Redemption 4 - Helen's Release

by Helen's Release (Loose-Id) (lit)

  Without thinking, Helen pulled away from Griffin’s hand and smacked Logan across the face with all of her might. The slap ricocheted in the silent room, but for the first time in her life, Helen had no regrets. “Like it or lump it, I am your mother, you ungrateful brat, and until you can learn to treat me like one, you are no longer welcome in my home.”

  “No longer welcome in your home? Sounds like you’re back on your broken record, Mom. I never was welcome in your home, was I? More like a burden to get rid of.”

  “Logan, you know that’s not true.”

  Steven, ever the peacemaker, was trying to get Logan to see the light, but Helen knew today just wasn’t going to be the day. Walking over to the door, she opened it wide.

  “I think it’s better if you both leave for now.”

  “No problem.” Logan flew out of the house in a rage, getting in his car and squealing tires as he peeled out of her driveway. He had always been a hothead, and she knew their reconciliation was recent, but she wasn’t going to lie down and let him walk all over her.

  Steven stood in the doorway, watching Logan drive away, before he turned back to his mother. “I guess it was a good thing we decided to meet here instead of drive together, huh?”

  Helen bubbled with laughter. She hoped she wasn’t getting hysterical, but his comments just seemed to be the perfect end to a totally crazy day. “I hope he slows down before he gets into an accident.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll call him as soon as I leave.” Steven paused for a moment, as if weighing his words. “Mom, I love you, but I can’t say I understand what you’re doing here.”

  “I love you, too, sweetie. You don’t have to understand it.” Reaching up, she kissed him on the cheek before he walked out to his car.

  Softly closing the door, Helen turned and leaned back against the wood. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Why? I was damned proud of you. Those boys should be, too. You stood up for yourself and faced your fears head-on.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Helen walked across the room and into Griffin’s arms. “Logan is just so angry. I thought he finally understood why I sent him away as a boy, but he obviously still has issues.”

  “He’ll just have to work them out in his own time, Helen. But I’m more interested in changing the subject.”

  Helen pulled back and looked into his eyes. She had a pretty good idea what he was referring to. “What subject might that be?”

  “I want to hear more about this woman in love.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Little liar.” Griffin kissed the bridge of her nose. “But would it make things easier if I told you I loved you, too?”

  The tears were back, but this time, they weren’t tears of sorrow. “Maybe a little.”

  “Let me know when it reaches a lot and then I’ll think about it.” Griffin pulled away jokingly, but was stopped by Helen’s grasp on his arm.

  “I don’t think so, buddy.”

  “Jeez, you’re bossy, woman.”

  “You love it.” Pulling him back to her, Helen rested her head on his chest, needing his strength almost as much as she needed his love. “You love me.”

  “With all my heart.”

  “Do you think I was too hard on them? I mean …”

  “No, Helen, I don’t.”

  “They’ll never understand.” Hell, it was hard for her to understand, but for the first time in her life she was in love and not afraid. As far as she was concerned it was cause to celebrate. Not that her children chose to see it that way.

  “I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.”

  “To what?”

  “To being alone.”

  *

  Walking down the halls at the office a few days later, Griffin had the suspicious feeling he was being watched. He had been in the security industry for more years than he could count, and he knew when someone was following him. The problem was, he couldn’t find the shadow. It was really starting to get on his nerves and, truthfully, bruise his ego a bit.

  To take his mind off the immediate problem, Griffin decided to go talk to Marc about his upcoming Fourth of July event. Knocking on Marc’s door, Griffin paused, waiting for permission to enter. Ever since Marc and Lily had gotten together, Griffin had had to be careful not to open doors unexpectedly.

  “Come on in.”

  Griffin opened the door and stepped into Marc’s office, noting that Lily was sitting on the edge of the desk, a blush staining her cheeks.

  “Griffin — just the man we were talking about.” Somehow Griffin doubted that, but he wasn’t one to quibble.

