46. Chapter 46
I”d barely landed in New York when I had to fly back home.
The Wi-Fi service on the plane was just as crappy on my return flight as it had been on my way into New York, leaving me anxious after my brief conversation with Aurora on the ground. I still didn”t know how Sophia was.
My daughter had been hysterical when we talked and kept saying she was sorry.
”Call Dr. Ryan,” I instructed Aurora. ”I”ll text you her number. Ask her to come to my parents” place.”
”I got this. You just get home,” Aurora said calmly.
”Thank you,” I whispered.
”For what?”
”For being there for Sophia.”
”I”ll always be there for her,” she vowed, and I fell in love some more.
It took a few days to figure out what happened, and during that time, Sophia, Aurora, and I stayed at my parents” estate. It was large enough that we essentially had a part of the house to ourselves, so we had privacy but also family close by when needed.
Iris had threatened Sophia that she”d kill herself if our daughter didn”t say she wanted to live with Iris full-time.
”Did you believe she”d harm herself?” Dr. Ryan asked.
Sophia nodded. ”She has in the past. You know, she”ll put pills in her hands and say she”ll take them all, things like that. But the fact that she was threatening told me that she needed me.”
”Why didn”t you feel you could tell me, Sweetpea?”
”Because Mama needed me,” she reiterated. ”I know I messed up and—”
”You didn”t mess up,” Aurora jumped in. She”d joined some of our sessions with Dr. Ryan. ”You”re a child; fixing the screw-ups and issues of grown-ups is not in your job description.”
Maybe it was because of her difficult childhood; and definitely because she loved Sophia as much as she loved me, Aurora had become fiercely protective of my daughter. Sophia was also leaning on Aurora who she said had been a lioness, getting her out of Iris”s house that night when her mother had locked her in her room.
I was so grateful that Aurora had been there; and that she”d not hesitated in protecting my daughter. My sweet and loving woman was one hell of a Mama Bear!
Speaking of Mama Bears, my mother was pleased with herself.
”I knew it,” she said happily, watching Aurora and Sophia cooking in the kitchen while we sat on the porch outside.
”Knew what, Mama?”
”That she was right for you. For you and Sophia.”
I put my hand on my mother”s. ”I need to buy her a ring. Sophia said she”ll help me. Maybe you can as well.”
My mother”s eyes glinted. ”I think I”ll do you one better.”
She went away for a while and came back with a jewelry box. I quirked an eyebrow. I opened it and smiled. It was my maternal grandmother”s engagement ring.
Nestled within an intricate setting of delicate, aged gold, the centerpiece of the vintage ring was a stunning amethyst, its hue reminiscent of soft, serene lavender fields under a dusky sky. Surrounding it was a halo of tiny, sparkling diamonds, each stone catching ambient light to accentuate the amethyst”s ethereal glow. The craftsmanship spoke of a bygone era, with ornate filigree details that wove around the band.
”You know, whenever I smell lavender, I think of Aurora.” I stroked the precious gem.
”Well, then, this seems like it is fate.”
”You sure about this?”
My mother nodded and looked at my fiancée and daughter. They were laughing about something while Aurora taught Sophia how to pipe dough for cream puffs.
”We need a place to stay. I”m selling the two houses now…even if it means losing money,” I declared.
”Stay here,” my mother suggested and raised a hand before I could protest, ”until you find the right home for your family.”
”We may be here for a while…it hasn”t been easy finding a place.”
”You know, Gabriel, you have an architect for a fiancée; I”m sure she can design something adequate for you.”
I grinned. ”Yeah?”
”Maybe you can build your house on the estate.”
The Rhodes Estate did have enough room for not just another but several homes. It would be good to be close to my parents, especially when Aurora and I added to the family. We hadn”t discussed it, but I wanted children with her. The idea of her being swollen with a baby aroused me, which was uncomfortable, considering my mother was sitting next to me.
”I”ll talk to her.” I dropped the jewelry box in my suit jacket pocket.
”When do you intend to propose for real?” Mama asked.
”Very soon and I won”t be proposing alone.”
Life didn”t turn around immediately. There were sessions with Dr. Ryan where Iris reluctantly showed up to avoid child-endangerment charges.
Sophia felt guilty for not being able to help her mother, but she was also aware that she couldn”t let Iris continue to mess with her head.
”You can”t do this to me, Sophia,” Iris hit back. ”I just wanted our family back together.”
”That”s a lame excuse, Mama,” Sophia said wearily. ”And it doesn”t matter what you wanted. Daddy was honest about not loving you. You were fine with how things were until Aurora showed up. Once you could see Daddy was in love with her and wanted to be with her, you started on this whole I want us to be a family kick.”
”Young lady, stop blaming me for everything.”
”I”m not, Mama. I blame myself mostly,” Sophia had said sadly.
Iris and I met with our lawyers because I”d learned my lesson, and I wasn”t discussing anything with her without witnesses present.
”You need to buy me a house,” she told me.
”Ms. Rhodes, you were paid a lumpsum after your divorce instead of regular alimony payments. Mr. Rhodes does not owe you any money at this point,” Dixie, my lawyer pointed out.
