Chapter Twenty-Three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Stella
S aying goodbye to my parents is harder than I thought it would be.
They drive me to a small, private airstrip in St. Pete, and my dad pulls my suitcases out of the back of the van. I didn’t pack all my clothes, leaving most behind for later visits. The guest room turned into my bedroom after all, only, the next time I stay, I think Zane will want to come with me. We didn’t talk too much about who’s going to live where, but we did decide that if Mom and Dad moved back to Minnesota, they wouldn’t sell their condo. It’s located in a beautiful spot, and we can always use it for vacations. Though, if I know Zane, by the year’s end he’ll own the entire building. He’s been known to do that.
My dad whistles as we walk across the airstrip.
The sleek little plane looks faster than a bullet.
The pilot and a flight attendant greet me near the plane’s stairs, the humid air blowing at his tie and her hair. My dad passes my luggage to the flight attendant who stores it in the plane, and the pilot excuses himself to do the preflight check and let ATC know we’ll be departing soon.
“Mom, Dad,” I say, turning toward them, my voice trembling.
“Stella,” Mom says, wrapping me in her arms. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise.”
I never used to believe people when they told me that. Usually, it meant the exact opposite—that things weren’t going to be fine, that things had the potential to turn to shit and they always did. But as the sun warms my shoulders and my mom hugs me in a grip so hard I can’t breathe, I know what she says is true.
Everything is going to be just fine.
“Keep practicing your swing,” my dad says gruffly, his voice scratchy.
I fling myself into his strong arms and sob against his chest. My mom pats my back, tsking sympathetically.
The flight crew is gracious, and they wait patiently. Our goodbyes take longer than they should, especially since we made plans to celebrate the holidays together in a few months.
They both kiss me, and they’re standing on the tarmac waving when I finally step up the stairs, my dad tightly holding on to my mother.
Lifting my hand one last time, I reluctantly turn away and enter the elegant plane.
I remind myself that today, the goodbyes are only temporary.
The flight attendant, who introduces herself as Glory, hands me a tissue and offers me something to drink. She serves me generic fizzy water, and I laugh through my tears. Zane never stops thinking about me.
She asks that I find a seat, and I choose a recliner near the window and buckle my seatbelt. The takeoff is smooth, and once we’re up in the air, I explore the luxurious little plane, poking my head into a small but opulent bedroom and shaking my head at a bathroom more lavish than anything I’ve ever seen.
I snoop in the galley and all the nooks and crannies and then stretch out on a loveseat and doze as the plane glides smoothly through the air, not a hint of turbulence to bother us.
My thoughts drift to Mom and Dad and how agreeably they accepted my decision to live in King’s Crossing, how they weren’t surprised I wanted to go back to the man I love. Mom was worried their easy understanding would tell me they didn’t love me, but nothing could be further from the truth. They gave me the support I needed to make my own choices and that’s something I never had until Maryanne and Zane. That proved they love me just as much as any parent could ever love their child.
Two hours into the flight, Glory rouses me and lets me know we’ll be landing soon. I appreciate the warning and use the bathroom to freshen up. I chose a light blue sheath dress and nude pumps to travel in, and I smooth the wrinkles from the skirt. I reapply my makeup and brush out my hair. While visiting my mom and dad, I let it grow out. My blonde hair shines and swings down my back. Mom and I had a spa day yesterday to help me relax, but also, she added, winking, so I would look absolutely gorgeous when Zane sees me.
Butterflies flutter around in my stomach, and my panties dampen when I think of how long I’ve gone without Zane’s touch. I can’t wait to feel his body pressing against mine, filling me in ways that only he can. I wonder how he’s tolerated the forced abstinence, and I look forward to him ravaging me.
Roses bloom on the apples of my cheeks in anticipation, and the color is the perfect complement to the golden tan I’ve nurtured with all my time on the beach.
I’ve never looked more like myself, if you know what I mean. This is me, at my best, after all the crazy...bruises, hair dye and colored contacts, even my cast is a distant memory.
For once, I feel like Zane’s equal, and in the mirror, my image lifts her chin.
I’m ready.
We land at the King’s Crossing airport, and Douglas is waiting, standing next to a shining black limousine.
