Dane - Book 3: A Foster Family Saga Read online

  “That’s why we’ll be there. To defuse the tension, if need be. And, honestly, I think they’re long overdue for a heartfelt conversation. Don’t you? This is our floor.”

  “What time did you tell him to be here?” she whispered as we walked out of the elevator. I put a hand to the base of her spine and guided her to Sissy’s door. “Does she know he’s coming?”

  “She knows. He should be here any minute.” I lifted a hand to knock, but before my knuckles could connect with the wood, Sissy swung open the door.

  There stood my mother in a fashionable dark blue silk shift. Her black ringlet curls fell around her shining face, a smile bigger than Texas stretching cheek to cheek. She reached for me with outstretched arms. It was an unexpected greeting. I stepped forward tentatively and let her arms close around me.

  “Oh, Dane, I thought you’d change your mind. I couldn’t decide if I was being a silly old sentimental woman for thinkin’ you’d show up, but here you are.”

  I nodded, stepping back. I gestured to Hanna, who stood nervously aside. She held out her hand to shake my mother’s, but Sissy pulled her into a hug, too. “Come in, come in.”

  We crossed the threshold. I hadn’t been inside my mother’s apartment since moving her into the place, and I was surprised by how much she had made the place her own in that short time. There were still boxes to be unpacked stacked neatly down a hall, but the living room was filled with furniture purchased from the weekly stipend I provided for her expenses.

  “You always did like Victorian things,” I said, enchanted by the place. I sat on the edge of the velvet couch in front of the ornate fireplace, reaching for Hanna to take a seat beside me as Sissy fluttered around the room straightening throw pillows.

  “You like it?” she asked. “I found that big ole picture above the fireplace at a garage sale online. Would you believe that? Darien used to tell me I didn’t have a head for computers, but proves him wrong.”

  “You got that right, Mama. Have you been enjoying fixing up the place?”

  She paused with a dreamy expression flitting across her face. Her blue eyes touched particular items in the room, like the ivory baby grand piano. She rubbed her foot along the Persian carpet, glanced up at the molding surrounding the white ceiling and around at the pastel green walls. “I never thought…” she started but stopped, gulping.

  I stood up and moved over to my mom, rubbing her back. “What is it, Mama? Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. I’m fine.” She waved me away. “I never thought I’d have things this nice, is all. I grew up dirt poor and been dirt poor all my life, and I don’t think I deserve all this stuff, but I appreciate you just the same, son.”

  “It’s the least I can do,” I said.

  Hanna grabbed my hand and traced my lifeline with her forefinger, looking at Sissy with eyes that seemed forgiving. “You know, he’s been trying to do this for you for a while. You and I didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but I do believe I’ve gotten to know your son quite well, and I’m honored to be with him. So thank you for giving Dane the opportunity to share with you, Sissy. It means a lot to him.”

  I ducked my head, the heartfelt speech on my behalf making me blush slightly. I cleared my throat and asked my mother to sit down with us. I wanted to know how she felt about my father coming over. Sissy shook visibly at the mention of Cornelius.

  “Are you nervous about it?” I asked. “You haven’t seen him in decades, have you?”

  “You know I haven’t. I bet the rascal hasn’t aged a bit.”

  “Well, neither have you,” I said.

  “I don’t know what he wants to talk about. It’s a little late for talkin’ anyhow. What’s done is done.”

  “I agree on the what’s done is done part, but there’s a lot of tomorrow ahead of us, and, frankly, I want to see my family move forward without baggage from the past. Mama, a lot of what happened to me growing up changed me into a very bad example of a man because I firmly believed I had to be ruthlessly cutthroat to take back what should’ve been mine. I don’t want to live like that anymore. Do you?”

  I stared at Sissy intently, wondering if she was done with her old ways. I had been receiving weekly reports on her wellbeing from her therapist, the doctor who had previously, briefly worked with me. I knew my mother was getting on nicely with her sewing circle. I was aware she was well received by the parishioners at her church. She seemed to be reformed.

  “It’s something I never expected,” she said.

