31. Spencer
Chapter 31
Spencer
M y mother hasn’t stopped smiling since we arrived. I’m not sure if she’s just happy for the company, or something else is going on. Either way, I’m dreading having to burst her bubble and tell her about the impending birth of my half-sibling.
I wait until the last course is consumed before I broach the subject. There’s no point ruining her appetite as well as her night.
Once Judy, my mother’s housekeeper, clears the table, I bite the bullet. “I have some news,” I tell her, making eye contact across the table.
“I know,” my mother replies as that grin she’s been sporting all night grows. “And I couldn’t be happier.”
“What?”
“I’ve been rooting for the two of you since the very beginning.”
“Hold on,” I say, holding up my hand. “What are you talking about?”
“That you two have finally opened your eyes and saw what I’ve been seeing all along.”
“I’m not following. ”
“Are you and Delilah a couple?”
My head snaps in Delilah’s direction. “Did you tell her?”
“Of course not.”
I move my attention back to my mother. “How did you know?”
“I’m your mother. I know everything.”
“Really, did you know Dad’s new wife is pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“When I’m bored, I stalk her on Instagram. She made an announcement a few weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“I would’ve, eventually. How did you find out?”
“Dad told me.”
“Oh. And your thoughts?”
“I couldn’t care less. I feel sorry for the child, though. And may I ask why you stalk that woman’s social media posts? Doesn’t it upset you?”
“Not in the slightest. Like you, I feel sorry for their impending child … and in a way her as well.”
“How could you possibly feel sorry for that woman? She stole your husband.”
“She did me a favour. I may not have seen it in the beginning, but I see it now. I got my revenge by taking his company away from him, then I moved on. I’ve wasted enough of my life on that man. I refuse to give him another second.”
“Hmm.”
“Good for you,” Delilah chimes in, picking up her wine glass and holding it towards my mother. They share a smile as their glasses clink.
“I bought the rest of Dad’s shares in the company,” I say. “He’s gone for good. ”
“When?” my mother asks, sitting up straighter in her chair.
“We signed the last of the papers today.”
“I certainly didn’t see that one coming.”
“Says the woman who just claimed she knows everything.”
“How did you manage that?” she asks.
“I have my ways.” There is no way I’m going to tell her about the secret files I had on him.
“What ways?”
“Just ways.”
“It was that delicious lawyer of yours, wasn’t it? What was his name again?” she asks, clicking her fingers.
“Logan,” I grumble. “And he’s married with two kids, Mother.”
“There is no harm in looking, Son. I might be old, but I’m not dead.”
When I hear Delilah giggle from beside me, my gaze snaps to her. “You find this funny?”
“Your mother has a point; he’s certainly easy on the eye.”
My mother throws back her head and laughs when I growl at my girlfriend.
“I adore you so much, Delilah,” she says. “I look forward to all the precious grandbabies you and my son are going to give me after the wedding.”
Delilah leans closer. “I told you she’d go there,” she mumbles under her breath.
“There is no wedding or babies in our immediate future, Mother.”
“As long as I know they’re coming one day, I can wait.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask as I straighten my bowtie in the mirror.
“I don’t feel like I have a choice. Having you with me tonight will help.”
“You always have a choice, Delilah.”
When I glance over my shoulder at her sitting on the edge of the bed with her head bowed, I turn and close the distance between us. Squatting down in front of her, I cup her face in my hands.
I don’t like seeing her like this.
It reminds me of the broken woman I first met, that one who was constantly let down and overlooked by her family.
Delilah is not like that when she’s with me, and I hate that the thought of being around those people again has her reverting to the person she once was.
“Sweetheart,” I say, tilting her chin with my finger. “If you don’t want to go, just say the word and we won’t.”
“I have to go. She is my sister.”
“The same sister who’s getting engaged to your ex-fiancé.”
She screws up her cute little nose. “Don’t remind me.”
“You owe these people nothing.” When she tries to look away, I bring her face back to me. “Does that still upset you?” I ask as I brace myself for her answer.
Things have been great between us … so good I have these brief moments where I’m paralysed with fear.
What if things between us don’t last?
She’s young, she still has her whole life ahead of her. I know with all certainty that she’s that once-in-a-lifetime love people talk about, the one you can’t live without or ever get over .
If she turns around now and says it upsets her … that she still has feelings for that fuckface, it will crush me. I thought she’d moved past this … she told me once that she felt more for me than she ever did for him. Was that a lie?
“Seeing the two of them together?”
“Yes.”
“God, no. That part doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“Then what is upsetting you?”
“It will be weird seeing all our old friends and his family again after everything that happened. Will I look pathetic being there? Like the bitter ex that can’t let go? Because despite what others may think, I’ve moved on.”
“No. Not at all,” I say as my smile grows. “You will look like the strong kick-arse woman you are. Besides, you’ll have me by your side, and I plan on sticking to you like glue.”
Some of the sparkle returns to her eyes. “Promise.”
“Cross my heart.”
I stand to full height, reaching for her hand. Once she’s on her feet, she steps into my open arms and hugs my waist. “Thank you,” she whispers into my chest. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
Leaning down, I place my lips on the top of her head. “Ditto, Delilah. Ditto.”