The Love Game

by Emilia Beaumont

  Luke nodded, clapping me on the back. “Well, it’s about damn time. We just moved her and her mom into an apartment not far from here. If you follow me, I’ll get you over there, and you can tell her yourself, this time in person.”

  I blew out a breath, the nerves now spinning around in my stomach.

  “Hey, I think I should warn you, though,” Luke said as he walked to his truck, “the reason she left you was because of the bar and her mom. If you don’t learn anything else about Ginny, know that she’s dedicated to her mom. That’s going to be something you will have to accept.”

  I nodded tightly. I was going to take on whatever Ginny had going on in her life. Nothing she threw at me was going to make me run away.

  25

  Ginny

  “I don’t want that for supper! Why can’t we ever have something good? Let me do some cooking! This is my kitchen!”

  I sighed, thinking that my mom near the stove was the absolute last thing I wanted to happen. She’d been particularly difficult that day, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the new surroundings. It was to be expected. Not everyone reacted well to change. I’d finally found a two-bedroom apartment in my price range, and with my friends’ help, everything was all moved in, though the boxes still littered the floor. It would take me a least a week or so to get everything in order.

  “I don’t want you to have to do that, Mom,” I stated, pulling out a frozen pizza from the freezer. “Let’s just eat this tonight, and then you can cook tomorrow.”

  She huffed but didn’t argue and went back to the chair in the living space she’d claimed as hers. The old armchair used to be my dad’s, a battered old thing, but Mom had taken one look at it when it was hauled in and had hardly left it since. It was sweet in a way. I wondered if she remembered Dad at all. Either way, I hoped the chair gave her a little bit of comfort.

  I turned the dial on the stove, letting it preheat before shoving the pizza in. I was exhausted, and I knew she was, as well, so I was trying to keep my temper under control. Life was rough right now, and I didn’t anticipate it getting any better. I just kept telling myself to take it one day at a time. I still hadn’t made up my mind what I was actually going to do, whether or not it was worth rebuilding the bar or to leave it in its smoldering pile. The thought of building it bigger and better, more modern, crossed my mind. But did I really want to go down that road again? Dealing with drunks, acting like a quasi-counselor, and starting the speed-dating events again? Would that be my lot in life? Match-maker extraordinaire who cleaned up puke on a regular basis?

  The doorbell rang, and I walked to the door, first making sure that Mom was not about to sneak into the kitchen behind me. She was settled in her chair. Back at the door, through the peephole I saw Luke standing outside. I flipped the locks and opened up, giving him a tired smile.

  “Hey, what’s up? Did we forget something in the van?”

  “No, but I brought you a house-warming gift,” he said.

  “Already?”

  He stepped aside. “Don’t you dare say I never gave you anything!”

  Damon’s form filled the doorway, and I took a step back, knowing I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. He was supposed to be in New York, not on my doorstep!

  “Oh, god. I think we broke her.” I heard Luke’s voice; it sounded far away.

  I blinked a few times. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my own voice shaky. He was as gorgeous as ever, dressed down in a pair of jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows that showed off his toned forearms. His eyes were twinkling, that grin, that cheeky dimple—wow, he was making my knees weak all over again.

  “OK, my duty here is done. See you both later,” Luke interjected before walking down the hall, whistling. I expect if I did open up a new bar, his drinks would be on the house for the foreseeable future.

  “What are you doing here?” I repeated. He needed to speak. “Tell me.” I needed to hear his voice to make sure this wasn’t some elaborate hoax, that I hadn’t actually lost my mind. Maybe I’d fallen down somehow, hit my head. Maybe my body was over in the kitchen on the floor. I glanced right, there was nothing but a covering of old but clean black and white tiles in the kitchen. No body.

  Damon took a step inside the apartment while I took another step back, colliding with the wall behind me.

  “I’m here for you,” he finally said, his expression cryptic. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Ginny. You are a hard woman to track down.”

  I swallowed, torn between running away and running into his arms. “I’m sorry,” I said. “That I’m so… difficult.”

  He took another step forward until his arms were on either side of my body, locking me in between the wall and his body. “Did you see my interview?”

  “I-I did,” I answered, my heart softening and yet thudding like a thousand horses were galloping upon my chest. He was here. I couldn’t believe it. After chasing him down all over the world, he was now chasing me.

  “And?” he said, his jaw working. “What did you think?”

  God, he smelled good. I was getting dizzy just looking at him.

  “That some girl is very lucky.”

  He chuckled. “That some girl is you, my sweet Ginny. God, I have missed you so damn much.”

  My fingers itched to grab onto him and never let go. Damon loved me. I couldn’t believe that, either. But here he was, telling me exactly that. I was the girl from his interview, the one whom the nation had wished to uncover.

  He reached out and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers, my skin sizzling under his touch. I felt it all the way to my toes and back again.

  “You do believe me, right?” he asked softly, dropping his fingers and leaning close. “Because I don’t lie, Ginny. You are the one.”

  “Ginny? Is this the young man you have been telling me about?”

  I ducked under Damon’s arm and hurried over to my mom, who was standing in the doorway of the living room, looking at the both of us with a smile on her face. It was the first smile I had seen since we had packed up and moved over here. “Mom?”

