Chapter 11 #2
Taj didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward into my apartment, closed the door behind him, and engulfed me in his arms.
Sliding my arms around his waist, I pressed my cheeks against his chest and inhaled. His warm, masculine scent and firm hold were beyond comforting.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed.
His hand stroked up and down my back. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Are you okay?”
My arms squeezed him tighter. “I’m so stupid.”
Taj loosened his arms around me so he could frame my face in his hands. Tilting my head back, his eyes met mine. Then he said, “You aren’t stupid. Please don’t talk about yourself like that. Just tell me what happened, so I can fix whatever this is.”
God, he was such a good man. A kind man.
If all that he’d done for me from the moment he met me hadn’t been enough to convince me, that he’d introduced me to his friends and shared them with me last night would have been proof enough.
Taj had so much to bring to the table, and I had nothing. “I’m going to ruin your Christmas.”
He shook his head. “Only if you don’t tell me what’s going on. Why are you crying?”
Taj was still holding my face in his hands as his thumbs stroked lightly over my cheeks. So sweet. So gentle.
“I thought I was doing the right thing.”
His thumbs stopped moving, his fingertips pressing in just a bit deeper.
Uncertainty leaked onto his features, and for a long time, Taj didn’t say a word.
When he finally parted his lips to speak, it wasn’t difficult to see the amount of strength he’d mustered up to do it.
“Leaving your wedding and walking away?”
Except for my jaw that fell open in shock, I froze. Is that what he believed? He thought I regretted leaving Conrad and finding a way to have my own life?
“No, Taj. I don’t regret doing that.”
“So, what’s upsetting you?”
I pressed my lips together, two more tears escaping. As Taj brushed them away with the pads of his thumbs, I shared, “I don’t know why I did it, but I called my mom this morning. It’s the holiday, and I just thought it was the right thing to do.”
Tension eased out of his frame, and as the relief swept in, Taj released my face. Taking me by the hand, he led me to the couch. Only after we sat down did he speak. “Tell me what happened.”
I shrugged. “There’s not a whole lot to say.
It’s Christmas. I haven’t spoken to my mom since before I came here.
She’s called with some frequency over the last few weeks, and I’ve ignored her calls along with Conrad’s and Raven’s.
I haven’t returned any texts, either. And I know it wasn’t the right thing to do.
I even apologized to her for it, because I understand that avoidance isn’t really the best way to deal with a problem. But I just needed some time to myself.”
“Given all that you’ve endured, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. And it wasn’t as though you didn’t make it clear you were okay, that you were safe.”
Sighing, I murmured, “I don’t think it’s my safety that she was concerned with.”
“What else is there to be worried about? After all these weeks, shouldn’t that be the only concern?”
For a man like him, that seemed the only logical response.
But logic didn’t factor in when it came to my mother and money and business.
“You’re so lucky, Taj. I haven’t even met your parents, and I already know they’re good people.
Between you, your sister, and your friends, it’s clear to me that you’re surrounded by such wonderful people.
That you’ve had a tremendous life filled with such love and fun and laughter.
Those people I met last night—your friends—they care about you.
About each other. Something tells me that neither money nor business could ever get in the way of that. ”
Taj reached out and grabbed hold of a lock of my hair. He ran his fingers through it, twirling the strands over his knuckles. “Your mom wasn’t happy to hear from you? Relieved, even?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what I was thinking by calling her today. I’ve known her all my life. It’s not like I should’ve had any expectation that she’d be pleasant after I ignored her attempts at communication for weeks. Maybe she had a right to be angry.”
“I don’t think so. Not if her reason for feeling angry is the wrong one.”
“The wrong one?”
“Maybe there’s some merit in the argument of you not returning or taking her calls.
And if you told me she was upset and worried about you, about whether you were okay, I’d say there’s room for that.
But if she’s mad because she doesn’t like the choice you’ve made for your life, that’s not valid or acceptable. ”
Without me even needing to give him the details, he already knew. He’d paid enough attention to the things I had said when I shared about my life and what led me here in the first place.
“I just… I just wish things were different. I thought I’d be able to have a normal conversation with her today. That she’d put aside everything, realize it’s the holiday, and just ask me how I’m doing and whether I’m okay.”
Taj’s fingers scratched my scalp, expertly alleviating some of the tension I felt, that I leaned my head into his hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did she say?”
“It’d probably be easier to tell you what she didn’t say,” I mumbled. “In so many words, she’s furious with me. You would think I left the wedding three minutes ago, not three weeks. Her anger is still that severe. Bottom line, she wants to know where I am and demands that I return to New York.”
Wearing a sympathetic look, Taj asked, “I presume you told her that wasn’t going to happen.”
I nodded. “I went so far as to try to get her to understand. I told her about why I was so miserable before and how much things have improved for me since I left. You would think a mother would be happy to know her child is thriving. Instead, mine decided to take it as an insult.”
“She made you feel bad for doing something to make yourself happy?”
“Yes. She only cares about the work, the career, and the money. In this specific situation, she pretends to care about Conrad, which I guess makes them two peas in a pod, considering he pretended to care about me. But when it all boils down, they only care about one thing, and that’s their bank accounts. ”
Taj pulled his hand from my hair, his head tipping to one side. “What does your career choice have to do with your mom?”
I sighed. “She started me working so young that she oversaw all the finances for me back then. And as I got older and made more money, she named herself my manager, which meant she took a percentage of my earnings. That’s been the case all this time, so if I don’t renew the contract, she won’t make any money. ”
Taj’s lip curled with disgust. “I’m so sorry, Olivia. You deserved far better all this time.”
I offered a small smile of appreciation. “Thank you for saying that. I had been thinking that for a long time, which is why I decided to leave. I’m hoping to find some of what I deserve to have here in Rising Sun.”
He returned the smile. “I’m confident you will.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, the events of my morning replaying in my head. When I returned my attention to Taj, I realized just how awful this had been for him.
“I’m so sorry, Taj.”
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s Christmas, and my nonsense has ruined it. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go ahead and leave now, so I don’t spoil the rest of your day.”
Without hesitation, he scooted closer to me and placed his hand on my leg just above my knee. The touch sent a shiver along my spine.
Taj gave me a reassuring squeeze. “First, this was not what I’d call nonsense.
At least, not your part of it. You tried to do the right thing by reaching out to your mom on a day like today to connect with her.
She made a terrible choice of how to handle it, even if she didn’t agree with the way you left weeks ago.
But beyond that, you haven’t ruined anything.
I’ve been looking forward to spending the day with you today, so I’m not going anywhere without you. ”
“You’re so sweet, Taj. I just don’t want to put a damper on the day for you.”
“Who says that you would? In fact, I think, especially if you’re feeling down, that I’d like the chance to turn your day around for you.”
Nobody had ever cared for me like this, had made me feel like I was a priority. It was so heartwarming; I could have burst into tears all over again. “I don’t know if it’s going to be so easy.”
I saw a look on Taj’s face that indicated he’d just accepted a challenge. “What if I told you there are presents involved? You don’t think those could help?”
“Presents?”
He grinned. “And that’s not all. We’re going to head over to my parents’ place today, and I can promise there’s something there that you won’t want to miss.”
I bit my lip. I had no idea what it was, but he made it sound good. Blowing out a breath, I said, “Alright, Taj. I’ll take you up on your offer to turn my day around. I just hope yours is enjoyable, too.”
Pinching my chin lightly between his thumb and forefinger, he promised, “It already is. Merry Christmas, Olivia.”
“Merry Christmas.”