One Week in Your Arms (17 page)

The lunar effect
.

“Marla.” He stared into her eyes. “You were made for loving me.” She stroked his shoulders. “Like the song?”

Yeah. Ben's ringtone
.

“What's our song gonna be?” he asked in a throaty voice. He wanted to get Ben's ringtone out of his mind.

“Hmm.” She considered his question with a serious look on her face. “My Heart Will Go On.” She nodded. “That's one of my favorites.”

The title sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. “Who sang it?”

“Celine Dion. It was the theme song in the movie,
Titanic
.”

“
Titanic
.” He frowned. “They died in the end.”

“Well, yeah, but then they were together. Spiritually. The song is about that. You know, love transcending separation and death and going on forever.”

“No.” He couldn't go along with that kind of song. “I like the Black-Eyed Peas.”

“Sure.” She gave him a mischievous grin as she slid her hand down his belly to his dick. “How about ‘Just Can't Get Enough'? You like that one?”

“Perfect,” he replied as their bodies joined. He just couldn't get enough. He felt the contraction deep within her sweet body, and everything went blank in his mind as he rode it out to completion. When it was over, he fell back in the lounger and raked his fingers through his hair.

She reached for her cover-up and slipped it on.

She stood and smoothed the hem that brushed against her thighs. She had such lean legs, and since they'd been on the island, the wind and sun had tanned her. Her blonde hair looked lighter, and it seemed as if her eyes were a deeper green.

In his opinion, she was getting prettier every day. He was a lucky man.

“You shouldn't be sitting out here with nothing on,” she remarked and he grinned. He loved her Southern accent. Naked, he stretched out on the chaise. He enjoyed the feel of the humid, salty air against his flesh.

“You never know what might happen,” she warned. “There might be a tsunami and you'll get washed away naked.”

“You think?” He started laughing, and she struggled to keep a straight face.

“You never know. You can laugh all you want, but it pays to be prepared,” she insisted. “Every time the tornado siren goes off at home, I make sure I'm dressed. Even if it is two o'clock in the morning, I get up and put on my clothes. Shoes, too. Shoes are very important.”

He tried to sober himself. “Well, darling, if I hear a tornado siren out here, I'll get dressed and put on my shoes.”

“You do that.” She strutted toward the salon doors.

“Hey,” he called. “I've got another surprise for tomorrow night.” She stopped, serious now, and shook her head. “You don't have to do that. The Love Boat was a terrific surprise, and I don't expect anything else, okay?”

“I can't wait to see your face,” he teased.

She studied him for a moment. “Are you gonna pop out of a cake naked or something?”

“I'm sitting here naked now. What kind of surprise would that be?”

“The cake would be a surprise,” she replied, throwing up her hands. Then she headed inside the yacht.

After a little while, he put on his shorts and walked over to the rear deck. The lights on a couple of sailboats flickered in the distance. Kauai's mountains could barely be seen. The ocean stretched before him, its waters lazy and dangerous. Always moving. He had a familiar bond with the ocean.

He'd often felt dark and restless. Uneasy and adrift.

But no more.

Now his life was on course and he had his future all mapped out.

“I
t's like being on a rollercoaster and not knowing how the ride will end,” Marla confided to Kayla as she stood on the penthouse lanai. The morning sun beamed through flimsy rain clouds and a colorful arch appeared over the headway. Marla watched the rainbow form.

Last night, when Carson had said he wanted to build the art center at Royal Oaks, she had known there was no turning back. No reconsiderations. The inevitable was coming, and she had to be prepared.

“Everything will be fine.” Kayla, always the best friend, reassured her. “Dad said you don't have anything to worry about. There is no judge who is going to take away your rights as her mother or Ben's as her father. He'll explain everything when you meet with him Monday.”

“Okay.” Marla wished she felt more reassured, but there was no peace inside her heart. “It's just that, um, I'm so nervous about this. I don't know. It's going to be so hard.”

“I don't think this is all about Sophie, is it?”

Marla let out a painful breath. “It's just that bringing Carson into Sophie's life will bring him into my life forever.”

“Are you in love with him?”

“The truth is I think I fell in love with him the moment we met. But I've never held out any hope for a future with him.”

Before Kayla could respond, Brett Harris strode into the doctor's lounge at Lafayette Falls Medical Center. Marla heard him in the background. “Hey, are you talking to the LaLa in paradise?”

He called her and Kayla the two LaLas because both of their names ended in la.

Marla smiled. “Tell Hot Rod I've learned the hula.”

“I can do the hula, too.” She heard him respond. “Aaron, come here. Over here.”

