Page 73 of Fresh Start
She broke into laughter again. “I’m human too. No matter what I’ve made you all believe,” she said. “But don’t tell anyone I said that.”
I chuckled, looking up at the ceiling to keep the tears in. There had been so many over the years, I couldn’t let any more spill.
Yaya stepped closer and wrapped me in her warm embrace.
“Do what you have to do, my little lion. Whatever decision you make, I’m sure it will be the right one,” she said and let me go, wiping my eyes and stepping aside so I could leave.
I rushed down the stairs and bumped into Andy at the bottom of them. I told him what happened with the meeting, and he insisted on taking me to Newport News even though he had to go to work, so we got in his white 4x4 and he zoomed past the town to get me to the airport.
“Wow. Private jet, huh? My brother is a superstar indeed,” he said and patted my knee.
“I don’t indulge. I care about the environment too much, but this is an emergency,” I said.
“Still. Not a lot of us can say they can afford a private jet,” he said.
“Being a prisoner in a boy band has its perks for sure.”
At that comment, he turned his head briefly and pursed his lips. It was his apology.
It was good to have him back in my life. Not just him. All of my family. Even the members that didn’t even exist when I left, like Summer. I’d yet to officially meet Maya, but I couldn’t wait. I definitely didn’t want to lose this again. Just like Yaya had said, they’d all forgiven me and taken me back in. As if I’d never left.
Was I being too harsh on Dawson? Last night, I wanted him to follow me and explain himself, and today, I’d sent him off, despite the fact that he’d come for that exact reason.
It didn’t matter now. I had to get to LA. Love could wait. It had waited for seventeen years.
Twenty-One
Dawson
When I got back to the bed and breakfast, Melody was sweeping outside the front door, and she looked up at me as soon as she saw me.
“And?” she asked.
I shook my head, and she sighed.
“Such a hothead. I’m sure he’ll come around,” she said.
“I don’t know how if he won’t let me talk to him,” I said and went inside.
“Oh, before you go, you’ve got company. A Ms. Coletti, a Ms. North, and a Ms. Wu are waiting for you in the restaurant upstairs. I told them you might be a while.”
Alice, Karen, and Tracy? What on earth were they doing here?
“Thanks, Mel.”
I took the steps up to the restaurant two at a time, and for the first time in a week, it was empty, almost serene if not for the three women chatting loudly around a table on the balcony.
Their table was brimming with breakfast, paperwork, and laptops. It was their usual setup wherever they went in the world. But seeing them here, after everything that had happened, warmed my heart.
"Good morning, Mr. Eldred! Nice of you to join us. You look like shit," Alice said and got up to give me a hug.
"Is everything okay? Your eyes look swollen. Is it summer allergies?" Tracy asked. "If so, we need to do something about that."
As warm as my heart had felt, it had quickly gone back to numb when I remembered what they'd done.
I looked from Tracy, to Alice, to Karen not knowing where to start. Karen wasn't at fault here. My main beef was with the two ladies that ruled my life. I sat down and waited for them to do the same.
"I look like shit because you made everything shit," I said matter-of-factly.
