Turning toward the sound of Aiden’s voice, I met the gazes of Connor’s children, who’d assembled near the door.
“I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be off planning the next thing you wanted to take from me. But then again, maybe you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to gloat.”
“Are you quite done?” Aiden asked.
“Are you?” Connor countered.
“Will you two ever learn?” Sloan snapped, stepping closer to her father. “My mother is gone. Do you fully comprehend that? She’s gone. We have no idea where she is or if she’s really okay, and instead of concentrating on that, you continue with this feud. Will it ever stop? When will you finally wake up?”
No one spoke. There was only silence. As we digested Sloan’s words, I scanned the room. In the short time since I’d left, Fran had reassembled it to elegant perfection—a scene now worthy of a feature spread in any number of the upscale magazines. She’d even brightened the space with large bouquets of flowers, presumably from Sienna’s special conservatory.
Connor turned away from us. Breaking the silence, he said, “Your mother’s fine.”
“How do you know?” Allison asked, and stepped further into the room.
“When I first realized your mother had actually left me, I called her. She didn’t answer, so I left a message. A few hours later, she replied that she was going home.”
“What does that mean?” Nicholas asked, as we followed Connor to the sitting area and situated ourselves around him.
“At first I was confused by her reply as well, so I sent her a text. She didn’t reply so I sent another and another. Still there was nothing. Then I realized what she meant. She’d gone back to the place where she grew up.”
“Why would she do that? Her childhood home isn’t one someone like our mother would want to run back to,” Aiden said.
Connor let out a sigh. “Exactly.”
“What are you not saying, Dad?” Aiden asked.
“Sometimes when you feel as though you’ve taken a wrong turn and your life isn’t at all what you envisioned, you return to the place where it all started. And for her to go back there, to Little Rock, she’s retracing her life. And I don’t think she wants to walk down the same path anymore.”
“Why do you say that?” Nicholas asked.
“She hated that place. We went there once before you kids were born, and she said she’d never go back again. But she’s there now—the place she hates. She’d rather be there than with me.”
I was sure Connor was reading too much into this.
“I need you all to leave,” he said.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Aiden replied.
Everyone took a seat, in silent protest to Connor’s request.
“I love that woman,” Connor said, breaking the quiet of the room.
It was rare that I saw Connor display any emotion that didn’t involve his company. I glanced at the others. They appeared as confounded as I.
“I know. And she loves you, too,” I said. “Very much.”
“How do you know?” he asked, looking up with doleful eyes.
“It’s obvious, and even if it wasn’t, she told us,” Aiden said. “Before the wedding.”
“And her eyes lit up when she talked about you,” I said. “I think what this all comes down to is her need for the old you. The man she fell in love with.”
Connor waved my pronouncement away. “I don’t even know who that man is anymore,” he said.
“I think you can find out if you let us do as we’ve planned,” Nicholas said. “Spend time with our mother. Remind her why she loves you.”
“And stop manipulating us. Stop trying to control our lives,” Allison said.
“You, too, Allison?” Connor asked.
“Daddy, I’ve always seen it, I never made a fuss over it because it was our way,” Allison replied. “I think I can speak for us all when I say we don’t need that. We don’t want it. We just want our parents.”
“Did you know we had nicknames for each other?” he asked, not responding to Allison’s plea.
“No, she never said,” Sloan replied.
“That was a long time ago. When we were first married,” Connor said, staring off into space.
I couldn’t imagine either of them playful—I guess over the years it all faded away.
“All of this means nothing without her,” he said, as if almost to himself.
There it was again—the rarely visible emotion. We didn’t say anything. I didn’t think anyone knew what to say. For the first time since I’d met him, Connor Raine’s aloof veneer had started to slip.
“I don’t think I’ve ever told her that,” Connor said, his voice nostalgic.
Staring at the morose version of a man whose integrity I’d questioned on many occasions, I reached over and touched his hand. He looked at me and then turned away. “When she gets back, you will. You can tell her that. I know she’d love to hear it.”
“I don’t think she’s coming back. She’s never left my side, not even when I felt she should,” he murmured, his voice cracking.
My eyes welled with tears. I didn’t have the words to comfort him. The only person who could do that was his wife. It was like we weren’t really there, like we were watching from a distance.
