Those words, at that moment, meant everything to me. I kissed her back passionately and we made love in the bathtub before heading to bed.
“I was so worried about you all night,” Adalynn said as she stormed into the dining room and hugged Rory.
“I’m okay, Adalynn. Thank you for your concern.” She smiled.
“And him? The two of you?” she said as she pointed to Ian and me.
“We’re fine, Adalynn, and good morning to you,” I said.
“Whew, thank God. I thought maybe Rory was going to kick you out on your ass or something because of that stripper whore.”
I looked at her and cocked my head. “That stripper was not my fault, and Rory and I already discussed it and we really don’t want to discuss it again.”
“Fine,” she said as she waved her hand at me. “Coffee, I need coffee.”
“You know where it is. Go get some,” I said.
Adalynn looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Can you believe I was married to this guy?” She winked at Rory.
“Why do you keep bringing that up?” I asked as I walked to the kitchen.
“Because I think it’s funny and I know it bothers you.” She laughed.
I poured her a cup of coffee and set it down in front of her. “Speaking of marriage, yours is coming quick and you’ll be going on your honeymoon, which means I’ll need to be at Prim to oversee things.” I smiled.
“The business end of things, Ian. Not the creative side of it,” Adalynn responded.
“Oh, but, darling, I’m very good at the creative side of things. Ask my beautiful girlfriend over there.”
“Ian, I’m warning you. Just the business side. I’ve got the creative end covered.”
“We’ll see.” I smiled as I finished my breakfast and got up from my chair.
“Damn you, Braxton. If I have to worry about my company on my honeymoon, I’m going to have your head.”
“Our company, Adalynn. Our company.” I smiled before I walked out of the room.
I knew it was mean to tease her like that, but it couldn’t be helped. The truth was that I could have cared less about the creative side of things over at Prim. As long as it was making me money, I didn’t care. I went upstairs, grabbed my briefcase, and kissed Rory before I left for the office.
“I’m only going to be there a few hours. I’ll be back in plenty of time before your dad gets here. I don’t want you to worry, sweetheart.”
“I’ll be okay. Have a good day. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She smiled.
I headed for the limo with worry on my mind. I’d told her not to worry, yet I was consumed with it. I was worried about the effect the meeting between Rory and Jimmy would have on her long term. Then there was the worry about my own father.
Chapter 24
Rory
I was nervous, very nervous as I sat on the bed and folded my clothes. I needed to keep busy to keep myself from going crazy. Was I ready to hear Jimmy out? Was I ready to accept the reason he’d abandoned his children? Was I ready to talk about Stephen? I wasn’t sure of anything anymore after what had happened over the past few days. I just wanted to escape. I didn’t want to deal with reality anymore, at least for a while. I finished putting my clothes away and went down to the beach. I stood down by the water and thought about Stephen. He would have loved it here. There were so many things he would have loved to have seen and done, but now, he wouldn’t be able to.
“What are you doing out here?” Ian asked from behind.
I smiled. Every time I heard his voice, I felt a sense of peace and protection. I turned around and saw him standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a smile on his face. I walked up to him and gave him a kiss as he handed me the flowers.
“They’re beautiful, Ian. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. They’re for a beautiful woman.” He smiled as he pushed a few strands of my hair behind my ear.
He put his arm around me and we went back up to the house.
“Those are beautiful, Rory,” Mandy said as she sniffed them.
“Thank you. Do you know where a vase is?” I asked.
Ian grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and, as Mandy handed me the vase, the doorbell rang. Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. My reaction must have said it all because Ian kissed me and rubbed my back before answering the door.
“Just come into the living room when you’re ready, sweetheart.”
I nodded my head and filled the vase with water. I could hear them talking in the foyer.
“It’ll be okay, Rory. You can do this. Keep your head up and be confident. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” Mandy smiled.
I took in a deep breath. “Thank you, Mandy.”
I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Jimmy was sitting on the couch and Ian was sitting on the loveseat across from him. Ian looked at me and gave me a small smile. Jimmy stood up and turned around.
“Hi, Rory,” he said nervously.
“Hey,” I replied.
I sat down next to Ian, feeling as awkward as shit. I picked up the glass of wine that was waiting for me on the end table. I took a sip and a deep breath.
“The only thing I can do right now is apologize, Rory,” Jimmy said.
I sat there and stared at him. God, he looked so much like Stephen. I wanted to burst into tears, but I refused to do it in front of him, at least for now.
“Why? And how did you know that my mother had twins? From what Aunt Nancy told me, you took off the minute you found out she was pregnant.”
“There’s a lot more to it than just that. Things Nancy never knew about,” he said as he sipped his water.
Ian took hold of my hand and held it, trying to offer me some comfort and reassurance. “Do you even know what kind of childhood Stephen and I had? Do you even want to know? If you had stuck around, things could’ve been different. We were raised by an alcoholic and drug-addicted prostitute after my mother died. I was the one who had to take care of Stephen and me. I raised both of us because Nancy couldn’t even look at us, and I never knew why until I went and paid her a little visit. That’s when she told me about you. Do you know that her drug dealer cared more about me and Stephen then she did?”
He sat there and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t stand listening to his apologies anymore. I bolted up from the loveseat and got in his face. “You’re sorry! Sorry doesn’t cut it anymore, Daddy!” I yelled.
Ian got up, grabbed my arm, and led me back to the loveseat. “Sweetheart, keep calm.”
Jimmy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He smiled as he looked at a picture and then handed it to me. It was a picture of my mom. Tears started to fill my eyes when I looked at it. Ian rubbed my back as I tried not to cry.
“Your mother is beautiful. You look just like her,” Ian said.
“When I came out of the storage room that night and saw you sitting at the bar, I almost had a heart attack. It was like your mom was sitting there. I wasn’t sure at first, but then when you came into the bar the other night, I knew. I could feel it, especially when you played the piano.”
He reached into his wallet and pulled out another picture and handed it to me. It was a picture of me and Stephen as babies. I gasped and the tears I tried to hold back fell down my face, one at a time.
“Your mom sent that picture to me after you were born.”
“She knew where you where?”
He nodded his head as he looked down. “Yes. Your mom and I had a relationship together.”
“But you were with Aunt Nancy,” I said.