“Yeah. André had a lot of contacts.” I decide to not tell him about the truck. Thomas is an important person in my life, and he looks already defeated and freaked out by knowing he’s a father of a twenty-six-year-old man. “Look, Thomas, you don’t owe me anything. I’m grateful to have you in my life,as you've always been.”
“I should have known. You have her eyes. I’m sorry, Aaron. Life hasn’t been easy on you.” He gives me a tap on the shoulder, which is a pretty demonstrative gesture for a man like Thomas. He is the opposite of André. Thomas has a warm soul, he sees the best in everyone. A good man.The ideal father.
“It’s fine, Thomas. Thank you for coming. We have a Grand Prix to win soon, right?” I grin, trying to cool the atmosphere between us.
“Right. See you on the track, Wolf.” He nods and starts walking away, hands in his pocket. Then he stops and massages his scalp nervously, before turning back. “Would it be okay if we talk? Outside the track, I mean. We could get a drink or something?” He takes a step toward me, a timid expression on his face. “If that’s okay, of course? I know you’re already, well, old and don’t need me.”
I can’t help but smirk. I don’t know if it’s because it means Thomas acknowledges me, wants to know me as his son, or because of how clumsy he is with his wording.
“That would be nice.”
He smiles, and the worry leaves his face. “Great. I—Hmm… well…”
I laugh when I see how awkward he is. Damn, Thomas. I pull him into amanlyhug. Both of us are tense at first, but we relax after a few seconds.
“This is getting too emotional for me.We have a reputation to hold on to.” He snorts.
I grin. “You’re right. But the rest of the team doesn’t have to know.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to keep them entertained by worrying us all on the track.”
“Thank you for always looking out for me.” As I see tears start forming in Thomas’ eyes, I quickly switch the subject to racing. That is a subject the both of us are comfortable with.
It warms my heart noticing how close Aaron and Thomas are. Looking at their faces, I’m pretty sure they are surprised by this display of affection themselves. Like father, like son. I decided to give them the privacy they need and walk a bit outside the cemetery to admire the nature. Seeing Aaron burying his father has torn my heart. Not for the repugnant man that he was, but because of my mother. I don’t know if I could stay soulless if I were to lose her. Her expression when she discovered the truth about Stephan and me showed that she does love me. She wasn’t as bad as André, she just meant to protect me from what she experienced. That’s why I can’t bear the thought of her dying alone.
“Elle.”And now I hear her voice calling me—how paranoid am I?I start walking away, ignoring the voice. “I flew from Paris to see you, you can at least hear me out!”
What? I turn around and watch Nina, standing in her usual black businesswomen outfit. I stare at her in shock, but then I remember that André is a public figure. She’s probably just here to find dirt about him for an article. Aaron closed the access to the media for the funeral, before promising them a public announcement the next day if they respect his privacy. I was surprised they agreed and kept their promises.
“Fine, I’ll talk.” She sighs before rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she says in a harsh tone like it has ripped her heart out.
“Sorry?” I take a step closer to her. I’ve never heard that word come out of her mouth.
“For Stephan. I should have listened and I…” She puts her big sunglasses on, trying to mask her expression. “I pushed you toward him, and he did to you what…” I notice her throat and mouth trembling while she manages a forced smile.
I pull her into a hug, and for the second time in twenty-four hours, another person burst into tears on my shoulder. I witnessed Aaron crying for the first time and my heart was bleeding, knowing it probably had cost him everything within him to finally let go. And now Nina. The last time I saw her crying was when my father left her and she begged at his feet.Maybe I’ll regain my mother back?
“I wanted to protect you, Elle. From love and men. And he did what your father did to me…” She tries to regain her control, but she’s still sobbing despite herself. “I failed. I didn’t want you to suffer. I thought it was what’s best for you.” My mother was unhappy in her relationships. She married for money and prestige, and now she realizes it’s not what happiness is.
If life taught me something, it’s that we can’t prevent certain events from happening. But we can rise up. Not give up on our hopes and dreams, no matter how hard life hits us. I choose to see the light instead of feeding my pain.
“I forgive you, Mother.” I blink away the tears, looking at the blue sky. “But you are wrong. Not all men are the same.” I pull away from her to force her to stare into my soul. “We can heal. One bad relationship doesn’t mean the end of us. It’s time to move on, Mom.” She nods her head before wiping her tears with a tissue.
“Does he treat you well?” She regains her cold tone.
“Yes. I love him.”
An expression of resentment appears on her face at the mention of love, but she manages a fake smile instead. “Well, let’s hope you’re right.”
“Ma belle.” Aaron caresses my arm gently, his gaze switching between my mother and me. I give him a head nod to let him know we are good. “Nice to see you again, Madame Monteiro.” Aaron offers his hand to shake, and she stares at it with confusion, as if she would betray her beliefs if she accepts his hand.
“Braham, I remarried.” She finally goes for his hand, and I know how much it costs her. It’s a sign of truce. An armistice. “I hope you’re serious about my daughter.” Her eyes run over him like a general leading his troupe to war. Her hatred for men will not disappear, but I know that if Aaron could heal me, maybe one day he could show her I’m right.
“All I want is Elle’s happiness.”
“We’ll see.” She arches her eyebrow, clearly not believing him. “I better head back. I’ll text you, okay?” She grabs my hand, and I nod with a smile on my face. “Great. Goodbye, Elle.” She starts to walk away, completely ignoring Aaron, when she stops and—in spite of herself—glances at him one more time before leaving. “I hope to see more of you, Aaron.” I chuckle, she’s trying.
Aaron kisses my forehead. “I think I’m growing on your mother.”
