“THAT AMATEUR BOXER WAS MY FATHER!” Quentin exploded.
Georgina inhaled a shaky breath. “Junebug—”
“He was my father, goddammit! He loved my mother and worshipped the ground she walked on! And he was my hero, the best damn father I could have ever had! Who the hell are you to sit there and condescendingly refer to him as ‘some amateur boxer’? His name was Fraser Reddick, and he was damn good to my mother and damn good to me! Which is a helluva lot more than I can say about you!”
Edward stared at him, visibly shaken by his angry outburst. “Now listen, son—”
“DON’T YOU ‘SON’ ME!” Quentin roared, lunging to his feet. “Where the hell were you when I was born? When I was growing up? Where were you when my father was gunned down in the line of duty, leaving your sister a widow? Where were you when she needed all the family support she could get? When she was working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table? When she had her cancer scare? Where the hell were you, uncle? Where were any of you?”
Edward looked ashen, his lips pressed so tightly together they turned white.
Georgina rose to her feet with regal composure. “I think you’d better leave, Edward.”
He hesitated for a long moment, a vein ticking in his temple as he looked from his sister to Quentin. Finally he stood, reached into the breast pocket of his overcoat and withdrew a card.
“I’ll be in town until tomorrow,” he said quietly, walking over to Georgina. “I’m staying at the Ritz-Carlton here in Buckhead. Please call me if you’re willing to talk some more.”
Georgina took his card without looking at it.
He stared at her, his eyes full of sorrow and regret. “I’m not proud of the way you’ve been treated all these years. Not just by our father, but by the rest of the family. We deserted you, cut you out of our lives, and for that I am truly sorry. I know that’s not enough, and I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again. But I hope that won’t be the case, Georgina. I hope you’ll give me a chance to be part of your life again.” His gaze shifted to Quentin. “I hope you both will.”
Quentin raked him with a look that let him know what he thought of that suggestion.
Edward gave him a small nod. And then, with one last wistful glance at the diaper bag, he followed his sister from the room.
When she returned, Quentin was prowling back and forth across the floor like a caged animal. She stopped in the doorway, leaned against the frame and folded her arms over her chest as she watched him.
“I don’t want that man anywhere near my son,” Quentin growled at her. “So if you’re thinking about calling him, let me know and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” she cried in dismay. “Take my grandbaby away from me? Prevent me from seeing him unless I promise to keep him away from my family?”
Quentin spun around to face her. His jaw was clenched tight, every muscle in his body strained to the breaking point. “I don’t want anything to do with those people, Ma. And neither should you!”
She angled her head. “‘Those people’ are my family—”
“I’m your family! Dad’s family is your family! The Harringtons forfeited any and all claims to you the day they disowned you. They don’t deserve your forgiveness, Ma. And you don’t need them!”
“Oh, Junebug,” Georgina whispered, shaking her head sadly as she walked toward him. “How can you tell me what I do or don’t need?”
He stared at her, nostrils flaring. “I don’t want them to hurt you again, Ma.”
“I know.” She reached up and gently cupped his cheek. “You’re my son, my only child, and I know you’d do anything to protect me. But you need to understand something, darling. I’m an old woman. I may not look it,” she added with a rueful smile, “but I am. And the truth is that I’m tired of carrying the weight of this bitter feud on my shoulders. It’s a heavy burden I never asked to bear, and after all this time, honestly, I could use some relief.”
Quentin eyed her incredulously. “Are you saying you’re ready to forgive them? Just like that?”
“I don’t know, Junebug.” There was a fine tremor in Georgina’s voice. “I can’t believe my brother was just here. Seeing him again after all these years has left me with so many conflicting emotions. I need time to sort through them all. But if I decide to contact Edward, I hope you’ll understand and respect my decision, even if you don’t agree with it.”
Quentin searched her face several moments longer, then clenched his jaw and lifted his arm to flick an impatient glance at his watch.
