Read Online Operation Family by Marissa Dobson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marissa Dobson
Ads: Link
there a moment longer, letting the cold seep into his body and chase away his burning desire for Nicole that never seemed to dissipate.
“Wow, the wind makes it colder.” He hadn’t heard Nicole come up behind him until she spoke.
“What did Shawn do for a living?” He turned to her, wondering how his nephew had afforded the house, cottage, and a comfortable nest egg for the girls.
“Shawn was an investor.” The mention of Shawn’s name brought a distant look to her eyes. “He put money into start-up companies, and if they paid off he made out well. If they didn’t, they still had to pay back the money that was used. He was a genius when it came to business. His investments will transfer to you, to continue to provide financial support for the twins. The last few months I’ve straightened out his bookkeeping, so you shouldn’t have to worry about providing for the girls, even if they want to get doctoral degrees at Ivy League universities.”
“I’m not concerned about money to raise the girls. Whatever is there will be saved for them—for their colleges, their futures.” He slipped his hand in hers. “Come sit, I want to ask you something.”
“Something worse than picking up and moving across country?” She teased, but came away from the door with him.
He couldn’t think of anything lighthearted enough to say, so he remained quiet until they made it to the sofa. What he had to know might be worse for her depending on the answer. It might bring up hard feelings or worse yet, the ghost of his nephew. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility that there could have been more between Nicole and Shawn than friendship and a working relationship. If she had feelings for his nephew, would that change what was starting to develop between them?
“Mac, you’ve turned serious, what’s going on?”
“You asked me before if there was a woman waiting for me back in Virginia.” He paused as they sank down onto the sofa. “When you talk about Shawn, there’s a longing in your eyes—”
“Where is this going?” She interrupted him before he could get his thought out.
“I need to know if there was anything between the two of you.”
“I can’t believe you.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and leaned back against the sofa. “You think I was screwing Shawn?”
“Nicole.” He reached out to take hold of her hand again but she pulled farther away. “When you speak of Shawn there seemed to be a deep longing, more than I expected there to be between you two. I just need to know where things stood between you, how deep the feelings go.”
“Why?”
How the hell am I supposed to answer that? He could have sworn she could see what’s happening between them. Was it just on his part, or did she feel something toward him too? It had been too long since he had any sort of attraction toward a woman, so maybe he was off his game. All these years he kept his emotions out of the picture when it came to women, keeping his commitments to only the night or a few days while he was on leave. She was throwing him off balance.
“Answer me,” she demanded, cutting through his thoughts.
“I need to know…because if you loved him, that could change whatever is happening between us.”
“I did love him, but not in the way you’re thinking. Shawn became my best friend, another brother. The girls were preemie because of their mother’s unfortunate accident. We spent many hours sitting in the nursery, just holding the girls, giving them the comfort they needed. It gave us time to talk, to really get to know each other.” She wiped the tears away that had begun to fall. “What you see is sadness, longing, and grief. I’m questioning fate, and everything that people believe in, because I don’t understand how two helpless infants could be brought into a loving family, a family who had been trying so long to have children, only to have it all snatched away from them before their first
“Wow, the wind makes it colder.” He hadn’t heard Nicole come up behind him until she spoke.
“What did Shawn do for a living?” He turned to her, wondering how his nephew had afforded the house, cottage, and a comfortable nest egg for the girls.
“Shawn was an investor.” The mention of Shawn’s name brought a distant look to her eyes. “He put money into start-up companies, and if they paid off he made out well. If they didn’t, they still had to pay back the money that was used. He was a genius when it came to business. His investments will transfer to you, to continue to provide financial support for the twins. The last few months I’ve straightened out his bookkeeping, so you shouldn’t have to worry about providing for the girls, even if they want to get doctoral degrees at Ivy League universities.”
“I’m not concerned about money to raise the girls. Whatever is there will be saved for them—for their colleges, their futures.” He slipped his hand in hers. “Come sit, I want to ask you something.”
“Something worse than picking up and moving across country?” She teased, but came away from the door with him.
He couldn’t think of anything lighthearted enough to say, so he remained quiet until they made it to the sofa. What he had to know might be worse for her depending on the answer. It might bring up hard feelings or worse yet, the ghost of his nephew. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility that there could have been more between Nicole and Shawn than friendship and a working relationship. If she had feelings for his nephew, would that change what was starting to develop between them?
“Mac, you’ve turned serious, what’s going on?”
“You asked me before if there was a woman waiting for me back in Virginia.” He paused as they sank down onto the sofa. “When you talk about Shawn, there’s a longing in your eyes—”
“Where is this going?” She interrupted him before he could get his thought out.
“I need to know if there was anything between the two of you.”
“I can’t believe you.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and leaned back against the sofa. “You think I was screwing Shawn?”
“Nicole.” He reached out to take hold of her hand again but she pulled farther away. “When you speak of Shawn there seemed to be a deep longing, more than I expected there to be between you two. I just need to know where things stood between you, how deep the feelings go.”
“Why?”
How the hell am I supposed to answer that? He could have sworn she could see what’s happening between them. Was it just on his part, or did she feel something toward him too? It had been too long since he had any sort of attraction toward a woman, so maybe he was off his game. All these years he kept his emotions out of the picture when it came to women, keeping his commitments to only the night or a few days while he was on leave. She was throwing him off balance.
“Answer me,” she demanded, cutting through his thoughts.
“I need to know…because if you loved him, that could change whatever is happening between us.”
“I did love him, but not in the way you’re thinking. Shawn became my best friend, another brother. The girls were preemie because of their mother’s unfortunate accident. We spent many hours sitting in the nursery, just holding the girls, giving them the comfort they needed. It gave us time to talk, to really get to know each other.” She wiped the tears away that had begun to fall. “What you see is sadness, longing, and grief. I’m questioning fate, and everything that people believe in, because I don’t understand how two helpless infants could be brought into a loving family, a family who had been trying so long to have children, only to have it all snatched away from them before their first
Similar Books
