Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [49]
He could only imagine the pain, anguish, and disappointment she’d endured when her father had not shown up for her. In his mind, Clayton could envision her at the age of ten standing at the window peering out, waiting day after day after day.
Having been involved with Big Brothers of America, he’d always taken pleasure in watching a fatherless boy who’d been patiently waiting for a Big Brother finally get one. The joy, excitement and happiness on the kid’s face was priceless. But because Syneda’s father had never shown up for her, she had been cheated out of experiencing any of those emotions.
Clayton expelled a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen. He had a big job on his hands. He was deeply in love with Syneda and was determined that in time, she would put the past behind her and return his love. What she needed was time to heal, and he had found a way to give her the time she needed while still sharing a relationship with him.
He hoped she would go along with what he would be proposing to her. She was a strong-willed woman, but he’d have to be even stronger to get her to do something she would be totally against doing. But he was determined that before he left on Sunday, she would have accepted the fact that there could never be a platonic relationship between them again.
The warm bath was a wonderful idea, Syneda thought. Turning on the faucet she added a generous amount of her favorite bubble-bath gel to the flowing water. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply as the fragrance of a flower garden began filling the steamy room.
Removing her clothes, Syneda sank to her neck in the bubbles a few minutes later. She felt somewhat guilty about how much Clayton had done since his arrival. From the smell of things in the kitchen, undoubtedly he had prepared quite a feast. There was no way he could have found the ingredients he had needed to cook with in her kitchen, which meant he had gone grocery shopping. That thought made her feel even more guilty. He was her guest, she was not his. It seemed Clayton was always going out of his way to take care of her.
Getting out of the bath some time later, she toweled herself dry before lotioning her body. She liked the way the fragrance of the lotion lingered on her skin. After changing into a pair of slacks and a top, she entered the living room.
Syneda found Clayton sitting on her sofa, finishing the rest of his wine. He looked up when she entered and smiled.
“How do you feel now?”
“A lot better, but my problem will still be there to haunt me on Monday.”
“Is it a case you’re working on?” Clayton asked, handing her another glass of wine.
“Yes and it’s a bummer. My client is—or I should say was, since it seems I’m no longer representing her—the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in New York. She’s unmarried and pregnant, and her father wants her to give the child up for adoption.”
“What does she want?”
Syneda sat down on the sofa. “She wants to keep her baby and marry the father of her child. He wants to marry her, too.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“John Drayton doesn’t think Larry Morgan is good enough for his daughter. And he’s determined to ruin the young man’s career unless he agrees to give in and sign papers giving the child up for adoption.”
“Unless the woman is a minor, Syneda, there’s really nothing the father can do, however, it’s understandable why he would want to.”
Syneda raised arched brows. “And just what does that mean?”
“It means that although the man is playing his role of father a little too thick, I can understand him wanting the best for his daughter.”
Clayton’s response rankled her. “Wanting the best for his daughter? That has nothing to do with it, Madaris,” Syneda snapped. “He just wants to control her life.”
“A life she undoubtedly couldn’t control on her own. If she could, then she wouldn’t be pregnant now, would she?”
Syneda gave him a hostile glare. “Accidents do happen, Clayton. Everyone isn’t as overly cautious as you are. I can’t believe you’ve taken the father’s side in this.”
Clayton