  The knock at the door made us all look at each other, steadying ourselves for my father’s appearance. My mother quietly slipped to the mirror near her front door and checked her hair, her nude lipstick. She smoothed her evenly arched eyebrows and took a deep breath before opening the door.

  “Cornelius.”

  I couldn’t see his face from where I was sitting, but I could picture it, a mixture of relief and regret.

  “Cecily…dear, you haven’t changed.”

  I smiled at Hanna, who clung tighter to my hand as we sat through a brief silence while my parents hugged each other. I tried to imagine what it was like to be Sissy, seeing the man she had loved all those years, a man who had never belonged to her. I tried to imagine Hanna belonging to someone else. The thought softened me. I could understand my mother. To lose Hanna completely would change me for the worse, too.

  Cornelius walked into the room with a hearty laugh at some joke my mother had whispered to him, and I looked up in pleasure, rising to my feet to greet my dad. He clasped my hand, eyes immediately turning to the woman with me.

  “And this is Hanna?” He had a merry twinkle in his eyes. A smile spread across his face as he kissed her hand. It struck me he had never looked at my ex-girlfriend, Lynn, like that. He looked at Hanna like he accepted her at face value. Hanna had nothing to hide, no motive for being with me other than that she genuinely cared for me. It warmed me.

  “She’s a looker,” said Cornelius. I grinned in agreement.

  “Now that everyone is here,” said Sissy, “I been slavin’ over the stove all day fixin’ up some stuff. Lord, it’s been forever since I got to cook for anybody. I hope y’all like it.”

  “If I remember correctly, your cooking was always a treat, Cecily,” said Cornelius.

  She blushed and beckoned for us to follow her to her dining room, where the Victorian décor also extended. I pulled out Hanna’s chair and helped her sit. Looking up, I was surprised to see my father do the same for Sissy.

  Sissy sat at the head of the table with Cornelius to her left and Hanna to her right, and I took up a chair at the foot of the table. It was small and serviceable for my mother, given that she rarely entertained. The seating was cozy enough for us to sit together comfortably without rubbing elbows. I reached to lift a pot off the main dish, but Mama halted me.

  “Dane Foster, I know I taught you better than that. We have to say grace first,” Sissy said, leaving me chuckling. I grabbed Hanna’s and my father’s hands, and Mama did the same. It felt like ages since the last time I had prayed. I closed my eyes and thought up reasons I should be thankful.

  “Dear Lord, we appreciate this meal you have placed before us,” I mumbled. “Just one small favor. Please let it not be drugged.”

  Hanna tittered and Cornelius coughed, chuckling. Sissy cleared her throat and peeked open one eye to watch me sternly. I wiped the grin off my face and tried to get serious. “Er, thank you for…bringing us all together. I especially appreciate you for touching the heart of Hanna Sorenson, whom I care a lot about. So, thanks for putting in a good word for me. Um, you’ve been real good to my mama, and please keep on doing that. And thanks for giving Cornelius some time off from running the world to be here. That’s all. Amen.”

  I burst out laughing and Sissy wagged her napkin at me, giggling. “You’re a heathen, boy. But amen. I did up a lasagna, and the bread is fresh baked, y’all. I didn’t bake it myself, but there was a bakery right up from the ch
urch. Oh, their croissants are the flakiest! We can all serve ourselves, right?”

  We filled our plates, slipping into easy banter. I had been anxious Cornelius would be his normally quiet self, but he seemed to understand the lengths my mother had gone to in making him feel welcome. She had called him personally, at my request. She had even invited Caroline, although she had declined the invitation.

  I sat back in my chair and dug into the food, actually serious about that part of my prayer that it not be poisoned. The last time I had eaten my mother’s cooking, I had woken up bound and held hostage on the yacht. That was behind us, however. The pasta and red sauce were bursting with ripe tomato flavor. Savory seasonings satisfied my tongue. I noticed even Hanna eating a healthy helping.

  It was when our stomachs were full, and we were out of small talk, that some of the uneasiness returned. I looked up to find Cornelius staring at his pocket watch. I glanced over at Sissy to see her gazing at her plate uncomfortably. Hanna gave me a look, and I stepped in to get to the bottom of why we were really there.

