Lift Me Higher
Page 19
Torie was dumbfounded and was unable to find her voice.
“I want you to know that I never doubted your ability to think for yourself and make good decisions for your life, sweetheart. If anything, I think I was afraid to let you go and fly because I couldn’t imagine what I’d do with myself. But, baby, I want you to know right now that you are absolutely right. You could not ask for a better, kinder, stronger man than Monte, and if leaving the show and going back to New York is what you need to do, then you go and do it. Everything else will fall into place,” Brenda said.
Happy tears streamed down Torie’s face as she thanked her mother for her love and support, not only now but all that she had given her throughout her life. Little did Torie know that Monte and Brenda had shared a long talk a few days prior in which Brenda learned just how much Monte loved her daughter. She needed no further convincing to believe that Torie had struck gold in Monte. Needless to say, Lisette had her back and was already out scouting locations for the wedding she was certain would follow soon.
“Sounds like my girl has finally put the puzzle of life together,” Lisette had said admiringly, a statement that, to Torie, fit the circumstance perfectly.
Torie slid one of the boxes in her path aside and tucked the handset of the ringing phone between her cheek and her shoulder. She wiped her face and neck with the hand towel she carried.
“Hi, baby,” she said at the sound of Monte’s voice.
“Hey, yourself. What are you doing?”
“I just came in from my run and I’m a sweaty mess.” She laughed.
“I’m sure you’re still hot as ever.”
“Yeah, right.”
“So what have you got planned for the day?” Monte asked.
“Well, right now I’m looking around this apartment trying to figure out how I accumulated so much stuff in so little time and what I’m going to do with it all,” Torie said with a sigh. “I’m going to have to ship most of this stuff back to the city because there is no way the airline is going to let me travel with all of this.” She laughed.
“Well, why don’t you hold off on all of that for a little while,” Monte said lightly.
“What? Hold off?”
“Listen, babe. I need you to do me a favor without asking one single question, okay?”
“What are you talking about Monte?” Torie asked, placing one hand on her hip.
“That was a question. Now, are you going to humor me or not?”
“Oh, all right. What do you want me to do? Oops.” Torie laughed.
“I want you to listen to my instructions, say yes and then hang up the phone.”
“Okay,” Torie said slowly.
“I want you to get dressed—casual clothes are fine—and then go downstairs. Outside you’ll find a limousine with a terrific guy named Reynoldo driving. I want you to get into the limousine, sit back and relax. All right?”
Torie hesitated, dozens of questions running through her mind. She wanted to ask them all, demand that Monte tell her what he had up his sleeve and refuse to follow his commands until he told her. But because she trusted him with every fiber of her being, she knew that whatever was going on would give her the same pleasure his loving did.
“Yes,” she said, before hanging up the telephone.
She bounced into her bedroom like a child on Christmas morning. She quickly laid out a pair of jeans, a plain black T-shirt and a pair of boots. A fan of the long, hot shower, Torie broke from routine and took the fastest rinse-off she’d ever taken in her entire life. Within twenty minutes she was showered, dressed and had fluffed her hair and applied her face. As Monte had reported, there was a Lincoln Navigator limousine outside waiting for her. Reynaldo, the driver, opened the door and helped her settle into the seat. Before closing the door, he handed her a small package. As they pulled away from the curb, soft music filled the comfortable car and Reynaldo suggested she help herself to the glass of champagne he’d poured for her.
Torie excitedly lifted the small package wrapped in golden paper and adorned with a large silver-and-gold bow to her ear. She shook it, sniffed it and, when neither of those efforts revealed anything, she tore into it. Inside was a black stain blindfold and a short note that read, Put me on. Torie took a long sip from the champagne flute in the holder in front of her and then tied the blindfold around her head, covering her eyes. She leaned back and listened to the soulful sounds of Sade that issued from the speakers around her. When the limousine finally came to a stop and the door opened, Torie felt a strong hand squeezing hers and pulling her to her feet.
“Monte?” she called.
“Ssh,” he whispered in her ear. He held her hand firmly while leading her from the car across a gravel road. Torie stumbled a couple of times as they walked, but Monte caught her each time. He finally removed the blindfold and waved his arms around the empty expanse of land.
“It's ours,” he said simply.
Torie blinked, her eyes adjusting to the beautiful bright sky. She looked around, turned to face Monte briefly, before turning around in a full circle again.
“Ours?”
“Yep. We’re going to build our home here,” he replied.
Torie couldn’t believe her ears or her eyes. To say that she was stupefied was an understatement.
“But how? What do you mean?”
She struggled to get the questions out.
Monte wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.
“I know you were prepared to pack up your life here and move back to New York for me and the boys, and I could never thank you enough for believing in our love so strongly. But, baby, there is no way on earth I’m going to let you give up your dream. So, I bought this land for us and have hired a landscape and architectural firm, along with an interior decorator, to help build the home of our dreams.”
“But what about your job, the boys…their school? I mean, Monte, this is a big decision.”
“Well, you know how persuasive I can be. Cooper & Beardsley has an extremely long roster of California-based clients and it’s about time we opened up a satellite office here. Guess who’s going to head it up?”
“Oh, my God, Monte. Are you serious?”
“Yep. And the boys are bouncing off the walls with the thought of us all being together. They’ll adjust to the move just fine, I know it.”
Monte beamed at Torie.
“Your mother?” Torie asked.
“Physically, she’s as stable as she’ll ever be again. The doctors have said that, provided she remains that way, she could make the trip out. I’ve found a really nice facility here in the county, less than a twenty-minute drive. It’s as good, if not better, than Smithaven. I’ve had to face the fact that the mother who raised me is probably gone forever, but I can at least make her last days comfortable and filled with love and family,” Monte said.
Torie smoothed the side of his face, wanting to absorb his pain with her simple touch.
“You are an amazing man, Monte Lewis.”
“And you, Miss Torie Turner, are a phenomenal woman. I love you,” he said, leaning down to kiss her sensuously.
“So, what do you say?” Monte asked.
“I say, welcome home, Monte.” Torie smiled.
“Welcome home, Torie,” he echoed.
Monte kissed her deeply.
“Now, there’s just one more minor thing.” He smiled.
Torie threw her hands over her mouth, stifling the scream that rose in her throat as Monte lowered himself to one knee. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the most beautiful marquise-cut diamond set in platinum. Her fingers trembled as Monte slid the ring onto her finger.
“Yes,” Torie screamed. “Yes, yes, yes!”
“I haven’t asked you yet.” Monte laughed.
Torie covered her mouth again, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
“Torie Turner, will you—”
“Yes!” she screamed again.
“W
ill you be my best friend for life?” Monte finished.
He rose, staring into Torie’s shining eyes.
“Yes, I will,” Torie answered.
Beneath the sunny Californian sky and with tears brimming in his sockets, there was no hesitation or doubt in Monte’s heart that he’d been given a second chance at love. Monte felt free from all the things that had weighed him down in the past, free to live a life of love and happiness again. Torie shared that sense of freedom, for with the love of a good man to call her own, she knew that she could and would have it all. Out of the fog of loss and pain, Monte Lewis was made whole again, liberated and uninhibited to love.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5227-5
LIFT ME HIGHER
Copyright © 2010 by Kimberly Sharrock Shaw
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