“I have to go,” he muttered darkly.
“All right.” His mother gave him a long look. “I’m still keeping Junior tonight.”
It was a request as much as a declaration.
Quentin nodded, then pressed a brief kiss to her forehead and stalked from the room without another word.
For the first time ever, his mother didn’t see him out or stand in the doorway watching him pull off.
He hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come.
3
With her eyes closed and her head tilted back, Lexi sighed contentedly. “Is this the life or what?”
A chorus of assenting murmurs echoed around the spa’s luxurious hydrotherapy pool, where Lexi and her friends were enjoying a relaxing soak after receiving the most decadent massages and facials. New Age music played softly in the background, the soothing notes enhancing the tranquil ambience.
Sipping from a glass of nonalcoholic champagne, Lexi opened her eyes and glanced around at the other women. “I think we should make this our new monthly ritual.”
“Hear, hear,” they agreed, raising their glasses.
“What about lunch?” asked Taylor Wolf. “Can we still meet for lunch?”
“Absolutely,” Lexi asserted. “We’ll make a day of it. Spa treatment in the morning capped off with lunch and cocktails.”
“Sounds like a plan.” The four friends clinked glasses and sipped their champagne, then grinned at one another.
“The fellas will have to watch the kids all day,” Samara Wolf pointed out.
“Which has never been a problem,” Lexi said breezily. “They all love spending time with their children and don’t consider it a chore.”
“Thank God for that,” Reese Wolf said. “One of my sorors can’t go anywhere without taking her kids because her husband refuses to watch them. He says it’s her responsibility to look after their children. So even if he’s just lying on the couch watching football, he makes her take the kids whenever she has errands to run.”
The others groaned in sympathy and disgust.
“What an asshole,” Samara muttered, shaking her head.
“I know,” Taylor agreed. “I’m so glad none of us are married to men like that.”
“I used to be,” Lexi said with a grimace. “Adam was totally selfish and insensitive, so I could see him pulling that chauvinistic crap on me. Thank God we never had children.”
“Amen,” her friends vigorously agreed.
After a few moments, Samara announced, “We’re getting a dog.”
“Really?” Reese grinned knowingly. “The boys finally wore you down, huh?”
“Unfortunately.” Samara sighed. “They were so excited when they found out I was having another baby, so I thought they’d be content with a little sister. But now that Milan’s over a year old, the novelty has worn off, and they’re back to begging for a dog. Saying no to one of them would be hard enough, but when they tag-team me and Marcus, we’re no match for them.”
“That’s what you get for having twins,” Reese teased.
Samara laughed. “I know. What was I thinking?”
“Why don’t you want a dog?” Lexi asked curiously. “I thought you loved animals. The first time Marcus saw you at your mother’s fashion show, weren’t you strutting down the runway with some big ol’ tiger?”
Samara chuckled. “I’ll never live that down.”
Lexi gr
inned. “Why would you want to? From what I’ve heard, your fierceness on that stage made you unforgettable to Marcus.”
Samara grinned. “I was pretty fierce that night.”
“Still are, mami.” Lexi winked.
Samara blew her a kiss.
“So when are you guys getting the dog?” Reese asked.
“Marcus wants to surprise the boys on Christmas.” Samara smiled tenderly. “I can’t wait to see their little faces light up. That might make it worth it.”
“It might,” Taylor conceded with a sigh. “But I hope Micah and Max won’t get any ideas after playing with your dog. I wouldn’t mind letting them have one eventually, but chasing after three kids is about all I can handle right now.”
“I hear you,” Reese said. “I feel the same way.”
Lexi cast a sly glance around the pool. “Speaking of our kiddos, am I the only one who’ll have my husband all to myself tonight while Junior stays with Grandma?”
The others laughed.
