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“And Delilah? Is she one of your priorities?”
“She’s none of your concern, and if it wasn’t obvious before, I care about her greatly. I’m not asking for a handout from you. I’m not even asking that you don’t show concern. I’m asking that you trust me and let me do what I need to do without interfering. If I thought Delilah was a risk to anyone, the first person to know would be you.”
“But would it really? I get the feeling it wouldn’t, and I don’t know if I can trust your judgment anymore.”
I shake my head. “Then why the fuck am I even here?”
Xander ignores my statement altogether and instead changes the subject. “Your daughter is waiting for you in the conference room.”
His previous comment jars me, but not as much as us all meeting in a conference room. I thought we would meet up at my apartment, at least. Since this is a private matter and not school related.
What is this, mediation? Does she plan on bringing a lawyer with her, too? I have to fight to keep my irritation at bay—I don’t want Xander to see how this rattles me as we walk side by side down the hall.
I want to ask exactly what the hell business this is of his, but again, I know better. He’s looking for the first opportunity to strike me down. I’m not going to hand him the ammunition that easily.
Xander opens the door to the conference room. Aspen is waiting, as promised, sitting at a long table with Quinton standing behind her like a guard dog, waiting to attack at any given moment.
He’s clearly no fan of mine right now. I can’t take it personally when I know it’s out of love for Aspen. At least he goes back to rubbing her shoulders after shooting me a death glare while she stares down at her folded hands.
I take a seat across from her, watching for any little reaction she gives off. I glance up at Xander, who lingers in the doorway. Does this mean he’s leaving? He needs to leave. I’m not having this discussion in his presence.
As it turns out, we’re waiting for another participant.
“Charlotte.” I rise from my chair as she enters the room. She nods in acknowledgment, and I take a seat while she does the same, leaving a couple of chairs between us. She can’t take her eyes off Aspen, who’s begun tapping her foot in a quick rhythm.
“We’ll leave you three alone,” Xander exclaims.
It’s obvious that’s the last thing Quinton wants to do, and I’m sure Xander would rather stick around. When Q glances down at Aspen, his eyebrows raised, I know this is the way she wants it. She nods briefly, and he exits the room with his father behind him.
“Thank you for sitting down to talk.” Aspen’s voice is soft but firm. Like she’s reciting something she’s practiced in her head. “I’ve had a little more time to think things over. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did.”
“You had every right to. You were reacting from your emotions. Anybody would.”
Her gaze brushes against mine ever so briefly before landing on the table between us. “Anyway, I wasn’t proud of myself.”
“Do you have any questions you need to be answered?” Charlotte asks.
The way she wrings her hands together in her lap reveals her strain. What she wants more than anything is to leap across the table and wrap her daughter in a big, tight hug.
“I have a million questions,” Aspen admits. “But the biggest one is where have you been the last few years, and why did people think you were dead?”
Charlotte explains everything she has told me before. Aspen is shocked about her adoptive parents’ involvement, but she doesn’t seem too surprised either.
“I traveled through Europe for a bit, trying to find my place in the world. I was lost for a long time, figuratively and sometimes actually. I ended up settling down in Italy, where I found someone.”
“So you have a boyfriend?” Aspen asks curiously.
“Actually, I’m married, and… I also have two young boys.”
“I have siblings?”
Charlotte nods, and her eyes light up, talking about her boys, the love for them so evident.
Aspen’s gaze bleeds into Charlotte, and she smiles at her mother. “I can’t wait to meet them. I mean, if that’s something that’s okay with you?”
“Of course! I would love that. You have no idea how much that would mean to me.”
That’s good. At least they have that.
