by Paula Kay
Jemma was nodding her head. “So, are you nervous?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Isabella laughed a little. “I guess I am. Or I will be. How could I not be? I’m meeting my birth father.”
“I think it’s great, Bella. I mean, of course it’s really sad that you never got to meet Arianna, but it must feel good to think about meeting someone else who is your own flesh and blood—about meeting your father.” Jemma looked down for a second and Isabella thought she saw something cross her friend’s face.
“Hey, Jemma. Sorry, this must be hard for you. I know you don’t talk about it much but if you ever want to—talk about your father, I mean—you know I’m here for you.”
Isabella knew the whole story about Jemma’s family—that Jemma’s father wasn’t a good guy and that Jemma seemed to have no desire to meet him. Isabella guessed that she was far better off without knowing him, from everything she’d heard about the guy.
“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m okay never knowing that guy. He’s no father to me. Chase is the only dad I need. Having him in our lives is the best thing that ever happened to us. But we’re not talking about me right now anyway.” She reached over to put her hand on Isabella’s arm. “Hey, I feel bad for not going with you. It seems like you should have some moral support or something.”
Isabella thought about her friend’s words carefully. She didn’t want to make Jemma feel guilty, but she’d long since promised herself that she was done not being honest about her true feelings.
She reached over to give Jemma a quick hug. “You’re so sweet. Don’t feel bad. I know you’d come if you were able to. Would it be nice to have someone there to help calm my nerves? Sure. But you know—I’m learning how to do a lot of things on my own, I guess. Real world and all that jazz, huh?” She grinned and when she looked over at her friend, Jemma had a funny but happy look on her face.
Isabella felt hands across her eyes—hands that she thought she recognized. She smiled instinctively as her own hands came to land on the arms that she knew so well, at the same time as she stood up to spin around.
“Thomas!” Without second-guessing anything about how she was feeling, she wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne, trying to hold back her tears at how happy she was to see him. “You came to see me off. You have no idea how happy that makes me.” She took a step back to look at him, speaking quickly now and noticing Jemma’s grin as she seemed to be making eye contact with Thomas. “Please let’s not have any more weirdness between us. I hate it so much.”
Thomas pulled her to his chest and kissed her on the top of the head. “I hate it too, Iz. I’m sorry.” He pulled away a bit to look her in the eye. “Do you forgive me?”
Isabella nodded, wiping away her tears with one hand.
“But I do want to be clear about something that you’re very wrong about.”
Thomas’s face was suddenly very serious looking.
“Okay…” Isabella took in a deep breath.
“I am not here to see you off.”
Isabella was confused as she looked from Thomas to Jemma, who was still grinning like the cat who’d swallowed the canary.
“Thomas?” She grinned at him as she finally noticed the backpack that he had slung over one shoulder.
Thomas shrugged. “I didn’t think you should do this trip alone. I figured some moral support might be in order and since I have been a real jerk to you, I’m hoping it will score me some major brownie points.”
Isabella flung herself back into Thomas’s arms. “Oh, you have no idea how happy this makes me.” She looked over at Jemma, who was getting up from her chair. “And you! You were in on this big surprise, weren’t you?”
Jemma laughed, coming over to hug Isabella and then Thomas. “He made me promise not to tell. It’s a good surprise, huh?”
“It’s the best surprise.” Isabella squeezed Thomas’s arm. “We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?”
“Yes—I want to know all about this new man in your life. What was his name? Colin? Jemma filled me in with a bit more than I got from you the other day.” He winked.
Isabella shot a look toward Jemma just as she was about to walk away. “Jemma!”
“Oh, stop. I didn’t tell him anything.” She laughed. “Anyway, I’m gonna take off now. Text me when you land, okay, and I’m going to want to know everything—Oh, I’m so excited for you, Bella.” Jemma reached over to pull Isabella in for a big hug. “Have the best time and I miss you already.”
Thomas was laughing and shaking his head.
“What’s so funny?” Jemma asked, laughing a little herself.
“You two. You’ve been traveling together like twenty-four/seven. Aren’t you ready for a break from one another?”
Isabella and Jemma looked at one another and grinned.
“Not really,” they said at the same time and then laughed again.
“Jemma is my travel soulmate.”
“Really?” Thomas had a fake hurt expression on his face.
“Well, you kinda messed up that position for yourself, didn’t you?” Isabella punched him on the arm lightly.
“Yeah, okay. But I’m making up for it now, right?” Thomas leaned over to give a little tug on Isabella’s hair.
Jemma shook her head. “You two. Try to behave. Okay, I’m really going now. Have fun.”
“Bye, Jem. Big hugs to Blu for me.”
Jemma walked away and Isabella eyed Thomas carefully. She really couldn’t believe that he was there, sitting next to her—making this trip with her. Thomas had always been there for her when it mattered, and this time it mattered more to her than ever before.
