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  “Come where?” Autumn felt guilty for ignoring her mother, especially since Evelyn had been working hard to improve their relationship. “I didn’t hear you, Mom. What were you saying?”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Autumn turned away from the window and sat upright in her chair. No more thoughts of L.J. She would keep her mind on what her mother was saying, and off her ex. “I was a little preoccupied, but now you have my full attention.”

  “Your father invited the new district manager and his family over for dinner and he would love if you could come. And wear something nice, okay, dear? Those napkin-thin skirts and belly-baring tops are most unflattering.”

  A grin broke out over Autumn’s face. Evelyn was starting to act like her old self. She had been sickly sweet ever since the rehearsal dinner and it was downright nauseating. She called daily, dropped by Monroe several times a week to take her for lunch and hadn’t snapped, insulted or cajoled in weeks. But even with Evelyn’s improved behavior and amicable personality, Autumn knew where this was going. Her mom was obsessed with finding her a suitable man, and she wouldn’t quit until an engagement ring was on her left hand. “Who is he?”

  Evelyn had to be careful. If she pushed too hard, Autumn wouldn’t come and it would be humiliating if the guest of honor were a no-show. “Mr. and Mrs. Garrison have two adult sons who just happen to be in your age bracket and your father thought it would be nice if you joined us for the evening, that’s all. This is not a set-up, dear. Think of it as a business dinner.”

  Autumn didn’t believe her. Her father probably had no clue about this dinner. This had Evelyn’s name written all over it. It was another one of her well-orchestrated plans to introduce her daughter to some wealthy, eligible men. Twirling the phone cord around two fingers, she leaned back in her chair. She wasn’t in the mood for a meet-and-greet. After her heated disagreement with Mr. Frankton she didn’t feel like socializing. When she left the office inside the next hour, she was going to go home, pop a frozen dinner into the microwave and spend the remainder of the night on the couch watching mindless reality television.

  “Isaac, Simone and the baby will be here,” Evelyn added, throwing that extra piece of information in for good measure. Autumn wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to see her six-month-old nephew; she loved the baby like he was her own.

  The image of her nephew’s chubby face brought a smile to her lips. Isaac, Jr., was the ultimate mood booster. Five minutes alone with her bubbly, gurgling nephew and she would be fine. She had never seen a baby who laughed as much as he did, or enjoyed being cuddled and kissed. “I’ll come.”

  Evelyn squealed. “That’s wonderful!”

  Autumn’s eyes slanted. Her mother never squealed. Barking and yelling yes, squealing and clapping, no. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard Evelyn sound this animated. Autumn thought of asking for additional information on the two brothers, but decided against it. Her mother would mistake her questions for interest and get even more keyed up. “Is there something else I should know?”

  Eveyln tapered her enthusiasm. “Of course not! I am just excited that the whole family will be sitting down together for dinner. It’s been several weeks since the last family dinner. Why don’t you just come by the house when you finish up at the office? You can help me get everything ready.”

  Autumn agreed. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

  “No, just bring yourself. Bye, dear.” And, as she clicked off the phone, a wide smile formed on Evelyn’s plump, rose-painted lips.

  L.J. shifted in his seat. Then he lowered it, propped his head up with a pillow and closed his eyes. A minute later, his seat was in the upright position and he was leafing through the latest edition of Time magazine. L.J. had followed this restless pattern since the Boeing 757 had taken off from the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. When he wasn’t trying to sleep, he was reading and when he wasn’t reading he was pacing at the rear of the plane. He couldn’t be more nervous if he tried. Every minute felt like an hour. The anticipation of seeing Autumn again was just that great.

  The last seventy-two hours of his life had read like a Hollywood movie script. One minute he was standing in his kitchen rifling through the mail and the next minute he was boarding a flight to Washington, D.C. Everything had happened so fast, he felt as though it had all been a wonderful dream. To prove to himself it wasn’t, he pulled out a white envelope from the front pocket of his sports blazer. He unfolded the pink stationery, the scent of Autumn’s perfume evoking memories of her butter-soft skin, and flattened it with his hands. The once-crisp letter was now crumpled and dark with coffee stains on the back. L.J. had read the letter more than a dozen times since its afternoon arrival and the seven lines were now committed to memory.

