“Do what?”
“Lock yourself away the instant anybody gets close. Used to make me crazy,” she admitted. “It was as if you were on a constant red alert—just waiting for a sneak attack on your heart so you could defend against it.”
He resented the description, but Rafe really couldn’t deny it, either.
Shaking her head again, she said, “Don’t do it, Rafe. I mean, with her, whoever she is, don’t do this. Let her in. Risk it.”
“Yeah, because my track record is so good.”
“You don’t need a track record to love someone,” she told him. “All it takes is the right someone.”
“Like John?” he asked.
“For me, yes. Exactly like John.” She let her hand fall from his arm and added, “You know, John misses your friendship. You didn’t have to cut him loose because of what happened between us, Rafe.”
Yes, he did. Because he couldn’t look at his friend without knowing that somehow, John had been able to do something Rafe had failed at. He’d made Leslie happy when Rafe couldn’t. Kings didn’t like losing, probably because they weren’t very good at it. Thankfully, the Kings didn’t have to deal with that situation often, since they rarely accepted failure.
But in these last few minutes with Leslie, Rafe could admit that whatever he had once felt at losing her was now gone. She was married, happy and a mother. Leslie had moved on, just as his brothers had said. Maybe it was time he did the same thing. Should he really allow one failure to dictate the rest of his life?
“I’ve missed John, too,” he admitted finally. And since that statement didn’t leave a bitter taste in his mouth, he heard himself ask, “How are the kids?”
Her face brightened instantly and her smile went wide and heartfelt. “They’re terrific. Want to see some pictures?”
“Sure.” It only took her a moment to get her purse and pull out her wallet. Then she was flipping through pictures of two beautiful kids, each of them with her hair and John’s eyes. He looked at those shining faces and felt the slightest ping of envy at the proof of his ex-wife’s current life. “Nice-looking kids.”
“They’re great,” Leslie said. “And John’s a wonderful father.”
“I’m glad for you,” he told her and surprisingly enough, he meant it. Odd, Rafe thought. Before, when he’d thought about Leslie, there had always been a thread of sadness sliding through him. His failure. His mistake. Now, he felt nothing like that. Instead, his thoughts were filled with images of Katie Charles. Her smile. Her laugh. The feel of her skin beneath his hands.
Leslie was the past.
Was Katie the future?
“Are you okay?”
“What?”
Leslie studied him. “You looked worried there for a second.”
Worried? Him? Rafe frowned slightly. He didn’t worry. He acted. “No. Not worried. Everything’s fine.” He paused and then surprised himself by adding, “I’m glad you stopped by today, Leslie.”
“Yeah?” She grinned. “Now there’s something you wouldn’t have said even a year ago.”
“True,” he admitted ruefully. “But I can say it now.”
“She must really be something, your mystery woman.”
“You know,” he said thoughtfully, as the last of his baggage from his failed marriage fell away, “she really is.”
“Then don’t blow it, Rafe,” Leslie told him. “For your own sake, let her in.”
He already had, he realized now. Hadn’t meant to. Hadn’t even been aware of it. But somehow Katie had gotten past his defenses and now he had to figure out what that meant for him. For them.
“I should be going,” Leslie said. She picked up her bag and walked over to slip into her heels. “Thank you again for doing this, Rafe, and I will pay you back.”
“I know. Just…call Janice tomorrow.”
“I will. Oh, and don’t be mad at Declan for letting me into your place. I won’t do it again.”
He nodded, watching her prepare to return to her own life and world.
“There’s one more thing,” she said softly. “I’m sorry about how we ended.”
He snapped her a look and noted that her smile was genuine and the tears were gone. For the first time, Rafe could look at her and see beyond his own failures and disappointments. He realized that there weren’t hard feelings anymore. He didn’t need to continue to avoid Leslie or even John. The past was done. It didn’t matter to him now and with that realization came a sort of peace. So when another thought popped into his mind, he went with it.
“We could always use another legal shark at King Construction,” he offered. “Tell John to call me.”
Her smile was quick and bright. “He’d love to talk to you again, Rafe. Even without a job offer.”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Me, too.”
When Leslie left a moment later, Rafe took a second or two to enjoy the unusual sensation he felt. For years, he’d been holding on to the failure of his marriage like a damn battle flag. Internally, he’d waved it any time a woman even remotely seemed to be getting too close. That stamp of failure was enough to ensure he’d never try marriage again. Never allow someone to matter too much. As a King, he didn’t fail.
But now, he was beginning to realize that maybe his marriage to Leslie hadn’t had a chance from the beginning. He’d never had a shot at making it work because he had married Leslie for all the wrong reasons.
They had both been too young to know what they wanted. Too stupid to see that getting married wasn’t the natural end result of dating for a year. He had blindly pushed forward even though a part of him had known going in that it wasn’t right.
The problem was, he didn’t feel like that about Katie. Being with her felt absolutely right. But would it still feel that way when she knew the truth?
Nine
After a long nap, Katie felt energized and a little nervous about her upcoming date. So she took moral support along when she went shopping.
“Seriously?” Nicole asked, shaking her head and grimacing. “You’re not fifty years old, Katie.”
Katie looked down at the dress she had tried on and frowned to herself. It was a lovely beige silk with a high neck, long sleeves and a full skirt that swirled around her knees when she did a quick turn in front of the mirror. “It’s pretty.”