“I’m Gigi.”
It was a simple as that. She was Gigi, and she expected people to know her by name as if she was Madonna, or Gaga, or Beyoncé. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know if Gigi had a last name.
“Gigi is Ben and Sasha’s neighbor and the resident cake maker.”
“And your gran.” She pointed at Finn before turning to me. “And your mom’s new best friend. I’m taking the girls out, might even ask John Boy to come with us.”
My mom had no idea of the adventures she had coming her way. Finn still looked shell-shocked, but something had shifted in his eyes. A look of appreciation, inclusion, and acceptance.
“You’re taking my gran out?”
“Uh, yeah, we’re going to have a great time. Might even lend her some of my pearls to wear.”
“Thank you. She hasn’t been out much, and this week has been really hard on her.”
“I moved to Monroe not knowing a soul, and now I’ve got a family out of being here. You and your gran are connected to us through Marnie, so I’ll be adding you to the cake rotation because cake soothes the soul. I’ll also be taking your gran out on the town, and I’ve gotta say, if I was ten years younger, I would have courted you, so whatever way you look at it, we’d be connected somehow.”
Finn was nineteen. Gigi was pushing seventy. So, she was saying even at sixty she would have gone after him. For the first time all day, a blinding smile hit Finn’s face, and it reached his eyes.
I decided then and there that I wanted to be Gigi when I grew up.
“Are you going to get my gran into trouble? You seem like a bit of a troublemaker!”
I left them to get acquainted as Gigi started telling him stories of her wild days. After stepping into my office, I collapsed onto my office chair with a happy sigh.
I was beyond exhausted but also ridiculously happy. Today couldn’t have gone any better. And Finn was smiling, and he even laughed a few times. It was almost as if nothing had happened. I still had my eyes closed when my phone vibrated across my desk.
An unread message from Austin waited for me, and I eagerly tapped in to read it.
Austin: Hey, Freckles, Dad wants to meet at Missy’s in an hour. Will you be free?
I didn’t hesitate.
Marnie: Yep, absolutely. Want to meet me at the shop, and we’ll go over together?
Austin: Just like that?
Marnie: Huh?
Austin: You don’t even question it, you just jump all in.
Marnie: Uh, yeah.
Austin: Fuck, I love you. I’ll see you in an hour.
Marnie: Love you too xo
I clicked out of my messages and closed my eyes again. Our day had started with news of his mother, and now it was ending with a meeting with his father. I had no idea what his dad would want to talk about, if I had to guess though, I would think it would have something to do with Cybil pulling out of the mayoral race and them leaving town, or he wanted to talk about what I’d said in the newspaper. I guess time would tell, and we’d deal with whatever came out of the meeting.
In the scheme of things, today had been a great day, and I really didn’t want it to turn to shit. I shook away the negative thoughts and walked out to see if Gigi and Finn were still chatting. And even though I spent the next hour smiling with customers and trying to make Finn laugh, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that whatever Austin’s dad had to say, it had the potential to change everything.
Thirty-Three
Austin
Marnie and I walked hand in hand into the diner just after five p.m. I’d been thinking about Dad’s text all day, and I had no fucking clue what this meeting was about. My only guess was that it had something to do with Mom or Marnie.
We weren’t the kind of people who’d just text each other for the sake of it, so his text was a cause for concern.
When we walked in, I scanned for Dad but never in my life was I expecting to lock onto Ashlyn and Josh sitting in a booth toward the back.
“What are they doing here?” Marnie asked, her voice in disbelief as she asked the question I’d just been thinking.
“No idea.”
As we weaved our way through the tables, my eyes hadn’t moved from Ashlyn. When we reached the table, Josh stood and shook my hand before leaning in and kissing Marnie’s cheek in greeting. I got to Ashlyn and pulled her out of her seat and wrapped my arms around her, crushing her with a hug.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked once the four of us sat down. I was desperate for answers. The more time that passed, the more anxious I became. I didn’t like not being in control, and that’s how I felt now.
