Closure. He wanted to give me closure or a chance at having another relative. At the same time, he was blocking me from the chance of possible rejection.
This man. This crazy, thoughtful man knew to give me something I didn’t even know I wanted, let alone needed.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love him more than I already do, he goes and does something like this.
Ridge
I watch as a thousand emotions fly across my woman’s face, and for a moment, I wait for the anger to hit, only it never does.
A beautiful smile crosses her face. “You know how to keep me on my toes, that’s for sure.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “I try, baby.”
She turns back to her aunt and looks at her. I watch as the two women study each other, noting the similarities. Heidi’s hair is a shade lighter than Rain’s chocolate brown hair and cut to her shoulders, where Rain wears hers long. They both have blue eyes, only Rain’s are lighter. They have the same build, but Rain is just a little bit taller and more defined.
I’ll never admit it to Rain, but just looking at her aunt is like looking into the future. Now I know exactly what she will look like.
Her aunt clears her throat. “I’m sure you have questions. I’ll try to answer them as best as I can.”
“Why did you leave? Was it because of me?” Rain asks, cutting straight to it.
Heidi shakes her head. “No, it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with my sister.” Pain flashes through her eyes. “If your dad would have had a one-night stand that resulted in you, I would have gotten over it, accepted it. But my sister…she always saw things as a competition between the two of us. If I had something, she wanted it and would go out of her way to try to take it. It was a toxic situation, and I knew that if I stuck around, you would be dragged into the middle. I knew that wouldn’t be fair to any of us, so I thought it was best to leave.”
“From what little I know of her, that makes sense,” Rain mutters.
Confusion fills Heidi’s face. “Didn’t she stick around and help raise you?”
Rain scoffs. “No. She took off before my umbilical cord even fell off. Sure, she would pop in and out, but after a few years, Dad told her no more, and she never came back. He raised me by himself.”
Heidi shakes her head and mutters to herself. “Typical Amelia. I should have known. She’s never been responsible a day in her life.”
“I never felt her loss, though. Dad did the best he could, and it was more than enough,” Rain adds.
Heidi smiles softly. “Charles was always great with children. We used to stay up late at night and talk about how we would raise our kids and do things. I hate that you never had a mother figure, but at least you had him.”
I bite my tongue. Sure, Mustang did the best he could, but I bet he would have been better if she were around. If he wasn’t heartbroken and raising the reason his woman left him. Sure, he never took it out on Rain, but still, I’m sure it was a daily struggle. Shit, I don’t think I could have done it if I were in his shoes.
“Did you never reach out to him? After you left?” Rain asks after a minute.
A thoughtful look crosses her aunt’s face. “No, I didn’t, but sometimes I could have sworn I saw him across the room. Or I felt like someone was watching me. Then, when I would go to look, no one was around. It was so strange.”
Rain looks over at me and smiles. Somehow, both of us know that he never fully let her go, and knowing him, he wouldn’t have been able to stay away without getting a glimpse of her from time to time.
“Did you ever marry?” I ask, even though I already know the question.
“No, I tried dating from time to time, but no one stuck. It’s hard when you’ve had everything you want before, and no one else lives up to the expectations you have,” she says thoughtfully. “How long have you two been married?”
“Since right after Dad died,” Rain tells her.
“It’s been a busy year for you,” her aunt muses before the smile fades. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. I was with my mother when she passed after having a stroke. I wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy.”
“I wasn’t alone. I had the club. I had Ridge and my girls,” Rain says.
Hearing her mention me makes me puff out my chest. Yeah, I was there, but it’s not like things were good between us then.
Just another sign we’ve come so far.
“Where did you bury him? I would like to pay my respects,” Heidi says.
