Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [76]
A bemused expression covered Lorren’s face. “Yours? You’re right, I don’t understand.”
Syneda took a deep breath. “Clayton thinks he’s in love with me and wants me to marry him.”
Whatever Lorren had expected Syneda to say, those words were not it. Shock and disbelief covered her face. “Clayton loves you and wants to marry you?”
“Yes.”
“Are we talking about the same Clayton Madaris?”
“Yes, Lorren, we are. He thinks he loves me and wants to marry me.”
Lorren shook her head. “From the way you’re talking, I take it that you don’t believe him,” she said. It was a little hard for her to believe.
“In a way I believe him, and in a way I don’t know what to believe.”
“If you’re concerned about his past involving other women, Syneda, the one thing I’ve discovered about Madaris men is that when they do fall in love, they’re hard-core lovers who are loyal, dedicated and sincere.”
“That’s not it, Lorren.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I can’t give back to him the love he wants.”
Lorren knew about Syneda’s feelings about falling in love. “You have to let go of the past sometime.”
“I’ve tried but I can’t.”
“Maybe you haven’t tried hard enough because you’ve felt no man was worth the extra effort. Now you have to decide if Clayton is.”
Syneda nodded. At the moment, she wasn’t sure if perhaps Lorren’s comment wasn’t true. “I’m thinking about not attending the Madaris Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Why? Because Clayton will be there? Unfortunately, there are going to be a lot of times when your two paths will cross. Have you forgotten you happen to be my best friend, Clayton is Justin’s brother and the two of you are godparents to Justina, Vincent and our baby yet to be born? Avoiding Clayton will be impossible.”
Syneda knew what Lorren said was true, however, she wasn’t ready to accept that fact. “How about going shopping with me in Dallas?”
Lorren sighed as she accepted Syneda’s hint that their discussion of her and Clayton was over for the time being. “I’d like that.
We can look at baby gifts for Caitlin. But I want you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“Try to forget the past and follow your heart.”
Chapter 18
“Ms. Walters, there’s a couple here to see you. A Mr. and Mrs. Larry Morgan,” Joanna announced over the intercom.
Syneda was sitting at her desk going over some notes she’d made on a case she was handling. She lifted her head in surprise. “Mr. and Mrs. Larry Morgan?”
“Yes.”
She pushed the papers aside. “Please send them in.”
Syneda stood when Joanna escorted the couple into her office. All it took was the smiles on their faces to let her know somehow things had worked out for them. “Congratulations,” she said, returning their smiles and shaking both their hands.
“Thanks. We stopped by to do two things,” Cassie said as they took the seats Syneda offered them. “First, we want to thank you.”
Syneda raised a brow. “Thank me for what?”
“For taking the time to listen to me that day and for not trying to force me into giving up my baby for adoption,” Cassie said.
“And I want to thank you for not throwing me out that day I showed up here unexpectedly,” Larry added. “You took the time to listen to what I had to say.” He grinned. “And I had quite a lot to get off my chest.”
Syneda nodded, clearly remembering that day. She and Clayton had almost gotten into an argument over the issue of Cassie’s father’s interference.
“I take it your father has finally come around.”
Cassie shook her head. “Unfortunately he hasn’t. And that’s our second reason for coming here today. We want to say goodbye. We’re moving to Texas.”
“Texas?”
“Yes, Austin, Texas. Larry has received a job offer there. He’ll be working for Remington Oil.”
Syneda raised an arched brow. “Remington Oil?”
Larry grinned. “Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Who hasn’t? They’re a very good company to work for. They offered me a very good salary and the benefits are excellent.”
Syneda nodded. Remington Oil Company was one of the largest oil companies in America.