“No, you’re not the only one,” Taylor drawled. “Manning’s parents are keeping the kids for us. Which they do all the time anyway. Micah, Max and Malia spend so much time over at their grandparents’ house, they practically live there.” She grinned at Lexi. “That’s how it’s going to be when Junior gets older.”
“Probably,” Lexi agreed with a chuckle. “If it were up to Quentin’s mom, she’d have Junior every other day.”
Reese grinned. “That sounds like my mother. Every time we talk on the phone, she’s babysitting my sister’s two kids. She hates not being here to bond with Savannah and Michael Junior. That’s why she and Dad can’t wait to come for Christmas.”
“Same with my mother,” Taylor said. “She’s been in seventh heaven since my brother, Tru, gave her a grandson to spoil. But she really misses my kids and envies Manning’s mom for having them all to herself. And Prissy likes to call her sometimes and rub it in when she has them over.” Taylor tsk-tsked. “Wicked, heartless woman.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m so glad Raina and Warrick are coming for Christmas too,” Reese said warmly, referring to her sister and brother-in-law. She smiled at Taylor. “What about Tru and Simona?”
“They’re coming for New Year’s,” Taylor said cheerfully. “Before that, they’ll be in Barbados visiting Simona’s family.”
“So they’re spending Christmas in the Caribbean?” Reese sighed. “I’m jealous.”
“Me too,” the others commiserated with a laugh.
Lexi sipped her champagne and sighed languidly, her senses filled with the herbal-infused steam rising from the heated water. She gestured to Reese with her glass. “So Sterling and Asha are watching the kids today?”
“Yes, ma’am. They would have kept them overnight, but they already had tickets to the ballet.”
Taylor grinned. “I know that wasn’t Uncle Sterling’s idea. He’s not exactly a fan of ballet or classical music, which is why it means so much to me every time he shows up for my violin concerts.”
Samara smiled fondly. “Sterling will do anything for the people he loves. That’s why he attends Mom’s fashion shows and lets her host all those fancy dinner parties. He loves her and wants to be supportive—”
“And he knows he’ll be richly rewarded afterward,” Reese interjected with a lascivious grin.
“Well, of course,” Samara agreed. “Mom doesn’t mind stepping out of her comfort zone to do nice things for Sterl—”
Reese snorted. “Girl, please. You know damn well what I was talking about. Yes, your mother has gone camping and fishing because she knows how much Sterling enjoys those activities. But we all know her favorite way of rewarding that man is with some good old-fashioned pussy.”
Samara gave a mortified groan as the others burst out laughing.
“Poor Samara,” Reese teased. “I know how much it embarrasses you, Marcus and Michael to think of your parents getting it on. That’s why your mother and Sterling sleep in the guesthouse every time we spend the night at their place. They don’t want us to hear Asha screaming while Sterling blows her back out.”
Everyone pealed with laughter while Samara covered her face and groaned even louder.
“Don’t feel bad,” Taylor consoled her. “Manning’s parents are like that too. That’s why we don’t spend the night at their house. Manning refuses to be traumatized.”
This, of course, set off another wave of giggles. Even Samara had to chuckle.
Lexi grinned at her friends. “Can you imagine having hot sex like that in your sixties and seventies? Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, I know.” Reese’s dark eyes twinkled. “Before I cut my hours at the hospital, there were many nights I’d stumble home too tired to even think about sex. But Michael? No matter how many hours he’s been slaving in the kitchen at the restaurant, he’s always up for some action when he gets home. And once he’s had his shower? Oh, it’s on.” She grinned wickedly. “If he takes after his father, that man will never need Viagra.”
“He probably won’t. He’s got that insatiable Wolf appetite,” Taylor said with a wink.
As Reese and Samara began singing the lyrics to “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Lexi pointedly cleared her throat and raised her hand.
“As the only one here who’s not married to a Wolf, let me just say Mr. Reddick’s no slouch either. The man jumped my bones as soon as my doctor cleared me for sex after Junior was born, and he’s been wearing me out ever since. But I’m not complaining because, hey, a girl’s got needs too.” She simulated riding a bucking bronco, gyrating her hips and waving her arm above her head like a lasso.