  “Before you leave, Cornelius, I know you’re a busy man, but there is something I think Sissy needs to get off her chest. Dad, I had a very intense conversation with my mother a few weeks back that shed some light of things.”

  He nodded sagely. “I imagined it was something like that. It’s not every day an old lover calls you up and asks you out to dinner with her love child.” He smiled weakly. He turned his full attention to Sissy and looked at her expectantly. “I suppose, again, I owe you an apology, but I do think you have some explaining to do, too.”

  “I know you must think I’m the worst sort of person,” Sissy said, looking down.

  “Probably no worse than you think me. Just tell me. How could you be a part of something that could have caused harm to our son?”

  “Cornelius,” Sissy said, slightly exasperated. I leaned back and took a sip of wine, eyes jumping back and forth between them. “He’s always been my son. He came to you as a grown man, fully raised, out of college and everything. I did the raising, the putting through school. I did the kissing booboos and staying up nights when he was three and had ear infections back to back. I guess—well, you just have to understand, I never really thought of Dane as being our son.”

  “But he is. And even after all the things you just listed to qualify you as his mother, you still turned against him.” His voice was soft, but firm.

  I held up a hand and interjected. “I know that Sissy did the things she did because of her loyalty to Darien, which was founded in her feelings of abandonment. I forgive my mother, and I know that she’s working out her issues.”

  “I see that,” said Cornelius. “That’s something, at least.”

  “I was so young, Cornelius. After you broke my heart, what—what did you expect me to do? I waited for you and waited for you to come take care of us, and you never did,” said Sissy. There were tears on her face. She wiped them away with her napkin. I was surprised to see Hanna place her hand atop my mother’s.

  Cornelius cleared his throat and shook his head, tilted his head to the side to study Sissy. “I cared so much about you, Cecily. I would’ve come for you. Under different circumstances, I would’ve come for you. But I was just as young and wild and foolish. What I did to you was the lowest of the low, and if I have to spend the rest of my life apologizing for it, I will. There’s nothing I can take back. Just know, if you ever thought you were unloved, you were wrong.”

  She nodded understanding, and I realized suddenly all my mother had wanted to hear was Cornelius telling her he had actually cared for her, that he hadn’t used her solely to slake his lust. It was such a simple thing and so life changing. I sighed and studied them both.

  “I’m happy to come from you two.”

  “Are you?” Cornelius smiled.

  I held up both hands and grinned. “I’m Dane Foster, Dad. Without you two, there’s no me.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Hanna and I left my mother’s apartment around seven in the evening, leaving Sissy to ponder the things discussed with Cornelius. It was incredibly convenient to wave goodbye to Cornelius in the lobby and just take the elevator back up to my floor. I opened the door of my apartment and walked inside with a happy exhale. Hanna strolled in behind me, talking about her things being shipped from DC.

  “I have yet to call my aunt. She’ll probably think I’ve lost my mind.”

  “I seem to recall thinking something similar when I first met you,” I teased.

  She unclasped the pearls from her neck and winked at me. “Still think I’m crazy?”

  I dragged her into my arms and kissed her lips, sighing. “Like a fox. Foxy woman. Damn, you’re beautiful.”

  “Cool it, pervert. Let me take a bath first, at least. You’ll ruin my evening gown.”

  She slipped from my hands and ran into the living room. “I’ll buy you a new one,” I said, in pursuit. Hanna slipped the gown from her shoulders and let it slide down her svelte body to the floor. I ambled toward her with sexual intent, but she dashed out of my reach. “Don’t fight it, love. You know you want to break the rules with me.”

  She smiled at me from the staircase. “Dane Foster, we’ve broken the rules so many times that my poor little rule breaker needs a break!”

  “Ah!” I gasped, laughing out loud. I wagged my finger at her. “Let me run you a hot bath with Epsom salts. That should do the trick.”

  “Stay the hell away from me, you insatiable sex addict,” she said, giggling.

