Chapter 15
Eric felt a sense of déjà vu as he sat in the familiar waiting room of Mr. Byron’s office. The place still looked the same. Granted, it might have gotten a fresh coat of paint, but other than that everything seemed to be the same. Even the secretary was the same woman who’d greeted him some eight years ago when he’d found out he’d gotten the job in New York.
Though Eric was now the only one occupying the waiting area, besides the secretary, he still couldn’t help but relate this moment to the defining moment that had occurred here eights years ago, the one that had changed his life forever.
He couldn’t help but feel that whatever it was that Mr. Bryon had called him in for was about to have that same impact as the news he’d been given than. He just hoped that this time it would be life changing news that would see him not having to move an inch further away from Chloe.
And Ally…
A voice echoed in his mind, shocking him.
It had been more than a week since the trip down memory lane with Allison and though he had made a point of never being alone with her or being that long in her presence, Eric still couldn’t help but feel the stir of those old familiar feeling from so long ago. It was like seeing that picture, talking about it with Ally had opened up something inside of him he’d thought he’d shut off completely some years ago.
Apparently they weren’t as tightly sealed as he’d thought and it had him questioning his relationship with Heather. He knew he loved her, there was no denying that. So why was he so caught up on Allison and what they had? He’d found himself asking this question more than once this week.
He’d finally come to the conclusion that he’d still been madly in love with Allison when they’d broken up and that all this familiar feelings of love were remnants of what had been. He’d never really gotten a chance to let go the way he should have and Eric knew until he truly said goodbye to Allison and what they had, he’d never be free to move on with Heather.
Just the thought of Heather had Eric wondering over the past week and her increased effort in bonding with Chloe. They both still seemed a bit uncomfortable and estranged towards each other, but Eric knew with time even that would change. He was just grateful for the change in Heather’s attitude towards Chloe. He could see she still wasn’t ready for the life of a stepmother and on more than one occasion he’d wondered if she’d ever be ready.
He wanted more kids and could see it in his future. When he looked, however, into the future of his and his future bride’s…. it wasn’t as clear as he’d like it to be.
Would Heather’s maternal instincts ever kick in?
He didn’t have time to ponder over this thought as Mr. Byron’s secretary indicated that Eric could go into his office, as Mr. Byron was ready for him.
With a smile and a nod sent the secretary’s way, Eric made his way to the closed doors of Mr. Bryon’s office. He found himself once again wondering what Mr. Byron wanted.
Eric had been working in the offices, just about coming out of a meeting, when a message was sent to him that Mr. Bryon wanted to see him. He’d found it strange that he was being called by such an important man. There was no reason other than the job as anchor that was up for grabs and Eric knew he wasn’t the only one up for the job.
He glanced once again over the empty waiting room. No, it had to be something else, Eric thought as he knocked and entered Mr. Byron’s office.
“Ah, Denton. Good to see again.” Mr. Byron said, as he stretched out his hand in greeting.
“It’s good to see you too Mr. Byron.” Eric replied, taking his hand and giving it a firm grip.
“I heard you covered the game on Friday night.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, I trust you’ve got an excellent article for our magazine.” Mr. Byron shook his head. “Of course you do. I could always expect the best from you, Denton.”
“Yes, sir. Only the best for Sports Inc.” came Eric’s enthusiast reply.
He still couldn’t help but wonder why Mr. Byron had summoned him and wished that the man would quit his small talk.
Mr. Byron turned and contemplatively looked out the huge glass window that lined one wall of the office. He was silent for a moment before he spoke, still staring out the window.
“Do you know what we value here as Sports Inc?” he asked Eric.
“Err… good journalistic points of view.”
Mr. Byron smiled, “True, but I was going for loyalty.” He turned to face Eric again. “Loyalty and family is something we take very seriously at Sports Inc.”
Eric took what his mentor was saying very seriously, but couldn’t help but wonder where all this was going.
“I took a chance on you almost eight years ago when I offered you the job in New York. You may not have known it, but I was testing your loyalty to this company. I am more than happy to say you’ve passed that test.”
Eric smiled. “Thank you, sir. I’m-”
Mr. Byron interrupted him, “I’m not finished, Denton.”
“Sorry sir.”
Mr. Byron took a seat at his huge mahogany desk before he continued, “As I was saying, you have proved your loyalty to Sport Inc. and it’s because of that commitment you have shown that I can gladly say you are a part of our family. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes sir,” Eric agreed wholeheartedly, “I am one hundred percent committed to Sports Inc.”
“I am glad to hear it.” Mr. Byron then leaned back in his seat and smiled at Eric, “You know the day I first laid eyes on you I knew you would go far, Eric. You have drive and your love for sports and journalism has gotten you this far. Now I wanted to offer you the position of editor at our magazine. You have done some great work for us over in New York, but-”
Mr. Byron was in deep thought for a moment. Eric could barely contain the anxiety he felt. He really wanted the job of anchor. It was a dream of his even before he started work for Sports Inc ten years ago.
When he’d been told that the position was open and that their current anchor, David Thomson was retiring, Eric couldn’t wait to jump at the opportunity and had immediately applied for the position. His editor back in New York had been a bit surprised by his application. He – as Mr. Byron was now – had always said that Eric would someday make a fine chief editor. He’d always thought that Eric would apply for a position of editor and work his way to the top.
Well, he had some plans of his own. Yes he loved working at Sports Inc magazine, but working at their network station was something he wanted more. It was something he still hoped he’d get.
“But?” he encouraged.
“But… I hear you’re set on becoming an anchor.”
“You would have heard right, sir.”
“I know you’ve done some field work, interviews at games and so forth. And it’s clear that you can hold your own, Denton. It’s for these reasons that I am happy to say you’ve got the job.” Mr. Bryon smiled, his seriousness faded from his face.
Eric stared at Mr. Bryon dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had he really just been given the position?
“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Mr. Byron grinned.
“I really have the job?” he asked in a bit of a daze.
Mr. Byron chuckled. “Yes, you do. We’ve gotten great reports from your supervisor in New York. Your colleagues love you. Said you were one determined man for somebody of your age. And I’ve been monitoring your progress since you started here over four weeks ago. You are a valuable employee and we are happy to have you, Eric.”
