by K. A. Linde
“Mmm,” she mumbled. “That feels good.”
“Good morning.” I placed a kiss on her cheek, and her eyes finally opened warily to catch the sun.
“It’s early.”
“It’s almost eleven.”
“Oh God,” she groaned, rolling over and taking the sheets with her. “I don’t remember the last time I slept until eleven.”
“We did pull an all-nighter.”
“I don’t remember the last time I had one of those either.”
I leaned forward over her, pulling her into a kiss. “We could work on that.”
“Ugh, I need to brush my teeth,” she said, pushing me backward.
I laughed. “No early morning sex without brushing your teeth?”
“Hey, dental hygiene is important.”
“How about I don’t kiss your mouth?” I suggested. Then, I slid down her body and kissed down her chest, over her stomach, and lower.
She squirmed but didn’t protest.
Just as I was almost between her thighs, a loud knock sounded from the living area.
I groaned in frustration and looked up at Sutton. “We could ignore it.”
“That seems wise,” she said with a giggle.
Then, the knocking sounded again and louder.
“Ugh!” I grumbled. “I’ll be quick. It’s probably just the maid service.”
I jumped out of bed and hastily threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before heading toward the front door.
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” I said as someone knocked again.
Without even glancing into the peephole, I unbolted the door and jerked it open. I was prepared for a monologue about proper service at this kind of hotel. Especially in a penthouse suite. I was prepared for anything…except my mother.
“Hello, darling,” Celeste Van Pelt said with a pert smile.
My eyes drifted over my mother’s face, which had aged some in the last eight years. Though not as much as it should have, thanks to plastic surgery. She wore her classic Chanel suit, complete with pantyhose and her favorite pair of Manolo Blahnik heels. She looked exactly as I remembered her…and not at all.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, struck dumb.
“That would be because of me,” Katherine said.
I finally realized that she was standing next to our mother and had been all along. She was out of her floor-length party dress and in an outfit more fit to be seen out on a Sunday morning. More fit to be seen with our mother.
“I thought I told you that I didn’t want to talk about our parents or anything to do with the fallout and that I had absolutely no interest in seeing them either.” My eyes flicked to my mother’s when I said it. She didn’t even blink at the tone.
“Yeah, well,” Katherine said with a shrug, “you didn’t actually expect me to keep that promise, did you?”
“Why don’t you invite us in?” Celeste suggested.
“This should be great.”
But manners kicked in, and I opened the door wide for them to come in.
I was second-guessing being nice to Katherine for the last couple of days. She’d been on her best behavior, and I remembered what it was like to have family again. But this underhanded bullshit was quintessential Katherine. It didn’t sit well with me. Worse yet, she had known that it wouldn’t and had done it anyway.
I slammed the door shut behind them and then hurried to make sure there wasn’t any incriminating evidence of my time with Sutton last night and to warn her about what kind of shitshow she was about to walk into. But, before I could do either, a bleary-eyed Sutton appeared then in nothing but my oversize T-shirt.
She rubbed her eyes. “Who was at the door?” she asked. Then, she seemed to take in the surroundings and the fact that Katherine was here…with someone else. Her cheeks heated. “Uh…sorry. I’ll just, uh…be right back.”
Then, she darted back into the bedroom as fast as she could.
I hit my forehead in frustration and glared at my mother and Katherine. “Thanks for that.”
Katherine shrugged. “We’ll wait.”
I ground my teeth and then hurried after Sutton. She was standing in the bathroom, running a brush through her hair to try to tame the knots that had formed from last night.
“Hey, sorry about that,” I told her.
“It’s okay. Just one of the more humiliating things that has ever happened to me.”
“I didn’t know Katherine was going to show up, and I didn’t think she’d bring my mom at all. I told her not to talk to me about it, especially in front of you.”
“Yeah…I gathered that she hadn’t listened to you. I recognized your mom from the news,” she admitted sheepishly. “And I’d walked out there without pants on. That’s going to just go down in the hall of fame as one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I’ll have you know that this will play prominently in my nightmares for basically ever.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how intense she was at the moment. But her glare dropped it off my face.
I moved in and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll still love you either way.”
Sutton nearly dropped the brush in her hand. Her eyes widened, and a smile broke out on her face. “What did you just say?”
Then, I realized that I’d said that thing I’d been thinking for so long. I hadn’t even processed that it had just come out of my mouth. It had just felt so natural.
“I love you,” I told her. “I know I probably shouldn’t just blurt it out like this. And that we’re still working on our relationship. And that there’s so much more we need to figure out together.”
“David.”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up,” she said. Then, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.
I held her close to me. “It’s not too soon?”
“No,” she breathed against my lips. “I feel like I should be more uncertain about this. But I’ve been so uncertain for so long, so afraid to feel like this again. And, now…I’m not afraid anymore.” She paused, as if she were testing the words out in her mind, before saying, “I love you, too.”