  I took a threatening step up the stairs and she ran up to my room and into the bathroom. I fell onto my bed, chuckling. There was nothing like coming home with her. I waited for her to finish soaking, listening to Hanna sing tunelessly while she bathed. I got out of my slacks and blazer and padded around the room in boxers, sitting at my computer to check a few emails. Gervais had sent over the contract for the new COO, a woman named Hailey Winters. I signed off on the documents and turned around in my chair just as Hanna finally strolled out of the bathroom.

  She was toweling her hair dry, smiling at me invitingly. “Eventually, this honeymoon phase will be over, and you’ll be griping at me about using your toothbrush.”

  I groaned and grinned, shaking my head. “I’ll be sure to rub all my toothbrushes under my armpits each morning so you never think to ask to borrow them.”

  “Gross! Hey, where’s your laptop? I want to look up some job leads. There’s gotta be something around this city that can keep me busy.”

  I opened a drawer and pulled out my laptop. “You know, baby, a lot of people in your position just stay home and drink all day.”

  “Right, usually leaving a job and an apartment behind gives one the urge to drink.”

  “Having second thoughts?” I rose from the chair and pulled her into my arms, nibbling her neck. I turned away and went to my closet to pull out something to wear to bed. Lounge pants and fresh boxers in hand, I slipped into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Hanna sat on my bed and did job searches, and I watched her through the open bathroom door. I didn’t think the honeymoon phase of her living with me would end. I could see us growing closer, getting used to each other.

  “You want to redecorate?” I asked. Much of the penthouse had been done up by an ex. The place needed Hanna’s stamp.

  She grinned at me, hazel eyes dancing. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Take one of my cards. Go crazy. Mom did a lot of her shopping online, so you never even have to leave.”

  “Nice try, but I refuse to be held hostage by you. I plan to get out and get some fresh air occasionally. Besides, there’s nothing like trying out a couch before you buy. You don’t want to end up with a lumpy piece of expensive, beautiful crap, do you?”

  I finished bathing and climbed out of the tub, feeling a pull in my groin and grinning to myself at Hanna’s earlier statement that her rule breaker needed a break. Our sex life had exploded with activity since I flew out to DC to retrieve her. I massaged out t
he muscle cramp and dried off, then pulled on my clothes and walked into the bedroom.

  “You know what? That job shit can wait. Why don’t you come downstairs with me and let’s enjoy a movie together or something.”

  We went into the living room, but a knock at the door stalled me from turning on the TV. I sighed, wondering who on earth would bother us so late in the day, but the momentary surprise at seeing who was at the door was brief. It rapidly evolved into ire. “Annabeth,” I said coolly. I had known she’d come around eventually, but that was before Hanna had come back to me.

  The woman at the door stood there and stared past my shoulder at Hanna in my living room, a smile taking shape on Annabeth’s face. “Hello, Dane.” She pushed past me and strolled into my home, stepping over Hanna’s discarded evening gown with disdain. Hanna looked up from the laptop where she was working. Hanna smiled shyly and glanced at me.

  “Oh, hello,” Hanna replied. “Dane, I didn’t know you were expecting company.”

  “I wasn’t expecting company. Annabeth… How the hell did you get past security?” I stared at her pointedly from the door.

  “Well, as you know,” she smiled snidely. “I've always had my ways. Of which, if I remember correctly, even you had a hard time resisting.”

  I looked over at Hanna knowing better than to entertain or give any energy to Annabeth’s statement. Security will need a complete overhaul if someone like her could get passed them.

  “You must be Hanna.” Annabeth reached for my girlfriend’s hands, and I moved quickly across the room to intervene, putting my arm between them. Hanna stood with an uncertain expression.

  I eased Hanna behind me, scowling down at Annabeth. I was sure it was another one of her ploys to ruin my life. “Why are you here?” I asked. I suddenly realized how crazy it was of me not to warn Hanna of the spurned ex-lover. She knew nothing about the pregnancy, but had I told her in advance, Hanna would never have followed me to New York. I wanted to wish us away to the manor. Dread clutched at my chest. I had to face the situation now that Annabeth had brought the madness to my door.