27. Graham #2
Though we were engaged, Bethany only met a few of my friends from college.
Most stayed back in Montana, choosing to start businesses there while I couldn’t wait to get out, but we still call each other monthly and get together a few times a year for a big vacation.
She’s not talking about those friends but the people I network with, the other CEOs she was desperate for me to hang out with.
Thinking about the wedding reminds me of the woman I have waiting for me. There’s no way I can make it back in time for the ceremony, but maybe I can call Kieran and tell him to keep Rosay there. Now that I know my dad is okay, if not a little lawbreaker, I feel at peace going back tonight.
“My fiancée’s sister,” I say, allowing the corners of my mouth to rise.
Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know you were engaged, again.”
My smile almost falters at her choice of words, but then I remember that it was her that left me, her that didn’t value what we had over her ambitions. The woman I’m in love with only wants to see me succeed, and I can’t wait to get back to her.
“Yeah,” I reply, unwilling to tell her more.
“Moved on quick,” she murmurs.
I let out a caustic laugh. “Let’s not go there, Bethany.”
“I’m just saying I’m surprised.” She shrugs. “Thought I’d be a little harder to get over than that, but I guess you never really loved me.”
I suck in a sharp breath and lasso my tongue.
This woman, this viper, was methodical in her demolition of my reputation, yet she has the audacity to try and shame me for finding love again.
A seething reply forms on my lips, but I extinguish the words before I release them.
The longer I stay here arguing with Bethany about the past, the longer it’ll take me to get back to the woman who is my future.
While I appreciate her letting me know about my dad and staying until I got here, there’s nothing left for us to talk about.
“Well, I just wanted to say thank you again for coming when they called. It was only a little indigestion and too much exertion.” Barf.
“They’re going to discharge him shortly, so I’d better get back in there. ”
“Oh, okay.” She lingers for a moment as if she wants to say something else but then her phone rings and steals her attention. The mask I became accustomed to slips back on as she looks at the screen.
I go back into Dad’s room, feeling a sense of closure.
It takes about an hour for the nurse to bring my dad’s discharge paperwork, and in that time I’ve met Cindy, let Preston know I’ve acquired three new clients for Thompson, texted Kieran to keep Rosay there, and also spoke with the judge Avery got me hooked up with.
“I don’t need the wheelchair,” Dad grumbles when the nurse brings it to his bedside.
“Get in the wheelchair old man,” I say, grabbing the personal items he had with him. “I’ve got a fiancée to get back to.”
That shuts him up, and he sits in the chair without more protest.
“I’m going to put my roast in the crockpot, but I’ll swing by in a little to check on you,” Cindy says. “It was lovely to finally meet you, Graham.”
I pull the car up to the emergency room exit and open the door for him. With a huff, he sits inside and slams the door, murmuring something scathing. The nurse waves us off, probably happy to get rid of the grumpy old man bringing down the mood.
I ask my dad all about Cindy on our drive back to his house.
He tells me they met at Mah Jongg and hit it off.
Thankfully, he spares me the details of their sordid library coitus.
Feeling like he’s just divulged his own secrets makes me want to come clean about this whole thing with Rosay.
Even though I know we have stuff to talk about, things to sort out when it comes to what will happen once we’re back at work, I’m sure this connection between us is the real deal.
When I’ m finished telling him, all my dad says is, “I can’t wait to meet the woman who told you to take the stick out of your ass.”
“You’ll love her.”
He squeezes my shoulder as he walks into the house, ambling toward the recliner. “You go ahead back to your girl, and I’m going to take a nap before Cindy comes.”
I chuckle at his groan as he settles in the seat. Before leaving, I grab him a glass of water, some antacids, and a blanket.
“I’ll call you in a little while to check in,” I say, standing in the doorway. “If you don’t answer, I’m sending Tanya over here.”
He waves me off. “Cindy will be here soon. Love you.”
