Forever Now (The Barrington Billionaires Book 6) Page 18

  Flashes from the night they’d shared came back to Annie, bringing warmth to her cheeks. It had been the best she’d ever had, but had it been the same for him? “I’m not doing this, Claire. I’m not calling him.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ve got a shitload of work on my desk and a new client who wants a round trip to Melbourne later today. Even if I wanted to call him, I don’t have time.”

  “I understand.”

  “Kade’s confused right now. That makes sense. His whole life is upside down. But what about a week from now? A month? Even if he thinks he feels something for me today, what will happen a year from now when he’s not overwhelmed anymore?”

  Claire sighed. “I’ll support whatever you decide, Annie, but I’ve never held back my honest opinion. This time seems different.” A bell sounded in the background. “I have to go, my next client just walked in. Call me if you need me.”

  “I will.” Before she hung up, Annie added, “And thank you for caring enough to want to help.”

  “Always, babe. Always.”

  Claire hung up and Annie sat, staring at her phone. She drummed her fingers on either side of it. Stood up. Sat back down. Drummed her fingers again.

  Kade didn’t sit idly by waiting for Annie to call him. He asked Sophie, Dale, Pamela, Dave, Mitch, and Hazel to meet him at the pub before it opened for lunch. Harrison had arranged for a light breakfast to be served.

  Once they were all seated and sipping coffee at a round table in the dining area, Kade rose to his feet and cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I gathered you this morning.”

  “Isn’t it just for us to meet?” Hazel asked.

  “That was part of it.” Kade looked around at the three couples who’d each played a significant role in his life. “When I ask myself what kind of father—what kind of parent—I want to be, all I need to do is look around at the examples each of you have been for me. Mum and Dad, you took me in and raised me as your own. I never knew a day without your love and support. Sophie and Dale, you never let loss or anger beat you. You held your family together and came out the other side stronger. Hazel and Mitch, I never remember a time when I felt unwelcome in your home. Your love didn’t stop at your biological children, and I’m a better person because of it.”

  Mitch looked around the table anxiously. “He’s not dying, is he?”

  Dave answered, “Not as of yesterday, but Kade why don’t you say what you brought us here for? Not all of us have the healthy hearts we used to.”

  Here goes. “I’m going to ask Annie to marry me, and I’d like your blessing . . . all of your blessings.” Kade held his breath and waited.

  “It’s about damn time,” Hazel said.

  Mitch nodded in agreement. “You sure did drag your feet on that one, Kade.”

  Pamela laughed. “Who hasn’t seen that one coming since high school?”

  Dave frowned. “Didn’t you say she’s not taking your calls?”

  With a huge smile, Sophie hugged her husband. “Dale, we have so much to celebrate. I never thought we’d be this happy again, but look at us.”

  Dale gave his wife’s arm a pat and her temple a kiss. “There certainly is a lot to be happy about.” He turned his gaze to Kade. “Now, what is this about her not taking your calls? We just saw her yesterday.” He looked at Mitch. “You raised an amazing daughter. We have so much to thank her for already.”

  “She’s pretty great,” Mitch agreed then turned to Kade. “And she isn’t quick to anger. What did you do?”

  Kade took his seat and sighed. “It’s what I didn’t do. I didn’t realize what we had until I came home and saw her again, and even then I was thick about it. Annie’s always been important to me. You know that. I’ve always loved her, but it’s different now. I’m also in love with her. I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out who I am, and what I realized is my name doesn’t matter. I don’t care about money beyond being able to pay my bills. My family and friends matter to me. I can’t imagine my life without everyone at this table—or without Annie. She asked me to give her time, so I’m respecting that, but I intend to have everything in place for when she calls.”

  Seated beside him, Sophie fidgeted with a green, shield-shaped diamond on her left hand while looking at her husband. Then she slid the ring off. “Kade, Dale gave this to me for our thirtieth anniversary. It took us a long time to get back to a good place, but we finally did and this was a representation of the good in our lives. If you don’t already have one and if it looks like a ring Annie would like, we’d be honored if you gave it to her when you propose.”

