Fearless In Love
Page 56
Ari was sweet, giving, kind, caring—all the things he’d told her last night. Any rational man—a normal guy with a normal upbringing and normal past relationships—would see that loving her couldn’t possibly be a mistake.
But Matt wasn’t normal. And no matter how much empathy she had because they’d grown out of similar circumstances, it still didn’t change his dark past, his parents, the mirror they’d held up to all his faults, his weaknesses. You’re puny and weak and you’ll never be a man. And now Matt felt like he was proving exactly that by not telling Ari how he felt about her—by keeping the words she wanted to hear locked up inside him. If only he could be absolutely certain that he wouldn’t hurt her later on down the road.
Will grabbed his arm, jerking him out of his thoughts, holding him back while the others climbed the stairs. “I knew that trip wasn’t all about finding Ari’s brother.”
“That’s what it was supposed to be. I wanted to help her the way she’s helped Noah.” The truth hit Matt square in the chest. “But I found something else as well.”
A connection to Ari. One so strong it left him reeling.
“Meeting Harper—” Will smiled with total adoration. “It was like a ton of bricks falling on me. Good thing she was patient, because it took me way too long to figure out I loved her.” He looked at Matt. “I see the way you look at Ari. And the way she looks at you.” He raised his eyebrows. “Makes me think the bricks might already have fallen.” When Matt didn’t know how to reply, Will added, “Here’s hoping she’s as patient with her Maverick as Harper and Charlie were.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
After the haunted house tours ended, everyone crowded around the fire pit. Ari said a silent thank-you that the fire was covered by a grate so that they wouldn’t risk Noah’s dinosaur tail going up in flames. The Maverick men had disappeared, but the women they loved, plus Bob, remained.
And they treated Ari like she was one of their own.
The only thing unnerving her was that it felt a little hinky to be naked under the skirt, knowing that she and Matt had made love not far from where they all sat.
Yet she couldn’t hold down a thrill at how magical Matt had made her world. She hoped it wouldn’t remain a secret much longer. She was bursting with the need to claim him—and his son—as her own. They’d burrowed so deeply into her heart that she now knew she’d never be anywhere near as happy without them.
“Paige, you make a fabulous Cleopatra,” Harper said. “I feel dowdy as Frankenstein.” Seated on the end of the bench surrounding the fire pit, Harper held out her white lab coat, letting it balloon around her.
“At least you don’t have to carry around your own asp,” Paige said dryly, opening a small covered basket containing a plastic snake.
Everyone laughed. Paige Ryan was a pretty woman who had been transformed into a sexy siren by the exotic paint and gauzy dress of Cleopatra.
“Where’s Whitney tonight, dear?” Susan asked as Noah climbed into her lap.
Balancing the basket on her knees, Paige spread her hands in the air. “You know Whit. She didn’t feel up to coming tonight.”
Bob, lounging next to Susan, said, “We certainly know her. Halloween parties are beneath her dignity.”
“Now, Bob, stop,” Susan chided him.
“Actually,” Paige said in a soft voice, “she said I looked ridiculous as Cleopatra and refused to be seen with me.”
“You look anything but ridiculous tonight, honey.” Susan pursed her lips. “Perhaps,” she said slowly, “your sister was jealous of how lovely you look.”
Paige gave Susan an are you crazy? look, as if the idea of Whitney ever being jealous of her was preposterous. “She was just in one of her moods.”
Ari had seen Whitney at Sebastian and Charlie’s gala for The Chariot Race. Evan’s wife was beautiful in an in-your-face kind of way. Whereas Paige was more like the all-American girl—though, in her Cleopatra costume she was certainly turning heads.
No wonder Whitney Collins was jealous. She wouldn’t be used to having her sister steal the spotlight. And she definitely wouldn’t like it.
Ari got up a few minutes later to get another drink, and on the way back to the fire pit, she stopped to watch Noah, bouncing between Susan and Bob, sometimes holding his tail, sometimes brandishing it like a weapon. She already loved him, and not just because of Matt. Noah was a special little boy all on his own.
“I’m so glad you love dinosaurs, Noah,” Ari heard Charlie say, “because you’re going to get a very special surprise soon.” Sebastian’s fiancée sat on the ledge surrounding the fire. Dressed all in black, she wore gloves shaped like claws that she snapped at Noah, who giggled and shrank back. “I’m a Zanti Misfit,” she said in an ominous voice, snap-snap-snapping her gloves. Noah shrieked, loving every moment.
“Charlie fits perfectly with our weird Maverick sense of humor, doesn’t she?” Daniel’s voice was close beside Ari.
“She does. I like her a lot.”
“We all do.” He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and grinned at her. “I’m kind of partial to you too.”
She grinned back. “Thank you, Daniel. You’re not so bad yourself.”
He rocked back on his heels as they watched Noah try to catch Charlie’s clipper-claw gloves. Then Daniel turned his gaze on Ari in a way that was more intense than usual. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Ariana.”
Her heart plunged down to her toes. Oh God…Daniel knew.
“Matt’s a great guy,” he continued. Amid all the activity around them, his low voice kept them isolated. “He’s one of my brothers even if we don’t have the same parents. But you’ve got to know that he had a real bad time growing up. And then with Noah’s mom.”
Her throat clogged. Was Daniel warning her away from Matt, reminding her that she was just the nanny?
“I know,” she finally managed past constricted vocal cords. “He told me what happened with them. All of them.”
“He did?” Daniel looked surprised. “Well, that’s good.” But then he frowned again. “So now you know he has a hard time trusting.”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes stinging. She knew better than anyone, given that she’d said I love you and he hadn’t. Though she suspected the person Matt didn’t trust the most was himself.
