CHAPTER 19
In his office the following day, with a rare thirty-minute break between meetings, Ares decided it was long past time to call Sally.
But even as he reached for his phone, he had a moment’s trouble focusing. Yet again, Kelsey had consumed his thoughts last night,
keeping him awake long past midnight. Not only the kiss they’d shared on her front step, but also how much he’d enjoyed their
dinner, their walk together. When he’d finally slept, his dreams had been hot and wild—and full of joy.
Anything is possible, Ares. You just have to be willing.
Kelsey’s voice had woven its way into his dreams. Had he been crazy for not carrying her inside and making love to her? For not
discovering if waking up with her in his arms just might be the best thing he’d ever known?
Calling Sally when his insides felt this twisted was either a great idea, because she had a knack for finding the perfect words to say,
or a terrible one, because she always saw right through to the heart of things. Even when Ares couldn’t see them himself.
“Hey, lovely lady,” he said when she answered.
“Ares.” Her smile bubbled through in her voice. “I’ve missed your calls so much.”
Guilt dealt him an uppercut, though Sally wouldn’t have meant for that to happen. “And I’ve missed hearing your voice.”
“How does it feel being back home?” He heard the two words she’d left out: without Keira.
“It’s good.” Even if the house was way too big for just him. “But something huge happened on New Year’s Day.” There was no easy
approach except saying it right out. “My mother came by to see me. To top it off, she has two adult children. My real brother and
sister. Not half. Not step.”
There was complete silence for two beats, then Sally’s voice rushed out, “Oh Evan. Oh my God. I have to sit down.” He heard the
scrape of a chair. “You tell me. Everything.”
He did, from start to finish. Except the part about kissing Kelsey. Or how exponentially his feelings had grown for her in the past
week.
When he was finished, she said, “I’m just so glad Kelsey has been there for you. Just like she’s always been.”
Yes, without question, Kelsey had always been there when he needed her. He owed her so much. Flowers and an expensive dinner
weren’t enough. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around anything that would actually show Kelsey how grateful he was. “I can tell,”
Sally continued, “how pleased you are to have met your brother and sister. But what about seeing your mom again?”
He stared out at San Diego Bay, deciding he’d answer with the facts. “She obviously did a good job raising them. They got
scholarships for college. Kathy is a CPA. Tony is getting a master’s degree.”
“You’re thinking that she did a lot better for them than she did for you.” Though Sally spoke softly, she didn’t hold anything back.
She’d tried to teach all of the Baddricks to express what they felt, what they believed. Some of them had learned it better than others.
“It’s not polite to read people’s minds,” he teased, in lieu of facing her statement head on.
She laughed before turning serious again. “Maybe she was trying to make up for what she did in the only way she could. What she was never able to do for you, she tried to do double for them.”
He hadn’t thought of it that way. But even though Sally made sense, it didn’t lessen the ache inside him. “She did one thing right,” he
finally said. “She let me stay with you and George.”
“I love you too, honey.” Then she added the kicker. “I’m sure she’s hoping she can rebuild her relationship with you. Any mother
would want that.”
Sally and George had taught him to always be honest. Even when it was difficult. And damn, it was hard to admit to her, “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Ares, honey, have you ever thought that reconciling with your mother might be less about what she needs and more about what you
need?”
“I don’t need it.” He had Sally. He had George and the Baddricks. Theresa had been gone so long that he couldn’t even relate to her
as a mother.
“When you didn’t know where she was, you didn’t have to think about it. But now she’s brought back all the shadows. You can’t have those shadows hanging over you if you’re ever going to move on. Especially after what Keira did.”
He’d come home from Europe intending to move on, promising himself that he wouldn’t let Keira steal another moment of his life.
But one of the reasons he hadn’t gone into Kelsey’s apartment last night was Keira. If she’d ever found out, there would have been
hell to pay. Which meant he was still giving his ex all the power she had never deserved.
“Just think about what I’m saying, okay?”
He smiled despite his dark mood. “I always think about everything you say.”
