Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) (19 page)

He had already been in contact with one of his dad’s cousins, who was a history buff and involved in Revolutionary War reenactments representing the Daughters of the American Revolution, an exclusive nationwide club of women who can prove their ancestor lineage back to a participant in the War. She collected and stored all the historic memorabilia for the family. We would be meeting with her tomorrow. We had also scheduled an appointment with one of my mom’s distant aunts, the following day.

We didn’t have much to go on, since record keeping was not the best during Revolutionary times. We could only hope that maybe some of our relatives had passed down information or items from one generation and was available for us to touch. There was also the possibility that some of the scenery in the historic town of Philadelphia would jog our memories.

Grandpa Frederick arrived in time for dinner. We sat around the table discussing the past few days’ events. He was pleased to see me feeling better. “We’ve all been worried about you, Jordan. I know you’ve got a lot of spirit and fight in you, but you need to take it easy, dear.”

He gave me a wink, before adding, “Lorraine can sometimes be a little overwhelming when it comes to something she cares about. She loves that she will have a daughter-in-law so close by. She already thinks of you as her own daughter, you know. If you need her to let up on the wedding details, just let her know you need your rest and she’ll give it to you.”

Gregory interjected. “Speaking of wedding details, we need to talk.” He shared about the phone call he, or rather I, received from Gwen earlier in the day. It was obvious that the information did not sit well with Grandpa. He continued to clench his fists and was downright explosive by the time Gregory finished the story.

“That girl had better watch herself. Phillip has already expressed how miserable he is. There’s not an easy solution there, now that she’s expecting; but we are all equals, pulling our own weight in this family, and she needs to learn that. Just because she married my eldest grandson and was the first to join the family, doesn’t give her right to anything of mine.”

Grandpa paused for a moment, a smile spreading across his face. He chuckled a moment before looking at both of us. “Your grandmother and I didn’t have a lot of money starting out. What we did have, we invested into the business and had to live like paupers for the longest time, until we started to turn a profit. We only had enough money to buy one another simple wedding bands.”

He shook his head, recalling a memory. “I kept apologizing to her about not having a proper engagement ring. She told me that love was from the heart, not from a piece of jewelry or a trinket, and that even without an engagement ring or wedding ring, she would love me with all of hers.

“I made a promise to myself to work hard and when the money was right, to give her a ring suitable for the magnificent woman she was. That day took nearly fifteen years to come, but I searched high and low for a ring that stood out amongst the others, much like her. She was a rare gem, indeed.”

I had to ask, “Where did you find the ring?”

Grandpa reached over and patted my hand. “I was on a business trip in Philadelphia, trying to finalize the purchasing rights to a piece of equipment our company was interested in. I had almost settled on a ring with a local shop in Orlando, but it just didn’t feel like
the one
. I was feeling a little depressed, missing my bride, when I had passed by a shop and a sparkle caught my eye. I stopped at the window and tried to find where the gleam came from.

“A young gentleman, with long blonde hair and bigger than any man I had ever seen, opened the door and introduced himself as the shopkeeper. He invited me in and we talked for a spell. When I told him I had stopped to look at the sparkle that flashed from the street, he realized what I was looking for and opened a special case, which held this ring.

“The moment I saw it, I was enamored with its beauty. It instantly reminded me of your grandmother, Veronica, and all the wonderful things she had gone without to help us make a life with one another and build a business. The shopkeeper didn’t want to part with the ring initially, citing it was only for someone who was pure of heart.”

He laughed. “We ended up talking for about two hours before he said he had to close up shop. I was about to leave when he offered me the ring at a price that was way under its value. I asked him why and his response was, “You seem to have a very rare and fortunate marriage, built on love, trust and the giving of oneself. This ring will bring you many years of luck and well wishes. When the time comes that the wearer of this ring no longer has use for it, I only ask that you give it to someone just as rare a find.”

Gregory and I looked at each other with curiosity. “How did you know to give it to Jordan?” Gregory asked.

His reply took us by surprise. “Ray told me I would just know, because her pure heart would shine through, much like your grandmother’s did.” He reached over and grabbed my hand in his, squeezing lightly. “You remind me so much of her. I can already see the love you have for my grandson. I hope this ring helps to bring you much joy and luck in the coming years. Plus, a few grandkids here and there wouldn’t hurt, either.” He laughed, jovially.

My mind was completely shattered at the moment. Could the Ray he spoke of be the same Ray we knew? Could all this have been set in motion years before its time? When I looked over at Gregory, I could tell the same questions were running through his mind, too.

I got up from the table and gave Grandpa a big hug and kiss on the cheek. “Know that you didn’t need to give me this ring. I would understand if you want it to go to your eldest grandson or even to Jonathan.”

He gave me a gentle squeeze back. “The ring goes to you, Jordan, end of story. Robin is a sweet, dear girl. Her and Jonathan are very happy and enjoying a wonderful life together. I have some other things of grandma’s that I will probably pass on to Robin—just like I’ll probably pass a few more things your direction, over time.”

I gave him another kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Grandpa. Please know that I will cherish this ring always and would love to know more about your wife, so that I can one day pass the love you have for her, down to my own kids.”

