Page 158 of Blossoms of the Heart
When she looked at me she smiled. Maybe that wasn’t truly for me, but I’d like to think that it was. I wanted to think that something connected us from back then.
I couldn’t believe that she’d gone through so much. I couldn’t believe it. It all made sense now. Everything.
That day when we went to Kyoto and I started talking about kids, that was when everything changed between us.
I never noted it as the point in time when things changed because in my mind there wasn’t anything to note. For her, that conversation must have crushed her. When I saw her next she’d changed.
I wanted to talk to her now. I was still awaiting and wondering how much time was enough.
It had been nearly two hours from her running off to me coming here and waiting inside here.
Two agonizing hours of me wondering what I was going to say to her, and where we would go from here.
A little knock sounded at the door. I lifted my head as the door opened and Phoebe’s mom came in.
She looked at me sitting on the rocking chair by the window.
Phoebe looked a lot like her. They had the same features, but Phoebe had her father’s eyes. That ocean blue I could fall into and stay in forever.
She stopped a few paces away and brought her hands together over her cream colored dress with beads running down the side.
Phoebe definitely got her elegance from her. I was glad that was all because if she took her personality I would never have stood a chance.
This woman had hated my guts for years. Used to hate the way I looked at her daughter, knew even before I did that I was crazy about Phoebe.
Then she made her last strike by telling me to stay away.
What did she want?
“Tai.”
“Mrs Walker.” Always respectful, that was me.
“I came to see if you were okay.”
I raised a brow. “Really, did you? Or was it to check if I was still here?” I was certain that she would have preferred for me to be gone.
“I came to see if you were okay.” She repeated. “I knew you’d still be here.”
“If you’re going to tell me to leave her alone you can save your breath. I’m not. Should have never listened to you. You didn’t know me back then and you don’t know me now. How could you have let her marry someone like that? That guy could never have loved her.” No one had to tell me that. From the look of him I knew straight away that Phoebe had definitely married him to please mommy dearest.
“I thought he did.”
“Nah.” I shook my head. “As you’re so insightful, you should have been able to tell. The same way you looked at me andknewI lacked ambition in life. You should have known that guy was a jerk who would cause her pain.” No one in their right mind would have been so evil. So evil as to embarrass anyone the way Jason had with Phoebe tonight.
“I know and I blame myself.”
“Good. Because she should never have been with someone like that. I loved her. Me. But you knew that too.” My voice shook as I spoke, and so did my soul as I faced the woman who caused my greatest fear to come to light. Telling me I wasn’t good enough for her daughter when I feared it.
“Tai, the last time we met I said some really terrible things to you. Things that I can’t take back, but can only apologize for. I should never have said such things to a boy I’d watched grow up with my children. I don’t expect you to forgive me but I’m hoping that I can fix things. I’m really sorry.”
I looked down at the square patterns on the carpet, stared for a few seconds then returned my gaze to her.
“Thanks for your apology.” That was the best I could say. I didn’t know what more I was supposed to say about it because her behavior had caused so much damage. “What happened to her?”
She swallowed hard and she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “I think you should go see her now, allow her to tell you.” She nodded. “Go see Phoebe now. You guys talk okay?”
I bit the inside of my lip and stood up to go. I didn’t answer as I moved past her.
