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  * * *

  Blaze was the last to arrive at the hotel for Sage and Ryan’s family dinner. He had hoped to work out in his personal gym before heading to his sister’s place, but got home later than he planned. Kellen and Zaire were leaving tomorrow, heading back to school in Atlanta. Blaze was not going to miss spending this evening with them.

  “It’s about time you got here,” Sage said as she embraced him. “We’ve been holding dinner for you.”

  “I’m sorry,” he responded. “You all could’ve started without me.”

  “You’re here now,” she stated, leading him into the dining room. “I’m surprised that you’re the last one to arrive. You are always so prompt.

  “Blaze is here,” Sage announced. “Everyone, take your seats at the table.”

  He sat down next to Kellen, the youngest of the Alexander siblings. “What time are you and Zaire leaving tomorrow?”

  “Around eight, I think.”

  “I’ll be in Atlanta the first week of next month,” Blaze said. “We’ll all get together and do something while I’m there.” Whenever he had to travel to Georgia, Blaze made sure he spent time with his younger siblings, who were in grad school.

  Kellen nodded. “Cool.”

  Blaze glanced around the room. “Where’s the little man?” he asked, referring to Joshua, Ari and Natasha’s son.

  “He’s with my sister,” Natasha responded. “She’s in town for a couple of days, so they’re doing dinner and a movie.”

  “I can’t help but notice how Sage is glowing,” Zaire said. “If marriage does that to you—I can’t wait. You look really happy, sis.”

  Sage and Ryan responded in unison, “Thank you.”

  They looked at each other and laughed.

  Blaze eyed Sage. “I don’t know. I think she looks the same.”

  “This coming from the man who said he would never get married,” Ari noted.

  Blaze wiped his mouth with his napkin before saying, “Not everyone is cut out for marriage.”

  Ryan took a sip of water, and then said, “I wrote an article a couple of years ago on the benefits of marriage. Did you know that being married can help you beat cancer?”

  “Really?” Malcolm asked.

  “I did some research and found that men who have never been married had a higher mortality rate than married men,” Ryan told them. “I also found that men in excellent health were about eighty-nine percent more likely to die if they were single compared to married men.”

  Blaze laughed.

  “I read that married men live an average of ten years longer than single men,” Zaire contributed.

  Blaze looked at Ryan. “So you’re trying to tell me that I’ll die sooner than you, Dad and Ari because I don’t have a wife.”

  “Blaze, if I were you, I’d be looking for my better half,” Zaire said with a chuckle.

  Sage cleared her throat loudly when everyone was almost done eating. “I know that everyone is wondering why Ryan and I wanted to have this dinner,” she began. “Well, we do have some news we’d like to share.” Reaching over, Sage took Ryan’s hand in hers. “We’re pregnant.”

  Everyone around the table uttered well wishes and congratulations.

  “Looks like my little niece or nephew will have a playmate,” Ari blurted out. “Natasha and I are also having a baby.”

  “What?” Zaire uttered in surprise. “Two babies.”

  Blaze was thrilled at the idea of becoming an uncle again. He adored Joshua.

  “This is wonderful,” a beaming Barbara murmured. “Two precious babies.” She reached over and gave Malcolm’s hand a gentle squeeze. “We’re going to have two more grandchildren to spoil. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Malcolm kissed her hand. “It sure is, honey.”

  While his parents were congratulating the expectant parents, Kellen leaned over and said in a low voice, “We’re having a meeting tonight after the parents leave to discuss a surprise party to celebrate Dad’s birthday.”

  “Okay,” Blaze responded. He reached for his glass of iced tea and took a long sip.

  He stole a peek at Sage. She really was glowing with happiness, prompting a smile from Blaze. Sage and Ari had both found their soul mates since moving to Los Angeles, and he was thrilled for them.

  Blaze was convinced that he was destined to be a bachelor for life. He could never see himself as a family man. He was nothing like Ari or his father. Blaze enjoyed his job and it required a lot of travel. The life he had created for himself did not allow him the luxury of family.

  His parents were great role models, but Blaze knew that he was not cut from the same cloth. He was devoted to his work and that left little time for anything else.

  Barbara stifled a yawn as Sage and Zaire cleared away the dessert dishes.

  “I guess I need to get your mother home,” Malcolm announced. “She’s getting sleepy.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I think we should head back home. It’s been a long day for us both, but it’s your daddy who needs his rest. He thought he could hang with some of the teens on the beach today. He played volleyball.”

  “I think that volleyball played me,” Malcolm confessed.

  They all laughed.

  Barbara embraced each one of her children and then their spouses. Malcolm saluted them and grinned, and then helped Barbara gather her things. Ryan and Sage escorted them to the door. The remaining siblings gathered in the family room that was washed in a gold-and-olive-green motif. The modern furnishings were lavish, but not extravagant. Blaze and Kellen settled down on the Brazilian Cherry hardwood floor. Ari and Natasha took to the sofa along with Zaire. Drayden sat down in the overstuffed club chair.

