Moments In Time: The Complete Novella Collection (16 page)

This time, Nick hired a driver to take us
back to his hotel so we could sit in the back and celebrate with
champagne, kisses, and the same chocolate éclairs he’d offered me
the night we made love for the first time.

In all my life, I’d never known such
happiness.

“I have another surprise for you.” He tipped
his glass against mine.

“Another surprise? You really are determined
to spoil me, aren’t you?”

“I am, because you deserve it.”

I sipped my champagne, my heart swelling.
“So, tell me. What’s the surprise?”

“You’ve got to see it to believe it.” He
leaned forward and gave the driver an address.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as we
drove through the elite part of town, where Lilliana lived. “I
thought we were spending the night at my place.”

“Change of plans. I know a better place for
us to spend the night.”

After about twenty minutes, the driver
slowed down in front of a huge house.

The gates yawned open and we drove along a
winding driveway framed by manicured gardens on both sides.

When we drove past a pond with a fountain,
my mouth dropped open.

When I first visited Lilliana’s house, I’d
been enthralled, but it paled in comparison to the eggshell-colored
mansion we were now approaching. “Wow. Whose house is this? It’s
gorgeous.”

When the limousine stopped in front of the
steps leading up to the mahogany front doors, Nick clasped my hands
between his. “I’m done living in hotels. I want a home.” He kissed
the tips of my fingers. “A real home with you.”

“This is ours?” Warmth surged through me and
tears sprang to my eyes again.

He nodded. “I hope you like it. If you
don’t, we can find another.”

“No, that’s not necessary.” I grinned at
him. “This is perfect.”

I was on wobbly knees as we entered the
house, and Nick showed me the six bedrooms, each with a bathroom,
the indoor swimming pool, gym, and state-of-the-art kitchen.

I wouldn’t have minded living in a smaller
place with him, but I felt instantly at home in the beautiful place
he had chosen for us to spend our future.

The broken roads I’d traveled had led me
right here. Home to him.

“Did your mom return your call?” We’d been
engaged for over six months, but despite our commitment to each
other, I still hadn’t met his mother and stepfather in person.

Nick had tried on several occasions to
arrange for his mom and me to meet, but she always ended up turning
down her invitation at the last minute.

Meeting her was pretty much the last thing I
wanted to do. My stomach cramped up at the thought of possibly
having to explain to her how Chris had died. Returning to that day
would be torture, but I still wanted to get it out of the way, if
only so Nick and I could move on with our lives.

Nick draped an arm across my stomach and
drew me closer. “Not yet.”

I sat up and gazed down at him. “It will
never happen, will it?” I asked with a lump in my throat.

“It will. We have to be patient.”

“Six months is not patient enough?” I
clenched my fists. “I’m going to be your wife, and my future
mother-in-law can’t even bear to share a meal with me?”

“She’s still coming to terms with everything
that happened.”

“But I didn’t kill Chris.” I paused. “You
told her, right?”

Nick drew me to him, his uneven breaths
caressing my cheek. “Of course I did. I’m the one who went to all
lengths to prove your innocence.”

I tucked my head in the crook of his
shoulder, calming at the smell of his cologne and soap.

Nick ran a hand over my hair. “She wants to
have lunch with me tomorrow. I’ll talk to her again.”

I laid my head on his naked chest, listened
to his heartbeat. “Okay.”

“I want you to come with me.”

I stiffened. “Does she know that?”

“No, but she has to accept that you’re a
part of my life now. A part of my future. It’s time you met.”

“What if she hates me?” Wrong question. If
someone refused repeatedly to have lunch with me, they probably
already did.

“I don’t care. I don’t need her permission.
I’m the one who will be spending the rest of my life with you, with
or without her blessing. So, will you come?”

Could I really just show up to their lunch
uninvited? My insides were trembling. But Nick was right. It was
time. “Yes.”

***

Nick’s biceps contracted beneath my fingers
as I clutched his arm. Reminding myself to keep breathing, I
followed his lead as we crossed the road toward Delucia Restaurant,
where he’d made a reservation.

