Meg stared at Drake, at his brows now furrowed, his face serious. Strangely, he seemed genuinely concerned. “I know, Drake,” she said, her voice almost a whisper, “But, her dad, we lost him...” her voice cracked and she drew in a breath, “...we lost him when she was just a baby. All I can do is show her pictures and videos and let her know how much he loved her.”
Slowly, Drake nodded. “You’re doing the right thing, to tell her all you can about her dad. But she’s asking for more, Meg. She wants a daddy, one who can be here with her."
“But…but…” She was stuttering now. For him to even mention that was useless. “What can I do about that? It’s not like I can just pick one up off the supermarket shelf simply because my daughter wants one. A man is not a toy.”
“True," Drake said, as he tented his fingers and stared across at her. “What if I told you I have the perfect solution to your problem?”
Her brows furrowed and she looked at him with suspicion. “Which is?”
“Marry me and give Jessie the daddy she wants.”
Meg jerked forward, her body spasming in a fit of coughs. She’d half expected a surprise but certainly not anything like this. The man must have gone totally insane. She took the glass he held out to her and took several quick sips of water. “What are you saying?” she finally squeaked.
“I’m saying, I want you to marry me.”
Now he was making her mad. “Drake, we only just met. What’s it been? Three weeks?”
“I’ve known you for over ten years, Meg. I know you well enough to say without any doubt that I want you back in my life.”
“Listen, Drake, you’ve taken this joke far enough.” She picked up her napkin from her lap and dropped it on the table. “Either you drop this line of conversation or you take me home right now.”
“Meg, please.” He held a hand up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just…” he shook his head and heaved a sigh, “...I just hoped I could make things right, get back to the place and time when you willingly gave me your all.”
Now why did he have to go and bring that up? He was digging up memories that were best forgotten. “I was young and stupid,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m a mature woman now and I know better.”
“But a mature woman who still needs a man in her life.”
Exasperated, Meg slapped her hands down on top of the linen-covered table. She glared at Drake. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Her voice rose to a slightly higher pitch as the anger climbed inside her. "You dumped me after taking my 'all', as you so elegantly put it." She drew in a shaky breath then looked around. Thank God nobody seemed to have heard that. Now she could truly appreciate the table that had been chosen for them – away from the others, secluded and out of earshot. Thank heavens for that.
“Drake Duncan, I’ve been waiting to say this for ten years.” Meg leaned forward and spoke in a whisper that vibrated with her rage. “You used me and you left me and I’ll never forgive you.”
There, she’d said it. All these years she’d wanted to get that off her chest and she’d finally gotten the chance. Now it was Drake Duncan’s turn to explain himself. Not that it mattered anymore. There was nothing he could say that would erase her utter devastation at his callous rejection nor the years of hurt that followed. It was only when she met Greg – God rest his soul – so understanding, so patient and so different from Drake that she’d begun to heal.
Now, with those difficult years behind her, she could face Drake Duncan. She tilted her chin up and stared him straight in the eyes, expecting him to drop his gaze and duck his head in shame.
But he did not. Instead, on Drake’s face was a look of confusion that she couldn’t fathom. “What the devil are you talking about? You were the one who disappeared on me.”
Meg gasped. The nerve of him, to lie right to her face. “I did not. I sat there in my dorm room your entire graduation night and you didn’t even have the decency to come by and tell me you didn’t want to be with me. You didn’t come and you didn’t call. And even when I was leaving to catch my train the next morning there was no sign of you.” She gave an angry snort. “Now I know why they call some men dogs. You represented that pack very well.”
Drake put his hand up and raked his fingers through his hair. When he looked at her again it was with a pained expression. “Meg, I have an explanation and an apology.”
“Too late for that. You can’t weasel-”
“No, hear me out.” There was a firmness in his tone that made her stop and listen. “I did come back to see you but I admit, I was late. I got caught up in all the graduation celebrations and family gatherings. I didn’t get a chance to come back until next day. By that time you had gone.”
Her eyes narrowed as her heart went rigid. “Why should I believe you? You’d probably say anything right now just to get on my good side.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask your roommate. She was the one who told me you’d already left.”
Meg frowned. The story was getting weirder by the second. “She did? But I called and spoke to her and she never mentioned that you’d come.”
“Well, I did. You can call and ask her now if you want.”
“No, I…I don’t keep in touch with her anymore. I haven’t spoken to her in years…” Her voice trailed off as the thought raced through her mind. Was he innocent of all she’d accused him of? But then, there were other ways to get in touch with her, weren’t there? If he’d really wanted to find her he would have. With today’s technology there was no excuse. “So why didn’t you track me down?” she demanded. “You could have, but you didn’t want to.”
He dropped his eyes then. Finally, he was showing shame. “No,” he said, his voice low, “I didn’t want to.”