Eric couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face then. He took Mr. Byron’s hand and shook it profusely. Elation filled him. He was on cloud nine and knew that there was no way anything could get him down from it.
“Thomson still has two weeks on his contract. So you’ll start then. In the mean time I’m sure there’s a certain lady you’d like to share the news with.” Mr. Byron hinted with a grin.
“Yes sir. Yes there is.” Eric shook Mr. Byron’s hand again, thanking him once more, before rushing out of the office.
Once he’d gotten off the elevator and all the excitement of what had just transpired had sunk in, Eric pulled out his mobile. He hit the contact list and was about to call Allison when he caught himself.
Eric stood looking at her name for a long moment, unable to form a thought. Had he really just been about to call Ally? Why on earth would he do that?
Yes, he wanted to share the good news with her. But Heather was the one he should be calling. She was the one Mr. Byron had been hinting about, not Allison. Did he even remember Allison? Eric highly doubted it. He’d only introduced Ally and Mr. Byron once, so there wasn’t a possibility that he still remembered her.
But that wasn’t the issue at the moment. What was on Eric’s mind right now wasn’t the fact that he’d gotten the job, but the fact that he’d immediately thought of Allison when Mr. Byron had mentioned a ‘certain lady’.
Now why would he think of her?
Eric could feel the answer nudging him in the back of his mind, but he chose to ignore it and called Heather’s number instead.
Whatever the reason was, he knew it would be dangerous to know.
***
“So, what do you think we should see? There’s a new romantic comedy out.” Jared suggested as he and Allison stood outside the theatre, considering their oppositions. “It’s a…” Jared scanned the movie poster for the actor’s name, “Bradley Cooper movie.”
Allison smiled at the way Jared said Bradley Cooper’s name. Clearly he was annoyed with the guy and had experience with girls drooling all over him while he, Jared, felt left out and forgotten. Not that she could blame those girls, Bradley was really hot after all, but then again they probably never got a good look their date, because from where she was standing, Jared was pretty hot himself.
She slide her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “We don’t have to see that movie. Besides, I don’t really go for guys like Mr. Cooper.” She said, trying to boost his ego.
It definitely worked, because Jared gave her a wide grin, “That’s good to know.”
“Yeah, I much prefer guys like Johnny Depp. I hear he’s got a new movie too.” She teased.
She could see Jared’s ego deflate just as quickly as it had inflated. She couldn’t help herself, the laugh she’d been trying to hide escaped. Jared glared at her.
“Ha-ha-ha; real funny.”
“You have to admit, I got you good.” She got out once she finally composed herself.
“Yeah, well you’re luck I like.” He said playfully pinching her side.
“I guess I am a lucky girl.” Allison smiled up at him.
Jared didn’t waste any time. He leaned down and kissed her, making her body break out in goose bumps. The kiss was tender, yet quick and still left Allison confused about how she felt.
Were kisses meant to do that?
He brought his hand up to caress her cheek, “Since we’re obviously not watching the romance. What do you suggest we go and see?”
Allison turned her attention back to the movie theatre. She contemplated her options for a while, before answering.
“We could go and see an action movie.” She suggested.
Jared looked at her with raised brows, “You want to watch an action movie?”
“Yeah, why not? That way we both get something good out of the deal.”
“Okay,” he seemed satisfied with her answer, “I’ll go and get our tickets.” he pecked her once on the lips and then reluctantly let go of her hand to go and buy their tickets.
The line was pretty long and Allison found herself thinking about the few dates she and Jared had been on since their first. This would be their fourth one.
She frowned as she recalled the last week, not because she never had fun with Jared, but because she still wasn’t sure how she felt about him. She knew she was physically attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? One look at him and a woman would swoon.
He’d taken her last Monday to a nice club/restaurant for dinner. They’d eaten and danced to their hearts content. Allison couldn’t remember the last time a man had taken her into his arms the way Jared had and twirled her around the dance floor. It had felt so invigorating and freeing. She’d enjoyed ever moment of it and Jared seemed to have as well.
On Thursday he’d taken her to an art exhibition. A patient of theirs had his latest work up for display and had given Jared two tickets to the show. He’d asked her if she’d wanted to go with him and had happily agreed. Though when she’d arrived at the exhibition she’d wished she’d said no.
She couldn’t make a lick of sense of what most of the painting were supposed be portraying. She wouldn’t call herself an expert in the ways of art, but with Jen being an art teacher not to mention her love for it, Allison had picked up some pointers from her on what to look for so she could appreciate its beauty and individuality.
But this exhibition she just didn’t get. She didn’t mention to Jared her feeling on the art pieces because she could see he was in intense thought about it all. She didn’t want to spoil the evening for him or make him feel bad that she wasn’t enjoying herself.
Little did she know that Eric too had no clue what was going on. Apparently he was only pretending to be interested so she wouldn’t think him an idiot. They’d both confessed their confusion and distaste for this form of art and by the end of the night were making up their own assumptions about what the pieces were supposed to be portraying.
They had a few laughs and by the end of the night, Allison was glad she’d stuck it out long enough to have some fun.
Friday had been a different story and Allison wasn’t sure if you could call it a date. Chloe was supposed to spend the evening with Eric, but he’d had to cancel because of his work. Deciding that they needed a movie night, Allison and Chloe were just about to settle in when Jared had surprised them with pizza and ice-cream.
They’d enjoyed one movie together before Chloe had fallen asleep between her and Jared. He’d carried Chloe to bed, and what tugged at Allison’s heart was the tender kiss he’d placed on her forehead after he’d tucked Chloe in.
There was no denying Jared cared for Chloe. It had been that way since they’d become friends and he was first introduced to Chloe. He would make a great stepfather to her. She knew her daughter loved Jared and that being a family would be picture perfect.
But that’s all it would be, she thought, picture perfect. She knew she still didn’t feel for Jared the way she should and she couldn’t understand why she didn’t. He was the perfect guy. He clearly cared about her, he was great with Chloe and he was one of the sweetest, most considerate guys she knew. So why couldn’t she feel more than physical attraction that simmered between them?