Glory hands my suitcases off to the grounds crewman who stores them in the back of the limo. I quickly thank her and the pilot, but my attention is elsewhere. It’s unladylike and totally unprofessional, but I trot across the tarmac, step into Douglas’ arms, and give him a tight, heartfelt hug. He’ll always be more to me than just Zane’s driver. Because of his quick thinking, he saved my life and Quinn’s.
He squeezes me back just as hard and lets me go.
I look around in confusion. “Where’s Zane?”
Had he changed his mind about me? Didn’t he want me anymore? Had he instructed Douglas to drive me to my old apartment?
Panic floods my throat tight and hot, but Douglas pats my shoulder. “Mr. Maddox has a surprise for you, Miss Mayfair. I’m instructed to drive you there straightaway.”
I let out a weak laugh and try to keep my knees from buckling in relief. “Okay.”
“He asked that you wear this,” he says and slips a pink silk blindfold over my eyes. Gently holding my hand, he helps me onto the limo’s bench, confirms I’m sitting comfortably, and closes the door. The car begins to move, and we bump slightly as he navigates out of the busy airport parking lot.
The privacy screen is down, and I twist around and pepper him with questions. “Where are we going? How long will it take to get there? Is Zane alone or is Zarah there, too?”
“I’m not at liberty to say, Miss Mayfair,” he repeats, but I don’t need to lift the blindfold to know he’s amused by all my questions and excitement.
I’m not used to this side of Zane. He’s always shown me his serious side, the tormented side. Now, because the mystery of his parents’ deaths has been solved and the hold Ash had over him and his sister is broken, he can be playful and learn to enjoy life. It won’t bring his parents back, but he can finally let it go and honor their memories.
Douglas drives for a long time, but I don’t cheat and look out the window or at my phone. If Zane wants to surprise me, I’ll let him surprise me.
He slows and turns the limo around a corner, and the crunch of rock puzzles me. Out of curiosity, I blindly search for the switch and open the window. The scent of freshly cut grass and the pure fragrance of clean air fills my nose. I don’t hear the grating noise of traffic or horns honking, instead, the wind rustles leaves in what sounds like several trees, and birds chirp.
I haven’t heard birds since my last day on the beach in St. Pete. I expect to have a tug of homesickness thinking about Mom and Dad, but all I feel is contentment. I have parents, they gave me their blessing to marry Zane, and I’ll see them soon.
Douglas slows the car until we glide to a stop.
A nervous sweat drips down my back. I’m so excited to see Zane. To see if he still feels the same way I feel about him.
The door opens, and Douglas reaches for my hand and helps me slide off the bench. I clutch his fingers, unaccustomed to my vision loss.
“I’ve got her, Douglas. Thank you.”
Zane’s rich voice flows over me, and it’s all I can do not to melt into a puddle on the crushed rock under my heels and beg him to make love to me.
“Zane.” I sound breathless. I am. Maybe I’ll die from lack of oxygen right here.
“Stella. For a little while there, I thought I lost you.” He rubs his palms down my arms to my hands and tangles our fingers. His touch sends a million volts of electricity racing over my skin.
I squeeze. “Never.”
Cuddling me to him, he carefully places his lips on mine. “Is this okay?”
I’m touched he asked. “More than okay. I missed you so much.”
That’s all he needs to hear. He crushes me against his chest, and I lose the sound of Douglas driving the limo away as I wrap my arms around his neck. The blindfold is annoying now. I want to see his face and look into his eyes, but I want to be a good sport, too, and play his silly game.
His scruff rubs deliciously across my cheeks, and I moan.
He laughs, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard in a long time. “Easy. Have some patience.”
“It’s hard,” I say, laughing, adjusting my stance on the gravel.
“You’re telling me.” He clears his throat, and the atmosphere changes around us. He’s serious now, and my heart starts to hammer. “Stella, I’ve made you a lot of promises since we met. Some I’ve been able to keep, most I’ve broken. It shames me to say I believed the lies, and as much as I loved you when I thought you were with Cardello, I hated you, too. I haven’t always been who you needed me to be, and I’m a lucky man you’ve forgiven me my flaws and love me despite them.” He sucks in a deep breath. “You’ve told me many times you don’t like how I live. The shallowness, the selfishness. I never understood until Ash and Clayton. They had everything they could need, everything a person could possibly want, yet they hurt people to have more. I can’t say I don’t want that life anymore because I would be throwing away what my parents built for Zarah and me, but I know we can live on the outskirts of it and still be a part of what matters most.”