I kissed her again. Hearing those words from her was like a balm. I suddenly felt as if I could take on the world. It didn’t matter that, in ten seconds, I’d have to face my mother for the first time in nearly a decade. I was on top of the world. And, with Sutton at my side, I could surely endure this, too.
“Okay, okay. Go find out what your mom wants,” Sutton said with a grin. “I’ll be in once I manage to look presentable.”
Our lips met once more, and then I reluctantly pulled away. I really didn’t want to leave this room, only to face my mother again. But it seemed there was no other choice.
I didn’t bother dressing up for my mother. She’d essentially disowned me as a Van Pelt when I had tried to do everything right. I didn’t need to impress her now. I strode back into the sitting area and found Katherine on the phone, calling downstairs for tea.
“I guess you’ve made yourself at home,” I drawled.
“Everything is better handled with tea,” Celeste said.
“And here I thought, you’d prefer a Bloody Mary.”
“Not for this chat.”
Chat. As if we were going to talk about her next charity function instead of how I hadn’t seen her in so long. Or you know, the millions of dollars in fraud she’d gotten away with stealing while my father took all the blame. I knew she wasn’t innocent. She knew that I knew she wasn’t innocent. Yet here we stood, staring back at each other, as if we were perfect strangers.
“Couldn’t we have had this chat somewhere else? With some warning?”
“You and I both know that you never would have met me out in public. I haven’t seen my son in eight years, and I wasn’t going to let you slip out of the city without seeing you now.”
“Oh, so I’m your son now.”
My mother’s eyes were sad when they looked at mine, but otherwise, her face showed n
othing. “Why don’t we sit before we throw around accusations?”
I didn’t bother sitting. I strode around the room and waited for the tea to show up and for Sutton to come out here. I didn’t particularly want to have this conversation in front of her, but I felt stronger with her here.
Whatever Katherine had said must have gotten the room service to move their ass because it was only a few minutes before it was carted in. Then, Sutton appeared, looking like a spring flower, and we all took our seats. Katherine poured tea. Awkwardness pervaded everything.
“You must be Sutton,” Celeste said. “I’ve heard a great deal about you from my daughter.”
Sutton’s eyes flicked to Katherine’s and back. “I am. And you must be Celeste Van Pelt.”
“Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share about me as well.”
“I have, but I’m just here for David.”
“I’m glad that my son has someone to be there for him.” She took a sip of her tea and then looked at me again. “I came here today because I missed you.”
I was so taken aback that I stared blankly for a moment before saying, “I find that shocking.”
“I know that I wasn’t the best mother, but I did try to do right by you.”
“If that’s what you’d like to call it.”
“David,” Katherine snapped, “she’s trying.”
“Is she?”
Celeste met my gaze. “We…I shouldn’t have said the things that I said to you all those years ago. You came to me with the truth, and I took it out on you. It was wrong of me, for both of us, to do that when they were our mistakes,” she said quietly. “But you are my son whether I birthed you or not. I want that relationship back. I want you back.”
“You could have reached out to me at any point. You knew what I’d changed my name to. You knew where my biological parents were. You even probably knew how horrible they were.”
She nodded. “I needed you to see it for yourself.”
“But you never came to get me. You never came to see me.”
“I did,” she admitted. “Once. I flew out to San Francisco to ask you to come home, but when I got there, I saw that you were so happy with your new family. I believed I’d made a mistake, and by interfering, I’d only drive you away further.”
Sutton reached across the couch and took my hand in hers. She gently squeezed it, letting me know she was here, that she understood the enormity of what was happening.
I found it impossible to believe that my mother had done such a thing. So out of character for her. But, when I looked at the beautiful woman who had raised me, I realized that maybe I hadn’t given her enough credit. The last couple of years had been hard on her. I tried to imagine what it might be like for Sutton if she lost Jason. Utterly devastating. I couldn’t imagine my own mother that distraught, but…it was possible.
Seeing her here, now, not quite apologizing, but giving as much of an apology as Celeste Van Pelt ever would, it made me stop and reconsider everything.
“I never turned you in,” I told her. “I know that I said I would, but…I never did.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. But we dug our own grave. It was only fitting that we had to lie in it.”
“Do you really want to have a relationship with me again?” Somehow, the words were still stuck in my throat.
“More than anything,” my mother said.
I nodded, not finding the words. Then, to my surprise, my mother stood and hugged me. Not a careful, uncertain thing, but a real hug.
And, when she pulled away, I saw Sutton’s eyes were misted with tears. That Katherine was trying to hide her own relief that her plan had worked. I stood in awe that I was even considering starting a new relationship with my mother. That I actually wanted this despite everything that had happened. Maybe it wouldn’t be the same, but in the end…that was probably for the better.
Sixteen
Sutton
Yes, I cried for David.