She didn’t want to ponder over that thought as a familiar face popped into her head, reminding her of the reasons.
She quickly banished the thought, not wanting to go down that road, the one she’d been steering clear of for the past eight years.
She decided that she would go looking for Jared and tried her best to banish all ghost from her past, and enjoy the evening with him. She was about to turn and head in the direction of the line when she bumped into somebody.
She hastily apologised, but abruptly stopped when she saw who she’d run into.
“Ally?”
“Eric,” she said a bit breathlessly. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
They looked at each other for a long moment, neither breaking their eye contact. It was hard for her to look into Eric’s eyes and not feel weak in the knees. He had this intensity in them that made it seem as if he could see into your very soul.
“Eric, what are you-”
Allison’s gaze was dragged from Eric’s to meet his skinny, blonde fiancé’s. Heather’s smile faded as she laid eyes on Allison, who narrowed her eyes at the reaction of the other woman.
Well, it’s clear she still doesn’t like me.
“Allison, what a nice surprise.” By the way she said ‘nice’ Allison could tell it wasn’t nice at all for her.
“Nice to see you too, Heather.” she greeted the other woman and then turned her attention back to Eric, but was careful not to stare into his eyes to long, least they hypnotise her again. “So, where are you guys headed?”
“We’re off to have dinner.” Heather replied.
“Oh. Not in the mood for cooking?” Allison threw that question Heather’s way, who glared at her.
It was Eric who replied next, “No, actually we’re out celebrating.”
She frowned in confusion. “Celebrating? What are you celebrating?”
Allison couldn’t help but let a small smile form on her lips when she saw the wide grin that formed on Eric’s face. It was contagious.
“Actually I have some news, Ally.” Allison waited. “I got the job.” Eric finally said joyously.
Allison’s smile broadened. “I knew you would make it. Congratulations.”
She reached up and wrapped her arms about Eric, giving him an affectionate hug. She couldn’t help herself then. Though her intention were honourable, only wanting to give him a hug as a show of her happiness for him, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and inhale his musky manly scent that she’d found was only unique to him.
Her senses went wild and she had to recover herself quickly before he saw the look in her eye or worse, Heather would see it.
“Thanks, Ally. I’m still reeling from the news.” he said happily. “Is Chloe with you? I’d love to give her the news.”
“Uhmm… no she’s not.”
“Oh, then you’re by yourself?”
“No. I’m actually with-”
She never got to finish as Jared chose that moment to walk up to them and wrap his arms about her waist, bringing her closer to him.
“She’s with me.”
“Doc, good to see you again.” Eric said, but she could tell he was lying.
“Likewise,”
There was a glaring match between the two men before Heather spoke up, “I don’t believe we’ve met.” She extended her hand to Jared. “Heather Jane.”
“Jared Martin.” He took her hand, giving it a firm shake.
“So, you’re a doctor?”
“I am,” came Jared’s short dismissive reply.
“Well, now I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, Allison.” Heather said. All Allison really wanted to do was slap the satisfied grin off of Heather’s face.
“We’ve only been dating for about two weeks.”
“So what are you two doing out here?” Jared asked, redirecting the conversation.
“We’re on our way to celebrate.” Heather responded.
“Celebrate what exactly?”
“Eric got the job.” Allison let out excitedly before anyone else could say a word.
“Congratulations are in order than.”
“Thanks,” Eric didn’t sound as pleased as he had moments ago. “Where are you guys headed?”
“We’re catching an early show and then dinner after.” Jared replied his eyes still locked with Eric’s.
Allison knew she needed to get Eric and Jared separated. She didn’t know what it was with these two, but they needed to learn to get along. She knew she needed to have a talk with Eric about Jared, especially if Jared was to be a permanent fixture in her life.
“Did you get the tickets?” Allison asked Jared, directing his attention back to her.
“No, the show isn’t for another two hours. I figured we could go eat first and then catch a movie.” He suggested.
“So what show are we going to anyway?”
“There’s a new Al Pacino. Plenty of gangsters and fun fights.” Jared replied enthusiastically.
Allison grimaced but was careful to plant a smile on her face, “Sounds great.”
“You hate movies like those.” Eric commented, making everyone turn to look at him, before their attention was turned to Allison once again.
Allison grinded her teeth, wishing Eric didn’t know her so well. Truthfully, Allison hated movies that had anything to do with the mob. She didn’t know why, but watching movies like the Godfather or Scarface really annoyed her.
She knew Jared enjoyed them though. It was probably the only reason she just agreed to watch it with him. Besides, if she was going to give this relationship a chance she needed to be open-minded about these things and give the things he loved a chance.
Who knows, maybe she might even enjoy it. They couldn’t be that bad if he loved it so.
Allison decided to lie, not only to save face, but for Jared’s sake, “No I don’t.”
“Yes you do.” Came Eric’s immediate reply.
She sighed in exasperation and fixed her gaze on him.
“I remember you don’t like them. When we were dating you made it perfectly clear you didn’t like watching those movies. Remember? They had a screening of The Godfather and you refused to go with me.”
Everyone was looking her now and she could feel her embarrassment at the situation, “I’ve changed, Eric.” She snapped. “It’s been eight years since we’ve dated. Things have changed since then.”
Eric held his hand up in surrender. “Hey, okay. You’ve changed, I get it.”
Allison glared at the smirk that formed on his face. it was obvious that Eric knew no matter how much she’d changed over the years, her dislike of movies like that was something that would never change.
She sent a look his way, making sure he said nothing more on the subject. Thankfully he got the message, but the smirk never left his face.
“Anyway,” Eric said, breaking the awkward silence, “We’re having a party on Friday night. It’s a celebratory party, slash housewarming. You should come.” He directed at Allison.
“Sure, I’d loved to come.”
“You should bring Chloe with you. We’d love to have her there. Wouldn’t we Heather?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, sure.” Heather agreed while smiling at Eric, but as soon as his head was turned, Allison could see the annoyed look that appeared on her face.
