Page 77 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

His slow question didn’t shock her and she knew he wasn’t referring to here in bed with him.

“I can imagine how this looks to an outsider, but I didn’t want to be stuck in that life another minute.” She sounded like a spoiled brat even to herself. “After I lost my sight, I realized how much my parents were counting on me, then I saw how they struggled with my blindness, but not from a parental standpoint. They were worried about the company and how it would continue on after them. They kept pushing Eric and me together, kept saying how if we married I’d have someone to take care of me, someone to help run the company.”

Braxton remained still behind her, he hadn’t moved one bit. She kept waiting, wanting to feel his reassuring hand on her back.

“I didn’t want to marry or be taken care of,” she went on. “I had my degree in accounting, but that was also at my parents’ request. I wanted to do something for me so I got my massage therapy license. After that I started working part-time in the spa in Atlanta. My clients had no idea about my family status, the name Buchanan is too common.”

Restless, Cora shoved the sheet aside and reached for the robe she kept on the bedside chair. She couldn’t sit here another second waiting for him to say something or reach for her. After pulling her robe around her, she came to her feet and jerked the ties together.

“I don’t expect you to understand and I’m sure you’ll have questions, but I need you to know that I didn’t plan on finding you, I didn’t expect to fall for someone because I’ve never had the idea that I would ever find anyone. And all of this has snowballed and I just wanted to live in the moment and be with you.”

She carefully moved toward the window seat and sank down onto the cushion. The sheets rustled and she held her breath.

“This is why you didn’t want to invite your parents to the open house?” he asked. “You didn’t want them to see this new life, to meet me. It’s all clicking into place now.”

The bed creaked slightly and Cora knew he was up. Fear gripped her. “No, you’re looking at this from the wrong angle.”

“Really?” he mocked. “How can it be wrong when plain as day you made a fool out of me and this relationship? Damn it, Cora, I let you keep this secret even when I knew it was big. I knew you weren’t ready to share and I respected your decision to take your time.”

She heard him jerk his jeans on, the rasp of the zipper slicing right through the tension. Cora came to her feet.

“Are you seriously leaving?”

“If I stayed what would happen?” he asked. “I don’t even know how to respond to this. Leaving is the best choice for both of us.”

“I’d think if you stayed we could talk.”

He moved across the hardwood floor, more rustling of clothes, the thud of shoes. Each noise made her heart clench more.

“What do you want to discuss, Cora? The fact that you could’ve told us up front who you were? The fact that you’re a millionaire, yet you want to work for us? Were you serious about staying? Was this just a spur-of-the-moment decision to get back at Mommy and Daddy? Because this is my damn life and you can’t just play with people’s feelings like this.”

“I would’ve stayed,” she defended. “I wasn’t playing with your emotions and I wasn’t going to leave the resort in a bind. I bought this house, didn’t I? That should tell you this wasn’t some fleeting phase.”

Silence once again filled the room. She wanted to crawl back into the bed, have him wrap his arm around her and tell her that he understood why she made the decisions she did. She wanted to have that reassurance that she hadn’t killed this bond between them, but she feared she’d done exactly that.

“I’m not quitting,” she whispered. “I still want to work for you.”

His mocking laughter had her cringing once again. “Well, you’re in luck, seeing as how we have no one else and the open house is less than a week away.”

Cora wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to keep any more hurt from seeping in. “Will I hear from you before then?”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

Heavy footsteps sounded out into the hall, the front door opened and closed, leaving Cora alone and wondering how this could be fixed. For the first time in her life she had actually found a sense of happiness, a sense of belonging, and a place she wanted to call home. But home had nothing to do with her new house and everything to do with the man she’d just driven away.

* * *

Three days had passed and Cora was in no better mood than when Braxton walked out. Sleep had become her enemy, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She’d done way too much online shopping, but it was Christmas and she figured she deserved to give some gifts to herself. Unfortunately, retail therapy wasn’t working either.

She’d just finished washing her plate and putting it into the cabinet when her doorbell rang. Instantly she smiled, but then reality hit. Braxton wouldn’t be back. She’d pushed him too far and she couldn’t blame him for being angry.

So who could be dropping by?

Heidi obediently brushed against her side as she felt her way down the hall and toward the foyer. With her hand stretched out in front of her, she closed her fingers around the dead bolt.

“Who is it?” she called.

“It’s Sophie and Macy. Can we come in for a minute?”

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