  Their parents gone, Ryan and Sage joined them and sat down on the love seat.

  “I talked to Mom and she wants to have the party on their yacht,” Zaire announced.

  “Sounds good to me,” Drayden said.

  Blaze nodded in agreement. “If that’s what Mom wants to do, then it’s decided.”

  With everyone in agreement about the venue, they moved on to the event itself. They would let their mother choose the menu.

  After the meeting, Blaze took the elevator down to the ground floor with Drayden.

  “I hope you have a date,” Drayden joked. “You seem to be in a big hurry to get out of here.”

  Blaze chuckled. “No, I’m just tired.”

  “Man, when was the last time you had a date? I haven’t seen you with anyone in a while.”

  “I’ve had a few dates,” Blaze responded. However, those dates progressed into nothing because he kept searching for the feeling and level of excitement he shared with Livi. “Right now my focus is on my work. There’s a lot going on with the hotels, but you wouldn’t know that since you chose to start your own firm.”

  “Don’t start,” Drayden said. “Mom and Dad are fine with my decision.”

  “I’m just giving you a hard time,” Blaze said with a chuckle. “I actually respect your decision to do your own thing.”

  When the elevator doors opened, Blaze glimpsed a woman who reminded him of Livi, but she strolled past too quickly for him to be certain.

  He cut his conversation short with Drayden and rushed out, looking for her.

  “What’s up?” his brother asked. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  Blaze’s eyes scanned his surroundings, but the woman was nowhere to be found.

  “Bro, are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  Blaze made another quick sweep of their surroundings with his gaze. “I thought I saw someone I knew.” When the words left his mouth, he felt a tingling sensation, the same sensation he always felt when he thought of Livi.

  * * *

&
nbsp; It was after 11:00 p.m. and Blaze preferred not to eat heavy when it was late. He made a salad and heated up a piece of grilled salmon left over from the dinner earlier with his family.

  He could not stop thinking about Livi. The image of the woman near the elevator floated to the forefront of his mind.

  Blaze released a long sigh. “Where are you, Livi?” he whispered.

  He finished up his meal and then headed to his bedroom.

  Blaze showered and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He settled down in his living room to watch television, although his mind was troubled. He did not know why, but he felt anxious. Maybe it was all the media attention on his family because of the new center they were building—Blaze had no idea, but he did not like the way he was feeling.

  He focused instead on his father’s upcoming birthday party. Blaze was looking forward to the celebration. Malcolm certainly deserved this event, and it would serve as a token of appreciation for how much he was loved and respected.

  Blaze tried to think of who he could ask to accompany him to the party. An image of Livi formed in his mind once more. Groaning in frustration, he tossed a pillow across the room.

  Chapter 3

  Livi laid her newspaper down on her breakfast table. The Alexander family continued to make daily headlines with the new center they were building to assist the L.A. homeless population.

  Right after college, Livi had worked as Robert DePaul’s assistant until he grew ill and stepped away from the business. Livi left the company shortly after his death, but returned a month ago, to take over as manager and buyer of the Parisian Maison Boutique located in the DePaul Hotel in Beverly Hills.

  With Robert DePaul’s son now at the reins, many of the employees decided to stay with the company. Livi had worked closely with Robert and trusted him. He was strategic in all of his decisions, so when he chose to leave everything to a son no one knew existed—Livi was not at all surprised by his actions.

  As it turns out, the Alexanders were wonderful employers and astute businesspeople. Livi was thrilled that Harold DePaul was no longer at the helm. Although she liked him as a person, he was too blinded by power to take notice of anything else.

  Livi often wondered what would happen when she and Blaze finally came face-to-face with each other. Would he even remember her?

  Livi was not interested in his wealth. The night she met Blaze was a special one for her. Back then, Livi felt that she had met her soul mate. Everything had happened so fast.

  One day, she and Blaze would have to have a conversation concerning that night because neither of them could pursue a future as long as they were bound to one another. She remembered how they were together. Being in the same city with Blaze had stirred up many emotions.

  * * *

  Livi pretended that she was not listening to the conversation between two of her employees as they worked to set up the display for an upcoming sale. She found that the handsome Alexander men were a constant subject of many of the female employees. She endured endless conversations from her staff and other hotel employees about Ari, Drayden and especially Blaze. Livi had heard that Drayden owned an accounting firm near Wilshire Boulevard. Like Blaze, he was rarely seen at the hotel.

  Livi chuckled softly every time one of the women voiced hope that she would catch Blaze’s eye. She could not be sure, but Livi did not believe that Blaze would be interested in any of them. However, she did not know that much about him. When they had met in Vegas, she had no idea that he was in any way connected to Robert DePaul. In all the years she worked with Robert, he had never shared that part of his life with her. She was stunned when she discovered that Blaze was Robert DePaul’s grandson. It was indeed a small world.

  Livi noticed that Blaze avoided the media as much as possible. His father and eldest brother appeared in the news frequently, but they were the face of the Alexander-DePaul Hotel Group and now the soon-to-be Robert DePaul Center.