“Sure you do,” she teased. But then she gave an excited little yelp. “I just had the most marvelous idea. Why don’t you fly the twins
and your mom out here? Just for the weekend. So that George and I can get to know them too.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it. “This is a joke, right?”
“I’m totally serious. I’d love to meet your brother and sister. And our house is a nice, safe environment for everyone to get to know
each other better. Plus, that would keep your mom away from the ex-boyfriend in Modesto for a couple of days. I’m sure this first
weekend will be the worst for her, when she’s alone in an empty house.”
“This is crazy.” Yet he felt an odd kick inside at the thought of a weekend to get to know his brother and sister better, especially with
Sally and George there to keep Tessa busy.
“What do you think?” she pressed.
“If we did it,” he said slowly, “there’s not enough room for all of us at the house, so I’d book a hotel for myself.”
“Of course there’s room for everyone, but I get it. You want to make sure you have somewhere to go, if you need it.” She barely
paused before saying, “So, you’ll ask them to come this weekend?”
He knew firsthand just how good Sally’s intentions always were. But while Tyler and Kathy were great, Ares was wary about getting
too close too fast, before he knew more about them. After all, that had been his problem with Keira—he’d seen only what he’d
wanted to see and had stupidly let her in. And of course, he wasn’t interested in going out of his way to reconnect with Tessa.
Knowing him well enough to guess that his silence was a mask for his reluctance, Sally said, “What if Kelsey could come too?”
His heart stopped. Kelsey? God help him. He wanted a weekend with her so badly, he felt lightheaded. Wanted more time with her—
talking, laughing, kissing—any way he could get it.
Hadn’t he been thinking he needed to stay away from her for her own good? Yeah, right, like that was going to happen. Not when his
heart jumped at the first opportunity to see her again.
“She’s so good at smoothing over rough patches,” Sally continued. “And I know how much you enjoy her company.”
His heartbeat kicked up. Does Sally know? Could she read his feelings about Kelsey as easily as she could read everything else
about him?
“She’s been a good sister-in-law.” He used the phrase deliberately, reminding Sally—and himself—exactly who Kelsey was. Keira’s
off-limits sister.
“She’s been a good friend,” Sally corrected. “Through thick and thin, Kelsey has always been there for you.” Now his foster mother
was the one carefully reminding him that Kelsey, rather than his wife, was the one who had stuck by him in good times and bad.
“She had such fun in the snow at the wedding, I’m sure she’d love to come back to a white winter for another couple of days.”
If it was just a white winter that would make Kelsey happy, Ares could book her a weekend at a fancy spa resort in Lake Imelda. But
what Kelsey loved most of all—more than massages or fancy restaurants or impressive five-star resorts—was family. Kelsey would
choose a weekend in Chicago with everyone over anything else he could offer. This trip was something he could give her, a small
repayment for all she’d done.
Yeah, great rationalization.
Because the truth he didn’t want to admit to anyone—especially himself—was that he wanted an entire weekend with Kelsey. Even
if he couldn’t kiss her, couldn’t touch her when they were with his family, at least they would be together.
* * *
He called Kathy, Tyler, and Tessa first. Funny that calling Tessa felt easier than calling Kelsey. Probably because he knew where he and Tessa stood. Whereas with Kathy…
Silently cursing his powerful desire for the one woman he could never have, Ares told his assistant to push back his next meeting,
then dialed Tessa’s number for the second time in as many days.
She answered on the first ring, her voice tentative as she said, “Ares?”
“There are a couple of things I wanted to check in with you about. First, I talked to Paul, and he won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“You talked to Paul?” She was clearly shocked, her voice suddenly higher than normal.
“He apologized for hurting you.” He wouldn’t tell her that Paul had asked for money. “But he was also on his third beer in the
middle of the day.”
“He has a problem with alcohol,” she agreed softly.
Ares wanted to ask her how she could possibly pick yet another guy with a drinking problem after running away from her abusive,
alcoholic husband. How could she be so blind? How could she make such bad decisions time and time again?
But he’d been blind with Keira, hadn’t he? Marrying her had been the worst decision he’d ever made. Though staying with her so
long might have been even worse.
