Chapter twenty-five
Shane
For better or worse…
~ One Week Later ~
I finish my workout just as my phone alerts me of an open gate request. I frown while picking it up, unsure who it could be.
I know it’s not Aubrey, since she’s currently at work, and anyway she has the chip that opens the gates when she’s near them.
It’s not any of the Storm brothers either, since they simply let themselves in every time.
And if one of our friends were stopping by, Aubrey would have mentioned it.
I pull up the camera to see who it is, and notice a town car with its window down, waiting to enter. I press the microphone icon to speak to them before letting them through. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“I’m here to deliver a Mrs. Jefferson to the residence,” the man says simply.
My frown deepens. The only Mrs. Jefferson I know is my mother, since all of my sisters took their husbands’ names, and Aubrey still isn’t wearing mine.
“You can come through,” I say as I open the gates to our property.
Quickly heading to the laundry room, I grab a shirt from the dryer that hasn’t been emptied yet before heading to the front door. I pull it open just as the driver rounds the car and heads to the back passenger door.
He opens the door and holds a hand out for whoever is inside. Seconds later, my mother steps out and I quickly make my way down the steps to greet her.
“Mom? What are you doing here?” I ask as she comes toward me.
She places both her hands on my cheeks as I rest mine on her waist. “Can’t a mother come visit her only son when she misses him?” She smiles at me then kisses both my cheeks.
“Of course. I missed you, too,” I tell her truthfully. “Let me grab your bags and we’ll head inside.”
“Thank you, dear.”
I rush over to the trunk of the town car where the driver is pulling out my mother’s suitcase and carry-on bag. I guess we’ll be having a surprise visitor for a few days. I take it from him, thanking him, and return to my mother’s side as we walk up the steps and into the house.
I take her over to the sitting room just as Marianne enters the room. “Oh! Hello, Mrs. Jefferson. I’m very sorry, I wasn’t aware we would be having guests. I would have prepared a finer meal if I had known.”
“That’s all right, Marianne. It was a surprise trip,” my mother tells her.
“What can I get you in the meantime? Tea? Coffee?” Marianne asks her.
“Tea will be fine, thank you.”
“Coming right up,” she says then turns to me. “Let me take those and bring them up to the guest room.”
“Nonsense. I’ll bring them up,” I tell her as she nods and leaves. “Mom, would you mind giving me five minutes? I just finished with my workout and haven’t showered yet.”
“Of course, darling. Take all the time you need.” She sits down comfortably on the couch as I hurry to the elevator to bring her things up to her room.
Once everything is placed in the room that she will be occupying for who knows how long, I rush back downstairs and jump into the shower. I take the quickest shower of my life, then dress in a pair of jeans and a new shirt before returning to my mother.
“Come sit, my boy.” She pats the cushion beside her. “Tell me how you’ve been? And how is my future daughter-in-law? Where is she by the way?”
“Aubrey’s working, but she should be coming home soon.”
“And her health? Is everything all right with my granddaughter?” she asks next and I smile.
“Yes, Stellina is growing into a healthy baby girl, and Aubrey is doing great. Her pressure is back to normal, and her doctor said it wasn’t necessary to keep taking it unless she begins to feel lightheaded again. She still needs to be careful, though,” I tell her, letting out a breath of relief.
“That’s wonderful to hear. You had us all worried for a while.
Phoebe was ready to take some time off work and stay with Aubrey to make sure she was okay while you were away,” my mom says, which I already knew about.
I had to convince my three sisters that it wasn’t necessary for them to fly down here.
“She had Lionel with her when I wasn’t home, so I wasn’t too worried. I’m just happy she’s doing better now. It was a stressful time.”
“Yes, I can imagine. That was very kind of Julian to offer someone to watch over her.” My mother smiles warmly. Despite Julian’s cold exterior, she’s always had a soft spot for him.
She picks up her tea from the coffee table and takes a sip. “And you? How are you? Are things still going well between you and my future daughter-in-law?”
I grin at the use of the name. It’s the second time she has referred to Aubrey as her daughter-in-law, and I can tell she’s trying to pass a message. But there’s no need because it’s been on my mind for a while now.