  Livi was also private and could relate to how Blaze must be feeling. Her heart ached for him, knowing how he felt about this kind of attention.

  Both Sage’s and Ari’s marriages were featured in grocery store tabloids, and in several of the major magazines geared to the African-American market. Livi cringed at the thought of her personal life being the subject of the world’s conversations and criticisms. It was another reason why she had not approached Blaze—she feared the media exposing their special connection to public scrutiny.

  She and Blaze would have to be careful.

  However, Livi was not sure she could wait much longer. She had to find the right time to reenter Blaze’s life.

  But what if there was no right time?

  The question gnawed at her.

  Livi knew that she could not keep delaying the inevitable. It only made matters worse.

  * * *

  Ari was working from home because he was flying out later that evening on the company jet to visit the Alexander-DePaul Hotel & Spa Resorts in Arizona. Blaze returned to the hotel the next day to meet with him.

  He left his car with the valet and strolled into the spacious lobby of the hotel in Beverly Hills where Ari and Sage both maintained residences. Blaze was awestruck by the beauty of the hotel, with its Spanish Revival architecture and Mediterranean styling.

  The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Blaze knew the employees were watching him. He walked briskly across the floor toward the elevators.

  Whistling softly, he went up to Ari’s penthouse.

  The décor of his brother’s home featured dark wood crown molding and soft muted color schemes of sage, plum and ivory. The five-bedroom residence offered floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the interior with natural light.

  Natasha opened the door just as he was about to knock. She stepped aside to let him enter, then said, “Don’t work too hard.”

  He embraced her. “I should be telling you that.”

  She smiled. “Ari’s in his office. I’ve ordered lunch for the two of you. It’ll be delivered at noon.”

  “Thanks!”

  Blaze walked to his brother’s office.

  Ari was at his desk typing something into the computer.

  “I don’t know who’s glowing more—you or Natasha,” he said with a chuckle as he took a seat. “Marriage must certainly agree with you.”

  Ari glanced at him and smiled. “Natasha is everything I want in a wife. Joshua is the perfect son and now we’re having another baby. I’m over the moon.”

  “I’m thrilled for you, bro.”

  “What about you, Blaze? Los Angeles is filled with beautiful women—I’m surprised one of them hasn’t caught your eye. You used to be quite the ladies’ man.”

  “All my energies have been focused on work,” Blaze responded. His guilt weighed upon him, choking him. He did not know how much longer his family was going to buy this explanation.

  “Does Joshua know about the baby yet?” he asked.

  Ari settled back in his chair. “We told him last night.”

  “How did he take the news?”

  “I wish you could’ve seen him, Blaze. He walked over to Natasha and started rubbing her belly as he introduced himself to the baby. He’s a proud big brother.”

  Two hours later, Blaze left the penthouse and took the elevator down to the lobby. His steps slowed as he neared the Parisian Maison Boutique.

  Blaze stared at the woman inside talking to a couple of women carrying an armload of shopping bags. The shock of discovery hit him full force.

  Her hair is much shorter now, but that woman is most definitely Livi.

  Blaze hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions. What he felt for Livi cast aside any doubt as he burst through the double doors of the boutique, walking with purpose.

  Livi halted, shocked, but seemed to
recover quickly. “M-Mr. Alexander,” she murmured. “What can I do for you?”

  “Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asked, aware that everyone in the shop was watching them intently.

  She gestured toward the back of the store. “Yes. My office is in the back.”

  Blaze gently took her arm and escorted her to the office so they could talk in private.

  Once they were in the office, he closed the door behind him. “I can’t believe that you’ve been here under my nose all this time.” He came close, looking down at her intensely. “I was just about to hire a private detective to try to find you.”

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’ve only been back in Los Angeles for about a month now. I was living in San Francisco.” Livi hesitated, blinking with bafflement. “Blaze, you’ve been looking for me?”

  “I wanted to see you again.” He eyed the nameplate on her desk. “So, Carlyle is your last name.”

  “Oh,” she murmured. “I thought you knew that.”

  Blaze gave a short laugh. “I might have, but for some reason I didn’t remember.”

  Livi smiled. “You were quite the party animal.”

  “So were you. But I’m sure you must have figured out that you worked for my father.” Blaze paused, then added, “Livi, why didn’t you let me know that you were here?”

  She was completely honest in her response. “Blaze, I’ve only been back in Los Angeles a month. As soon as I got back, I wanted to contact you, but I didn’t know what to say. I considered it many times. My friend Sybil kept telling me to call you or send an email.”

  “I still can’t believe that you’ve been with the company all this time.” Blaze hoped his tone concealed the mixed emotions he felt.

  “Why have you been looking for me?” Livi asked.

  “We had a great time in Vegas and then you disappeared. I feel like we have some unfinished business.”

  Livi met his gaze. “What kind of unfinished business?”

  He shrugged. “That’s why I’ve wanted to find you. Few women have left an impression on me the way you have, Livi. We have a connection.”