“I hear you. Sometimes I feel like Mother and her friends suck the life right out of me.”
Dallas kept her mouth shut. His mother was kind of like a vampire. An evil one, not like the ones in Twilight.
The limo was waiting outside, and the driver opened the door as they walked up.
Ethan got in and reached for her hand, helping her scoot close to him. “Come here, sweetheart. Lean on me and relax.” He found some classical piano on the radio and turned it down low.
Dallas snuggled her head on his chest and slid her arm across his waist. For the first time that afternoon, she felt completely safe.
As the city traffic thinned and they headed out on the highway, Ethan stroked her arm, kissing her softly on the temple. She couldn’t settle down, though. Lunch had been so upsetting. Her thoughts coalesced into a strong determination. She would never go through an experience like that again. It was time to stand up for herself.
Sitting up straight, she pushed her hair out of her face.
Ethan asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
She didn’t want to hurt him, but she had no choice. His mother had made this decision for her. “Not now. Ethan, I need to talk to you.”
He frowned. “Is there something wrong?”
“Yes.” She clasped his hand, gripping it firmly. “I can’t go through another day like today with your mother. I’ll be frank. I think she planned lunch at the club so all her friends could get a good look at me. If you’ll remember, when I met each one, she said she’d heard of me. I’m sure your mother said unkind things about me, and they couldn’t wait to see the gold digger that had her claws in Linda’s only son. Your mother ignored me unless she was introducing me. Her smile never reaches her eyes. And how about throwing you at Tiffany right in front of me? Ethan, she doesn’t like me, doesn’t want me to be part of her family, and will do anything in her power to come between us. Please, try to understand where I’m coming from.”
He pulled her in and hugged her tight in thoughtful silence for a moment. “Dallas, you’re right. I should have known something was up. Usually, those old hags are all over me, and this time they didn’t give me a second glance. I swear to God, my mother has sunk to a new low. And how dare she speak ill of you?” Tilting her chin, he kissed her hard, making it last. “Don’t you worry. I’ll handle this right now.”
He grabbed his phone and dialed, crushing it to his ear. “Hello, Mother.” He paused to listen for a moment. “No, of course not. We’re still driving. I have something to discuss with you, and please don’t interrupt. I know what you were up to this afternoon. You made Dallas feel unwelcome and reviled. It will never happen again. The reason I know this is we won’t be seeing you again. You forced me to make a choice, Mother, and I choose Dallas. There may come a time, in the distant future, when I give you a chance to prove that you not only accept Dallas but will be kind and caring to her. However, I can’t promise that. You’re on your own now, Mother. Goodbye.”
Terminating the call, he dropped his phone in the console and tilted Dallas’s face to him. “Nothing—and no one—is more important to me than you, Dallas. My mother will learn that or she’ll lose me.”
Knowing how much his mother meant to him, Dallas was unable to find words to express her feelings. She clasped his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly. No man had ever sacrificed so much for her. “Ethan, I’m sorry. I know how you love her.”
He started to speak, and she shushed him with her fingertips.
She kissed him again. “You’ve given me a precious gift.” This man would give anything, do anything for her. How could she not love him?
Chapter Thirteen
Monday night, Dallas rocked Piper to sleep. Her daughter had been extra clingy since Sunday evening when Dallas returned from her trip. Though Piper enjoyed her time with the nanny and loved her grandparents, she didn’t like being away from her mother for so long. After cuddling her daughter a few minutes longer, Dallas at last tucked her in bed and pulled her door nearly shut.
Pouring herself a glass of wine, Dallas’s thoughts turned to Ethan and the sacrifice he made. A warm rush swept through her. It was still hard to believe the man had cut his mother from his life to protect Dallas. He said he’d fallen for her. Did that mean he loved her? She smiled and remembered the feeling of him holding her on the ride home. Never had she been so carefree or content with her life. Ethan handled everything when she was with him, and despite the fact that she always prided herself on her strength and independence, she found that she didn’t mind him taking charge.
Lord, how the man could kiss. Goose bumps traveled up her arms. He’d thoroughly aroused her. Though she hadn’t exactly lost control, she’d reveled in his seduction. Even more, she trusted herself with him. Ethan was a gentleman. But, did she love him?
In the darkened living room, she settled on the couch and took a sip of wine, staring at the lighted time on her sound system, mesmerized by the blue light. In the silent house, she relaxed for the first time since returning home. Leaning her cool glass against her brow, she closed her eyes.
Her phone rang, startling her, and she looked at the display. Cash. She hesitated at a pang in her heart. Am I feeling disloyal to Ethan? Oh, hell! Punching in the call, she said, “Hey, how are you?”
Ignoring her question, he said, “Dallas? I need to see you. It’s important. I’m sorry, you
