Page 28 of His Forgotten Wife
Juliana sniffed loudly in resonse. “I saw you hand him the earbuds and the prickly ball in his hands,” she said next.
“The earbuds are top-of-the-line noise-canceling. This way, the noise is more of a background buzz. And the prickly ball in his hand grounds him, tethers him to the people around him and the conversation. He really has a brilliant mind. But on a social level, he’s a little high maintenance.”
For the first time since Dolly had arrived a few days ago, Juliana turned and looked at her. Took in Dolly as a womanandmaybe even as an actual person. The stare, while much softer, reminded Dolly of her son’s. “You knew today wouldn’t be enjoyable for him?”
“It’s not just today, Mrs. Demetrius. This anniversary celebration, these guests, the constant cheer and music, everyone circling him…all of it disturbs Ares. Especially now, when he’s not himself a hundred percent.”
“Why didn’t he tell us to cancel the whole damn thing then?” Juliana said, an ache in her voice. “Why doesn’t he ever tell us anything?”
The second question was rhetorical and not for Dolly to answer. But she tried to address the first one. That Juliana ached to get to know her son was obvious.
“As much as the noise and the crowds bother him, he wants to spend time with you all. He wants to build a connection with Arabella and you and his…father. The accident and the coma,I believe—” Dolly had to swallow her own ache here “—have shaken him up, forced him to see his life from a new perspective. I think he misses having you all in his life.”
If possible, Juliana looked even more miserable at the last thought. She nodded. “Apparently my eighteen-year-old daughter, Arabella, has more sense than me.”
Dolly raised her brows at the sudden turn in the conversation.
“I’m sorry for being so uppity to you, Ms. Singh. It’s clear you care about my son.”
Mouth falling open, Dolly stared at the older woman.
“I just don’t understand how you didn’t visit him all the weeks he was in hospital,” Juliana said, confusion clouding her words. “I mean, yes, Ares has made excuses for you, but still…”
To that, Dolly had no reply. She simply took a sip of her drink, which turned out to be some kind of strawberry-flavored cocktail.
Whatever she saw in her face, a soft smile broke through Juliana’s serious facade. “I don’t know how much you and Ares have talked about this, but we could do a Christmas wedding, you know. Whatever you want, big and grand or small and elegant… I could arrange it all for you. And since it’s a few months away, it could give your grandfather time to recover from his surgery so that he can attend too. Please, consider having the wedding here. His grandparents would be heartbroken if they missed it.”
The glass flute in Dolly’s hand cracked, spraying the cocktail and glass shards everywhere. Even the cold splash of the drink on her chest and the prick of glass against her finger couldn’t compete with the deafening pounding in her ears.
A Christmas wedding…
Ares and her wedding at Christmas…
Ares and her wedding at Christmas with her grandpa and his family and Christina and Isiah present at the beautiful villa…
The visual was far too vivid and heart-wrenching and captured her deepest, darkest wish perfectly.
She was still standing there as Ares, a fierce scowl tying his brows, pushed through everyone and reached her. He wrapped those familiar fingers around her wrist, pulling at her hand until he could examine her palm closely.
“It’s nothing,” Dolly whispered.
“Your pulse is racing, Dahlia.” A filthy curse she’d never heard before fell from his lips. “What did you say to upset her?” he bit out at his mother, uncaring of the avidly watching guests.
Shock held Dolly in its grip. She’d never seen such anger in his eyes before and it was all on her behalf. Shaking her head at her fanciful thoughts, she said, “Ares, she didn’t…”
Juliana raised her palms in a conciliatory gesture, her face pale. “I didn’t say anything to upset her, Ares. I swear. Only that I was happy to help her plan a Christmas wedding, big or small.”
His eyes sought Dolly’s as if seeking confirmation. With a sigh that rose up from the depths of her soul, she nodded.
With her other hand, Dolly reached for Juliana. God, the woman must think Dolly was the strangest creature. “It was nothing you said,” she whispered, hating the fact that she had only ended up causing a bigger scene. “I just squeezed the flute too hard.”
Juliana nodded and turned to Ares. “Why don’t you and Dahlia go explore the cove by yourselves? I’m sure you have both had enough of all this noise and are dying to be by yourselves now.”
Ares’s face gleamed with satisfaction. Without letting go of Dolly’s hand, he leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thank you for arranging the party for me, Mama.”
“Happy birthday, Ares,” Juliana said, tears in her eyes but a smile curving her lips.
Ares did not remember another occasion when he had felt so grateful for his mother’s presence of mind. Granted, he’d been reminded, again and again, of her devotion to him when he was in the coma but her actual interaction with him had always felt like it was scripted. As if she’d put his name as the heading and written down a list of questions she should ask him. As if she were fulfilling a checklist as his mother. Except today.