  Lily jumped off the desk and came around to Griffin’s side. “I’ve wanted to talk to you all week, Griffin. It’s about Mom.”

  “It’s all beginning to make sense now.” Griffin sat and templed his fingers, staring pointedly at Lily. “You’ve been watching me, haven’t you?”

  Lily’s eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced back at Marc, who had an amused expression on his face.

  “I told you he wouldn’t be fooled, honey.”

  “How did you know?” Lily sat across from Griffin, perched on the edge of the chair in rapt attention.

  “I make my living in security. Of course I knew.” Griffin didn’t feel it necessary to point out he had no idea who it was or how they were doing it.

  “Wow, I thought if I used the in-house security cameras you would never figure it out.” Griffin had to bite his tongue. He would definitely be talking to his staff about who they let into the security room in the future. Glancing over at Marc, he noted that he would have to do some talking in that direction as well.

  “Why don’t you tell me why you’ve been watching me?”

  “I’ve been trying to get to know you, figure you out, so to speak. I know about you and Mom, and I’ve been trying to see what the attraction was.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” At least she had the grace to blush.

  “Then what did you mean?”

  “I just mean you’re not the type of guy I figured my mom would be attracted to.”

  “Because I don’t drink and I don’t hit her.”

  Lily’s cry of outrage did little to calm his rising ire.

  This was getting ridiculous.

  Lily and the rest of her siblings were the exact reason Griffin never dated women with children. What a pain. No, “pain” wasn’t the right word to describe them; ungrateful seemed to fit the bill more.

  “Back off, Griff.” Marc rose from his desk and walked around to stand beside Lily in an obvious show of support.

  “No, how about you tell the Addams family to back off? I’m sick of listening to them whine, and I’m sick of holding Helen while she cries because of them.”

  “She’s crying?” The miserable sound in Lily’s voice was the only thing that held Griffin back from snorting.

  “Her kids aren’t talking to her; her eldest son is treating her like a stranger. I think it might be safe to say she’s seen better times.” Not too much better, though. Helen’s life had played out like a Shakespearian tragedy up to now, and Griffin planned to do his damnedest to make sure she was never unhappy again. It was the only reason he was still sitting there now listening to Lily.

  “I warned you,” Marc muttered under his breath, earning him an elbow to the solar plexus from Lily.

  “What do you mean, you warned him?”

  “Like I was going to let him walk blindly into your mafia-like family. You guys need therapy.”

  “Amen,” Griffin agreed. A whole shitload of it.

  “We may not be perfect —” Lily shot Griffin an angry glare daring him to comment. “— but we’re still family.”

  “Maybe that’s something you should try reminding your brothers.”

  “It’s not brothers — it’s brother. Singular. As in —”

  “Logan,” they all said together.

&
nbsp; “Steven has called Mom. She just doesn’t want to talk to him.”

  “Do you blame her?” As far as Griffin was concerned, Helen was in the right. After their behavior, he wouldn’t be surprised if she never wanted to speak to her sons again.

  “Come on, Griffin. How can Steven apologize if she won’t even talk to him? That’s not fair.”

  “Fair?” Griffin leapt his feet, fed up with this discussion. “First of all, little girl, life is not fair. If it was, your mother never would have had to make the choices in life that she did. Don’t forget she sacrificed herself for you kids, Logan most of all. Secondly, why should she listen to Steven when the first words out of his mouth the first time he called were ‘Have you gotten rid of him yet?’ You are all a bunch of children who are throwing temper tantrums because your mommy isn’t giving you all of her attention.”

  “Griff, I think that’s enough.” Marc was stroking Lily’s back as silent tears tracked down her cheeks.

  “No, it’s not nearly enough. Helen is finally getting a life, and they don’t want to let go. But you know what? You are all married now and will soon have families of your own.” Griffin stared pointedly at Lily’s hand over her stomach. “Helen has a right to be happy. But instead of being happy for her, you have all done your damnedest to fuck it up.” Turning, Griffin headed for the door.