Chapter 20
Isabella opened her eyes slowly, for a second forgetting that she was on an airplane. Then she saw Thomas sitting next to her—watching her, more accurately. She yawned and then poked him in the arm.
“What are you looking at?”
He grinned. “You. You were snoring.”
“Oh, stop. I wasn’t.”
“Oh, you were. But it was cute. Kinda dainty-like.”
Isabella laughed. “Stop teasing me.”
“I thought you liked it when I teased you.”
“You’re right. I do. Don’t stop.” She watched him for a few seconds.
“Now, what are you looking at?”
“Thomas, did something happen between you and Natasha?”
“No, not exactly. Why?”
“Well, it hasn’t gone unnoticed by me that you are now sitting on a plane next to me when I’m pretty sure your girlfriend was expecting you to be attending some big wedding with her this weekend.”
“True. You’re not wrong. And the truth is, she’s not happy with me.”
“I’ll bet she’s livid. And not happy with me—that’s for sure.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“So, what did you tell her?”
Thomas looked at her, and as they made eye contact it was all she could do to keep from looking away.
“I told her that my best friend needed me—end of story. I told her that I wanted to be there for you and that she just needed to understand that or we were going to be over.”
Isabella’s heart skipped a beat. Was it possible that everything was going to be normal between them once again?
“You told her that?”
Thomas reached out to take her hand in his. “I did and I meant every word of it, so I hope you’re going to be willing to show me a really good time in San Francisco. I put my relationship on the line for this trip.”
Isabella punched him on the arm and he laughed.
“Seriously. We’re going to have a great time. You’ll meet your father—and your sister, Iz. I still can’t believe that you have a sister.”
Isabella grinned. “I know. Me either. And I want you to meet them also. We’ll all have Thanksgiving together. They know you’re with me and they seem very welcoming.”
“That sounds
great. And then I figure if you want to, we’ll do a little touring of the city and maybe some shopping if you’re up for it. I hear that downtown San Francisco is supposed to be beautiful this time of year.”
“Perfect. And we’ll talk more about Natasha later.” Isabella laid her head back against the seat feeling a bit nervous still, but more content now that Thomas was there with her, making plans with her for this city that would be new and exciting. There was a lot to look forward to.
She was ready for this next stop in her journey.
Thomas whistled as she came out of her dressing room.
They’d checked into their suites at their very fancy hotel near Union Square and had about an hour to rest before Isabella knew that it was time to get ready to meet her father.
She did a little twirl in the simple black dress she’d bought while shopping in Dublin. “Do you like? It’s not too much, is it?”
“No, Iz. It’s perfect and you look lovely.”
Isabella walked over to sit on the small sofa by him. “I’m nervous. Really nervous.”
“You’ll be fine. It’s going to be great.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’ve told me so many times how great this man is and that you seemed to have an instant connection over video chat.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s video chat. This is real life.”
“And I’m sure it’s going to be that much better. Try not to put any pressure on yourself. It’s just your dad tonight, right? Downstairs?”
Isabella nodded. “Yeah, we’re just going to have dinner together here tonight. He thought it best if I met the rest of the family tomorrow.”
“I think it’s nice that it’s just the two of you. Unless you want me to come with?” Thomas winked at her.
“No, I know I need to do this on my own. But promise me you’ll wait up for me. You can hang out in here if you like. Watch movies or whatever. Thomas, what are you going to do tonight? Is this going to be terribly boring for you?”
He laughed. “I’m ordering in pizza and watching movies. And no, it’s not going to be boring at all. I will stay in here to wait for you, and you’ll probably find me asleep on your sofa when you get in. Hey, aren’t you sleepy too?”
“Kinda, now that you mention it. But I did sleep on the plane, and now I think I’m just too hyper to be sleepy. What time is it?”
Thomas picked up his phone from the coffee table. “Time for you to get going, my darling. It’s seven o’clock on the dot.”
Isabella stood up. “Shoot. Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck.”
Thomas stood up too and kissed her on the cheek. “You don’t need luck. Just be yourself. He’s going to adore you, Iz—the same way everyone does.”
“You’re too sweet to me.”
“I know. You’re right. I might deserve many back massages later.” He laughed and shoved her gently toward the door. “Go.”
“I’m going. Okay. Deep breaths. I’m sure I won’t be late.” She turned back toward him just before she walked out the door. “Thanks again, Thomas, for coming—and for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Now, go!”
Chapter 21
When Isabella stepped off the elevator she saw Lucas right away. He was standing near some seats just outside of the restaurant. He was tall and dressed in a suit jacket. He looked just as he did on video chat, only so much better in real life. She could hardly believe she was about to meet her father; she started walking toward him before his eyes had yet to find her.
And then he turned and as their eyes met for the first time in person he took a few long strides toward her. He scooped her up into his arms as if she was his four-year-old daughter and not his nearly twenty-year-old daughter.
She laughed as she felt him lift her.