“We’re doing more than well. It just keeps getting better and better.” I turn slightly in my seat to face her better. “But there is something I wanted to talk to you about.” I clear my throat, not sure why I’m suddenly nervous. If my parents aren’t okay with this, I’m not sure what I’ll do.
“I want to marry Aubrey. I’ve already asked her parents’ permission, and they have granted it, but I still wanted to bring it up with you and Dad.
I know what it means to bring someone into this family, and I’ve already been down the divorce road.
I simply wanted your opinion on the matter.
” My palms are suddenly clammy as my mother’s intensive gaze roams over my face.
“I know, sweetie,” my mother simply says.
My brows rise. “You do?”
“Yes, why else do you think I’m here? I knew it the moment I saw you two together. There was no denying the kind of love you share. I even knew it before meeting her, the way you lit up every time you talked about her, I could tell just how much she meant to you.”
“You did?” I ask in disbelief.
She nods. “I knew this question would be coming up soon. And yes, son, your father and I would be more than happy to have Aubrey be officially a part of our family. In our eyes, she already is.” She reaches behind her into her small purse and retrieves a small jewelry box from our family brand. “It’s why I brought this.”
She opens the box to reveal an engagement ring I recognize all too well. My mother’s. “Mom? But… this is yours…” I look down at her ring finger, noticing for the first time it’s no longer there.
“Actually, it was your great-great-great-grandmother’s. When William Jefferson founded Andromeda Jewels, this was the first thing he created. An engagement ring for the love of his life,” she says quietly as she places the box inside my hand.
“But I don’t understand, why didn’t Phoebe get it when Edward proposed?” I furrow my brows with confusion.
“Because this ring is only passed down to the men in our bloodline, while the women get to wear it for safekeeping. And one day, when you have a son who is ready to wed, you and your wife will pass it down to him for his future bride.” My mother smiles at me as I continue to frown.
“I can tell there’s something you want to know. You can ask your question.”
I look down at the beautiful vintage ring in my hand. The diamonds have clearly been replaced, and you can tell it’s been well taken care of over the years with how much it still shines. There are so many intricate miniscule details in it, I’m surprised it has even lasted this many generations.
“Why didn’t you give it to me for Hailey?” I finally manage to ask.
My mother sighs and places her hand above mine that rests on my knee while the other still holds the ring box.
“I love Hailey like a daughter, I always have. But despite Celeste and I pushing for you two to be together when you were younger, I knew Hailey wasn’t the love of your life.
” She offers me a sympathetic look before going on.
“I don’t doubt that you loved her, but your eyes never held that sparkle like they do at the mention of Aubrey. It’s why your father and I had decided not to give it to you when you said you would propose to Hailey, and he agreed with me that she wasn’t the one,” she finishes with a soft smile.
“If you knew I wasn’t in love with Hailes, why did you let me marry her?” I narrow my eyes at her.
She raises a brow at me. “If your father and I told you we didn’t think that Hailey was the right woman for you, would that have stopped you from marrying her? Because I remember us having a conversation about it, and when I asked you if you truly loved her, you were convinced that you did.”
I sigh next. “You’re right. I probably would still have gone through with it.”
My mother clasps her hands together before taking her tea again and finishing it. “Now, when are you planning on proposing? Because you’ll probably need to get it resized.”
“I was thinking in a week or two. I’m not sure, I haven’t really thought about how I want to do it yet.
I do have an old ring from her jewelry box that I borrowed for the size, so that won’t be a problem.
” I pull out the ring, looking at it more closely.
Yeah, Aubrey’s fingers are smaller than this.
“I think you should go with something simple. Aubrey doesn’t seem like the type to like big fancy things or want all the attention on her. Just make it small and intimate. Meaningful,” she offers as advice.
“Yeah, Aubrey would not like it if I got down on one knee in front of a huge crowd.” I chuckle, imagining her face turning a deep shade of red.
“Shane?”
My eyes widen as Aubrey’s voice travels toward us. I quickly place the ring back into the box, close it, and tuck it into my pocket. “Over here, Angel!” I call back seconds before she enters the room.
She smiles as she sees me, but her face lights up when she notices my mother. Apparently, the two got pretty close when my family was down for my birthday. “Pamela! What a lovely surprise! Shane didn’t tell me you were coming.”