Her frame of mind was so frustrating, Ryan couldn’t continue the charade of a friendly mother-son dance. He stopped dancing, let go of her and walked off the dance floor. She followed him closely, her words loud in his ear. “One of the most important decisions of your life is picking the right mate. Another most important decision is picking your career. You’re making a total mess of both of those decisions.”
He spun around to face her. “That is your opinion, Mother.”
She came at him, shaking her head and raising her voice with anger. “It’s not an opinion. It’s a fact. You got a teenaged girl pregnant in high school. Big mistake, but we were helping support her while you got away and got a good education at a prestigious school. Now, you gave up everything we worked so hard for, and you’re back. With her, it appears. Why? Why on earth would you ruin your future like that?”
“Because I love her.” His words were strong and firm and loud, and just happened to coincide with the end of the music. He’d shouted those words at his mother during a lull and everyone had heard.
Including Carly. She stood not too far away, and she’d not only heard his declaration. She’d heard his mother’s hateful words. From the look of horror on her face, and the tears budding in her eyes, she’d heard all of them.
Everyone was staring at the three of them. During that moment of silence in the aftermath of his words, they’d become the spectacle of the entire reception. Carly spun and ran out of the ballroom. Ryan took just a second’s hesitation to spit at his mother, “See what you’ve done?” and he chased after her.
She was enough steps in front of him that he watched her disappear into the ladies’ room. He raced up to the door and pounded on it. “Carly! Carly? Come out here. I need to talk to you.” Silence met him. “Please? Please come out, I want to talk to you.”
When she didn’t respond, he swung open the door. The restroom had a small foyer containing a couch and a vanity and a huge mirror and Carly sat there, sobbing. She looked up, surprised at his presence. She reached for a nearby tissue and wiped her face. “Ryan, you can’t come in here.”
“I can if it means I can comfort you. I don’t want you in here crying by yourself.” He kneeled in front of her and pulled her into his arms, his chest, tucking her head into himself. She pulled back and whimpered, “I’ll get your suit wet.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’ll get makeup on it.”
He let a scoff escape. “I don’t care.”
He held onto her while her shoulders shook, and her tears fell. Eventually she calmed, and her stream of emotion stopped. He continued to hold her, willing his strength and resolve to reach her. They could get past this. He wouldn’t let his mother’s terrible words impact their budding love affair.
He couldn’t lose her over this. He just couldn’t.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and she shook her head. “No, listen. I’m sorry that you had to hear that. My mother’s words. She had no right to say that. Or if she did, she had no right to say it in front of you.”
Carly sniffed and pulled back from him, and he instantly felt the loss of her. It pained him to see her face streaked with tears, painful tears brought on by his mother’s awful words.
“She’s wrong,” he said firmly.
Carly shrugged. “What if she’s right?”
“No.” He gripped her shoulders. “She’s not right. She’s wrong. I love you. And I know you may not love me again yet, but I know we have a future together. You are my choice. You are a wonderful person. Hard working, ambitious, smart. And you’re an awesome mom. You’ve done a great job with Grace, and I feel so blessed that you’re letting me now take part in her life too.”
“But I’m not ...”
“You’re not what?” He studied her face, unwilling to let her put herself down.
“I’m not ... the type of person your mother would approve of.”
He let out a frustrated explosion of breath. “Do you think I care about that? I don’t! I don’t care a lick about what my mother thinks. My father either, for that matter.” He straightened, ran a hand through his hair, and joined her on the couch. “My mother is missing the point. I love you. I want you. I choose you. It’s not up to her who I pick for my wife. It’s up to you, Carly.”
Carly slumped back in her seat and expelled a deep sigh. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“I do! I can see it. You, me, Grace. We become a real family and work hard for our futures. And then, when we become successful, it won’t be because my parents handed it to me. It’s because we worked hard, together, for it.”
She squinted at him, listening.
“We can be very happy, Carly. I love you. And as soon as I convince you that I’m here to stay, I think you can love me too. I’ll work every day to make you happy. To make you glad that you took another chance on me.”
The door swung open and a wedding guest walked in. “Oh!” she exclaimed. Fortunately, Ryan didn’t know her. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said. “We’re having sort of a family crisis here.” She nodded and went through the door to the bathroom stalls.
He looked back at Carly. She straightened. “I can’t do this to your family.”
He searched her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t cause this kind of riff between you and your parents.”
“Carly, no, listen ...”
“Your parents will never approve of me. They’ll never accept me as an appropriate wife for you. They love Grace, and that’s fine, but they’ll never love me. Admit it.”
He shook his head, he didn’t want to admit it, and his head took on a life of its own, shaking back and forth, faster and faster. “No. I don’t admit that. They’ll see how happy we are together. They’ll see what great parents we are. They’ll see us succeed in business and they’ll grow to love you and love us both as a couple.”
“Oh Ryan, you’re only saying that because you want it to be true. You can’t possibly believe that.” She stood, facing him. “I can’t be the wedge that drives you and your parents apart. I think the best thing I can do is move on.”
