Ruth and Lucas Read online

  If he loved her, that would be another story. What was love, anyway? Lucas had never been in love before, he probably wouldn't know it even if it bit him on the butt. Respect and attraction were enough for him, and he had that in bucket loads for Ruth.

  Lucas got up, leaving his office. Fabio would probably squeeze him in if he asked nicely; he was the only stylist who knew how to cut his hair properly. Lucas had been burned many times before by so-called celebrity stylists who knew it all, so Fabio was the only one who he allowed to touch his hair. A brief word to his secretary and he was out, whistling a cheery tune as he strolled to his car. Today was a good day, and tonight would be even better.

  Lucas arrived home feeling great. He looked good, smelled good, and he came bearing gifts, particularly a necklace and earring set that would compliment the plunging neckline of the maroon dress he'd picked for her. The deep color paired beautifully with the gold and glass heels he had selected for her, a perfect match for her lovely brown skin. Lucas didn't know what Ruth used to maintain the healthy sheen to her skin, but it always looked soft to the touch. He always made excuses to touch her, be it a hand on her arm, a hug, or helping her into a coat. Sometimes he couldn't help but lean down and smell her heavenly scent, a light floral scent that reminded him of meadows and sunflower patches. Everything about Ruth was perfect, even the little gap in her teeth was attractive.

  Lucas didn't see any cars out front, maybe the stylists and beauty spa had left already. He glanced at his watch, frowning.

  “It's only three, surely that's not enough time to do everything I organized?”

  If a half job had been done, there was going to be a problem. Lucas entered the house, hiding the jewelry box behind him.

  “Ruth?”

  No answer. Where was she? Oddly, not even Isabel's car had been out front, could Ruth have sent her home in preparation of their evening together? It was likely. Lucas stopped a maid who was coming from the doors leading to the garden, calling her closer.

  “Evangeline, where's Mrs. Ross?”

  "In the sunroom, sir. I just served her some tea."

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Lucas let her go, heading to Ruth's favorite room of the house. They often had coffee there in the morning, discussing their plans for the day. It was the part of the day that he cherished, it was the juice that kept him going throughout the day. He tiptoed to the room, not wanting her to see immediately see him. Lucas stopped at the door, not understanding the scene before him. Ruth sat curled up in a wicker chair, staring into nothing. She wasn't dressed, her make up wasn't done, and she didn't look like a woman who wanted to go anywhere with him.

  “Ruth, what's wrong?”

  She glanced at him sharply, her features softening a bit. “Hi, Lucas, you're back early.”

  "Yes. Where are all the people I sent to the house? Why aren't you ready for tonight?"

  “I sent them away because I'm just not feeling well.”

  “Not feeling well? Do you want me to call the doctor?”

  “No, you don't need to do that, Lucas, I think that I'm just tired, that's all. There's no need to worry.”

  Lucas was disappointed but he tried not to let it show. I planned something special for us, but I can't do anything if she's unwell. He looked at her closely. She seemed pretty tired, but something else seemed to be occupying her mind.

  “Are you worried about anything, Ruth?”

  “No,” she quickly denied. “Why do you say that?”

  “Only asking. Would you like me to get you something?”

  She shook her head. “No, no thanks. I'll just take myself off to bed if you don't mind. Some sleep should do me some good.”

  "Yes, you do that. Would you like me to have Mrs. Clump bring you some Chamomile tea?"

  "That would be nice." She stood up. "Lucas, I'm really sorry about all of this. You put so much effort into planning this evening, I wish that I could ignore how I'm feeling and go with you. You look handsome, by the way."

  There was that at least, but all his effort had been in vain. He smiled at Ruth, hiding his thoughts.

  "Thank you, but there's always another time. Go off to bed and get better, alright? I'll have Mrs. Clump come up with the tea soon."

  “Thank you, Lucas—you're a star.”

