Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Anna
I sighed as I finished off my Big Mac, crumpled up the wrapper, and threw it in the bag.
“We need some drinks and a more comfortable spot for this story.”
“What would you like?” he asked.
“A glass of scotch would be good.”
“A woman after my own heart.” He grinned. “Let’s go into the living room.”
He turned on the elegantly designed white fireplace and walked over to the bar that sat in the corner. I walked over to the double doors leading out onto a fabulously designed balcony overlooking the Manhattan skyline.
“I like your place,” I spoke.
“Thank you. Are you impressed?”
“No. Actually, I’m not.” I smiled. “This is exactly what I expected you to live in.”
He gave me my drink with a smile, took my hand, and led me over to the couch.
“Matthew never loved me. He was using me.”
“Using you how?”
“He was using me to get his hands on the company, only I couldn’t prove it.”
“Didn’t you have him sign a prenup? Certainly, your father wouldn’t allow you to marry him without one.”
“My father loved him like a son. They had this sickening bond, and when I suggested a prenup, he said it wasn’t necessary and that I would offend Matthew if I even suggested it, so he told me to keep my mouth shut. I left him at that altar to spite both Matthew and my father. I wanted to embarrass both of them. For once in my life, I wanted the upper hand. I wanted to make the decision and not have it be made for me. I didn’t have a normal childhood like you did. You had two loving parents who loved you and wanted you. I had parents who couldn’t even look at me.”
“Anna,” he softly spoke as he took hold of my hand. “What are you talking about?”
“After my mother gave birth to me, she went into a deep postpartum depression. She couldn’t even bring herself to hold me, and we never bonded. Even as I grew, she wanted nothing to do with me. I have memories of me at three years old begging her to hold me, and she wouldn’t. I remember walking into her room, and all she’d be doing was sitting in her rocking chair facing the window and smoking a cigarette. My father hated it, and they’d always fight. When I was five years old, he finally filed for divorce. He obtained sole custody of me, and my mother was granted supervised visitations one day a week. At first, she didn’t even bother to show, but then she sought treatment and little by little, she tried to bond with me, but it still felt forced.”
“I don’t understand why she didn’t seek treatment after you were born. Why the hell would she wait five years?”
“I don’t know, Wes. I just don’t. As I grew, she tried to keep in touch a little here and there, but I was so defiant at that point, and I wanted nothing to do with her. I hated her for making me feel the way I did.”
“And what about your father? How could he just stand there and let this happen?”
“My father.” I laughed. “He resented me as well for my mother’s depression. He blamed me. He didn’t even want children, but she pressured him into having a baby. I grew up alone, except for the nanny that took care of me. I remember him sitting me down one day and telling me all of his expectations of me. I was a Young and expected to behave in a certain manner. He sent me to a private school from kindergarten on. He married my step-monster, Nina, when I was eight. She wasn’t a fan of children, so we never got along. When I became a teenager, my defiance grew. I got caught smoking weed, shoplifting, and drinking. I’d do anything and everything I could to get my father’s attention. Do you know that he never once told me that he loved me?” Tears formed in my eyes.
“Anna,” Wes whispered, putting his arm around me and pulling me into him.
“I have never heard those words come from his mouth. He finally got fed up and sent me away to Choate Rosemary Hall, the boarding school in Connecticut, which is clear across the country, so he didn’t have to deal with me anymore. I was now their problem. I wasn’t even allowed to come home for visits. That’s where I met Franco; we’ve been best friends ever since. For Christmas, I would beg my father to let me come home, but he always said that he and Nina weren’t going to be there because they were spending the holidays skiing in Aspen. He’d send me a Christmas card with a check in it for a thousand dollars, and he wouldn’t even sign it ‘Love, Dad’; it was always just ‘Dad believe it or not, I’m grateful for that. I’m a hard-working, independent woman who doesn’t need anybody.”
“Everybody needs someone,” he said as he kissed my head.
“Maybe some do, but I don’t.”
“I’m sorry for making assumptions,” he said. “I should know better.”
“You should.” I lifted my head and gave him a smile. “But you have trust issues and rightfully so.”
“Still, I never should have said what I did. I’m truly sorry.” He placed his finger under my chin. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“I think I can.”
“I admire you, Anna Young. I admire your strength and everything you’ve endured. I can’t even imagine growing up like that.”
“Thank you, Wes. I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Are you going to kiss me? Because I really feel the need to have your lips on mine.” I grinned.
“I’m definitely going to kiss you.” He leaned down and brought his mouth to mine. “And if you don’t mind, I’m going to do more than that to you.”
“I don’t mind at all.”