I was a little taken aback by her bluntness. After all, she was a stranger to me. Normally, I would be offended if someone came up and started lecturing me about my love life, but there was an aura of wisdom about her that made me lean in.
“We were doomed from the start,” I said. “Our whole relationship was built on a lie. A mutual lie, I suppose.”
“I did tell you to be honest,” she said, smirking.
“Yes,” I said. “But being honest is what ripped us apart. The only reason we were able to be together was because we were lying, and now that the truth is on the table, I can never see him again.”
“It sounds complicated,” she said.
“It is.”
“More complicated that it ought to be,” Madame Zee chuckled. “I think you’re fooling yourself.”
I frowned. “How?”
“So, this lie. Without it, your love for one another disappears? I don’t see how this can be, unless the lie was the love, in which case, it doesn’t really matter.”
Her logic confused me. “Well, no. That’s oversimplifying it. It doesn’t matter how much we like each other. The situation doesn’t allow for us to be together.”
She laughed out loud. “Listen to yourself, Amy. The only thing that matters is your affection. That old cliché, ‘love finds a way’? It’s true, you know. When the lovers are willing to try, and not just give up.”
“It comes down to compromise. How much you are willing to give up. Once you learn the value of compromise, your selflessness will surprise you,” she said.
“I suppose…” I said. She was right. the only things that should matter were the feelings that Derek and I had for one another. Now that he had been taken away from me, I was completely certain how strongly I felt for him. I couldn’t be sure if he reciprocated those feelings, but I wanted to believe that he did.
“Then what do I do?” I asked, my voice desperate.
Madame Zee shrugged, turning back to the shelf. “That is your choice, Amy. I am not magic. I cannot tell you what to do with your life. I only know that you, like everyone, have many different paths you can take, none of which are right or wrong. I can only give advice, in the hopes that you choose the path that leads you to happiness.”
I nodded.
“But, I will tell you one thing I have learned,” she said, a grin twitching on her lips. “I have studied many lives, and one pattern remains obvious. Just when you think all is hopeless, fate will throw you a rope. You can either take that rope, or keep treading the water. It’s all your choice, Amy.”
Thinking over her words, I watched as she continued sorting the items on the shelf. Just then, I noticed with a start what she was sorting. As I did, she glanced over me, lifting her eyebrows and smiling that knowing smile of hers.
Fate will throw you a rope. Her words echoed in my mind. There was no way. It was impossible. Unlikely.
I took one of the items off the shelf, holding my breath. I glanced over at Madame Zee, as if she would tell me the right answer. She simply nodded to me, her eyes bright.
“Good luck,” she said, as I turned and headed toward the register, my heart pumping with anticipation. As I held the box in my hands, I was overcome with a complete and terrifying certainty. I already knew the answer.
Chapter 25
Derek
I finally got home Sunday around noon. I was eager to see Amy again, to spend this one last day in the mansion with her. And maybe, just maybe, admit that I felt more for her. I still couldn’t be sure what the future held for us, but this state of unknown was killing me.
She wasn’t in my bedroom. Her bags were still scattered on the floor.
I looked through several rooms—the kitchen, dining hall, library, courtyard, even my art room. She was nowhere to be found.
The door to my father’s study was open. I knocked on it, peeking in. My father was sitting at his desk, discussing something with Marshall Harrison.
“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, stepping into the room. “Have you seen Amy? I can’t find her.”
Marshall smirked, and my father’s face darkened. Their combined expressions made me uneasy.
“Miss Parker left,” Marshall said, standing up and smiling at me.
“What?” I walked up to the desk. “Father.”
My father refused to look me in the eye. “I know what you two were doing, Derek,” he said.
I wasn’t processing his words. All I cared about was Amy. “Where is she?”
“We sent her away.” My father stood up, facing me. “I’m incredibly disappointed in you.”
“I—” My mind raced for some sort of explanation. “What happened?”
“We saw the funds you deposited into Amy’s bank account,” Marshall sneered. “Made a few calls to the investment firm. Put two and two together. Miss Parker was considerate enough to admit to everything.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, don’t toy with me, boy,” my father said, his voice ringing with anger and betrayal. “I’m not as stupid as you think I am. I know you just met the girl. I know there isn’t a baby. You just wanted the inheritance.”
Shit. “That’s not why,” I choked out.
“It doesn’t matter,” my father said, his voice cool. “You can have the money. I don’t care. I’ll be dead. I can’t very well fault you for your greed and ambition, when you learned it from me. But I was never a liar.”
His words felt like a slap to the face. “I lied because it was my only option. You didn’t give me much of a choice.”
“Marshall, can you give us a little privacy?” My father gestured to his lawyer, who nodded and hurried out of the room, passing me with his reptilian smirk. The door closed soundly behind him, but I could easily picture him with his ear pressed against it, still listening.
“Father,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and steady. “You have to trust me when I say that I didn’t do this for the inheritance. You should know me well enough to realize that I’m not driven by monetary gain. It is something we’ve argued about often enough.”
