Call It Destiny

intuitive certainty. „I don’t think it’s my emotional development that’s been stymied. It just took a while for both sides of my nature to join properly. You’re the one who missed something along the way. I know what love is because I grew up surrounded by it. Even when I was in full rebellion against my father I never doubted that he loved me or that my parents knew what love was. They’ve always been in love. I grew up with plenty of examples of the emotion so I can recognize it in myself. But you didn’t have all those examples, did you?“
    „Growing up in a series of foster homes was an excellent example of just how unreliable love can be,“ he shot back savagely. „Do you have any idea how often someone has told me she loves me? My mother told me that. All those women who ran the homes used to tell me that, and so did the woman I married. Since then I’ve heard those words from a few other women. I’m willing to bet they all meant it at the time, but whatever emotion they were experiencing sure didn’t last long.“
    „You liked hearing the words from me. You said so!“
    „Of course I like hearing them. They’re very pleasant to listen to. Especially from you when I’ve just made you surrender completely,“ he stormed. „But no one but a fool would trust them. I prefer to put my trust in other kinds of bonds. Those other bonds exist between us, Heather. They form the real basis on which a marriage between us can work.“
    „Before I realized I love you, I thought they could too. But now I’ve changed my mind. We can have a terrific working relationship based on those bonds. We can even have an affair based on them. But I will not allow them to be the basis of any marriage between you and me. I won’t settle for anything less than love.“
    „You want words? What’s to prevent me from just saying them?“ he charged. „You won’t. Not unless you mean them.“
    „What makes you so sure? I’ve misled you before.“
    „I think you’ll be very careful how you use the words ‘I love you,’“ Heather said quietly. „I think you’ve heard them misused too often. I’m hoping that it will be a matter of pride with you not to use them to lie to me.“
    „Pride is the key factor here, I think,“ Jake pounced, stepping forward and catching hold of her. „Your pride is riding high because I didn’t return your passionate little declaration of love this morning.“
    „I’m too proud to marry you for any other reason than love, if that’s what you mean,“ she agreed boldly. „If we’re to have this great working partnership going between us it will have to be based on honesty. I’m being totally honest and I expect the same from you. Will you promise me that much, at least, in return?“
    „Yes,“ he replied shortly.
    She smiled very brilliantly. „That’s a start, I suppose. We’ll take it from there. Don’t worry, Jake. It won’t be so bad. I think you already are half in love with me. I have great hopes for the future.“
    He stared at her in bewilderment. „You think it’s going to be a nice simple evolutionary process? That I’m going to wake up one morning and realize I’m deeply in love?“
    „Why not? That’s the way it happened to me.“
    He ignored that. „And in the meantime you’re prepared to give me everything I want?“
    „People in love tend to be generous,“ she assured him kindly.
    „The hell they are,“ he growled softly. „You’re not being generous at all. You’re willing to make the offer because you know I can’t accept.“
    Heather’s assurance faltered. „Can’t accept?“
    „I have a reputation to consider, even if you don’t. I refuse to risk offending your parents by having you move in with me. They would never understand that the whole idea was yours and not mine!“
    „Oh, that. Don’t worry about my parents. They’re accustomed to my unpredictable behavior.“
    „Not anymore, they’re not. I told your father that when I brought you back this time, everything would be under control.“
    „Ah, I see. Told my parents you’d bring me home in chains, is that it?“ Heather mocked gently. „That was very foolish of you, Jake. No one has ever succeeded in managing me. I live my life in my own way. On my own terms.“ Too late she remembered how arrogant that sounded.
    Jake reacted to the challenge with cold assessment. „So you keep saying. But sooner or later everyone meets his or her Waterloo, honey. You’re