  My Dearest, L.J. You will never know how much I miss you. I’ve been inconsolable since the day you left and I don’t know how I’ve lived without you these last few weeks. I made a mistake letting you go and I’m deeply sorry I’ve hurt you. I’ll never love anyone as much as I love you and if you’re willing I’d like us to try again. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for the way I mistreated you. My apartment is being renovated this week, and I’ve lost my cell phone (silly me!) but you can reach me at 267-8854. I’m waiting patiently for your call. Love always, Autumn Jane Nicholson.

  With trembling hands and a dry throat, L.J. had dialed the number and waited anxiously for the call to connect.

  When an older woman with a crisp, authoritative-sounding voice answered and informed him that Autumn was out, he had asked, “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

  “Who’s calling?” the woman asked.

  L.J identified himself, and the woman had put a spoonful of sugar in her tone.

  “Hello, L.J. So nice of you to call. This is Autumn’s mother, Evelyn. Might we converse for a few minutes?”

  Chapter 23

  Autumn hitched down the pink V-neck dress and checked her cleavage. She doubted this was the outfit her mother had in mind, but she couldn’t care less. Feeling jubilant, she had decided to wear something that would mirror how she was feeling inside. Autumn wasn’t ready to meet anyone, or even start dating again, but she wanted to look her best. Catching a date was the furthest thing on her mind, but it wouldn’t kill her to put on a dress, curl her hair and slap on some makeup, would it?

  Autumn felt like singing. Shouting at the top of her lungs. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this good. Maybe the lighthearted days of summer or the fragrant scents of the season were why she bounced up the driveway. Or maybe, just maybe, her jovial mood had to do with the letter she had received that afternoon. One bearing L.J.’s name. The letter was living proof that prayer worked. Over the last three weeks she had prayed that someway, somehow, they would find their way back to each other and after reading the letter, she knew her prayers had been answered.

  L.J. was a man through and through, but he had the courage it took to share what was in the depths of his heart. The tenderly written letter was both loving and heartfelt, but it was the last line that had made tears pool in her eyes.

  I love you and always will. Don’t ever forget that, Autumn. Nothing will change my love for you.

  After reading the letter for the third time, she had called him. His answering machine had clicked on and when she had tried his cell phone, she had gotten his voice mail. Autumn decided to try him again when she got to her parents’ house. She’d sneak upstairs and call from her old room when no one was looking. Then, she and L.J. would make up.

  Autumn let herself inside with her key. “I’m here,” she called, wondering why the house was so still, “and I brought some of my delicious walnut bread for dessert.”

  “We’re in the living room, dear.” Ms. Nicholson strained her eyes down the hall. This was the moment she had been waiting for all day. She took a deep breath, and waited for Autumn to turn the corner.

  “Sorry, I’m late. There wa
s a…” The rest of her sentence fell away when she saw who was in the living room with her parents.

  When Autumn saw L.J. standing next to the bay window, her head began spinning like the ceiling fan above her, her tongue became stickier than a wad of bubble gum. When she tightened her grip on the cake pan, it fell out of her hands and toppled onto the carpet.

  Autumn was so out of it, she didn’t see her mother retrieve the cake or hear her father say they were going into the kitchen to give them some privacy. All of her senses were attuned to the man with the golden-brown skin and twinkling eyes. Lightning could have struck, splitting the house in two and Autumn wouldn’t have noticed.

