Of course, now that he was drawing a blank on certain aspects of his life, he seemed to have forgotten how cold he used to be. Kate truly wished this Luc, the one she’d spent the past few days with, the one who had made love to her as if he truly loved her, was the Luc who would emerge after all the dust settled.
The worry eating at her would not help her be strong when she most needed to be. Everything that Luc threw at her would be justified, and right now she just needed to figure out the best way to come clean, because she truly didn’t want to harm him any more than she had to.
After checking the dinner, she pulled the pan from the oven. Once she had their plates made, she started to call him, but realized he was still on the phone. The electricity flickered as rumbles of thunder resounded outside. Kate quickly searched for candles, because inevitably the lights were going to go. Perfect. It seemed Mother Nature was on her side. With the lights off, Kate wouldn’t have to see the hatred on Luc’s face when she told him that everything he knew
about her, about them, was a lie.
* * *
“Darling, did you hear what I said?”
Luc concentrated on his mother’s voice, the words she was saying, but something still didn’t fit.
“You said Alana contacted you because she wants to see me,” he repeated slowly, still trying to process all this.
Kate had told him Alana was an ex, but why would she be contacting him if he was engaged to Kate?
“Yes,” his mother confirmed. “She’s called me twice and she’s very adamant that she wants to see you. I’m not going to stick my nose in this—you can respond however you want—but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Luc’s eyes locked onto the orange horizon. This view alone was reason enough to buy this property, no matter how many upgrades he wished to have inside. But right now, his head was pounding as if memories were rushing to the surface, waiting to get out all at once.
“Why would she contact you at all?” he asked. Resting one hand on the rail, he clutched the phone with his other, struggling to hear through the static. “Alana is in my past.”
“So you remember her? Good. Then you don’t need me to say how ridiculous this notion is that she can just come back into our lives after the entire baby scandal...”
His mother’s voice cut out, but in the midst of her talking Luc did catch the word baby.
He rubbed his forehead. A flash of a diamond ring, a snippet of Alana in tears saying something about a pregnancy...
“To think she could trick you into marriage simply by saying she’s pregnant was absurd,” his mother went on, oblivious to his inner turmoil. “The timing of you purchasing this getaway house was perfect. Alana has no idea where you are.”
The timing?
Luc spun around, glancing in through the open doors. Beyond the living area was the kitchen, where Kate stood preparing dinner. Instantly, he saw it all. His mother’s single, damning word timing had triggered an avalanche of memories.
Kate was his assistant. No doubt about that, but they weren’t engaged. They were strictly employee-employer, and that had been the extent of their relationship...until just a few days ago.
He felt sick to his stomach as he reached out, seeking the edge of a wrought-iron chair. He needed support, and right now all he could call upon was an inanimate object.
“Alana has no place in this family, Lucas.”
Luc swallowed, his eyes remaining locked on Kate. Obviously, he’d been played by two women in his life—two women he’d trusted and let in intimately—on so many levels.
No wonder she was always so hesitant to let him in on his past. Kate’s silence probably had little to do with the doctor’s warnings and everything to do with her own agenda.
How could he have been so blind? How the hell could Kate have taken advantage of his vulnerability like that? Being manipulative wasn’t like her, or at least not like the Kate he’d known. What had changed? Why had she felt it necessary to lie to his face, to go along with this charade that they were engaged?
Luc closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. “Mom, I’ll call you back later. The connection is bad with the weather.”
The call was cut off before he could finish. This storm was going to be a big one and he didn’t just mean the one brewing outside.
Luc held the phone down at his side, dropped his head and tried like hell to forget the images, the emotions that went along with the fact he’d slept with Kate. He’d had sex with his assistant. He’d thought himself in love with her, believed that he’d be marrying her, making her the next queen.
She knew full well he didn’t step over the line of professional boundaries. He’d outlined that fact for her a year ago when their attraction had crept to the surface, and he’d wanted to nip it in the bud. Kate knew every single thing about him and she’d used that to her advantage. She knew of the real fiancée, the fake pregnancy, and even after he’d brought up having visions of a baby, she’d said nothing.
How far would she have let this farce go? How long was she intending to lie straight to his face? Earlier she’d claimed she loved him.
Luc’s heart clenched. Love had no place in the midst of lies and deceit.