“Oh, Isabella.”
She felt his kisses on the top of her head, his hands stroking her hair before he put her down.
“Let me look at you.”
Tears were streaking down his face and he didn’t bother to brush them away.
Isabella smiled. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
He pulled her in for a big hug, this time allowing her feet to stay on the floor.
“Oh, you have no idea how good it is to hold you in my arms. I can’t believe this day has finally come. It feels like forever. But now you’re here. And there’s so much to talk about, isn’t there?”
Isabella nodded, feeling a little tongue-tied as she looked at the similarities between them. Lucas had told her so many times how much she looked like Arianna—like her mother—but she knew that she also had her father’s features. It was surreal to be looking at him now and she wasn’t quite sure how to take it all in.
“You must be hungry. Let’s get a table—there will be plenty of time for talking.”
He placed his hand gently at the small if her back to guide her into the restaurant as they followed the hostess to their table.
They placed their orders with the waitress and Lucas reached for her hand across the table. “Tell me—how was your flight? You must be pretty exhausted. I won’t keep you late.”
“I’m doing alright. I slept a bit on the plane. But even if I’m a little tired, it’s so surreal to be here—with you, I mean. I wanted to say in person that I’m sorry for the shock of everything you must have felt when Douglas first contacted you about me. I can only imagine what that must have been like—and for your wife.”
“You don’t need to be sorry for anything. I was surprised but the news was always good, Isabella. I never for one moment was sorry to hear about you. And Kate—you’ll meet her tomorrow. She’s just the best and will welcome you with open arms. She knew about Arianna, but it was so long ago—way before I met her. I was so young then. It still feels strange that Arianna died so young.”
Isabella thought about her next question instead of just blurting it out. She realized that she did still have so many questions—maybe questions that only this man sitting across from her could answer.
“What is it? You can say anything to me, you know? Please. I want you to be yourself. I want to know what you’re thinking and feeling. It’s the only way that we can truly get to know one another, I think. And I want that. So much.”
Isabella smiled. He was so kind—her father. And everything about him was sincere.
“Will you tell me about her—about my mother?”
The waitress came with their food and Isabella spent the next hour listening to her father tell her about a side of Arianna that seemed to be just a touch unlike what she’d learned from the others.
He talked about school dances and county fairs, movie dates and making out in the back of his car. He told her that Arianna had made him laugh like no one else could, even still. And he also told her that she’d broken his heart when he’d been madly in love with her.
Months before Isabella had been born, Arianna had broken up with him, not giving him a good reason except to say that she was going away to school. She wanted to start fresh, she’d said, without a boyfriend to tie her down. He’d tried to get a hold of her, more times than he could count, but she never would accept his calls. And when he’d found out that she’d returned home, he’d shown up many times at her door, only to be turned away by her parents or, more often than not, Gigi.
Finally he’d given up, and years later when he’d heard, first about her parents, and then about Arianna’s passing, it had almost been more than he could bear. It had taken him many months to get over it all—to move on with his own life.
Isabella watched him as he told her these things about her mother, and it was as if all the missing pieces were being put into place one by one. She never tired hearing the stories about her—the good and the not so good—she wanted to know it all.
Now she dared to ask him the question that had been on her mind since the day Douglas had told her that he’d found her father.
“Can I ask you a question?”
�
�Sure. Ask me anything, Isabella. I mean it.”
“What would you have done? If things had been different and you’d known that Arianna had been pregnant?”
Lucas put down the bite of food that he’d been about to put in his mouth and lifted his glass of wine to his lips. He seemed to be studying Isabella carefully before he answered her.
“I’ve asked myself that same question—ever since I got that call from Douglas and found out about you. The truth is, Isabella, I don’t know what I would have done. I don’t know what would have happened. I’d like to say that I would have proposed to your mother, that I’d have been ready to be a father, but when I think about the boy I was then, I’m just not so sure.”
Isabella nodded. She appreciated his honestly and hadn’t really expected a different answer.
“I do think that I would have supported her—had I known about the pregnancy. I’d have wanted to try to make it work—I really loved her. But the truth is, I never thought she loved me half as much as I loved her. So, I think that she wouldn’t have wanted to marry me, to raise a child with me.”
Isabella didn’t say anything for a few minutes. There were so many thoughts swirling in her head—Arianna’s words to her in the journal, all the memories she had as a child being raised by parents who’d loved her so completely.
“It’s kind of funny how things work out sometimes, I guess.”
She could see the question on Lucas’s face.
“I mean, Arianna wrote me in a letter that maybe everything had worked out for the best—that even though she’d not wanted to give me up, I’d been raised by loving parents and it meant that I didn’t have to deal with losing her—the way that a daughter would have had to deal with such a thing.”
“I can see her point, and I’m also really sorry for the shock that you must have felt. I know we’ve talked about that before but it’s good to know that you don’t have any bad feelings toward your parents.”