Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) (4 page)

“Sounds good.”

A moment ticked by, and then Clara’s voice came back on the line. “What’s this I’m hearing about you bringing a man back to your hotel?”

“I was only teasin’ him,” I explained.
Like I’d really do that.
“Grey doesn’t know how to take a joke.”

“Oh…well, that sucks.” She sounded crestfallen. “I was hoping to get some juicy details.”

“Hey!” Grey hollered in the background.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them.

“You know,” Clara continued, ignoring Grey, “since I’ve known you, you’ve never gone on a date or talked about any guys you like. Why is that?”

I gulped nervously, trying to figure out how to answer.

During most of our friendship, there was a lot going on in Clara’s life. There hadn’t been much time to give her the dirty details regarding Patrick. Also, I hated bringing it up since I was still licking my wounds.

“Well…” I chewed on my lip, stalling. “It’s…it’s kind of a long story.”

“Have you been holding out on me, Sam?”

“Maybe…” I drawled.

“Spill.”

“This story involves a face to face conversation and copious amounts of wine.”

“Ahhh… That bad, huh?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Definitely.

“Okay. Well, I plan on interrogating you as soon as you get home.”

“It’s a date.”

There was another smile in her voice when she said, “Awesome. Now, I’ve got to go – Bella should be up any minute. Have fun and do something I wouldn’t do. I’m living vicariously through you.”

“Clara! Don’t encourage her!” Grey shouted in mock outrage.

I snickered. “You’ve got it.”

Chapter 3

Ben

Blue cloudless skies
gave the false impression of promise and excitement when I’d arrived, but now it drizzled, mimicking my torrent of emotions. I stared out the front window, observing the cars drive by and the people rush along the sidewalk, eager to get out of the rain.

When I planned this trip all those years ago, I couldn’t have predicted the events that led me here. It was supposed to be a grand adventure, a way to celebrate my achievements.

That was so far from the truth.

I lied to Samantha, telling her what I wished this trip meant. I lied to myself, too. During our brief time together, I let myself believe what I told her, desperately wanting it to be true. I wanted to believe that I was just a man meeting a beautiful woman. I wanted to believe that I could seduce her, that our time together was only the beginning of a torrid affair that would transform into a love that steals your breath, overpowers your senses…rocks your very soul.

Alas, the tires touched the tarmac and the brutal truth came crashing down on me with the same jarring force as our landing. The illusion shattered like broken glass, leaving behind the jagged edged reminder of my reality.

I could never have Samantha.

However, after years of experiencing the cruelties of life, I valued and appreciated a good and pure happenstance. Moreover, a chance meeting with a stranger could touch your life in extraordinary ways, changing your outlook on the world.

Samantha was both.

If she only knew how much I needed her smile and infectious laugh…how much I needed that brief glimpse of possibilities. Samantha gave me hope for the future, hope for something decent and untainted – and I’d lost all hope a long time ago.

“You’ve been staring out that window for an hour. See anything interesting?”

I closed my eyes, the sudden voice evoking an onslaught of painful memories. That voice was usually callous or filled with sweet and empty nothings, toying with my every emotion.

“I have a lot on my mind,” I explained and slowly turned, meeting Maggie’s gentle green eyes. It was hard to look at her at times. Not only was her voice the same, but her face was a replica of Gwen’s as well.

“I know,” she whispered, smiling sadly.

I stared down at the floor, not able to hold her gaze any longer, and rocked on my heels, slipping my hands into my pockets. “He still won’t come out of his room.”

“Lincoln will come around, Ben. Just give him a little time,” Maggie advised, walking closer. She stopped next to me and stared out the window. “You two have been through a lot over the years – you don’t recover in the blink of an eye.”

I let myself peer at her again, studying her profile. It was easier to do from this angle. Where Gwen’s complexion was flawless, her skin unmarred, Maggie had a two-inch-long scar that ran under her jawline – you could only see it when you looked at her from the side. That scar was the only difference between Gwen and Maggie, at least physically. Maggie was sunshine, warm and filled with bright rays of light and goodness, and Gwen was cancer, a vicious and single-minded menace that ate at you from the inside out until there was nothing left. Where Maggie was a dream, Gwen was your worst nightmare.