So he understood a thing or two about bad decisions. And turning his back on a woman in distress wasn’t a consideration. He’d hold
out his hand even to his worst enemy if he or she was drowning. Hell, he’d probably have given his hand to his father if he’d asked
for help, even after everything. But his father had never asked.
“Paul’s not your problem anymore. If he shows up, call me. A friend knows a guy in the Modesto Police Department who’ll drive by
your house occasionally.
“Thank you, Ares. You’re too good to me.”
Her words—and how hard they hit him—nearly had him hanging up before he got to the other reason he’d called. But he wouldn’t
disappoint Sally. Not when his foster mother had given so much of herself to him—even when he’d been a temperamental, hormonal
teenager with a huge chip on his shoulder.
“Sally wants to meet you and the twins.”
“Sally Beischel?” This time, her voice was darn near a squeal of shock. “The woman who took you in after…”
His chest, his gut, everything in him, tightened up as he said, “Yes, she’d like to meet you this weekend. We’d fly out on my plane
Saturday morning to Chicago, if that works for you.”
“Of course it does,” she said, “but are you sure about this trip?”
He wasn’t sure about anything right now.
“I’ll check with Kathy and Tyler now, then confirm the travel details.”
“I know they’ll be thrilled to spend more time with their brother.”
Brother. It was amazing how much that word meant to him. Even coming from her.
After they hung up, he called Tyler.
“I knew we did the right thing coming to you,” Tyler said after Ares gave him the update on Tessa’s ex-boyfriend. “Thanks a
million.” Then he laughed and changed it to, “Actually, thanks a billion.”
Ares couldn’t hold back a smile. Tyler had charm to spare, even in the worst situations. “I just talked to your mom about a last-
minute trip to Chicago.” He explained about Sally—who she was and that she wanted to meet the three of them.
“Chicago sounds great,” Tyler said. And then, “She’s your mom too.”
“She is. But there’s too much history to get into it all.”
“Okay.” Tyler obviously knew when to let something drop, at least for the time being. “Thanks again. Looking forward to hanging
with you in Chicago, bro.”
Ares phone rang less than thirty seconds after they hung up.
“You are wonderful and marvelous and the absolute best,” Kathy gushed. “I’d love to go to Chicago to meet the couple who took
such good care of you. And what you did for Mom today is huge. Thank you, thank you.”
Kathy’s enthusiasm made his heart flip. She made him feel like a hero.
In business and finance, everyone demanded a piece of him. They either wanted his money, or they wanted him to tell them how to
make money. But Kathy was different. She’d asked him to help, out of the goodness of her heart. And somehow, he’d dredged up the
goodness inside of him to do it.
“You’re doing so much for us,” she continued, “we’ve got to do something for you. I don’t know what. But we’ll think of something.
Something huge, I swear.”
“I don’t need you to do anything, Kathy.”
“That’s the whole point,” she said, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. “We want to do something because
we don’t have to. You’re awesome, Ares Lowells.”
She hung up before he could set her straight. Before he could tell her he’d done only what he’d needed to, what any person with a
soul would have done.
Before he could remind her that helping out her mom didn’t mean he was ready to accept Tessa as his mom again.
* * *
So, really, how was she supposed to fight for Ares?
Kelsey finished the notes from her last session, then quickly checked her email while her mind mulled over what to do about Ares.
She was determined to fight for him. But how?
Ares had wanted her last night. His kiss, his touch, and the fire in his eyes had confirmed what her body knew. But she couldn’t use
his desire to bring him closer. Couldn’t use it against him. That was Keira’s modus operandi—ensnaring men. As far as Kelsey was
aware, Keira had never cheated, but she still loved to gather men around her.
In any case, Keira aside, Kelsey didn’t want to fall into bed with Ares only to have him deny his feelings in the morning.
