He thought he would actually be able to at least take a shower before his scolding, but those hopes were dashed when his father’s voice drifted from the library, “Conner, can I speak to you.”
Conner cringed inwardly with his foot on the first step. Here we go, he thought. It wasn’t a request and Conner resaigned himself to his fate. When he walked into the library, he saw his father sitting behind the large cherry wood desk and his mother sitting in her chair by the window. Both of them had their eyes pinned on him and neither looked too thrilled to see him.
His dad opened his mouth to speak, but it was his mom who spoke.
“Where have you been?” she mother asked, her bright blue eyes flashing in anger and disappointment at her youngest son.
“Mary,” his father cautioned, “Remember your blood pressure.”
Mary waved her husband off, “I’m not worried about that right now, I’m worried about what our son is getting up to.”
She was the one with the quick temper, ready to blow her gasket at the slightest provocation. Frank tended to be more reserved and it was a rare sight to see him angry. But when he did lose his temper, there was hell to pay.
Conner sighed, “I went out for a ride, that’s all.”
“A ride?” Mary shrieked, “You were gone for a month, who knows how long you would have stayed away had your father not stopped your funds.”
“Ma, I would have come back. I always come back,” Conner said, flashing a smile at his mother.
That always calmed her down, but not this time. She just glared at him as if he was something the cat dragged in. Clearly, childhood charm wears off eventually when all parents grow immune to excuses and fibbed apologies.[G12][G13]
“You’re not going to charm your way out of this Conner Scott. Something has to change about your behavior. You… you just have no direction at all!”
Conner pinched the bridge of his nose, dragged his hand down over his mouth and his throat and then slumped on the two-seater sofa against the far wall. This was going to be a long day; he might as well get comfortable.
His mother stood up and walked to stand beside his dad, “This has to stop, I am tired of wringing my hands with worry because you’re out gallivanting and doing god knows what!” she ground out, waving her hands frustratingly in the air, “Half the time, we have no idea whether you’re dead or alive. Things are simply going to have to change around here.”
Conner raised his eyebrow at that, “What do you mean change? Like what, ground me, cut my funds?”
“No, it’s time you started thinking about finding a wife.”
At the same time, both Connor and his dad whipped their heads up and looked at Mary in complete shock.[G14]
“A wife?” Frank asked in shock.
“What the hell Ma? What good would that do?” Conner snapped.
Mary just tucked her silver-streaked, chin-length hair behind her ear and looked from one to the other, raising a brow. Both men knew that look.[G15]
“For one thing, it will keep you home and not out in the world where I have to worry about you,” she said determinedly.
“Ma, I told you that you don’t have to worry. I know what I’m doing and I always come back home.”
Mary narrowed her eyes at him, “It’s not about coming home. Do you honestly think I want you to grow old here?” she rounded the desk and came to stand in front of him, “I want you out of the house, eventually,” she added, “but it’s a constant worry that you’ll end up in some ditch somewhere while we’re completely oblivious to your whereabouts.”
"Jeez Ma, you're seriously overreacting."
Frank finally cleared his throat, “Your mother has a point son, you’re twenty-seven years old, and it’s time you slowed down and started thinking seriously about your future.”
“And a wife is your solution?”
“That’s right,” Mary nodded.
Conner looked between the two like they had lost their minds, “I’m not ready to get married, and even if I were, I’m not seeing anybody right now, so you can kiss that idea goodbye.”
Mary smirked and Conner dreaded what she was about to say.
“Well, then I don’t see a problem at all. I already have someone picked out. In fact, she will be arriving tomorrow.”
“Mary…” Frank started.
“No Frank, it’s time our boy settles down,” she said flatly, “If he is not willing to make the change, I’m more than happy to enforce it.”
“Let’s just calm down,” Frank insisted, but Mary would have none of it. And when her bottom lip started trembling and she mimicked Puss-in-the-Boots, Conner knew he was done for.
"I will not calm down Frank, Caroline Leroy will be arriving tomorrow," she turned to Conner, "And if you are thinking of running away, think again."[G16][G17][G18][G19][G20]
She was a mind reader, of that he was convinced. He looked at his father for help, but the old man simply shrugged in defeat.
