I lean in, kissing him. For so long I’ve had to stand on my own. It’s nice to know I have Rory to lean into now. He wants to take care of me, and I know he will always be here for Celeste and me.
“Was I too rough?” he asks when he pulls back from the kiss.
“No, you’re never too rough with me.” He slowly lowers me to my feet, helping me with my dress.
“We still need to talk about leaving the house with no panties on.” He gives my ass a squeeze, and I smile. I hadn’t really meant to. I didn’t even know I was going to be leaving so quickly when I’d gotten dressed this morning.
“You’re not the boss of me,” I tease him, and he gives my hair a tug.
“Watch it.” He takes my hand and leads me back out onto the patio. “There’s more on your mind.”
“How do you do that? What’s my tell?” In all my life only Rory has been able to read me as well as Celeste. Her intuition comes from years of growing up around me. But from the second Roxy spotted me, he’s seen inside my soul.
He hands me my glass of wine from earlier and waits, wanting me to tell him what’s on my mind. “When I went out to get the test, I ran into a woman. She tried to make friends.”
“Tried?”
“Yes, tried. It wasn’t genuine, and the way she was forcing it let me know she was after something.”
Something that doesn’t belong to her.
“Don’t tell me she was trying to run a con on you?” He takes a seat on the patio couch next to me. “She has no idea who she’s dealing with, does she?” He smirks like he’s almost smug about my ability to read people.
“No, she doesn't.” I smile at him. This man really does love everything about me.
“She’s after you. She was trying to get an invite to the estate.”
“Me?” His brows pull together in confusion.
“Does the name Heather ring any bells?” His face drops and then hardens as I watch his jaw tick.
“Should I be jealous?” I ask, teasing him, because I don’t like the look on his face.
I know who the woman is. The more I stared at her, the more the pieces came together for me.
She’s Apollo’s mother.
Chapter Fourteen
Rory
Two days later, I’m sitting at The Blue Marlin on the back deck, having a glass of white wine. It’s beautiful out here, and I wanted to watch the sunset over the water. I check my watch for the third time and take another sip.
“Sir, your guest has arrived,” the maître d’ says, and I stand from the table. Behind him, I see Shy Wells approaching the area I have reserved for our meeting.
The maître d’ steps away, and I extend my hand out to Shy. To his credit, he doesn’t flinch as he takes my hand and looks me directly in the eye as he shakes it.
“Thank you for coming,” I say as we both take a seat.
“I was expecting your call after my confrontation with Apollo.” He glances out to the water and then back to me. “The best table on the island, I assume.”
“That’s what I’d like to talk to you about today, Shy.” When he looks at me quizzically, I lean back in my chair. “Your assumptions.”
He presses his lips together, and as the waiter begins to approach, I wave him off. I want to get to the point of this meeting, and I’m sure Shy does too.
“Are you going to warn me to stay away from your son?”
“No.” He’s surprised by this answer. “You told Apollo that you have information about me that isn’t public, something that could ruin my reputation. I’m guessing you think that it would embarrass me or Apollo.”
When he doesn’t confirm or deny, I try a different tactic.
“Why did you agree to meet me here today?”
He’s silent for a long moment before he answers. “Because I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of the Crew family.”
“And you think that’s what I’ve done? I’ve hurt someone?”
“I know you have,” he snaps, his cheeks flushed.
“You live with your aunt,” I say, and it’s a statement, not a question. Again he looks surprised. “I make it a point to know people on the island because I do a lot of charity work here, and I like to include as many families as possible.”
“Yeah, you like to throw your money around.”
His words are defensive, and I ignore them. “When Apollo mentioned your name, I didn’t recognize it at first, but afterwards it dawned on me. Wells is your last name—your aunt's name.”
“So what?” He looks bored, but I try to give him some grace.
“It’s been so long that I’d forgotten that name. I’d forgotten it was Heather’s family name.” Shy’s jaw hardens. “She mentioned once that it was her mother’s name, but she didn’t use it.”
He looks surprised by my discovery but only for a second before his emotions are sealed off once again.
“I don’t need a lesson in the family tree.” Shy sits forward now, his fist clenched in front of him on the table.
“Heather was secretive about her past, and I didn’t know she had a sister.” I sigh as I look out at the water and then back to him. “She must have told you awful things about me.” When he doesn’t respond, I nod. “Did she tell you I asked her to leave?”
“She told me you kicked her out.” He’s so angry at me, and it looks like he’s been holding on to this for a long time. “She told me all about how you left her with nothing and I had to live with my aunt while she went to work in the city.”
It’s a hard truth to swallow when you find out someone isn’t as perfect as you think they are, and right now, I don’t want to hurt Shy. After my talk with Anna, I looked up Shy, and when I saw him I knew exactly who he was.
He has Heather’s eyes, and once I realized that, then the last name clicked. Knowing how Heather was, I’m sure she wasn’t above manipulating her sister or her son to her advantage. Right now, I just want Shy to know the truth and for him to heal.
“When I met your mother it was a one-night stand, but when she told me she was pregnant I didn’t send her away.” Shy tries to interrupt, and I hold my hand up gently. “Please, let me finish.” After a moment he nods and then I continue. “I made sure she had the best care while she was pregnant and then after she gave birth I had a room made for her on the estate, along with staff and access to whatever she needed.”
“That’s a lie,” he says, but I keep going.
“She was given a car, an allowance, and a free place to stay.” I shake my head. “We knew immediately that a relationship between us would never work, but I wanted to do what we could to raise a child together. It only took a few days before she came to me and asked to leave.” Shy is silent now as he listens. “She said she didn’t want to have a baby and wasn’t ready to be a mother. I thought maybe it was postpartum depression, but she refused any medical care. When I pressed her, she said that she didn’t want the baby and if I didn't take it, she would give him up for adoption.”