“I’ve never been one to spank my child,” Alexis commented over dessert as she finished her glass of wine. Her eyes kept going from me to Jordan, and she shook her head as a small smile teased at her lips. “But over the past few years, there were times I seriously contemplated beating some sense into him. I mean, I could see how he felt about you.” Reaching across the table, she took my hand, giving it a loving squeeze. “And I could see that you cared just as strongly. But Jordan was doing nothing but making mistake after mistake. I wanted to shake him and tell him to open his eyes, to stop breaking your heart, but I’d promised myself when he was younger that I would never interfere with his life.”
Everything fell into place so suddenly, I almost laughed. “I honestly thought you hated me and didn’t want me to be with him. That maybe you wanted…better for him.”
I felt everyone at the table tense, but I wasn’t brave enough to look at anyone but Alexis.
“Better?” she got out in a strangled voice. “Arella, sweetheart, do you not think you’re good enough for Jordan? Because to me, there is no one better than you, sweet girl. From the first time Jordan mentioned your name when you were only sixteen, I knew you already held my son’s heart in the palm of your hand. I always knew it was you who was going to be my daughter-in-law. Always.”
My chin started to tremble, and I quickly bit my bottom lip to stop it. Shifting my gaze, I picked up my water glass and took a small sip, willing my tears not to spill over.
A rasped curse came from beside me. In the next moment, Jordan was on his feet and I was lifted into his arms. “Mom, I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. “I have a few things to clear up before I lose my mind.”
The sensation of eyes on me had me burying my face in Jordan’s neck. Hidden away, the threat of tears only heightened, and I felt the embarrassing wetness on my cheeks. Vaguely, I heard his parents replying and then felt Jordan walking away.
I could picture people with their phones out taking pictures of us as we left, and I figured we would be all over entertainment news within the hour.
The chilly night air caused me to shiver as he stepped outside and walked toward his parked car. I felt his lips against my ear, and I tightened my arms around his shoulders. “Baby,” he groaned as if he were in agony. “Please don’t cry. I have so many things to tell you. Just hold on until we get home, and then I’ll make it all better. I promise.”
“I-I’m s-sorry I ruined d-dinner,” I sobbed.
“Shh, baby, shh. No. You didn’t ruin anything.” He kept kissing my temple, my cheek, my hair. “I should have told you how much you mean to me—how much I fucking love you—years ago. But I was scared…” His exhale sounded pained, and I lifted my head to see tears glittering in his eyes.
Feeling as if I were in a dream, I touched my fingertips to his eyelashes. The dampness made me realize this was, in fact, reality. “I’m so sorry, Arella. Baby, please forgive me.”
“Forgive you for what?” I asked, confused.
He’d reached his car. Carefully, he shifted me so he could open the door, then set me in the passenger seat. Once I was settled, he pulled the seat belt across me and snapped it into place before taking hold of both of my hands and bringing them to his mouth.
“I’m going to tell you everything as soon as we get home,” he promised, kissing my palms. “But right now, I need you to know that what my mother just said is one hundred percent the truth. There is no one better for me than you. No other girl could ever touch my heart the way you do. No one could possibly give my life more meaning, more joy, more love than you. Even when you were sixteen and I was trying to tell myself and everyone else that we were just friends, I knew it was the biggest lie I’d ever spoken in my life. You are the other half of my soul. I’ve loved you for so long, I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you.”