A Forever Family (Forever #6) (17 page)

Connor

As Ellery and I drove back to the city, her phone rang. It was Julia calling. She had been released from the hospital and was home. Instead of going straight to the penthouse with Ellery, I knocked on Julia’s door. Jake answered.

“Hey, Connor.” He gave me a light hug.

“Where is she?”

“She’s in the bedroom changing. She’ll be out in a minute. I’m going to go up to the penthouse to leave you two alone so you can talk.”

“Does she even want to speak to me?”

“I’m sure she does. She’s still really upset.”

He patted my shoulder and walked out the door. Julia came out from the bedroom and stopped when she saw me standing there.

“Hi, princess.” I smiled.

“Hi, Dad. Where’s Jake?”

“He went up to the penthouse so we can talk.”

“Then let’s talk.” She sat down on the couch and I sat next to her.

“I’m sorry for everything, princess. I just wish she wasn’t the one.”

“I know that, but she is and she’s willing to help me. After you stormed out of the hospital, we talked for a long time. She told me what a horrible person she was back then and how sorry she was for what she did to you and Mom. I do believe that there’s some good in her. This is her way of trying to repent for all her mistakes. This is my chance, Daddy. My chance at regaining my life back and if it’s her kidney that will give me that, then so be it. You can’t protect me forever. I’m an adult, a wife and a mother, and I make my own life decisions.”

Tears sprang to my eyes when she reached over and placed her hand on mine.

“I want to protect you from all things bad, Julia. I made a promise to you when you were a baby that I would always be here for you. To guide you and to protect you from the evils of this world.”

“And so far, you have. But there are some things you can’t control and me accepting Ashlyn’s kidney is one of those things.”

“I know, princess, and I’m sorry.”

She reached over and wrapped her arms around me. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, baby.”

****

I had Laurinda do some digging around and get me Ashlyn’s phone number. I leaned back in my chair as a sickness washed over me when I dialed her number.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Ashlyn, it’s Connor. We need to talk.”

“Okay, but only if you promise not to behave like you did the other day at the hospital.”

“You have my word.” I clenched my fist as I felt the burning anger flow throughout my body.

****

As Ralph pulled up to Ashlyn’s home, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. This was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do—facing the enemy who was the only person at this moment who could save my daughter. We walked up the steps to the brown brick home and Ellery squeezed my hand as she rang the doorbell. The door opened and a man, Ashlyn’s husband, I presumed, stood there staring at us.

“Hello, you must Connor and Ellery. I’m Thomas, Ashlyn’s husband.” He held out his hand to me.

I shook his hand, and as we stepped inside the foyer, Ashlyn walked down the stairs. I could tell she was nervous.

“Hello, Connor. Ellery.” She nodded.

I took in a sharp breath because I wasn’t so sure anymore if I could do this. My palms were sweating and all I could think about was getting this over with as we followed them into the living room.

“I know how hard this must be for the both of you,” Thomas spoke. “I know all about Ashlyn’s past and the things she did to you. Please believe me when I tell you that she isn’t that woman anymore.”

“That’s to be determined,” I said in a harsh voice.

“Please sit down. Can I get you a scotch, Connor?” Ashlyn asked.

“No. I just want to get this over with so we can be on our way. Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re doing this and what your agenda is?”

She sat down in the dark green wing-backed chair across from me and Ellery. “I don’t have an agenda, Connor. I’m doing this because your daughter needs help and I can help her. Like I told you before, I’m not that same person I was all those years ago. I want to make up for all the mistakes I made back then and live life the best I can.” She looked down as she interlaced her fingers together on her lap. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I’m not asking for it. I still can’t forgive myself for what I’ve done, but I can try to come to terms with it. I’m a volunteer at the hospital. I read to the elderly and hold the hands of those who are dying that never get any visitors. I spend a lot of my time volunteering at the food bank and I do work for a lot of different charities. I was in the ER that night they brought in Julia and I was there when they rushed her up to surgery. Believe it or not, I was scared for you and Ellery because I knew if something happened to her, it would destroy the both of you.”

I sat there, staring at her, trying to get a grip on her tone, her words, her body language. She was never a hard one to read because she had always been a cold-hearted, manipulative bitch. There was only one time I saw her like this and that was before Amanda committed suicide and she had her heart broken by her boyfriend. It was a night that I stayed with her and talked into the early hours of the morning. Telling her that he wasn’t worth it and that she deserved better than him. It wasn’t until after Amanda’s death that Ashlyn changed.

