Page 39 of Hayes

"But you already know that there is no need for that." He tilted her chin up, his expression grave. "I love you completely."

"And I know that. I just hate the years that passed between us. I find myself wishing I had stayed after the funeral," he murmured.

"It would not have changed anything."

His eyes flared at that. "I would have been able to stop you, or if not, I would have followed you."

"That would have been a bad idea," she pointed out with a smile.

"I would have been with you, Cammy," he continued soberly. "You went through a terrible trauma, and I should have been the one to hold you and comfort you. I was deprived of that. I was also deprived of being there when you lost our baby, and I am angry, I am sorry; I know it's in the past, but I wanted to grieve with you."

"Can we do it now?"

Staring at her for a few seconds, he nodded and wrapped his arms around her.

*****

Cammy stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself critically. The outfit was new and had been ordered from Romano’s, which meant it was also horribly expensive.

But she was going to a public event where most of the people from the society she belonged to were going to be there. She had to look her best. She would not be with Hayes, but still...

Passing a hand over the shimmering emerald green wool, she wondered if it was too much or too little. The material molded to her generous curves as if it had been painted on, and the dip in front revealed the swell of flesh.

She was wearing a flesh-colored bra, the delicate lace molding her skin. She had gone to the salon to deep condition and treat her hair, and the thick dark brown strands tumbled around her face and down her back in lush waves.

Her makeup was minimal. She had always thanked the good Lord for her flawless complexion, which hardly needed any artifice. Her lips glowed from the shimmering nude lipstick she was wearing.

Diamonds dangled at her lobes and were a gift from Hayes just recently. She was also wearing the gold necklace he had given her when she turned seventeen. In the past, she had refused to take expensive gifts from him, not wanting to appear that she was after his money.

But she kept the necklace. Before now, she could not bear to wear it, but now she could. There was a drawer filled with things from their past, one that she had locked away. Now, she could safely take the stuff out and reminisce.

Taking a deep breath, she went into her closet to grab her jacket.

*****

He looked up at the discreet knock and watched in the mirror as his mother came into his bedroom.

"You look so handsome," she murmured, stopping hesitantly in the middle of the very masculine tan and gold room. "Need any help with that?" She gestured to the bow tie he was dealing with.

"No. Thanks. You look lovely," he said briefly admiring the ice blue gown she was wearing.

"It's new." She felt ill at ease for the first time when talking to him and hated it. He had been spending nights away from the manor and sometimes not returning until in the evening when he would shower and change and head back out.

Moving over to the comfortable leather chair in front of the fire, she perched a hip and searched through her mind for what to say. "I suppose an apology is not enough."

Putting the finishing touches to the tie, he turned to go and selected a long black cashmere jacket from the revolving rack.

"It's a start." He, too, was uncomfortable with the rift between them. And he could afford to be generous and forgiving. He was with Camelia, to a point, because she still insisted on having her way, but it was better than not being with her at all. Shrugging into the jacket, he leveled a glance at her.

"What you did cost me, but we are going to have to look past that. You don't like Camelia, but you are going to have to accept her if you want things to be okay between us." Walking over to the dresser, he selected a watch and put it on. Lifting his head, he met her eyes in the mirror.

"I am in love with her and there is never going to be anyone else for me as long as I live. She has my heart and everything else." He smiled at that. "You accused me of being obsessed with her and that might be the case, but it's a condition I embrace happily."

"I am just afraid she is going to hurt you again." She clasped her hands in front of her. "I was here, Hayes; I saw what her leaving did to you. I am a mother who had to sit helplessly while her son suffered. I knew about the drinking, the women, the fact that you could sleep. You almost gave up–"

"And worse than that happened to her." Turning from the dresser, he came to sit next to her, his expression sober. "She suffered a tremendous loss. We were at the movies, having the time of our lives when with one phone call, her life was turned upside down. In one night, she lost everything.

On top of that, we just discovered she was pregnant, something we always swore would never happen." He closed his eyes briefly. "I was so damned cocky, so careless. I always used protection because she insisted on it." Opening his eyes, he stared over her left shoulder.