Princess (American Princess #1)(49)
Author: Courtney Cole

“Christian!  What in the world are you doing here?”

She smiled, but her expression was puzzled.

“Shouldn’t you be at Princeton right now getting ready for a big game or something?” She tried to keep her voice light, but underneath the surface, she was boiling with curiosity.

“Yes.”  Christian grinned the dimpled grin that used to take her breath away. “But I’m home for the weekend. And I needed to see you.”

He handed her the flowers.  “These are for you, of course.”

“Um, thanks.  But what are they for?  It’s not my birthday.”

“Well, let’s just say they’re a peace offering.  Can we do that?”  His smile was hopeful, as he reached for her hand.  “I know that I let you down.  And I feel really guilty about that.”

She drew her hand away.

“No offense, Chris, but you’re not getting into my pants.”

She smiled jokingly, which he immediately returned.

“Um, no offense, Syd- but I’ve been there, done that.” He dodged as she slugged him on the arm.  “Ow- you’ve gotten a pretty good right hook since the last time I saw you.”

“I’ve been taking self-defense lessons,” she replied proudly.  “I could lay you out if I wanted to.”

“Well, let’s not get too carried away,” Christian grinned.

Sydney shook her head and let it slide.  It had been easy to slide back into their old joking relationship style, but she knew he was here for a reason.

“Chris, it’s nice to see you.  But why don’t you come in and tell me why you are here?” She swung the door open and gestured for him to come in.

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

He settled himself into the couch as Sydney went into the kitchen to put the flowers into water.  “A water would be nice- thanks!”

He looked around her cozy living room.

“Nice place, Syd,” he said approvingly.  “I couldn’t get my parents to agree to off-campus living.”

Sydney handed him a bottle of water.

“Well, my dad has been very accommodating.  Since everything…” her voice trailed off.

It had been several months since everything had happened and she still didn’t like to talk about it.  She wasn’t sure that she ever would.

“That’s why I’m here.” Christian spoke so low that Sydney had to strain her ears to hear him.  “I’m sorry, Syd.  About everything.”

She glanced at his handsome face in surprise.

“You drove all the way here to apologize?  You could’ve called. My number is still the same.”

“It wouldn’t have been the same.  The FBI agent… what’s his name?  Agent Briggs?  Anyway, he had to do some follow-up interviews with me and he told me that the police detective had told you that I said that the baby wasn’t mine and that you were probably knocked up at a party… all kinds of things.”

Sydney nodded painfully.  The memories were still fresh and Christian’s lies were still hurtful- even though they had been overshadowed by everything else.

“Sydney, he lied.  I never told him anything like that. You can ask my parents, if you don’t believe me. They were there during my interview with him.  I told him the truth- that you and I had been dating for months and that I loved you, but I just wasn’t ready to be a dad.”

He stared pensively out the window.

“Do you think you can ever forgive me for that, Syd?  For not wanting to be a dad?”

Sydney’s heart throbbed.  At one time, she had wanted to strangle him for leaving her to face everything alone. But she could see now that he was still the same Christian- the one that she had fallen in love with.  Loveable, playful Christian.  And of course he hadn’t been ready to have a child. With his personality, he probably wouldn’t be ready until he was 40.  She leaned over and squeezed his hand.

“Chris, I meant what I told you at the time.  I didn’t hold it against you then and I still don’t.  That was your decision and you had every right to make it.  But I am very happy to hear that the detective was lying.  It broke my heart at the time.”

He leaned over to hug her.

“Sydney, I haven’t been able to forget something you said once.  You said that every girl remembers her first and that you wanted me to remember you, even though you weren’t mine.”

She nodded.  She remembered that conversation clearly.

“I’ll always remember you.  Everything about you—the way you twirl your hair when you are relaxed, the way you laugh when you are nervous, the way you drive much too fast… we’ve known each other a long time.  And a piece of me will always love you.  I’m really, really sorry about everything that happened.  You didn’t deserve any of it.”

He leaned over and hugged her tightly again and she let him, closing her eyes at the familiarity of his scent.  He had worn Hugo since they were in junior high.  And it suited him.

“Christian, you’re a really good person.  I’m glad I was with you and I wish you nothing but the best.”  She kissed his cheek and sat back in her chair, studying him curiously.

“So, tell me.  Who’s the new chick?  Because I know you have one.”

He laughed as he allowed himself to be led into a lighter conversation.

“Well, obviously she isn’t you, but she’s still pretty great.”

And for the next fifteen minutes or so, he shared details of his life with Sydney and she listened with friendly interest.

“So, let me get this straight.  You forgot to pick her up at a restaurant and she didn’t even get mad?   You’d better keep her.”  Sydney swirled her water around in the bottom of the bottle while she laughed.

Christian laughed too and glanced at his watch.

“Okay.  As much as I hate to, I should probably get going.  I’m supposed to have dinner with my parents.” He grimaced as he stood up.

“Well, by all means, give them my love.”  Sydney smiled as she allowed Christian to pull her to her feet.

He wrinkled his brow.  “I’m sorry about that, too, Syd.  You know, about the way my mom treated you.  She… has a temper sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it.” And Sydney meant it.  Christian’s mom had been worried about her son’s future.  It was a natural reaction and she wasn’t going to hold it against her.