"Inside and out, and now I'm wondering if she's changed her mind about marrying me." His expression was grim as he glanced towards the vehicle. She had her head leaning back and her eyes closed. Dean shifted his gaze to his sister. "What is it?"
"I'm divorcing Charles." She firmed her lips and took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about what you said and you're right." She shrugged thin shoulders. "I might never find what you have with Catherine, and I hope to God they--" She gestured towards the house. "I sincerely hope they have not ruined things for you." She touched his arm briefly, before dropping her hand. "I deserve better. I have no idea what to do next and I know that when I confront them with my decision, they're going to want to change my mind, but not this time."
He gave her a concerned look. "Do you want me to be there when you tell them?"
She shook her head, her smile luminous. "I believe this is a turning point for us -- you and me." She hesitated briefly and then, making up her mind, she stepped forward to hug him. His jolt of surprise had her smiling as she stepped back.
"Thanks." With a wave of acknowledgement to Catherine, she hurried back inside.
He came back to the car and got in, gunning the engine immediately. She had seen the exchange and was relieved to see that something had changed between the siblings. And he no longer had that haunted expression on his face. He just looked thoughtful and sober, making her wonder what he was thinking. She liked his sister and was going to make an effort to get to know her.
Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Her quiet breathing alerted him that she was knocked out. Even when he pulled into the driveway, she did not wake up. Shutting off the engine, he shifted sideways so he could see her better. Her face was turned towards him, so he had the pleasure of looking his fill.
Her lashes made shadows on her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted. She had adjusted the seat for comfort and was half reclining. She looked so serene, so calm, so beautiful, so pure. She had held her own with his family. In the past, after he moved out, he had never brought a woman to meet his parents. Not even when he was living there.
After the bitterness of finding out who they really were and what they were doing, he had decided that as soon as he started college, he was going out on his own.
He could not resist touching her. Lifting his hand, he trailed a finger over the silky softness of her cheek. Her lids fluttered open and her smile came, the dimples peeping out.
"You were completely knocked out."
"It must be the seven-course meal. I only saw that in movies when very wealthy people entertain. Has it been that way for you when you were growing up?"
"Yes," he answered warily.
"Then I'm surprised you're not fat."
That was the last thing he expected to hear from her, and his shout of laughter filled the car and warmed her heart. Relief covered him like a cloak. He had been filled with agonizing certainty that after the disastrous dinner at his family home, she was going to change her mind.
"Your sweetness is a breath of fresh air," he whispered huskily. "Why are you not turned off? I saw the way my father was leering at you. I wanted to smash his face in. It made me sick to see his behavior."
She touched his taut jaw with feather-light fingers. "One thing my near-death experience taught me, and it's this -- never ever take anything seriously. Your dad is who he is, and hopefully one day he will change. What he does is on him, not on anyone else."
"Does that mean we're still getting married?"
"Oh, I don't know, it depends." She straightened and touched the lever to bring the seat back up.
"On what?" he asked with a frown.
"On whether or not you kiss me good night." Her impish smile had him pulling her into his arms and doing just that.
*****
The date of the wedding was set for the first Saturday in June. And things were progressing rapidly. Somehow, their engagement was leaked to the press. An enterprising photographer had snapped a candid shot of them taking a walk in the park one afternoon after he had picked her up from school. The long-lens camera had captured the couple holding hands and Dean gazing down at her with an indulgent look on his face.
Catherine was saying something to him and smiling up at him.
The caption read: 'Playboy multibillionaire has finally stumbled.'
'The Collier family have been forever dead center in the spotlight over the years. The family of investment bankers seem to court scandal one way or another by their flagrant ignorance of what society would call normal behavior. Both parents are well known for their relationships with other people and are well known to have total disregard for the whispers surrounding them. Dean Collier, only son and heir to the vast holding that includes banks all over the world as well as properties that stretch as far as Europe, has courted his own scandal. Rumor has it that he was involved in a messy to-do with a member of a royal family in Spain and had to be escorted from that country after refusing to marry the young woman. His reputation with the opposite sex is many and varied and the list includes movie stars, lawyers, doctors, society princesses and the list goes on.
He has been jet-setting all over the world and his wild parties are legendary. Now he's settling down with an African-American woman who so happens to be a kindergarten teacher. One is left wondering what brought this about. Catherine Antoinette Miller is the epitome of "unlikely bride." Which leaves this writer with the conclusion that this must be love. Thousands of hearts will be broken by this unprecedented turn of events. Many hopeful young ladies had yearned for the privilege of being the one to capture Collier's interest for more than a week or even a month. We are also left wondering if this will last or if this marriage is just a way to get the young man to finally take his rightful place in the family and produce an heir.'
Dean read the entire article and felt the anger kindling. What was worse was that it was based on facts. He had been thatperson, and before now what the press had printed on him and his family had never made a dent because it had not mattered.
Now it did. His reputation was going to spill over on her and she was bound to get caught up in the backlash. They would forever be in the public eye, as they would be watched to see if this was really happening. Their entire lives would be open to public scrutiny.
Catherine had enjoyed her privacy before, but everything was about to change.