He came unsteadily to his feet. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean, move on?”
“I can’t love you, Ryan. I can’t imagine a future with you. It’s over between us.”
“No. No, Carly.” He couldn’t accept her decision. He reached for her and pulled her in to him. He rested his lips on hers and kissed her passionately. His hands slid into her hair and he gave her the kiss of his life. If he couldn’t appeal to her with words, with reason, with explanation, maybe his passion and his love for her would convince her.
She didn’t pull back, he was relieved to discover. She was just as engaged as he was, and as his breath came to a timeless halt, he could only hope that she was breathless too. This was love, this thing between the two of them. How could she deny it? How could she walk away from it? He’d done his best to explain what he felt about her. Maybe his actions wouldn’t fail him.
When he finally pulled back, he kept hold of her beautiful face in his hands. He waited, hopeful that he’d gotten through to her.
“Will you go find Grace and bring her to me?” she asked, barely audible.
“Yes,” he said uncertainly. “Sure.” Unsure why, but grateful that she hadn’t continued with talk of a break up, he stumbled from the ladies’ room and returned to the reception area. Music and conversation continued, as if everything were normal, as if his whole life hadn’t been torn apart in the last twenty minutes. He moved past tables, searching for his daughter, ignoring calls of “Ryan! Over here!” that floated over him. Finally, he found Grace on the dance floor. Two of his aunts were teaching her the Hokey Pokey and she was enjoying herself. Not wanting to drag her away from a happy time, he forced himself to join them for a round. When the song ended, he took her hand and said, “Let’s go find Mommy.”
But Carly wasn’t in the ladies’ room. She was standing in the hallway and she’d gathered Grace’s bag full of supplies, and she looked ready to go. Standing beside her was her friend Haley.
“Here we go, little Grace,” Carly called out in a cheerful voice that betrayed the messy look of destroyed makeup on her face. “Time to go home now. We had a good time, didn’t we?”
Because her mom sounded so cheerful, and because she had, indeed, had such a fun day, Grace didn’t realize anything was amiss and appeared to go willingly with her mom. “Daddy?” Grace asked.
“Oh, Daddy has to stay here and help clean up,” Carly lied blatantly, but of course Grace knew no better. “So, I called my friend Haley to give us a ride home.”
Ryan held his tongue, looked angrily at Haley. But Haley gave him a sad, regretful expression and he knew instantly that Haley was here because Carly had called and asked for help, not necessarily because she agreed that this was the right thing to do. “Would you watch Grace for just a minute while I have a word with Carly?”
Haley nodded. “Of course,” and she got Grace interested in something a few steps away in the hallway.
Ryan turned to Carly and couldn’t help letting the full blast of his emotions appear on his face. “Please don’t do this. Don’t leave. Can we talk about this?”
Carly stared at him for a moment, and her eyes ran over his face, as if she were trying to memorize it. “I just don’t have it in me, Ryan. I don’t have the strength. I can’t fight against your mother’s hatred of me.”
He expelled a breath and shook his head. “She doesn’t hate you. She doesn’t even really know you. But what I want to say is, it doesn’t matter. I’m an adult. I make my own decisions. I love you. Who cares what she thinks?”
Carly shook her head, her forehead creased with concern. “Do you know how hard it would be for the two of us to work out if your parents are against us from the beginning? I don’t want to come between you. But I also don’t want to try to start with two strikes against us. Strike one – you got me pregnant and then left me for two years. Strike two – you finally come back and want to make it work but your parents are against us. It doesn’t take too much to know that strike three isn’t too far behind: we fall apart under the weight of it all.”
“No. No, Carly. I love you.”
She went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I can’t do that to Grace.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “And I won’t do that to myself.”
Before he could stop her, she turned and rushed down the hallway towards Haley and Grace. He stayed where he was. Because she’d finally gotten through to him.
Maybe she and Grace were better off without him.
Chapter Ten
Haley’s little car was going entirely too fast out of the hotel parking lot and Carly bit her tongue on her advice to slow down.
“So, what on earth happened in there? You’ve got to tell me.”
Carly raised her index finger to her lips and shook her head, gesturing at Grace.
“Ohhhh,” Haley said in a drawn-out syllable. “But when I get you home can you tell me?”
Carly turned in the seat and looked at Grace, who was having trouble keeping her eyes open. “If I can get her to go to bed I’ll tell you the whole story. In fact, I need your advice, so I don’t do something really stupid.”
“Hmmmmm,” Haley murmured. They got home, walked into the apartment, took Grace’s fancy dress off her and laid her down in bed, where she crashed without hesitation. Carly came back out to the living room where Haley waited.
“I have to say that dress looks hot on you,” Haley remarked.
Carly scoffed. “Thanks. Just don’t look too closely at my face.” She pointed at her run mascara and streaked cheeks. She took a few minutes to give Haley the Readers Digest Condensed Version of the Carly and Ryan story, and then quieted, waiting for her reaction.
“So, he finally laid his heart out on the table.”