“It’s so good to see this again.” Ashlyn gushed, wiggling her finger between Marnie and me. It was only then that I realized she hadn’t seen Marnie and me back together yet.
Marnie blushed. “Thanks, Ash. It’s good to have him back.”
I shook my head. We weren’t here for catching up; that could happen when this was over. “What are you two doing here? Where’s Aria? When did you get into town?”
“Dad called yesterday and asked us to fly out. He said it was urgent, and he sent through flight details. Aria is with Ben’s parents.”
What the fuck was going on? The fact that he had contacted Ashlyn to join us worries me. My foot began to bounce under the table as time ticked by. A sense of calm swept over me when I felt Marnie place her hand on my thigh. Having her by my side was all I needed. Was I nervous? Yes. Anxious? Fuck yes. Confused? Absolutely.
Ashlyn gnawed on her lip opposite me and occasionally nodded when Josh would say something to her. He looked at her with concern and protection, and I knew if any shit went down today, he would drag her out of here and get her as far away from Monroe as possible. I respected the shit out of him, and he’d proven himself time and time again to me. I couldn’t think of a better man for my sister and father for my niece.
Ten minutes later, Dad stepped through the door and froze when he locked onto our table and took us all in. It had been years since he’d seen Ashlyn. Fucking years.
“Ducky, look at me.” I leaned over and grabbed her hand. Her eyes swung to me, and sadness, confusion, and hurt stared back at me. “If you want to leave, leave. If you want me to shut this down, say the word and we are done. If this gets too much, walk away.”
She nodded yet didn’t say a word. I’d protected Ashlyn from my parents’ shit for years, and I was not going to let it taint her after she’d worked her ass off to be living the perfect life she was living now.
It felt like time went on slow motion. Marnie’s hand remained on my thigh, gently moving back and forth to provide the calm I desperately needed. Dad’s attention moved between Ashlyn and me as he got closer to our table, and Josh remained on guard and silent.
When he reached the table, he hesitated. To be honest, I half expected him to turn around and leave, but he didn’t. I grabbed an empty chair from the vacant table next to us and dragged it over to our table and nodded down at it, silently indicating for him to take a seat.
Josh was the first to speak, and he didn’t hesitate to set the mood and tone for this impromptu reunion. He leaned over the table and held out his hand toward Dad. “Hi, I’m Josh, Ashlyn’s man. I’m just going to put it out there so you know where I stand. I know your history, I know your wife’s history, and what Ashlyn’s shared. Whatever Ashlyn decides, I’ll support. If she wants you in her life, then you’ll be in mine. But I’ve got a daughter now, and I love Ashlyn with my whole heart. I’m going to protect my girls with my life, so if you fuck up, even once, you won’t see Ashlyn or Aria again.”
Dad swallowed hard and nodded before shaking Josh’s hand firmly. “Nice to meet you, Josh, and I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Hi, Dad,” Ashlyn whispered as the color drained from her face.
I hadn’t said a word. Tears filled Dad’s eyes as he stared at his daughter. The man sitting across from me wasn’t the man I’d see in recent years. Th
is man was broken, shattered, and utterly defeated. The brutal businessman who was never afraid to play dirty and find shit about a competitor so he would come out the winner was nowhere to be found. This version of Baron Hart was confusing on so many levels, and I didn’t know what to do with that.
“I screwed up.” His voice came out hoarse and thick with remorse. “I really, truly screwed up when it came to you two.”
He hunched his shoulders, visibly upset, and didn’t wipe away the tear that slid down over his cheek. Marnie squeezed my thigh under the table, and I grabbed her hand, linking our fingers, and using her as my anchor.
“I’m in the process of divorcing your mother, and the house has been sold.” At Dad’s admission, Marnie gasped next to me, and Ashlyn sniffed. “I thought about leaving Monroe, running away to hide from the shit your mother has left. But I’m trying really goddamn hard not to be that man anymore. I screwed up my relationships with you two, repeatedly, I was a shitty father, and I’m not asking for forgiveness because I don’t deserve that.”