“I can’t have you kids seeing me like this,” Connor said. “What respect can you have for a man who’s lost everything?”
“Dad, you don’t have to always be so hard,” Sloan said. “We don’t need that. We’ll always respect the man you are. You came from nothing and built a life—a world—that’s all yours.”
“And Daddy, I like to see there is a vulnerable side to the man who’s never shown one,” Allison said. “If anything, it makes us respect you more.”
“It’s true, Dad. We all love and respect you,” Aiden said. “We don’t always agree on some things, but you’re our father and we owe all we have—all that we are—to you.”
“You can say that? Even now?” Connor asked Aiden.
“Yes, even now.” He paused. “And as far as the company goes, I won’t take it public.”
Connor let out a breath. “Thank you, son. I know you’ve not always agreed with my business ethics, but I was convinced I had to do it a certain way to keep it strong—to keep me strong—and look what that has cost me.”
“Dad, you’re one of the toughest men I’ve ever met and that will never change. You’ve made us strong, too,” Nicholas said.
Connor met Nicholas’ gaze. “But I think I went about it the wrong way.”
Everyone exchanged questioning glances. Connor took in our shocked expressions and then finally turned to me. “A wise young woman once told me you don’t have to browbeat your children to make them strong. Just give them stability, love, and support, and from there, that’s where they’ll pull their strength. And I happen to think she’s right. It’s time for a new regime.”
What the hell? Had I heard correctly? Surely it was the booze coursing through Conner’s veins making him say things that lay shock to our systems. Because that’s what I saw as we all scanned each other and Connor—utter and complete shock.
Conner turned to Aiden. “You know, son, you and I have hurt each other a lot over the years. But I’ve hurt you more. I haven’t been the father I should have,” he said, and looked up at his other children. “To any of you. I want to not only be a father in whom you see strength—I want to be a father you can respect.”
“And what of the company?” Aiden asked. “Your vision for it?”
“With you at the helm, the company will be a success with or without my vision, and I don’t need you under my thumb. I need you to be my son. And I need to be your father.”
“I’ve always been your son,” Aiden replied. “And you’ve always been my father, but never have I been prouder of that fact than I am today.”
“I told Aria that she and Lyric were changing all of us.” Connor glanced at me. “I just had no idea it would be something so fundamental.”
I met his eyes. “Connor, I’ve never told you this, but I can understand your need for strength. When I met Aiden, I was so focused on being strong and in control that it nearly caused me to lose the man of my dreams. Don’t lose Sienna. Do all you can to fight for the woman you love.”
“I think I’ve lost her. I took her for granted—I know that. And for the first time in years, I feel as if the one thing that was keeping me upright is gone. Can you imagine something or someone you’ve always relied on—you always saw as your constant, the one thing you never had to question—being suddenly gone?”
My phone rang and five pairs of curious eyes turned toward me. I looked at the display and said, “I’m sorry. I need to take this.” I hurried from the room and tapped answer on the phone.
“Sienna! Thank God. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I would like to see my grandson before you head to parts unknown.”
“Sienna, where are you?” I asked a second time. “We’ll come to you.”
“I’m at the airport. I’m heading back to Chicago tonight.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in days. We’ve all been worried sick and Connor, he’s …” I trailed off. I didn’t fully understand how to describe the person I’d witnessed.
“I don’t want to hear about Connor,” she said. “Not one word.”
“Sienna, I think you need to know what’s going on,” I said.
“I disagree. And while I am returning to Chicago, it will not be as his wife. I’m not going back to that man, Aria.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. I’ve been at peace. In just these few short days away. I turned everything off and enjoyed time with myself. Time being me. That’s the life I want. Not the one I’ve had.”
“Sienna, you two should talk. You can work this out. He misses you.”
“Ha. I doubt that. You know, when I was in his arms, dancing at your reception, that was the happiest he and I had been in years. And then when we came home with Lyric. We had such fun being grandparents. It was the way it should have been when we were raising our own kids. I want to be happy, Aria. I won’t settle for being content. Not anymore.”
Her tone was absolute. How the hell could I convince her to come home and fix this rift in her marriage? I’d really thought that, if given the chance, I could persuade her, but now, I wasn’t so sure.