Following Love (25 page)

“Hello, Adel,” Dena said, standing in place.

“To what do I owe this dubious pleasure?” She smirked, slurring her words far too early in the day to be the proper lady she always professed to be.

“It's time we talked,” Dena said, holding her chin upward to ward off any reflection of weakness.

“Speak with my attorneys.”

“I did, last night.”

Adel half smiled, cracking the stern victimized expression she'd built up over the years. “That's right. You know about all that by now. They kicked me out,” she said matter-of-factly, as if she'd just ordered a drink from the bar. “After everything I did for them and everything my husband did for them. Nelson founded that firm and I was right there beside him when he did. I gave them my life and that's how they treated me.” She chuckled then stepped back. “Come in, you might as well. They probably gave you my home, as well.”

“I don't want your home, Adel,” Dena said, crossing the threshold to follow her into the solarium. Surrounded on three sides and above by lush greenery and tinted glass, Dena remembered that she'd always loved this room. It was the only place in this mammoth house that seemed even remotely alive.

Adel walked over to the bar and sloppily poured another drink into her empty glass. She leaned back and looked up at the new day above her. “It's all over, so if you've come for more you need to talk to the traitors.”

“You still don't get it. I never wanted anything for myself. All this, everything I did over the years, I did for my son. Dillon has a right to his heritage.”

“All that's moot. You're talking to the wrong person. Weren't you paying attention? I don't control any of the money anymore, the lawyers do, talk to them.”

“No, this part is between you and me, woman to woman.”

“How dare you set foot in this house after you murdered my sons and killed my husband then profess to be righteous.”

“I'm not righteous, Adel, and I'm not your enemy.”

“You were always my enemy. The moment I laid eyes on you I knew you'd be trouble. Forester was so smitten with you, but I could see through that facade of yours. You wanted his money, the family money.”

“It was never about money, Adel, it was about control. You needed to control everyone and everything around you, and I wouldn't let you.”

“You ruined everything. You poisoned his mind, so how dare you have the audacity to stand there and judge me. You kill everything you touch—your mother, your father and my sons and my husband. Five dead because of you. Haven't you done enough?”

“Adel, I haven't done anything.”

“You ruined my life,” she spat out.

“I'm sorry you feel that way.”

“‘I'm sorry you feel that way.' Is that all you have to say? You walk in here and destroy my family and all you can say is I'm sorry. Save your apologies for someone who cares. I don't.”

“I didn't destroy your family, Adel, and I didn't come here about the past. I came to talk to you about the future, about Dillon.”

“To rub it in, I assume. He should be with me. You don't deserve him.”

“He's my son.”

“You took my son,” Adel spat out venomously as she completely broke down and cried, “You took his life.”

“No, Adel, you're wrong. I gave him a life,” she retorted firmly, “The spoiled, confused person who couldn't blow his nose without you learned to be a man on his own, and you couldn't handle it.”

“You weren't good enough for him.”

“As far as you were concerned nobody was good enough for him, but at least I made him happy.”

“He hated you,” Adel spit out.

Dena went quiet. “No, Adel, he loved me, and you couldn't stand it. I'm sorry for your hurt and I'm sorry that you can't get beyond it. I know the grief, the pain, of guilt. But I have a child to raise and the only reason I came here was to try and reconcile our differences for Forester's sake and ask you to be a part of my son's life. I see now that's not possible.” Dena took a step backward, turned and walked out. She left Graham Manor and never looked back.

“A
unt Ellen,” Dena called as soon as she entered the greenhouse.

“Over here,” Ellen said, elbow-deep in mixing soil, compost and vermiculite. “Welcome back,” she said as she firmly packed the soil mix around transplanted seedlings in larger more decorative pots.

“Hi,” she said, hugging her aunt. “It's good to be here,” Dena added then looked around. “Where's Dillon?”

“Hi, Mom,” Dillon said, and he came running up and hugged her waist. “Guess what? Aunt Ellen said that she's gonna buy me a real fishing pole and I could go fishing with Mr. Marshall on his farm.”

“That sounds great, sweetie, but we'll see, okay?” Dena looked up at her aunt questioningly. “Mr. Marshall?”

“He's a real live fireman,” Dillon said excitedly. “Can I ride on his fire truck please?”

“We'll see,” Dena said, then glanced at her aunt who suspiciously busied herself with another plant.

“'Kay,” he said, and hurried off to continue mixing his soil on the other side of the aisle.

“Reggie Marshall?” Dena queried with interest.

“Reggie stopped by last night after Julian left.”

Dena was immediately concerned. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened, he just stopped by.”

“For no reason?” Dena continued, knowing her aunt's love for remodeling and the fire department's frequent visits.

“For no reason,” Ellen confirmed. “Just to say hello.”

“And his farm?”

“Oh, didn't I mention it, we ran into Reggie at the county fair. His family farm was on the way. When he stopped by last night he invited us to come visit the farm again. He had a small pond out back. He told Dillon about going fishing last night.”

“Wait a minute. ‘Again,' as in, you went there before?”

“We might have stopped by while we were in the area,” she said casually.

“Really,” Dena said, smiling happily from ear to ear.