  L.J. couldn’t believe how normal she looked. He had expected her to shuffle into the room looking pale and sickly, not absolutely breathtaking in a flirty pink thigh-grazing dress. To hear Ms. Nicholson tell it, Autumn was a shadow of her former self, wasting away with each passing day. L.J. shook his head in disbelief. He’d been had. Duped. Hoodwinked. Punked. Autumn wasn’t any more depressed then he was. Her arresting brown eyes couldn’t be brighter and if he wasn’t mistaken, a smile was starting to take shape on her sexy glossy lips.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Autumn tried not to gawk. The sun cascaded off his face and for half a second, he looked like a heavenly being. A million thoughts raced through her head, each one more unbelievable than the last. This can’t be happening! L.J. can’t be standing in the middle of my parents’ living room. He can’t be here! She pressed her eyes shut, but when she opened them, he was still there. Live and in living color, smiling his warm, familiar smile. Autumn counted to ten. Then twenty. Then fifty. When she finally spoke, it was in a tone she didn’t recognize. “I wasn’t expecting…” She gulped. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  “Where? In Washington or at your parents’ house?”

  He was teasing her, but Autumn didn’t mind. “Both.”

  “I’m going to be in D.C. for the rest of the summer,” he explained, “and I came here to see you, of course.”

  Autumn blinked. This moment had played out in her mind a zillion times before, but now that it was happening she didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t calm, as she had dreamed she would be; she was self-conscious and timid. She had so many questions zooming in and out of her head that she didn’t know what to ask first. “When did you get back?”

  L.J. glanced at his Rolex. “Forty-one minutes ago.”

  “You came straight here from the airport?”

  He nodded.

  “What was so important that you had to see me right away?” Autumn was completely floored by what he said next.

  “I was dying a slow death in Atlanta without you.” His voice was infected with passion and sincerity. And when he moved into her line of vision, Autumn thought she was going to melt on her mother’s Persian rug. “The annulment was granted and I’m a free man now. Free to love you and be the man you fell in love with. There’s something between us that refuses to go away and you feel it, too, don’t you?”

  She didn’t say anything for a half minute, and then managed a small nod.

  “And when I got your letter this afternoon, I had to come see you.”

  Autumn squinted. “What letter?”

  “What do you mean, ‘what letter?’ The letter you sent me!” When her eyebrows drew together and her head swung back and forth, L.J. retrieved the letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

  Autumn didn’t have to read it to know she hadn’t written it, but she took the pink paper from his outstretched hands anyway. She read it, then gave it back to him. When she told him she hadn’t written it, his whole body shook with laughter. “I’m serious,” she stressed, her voice taking on a harsh tone. “I didn’t write that letter.”

  L.J. pointed to the bottom right-hand corner. “Look, you signed it. I would recognize your signature anywhere.”

  Autumn scrutinized the alleged signature. It certainly resembled her signature. But unless she had started typing love letters in her sleep, or had a twin sister she didn’t know about, someone had forged her name. “I know it looks like my signature, but I never wrote this. I’m telling you the truth.” The smile fell from his face when he realized she was serious. It broke her heart to see the pain in his eyes. Compelled to make the situation better, she offered an apology. She wasn’t to blame, but she still felt responsible. “I’m sorry about all this but I didn’t send the letter and I have no idea who did.”

  “Someone with a sick sense of humor,” he shot back. He ripped the letter from her hands and tore it into small pieces. Embarrassed, he turned away from Autumn and rubbed his hand across his forehead. This was not how things were supposed to go. They should be kissing now, not trying to figure out who had written him that bogus letter. “Why would someone do this to us?”

  “It would be the same person who wrote me a two-page letter and signed your name to it.” Autumn watched worry lines crease his forehead and then his mouth set into a deep scowl. She thought about all the people who knew about her relationship with L.J. Melissa and Yvette might be nosy, but they would never do something like this. It didn’t take her long to figure out who the culprit was. There was only one person underhanded enough to do something like this: Evelyn. And the more she thought about it, the more the pieces of the puzzle fit. Her mother had sent the phoney letters! She had had the time, the opportunity and the motive. During the redecoration of Autumn’s apartment, Olivia had called with a question about WebTech, and Autumn had left her mother in the bedroom. She was on the phone for almost thirty minutes, which gave Evelyn the time to do what she did best: snoop.

  Autumn had never been more embarrassed. Or humiliated. Her mother’s intentions were well-meaning, but intrusive nonetheless. She lifted her head and met L.J.’s gaze. “My mom did this. I’m sure of it. She’s gotten it into her head that I need help finding a man and that’s where you fit into all this.” Her eyes rimmed with tears. “I’m sorry you wasted your time coming out here, L.J.”

