Page 4

Five and a Half Years Later

Mitch / Christmas

I f Mitch could give his boss’s daughter a nickname, it would be Sugarplum.

But he would never give her a nickname because she would hate it and him for giving her one.

One thing he knew, she had a bad temper.

So, he called her Lily. She called him Mitchell, and that was the end of the story.

He had been dating Lily for six months, and she hadn’t changed.

She had a sweet personality and appeared to be everything she was: sweet, kind, and always optimistic.

He loved her—well, the thought of her—with growing affection.

Was he madly, passionately in love with her?

No, but that didn’t make for long-lasting success in relationships.

Passions that burned hot, burned out. He knew from experience.

His thoughts flashed to Rebecca and shook his head.

Lily was a nice, safe bet. If he wanted a stable life with a good job, happy kids one day, and loads of financial security, all he had to do was pop the question.

Well, tonight, he was going to propose. He’d bought her a big ring from Tiffany’s after her father had been dropping hints, and Mitch had picked them up. Lucien Donovan wanted to see his daughter married. Okay, he got it.

If he could further describe her, describe their relationship, he would call her chaste.

She had an older sister who had been anything but.

Gemma, the sister who had renamed herself Topaz, now lived in an Ashram in Norfolk with her common-law husband, a man named Dublin Ireland.

Dublin’s greatest claim to fame was that in his thirty-six years on this planet, he had never had his hair cut.

He wore the web of dreadlocks like Carmen Miranda used to wear her fruit bowl on her head.

And his beard was past his waist. Sometimes, he let his older kids braid it and put fun beads on the braids.

Mitch wondered how often the man washed his hair or his beard.

He thought it was probably something he didn’t want to know the answer to.

They had three children, all of whom Topaz had birthed naturally in a Birthing Yurt at the Ashram.

They had names like Passionflower, Drumbeat, and Mitch’s personal favorite, Sapling.

Topaz and Dublin didn’t believe in Christmas or money for that matter, so Topaz had decided her well-to-do Mums and Daddy were as close to poison as possible.

Topaz and her family had only visited once in the last three years.

Rumor had it Topaz was pregnant again, but there was no way to tell for sure until she sent sketches of the baby done by Dublin, who was actually becoming quite the artist in his own mind.

Lily had equated her personal freedom—her difference from her only sibling—to her ability to stick to her personal morals.

Therefore, she kept herself what she called tidy and chaste, virginal, at least, she said, until she got married.

Mitch respected this antiquated stance, but it had done little to curb his normal appetites.

The normal sexual appetites of a thirty-year-old man.

He was beyond frustrated. His need to move this thing along might not have him rationally looking at the facts, such as whether he really wanted to spend his whole life with Lily.

Would the chaste, almost cold body language suddenly go away if she were married?

Did he think Lily would scream in ecstasy or tell him exactly what she wanted in bed?

Well, it would be his personal challenge to get her to that point.

Lily’s family had encouraged their relationship, practically serving Lily to Mitch on a silver platter with a “Do Not Touch Until Married” warning sign, punishable by death.

If he just did the right things at the right time, things would go very well for him.

Lucien Donovan had talked about him being the successor to the business he now worked in, Donovan Security.

Would he want to propose if Donovan Security wasn’t on the table? Sure, he would. He was lonely, and Lily was a pretty woman.

Mitch didn’t have a family in London or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.

The closest thing he had were the Starks, and they were in the United States.

He’d been an orphan since he was eighteen.

His mother had died of cancer, and his father had been long dead and not part of their lives for years before that.

It was just him. At least he’d proven himself and become a highly paid employee of Donovan Security.

He’d kept photos of his family, but there was little else had that held any sentimental value from his past. People probably wouldn’t understand.

He knew for sure that if his mother was still alive, he wouldn’t have Lily in his life.

So tonight, he was going to do it. He was going to propose.

Once he’d made this decision, he thought the stress and trepidation would leave him, but it hadn’t. Instead, he felt a little sick.

***Rebecca***

Rebecca watched her mother from the sidelines.

Their New York home was decorated immaculately for Christmas, with a large tree and lots of poinsettias, which had been lit with twinkle lights.