“You should come too, Jared. I’m sure Allison would love to have you there.” Heather suggested a sly glint in her eyes.
“I’d love you. Thank you.” this time Allison could see Eric wasn’t too pleased.
What was wrong with him? As far as his ex dating another guys went, Eric should be happy it was a guy like Jared. She could have ended up with worse, much worse.
“We should be going, Eric. We don’t want to miss our reservation.” Heather said, pulling on his arm.
“Yeah, we should be headed out too.” Jared said.
“So, I’ll see you and Chloe on Wednesday?” Eric asked ignoring Heathers attempt to drag him away.
“Yeah, see you then.”
She watched as Eric and Heather walked away, only to have Eric glance over his shoulder one last time before getting swallowed by the crowd.
“So, do you really want to watch the movie or were you just pretending for my sake?” Jared asked.
Allison couldn’t look him in the eye, feeling complete embarrassed about not being honest with him in the first place. He was most likely upset with her dishonesty.
But she was surprised when Jared tilled her face up towards his with his fingers and she was greeted by his boyish grin.
Allison sighed. “I’m not usually into movie like that, but I figured I’d try something new.”
Jared chuckled, shaking his head, he pulled her against him, “What am I going to do with you?”
She couldn’t help smiling back at him. She shrugged in response, feeling annoyed with herself for not being honest in the first place.
Jared placed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then taking her hand in his, he walked over to the line for the tickets. “We’re watching the Johnny Depp movie. If I see you ogling him at anytime during the movie, don’t be surprise if I get a bit annoyed.”
Allison grinned at him. “Don’t worry; when I have a guy like you next to me, how could I possibly think about Johnny Depp.”
Jared seemed to like this response and kissed her deeply, before wrapping his arms about her waist, holding her closely to him.
***
“Chloe, where are your shoes?” Allison asked as she entered Chloe’s bedroom, still half dressed herself.
“I don’t know.” Chloe replied with a shrug.
Allison sighed at her daughter as she walked over to the cupboard. After a few seconds of rummaging through her shoes, Allison came up empty handed. Shutting the cupboard doors behind her, she glanced at the fairy clock that was mounted on Chloe’s wall. Jared was supposed to pick them up in a few minutes and she still had to get dressed.
“Chloe, try to remember exactly the last time you saw those shoes.” Allison asked as she kept up her search.
Giving up – clearly the shoes weren’t in this room – she turned to her daughter. Chloe stood there deep in thought. As if a light bulb went off in her mind, she grinned and then headed out the room.
Allison followed her, closely behind, as Chloe went into the living room and fished the pair of shoes out from behind the sofa.
“What were they doing there?” Allison asked in exasperation, as she helped Chloe put them on.
She just shrugged, “I don’t know, momma. Benny hid it there. He’s always playing tricks on me like that.”
Allison smiled, as she thought about Chloe’s yellow teddy bear. “Maybe I should have a word with Benny.”
“No!” Chloe exclaimed. “I know how to handle him.”
“Good, now why don’t you go and have a word with Benny, while mommy gets ready?”
“Okay.”
Chloe skipped off to her bedroom, while Allison hurried off to hers. Slipping off her silk powder blue robe, and letting it flutter to the hardwood floor, she slipped her black cocktail dress off its hanger and slipped the smooth material over her body. Pulling up the zipper on the side, she walked over to her floor length mirror and adjusted the dress. The dress was simple. It brushed the knee, hugging all the right contours of her body. The thin straps sat securely on her sun kissed shoulders, criss-crossing at the back.
Allison walked over to her cupboard and pulled out her heels. Slipping them on, she checked her makeup and hair in the mirror. Satisfied with what she saw, she moved to hook her necklace about her neck. But even as her hand brushed at the nap of her neck, she shivered at the memory of Eric’s rough, big hands skimming over her delicate smooth flesh.
She had to bit her lip to keep the goose bumps at bay, even as her hand dropped to her sides.
Okay, Allison, you can do this. You and Eric are just friends, good friends if anything else.
But even as she said these words in her head, she still couldn’t help but remember the way his warm breathe fanned over her check, making her feel…
The ringing of the doorbell had her waking from her dreams.
That would be Jared, she knew. She couldn’t help but chide herself for her lustful thoughts. She just hadn’t gotten any in a long time.
In a really long time.
And it was true; she and Eric were just friends, with a past. An extremely complicated and physical past, which made it just that much harder to forget.
Taking a deep breath, Allison headed out her room toward the living room were she could hear the giggles of her daughter.
Jared had Chloe in his arms, complementing her on how beautiful she looked, making her blush with modesty.
He really was great with Chloe. If there was any guy she would choose to be her stepfather, it would be Jared. He loved children and she knew someday he would be a great father. If he could love Chloe this much, she who wasn’t his, imagine what he’d be like if those children where actually his.
Yes, any girl who got a chance with Jared Martin was lucky. He was a dime in a dozen and Allison knew she would do anything in her power to make this work with him.
“Hey, you clean up fast.” Allison commented as she made her presence known.
Jared chuckled as he placed Chloe to her feet. “I could say the same for you. Wow, you look gorgeous.”
“Thank you, you don’t look to bad yourself.” And he didn’t.
With his finely cut suit, he looked every bit the model in the fashion magazines. For once those pictures weren’t lying. Apparently there are everyday men who looked as good as they did in a suit and what was even greater about this, one of those everyday guys was standing in her living room and she had to check herself before she drooled.
“Oh this,” he ran his hand over the black jacket, “Na, this all comes naturally.”
Allison rolled her eyes at his arrogance. “Yes, we all know you’re a model for Cosmo magazine.” she joked.
Jared laughed, “Me a model? No, I much prefer being a doctor. What with all the hot nurses.”
“All the hot nurses, hmm?”
He pulled her into his arms, his hands lightly touching her hips. “Well, actually there’s this one nurse. She is a really great woman. I like her a lot.”
“You do now?” she flirted back.
She could already feel his lips on her, but a gagging sound made her turn to look at Chloe.
“Yuck, are you two going to kiss now?” Chloe asked in disgust.
