“Ben, may I ask you a question?”
They’d worked in silence for so long the question caught Ben by surprise. “Uh, sure.”
“I get what you’re doing with Karen and Penny. That’s actually pretty cool of you. But I don’t understand what’s going on with the McKellan twins. Are you… with them? You didn’t seem happy about it.”
Ben squirmed under his curious look. “Contrary to what you see in the tabloids, I’m a very private person. I don’t like to talk about my personal relationships. That said, I understand it’s a very personal issue for you so I’ll give you an answer. Yes, I have a relationship with the twins but I’m still working on the boundaries of that with them. That’s why I was uncomfortable with such a public display of affection.” Ben stopped to gather his jumbled thoughts. “One thing the women can be assured of is my discretion. It’s no one’s business what we do. I do this out of love and respect for them.” He fixed his eyes on Jayden’s. “I would NEVER do anything to hurt them.”
Jayden’s back went up. “Except fuck other women.”
Ben scowled at Jayden. “How many women have you been with Jayden? Did you love any of them? I’m not asking if you told them you loved them. I’m asking if you actually had an emotional bond with any of them. If not, were you at least honest about your feelings with them before you fucked them?”
It was Jayden’s turn to scowl at Ben who continued.
“When I was your age I was looking for a woman who would share my life and instead all I found were a series of one night stands. They left me feeling empty and ill. When I finally met my wife I fell for her hard and sex finally felt… right. Maybe it’s not the same for everyone but for me there needs to be an emotional bond. When my wife left me it… destroyed me. I never expected to have another relationship with a woman again. It hurt so much I couldn’t bear the thought of going through it again. I… accepted I would be alone. Then I discovered I was loved and by more than one woman. I wasn’t ready to accept that. These women proved to me that I could love again and I didn’t need to fear the pain. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t feel unworthy of their love so I do everything in my power to justify their trust in me,” Ben sighed and leaned back against the wall.
“Opening your heart to love is one of the most vulnerable and terrifying acts one person can do for another. If it’s done for someone unable or unwilling to love in return, it can leave deep scars. Your mother is dealing with those scars now. I’m giving her time and I’ve let her know I will be there for her if she needs me. I have strong feelings for your mother. I won’t hurt her by lying and hiding my love for the other women in my life. She knows my feelings for her are honest and for her alone. We may never be together again but she will hold a place in my heart.”
Ben glanced at the time and saw it was almost the end of the business day. Looking back at Jayden he saw the scowl was still in place but his eyes weren’t so angry and he wouldn’t look at Ben.
“Listen, the work day is done. We talked about a lot of deep stuff today. Lots to think about. You did good work. Go home and relax. Tomorrow morning we will swing the sledge hammers and crow bars to have a little fun then the heavy machinery will take the top story off and the real work will begin. Tomorrow is going to be a much more strenuous day. Get rested up and thanks,” Ben said.
Jayden nodded and they left the house. He watched the young man walk back to his house and inside.
The crew was preparing to call it a day. They had prepared the excavated pit for putting in the foundation the following day. The boundaries were marked and looked good to Ben. He said his goodnights to the crew and Dominic and headed home.
As he entered the front door he smelled the delicious scents of cooking and he immediately worried that Tina wasn’t resting as she should be.
“Tina?” he called out.
“In the kitchen!” she called back.
Ben’s brows went down in a scowl. He quickly kicked off his boots and hung up his jacket to march into the kitchen to ask what she was doing. As he entered the doorway he saw Tina in a wheelchair with her leg extended and Karen on the counter side of the island. His steam left him as confusion passed over his face.
“See! I told you he would think it was my cooking!” Tina cheered. Karen’s smile was wide and delighted.
“It- it smells so good!” was all Ben could say in his defence. He walked over and kissed Tina. Karen came around the island and Ben gave her a hug. “I’m so hungry!” he said with a grin.
“You’ll just have to wait until everyone else gets home,” Karen said as she pranced back to the oven.
Ben looked at Tina who grinned excitedly.
“Karen is a natural! She picked up everything I was teaching her and shows patience when cooking. I think this is an excellent skill for her. She has expressed an interest in attending classes to do this professionally,” Tina said.
Ben grinned and kissed Tina once more, letting it go on a little longer than usual and she swooned.
“Mmm! Stop! Please!” she pushed him away finally and grinned up at him with heat in her eyes. “Go get cleaned up for dinner.” Her cheeks glowed.
