Chapter Five #2
“No. Mom died when I was fifteen, of cancer, and Dad died a little over a year after my husband.” She paused a moment and then said, “He loved his Harley. Always did. In fact, he and Mom met when his motorcycle gang stopped at a place where she worked as a waitress. They were both in their twenties at the time. As long as I can remember, Dad always had a motorcycle. I used to ride with him on occasion. Mom did, too. One morning, he went on his every Sunday ride in his neighborhood and got struck by a drunk driver who ran a stop sign. So, within two years, I lost the two most important men in my life.”
“I’m sorry, Iris.”
“Thanks. It was hard, but Pam was there to give me support.”
“Was she married to Dillon then?”
“No, that was a few years before she met Dillon. Unfortunately, her father died within two years of mine. You’ve heard how she and Dillon met, right?”
“No, I haven’t heard.”
“Well, let me tell you the story.”
He listened, and when she finished, he had even more respect and admiration for Dillon Westmoreland. “He stopped the wedding right in the nick of time.”
“Yes, he did,” Iris agreed. “I don’t want to think of Pam and her sisters’ fate if she had married Fletcher Mallard.”
At that moment, the waitress returned with their food.
* * *
“My pot pie is delicious, Matt. How’s your pork chop?”
He glanced up at her, and in a way, she wished he hadn’t.
Whenever she was within the scope of his bedroom-brown eyes, the unthinkable happened.
As if with a will of their own, her gaze traveled from those eyes to the bridge of his nose and from there to his lips.
She thought the same thing now that she had when she first saw them. They were such a sexy pair.
“It’s really good,” he said.
“I’m glad.” To take her mind off his mouth, she asked, “How old were you when your mother passed away?”
“I was sixteen and a senior in high school. She died that February, and I graduated that May, so she didn’t see me graduate.”
Iris knew how he felt since her mother hadn’t lived to see her graduate either. “Did you have to go live with relatives?”
“There were no relatives that I knew of. My mom was an only child. My grandfather died before I was born, and my grandmother passed away when I was about five. The closest thing to a family I had was my godparents, Marcello and Megan Saxon. Megan had been Mom’s best friend in high school, and they maintained a close friendship.
Mom worked as the executive event planner for the Saxon Hotels and often traveled.
During those times, the Saxon house was my second home, and Dominic and I were practically raised as brothers.
” He paused. “Those were happy times growing up. Because Marcello owned a shipping and cruise line, we often spent summers on the cruise ships and had private tutors.”
“Private tutors during the summers?” she asked.
“Yes. Mostly to keep Dominic and me out of trouble. That’s why we were able to graduate from high school at sixteen.”
After taking a sip of his tea, he said, “I felt the hurt and pain more so than ever during that time. Marcello suggested that instead of going straight to college after high school, I should travel for a year. Dominic didn’t want me to be by myself, so he decided to travel with me.”
Iris lifted a brow. “I can’t imagine two sixteen-year-olds traveling alone.”
Matt chuckled. “Trust me, we didn’t. Marcello and Megan had Ryder travel with us.”
“Who is Ryder?”
Matt’s smile widened. “Ryder Sanders is a jack-of-all-trades. Dominic’s grandfather is Franco Saxon, a very wealthy man in Paris.
He didn’t approve of his only child marrying a woman who was not of French descent, and not only did he refuse to acknowledge the marriage, but he disowned Marcello and, for years, cut off all ties to him.
However, things changed when someone tried to kidnap Dominic. ”
“Oh, my goodness! Someone tried kidnapping him?”
“Yes. He was fourteen. It was fortunate that Marcello and Megan ensured Dominic and I had taken self-defense classes from the time we were five. I hadn’t been with Dominic that day when they tried to snatch him as he was leaving school.
I think his kidnappers were shocked as hell when he not only fought them but also broke several of their bones and detained them until the police arrived. ”
After taking a sip of his tea, he added, “His grandfather, Franco, in one of his rare but manipulative moves, sent Ryder from Paris to protect the grandson he had never seen. At the time, Marcello was too distraught at the thought of someone trying to use his son in a ransom scheme to send Ryder back. Ryder became not only Dominic’s bodyguard but also his driver and constant traveling companion.
That year before college, Dominic and I traveled to over fifteen countries freely, knowing Ryder had our backs. ”
“Did Franco Saxon ever come to accept his son’s marriage to Megan?”
“Yes, and they forgave him. It took Dominic a little longer to forgive his grandfather for disowning his parents, and for years, I thought he never would. However, his wife, Taylor, helped to mend the rift, and now the Saxons are one big happy family. Franco is older but still sharp as a tack. Dominic and Taylor’s oldest son, Marcello Franco, spends a lot of time in Paris with his grandfather.
That’s where he is now, while attending high school there.
The reason Dominic and Taylor won’t be attending this weekend’s event is that they flew to Paris to see him and Franco. ”
During the course of their meal, Matt told her more about himself, including the case he was currently working on.
“My client discovered, after her husband passed away of a heart attack, that he’d been involved in an affair, and the other woman had given birth to his baby almost a year before his death.
However, he hadn’t changed any of his papers and left everything—his insurance, pension, savings, houses, cars and all his other assets to his wife. ”
“How long were they married?”
“For twenty-five years.”
“Any kids?”
“Due to the client’s medical condition, they didn’t have kids of their own, but they legally adopted twins as babies who are now in their first year of college.
The other woman came to the funeral with the child and made a spectacle of things.
It was the first time the wife knew of the other woman or the child’s existence.
A few weeks later, she was served papers.
The mistress feels that since her child is biologically the man’s only true offspring, she and her child deserve everything and is taking my client to court to get it. ”
After taking a sip of her tea, she asked, “Does she have any chance of winning?”
“Obviously, her attorney thinks so. They plan to present documentation that my client’s husband planned to ask for a divorce, but he never got around to doing so. That’s not my client’s fault. And they claim the child has medical issues, so they are trying to garner sympathy.”
“That’s an interesting case, Matt. I hope you win for your client.”
“I do, too.”
A half hour later, they were leaving McKay’s to pick up the banners.
Iris enjoyed sharing lunch with Matt. During that time, she was introduced to various facets of Matthew Caulder, from his handsome appearance to his roles as the best friend of Dominic Saxon, father of Deena, the biological son of Sid Roberts, and a dedicated attorney.
And, she thought, he definitely looked good in the pair of dark slacks and pullover sweater he was wearing. Like she’d told Pam yesterday, she couldn’t wait to see him dressed as a cowboy.