Page 33 of Entwined
She sighed, the sound heavy with regret. "It wasn’t easy," she confessed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But I knew that whatever we had was over long before that day. I made peace with it a long time ago."
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling in my chest. "And now? What do you feel now?"
She took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she poured the boiling water into the mugs. "Now... I feel relief," she said quietly, handing me a mug. "Because I knew he loved you, Joey. He chose you because he saw something in you that he didn’t see in me."
I stared at the steaming mug in my hands, my mind racing. "And you’re okay with that?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
She nodded, a small, sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I am. You’re my daughter, and all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy."
Her words were like a balm to the wound that had been festering in my heart. I took a sip of the tea, the warmth spreading through me, soothing the turmoil inside.
As we stood there in the kitchen, the smell of tea mingling with the remnants of her day at the bakery, I realized that this was the moment I needed. Not just answers, but the reassurance that, despite everything, I was loved. Not just by Colson, but by my mother too. And that love, in its own way, was enough.
Chapter 14
Come back.
I stared at the words on my phone as I walked back to my hotel room in Rome.
The message was from Easton, another plea in a long string of them, urging me to return. But I wasn’t ready. For the first time in my life, I was truly living—no responsibilities, no one to answer to. After that heart-wrenching conversation with my mother, I knew I needed to escape, to be free, even if only for a moment. I took an extended leave of absence from Ashworth Financial, leaving everything behind.
Vaughn had stepped in, ending the disastrous merger with Bass Banking. Archie Bass had been hiding crucial information that would have sunk Ashworth Financial. Vaughn had exposed him, and two days later, Archie was arrested. He saved me from making a colossal mistake, and it was then I realized—I needed time. Time to be alone, to breathe, to figure out who I was without the weight of the company, without Colson.
Late September had arrived, and with it, the warm summer air began to fade. But I didn’t care. I set off on a journey, one I had only dreamed of taking. Paris was my first stop, where I indulged in every culinary delight the city had to offer. Lyon followed, and then Spain and Italy. The paparazzi hounded me, spinning tales of how I was galivanting around Europe while my husband’s memory was still fresh. But that wasn’t the truth.
Despite everything I knew about Colson Ashworth, I still loved him. I still missed him. There were nights I reached for the empty space beside me, yearning for the warmth of his body, the familiar sound of his breathing. But he was gone, and that reality hit me harder than I ever expected. I broke down more than once, the most intense being in my private cabin on the train from Paris to Florence, where I sobbed uncontrollably, mourning the man I loved and the life I had lost.
As I walked back from the small café across from my hotel, lost in thought, I bumped into someone.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, lifting my head to apologize, only to find myself staring into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Vaughn’s eyes.
“What…what are you doing here?” I stammered, my heart racing.
“I came for you,” he said simply, offering his arm.
I hesitated for a moment before wrapping my hand around his biceps. His presence was both comforting and disconcerting. He led me back to my hotel, the silence between us thick with unspoken words.
“Vaughn, why?” I asked as we reached the lobby.
“Why what?”
“Why did you come for me?” I pressed, needing an answer, something to make sense of the emotions swirling inside me.
He didn’t respond as we stepped into the empty elevator. The doors closed, and suddenly, I was trapped between him and the cold stainless steel wall. He caged me in, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.
“Because I need you,” he said, his voice low and fervent.
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “You don’t. You remember what I did?” I challenged, meeting his gaze head-on.
“It was an honest mistake, Joey. Anyone could have made it. I only found it because I used back channels. Without those private investigators, there could be a lot of bad deals AFC made,” he admitted, his expression softening slightly.
I reached around him and pressed the button for the eighth floor. As the elevator began to move, Vaughn didn’t budge, keeping me cornered. My heart pounded, the danger of being drawn back into his orbit crystal clear. I pushed him back gently, and he relented, following me down the hall to my room.
“I don’t want to go home. I’m not ready,” I said as I swiped my card, my voice trembling with the weight of my confession.
Vaughn watched me, his expression unreadable. “Then don’t,” he said quietly. “Stay here. Be free. But know that when you’re ready, I’ll be here. Waiting.”
The door clicked open, and I stepped inside, the air heavy with tension. I glanced back at Vaughn, his eyes still locked on mine. For a moment, I considered asking him to stay, but I knew better. I wasn’t ready to face what lay between us. Not yet. Iclosed the door, shutting out the world, and took a deep breath, knowing that my journey was far from over.