My
worst nightmare.

“I don’t expect it to, Mags,” I confessed. “I only wish it would.”

“You’ll be okay. I promise.”

My laugh was bitter and cynical. “I hate that phrase,
I promise
.”

Maggie flinched. “I despise that for you.”

Immediately, I felt like a dick. I reached for her and gently clutched her shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. “Don’t. There’s nothing any of us can do.”

Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “She’s my sister, Ben – my
twin
sister – and I’ve watched from the sidelines, unable to do anything as she tore you and Lincoln apart. She’s torn
all of us
apart.”

My lids fluttered closed, the dagger that had been digging in my chest for over sixteen years twisting further. “She did,” I admitted, steeling myself, and met her gaze again. “But you’re not to blame, Mags.”

“I know,” Maggie murmured, wiping her cheeks.

I leaned in and kissed her temple. “This is a new beginning for all of us, Mags. She can’t hurt us anymore.
They
can’t hurt us anymore.”

“They hurt us every day, Ben.”

It was my turn to flinch. “Maybe so…” I reached over and ran my hand down her protruding belly. The baby kicked under my touch, lifting my spirits. “But we have a lot to look forward to. It’s time to build new memories and move on with our lives.”

Her hands covered mine as a watery smile graced her lips. “That’s true.”

We stayed like that for a moment, both of us reminiscing. Like I did many times, I wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn’t married Gwen and married Maggie instead…like Maggie and I had planned and dreamed.

Maggie released my hand and tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. She cleared her voice, asking, “How’s your grandfather?”

I was glad for the change in topics…and the break in uncomfortable feelings.

I took a seat on one of her ornate couches. Hell, this whole house was lavish, so much like the houses we grew up in back in Oregon. I never thought I’d see Maggie living somewhere like this. I envisioned a small cottage in the woods or a little house in the country. However, this house felt like a home, not a cold and eerie tomb filled with expensive things.

“Great,” I answered, grinning. “It was nice to spend time with him while I got everything settled at the new house. I still can’t believe the old man is retiring.”

I chuckled at that.

Pops calling it quits was somewhat mindboggling, but his health was failing him and he didn’t move around like he once did. When I did see him, though it had been rare over the years, the man could barely sit still for longer than five minutes. It pained me that he ached and grimaced with every step. I prayed God would bless me with more time with him now that we lived closer.

“I’m so happy for you.” Maggie turned and rested against the window sill, a smile curving her lips. “You’ve wanted to take over his clinic since I met you.”

She was right. Walking in my grandfather’s shoes was why I became a doctor, the reason I studied emergency medicine instead of something as grand as neurosurgery like my old man had wanted.

It had been my dream to live and work in that small town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains since I could remember. Bliss, North Carolina signified a time when life was free and easy. Last week was the first time I’d been since I was ten, but, other than Lincoln, memories of that town and my hopes to live there one day had kept me sane since my world turned upside-down. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that it was finally happening.

“It’ll be good for Linc,” I murmured.

“And you,” she added with a sly look. “I’m sure there’s a local or two that’ll catch your interest.”

Samantha’s face flashed in my mind’s eye, and with it came the debilitating disappointment that I’d never see her again.

“What’s that look for?” Maggie searched, with mischief dancing in her eyes. “Have you met someone?”

I blanked my face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No way, mister.” She pointed at me. “I know you, and I know what that expression means. You’re trying to hide something from me.”

“When have I had time to meet a woman?” I pinched the bridge of my nose and inhaled deeply. “And need I remind you, I’ve been in the process of moving. Why in God’s name would I try to start something with a woman before I left Portland?”

She raised both brows and waited.

Damn.

Like a dog with a bone, she wasn’t going to let it go.

“Fine,” I grouched with a huff. “There was a woman on the plane…Samantha.”

Quickly, Maggie took five giant steps and sat next to me, her excitement pouring off of her. “Really?” When I only nodded, she asked, “Did you ask her out or get her number?”

I tilted my head and stared at her in bemusement. “Why would I do something like that?”