Jared laughed. “Not if you don’t want me to.”
“Good, because that would be weird.”
Allison shook her head at her little girl. One day, not soon, but one day Chloe would understand and Allison would be giving all the boy advice. It’s a day she both looked forward to and dreaded at the same time.
“We should be going anyway. Chloe, you have everything?” Allison asked as Jared helped her slip her coat on.
“I forgot my bag.”
“Well, go fetch it.”
Chloe stormed off in the direction of her room. Allison turned to a grinning Jared. She draped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “Now, where were we?”
“I think I remember.”
Jared crushed his lips to hers, moving it expertly over hers. Allison could feel his heartbeat accelerate against hers, as his tongue tangled with hers in an explicit way.
Things were getting better, she thought. It seemed her responses were finally matching his, though she could tell there was still something missing. It hinted at her, but she still couldn’t quite figure it out.
She knew she should end the kiss before Chloe came back. She didn’t want to freak her kid out anymore than was needed.
Jared groaned when Allison broke the kiss and wouldn’t let her free when she tried to pull away from him. She loved that she had this power over him. The power to drive him wild. Her mom had once mentioned this power that a woman possessed, saying it was a powerful thing, one that women could use to their advantage.
She looked up at him from under her lashes. “Are you sure you want to go tonight? You don’t have to, you know.”
“I know. I want to go, to support you and Chloe. Well, mostly you of course.” he replied with a shrug.
Allison leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Thank you. I don’t think going to this party will be hard for me. Eric’s my friend; he was my friend before we started dating all those years ago. And he is Chloe’s father, so I’m pretty sure she’d want to be there.”
“I know you’ll be fine. Doesn’t stop me from wanting to spend the night with you.” he said, squeezing her tighter in his arms.
Looking into his eyes, Allison could see he meant it.
Well of course he meant it, she thought. That was just the type of guy he was.
Chloe walked into the room then, causing Jared to let her go, though Allison could see he definitely didn’t want to, which only made her smile more.
“You ready?” she asked them both.
“I am now, momma.” Chloe responded with excitement.
“Let’s go.” Jared said as he ushered the two ladies out the house.
Allison buckled Chloe in the backseat and could see the giddy look in her daughter’s eyes. Clearly she was excited about seeing her father, or maybe it was the fact that she now knew for sure her father was sticking around.
Whatever her reasons, Allison knew at least one of them would enjoy the party.
***
It seemed Chloe wasn’t the only one to have enjoyed her by the end of the night.
She, Jared and Chloe had arrived at Eric’s place just after the party had gone into full swing.
It surprised her to see just how many people there were at this party and even more so how many she didn’t know, or should she say how few she did. Clearly Heather hadn’t hesitated to invite the most important people from Sports Inc.
The apartment was beautifully furnished. There were a few things that were the same, but Allison could definitely see Heather’s womanly touches here and there. Pictures of her and Eric were now placed all over the apartment. Allison could tell these were taken when they were in New York and she couldn’t help notice how the ones they’d taken here in L.A. looked somehow different.
Was it just her, or did Eric not look as happy as he did in the New York pictures?
She shook her head. She had to be imagining things. Eric had every reason to be happy. He finally had his dream job, he had a beautiful – though annoying – fiancé and he was clearly a happy father.
She couldn’t help but smile as she picked up the picture of Eric holding Chloe in his arms. They must have taken it on one of their outings. As she placed the picture back in its place, Allison noticed the picture she’d taken of Eric and Chloe a few weeks ago, when she’d fallen asleep in her dad’s arms. Yes, Eric was definitely a happy and proud dad.
“That’s my favourite.” Allison nearly jumped at the sound of Eric’s husky voice at her ears.
She nearly dropped the picture, but at the last minute remembered how to grip. Placing the picture safely on the side table, she turned to see Eric with Chloe in his arms.
“Well don’t you look like a princess.” He told Chloe as he kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you, daddy.” Chloe giggled. “Momma bought it for me so I could look pretty for your party. I got to pick got out myself.”
“You certainly have a good eye. You look beautiful my angel.” Eric responded then turned to look at Allison. “I could say the same for your mom.”
Allison could feel the slight blush creep up her face. “Thank you. You look really handsome too.”
And he did. In his dark grey suit with a white shirt and black tie, he looked every bit as handsome as he always did. Was there anything that he could wear that would make him look remotely horrible?
“Thanks,” he sent her a lazy grin. “Jared, thanks for coming tonight.” Eric extended his hand in greeting.
Jared took his offered hand and shook if firmly. “I wouldn’t miss up a chance to escort these two lovely ladies.” He smiled down at Allison, as he possessively wrapped his arms about her waist.
Eric glared at Jared’s arm, almost willing it to fall off.
What is wrong with me, he begrudgingly asked himself, Allison and Jared are together now and he had Heather. He knew he should be happy for her and he was, wasn’t he?
“Yes well, I can’t say I blame you there.” He said looking at Allison, who was looking at anything but him. “Though, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up.”
“Yeah, we got off a bit late from work. Last minute emergency.” Allison replied.
“I understand. Well, there are drinks and snacks. Mingle, enjoy yourselves.” Eric gestured to the room.
“Thank you, we will. Come on Chloe, your dad has quite a few guests; you can talk to him later.” Allison was about to take her hand when Eric took it.
“Actually I’ve got a few people who want to meet my daughter. They won’t believe that I’m a father.” Eric said with a shake of his head.
“Well then they are in for a treat. There’ll be no mistaking that she is yours.” Allison laughed lightly.
Eric joined her. “No there isn’t. Come on, before Heather comes looking for us.”
He waved to Allison and Jared and took off with Chloe in tow.
Allison turned to Jared. “She’ll be stealing everyone’s heart by the end of the night.” he commented as he steered her towards the other end of the room.
Allison smiled to herself. That’s my girl, she thought. “True, she just has this way about her that gets people interested in her.”
“Sounds like her dad.” Jared sounded a bit annoyed when he said this.
“Actually I think she does get that from her dad.” Allison agreed. “Eric always had a way with people and getting what he wanted. He never let anything stop him. It’s actually how we started dating. He kept asking until I said yes.”
