He frowned. She"d subtly changed, but he couldn"t put his finger on how.
"I"m sorry," he murmured. "That"s all I wanted to say. I"m just-I"m sorry for how I treated you. It was uncalled for."
"Fine." She crossed her arms in front of her, plumping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s up even more. "I accept your apology."
Pausing, he didn"t know what else to say, what else to do. Asking how she was seemed too benign, too thoughtless. Of course, his previous interactions with her had been completely thoughtless so what was the difference?
179.
Never before had a woman left him feeling so d.a.m.ned unsure before. And such a little slip of a woman too. He was ten years older than her and vastly more experienced. Yet she had him shifting on his feet like a naughty little boy about to receive his punishment.
"Can we catch up maybe?"
Slowly she shook her head, her eyes full of sadness. So much sadness, it almost equaled his own. "I don"t think that would be wise, Alex." Christ. Hearing her sweet voice say his name nearly unmanned him. Right there in the middle of a store full of bras and panties and silk and lace, he wanted to fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. Plead with her that she give him another chance.
But she was like a statue, unmoving, watching him with a sort of distance in her expression he"d never seen before.
f.u.c.k. He"d ruined it. All of his chances were gone and no begging on his part was ever going to change that.
"I understand," he said quietly though really he didn"t. He just knew it sounded good. "I wish you well, Tessa."
"Thank you." Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. "Goodbye, Alex." And just like that, she dismissed him. Much like he"d dismissed her a year ago.
It hurt. Cut like the sharpest knife down to the bone. With a curt nod he turned and slowly walked out of the store, wondering where the French woman had gone. Wondering more where Tessa might live.
What did she do in the evenings? Did she have friends or worse-did she have a man in her life?
The idea of his Tessa in the arms of another man threatened to slay him dead where he stood.
180.
Pulling his cell from his front pocket, he dialed the store manager at Worthwhile. "Something"s come up. I can"t attend the dinner tonight after all so don"t wait for me." He paused and listened to her chatter on about statistics and sales numbers, but he didn"t hear her. None of it registered. All he could think about was Tessa. "Go ahead and charge it to the Worth account. Have everyone order whatever they want." He rattled off the name of the restaurant where he"d taken Tessa, knowing they"d be impressed with the ambiance and menu. He already had an account with them, which made it easier.
Ending the call, he rounded the corner of the brick building and stood there in the growing darkness. The store hours posted by the door said Mon Amour closed at seven. He glanced at his watch and noted it was almost six-thirty.
He would wait. It could take no more than an hour for them to prep and close the shop and then she would emerge, done for the night. He would follow her back to her home. Perhaps he would corner her and demand that she talk to him, that she listen to him and perhaps even given him another chance.
Though he didn"t deserve it, he would do whatever it took to get her to listen to him. To let him explain his faults, his absolute stupidity in not believing in her, in not trusting her. If she was receptive, he would even confess his love for her.
She might not want to listen but he had to do it. Had to get everything off his chest once and for all.
If she didn"t at least give him that, he didn"t know what he would do.
Tessa called her sister as soon as Alex exited the store. Her hands shook, her heart pounded so hard it was all she could hear and she took a deep, gulping breath when her sister answered before she launched into the whole shocking story.
181.
"I had a feeling something like this might happen." Gina sounded stressed.
"Want us to come meet you when you get off work, and we can go home together?"
"G.o.d, no. I don"t want him to see Charlotte." She cast a worried glance out the front window, but he was nowhere to be found. Not that she could see much considering how dark it was. "He wouldn"t leave it alone. He kept saying he wanted to talk to me. He even said he was sorry."
"You"re not falling for that, are you?"
"Of course not." She wished she could. It would make life so much easier.
But she had to be strong. He would only end up hurting her again and she"d have no one to blame but herself. "I find it hard to believe he"d walk out so easily. He always enjoyed a challenge."
"You"re going to have to be strong." Gina paused, letting her words sink in.
