Richard hugged his wife to his chest in a comforting, almost rocking move. Maddy sobbed softly against him. He reassured her in a gentle tone, “It’s okay, ma petite chouchou. She knew you loved her.”
Gio walked over to where they were standing and said, “Madison.”
Maddy raised her head, her cheeks covered with her tears.
A muscle in Gio’s jaw flexed visibly, but when he spoke his voice was as tender as Richard’s had been. “My mother went quickly, but she mentioned you.”
“She did?” Maddy asked sadly, hopefully.
Gio continued, “She asked me to thank you for being so good to her. She was sorry she never told you she loved you, but she wanted you to know that she did.”
Visibly shaking, Maddy threw herself into Gio’s arms and burst into tears again. He hugged her, the look he gave Richard above Maddy’s head revealed the truth. Patrice had said no such thing.
Richard’s eyes misted with grateful tears when Maddy returned to him a moment later, smiling through her tears. Maddy said, “See, Richard, she did love me. I knew there was good in her.”
Cassie looked away, feeling awkward to be inside such an intimate family moment. Her phone rang. Luke. “Where are you?” Cassie asked, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt.
“My mother’s gone, Cassie. They announced her time of death.”
“I know.”
“I should be there, right beside you, but I can’t be. I need—”
“I understand, Luke.”
“Do you? Because I don’t. I just know I can’t face you like this. A driver is downstairs. He’ll take you back to your hotel. I told his service he’s to stay with you for as long as you need him. Tomorrow also, if you’d like. So, when you’re ready to go to the airport, tell him. Also, he has instructions on how to arrange my plane to take you back. Your hotel is paid up until tomorrow night. If you stay longer, they have instructions to bill me.”
“Luke, are you going away because you’re worried about what we talked about earlier?”
He let out a disgusted sigh. “No. The documentation is sufficient so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Then why?”
“I need time, Cassie. I’ll call you.”
Cassie raised her chin. He’s not my mother. He’s not one of the men who have disappointed me. This is Luke, and he’s hurting. I can do this. “I’m not going anywhere, Luke. I’m going to stay right here in New York. I’m not leaving you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Cassie, but I can’t think right now. I need to get out of the city. And I need to do it alone. I’m sorry.”
“You lost your mother today, Luke. Don’t be sorry. Just know I’m here for you when you’re ready.”
He hung up and Cassie slowly pocketed the phone. She closed her eyes and took a fortifying breath. When she opened them, she realized Gio, Maddy, and Richard were watching her with interest. She forced a brave smile to her lips. “Luke said he needs a little time to clear his head.”
Maddy hugged her. “Are you okay, Cassie?”
Cassie nodded. “I’m fine.” She walked over to one of the chairs and picked up her coat. “I’m going to go now.”
Gio beckoned Julia over. The two of them exchanged a look, then Gio said, “Cassie, Julia and I have a guest bedroom. We want you to stay with us.”
Although she appreciated the offer, Cassie couldn’t imagine taking them up on it. “Thank you for offering, but I have a hotel room already.”
Gio waved for Nick and Max to approach. “I need to stay here to make arrangements for Mother. One of you needs to escort Cassie back to her hotel to collect her things.”
The last thing Cassie wanted was to be alone in her hotel room again, but she also didn’t feel right about imposing on Luke’s family. They were all reeling from a loss. None of them needed the added responsibility of Luke’s ditched girlfriend.
Nick looked at Rena and said, “I say we toss a coin, and the winner takes her.”
Rena smacked him on the arm. “I know you joke when you’re uncomfortable, but stop because Cassie doesn’t know us yet.”
Cassie squared her shoulders. “I’ll be perfectly fine at my hotel. Really.”
Julia put a hand on Cassie’s arm. “I have the perfect idea. Why don’t I take Cassie back to collect her things? Gio, you finish up at the hospital. Then everyone come over tonight for dinner.” When no one agreed, Julia added, “We’ll need to make funeral arrangements, contact people. Plus, I think it would be nice to be together tonight, don’t you?”