“It doesn’t matter anymore whether you believe my intentions are good, because to me, I know that I’m doing the right thing by Julia,” Ashlyn spoke. “I found out years ago that I can never have children. Your grandson needs his mother.”

“This is a big thing to do,” Ellery said as she looked at her. “And you’re okay with this, Thomas?”

“I support whatever decisions my wife makes. If she wants to help your daughter by giving her a kidney so she can live a full, normal life, then I commend her for that.”

I sat there and slowly shook my head. This was a losing battle and the decision was already made. It was now up to me to come to terms with it. I got up from the couch and took Ellery’s hand.

“We need to get going. Thank you for talking with us and—” I inhaled deeply. “Thank you for what you’re doing for my daughter.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It was nice to meet you, Thomas,” Ellery spoke as she held out her hand.

“It was nice to meet both of you as well. Thank you for coming over.”

I gave them both a small smile and exhaled as soon as we walked out the door.

Julia

My surgery was scheduled for next week but until then, I still had to undergo dialysis. I spent more time being exhausted, but I knew that soon, it would be over. Tonight was family dinner and my mom had invited my grandmother over. When we stepped off the elevator and walked into the kitchen, my grandmother gave me a hug.

“There’s my darling granddaughter. How are you feeling?”

“Very tired, Grandma.”

She placed her hands on each side of my face. “Soon you’ll be feeling like a million bucks again.” She smiled.

“Don’t I get a hug, Grandma?” Collin said as he held out his arms.

“Of course you do, darling. How are you?”

“I’m good, Grams.”

After giving our grandmother a hug, Collin hooked his arm around me and kissed my cheek.

“How was dialysis today?”

“Boring as usual.”

“Soon it’ll all be over with. You’ll have a new kidney and life can get back to normal.”

“Hopefully, my body doesn’t reject it,” I spoke.

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “It won’t because it’s Ashlyn’s. Your body will accept it just to piss Dad off.”

I smacked him on the chest and laughed.

“What are you two whispering about?” my dad asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Just a little private joke between a brother and sister, Dad.” Collin smiled.

My mom put dinner on the table and, as we were all eating, my phone rang. I picked it up and noticed it was Dr. Benson calling.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Julia, it’s Dr. Benson. Are you home by any chance? I’m leaving the hospital now and I’ll be passing by your building. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“I’m at my parents’ house, which is the top floor penthouse. You can come here.”

“I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes or so.”

“Okay, Dr. Benson.”

My stomach instantly felt sick. Why would he have to talk to me?

“Julia, what did Dr. Benson want?” my dad asked.

“He said he needs to talk to me about something so he’s coming here.”

Jake grabbed my hand. “I’m sure he just wants to go over some things, baby. Don’t worry.”

“It sounded important. If he just had to go over some things, then he would have scheduled an appointment for me to come into his office.”

“Don’t get yourself all worked up, Julia,” my grandmother spoke. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

I was glad my family was feeling so positive about it because I wasn’t. Something was wrong and I could sense it in Dr. Benson’s voice. I couldn’t eat anymore, so I took Brayden from his high chair and went into the living room. About twenty minutes had passed and there was a knock on the door. Collin answered it and led Dr. Benson to the living room. My whole family gathered around.

“Julia, we can speak in private if you’d like.”

“No. It’s fine, Dr. Benson. My family can stay.”

He sighed. “I’m not quite sure how to tell you this, but Ashlyn is no longer a viable donor.”

The bottom of my stomach fell out as Jake put his arm around me. I couldn’t muster up any words. I was literally frozen.

“Why?” my father asked.

“I’m not allowed to go into detail because of patient privacy, but she can no longer donate her kidney to you. I’m so sorry, Julia. I know how bad you want this. You’re still on the list, though, so as soon as I hear something, I’ll call you. Until then, you’ll have to resume dialysis on a normal basis like you have been.”

Tears fell from my face as my hope of getting better was gone, crushed by the mere words of Dr. Benson.

“Thank you, Dr. Benson,” my dad spoke as he walked him to the door.

“Oh, Julia.” My mom walked over and embraced me. “I’m so sorry.”

My dad walked back in and looked at me. “Princess, I’m—”

“Sorry? Is that what you were going to say? Because I don’t believe you! You’re happy that this isn’t happening. You never wanted me to have Ashlyn’s kidney in the first place! So don’t sit there and pretend that you’re sad, Daddy, because you aren’t!” I yelled.

I got up from the couch and grabbed Brayden from Amelia’s arms. “Jake, let’s go.” I stormed out of the penthouse and went home.