Jared was contemplative for a minute. He could definitely see how she could give in to his charms, as he watched both Eric and Chloe work the room. People were clearly taken with Chloe and how much she looked like him. Allison could see this too and couldn’t help but smile. The apple really doesn’t fall to far from the tree.
“Allison, I asked if you wanted anything to drink.” Jared’s voice broke through her daydreaming.
“Uh, Oh – I’m sorry. Yes, I’d love something to drink.” She smiled at him sheepishly.
“Any preferences?” he asked.
“Hmm… surprise me.” she said, trying to be flirty and could tell she wasn’t doing a good job of it. She felt – well… awkward.
“That was terrible wasn’t it?” she blushed, scrunching her face.
Jared laughed. “It was adorable to see though.”
She slapped him playfully on the arm, before he manoeuvred his way through the crowd. She watched his broad shoulders as his got swallowed by the many guest there, obscuring him from her sight.
While waiting for him to return, she found her eyes searching for Chloe and Eric in the crowd. After a few minutes of scanning the room, her eyes landed on Eric and as she shifted a bit she could see Chloe talking to an elderly man and woman. Heather was there at his side, ever the loyal fiancé, but Allison could tell that she was a bit annoyed as the focus as shifted to the little girl. They all laughed at something she said, well all except Heather who didn’t look to happy at all.
“What Eric sees in that woman, I’ll never know.” Allison turned to see her best friend, Jen, standing beside her, sipping on a Martini. “Maybe I should have a serious talk with him. His vision might be imparted or something, because I refuse to believe he would go for a woman like that.”
Allison shook her head. “Hello to you too. And people change, Jen. Eric is clearly into woman like her.”
“Hello my dear friend, how have you been since I last spoke to you, when was it-” she looked at her watch. “Oh, yes about two hours ago?”
She smiled at Jen. “I’m basically the same. You?”
“The same.” She waved her hand in the air. “Okay now that we’ve got that out of the way. How does he fall from a woman like you? Beautiful, funny, loving and move on to… that.” She pointed to Heather.
Allison looked about her as the people sent them strange looks. “Would you lower your voice?” she hissed.
“Jeez, sorry.” Jen whispered. “I was only asking.”
“Look, wasn’t it Paul who once said he wondered why Eric went for me in the first place because his type was the skinny blonde kind? Everything Heather clearly is.”
“Yeah. And your point is?” Jen asked pointedly.
Allison sent a look that said, isn’t it obvious. “He’s just going back to woman he knows. With me, it was different. He was getting a… taste – is that the right way to say it? –” she shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. The point is Heather is the type of woman he would have ended up with anyway if we hadn’t gotten together.”
“You make yourself sound like you were some sort of haircut he tried out and when he didn’t like it, he went back to his old style.” Jen said a bit exasperated. “You were, and in my opinion, will always be the best woman to ever be in Eric’s life and I still believe that you two belong together.” Jen finished.
“Well, I certainly hope you’re not completely set on that idea, Jennifer.” A new voice joined the conversation.
Allison turned to see Jared grinning at her, with two glasses of champagne in his hand. She took the glass he offered, and thanked him, a bit embarrassed that he’d heard Jen’s crazy chatter.
“Well, hey there. I had no idea you were here too. Allison didn’t mention she has a date for tonight.” Jen sent her friend a look that Allison could only read as ‘why didn’t you tell me the hot doctor was with you?’
“Maybe she wanted to surprise you.” Jared countered.
Jen shook her head. “No, that’s not it.”
Just then Paul came to join them. “Is my wife being her usually lovely self again?” he placed an affectionate kiss to her cheek and then smiled adoringly at her.
“You know Jen will be Jen. I wouldn’t take her any other way.” Allison responded with a smile.
Paul leaned towards her and greeted her with a friendly peck on the cheek. “Hey, Ally. Glad you made it. I think Jen would have made use leave early if you hadn’t shown up.”
“It’s true. I really think this party is way to… stiff.” She lowered her voice on the last word, making all in her company laugh.
“Jared, good to see again. I had no idea you’d be here too.” Paul and Jared shook hands.
“I’m glad to be here. Spending an evening with Allison and you fine people.” Jared said and Paul raised his glass to that. “Besides, it’s completely adorable to see Chloe charm the pants off of all these people.”
They all turned to look at Chloe and Eric who now swayed to the soft music that played in the background. Chloe was standing on his feet, as Eric expertly glided them in the small space. Everyone was looking at them, admiring the father and daughter who looked so much alike.
“Now isn’t that something.” Jen commented.
“Yeah, I’d say. When I met Eric Denton in college I never would have thought he’d be this taken by his daughter. Heck, I never thought he’d have kids. He never seemed the type.” Paul added to no one in particular.
Allison smiled at the pair. She couldn’t help but rejoice at the joy that filled her. Why had she been so worried about Eric being with Chloe? It was clear that he only had her best interests at heart.
He remembered a time when Eric would have paid more attention to the party and his guests, rather than be deterred by a pretty face. Well, granted he’d been deterred once. It had been when he’d spent time with her rather then enjoy a good party with his frat buddies and score with the easy freshmen girls.
Maybe there was something about the Warner blood in a girl that really appealed to Eric. Chloe might have his last name, his looks, and his charm, but she still had Warner blood running through her veins.
This was definitely turning out to be one interesting night and she had a feeling it was only to get better still.
***
“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if I still had a daughter.” Allison teased when she found her sitting on the sofa, while Eric stood talking to Heather and another gentleman.
“She’s been the life of the party.” Eric commented.
“Is this your daughter?” the other man asked.
Allison smiled politely up at him. “Yes – yes it is. A fact I’m very proud of.”
“As you should be. She’s quite the charmer.”
“Ally, this is Brett Clark. He is the chief editor at Sports Inc. Clark this is Allison Warner, Chloe’s mom.” Eric introduced.
“Pleasure to meet you Mr. Clark.” Allison greeted as she took his hand.
“Please, call me Brett.” He smiled. “I must say you did a fine job of raising this one. She reminds me of my Lisa at her age.”