Conner was livid, never mind the fact that his father cut off his allowance, his mother had gone and arranged a wife for him! It was probably the most absurd thing he'd ever heard of. This sort of thing happens elsewhere, not here in the US. His mother had officially lost her marbles.[G21]
Chapter 2
Caroline pushed down on her luggage to get it to close properly, finally [G22][G23]managing to zip it up. It was almost time for her to leave, which right now, was probably the hardest thing she ever had to do. She was about to embark on the most ridiculous thing she had ever considered and on top of that, she agreed to leave her daughter behind. She knew it was just temporarily, but she had never been away from her daughter for such an extended period. She walked over to the vanity mirror and looked at herself in the [G24]mirror, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was a bad mother. Who in their right mind would leave their child behind? [G25]
“This is only for a while Caroline,” she told herself and then took a deep breath. It was time to say her farewells. She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where her sister, Adalene, and her daughter Lizette were seated at the table. Little Lizette was a spitting image of her, with bright green eyes and light brown hair that flowed freely down her back. When Caroline made her way into the kitchen her daughter quickly jumped down and wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist.
“It’s time for me to go, Mon Chou. Promise me you will be good to your auntie.”
The little girl nodded her head in her mother’s stomach but still would not let go. They had all decided to say their farewells at home since she had thought it to be easier, but it wasn't. Tears filled her eyes and she looked to her little sister for help. Adalene went to [G26][G27]pick Lizzette up[G28], [G29]but instead, her daughter [G30][G31][G32]sniffled, wiped her eyes, and then ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs to her room. Both women flinched when they heard the door slam and Caroline felt as if her entire world was caving in. How could she even have considered this? She should have been honest about the fact that she had a daughter.[G33][G34][G35][G36][G37][G38][G39][G40][G41]
Adalene looked at her sister irritably, "I hope you know what you are doing."[G42]
Caroline frowned and rubbed her forehead, "So do I, sis. I'm still a little surprised that he contacted me after all these years."[G43][G44][G45][G46][G47][G48][G49][G50][G51][G52][G53][G54][G55][G56][G57][G58][G59][G60][G61][G62][G63][G64][G65][G66][G67][G68][G69][G70][G71]
Adalene started to clear the dishes, and Caroline steered clear, she knew her sister didn't approve of her decision, but this was something she had to do, otherwise she'll be the one would always wonder 'what if?'.[G72]
"What did he say he wanted, again?" her sister asked seemingly interested.[G73]
"I don't know, he just said he needed to see me and that he wanted to talk to me."[G74][G75][G76][G77]
"And he couldn't do that over the phone?"[G78]
Caroline shrugged, "He thought it would be too impersonal."[G79]
"Gullible," Adalene mumbled u
nder her breath, "You should have been more persistent. Now you're running off and leaving your daughter behind, do you think that's fair?"
"Adalene," Caroline said despondently, "You think I didn't try?"
"You didn't try hard enough," she said coolly and then turned to Caroli[G80][G81][G82][G83][G84][G85][G86][G87][G88][G89][G90][G91][G92][G93][G94][G95][G96][G97][G98][G99][G100][G101][G102][G103][G104][G105][G106][G107][G108][G109][G110][G111][G112][G113][G114][G115][G116][G117][G118][G119][G120][G121][G122][G123][G124][G125][G126][G127][G128][G129][G130][G131][G132][G133][G134][G135][G136][G137][G138][G139][G140][G141][G142][G143][G144][G145][G146][G147][G148][G149]ne, "Do you think he knows about Lizzi?"[G150][G151][G152]
Caroline worried her lip and shook her head, "I don't think so, if he did I'm sure he would have asked me to bring her along."[G153][G154]
Adalene rolled her eyes, "Are you going to tell him?"[G155]
Caroline was quiet for a minute, "I don't know, it depends on how things go I guess."[G156]
"You should. He has a right to know, and Lizzi needs a papa."
