Page 120 of All for Love

“I know, but I’m also not the CEO of Wagner Industries. Very few people know who I am, and those I work with know my worth as a professional. That’s why they hire me. They don’t care about who I’m dating the same way people cared about who Mr. Wager was marrying.”

“Perhaps,” she mused. “You’re really not worried about it?”

“I’m really not worried about it. I’ve been offered permanent positions by my last three clients. If things do go sideways, I can always negotiate a deal to work exclusively for the group of them. I’ve got options, Mom. I’ve also got a tiny little bit of a reputation myself and it’s a good one.”

Pride shone from her eyes as she looked back at me. “I know that, honey. You’ve worked hard for it and you’ve earned it, which is why I don’t want you to lose it just because of who you’re dating.”

“I won’t. I know that you went through a lot when you got engaged and I realize that some of that was because of Kaden and Kody, but this isn’t the same thing, Mom. Besides, has Wagner actually lost any clients because of your marriage?”

“No, not as far as I know, but people give us the side-eye at business dinners and fundraisers all the time. They all think I’m only there for one thing.”

Well, at least this explains why she reacted the way she did. At least partially, anyway.

“I love you,” I said fiercely. “I also know how much you love me, but because of that, because you and I have always been so close, I also know how genuinely happy you are with him. I know you’re not there for the money and so does he. It means the world to me that you’re so happy together.”

One tear escaped from her eyelid and slid down her cheek. She swiped it away immediately, shaking her head at herself. “It means everything to me to hear you say that, darling. For a little while there, I wondered if you were trying to break us up for some reason.”

Ice spread through me, coating the insides of my veins as I stared back at her. “No! That’s not it at all. I never wanted to mess anything up for you or to make you doubt the love you have. That wasn’t our intention, Mom. Never.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” I frowned hard. “Kody came out of nowhere. Neither of us expected it, and frankly, neither of us wanted it, but he hit me like a ton of bricks, and once he did, there was no shaking him. We tried, Mom. We really did. We tried denying it even to ourselves. We tried staying away from each other. Kody even brought that girl to the Christmas party to make me believe he was moving on, but none of it worked.”

I took a deep breath. “The reason it didn’t work is because he makes me as happy as his father makes you. I know you’re worried about his reputation, but you don’t need to be. You know me well enough to know that if I had any doubts whether he was ready to hang up his playboy shoes, it would never have gone this far. We’re both happier than we’ve ever been. Just like you are. We wouldn’t have put any of you through this if that wasn’t true.”

She looked at me without saying a word. Her eyes were searching mine, her spine stiff with tension. The longer she looked though, the more I saw her relaxing until eventually, she was even smiling at me.

“That’s the truth?”

I nodded once. “The absolute, god honest truth. I wouldn’t lie about this, Mom. Not now and not ever. Kody and I fell in love. We didn’t walk into it and we certainly didn’t hit it running. We fell into it without even knowing there was a possibility of it being there, but it happened, and once it had, everything else was history. Our past was in our past and we’re now completely focused on our future. A future we’re planning together.”

Another few moments passed before she got up, and for one terrifying second, I thought she was going to walk out again. But then, she came to my side of the table and pulled me up into a hug. “I understand that so well, darling. So, so well.”

“Does that mean that maybe one day you’ll accept our relationship?” I asked hopefully.

“No.” My heart almost caved in on itself, but only until she let go and I saw the radiant smile on her lips when she looked at me. “Not one day. I’m accepting it right now. I have loved you with my whole heart since before I’d ever even seen your face, and if he really makes you that happy, then you’ve got my full support.”

Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes. I tossed my arms around her again and pulled her in for another hug. After months of strife, I finally felt whole and nothing had ever felt better.

I breathed through the sudden onslaught of tears and my mom held me as I put myself back together piece by piece. I smiled at her as we sat back down. “Is there any chance you want to go shopping with me when we’re done here?”

“Of course, I will.” Mom grinned. “Always. I’m here for you, my love. Right where I should’ve been from the very beginning of all this, but I’m ready to start making up for it now.”

She didn’t really have anything to make up for, but I knew she saw it that way. As for me, I was just so ecstatic to have my mom back that nothing could ruin it for me. In the past, when people had said that all was suddenly right in their world, I’d never believed it.

Surely, there had to be something wrong somewhere, but in that moment, I knew the true meaning of that phrase. With Kody waiting for me at home and having fixed things with my mom, all was right in my world.

And somehow, deep down inside, I was cautiously optimistic that it was going to stay that way.