It was as if she could read Tessa"s thoughts. "For Charlotte, you need to be." Tessa closed her eyes and breathed deep. She knew her sister was right. She had to do this, had to protect her daughter. "What if he"s waiting out there? He might want to talk again."
"Let me grab a taxi and head over there. If he"s outside you can run straight into the car and never have to deal with him."
"Okay, fine. Call a taxi and be here no later than seven-fifteen. Call me when you get here."
They hung up and Tessa went into the backroom, thankful business was slow. She couldn"t handle dealing with people now, not with her jittery nerves and her racing heart. Seeing him on the news last evening, she realized there was a very slim chance she"d see him.
182.
He"d somehow found her store and walked right in. As if he"d known she was inside. Had he been looking for her? Had he hired some sort of private investigator and they"d found her?
"Who was that man?" Simone asked as she entered the backroom.
Tessa pressed her lips together before she sighed. "The father of Charlotte."
"He"s Alexander Worth, isn"t he?"
Tears formed in the corners of Tessa"s eyes, and she dashed them away.
"Yes."
"I thought I recognized him. I spoke to him before I called you over. I had no idea he was Charlotte"s..."
"I used to work for him." Tessa laughed and shook her head, feeling one hundred thousand times the fool. "We had an affair and then he-he fired me.
Accused me of stealing company secrets and told me to get out. He never wanted to see him again."
"Oh, such a fool." Simone shook her head. "And you haven"t seen him until just now?"
"Yes." She nodded, a sob welling up in her throat. She was the one who was a fool. "It was quite the shock."
"He seems very sad."
Tessa frowned and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "What do you mean?"
"His demeanor, the way he spoke to me. I saw it in his eyes, heard it in his words. He is a very sad man."
"He"s a ruthless man who has no problem ruining someone if it gains him what he wants."
"Oh, dear." Simone tsked. "You are both hurting so much."
183.
"Of course, I"m hurting. I was in love with him." The moment the words left her, she knew she was still in love with him, however stupid that may be. She burst into tears, unable to mask her overwrought emotions any longer.
Simone drew her into her arms and hugged her, smoothing her hands up and down Tessa"s back. "There, there, darling. It will be just fine. Perhaps you should listen to what he has to say, no?"
"No. I can"t Simone. I let him hurt me once. I"d be stupid to let it happen again."
"He may be looking for your forgiveness."
"I don"t think I can give it to him."
"So you"d rather hold a grudge the rest of your days and deny him his daughter?"
Tessa stiffened. Put like that, Simone made her sound like a cruel, cold-hearted b.i.t.c.h. "He doesn"t care about Charlotte."
"He doesn"t know she exists. There"s a difference. How can he care about his child when he doesn"t know he has one?" Simone gave her a gentle smile. "You have a daughter together. You need to tell him about Charlotte. He deserves to know."
Tessa withdrew from Simone"s embrace, her skin cold, her mind numb.
"What if he tries to take her from me?"
"Do you believe him that cruel?"
"I don"t know what to think." He would be angry that she"d hid Charlotte from him, she knew this. Such a staunch believer in tradition and family, he would yank Charlotte right from her arms at the first opportunity. He might declare her an unfit mother with no funds and no expensive nanny to take care of their child since she had to work for a living. "He was terribly cruel to me the last time I spoke to him. I doubt he"s changed." 184 "He misses you," Simone said softly.
Tessa waved a hand, dismissing the comment. "I don"t believe it."
"He looked rather lost when he talked about you." A jolt moved through her. "He talked about me?"
"He spoke of the love he lost. I think he was referring to you." Before Tessa got a chance to ask her what she meant about that, the bell above the door rang, indicating a customer walked in. Simone took care of it, allowing Tessa some time alone so she could compose herself. She went into the tiny bathroom and splashed water on her face, then stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Dark circles shadowed the fragile skin beneath her bloodshot eyes. Her lips were swollen, her nose red from crying. She looked blotchy, horrible. She"d noticed the way Alex"s gaze had run over her body, lingering on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
They were much fuller since she breast-fed Charlotte, and her body was curvier in general.
