A Wishing Moon (31 page)

With those soul-crushing words, Reese Phillips left Arabella standing at the door.

* * * *

When Jade returned to the loft, he entered the door juggling a bouquet of beautiful white lilies and what he thought would be a romantic lunch—a loaf of artisan bread, a wedge of creamy Brie, a bunch of sweet red grapes and a pricey bottle of French wine. All he wanted to do was think of ways to spoil Arabella. While he’d been in the useless meeting, listening to a lobbyist drone on and on about the dangers of same-sex marriage Jade had been making a list of places he would like to take Arabella and things he wanted them to do together. He had thought of taking her swimming at the Austin landmark natural spring, ‘The Blue Hole’, when the weather got warmer, of course. Before that he thought how gorgeous she would be in a tight ski outfit, and how much fun she would have romping through the snow. The list had gone on and on, but the last item he had written down was to take her to Paris on their honeymoon and walk with her under the stars next to the lazy Seine. He wanted to give her the world, and tonight, after she accepted his proposal, they would begin to make plans.

“
Arabella, I’m home.” He had gotten used to her unbridled joy every time she saw him, so when she didn’t answer him, he instantly knew something was wrong. Slinging the groceries and flowers on the dining table, he ran to the bathroom, thinking she might have fallen and hit her head in the shower.

She wasn’t there.

He searched every room in his loft and she was nowhere. He plowed his hand through his hair, trying to remember if she had said anything about going anywhere. He picked up the phone to call Evangeline to see if she had gone to her cousin’s dorm when he saw the note.

It lay propped up on his pillow, on top of the neatly made bed. His hands trembled as he picked the small piece of paper up.

Dearest Jade,

I have been so selfish. You have to realize it wasn’t intentional. I would never do anything to hurt you, but sadly, it appears I have. Your assistant came to visit me this morning and he was kind enough to point out to me that I am not the woman you need. I’ve already hurt your career and I pray it’s not beyond salvaging. If I had known our paths would cross
,
I would have lived my life differently and molded myself into the type of person you could be proud of—a woman who would be an asset to you instead of a liability.

Please forgive me for not seeing the truth for myself. I have so enjoyed loving you. I will never forget or regret even one second we spent together. Thank you for showing me what it meant to be loved by a kind and generous man.

I know you’re grateful for the part I was permitted to play in your health and well-being. Mr. Phillips made it clear that gratitude is no reason to be tied to someone for life. He’s right. I know that, you’re too wonderful to ever willingly hurt me and I want to assure you I walk away with the best of memories.

Thank you for letting me love you. Please succeed and be happy.

Bella

Jade bellowed his fury and frustration. He was going to kill Reese with his bare hands! Abandoning his lunch offerings on the table, he grabbed the flowers and headed for his car. He had no idea how Arabella had left, she didn’t have a vehicle.

First, he called Evangeline, but he could tell instantly she knew nothing. He was polite, but he didn’t take time to explain. Next, he called Elizabeth.

“
Hello, sweetie. You’ve got yourself into a pickle, haven’t you?”

“
Where is she, Elizabeth?” His voice sounded tight and desperate.

“
She’s on her way back home. I talked to her for just a second and she said she was taking a cab. I’ve never heard her sound so desolate.”

“
How did this happen, how could she believe that fool assistant of mine? Haven’t I shown her I love her with every breath in my body?”

“
You did nothing wrong, Jade. The doubts were already there, fostered from years of prejudice and self-righteous attitudes. Arabella has gone through things you had no way of knowing. She has borne the brunt of being brought up in a family who chose to walk a different path than everyone else.”

“
What do I do?”

“
Go to her. Do not let her push you away. She won’t be expecting you—in her mind, you are probably relieved that she finally woke up to the fact she wasn’t right for you. And slow down, it won’t do her or you any good if you find yourself wrapped around a telephone pole.”

Jade obeyed his future mother-in-law and let up on the gas. “How do I start? What do I say? How do I convince her she is the only thing in the world that matters to me?”

“
I can’t tell you what to say. The words must be yours. She has to know you won’t feel cheated even if you have to give up politics—because face it, in that respect your assistant is right on the money. Loving Arabella will cost you the governor’s mansion.”

“
Screw the Governor and his mansion.”

“
That’s my boy! Oh, and listen, let me be the first to congratulate you. Arabella doesn’t know it yet, but the two of you are going to make me a very young grandmother.” With that earth-shattering revelation, Elizabeth hung up the phone.

Jade didn’t breathe for five miles. Arabella was pregnant with his child? Then, he remembered the times they had made love before he thought about protecting her. He was overjoyed, but he had no idea how she would feel about carrying his baby. The Aston Martin ate up the miles, but soon he was on the road that led home—not Wildflower Way, necessarily—Arabella was home to him. He met a yellow cab going back the way he had come, so he knew she was there. He could just imagine how she must be feeling. Never in his life had he felt so helpless, and so hopelessly afraid he would not find the right words to say.

