The Forgotten Night Read online

  “I love you, Andy,” she said, kissing him once more before shifting around once more.

  “I love you too, Cassie.”

  Chapter Ten

  Six Months Later…

  “How do you like it, Cassie?” Andrew asked as they looked out at the ocean. They had been on the cruise a couple of days and loved every minute of it.

  “I love it, and I love you,” she said, turning around to face him. He smiled at her and bent down to kiss her.

  “Hey, not in front of the sister,” Rachel said, walking up to them. “Guys, I want you to meet Ian. We met yesterday near the pool.”

  Cassidy and Andrew turned to meet the tall man standing next to Rachel.

  “Nice to meet you, Ian,” Cassidy said, extending her hand. “What do you do?”

  “He goes to NYU too, can you believe it? Small world, huh?” Rachel supplied. “He’s here for a family reunion.”

  “So are you two going to be hanging out a lot?” Andrew asked.

  “Yes, and don’t give me that look, Drew,” Rachel said. She grabbed Ian’s hand and walked off to the other side of the large cruise liner.

  “Sometimes I swear I don’t know who my sister is,” Andrew said.

  “She’s just Rachel. I mean he is cute,” Cassidy said.

  “He’s cute? Why don’t you go hang out with them then?” Andrew said.

  Cassidy laughed. “Are you jealous, Andrew Winbright? I believe you are, and just for the record, there is no one who is cuter, sweeter, or more perfect than you.”

  “Now that’s what I like to hear,” he said, capturing her lips softly. He pulled back before it could go any further. “You know I’m still freaked that your dad hired some random person to follow us.”

  “He wouldn’t do that, Andy. He’s not entirely cool with us dating, but he’s not angry. He likes you.”

  “Not now though, now that I’m dating his ‘Princess’.”

  “Yes, he does. He trusts me and more importantly he trusts you, which is very rare. He didn’t even trust his company’s senior partner’s son when I was asked to show him around NYU,” she said and Andrew cast her a wary look. “He was a senior in high school, Andy. He wanted to go there for college.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing that he trusts me then,” Andrew said.

  “Why? What does that mean?” she asked.

  “Uh, uh, nope, that’s for me to know and you to find out, much, much later,” he said, kissing her nose.

  “I’m going to go talk to Rach and her new flame,” she said. “I’ll come find you later.”

  “I’ll be hanging out by the pool, I think,” Andrew said, smiling.

  “Of course.” She headed off to find Rachel and Ian, who were walking around the upper deck. It was a few hours later before Cassidy went in search of Andrew.

  She rounded the corner and saw him lounging on a chair by the pool. “Anything interesting happen while I was away?” she asked, sitting down next to him.

  Andrew opened his eyes at her voice, “Nope, I’ve just been sitting here trying to get a tan.”

  “I hope you’re not going to burn. Did you put any sunscreen on?”

  “Yeah, about an hour or so ago, can’t really remember,” he said and looked around the pool area before turning to look at Cassidy. “Are you going to join me or shall we go somewhere more comfortable?”

  “I told Rach we’d eat dinner with her and Ian.”

  “What time?”

  “About an hour, we’ll meet them in the dining hall,” she said, noticing a tall lanky beach-blonde woman walking toward them.

  “That still leaves us with plenty of time—”

  “Did you need some more sunscreen, Andrew?” the blonde woman asked, sitting in the recliner on the other side of Andrew. “It’s been a little over an hour and I figured you could use some.” She gave him a sexy smile.

  Andrew’s jaw dropped and he gave Cassie a pleading look. “Cassie, it’s not—”

  “I could rub some more on your back,” the woman said, squirting some sunscreen in her hands.

  God, could this get any worse?

  “Cassie, this is not what it looks like. I don’t even—”

  “I could give you a massage too, like last time. You really seemed to like it,” the woman purred.

  Cassidy looked at the blonde and knew she was just trying to bait her. Andrew would never do anything like that.

  “Cassie, baby, nothing happened. Yes, she did start to give me a massage, but I stopped her—”

  Cassidy snorted, trying to contain her laughter. Andrew was trying so hard to explain himself, and she was trying so hard not to laugh.

  The blonde looked at Cassidy then to Andrew and tried one more time. “You should really let me put this on you and then maybe afterward we could go for a swim, like we did earlier. I had a lot of fun. I’m sure we could have a lot more fun elsewhere too.”

  “Cassie.”

  “You’re right, you should give him a rub down,” Cassidy said flatly. “Then maybe afterward you could take him right here on the pool deck.”

  “Baby, I don’t—I didn’t, nothing happened. I love you,” Andrew tried again.

  When the woman heard the words she opened her mouth to say something then thought better of it. Instead she stood up and gave an apologetic look toward Cassidy.

  Cassidy stood up and turned around to leave and tried her hardest not to laugh.

  “Baby, no wait!” Andrew called, rushing after her.

  She stopped by the side of the pool and turned around.

  “Cassie, I pushed away her advances. Nothing happened, I swear. She did give me some sunscreen, but I pushed her away when she started getting too physical.”