  Ruth soon left him, the room feeling colder for it. Something's troubling her, I know that it is, but she won't let me in. Lucas noticed that she'd left her phone behind. She might need it. As he lifted it from the coffee table, it pinged with an incoming text message. Usually, he wouldn't pry into her personal life, but this time, he felt compelled to take a look. Ruth didn't put a lock on her phone, mainly because she was an open book. Keeping secrets wasn't her style, not counting her past because it wasn't the same thing. Lucas swiped his thumb on the screen, frowning when he saw the name.

  “George? Why the hell is he messaging my wife?”

  Lucas read through it quickly, become angrier by the second. So George thinks that he can waltz back into my wife's life? Had he sent her more than one message? Against his better judgment, Lucas began to go through Ruth's phone, finding two more messages from George.

  “She hasn't replied to him, is that a good or bad thing?”

  Jealousy rose up within him hot and true, blinding him. Before he knew it, he was out the door and halfway up the staircase. Lucas wanted to demand that Ruth tell him everything, and explain why she would withhold such information from him. They were a married couple, for goodness sake! Things like this needed to be discussed. He paused on the stairs, his forehead creasing as he looked up towards her room.

  “So this is why you didn't look too happy, why didn't you just tell me?”

  But if he spoke to her about it now, he might come across as confrontational.

  “Or worse, a jealous husband.”

  That was the last thing he wanted to happen. Lucas decided that the best thing to do was to keep quiet and give her time. Eventually, she would tell him about it—he hoped.

  *****

  Ruth didn't lie down as she said she would. Instead, she was pacing up and down her room.

  “I cannot believe that he's trying to come back into my life! Does he think that he can betray me and then start saying that he loves me when it suits him?”

  No, no, no, that just wasn't right. His first message had come out of nowhere, just a brief text that spoke of his love for her. Did Tally know that her husband was in contact with her? Ruth doubted it.

  "I don't know what to do or think about it. George wants to see me, but would it be right for me to do that ?"

  They were both married, there was no room for infidelity. But if she didn't go and see him, she might live to regret it. He was her first love, after all, didn't she owe him a little of her time?

  “Didn't he owe me the decency to inform me that he was leaving me to marry another woman? The mother of his child?”

  She owed him nothing! Nothing whatsoever. However, if she didn't go, how would she know what he wanted to tell her? He might want to apologize to her, but Ruth didn't know how she felt about that. Would an apology be enough for the way he'd treated her?

  "No, it could never be enough, but I won't rest until I know what it is that he wants to tell me."

  George had said that he loved her, that didn't seem like something that a married man should say to another woman.

  “Especially a married woman.”

  Still, she was curious to know what he had to say for himself. At the end of the day, she'd loved him and given him several years of her life. They'd been engaged for two of those and Ruth had fully expected to marry him and live the rest of her life with him. If not for his betrayal, she would still be with him. But what about Lucas? She was married to him, was she not? He'd managed to give her the respect that George never wanted to give her, and she was actually happy with Lucas. He may not be her husband in truth, but legally, they were man and wife. Despite their agreement to see other people, she hadn't do
ne so, and as far as she knew, neither had he.

  “Today marks our seventh month anniversary. Not that it's a thing, but it's still a milestone.”

  Ruth knew that she needed to look to her future, but she couldn't quite put her past to rest until some questions in her mind were answered. The decision was made: she was going to see him.

  Ruth didn't take any special care with her appearance; as far as she was concerned, he didn't deserve that. The restaurant she'd chosen was an hour's drive from the house, a little Taiwanese place that she'd been meaning to go to for some time.

  “It means nothing that I'm meeting George here, I might as well enjoy the food while he talks.”

  Ruth had already ordered for herself, tucking into fragrant vegetables and rice. She was on a diet that excluded any red meat and sugar, not the easiest of diets when she loved ribs and chocolate so much, but with Lucas constantly bringing home treats for her, she was putting on a little weight. Veronica Beaumont was well-known for being slender, vibrant, and glowing, and while she still had the vibrant and glowing part, the slender part was becoming more challenging to achieve.

