Braden let out a frustrated growl. "Della, a call from you wouldnt be a bother to him. "
She loved me and didnt understand what I was trying to tell her. I knew better. "No, Braden. Im letting him live. Ill find my way soon. First, I have to figure out my past. "
She didnt say more as I walked back to the bedroom. I closed the door and waited a minute to make sure she wasnt following me before I let the tears fall. I didnt want her to see me cry. She would call him. She would try to fix this. There was nothing there to fix, but she didnt see it that way.
But now I knew I was going to heal. I was going to be okay. I had a future. I had to face what Id lost. Losing Woods was my biggest mistake. I shouldnt have left him. I should have been stronger then and fought harder. But I hadnt. I would deal with that the rest of my life.
Page 27
Woods
The ringing was in the distance. I heard it but I couldnt find it. Everything was dark. My eyes snapped open and the ringing started again. Shit! It was my phone. I sat up and grabbed it. It was after three in the morning and Braden was calling me. Della. God, please let her be okay.
"Is she okay?" I asked the moment I answered the phone.
"Yes and no. "
"What does that mean?" I asked, standing up and looking for my jeans. If I needed to go to her that night I would.
"She had a dream about her mother. She didnt wake up screaming. She just woke up. "
I stopped searching for my jeans. "What?"
"She had one of her dreams but she didnt have a night terror. She didnt get lost in her fears. She just woke up. Shes already getting better. "
"Im coming there. Ive had enough with waiting. Im on my way. Tonight. "
"No! Youre not. You have to give her time. Shes meeting with her birth father next. She met with her birth mother and then had dinner with her family all on her own. She needs to do all this alone. Shes realizing she can do this. Shes also finding out that she was crippled by her fears. Shes overcoming that. Dont come here and confuse her. She has to come to you this time, Woods. She thinks you dont want her. She needs to face that fear on her own, too. "
Fuck no! "You cant expect me to stay here and let her think I dont want her. Thats not okay, Braden. Its not fucking okay. She shouldnt have to overcome a fear thats pointless. How can she think I dont love her? That she isnt my heart, my soul, my future? Thats the one thing she should never doubt. That, she needs to know. "
"Listen. I know this is hard and youve been great so far but give her just a couple more days. Please. She needs this. Remember this is about what she needs, not what you want. "
I started to hit the wall again and stopped myself at the last minute. That wasnt going to help anything. I had to calm down. "When she left here she took my soul with her. I will always belong to her. I dont want her to ever think differently. "
"Trust me, I know this. But she doesnt. She thinks you havent tried to contact me or Tripp and you dont care that shes gone. That youre relieved she left. Before you run out to your truck, take a deep breath and remind yourself that youll get to correct her belief in a few days. Just give her a few more days. She doesnt need you here messing with her emotions while shes facing her demons and figuring out that shes going to be okay. When she sees you again she needs to feel like she can be what you need. "
"Two days. Thats it. She comes to me in two days or Im coming there. I cant do this anymore. It isnt for me that I want to come. Its because I cant let the woman I love believe I dont want her. Ive done this for as long as I can stand it. Two days is all Im promising," I told her.
"Fine, two days. "
I dropped the phone to the bed and sat down beside it. Della had overcome her night terrors. She was getting better. She was going to be whole. If I could make it just two more days.
My mother had called and woken me up that morning. I told her Id be at her house in an hour to talk. She was furious and I had been avoiding her calls. It was time I talked to her. She would know soon who the new board members were when I held a party at the club to celebrate their new positions. Everyone would know and she wasnt going to be happy about it. Dean Finlay might send her into a rage. She should be prepared.
When I arrived at her house, Harry, the chauffeur Id hired for Mother after I fired Leo when I returned to Rosemary, was loading my mothers bags into her Benz. She was going somewhere, obviously. Good. That was probably best.
I nodded as I passed Harry. He was my employee. Leo had been my fathers. Leo had also left Della in handcuffs for five hours in the back of a car and hadnt let her use the restroom. Id fired him before I could get my hands on him.