****

Connor

I couldn’t believe this was happening as I stood there in the middle of the room while my daughter stormed out.

“She didn’t mean it, Dad,” Collin spoke. “She’s upset. I mean, come on, this is total bullshit. She’s crushed.”

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head as I walked over to the bar and poured myself a drink. “FUCK!” I yelled as I slammed my glass down on the bar. “Regardless of how I felt in the beginning, Julia was getting the transplant and she was happy. Now it’s been ripped away from her, from us. The chances of her getting that transplant soon are gone. We’re back to fucking square one!” I yelled.

My mother got up from the chair and walked over to me. Placing her hand on my shoulder, she spoke, “There’s one more person you can try, Connor.”

“Mom.” I looked at her in anger.

She put her hand up. “It’s for your daughter. Your anger is with your father, not Lucas. He didn’t ask to be born into this family and he certainly did nothing wrong.” She said goodnight and walked out the door. Ellery and I went up to bed.

I looked over at Ellery. She was sound asleep. Me, I couldn’t sleep. I had too much on my mind and my daughter was at the forefront. I was devastated for her that the transplant wasn’t happening. I climbed out of bed and paced the penthouse. Giving serious thought to what my mother said had me conflicted. But I knew what I needed to do for Julia. There was no price too great for her wellbeing. I climbed back into bed and wrapped my arms around my wife. She reached back and placed her hand on my face.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

Connor

I sat down on the bench in the conservatory gardens and dialed Lou.

“Lou, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything, Connor.”

“I need you to find a man named Lucas Oaks, son of Charlotte Oaks. Last known address was Cherry Hill, New Jersey.”

“I’ll get on it right away.”

“Thanks, Lou. I’ll talk to you later. Someone just arrived that I need to talk to.”

I ended the call as Ashlyn stood in front of me. “Have a seat, Ashlyn.”

“I’m sorry, Connor.”

“What’s going on? Did you change your mind? Was this your plan all along? Get my daughter’s hopes up and then destroy them with a snap of your fingers? Was this your revenge, Ashlyn?”

She clenched her jaw as she stared at me, listening to every word I spoke. Her nostrils flared and tears sprang to her eyes.

“I have cancer; lymphoma, to be exact. The lab called because they thought they made an error and wanted me to come in for another blood test. I’m sorry about Julia and if I still could give her one of my kidneys, I would. But you go ahead and still think the worst of me. If you want so badly to believe that I planned this whole thing, then go ahead.” She got up from the bench and began to walk away. She stopped and turned to me. “I guess this is my punishment for my past.” A tear fell from her eye.

I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Ashlyn, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“You’ve said enough, Connor.”

“Wait. Please.” I got up from the bench and stood in front of her. “You asked me to believe that you’d changed. Now I’m asking you to believe that I’m truly sorry.”

She looked away as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I believe you and thank you. I also understand why it’s so hard for you to forgive me. Goodbye, Connor. I hope everything works out for Julia. Tell her I’m sorry and that I have my own battle to fight now.”

I nodded. “I will. You can beat this, Ashlyn.”

She gave me a small smile as she turned away and walked out of the conservatory gardens. I stood there with my hands in my pockets, preparing myself for my next battle. A battle that involved a man who was my brother. A brother that I’d never met.

****

I was walking down the hall of Black Enterprises on the way to my office and I heard Collin yelling from his. I looked over at Ethan, who shrugged. As I opened the door, Collin threw his phone across the desk.

“What’s going on, son?”

“Hey, Dad. Just people not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I’m having some renovations done on the beach house and the contractor is a dick. In about two seconds, I’m firing his ass.”

I laughed as I sat down in the chair across from him. “I’ve been there myself many times. In fact, I remember almost firing the contractor for our beach house because it almost wasn’t done before the wedding. But everything worked out and they finished it. Where’s Julia? I stopped by her office and she wasn’t there and neither was her secretary.”

“She went home because she’s so exhausted that she fell asleep at her desk.”

“I spoke with Ashlyn earlier.”

“Oh? Why?”

“To find out why she was no longer a donor candidate for Julia.”

“And?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair.

“She has cancer.”

“Oh. That’s not good news.”

“No. It isn’t.” I got up from my seat. “I have some work to do and then I’m leaving for the day. I need to go talk to Julia.”

“Okay, Dad. Good luck.”

I walked out the door and into my office. Just as I sat down, my phone rang and it was Lou.

“Lou, what’s up?”

“I have the information you requested.”

