24. Jasmine
Chapter twenty-four
Jasmine
“Ana, I wish you were here.” I trudge down the steps, holding the phone to my ear. “I hate going to see the doctor on my own.”
“I wish I were there, too,” she groans. “And we can’t postpone the appointment, or can we?”
“No.” I sit on the couch, checking my wristwatch. I still have thirty minutes to burn, so I keep Ana on the phone. It’s been a week since I left France, and I’ve been unhappy. Alec has stopped reaching out to me, and I’m sure it’s officially over between us.
I don’t know whether to be happy or relieved, but I feel none of these things. All I feel is a terrible sadness that clings to me every second of the day. My heart is broken, and it’ll take a while before it mends itself. I love Alec so much, and even right now, I’m still madly in love with him.
“You’re so quiet. What are you thinking about?”
I sigh. “I want Chinese rice and turkey for dinner.”
“You just had lunch,” Ana said, laughing. “Your cravings are the funniest symptoms ever.”
“Are you laughing at a pregnant woman?” I gasp. “You hate me. I’m sure of it.”
“Shut up.” She continues to laugh. “I’ll send you dinner, okay? Chinese rice and turkey, it is.”
“You’re my best friend in the whole world. Do I tell you that often?”
“You’ve never told me that before.”
“I’m disgusted with myself.”
“You had better be.”
We both burst into laughter. “I’ve got to go, Ana. I should order a ride.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Keep me updated.”
“I will. Bye. Love—” The doorbell rings. “There’s someone at the door. It’s probably Riley.”
“That’s great. He would be able to go with you, right?”
“If he isn’t too tired. He worked the night shift.”
“Oh, shit. He should rest then.”
“We’ ll see. Bye.”
“Bye, Jas.”
I leave my phone on the couch and head to the door, throwing the door open without glancing through the peephole. The breath whooshes out of my lungs upon seeing the elegant woman standing on my doorstep.
Mrs. Ace looks out of place here, as if she’s a wave of color surrounded by black and white. The feathers in her fascinator drift in the wind, and she smiles at me. “Hello, Miss Ambrose.”
Anger rushes to the surface, and I almost slam the door on her face, but curiosity gets the best of me, and I arch my brows. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we talk?” Her voice is soft, but I don’t trust her.
“I’m not sure we have anything to talk about. I haven’t seen your son since I left France, and I don’t know anything about that, so please leave me alone.”
I start to shut the door, but she calls my name. “Jasmine!”
I frown and turn to her again. What is she doing in New York? Is Alec here, too? What is going on?
“Please,” she begs. “I came all the way from France to talk to you.”
I stare at her for a long while before opening the door wider. “Please come in.”
“Thank you. ”
She walks into the house and takes the single couch, crossing her legs at the ankles and setting her bag beside her. I take the chair across from her, uncomfortable with the fact that this looks like a reenactment of the scene in Alec’s house in France where she said the nastiest things to me. I haven’t gotten over it yet.
“How are you, Jasmine?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way over here to ask me that.”
“You’re right.” She smiles, and I see crow’s feet at the sides of her mouth. Those weren’t there before. I’m tempted to ask if Alec is okay.
“Why didn’t you tell Alec I was the reason you left?” she asks, genuinely confused.
“Because I didn’t want any more strife between you two.”
She laughs, lowering her head to stare at her perfectly manicured fingers. “I wish I had a mother who cared for me.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, frowning, and when she glances up at me, there are tears in her eyes.
“That’s what my son said to me,” she replied, crying. “Alec. That’s what he said to me.”
“Oh.”
“He said I’ve always been his number one enemy and that without me, his life would be so much easier.” Tears slip past her cheek, and she struggles to pat them dry without smearing her makeup. “I love that boy so much. He’s my son. I love him more than I love anyone in this world.”
“Then why don’t you show it?” I ask. “I’ve seen you relate with him, and you never show him this.”
“Because I’m scared,” she whispers.
“Why?”
“When I met David, his mother didn’t want me.”
When my eyes widen, she chuckles. “Shocker, right?”
Despite my reluctance, I laugh. “Yeah.”
“Well, she hated me. Her name is Myra. She thought I wasn’t good enough for her son and that David could do better.” She sniffs, reaching into her handbag for a tissue. “David defended me like Alec did for you. He was so sure he wanted me, and he told his parents exactly that. Six months after we met, we were married.”
She smiles like she is remembering these events that happened years ago. “And then I got pregnant, and I gave birth to Alec. He was my little star, my everything. Alec made it all worthwhile, but Myra wouldn’t let me care for him the way I wanted. She was always interfering.”
“Why?”
“I asked her this one day. I got mad and told her to stay away from me and my son, and guess what she said?”
“What did she say? ”
“She said that I will never be able to raise Alec into half the man David is.”
“Oh my God.”
Lillian begins to cry again. “She said I didn’t have what it takes to raise Alec to be a man worthy of Ace Corps and that I would regret not taking her help.”
My heart melts with pity for Lillian. “That’s why you were so hard on him.”
