I felt Ally stiffen when she heard Sarah’s nasty words. She hadn’t been wanted from the start. Not by Sarah. She truly believed she owed Ally nothing, and Ronald everything. She had no fucking clue what she was going to lose.
“Our situations aren’t similar. That isn’t going to happen to Ally. I’m not leaving her again.”
“Until the next time,” she fired back.
I shook my head. “Never.” I frowned at her. “Where is your husband? I have a few things I want to say to him, too.”
For the first time, she looked unsure. “He is away. Not that he’d be interested in your words anyway.”
I sneered. “Of course not. Neither of you are interested in the truth. You think you owe Ronald? What about what you owe Ally? What about what she deserves?”
“Stop calling her that! She was given every opportunity in life thanks to Ronald. She had a home, a good education, and all she’s ever done is cause trouble! She almost cost me my marriage!”
I narrowed my eyes. “Every opportunity? She had a roof over her head and you provided her the necessities, but I wouldn’t call it a home. You never gave her the love she needed. You let Ronald blame her for something that wasn’t her fault.”
“She should never have called and asked Oliver to pick her up. If she hadn’t he never would have been in that convenience store. Because of her actions, Ronald lost his son. His heir. Someone had to pay. She owed him.”
“She owed him nothing. The man who pulled the trigger killed him—not her. You let him control her life because of a debt she never owed. You denied her the one thing she wanted the most her entire life!” I roared, my anger cresting.
“She had everything she needed.”
“Not your love—your affection,” I spat. “You denied her that, because you felt you owed Ronald. Because you were too scared to give up the lifestyle you enjoyed, you let him bully and control the life of your child. He lost his son because of the actions of someone else. But he used that accident to his advantage, didn’t he? Capitalized on Ollie being the hero, while blaming Ally for it. He used Ollie’s memory for his own gain. And you sacrificed your daughter knowingly. A child you should have protected and put above him…or anyone else.”
“You know nothing of my life or what I sacrificed.”
I couldn’t believe her. She would never accept it. She would never bend on this. “Was it worth it? You’re about to lose your daughter for good. Are you prepared for that, Sarah?”
She crossed her arms, regarding me arrogantly. “If you’re done with your sanctimonious lectures, I’m already done. Now I have to clean up yet another mess you’ve made, Alexandra.”
Beside me, Ally trembled, her shaky voice drenched in tears. “Mother…please.”
Sarah remained rigid. “This is your last chance. Stop this bleeding-heart nonsense, and we’ll forget this ever happened. You can marry Bradley as planned. If you leave here today, with him, you are no longer my daughter.”
A long shudder went through Ally. She stood, her hand reaching for me. I pulled her tight to my side, silently cursing the coldhearted bitch who stared at her.
“I think I stopped being your daughter the day you married Ronald.”
Sarah’s gaze never softened as she took in her daughter’s distress.
“I’m not forgetting anything else, Mother. You took enough away from me already.”
“Just like your father—you’re far too sentimental for your own good.”
Ally smiled sadly. “I realize you didn’t mean it that way, but that is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
Ally’s voice shook. “Someone did pay that day, Mother. Ollie did. He died trying to care for me. He put me first. Until Adam, he is the only one who ever did.”
Sarah didn’t even blink at those profound words.
I pulled an envelope from my pocket. “Sign this.”
Sarah made no move to take it from my extended hand. “What is it?”
“It’s a release form my lawyer drew up. Effective immediately, Ally no longer requires anyone to make her decisions. The power of attorney you had in place will be null and void.” I pushed the paper forward. “Entirely voluntary, of course. But if you refuse to sign it, he’ll start legal proceedings right away.”
“Is that a threat?”
“If you sign it, no. It’s request.”
She snatched the envelope away. “I’ll have our lawyer look it over.”
I shook my head. “You’ll sign it now. It’s very straightforward.” I locked eyes with her. “I’m sure you want all of this kept as quiet as possible. It would be a damn shame for any of this nasty business to get out.”
Her eyes narrowed.
I stepped forward, my voice shaking as I struggled to stay in control. “You’re a piranha in a designer dress, lady. You are truly the coldest bitch I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet, and if I had my way you’d be in jail. I want to go to the press and give them the story of the year—the fucking decade—and tell them exactly what you’ve done, blow your precious little world apart. I want you to suffer the way you’ve made her suffer.”
She had the audacity to roll her eyes at me. “Is that your plan?” she demanded.
I smirked at the slight tremble in her voice.
“My plan is to get Ally as far away from you as possible. She is never going to be subjected to your unfeeling, cold world again.” I indicated the envelope she was gripping. “Sign the paper, Sarah. Your daughter, who is just like her father in that she has a heart, refuses to let me tell the world how ugly you truly are. Her massive capacity for forgiveness is what’s keeping you from public humiliation. The only fucking thing. However, if you don’t sign it, right fucking now, all bets are off.”
“I don’t think I care for your tone, Mr. Kincaid.”
