Page 115 of Chasing Home
Her pupils swell, melting into the dark blue surrounding them. “Good. Do we get to leave now?”
My chuckle kisses her lips before I chase after them myself. “Yeah, baby. Let’s go home.”
And fuck it, I don’t care which home I’m talking about. Hers or mine, it doesn’t matter. I’d consider any place with her home.
The sound of a throat clearing close by has me stiffening, an unusual blast of possessiveness following after. Maybe it’s the setting or the fact I have my woman standing in front of me asking me to take her home wearing my hat on her head, but I don’t want a single other person close to us right now. I want her all to myself.
Leaning past her, I take a look at the couple waiting a few feet away from us and rein in my frustration. Inhaling deeply, I press my lips to her forehead and release her neck.
“James and Bernice?” I ask, dropping my hand to hold Rory’s shoulder as she tenses at the names.
The elderly woman nods, her gaze so intense it’s almost painful. Her hair is silver throughout and tied in a bun at the base of her skull, but she reaches upward to fiddle with it as if it were loose. When Rory turns to face them, Bernice sucks in a sharp breath.
“I knew you were Lee’s daughter from across the yard, but up close . . .” The man trails off, staring at Rory in disbelief, like he can’t believe it’s really her.
He’s much taller than his wife, but they share the silver-hair thing they have going on. The crinkles beside his eyes tell of a life filled with happiness and laughter, but that doesn’t mean much right now.
“Did Eliza invite you here?” Rory asks bluntly.
Bernice’s smile is nothing more than a slight curl at the corner of her mouth. “Yes. But please don’t be upset with her. I’m happy she did. We both are.”
“We should go inside if you want to talk more,” I suggest, jerking my chin in the direction of the back sliding door leading inside the house. The gossip mill has got to be turning already, but some privacy is better than none.
Rory nods, and her approval is all that matters to me.
“That would be great,” Bernice agrees.
I link my fingers with Rory’s, and we move inside. My moms don’t like to let everyone in during events like this without supervision, and I’m grateful for that right now as I welcome them into the living room and wait for them to sit on the couch before claiming a spot on the love seat. Aurora joins me, and I sling my arm over the back of the couch behind her so I can play with the ends of her hair.
Bernice sets a wrinkled hand on James’s thigh and straightens, focusing on her granddaughter. “We . . . we don’t know where to begin. An apology feels insubstantial.”
“What do you have to apologize for?” Rory asks.
“That’s the question, isn’t it? Everything is too broad. But apologizing on behalf of our son isn’t enough,” James says.
Rory shifts, her thigh pressing hard to mine. “My mom didn’t write about you much in the letters I found. I know a lot about her family, enough about your son, but not anything about you. That’s what I’m most interested in. I have questions about you, but also about the Roses in general. Would you answer them for me?”
“Yes, yes you can ask anything you want. I—I’m sorry. We’re just having a hard time believing what we’re seeing. You’re our granddaughter, no doubt about it. But when Eliza called, I could hardly believe her. It didn’t seem logical. How could we have not felt you out there somewhere? We should have,” Bernice says, her voice tapering into a pained whisper. “But I feel it now just looking at you. Right in my heart.”
“So do I,” James agrees, eyes full of bewilderment.
Rory holds firm, so damn strong. “Your son didn’t share the sentiment.”
Bernice flinches like Rory had reached across the gap between us and slapped her. She sniffles, blinking a dozen times. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“What happened with Riley? Was this recent?” James asks.
“He could barely love the daughter he knew. How could he have possibly wanted another?” Aurora’s voice cracks midway through, and I shift her as close to me as possible without tugging her onto my lap. She grips my knee and continues. “My relationship with Riley is non-existent, and it will stay like that. The only thing I care about now is having someone answer my questions.”
“Then let us answer them. We’ll tell you everything we know,” Bernice says, nearly rambling in an attempt to speak as quickly as possible.
James stares at Aurora, reading something in her expression that I wish I could see. “It doesn’t have to be today. We know you’re busy, and we’ve just sprung up in the middle of the day with no warning. We’ll be here for a few days, staying over with Eliza and Wade. You want to talk, just give them a ring. Anytime, Aurora.”
“Okay. Another day, then.”
“Another day,” Bernice agrees.