Because what Kelsey felt for him was so much deeper. On some level, she had to believe he knew it too. Their souls seemed to speak
their own special language. She’d felt it all those evenings they’d talked for hours in his library about books, movies, politics, her
work, his work. The connection had existed between them even in college, all the nights they discussed classes and students, science
or high finance; daydreaming about how they would shape their futures; talking about their goals, what they wanted to accomplish
and how; or even something as simple as what the best classic sci-fi movie was. They’d both chosen The Day the Earth Stood Still,
with Forbidden Planet a close second. If she was going to fight for him, she had to do it by showing him how much more they had
between them than desire.
Her eyes skimmed the headlines online and flitted over a sidebar without really seeing it.
She wanted to do something special, something that would help Ares see they were meant to be together, no matter how many
obstacles stood in their way. But what could possibly convince him? What, what, what?
Suddenly, her gaze was snagged by a brief mention containing the words science, fiction, and Mars. Oh my God. It was the absolute
best thing imaginable. It wasn’t obviously romantic. It wasn’t flashy and sexy. But it was so absolutely them. Grabbing her phone,
she tapped in a quick text.
Andrei Wyeth is speaking tonight at a bookstore down the street from your office. Do you want to go see him with me?
They’d both loved The Martian. They’d read it at the same time, marveled over it, dissected every chapter. And seeing the
advertisement right on the heels of her thoughts about their favorite classic sci-fi movies had to have meaning. Ares answered almost
immediately.
Sounds good. Mendez can pick you up from your office and then we can come home from the city together.
Come home. Yes. The words were sublime, all she could ever have asked for. They made the rest of their arrangements through a
few quick texts.
Mendez picked her up for the ride to San Diego, but the traffic was horrendous getting into the city despite it being a weeknight. She
dashed into the bookstore with no time to spare as the emcee for the evening tested the microphone. It was standing room only, but
Ares had saved her a seat, and she squeezed past an elderly couple to slip into the chair beside him.
“You’re here.” He reached out to squeeze her hand, and she wanted to hang on forever. He was scrumptious in his dashing dark gray
suit and white shirt, his tie a shade of topaz and green that somehow emphasized the flecks of gold in his eyes. She wanted to eat him
all up right then. But she’d promised herself this night wouldn’t be about sex. Or desire. Or need. Or all the physical things she
desperately wanted from him.
Before they could exchange another word, the bookstore owner introduced the author to a round of deafening applause. Andrei
Wyeth was an incredibly interesting guy. And his publishing story was amazing. When he talked about selling his AOL stock options
at the absolute high after he was laid off, Ares gave her a thumbs-up and whispered, “This is my kinda guy.” She loved that he could
share this with her.
The talk was fascinating, even as Andrei got technical. And yet, like his book, he presented the material in layman’s terms she could
easily understand. He was extremely self-deprecating, and when asked how he came up with the idea for The Martian, he said he
was a geek who liked to sit around daydreaming about how it would be possible to accomplish this thing or that.
She nudged Ares and murmured, “Just like you.”
And yet it was more. It was like all those nights in college discussing their plans for the future. Daydreaming. Ares had made all his
dreams come true.
Except the one about a family and a loving wife.
The emcee opened the meeting up for questions, and the audience went wild with hands in the air. One man wanted to know why the
main character in The Martian hadn’t taken his situation more seriously, that he was actually a little flip, even sarcastic. And Andrei
said that he hadn’t wanted to write a deep, dark character study, that it was more about figuring out how to solve a really big
problem.
“His levity was what I liked best,” Ares said to her softly. It was what they’d both liked best. You couldn’t keep the hero down, no
matter what nature threw at him. He always bounced back.
Like Ares? Would he eventually bounce back? She could only hope.
Some people got into the technical stuff. Others just wanted to know how much he sold his stock options for, or how much input
he’d had in the movie, while still more questions delved into the book’s themes.
To her, the biggest theme had been about never giving up. With each failure, the astronaut solved another problem. After each
setback, he dove right back in. The same with NASA’s efforts to save him. No one ever gave up.
And she wouldn’t give up on Ares. She would keep on showing him how good they were together. No matter what.
