Ruthless (2 page)

Josh chuckled. “Man, you really are messed up. You can’t stand the thought of Marisa being with anyone else, but you don’t want to marry her. What do you want her to do, waste her life with you?”

Luc felt the bite of his words. He didn’t feel the two years he and Marisa spent together were wasted, and he hated to think she felt that way. Those were the best two years of his life. “Why does everyone make such a big deal out of a piece of paper?”

Josh shook his head. “It’s not the piece of paper. It’s what it represents. Marisa wants what we all want, to know she’s not alone.”

“Marisa’s not alone. She’s got friends, family...”

“That’s not what I mean.” Josh looked at the people crossing the parking lot to enter the emergency room. “She wants to know that at the end of her life someone will be sitting there holding her hand. She wants to know that a little piece of her will live on in someone else.”

Luc looked at his friend. He had never thought about it like that before. He wondered whether anyone would be there to hold his hand at the end of his life. Probably not.

“Hey, where you going?” Josh asked.

“I need to talk to Marisa.”

Luc sprinted into the hospital only to find Marisa immersed in conversation with her parents and her new boyfriend. The happy tears and laughter made it obvious that they were celebrating. He tried to suppress the feeling of melancholy that washed over him. This was a time to celebrate his friend’s good fortune, not pout because he was excluded from a group where he once felt he belonged.

Trey came out of Sierra’s hospital room, beaming like a proud papa. He looked tired, overwhelmed, and happier than Luc had ever seen him. He felt a pang of envy when he realized he would never know what it felt like to share in the miracle of life beyond his role as the outsider looking in.

He watched Trey greet his family. He hugged his parents and picked his sister up off the ground, spinning her in a low circle. Marisa threw her head back and laughed as tears of joy trickled down her face. He had always admired their close-knit family. Even more so now, watching them share such an important moment. He felt like a voyeur, sneaking a peek into a world where he didn’t belong. He was planning his escape when Trey spotted him.

Trey said a few words to his family and crossed the lobby in Luc’s direction.

“Hey, buddy, guess you heard the news?”

Luc grinned at his friend and held his hand out. “Not officially, but given all of the excitement, I have to assume the Turners have just added a new member to the family?”

Trey clasped his hand and pulled him into a hug. He slapped Luc on the back. “Can you believe it? You’ve gotta see her, Luc. She’s beautiful. I mean, I know I may be biased, but...”

Luc smiled. “Nah, I’m sure she’s every bit as beautiful as you say.” He winked. “That’s assuming she looks like her mama?”

Trey laughed. “Yeah, she does. Same big blue eyes, blonde hair...” He shook his head. “Why the hell am I wasting time telling you about her? You can go on in and see her for yourself.”

Luc looked over Trey’s shoulder. Marisa was heading into the room, accompanied by her parents and Tim. “It looks like Sierra’s already got some company. I think I’ll grab a coffee and come back in a bit, okay?”

Trey frowned. “You sure?”

Luc nodded. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough, not that he wanted to admit as much to his friend. Trey had waited a long time for this day. He wouldn’t do anything to diminish his excitement. “Give your little princess a kiss for me. I have some shopping to do.” He stroked his chin. “Think a diamond tiara would be a bit much?”

Trey laughed and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “Why do I get the feeling that her Uncle Luc is going to spoil her rotten?”

“Because he is. Now get back to your wife and baby. I’ll see ya later.”

Trey started to walk toward Sierra’s hospital room.

“Hey, Trey?”

He stopped and turned around. “Yeah?”

“Congratulations, buddy. Seriously, I couldn’t be happier for you guys.”

Trey smiled. “Thanks, Luc. You’re the best.”

Chapter Two

“She’s so beautiful,” Marisa whispered, leaning over the glass enclosure that held her precious niece.

“Look at those long eyelashes and that full head of hair.”

Sierra couldn’t tear her eyes away from the tiny bundle swaddled in a pink blanket. “She is perfect, isn’t she? I feel so blessed, and I have you to thank for it, Marisa.”

Marisa tore herself away from her niece long enough to claim a seat at her best friend’s bedside. “What do you mean? What did I do?”