Although Caroline agreed with her sister, [G157][G158][G159][G160][G161][G162][G163][G164][G165][G166][G167][G168][G169]she didn't respond. There was just so many things that stood in the way of her happily ever after.[G170][G171][G172][G173][G174][G175][G176][G177][G178][G179][G180][G181][G182][G183][G184][G185][G186][G187][G188][G189]
Not to mention the really bad life choices she made all along the way. She should have told Conner that she was pregnant, but at the time things weren't all rosy. [G190][G191][G192][G193][G194][G195][G196][G197][G198][G199][G200][G201][G202][G203][G204][G205][G206][G207][G208][G209][G210][G211][G212][G213][G214][G215][G216][G217][G218][G219][G220][G221][G222][G223][G224][G225][G226][G227][G228][G229][G230][G231][G232][G233][G234][G235][G236][G237][G238][G239][G240][G241][G242][G243]
"I have to go," she said and planted a kiss on her sister's cheek, "Revoir soeur, I'll call you when I'm there and let you know how things go."[G244][G245][G246][G247][G248][G249][G250][G251][G252][G253][G254][G255]
Adalene muttered something under her breath and tossed the dishtowel on the counter. Caroline forced a smile, grabbed her suitcase and walked out the door with a knot of uncertainty twisting in her stomach, she had no idea what to expect.[G256][G257][G258]
***
The trip from France to Texas was smooth, but long with one stop in New York before boarding a connecting flight. The flight took nine hours and although she felt fatigued, she couldn't sleep. Her nerves were shot, and the fact[G259][G260][G261][G262][G263][G264][G265][G266][G267][G268][G269][G270][G271][G272][G273] that she had left Lizzi behind, guilt-tripped her to the extent that at one point, she wanted to turn around and go back home. [G274]
It had been almost four years since she had seen Conner, the handsome young man with a love for life and travel. She should have known better. American tourists came to Paris for a good time. They never stay, and have no intention of settling down. She knew this the day he charmed her socks off, but she was so taken by him that she foolheartedly leaped into a relationship that was never meant to be. And the last thing she expected was to end up pregnant.
She should have told him w[G275][G276][G277][G278][G279][G280][G281][G282][G283][G284][G285][G286][G287][G288][G289][G290][G291][G292][G293][G294][G295][G296][G297][G298][G299][G300][G301][G302][G303][G304][G305][G306][G307][G308][G309][G310][G311][G312][G313][G314][G315][G316][G317][G318][G319][G320][G321][G322][G323][G324][G325][G326][G327][G328][G329][G330][G331][G332][G333][G334][G335][G336][G337][G338][G339][G340][G341][G342]hen he emailed her, insisted that Lizzi comes along, but she couldn't chance it. The last thing she needed was her daughter growing up knowing that her father wanted nothi[G343][G344][G345][G346][G347][G348][G349][G350][G351][G352][G353][G354][G355][G356][G357][G358][G359][G360][G361][G362][G363][G364][G365][G366][G367][G368][G369][G370][G371][G372][G373][G374][G375][G376][G377][G378][G379][G380][G381][G382][G383][G384][G385][G386][G387][G388][G389][G390][G391][G392][G393][G394][G395][G396]ng to do with her. Her heart lurched as she thought about that last time they were together, and how it ended. They had parted ways with animosity hanging heavily in the air. For a moment she wondered if he would still be mad at her, but then again, his email sounded friendly, almost carefree. Would she even recognize him? She wondered just as the pilot announced their descent. She fastened her seatbelt and lifted her tray back into place. As she glanced out the small oval window, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live here in the United States. [G397]
The airplane touched down and jerked roughly[G398][G399][G400][G401][G402][G403][G404][G405][G406][G407][G408][G409][G410][G411][G412][G413][G414][G415][G416][G417][G418][G419][G420][G421][G422][G423][G424][G425][G426][G427][G428][G429][G430][G431][G432][G433][G434][G435][G436][G437][G438][G439][G440][G441][G442][G443][G444][G445][G446][G447][G448][G449], but even that wasn't anything in comparison to the way her stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing Conner after all these years. She made her way through to baggage claim, trying her utmost to get rid of the nervousness. She even attempted small talk with an elderly lady. Soon she exited the baggage claim area and was met with a crowd of people waiting for loved ones. A little boy [G450][G451][G452][G453][G454][G455][G456][G457][G458][G459][G460][G461][G462][G463][G464][G465][G466][G467][G468][G469][G470][G471][G472][G473][G474][G475][G476][G477][G478][G479][G480][G481][G482][G483][G484][G485][G486][G487]came running past her and flung himself up into his dad's arms and her heart ached. She scanned the crowd looking for the person Conner sent to pick her up. Finally, she spotted a man holding a sign with her name on it. She waved and approached him.[G488][G489][G490][G491][G492][G493][G494][G495][G496][G497][G498][G499][G500][G501][G502][G503][G504][G505][G506][G507][G508][G509][G510][G511][G512][G513][G514][G515][G516][G517][G518][G519][G520][G521][G522][G523][G524][G525][G526][G527][G528][G529][G530][G531][G532][G533][G534][G535][G536]
"Caroline Leroy?" the man asked.[G537]
She nodded her head in sync with the butterflies zooming around in her stomach, "Yes, that's me."[G538]
He extended his hand to take her bag and introduced himself as Samuel. She hesitated at first, she wasn't used to this, and then she handed him her luggage.