  “Griffin, wait, please.” Lily’s voice was clogged with tears. “You’re right. We’re being selfish brats. This isn’t how I wanted this to go.”

  “Come on, Griff, just listen to what she has to say.” Marc had gotten a tissue for Lily, who was wiping up the evidence of her tears.

  Griffin sighed, but walked back over and sat in the chair. “Okay, so how did you want this to go?”

  “I was hoping you could help me figure out a way to get Mom and the two lunkheads together so they could talk out their differences.”

  “No way. I’m not going to set Helen up so she can be attacked again.”

  “It won’t be like that, Griffin, I promise. Steven is already halfway there, and we’ll both work on Logan. I’ll even get Evelyn involved. He can never say no to her.”

  Griffin knew what it was like to never be able to say no to the woman you loved. Realistically, he knew that Helen couldn’t live without her family forever.

  “Fine, what’s your plan?”

  “The Fourth of July picnic is as good a time as any.”

  “As good a time for what?”

  “I want you to bring Mom to Sapphire Lake for the picnic Marc has put together for the company.”

  “And what is that supposed to accomplish?”

  “It will get everyone in one place at the same time.”

  “Yes, everyone. Including the entire town. Do you really think this is something you should be carrying out in plain view?”

  “You don’t understand.” Lily pushed her hair out of her face in frustration. “The Fourth has always been a special holiday for Mom. She loves it. It was like our favorite holiday growing up. We never had much money for Christmas gifts and stuff, but for the Fourth of July, Mom would always come up with a way for us to have some sparklers or spinners and jacks, and we would leave Dad drunk at home and go out to the lake. It was our special time, and I know it will mean a lot for all of us if we can relive it again.”

  “From what I’ve heard of your childhood, it seems as if it’s better left in the past.”

  Lily looked up at him with Helen’s eyes, and for a moment, Griffin was transported back to the first picture he’d ever seen of her. Damn those piercing blue eyes. Lily, just like her mother, was going to have him tied around her little finger in no time at all. “It wasn’t all bad. In fact, my mother made it as wonderful as she could. I haven’t forgotten, even if my brothers have.”

  Sighing, Griffin closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “I would really prefer to stay out of this.”

  “Too late. You love her, don’t you?”

  Griffin warily opened his eyes and looked over at Lily. “If I didn’t, your brothers would be long gone.”

  Marc’s burst of laughter took a bit of the sting out of Griffin’s words. “Believe him, Goldilocks. He knows people in low places.”

  “Lower than you?”

  “Ouch.” Marc grimaced, placing his hand over his heart. “I’m going to make you pay for that.”

  “I would have it no other way.”

  “Okay, excuse me. I’m still in the room.” This was getting a bit too thick for Griffin’s peace of mind.

  Lily finally tore her gaze away from Marc and turned back to Griffin. “All you need to do is convince Mom to come to the picnic. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  “You better be right, because at the first sign of any problems, I’ll be pulling her out of there.” Griffin stood to leave, and Lily jumped up, throwing her arms around him.

  “I’ve figured it out. You are one of the good guys, even if you masquerade as a tough guy. That’s why Mom loves you.”

  Griffin didn’t want to admit Lily’s words were making him a bit choked up. “What makes you think your mom loves me?”

  Lily rolled her eyes dramatically. “Please, your ass would have been grass if she wasn’t in love with you. Logan and Steven may have been blustering that night they … interrupted you, but if they really thought Mom was unhappy, you wouldn’t have made it out of her house, except in an ambulance.”

  *

  Griffin spent the next week working on Helen. She was adamant about avoiding the Fourth of July picnic. She pretended it was because she wanted to spend a quiet evening home together, but Griffin knew better. The picnic was in two hours, and he still didn’t have her agreement to attend.

