Page 71 of Taken By the Ex-Boyfriend

Her eyes are misty, and she presses her lips into a thin line, afraid of what she’ll hear. She still doubts my feelings for her.

“Because I saw you that night at the restaurant and I couldn’t get you out of my mind this time, no matter how much I tried. Before you ask, yes, I was looking for a wife too. My only goal was to find a mother for Daniel so that he could have the family I dreamed of having when I was his age.”

I pause for a few seconds, trying to gather my thoughts. “When my marriage ended, I was actually relieved, but the reason Jane left me, hit me hard. She had found someone richer, someone who was willing to pay for every single thing she wanted, showering her with gifts. The whole time I was searching for another partner, I kept coming across that same kind of person.”

“Is that why you decided to hide your financial status?”

I nod. “I asked Andrew to hide any trace of my identity and my wealth.”

She shifts in her seat uncomfortably. “So, youwereafraid that I would be that kind of woman,“ she concludes.

“Not exactly,” I say. “It was a strategy I had put in place. It seemed like the only reasonable way to approach dating. I didn’t plan to hide my financial status from you, but it also didn’t occur to me that I needed to mention it. If we hadn’t rushed to Daniel that night, I might have scrapped the idea. But suddenly, I was caught up in it. I guess I wanted to win you back just by being myself, without anything else affecting your choice, even though I knew you were never interested in money. But the more time we spent together, the harder it was to actually tell you the truth. I was being selfish.”

“Selfish how?” She looks confused.

“When I decided to approach you, I was aware that I was doing it mostly for myself, not Daniel. I wanted to regain what I had lost. But getting through to you turned out to be more difficult than I thought, so after a suggestion from Dennis, I decided to propose the deal. I did need help with the project, and I knew that you would be more willing to accept a fair trade.”

Carol rubs her hands over her face and fixes her gaze on a small scratch on the coffee table. There’s nothing left for me to say but the wait is killing me. I nudge her a bit.

“I’m trying to wrap my mind around all of this.” She taps her hand on my thigh.

“Did you mean what you told me that day? That the decision to take me to the wedding was all a plan to get back at me?”

Ever since she said that I’ve been replaying those three days in my mind. I knew she was set on teasing me, but not the extent of it.

“I did,” Carol says with a sigh. “I wanted to taunt you and leave you wanting more. But as we both know, that didn’t go as planned.”

I snuggle closer and plant a kiss on her nose. “Nah, it was working fine for quite some time,” I confess. Our eyes lock as I speak again, “give me another chance.”

She tenses immediately, but does not break eye contact. “If only we could start over.”

“What’s stopping us?” I pull away so that I’m facing her and extend my hand for a handshake. “Hi there. I am Brian Knight Reeds, father of a six-and-a-half-year-old boy named Daniel, and owner of Reeds, the company. I used to teach at Dartmouth where I fell in love with one of my students and she has been on my mind through all these years.”

Carol laughs and stares at my extended hand before shaking it. “I am Carol Martin, an economist at Collins and Co. I used to study at Dartmouth where I fell in love with one of my teachers and he has been on my mind through all these years.”

We stay like that, looking into each other’s eyes and holding each other’s hands until I pluck up the courage to speak again.

“I know this doesn’t magically change the past—“

“I don’t think the past needs to change. I mean, you got me to fall in love with you twice.” She pauses, a mix of emotions in her eyes. “I think we can start over with a clean slate and with honesty.”

I lean in to kiss her, pushing her down on the couch and climbing on top of her. Carol doesn’t resist. Instead, she grabs my face with both hands and deepens the kiss, wrapping her long legs around my waist while my hands roam under her shirt.

“Brian, what if—what if they come back?” she stutters between kisses, deep blue eyes burning with desire.

Without pulling away from Carol, I steady myself on the couch and hold her upright. A surprised yelp escapes her lips as I get up and she tightens her grasp around me, trying not to fall down.

“If they come back, we’ll be in our room.”

Epilogue One

Carol

Six months later

Thereisacolorfulbouquet of flowers next to an enormous birthday cake, sporting seven candles, and behind them, an enormous pile of gifts as tall as me. On top of the bouquet, a small card sticks out. I grin as I open it.

To the love of my life. Always yours

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