“I thought so,” my father said, sitting back down in his chair. “But then, why else would you pull together such a scheme against me? Do you really hate me so much that you wanted to see me suffer like this? I would rather it be about money than a personal vendetta against your own father.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t hate you. I did this for you.”
He laughed, a hoarse, coughing sound that was a reminder of his ruined lungs. “Is that so?”
“I knew you would never be happy if you didn’t think there was an heir to the business. I wanted you to die with peace of mind.”
“Ah, look at you. Selfless Derek.” My father smiled wryly. “You expect me to believe that? Well, if that’s the case, then you achieved the opposite. My heart has been broken by your actions. Having no grandchild is far better than the broken promise of one.” He shook his head, anger returning to his wrinkled features. “You can leave my sight, Derek. I don’t want to see you again.”
I slammed my hands on the desk, leaning toward him. “I was never good enough for you,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Never. Nothing I have ever done satisfied you. I’ve lived my entire life trying to please you. Do you realize that? I threw my own dreams and ambitions into the fucking trash, just so I could take over after you. And you still didn’t care. It still wasn’t enough. Instead, you told me again and again that I was doing a shit job, that you wished you were still in charge, that I would never measure up to you and your father. I brought the firm to fucking greatness, but still. It was never enough.”
My sudden outburst shocked my father. He sat back, his lips twitching as he searched for something to say. “Son, I… I…”
I didn’t let him complete his thought. I snapped. “Everything you asked of me, I did. And let’s not forget the fact that you neglected me as a child. I barely saw your face, and when I did, you were constantly lect
uring me. But that was fine. I still spent my life on your ungrateful ass. And then, when I was finally getting over the absurd need to be the son you always wanted, you go and get sick. So now, my father is dying, and I still haven’t managed to make him proud of me. In fact, he gives me an ultimatum—he finally tells me what it would take to satisfy him, and it’s fucking impossible. To top it off, I’m not even allowed to attend your funeral.”
“Derek, stop.” He attempted to use his strict, paternal tone, but it came out shaky, not intimidating at all.
“Don’t you get it? I didn’t want your money. I just wanted my father to look at me one time without disappointment.” I stood up straighter. “I’ll admit it, I was desperate, and it was a stupid plan. The lie that I dragged Amy into was probably the most idiotic thing I’ve ever come up with. I did it for you! But some good did come of this, you know. I met Amy, and she was… she was wonderful, father. Don’t tell me you couldn’t see how good she was. Then you go and kick her out? How heartless can you be?”
“She lied to me in my own house,” my father whispered, as if it were a reasonable defense, after all that I had said.
“I’ll tell you what she did. She helped me see that it’s time to start doing things for myself—because, after all that I’ve done for you, it’s on you, not me, to set things right between us. I’m done here.”
I started toward the door and my father didn’t say a single word.
Sure enough, Marshall was waiting on the other side of the door. He walked after me.
“Mr. Rittsman,” he said, struggling to keep up with my brisk pace.
“I don’t have time,” I said to him. “I have to go find Amy.”
“Your father has said that he will press charges if he finds out you and Amy see each other again,” Marshall said, his voice wicked and gleeful. “I wouldn’t test it out, Mr. Rittsman. We can ruin her life.”
I swung around and grabbed the sleazy lawyer’s collar, slamming his back against the wall and getting in his face.
“You,” I growled, “are a fucking snake. Don’t think I don’t know what role you played in this. I know you’ve been trying to find a way to hurt her. So no, Mr. Harrison, it’s your life that’s going to be ruined if you ever even consider doing anything to Amy.”
“You’re a horrible son,” Marshall said, trying to push me away in vain. “You don’t deserve any of the things your father has given you. I’m the one who’s been at his side all these years.”
I snorted. “Are you kidding? That’s what this is about? You’re jealous of the relationship that I have with my father?” I let him go, shaking my head. “Wow. That’s pretty pathetic. Whatever. You can have him.”
I turned away from him. I had finally realized the truth that I’d been denying for far too long—my father would never be satisfied, no matter what I did. It was just his nature to be unhappy and unfulfilled.
I had more important matters to attend to. I knew my father well enough to understand the kind of sendoff Amy had probably gotten. She was probably distressed, thinking she’d done something awful. I had to find her, to tell her that everything was alright, that I didn’t care what my father thought.
I had to tell her how I felt about her.
Now that I wasn’t distracted by my father, Amy was in the forefront of my mind. I realized that I couldn’t live without her, not a single day.
Adam was still in the driveway of the mansion when I went out. I jumped into the passenger seat.
“Do you still have Amy’s address?” I asked him, urgency in my voice.
He looked at me, lifting his eyebrows. “Sure. It’s in the GPS history.”
“Then let’s go, fast.” I pulled on my seatbelt. “One quick stop, though.”
* * *
I took a deep breath, clutched the flowers tightly in my hand, and knocked on the door.
There were a couple of loud bangs in the house, followed by a few, wall-shaking barks.