  Kade accepted the ring. Ten years of his old income probably couldn’t have purchased it. Would Annie like it? She wasn’t into material things, but he was certain that once she knew where it came from she would be moved by Sophie’s thoughtfulness, just as he was. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Mum. It’s perfect.”

  Tears filled Sophie’s eyes even as she smiled.

  Kade glanced at Pamela and she had a similar expression on her face as she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

  Leaning forward, Hazel said, “I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law.” She winked. “But I kind of hope she makes you work for it.”

  “I’m sure she will.” Kade chuckled.

  His phone rang. He almost ignored it, taught by several seated there to not use a phone at the table. There was a chance, though, just a chance that it could be Annie so he whipped out his phone.

  And accidentally dropped it to the floor when her name showed on the caller ID.

  “It’s her,” he said in a rush, bending to retrieve his phone.

  “Don’t mind us,” Pamela joked. “We’ll just be sitting here on the edge of our seats hanging on your every word.”

  Dave shook his head with a smile. “Step away and talk to her, Son. We’ll all be here when you’re done.”

  As he walked away from the table, he heard Hazel say, “Don’t mess this up. Tell her how you feel.”

  “He’ll do fine,” Pamela assured her, then added, “I hope.”

  “I’m sure he can handle this,” Sophie interjected.

  An insulting amount of groaning followed her comment. Kade called back to them, “Have a little faith.”

  He swiped to answer her call just in time to miss it.

  Fuck.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ‡

  Annie dropped her phone to her desk, hating herself for calling him, hating him for not answering. It was a roller-coaster ride she knew well—one that ended with an abrupt crash into reality. Why do I do this to myself? Why don’t I ever learn?

  Her phone began to light up with a call from Kade she was no longer prepared for. She let it ring through to her messages, choosing to walk out of her office into the hangar attached to it. She’d purchased the land and built all this. She’d done it on her own. No man needed.

  She stepped outside into the sunshine and tipped her face back, letting the warmth of it wash over her. A walk around her property made her feel a little better. No one else had the power to make her doubt herself. She was a strong, independent woman.

  Plagued by a fantasy it was time to let go of.

  Her father loved to tell how he’d known Hazel was the woman for him from the very first time he’d laid eyes on her. I’ve heard that story my whole life, which is why I believed in that kind of love.

  I don’t know if it was my fault, my lack of courage when it came to telling him how I felt, but it didn’t turn out that way for me, Dad. And I’m losing faith in love altogether.

  She headed inside toward her first helicopter. She’d kept it as a reminder of the humble beginnings of her journey. As she ran her hand over a patch of rust on its door, she admitted she’d also kept it because it was what she’d flown with Kade. Letting go had so many layers.

  “You finally gonna let me fix your baby up?” Will, her full-time mechanic, asked. Bald and
about Annie’s height, but strong like a bulldog, he was an integral part of her organization. His wife joked that his excitement over working on a brand-new helicopter was rivaled only by the births of their three children.

  With her hand still resting on the helicopter’s door, Annie said, “I’m thinking about finally scrapping her.”

  “No.”

  Annie dropped her hand. “She doesn’t do anything but take up space and make visiting clients worry we might send her to pick them up. It’s time to let her go and focus on where the company is headed rather than where it came from.”

  Will pulled a cloth from his pocket and used it to polish the nose of the helicopter. “Do what you want, but to me she’s the heart of this place.”

  “She doesn’t deserve that status. There’s a reason we don’t fly her anymore. Why hold on to something that won’t ever be what I need?”

  Will scratched the back of his neck and gave her a long look. “Everyone is still buzzing about Kade’s rich relatives and your mountain rescue. Your mood doesn’t have anything to do with that, does it?”

