Only for You
Page 17
“Maybe’s he just busy,” Ryker offered.
“He could be really busy,” she responded, “or he could just be ignoring me.”
“It’s obvious that you still love him, Jordin. Why did you break off the engagement?”
“At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“And now?” Ryker inquired.
“I know it was the right thing to do. I love Ethan, but he is filled with so much bitterness... He is so angry, Ryker. I want so much to help him but he refuses to let me into that area of his life.”
“This is something that he will have to work out, cousin. Ethan has to make the choice to live in the past or move forward.”
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Be with him,” Ryker stated. “Be a part of his life. Show Ethan that you love him and want to be with him, flaws and all. Show him that you he can trust you. If you do all this—then you’ve done everything possible.”
* * *
Ethan scanned his text messages from Jordin. She wanted to talk to him, but he was not ready to have another conversation with her about his mother. He read her last text and said, “I miss you, sweetheart.”
Then call her, his heart whispered. Ethan had to find a way to prove to the only one who mattered to him that his love for her could withstand anything. He wanted to show her that he would never run from what they could have together.
After a moment, Ethan picked up the telephone and dialed Jordin’s number.
“Hello...”
His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.
“It’s me,” Ethan said. “I’m sorry for just getting back to you, but I’ve been busy.”
“I’m sure you didn’t relish talking to me either,” she murmured.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to have another fight.”
“Ethan, I don’t want to fight with you. You should know that I’m not your enemy.”
“It’s important that you understand that Lydia is a subject we will never agree on, Jordin.”
She released a soft sigh in resignation. “I suppose you’re right, but I can’t help but feel that you would feel differently if you just had one real conversation with your mom. I—”
He interrupted her by saying, “Jordin, I’m going to be out of town for a few days.”
“Where are you going?” she inquired.
“Martinique.”
“You do know that running away won’t help the situation,” Jordin uttered.
He did not respond.
“Ethan...” she prompted.
“I have someone waiting to see me, so I’ll call you later.”
He hung up before she could respond. Ethan was not going to allow her to try to convince him to talk to Lydia. He needed to get away and clear his mind. This trip to Martinique was so that he could do some soul-searching without any interruptions or distractions.
His future with Jordin depended on it.
Chapter 23
Ethan sat down on the beach and stared out at the ocean. He wished that Jordin was here with him, enjoying the island breeze. He had been there for two days already and missed her.
I can’t believe we’re fighting over Lydia. Why doesn’t Jordin understand the pain Lydia caused me? Why it is so difficult to forgive her?
However, he had to forgive his mother because it was the right thing to do. Ethan hated seeing his mother living with her friend and nothing to her name. Although he felt that she deserved what she got—this was not the life he wanted for her.
Who was he to judge her?
Everyone made mistakes, including him. Ethan considered the mistakes he had made with Jordin, but she never once gave up on him. She loved him unconditionally.
Lydia was his mother—she gave him life and he owed it to her to hear what she had to say.
Ethan’s eyes filled with tears.
Deep down, behind a wall of cement and hidden in the folds of anger was the love he had for his mother. With each tear, the wall came crumbling down. Years of pain ebbed and flowed as he sobbed. He took several cleansing breaths and wiped away his tears.
It was time to go home.
* * *
Jordin was surprised when she looked up to find Ethan standing in the doorway of her office. “Hey, when did you get back?”
“Last night.” He entered, closing the door behind him. “I saw Ryker outside and came in with him. I hope you don’t mind I just showed up here without calling first.”
She gave him a tiny smile. “I’m happy to see you, Ethan.”
“I had a lot of time to think when I was away. I came to apologize for the way I’ve been acting.”
Jordin rose to her feet and strolled from around the desk. “Actually, I owe you an apology, Ethan. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard to do something you weren’t ready or willing to do.”
“There’s a lot I want to say to you, but I don’t want to do it here. Can you come to my place tonight? We can have dinner and talk.”
Jordin met his gaze. “Sure, I’d like that.”
He smiled. “I’ll see you later, then.”
She watched him leave. There was something different about Ethan, but she could not put her finger on what it was—he was just different.
Jordin returned her attention back to her work. She planned to leave the office on time since she was going to have dinner with Ethan.
* * *
Ethan felt the nearly magnetic charge in the air when he opened the door to let Jordin enter. His gaze locked on her and when she smiled, everything inside him tightened. She had changed from the conservative black suit she had on earlier to a vivid orange dress with shoestring straps that snaked across her shoulders.
“As usual, you look amazing.”
“Thank you,” Jordin said.
He took her by the hand and led her from the foyer to the living room.