A few moments later, I heard Amy’s voice behind the door, a sound that was like church bells to me.
“No, Zeus, get down. Go, go. Let me get it.”
The door opened. Amy looked up at me, surprise and shock registering on her face.
“Derek.” My name escaped her lips in no more than a whisper.
“Amy,” I said, studying her, taking in her beauty. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
She was quiet for a few seconds as she took me in. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again. Your fath—”
“I know.”
“Do you want to come in?”
I nodded, and stepped in. Immediately, I was ambushed by an absolutely huge dog. It jumped up on my shoulders, pushing me back against the wall and licking my face.
“Zeus! No!” Amy grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him down. “I’m so sorry, Derek. He hasn’t done that in a long time. Bad dog. I don’t know what came over him.”
“No, it’s okay. He just likes me.” I bent down to scratch Zeus’ head. “Wow, he’s handsome.”
That brought a small smile to Amy’s lips. She glanced around her apartment, scratching her arm, and looking self-conscious. “It’s pretty messy in here,” she said, apologetically. “I didn’t really clean. And there’s not much room.”
“No, it’s fine.” I looked around. It was small and crowded, but I didn’t mind. It was quaint, and had Amy written all over it. I remembered the flowers in my hand. “Oh, these are for you.”
I handed her the bouquet. She smelled the flowers, closing her eyes and smiling. “Daffodils. You remembered. Thank you, Derek.”
I followed her to the kitchen as she reached into a cabinet and got a glass that she filled with water for the flowers. I watched her carefully. There was something off about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was like she couldn’t quite meet my eyes.
“So,” she said finally.
“So,” I said.
“To be honest, I’m kind of curious about how you found out where I live,” she said.
“Adam still had it in the GPS,” I explained. “He just had to look it up.”
She looked at the ground. “Your father said if—”
“I don’t give a shit what he said,” I said with sudden emphasis. “I’ve finally realized that I’ve been caring so much about what he thinks, I was forgetting what I really want.”
She glanced up at me. “And what’s that?”
“You… Amy.” I took a step towards her. “I would give up anything, do anything, to have you.”
There it was, the truth out on the table. All I could hope for now was that it was mutual. Or at least, that she wasn’t scared away by my passionate declaration.
“Derek…” she whispered, her lips trembling. I could tell she was scared, but I realized that I was too.
“I know it seems crazy,” I said. “But I’ve denied my feelings for too long already. If you don’t feel the same, I understand, and I’ll go. But I couldn’t not tell you, Amy. That would have haunted me for the rest of my life. I have never felt something this strong, ever, and I almost let that chase me away. But you… you make me happy.”
“You make me happy too,” she said as a cautious smile appeared on her lips. “And I feel the exact same way. I kept telling myself it was stupid. That it wouldn’t end well. That there is no way that someone like you and someone like me could ever be together in real life.”
“Someone like you? Someone like me?” I laughed, and reached forward to take her hands. “Amy, we’re the same. There is not a single thing about you that I would change. Not a single thing. I am completely, utterly in love with you. And that’s enough for me.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and her smile grew. “It’s enough for me, too.”
I took a deep breath, trying to stay collected. But the emotions ran through me like electricity, making my heart beat faster than ever. Holding her hands tightly, I started to get on one knee. Amy’s mouth fell open, and she started shaking her head in di
sbelief.
“Amy,” I said, my voice cracking. I felt tears coming to my eyes as well, as I was overcome with the feeling of love I had for this woman. “I may not have known you for very long, but it’s been long enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“People are going to call us crazy,” Amy whispered.
“Let them.” I laughed. “Hell, I couldn’t care less what anyone has to say. I’m ready to take this leap, Amy. I’m ready, if you feel the same way.”
She nodded. “Yes. Of course I do. I can’t imagine a day passing without you with me.”
“Then, Amelia Parker, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said. “Nothing in the world would make me happier.”
I stood up and took her in my arms, finally kissing her. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me back, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
“I don’t have a ring,” I said, when we finally pulled apart. I felt giddy, and I could tell she did too. She bounced on her toes, her face a picture of joy. “I considered stopping to get one, but I couldn’t wait another minute to see you.”
She shook her head. “None of that matters. You’re here… and we’re… we’re engaged. Holy shit!” She looked up at me, her eyes wide. “Is this real?”
Laughing, I shrugged. “You tell me, beautiful.”
“I…” She seemed like she was having some trouble processing the situation. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to come here. Much less this.”
I kissed her forehead. “Take your time to process it. We’ve got our whole lives.”
“I love you,” she suddenly declared, looking up at me with such an intensity in her eyes that it nearly knocked me off my feet. “I am in love with you. I haven’t told you that yet—not in those words anyway. Derek, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I don’t know what our future holds, but as long as I’m with you, I don’t really care. You make me impossibly happy, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to do the same for you.”
Her words settled into my heart. “You know,” I said, smiling. “I can’t wait to start a family with you. You’ll be an excellent mother.”
The Baby Favor Page 19