  “He's not going to like it when people start commenting that his wife is fat.”

  Ruth took another spoonful, nearly choking when a bouquet of flowers appeared out nowhere. George appeared soon after, a broad grin on his face. Ruth swallowed hard, patting her chest when the food got a bit stuck.

  “I see that you started without me.”

  “I was hungry.”

  “Hey, I'm not complaining, I would do the same. These are for you.”

  George handed her the flowers, and she found herself comparing them to the creations that Lucas would often give her.

  “Thank you, George. Please, take a seat.”

  He did so, leaning on the table. “I'm so glad that you agreed to see me, Ronnie. How are you?”

  “Good, and you?”

  "As well as can be. You look really good, radiant even. You must be happy?"

  Ruth was done with the pleasantries, she wanted to know precisely what he had come to tell her.

  “George, let's cut to the chase, alright? Why did you want to see me? I thought that you'd said all that you wanted to tell me in that text message you sent me months ago.”

  He winced. “That was wrong of me, Ronnie, it really was. What kind of man was I to do that to you? I was a coward, a disgusting coward.”

  He took the words right out of her mouth, which surprised Ruth. George never readily admits to being wrong, what's changed?

  “What's brought about this remorse, George? You didn't seem this concerned when I last saw you.”

  George hung his head. “Words cannot explain how much I hate myself for hurting you, Ronnie. I made a mistake, a huge one.”

  His voice sounds heavy with remorse, but that's not to say that he's not pretending for my benefit.

  “We all make mistakes, but they work out for the better in the end. We're both married, and you even have a beautiful child with Tally.”

  He looked up. “But I don't have you, Ronnie.”

  Ruth pulled her head back. “Huh?”

  He moved to take her hand, but she hid it under the table. There was no way that she was about to allow him to touch her. Undeterred, he spoke, supposedly pouring his heart out.

  “Listen, Ronnie, I was a fool. Ever since we split, I've had nothing but trouble with Tally. The truth is that she isn't you, and I've regretted every minute that I've been without you. Please forgive me, Ronnie, please.”

  To say that she was stunned was putting it lightly. What's going on here? Is he actually trying to say that he wishes that he was with me and not his wife?

  “I don't know what to say, George.”

  “Just say that you forgive me, that you'll give me another chance?”

  “Another chance?”

  Was he kidding? He dumped me like a hot potato, and not only that, but he was also seeing Tally behind my back.

  “You cheated on me, George, I can't take that lightly.”

  “And I don't want you to, my love. I want you to punish me, but not if it means that you won't give me another chance.”

  Had he gone loco? He can't be serious, give him another chance? There was no way that she could do that, she would be stupid to do so.

  “Listen, George, we're both married, this is hardly fair to Tally and your son.”

  "Never mind that, Ronnie, you're my soulmate, alright? We're meant to be together just as we'd always planned. Our marriages can't stand in the way of true love! Of course, you'll need to divorce Lucas, and you'll probably get something out of it with him being a billionaire and all that..."

  Ruth tuned his voice out, focusing on her own thoughts. The man had gone absolutely crazy, how could he even suggest such a thing? There was no way that she could leave Lucas for him, no way in hell! She didn't see George lean in for a kiss until he was a breath away from her lips. She forcibly pushed him away, her chair crashing to the floor as she stood up.

  “What the hell do you think you're doing? Who do you think you are?”

  George stared at her with wide eyes. “What do you mean? I thought that we were reconnecting!”

  "Like hell, we are! I'm a married woman, George, and you're a married man and a father! What is wrong with you? Listen to me carefully, alright? I never want to see or hear from you again—don't text me or call me. I'm going to forget that this ever happened and return to my husband, who I belong to. What we had was destroyed by you, but you know what? I'm happy about it because if you hadn't betrayed me, I might not have found a good man who takes care of me and treats me better than you ever did. Goodbye, George."