“Enough of that,” Ellen said. “Newsflash, Willamina had another baby boy last night.”

Dena smiled. “That's great. Is she okay? How's the baby?”

“Her husband called and said that both she and the baby are just fine. She's being released tomorrow.”

“Good, I'm glad to hear that. We'll send flowers to her house this afternoon.”

Ellen, seeing Dena's changed expression, reached out and took her hand, comforting her. “It's really over,” she assured her. Dena nodded and smiled. “Good, I'm glad.”

“Me, too.”

“Lynn called earlier. She said she'll be stopping by this afternoon with some paperwork for you to sign.” Dena nodded. “Are you okay?” Ellen asked, lowering her voice so that Dillon wouldn't hear them.

“Yes, I'm fine,” Dena said just as low. “Just tired, this day has been a long time coming.”

“And now it's finally over.”

“Yes, it is, finally.”

“I'm proud of you, you did good.”

“Thanks,” Dena answered pensively, then picked up a spade and dug it into the trough of soil. After mixing it around a few times, she stopped. “I went to see Adel this morning.”

Ellen looked up, surprised at hearing what Dena just said. “And?” she questioned openly.

“I guess I thought we would come to an understanding.”

“But you didn't,” Ellen surmised. Dena shook her head. “Adel is still angry and blaming you?” Dena nodded. “Then it's something that she's going to have to deal with.”

“She said that my selfishness killed five people.”

Ellen paused, realizing that Adel included Dena's parents in her attempts to hurt Dena. “And did you believe her?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Dena, baby.”

“For a real long time I felt guilty. If I hadn't snuck out that night then Mom and Dad would still be alive.”

“No, it was their time, nothing and nobody can change that.”

“But I believed that it was my fault then when Nelson, Kirkland and Forester were killed…”

“It was an accident,” Ellen said firmly.

Dena looked across the room to where Dillon was playing happily. She smiled. “I carried all that for so long.”

“Dena, your parents' deaths, Forester, his brother and his father were all horrible accidents. And as for Adel, you did what you had to do for Dillon's future.”

“I know that, too, it's just that she's still so sad and she has no one. I have Dillon and you.”

“Yes, you do. I once heard that when a person is ready, love will come. When Adel is ready, she'll move on, or not. It's her choice. She'll miss many opportunities, but it's her decision to make.”

Dena nodded, agreeing. She just wished Adel would find her peace.

“Is everything all set for the party tomorrow?” Ellen asked.

“Yep, the moon bounce will be delivered and blown up first thing. Balloons, decorations and cake will be here in the early afternoon.”

“Perfect.”

“The new patio and grill area look fantastic. When did they finish?”

“Yesterday afternoon.”

“They did a beautiful job. Are you ready to break in the grill with hot dogs and hamburgers?”

“Definitely.”

“Okay. After we finish here I'll go to the store and pick up the food.” She turned to leave.

“Oh, before I forget,” Ellen said. “Julian called about thirty minutes ago. He asked for you to call him when you got in.”

Dena nodded. “Thanks.” She went back to the house, knowing that he deserved an explanation since she all but ran out and left him in her house. But she wasn't ready to talk to him, not yet. She didn't know what to say.

Walking upstairs to change clothes, she found herself sitting on the side of the bed staring out her window at the oak tree. It was so simple before. She watched and he worked and the security of her heart was safely intact. But it was too late now for
I should haves.
She was already in love with Julian.

As soon as she climbed the back stairs, the front doorbell rang. She answered, knowing who it would be. “Hi, Julian.”

“Hi.” He walked in and stood. She closed the door and walked into the kitchen, he followed. “You want to tell me about this morning? You ran out like the house was on fire.”

“I needed to take care of something personal.”

He nodded, deciding not to press the issue. “Willamina had a baby boy last night.”

“Yes, Aunt Ellen just told me. That's great news.”

“Also, Mattie got the okay to return to work.”

“Oh,” Dena said, her expression completely changed.

“She's coming in Monday morning.”

“That's wonderful. That means the office can go back to normal. I'm sure that will be a relief to everyone there.” She turned away from him.

“Dena, this means…” he started.

“Julian, you don't have to, I understand. It was a temporary position. A few months at best, right? That was the original plan.”

“We were thinking…” he began.

“You know what, Julian, I need to change and help Aunt Ellen out in the greenhouse. Then I still have a ton of things to do before Dillon's birthday party tomorrow.”

“Dena, we need to talk.”

She nodded, not sure she could speak anymore.

“Tonight,” he offered.

She nodded.

For Julian, tonight never came. Dena purposely turned off her phone, took Ellen and Dillon out for dinner.

B
y Sunday afternoon the Peyton household was alive with activity. Friends and family enjoyed as neighborhood children, playmates from the day-care center and children and grandchildren of friends ran around having a blast. Although the clowns, magician and moon bounce was a major success, it was the pony rides Julian, Jordan and Darius provided that made the day. The kids had a ball taking turns riding in large circles.

Dena was scattered, entertaining and hosting. Ellen and Louise sat chatting happily as Reggie and Colonel Wheeler manned the grill, serving burgers and hot dogs to the kids and more stable food to the adults. The new patio got rave reviews as Jordan and Darius continually handed out business cards.