“Excellent. Let’s meet for dinner at six o’clock at Daniel. I’ll have Laurinda make the reservation.”

“Sounds good, Connor. I’ll see you then.”

When I looked at the clock, it was already four. I shut down my computer and grabbed my briefcase.

“Laurinda, I’m leaving for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Enjoy your dinner, Connor. See you tomorrow.”

When I knocked on Julia’s door, I could hear Brayden crying. When she opened it, she was holding him, and when he saw me, he smiled.

“What’s wrong with my grandson?” I asked as I took him from her.

“He’s teething.”

“Ah, I remember going through that with you. Did you give him some medicine?”

“Yes, and hopefully, it will help him soon. I’m so tired, Dad, and Jake won’t be home for another couple of hours. All I want to do is take a nap.”

I sat down on the couch with him and held him up by his hands. “Did you call your mother?”

“No. I don’t want to bother her. She’s taken care of him so much already.” She curled up on the couch next to me.

“You need to hire a nanny, princess.”

“I don’t trust anyone with him, Dad. Only family. I wish Mason was here.”

A small smile crossed my lips. “Me too.”

“So why did you stop by?” she asked.

“I met with Ashlyn today. She has cancer, princess.”

“Oh no, Dad. That’s terrible. I hope she’s going to be okay.”

“Me too, Julia.”

“Really, Dad? Do you really mean that?” she asked as she cocked her head.

“Yeah. I do. Nobody should have to go through that.”

She sighed. “Well, we’re back to square one, so I’ll just have to deal with it until there’s a donor. There isn’t anything else I can do.”

“Keep positive, princess, and have faith.” I reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to my lips. Now go get Brayden’s diaper bag. I’m going to take him upstairs with me so you can take a nap. I do have a dinner meeting with Lou at six, but your mom will be home and she’ll be very upset if she knew you didn’t want to call her.”

“Are you sure, Dad?”

“I’m positive. Now go.”

Julia got up and went into the nursery. “Grandpa is going to do everything he can to help your mommy. This is what the men in this family do. We stop at nothing until we get what we want.”

Brayden smiled and cooed as if he understood me. I kissed his cheek and got up from the couch as Julia handed me the diaper bag.

“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too, princess. Get some rest.”

As soon as I stepped off the elevator, Ellery came walking into the foyer. “I thought I heard a baby and a hot, sexy man.” She smiled as she kissed me.

“Hi, baby.”

“Why do you have Brayden?”

“I stopped by Julia’s and told her to take a nap. She looked tired.”

“Next question. Why did you stop by Julia’s? I thought you were still at the office.” She took Brayden from me.

“I met with Ashlyn today. She has cancer, Elle.”

She looked at me with wide eyes. “That’s awful. What kind?”

“Lymphoma,” I said as I followed her to the living room.

“That explains why she’s no longer a viable donor.”

“Yep. Anyway, I’m meeting Lou at Daniel at six o’clock for a business dinner. We have some contracts to go over.”

“Oh, okay. Peyton is coming over, so we’ll just order Chinese or something.”

I gave her a kiss as I headed up the stairs. “I’m going to change. Maybe you can try to lay Brayden down and join me in the bedroom?” I winked.

She arched her brow. “So you want to ignore our grandchild so we can have sex?”

I stopped on the middle step and looked at her. “We did it with our own kids. Why are grandkids any different?”

She shook her head as she smiled and followed me upstairs. “You’re a very bad grandpa, Mr. Black.”

“Not bad. Just horny.”

****

“What do you have for me, Lou?” I said as I sat down in the booth across from him.

He slid a file folder across the table. “This one was a little tough. Lucas Black is twenty-eight years old and lives in Vegas. He’s an executive chef at Sage and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris for six years before moving back to the States.”

I narrowed my eyes as I opened the file. “Wait a minute. Black?”

“Yep. Charlotte gave him your father’s last name and listed him on the birth certificate.”

“Why would my father agree to that?”

“I don’t know, Connor. Maybe he wasn’t given a choice. Look further on down in the file. Check out his blood type.”

My eyes veered down the paper. “He’s type O,” I spoke as I looked at Lou.

“Yep. He sure is. What are you going to do now?”

“Looks like I’m going to Vegas to meet my brother and pay him a great deal of money for his kidney.”

“Be careful, Connor. I’m sure this boy isn’t going to be welcoming you with open arms.”

I closed the file and set it down. Taking a drink of my scotch, I knew I needed to devise the perfect plan to get Lucas to listen to me.