“You have a daughter?”
“Yes, two in fact, and one son. Lisa, she’s the baby, will be fourteen soon. Brett junior will be is eighteen and headed for college in the fall and the eldest, Vivian, she’ll be finishing off her last year at UCLA next year.” Brett replayed.
“You must be very proud of them all.”
“I am, very.”
“Come now, Clark. I certainly hope you not boring the girl with chatter about work now.” A voice teased.
Brett laughed as he took Mr. Byron’s hand in greeting. “Don’t worry. We’re just exchanging pleasantries.”
“Mr. Byron!” Eric exclaimed happily. “Glad you could make it. And this must be Mrs. Byron.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Denton. My husband speaks quite highly of you.” Mrs. Byron was a soft spoken woman, but Eric knew that deep down the woman was made of tougher stuff. She’d need to be in order to keep Mr. Byron at bay and level headed.
“He does, does he? Well, I’m certainly glad you came tonight. Let me introduce you to my fiancée, Heather Jane.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Byron, Mrs. Byron.” Heather greeted. “Would you like-”
But her sentence was cut short when Mr. Byron greeted Allison as if they were old friends, shocking not only her, but Eric too.
“Allison, my girl. Good to see you are here too.”
Allison greeted the man as if they were old, well acquainted friends and kissed him on the cheek. “I could say the same for you. It’s by time you brought Susan out to one of your work events.”
“Oh, Allison you shouldn’t be so hard on him. He does offer to take me to his business affairs. I just never cared much for them.” She stated.
“Denton, look sharp.” Mr. Byron said when he saw Eric hawking.
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t realise you knew each other this… well.” Eric said in disbelief.
Allison got a glimpse of Heather who looked just as shocked and then her face seemed to turn into a scowl, but quickly it was whipped away, replace with a pleasant smile. Ever the gracious host, Allison thought.
Jared came then to join them when he spotted Mr. Byron in the group. “Bill, I was wondering if you’d show up.”
“You know me never missed a party.”
Jared chuckled, while Eric looked even more confused now.
Allison couldn’t help but thinks how adorable he looked. He was rarely confused and Allison knew she should relish this look before it disappeared.
“So, you all know each other?” Eric asked again.
“Yes, the Martins have been mine and my family’s primary physicians for… well; as far back as I can remember. Jared here was still in school when his father opened the practice.” Mr. Byron finally supplied clearing all confusion.
Well that explained how Ally knew him so well.
“Dr. Martin senior has been a good family friend too. In fact Jared and my daughter dated at one point. Isn’t that right, Jared?” Mr. Byron grinned, while Jared looked a bit awkward.
“Yes, well…” he stuttered as Allison sent him a look.
Eric couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face at Jared’s obvious awkwardness.
“Did he now? Well I think we should have a talk Bill.” Allison said, while looking at Jared.
“We will, but first. Where is this daughter of yours I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Chloe jumped off the sofa and came to stand by Eric’s side and looked up at Mr. Byron. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” she said with a shy smile.
“Well would you look at that. She’s the slitting image of you, Eric.” Mr. Byron said with wonder.
“Yup, she’s daddy’s little girl.” Eric replied proudly.
Heather discreetly cleared her throat. “Would you like anything to drink, Mr and Mrs Byron?”
“Yes, I would care for some champagne.” Mrs. Byron replied.
“I think Jared and Allison can direct us. You seem to be busy at the moment, Heather.” Mr. Byron tucked Allison’s hand in the crook of his arm, while Jared took Mrs. Byron’s.
Ally’s laughter flittered all the way back to Eric, like music to his ears.
Would the woman ever cease to amaze him?
***
Allison slide the curtain aside and walking out the patio doors, she took in a deep breathe of the cool night air. With Chloe occupied by Jen and Jared still chatting to Mr and Mrs Byron, Allison thought to take a few minutes to herself.
The party was still going, but it seemed that some of the people were starting to leave. It had been a long working day after all. And with Saturday rolling around tomorrow people would want to get their rest to enjoy whatever activities they had planned.
Allison leaned against the railing of the balcony. She had admit, the apartment offered a pretty great view of the ocean front. She looked out over the calm waters, as light of the full moon glittered over the waters, reflecting its beauty to all who now witnesses it splendour.
She closed her eyes, letting the sea air wash over her heated body. She felt its calming effect start to ease into her muscles and she smiled.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she felt a hand slip a jacket over her shoulders. Looking down she recognised the dark grey material and turned her head slightly to see Eric lean against the railings beside her.
He said nothing so Allison turned her attention back to the waters. She saw a young couple strolling hand in hand down the beach. They couldn’t be more that seventeen years old. The guy had the girl’s shoes in his hand, as they chattered about something that clearly lit the girl’s face with enthusiasm and it was clear for Allison to see that the guy was mesmerised by her passion.
“I remember when I looked at you like that.” Eric suddenly spoke up, his eyes still trained on the couple.
Allison smiled, “Was I once as enthusiastic as she is now?”
“Of course you were.” Eric replied with conviction. “I remember how your emerald green eyes would light up whenever you spoke about becoming a doctor.” He looked sad for a moment and when he turned to look at her, she could see the remorse in his eyes. “I’m sorry that your dream never came true. That you never got to pursue your passion.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.”
His eyebrows raised in shock. “You’re not?”
She shook her head again. “No, I’m not. Truthfully, I love my life the way it turned out. Yes, I never got to pursue my passion, but I got Chloe out of the deal. And from where I’m standing that’s pretty sweet to me.”
“But I should have been there to help you with her.” he shook his head as he looked out over the beach again. “I should never have left. Maybe then you would have gotten a chance to at least try.”
“No, I wouldn’t have. I’d rather be a great mom to Chloe than be a great doctor who barely gets to see her kid.” She argued.
Eric was silent for a moment, as he considered what she said. “I guess I can see where you’re coming from.”
“Besides,” Allison added her eyes glittering like the shine of the moon on the calm waters. “She wouldn’t have been such a great girl if I had.”