But Matt wasn’t normal. And no matter how much empathy she had because they’d grown out of similar circumstances, it still didn’t change his dark past, his parents, the mirror they’d held up to all his faults, his weaknesses. You’re puny and weak and you’ll never be a man. And now Matt felt like he was proving exactly that by not telling Ari how he felt about her—by keeping the words she wanted to hear locked up inside him. If only he could be absolutely certain that he wouldn’t hurt her later on down the road.
Will grabbed his arm, jerking him out of his thoughts, holding him back while the others climbed the stairs. “I knew that trip wasn’t all about finding Ari’s brother.”
“That’s what it was supposed to be. I wanted to help her the way she’s helped Noah.” The truth hit Matt square in the chest. “But I found something else as well.”
A connection to Ari. One so strong it left him reeling.
“Meeting Harper—” Will smiled with total adoration. “It was like a ton of bricks falling on me. Good thing she was patient, because it took me way too long to figure out I loved her.” He looked at Matt. “I see the way you look at Ari. And the way she looks at you.” He raised his eyebrows. “Makes me think the bricks might already have fallen.” When Matt didn’t know how to reply, Will added, “Here’s hoping she’s as patient with her Maverick as Harper and Charlie were.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
After the haunted house tours ended, everyone crowded around the fire pit. Ari said a silent thank-you that the fire was covered by a grate so that they wouldn’t risk Noah’s dinosaur tail going up in flames. The Maverick men had disappeared, but the women they loved, plus Bob, remained.
And they treated Ari like she was one of their own.
The only thing unnerving her was that it felt a little hinky to be naked under the skirt, knowing that she and Matt had made love not far from where they all sat.
Yet she couldn’t hold down a thrill at how magical Matt had made her world. She hoped it wouldn’t remain a secret much longer. She was bursting with the need to claim him—and his son—as her own. They’d burrowed so deeply into her heart that she now knew she’d never be anywhere near as happy without them.
“Paige, you make a fabulous Cleopatra,” Harper said. “I feel dowdy as Frankenstein.” Seated on the end of the bench surrounding the fire pit, Harper held out her white lab coat, letting it balloon around her.
“At least you don’t have to carry around your own asp,” Paige said dryly, opening a small covered basket containing a plastic snake.
Everyone laughed. Paige Ryan was a pretty woman who had been transformed into a sexy siren by the exotic paint and gauzy dress of Cleopatra.
“Where’s Whitney tonight, dear?” Susan asked as Noah climbed into her lap.
Balancing the basket on her knees, Paige spread her hands in the air. “You know Whit. She didn’t feel up to coming tonight.”
Bob, lounging next to Susan, said, “We certainly know her. Halloween parties are beneath her dignity.”
“Now, Bob, stop,” Susan chided him.
“Actually,” Paige said in a soft voice, “she said I looked ridiculous as Cleopatra and refused to be seen with me.”
“You look anything but ridiculous tonight, honey.” Susan pursed her lips. “Perhaps,” she said slowly, “your sister was jealous of how lovely you look.”
Paige gave Susan an are you crazy? look, as if the idea of Whitney ever being jealous of her was preposterous. “She was just in one of her moods.”
Ari had seen Whitney at Sebastian and Charlie’s gala for The Chariot Race. Evan’s wife was beautiful in an in-your-face kind of way. Whereas Paige was more like the all-American girl—though, in her Cleopatra costume she was certainly turning heads.
No wonder Whitney Collins was jealous. She wouldn’t be used to having her sister steal the spotlight. And she definitely wouldn’t like it.
Ari got up a few minutes later to get another drink, and on the way back to the fire pit, she stopped to watch Noah, bouncing between Susan and Bob, sometimes holding his tail, sometimes brandishing it like a weapon. She already loved him, and not just because of Matt. Noah was a special little boy all on his own.
“I’m so glad you love dinosaurs, Noah,” Ari heard Charlie say, “because you’re going to get a very special surprise soon.” Sebastian’s fiancée sat on the ledge surrounding the fire. Dressed all in black, she wore gloves shaped like claws that she snapped at Noah, who giggled and shrank back. “I’m a Zanti Misfit,” she said in an ominous voice, snap-snap-snapping her gloves. Noah shrieked, loving every moment.
“Charlie fits perfectly with our weird Maverick sense of humor, doesn’t she?” Daniel’s voice was close beside Ari.
“She does. I like her a lot.”
“We all do.” He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and grinned at her. “I’m kind of partial to you too.”
She grinned back. “Thank you, Daniel. You’re not so bad yourself.”
He rocked back on his heels as they watched Noah try to catch Charlie’s clipper-claw gloves. Then Daniel turned his gaze on Ari in a way that was more intense than usual. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Ariana.”
Her heart plunged down to her toes. Oh God…Daniel knew.
“Matt’s a great guy,” he continued. Amid all the activity around them, his low voice kept them isolated. “He’s one of my brothers even if we don’t have the same parents. But you’ve got to know that he had a real bad time growing up. And then with Noah’s mom.”
Her throat clogged. Was Daniel warning her away from Matt, reminding her that she was just the nanny?
“I know,” she finally managed past constricted vocal cords. “He told me what happened with them. All of them.”
“He did?” Daniel looked surprised. “Well, that’s good.” But then he frowned again. “So now you know he has a hard time trusting.”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes stinging. She knew better than anyone, given that she’d said I love you and he hadn’t. Though she suspected the person Matt didn’t trust the most was himself.