Slowly, they all agreed to meet that evening, and one at a time the couples left.
Julia stayed with Cassie and walked down to the hospital foyer with her. Cassie told Julia once more that, although the offer had been kind, she thought it was best if she stayed at the hotel. Julia helped her locate Luke’s driver then climbed into the car beside her.
Cassie’s head was still spinning; the day had taken on a surreal feeling. She didn’t actually want to be alone, but she also had no idea how to handle Julia.
Julia interrupted her thoughts. “I know what you’re thinking. Meeting everyone can be a little overwhelming, but we do want you with us. You seem like the quiet type, though. I should warn you that you have to speak up for yourself, or the Andrades will steamroll right over you. They can be pushy.”
“You mean like escorting me back to my hotel to pack me up even after I refused the offer?” Cassie parried gently.
A sheepish grin spread across Julia’s face. “Oh, my God. You did say no, didn’t you? They must be rubbing off on me.”
Cassie shook her head in humor. It was impossible not to like Julia. “You win. I’ll go with you peacefully.”
Julia’s smile shone. “You weren’t going to be given much of a choice.” She sighed happily. “Gio and I have been trying to plan our wedding, but things keep cropping up. I was starting to worry, but what’s a piece of paper? In my heart, I’m already an Andrade. I can’t wait to tell Gio. He’ll get a kick out of that.”
Speaking before she filtered her thoughts, Cassie blurted, “You and Gio seem so different.”
Julia smoothed the skirt of her dress. “On the surface we are, but not where it matters. Gio is actually really funny when he lets his guard down. You have to understand, he wasn’t raised in a home where people expressed their emotions, and so he has difficulty doing it. Luke’s the same. Weakness was manipulated or shamed by their mother. My guess is that’s why Luke doesn’t want you to see him upset. He’s hurting. Give him time.”
“I am,” Cassie said simply. At least, I’m going to try my best to.
“I was watching Gio’s face when you were talking to Luke. Whatever you said really touched Gio. That’s why he wants you with us. Family is everything to Gio.”
Cassie gasped as Julia’s words rocked through her. “I’m not family.” Not yet. Maybe not ever, if Luke doesn’t come back to me.
Julia’s expression turned sympathetic. “You will be. Luke wouldn’t have brought you to the hospital unless his intentions were serious. I know he told his brothers he loves you.” Cassie was still getting over that surprise when Julia added, “When things settle down, you and I should go ring shopping. It’s only a matter of time.”
Cassie fought to stem the panic rising within her. “Shouldn’t I wait to see if he comes back and then if he proposes?”
Julia dismissed her worries with a wave of her hand. “You need to think more positive than that, Cassie. I read motivational books. Life is like driving a car. You end up where you put your focus. Believe he’s coming back to you, and he will.”
Cassie smiled as a warm feeling spread through her. An image of Emma, the woman from Ohio, flitted through Cassie’s mind. She had the strangest feeling Emma was still with her, whispering that family can happen anywhere. In Ohio. Even in New York.
The town car pulled up to the front of Cassie’s hotel. Before getting out, Cassie turned to Julia and, in a voice thick
with gratitude, said, “Thank you, Julia.”
Julia smiled back warmly. “Thank me later by helping me make dinner. Maddy says you’re a wonderful cook.”
Cassie froze. “You talked to Maddy about me?”
“Why, did you tell her something you shouldn’t have?”
“No,” Cassie said quickly.
Julia laughed. “By the horror in your voice, I can tell you’ve already discovered Maddy is an awful secret keeper. But don’t worry; she was surprisingly tight-lipped about you. I’ll admit I was curious enough to try to pry information out of her, but all she talked about was what great scones you make.”
So, no one besides Maddy believes I may be pregnant with another man’s baby.
Thank God.
I’ll have to address that misunderstanding the next time I see her.