She sat down on the sofa.
“I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”
“Thanks.”
He returned a few minutes later with two glasses of white wine and handed one to her before settling down beside her.
“I love you, Jordin. Sweetheart, I have loved you from the first day we met and I will never stop loving you. I just don’t know if we can ever get past what happened... I honestly don’t know, but there is only one way to find out for sure.” Ethan set his drink on the marble coffee table without taking a sip.
“What’s that?” she inquired.
“I need to speak with Lydia.” He gave her a tight smile. “You were right all along.”
“Are you sure about this, Ethan?”
He nodded. “I can’t move forward if I don’t settle this thing with my mother. I don’t want to lose you, Jordin.”
Jordin shook her head. “I don’t want you to do this for me. Ethan, you have to do this for you.”
“This is for me, sweetheart. I know from experience how life can change in a moment. I want to spend the rest of my days and nights with the woman I love—I don’t want to waste any more time focused on the past. Jordin, you are my future.”
She met his gaze. “Ethan, I can’t see my life without you in it. These past two weeks have been so miserable. If you really want to meet with your mother, I want you to know that I support you fully. If you change your mind, I will still support you—we will get through whatever happens together.”
He didn’t want to waste another moment on being angry. Ethan was ready to grab hold of life with Jordin, and never let go.
Ethan kissed her hard, and then took a breath. “I almost messed this up completely. I just hope it’s not too late.”
Jordin responded by kissing him back passionately.
“Being with you is all that matters. Wherever you are, as long as we’re together—everything will be perfect.”
“You’re everything to me, Jordin.”
“If you’re still interested, I’d like to marry you.”
He grinned. “We are definitely getting married, babe.”
She held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, prompting laughter from Ethan. He patted his pockets. “I think I left it at the office.”
“The ring’s not as important as you are to me,” she responded as she wrapped her arms around him.
He embraced her, holding her tight. Ethan inhaled deeply, sucking in the light floral scent of her perfume. “I’ve missed you so much. To be honest, I’ve been miserable without you.”
She kissed his cheek. “I missed you too. Ethan, I want to know that we can get through anything together. I need to know that you won’t shut me out.”
“I promise I will do better by you, Jordin. I give you my word that I won’t shut you out anymore.”
“Thank you,” she responded. “We’re good together, Ethan, but if you keep a wall between us, then our relationship or our marriage will suffer. I’m in this for better or worse. Before you put that ring back on my finger, I need to know that you feel the same way.”
“I do,” he told her, staring into her eyes.
He kissed her.
Jordin pulled away. “I don’t want to eat blackened chicken, so I’d better get in the kitchen and check on dinner.”
“I’m going to give Lydia a call.”
She smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Chapter 24
“Thank you for seeing me, Ethan,” Lydia said when they were all seated.
He glanced over at Jordin, then back at his mother. “I guess it’s time we talked.”
“Before you say anything, son, I want you to know that I had no idea about the drugs that were in the car. Rob told me that we were just going away for the weekend. I wanted you to come with us, but he said we needed some time alone. I found out about the drugs when the police in Maryland pulled us over.”
“How could you be so blind?” Ethan wanted to know.
“I was in love and he had those laundromats, so I assumed that’s how he made his money. He had them all over Charleston and Savannah.”
Ethan shook his head in disbelief. “There were rumors about him.”
“If I had known why he was really traveling to Maryland, I wouldn’t have gone. I would’ve broken things off, Ethan. I need you to believe me.”
He did not respond.
“After I was arrested, Rob was going to testify that I had no knowledge of the drugs in the car, but he had a heart attack before he could do it.”
“How do you know this?” Ethan inquired.
“My attorney told me, but without his actual testimony... I had nothing to help my case.”
“You were innocent.”
Lydia nodded. “I was naive, Ethan. I was in love, and I believed him. It was a foolish thing, I know...”
“You paid a heavy price for love,” he muttered.
“Losing you was the worst of all,” Lydia said tearfully. “I love you so much. Being away from you all this time was the hardest to bear.”
Ethan could see the sincerity in her eyes and his heart felt her pain. “I’m sorry you had to go through all this.”
“Your forgiveness is all that matters to me. I hope that you will be able to give me that one day.”
“I forgive you,” he responded. “I didn’t know what you were up against. I need you to forgive me for the way that I’ve treated you. I was wrong.”
Lydia began to cry. “I’ve waited so long.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around her. “Mom, I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered. “Even while I was so angry, I missed you. I just couldn’t admit it.”
Lydia touched his cheek lovingly. “Son, I understand.”
