Chapter Eighty One

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. I don’t want to hear that word cross your lips. It’s me who is sorry. I was an ass. I said despicable things to you.”

Her eyes widened, and she felt the ridiculous urge to cry again, as if she hadn’t done enough of that in the last few days.

“First, I want to talk about this,” he said as he drew out the dreaded newspaper clipping from his pocket. She froze, her stomach seizing with dread.

“Don’t look like that. I don’t believe a word of it. But it’s obviously an important part of your past. It hurt you and it’s affected a good portion of our relationship. I want you to tell me what really happened.”

Her lips trembled and she twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “I got out of college, intending to rule the world. I loved it…I loved my job. I was in a big, busy city, and I was away from home, away from my family. At the time that was important to me. I was stupid.”

“I think we all go through the desperate need to get away from our family,” Timothy said.

She shrugged. “So there I was, out to take on the world. I landed a job with a prestigious agency and I worked my butt off to advance as rapidly as possible. I was good and I knew it. So when I got promoted, it wasn’t a surprise to me. There were people who’d been there longer who were pissed, but I knew I deserved it. I felt like I deserved it.

“And then one day my boss called me in his office to congratulate me, and he let me know at the same time what he expected in return for the favor he’d granted me.”

“Son of a bitch,” Timothy growled.

“I was horrified. And a bit naive because I honestly hadn’t seen it coming. I didn’t even know what to do at first, other than turn him down flat. I was stupid enough to think that would be the end of it.”

Timothy scowled and reached over to take her hand.

“I buried myself in work, convinced that if I worked harder, landed more accounts, that he’d just go away. One night I was working late and he dropped in to see how I was doing.” She made a derisive sound deep in her throat. The memory strangled her. She hated that helpless feeling.

“He came onto me hard and didn’t intend to take no for an answer. He probably would have raped me if his wife hadn’t burst in. I think she knew what was going on, but she didn’t care. She had her way out of the marriage and a way to make him pay for everything he’d ever done wrong to her in their marriage. I was named the other woman. Everyone knew what happened. I had no defense. Suddenly I was a woman who’d slept her way to the top and then destroyed my boss’s marriage. Believe me when I say no one was lining up to do business with me. So I quit. Evan Reese gave me a shot with his agency and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Timothy closed his eyes and let out a sound of disgust. “I was so unfair to you, Chloe. You tried to tell me so many times how our relationship might affect you and your career, but I wouldn’t listen. I was selfish and egotistical. I was determined that I should be enough for you. What a jerk I was. I wasn’t even here when all hell broke loose. I should have been beside you, shouting to the world that you were my woman and I was damned proud of it. Instead I slunk off like a sulking two-year-old when I didn’t get my way, and I can only imagine how it looked.”

He gathered both her hands in his and brought one to his lips. He kissed each finger. “I’m so sorry. I hope you’ll let me make it up to you. I wish you would have told me all this sooner. Maybe I would have understood you better. But I also know I gave you no reason to trust me. That’s going to change. I want you in my life. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

She stared at him in utter bewilderment. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you. That I’m sorry. That I want another chance and that it’s me who’s crawling back on hands and knees, begging for your forgiveness. You’ll never lack for my support again, Chloe. You’ll always have me to lean on. And I’ll personally throttle anyone who so much as whispers an ill word about you.”

Her throat closed in. Her mouth went dry. The world tilted a little crazily around her. “But I was going to you to apologize,” she whispered. “I was wrong, Timothy. I did put too much importance on what others thought. As long as I have the support of those who love and respect me,it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks. I should have to crawl back. I was horrible to you.”

“No, no, my love,” he said as he hugged her tighter to him. “Never crawl. Never. Forget I said it, please. You weren’t horrible. You were upset. Your world had been upended, and I should have been the one person you could come to and who would support you and understand. I didn’t even try to understand. I got angry and stormed away. I love you. Please forgive me.”

“Oh, Timothy, I love you, too. So much. I do forgive you as long as you’ll forgive me, too.”

His entire face lit up. He looked almost boyish as he stared at her in wonder. “You love me? You’re not just saying it?”

She smiled and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and put every ounce of her love into her kiss. He lifted her up until their mouths were even and their noses bumped.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

Timothy sobered and he let her slide back down until her feet touched the floor. He cast her a sheepish look. “I might have stormed into golden gates promotions, threatening death and destruction if someone didn’t tell me where the hell you were. I’d already tried your apartment, your phone. I even called Bryce’s agent because I couldn’t reach Bryce, either.”

Chloe giggled. “Death and destruction? Bryce’s agent?”

“Well, maybe not death and destruction but I did threaten to pull my contract if I didn’t get some answers. Let’s just say that the entire Golden gates promotions team developed a sudden interest in your whereabouts. Someone found Peter’s business number, had him paged and then waited an eternity for him to call back. He told us you were here and I came right over.”

She shook her head, but her grin was so big she couldn’t hide it.

“Did you mean it?” he asked softly. “Do you love me? Enough to put up with my ogre ways and my demanding personality? Enough to marry me?”

She sucked in her breath as tears flooded her eyes.

“I think I can tolerate you,” she said teasingly. “If you can tolerate the fact that I can’t cook worth a darn. I’ll probably never meet you at the door wearing an apron, and the thought of having children scares the bejesus out of me.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “I think I can handle all that. So will you? Marry me? Put me out of my misery?”

“You don’t mind me keeping my job? I’ve fought too hard and have spent too long coming to grips with my issues regarding public opinion. There’s no way I’d want to quit now.”

He cupped her chin and smoothed a thumb over her cheek. “You can’t quit.

You’re handling all my advertising. I’d be broke inside of a year without you. Besides, I’m way too damned proud of you to ever want to clip your wings.”

“I love you,” she said fiercely. “And, yes, I’ll marry you.”

He lowered his head to hers and kissed her long and sweet. “I love you, too,” he whispered.

He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He grasped her hand in his and slid it on her finger.

“I’ve had this with me since I realized how much I wanted you in my life. Promise me you’ll never take it off.”

She glanced down at the glittery diamond, tears blurring her vision. Then she glanced back up at the man staring at her with so much love in his eyes that her knees threatened to buckle.

“Never. I'm never taking it off.”