Page 33 of The Perfect Kiss
“I’ll have an iced tea, unsweetened with a lemon, if you have it?” Delilah pleasantly said.
“I’ll have the same.” Tea sounded wonderful and also seemed fitting.
It wasn’t long after Jeannie brought us our teas that the plane took off. As the plane glided along the runway, the only sound heard was the turbo engine's rumble as we lifted off the ground. I hated flying, but every time I did, the experience got better and better. And having my adoptive mom beside me made it that much more comforting.
I didn’t know where to start in telling Delilah everything about Rui and Crosby. I wasn’t even sure if she knew they were brothers. “I have to ask you something,” I began. “Did you know that Crosby and Rui Salko were brothers?”
Delilah placed her hand over mine. “I did, baby girl. It must have been awful for you. Davian told me that Rui Salko was the man who kidnapped you and that Crosby had something to do with it. He also told me that Crosby had something to do with Gwen’s kidnapping.” Delilah paused for a moment to get her emotions under control. “When I found out what Crosby had done, all I wanted was for him to pay. He took the two most important things in my life from me.”
“I don’t blame you for what you did. When Rui Salko took me, every day I was with him, I wished he was dead. He was a monster, and as much as I wouldn’t wish death on anyone, I wanted him to die.”
Delilah wrapped her arms around me and began to cry. “We are quite the pair.”
Finding a bit of humor in what she said, I let out a small giggle. “Yes, we are.” I could have held onto her during the entire flight back to Atlanta, but then I was reminded of my birth mother. “Mom.” I released my hold and gazed into her watery eyes.
“I love you calling me mom. What is it, baby girl?”
“I have to tell you something else.” I wasn’t sure if she knew about my birth mom, but I didn’t want to keep any secrets from her. “I met my birth mom and dad when Davian and I were at his villa in the Caymans.”
“I thought she was dead,” Delilah said, seemingly surprised by my confession.
“I did too. Davian and his men did some digging, and they found out that the caseworker was my birth dad’s sister. My mom had been alive all this time. I hated her for not coming for me, but I understood why. Just like me, she was afraid of Rui Salko and what he would do if he found her.”
“So, where are they now?”
“My father is dead. Davian believes that one of Rui’s men killed him. I’m not sure about my mom. She went missing some time ago. I’m not even sure if she is still alive.”
“I’m so sorry, my dear Reyna. You’ve been through so much, and it breaks my heart that I wasn’t there for you.” My mom’s tears began falling again. I hated seeing her this way.
“Please don’t feel bad, Mom. We are together now, and that is all that matters. I just want to put everything that happened in the past.”
My mom and I continued to talk until the plane landed in Atlanta. She was excited about the wedding Davian, and I had planned in October. When I asked my mom what she would do now, she said she might go back to teaching. But mostly, she said she would live her life the way she wanted. As much as she used to love Crosby, the life he gave her wasn’t what she wanted. She was a simple woman, and that was how she wanted to live her life. So, I was happy for her. My mom would be a great teacher if she decided to do that again.
I was sad to leave her when Davian and dropped her off at her house. Tomorrow we had made plans for lunch. It was, in a way, the beginning of renewing our relationship with one another. I wanted to include Kenzi and the girls, and my mom was more than willing. She thought it would be an excellent time to discuss the wedding as well. I hadn’t had the chance to tell Kenzi about the new wedding date. She would probably be mad, but in the end, she would be happy for me. She just would need to work a little faster. Besides, Kenzi always did well under pressure.
“I hope you and Delilah were able to catch up,” Davian said as he drove away from my mom’s house.
“We did. We made plans to have lunch tomorrow and include the girls. I thought it would be nice to include them so we could talk about the wedding.” I had made the plan to have lunch with my mom without discussing it with Davian first. I wasn’t sure how he would react.
“I think that is a wonderful idea. I would still like to send two of the guys with you to be safe. I know McCall is no longer a threat, and neither is Elliott and Maverick, but there could still be men out there who worked for Salko and Crosby.”
I didn’t mind two of the men tagging along with us. Over the past months, they have grown on me, and I considered them family. “Do you think there are men out there even with Rui dead and Crosby in jail?”
“I don’t know, princess. But when it comes to you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”
It was reassuring that Davian wanted to make sure I was safe. Leaning over the center console, I placed a kiss on his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, princess.”
∞
When Davian pulled his Mercedes inside the warehouse, I had only one thought on my mind. I had to tell Kenzi about the change in plans for the wedding. It was late, but Kenzi was a night owl, and she would be awake. While Davian headed to the computer room, I headed up the stairs. When I reached the top step, I could hear the girls talking in the living room. Kenzi being awake was no surprise, but hearing the other girls’ voices was. Having them all in one place was a great way to let them all know about lunch tomorrow with my mom and the wedding changes.
I walked to the couch, took a seat next to Kenzi, and acted as though I had only been gone a few minutes instead of nine hours. Kenzi was the first to look at me. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug. “You’re back. Thank God.”
“You’re choking me, bestie.” Her hold around my neck was so tight. Through her excitement, Kenzi wasn’t aware that she was cutting off my air supply.
“Sorry, sweetie. I’m just glad you’re back.” Kenzi released her hold and scooted back. “Patton told us that Delilah shot Crosby not once but twice and that he would be going to jail. It’s finally over, Reyna.”
