“Which will make her keep her mouth shut. Kind of a reverse blackmail,” Autumn said.
“Exactly,” Kyle said.
Stone stared at his brother and then his sister. Their minds were so devious.
“And if she goes to the police, then fine. They’ll dig around to see if they can make a case against you. Or maybe they won’t. If, and this is a big if, you’re indicted, then we can talk about a confession. Until then, I say you just lie low. Continue to live your life, and if they come for you, then fine. My guess, they won’t. No one missed these guys. No one cared they were dead except for their equally disliked father. Who is also dead, by the way. I did a little research and he was killed in a bar fight five years ago. The Miller brothers were the last of the clan. There’s no one else who cares enough to look into this with any interest.”
Stone looked at Valerie to gauge her reaction. She’d twisted the napkin into a ball by then but nodded in what appeared to be agreement.
“What do you think?” Kyle asked.
“It makes sense to me,” Autumn said. “I’m not sure why we didn’t think of it before. Fear clouds logic, I guess.”
“Well, thank you,” Valerie said. “I guess this means you’re rid of me.”
Kyle studied her. “Is that what you want?”
“I know I don’t have any right to be here or part of your lives, but it would be nice if I could be. Not a lot. Maybe just a visit every now and then so I could see the children. I don’t deserve it, but I’d be so grateful for a second chance.” Her eyes filled. She pulled a tissue from the pocket of her ratty jeans and wiped her face. “But you kids will have to decide what you want.”
They were quiet. Stone watched a moth fluttering around an outside patio light. How long was he supposed to hold on to this anger? What purpose did it serve? He thought of Pepper then, about her father’s letter. At the end, he’d been sorry he hadn’t been the kind of father that Pepper needed. Still, he’d been unable to change. Perhaps Valerie Hickman was the same. She’d left because it was all she was capable of at the time. Was that circumstance or her psychological makeup? Who knew? However, unlike Pepper’s father, she was here now. She wanted to be part of their lives.
He looked over at the old woman and took in her thin skin and weathered hands. She’d paid for her mistakes. That was plain to see. The anger drained from him. His heart opened. “Kyle’s kids are the coolest. I know they’d like to have a grandparent around.”
“They would,” Kyle said.
Valerie brightened just slightly. A hopeful pink tinge colored her cheeks. “I’d like to be their grandmother. I’d love it, I mean. The chance to see them grow up would give me something to look forward to. I don’t have much else.”
“We can take it slowly,” Autumn said. “Get used to the idea that you’re back in our lives.”
“Nah. That’s not how the Hickman siblings roll,” Kyle said. “Let’s get you a little place in town. You can retire. Put your feet up. Join one of those old lady book clubs. Go to the beach with the kids.”
“Get to know us,” Stone said.
Valerie fidgeted, smoothing her sweater. “That’s very sweet, but I don’t have any retirement money saved. It was all spent on my husband’s bills. I can’t afford to leave my job. And this town is much too expensive for me.”
“Mom, I’m super rich,” Kyle said.
Stone chuckled. “He’s rich and he’s generous. Too generous, in my opinion.”
“Nah. God doesn’t love a stingy man,” Kyle said. “Mom, don’t worry about it. I got you covered.”
“I can always help you fix it up,” Stone said. “I’m not rich but I’ve got these.” He lifted his hands.
“Autumn?” Valerie asked through tears. “Is this what you want?”
“I don’t know.” Autumn had her arms wrapped around her middle. Her gaze was fixed on the tray in the middle of the square coffee table.
“Autumn, you and Stone forgave me for leaving,” Kyle said. “And I didn’t deserve you to.”
Autumn’s bottom lip quivered as she nodded. “It was more complex than that.”
“So is this,” Kyle said.
That was just it. If you delved into any situation and examined it from every angle and point of view, one arrived at complex. It’s complicated. That was the truth. Every person on the planet had been given certain strengths and weakness but without nurturing support, it was hard to succeed.
After a horrendous childhood and marriage, their mother had done the only thing she could do at the time to survive. She’d left. Just as Kyle had.
But now they could do better than that. This was not a matter of survival. Among them, they had the means and the love to give their mother a taste of milk and honey during these last years of her life. They had it within their power to make her life easier. Because it wasn’t really a matter of what a person deserved or not. She hadn’t deserved a terrible childhood any more than she deserved forgiveness now. Her circumstances had been out of her control. She’d done the best she could.
What could they control? Right now. This moment. And their reaction to it. Their conscious choice to forgive, to love. He couldn’t be sure, of course, but he had a strong suspicion that all roads to good were laid with bricks made of love. One could always choose love.
“Do you like to play cards?” Stone asked his mother.
Valerie had been silently weeping, but she dried her eyes and looked over at him. “Yes, I do.”
“I have a few ladies I’d like to introduce you to,” Stone said.
“Autumn, I’ll only stay if you want me to,” Valerie said.
Autumn raised her face. The stony expression had softened a smidge. “I’m not making any promises that we’ll be baking cookies together by Christmas, but I’m open to getting to know you.”
