“You’re welcome to do that. I know the sheriff well. Would you like me to get his number for you?” Bear offered.
More silence.
“Eleanor would never keep us from her wedding,” her mother said.
“Actually, she would,” Ellie replied.
Bear tightened his hold on her, turning her so he could see her face. He shook his head at her. This wasn’t the deal. She was supposed to let him handle this. She stared back at him, a plea in her eyes. He sighed then nodded.
“Mom, Dad, saddens me to say this because part of me loves you and always will, but I don’t want you at my wedding. I don’t want you anywhere near me or Bear. We all know the reason you’re really calling. You’re broke. I’m not sure why you’d come to me for money, though. I don’t have any.”
“We know you live on a big, fancy ranch,” her mother said sullenly. “Your Aunt Rose’s house is just sitting there. If you were to sell it you could look after your parents like you should.”
“Or we could move in there,” her father said. “Then you wouldn’t have to go far to check on us.”
More like run around after them.
“Neither of those options are happening,” Bear said firmly.
“This is ridiculous!” her father snapped. “Eleanor owes us. We are her parents. That house should have come to us.”
“Aunt Rose loved me,” Ellie said sadly. “She wanted me to have the house. And you’re both still young enough and healthy enough to go get jobs to support yourselves. Which is what I suggest you do. I gave you years of my life I can’t get back. I’m happy now. I have a new family. I have a man who loves and adores me. I’m not selling Aunt Rose’s house and you’re not moving here. If you call again, no one will answer. I hope you both have a nice life.”
She ended the call.
“Ellie? Baby?” She was so still. Was she going to shut him out?
Then suddenly, she collapsed in on herself, tears coming in huge sobs.
Oh, his poor baby. He stood, cradling her in his arms and carried her to the bed where he lay on his back with her curled in against his chest. He just held her while she cried, letting her get it all out.
Finally, the tears dried up. He reached over and grabbed some tissues to wipe her face and nose. Then he lay back and arranged her on top of him, holding her tight. “You know, I thought one day they might realize what they’d done.”
“It’s their loss, baby. Not having you in their lives. Totally their loss.”
“Makes me wonder if I was adopted.”
He snorted. “We can certainly look into that.”
She laughed softly. “Except I know I look like my Aunt Rose when she was my age so I figure I must be related to them.”
“I know it’s hard, not having your parents at your wedding—” he started to say when she shook her head.
“It’s not.”
“What?”
“It’s not really hard. Sure, it’s difficult to know how little they care about me but it’s not hard, not having them there. It’s a relief. Which makes me feel guilty. But it is. They’d find some way to ruin it. I want this day to be the happiest of our lives. And it will be. With our family. The one we have here. Family isn’t always about blood.”
He reached down for her left hand and pulled it up to his mouth, kissing it gently. “No, baby, it sure isn’t. Family is about the people you love and who love you.”
“And I’m blessed, because my family is the best I could ever have wished for.”
10
Kent and Abby
Abby walked out of the bathroom, her legs still trembling from orgasm Kent had just given her. The second one tonight. The first one was after he’d walked through the front door to find her in position as ordered, kneeling on the ground, naked, her legs spread wide, her arms behind her back. . .yeah, that had ended in some amazing sex against the wall of the living room.