He walked up the steps, still carrying the huge bouquet of lilies. He didn’t bother to knock. He opened the door and walked in, knowing exactly where to find her. He quietly opened the door to their room and stepped through into the room where they had made sweet love. No lights were on and the curtains were pulled. She was curled up into a tight knot clutching his pillow in desperation. She had not heard him come in and the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her, he dropped to his knees at the side of the bed and whispered, “Bella.”

He saw her whole body jerk, but she didn’t turn to him automatically as she had always done before.

“
Bella, please come to me.”

She still didn’t move, but her small voice broke his heart. “Oh, Jade please...please don’t make this any harder than it already is. You have to go.”

He crawled into bed with her, molding himself around her as if to shield her from any more pain. She stiffened at first, but then he felt her take a deep breath and relax her body back into his embrace. Her body knew what her mind could not accept.

“
Where do you want me to go, Bella?” he asked her gently, his breath deliberately caressing her soft shell ear.

“
I want you to go back to Austin and…be happy,” she whispered brokenly.

“
I can’t be happy away from you.”

“
I’m ruining your chances to be governor, please, please just go. I can’t stand to be the cause of you not having what you deserve.” Jade began to work the pillow from her grasp. He kissed her on her neck and on the side of her face and told her in no uncertain terms the same thing he had told her mother.

“
Screw being governor. What I want is you. I have another job just waiting when this term is over. And if I never worked again, I have enough money to last us through five life times—as long as the price of oil stays high. And if I didn’t have one red cent, I would think I was the richest man in the world if I just had you.” She let go of the pillow and turned in his arms until she was face to face with him. She showered his face with kisses, then buried her head in his neck and clung to him for dear life.

“
How could you believe that idiot Phillips?” he asked her gently. “Haven’t I shown you how much I love you over and over again? Haven’t I worshiped you with my body? Don’t you feel loved, Arabella?”

“
Yes, but I was afraid you loved me out of gratitude, I never want you to feel trapped. I want you to stay as long as you want to—not because you feel tied to me.”

“
I’m grateful to God for you, Arabella, but I love you—not out of gratitude but out of trust, and out of joy, and out of pure unadulterated lust. But mostly, I love you out of the depths of my heart. You came to me out of a dream and it’s a dream I never want to wake up from.”

Jade kissed her mouth reverently, and then both eyelids, then he kissed the damp tears from both cheeks. “I have a question to ask you.” He sat up on the bed and he gathered her into his arms. She felt as cuddly and warm as a kitten in his arms, yet he knew she possessed powers he would never understand. He did understand one power she had—she held his heart in the palm of her very small hand.

Her head lay on his shoulder and he maneuvered her around until he could reach the ring box in his pocket. When she saw the box, her breath caught in her throat. “I had this with me up on E-Rock. Proposing to you was why we went on the picnic, but things didn’t work out quite like I planned.” He kissed her once hard, then sat her on the bed and knelt in front of her.

Taking her hand in his, he looked her directly in the eye. “Arabella Landry, witch of my dreams, will you marry me?” He pushed the gold ring on her finger and she looked at the beautiful symbol of his love, then at him. He didn’t even have to guess—she made it more than obvious, no matter how beautiful the ring—or how much she loved it, what she really valued was him.

Not content to be on the bed without him, she joined him on the floor, kneeling in front of him. “You do me the greatest honor, Jade Landale. Yes, I will marry you and I promise to care for you, love you and cherish you every day of my life.”

“
I’m counting on it, love.”

His closeness affected her just as it always had and just as it always would. “I never thought I would be in your arms again.” She began unbuttoning his shirt, kissing every inch of flesh she exposed. “I didn’t know how I was going to survive without you.” She pushed the garment to one side and delicately licked his nipple. “Will you make love to me now, please?”

He groaned at her sweetness. Pulling her top over her head and quickly ridding her and himself of all their unnecessary clothes, he adored her with his hands and with his mouth. She arched into him, reveling in his heated caresses. Remembering what Elizabeth had told him, he slowed, leaned over her and tenderly kissed her still very flat stomach. Not knowing what he might be up to, she urged him lower, hungry for the feel of his mouth on her quivering clitoris. He did not disappoint her, but lavished her with love until she cried out in passion. Spent, she lay quivering as he tenderly kissed a path back up to her breasts. She reached for his penis, anxious to sheath him in her warmth. He allowed himself to be led, but entered her with the greatest of care, knowing his child nestled securely under her heart. He rocked her to ecstasy, cherishing every breath that touched his cheek from her lips.

After the last shiver had been enjoyed to the fullest, he cradled her to him, arranging her so her head lay on one of his arms and he was lying on his side facing her. He ran his hand over both of her full beautiful breasts and down so it rested protectively over her womb. “Your mother gave me some news I would like to share with you.”

She lay so quiet and still he thought for a moment she had dropped off to sleep. At the mention of her mother, though, she opened her eyes, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Mother gave you news, about me? When did you talk to Elizabeth?”

“
I called my future mother-in-law, the moment I discovered her errant daughter had up and left me.” Hearing the words, ‘left me’, even in a joking manner caused Arabella to nestle even closer into his embrace.

“
What did she say? Or do I want to know?”

“
She told me where you were, what you were feeling and then she told me we were going to have a baby.”

Arabella’s eyes widened. “We’re having a baby?”