“What are you going to do?” I finally spoke, and his attention came to me.
“I’m staying in Monroe, and I’ve put a down payment on a little place of my own. I’m going to work on it over the next few years and really make something of it. I’ve also got a job lined up at the country club, and I’ll start next week.”
I refused to look away because I wanted to see how genuine his words were. “Who ended the marriage?”
He swallowed and scanned the table. “I did. It feels like it’s been over for years, though, and we were just going through the motions. I’d served her with papers many times over the years, but she’d never sign. I had plans to retire young and spend time trying to rebuild a relationship with you two, but that didn’t happen. The only good thing I got out of that marriage was you two.”
“Why’d she sign this time?”
His eyes flashed to Marnie before landing back on me. “Because of Marnie.”
“What?”
“When your mother started to become obsessed with Marnie, I started keeping tabs on things. I knew she’d sent that text to Marnie, I knew she’d been told about you being in the hospital, and I knew she was going to expose Marnie and Finn. And I am so goddamn sorry for not saying anything, but I was advised that I had to collate the evidence. I hired Andrea when Marnie first came back to Monroe because your mother started her usual rants.”
“So, you let Marnie go through that shit so you could get divorced?” The vein in my neck throbbed with anger, and pain ricocheted through my jaw from clenching so hard. The thought of anyone using Marnie and bringing her hurt for their own gain was something I would never tolerate.
Dad tore his eyes away from me and dropped his shoulders. What the fuck was I hearing? It felt like I was suffering from whiplash with all the information firing toward us.
“I called you, but you were on your way out of town. I was hoping to meet with you to tell you, but while you were away I was advised that I shouldn’t involve anyone, and it killed me not being able to tell you, but Andrea said you’d blow it by going for your mother. Andrea and I know how protective you are of Marnie.”
I thought back and remembered. He’d called me before I went to Michigan to see Fletch, and before I’d taken to Marnie to pick up the flowers for her shop. And he never called me back, and to be honest, I totally forgot about it. Fuck! But what he was saying was true. I would have gone to Mom if he’d told me she was planning on messing with Marnie, and no one would have stopped me.
“Hey, it’s okay. I think I get it,” Marnie whispered next to me. Placing her fingers under my chin, she forced me to look at her. “It’s okay. He didn’t mean to hurt me. It wasn’t his intention at all. Your dad has never done any wrong by me. You know that.”
I stared at her, focusing on only her as I reined in my anger. What she was saying did have elements of truth. I couldn’t remember a time when Dad was disrespectful or unwelcoming to Marnie. It might have been due to the fact he was never around. But when he was, and when we’d cross paths, he was civil and spoke to her like a human being, unlike my mother.
“I never ever wanted you to hurt, Marnie. But one thing I can say with certainty is that you are a strong woman, and you had my son by your side who is just as strong. I knew whatever happened that you’d be okay, and I knew I would do everything in my power to stop any blowback that may come to you.” He was speaking directly to Marnie while the rest of us stared at him. “And that letter you wrote. It was everything I wish I’d been man enough to say. Once it was out in public, people saw her for who she truly was. A mean, manipulative, neurotic woman who craved success and attention, and she didn’t care who she had to step on to get it. She was jealous of you, Marnie. It’s as simple as that.”
“Why?”
“Because you were confident in who you were, you knew what you wanted to do with your life, you were happy and carefree, and you had the attention of my son, and as soon as you got it, there was no going back for him. Cybil lived in a world where she wanted Austin to marry into Andrea’s family. Andrea’s family is the most affluent in Monroe, so she saw dollars and prestige.”
“That’s so fucking messed up.” Josh hissed from across the table.
“Yeah, and I married her.” Dad shook his head, then scanned the table and sucked in a deep breath. “I won’t keep you any longer, but there was a reason I asked for all four of you to be here. I’ve got something I need to talk to you about, and I need you to hear me out.”
