, Kimara’s worth it and more. When you meet her, you’ll see why.”
“I can’t wait,” Sterling said, glancing around the room and taking notice of a small group of people headed their way. “Don’t look now, but here come the reporters. Once they start firing their questions, you’ll never get away to find your wife in this crowd.”
“Oh, I’ll find her, but I don’t have time to be delayed.”
Sterling laughed. “Does that mean you’re leaving me alone to fend for myself?”
Kyle patted Sterling consolingly on the back. “Only because you’re so good at it.
Thanks again for coming. I owe you one, buddy.”
“And don’t think for one minute that I won’t be collecting. When your first child is born, I want to be its godfather.”
Kyle laughed. “That’s a deal. And whenever you do get married, I’d like to be best man at your wedding.”