Except the one about a family and a loving wife.
The emcee opened the meeting up for questions, and the audience went wild with hands in the air. One man wanted to know why the
main character in The Martian hadn’t taken his situation more seriously, that he was actually a little flip, even sarcastic. And Andrei
said that he hadn’t wanted to write a deep, dark character study, that it was more about figuring out how to solve a really big
problem.
“His levity was what I liked best,” Ares said to her softly. It was what they’d both liked best. You couldn’t keep the hero down, no
matter what nature threw at him. He always bounced back.
Like Ares? Would he eventually bounce back? She could only hope.
Some people got into the technical stuff. Others just wanted to know how much he sold his stock options for, or how much input
he’d had in the movie, while still more questions delved into the book’s themes.
To her, the biggest theme had been about never giving up. With each failure, the astronaut solved another problem. After each
setback, he dove right back in. The same with NASA’s efforts to save him. No one ever gave up.
And she wouldn’t give up on Ares. She would keep on showing him how good they were together. No matter what.
If the applause had been deafening in the beginning, it brought the house down afterward. They got their autographed books, had a
few words with the author while Ares complimented him on an amazing story. Andrei probably didn’t have a clue he was shaking the
hand of a billionaire who’d waited in the same line as everyone else.
But that was Ares, equally as down-to-earth.
As they left the bookshop, Ares took her hands in his. “Thank you. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in…” He paused, his gaze
roaming over her face, tracing the lines of her cheek, her nose, her mouth. As if he were memorizing her features. “Not since our last
conversation in my library. Every conversation, in fact.”
Her pulse beat harder in the tips of her fingers that he’d captured in his. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“You couldn’t have chosen anything better.” His eyes scorched her, suggesting there was something he might have enjoyed equally.
But she wasn’t going to simply fall into bed with him. As badly as she wanted just that. Instead, she would show Ares that they
weren’t about the power of sex. They were about the power of connection.
Tonight had been the perfect start. And he had given her the perfect reaction, comparing this evening to all the nights they’d come
together in his library. All the nights they’d shared their thoughts, their minds, their feelings.
She would not give up. Not on him. And not on herself.
And yet the pull of his body was magnetic, hers swaying into his as she drowned in his deep gaze. She might very well have kissed
him if Mendez hadn’t pulled to the curb at that very moment.
“Your carriage awaits,” Ares said as Mendez hopped out to open the door.
She slid in, and Ares joined her. She wasn’t sure whether she regretted the lost moment or not. But once they were rolling and they
started discussing all the new things they’d learned about their favorite book, Kelsey found herself transported back to those magical
evenings drinking a glass of wine and talking. Tonight had been so right, without conflict or guilt, as they enjoyed each other’s
company.
They were exiting the freeway close to her condo when Ares said, “I finally called Sally and told her everything.”
She could suddenly feel her heart banging right up against her chest. “Everything?”
Obviously recognizing that he needed to clarify what everything meant, he added, “About Tessa showing up again with Kathy and
Tyler.”
Disappointment did its best to lay her low, even though she knew better than to think he would have told Sally about their kisses. She
mourned the sudden loss of the closeness they’d shared all evening, but she also realized this new discussion had a closeness all its
own. So she shook off the slight ache, especially after their wonderful evening together. “I’ll bet she’s dying to meet your brother
and sister.”
“If we were on Let’s Make a Deal, you would have just won the car behind Door Number Three.” Despite his teasing tone, he
drummed his fingers on the seat between them, drawing in a deep breath and blowing it out with obvious tension before he said,
“She wants all of us to fly to Chicago this weekend.”
Kelsey knew he wouldn’t be this conflicted if all of us meant only his siblings. “She wants Tessa to come too, doesn’t she?”
“She does. She thinks it will be a low-stress environment for everyone to get to know each other.”
“She’s right.” Sally always was. “So are you going to do it?”
“Maybe.”
“What’s the deciding factor?”
He paused a long moment before saying, “You.” But before she could respond to that stunning answer, he held up a hand. “You’ve
already done so much to help me with my family. It’s not fair to keep asking you for more.”
“I already told you, this is what family does for one another. You’d do the same for me.”
“But I didn’t.” Regret and guilt were clear in his voice. “So many times, Keira lashed out at you. So many times, I let you be hurt by
her.”
“No.” It was long past time for Kelsey to admit the truth. “I let myself be hurt by her.” She ducked her head a moment, bracing
herself. “I never told you. But when my mom was dying, I made a promise to take care of my dad as well as Keira after Mom was
gone.” She still felt the anguish deep in her soul. “But I failed her. Dad went downhill, and I didn’t stop it.”
“Jesus, Kelsey.” Ares took her hand in his and squeezed it tight, offering her his warmth. “Your dad’s death wasn’t your fault.”
She wanted to fold herself into his arms, but she had to be strong enough to get through this. “I know in my head—” She tapped her
temple. “—that he was lost and probably nothing could have brought him back, but…” She shrugged, and then she told him the
bigger issue she needed him to know. “Keira never let me forget it. She reminded me I was failing her whenever I didn’t take her
side.”