“I was so hard on him, Jasmine,” she sobs hard. “I see it now, but not then. I thought I was carving him into a strong man, but I was pushing him away.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Ace.”
“Call me Lillian, please.” She pats her eyes. “Along the way, our mother-son relationship turned into a business transaction, and I missed all of Alec’s moments because he would rather tell the maids than come to me. I lost my son because of a few words said many years ago. Myra is somewhere in Greece right now. She’s retired and is spending her life as a widow. Yet, my relationship with Alec is now irreparable.”
“It’s not. I’m sure he can forgive you if you explain all this to him.”
“He won’t listen to me,” Lillian insists. “He says he’s done with us.”
“Why did he say that?”
“Because I told him it was me who made you go away. Jasmine—” Lillian comes over to my couch and takes my hand. “Alec loves you very much. I’m sorry about everything I said. I didn’t mean any of it. I want to make things right between you and Alec.”
“Lillian…”
“Please,” she begs. “Forgive me. You are a wonderful girl, and you’re the best choice for Alec. You love him. I know you do.”
I’m about to respond when the doorbell rings again. “That’s my brother,” I tell her, drifting from the couch towards the door.
To my shock, it’s Alec standing on the porch, looking the most disheveled I’ve ever seen him. On the curb, there’s a black Audi parked, with Damien leaning against it. He waves at me, but I’m too stunned to wave back.
“Jasmine.” Alec takes my hand. “I cannot live without you,” he says urgently. “Please. I’ve been miserable. I—” his eyes glaze as he stares at something behind me.
“What is she doing here?” He storms past me angrily, and I know he’s seen his mom.
Lillian rises shakily to her feet. “Alec.”
“Why are you crying?” He asks and turns to me. “Jasmine, why is she here?”
I stand beside Lillian, smiling up at her before turning to Alec. “Your mom is here to apologize to me.”
“What?” He frowns. “This woman doesn’t apologize to anyone. ”
“Alec…” I roll my eyes at him, and when he tries to reach for me, I shake my head and gesture to his mom.
“Alec.” Lillian steps toward her son, who regards her with wary eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Alec purses his lips but doesn’t say anything. Lillian continues. “Not just for what happened with Jasmine, but for everything else I’ve done.”
“What?”
“I’ve never been a good mother to you, and there’s no excuse that is good enough for robbing you of that bond.” She reaches for his hand, and tears spring to my eyes.
“I’ve always been afraid of raising you wrongly, and that made me unnecessarily tough. I should have been more motherly, more forgiving, more caring. But it’s in the past now, and I promise that from now on, I will make it up to you.”
“Mom.”
“I will be the mother you need, and I’ll never meddle in your life again. Please forgive everything I’ve done and give me another chance.”
“Of course, I forgive you, Mom.” Alec hugs her as she cries in his arms. “You’re my mother. I’m sorry for everything I said to you this morning.”
“I deserved it.” Lillian pulls back and touches Alec’s face. “I love you, son. I always have.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
“Guess who else loves you?” She giggles and reaches for my hand. “Jasmine.”
Alec laughs and embraces me so tightly; it cuts off my air supply. But I cling to him, feeling the weight fall off my shoulders. I would never have been happy without Alec, and I’m ecstatic that this is happening.
“I miss you so much.” Alec kisses my lips. “God, I miss you.”
“I’m going to leave you two.” Lillian grabs her bag. “Because I know you have a lot to talk about.”
“Where do you want to go?” I ask. “It’s getting late.”
“I checked into a hotel not far from here,” she says. “I’ll be flying back to France in the morning.”
“How did you get here so quickly?” Alec asks. “I’m still shocked to see you here.”
Lillian laughs. “As soon as you left your room, I booked a flight to New York. Damien sent me Jasmine’s address.”
“Damien knew you were here?” Alec screeches. “That bastard!”
We all laugh and walk Lillian to the door. “I’ll tell Damien to drive you to your hotel,” Alec says, walking out the door. Lillian turns to me with a smile. “Thank you, Jasmine.”
“No, thank you.” I hug her. “For coming here—It was a big step.”
She pats my cheek. “The next time you’re in France, it’s on me.”
“I’ll take you up on that. ”
Alec returns a few minutes later, and now that we’re alone, I know it’s time to tell him the truth. “Jasmine.” He lifts me into his arms. “I love you so much. You’re my world, my life. I never want to live in a world where you’re not there.”
“I love you.” I kiss his cheek and press his hand to my belly. “Your baby does, too.”
He sets me back on my feet, his face white. “What?”
“I’m pregnant, Alec.” My heart is beating fast, unsure of what his reaction will be. After a fleeting moment of silence, Alec screams for joy and lifts me in his arms again. He twirls me for a second and then stops. “Am I supposed to twirl you now that you’re pregnant?”
“Oh, come on.”
“Oh my God,” he gasps and then falls on his knees to kiss my stomach. “I love you, my little one.” He looks up at me. “How far along are you?”
“Almost twelve weeks.”
His eyes melt, and he draws me into his arms again. “This is the best gift ever. Thank you, Jas.”