Especially since I’m staying with Luke’s family.
Cassie’s breath caught in her throat and her mouth went nervously dry.
I’m staying with Luke’s family.
***
That evening, Luke made himself a Dewar’s and water in the living room of the home Max had given him on Slater Island. The fire he’d made to warm the room reminded him of Cassie and his first night at her bed and breakfast.
Not that he needed reminding. She was entwined within every thought he’d had since he walked away from her. After ensuring he’d left his mother’s medical records in order, falsehoods and all, Luke had started back to the waiting room to meet her then stopped.
He wasn’t the same man who’d brought her with him to the hospital. Something inside him had died while listening to his mother attack his uncle. She’d always had a vicious side to her, but what he’d seen in her eyes when she’d looked at Victor had been real hatred, hatred so dark it had ruled her.
He’d always told himself he’d imagined how she’d looked at her children. He’d made excuses for her cutting remarks. Most recently, he’d told himself she might have early signs of dementia.
That wasn’t what she presented in her final moments. Viewing his mother as a case study gave Luke the emotional distance to sort through what he’d learned about her during her final moments.
Patrice Stanfield had married a man she didn’t love to get back at the man she claimed to. She’d borne four sons to him, sons she couldn’t love because they were a constant reminder of the man who didn’t return her feelings. In her need to make Victor pay for not loving her, she used her sons as pawns to hurt him, used her connections to ruin his company, and in the end, wasted her final breaths exposing him. No remorse. No regret.
Some would diagnose her a classic sociopath.
Nothing his mother had said to Victor had been designed to hurt her sons. It was quite clear they were not important enough to warrant her vengeance.
Something had snapped inside Luke when he realized how utterly unimportant he and his brothers were to the woman who had raised them. He no longer cared why her doctor had poisoned her. He guessed it had been money related.
So, Luke had ensured no one would ever know about the ricin. Her murder was as unimportant to him as his life had been to her.
If it had even been a murder. His mother’s heart attack had occurred during her fit of fury. It was somewhat ironic she might have died that way regardless of the poisoning.
Either way, he felt nothing about her death.
Nothing for his brothers.
Nothing at all.
Which was why he couldn’t see Cassie like this. He’d told her he loved her. He’d implied they would spend the rest of their lives together. So, how then, could he feel nothing for her either? She had been through so much; he didn’t want to hurt her more. He knew, though, if she looked into his eyes now, she would know the truth.
He was hollow.
Luke spun on his heel at the sound of the front door of the house opening and closing. He walked to the foyer, not wanting it to be, but hoping it would be Cassie.
Uncle Alessandro walked straight toward him. He was in his early sixties like Victor, but often looked younger because of the warm smile that never left his face. He wasn’t smiling as he approached Luke. “How are you?”
“Fine,” Luke said calmly, dismissively.
Alessandro sniffed audibly. “Been drinking?”
“Not nearly enough,” Luke said dryly and took another deep gulp.
“You have your brothers worried.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“You have your uncles equally worried.”
Luke slammed his glass down on a table. “I said I’m fine.”
“You’ve had a rough month, Luke. First your friend passed away and now your mother. That would shake any man.”
Glaring at his uncle, Luke snapped, “I came here to be alone, Alessandro.”
His uncle looked around the large foyer before answering. “Did you? You chose an interesting place to hide. Max told me he bought these homes as a place for your family to start over. What are you looking for here, Luke? Because this is just stone and mortar. Your family is back in New York, and they need you.”
“Me? No. When it comes to being a doctor, I’m good. I save lives. But with family? Nothing I do makes a damn bit of difference. If you’re so worried about my brothers, go be with them.”
Alessandro straightened his shoulders and advanced on Luke. “And leave you here, drowning your sorrows in alcohol? No. You’re coming back to New York with me.”
Luke’s temper began to rise. “I don’t want to have to throw you out of my house, Alessandro.”