Sierra rolled her eyes. “Please, you were the one who talked me into telling Trey about the baby. If I hadn’t told him when I did, I may have been bringing her into the world without her daddy by my side and that would have been horrible, for her and for me.”

Marisa squeezed her friend’s hand. “You and Trey belong together. I may have given you a nudge in the right direction, but you two would have found your way back to each other with or without my help.”

“I wish you could find what we have, honey.”

Marisa squeezed her eyes closed. She refused to burden her friend with her problems on the happiest day of her life. “I’m fine; things are good,” she said quietly.

“You don’t know how much I want to believe that.”

Marisa opened her eyes and looked at Sierra. They had been friends for too many years to resort to half-truths to spare each other’s feelings. “Okay, I admit it. I want what you have. I want a great guy who’s going to love me unconditionally for the rest of my life.” She snagged a tissue from the bedside table and swiped at the tear leaving a trail on her cheek. “I want him to want a family as much as I do.” She crushed the tissue in her trembling hand. “And I want that guy to be Luc.”

Sierra leaned forward and winced.

Marisa jumped up. “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”

Sierra smiled. “No, I’m fine. Sit down here beside me.” She patted the small space on the edge of the bed.

Marisa sighed and did as she was told. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Sierra chuckled and patted her knee. “That’s too bad because I’ve held my tongue for too long.”

Marisa rolled her eyes. “Please, everyone knows how you feel about Luc.”

“Not true. Everyone knows how I felt about Luc. I’ve had a change of heart.”

Marisa couldn’t help feeling skeptical. Sierra and Luc had held a grudge that spanned more than a decade. Only a miracle would change the way they felt about each other. “Okay, you’ve piqued my curiosity. Spill.”

She snuck a peek at her sleeping baby and smiled. “Remember the night Trey and I told everyone we were getting back together?”

“Yeah, Luc called you out because you didn’t tell Trey about your fertility problems when the two of you were married. What about it?”

“Luc and I had a long talk that night.” Sierra sighed. “I realized some things about him.”

Marisa’s eyes travelled to her niece. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“I realized he’s not such a bad guy.” She laughed at Marisa’s shocked expression. “I also realized he has legitimate reasons for feeling the way he does about making a commitment.”

Marisa could scarcely believe her best friend was siding with a man she disliked over her. “You’re not seriously telling me you think Luc is right and I’m wrong, are you?”

Sierra shook her head sadly. “It’s not a question of one of you being right or wrong. It’s a matter of you being wrong for each other.”

Marisa stood up. She wasn’t ready to hear this.

“Don’t waste any more of your time trying to change Luc. Find a guy who’s already perfect for you.”

Marisa walked toward the window. She stared out at the parking lot, now lit only by the overhead lights between the parked cars. Hours had passed, and Luc hadn’t come back to the hospital to meet his best friend’s daughter. Most people would believe that was because he was a ruthless music mogul who cared more about the bottom line than people. But she knew the truth. He was kind, compassionate, and generous to a fault when he loved someone. That was the reason it was so hard for her to let him go.

“You have a great guy, Marisa. Don’t let your past with Luc get in the way of a future with Tim.”

Luc was relieved when he rounded the corner and saw the waiting room outside of Sierra’s room was scattered with only a few strangers. He’d waited for several hours before returning because he didn’t want to risk running into Marisa and her boyfriend. He couldn’t bring himself to force a smile while he was slowly dying inside.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the numbered door.

Trey opened the door, smiling when he saw his friend.

“Okay if I come in?”

Trey put his finger to his lips and gestured toward the sleeping baby cradled in her mama’s arms.

He stepped into the darkened room. “I can come back if this is a bad time,” he whispered.

Trey raised his hand. “No, come on over. Take a peek at Sleeping Beauty.”

Luc tiptoed to the bedside and peered at a baby so beautiful she almost took his breath away. “Wow,” he whispered. “You weren’t kidding. She’s gorgeous.”

Trey leaned over and smiled. “I know, right?”