Carly frowned. “Yeah, I guess.”
“And you carved it like a Thanksgiving turkey.”
Carly winced. “Geez. Don’t hold back, will ya?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that ... I’m a romantic. And when I hear about a sweet, gorgeous, smart, gorgeous and great guy who falls head over heels in love with one of my friends, I really want it to work out. Oh, did I mention? The guy’s gorgeous.”
Sighing, Carly looked down at her lap. “Let’s put aside the fact that he’s gorgeous.”
“Do you agree?”
“Of course, I agree! I’m not blind! I always thought he was gorgeous. But his looks have no place here. I have to focus on what’s important.”
“Like he’s madly in love with you?”
“Like his family doesn’t approve of me.”
“Yeah, I get that. But, is that a show stopper? Really?”
Carly felt the sting of tears in her eyes again. “I don’t want to break apart his family.”
Haley smirked.
“What?” Carly asked.
“That sounds awful noble of you. But he’s a grown up. Doesn’t he get to choose what he wants to do?”
“You’re saying I don’t have a choice in the matter?”
“Of course, you do! But you have to consider two people only: you and Grace. Don’t try to accommodate him or his mother. Someone else can worry about them.” Carly nodded. “So, let me ask you this: do you love him?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “But ...”
“No buts. You love him. You just said you did.”
“There has to be buts. Forget his parents who don’t approve of me. I don’t know if I can trust him. I loved him three years ago. He said he loved me. But once life got tough, he fled. Why should I believe he’s in for the long haul now? You know it’s going to be tough again.”
Haley sighed. “I don’t know. I just believe in him, Carly. I see him when he looks at you. He’s crazy about you. He worships you. Not to mention how he feels about Grace. And now he’s actually told you he loves you. This is a good thing. You need to take it and run.”
Carly shook her head. “He looked at me like that before I got pregnant. He was crazy about me then. Nothing’s changed.”
Haley looked at her with pity in her eyes and took her hands. “Oh sweetie, there’s where you’re wrong. Everything has changed.”
THE DAY OF THE RADLEY Ray concert arrived. Shaw had wanted Nora to be ready to leave by three in the afternoon, so she scheduled her last appointment for noon. When it was over, Nora took her second shower of the day, taking care to moisturize her skin and style her hair and make up her face. She wanted to look good.
She went about her preparations with a nervousness in her heart. Then she slipped into her concert costume. She looked in the mirror and her first reaction was no way. I’m way too old to be wearing this. I’ll be a laughing stock.
But then she turned back to the mirror. Really looked, trying to be subjective. How did she really look? Different, yes. But honestly, she looked like she was comfortable and southern and a fan of country music. Although none of those things were particularly true, why couldn’t she relax and enjoy a different type of night out?
She’d be with Shaw. And he’d make her feel comfortable. He always did.
At three, Shaw came to the door and when she opened it to him, she watched for his reaction. It started in his eyes. They popped wide, then he squinted, then it spread to his mouth. A smile formed, first closed-mouthed, spreading across his whole face, a happy grin. “You look great, Nora,” he murmured, and he reached for her hands. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her and she breathed in his aroma. He smelled clean and showered and absolutely irresistible.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly. “You loo
k great too.” Enjoying the shot of adrenaline rushing through her core, she let out a chuckle. Oh, it was going to be a great night. He was dressed in perfectly worn jeans covering his long, lean legs, a comfortable denim shirt buttoned over a red tee shirt with just a trace of the color at his neck. A newer pair of cowboy boots than the ones he wore for work, and the cowboy hat she’d occasionally seen him in.
He looked delicious.
Eventually they pulled apart and she stepped back so he could come in. He walked by her but turned his head, so he could continue to observe her. “That skirt looks great on you. And the boots.” He made an “A-OK” gesture with his hand.
She couldn’t help a flirty giggle. “Sadie was a huge help.”
“She gave me a preview that you looked awesome. She really likes you, you know.”
Well, wasn’t that interesting? “I like her too. You did good with that one, Dad.”
“Would you be interested in coming over to the house and spending some time together, the three of us?”
“Yes, I would.” Of course, she would. Sadie was a huge part of his life. Nora wanted to become a bigger part of his life. So, getting to know Sadie better was definitely a good thing.
They got in his truck and made the easy drive south to Charleston. They parked in a garage near the amphitheater and walked a few blocks. Nora had been to the city before, but strolling along with Shaw, holding his hand and hearing about the history of the charming buildings from him made it an enchanting experience. It was all new with Shaw beside her.
They stepped into a tavern that dated back to the late 1700s, sat and ordered a drink. Shaw ordered an ale and Nora chose a glass of chardonnay. They chatted easily about a range of topics: the city, experiences Shaw had had here, Thunder, and both their jobs. Drinks done, Shaw checked his wristwatch and said, “We’ve got reservations for dinner at Circa 1886. Have you ever heard of it?”
Nora shook her head.
“It’s in the historic section of the city, housed in a building that dates back to ... take a guess?”
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