“Okay we’ll do it your way but believe me, I’ll be the first to say I told you so, when you realize how boring I am,” she said with a smile.
“Let me be the judge of that,” he said and leaned down to give her a heart stopping kiss. She was thinking it may be nice to extend her vacation a few more days. She wondered if it would make her look too needy.
“This has been the best vacation I’ve ever had, even if it’s the only one,” she told him with a real smile.
“How about we make it a few extra days?” he asked her. He was looking at her with complete seriousness. She was thinking a few extra days couldn’t hurt anything.
“I might be able to do that,” she shyly said to him. His smile was so brilliant it was almost blinding. She knew it was a real risk to her heart to stay longer but she couldn’t seem to listen to her brain anymore. She was enjoying her time and she refused to feel guilty.
“Let’s go tell the hotel you’re keeping that room a little while longer,” he said and grabbed her arm.
“I can go back to my original room. They aren’t going to want me to stay in the suite,” she said with a laugh at his enthusiasm. “I need to make sure I can change my tickets, as well,” she finished, trying to sound reasonable.
“Remember you’re being impulsive, so don’t worry about any of it,” he said, as they got closer to the front desk.
“Drew is that you?” they heard a woman ask. Drew seemed to tense up instantly and Trinity turned to see who would make him so nervous. She figured it was an ex-lover, knowing he hadn’t been a monk before her and wanted to reassure him she didn’t care but she didn’t get the chance.
“Hello Nancy, how are you doing?” he said. The woman was in her late forties, at least. She really didn’t see why he was so nervous.
“I’m just wonderful. You have a beautiful resort here and I’m so glad we decided to stay,” she said with a soft laugh of delight. “I’ve just finished with your amazing spa and feel like I’m floating on a cloud,” she finished.
“I’m so happy you’re enjoying yourself. We’re in a hurry but I’d love to chat with you later,” he told the woman, then spun Trinity around like he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
As they neared the doors, Drew was thinking he’d just escaped a close call. He’d avoid the lobby for the next few days. He didn’t need Trinity to find out who he really was when they were getting so close. He’d never felt the way he did about her with any other woman. He’d come clean with her but it needed to be done in the right moment, not in the middle of his lobby.
“Drew, I’m sorry to bug you again but my husband really wanted to meet you and talk about the golf course,” the woman approached them once again, with a distinguished looking man. “Darling, this is Drew Titan, the owner of the resort. Drew, my husband, Dean,” she said.
Drew shook the man’s hand and sighed as he felt Trinity pull her hand from his. He had never been terrified to face anything in his life but he was sure he didn’t want to turn and see the expression on her face. The couple walked away and he finally turned to face her.
She was staring at him like he’d just run over her puppy. A single tear slipped from her eye and he reached up to try and comfort her. If she’d only let him explain, he knew he could make everything better. Suddenly, her hand shot out and slapped him hard enough across the face, it echoed through the lobby.
Several heads turned to stare at them in shock. The security guard started walking forward until he shook his head at him. He deserved that one, he figured.
“Let me explain…” he started to say.
“Don’t bother, Mr. Titan. I don’t know why you even bothered with the entire seduction scene, considering I signed those papers pretty quickly for you. Is there something else you need signed to assure your precious resort is safe from my greedy clutches?” she said with venom.
“I’m not worried you’ll sue the resort,” he almost shouted. This entire scenario was quickly getting out of hand. “I just wanted a week with a beautiful woman who didn’t know who I was. That doesn’t make me the bad guy you think I am,” he finished.
“Oh, I’d never say you were a bad guy. You did everything just perfectly. You wined and dined me; you swept me off of my feet. You were the absolute perfect host and I never want to see you again,” she spat at him, before walking away, with her head held high even if her knees were shaking.
Drew figured he’d give her some time to cool off and then they could talk. She’d realize he wasn’t the villain in this story, once she got over her anger. Even though it wasn’t even noon yet, he ordered a double scotch and sat there with his head in his hands. By the time he figured she had enough time to herself and made his way back up to the suite, she was gone. She didn’t leave a single item behind, except for the slip of paper with his number on it. He decided it was most likely better that way.
Chapter Three
Five months later
Trinity struggled to her feet, which was becoming harder with each passing day. Her back was hurting particularly bad that day and she was feeling a bit grumpy.
“Excuse me, is anyone here?” she heard a voice ask. She continued up and was a bit bummed to have a new customer. Trinity owned a fairly successful floral shop, but some days she wished it was a bit less busy.