  “He’s quite cute,” she whispered loudly, nodding her head at Damon, inspecting him from top to bottom. “I do hope you are planning to keep him.”

  I blushed and took her arm. “Come on, Mom. The pizza won’t be done for a while. Why don’t you go lie down for a little bit before dinner? Or sit in your chair again? I can get you the yacht magazine you like.”

  “My daughter likes you,” she continued, embarrassing me further. “She talks about you all the time.”

  “Mom?” I said again in shock. She knew who I was.

  How was she remembering all this? I’d only ever told her things to pass the time. I never expected her to ever remember what I’d said. Or to remember me. Oh, god. On top of Damon arriving and then that, I was on the verge of crying. She didn’t half pick her times to be lucid. They’d been rare enough the last few months.

  “Then I am touched,” Damon answered, giving her a grin. “Mrs. Doran, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “You too,” my mom said pleasantly. “After all, you are the love of her life. You better marry her, or you’ll have me to deal with.” She turned to me and surprised me by stroking my cheek gently. “You will look stunning in a white dress. I can’t wait.”

  But then just as quick she was gone again.

  She then looked up at me, refocusing her eyes as confusion knitted her brow. “Who are you again? Have we met? Where’s my Ginny gone? Shouldn’t she be here? Is she traveling? I bet she is. That one was always a wanderer. It’s in her Irish blood, you know.”

  I didn’t want to look back at Damon as I gently led her to her bedroom, covering her up with her quilt before drawing a breath. I took a moment to gather myself. The words my mom had spoken made me want to crawl into a ball and cry for a hundred lifetimes. But Damon was there. I still couldn’t believe it. And he knew what my secret was, and I was goi
ng to find out exactly what he thought about it.

  After making sure that my mom was content to stay in her room, I diverted to the kitchen first, cut off the oven, and went to find him.

  Damon was standing in the living room when I entered, his hands in his pockets.

  “I’m sorry,” I blurted out, stopping before him. “She’s, well… she has Alzheimer’s. It’s advanced. She’s been living with me for a few years. Sometimes she remembers; most times she doesn’t. I have learned to just go with the flow.”

  His eyes searched mine as I waited with bated breath for him to turn tail and leave. After all, this was all new information for him and no doubt would impact his plans for whatever lovely reunion he’d had in mind. Instead, he reached out and pulled me into his arms, a heavy sigh leaving his body. I leaned my head against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart under my ear, my arms wrapping around his waist. After everything that had tried to rip us apart, we were standing there, in each other’s arms.

  “I’m so sorry, Ginny,” he finally said after a moment, his fingers stroking my back lightly. “I had no idea.”

  “I didn’t expect you to,” I said, feeling a bit foolish that I hadn’t told him before now.

  “You should’ve told me.”

  “I know. But I just couldn’t. Over there, it was another world. I wanted to forget everything back home, just for a little while,” I said, trying to explain myself. I wasn’t ashamed, but I was worried that it would impact his feelings for me. Taking care of my mom was not something that was going to get any easier.

  “You won’t have to do it alone, you know. I want you and everything that comes with you.”

  I shook my head. “Until yesterday I thought I felt guilty about putting her in a facility. But really, I was just clinging onto her for as long as I could. But I know she’s gone. What you saw never ever really happens. That’s the first time in years that’s she’s recognized me. I need to do what’s best for both of us.” Even as I said the words, the lump in my throat didn’t dissipate any quicker. I knew it was the right thing to do, but it still didn’t feel right. Not in the slightest.

  “What changed?” he asked, pressing a kiss in my hair softly. I sighed, feeling as if I was right where I needed to be, in Damon’s arms. It was the only place I ever wanted to be. “I found a letter that she’d written me before it got bad. She gave me her blessing to put her in a nursing facility. She didn’t want me to miss out on my own life by caring for her. But I ignored her wishes, and I finally realized she fully expected me to abide by them. She wondered if I was off traveling.”

  Damon pulled back, framing my face with his hands, concern in his eyes. I sighed inwardly as I stared into them, so glad that he had sought me out. “She’s right, you know. There’s nothing wrong with surrounding your mom with people who can take care of her, Ginny. It was what she wanted you to do.”

  “I know,” I said, the realization of what I needed to do becoming crystal clear. It was still frightening to think I was going to let strangers take care of her, but I couldn’t continue to live like this. Both of us deserved better. And I certainly couldn’t ignore what she had wanted.

  “I will help you,” he added, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. “Whatever you decide, whatever you need, I can get it for you. I’m not going anywhere, Ginny. I’m in this for the long haul.”

  Tears came to my eyes again. I knew he meant every word. And I loved Damon Holden the man, not the legend. He could be penniless, and I would still love him the same.

  “I love you,” he said, leaning in to kiss my lips. “We will do this together. You’re no longer alone. I have plenty of contacts. We can get expert opinions if you want.”

  “I love you, too,” I rushed out, watching as his eyes softened. “I’m sorry I left. I did it in such a hurry, I didn’t think… but the bar.”

