I left the hotel room in a hurry, hoping I could quickly listen to my mother’s half-ass apology, something no doubt designed to make her feel better rather than to mend fences with me. As soon as that was done, I could get back up to the room with Teagan. She’d seemed caught off guard by my offer to go to LA with her, but I hoped we could talk more about it once I returned, so I could explain how much I wanted to meet her sister and niece.
However, what I wanted above all else was a chance to see how good we could be together. And if I had to spend months convincing her that I was over my ex and safely out of rebound territory, I was up for the task.
With any luck, she would still be naked in bed upon my return to the room. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her incredible body. But there was much more than our physical connection. She made me feel good about myself, and could make even the most mundane activities fun.
In my mind, I was already running through what I needed to do. Book a flight to LA, text Aiden and let him know I was coming, reserve a hotel room, call work and tell them I was taking a couple more days off, and romance the hell out of Teagan. But first, a few minutes of family business.
I found my mother waiting for me in the lobby. She was alone. For some reason, I’d feared this might be another attempt to get me and my ex back together, but I was relieved to see that didn’t appear to be the case.
“Hello, my dear,” she greeted.
“Hi.”
“Thank you for meeting me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Silence. Then I saw Vanessa approaching. Dammit. I should’ve listened to my instincts when they’d warned me this was a setup. “You said this was about an apology.”
My mother expelled a long breath. “It is. I’m sorry about earlier. And your fiancée has an apology too.”
Ex-Fiancée. I didn’t want to hear any more apologies. That’s what happened when you no longer cared for someone. You were no longer interested if they were sorry or not.
Vanessa came up, glancing from my mother to me. “The thought of never talking to you again, Reid—it breaks my heart.”
That made one of us. I might have invested years in this woman, but I could definitely say I no longer loved her. And I had no intention of wasting another minute with her. “I need to go.”
“Wait. I have the ring.”
“What?”
“The engagement ring. It’s supposed to get returned to you.”
I’d written it off as a loss. “You want to give it back?”
“Yes. It’s the right thing to do, and maybe it’ll provide the closure I need.”
“Okay.” Such conscientiousness was unexpected from her direction.
“You’ll come up to my room with me?” Sensing my hesitation, she added, “You know, your mom can accompany us if you’re worried about how it’ll look.”
Great, two people I didn’t want to spend time with. But returning the ring was a type of closure, I had to admit. Although I’d never propose to another woman with it, perhaps I could sell it and donate the money.
My mom easily complied. “Of course, I’d be happy to come up with you.”
We walked toward the elevators together in an awkward silence until my mother asked, “You off to Dubai in the morning?”
“Actually, we’re heading to LA. Aiden is there now, so it’ll be good to see him.”
“Do tell him hello. I haven’t seen his mother lately. I need to call her. When is he coming home? He didn’t visit this last Christmas.”
No, he hadn’t, the lucky bastard. Among our families, the holiday circuit was brutal, including all manner of high-society parties and other various family obligations. I was already thinking I’d like to spend the next holiday season with Teagan, taking her wherever she wanted to go. “I have no idea, but I’ll be sure to ask him.”
Once we were in the elevator, my mom pulled out her phone and soon started huffing as she typed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“My phone has been having issues. Be a dear and let me use yours to confirm my car for tonight.”
I unlocked it and handed it over without a thought. Once the elevator door opened, I stepped off to follow Vanessa to her room. When she opened the door, I was surprised to see her mother. “Oh, hello, Mrs. Lane.”
“Hello, dear.” She cut a look to her daughter and then to my mother. Perhaps they were under the misapprehension there was a chance for reconciliation, but I’d come for the ring and nothing else.
“It’s in here,” Vanessa said, walking toward a bedroom.
I wasn’t going to follow her until, to my relief, I spotted a ring box sitting on the desk. As I came into the room, I braced myself for one last emotional scene. I had to physically keep myself from bolding once I heard the French doors start to close behind us.
Mrs. Lane gave me a smile as I turned. “Just to give you two some privacy.”
I’d never wanted to escape as badly as I did right now. I didn’t owe Vanessa a thing. However, I wasn’t a complete dick. If returning my ring in private provided her with closure and the ability to move on, then I could deal with a few more painful minutes. In return, I’d know I’d never have to do it again.