  L.J. didn’t care if Mr. Nicholson had written the letter. He was here now and he wasn’t going anywhere. In a small way, he felt indebted to Mrs. Nicholson. She had brought them back together. For the last three weeks he had been building the courage to call Autumn and if it hadn’t been for that letter, he’d still be back in Atlanta. “I don’t care who wrote the letter. I’m here now, and that’s what counts.” He curled his arms possessively around her waist. They were in kissing range now. The pent-up passion he had been holding in since the morning she had run out on him at the hotel threatened to consume him, so he tilted her chin, and brushed his lips across hers. “People make mistakes and do stupid things, Autumn. I know I do. I shouldn’t have lied to you about my past, or shied away from your love. I’m sorry that I hurt you. You’re everything I didn’t know I wanted and all that I want in life.” His voice fell at the end. “I want another chance to show you how much I love you. I’ll follow you around the city day and night if I have to, Autumn. You know I will, don’t you?” Humor shimmered in his eyes. And before he could talk himself out of kissing her again, he was taking her mouth in his. The kiss started off innocently enough, but snowballed into hands stroking, bodies rubbing and muffled words.

  “We’re good together,” he pronounced, kissing the side of her neck. Nibbling sensually on her bottom lip, he smoothed his hands across her back. “I want to be with you forever, gorgeous. I love you, Autumn, and I want you to be my wife.”

  Autumn’s eyebrows rose and fell. “Stop playing around, L.J. That’s not funny.”

  “Who’s playing?”

  “A few weeks ago you said you didn’t want to be tied down. Marriage was restrictive, you said. Now, you’re asking me to marry you! What kind of sick mind games are you playing?” Autumn’s temper bubbled to the surface, as she moved out of his space and crossed her arms across her chest. Controlling the tremble in her voice, she warned, “Don’t dangle marriage in front of m
e because you’re scared of losing me, L.J. That’s not fair.”

  In true Autumn form, she wasn’t going to make this easy for him. Her stubborn streak was one of the qualities he loved most about her. She didn’t back down to anyone, including him and more times than not, she was right. But not this time. His proposal had little to do with fear and everything to do with love. His feelings were real and so was his proposal. “Autumn, you should know by now that I’m not driven by fear. I’m asking you to marry me because my life is a hundred times better with you in it. I want you to be my wife so I can share the rest of my life with you. I don’t even have a ring, but I’ll buy you the fattest diamond I can find if you’ll just say yes.”

  Autumn would remember this moment for the rest of her life. She was terrified, yet at the same time, filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. And she suddenly had the urge to do pirouettes around the room. L.J. was wonderful and sweet and romantic. And most importantly, he loved her. Autumn opened her mouth, but her lips couldn’t form the words. She tore her eyes away from his face, as the reality of what he was asking finally hit her. Everything was happening too fast. They needed more time. They weren’t ready for marriage and the responsibilities that came with it. Autumn didn’t want to rush into something they weren’t ready for, even if she loved L.J. with every ounce of her being.

  “I love you, L.J., and nothing in this world would make me happier than being your wife, but I can’t marry you.” She paused. It sounded like someone was screaming or crying or both. She looked back up at L.J. “Everything is happening too fast. We need time to figure things out.”

  L.J.’s face grew dark. This was not how the scenario had played out in his mind. In his version of events, Autumn had bounded into his arms, shrieked loud enough for the Chinese family at the other end of the block to hear her, and planted a red-hot kiss on his lips. Two, in fact. She was supposed to be jumping up and down in glee. Maybe even shed a few tears if the spirit moved her. Not reject him. He was ready to marry her now. Not somewhere down the road. Why didn’t she believe him? Several unnerving minutes passed. The house was tranquil except for the sound of cupboards slamming violently. I guess I’m not the only one disappointed with her answer, L.J. thought, unable to hold back a smirk. At least someone in this house believes in the legitimacy of my proposal.