“Try to,” Alessandro said, and slammed one of Luke’s shoulders. Luke was as stunned as he was infuriated by the action. He’d never seen this side of his uncle before.
“Get out.”
“Make me.” Alessandro pushed Luke back another step.
Planting his feet and clenching his hands at his sides, Luke snarled, “Don’t touch me again.”
Alessandro went nose to nose with Luke. “Or what? What will you do?”
“Get out of my house,” Luke roared, angrier than he could put in words.
“Good,” Alessandro said, stepping back. “Get angry. You should be angry. Victor told me what happened at the hospital.”
Luke picked up the glass beside him and threw it furiously across the room. It shattered against the wall and fell to the floor. It was the first time in his life he’d lost control like that, and it felt strangely good.
Alessandro nodded in approval. “Yell. Scream. Break every damn thing in this house. It needs to come out.”
Luke ran his hands angrily through his hair and growled. “I hate her, and I hate who I am because of her.”
In a gentle tone, Alessandro asked, “Who are you?”
Slamming a hand down on the table beside him, Luke yelled, “I thought I knew. I thought I had all the answers. Now I don’t know anything. Not one fucking thing. I love my profession, but I don’t ever want to step foot in that hospital again. I thought I was a good brother, so why am I here and not with them? And why, if I’m in love with Cassie, do I not want to be with her?”
“Is that a fire I hear in the other room? Let’s go sit down, Luke. I want to tell you a story.”
Luke took a calming breath and followed his uncle into the living room. They sat across from each other on chairs in front of the fireplace. Luke sat with his head in his hands. Still angry. Still confused.
“Your mother wasn’t always bitter and obsessed with Victor. Her family met ours while vacationing in Italy when I was in my early teens. Patrice was a beautiful girl from an insanely rich family who gave her everything. I don’t think Patrice had ever wanted something and been denied it until she decided she wanted Victor. At first it was cute. She had a crush on him. As we grew older, she hid her feelings better, but they were still obvious to anyone who knew her. Victor liked her, but not in the way she wanted him to. They foolishly explored that connection. Victor didn’t tell me what happened, but I knew. Your fat
her knew, too. Patrice was openly desperate to gain Victor’s attention. But Victor met Elise right after that, and there was no other woman for him. I felt for Patrice. She was deeply hurt. George felt the same, and more. He’d always loved Patrice. One of the happiest days of his life was when she married him.”
Luke rubbed his hands over his face. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. My mother was clear about how and why she did what she did.”
Alessandro rubbed a hand across his forearm and looked into the fire. “You know the facts, but I want to make sure you understand your mother was genuinely hurt by Victor’s disinterest in her. Now, people get hurt every day. Many endure much worse than a broken heart and heal. Your mother held her anger inside her and let it fester there until she was nothing more than a woman who had been wronged. You’re angry, Luke. And you have a right to be. What are you going to do with that anger? Will you grow from it? Become a better person because of it? Or will you be a casualty of it?”
Luke closed his eyes and admitted, “I wanted to save her.”
Alessandro cleared his throat. “With age comes, if not wisdom, then at least more experience. You do have your father’s heart, Luke. But it doesn’t make you weak.” Luke opened his eyes and met Alessandro’s, which shone with emotion. “George was a good man. A better man than I’ll ever be. He loved people with everything he had in him. He was the one who first said, ‘I’m an Andrade, and to an Andrade, family is everything.’ The best parts of Victor and me are because George set an example for us. An ideal. I used to tease him about how sentimental he could be, but he had it right. Victor and I were extremely competitive when we were younger. Victor’s the youngest, but he should have been born first. He has always seen himself as the head of our family. When we were young, we fought because of that. When George died, I decided to let Victor play the role that makes him happiest. Even at my home, he likes to be the one who gives the dinner toasts. What once made me angry now amuses me. They say that family is a gift, but it’s also a choice, Luke. Not always an easy one, but the only one that matters in the end.”
Somewhere Along the Way Page 17