He walked down to the master bedroom and took a shower and got changed into his casual clothes. When he came out Lucy was walking down the hall towards him with a smile on her face. “How was your day?”
Arms wrapped around him and soft lips pressed against his as he felt her soft breasts press against his chest. She felt wonderful!
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “My day was fun! Thank you!” She stepped around him to get cleaned up for dinner.
Penny skipped down the hall towards him with a huge grin on her face. “Isn’t it amazing how Karen made dinner for us tonight?”
“Yes! Did you bring her homework home for her?” Ben asked. Karen would still need her secondary school diploma if she intended to go to school to become a chef.
Penny nodded quickly. “Yes and I’ll sit with her when she does it.”
Ben gave Penny a warm hug for being so good to her sister.
When they were all seated at the table Tina thanked Karen for all her help taking care of her and for making the wonderful meal.
The dishes were handed around and soon everyone was digging into the delicious steamed veggies and the thick slices of tender roast beef. The mashed potatoes were creamy and smooth.
“Ben, I need to build up my strength as my arms are very tired from mashing and whipping the potatoes. Could you show me how to use the machines downstairs to get stronger?” Karen asked shyly.
“Ooo! Me too!” Penny said.
Ben smiled. “Sure. I can show you a routine you both could follow to help strengthen and tone your muscles. You’ll have to get up a little earlier in the morning to do the exercise though. Are you ok with that?”
Their smiles dimmed a little but he got nods from both of them.
“Tomorrow morning then,” he said with an evil grin and rubbed his hands together.
“Ben! Don’t tease!” Tina scolded him with a smile.
“How went the renovations?” Lucy asked.
“It’s going really well so far. The backyard is excavated and the foundations will go in tomorrow. The basement floor and walls the day after that. The main floor is being pulled off tomorrow as well.”
“So quick!” Tina said.
“Yeah, trying to outrun the really cold weather,” Ben explained.
“Did… did Jayden like my cookies?” Karen asked casually, not looking Ben in the eye.
“I thought Penny helped with them,” Ben remarked with a curious tone, pretending he didn’t hear Karen’s real question. Tina frowned at him but he ignored her look.
Karen’s brows furrowed in annoyance. “Yes, sorry, did he like our cookies?”
“The crew thought the cookies were very good and asked me to pass along their thanks!” Ben answered.
Karen nodded cautiously as she wasn’t sure if that answered her question.
Tina and Lucy traded looks. There would be a discussion later.
Ben turned his attention to his meal and was really impressed. “You outdid yourself with this meal Karen. It’s delicious!”
Her smile came back. “Thank you Ben!”
The discussion turned to the homework Penny had brought home for Karen and Lucy’s classes.
“Did you hear back from the car dealer yet regarding Ashley’s new van?” Lucy asked.
“Not yet. Why? Is Ashley having trouble with my truck?”
“No but her girls mentioned they missed arriving at school in style,” she grinned.
“Hey! My truck has plenty of style!” he protested.
That received a raised eyebrow from the four ladies. Ben harrumphed causing giggles.
The doorbell rang as they were finishing up. Ben got up to answer it. He saw Gabriella standing on the porch looking stressed. He opened the door and welcomed her in. She clung to his chest and he gave her a tight hug. She seemed to settle down in his arms.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.
She took off her shoes and they walked into the living room. Lucy had just pushed Tina’s chair into the room.
“Should we leave you two alone?” Tina asked.
“No, please stay. This isn’t private just… potentially life altering,” Gabriella said in a daze.
The doorbell rang again. Lucy answered it and soon she returned with Catherine who was wide eyed with curiosity. Gabriella held out her hand and pulled her friend to sit next to her on the couch with Ben.
“Please start at the beginning,” Ben said.
“Sorry, yes. Well, do you recall that company in Milan you arranged for me to fly to on the private jet back in May? I’ve been doing a lot of consulting work recently with Vincent Leone, their CEO, as they’ve been in talks with one of the major fashion houses in Milan who I also deal with closely. They are going to merge the two companies into one and they want to expand their market.” She looked at Ben and Catherine to see if they were following so far and they smiled in return.
“I just got off the phone with Vincent. He told me that the consulting work I’ve been doing was a test to see if I met their requirements to be the CEO of the new corporate entity! He’s retiring and the executives of both companies voted unanimously for me to take over!”