She"d changed, both outside and in. She wasn"t the silly, stupid girl anymore who fell for all of his lies. She was stronger, braver. Moving to another country, finding a new job and having a baby all in the span of a year did that to a woman.
And she was proud of herself. But a few moments alone in Alex"s presence and he"d reduced her to a blubbering mess.
Straightening her spine, Tessa walked back out into the store and started straightening up for the night. It was nearly closing time, and her sister would be here with the taxi waiting. She could"ve called her own taxi but at least with Gina waiting for her, she had a support system. Someone she could talk to, a shoulder to cry on as they headed back home. And her sweet baby to cuddle too.
185.
The unnecessary expense of the taxi would be worth the heartache of being approached by Alex one more time. He was so determined-if he wanted to talk to her, he would find a way. Not that he"d have any real reason to talk to her, at least in his mind. They were finished.
Through.
186.
Chapter Sixteen.
Tessa hurried out the front door of Mon Amour, the French woman holding the door open for her as she came onto the sidewalk. The crowds had thinned to almost nothing, giving Alex a perfect view of her looking this way and that just before she jabbed her hands into the pockets of her black coat.
Alex wondered if she could feel his gaze upon her.
A taxi pulled up to the curb and stopped next to her and the back door popped open. Casting one more quick glance around, she hopped into the car and slammed the door.
Moving away from the side of the building, he went to the sidewalk, saw the taxi pull into the crowded street. Waving another taxi down, he jumped into the back seat, offering a curt, "Follow that car," in French and thrusting a one hundred dollar bill in the driver"s face.
The man nodded and smiled, s.n.a.t.c.hing the bill from Alex"s fingers. The taxi Tessa occupied was easy to find since it hadn"t gained much distance what with the crowded roads and he breathed an inward sigh of relief when the driver pulled in directly behind Tessa"s taxi.
She wasn"t alone. He saw two dark heads from the back window of the taxi.
Fear swirled in his gut and a wave of nausea slid over him. What if she"d met another man? What if she"d fallen in love with him and was living with him? It made sense, explained her seemingly spontaneous move to England. The Tessa he remembered was calm and quiet and didn"t seem to be one wont to spontaneous adventures.
Maybe he"d been wrong. Maybe he hadn"t known Tessa whatsoever. For all he knew, she could be a completely different person than the woman he thought he"d fallen in love with.
Frowning, Alex leaned against the seat and glanced out the window. They were getting out of the shopping district now, heading deeper into a residential district and realized the taxi was most likely taking her home.
He would know where she lived.
d.a.m.n it, he should call this off and end the chase. He was wasting his time, behaving like an irrational stalker. What good would it do, knowing where she lived if she lived with another? Had given her heart and body to another? If he wanted to torture himself and end up feeling like s.h.i.t, he was doing a bang up job of it so far.
About to ask the taxi driver to turn around and take him back to his hotel, the car in front of them pulled over in front of a tall building. "Stay back," Alex said instead, his gaze zeroed in on the car, waiting breathlessly for Tessa to exit.
Anxious to see who vacated the car, he leaned forward, curling his hands along the edge of the seat in front of him. Tessa stepped out first, quickly followed by another woman of similar height, clutching a bundle of pink in her arms.
A baby.
Confusion swamped him and he gripped the edge of the seat tighter. Who was the other woman? And where did the baby come from?
"Wait here," he commanded, opening the door and climbing out of the car.
He strode toward where Tessa stood. She held the baby now, the other woman paying the cab driver.
188.
Cuddling the baby close, her mouth rested at the side of the baby"s head, her eyes half closed as she swung gently to and fro. She was crooning sweet words, he heard her lilting voice murmur. She didn"t even notice his approach.