“I've been thinking of doing a little renovating job at my place,” Louise said, reading the business card Jordan handed her.

“That's great, just give us a call. I'll be happy to stop by and take a look and see what we can do,” Jordan said eagerly.

“I most definitely will,” Louise said, smiling and nodding happily. “My, my, my, you and your brother must stay extremely busy with everything you have going on. When do you find the time for family obligations?”

“We're both single,” Darius said assuredly.

“Is that right?” Louise questioned.

“Yes, ma'am.” He nodded confidently.

“Please call me Mamma Lou, everyone else does.” Louise smiled as she just happened to glance across the open area to Colonel Wheeler. He shook his head and began laughing, knowing that she would never change and loving every minute.

Across the way Dena looked over, seeing Julian helping kids blow up balloons. She smiled and nodded, he returned her gesture.

“What'd you do now?” Jordan asked, seeing them.

“Nothing,” Julian said.

“Doesn't look like nothing to me,” Darius added. “If you want my opinion…”

“Isn't that Lynn Brice?” Julian asked.

Darius stopped talking immediately and turned around, seeing Lynn walk over to the patio area with someone else. Jordan started laughing, seeing Darius' overly delighted expression. Darius glared at Jordan. “Excuse me,” he said, then walked away.

“Looks like it's just you and me, bro,” Jordan said. “Now, if you want my opinion…”

“Looks like Lynn brought a girlfriend with her.”

Jordan's neck turned so quickly he should have gotten whiplash. “I'll be right back.”

Julian smiled. Knowing his brothers' weaknesses always came in handy. He looked over to where Dena was. She was busy handing out drinks. He turned his attention to Dillon. He was sitting on the side, looking very sad. He walked over.

“Hey, little buddy, how you doing?” Julian asked, holding his hand out for Dillon to halfheartedly hit.

“I don't want to be four anymore,” Dillon said.

“Of course you do, being four years old is the best. You get to do so much more than you did when you were three. You'll see new things, go new places and meet new people.”

“I know, but I don't want to anymore.”

“You'll love it, trust me.”

“No, I won't. I'm staying here.”

Julian was confused. “What do you mean, staying here? Where else would you be going?” he asked, assuming that now that everything was over Dena might be considering moving back to her home in the city. If that were the case, he'd just buy someplace close by.

“California.”

“What about California?” he asked as his heart began sinking.

“After my birthday we gotta go live in California, but I don't want to anymore.”

“I see.”

“If I have to go, can you move to California with us?”

Julian took a deep breath as his heart knotted tight. “I'll tell you what, why don't you let me talk to your mother, maybe I can change her mind.” He looked up, seeing Dena walking toward them.

“Really?” Dillon said hopefully.

“Yes,” Julian said just as Dena arrived.

“Hi, birthday boy. How are you doing, having fun?” she said just as Dillon looked at Julian, nodded, then ran off.

“Dillon?” Dena called as he ran away.

She took a step to go after him. “Dena,” Julian said.

She whipped around anxiously. “What's wrong with him?”

“He doesn't want to be four anymore.”

“What?” she asked.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?” she asked.

“That you're leaving,” he said. She immediately looked regretful. “That you're packing up and walking out. Dillon just told me. Apparently being four means moving to California, and he doesn't want that. So the question remains, Dena, why didn't you tell me that you intended to leave all along?”

“Would it have made a difference?” she asked. He didn't speak. She shrugged. “I didn't think so.” She turned to walk away.

“I remember you saying once that you loved me.” She turned hard, her eyes blazed. “So, is that it? You just fell out of love with me, just like that.”

“Don't you dare…don't you dare use my feeling against me. I love you and nothing can change that.”

He smiled. The fire in her eyes was all he needed to see the truth. She did love him. “I love you, too, Dena. Don't leave me. I never asked that of any other woman, my mother, my ex-wife. But I'm asking you, Dena, please don't leave me. I love you too much to let you go.”

“You really love me?” she asked as a warm glow began to burn inside her.

“Yes, I really love you,” he repeated eagerly. “Stay.”

“I'm not leaving,” she whispered softly. He looked confused. “I was, yes. But that was before you. All my life I wondered what followed love, now I know, it's you. How could I possibly leave you?” She reached up and touched his face gently.

Julian smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently. “That's exactly what I wanted to hear and to make sure you stay by my side—” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful diamond ring “—marry me. Be my wife.”

“Julian,” she said as her eyes welled full. “I…”

“Just say yes,” he instructed.

She smiled. “Yes.”

“Mom, is it okay to be four now?”

Dena looked down and smiled just as Julian swept Dillon up in his arms. “Yes, sweetie, it's okay to be four.”

“Yea,” Dillon said, then hugged Julian. “Good, 'cause it's time to eat cake and chocolate ice cream.”

Julian set Dillon down and he immediately took off running. “What are we going to do with him?” she said.

“I thought I'd adopt him, then we could get to work on his little sister.”

“Oh, really,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Yeah, really.” He kissed her, then they headed around to the back of the house for cake and chocolate ice cream.