Marla pictured pediatrician, Aaron Kendall, joining her other friends. Tall, dark-haired Aaron had the athletic figure of a baseball player. He would be wearing blue scrubs under a white coat with lollipops and a stuffed giraffe stuck in his pocket. In contrast, Hot Rod would be in jeans and a T-shirt with a stethoscope roped around his neck, which would invariably prompt people to ask if he were a doctor.

“We're gonna do the hula,” Brett told Aaron. “Like this.”

“That's not the hula,” Kayla said.

Marla smiled as she listened to her friends banter. Maybe Lafayette Falls didn't have beautiful beaches, soaring cliffs, white waves, or palm trees, but it was paradise to her. It was home and love and security and everything she needed right now.

“I'll see you soon.”

“Hang in there,” Kayla told her. “All you have to do is make it through today.”

Yeah. The last day in paradise
. The rain had stopped and the clouds rolled north, leaving a lucid cobalt-blue sky behind.
It's all about renewal
. The rain, the wind, the sun, the earth.
The cycle of life
.

Marla walked inside. Carson leaned against the bar between the living area and the dining room. A steaming cup of coffee set on the bar beside him. He was on a business call. Such calls were a normal part of his day. Dressed in a tailored black suit with a gray-striped tie, he literally had success stamped all over him.

After his call had ended, she asked, “Are you still going to Honolulu?”

“Yeah.” He took a sip of coffee. When they had disembarked from the yacht at six this morning, he had told her he had arranged a business meeting with a potential investor in Honolulu this morning. He was traveling via helicopter, and he would be back after lunch.

He glanced at the time. “Olivia is supposed to let me know when she's ready. I've asked her to go with me,” he said. “I need to talk to her without Simon present.”

That surprised Marla. “You don't like Simon?”

“It's not that I don't like him. I just want to talk to Olivia. Sort of brother-to-sister.”

Marla smiled as she walked into the dining room where a fresh fruit platter had been delivered with breakfast. She speared a strawberry. “Are you going to advise her on marriage?”

“You could say that. This is Olivia's first marriage and her first baby. She needs to protect herself and the baby.”

His comment surprised her. “You think Simon could be abusive?”

He shook his head. “No, I didn't mean that,” he said. “I want to talk to her about her prenup.”

“Oh.” Marla nodded and ate another strawberry. She didn't personally know of anyone who had a prenuptial agreement. She had heard of them on celebrity gossip shows, and Olivia was a celebrity. “I suppose it would be a good thing.”

“You can't risk getting married without one.”

She toyed with a grape. “Really?”

“Of course not. Olivia has substantial assets, as does Simon. In case of a divorce, she needs to retain her assets, as well as full custody of her child. Her prenup should guarantee that.”

The mention of custody struck a nerve deep inside Marla. She ate the grape, but she didn't taste it. She darted a glance his way. “I thought prenuptial agreements were just about money.”

“For some people, yes.” He checked his phone. “A prenup is a legal contract between two parties. The agreement can contain whatever you feel is important to have settled prior to a divorce. In the event that happens,” he added. “It usually includes division of property, forfeiture of assets, guardianship, support. Stuff like that. I had my attorney draw up a draft when I was having some other legal work done a few years ago. I'm going to tell Olivia to contact him.”

Apprehension closed its cold fingers around her heart. “So, the prenup would state how much child support you would be willing to pay and that sort of thing?”

He looked up. “Child support is irrelevant. I have more than enough money to take care of any children I father. My prenup guarantees I won't lose custody of my children in a divorce dispute. It states that I will get sole custody and full parental rights over any children born during the marriage.”

A tremor skirted through her body. “That might not hold up in court.”

“I have one of the best legal firms in the country representing me and my company. It will hold up in court.”

She moved away from the dining table, putting distance between them. There was even more distance growing inside her as she realized how easily lovers could become enemies. “It seems you're making your child a commodity.”

He frowned. “No. Not at all. But I have to protect myself and my children. I have to take precautions. That's all the prenup is, and hopefully it will always be nothing more than an unnecessary safeguard.”

“You're talking about demanding custody of children who aren't even born yet.” She forged on through a minefield set to blow her apart.

“True. And by doing that, I'm assured, if and when they are born, they will never be used for financial gain or as a weapon against me,” he said. “I'm not letting my kids be treated like that, and I don't want to be a weekend dad either.”

“I suppose that's commendable,” she said in a tight voice as tentacles of fear wrapped themselves around her and started to squeeze the life out of the future.

“My father was there for me every day as long as he lived. When my mother was killed, he got me through that loss, even though, his heart was broken into a million pieces. He put me first. He said that's what it meant to be a father. You put your kids first and you protect them.

“He would have exchanged his life for mine.” Carson had stared into space for a moment before he glanced toward her. “That's the kind of father I want to be.”

