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“I wanted to know more about you, so I had to talk to the woman closest to you,” I said.
“Oh, so this is some type of women teaming up against the men thing? All you had to do was ask me what you wanted to know.”
“What happened to your birth mother?” I asked, and his smile disappeared without a trace.
"Neither of my parents wanted to be parents. When my mother got pregnant, they decided to get married for my sake. They quarreled all the time, and they never showed me love. My father was hardly ever at home, and my mother was either busy planning a soiree or attending one. They divorced when I was twelve, and I had to live at the ranch. During the divorce proceeding, the judge wanted to know which of them would take custody of me, and they both pointed at each other. My mother said my father should have me. My father bluntly refused to take custody of me."
“Oh, Ward. I’m sorry.”
“Aunt Maggie spoke up and said she would take me, so I had to go live on the ranch. Thank God, she’s a wonderful woman. She’s been so good to me. But I couldn’t stand seeing my parents when they came around. I couldn’t bear being treated like a stranger by my own parents, so I left the ranch when I was eighteen.”
“Where are they now?” I asked.
“My mother has remarried. She married a wealthy Russian politician, and they live in London. She sends a postcard every year, but I never read them. My father died in a car accident when I was nineteen. He willed his properties to me, but I haven’t touched a dime of the money. His lawyers called me the first night you were here asking what I’d like to do with my inheritance, but I have told them and my uncle that I don’t want it.”
So that was the call he took while the doctor was fixing my hand a few months ago, the call that made him look like he’d seen a ghost.
"I'm sorry, Ward," I said, touching his shoulder. "Your parents don’t know what they missed out on. You’re a good man, and it's their loss they didn't love and care for you as they should.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they are both dead to me. I don’t want to have anything to do with my mother any more than she wants anything to do with me,” he said, and his voice rang with finality.
“Ward, you have to forgive them to be free of the way they treated you."
“I’ll never forgive them, but I’m free, Mira. Having you to talk to about it makes me feel better.” He paused, and I could see his mind shifting gears. “Now, tell me more about your family. How did your parents stay together for so many years?”
“There was a time when they were so much in love, or so it seemed to me,” I said. “My dad used to play jazz music, and my mom and I would dance and sing along. I never saw my parents argue. Dad used to make dinner while mom and I would cuddle up on the couch. My brothers were close to each other, so they were often together playing video games or talking about girls,” I chuckled and my lips curved into a smile. “My brothers used to bully me until I stood up to them, and they started to respect me.”
“Putting tough guys in their place since you were a little girl, huh? I’m not surprised,” he said with a look of amazement dancing across his strong cheekbones.
I laughed and kissed him. “Yep! My parents are both architects, and we had a small firm. My older brothers started working at the firm when they left high school, and one after the other, they went to college. I started working at the firm when I left high school. That was when I realized my family wasn’t perfect. Dad was taking funds from the firm to help friends and to buy furniture and things we didn’t even need. The firm was bankrupt. My parents divorced before I graduated from college. Mom went her way, dad went his way, and my brothers went their own way. I was heartbroken, and I felt like an outsider. My brothers had each other, but I had no one. I was alone, broke, and homeless.”
“Mira, baby, you’ve been through a lot.”
“Yeah, and I drifted away from the family unit because I felt abandoned. But my parents, who are in town together, said they were planning to pay me a visit, and my brothers seemed happy to see me. They all apologized for not calling often, and I forgave them. Then, we had lunch together. Afterward, we went to Brandon’s place, and I met his girlfriend.”
“I’m glad you reconnected with your family. My mother and I haven’t spoken in years. I wouldn’t even know what to say even if I did want to talk to her.” Ward scooted close to me and slipped his arm around my waist.
“Your heart will find the right words to say when the time comes,” I said.
Ward kissed the tip of my nose and pulled me closer. “You sound like Auntie Maggie.”
Chapter Twenty
Ward
Mira and I had a long day. Joe was discharged from the hospital, and Mira insisted he move into her place so she would be able to keep an eye on him and ensure he was taking his medications at the right time. Instead of taking Joe to her house, I took him to my place. Mira was furious when she heard of the change in plan, but she quickly forgave me.
“You always have to have it your way,” she pouted.
“No, I don’t. If I had it my way, we would be having our own party tonight instead of going to your brother’s engagement party,” I said as we drove to the bar and grill on the invitation.
“We’ll have plenty of time for our own private party tonight. You just can’t make me holler because Joe’s there,” she said and giggled.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I teased.
After a short drive, we were pulling up to the venue. As soon as we walked in, her family welcomed me with open arms. Mira's dad and I had a chat, and I assured him I would take good care of his daughter.
All through her brother’s party, I fantasized about ripping off Mira's lovely black dress and making love to her until we were both sated. The site of my beautiful woman standing there with a martini glass in one hand and holding her hand over her heart with the other as she gasped at her future sister in law’s ring had my loins swollen. Would there ever come a time when I didn’t lust after her?