“Thank you,” Valerie whispered.
“In the meantime, let’s have some tacos,” Kyle said. “My perfect wife and precocious son are waiting for us in the kitchen.”
The next morning, Stone announced that dinner for the building was on at his place. He and Trey were making chili. They’d soaked the beans the night before and put them in the slow cooker with onions and spices. As the smell of chili pepper and onions filled the house, they spent most of the day watching football together on the couch like an old married couple. As much as he wanted to, Stone couldn’t shake his sadness. Missing Pepper was an all-consuming, full-time ache that started the moment he woke in the morning and plagued his sleep with nightmares.
He’d been home for three days. They’d talked on the phone a few times and exchanged a few texts, but he hadn’t heard from her all day. She’d been elusive about her meeting with the board, saying only that it wasn’t what she expected, and she’d tell him about it soon.
Soon? What did that mean?
She was already drifting away from him. He could feel it with every text that went unanswered today. She was probably meeting with important people and planning trips to the South of France on some rapper’s yacht.
But he couldn’t wallow around the rest of his life. He needed to carry on. Thus, he’d put out a text to the rest of the tenants. Group Dinner was on.
Rafael and Lisa had returned home from her filming. He’d heard them come home late last night as he lay in bed trying to fall asleep. They’d agreed to come for dinner, as had everyone else.
It was the fourth quarter of the heated San Francisco-versus-Los Angeles game when a knock on the door interrupted their clenched-jaw watching.
“I got it.” Stone ambled around the couch to open the front door.
The sight before him weakened his knees.
It was Pepper. Gorgeous, sexy Pepper Griffin in a long red coat and black boots. Her hair was its usual mass of curls that cascaded around her small face.
“Surprise.” Her mouth widened into a smile.
He clutched his heart and pretended to stagger. “What are you doing here?”
“Should
I have called? You’re not having a heart attack, are you?”
“Is it really you?”
“The one and only.” She appeared breathless, as if she’d run up the stairs at full speed.
He continued to stare at her, sure she was a hallucination. She moved closer and threw herself into his arms. “Aren’t you going to kiss a girl after she paid outrageously for a last-minute flight?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m just so stunned.” He pulled her closer. “Why did you come?” he asked softly with his mouth pressed close to her ear.
“I missed you,” she whispered.
He set her on her feet and kissed her. “I missed you too.” The scent of her perfume both intoxicated and soothed him.
Trey was on his feet by then. He stood on the other side of the couch, obviously surprised, but grinning from ear to ear. “Pepper, welcome back.”
She thanked him as she plunged her hands into the pockets of the red coat and flushed scarlet. “Good to be here. Sorry to barge in on you like this.”
“Not at all. I was just on my way out,” Trey said. “To Rafael’s. For the game.” He stopped to give her a quick hug before making a hasty exit.
She unbuttoned her coat. Remembering his manners, Stone scooted close to help ease it from her shoulders. He held it against his chest, feeling the warmth of her body trapped in the wool before hanging it in the closet. When he turned back to her, she was sitting on the couch with her hands clasped over her knees.
She patted the couch. “Come sit with me?”
He strode across the room, anxious to be near her, and sat close to her. When he reached for her, she put a hand gently on his chest.
“Wait. Before we get carried away, I have something to discuss with you. I’m afraid it’s going to disappoint you. I’m afraid I might be a disappointment to you. You had such high hopes for me—so willing to sacrifice for me to pursue my dreams, but I don’t want it, Stone.”
“Don’t want what?”
“The company. My dad’s company. The whole thing scared me to death. All the board members are stuffy, old-money New Yorkers. At the meeting, it was so obvious they thought I was a twit and not worthy of the job. They’re right, Stone. I don’t know the first thing about running a production company. They hurled all these questions at me one after the other. I didn’t know the answer to any of them. They were talking about math stuff and projecting spreadsheets on the wall and business doctrine and how I needed to jump in right away because my father had let things go when he was sick. I would have to sit at a desk and be all serious and never have any fun because all I’d do is work. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be that person. I’m so sorry I’ve let you down.” She burst into tears.
“Oh, baby. Don’t cry. I would never want you to do something you didn’t want.”
“I’m not letting you down?” She sniffed as she met his gaze.
“How could you let me down? I want you to be happy. I’m not like your dad, Pepper.”
She stared at him, unblinking. “You don’t think I’m wimping out?”
“God no. This is your life. You get to choose. I’m proud of you no matter what.”
“The entire meeting felt like a nightmare. And then I went to meet with my private banker, and Stone, it’s so much money. It’s more money than we could ever spend in a lifetime, but it’s not mine. Not really. It feels so weird to look at all that money and think I’ll never have to worry again and I could give you and our kids anything you wanted. But then the next thing I think is how undeserving I am. I didn’t do one thing to earn it. Yes, my dad was a jerk, but still. This guy, this banker guy was all starched and lacquered and he talked like that character in Rain Man. You know the one?”
“With Dustin Hoffman?”
“Yes, he talked like that guy, and I couldn’t follow a thing he said. I called Dack in tears and made him promise to come with me next time. Stone, this life my dad left me is all wrong.”
