Rene dropped to the marble floor, clutching her throat and trying to reach Madeline with an outstretched hand. Maddie sidestepped her with a sneer. “Next time, I won’t be so nice. Here.” She reached into her purse and took out some bills. “Get a meal; you look sick. And for heaven’s sake, do something with your hair. Just because your life went to shit doesn’t mean you have to look like it.”
I backed out of the room and stood across from the door as if I’d been there waiting all along. I reached for my phone and texted Diego, who was less than ten feet away from me, giving him a rundown of the situation and telling him to take care of it. Looks like a restraining order will be the final nail in her coffin.
Madeline looked surprised to see me when she walked out with not a hair out of place. “What took you so long? I thought you were ill.” Will she tell me?
“You would not believe who’s in there.” She pushed her arm through mine.
“Who?”
“Rene! Doesn’t that beat all? As the winner, this may seem kind of crass, but she looks awful. I have to say, Mr. Amery, your taste has surely improved.”
I watched her carefully to make sure that she wasn’t upset and was pleased to see that she wasn’t. I was so proud of her but couldn’t tell her why. I just found the nearest empty corner and crowded her in between me and the wall. “I love you, Mrs. Amery.” Her eyes flashed, outshining the diamonds in her ears, and her smile was even brighter.
EPILOGUE
GARRICK
“I can’t talk now; I’ll have to call you back.” I hung up the phone on a very lucrative business deal and ran to catch my daughter, who was two days in on the walking game and totally fascinated with stairs. Her mother, that blasted woman had gone off somewhere to get her toes done or some crap and left me here with the little termagant.
“Natalie Amelia Amery, come back here. Dad, where are you?” I noticed that my family, my father, and my wife, love to saddle me with this one while they disappear with her twin, Garrick Jr. because he’s the lesser of two evils. I think my kids are my penance or their mother’s revenge for me taking so long to realize that I love her.
I snatched my daughter up and went in search of my father and son, who were most likely in the garden. My daughter clamped her hands onto my cheeks to get my full attention, and I stopped to listen to her babble.
The only words I could make out were mama and dada, which I guess is all I need to know. “Okay, mama will be back soon.”
“No, dada.” Geez, she’s worse than her mom. Those eyes, so like mine, can melt me just like that. I guess she was feeling tender towards me as well because she laid her head on my shoulder as I walked down the stairs in search of dad.
Dad, contrary to my expectations, did not return to mom. They were still married, but he hasn’t lived in the residence since the day he walked out with me. Mom, last I heard, was a shell of the woman she once was. I haven’t pushed him since he seems happy with his decision, but I did tell him he need not make the sacrifice for me or my family.
His answer to that was that he wants to be able to look his grandkids in the eye. He’d moved in with us, well, sort of. We’d bought a new home with a mother-in-law, or in this case, father-in-law apartment, because Maddie didn’t want him living in the condo alone.
He was there when the twins were born, was one of the first to hold them after me, and has been here ever since. The kids love him, Maddie adores him, and he her and me, well I have my dad. We’d made our own little family. It may not be the conventional one I’d always wanted to give her, but it’s ours, and it works for us.
Mom has never seen our kids and doesn’t plan to; I guess since she refuses to admit her faults. As to Madeline’s grandparents, they’ve bent over backward to seek her forgiveness, which I helped them with. Although I don’t agree with their actions, they were put in a horrible position by my own mother.
They stood to lose more, having other mouths to feed and people to take care of, so they were forced to give up their daughter and grandchild. They are now regulars to my wife’s Sunday dinners which she harangues everyone into attending or else.
It's come to my attention that ever since the kids were born, she’s changed become bossier. Between her and our daughter, who we’d both agreed to name after her mom, I’m little more than an errand boy.