"Mrs. James sent me to fetch you, I hope you had an enjoyable trip?"[G539]
He sounded friendlier than he looked, she thought and smiled, "Yes thank you, it was just long."
"Nine hours right?" the man said
"Yeah," she said, "So, Mrs. James sent you?" she asked curiously. Surely Conner would have sent for her if he invited her. Worrying her lip, she told herself that he might be busy working.
[G540]
***[G541][G542][G543][G544][G545][G546][G547][G548][G549][G550][G551][G552][G553][G554][G555][G556][G557][G558][G559][G560][G561][G562][G563]
The car that was awaiting her was a black Lincoln and was obviously expensive. She had always known that Conner was from a wealthy family, but this breached the line between wealth and royalty, she thought amusedly. But the fact that she wouldn't have to worry about getting a cab and getting lost in Dallas, was somewhat of a relief. The differences between Paris and Dallas were vast, although Paris is a big city, the infrastructure was different, it was really more like a work of art, sculpted by many artists throughout time. Back home there were no such thing as rush hour traffic, and the hustle and bustle of Dallas were overwhelming in comparison, even though they were still in the vicinity of the airport. [G564][G565][G566][G567][G568][G569][G570][G571][G572][G573][G574][G575][G576][G577][G578][G579][G580][G581][G582][G583][G584][G585][G586][G587][G588]
As the car pulled out of the airport and approached the city, Caroline looked out the window and marveled at the size of it all. Skyscrapers reached up into the sky, taunting the clouds as if to make their presence known. [G589][G590]
"Conner actually lives here in the city?" Caroline asked, voice full of awe.[G591][G592][G593][G594][G595][G596][G597][G598]
The driver chuckled, “No ma’am he grew up on his family’s ranc
h just outside of the city.”
“Is that where we are going?”
"Yes, ma'am."[G599]
It didn't take very long until the cityscape turned into rural farmland. The cattle and horses that they passed made Caroline nostalgic as she remembered her family trips through France and visiting her grandmama's own little farm. Large open fields stretched endlessly on either side of her. She was so lost in her musings that it took her a minute to realize that Samual had spoken to her.[G600][G601][G602][G603][G604][G605][G606][G607][G608]
"Almost there, Ms. Leroy."
Caroline looked out the window and her breath caught in her chest when she saw the house that Conner grew up in.
It was beautiful, all white with sky blue lining the windowpanes and the wrap around porch. Outside there was a large oak tree that shaded a black motorcycle and a tire swing hung from the branches. There was a shed a little distance away and the house was in front of what looked like thousands of acres of land, cattle dotted the far distance and cowboys mounted on their horses seemed to be moving them from one location to the next.
Caroline was startled when her door opened and Samuel smiled down at her.[G609][G610][G611][G612][G613][G614]
"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to startle you, but we have arrived."[G615][G616][G617][G618][G619]
She smiled sheepishly, “It’s fine, I was daydreaming I should have paid more attention.”
She got out of the car and went around to retrieve her luggage, but Samual waved her away.[G620][G621]
"I've got it, ma'am, I'll just set it in your room. You go inside, Mrs. James is expecting you."[G622][G623][G624][G625][G626]
Caroline was confused, but nodded and made her way up the steps. She hesitated at the large doors, not sure if she should knock or just walk in. But with the door standing wide open she nervously stepped into the house. When she took in the front entryway, her breath caught in her throat a little bit. The inside was very big with a spiraling staircase that led upstairs. Past the vast open space of the foyer, she noticed the entrance that obviously led to the kitchen and up ahead was the living room. [G627]
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