Jordin wiped away a lone tear that slipped down her face. She was thrilled beyond words to witness Ethan’s reunion with his mother.
“Despite everything, you turned out a great man and I’m so proud of you.”
“Are you still staying with your friend?”
Lydia nodded. “I have a little job now, but it doesn’t pay enough for me to have my own place.”
“Mom, I want you to move into the guesthouse out back. It has two bedrooms, one and a half baths...it’s perfect for you.”
Lydia glanced at Jordin. “You two are getting married. How do you feel about this?”
“It’s a great idea,” she responded.
“I’ll let you and Jordin decorate the place,” Ethan said with a smile.
“I am grateful to have a place of my own. I’m sure it’s fine the way it is.” Lydia wiped away more tears. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“It can use some fresh paint and you’re going to need furniture, Mom. Until your place is ready, I’d like for you to stay with me,” Ethan told her. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I’m good with administrative work. Is there anything I can do to help you out with your business?” she asked. “I’d like to earn my own keep.”
He broke into a smile. “Mom, you don’t ever have to worry about working again. We’ll go to the bank tomorrow to set up an account for you. We will also get you a car.”
“This isn’t why I wanted back in your life, Ethan,” Lydia stated firmly. “Your love is all I really need.”
“You’re my mother. I realize now that you didn’t abandon me—it was the other way around and I want to make it up to you. I told you when I was twelve that one day I would take care of you. I mean to do just that. You were an innocent woman sent to prison. It’s time for you to enjoy your life.”
“I agree with Ethan,” Jordin interjected. “I am on the board of a couple of charities and we could use some additional help. We have a huge event coming up, so we really need you.”
“I would love to do whatever I can,” Lydia responded. “As for a car, I don’t need anything fancy—just something to get around town.”
He hugged her. “That’s why I want you to choose your own vehicle. We could never agree on cars, remember?”
Lydia laughed. “I like Honda and he liked Toyota.”
Jordin smiled as she listened to the light bantering between Ethan and his mother. He was happy. She could see it in his eyes as well as the affection he felt for Lydia. Gone was the mist of anger that once resided in his gaze. The walls that were once erected around Ethan’s heart had collapsed, weakened by love.
“You were right all along,” Ethan told Jordin when he returned after dropping off his mother. “I should have listened to you.”
“You needed to come to this conclusion on your own,” she responded. “Ethan, I’m so proud of you.”
“So you really don’t mind having my mother live here on the property with us?”
Jordin shook her head no. “She needs a home of her own. I think it’s perfect because you two need to make up for all the time you missed.”
“That’s why I love you.”
She broke into a sexy grin. “Is that the only reason you love me?”
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, prompting Jordin to laugh. She picked up a pillow and hit him with it.
“Hey, that’s one of the reasons you love me,” he said.
“I don’t know...it’s been a while,” she responded.
; Ethan picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. “Let me remind you.”
Eight months later
Her wedding day was finally here!
Jordin stood outside surrounded by fourteen acres of live oak groves and peaceful views of the Ashley River, on Lowndes Grove Plantation. She and Ethan had chosen this beautifully restored setting for their wedding because of its scenic sunset views of the waterfront. The Main House boasted a 1786 construction, period furnishings, a stunning expansive piazza and sun-kissed terraces made of bluestone, brick and oyster tabby. It was the perfect backdrop for Ethan and Jordin’s June wedding.
She smiled and carried her travel tote into the Main House.
“Here you are...” her mother said. “I was worried that you were running late.”
“No, I was outside just admiring the view.”
“Everything is ready,” Eleanor announced. “Your dress is upstairs.”
“Before I get ready, I want to peek into the room where the ceremony will be held.”
She followed her mother into one of the banquet rooms.
The rows of seating were garnished with lavish displays of purple-and-ivory flowers arranged with peacock-green-colored ribbons and baby’s breath.
Smiling, she said, “It’s perfect.”
Eleanor embraced her. “It’s time for you to start getting ready, my darling.”
Jordin checked her watch. “I’ll see you in a few.”
She walked briskly up to the second level.
“I was just about to drive over to your house,” Aubrie announced when she entered the dressing room.
“I’m here.”
Her bridesmaids were all dressed in platinum-colored designer gowns. On a nearby sofa lay a row of beautiful hand-tied blooms in colors of purple, ivory and green.
“Kiera is ready for you,” Jadin announced, referring to the hairstylist.
Jordin hummed softly as she sat down in the empty chair in front of Kiera. She could hardly believe it was her wedding day. She and Ethan were getting married—it was a dream come true.
An hour later, Jordin stood in front of a huge full-length mirror eyeing her reflection.