He flooded with warmth and hope. There was a catch. There had to be a catch. “But what about the theater? What about acting? You have to be in New York for that, don’t you? What about Hedda?”
“Dreams change. People change. You changed me.” She rested one of her white hands on his knee. “As soon as you left, I knew my life was meaningless without you in it. If I stayed in New York and took over my dad’s company, I would become him. I’d be alone. And no matter how much I love the theater, it’s nothing compared to how I feel about you. I want to be here. With you. More precisely, wherever you are is where I want to be. For the rest of my life.”
He couldn’t speak, and even if he’d been able to open his mouth and form words, what would he say? Nothing could describe the intense joy that flooded him.
“All that to say—I’ve come home to throw myself at your feet.” She flashed him the same nervous smile from earlier and watched him intently, as if the code to the meaning of life was written on his forehead.
“No throwing necessary.” His words came out strangled from the force of his effort to not cry like a baby in front of the woman he loved more than his own life. “You know I love you. Every second without you has been physically painful.”
She dropped to the floor onto her knees and took both his hands in hers. “Stone Hickman, you’re everything in a man I’ve ever wanted and more. When I’m with you it’s like I’m the confident and calm woman I’m supposed to be. Seeing myself through your eyes makes me feel like the person I always wanted to be. I want to be your wife and make a home and a family with you.”
“You do?”
She laughed as she brought his large calloused hand to her soft mouth. “The meaning of my life is right here.” She tapped the rough skin on the palm of his hand with her finger. “Everything I want and need is in these hands that build things and caress my anxiousness away and will someday hold our newborn baby. I’ve been looking for purpose from my work when all along it’s been right in front of me—my parents and Lisa and Maggie. And now you. My calling and purpose are to love you. Lisa and Maggie reminded me of something. The kind of work we do—art—can only be fed through our human connections. Through love. When I thought of it that way, I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to come home and be with you. The rest of it means nothing without you.”
Her face blurred in front of him from the tears that swam in his eyes. What a sight he must be. A giant crying in front of a princess.
Pepper reached into the pocket of her dress and held up a thick silver band. “Stone Hickman, will you marry me and build a life and a family with me?”
His mouth fell open before he started to laugh. “You’re proposing to me?”
“Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No ma’am, I do not. Nope. Not me. I’m an enlightened man at the mercy of a badass woman.”
She grinned up at him. “This doesn’t mean I don’t want something sparkly on my own finger, but as you’re aware, I have particular taste and would appreciate being able to pick it out myself.”
He laughed again. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“So, what’s your answer? Will you marry me?”
“Yes, Pepper Griffin, I will marry you.” He tugged her off the floor and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and peered down at him with eyes that sparkled brighter than any diamond ever could. “However, I will have to put my foot down on a winter wonderland type of wedding. I think I’ve had enough of snow for quite some time.”
“No arguments there.” She leaned closer and kissed him, and his heart pumped hard and fast. This incredible woman wanted to be his wife. She loved him enough to make him the center of her universe.
“Are you sure you can give all of it up for me?” he asked.
“I’m not giving up anything. I didn’t want to be a fund-raiser or answer to a board of stuffy directors. One day in my father’s world and it was clear to me why he was such a nasty person. It was the only way to survive. It’s not me, Stone. If my
father had known me at all, he would have known that.”
“What will happen to the company?”
“Several of the board members are buying me out. I’ll have another tidy sum to add to what my father left me. I’m so rich now.” She grinned. “Am I more attractive because of it?”
“You’re as stunning as you’ve always been.”
“You loved me when I was broke, so I know I can trust you.” She fluffed his hair and kissed his forehead. “God, I love you.”
“Still, I’m a man, you know. Fragile ego and all.”
“You’re the opposite of that kind of man. A man like that would not have insisted I pursue my dreams. Anyway, when we get married, my money will be your money.”
Perhaps this was true. Still, he didn’t want to be a mooch, and he said as much to Pepper.
“You could never be a mooch,” she said. “Plus, you made a commitment to the guys. You have to keep working.”
“True enough.” Having Pepper by his side would give him even more motivation to make Wolf Enterprises successful.
“All that said, I can’t live here with you and Trey. We’re going to have to get started on a house of our own. I can fund it now. I have tons of ideas of what I want, too, and David’s just the man to design it for us.”
He laughed. “Whatever you want, I want. As long as I get a man cave to escape to when Lisa and Maggie are over.”
“A man cave in exchange for a pole in our bedroom sounds fair.”
“Don’t tease me when you have no intention of putting a pole in our bedroom,” he said.
“Can you imagine it, though? My mother would probably faint at the sight of it.”
“Not to mention Lisa,” Stone said.
“That makes me want to do it even more.” She bounced on his lap. “Anyway, I have other news. You’re looking at an actress in the next Gennie Banks movie.”
“No way.”
“Yes. Lisa didn’t want to get my hopes up if it didn’t work out, so she had to keep it from me until they were sure. But it’s a good role. A role that could lead to others.”
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