The whole of the house was effortlessly elegant and meant for the holidays.

It was very unlike the new, modern space on the top floor of a Portland, Oregon, hotel that her parents now called home.

No, the New York house was the scene for the happiest of holiday tales.

Rebecca felt comfortable in fancier clothes and more makeup, including her red lipstick, which her live-in boyfriend really wasn’t that fond of and liked to tell her it made her look a little cheap.

She thought his conclusions were a bit unfair, but she was used to his criticism.

He didn’t seem to mind when she left lipstick prints on his skin, the Tool.

This was the first time she had brought someone home to meet the family, and during a holiday, nonetheless.

Her mother was speaking to Rebecca’s live-in boyfriend, Kenneth, now, but there was something wrong with her face.

She was trying to smile, but the smile wasn’t quite making it to her eyes.

This wasn’t good, for Rebecca knew it was an indicator that her mother didn’t like Kenneth.

Her mother politely ended the conversation and went into the kitchen, and Rebecca followed.

She leaned against the kitchen door as her mother gave last minute instructions to the staff who came in at Christmas to cook a meal so Victoria could spend time with her guests.

When Victoria turned, she seemed surprised to find Rebecca standing there.

“Darling, you startled me,” she said as she fondled her pearls.

“I just wanted to chat with you if you have a minute,” Rebecca said.

“Of course. Privately?” Victoria asked.

“Yes,” Rebecca said.

“I know just the place.”

Silently, Rebecca followed her mother through a labyrinth of halls until they were in her father’s private study, far away from the other revelers.

Victoria turned to her daughter and said, “What’s up?”

“I watched you with Ken. You don’t like him.”

“He’s a very nice boy. He just isn’t for you.”

“Why would you say that? We are number one and two in our class at Wharton. We understand each other. We live together. He’s gorgeous, and we are practically engaged.”

Victoria shook her head, “That would be a mistake. He’s too conservative, almost a bit of a prude, and you are too edgy for someone so strait-laced.

You’ve got no passion with Kenneth. I worry you’ll get bored.

I want you with someone who makes your heart race.

I want you to be so crazy in love that you can barely think when in their presence. ”

“Gee, thanks, Mom. By all means, tell me everything that is on your mind,” Rebecca encouraged as she folded her arms and tried not to say more.

“I’m your mother. I will tell you how I see it. You are fabulous, my darling daughter. You deserve the best. I just don’t think that is Kenneth.”

“Maybe my heart sings when I’m with Kenneth.”

“Sure,” Victoria said, with a tone that showed she didn’t believe her daughter.

“Why are you doing this?” Rebecca asked. Kenneth was from a good family. He was good-looking. He knew how to make her happy in the sack. Was he the best she’d ever had…no, but he got the job done.

“I’m worried. I think he will be fine with your accomplishments as long as his are more valued. They might not be as important, but he will want you to know your place.”

“Are you saying he thinks he is smarter than I am?” Rebecca asked.

“Yes. He might not come out and say it, but when you start making more money than he does, I predict problems.”

“Ken wouldn’t care. He wants me to be successful.”

“Sure. Why don’t you ask him? Ask him if it is all right if you make more than he does,” Victoria said.

“Okay, I will. But why do I think there is more? Why do I feel you and Dad just don’t like him? I’ve seen you warm up to other men, but not this one.”

“Are you talking about one sweet boy that was like a son to us?”

“Unbelievable,” Rebecca said and rolled her eyes.

“And I believe you had feelings for him, too,” Victoria said. Her mother had known about her crush since it began.

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, he is in London. Heck, he hasn’t come here for Christmas in nearly six years. Mitch isn’t coming back. He has moved on.”

“Maybe he’s just had his head buried in the sand. Maybe you should walk by him and let him know what he is missing.”

Rebecca shook her head. She didn’t want to think of Mitch. Before she could say anything, they heard running footsteps, and then her brother Alex burst into the room where they were talking.

“Guess what?” he asked, a smile on his face.

“What?” Victoria asked, holding out her arms.

“Mitch is getting married. And guess who is going to be the best man?”

Rebecca didn’t give a damn. She just wanted to cry.