"Shes leaving, I see. "
Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. Im taking her to the airport at nine," he replied.
"Thanks, Harry. "
I headed to the door and didnt knock. It was standing open. The house cleaner, Martha, was standing there, wringing her hands nervously. I was sure shed seen and heard my mothers anger. I smiled at her reassuringly. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I called out, "Mother. Im here. "
Then I turned to look back at Martha. "Its okay. You can finish doing what you were doing. She wont kill me. Even if shes threatened to. "
Martha didnt look too sure but she nodded and scurried off.
Mother came to the top of the stairs with her purse over her arm. "Im leaving," she stated, as if I hadnt figured that out already.
"I see that," I replied.
She walked down the staircase and I waited for more of an explanation.
"You have chosen to defy your fathers memory. You have taken everything he set into place and thrown it away. Those men you let go were a part of the Kerrington Club for over thirty years. They are trusted confidantes. You thumb your nose at that. Youre a foolish child. I dont want to stay here and watch you destroy this legacy. Your grandfather was a silly man. He shouldnt have left anything to you. A twenty-five-year-old boy isnt old enough to run a business like this one. You know nothing. "
I let her angry words seethe from her mouth. She needed to get this out and it was time I let her. When her furious gaze leveled on me and stayed there I decided it was my turn to speak.
"Those men were my fathers confidantes. Not mine. I put in place those who are close to me. Its time for a change. The club will be run differently now. Im not Father. But I strive every day to be like the man who built this club. I admire my grandfather and hope to be worthy of his legacy one day. I hope you travel safely and will check in with me so that I know youre doing well. I love you, Mother. You may not believe me or even care, but I do. Youre my mom. That will never change. "
She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed again. I believed, deep down, that she loved me, too. But right now her pride was too big to accept that emotion where I was concerned. She pulled her purse up to her shoulder and looked at the door. "Im going to our apartment in Manhattan. I have friends there, and I prefer to live there now. Rosemary has changed. "
Yes, it had. And I hoped it would keep changing. "I wish you happiness," I replied.
She didnt look back at me. I watched as she walked out the front door with the click of her heels echoing through the house. She would come back one day. She would love me one day. But for now, she had to go. She had to be mad. And letting her go was something I could do.
Page 28
Della
Nile Andrews had my eyes. Or I had his. When his eyes met mine as I stepped into the restaurant, I could see that he noticed it, too.
I was more nervous about this than meeting Glenda. Id never had a father. I didnt know what that felt like. What a meeting with the man whose sperm gave me life would even be like. My first question had been, did he really want to have this meeting? The answer was clearly yes. Hed boarded a plane to Atlanta hours after Id called him that morning. He said he could meet me at seven at this restaurant. I had been surprised by his desire to come here so soon. I ha
d even expected him to make excuses.
"Hello, Della," he said as he stood up and held out his hand for me to shake.
"Hello, Nile," I replied, slipping my hand into his. He was tall. Glenda had said he played basketball and I could see why. His hair was a dark color that contrasted greatly with his blue eyes. He was a handsome man. I could see what Glendas teenage heart had seen.
"Im so glad you wanted to meet me. Ive been waiting for that call since Glenda let me know she found you. "
He hadnt wanted me. But hed been a seventeen-year-old boy. I couldnt hold that against him. It wasnt like he had been an adult who had made the decision to give me away. He hadnt been old enough to be a parent yet. Not really.
"I like Glenda," I said simply.
Nile grinned and he sat down after I did. "Yeah, shes something else. "
There was a tenderness in his eyes that surprised me. He had loved her once. It had been young love but he had loved her. It had been real. And somewhere deep down it had never really gone away for him. Glenda didnt get that soft look in her eyes when she talked about Nile. She admired the man he had become and said his wife was gorgeous and perfect for him. Nile reacted differently.
"I guess she told you about what happened," he said.
I nodded. "She did. I understand. You were both young. "
He studied me a moment, then shook his head. "You look so much like her. Its amazing. But you got my eyes. My other girls dont have my eyes. They got their mothers. But you got them. "