Under the blindfold, tears fill my eyes. It touches me in words I can’t express he’s given so much thought to our future, to what will make me happy.
He’s not offering me full protection from his billionaire lifestyle, and I can’t demand he walk away. What he’s offering is a compromise, and one that I can accept. I’d be a hypocrite to enjoy his money when it comes to helping my family visit me or vice versa but forsake everything else. Life doesn’t work that way.
“Do you think you and I could work out something like that, Stella? I offered to give up the company, but if I, we , hold on to it, we can do a lot of good—”
I press my lips to his to stop the stream of words. I miss, catching the corner of his mouth, and we laugh. “Of course. It’s your family’s legacy, and Zarah’s inheritance, too. We’ll pass it on to our children. Keeping it is the right thing to do.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. We’re in this together. Compromise, right?”
“Yes, and I thank God every day it’s possible.”
He turns me in his arms, and I feel like I’m supposed to be staring at something. Maybe I am. Maybe this is my surprise. Goosebumps travel along my skin despite the summer’s heat.
“This is part of my compromise, Stella, and I hope it can be part of yours. You don’t want to live in the penthouse, and I understand. It’s nothing but metal and glass, and nothing can thrive there. I always knew you didn’t want to live in the city—even your apartment building had trees, a yard, and a flower garden. I started looking for homes in the country, and I found something...” His voice grows unsteady. “It’s a little large, but I figured one day we would have children, and Lucille and Douglas agreed to move out here too. We’d need some space so we aren’t tripping over each other.”
“You bought a house?” I ask. My heart jumps into my throat. He bought us a house. A home. In the country away from the city.
God, I love this man.
“‘House’ is a relative term,” he says, trying not to laugh.
“Can I see it?”
“Don’t flip out, okay?”
“I think you can trust me not to flip out,” I say, tongue-in-cheek.
His chuckle is warm and smooth. “You’re right. Okay. Here goes nothing.”
He lifts my blindfold, and for a second, I can’t see anything. The light’s blinding, and I blink several times to clear my vision.
When the dots disappear, a large, Jesus, I can’t call it a house, but a mansion, looms in front of me. There are windows everywhere, and the front is hugged by a massive porch. More than one chimney juts from the roof. In the distance, two cottages sit near the tree line.
“Holy God,” I murmur.
“I hope that means you like it.”
I twirl around. It’s my Zane all right. White dress shirt, grey and black tie, black dress pants. I devour him with my eyes and then devour him with my mouth.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I screech against his lips. “Yes,” I say more quietly, hugging him closer and closer.
I brush my lips over his jaw and down his neck, my hands exploring a body I haven’t touched for almost a year, finding his taut ass and a stiffening cock. I want him all over me, under me, inside me.
He pulls away and searches my face.
I rest my palms against his cheeks. “Thank you. For waiting.”
“Ah, Stella. You did more, so much more. I hope you give me the rest of our lives to show you how much I love you.”
“Yeah, I will.” I heave a sigh.
“What is it?” he asks, worried. His hold on me tightens.
“This is going to be our house? Where we’re going to raise our children?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Is Zarah going to live with us?”
“If it’s okay. I told her you wouldn’t mind, but—”
Placing my fingers over his lips, I say, “Shh. I don’t mind.”
He grips my wrist and moves my hand away. “Then what is it?” Tension tugs at the corners of his eyes.
“It’s so...” I feign agitation, waving my hands in the air. “Big.”
“Is it too big? I can sell it.”
I shake my head and say, “No. I wouldn’t ask you to do that. But...how many bathrooms does it have?”
“Eight,” he mumbles, a flush creeping up his neck.
“Eight bathrooms,” I echo in faux dismay. “I’m not, I mean, you...”
“Stella, just spit it out. If you hate it, say so, but you haven’t even seen the inside yet.”
“Zane,” I say, smiling, trying to keep my laugh buried. “I’m not going to have to clean this monstrosity, am I?”
“Of course not—” He cuts off, realizing I’m teasing. “You!”
With a shriek, I start running, and when my feet meet the lush grass, I kick off my heels.
Zane chases me up the front porch steps and sweeps me into his arms. He holds me, and his gaze is full of all the love in the world.
He opens the door and steps over the threshold, and I know he’s opening more than just the door to our new home.
He’s opening the door to the rest of my life.
Eagerly, I step in.