As if the answer was obvious, she rolled her eyes. “Benjamin Rhodes, what am I going to do with you?” She leveled me a glare of sheer annoyance. “You’re on vacation. It’s about time you let loose and stop being so uptight. You’ll be in town for a week – there’s plenty of time to see her again.”

“Mags, my time here is for Linc…to get to know him again,” I reminded her, my chest tight.

“And you’ll have plenty of time to do that, too,” she whispered, her eyes sympathetic. Her expression cleared and became expectant. “What was she…this Samantha…like? Was she pretty?”

“Breathtaking,” I replied, my voice gruff.

I’d met plenty of beautiful women in my life, Gwen and Maggie included, but none of them held a candle to Samantha.

Samantha’s beauty was more ethereal, natural. Her hair was dark and long, the color of rich maple. Though it was up most of the flight, her hair was soft and thick…
luscious
. I wondered more times than I wanted to admit what it felt like wrapped around my fist. Those luminous eyes were more golden than brown and had hundreds of tiny iridescent flecks of gold in them. I lost my breath at the unique brilliance of them. And that smile… My God, it was wide and radiant, surrounded by the most kissable plump lips. I wanted to taste them, touch them and see if they were as soft and decadent as they appeared.

On top of that, unbelievably, Samantha was down to earth, entirely comfortable in her skin and with others around her. She smiled easily and talked candidly. I didn’t have to wonder what was going on in her mind – she flat out told me, consequences be damned – and I didn’t have to worry about her ulterior motives because she was innocent and pure. It took me a whole two seconds to come to that conclusion – it was in her eyes, the way she held herself. I’d dealt with enough trickery and deceit to spot it without trying.

However, it was that voice of hers, a slow Carolina drawl, which called to me, touched me in ways I’d never known. The sound reminded me of Pops…of home and happiness. I already missed it…
her.

“Wow.” Maggie laughed softly. “You look positively smitten.”

I shook my head, still amazed by my encounter with Samantha. “You have no idea, Mags. She was unlike any woman I’ve ever met. She made me laugh. Plus, she didn’t give a shit about her looks.”

Of all people, Maggie would understand how much that appealed to me. Gwen was known for how long it took her to get ready, how petty she was. Gwen refused to leave the house until every hair was perfectly placed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she rolled out of bed and threw on the first thing she could find before walking out the door. She was more interested in being comfortable. She was real, Mags
. Real.
”

An old pain lingered in Maggie’s eyes, but she recovered quickly. “How’d you meet her?”

“Her seat was next to mine.” A grin tugged at my lips. “I’d just sat down when, all of a sudden, this soft voice asks if she could get by. Holy shit, Mags, it was like being struck in the ass by lightening.”

“You, my friend, are a dumbass,” she commented, her joy radiating off of her. “The fact that you took a second look at a woman is surprising, but for your reaction be that intense too – should I beat the crazy out of you?”

Frowning, I mumbled, “Thanks for rubbing it in.”

“Do you know where she’s staying, at least?”

“No,” I lied.

Divulging that I heard Samantha give the driver the name of her hotel through the cracked passenger window wasn’t going to happen. It needed to be put out of my mind altogether. First of all, if I showed up, she would think I was a stalker. Secondly, what I said to Maggie before was the truth – this trip was to reconnect with Lincoln. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was more important than that.

But maybe I could-

No.

I couldn’t pretend to bump into her.

Before Maggie could grill me more, the front door opened and Paul, Maggie’s husband, walked into the house, shaking the rain out of his hair. “Damn rain,” he muttered, aggravated.

Maggie’s face lit as she stood and hurriedly greeted him, giving him a kiss. “Hey, you,” she murmured, taking the bags of takeout from his grasp. “It’s nasty out.”

“I thought I’d make it home before the storm hit. I left my umbrella at the office,” he replied.

Paul was a bigwig finance executive. Like us, he was originally from Oregon, but they moved when he was transferred to London last year. At the time, I resented him for taking her away from me because believed I needed Maggie. Now, I was glad they’d left. It made me realize that I relied on Maggie too much, and to truly move on, I needed to let go.

Paul ran a hand down her belly lovingly. “How’s my little pumpkin doing?”

Their love was a current that flowed between them, the power easily pervading a room. I wanted to be jealous, but I couldn’t find it in me. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Maggie.