And I cried later that night when I held Jason in my arms again. Skype just was not good enough. As much as I’d enjoyed my weekend in New York, there was nothing like holding my son. Absolutely nothing like being back in my house with him even if I could hear the ghosts again.
But I tried to push that pain away. What really mattered was that David had gone eight long years without a mother, and now, they were going to work toward a relationship again. It almost felt too good to be true. Like I’d expected Celeste Van Pelt to somehow live up to her villainous name. For her to cackle like Cruella de Vil and traipse off into the shadows in a mink coat. Except she had been genuine, and that one trip to New York City had spun it all into motion.
Even though Jason had his own bed, I let him crawl into bed with me. I brushed his hair back, which looked so like his daddy’s, and watched him fall to sleep, knowing I was so lucky. So very lucky. I might not have his father anymore, but there was a big piece of him right here with me.
Having Jason close again lulled me to sleep, and I woke early the next morning, feeling remarkably rested for someone with a toddler.
It was probably the afterglow of New York. Of David telling me he loved me.
I’d thought for so long that it would be impossible to love again.
That Maverick’s death had sapped the love right out of me.
Seeing other people’s happiness had felt like a stab to the chest. Even though I’d wanted my family to be happy, it had still hurt, knowing that I’d been the happiest of them all and it had been callously stolen from me. Now, I had new happiness…something entirely new. And it made me both ecstatic and worried. Would this get torn away, too?
I hated second-guessing, but when something so horrible had happened, it was impossible not to.
I shook my head and went about getting Jason ready for the day. Jenny would be here soon. I needed to stop stressing and embrace this. That was what Maverick would have wanted. That was how we had always been together, and he wouldn’t have wanted me to do anything else now.
I’d told David I loved him. I meant it.
And, now, I was ready to show that to the world.
I picked up my phone and dialed David’s number. It was early, but I knew he’d be up. Probably just coming out of the gym, working off the extra calories he’d consumed in New York this weekend. The thought brought a quick smile to my face.
“Good morning, beautiful,” David said when he answered the phone.
“Morning,” I said. “I wish I were waking up next to you. Though I had another man to keep me company.”
“Oh, yeah? Do I need to beat someone up?”
“Depends. Can you measure up to someone who is about twenty-eight pounds?”
David clucked his tongue twice. “I don’t know. He could probably take me.”
“Probably. He does have a voracious appetite.”
“And such a lucky guy, having such a great mom.”
I beamed. It was impossible not to smile when someone called me a great mom. “So, I just remembered that my cousin and aunt are officially moving into town this afternoon. I know that Julian and Jordan will be there to help with moving and likely the rest of my family because that’s just the kind of people we are. Do you have any interest in going?”
“I could be persuaded. How much heavy lifting will be involved?”
“Probably a lot for you and none for me.”
“Seems fair.” David paused on the line for a second. “What are you going to say to your family?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do they know that we’re dating again? We kind of just jetted off for New York. I don’t know if you’ve told them or if it’s going to be awkward.”
“Right,” I said.
For some reason, it had completely slipped my mind that I hadn’t told anyone about this. Everyone had been so busy with the wedding, and Jason’s grandparents had taken him for the weekend. Of course, Morgan knew because David had gotten the time off on Friday. Bu
t…my nosy brothers didn’t know.
“Still want to do this?”
“Yes,” I said at once. “If I’m happy, they should be fine.”
“Does that sound like them?”
“It’ll be fine,” I repeated. “I’ll text you the address and meet you after work.”
“Can’t wait.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of how this was going to go down with my family. They had my back. They loved me. I knew that they would do anything for me. But they were also overbearing, and I wasn’t really looking forward to dealing with their judgment. As if they were all perfect.
Pfft!
I hurried home after work to grab Jason and let Jenny off the hook.
“Where are you off to?” she asked, gathering her things.
“My aunt moved into town today with Julian. I’m going over to help them move.”
Jenny raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t realize they were moving this soon.”
“Yeah. I guess they rented a house in the meantime, so they could get started with her breast cancer treatments.”
“How awful.”
“I know. I think Jordan is staying in Vancouver until they can find a replacement for him in the Canadian branch of Wright, and then he’s going to join them.”
Jenny tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Need an extra set of hands?”
My eyebrows rose. “I thought you had test prep.”
“Not until later tonight. I could…go with you.”
“You want to see Julian?”
“Maybe…”
“Grab Jason’s bag, and let’s go,” I said with a laugh.
Only a couple of minutes later, we secured Jason into the car seat, and we drove to the rental property. If the line of cars in front of the house was any indication, they probably didn’t need our help moving, but we parked and entered anyway.
As I’d expected, the house was full of people. My family really knew how to roll out the red carpet. My brothers were busy with helping my cousins carry assorted furniture out of the moving van that had just shown up. Jenny gestured off to the side, as if to say she was going to find Julian, and then left.