I don’t break any laws driving back to Fredericksburg, but I do talk to Judge Donovan, a man I met at a few galas when I was dating Bethany. Once I’ve finished explaining what I’m seeking, he assures me there’s a high chance of success, and I breathe a sigh of relief for the woman I love.
Back at the winery, though I’m dead on my feet and the reception is almost over, I stop inside the rental to change into appropriate attire before walking down to the venue.
“Graham.” Reign stops me outside the hall.
My stomach drops as I meet the steely eyes of my fake, now real, fiancée’s father. He’s dressed in a black suit with a sprig of holly affixed to his lapel, a glass of wine in his hand.
“Sir,” I say, bracing myself for getting dressed down. “I’m so—”
“Come with me,” he says, waving me away from the entrance.
I’m under no illusion that there couldn’t be dead bodies buried somewhere on this vineyard.
The property is vast, filled with plenty of shovels and fertile soil.
My breath comes in short pants, fighting to get out past my tingling lips as I follow him.
Darkness encompasses the house, save for the porch light and a small blip of yellow coming from the window.
“Want a beer?” he asks, heading inside.
“Sure,” I squeak then clear my throat. “Sure, thank you.”
“You can calm down, Graham. I’m not going to tie you up and feed you to the pigs.” Hell, that wasn’t even on my list of possibilities. I roll my neck and shoulders, then take the beer he hands me.
“That’s reassuring.” The clock ticks loudly in the silent room as I gulp down a swallow, waiting for him to speak.
“How’s your dad?” he asks.
“He’s doing well. Thankfully, it was just a scare. I guess severe indigestion and over exertion can also feel like a heart attack.”
“That’s good to hear. We were all really worried about him.” He takes a sip from his wine glass. “Rosay was really worried about you too.”
“She’s a good woman.” I smile, longing to go find her and finish our conversation from earlier. “The best.”
“You’re right. And she deserves the best.” He holds up his finger, walks somewhere into the back of the house, and returns a moment later with a small black box. “I overheard your conversation.”
“You did?” I say, though I know they did. It was written all over their faces when Connor burst into the bridal suite overly excited to tell me my ex was calling. “I’m sorry about lying to you guys. It was wrong of us to do.”
“I’m sure it could have been handled better.
” He doesn’t immediately continue, and I hold my breath, hoping there’s more to that statement.
“But I understand why she felt the need to lie. I wish she would’ve felt comfortable telling me how she was feeling, but I’m glad we were able to talk about some things we’ve pushed to the side for far too long. ”
I smile, happy to hear that Rosay’s hopefully had some breakthrough when it comes to feeling like part of her family. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Did you mean everything you said to her earlier?”
“With e very fiber of my being.” My reply is quick, delivered with a certitude I feel deep in my soul. “I love your daughter, and I want to marry her.”
“Then I suggest you start your engagement with something real.” My heart bangs against my chest as he slides the box toward me.
“I always imagined I’d give this to my daughter’s boyfriend before he proposed, but…
” My face heats as his words taper off and he points to the box.
“I married her mother with that ring three months after meeting her.” His voice is thick with emotion, and he stops to clear his throat.
“We would’ve been married thirty-five years, and I’ve loved her every day since we met. ”
I stare down at the box for a moment, considering what it means.
What he means. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been together, that we just realized how real this is between us.
Love exists outside the binds of time, and the ring on Rosay’s finger, while I thought of her and what she’d like when I bought it, it was bought with the intention of making a good impression on her family, not as a symbol of my love for her.
A fluttery feeling inside my stomach urges me to open the box.
Inside is the most exquisite ring I’ve ever seen, not because it’s large or filled with diamonds, but because it is wholly her.
From the rose gold band to the clusters of white stones surrounding a heart-shaped pink diamond in the middle.
This is the ring that belongs on the finger of the woman I love.
“This is beautiful, sir.” I hold it up, letting the chandelier cast pink streaks of light over the walls. “She’ll love it.”
He claps me on the back once then says, “Let’s get you back there so you can properly give it to her.”