“I don’t give much of a fuck what you care for. I care about your daughter and the damage you’ve done to her. That’s all I care about. Now, sign the fucking paper so I can take your daughter home with me where she belongs.”
She grabbed a pen, signing the paper with barely a glance. When she turned back, her cold gaze went to Ally and her voice was icy. “Marrying this man will be the ruin of you. You will regret it.”
Ally shook her head. “No, I won’t.”
“Take your things and leave. When he’s done with you, don’t come crawling back.”
I was tired of her ugly words. I wrapped my arm around Ally, lifted her hand, and kissed it. “How could you think I’d ever be done with this remarkable woman, Sarah?” I smirked as I looked at her. “I would never walk away from my wife.” I held her hand so the light caught the diamonds glinting on her finger, and the thick silver band on my hand was visible.
She gaped at us. “You’re already married?”
“We are,” I said firmly. “I assume you won’t be hosting an event to welcome me to the family?”
She pointed a shaking finger to the door. “Get out.” She drew in a deep breath. “Get out!”
I tugged Ally with me as I stepped back. Sarah was so livid she was almost vibrating. Her carefully concealed emotions were on display, and they were ugly. I didn’t want her even remotely close to my girl. If she struck out and tried to hurt her, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.
I spoke softly. “Do you want to say goodbye to your mother?”
She shook her head, already turning to leave. “I don’t have a mother.”
Those words broke my heart.
—
The elevator ride down was quiet. I held Ally close, worried over her unnatural stillness. She hadn’t said a word since her mother brushed past us, pausing only to open the door and indicate with a haughty wave of her arm we needed to leave. The quiet click of the door shutting behind us made Ally flinch.
Sarah had shown her true colors to us all. Her need for social standing and wealth were more important than her daughter—a child she never wanted in the fir
st place. She allowed Ronald to take out his deep-seated bitterness on Ally like some twisted equal exchange. Her life for his. To him, she meant nothing, and Sarah allowed it. Because she was punishing Ally for being born.
I hoped one day she would rot in hell.
Bradley and I glanced at each other, no animosity in our eyes, united in a common worry. He cleared his throat.
“Alexandra.”
She turned her head, gazing calmly at him.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Our gazes locked again as the doors opened. We didn’t speak as we crossed the lobby and went outside.
Bradley turned to us. “I’ll handle the details of canceling everything. You don’t have to think about it.”
“We appreciate that. Thank you.”
Ally dug into her purse, pulling out a small notebook. “This has all the information in it. You might want to start with Gretchen, the wedding planner. She can take it from there.” A small grimace passed over her face. “I’m sure she’ll be grateful she doesn’t have to deal with my mother anymore. She isn’t, ah, easy to handle.” Then she smiled. A strange, vacant smile that made me shudder. “I guess neither of us have to deal with her after today.”
“Ally—”
“I’m just stating the facts, Adam.”
I didn’t like the sound of her voice—controlled and removed.
“Alexandra—” Bradley started.
“Don’t call me that. I always hated how formal it was.”
“What would you like me to call you? Ally?”
“No,” she said sharply. “That’s Adam’s name for me. You can call me Alex. My friends call me Alex.”
“Are we friends still?”
I was shocked when she suddenly drew back her hand and slapped him. Once. Twice.
Bradley blinked, but didn’t move. He barely flinched. I had a feeling the impact of her hand hardly registered. His face was abnormally hard. I only hoped she didn’t hurt her hand.
“That’s for lying to me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to see you again.”
“I understand.”
She turned and walked away, stopping after a few steps. She looked back. “Have a good life, Bradley. I hope Calgary is everything you want it to be. Don’t call me.” She paused and cleared her throat. “We’re going away. Maybe we can talk after that. I’ll think about it.”
She hurried over to the car and slid in, slamming the door behind her.
We stared at each other.
“She’s all over the place—she’s gonna explode,” he muttered. “Worse than a slap across the face.”
“Did it hurt?”
“No.”
“That’s a shame.”
He chuckled, then became serious. “Watch her, Adam. This is coming from the doctor in me. Tonight—the events leading up to tonight—it’s all swirling in that head of hers. Add in the side effects she’s still feeling from her head injury—I’m not sure what will happen when she lets it out.”
“I know. I’ll watch her.” I hesitated. “So you’ll look after everything?”
“Yeah, I will. It’s the least I can do.”
Fucking right it was.
“What are you going to tell people?”
“That we agreed to part as friends. Simple.”
“And then?”
“I’ll go to Calgary as planned.” He rolled his shoulders. “I think it’s time bachelor Bradley got to know the city and all its wonders.”
I held out my hand, surprising myself with the gesture. “Good luck.”
He took my hand. “Take care of her.”
“With my life.”
Then he grinned. A wide, evil grin. “And good luck—you’re gonna need it.”
I glared. “You think I need luck with Ally?”
He shook his head, his grin getting wider. “Nope. Not her. Sarah is now your mother-in-law.” He chuckled. “Your headache—not mine anymore. And what a fucking headache she is.”