When she’d found out she was pregnant, after her impromptu vacation, she’d panicked at first. The more time she had to think about it though, the more excited she became. She was now excited to hold her little girl in her arms. She’d received her first pictures of her unborn daughter only a few weeks ago and had been far too excited to wait to find out the sex of the baby. Besides, she was on a tight budget and had to search for clothing as it was on sale.
Drew had tried calling her for the first month after she got home but he’d finally taken the hint she didn’t want to talk to him and left her alone since. She had then found out she was pregnant a couple weeks after his last call but she wasn’t ready to talk to him about it. She knew she was going to have to tell him but she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. She just wanted to bask in the glow of her pregnancy for as long as she could.
She wasn’t basking in any glow that afternoon, though. Her back was killing her, her feet were at least twice their normal size and she’d been really busy. She was incredibly grateful the day was almost over.
“Sorry about that, it’s taking me a bit longer to get to my feet these days,” Trinity said, as she finally stood up. The woman smiled at her and then looked towards her hand. She frowned a bit before talking once again.
“Is this you and your husband’s first child?” the woman asked.
“This is my first child. I’m not married, though,” she said, though she didn’t know why she felt the need to explain herself.
“Oh,” the woman almost sneered at her. “I don’t really need anything after all,” she finished and turned to leave.
Trinity was in shock as the woman walked out the door. What century was she in, that someone would look down on her because she was pregnant and not married? She decided to close a few minutes early because her day wasn’t going to get any better. She walked toward the glass door and turned the sign, then saw a familiar face through the panel.
“Hello beautiful,” her best friend, Damien Whitfield said.
“You’re a breath of fresh air Damien, it’s been a rough day,” Trinity said as Damien threw his arms around her for a hug.
“I always like to hear that from a beautiful lady,” he said with his normal good humor. “I’m taking you out for a terrific dinner and the new horror flick,” he said as he helped her lock up.
“That sounds heavenly,” she replied. She needed to watch some zombies eating the human race, to help take her mind off her worries, especially that last customer. She followed him out to his vehicle and they were soon off.
They had been best friends since high school and were always there for one another, anytime one of them went through a bad break up. She didn’t know how she could make it without Damien.
“I’ve been trying to work up the courage to speak to you about something but haven’t known how to approach it,” he said to her, as they were eating their desert.
“You know you can talk to me about anything Damien,” she answered him, truly meaning it.
“Okay, I’m just going to go for it and I want you to really listen to me and seriously think about what I’m saying,” Damien started. She was starting to get a bit concerned. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers, encouragingly.
“I think we should get married, no wait, before you start shaking your head. Remember, you promised to listen,” he stopped her, when she immediately shook her head.
“Okay I’ll listen but you’re crazy,” she had to say.
“It’s really not that crazy if you think about it. We’re best friends and truly love each other. We’ve always been there for each another, plus we never fight. Neither one of us have been able to find the right person and now you have this baby girl coming in four short months and I’d make a terrific father,” Damien said in one breath.
“But Damien we have never been more than friends. There has to be more than just friendship,” she tried to reason with him. She didn’t feel any attraction towards her best friend but she didn’t want to say that to him. There was no reason to be hurtful.
“I’m simply asking you to think about it. I can take care of you and the baby and I think we could be happy,” he said, while staring into her eyes. Trinity did love Damien and he was being reasonable but she’d never been physically attracted to him. She wished she loved him romantically because he was about the most perfect guy she’d ever known. But he simply didn’t make her stomach quiver the way Drew had. She shook her head, to push that thought out of her mind. Drew wasn’t a factor in any of her decisions.
The baby kicked her as she had that last thought and she smiled. Her little girl was a huge reminder Drew was a factor. She couldn’t think about that right then. He’d lied to her and been no better than her cheating ex. She couldn’t possibly trust him to be a part of her life.
“Let me think about things, Damien,” she said.
“Take your time Trinity, I know it’s a huge decision but I really do mean it. I’ll take care of you and love every second doing it,” he said. Damien had pretty much given up on romantic love himself but he’d go to the ends of the earth for his best friend. He wished he felt more than friendship toward her but far more marriages had lasted with less going for them than what he and Trinity shared. He’d hated watching her suffer over the last several months. He couldn’t leave her all alone and pregnant.
“What happens if you meet the one and you’re stuck with me?” she asked.
“What if you’re the one but we never realized it?” he asked his own question. She laughed and promised to let him know soon. They went to their movie and the rest of the evening was relaxed as it always was. She had a feeling both of them would really regret it if she said yes but it was very tempting.