I linked my hand with Marnie’s and squeezed it, then nodded, indicating for him to keep talking.
“I’m well aware that I have little to no chance of ever having a real relationship with the two of you and that will forever be my biggest regret, and when my time comes, I’ll go to my grave knowing that.” His eyes darted back and forth between Ashlyn and me. “I received a large payout from the sale of the house and all the other bullshit items your mother and I had accumulated over the years. I want you two to have it.”
I shook my head immediately. “I don’t want your money.”
“We’re fine,” Ashlyn added, firmly.
“Josh mentioned your baby girl,” Dad whispered, his voice shaking and his eyes swimming with emotion at the mention of his granddaughter.
“Her name is Aria. She’s staying with Ben’s parents while we’re here.”
“I know I screwed things up with you two, but I want to do right by your children. I’m going to set up trusts for Aria, and any future children you and Josh have and for Austin and Marnie’s children. They’ll have access to it when they become adults. There will be no stipulations to how they use their trust. I just want to give them a head start into their adult life. I have no expectations of being in their lives, and I know I’ve lost the right to call them my grandchildren, but I would really appreciate it if you’d allow me to do this. Please, I need to do this.”
“They’ll always be your grandchildren,” Marnie spoke soft yet honest next to me. I squeezed her hand as she spoke. “They’ll always be your blood.”
“I’m not sure I deserve that, Marnie.”
Ashlyn and I slid into a silent conversation. I wanted to believe he could change, I truly did. But so many bridges had been burned, and it wasn’t just going to take a few days to rebuild. But the man I was listening to and seeing was someone I didn’t recognize. Every part of his life was changing. He was starting from the bottom up, and the fact he wasn’t running away from Monroe and that he’d live with the tarnish of his past was something I couldn’t ignore. Marnie’s hand continued to gently move back and forth over my jeans-covered thigh, and I didn’t think she’d ever realized how comforting it was.
But this decision wasn’t just for Ashlyn and me to make. We had Josh and Marnie to consider. I planned on putting babies in Marnie, sooner rather than later, so this would affect her.
I shifted in my seat and faced Marnie. “Are you okay with this for our kids?”
Her eyes instantly grew wet as my words sank in. Our kids. I’d wanted to be the father of her children for as long as I could remember and that hadn’t changed during the years we were apart. I’d often find myself imagining mini Marnies running around the house with her hair, button nose, and feisty personality. But more than anything, I wanted them to have her heart. The size of her heart seemed to grow every year I’d known her, and today, as she spoke softly to my dad and seemed to have accepted his apologies for knowing in advance of the shit that was headed toward her.
“Freckles.” I leaned in so she’d be the only one to hear my words. “You, me, and babies, that’s our future, so you’ve got a say in this.”
She looked from me and focused on Dad.
“If we do this, I want our kids to know where this money has come from.”
An audible gasp floated over the table, and I knew it came from Dad.
“And that means that you’ve got time. I can’t speak for Austin or Ashlyn and Josh; I can only speak for me. But I want my babies to know you. I know all about Austin’s childhood and growing up with you and Cybil, and I know you weren’t the greatest dad, but I’m hoping, I’m praying that you are an exceptional grandfather and that you can develop some kind of relationship with Austin and Ashlyn because Baron, they are freaking awesome. You just have to get to know then.”
“Marnie—”
“I’m giving you this chance. But I give only one second chance. If you want to do this for our kids, you need to prove yourself. Put the money aside and let it grow, but if when they are eighteen, you haven’t manned up, then it’s getting donated to charity, and we will never speak of it again.”
My hand wrapped around Marnie’s under the table, and I squeezed it so tightly I hoped I wasn’t hurting her. My girl. My protector. My warrior was going into battle for me. Did I want a relationship with my father? I wasn’t sure. Did I trust that what he was saying was the truth? I had no idea. But what I’d learned was that sometimes mistakes could be forgiven and redemption could be achieved. And I was a living and breathing example of that.
My Only Reason (Men of Monroe Book 2) Page 30