Swept Away by the Tycoon(31)

Her feet still wouldn’t move. She was still too scared.

A flash of white distracted her. From the corner of her eye she saw Simon grabbing Delilah’s arm to prevent her from coming over. He whispered something in his bride’s ear, and kissed her cheek. The softness in his expression took Chloe’s breath away. She’d seen the exact same expression on Ian’s face when he’d kissed her.

What kind of idiot walked away from such a gift? Ian was offering her the opportunity to be loved, as well as the choice to walk away. Knowing his need to be in charge, she sensed the call to hold back had to be murder.

She might love him more for that sacrifice alone.

“Ian, wait!” The bouquet lay on the credenza where he’d left it. She grabbed the flowers and heaved them across the hall. Ian caught them the second he turned around.

“You know what it means when you catch the bridal bouquet right?” she said, rushing up to him.

The adoring expression returned to his face, filling her heart and making her realize she’d made the right choice. Her. Chloe Abrams, who was never destined for love, had finally picked the right guy. “It means the maid of honor falls in love with you.”

She gasped as Ian pulled her close. “If that means getting you, I’ll catch a thousand bouquets.”

“You only need one.” Hoping her eyes reflected the love he’d unlocked, she shoved her fear aside and kissed him.



Five weeks later, spring finally and permanently arrived in New York. With the arm of the man she loved draped around her shoulders, Chloe let the sun warm her skin. “Today is the perfect day,” she said to Ian. “I can’t believe Larissa would rather be in Mexico.”

“Personally, I’m having a harder time believing she went on her destination wedding alone.”

They were walking back to the coffee shop after seeing Larissa off at her apartment. The blonde had surprised everyone last week by announcing she planned to keep her hotel reservations, and go on her honeymoon. “I spent a year of my life planning this trip, practically down to the shells on the beach,” she told them. “I am going regardless.”

“I’ve got to give her credit. She seems to be handling the breakup with Tom a lot better than I thought. In fact, I think she was more emotional about having to give up the wedding.”

Ian pressed a kiss to Chloe’s temple. “I’ve been thinking, when we get married, we should have a destination wedding, too.”

“Yeah?” A thrill passed through her when he said the word. Ian spent a lot of time mentioning weddings and their future. Most of the references she believed were to ease her fears, thinking that the more he talked about forever, the more she would believe he planned to stay. Thus far, the tactic was working. Every day that she woke up and saw his face on the pillow next to her, or heard his voice on the telephone, she grew more and more convinced she’d found a love to last a lifetime. “Where were you thinking we should go? Mexico?”

“Pennsylvania. We could go back to the Bluebird Inn and celebrate where we began.”

Chloe couldn’t think of anything she’d love more. “Why wait for a wedding?” she said, snuggling closer. “I bet the inn is beautiful this time of year.”

“I like how you think.” He stopped to give her a lingering kiss.

“Um, hi.”

She felt Ian stiffen as soon as he heard the greeting. He reached for her hand as Matt pushed away from the coffee shop door to walk toward them. The youth stopped a couple feet away. Hands shoved in his back pockets, he scuffed his running shoe back and forth across the sidewalk. “Did you really attend my graduation?” he asked finally.

He’d read Ian’s letter. Thank heavens. As good as things were between her and Ian, she knew the loss of his son ate away at him. Keeping his promise to give Matt space hadn’t been easy, but he’d kept his word.

“I went to a lot of things,” Ian told him. Both spoke softly, as if worried that a raised voice would make the other bolt. “Just because I kept my distance didn’t mean I forgot about you. You were always part of my world, Matt.”

The teenager nodded. Scuffed his toe again. “I, um, the sign says you’re hiring.”

“We lost one of our baristas the other day. He gave his phone number to some guy’s girlfriend and caused a fight.”

“Bummer.”

“Not really,” Chloe chimed in. “Are you looking for a job?”

Matt glanced at her and back to his father with a blush. “I’m going to be spending the summer with friends here in the city, and I thought maybe, I might...”

He was offering an olive branch. Ian, wise man that he was becoming, snatched it. “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you about the position.”

Chloe lingered on the sidewalk, watching as the man she loved held the door for his son. In a way, she and Ian both had come full circle. After all, if he had never tried to reconnect with his son, the two of them wouldn’t have found each other. Without Matt’s rejection, Ian never would have learned to forgive himself. Nor would she have learned to take a chance on love. Now, with their lessons learned, Ian might finally have a chance to know his son, as well.

Sometimes you did get what you deserved.

“Hey, Curlilocks,” Ian called from the doorway. “Are you coming? I can’t do this without you.”

And sometime, you got even more.

Her heart fuller than she could imagine, Chloe took Ian’s hand and walked inside.