  Ruth picked up her purse and left the restaurant, ignoring the stares she was getting. How could I have been so stupid to even come here? George never loved me! He only loves himself. I feel sorry for his wife and child, I really do. He just wants me because I now belong to someone else, and a billionaire at that. One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to tell Lucas about any of this.

  Chapter 11

  Ruth looked at Lucas from below her eyelashes. He's hardly spoken to me in weeks, and he refuses to tell me what's wrong. It was merely by chance that she'd caught him in time for breakfast. Usually, he got up at the crack of dawn and was gone soon after. I don't understand why he's behaving so coldly toward me, could it be because I didn't attend that dinner he had planned?

  “Lucas, is everything okay?”

  He looked up. “Yeah.”

  His answer was short and invited no further questioning. Okay, then, I guess that told me. Ruth nodded, picking at her eggs. It wasn't a good feeling to have someone ignore you the way that he was ignoring her, and she'd had enough. She stood up.

  "Have a good day."

  Ruth got as far as the door before she heard him say anything.

  “You too, Ruth.”

  She didn't turn around, but she did nod her head. Ruth didn't want to turn around and have him witness how hurt she was by his behavior. She'd become accustomed to speaking with him every day, hearing stories about his day at work, telling him about her day. How had it all changed so much? Can he really be that upset about that day? Maybe she should plan something to apologize for turning him down? I would have never thought that he would be so sensitive about such a thing, it's mind-boggling, really. Although they shared a lot about their lives, they weren't lovers so shouldn't be something so important and expected. Well, maybe she expected his time more than she liked to admit, but Ruth didn't believe that he thought the same. However, I might actually be wrong this time around. We've grown closer, and my rejection might have hit him harder than I cared to think. In that case, that would make her selfish. She sighed as she left the breakfast room, wishing that things were different. I want to talk to him about it, but he chooses to ignore me or just avoids me. Look at how he just answered me—curt and abrupt. That's not the Lucas that I know. Ruth went back to her room to get ready for the day. To make it on
time to have breakfast with Lucas, she'd merely thrown a gown over her pajamas, washed her face, and hurried downstairs. He'd been surprised to see her—if surprised was the right word to use—but he hadn't chased her away or gotten up to leave.

  “Not only do I have to deal with a husband who refuses to see me, but an ex-boyfriend who refuses to leave me alone.”

  George had continued to contact her despite her telling him that it was over and to never contact her again. Her words had seemed to go in one ear and come out the other. There was a time during their relationship when she'd wished for George to pay her more attention but now was definitely not that time. Ruth wanted him to be as far away from her as possible, she didn't want anything to do with the man.

  “As it is, he's the reason why Lucas hardly speaks to me anymore. If he hadn't contacted me that day, I wouldn't have felt the way I did and turned down Lucas' thoughtfully planned evening.”

  The man had even sent a beauty spa and stylist for heaven's sake! The dress had been absolutely gorgeous, Ruth knew that she would have looked stunning in it.

  “But no, I had to have that loser Chazelle on my mind instead of concentrating on my husband.”

  If she could go back and redo that day, Ruth would have ignored George's message and accepted Lucas' dinner date.

  A quick shower and change later, and she was in her office. Isabel had asked for the day off to see her mother in the hospital, the poor woman had suffered a stroke but fortunately was recovering well. Ruth had gladly allowed her assistant the day off—had she still had her mother with her, she would have wanted her boss to give her the day off as well. Ruth stood in front of her blackboard, reading the agenda for the day. She had no need to go out, there was just office work for the day. This was by far the more tedious part of the job but was still enjoyable because she loved it so much. Ruth was itching to get her hands on a contract that had recently surfaced detailing renovations done to a castle. There were at least four other bidders, but she hoped that her experience and drive would be enough to land her the job.

  “Not to mention the fact that I'm the wife of the famous billionaire, Lucas Ross.”