He looked over at Gregory, giving him a wink. “This one’s definitely a keeper, Gregory. I hope you make good on my request for grandkids.”

“I agree, she’s definitely a one in a million find. We haven’t discussed kids, yet, but I’m open to a couple in the future.” Gregory looked over at me giving me a wink.

He then shifted the conversation to his presentation. While he and Grandpa Fredrick looked over the PowerPoint presentation, I decided to give Mom a call to see how she was doing.

I had missed talking with her but I knew that she was busy with Uncle Tom and Aunt Melinda and she knew that I loved the beach and would be absorbed in relaxing while I was here. She was glad to hear that I was feeling refreshed, but concerned about my soon to be sister in-law, after I shared Gwen’s hateful phone call. To my surprise, she shared a story about my Aunt, my father’s sister, who hardly ever spoke to us. She had been off on a cruise when Dad passed and we hadn’t heard from her since, other than a card saying, “Sorry for your loss and mine.”

Mom went on to elaborate. “Your dad’s sister, Amelia, was dead set against us marrying. She insisted I was too young to handle the marriage because of our age differences. She didn’t care that I was more mature for my age, having cared for my mother who had been sickly most of her life. She kept stirring up a hornet’s nest, wherever she could. She even tried to turn people away from attending our wedding. But, we managed to get through, just fine. She’s been distant ever since, but all the rest of the family has been a true blessing. Maybe Gwen will come around, in time; if not, don’t worry about it, just be careful, though.”

To change the subject, she asked, “Don’t you fly up to Philly tomorrow to see some of Gregory’s relatives and your Great Aunt Sylvia?”

I told her our itinerary and that we would be returning home, to her place, on Saturday and would stay a few days there and commute to work. She was ecstatic. I had to hold the phone away from my ear in order to keep my eardrums from pounding.

A couple of hours later, the guys finished up with the final tweaks on the slides. Gregory offered to let Grandpa stay with us, so he wouldn’t be alone, but he insisted he had some more work to look over before turning in and didn’t want to disturb us.

We took in a late night swim and soak in the hot tub, downstairs, before calling it a night.

I had changed into a t-shirt and sleep shorts and was looking out over the balcony, listening to the tranquility of the waves crashing against the shoreline and watching the moonlight glitter against the water, when Gregory’s arms slipped around my waist, from behind, and drew me close to his firm chest. He leaned his head on my shoulder, as he whispered in my ear, “You look amazing in this moonlight.” His lips started to nibble a path from my shoulder to my ear. “I’m sorry my grandfather brought up the topic of kids, tonight. We do need to discuss that at some point. But, for now, I would love to hear your thoughts on a potential honeymoon.”

One hand reached around to slip into his hair holding his head close to my neck, as he continued placing flaming kisses and nips up toward my earlobe and then forward to my chin. “I’m all for having kids one day; but no need to hurry, unless you want to. At this point, I would just like to see us live to make the Wedding Day.”

I groaned as he bit down on my earlobe. “Oh, I definitely want kids with you. But, I agree, let’s get through one thing at a time. Now, how about we discuss that honeymoon?”

“I haven’t been to as many places as you, so I’m pretty much open to anything. The idea of tropical is appealing, since I do tend to relax around the waves; however, the choice is yours and I leave it in your capable hands to surprise me.”

He spun me around by the waist, grabbed hold of the nape of my neck and drew my lips to his. He sucked my lower lip into his mouth, causing me to gasp. I decided to take advantage of his mouth, probing it with my tongue. He groaned in appreciation, holding me even tighter to him. After several moments, we finally came up for air. “How did I ever get so lucky to find you throughout my life? You are my life, my love, my dreams come true.”

His words nearly took my breath away. “I agree, you are my everything.”

In a romantic gesture, he carried me to bed, gently tucking me in before checking to make sure the alarm system was set, the lights were turned off and his phone was set to wake us up for our early departure in the morning.

He climbed into bed and pulled me into a spooning position next to him. It had been difficult to get this close lately, thanks to the accident. But I was finally able to tolerate the position again, over the past few days. It felt like heaven to be held in his arms.

We slowly drifted off to sleep knowing that our journey would continue and that Ray had already set plans in motion, years before our birth. I could only hope that the answers we sought in Philly would be found.

The next morning we were up and out the door, with a car waiting to take us to the airport at 6 AM. Gregory told me not to bother with breakfast because we would be eating on the plane.

Grandpa was already on the plane and settled into a seat at one of the tables, with his laptop hooked up and reviewing a few files. Gregory positioned us a little further back at a similar table, but with two seats side by side.

To my surprise, there was a stewardess this time, asking if we would like any coffee or orange juice before we took off. We declined, for now, but asked if we could get some once we got in the air.

It didn’t take me long to realize why this flight was more formal than the other. Three other gentlemen, all in suits, walked up the steps of the plane and handed the stewardess their carry-on bags, before taking seats with Grandpa at his table.

All the gentlemen said their quick, “Hello’s” to one another, before greeting Gregory. Grandpa made me feel at ease introducing me as his “granddaughter” to the group. The conversations quickly ended and the group began to discuss the best way to approach the acquisition of their latest technological interest. I looked over to Gregory, “Will your dad be joining us, today?”