It might have been lust at first sight in that parking garage, but listening to her talk about losing her fiancé at the table in Vegas and seeing the tears well in those beautiful eyes had touched something deep inside him. He’d wanted to be the man to give her everything she longed to have. As crazy as it sounded, could he have loved her all along, from the very first night they shared? He damn sure couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Just thinking of coming home at the end of the day to an empty house again was unthinkable.

   Running a hand over his face, he accepted what he should have already acknowledged. He was in love with his wife, and he no longer questioned whether or not he wanted their marriage to be temporary. Shit, he hadn’t looked at another woman since he’d met her. He’d put it down to a hectic work schedule and spending time with Casey, but that had certainly never slowed him down before. No, the simple fact was he hadn’t wanted anyone else. A part of him had known from the start that she was it for him. The rest of him had just needed the time to catch up and the courage to admit the truth. Son of a bitch, I love Lydia.

   With that revelation, everything seemed to fall into place for him, and he felt a peace he’d never known. He hadn’t been looking for it nor expecting it, but wasn’t that how the best things in life happened? He glanced at his daughter. She was one such surprise and had shown him that he had a capacity to love that he’d never imagined he could possess.

   He reached for his phone, eager to speak to Lydia, and then realized it was after two in the morning. Didn’t he owe her something better than a late-night phone call when he admitted the depth of his feelings for her? Tomorrow, when Chris arrived, he’d go home to his wife and ask her what she was doing for the rest of her life. He hoped that answer still included him.

Chapter Thirteen

   Lydia wasn’t sure what to do the next day. She awoke early that morning and Jake was still at the hospital. So she got ready for work as she normally would and ended up arriving at Danvers almost an hour ahead of schedule. She was preoccupied with Jake and thoughts of where if anywhere they went from here when she plowed right into someone. “Oh, sorry,” she automatically said, then jumped in surprise as a hand settled on her arm.

   “Good morning, Lydia. Looks like we’re both early today.” Mark smiled at her. “Crystal was just getting dressed when I left, so she won’t be here for a bit.”

   There was something so charismatic about Mark even though she wasn’t attracted to him. He was darkly handsome, with an infectious sense of energy that emanated from him. Shrugging, she said, “I decided to get a jump start on the day. I was worried about Casey and Jake, so I didn’t sleep that well.” Then the thought occurred to her that Jake might not have let Mark know what was going on yet. “Did Jake tell you that his daughter is in the hospital?” Her throat tightened just thinking of the beautiful child that she’d grown to love suffering the pain of a broken arm. She didn’t care if Jake or Chris wanted her there. She was going to see Casey on her lunch hour.

   “He called me earlier this morning.” Mark nodded. “I understand she’s doing much better, but I’m sure it scared the hell out of him at the time.”

   “It did,” Lydia agreed. She didn’t bother to add that she had no idea how things had gone the rest of the night since she was shown the door early on.

   She was shocked when Mark pointed at a seating area in the corner and motioned her toward it. Curiosity had her taking a seat on the comfortable chair and looking at Mark expectedly. Mark sat across from her and crossed his legs before saying, “I’ve known Jake for a while now. And I’m just going to admit that I was rather taken aback when I heard that he’d gotten married in Vegas.”

   Giggling despite herself, Lydia said, “I think we all felt that way, including Jake and me. It wasn’t exactly a normal evening in my life either.”

   “No, I don’t imagine so.” Mark chuckled. “I think what’s been even more interesting, though, is how he’s settled down since his marriage.”

   “Was he some kind of party animal before?” Lydia joked, only half kidding. She’d known that he probably wasn’t short on women vying for his affections, but was there more that she wasn’t aware of?

   “I actually wasn’t talking about his personal life,” Mark interjected quickly. The look on his face told her that he didn’t even want to go near that minefield. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but both Jake and I did a lot of traveling for The DeSanto Group until recent months. I began to slow down on that when I met Crystal, and Jake gladly stepped up and took over my share. Even though I know it was hard for him with a daughter, he still did it without complaint. He and I are similar in that we’d rather do something ourselves to make sure it’s taken care of than to rely on others. Hence, why we traveled far more than should have been necessary.”

   Confused, Lydia said, “But we’ve been married for going on three months now, and other than day trips, he hasn’t been anywhere.”

   “That’s right,” Mark agreed. “I promoted my cousin and assistant, Denny, and he’s been handling the long-distance travel for us—a move that would have bothered Jake greatly at one time. But after his marriage, he fully supported and encouraged me in the decision.”

   Then the reason behind Jake’s agreement hit Lydia and she leaned forward to explain it to Mark. “Casey’s mother had been making things hard for Jake, so I’m sure he wanted to be in town more often to avoid additional problems going forward.”

   Mark drummed a finger on his knee as if debating something before finally saying, “I know about the issues with Chris. He loves his daughter, but he also wanted to come home to you every day. He’s in love with you, or he wouldn’t have given up something that he enjoys so much. There are very few things in this world that will slow down and change men such as us and that’s the main one. If not for Crystal, I’d still be circling the globe, so trust me, I recognize the same affliction in someone else.”