As her friends threw back their heads and howled with laughter, she grinned. Soon all four women were laughing until they cried, as they did every time they got together.
When the hilarity died down and tears were wiped from eyes, Lexi took a satisfying swig of her champagne and then nodded to Samara. “Marcus’s mother is keeping the kids today, isn’t she?”
“Yup.” Samara grinned. “That’s definitely one of the perks of having her come for extended visits.”
Taylor looked thoughtful. “She does visit an awful lot.”
“Without her husband too.” Lexi raised a brow. “What’s up with that?”
“Well, she’s retired from nursing, so she has a lot of time on her hands. Unlike Grant, who’s always busy with his committees and research studies. I think she feels lonely and neglected at times, so coming here to be with her family makes her feel better, less isolated.” Samara paused, lips twitching. “She loves her grandchildren and thoroughly enjoys looking after them, but I know she also worries about them spending more time with my mother than her. So that’s another reason she visits so often.”
Reese drawled humorously, “Her grandchildren aren’t the only reason she’s in competition with your mother.”
Samara gave her a look of amused warning. “Don’t start.”
“What?” Reese blinked with exaggerated innocence. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You said plenty.”
Lexi glanced from one to the other and chuckled dryly. “I think it’s no secret that Celeste still has feelings for Sterling. What she chooses to do about it, only time will tell.”
“I hope she doesn’t do anything,” Samara said grimly. “It took Marcus twenty-five years to forgive her for breaking up their family. They’re finally in a good place in their relationship, but if Celeste does anything to jeopardize Sterling’s happiness, Marcus will never forgive her. I don’t think Michael will either.”
Reese grimaced. “Probably not.”
“Well, for what it’s worth,” Taylor said sagely, “I don’t think anyone can come between Sterling and Asha. They’re obviously crazy about each other. Seeing them together always makes me smile.”
“Me too,” the others warmly agreed.
Taylor raised her glass. “To Sterling and Asha. To second chances, to finding love and romance again�
��”
“To getting your back blown out, arthritis be damned,” Reese quipped.
Everyone burst into laughter. Hysterical, snorting, shoulder-shaking laughter.
It was a few minutes before anyone could speak again.
“All right,” Lexi gasped, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. “Before we…head out…of here—” She paused to take a deep breath before trying again. “Before we leave for dinner, let’s all go around the circle and name one thing we’re grateful for.”
Reese snickered. “Who’re you supposed to be? Oprah?”
Lexi grinned. “Humor me, will you?”
Taylor sighed, dabbing at her eyes. “I’m grateful for so many things. Why are we only allowed to name one?”
“Any more than that and we’d be here all day. Keep it to one so we won’t be late for our dinner reservation. And you can’t name your husband because it’s a given how much we all love and appreciate our men. Same goes for our children.”
“All right. I’ll go first.” Reese slid her hand below the opaque water and patted her not-so-flat stomach. “Now that I’ve had my second child, I’m grateful for the invention of Spanx.”
The others laughed and bobbed their heads in vigorous agreement.
“My turn.” Taylor grinned broadly. “I’m grateful for Mama Wolf’s pound cake and Asha’s morning sickness remedy.”
“Amen,” the others enthusiastically concurred. “To both.”
Lexi grinned teasingly. “Not to be a hardass, Taylor, but you were only supposed to name one thing, remember?”
“I know,” Taylor said sheepishly, “but those two things helped get me through my pregnancies. I thought they both deserved recognition.”
“Fair enough.” Lexi hitched her chin toward Samara. “Your turn.”
Samara’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Mine is kind of petty…but here goes. I’m grateful for looking hella good the day I ran into the hussy who tried to seduce Marcus when we were dating.”
This I Promise You Page 3
