John Forrester stood at the door of Tyler’s office and watched Regan work. His arms crossed as he leaned against the doorjamb. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. How do you feel about marrying older men?” He smiled as she looked up at him.

“I almost didn’t recognize you.” She stood and crossed the room to greet him.

“Most people are surprised to find I have clothes that require shoes without steel toes.”

She laughed easily with him. “Oh, John.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. “I feel so bad for Audrey and Zach.”

“Tyler Benson was a wonderful man. I knew him for thirty years. He was like a brother to me.” He held her at arm’s length and gazed over her. “Damn it, that asshole did quite a job on you, didn’t he?” He pushed a strand of hair from her face and looked over the bruises that still lingered three days later.

“Hell of a week.” She smiled, but tears were in her eyes.

“I should never have taken you on that site.” He kissed her gently on the forehead and gathered her back in his arms again. “I should have known better.”

“There is no making out in my father’s office.” Zach stood in the doorway, his voice humorous but weary.

“I asked her to marry me.” John held tight to her. “But hell, I think she likes you better.”

“I hope so. I’ve told her to give some thought to that as well, but she’s stubborn.”

“Okay, okay.” Regan pulled herself from John’s arms and wiped away her tears. “I’ll marry you both, but I want my own bathroom.”

“Well at least we could design and build you one.” John smiled.

“Under budget and on time,” Zach added.

Regan laughed. They all did, and it felt good. Then she turned her attention back to Zach. “I’ve finished the funeral arrangements. Will your mother want to have a reception here afterward?”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

John patted Zach’s back. “I’ll go find Mrs. Benson.” He turned back as he walked out of the office. “Hey, Regan. What’s your sister’s name again?”

“Arianna. Why?”

“Well, maybe if I can’t coax you into marrying a man pushing fifty with both feet, I can convince her.” He winked and left them alone in the office.

Zach took Regan’s hands in his. “Thank you for doing all of this for her, for us. I think it’s helped.”

“It’s my pleasure.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I love you. I haven’t gotten to tell you how sorry I am.”

His eyes had gone sad again, and his shoulders rolled forward. Zach let out a quick breath and shook his head. “I just can’t believe our children won’t meet him.”

Audrey was pleased that there had been over a hundred people at the funeral. The reception at the house attracted even more mourners who came to pay their respects. Her husband would have been furious with the attention, but she thought he deserved it. The Benson family filled the house… but the Keller family made it a home.

Alan and Emily Keller made food and helped serve it. Curtis and Carlos picked up glasses and coffee mugs and cycled them through the dishwasher. Arianna greeted people at the door, and Regan stood by Zach’s side with their fingers interlaced. Even Carlos’s ex-wife, Madeline, and their children were there helping and paying their respects to the father of the man Regan loved.

Audrey couldn’t have made it through the week without the Kellers. They were an amazing family. And when she laid her head on her pillow that night, she sent a prayer to her husband and to God. Let them stay in love and marry, she whispered in the dark. I pray they find the same happiness I had. They both deserve that.

Chapter twelve

Regan watched Zach nearly drive himself mad going over old plans of his father’s just to make sure he’d done his own job right. He checked and double-checked every detail of every plan of every building, trying to make sure he was living up to the standards of what his father and grandfather before him had done. He was the only male Benson left, and he told her time and time again that it felt like the world weighed on his shoulders.

She watched him go from a high-powered CEO to a young man who was looking for his father’s approval and wasn’t getting it because there wasn’t anyone left to give it to him. It broke her heart.

Regan opened his door at lunchtime, and his head snapped up. His eyes were narrow and his cheeks flushed. “I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.” He ran his fingers through his already messed sandy hair. The tousled look made her want to smile, but she held it in.

“Can it, Benson. You know, I’m sorry your father passed away, but you don’t have to talk to me like that.” Her voice was steady and calm. She’d expected him to burst out at some point, but even if he did she knew it wouldn’t be like Alexander’s fits of fury. There might be words, but they wouldn’t be hurtful. There might be action, but it wouldn’t be forceful; in fact, he was most likely to take a long run. She could address him the way she needed to and didn’t have to fear him. There was a power there. A force that wasn’t about who owned a company or made more money. It was a partnership and she was part of that—and so was he. Her skin warmed and peace filled her.

“If I remember correctly, you were the one who drew the line about the workday. Between the hours of eight and six, we’re on company time. You’re my assistant and that’s that. So I told you I didn’t want to be interrupted, and here you are.” He stood behind his desk, trying to look professional and missing the mark terribly.

“That’s right. Here I am in your office after you asked me to stay out. I guess you’ll have to fire me.” She laid out their lunch on the small coffee table by the couch. She fixed each of them a sandwich on a plate and opened a bottle of water as he looked on. “Even if you’re behaving like an asshole, you have to eat.” Regan stood with her fists on her hips and her lips tucked between her teeth.

“Don’t you have any compassion for how you speak to me?” He walked toward the table, keeping his eyes to the floor.

“It’s been three weeks, and I was by your side the whole damn time after your father died. And if I remember correctly, I wasn’t looking my best.” She knew he still felt guilt over her attack, and by God she was going to use it to shut him up. “Now sit down and eat.”