Page 14 of Wedding Season
Mariella wished she could believe.
After promising Emma she wouldn’t do anything foolish, Mariella drove home on the dark streets of Magnolia, so different than the never-ending lights and bustle of the city. When her career was in full swing, she would have never guessed she’d be happy in a small Southern town that rolled up the sidewalks at the time when she and her friends used to be getting ready to head out for the night. Depending on her mood, she would have laughed or possibly kicked someone in the shin for even suggesting it.
Small-town life suited her more than she could have guessed. It gave her a sense of peace she hadn’t even realized she wanted from life. Still, as she drove slowly down the quiet street, she glanced around like she was in some low-budget thriller and a villain could be lurking just as she and Emma had joked about.
Her street remained peaceful, and by the time she’d pulled into her garage and made her way to the cozy kitchen, she at least felt confident that she was safe from the past for one night. Tomorrow she could deal with whatever came next, even if what was next meant starting over once more.
Mariella washed her face and changed into a cotton nightgown, letting the familiar routine calm her even more. She was just slipping between the sheets when she heard the knock at the door.
She could have ignored it. It was late and, for all anyone knew, she was fast asleep. But as much as she might consider moving on and relinquishing her life, at her heart, Mariella was a fighter. She rarely shied away from a confrontation, and tonight was no different. If the daughter she’d given up wanted to scream or yell or even do her own shin-kicking, Mariella would take it.
She deserved anything this stranger her heart recognized wanted to dish out. She padded to the door and opened it, inwardly ready for whatever Heather had to offer, only to find Alex Ralsten standing on the other side.
ALEXWASN’TSUREwhy he’d come to Mariella’s cute brick rancher near the center of town. He hadn’t known his assistant, Heather Garrison, had any relation to Mariella, let alone one so fraught with turbulent emotions.
Mary Ellen Winkler had been the one to suggest he hire Heather. According to the motherly bakery owner, Heather would be of more help to him than she was to her making fancy coffee drinks and serving up pastries. The girl was young but extremely capable with the ability to keep track of everything.
Of course he hadn’t known she was Mariella’s biological daughter. Even though he had no reason to care about Mariella and it shouldn’t matter to him that she’d been hurt, the look of pure devastation that had morphed into betrayal when she looked at him felt like a knife to the gut.
He’d followed her out of his office but stopped as he came around the corner to see her retching into a garbage can as she hurried out the company’s front entrance.
“I made her puke,” a small voice had said behind him, and he’d turned to find Heather staring toward the parking lot with tears streaming down her face.
“She’s in shock,” he’d told the girl then ushered her back toward his office.
He’d had so many questions—how had Heather found out about Mariella being her birth mother, did she want a relationship or just to get a closer look at the woman who’d given her up, did her parents have any idea about any of this—but he hadn’t asked any of them. The girl had been too upset and Alex wasn’t even sure what was appropriate in the situation.
Things were even more complicated because of his history with Mariella, but he’d sent Heather home for the day—she was staying in a rented guesthouse outside of town—and done his best to diffuse the avalanche of rumors already hurtling through the company’s staff. He hated gossip and didn’t want Heather to have to deal with it.
Selfishly, he also didn’t want his name or the company tied to Mariella and stirring up old memories of his past with her. Easier said than done if Luann had truly offered her a position. Could Luann even make that offer without his approval? Not really, but he knew better than to believe he could stop the talented and temperamental designer from doing anything she set her mind to.
He had a complete nightmare on his hands and he had no idea how to begin dealing with any of it. A late-night visit to Mariella’s house probably wasn’t his best bet, but he told himself he needed an idea of where her head was at to stave off any more potentially damaging public scenes.
“I’m checking on you,” he said lamely, watching as her blue eyes narrowed.
“Is this your idea of revenge? Because I know you gave me that line about not wanting it served cold or whatever but this pain feels white-hot. It feels more than personal, Alex. It feels like you’re trying to destroy me.”
The words were spoken softly but the anger in them nearly knocked him off his feet. “I didn’t know.”
He concentrated on her anger because that was easier than seeing the pain and vulnerability in her summer-sky-blue gaze. Once again he reminded himself that it shouldn’t matter. Mariella Jacob was nothing to him. “I’m not gloating. I wanted to check on you, Mariella. To explain—”
“What? That now you’ve truly exposed me for the person I am? Not only a ranting drunk who would make a spectacle at a wedding but the kind of weak, cowardly person who would give up a child because that was easier than dealing with the challenges of being a single mother?”
“Is that why you gave her up?” He didn’t believe for a minute that was the reason. He couldn’t imagine Mariella ever backing away from a fight or a challenge.
“What is she doing here?” she whispered, looking past him out into the inky night.
He could hear crickets chirping from the surrounding trees and a cool breeze rippled behind him, offering some respite from the increasing heat and humidity of the North Carolina spring.
People told him that the heat wasn’t quite as bad in Magnolia because of the town’s proximity to the beach. If the temperatures continued to rise on the trajectory they seem to be headed, it was going to be one hot summer.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. Maybe he should have pressed Heather more, but the girl had been too distraught. Besides, what would he have shared with Mariella? If he was going to take sides, it wouldn’t be with her. “Like I told you, I had nothing to do with this. You have to believe me.”
“Why?” The question was spoken on a soft puff of air. He didn’t know how to answer it. He didn’t know why it mattered what this woman thought of him. He hadn’t chosen Magnolia because of Mariella but had to admit that getting under her skin was an unintended benefit of being there.
He knew it probably wasn’t fair. His fiancée had been the one to cheat. Mariella had revealed it. But he hated the way she’d done it so publicly and the way Amber’s PR team had spun things to make it look like the star had no choice given the dull and loveless relationship she’d found herself in with him.
It was difficult to separate everything that had happened in the weeks and months after the ruined wedding and assign blame to the appropriate parties. Alex found it challenging to think about that time and not become consumed by the anger and bitterness he’d felt toward Mariella.
