Page 24 of Claiming His Wife
Everyone knew when not to oppose her, so they all quickly filed out of the dining room.
“Now that we’re alone, we can talk.” She gave him a small smile. “I understand what you’re saying, Finn, but do you think it’s for the best? Not only for her, but for you as well.”
He considered what his mom asked him and knew that being with the woman he loved above all else was for the best. He wouldn’t give up on them now. He had paid enough for a crime he never committed. It was time to collect on the grievance.
“Mom, I know what I am doing, and I know what’s at stake here.” His mom didn’t seem convinced, and he didn’t have the energy to convince her. There was only one woman he needed to convince, and she was back in Montréal.
“I had always hoped that you and Kalilah would work things out, but now I’m not so sure. You’ve been away from each other for so long. So many things could have happened in that time...” His mom didn’t know the half of it. Kalilah had a boyfriend now, but he wouldn’t tell his family about that. He didn’t want his family to view her negatively, especially since he was trying to work on their marriage.
“Mom, it’s okay.” He stood up and went over to her and gave her a hug. “Kalilah and I will be fine; you’ll see.”
“Promise me one thing.”
“Anything except giving up on my marriage.”
She smiled at him.
“I know your mind is made up about winning your wife over, so I won’t waste my breath to dissuade you. I want you to be happy, Finn, and I know that Kalilah did make you happy, but I also know how crushed you were after she left. Remember, you can’t force these things, these matters of the heart. I would know. I was depressed after your dad walked away from us, from you. Promise me that you’ll prepare yourself in case things don’t go your way, and that you’ll move on. It is for your own good, son; I do not want you to die of heartbreak.”
Finn smiled.
“I promise, Mom. I even promise to move here to Ottawa if things don’t go as planned.” He knew he would never move to Ottawa.
CHAPTER 7
TWO DAYS LATER, AFTER TRAIPSING AROUND OLD PORT all day with her sister, they walked through the door of Kalilah’s hotel suite, giggling like schoolgirls at a meme they’d just seen on social media. She hadn’t heard from Finn in the past few days and, honestly, she was a bit relieved. She had enjoyed the time she and her sister were spending together. She sent Jonathan a quick text to let him know she had arrived back in her room. She hadn’t spoken to Finn since their brunch date, and she was okay with that. They had barely settled into the room when her phone rang. Kalilah looked at the screen thinking it was her beau, but her shoulders tensed when she saw who was calling.
“Hello, Finn,” she answered coolly.
“Kalilah, how are you doing on this fine summer evening?” He started.
“I was doing much better before I got this call.”
He ignored her statement.
“What do you think about supper?”
“It’s an important meal of the day, it really shouldn’t be skipped,” she evaded, unwilling to make things easier for him. She wanted to spend the evening with her sister, and she would.
“And having it with me?” He was not deterred by her evasion.
“It’s impossible tonight.”
“You’re not being difficult just to avoid being around me, are you? Are you afraid of what may happen between us if you spend time with me?” he challenged.
Of all the arrogant annoying things to say, it made her even more determined to keep him at arm’s length.
“Avoiding you will not get me what I want, now will it?”
Finn cleared his throat over the phone and huffed. He only did that when he was completely irritated and desperately trying to keep his cool. It gave Kalilah a perverse thrill that she was the cause of his annoyance. She knew it was petty, but she was willing to take all she could get.
She remembered him making that same sound years ago, when he’d picked her up from her friend Kayla’s family barbecue. Kayla’s brother was flirting with her at the time, and she didn’t do much to rebuff his advances since she knew he was a harmless flirt and did that with most girls.
Finn had been angered, and almost came to blows with the younger man. She had kissed him into oblivion that day to calm him and promised him that she only had eyes for him. She had been so happy then.
She buried the memory quickly in that emotional grave where she kept all other memories from that time. She just wished they could stay buried and not reappear to haunt her thoughts like ghosts.
“I just want to have supper with you, preferably tonight.”