The corners of Eric’s mouth twitched upward. “She was on fire, wasn’t she? She charmed everyone in that room tonight. She might actually be better than me.”
Allison let out a slight laugh. “Where do you think she gets it from? You were always the charmer. As I recall you charmed me right off my feet.”
Eric grinned devilishly. “I was quite the guy, wasn’t I? Ladies fell over themselves to have a date with me. And then you came along, the first girl to reject my winning smile and I’m pretty sure that’s when you had me hooked. Looking back now, I’m sure you knew what you were doing when you played hard to get.”
Allison glared at him in an amused way. “Oh please. Believe what you want, but I was immune to your charms. Well… at least for a little while anyway.”
They both laughed and turned to look at the couple who had moved a little further down the beach. Allison smiled as her heart swelled with happiness as the young couple stood kissing. It was beautiful, young love. She could tell just by looking at the way the guy tenderly caressed the girls cheek after they broke apart, that he really cared about her.
She peeked at Eric from the corner of her eye. He too was watching the young couple with a sparkle in his eyes. Was he too remembering their first date? When they’d walked hand in hand along the beach and he’d kissed her so tenderly Allison thought she might float away to the clouds above.
She let out a small sigh as the emotion of that memory flooded her heart.
“What do you think would have happened to us if you’d stayed?” she found herself suddenly asking.
Eric didn’t seem to be stinted by the question. “I don’t know. Anything could have happened.” he turned to look at her then, holding her captive with his intense grey eyes. “But I’d like to think that we would have gotten married.”
“Married?”
Eric smiled at her. “Why do you sound so shocked? Yes I would have asked you to marry me. And not because we have a kid together, but because I’d really want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
As Allison stared up into his eyes, she could tell he really meant it.
“We’d have a house,” he continued, “with a huge backyard for Chloe to play in. We might even have another kid.” Allison didn’t know why but the prospect of having another kid with Eric thrilled her. “You’d be a nurse, seeing as you’d want to be a present mother in our children’s lives.”
“And what would you be, Eric?” she asked huskily playing along.
“I’d be anything that would allow me to be just as present in your life and that of our children.” He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. “And I’d love you till the day I died.”
Allison couldn’t help herself as she felt the pull. Eric’s eyes never left hers as they inched closer toward each other. She knew she should step back, but a voice inside her head told her she keep going.
Would her lips remember the feel and taste of Eric’s upon hers? Were they the same or had they changed somehow?
All these questions ran through her head, as her heart beat accelerated at the prospect of their familiar feel. Her eyes drifted closed, anticipating the wonder yet to come.
It was the familiar sound of a woman’s voice that snapped her back to reality, making her open her eyes.
“Eric, the Parkers’ are leaving. You should…” Heather’s words drifted off, as she stepped out onto the patio to find Eric and Heather standing closely together.
Eric took a step back from Allison and cursed himself for his weakness.
“What’s going on?” Heather directed her question to Eric.
“Nothing. We were just talking.” He answered.
Allison knew Heather wasn’t a stupid woman. She could see that there was obviously more than talking going on. But nothing had happened, there would have if Heather hadn’t come looking for Eric.
“You said the Parkers’ were leaving?” he walked over to Heather and every step that he took tore at Allison’s heart.
Eric leaned in to kiss Heather on the cheek, but she pulled away from him, sending him an angry glare only for her eyes to flicker to Allison’s.
She turned on her heels and walked into the apartment without another word. Eric followed closely behind her, but glance over his shoulder at Allison before he disappeared behind the curtain.
Alison let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. She couldn’t believe she almost kissed Eric. What was she thinking? Or maybe that’s what the problem was, she wasn’t thinking.
She needed to leave, before things got out of hand. She already knew Heather probably wanted to kill her and now she had even more reason to do so, even if nothing happened.
She spotted Jen and Paul sitting on the sofa in conversation, as she entered the room.
“Hey, where’s Chloe? It’s getting pretty late. I’m sure she’s tried after the eventful night.” Allison said as she came to stand by her friends.
“She said she wanted to use the bathroom. I wanted to go with her, but she insisted that she knew the way.” Jen answered.
Determined to get out of here, Allison headed up the short flight of stairs and without problem found the bathroom, but there was no Chloe.
Maybe she’s downstairs.
Heading back towards the stairs, Allison was just about to head back down when something in one of the rooms caught her eye. She inched closer to the door which stood ajar and pushed it open.
Her eyes were captivated by the lilac and green that lit the room. There were shelves on the walls. Some held book, the others were empty. There was a table which held a small T.V. set and DVD player. Allison’s eyes travelled to the centre of the room where, on the bed, she saw her daughter laying asleep.
“I guess she was tired.” Eric’s voice sounded behind her. “This is her room after all.”
Allison moved away from him, needing to place some distance between them.
”Where’s Heather?”
“Downstairs. I saw you head up here. I came to see if you were okay.”
Allison gave a small smile. “I’m fine. I came looking for Chloe. We should be headed home. I figured she’d be tired and I was right.”
“You don’t have to wake her. She could stay here. I was supposed to have the day with her tomorrow anyway. You’re still going on your girls’ day with Jen right?”
“Yeah, I am. Well, if you don’t mind…”
“Of course I don’t. You know I love having her over.”
Satisfied, Allison agreed. “Okay then. I’ll change her.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get her to bed.”
“You sure?’
“Yeah, it gives me a chance to catch up on all those nights I missed.” Eric smiled.
“Okay then.” Allison leaned down and gave her daughter a kiss. She was about to head out the door when Eric stopped her.
“Ally?”
“Yes?”
“About earlier. I want to…”
She interrupted him, “Don’t worry about it.”
Eric hesitated for a second and looked if he was about to say something but changes his mind. “Okay, I’ll see you Sunday?”
“Sunday. I’ll call her tomorrow.”
Eric nodded, “Night, Ally and thanks for coming.”
Allison smiled at him. “I’m glad I was here.” And with that she headed downstairs to find Jared.
***
An extra long chapter to say thanks for being so patient. Hope you enjoyed. This is a rough edit so if there are some mistakes, sorry. Expect chapter 16 soon :)
Thanks for reading guys…