  Annie frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “My mood?”

  Will grinned. “Now, don’t go looking at me like my wife does when I stay for an extra beer with my mates. You haven’t been yourself since Kade came back to town. We can dance around it and pretend you’re fine, but we all know how you feel about him.”

  Fisting her hands, Annie declared, “This isn’t about Kade. Not everything in my life is. I helped him when he needed help. So what? It wasn’t more than I would have done for anyone else. A week from now he’ll by flying off with his American family. Do you think he’ll give any of us a second thought? He won’t. So, no, I’m not wasting my time feeling anything for him.”

  “You don’t mean that, Annie,” Kade said from behind her. “And I’m not going anywhere—not without you.”

  Annie jumped and spun around to face him.

  “G’day, Kade.” Will shook his hand then motioned toward the office. “I’m gonna see if I can get Annie’s flights for today covered.”

  “Don’t you dare, Will,” Annie ground out.

  Will froze.

  Kade held her gaze. “You know we need to talk, Annie.”

  Annie planted her feet and raised her chin. “I don’t want to do this, Kade. I can’t be what you use to make yourself feel better.”

  Kade stepped closer. “That’s not what you are to me.”

  “I’m just going to go—” Will began.

  “Stay, Will,” Annie ordered. “This won’t take long, and then we have a lot of work to do.” She swallowed hard and plowed forward. “Kade, being confused is natural, considering everything going on in your life. You may think you have feelings for me right now, but they weren’t there before everything came crashing down, and I don’t believe they’ll be there when the dust settles. You should focus on yourself right now and getting to know your family.”

  Kade stepped closer still. “I’m not confused. I know exactly what I want.”

  It was always difficult to concentrate when he was close. Annie took a deep breath and held her ground. What she wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and kiss him while praying he’d say those three words she’d waited so long to hear from him, but she didn’t. She refused to be that woman ever again. “Goodbye, Kade.”

  Will groaned. “Kade, sounds like you should go.”

  “I love you, Annie,” Kade said huskily. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.”

  Tears blurred Annie’s vision. She shook her head as she stepped back. “You think you do, but you’ll thank me one day for not believing you.” With that she spun, ran back to her office, and slammed the door behind her.

  Kade and Will stood in the hangar watching her go. Kade broke the awkward silence that followed the slam of her door. “That didn’t go quite the way I’d hoped.”

  Will rocked back on his heels and shrugged. “Women are tough.”

  Which led to a natural question of, “How’s the family? Marion and the kids?”

  “Good. My youngest is getting ready for uni. Can you believe it? I can’t. I’m not getting any older so how are they?”

  Kade sighed. Time did have a way of getting away from a person. He’d never intended to be away as long as he had. He’d still be gone if the Barringtons hadn’t shown up in Bright. No wonder Annie didn’t believe him. He’d done nothing to prove her fears wrong.

  Absently he looked around the hangar as if there might be something there that could remedy the situation. He instantly recognized Annie’s first helicopter. Back in high school she’d scraped money together and bought it even though no one in her family knew a thing about flying. He remembered watching her take it up for the first time with her instructor as vividly as he remembered his own first flight in it. It had never been pretty, but mechanically it had been a good choice. She’d loved it so much she’d named it.

  Shit. How could he have forgotten the name? He ran a hand over the side of the two-seater helicopter.

  “She’s getting rid of it,” Will said from beside him.

  His head snapped back. “Why? She loves it.”

  “Said it’s time to move on.”

  Kade’s gut clenched painfully. “No, she didn’t hold on to it for this long to let go of it now.” She can’t love me this long to give up just when I figured out she’s my future—my forever.

  “Forever,” Kade said aloud. “That’s what she called it because she thought it would take her forever to pay it off.” He slapped the door of the little helicopter. “She’d intended to restore it. Paint. New seats. Polish it up.”

  “Never made sense to put her money into that. She made the practical choice of investing in newer aircrafts.”