  “‘Started getting too physical’?” Cassidy asked and suddenly an idea popped into her head, she tried not to show the amusement she was having on her face.

  “That came out wrong, that’s not what I—” he started to say but Cassidy pushed him back and he fell backward into the pool. When he surfaced, she stood by the edge, laughing and smiling down at his wet form.

  “Cassie, why are you laughing?”

  “Baby, you were really scared for a moment there. You really thought I was going to leave.”

  “So you aren’t mad,” he stated, pushing up on the side of the pool and getting out. He stood next to her. “You were joking with me this whole time?”

  “Well, I have to admit I was pretty upset at first but then after she continued talking I realized she was just baiting me. I trust you, Andy. I know nothing happened and nothing will happen.”

  “So why did you push me in?” he asked

  “Well, to teach you a lesson for one and because you’re just so damn sexy when you’re wet.” She smiled flirtatiously.

  “You know you’re pretty damn sexy when you’re wet too,” he said wickedly and before she had a chance to react he pulled her with him into the pool. She screamed but managed to hold her breath just before they hit the water. Andy pulled her to the surface and she wiped the water away from her face.

  “I can’t believe you!” she cried. “You know I don’t like the water that much then you go and pull me in. I could have drowned! I could have—”

  Andrew slammed his lips on hers and she quieted. She knew in this moment that no matter what would happen that they would last. Nothing could keep them apart and nothing would tear them apart.

  * * *

  Thanksgiving…

  “So Andrew, you only have one more year of law school to complete?” Edward, Cassidy’s father, asked.

  “Yes, sir, and then I have to take my boards,” Andrew said, poking around at the food on his plate. It had been a large family gathering of both the Ames and the Winbrights.

  “What area of the law are you focusing on?”

  Cassidy took his hand under the table and squeezed it apologetically. He squeezed back, letting her know he didn’t mind the interrogation. They had been going out for nearly a year but in
her father’s eyes they had been seeing each other for only five months. Andrew was dating his daughter, his princess.

  “Criminal,” he answered.

  “So how are everyone’s classes going?” Susan, Cassidy’s mother, asked, trying to change the subject, sensing the obvious tension.

  “Oh yes, tell us,” Delia, Andrew’s mother, chimed in.

  The rest of the dinner was spent in tight conversations about class and work and anything else that didn’t involve the subject of Cassidy and Andrew. Finally they retired to the living room for drinks. Cassidy and Andrew sat talking to each other while the others got their drinks.

  “Don’t you think we should tell him?” Andrew asked softly.

  “That we’ve been secretly dating since last Christmas? Because that would go real well with my father and your father.”

  “My father approves of us, and he’s happy that we are together. He likes you and your family.”

  “It’s just my dad we’re worried about.”

  “Yes, but if we tell him—”

  “Tell him what? Any way we put it, he will still feel betrayed.”

  “I love you, Cassie, and it feels wrong to keep lying to your father.”

  “What are you two talking about over there?” Rachel asked, sitting across from them.

  “Nothing of any consequence,” Andrew said.

  “So, Andrew, what are your plans after graduation?” Edward asked, handing him a cup of liquor.

  Andrew took it but did not sip out of it. “I’m not sure yet, there are a couple of law firms in New York that interest me, but it’s only a matter of applying and getting the job.”

  “So you plan on sticking around in New York? Nothing in Connecticut appeals to you?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of amazing law firms there, but I think I would prefer to work in the city.”

  “Cassidy, what are your plans after graduation? You also have one more year, correct?” Delia asked.

  “Yes, but I’m not exactly sure what I want to do, I might want to go on and get my teaching credentials. I just haven’t decided. But most likely I will find work in speech therapy. There’s a big demand for bilingual speech pathologists.”

  “Would you want to work in the city?” Delia asked again.

  “If Andy wanted to be near the city then yes, I would find a job somewhere near the city—maybe not in the city itself.”

  “Princess you can’t settle, you have to do what you want and if a city job is not what you want then don’t settle for it just because Andrew wants to work near the city,” Edward said sternly, making Andrew cringe.

  “Daddy, I’m not settling for anything,” Cassie said.

  “Sir, if Cassie wanted to work in Timbuktu then I would follow her. She wouldn’t have to settle for anything. I love her and would never force her to do anything she didn’t want to do…I…I…” Andrew stammered off, realizing what he had just said.

  Cassidy went rigid next to him and the hand she was holding now gripped his even tighter.

  “What did you say?” Susan and Delia both asked.

  Andrew looked around the room and realized everyone else had realized it too. “I…I said…”

  “He loves me,” Cassidy said strongly. “And I love him too.”

  Both families stared at them. While the women smiled brightly back at the couple, both men narrowed their eyes.

  “How can you say that, princess? You’ve only been dating for five months,” Edward argued.

  “Love has no time constraints, Daddy. There is no time frame for when a person can fall in love with another, it just happens. It’s spontaneous, unpredictable, it’s timeless,” Cassidy said, looking over at Andrew, who knew he had a soft smile on his face. “We’ve known each other since we were little. And it didn’t start this summer, Daddy, it’s been going on since after New Year’s.”

