Wrapping her arms around him, she closed her eyes. He lifted her up and as he carried her through to the bedroom, for her, it was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.
Chapter Ten
Being called into your father’s office first thing Monday morning wasn’t exactly a cause for celebration.
Caleb didn’t know what his father could want, seeing as he and Lauren had spent all weekend with his parents, talking through her ideal wedding.
Running a hand down his face, he left the office, nodded at Martha, and stood at the entrance of his father’s office.
“I’m here.”
“Yes, you were in early today,” Timothy said. “Have you seen the morning paper?” Timothy held it up for him to see.
Caleb Turner is a liar. The engagement is a farce. Party billionaire has fake fiancée.
“Your mother wants to sue every single newspaper who dares to run such an obscene story.”
“And you?”
“Well, you know me, I had my doubts in the beginning and seeing some of these headlines. I won’t bore you with the others, it makes me wonder. I’ve never been wrong before. Lauren is a wonderful woman, but there are a few times she’s looked trapped. I figured I’d give you a chance to come clean.”
Caleb looked at the headlines and he knew he could lie. It would be so easy to. Just let the words spill from his lips.
“I love her.” It wasn’t a lie.
It was the only truth he’d spoken for a long time.
“Then I’ll get our lawyers on the case. I can’t guarantee all of these headlines will be removed, but an apology would do just nicely.”
“Wait,” Caleb said.
He started to pace the length of his father’s office. “I love her, I do, but … they’re not total lies.”
Timothy sat back. “I’m waiting.”
Caleb opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “Look, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t even want to get you involved. It was wrong of me and I am sorry about that. I really am.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“The board. My seat. I’ve worked hard for this company and the only thing I failed on was finding a woman suitable enough to be married to.”
Timothy chuckled. “Son, you shouldn’t be settling for suitable.”
“I’m not.” He ran a hand down his face. “I fucked up. I know this. Lauren started out as a fake girlfriend. She didn’t know I was going to up the stakes with an engagement.”
“Lauren went along with this scandal?” Timothy asked.
“I told her you were sick. That you wanted to see me settled down before you even considered giving the company to me. She didn’t want to hurt a sick man.”
Timothy shook his head. “Wow.”
“But here’s the thing, I fell in love with her. I want to marry her, Dad. I want to give her the life you gave Mom. To have babies with her. For the first time in my life, I want an actual family. Yes, these stories were true a month ago. Now, they’re not.”
“Does Lauren love you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you care if she does?” Timothy asked.
“Yeah. She means everything to me, but I don’t know what I’m going to do to convince her to pick me. To be with me. You don’t start your relationship on a lie.”
“No, you don’t,” he said. “You really love her.”
“Yes. It’s why I haven’t put you or Mom off organizing this thing. I want her to have the best wedding, the one she has always dreamed about.” He sat down and looked over at his father, waiting.
“I’m not happy. I want you to know that. I’m not happy you lied but you told me the truth. Lauren’s a good woman? She’s not after your money?”
“Dad, you know she is. She hasn’t spent a single cent I have. She won’t even ask me for money to buy our groceries, and she’s still working for me. Although I do believe it’s going to be a lot harder for the two of us, considering she’s supposed to be working for me.” He sighed and stared past his father’s shoulder. “Why do you sit on the top floor all the time? I know you’re the big guy and all that, but really, why?”
Timothy smiled. “It’s so I know to always be afraid. To listen to my fears and only when I am satisfied I’m making the right decision, I go ahead and do it. That’s why I’m always on the top floor. Life is too short, it’s too fleeting. We can’t just allow ourselves to fade away into nothing.”
“So it’s to constantly remind you we’re all dying,” he said.
“No, it’s to remind me to face my fear, embrace it, and to take a chance. It’s what you need to do now, with Lauren. You love her. Don’t let her get away, son.
“A good woman, an amazing woman, is hard to find. Believe me, I know. When I found your mother, I knew I’d gotten lucky. She’s everything to me. Back then and still is. There’s not a thing I wouldn’t do for her.”