  “I want to do it for her, Will. Will you help me make that happen?”

  Will didn’t answer at first. He looked from the closed office door to the helicopter and back to Kade. “Listen, that woman is one of the kindest, most loyal people I’ve ever known. I’m damn lucky to work for her. None of us want to see her hurt. If you’re not sure where your heart is at, leave. No harm, no foul. But if you do this, you’d better have a fucking ring in mind.”

  Kade dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the huge green diamond Sophie had given him a short while earlier. “Like this one?”

  With a toothy grin and a clap on the back, Will said, “Strewth. Exactly the fuck like that. Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Kade and Will exchanged phone numbers. “I’ll send someone to pick it up. I’d like to give it back to her this weekend.”

  Will whistled. “That fast? Forever needs a lot of work. I don’t see it happening.”

  “You just concentrate on helping me get it out of here without her knowing I’m the one who took it. I’ll handle the rest.”

  They shook hands again and Kade headed back to his car. As soon he as he pulled away he called his twin sister. “Kenzi, I know everyone is gearing up for the wedding in a couple days, but I need some advice on how to make something special happen.” Without attempting to pretty it up, he gave Kenzi an overview of the state of his relationship with Annie—right up to her saying she didn’t believe he loved her. “I don’t blame her for doubting me, Kenzi, but I’m not about to give up on us. I will prove to her what I’m feeling isn’t new. She’s always been the one for me. This will represent a fresh start for us, a chance to get it right. No one I know could get Forever fixed and returned on the timetable I need. Show me how to flex my Barrington muscle.”

  Kenzi laughed. “Barrington muscle? Asher would love that. But if you’re looking for someone who can have it done without fanfare, I’ll ask Dax.”

  “I want to be the one who makes it happen. I just need a little direction.”

  “Piece of advice?”

  “Sure.”

  “Your brothers are climbing the walls here. They need something to do. Involving them in whatever you’re planning would make them
feel like you need them. They talk shit a lot, but in the end they’re just little boys who want to know they matter.”

  “I don’t want to lose control of this. This is about Annie and showing her how I feel.”

  “Well, think about it.”

  Kade groaned. “I don’t want this to be a circus. All I need is the helicopter refurbished and back by the wedding.” He could almost see Kenzi’s pleading eyes. “Okay, I’ll ask Asher and the others for their help. But Clay is not part of this, nor are Viviana’s brothers. I’m serious.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‡

  Saturday morning Annie did her makeup in the mirror. Somehow she’d made it through the longest few days at work ever. She was exhausted from the extra trips she’d scheduled herself for and sore from the crazy amount of time she’d spent on her treadmill. As she dressed, she discovered a perk of a week of high stress that involved no sugar—the outfit she’d purchased for the Barrington wedding was a whole lot looser.

  Yes, she had decided to not attend the Barrington wedding, but then she’d made the mistake of telling Claire. Her friend had not only offered to go with her, but had told Annie that she owed it to herself to be there. She’d claimed she needed closure, and Annie had argued she’d just endured a week of that.

  What had finally won Annie over was Claire saying, “Do you really want your goodbye to Kade to be an angry one? After everything you’ve been to each other, don’t you owe yourself better?”

  Annie did regret the way she’d stormed away from Kade when he’d come to her office. She didn’t want him hurting any more than she wanted that for herself. Annie’s decision to go had quickly been followed by a mild panic regarding what she would wear and what the heck to give a billionaire couple for a wedding present. Thankfully, Claire was a source of advice for that as well. The knee-length light-blue linen dress was casual but chic, perfect for what promised to be a family-and-close-friends wedding. Claire suggested a personalized gift. With that in mind, working with her father, Annie came up with a recipe for a light ale and produced a case of it. She was particularly proud of the label she’d designed for it: G&V Ale. The small print included instructions for celebrating with it post-baby birth. It was adorable and had already been delivered to the lodge. Easy.