  Edward just stared at his daughter. “Are you sure about him?”

  “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” Cassie said, making Andrew’s heart beat faster.

  “Sir, your daughter means everything to me. Just thinking about her brings a smile on my face. I love her and never have I ever felt this way before,” he hastened to reassure her father.

  “Well, then it must be love,” Edward said softly. Cassidy and Andrew looked at each other and smiled then looked over at her father. “Did you say since New Year’s?”

  “Daddy, I know what you’re thinking, but—”

  “Don’t feel bad, princess. I understand why you did it, you know your mom and me. We had our own troubles with her father. I understand how it is, how protective I am of you. It’s because I love you, but somehow I think I’ve always known about you two. I’ve always thought it was inevitable. I’m just happy, happy for you, happy to know that you are in good hands. He is a good man,” he said, putting his hand on Andrew’s shoulder while looking down at the couple. “Come on, James, we have some business to discuss, no more of this emotional girly stuff,” he said, walking over to Andrew’s father, who gave an approving nod at the couple before following Edward out of the living room.

  “Well, that went relatively okay,” Cassidy said, looking around at the smiling faces.

  “Yeah, surprisingly,” Andrew replied, squeezing her hand.

  The rest of the night their mothers asked questions about their relationship, wanting to know details. They reprimanded Andrew when they heard about his drunken stupor, but soon were congratulating the two with all the negatives forgotten.

  “I still can’t believe we didn’t figure it out, all those years,” Cassidy’s mother said.

  “It’s getting rather late, though, don’t you think? James and Edward are still doing business,” Andrew’s mother responded.

  “They probably will for another couple of hours, you know how they love to talk business,” Susan said, standing up. “I’m going to head home, dear, are you going to join me or would you prefer to stay the night here?”

  “Mother!” Cassidy gasped and the others chuckled.

  “What? You’re a grown woman. I’m sure the two of you have been together before.”

  “Mother!” Cassidy tried to hush her mother.

  “I mean you were together since last year, you stayed here three weeks before going back to your apartment,” her mother continued.

  Cassidy’s cheeks turned bright red.

  “The cat is out of the bag, Cassie, might as well—”

  “Just don’t tell Daddy,” she said faintly and her mother nodded while the others tried to hold in their laughter.

  After her mother left, Cassidy, Andrew, and Rachel went upstairs. “You two lovebirds have fun. I’m beat. See you in the morning for cartoons and cereal.” Rachel smiled.

  “ Je t’aime , Cassie,” Andrew said, closing his bedroom door. He took off his jacket and slung it across the small couch in his room.

  “My, you’ve been practicing your French.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him softly.

  “J'ai faim.”

  “You know what? You’re right, it is sexy,” she said, jumping up on him and wrapping her legs around his waist. “Even if you did just say you were hungry.” Andrew laughed and fell back into the wall and kissed her back passionately.

  “Well, I am hungry, just not for food.” He smiled then moved to kiss her neck.

  “I love you too, Andy,” she whispered.

  Slowly he pushed away from the wall and walked toward his bed and placed her on it. His hands roamed underneath her shirt and she broke away from him for only a moment to discard it. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt as he moved back to kiss her. She pushed it off his shoulders and threw it on the ground. He kissed her and teased her until she could take no more. They made love the rest of the night and fell asleep in each other’s arms in the early morning.

  Chapter Eleven

  Christmas Eve…

  Cassidy smiled up at Andrew then looked ba
ck at the couple who stood before them. “Your father has told us so much about you, Andrew,” the woman exclaimed. “He’s very proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” Andrew said politely. Andrew really did hate his family’s Christmas party. His father had told him a long time ago that appearances were everything and the key to getting ahead in the business world. Andrew had made a promise to his dad to meet and greet some of his high executive clients and from then on, everyone assumed they knew Andrew on the same level as his father.

  “And I suppose this beautiful lady is your girlfriend?” the woman asked, prying further into his life.

  Andrew only smiled and looked down at Cassidy. “Yep, I’m not sure how I got so lucky.”

  Cassidy smiled back and kissed him softly on the cheek.

  “Aw, you two are just so cute,” the woman said.

  “I believe my wife has pestered you enough, it was good to finally meet you, Andrew,” the man said and dragged his wife away with him.

  Cassidy laughed and Andrew looked down at her. He loved her laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she was happy, the way she lit up a room, the way she smiled at him, the way she knew everything he was thinking. She was everything to him, and he knew he could never live without her. He loved her with his whole heart, every fiber of his being cried out for her when they were apart. He needed her, and he knew she needed him as well.

  “What is that look for?” Cassidy asked.

  “I love you,” he said simply and kissed her softly on the lips.

  “You keep that up and all of your father’s clients will want to talk to us.” She smiled.

  “You’re right, I’m going to go get something to drink. Do you want anything?”

  “No, I haven’t been feeling well lately,” she said.

  “You never told me, are you okay?” he asked, concerned.