I’d made an effort to look nice today. With
a few tips from Silvy, my makeup artist at Stalford, I’d improved
on my makeup skills and now made myself up frequently. Just enough
to enhance my eyes, lips, and cheekbones. I’d opted for a
long-sleeved woolen dress, a matching coat, and gloves. No designer
clothing. Yes, my fiancé was a millionaire, but I wouldn’t wear
designer clothes just because I wanted to spend money. I bought
clothes I loved, no matter who designed them.

“You okay?” Nick asked as we neared the
glamorous entrance of the restaurant.

“I will be.” My liquid insides said
otherwise, but maybe if I focused on positive thoughts, they’d
become reality.

“Don’t worry,” he said, halting at the
entrance. “Once she meets you, everything will change. She’ll see
what a beautiful person you are, both inside and out. He kissed me,
then reached for my hand and wove his fingers through mine.

I spotted her immediately; Leonor was a
beautiful woman, even from a distance. She wore a beige Chanel suit
and her hair was tucked in an elegant knot at the nape of her neck.
Her back was straight and she held her head high. Her green eyes,
identical to Nick’s and Chris’s, hardened as they focused on me.
Her lips parted slightly.

My chest tightened. “Maybe this isn’t such a
great idea,” I whispered to Nick without moving my lips much.

“We’ll make it a good idea. Keep
walking.”

“Mom,” he said and kissed her on her cheeks.
“I brought Carlene along. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Would you care if I did?” Her hands
trembled as she pulled her gaze from me and reached for the
leather-bound menu as if I wasn’t even there.

“Carlene will have lunch with us, or we will
both leave.”

Leonor’s head snapped up. “Fine. Let her
stay.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Johnson,” I said to be
polite. I extended my hand toward her and she glanced at Nick
first, then shook it, dropping it almost immediately.

For the duration of the lunch, she barely
glanced at me, simply directing her whole focus on Nick. She asked
him how his businesses were going and gave him updates on Leonor
Cosmetics, a well-known brand, which she had started.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to concentrate on
my filet mignon with balsamic glaze, which I couldn’t even
taste.

Then Nick halted the conversation and turned
to Leonor. “Mom, you can’t pretend Carlene isn’t here. You know we
have to talk about this. She’s going to be my wife, so you have to
find a way to accept it.”

Leonor’s glance flickered at me and then
returned to Nick. “Why choose her?”

“Because she’s the woman I love.”

“And the woman who is responsible for your
brother’s death.” Her lips quivered as she spoke, and my stomach
dropped through my chair.

Nick leaned forward, nearer to his mother,
with a hard expression on his face. “I know this is difficult to
accept. It is for me, too, but Chris committed suicide.”

Leonor pushed back her chair and stood. Her
eyes stayed fixed on Nick. “Wrong.” Her voice was hard, but it
cracked when she spoke. She was close to tears. “She had everything
to do with it. She didn’t stop him. If you’re asking me to receive
this woman into our lives, that’s not going to happen. I have a
meeting to attend.” With that, she marched out of the
restaurant.

“I guess we shouldn’t have surprised her
like that,” I said a few minutes later, when were sitting in Nick’s
car again. “You should have told her I was coming.”

Nick fastened his seatbelt, his expression
stony. “She wasn’t taking any steps toward you. I had to do
something drastic.”

“Looks like we made things worse.”

Nick placed his hand on my thigh. “You know
what? We don’t need her approval. Let’s move into our house next
week and get married the week after, just the two of us.”

I was tempted. But it wasn’t right. “That
would be amazing. But we can’t do it to her. She’s still your
mother, and I’m afraid it would drive a wedge between you two.”

“A wedge she already initiated.”

I inhaled. “Much as it hurts that she
doesn’t want me to be a part of your life, I do understand her. She
wants to keep me at a distance; every time she sees me, she’ll be
reminded of Chris. I don’t want her to lose another son.”