“I suppose you will allow the mother visitation rights,” Marla remarked, unable to contain her growing resentment.

“She'll have all the visiting privileges that we've agreed upon as long as I know the child is safe with her.”

“Safe with her?”

“Marla, you're a doctor. Think of your patients. People who started out great in life and got screwed up. I had two college buddies. Terrific guys years ago. One's a heroin addict now, living on the street. The other one had a mental breakdown and set fire to his house. People can change for the worst. I'm not taking that chance with my kids.”

His phone beeped and he glanced at the incoming message. “Olivia's ready.”

He pocketed the phone and crossed the room to where she stood. “Hey, don't look at me like I'm a sonofabitch. I know prenups are unheard of in Lafayette Falls and you're thinking,
what a bastard
. But it's not about power or authority. It's just a safety precaution I have to take. Like the gates.”

She said nothing, and he smoothed her hair behind her ear. “Baby, I'm not a small-town guy with nothing to lose.”

Nausea washed over her.

“You understand, don't you?”

“Yes,” she said in a soft whisper. “Yes, of course. I understand.”

She understood she had been right all along. She understood she had made a mistake by coming here and another one by staying. She understood there were no safeguards in place for her. She would have to act and act fast.

He leaned in for a kiss and after their lips parted, she smoothed her hand over his jaw. “Goodbye,” she told him. The finality of the word hung in her heart as he headed out the door.

Once he was gone, she called Kayla. “I'm coming home. I can't stay here another minute.”

“What's happened?”

She filled Kayla in on what Carson had said about his prenup. “He's demanding custody of kids who aren't even born,” she cried. “I'll take Sophie and run.”

“He can't touch Sophie. Not unless he wants to go to jail for kidnapping,” Kayla insisted. “He has no parental rights, and you know how lawyers dick around. She'll be in high school before they ever get anything done.”

“I'm going downstairs and see what I can find out about a flight out of here.” Her voice broke. “I have to see Sophie. I have to be with her.”

“Tell them you have a family emergency and you have to get back to Los Angeles today.”

“If I can just get a flight to LAX, I can make it home. I can drive if I have to.”

“I don't know about driving,” Kayla said. “Are you good to drive?”

“Yes, I'm good to fly or drive or whatever.”

“If you need anything, call me. Let me know when you think you'll be in Nashville. I'll meet you there,” Kayla promised.

Downstairs, she had enlisted the help of a hotel desk clerk, who was more than happy to assist her in acquiring a flight back to the mainland. She sat behind the desk with him as he searched the websites of available airlines for seats and found nothing.

She was almost in tears. But he told her not to worry. He called the airlines and checked for cancelations. Sure enough, he found one pricey seat in a jet heading for LAX at twelve fifty-five. Her prayers had been answered.

She returned to the penthouse with a printout of the flight information and boarding passes. She'd arrive at LAX and have thirty minutes to board a flight to Nashville. She should be in Lafayette Falls before sunrise.

When she entered the penthouse, she was greeted by the stillness of a vacant place. Strange how empty houses always seemed lonely. The housekeeping service had come and gone, leaving a fresh scent in their wake.

She walked into the master suite and tried not to think about what had transpired in the bedroom. She laid her plane tickets on the bedside table and took her smartphone out of her purse. A low battery warning flashed across the screen. She withdrew the charger from her bag, plugged in the phone, and put it on top of the tickets.

Entering the walk-in closet, she paused, looking at his clothes that hung on the rack opposite hers. She pressed the sleeve of one of his dress shirts to her nose. The expensive linen fabric was crisp and fresh.

She ran her hand over the clothes on the hangers.

High quality. Well-made. Tasteful.

She could understand his need for precautions. All his possessions were valuable. Hers were not. She had nothing worth taking except her daughter.

Retrieving her suitcase, she laid it on the bed and unzipped it. Half of it was filled with the gifts she was taking home to her family and friends. Tropical scarves, shell necklaces, Hawaiian shirts, artificial leis, and Sophie's Aloha doll.

She started adding her clothes. Folding, rolling and tucking them in the suitcase.

She came to the pretty dresses he'd bought her. She put them in the suitcase and decided she would always keep them. She pictured herself many years in the future.

A little old lady like Rose in the movie,
Titanic
. She imagined a dusty attic and this suitcase in the corner. After she had knocked away the cobwebs, she would drag the suitcase out and wipe the dust from it, and then open it. She would admire the silky dresses and with her eyes closed, she would remember this week.

She would remember him.

Every life had its moment.

Her phone played a jingle. She stopped to look at her phone that was on the charger. She had a text message from Carson.

Marla rubbed her forehead. She couldn't just disappear without saying anything.

She had no more sent the message than the phone lit up and started playing “What's Love Got To Do With It.” He was calling this time.