If the applause had been deafening in the beginning, it brought the house down afterward. They got their autographed books, had a
few words with the author while Ares complimented him on an amazing story. Andrei probably didn’t have a clue he was shaking the
hand of a billionaire who’d waited in the same line as everyone else.
But that was Ares, equally as down-to-earth.
As they left the bookshop, Ares took her hands in his. “Thank you. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in…” He paused, his gaze
roaming over her face, tracing the lines of her cheek, her nose, her mouth. As if he were memorizing her features. “Not since our last
conversation in my library. Every conversation, in fact.”
Her pulse beat harder in the tips of her fingers that he’d captured in his. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“You couldn’t have chosen anything better.” His eyes scorched her, suggesting there was something he might have enjoyed equally.
But she wasn’t going to simply fall into bed with him. As badly as she wanted just that. Instead, she would show Ares that they
weren’t about the power of sex. They were about the power of connection.
Tonight had been the perfect start. And he had given her the perfect reaction, comparing this evening to all the nights they’d come
together in his library. All the nights they’d shared their thoughts, their minds, their feelings.
She would not give up. Not on him. And not on herself.
And yet the pull of his body was magnetic, hers swaying into his as she drowned in his deep gaze. She might very well have kissed
him if Mendez hadn’t pulled to the curb at that very moment.
“Your carriage awaits,” Ares said as Mendez hopped out to open the door.
She slid in, and Ares joined her. She wasn’t sure whether she regretted the lost moment or not. But once they were rolling and they
started discussing all the new things they’d learned about their favorite book, Kelsey found herself transported back to those magical
evenings drinking a glass of wine and talking. Tonight had been so right, without conflict or guilt, as they enjoyed each other’s
company.
They were exiting the freeway close to her condo when Ares said, “I finally called Sally and told her everything.”
She could suddenly feel her heart banging right up against her chest. “Everything?”
Obviously recognizing that he needed to clarify what everything meant, he added, “About Tessa showing up again with Kathy and
Tyler.”
Disappointment did its best to lay her low, even though she knew better than to think he would have told Sally about their kisses. She
mourned the sudden loss of the closeness they’d shared all evening, but she also realized this new discussion had a closeness all its
own. So she shook off the slight ache, especially after their wonderful evening together. “I’ll bet she’s dying to meet your brother
and sister.”
“If we were on Let’s Make a Deal, you would have just won the car behind Door Number Three.” Despite his teasing tone, he
drummed his fingers on the seat between them, drawing in a deep breath and blowing it out with obvious tension before he said,
“She wants all of us to fly to Chicago this weekend.”
Kelsey knew he wouldn’t be this conflicted if all of us meant only his siblings. “She wants Tessa to come too, doesn’t she?”
“She does. She thinks it will be a low-stress environment for everyone to get to know each other.”
“She’s right.” Sally always was. “So are you going to do it?”
“Maybe.”
“What’s the deciding factor?”
He paused a long moment before saying, “You.” But before she could respond to that stunning answer, he held up a hand. “You’ve
already done so much to help me with my family. It’s not fair to keep asking you for more.”
“I already told you, this is what family does for one another. You’d do the same for me.”
“But I didn’t.” Regret and guilt were clear in his voice. “So many times, Keira lashed out at you. So many times, I let you be hurt by
her.”
“No.” It was long past time for Kelsey to admit the truth. “I let myself be hurt by her.” She ducked her head a moment, bracing
herself. “I never told you. But when my mom was dying, I made a promise to take care of my dad as well as Keira after Mom was
gone.” She still felt the anguish deep in her soul. “But I failed her. Dad went downhill, and I didn’t stop it.”
“Jesus, Kelsey.” Ares took her hand in his and squeezed it tight, offering her his warmth. “Your dad’s death wasn’t your fault.”
She wanted to fold herself into his arms, but she had to be strong enough to get through this. “I know in my head—” She tapped her
temple. “—that he was lost and probably nothing could have brought him back, but…” She shrugged, and then she told him the
bigger issue she needed him to know. “Keira never let me forget it. She reminded me I was failing her whenever I didn’t take her
side.”