”Come on, Mr. Rhodes is a wealthy man. Does he want his daughter to see her mother living in squalor?” Iris”s lawyer argued.
”Hardly squalor. Ms. Rhodes received…,” Dixie went through the numbers. I was shocked to learn the amount of money I”d given Iris in the past four years. The number included the upfront payment plus all the living and childcare expenses I”d carried since the divorce. And now that Sophia was living with me full-time, Iris would not receive any child support.
”Come on, Gabe, don”t be an asshole,” Iris cried out. ”I need a few million. You can afford it.”
”And I would”ve given the money to you if you”d just asked. Instead, you fucking tortured Sophia and fucked with her head. No way, Iris. I”m sure your parents will be happy to help.”
Aurora had tried to convince me to just give Iris what she wanted and get her out of our lives. I could afford it, but I didn”t believe in paying blackmailers. And the truth was that I couldn”t have Sophia think that what Iris did was okay. It wasn”t. I had asked Sophia if she wanted me to give her mother more money, and she”d simply said, ”Your divorce is none of my business.”
Seeing Dr. Ryan again had put her on firmer footing. She was letting her mother go, and as painful as that was because I”d never wanted Sophia to choose between her parents, I was also happy to not have to worry about what poison Iris was injecting into my girl”s head.
Iris had tried again outside the lawyer”s offices.
”Just buy me a place and…”
”No. We”re done, Iris. I can”t believe you pulled this stunt for money.”
”I wanted to save our family.”
I shook my head. ”No. You wanted money, and you used Sophia. You”re on your fucking own.”
”My parents would like to continue to see Sophia.”
”Not happening.”
”Gabe, don”t be cruel.”
I looked at her sadly, realizing she didn”t get it. ”I”m not, Iris. I”m protecting Sophia.”
After that I refused to talk to her and requested all communications take place through lawyers. Sophia had told Iris she didn”t want to see her right now.
”Maybe in a while, I”ll be able to talk to you again, Mama. But right now, I need to take care of myself.”
I was impressed with and humbled by Sophia”s maturity and courage. She and Aurora had gotten closer, and I loved watching their interactions. They were not exactly friends, neither were they mother and daughter. It was more like sisters.
But some days were harder for Sophia than others. She was healing, but she also went back to being withdrawn at times, and Dr. Ryan told me it was normal. ”People have mood swings. Stop attributing everything she feels to more than it is. Maybe she had a shitty day, end of story.”
So, we went back and forth between good days and bad until the bad days became far and fewer in between.
The houses sold right before Thanksgiving, and Sophia and I were technically homeless. I put our furniture and things into storage, and we moved in with my parents. Dr. Ryan agreed that it was a sound idea so that Sophia would have people who love her around her.
”Why don”t you put your place on the market and just move in here?” I asked Aurora one night when we were getting ready for bed.
”You mean here at your parents” place?”
”Until we find a home for us.”
She seemed to consider it. ”Can”t we just keep things as they are?”
That fucking hurt. She needed her condo as a safe haven, a place to escape in case things didn”t work out between us.
”You don”t like it here?” I asked.
”I love it,” she assured me. ”But…this is the Rhodes Estate.”
”And?”
”This place can”t be my official address.”
I frowned. ”Why?”
She looked embarrassed. ”It”s…too fairytale.”
”What?”
”I feel like Cinderella,” she explained forlornly, and I laughed.
”Stop it.”
I lay on top of her then and kissed her mouth. ”If you”re Cinderella, am I your Prince Charming?”
”Right now, you”re being—”
I kissed her again.
The sex had only gotten hotter even though I hadn”t expected it. We were together now, and the newness of having her naked with me should be wearing off, but it didn”t. My need for her only grew with my love for her.
I nuzzled her nipple and sucked it into my mouth. ”I love you, Aurora,” I whispered against her skin, taking in the smell of lavender, soaking in the essence of her.
”I love you too, but this house is just too much. I”ll never feel comfortable here.”
”It”ll be for a short while,” I promised her.
”But—”
I entered her then, and we both gasped, feeling that immediate connection that went beyond the physical. I kissed her softly as I moved inside her. Sometimes, we went hard, but other times, like now, we were soft and sweet, gentle, and loving. We gave each other open-mouthed kisses and aroused each other with words and touch until we couldn”t stand it, and then, and only then, we let go.
I cupped her ass and began to pump into her, looking into her eyes. ”I want you to live with us.”
”I already am,” she protested huskily.
”Officially.”
She moaned when I hit her G-spot. I knew how to keep her on the edge, how to make her come—and she knew what buttons to push for me. I”d never had a partner in bed so attuned to me and my needs or one who consumed me as Aurora did.
”God, Gabriel, harder, please.”
”I know, baby. I know.”
She was writhing beneath me, setting off sparks inside me. The sweet loving gave way to hard fucking. I slammed into her again and again and let out a growl as I came right after she did.
I lay on top of her, shifting my weight onto my elbows. ”Sell your fucking condo, Aurora, and move in with us,” I ordered and bit an ear lobe.
She caressed my back. ”Are you fucking me into submission, Gabriel?” she teased.
”Is it working?”
”Yeah. It”s working.”