Nick nodded but didn’t respond. When we
arrived at the Lux, before he climbed out of the car, he reached
for me and kissed me hard. We pulled apart, gasping. “You’re the
sweetest, most loving woman, and I love you so much. Thanks for
your thoughtfulness.”

“It’s because I love you. My biological
parents died before I had a chance to get to know them. Your mom is
still here. I want you to cherish her.”

“Thank you.” He paused. “I’ll sort this out,
I promise.”

“I’m going to China on business,” Nick told
me over breakfast in bed. We’d spent the night together at the
Lux.

“Oh, no, when?” Of course, his job required
him to travel extensively. He’d already cancelled several business
trips so we could spend more time together. We were getting married
in six months, and we were in the process of moving into our new
home.

“Friday.” He bit into a baguette.

“In two days.”

“I have a series of meetings planned with
construction companies, and as much as I’d rather be here with you,
I can’t put this trip on hold any longer. It’ll only be a week.
When I return, we’ll start our new life together.”

“I can’t wait.” Hopefully Leonor wouldn’t
complicate things.

***

Nick had been gone two days. I was sitting
cross-legged on the floor of my apartment, labeling packing boxes
with a marker pen, when the doorbell rang.

Pain sliced through my lower back when I
straightened up. I guess I’d been sitting there for a while.

I opened the door to a distinguished man in
a suit, who had thick, dark hair streaked with silver, piercing
eyes, and a perfectly trimmed beard and moustache.

“Carlene Adams.” He extended a hand toward
me. “Nice to meet you. May I come in?”

“Yes, please.” I stepped aside and closed
the door once he was inside. “Sorry for the mess. I’m in the middle
of packing.”

“It’s not a problem. I won’t take up much of
your time.” He gestured toward the couch. “May I?”

“Yes, of course.” I hurried to the couch and
gathered clothes, bags, and shoes into my arms.

“I assume you know who I am?”

Lowering myself on the opposite end of the
couch, I nodded. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” I’d never
met Bill Johnson, Nick’s stepfather, in person before, but I’d
heard a lot about him from Nick, and from the Serendipity
Daily.

“I apologize that we were not introduced
earlier. I was on a six-month Doctors Without Borders assignment in
Ghana. But Nick has told me all about you over the phone.”

Bill Johnson was a well-known brain surgeon
who made his services available to everyone, even those who didn’t
have the money to pay for them. From the way Nick had talked about
the man who had raised him, their bond was strong. He had a
friendly aura about him, and I was instantly more comfortable
around him than I’d been around his wife.

“Better late than never,” I said. “Can I
offer you anything? ...Well, I only have water or coffee.”

“No, thank you. I am the one who came to
offer you something. I would like to apologize for what happened at
Delucia last week between you and my wife.”

“I appreciate that.” I paused. “Mr.
Johnson—”

“Call me Bill, please.”

“Bill.” I looked him squarely in the eye. “I
love Nick and want to spend the rest of my life with him. But his
mother means a lot to him, and I would do anything to be able to
get along with her.”

Bill cleared his throat. “In that case,
there’s something you need to understand. Losing Chris the first
time, as a baby, took a great toll on my wife.”

“I can understand that.”

“When Nick told her he’d found him, I will
never forget the light that went on in her eyes. As if new life had
been breathed into her.”

“Then he died before she got a chance to
know him,” I said under my breath.

He nodded. “She lost him a second time. And
that time, forever. It just about killed her. She’d spent years
trying to come to terms with his death, and she was healing
gradually. But you will always remind her of him... because of the
connection you had to him.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t change that. I fell
in love with Nick before I found out he was Chris’s brother. I
don’t want to give him up, if that’s what you’re asking me to
do.”

He laughed. “I’d never ask you to do such a
thing. We don’t choose who we fall in love with. I wanted to make
sure you understand why Leonor is hesitant to let you in.”

“Do you think she ever will?”

“I can’t say.” He rubbed his beard. “But
there’s something you can do.”

“What’s that?” At this point, I’d do
anything. If I couldn’t get along with Nick’s mother, it was bound
to affect our marriage later on. He’d always be caught in the
middle, unable to take sides.