  “Shh,” he interrupted. “I know about the bar, and it’s fine. I’m sorry you lost your business. I know it meant a lot to you.”

  I felt the tears well up for the third time that day as I thought of my livelihood, gone just like that, in an instant. My dad had worked for so long building it up, and poof! It was gone.

  He dropped his hands, running one through his hair roughly. “I figured it must have been something very important for you to bolt like that. But how about you put your bloody number in my phone right now so I don’t have to hire a private investigator the next time.”

  I laughed, my heart full of love for this man. “You hired an investigator to find me?”

  “Babe, I had no choice,” he said, reaching out to pull me flush against him. “And I hope that it will be the only time I ever have to do it. I don’t ever intend to let you go again.”

  I silently agreed as he leaned down to brush his lips over mine, the swirl of heat building within me as he deepened the kiss with a groan. This was really happening. I was in love with this man, and he was in love with me. It was every girl’s dream.

  “God, I want you,” he mumbled against my lips, squeezing me to him. I could feel his arousal and felt my own body respond. I wanted him, too. His lips nibbled on my jaw before moving down my neck, eliciting a gasp from me in the process.

  “No,” I said with a whimper, pushing at his chest in an effort to get some breathing room. “We can’t. My mom.” How embarrassing would it be if she walked in on us? She was known to wander, and I just couldn’t take the chance. “I’m sorry.”

  Damon stepped back, grabbing my hand instead and brought it up to his lips, kissing my fingers. “There is nothing I want more than you right now, but I’m willing to wait. I’ve waited a lifetime already, I can wait a little longer.”

  His words melted my heart and weakened my knees all at the same time. How did I get so lucky?

  “One thing, though,” he said, lacing my fingers with his. “You have to come to New York with me. There’s a wedding, and your presence has been requested numerous times by my dad.”

  I hesitated only for a second. “I’d hate to disappoint him then.”

  “Good answer,” he grinned, giving me a wink. “We’ll figure something out with your mom, I promise. We’ll make sure she’d taken care of. Now I’m starving. Do I smell pizza or something?”

  26

  Damon

  “Are you sure you are ready for this?” I asked my dad as I watched him adjust his bow tie in the mirror. We were in an antechamber right off the church. In only a few minutes he would walk out there, wait for his bride to come down the aisle for the second time in his life. I hadn’t been part of the original wedding party, but he’d called at the last minute to ask me to stand with him, and I wasn’t going to refuse.

  My dad turned around, the widest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “I was born ready. Hell, I’m nowhere near as nervous as I was the first time around. I think this is going to be a piece of cake.”

  “That’s because you know what you are getting yourself into,” I joked, brushing some lint off his shoulder. Maybe the second time round would be the charm, I hoped, for both their sakes. They deserved to be happy.

  He laughed. “You’re right, son. I do know exactly what I am getting into, and I can’t wait. Have you heard from Ginny?”

  After a few days down in Florida with Ginny and a few rapturous nights with her in my arms, I’d flown back to New York alone to deal with some sponsors and then help my dad out before the wedding. But before I left, I’d made sure I had all Ginny’s contact details, and she had mine. I also got her booked on a flight just before the wedding. We’d also managed to make arrangements for her mom to be looked after while she was away in New York, and that seemed to ease some of her worries. I knew it was still going to be a tough time for her, but as long as she knew she had my full support, I knew we could deal with it together.

  While we were apart, I barely left my phone alone. We texted and called each other practically non-stop. She’d even called just as she was getting on the plane to New York. It had been at mos
t three days that we’d been apart, but it’d felt like a lifetime.

  I nodded. “She’s safely inside the church now.” The private car had done its job and picked her up from the airport and brought her to our hotel, and then we’d come together to the church. But not before our quick, hot and heavy reunion in the suite.

  My watch told me time was ticking away. “I think it’s time, Dad. You can’t be late, that’s the bride’s job.”

  “All right then,” my dad said, clapping his hands. “Let’s do this.”

  I followed him out the door and toward the front of the church, looking immediately out over the packed pews in an effort to locate Ginny. It didn’t take me long. She was sitting on the groom’s side, her hair in soft curls that were down around her bare, creamy shoulders. She saw me, and I watched as her face lit up in excitement, giving me a little wave before ducking her head. I wanted to walk down the aisle and sweep her into my arms but knew that the bride would likely have my head if I upstaged her wedding. So instead I winked at her as the music swelled, announcing the entrance of the bride.

  It was show time.

  The ceremony was short and sweet. The couple exchanged heartfelt vows, my dad took my mom in his arms and kissed her while everyone cheered, and just like that, they were remarried.

  I walked down the aisle behind them, Maddy in front of me, following them into the small waiting area for a quick champagne celebration before heading off in the private cars to the no doubt extravagant reception.

  “I can’t believe we did it again,” my mom was saying as Maddy and I entered the room. “And we have our children here, too. The day couldn’t be more perfect.”

  I stepped forward, shook my dad’s hand before hugging my mom. “I’m happy for the both of you. I know I haven’t been the easiest son, but I can guarantee everything is going to change.”

  “A changed man! He’s in love,” Maddy added, linking arms with me. I laughed, not denying it. I was in love.