Burned by Passion(11)

“So, Blake...did you happen to leave any sweetheart yearning for you back in Britain?” Brittany cooed, cutting through his thoughts with a mischievous smile.

Blake glanced around the table to meet his father’s neutral expression which didn’t fool Blake in the slightest. He knew his father was just as curious to hear the answer.

Blake turned his attention back to Brittany. “I’m not exactly sure what you mean, Brittany.”

“Oh yes you are,” she told him teasingly, as if aware he was merely stalling. “Are you seeing someone? Engaged, married?”

Blake had to smile. “No; definitely not married,” he said, and sure enough he didn’t miss Brittany’s relieved sigh which closely matched his father’s. He was looking at his father as he added, “But I have been dating someone; she’s French and her name is Eve Durand. We’ve been together almost a year now. So you could say I’m...attached.”

“Well, are you thinking of marrying this...Eve woman?” his father asked, speaking directly to him for the first time since they’d settled down to dine.

At that question Blake noticed that the whole table went quiet and he could also tell that the guests at the other table were listening in too.

Just the kind of attention he’d been avoiding, Blake thought as he hid his deepening irritation. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, “We’ve spoken about marriage, yes.”

Blake’s relationship with Eve was one he’d felt comfortable with enough to consider taking things further just before his mother lost her battle with cancer. Once his mother was gone Blake began to notice a strain in his relationship with Eve which he knew came all from him. He’d been filled with a lot of anger and a sense of injustice against the world from losing his mother who’d been the sweetest woman in the world and the one thing that had really mattered to him.


As things stood with Eve, their love affair had been put on hold at least. But they were still officially together. Eve was a great girl; a beautiful, vivacious brunette who worked as a successful fashion stylist. They’d met at a bar in London and the attraction had been mutual. They had a lot of things in common and though Blake wasn’t sure about the labels when it came to love and relationships, he knew she’d have made a perfect wife. He didn’t know yet why he was still holding back.

His father’s next words snapped him out of his musings. “Well, maybe it’s for the best that you both never got past just speaking about marriage. Best forget it all together because I don’t think she’s right for you,” Bretton said shortly, reaching for his glass of wine and taking a brief sip.

His dismissive tone angered Blake. “How would you know? You haven’t even met her.”

Blake was aware of his father now and no one else. In a lot of ways, his father rubbed him up the wrong way for different reasons. But a lot probably had to do with the past and how it had all played out. His lonely, heartbroken mother never really wanted to find love again and was content to raise her only son while trying to rebuild their lives. There’d been her extended family to provide the needed support but nothing beat a husband and a real home; a real family. His father had robbed them of that with his dedication to his business. Blake felt his father was the last person to be giving him any kind of opinion on his relationships or love life.

“Besides, what right do you have to dictate my personal life? If I do decide to marry Eve or any other woman, whether you want it or not will not matter to me in the slightest.” Blake’s tone was cold and he caught the way his father winced at his detached words.

Blake had the urge to lash out as cruelly as possible against this man across from him who felt good about playing ‘father’ only when it suited him. Blake could almost feel the sympathy wafting from the guests for their host Bretton Carter but Blake could care less.

Where had Bretton Carter been all those years when it had actually mattered? To hell with what anyone else might think. No one in that room knew what it was like to be a ten-year-old boy who didn’t matter to his father. To be simply tossed away and forgotten for years.

“You’re right,” Bretton finally said into the silence at their table. His voice was calm over the subdued sounds from the surrounding guests dining at the tables placed around the room. “What right do I have to intrude in any part of your life? After all it’s been decades since we had any kind of contact. But I’m still your father and there are certain wishes I’d like respected.”

“Even though they work against mine?” Blake asked with a disbelieving huff. Was this conversation really happening, right here and now? He realized he finally had enough of this impossible situation. Had enough of everything. He was done with this charade. It was a mistake to come back. Even if it was something his mother wanted. He’d tried and that’s all he could do.

“It’s obvious you still think of me as that ten-year-old who left with his mother all those years ago. Well sorry to break the news to you, Dad, but I didn’t come all the way back so you could control my life. In case you haven’t noticed I’m more than old enough to make my own decisions. And you know what; I’ve decided I’ve had enough for one evening. Goodnight everyone.”

Ignoring Brittany’s dramatic, shocked gasp, Blake rose to his feet and stalked out of the hushed room.