Page 46 of Unravel You

“Since Valentina stood up to Bridget. Good for her.” He bit into his sandwich, then frowned. “Why are you still here? Go talk to her. Make the sale. Or whatever you say when you’re about to win.”

“Seal the deal.”

“There you go. About time too. I was tired of seeing both your sad faces all over the grounds.”

“Me too.” I headed out, feeling energized, as if I’d slept a full ten hours.

Valentina had a way of breathing life into me like that. Out on the patio deck, I found Mom sitting by herself. I let out a breath. With one quick glance toward the gardens, I sat next to her.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

I was hoping she’d say “There’s nothing to be sorry about.” But that wasn’t the truth. “I’m sorry I’ve had my head so far up my you-know-what, I left you alone. I’ve been so focused on making money, being successful, I let my relationships fail. I miss you, Mom.”

“I missed you too. I know I can be stubborn.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “I hope I’m not too late to say it too. I’m sorry.”

I reached out for her hand. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I should’ve been more supportive of yourlittle project.”

When I’d told her about my business plan, she’d called it a ‘little project,’ something I could work on the side on weekends in her garage. Yeah, that thorn had stayed with me over the years. Proving her wrong became my main drive for everything I did, every decision, every contract.

“Your father and I fought so many times over this. I knew I was in the wrong.”

“So that’s where I get it from?” I rose to my feet.

“Possibly. I don’t know. Your dad isn’t the saint y’all think.” She hugged me. “Now Valentina, she’s the real saint here. I’m sorry I was so rude to her these past two days. It’s just that after your whole debacle with Bridget, I assumed you were rushing into it again without thinking.”

“In my defense, I did think about what I was doing with Bridget.” I chuckled. “My logic was all fucked up. I thought it made sense to have my company, my wife, all in one neat little package. We worked well together.”

“She deserved a work promotion, not a wedding ring.”

“I know that now, Mom. Things are different with Valentina. She has a way to make me find my center.”

“I know what you mean.” She smiled at her hands. “Your dad has always been my compass.”

“If Grams had asked you to wait to marry Dad, would you have waited?”

“Oh, hell no.” She laughed. “I wanted to marry your dad before he realized he was making a mistake.”

“I know the feeling.”

“I’m glad to have you back, Derek. Now go talk to Valentina. The engagement party is in three weeks. I’m not calling all our friends to cancel.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She nodded and nudged me toward the stone steps that led to the gardens. My hands shook as I ventured out to look for Valentina. This buzz inside me, I only felt it with her. I turned the bend and spotted the edge of her silver dress. I adjusted my gait to catch up to her. Ana had said Valentina had taken to strolling through the woods. This place was growing on her. When she heard my steps, she turned to face me.

“You’re not leaving me?” I stopped to watch her.

She exhaled and shook her head. When I moved toward her, she put up her hand. “No. No touching. I can’t think when you do that. I need to know that you understand my expectations.”

“I’ll do anything. You know that.”

“You keep saying that. But you doing what I want isn’t a marriage. I want you to be happy with me. If you just do what I say, you’ll be miserable in a month.”

“Did you mean it? What you said to Mom?” I’d been so afraid to lose her I hadn’t considered all the options. “Because I think that could work for us. I don’t know why I thought of it as an all-or-nothing kind of thing.”

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