He walked away.
I stared after him.
The bastard was right. No matter what happened, she was still Ally’s mother, and by marrying her she was now a permanent part of my life—however limited our contact.
I stomped over to the car.
I should have fucking hit him harder.
Chapter 26
Adam
I slid into the car and turned toward Ally. Her arms were wrapped around her torso and she was as far away from me as she could get—tucked right to the door. She was tugging on her sleeves, and her feet were fidgeting. She stared straight ahead and everything about her screamed back off.
I said only one thing. “Please put your seat belt on.”
I waited until she complied before I started the car and headed toward home. This wasn’t the place to push her. I desperately wanted to reach over and take her hand, touch her in some small way, but somehow, I knew I needed to let her be.
My mind flipped through the events of the last couple of days, focusing on the scenes tonight. My reaction to Bradley had surprised me. Aside from the one episode, my desire to hurt him had dissipated when I saw the way his eyes looked when he gazed at Ally. I knew that pain—the pain of losing the person you loved. His case was different, however, because he was going to have to live without her—forever. I wasn’t letting her go. I almost felt sorry for him.
But Sarah. My hands tightened on the steering wheel with the rage I was feeling. I would happily have pitched her out the window or hit her with my car for the callous way she cast her daughter aside. Ally’s happiness meant nothing to her if it caused her the slightest inconvenience.
And I was a big one.
Ally didn’t speak until I parked the car.
“Do you have any cereal?”
Cereal?
I wasn’t sure I had any sort of edible food left in the cupboards. “Um, if I do, it’s stale.”
She got out of the car and started walking toward the open garage door. I scrambled out of my seat, slamming the door behind me.
“Where are you going?”
She looked at me as if I was crazy.
“I want some cereal,” she stated slowly. “If you don’t have any, I’ll get some at the convenience store.”
Then she kept walking, so I hurried to catch up. She glanced over her shoulder at my approaching footsteps and stopped.
“I’m perfectly capable of going to the store and getting some cereal.” She paused, her voice becoming somewhat sarcastic. “I can remember now how to get back.”
I stopped myself from reminding her she no longer had keys to my loft. “You might want some milk, too. And besides, I’m rather hungry, except I don’t want cereal. I’ll get some chips or something.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t order me away—not that I’d go if she did. I let her wander the store, filling her basket with more than highly overpriced cereal and milk. She threw in some chocolate bars and a package of pastries after studying the picture on the box. She paused by the freezer looking at what I was sure was out-of-date frozen pizzas.
“We can order a pizza if you want,” I offered.
She huffed at me with a glare and moved on, waiting for me by the display of chips. Obviously I had displeased her with the offer of a fresh pizza instead of a freezer-burned one from the convenience store. Blindly, I grabbed a couple of bags and threw them into the basket.
“Do you have any beer?”
I had to look away so she didn’t see my grin. Ally hated beer and never drank it. I wasn’t sure why she suddenly wanted some. Bradley was right—she was all over the place.
“Yeah. A couple bottles.”
I got another glare when I reached across her at the counter and paid for the items. I handed her one of the bags to carry and we were silent until we got in the loft.
She went directly to the kitchen and grabbed the only bowl, sitting down at the counter, and opening he
r Alpha-Bits. I sipped a beer and munched some chips while I watched her, fascinated. She ate an entire bowl and poured another one before she slowed down. I had never seen her eat so fast.
She turned to me, her eyes narrowed, her voice challenging. “You and Bradley were all buddy-buddy. Are you best friends now?”
I blinked. Was that what was upsetting her the most?
“No,” I replied. “I doubt we’ll ever be friends. I thought he’d lost enough tonight.” I explained. “He lost you, after all. That’s one hell of a punishment.”
“Hmmmph.”
“Did you want me to beat him up, Nightingale? I can go find him and do that if you’d feel better.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“He’s an asshole and took full advantage of the situation to keep you. I agree with that.” I risked touching her shoulder. “I can’t say if the situations were reversed I wouldn’t have tried to keep you, as well.”
She glared at me. “You’d lie to me for months? Keep me away from the person I loved so you wouldn’t be unhappy?”
I let out a long exhale. “No. I don’t think I could do that to you.” I caressed her arm. “As much as it would kill me, if I knew you loved someone else, I’d let you go. Your happiness is more important.”
She softened a little under my touch. “It always is with you, isn’t it?”
“Always.”
“Because you love me.”
“Yeah, Nightingale. I do.”
Her lip started to quiver. “You’re the only one who does.”
“Ally, your mother—”
“Don’t call her that!” she yelled, slamming her hand on the counter so hard her bowl and spoon rattled.
“I—”
“She isn’t my mother! She never has been!” Tears began to run down her face. “All I’ve ever been to her is a burden—she’s never forgiven my father for dying! She never even wanted me! You heard her, Adam—I’m just like him! All these years she’s tried to make me like her, but it didn’t work. I’m. Just. Like. Him!”
My Image of You Page 28
