Erin rolled her eyes.“And the chick is my best friend.If you need to complain about Conn, I’ll listen.”
They clinked their glasses together.
“I’d like a moment of your time, young lady,” the Colonel said as he joined them.
“Granddaddy,” Erin warned.
“I won’t bite her,” he said, thumping his cane on the floor.
“It’s okay,” Lara said with a smile that encompassed both of them.“If you do, I’ll bite back.”
“Spunk,” he said.“I like that.”
“I’ll be with Grandmother, but I’m telling Connor you’ve stolen Lara away.”
“There’s a quiet place on the patio,” the Colonel said.
She took her mimosa with her and followed the older gentleman outside.
“Family means a lot to you,” he said without preamble as he lowered himself into a chair.“Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing this.I understand why you went to Connor.”
She glanced back inside the house.Connor was still sitting with his mother, but he was looking back at her.
“Connor told me you will be working out an ending date to the marriage.I don’t necessarily support that.But as long as that’s confidential, it can work.But I want you to hear my thoughts with no polite bullshit.Marriage should be forever.”
“I agree with you, in theory.As you know, this is more of a business arrangement.”
“Things have a way of becoming more complicated.Unexpected consequences.”He, too, looked through the window, back inside the house.His gaze fixed on Connor’s mother, his own daughter-in-law.
She wondered if he was talking about his own regrets, the way he’d influenced past events.Suddenly she saw the Colonel as a more complex man.He’d lost a son, and because of his own health issues, Connor had been forced into a prominent role at Donovan Worldwide.
“Time can’t go backward.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying.”And more, she had greater respect for what Connor had said yesterday.Love could be a messy thing.The after-effects of Jeffrey’s love for Stormy continued to ripple through the generations.
Before she could say anything else, the patio door opened, and she saw Connor walking toward them.
“Ready to go?”he asked, standing behind her and squeezing her shoulders.“We still have to see your mother.”
Lara said her goodbyes to the Colonel then she and Connor went inside to give their farewells to the rest of the family.
“He’s gruff, but well-meaning,” Connor’s grandmother said.“There’s a softie under that bluster.A man who cares, someone as flawed as the rest of us.”
Lara hugged the older lady then allowed Connor to guide her outside.
Once they were alone, he pinned her against the side of the car and allowed his gaze to flow over her body.“No nicks or bruises?”he asked.
“Everyone was very polite.”
“Good.Any nicks or bruises will come from me,” he replied.
Just that fast, he’d created simmering tension between them.She swallowed deeply.
“Open your mouth for me.”
When she didn’t immediately comply, he added, “Now, Lara.”
Instead of looking away, she did as he instructed.