Luc watched his friend stare at his daughter. He had seen many sides of Trey over the years, but he had never seen him look so enraptured. He was, without question, head over heels in love with his little girl. Not that Luc could blame him. She’d already captured his heart inside a minute.

Trey gestured to two chairs and a small table several feet away from the bed. “Come over here. I want to ask you something.”

Luc set his carefully wrapped gift on the table at the end of the bed. After much deliberation, he finally settled on a sterling silver rattle from an exclusive jewelry store downtown. “What’s up?” he asked, slipping his leather jacket off and draping it over the back of the armchair.

“I have a favor to ask you, Luc.” Trey sank into the chair, looking exhausted.

“Anything, just name it.”

Trey sighed. “Don’t say that yet.”

Luc tried to remember a time during their friendship when Trey had asked him for a favor. He couldn’t recall a single time when he hadn’t been the one doing the asking. That’s the kind of man Trey was, loyal and dependable. Luc only wished he could say he shared those traits.

“Sierra and I want you to be Alisa’s godfather, Luc.”

Luc dropped into the chair across from his friend. He tried to process the question. Were they crazy? He wasn’t fit to care for a helpless infant. “Trey, I...”

Trey leaned forward in his chair. “Please, Luc, don’t say no. This is important to me. I’ve never asked you for anything in all the years we’ve been friends, but I’m asking you now. Will you do this for me?”

Luc glanced at the innocent baby sleeping in her mother’s arms and he felt overwhelmed. The prospect of being responsible for another human being scared him as much now as it had fifteen years ago. He wasn’t ready. He would never be ready. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Why don’t you ask Josh and Lexi? They’d be perfect.”

Trey stared at him as though he were looking at a stranger. “Really? If something happened to me, you’re telling me you wouldn’t be there to take care of my little girl?”

Luc felt grimier than the crud on the bottom of his friend’s shoe. Everything people said about him was true. He was callous, self-centered, and he certainly didn’t deserve Trey’s friendship. He got up without looking Trey in the eye. “I’m sorry, man. I wish I could do it, but I just can’t.”

Marisa hammered her fist against Luc’s heavy mahogany door, swearing a blue streak. She used her other hand to push the button on the intercom. “Open this door, you son of a bitch.” She raised her silver-tipped stiletto boot, prepared to scar the hand-carved masterpiece, when it flew open.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Luc asked, rubbing his eyes. “Are you trying to wake the whole goddamn neighborhood?”

She pushed past him, trying to ignore the mouth-watering expanse of bare chest. “Please, you’re smack dab in the middle of five acres. I could kill you and your neighbors would be none the wiser.”

He smirked. “Looks like you’re considering it.”

She turned on him, fisting her hands at her sides. “How could you, you heartless bastard?”

He closed the door and stalked across the massive foyer to the hand-carved mahogany bar in the great room. “I have a feeling I’m gonna need a drink for this. Can I get you anything?”

She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “What I want is an explanation.”

He stood with his back to her. “What did I do this time?” He poured a generous amount of scotch into a crystal highball glass and held it to his lips.

“You know exactly what you did. My brother and sister-in-law honored you by asking you to be my niece’s godfather, not that you deserved it, and instead of being grateful, you spit in their faces.”

He leaned against the bar and threw back the shot of liquor. He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. “You’re right, I didn’t deserve it. That’s why I said no.”

She rushed towards him and grabbed the glass out of his hand. She hurled it against the limestone fireplace and watched it shatter into dozens of tiny shards. “I’m not gonna let you do that this time, Luc.

I refuse to let you hide behind self-deprecating remarks or booze or sarcasm.” She grabbed his shoulders. “You’re gonna tell me the truth for once. What the hell scares you so much?”

He glanced down at the manicured nails piercing his flesh. “Right now? I’m afraid of what I’m feeling for you.”

She felt her heart pounding . Her gaze dropped to his chest and she couldn’t resist the urge to flick her tongue over her dry lips.

He growled. “I’m giving you ten seconds to take your hands off me and get out of my house. If you don’t, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

She looked up at him, half-afraid, half-intrigued by his threat. “What are you gonna do if I don’t leave?” she whispered.