Page 22 of Born To Be My Baby

He shook his head. "I've already told your mom none of it means anything anymore. I mean, sure, it's important, and it's where I grew up, but the only thing important to me right now is us, our little family. And I disagree with your mom. We are a family. We're going to be a family somehow. Somehow, we are going to be a family."

Mina's eyes watered and she swiped at her tears. She leaned over and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and wiped her nose.

"I don't know if I can ever tell you what that means to me to hear that. All the years I've wanted a whole family."

He nodded and swallowed the emotion that clogged his throat. He pulled her in for a hug and held her close. "You've got one now, baby girl, you've got one now."

He saw the bathroom door open and Gloria stepped out. She'd fixed her makeup and hair. Her shoulders were pulled back tightly and her posture was stiff. She rubbed her hands together and looked around the room. When their eyes met, her lips quivered, and she managed a weak smile.

"There's your mom. Let's say goodbye to Chris and his associates and hit the road."

"Okay."

Mina turned, and they walked together to say their goodbyes. Gloria did the same, but kept her distance.

After their goodbyes, he slung his guitar case over his shoulder and led Mina to Gloria, and without a word, the three of them left the room. They followed the empty hallway to the parking area where their vehicle was parked. Stopping at the door, he twisted the handle. "Hang tight a minute."

Peering around the outside to make sure they wouldn't be accosted, he opened the door wide and nodded to Mina and Gloria. "Let's get in the vehicle quickly."

He slid his guitar into the back of his SUV as Mina and Gloria buckled themselves in. He jumped into the driver's seat and started it up. As they neared the gate, it opened, and he slowly exited the area. There wasn't anyone around, and he let out a deep breath. His eyes scanned the area looking for anything amiss and he maneuvered his SUV out the back parking area and onto a back street. He tapped his phone icon and the robotic voice asked him for a command.

"Call Tony Baluco."

The phone rang and Tony answered on the second ring. "How are things going?"

"Good. Tony, the concert was amazing. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. For right now, I'm driving back to Blossom Springs with Gloria and Mina. They have suitcases at the B and B. Can you find someone to gather their suitcases and bring their vehicle to my house?"

Tony chuckled. "I'm not your secretary, Sean."

"I'm aware. Also, I think it's about time we hire someone to do some of this stuff for us."

"We've been talking about that. Jami and me. We're in agreement. I'm going to hire an assistant who will work under me, and he will take care of all of this type of stuff."

"Sounds like you already have someone in mind."

"I do. We'll talk when you're back and have the time. Drive carefully. See you later."

19

Gloria turned her head as Sean spoke to Tony about their plans. She stared at him, her brows pinched together. When he ended the call, she waited a moment before saying anything.

She inhaled slowly, getting her heart rate down at the same time. "I didn't know we'd decided to drive to Blossom Springs."

"Mina and I discussed it while you were in the bathroom."

"Right, but no one asked me what I wanted to do."

"Right." He blew out a breath.

Mina leaned forward. "Mom. Please. We won't get any private time to chat in Crystal Cove now that the word is out. Dad doesn't care about the reunion anymore, and it's important for us to talk."

Gloria sighed, then huffed out her breath. "Okay." She tucked her hair behind her left ear. "E- Everything is just, I f- I feel out of control."

Sean nodded. "Ah." He glanced her way, then back to the road.

She stared out the window. Her thoughts were wild. Now she was being shuffled off to Blossom Springs, which was a two-hour drive away. She really needed some time to just think by herself before she sat down and had a conversation with anyone about anything. They all actually did. Tensions were so high. Things were all up in the air and she didn't know what was going to happen yet with the network, which made her pause.

She turned to Mina. "Have you heard anything from the network?"

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