“Come on, Grant,” I whispered. “We’re getting out of here.”
Leaving his door wide open, I ran back down the stairs.
No one had moved. Colin seemed to be waiting for orders. Grayson gaped at the open front door. My mother smiled at me, and I hugged her as best I could with my dress tucked under my arm.
“It’s not too late,” I whispered. “It’s never too late.”
“Maybe. Someday,” she said. “Go.”
Then I took Xander’s hand, and we walked past my father out the front door.
Chapter 39
Emery
Xander drove in silence back to his house. He pulled the car into the drive and sat for a long moment, gripping the wheel.
My throat felt thick. “Xander…”
“A thousand times, I imagined what it would be like if I saw my mother again,” he said gruffly. “A universe of possibilities for how she might react or what she would say. In some scenarios, she was sad and remorseful. In others—when I was feeling angry and vengeful—she was broken, pleading to come back on her hands and knees. I even imagined some where she was cool and indifferent. But not once did I imagine she’d deny I was her son.”
He bowed his head, and I scooted closer in the front seat, put my arms around his shaking shoulders. “I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have gone back.”
“No, I’m glad we did.” He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes in the crook of his arm. “For you and for me. I needed to know and now I know. The mystery is solved. Like getting the letters back. We can’t change what happened, but there’s tremendous relief in closing the circle, once and for all…”
I nodded. “I know.”
He touched his fingers to my chin. “Come on. We’re running out of time.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked softly. “Xander, we don’t have to go.”
“Yes, we do,” he said. “We absolutely do. I can’t think of a better way to end this night than spending it with you, surrounded by your creativity. I’m sure you made that place more beautiful than it’s ever been.”
“Only if this is what you want.”
“It’s exactly what I want. But what about you, Em? Are you okay?”
I smiled. “I’m sure it hasn’t hit me yet. But I know in my heart I did the right thing, even if it hurts. And that counts for a lot.”
Inside, the house was dark and empty. I waited in Xander’s room while he changed, then I went to the bathroom to change into my white dress. I had no makeup—I’d cried it all off—and my hair hung limply around my shoulders, but when I stepped out of the bathroom, Xander’s hand went to his heart.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than you,” he said, slipping a corsage over my wrist.
“Thank you,” I said. “And Xander, you’re…”
He was simply devastating with his hair slicked back and the black tux fitting his lean, muscled form to perfection. I was overcome with a sense of pride that he was mine.
“We have to hurry,” he said. “Let me put my contacts in.”
“Why?”
He stopped. “I thought you would want me to.”
“Absolutely not. I love you just as you are: my super genius in an athlete’s body.” I heaved a sigh. “It’s a lot to deal with, but I’m doing my best.”
He chuckled. “If you insist.”
We drove to the country club and pulled up to the valet. Xander tensed beside me. “The Buick isn’t quite a stretch limo…”