  “Helen, I know you want to go, so stop pretending you want to stay home.”

  “I’m not pretending. Besides, I don’t have anything to bring for the potluck.”

  Griffin smiled. He had her. She was thinking about the potluck. “Au contraire, ma petite, I know you can make cookies in the next two hours. In fact, I’ll help you.”

  Helen stood glaring at him, hands on her hips. “Why do I have the feeling I’m being set up?”

  “I have no idea. Why?” Griffin stalked toward her until Helen was backed up against the wall. Although he wasn’t touching her, she was effectively trapped by his body. He was going to use whatever means necessary to get her to the picnic. If it meant sexual domination, he was willing to make the sacrifice.

  Helen pulled his head down for a kiss while she cupped his growing erection, distracting him from the discussion. Maybe they would skip the picnic.

  Breaking the kiss, Helen smiled wryly. “Fine, we’ll go. But you’re going to have to make it up to me. Maybe another night where I’m in charge?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Ha, think, my ass.”

  “Yeah, I think about your ass all the time.”

  Chapter Eight

  “This is a bad idea.” Griffin chuckled as he once again tried to pry Helen’s fingers from the door handle of his car.

  “My ideas are never bad.”

  “Somehow, I don’t quite believe you.” Helen knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t help the feeling of dread hanging over her ever since she’d allowed Griffin to talk her into coming to the picnic.

  Plain and simple, she was tired of fighting. Tired of being treated like a simpleton, tired of being treated like a child. It had taken some soul searching, but Helen had finally come to the realization that Logan might never forgive her for his childhood. And it was something she was going to have to deal with.

  She loved him, and right, wrong, or indifferent, Helen knew she had done the best she could, so if he was planning on being a little shit for the rest of his life, that would be on him. Same with Steven and Lily.

  All her life, Helen had hoped and prayed that her children would find peace and happiness. For the first time in her life, her prayers had been answered and her children were happy. Now
it was time for her to work on her own happiness.

  “You know, if we leave right now, no one will ever know.”

  “I’d know.”

  “So…”

  Sighing, Griffin released his hold on her hand and turned so he was leaning against the car next to her. “I can give you a million reasons why you need to be here. If pressed, I could give a million and one reasons why you need to resolve this conflict with your family, but I’m not going to.”

  “Perfect. Now let’s just go and …”That sounded great to her.

  “Instead, I’m going to give you just one reason. You need to go for me.”

  “For you?”

  “Yes, for me.” Griffin looped his fingers with hers. “I love you, and it’s killing me to see you so upset, especially because I know it’s because of me.”

  Startled, Helen turned to Griffin, surprised that he would ever think this was his fault. “That’s just crazy, Griffin. You’ve been the only good thing that’s happened to me in a really long time.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, because you are the best thing that’s happened to me, ever. But you know what? I wouldn’t be happy with our life together if I allowed you to give up on resolving this conflict. Because you’re no quitter.”

  Helen blinked furiously, trying to head off the flow of tears she could feel coming. It made her feel like a million bucks when he so casually expressed such faith in her. No man had ever appreciated her or treated her so well, and if her children couldn’t see what a wonderful guy he was, well, maybe she would just have to show them. By rubbing their faces in the dirt, if necessary.

  “You’re right. I’m not a quitter. And I have every right to be at this picnic if I want. Let’s go.” Taking off, Helen headed toward the potluck table, only to realize she had forgotten the cookies in the car. Turning around, she almost ran into Griffin, who was following right behind and who had not forgotten the cookies.

  “Missing something?” he teased, holding the plate out in front of him.

  “Thanks. You’re always there for me.” Helen took the plate from Griffin, but almost dropped it at his reply.

  “I always will be, too.”

  Lately he’d been saying stuff like that a lot, making Helen wonder where this relationship was headed. Marriage wasn’t necessarily her objective, since she hadn’t really had a great experience with her last one. But she’d happily spend the rest of her life with him.