Page 40 of Dancing With Redemption

The place was decorated with a lot of black glass and gold accents all over. It wasn’t gaudy, it was tasteful, with a stage at one end, a bar at the other, and black tile floors throughout.

“Congratulations,” Lincoln said as he came up beside her, whispering into her ear with a seductive brush of his lips. “Do we have a room upstairs? I just remembered watching you dance, and I’d like a private performance.”

“Anytime, my love, you know that.” She turned into his arms, ready for wherever he might lead them.

“I do, but I wanted to be sure. Show me the way, Roxie. You know I’ll follow wherever you lead.”

“Just as I’ll follow you, Lincoln. I love you,” she whispered the words against his lips, loving how much he still turned her on, even after another baby, and time, should have dulled their passion.

She had a feeling that was never going to change. They were fire together, and always would be. And as long as they continued to lead each other through their lives together, she knew that would never change. She took his hand behind her back and started to walk out of the club to the elevators. It was time to start the next adventure with him.

Epilogue

Lincoln

“He’s here, Lincoln. Are you sure about this?” Roxie asked, staring steadily at the man who would be her husband in a week.

“Yes, my love. Let him in.” Lincoln stood up in his office, brushing down his shirt and straightening his tie. This was an important meeting, not a business one, but very personal. He didn’t want to impress the man who was about to walk into his office, he wanted the man to know he was fine without him, actually. But he did want to meet him.

“Hi,” the older man said as he came into the room, looking around nervously. “I’m Colin Fuller. Your dad.”

“Hi,” Lincoln said and looked the man over. He was in his fifties, but his head was bald, his face lined with stress and too much sun. He looked much older than he was.

Lincoln knew a lot more about the man than he knew about Lincoln, he was certain of that. Lincoln had him investigated and knew Colin had a record, that he’d caused a terrible accident a few years after Lincoln’s mother left him. He’d turned his life around after that, started a construction business, and had become mildly successful from it. He was involved in a lot of youth outreach programs now and spent a lot of time trying to make up for the pain he’d caused to the other driver of the car he’d hit while drunk.

Colin brushed his hands along the seat of his blue jeans and held his hand out. Lincoln took it, accepting the man into his life. For now.

“I don’t want anything from you, I just thought we should meet. If you want to walk out of here and never come back, that’s fine,” Lincoln offered, showing the man to a seat that he took.

“No, I couldn’t forgive myself if I walked out of your life a second time.” The man’s lips pursed, shame crossing his features. “I’m not who I was then. I have a wife, two other boys, and a daughter too. I’ve been with them every day since I married Sheryl. I’ve wondered what happened to you, but, well, your mother made it clear I wasn’t going to be a part of your life.”

“No, I’m sure she wouldn’t have allowed it with the way things were going. Yes, she told me the truth.” Lincoln paused, trying to come to terms with what his mother had told him and the man now before him. “I’ve had you investigated. I know what you’ve done, how you’ve tried to change who you were.”

“I have. It was the right thing to do after that accident I caused. I nearly killed that poor man,” Colin replied, and Lincoln could see that even now, his father felt the guilt. “Your mother took you away, right after you were born. It was probably for the best. I wasn’t a good person to be around. I don’t know what she told you, but I was terrible to her. Absolutely terrible.”

“Everything. She told me all of it. Do you still drink?” Lincoln offered him a bottle of very expensive scotch but Colin shook his head and held up his hand.

“No. Thank you, but no. I don’t touch the stuff anymore. I haven’t in over twenty years.” Colin looked around the room, but not with greed. He was just looking around. “You’ve done well for yourself. I’m glad to see that.”

“Thanks. I have. My soon-to-be wife is doing pretty well for herself, too.” Lincoln sat down after grabbing two bottles of water from a mini-fridge. He handed one to his father and took the other to his desk. “I’d like to ask you and your family to my wedding. I’d like to meet my siblings, if that would be alright with you. If you don’t like that idea, it’s fine too.”

“No, I’ve told them all about you, even before your attorney contacted me. I told them all they had an older brother out there somewhere. And I told them why they didn’t know him, as well. I knew when they were born, I had to be honest with them, that all of my preaching about clean living and being a good person would just wash over them if I didn’t give them a reason as to why I’d changed my ways. They know everything.”

“Alright. Then, I’d like to meet them. And your wife.” Lincoln watched Colin and saw when the man smiled. Good, there was no subterfuge there. The guy was being honest.

“They’d love that.” Colin nodded, as if to emphasize the statement. “They’ve always wondered about you. And they’re all hard workers too.”

Colin said that last part suddenly, as if to stave off any worries Lincoln might have about his siblings asking for money.

“The oldest, Mark, he’s a foreman at my company, and John went to college. He’s in medical school now. And Janey, my daughter, she’s in the Navy. Loves it.” Colin smiled with pride for his other children and then looked up to give Lincoln a steady look. “I wish I could have been the kind of man your mother deserved, but at that point, I was barely human. I couldn’t be the father you deserved either, and I’m sorry about that, Lincoln. I really am.”

“I’m fine, really. My mother married quite often, but I had a father figure I could depend on, even after she divorced him. He’s still a part of my life, and will be at the wedding too.” Lincoln didn’t know what else to say. He’d known this would probably be awkward, he’d talked about it with Roxie, and she’d told him if he ran out of things to say to call her and the kids in. He decided to do that now. She’d told him that kids level everything out, put people on equal footing at the whim of children. “Would you like to meet your grandchildren?”

“You have children?” Colin looked up in wonder, his eyes full of delight.

“I do. Michael was born in the spring and Lily turned ten this year.” Lincoln smiled with his own paternal pride. “Their mother and I had a thing when we were younger and got back together after we were separated for a long time.”

Lincoln didn’t want to go into the full story right now, but he’d tell the man, eventually, if it got that far. It was Roxie’s story too, and he wouldn’t tell it without her permission. Lincoln got up and walked to the door. “Roxie?”