To have and to Hold

Making your mind up

Rachel baulked at the idea of having to accept Adam's offer to drive her home .

But then she realised she had no other choice. The property he had shown her was too far across town from where she lived. She would have to take about two buses before she reached home.

She had not actually agreed to his so called 'proposal' yet. Her brain was busy working overtime, trying to figure a way out of it, and make Adam Maxwell see reason as he drove her home in his car.

"Would it be so awful if your stepmother and her son had some of the shares in your fathers company?" she then asked, "I mean between your father's hotel Business, and the fact you have your are rich on top of that with your own property development thing, isn't there enough to go around for you all?"

"It is not really about the money where I am concerned," Adam attempted to explain, "My grandfather started our hotel business from a young man. My father expanded it, and made it a greater success, then he passed it onto Kevin and I. We have continued to make it grow. The fact I have expanded into the property development side has only enhanced my fathers company further. But we have all worked hard and made sacrifices to get to where we are today. For me to let my stepbrother and his mother to have any say, would be a disaster, because money and power is all they are interested in. They wouldn't care if it meant destroying all we built, to get it," Adam frowned as he concentrated on the road ahead of him

"My father is getting older and frailer, I have lost my brother and my mother. This company will soon be all I have of the family, and I am not going to let my stepmother take it from me. I will do what I have to, just to make sure it doesn't happen," he stated resolutely

"Well you must have learned a few tricks from your stepmother, because you fight pretty dirty yourself Mr. Maxwell." Rachel retorted

"You can call me Adam," he reminded her as he glanced over at her

Rachel decided to ignore his request, finding herself reluctant to let his first name pass her lips, feeling it would be a sign she had somehow given into him.

"What you are doing to me is emotional blackmail," she continued, "But I guess you don't care about my feelings or those of the women in Haven, just as long as you get your own way"

"I will admit, I do like to get my own way," Adam replied easily, "And most times I do.. But come on Rachel, its not like I am being ungenerous in return. I could have chosen another property; one which was not particularly great for the Women's Refuge. And you probably still would have been happy with it. But I went out of my way so that they will have the best of everything. Surely that would make you happy knowing you could help them in a way you never dreamt of before?" he then pointed out.

"That is not quite the way I am seeing it," Rachel replied stiffly, "All I can see is a man welding his power and influence and manipulate people, to serve his own ends. It's all about control, just as Gary thought he could control me with violence and threats, you think you can control me by blackmail," she finished in disgust

Adam was not pleased with her comparing him with her former boyfriend, his expression hardened a little.

"I do not need to hit a woman to feel good about myself," he informed her, "So don't class me in the same category. I can assure you, as my wife you would not to have to live in fear of being beaten or threaten with any sort of physical violence. I would make sure that I would take very good care of you,"

"I don't need anyone to take care of me, I can take care of myself," Rachel stated defiantly

"I am in no doubt you can," Adam replied, sounding a little exasperated by her argumentative stance.