GRACE POV
I wanted to ask him if he was feeling well enough for us to get on the road, but with the kind of determination on his face, I knew even if he wasn’t feeling well enough, it still wouldn’t deter him. So I dressed myself and Laurie and we got on our way. To be honest, I was really curious too. Even Laurie was and she kept throwing questions of our destination to Connor who did everything but answer those questions. I remained silent the whole ride, deep in my thoughts.
We had gotten far into the journey when familiarities started to spring up. They were minimal at first so I didn’t pay them much attention, but then they became much more glaring that I couldn’t just ignore. Connor was taking us to the home his company stole from me.
Was he trying to absolve himself of the accusation of his Mom that day in his home?
Well, I was looking forward to seeing how he could possibly explain it. Even if I could excuse him taking the house since he didn’t know it belonged to me, how could I excuse him using his power to take a person’s home away from them without caring if they had another way out?
As my family home came into view -could I even call it that- I gasped in surprise. The place had been thoroughly changed and rebuilt. It was so much bigger, the new building taking over most of the surrounding land.
When Connor drove into the building, my surprise heightened even more. Everything had been changed. The medium size family house was now a much larger building; the former building must’ve been demolished.
That broke my heart but I would wait first to see what this was leading up to. I would patiently wait for Connor to display what he had to show to us. I wasn’t going to let myself react on assumptions anymore.
Several guards left the gate and came to meet us and many people dressed like attendants also came out to welcome us- no, Connor.
He smiled at them warmly and asked them to give Laurie and me a tour.
I shrugged at first, wondering if he couldn’t just tell us himself, but after the tour, I absolutely understood.
After the tour, so many things started to make so much sense. Everything started to make sense.
Tears were in my eyes as the guide led Laurie and me back to Connor. Once I sighted him leaning on his car with his face looking up, so many emotions rushed me at once. I felt so much for this man, and in the past few months, even when I didn’t think it was possible he continued to impress me and make me fall harder. As it was, I wasn’t sure if I could fall harder for him than this -this seemed like the very depth I could go- because I already loved him so much.
I guess I didn’t make any mistake at all that night. I guess it would be the best night of my life for many many years after.
Once he sighted Laurie and I coming, he quickly stood straight. I thought about how handsome he looked bathed in the sun’s glow, and how sexily his shirt slept on his body. Gosh, I wanted to pull it off right there and then.
Laurie ran towards him and he picked her up easily and threw her in the air amidst giggles from the both of them. Which brings me back to the thought… how did we get this far without him?
Oh right, my strength. My resilience and love for my daughter.
I had reached them by now, and I waited patiently for them to be done with their little plays. When they were done, Connor put Laurie in the car and finally gave me his attention. Even as he stood there, his countenance depicted a little guilt. He still felt bad for doing it even though it had been for a noble cause. My chest rose and dropped as a teardrop rolled down my cheek.
“Connor,” I called. He looked attentively at me.
“Connor…” I wasn’t sure where to start, or how to phrase what I had to say. “Connor, I…”
He nodded encouragingly. “You…?”
“Back there,” I pointed but immediately brought down my finger and shook my head. “What you did with this place, my parents, wherever they are, I don’t think they could’ve been happier.”
He said nothing but kept staring, so I continued.
“I had no idea no idea in the slightest-” I took a long look at him, letting a fact sink in deeply. “You’re an amazing man, Connor. A true Alpha. I love you with all my heart and I’m sorry I ever doubted your good intentions or cursed you for one second, I’m really sorry.”
I started sobbing towards the end of my words and Connor wasted no time in pulling me into his arms. Where I comfortably let out my feelings.
Connor had taken my parents home and turned into a rescue, rehabilitation and betterment centre for abused and helpless women and children.
I didn’t know how to feel when I first realised it. Then going from room to room, hall to hall, office to office, listening to some of these women and children, and watching most of them, opened my mind to so many things. There were women out there going through really horrible things, and Connor had created a facility that, when things got too tough and they had no one else to turn to, they could come running to. Women rescued from abuse and all forms of harassment that had affected their mental health were all tended to and cared for with love in this place, and Connor wasn’t asking for anything in return. He was just helping them. Just making their life better for the gain they had to enjoy, not that which he had to.
That man, that alpha was my man. I had never felt so good about it. I was disappointed in myself for not seeing through and defending my feelings for him. I had let a past error cloud every moment of our relationship. And I wasn’t going to let that happen anymore.
I snuggled deeper into his embrace.