Page 75 of Home to Me

That system worked well for her in the past. Well, with one notable exception; her ex-boss, who decided to make life extremely difficult for her, both personally and professionally, when she tried to leave him. He attempted to mess with her system. But in true form to the person she was, she’d made sure that the tables were turned. She alerted the necessary channels about some not-so-legal activities he’d been engaged in and he was currently awaiting trial.

Tables turned. Power restored to its rightful owner. Her.

She never felt out of control in a relationship before, and she was pretty damn sure she didn’t like it. Lauren liked to have control over her emotions and her reactions. And around Ben…she had neither.

And after spending the day with his mom and sister and then the night at his house, she was so confused. The stakes felt so much higher now that she knew his history, but she tried her best not to let that influence her thinking.

He just might be the best man she knew, but that didn’t mean he was the best man for her or that she was the right person for him.

He’d been taking care of his sister and mom since he was ten, and although Lauren prided herself on her independent nature, around Ben, that seemed to go out the window. She let him cook for her, carry her luggage, and of all things, carry her. And the part that scared her was that she liked it. It was a short, slippery step from liking something to coming to depend on it, and Lauren would be damned if she was going to let that happen.

Normally, she was all for letting the man feel like the man, but in the context that she was consciously allowing him to do so and she still felt like she had the upper hand.

But around Ben, she didn’t feel like that. She was starting to feel—as much as it pained her to admit—almost as though she weren’t sure what she would do when he left. That she would be lost without him.

And if there was one thing Lauren Harrison was sure of, it was that she didn’t need anyone, least of all a man.

Until now? That small voice in the back of her mind asked.

She sighed.

It was as if she were Superman and Ben her kryptonite.

She didn’t like it.

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Ben eyed Lauren across the crowded wrap party at Sue Ann's Café as she chatted and mingled with various members of the crew and production staff. He marveled, as he always did when he saw her interact with others, at her beauty, at her poise, at her charm...at her grace.

Lauren carried herself like a movie star. Not one of the current crop, who were photographed by TMZ in their yoga pants and UGGs while taking out the garbage. No. He was talking about a glamour goddess from the golden age of Hollywood, back when there was a little mystery.

Behind Lauren's placid expressions and enigmatic half smiles was a deep well of thought and feeling, the depths of which he would never get tired of exploring. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, he was on pins and needles waiting to hear what she had to say. She constantly surprised him.

And when she wouldn't open her mouth to tell him what was on her mind, well...that just made him crave the knowledge that much more.

She was a beautiful mystery that he knew would never be solved, not entirely, but he was more than eager to spend his life working on that fascinating and beguiling puzzle.

But did she want him to? That was the real question. And the only way he was going to find out the answer to that one was to ask.

Ben made his way over to where she was standing and asked if he could have a moment.

She said yes and they made their way to the back patio area, which was normally only used by employees.

Ben was surprised to find his stomach a little queasy and his hands trembling as he followed her out the door. He’d been trying to read her all day and hadn't walked away from that endeavor with any more of a clue to her feelings about them than he had that morning before he’d seen her.

It was maddening. She was more unflappable and composed than anyone he had ever met.

He knew that he developed some really strong feelings for Lauren over the past few weeks. Stronger than for any woman he'd ever been with.

And then, the day at the hospital with his mom, he’d fallen completely, totally, and head over heels in love with her. There was no going back now.

She was so strong and capable, so refined and graceful—but then she would drop all that and she would instantly become the sweetest, most softhearted woman he’d ever met. And then, at other times, her cool and calm demeanor would fall away to reveal a white-hot, animalistic passion that was not so much as hinted at on her serene surface.

And for all Ben knew, he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg when it came to the multifaceted wonder that was Lauren Harrison.

He knew that he couldn’t simply leave Hope Falls without at least taking a shot. He had to, at the very least, see if they could really try this thing, give it a real shot, see where it goes.

Or as his sister Brianna had put it so poetically on the phone this morning, “Ben, Lauren’s the kinda girl you put a ring on. You've gotta lock that down. Like...ASAP.”

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