Back to Life (12 page)

He
came walking over to me, holding out his hand. “Liam,” he said. “It’s wonderful
to see you, son.”

I
placed my hand in his and gave it a quick shake. “Father.” I said curtly.

He
looked me up and down, and then over to Rory before looking back at me again.
“You’re looking well.”

“Thank
you, so are you. Where’s mom?”

“She
ran into a lady from our country club and she stopped to say hello. She’ll be along
in a moment.”

“Oh.”
That was all I could think of to say.

“And
who is this striking young lady on your arm?” he asked, his eyes back on Rory
again. He looked charmed by her, but if I knew my father, he was judging her by
her visible tattoos and piercings as an unsuitable mate for his only heir.

My
jaw tightened as I felt her squeeze my hand harder. “Father, I’d like to
introduce you to…”

“Rory?
My goodness, is that you?” My mother was walking over to join our group, a
mixture of shock and joy on her face. “What a lovely surprise!”

Rory
glanced at me and muttered under her breath, “There’s no going back now.” With
a wink at me she momentarily let go of my hand so she could greet my mother.
“Mrs. Tanner, it’s wonderful to see you again.”

My
mother kissed both of her cheeks, happiness bursting out of her. “I didn’t know
you two knew each other! How did you finally meet?”

“At
a little club called Shadow about three weeks ago. Maybe you’ve heard of it,” I
said to her, smirking. When Rory joined me again at my side, I kissed the top
of her head, and she looked up and smiled at me.

“Oh,
that’s wonderful! I’m so glad,” she said, and leaned into kiss my cheek. She
turned to my father. “Oh, Grayson, darling, I’m being rude. Forgive me. This is
Rory Shaw. She’s been my hairstylist for the past three years, and I don’t
think there is a lovelier woman in the world than this one.”

My
father held out his hand to Rory, and when she placed her hand in his, he
leaned in and kissed it. “Rory, it’s wonderful to finally meet you. My wife
talks about you often. You certainly do make her look beautiful.”

“Thank
you very much, Mr. Tanner. It’s not hard, she’s already beautiful,” Rory
replied, winking at my mother.

“Oh,
you don’t have to be so formal, dear. Please, call me Grayson,” he said. Boy, the
bastard was laying it on thick.

My
mother patted his arm. “Grayson, don’t bother. I’ve been asking her to call me
Vivian for years.”

“Well,
it is your birthday. How about I start tonight?” she asked my mother, and I
couldn’t help but smile. She was so charming it hurt.

“Tanner,
party of four!” called the hostess.

“That’s
us. Shall we?” my father asked, holding out his arm for my mother.

I
took Rory’s hand in mine. “Thank you for being here.”

“No
problem, Tanner,” she said, and we followed my parents to our table.

After
we had eaten, everyone was sitting around chatting. Well, my parents and Rory
were talking. I was making the occasional grunt when the conversation flowed to
me. I didn’t know what was going on with my father. He was being absolutely
charming and warm. Something was going on, I could tell. The last time we’d
spoken to each other he gave me a black eye and I cracked his jaw before he
told me I was a disgrace to our family name. Now, he was acting like none of
that happened at all, and that we were just a normal family. My mother had been
pleading with him for years to try and make things right and he’d always
resisted. Why now?

“So,
Rory, tell me, how is business going? I have seen your work first hand, and I
must say, you are very talented,” he said.

“Thank
you, Grayson. I stay pretty busy. I am usually booked for three to four weeks
in advance,” she answered. Wow…I didn’t know that.

“That’s
wonderful. You’re parents must be very proud of you,” he replied.

She
cleared her throat and looked down at her plate. “Well, I wouldn’t know. We
don’t really speak much anymore.”

My
mother reached out her hand and took Rory’s. “I’m sorry dear.”

“Thanks,
Vivian, but it’s okay. I have all the love I need,” she said. I leaned in and
kissed her on the cheek, and my mother squealed like a teenager, making me roll
my eyes.

“Well,
I think it’s time for us girls to go powder our noses. What do you say, Rory?”
she said.

Rory
turned to me, and I nodded. “It’s okay, go. I’ll be here when you get back.”
She leaned in and tried to kiss my cheek but I moved my head before she could
and caught her lips. She giggled and stood up to walk to the restroom with my
mother.

It
was silent for a moment before my father spoke. “She’s absolutely enchanting,
Liam. And your mother seems quite taken with her.”

“She
is enchanting, Father. Mom’s actually been trying to set us up for years. I am
just glad I met her on my own. As you can surely remember, I don’t like to have
anything or anyone pushed on me.”

He
cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I guess I deserve that.”

I
scoffed. “You think so?”

“Liam,
let’s not do this, all right? I am trying here, son. It’s your mother’s
birthday, and this is what she wants. For us to be a family again.”

“What’s
stopped you for the last ten years? You knew how to find me.”

“I
know that, and it was a mistake. It’s not easy for a father to let his son go
out on his own and make his own choices, especially when you grow up in this
family. I should have listened to you and supported you in what you wanted.
You’ve become a good man, Liam, and I don’t want this to sound condescending,
but I’m proud of you, son.”

I
narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay, cut the crap. What is really going on? Why all
of a sudden are you being all apologetic and nice? And what’s with the compliments
about Rory? She’s covered head to toe in tattoos and she has at least three
visible piercings. You have never approved of people that express themselves
that way.”

He
looked at me with sad, nostalgic eyes. “Because I can see past all that to the
woman she is…the one that is making my son look happier than I’ve seen him in
years. And life is too short, Liam.”

Before
I could say anything else, my mom and Rory came and rejoined our table. “Well,
did you boys find something to talk about while we were gone?” Mom asked. Rory
looked at me with apprehension in her eyes.

I
nodded at her reassuringly. “We did, and we think it’s present time for the
birthday girl,” I said. I reached into my jacket pocket and took out a small
black velvet box with a red bow tied around it. “For you, Mom.”

Mom’s
eyes lit up. “Oh Liam, you didn’t have to get me anything. Us all being here
together as a family, and you and Rory finally together…that’s all I’ve ever
wanted.”

I
smiled at her. “Just open it.”

She
did, and gasped. I bought her a silver bracelet with diamonds and emeralds in
it. “Oh, Liam, it’s gorgeous! I love it, son, thank you!” she said, tears
brimming in her eyes.

“That
is beautiful,” my father said, and he took it from Mom and helped fasten it on
her wrist.

“Okay,
my turn,” Rory said. “Happy birthday, Vivian,” Rory said, pulling out a small
bag that she’d had hidden under the table.

My
mom opened it and smiled. It was a bottle of her favorite perfume, Chanel No.
5. “Oh, Rory, my favorite! Thank you dear,” she said, and kissed Rory’s cheek.

“You’re
very welcome,” Rory said. I squeezed her hand under the table.

“Well,
that leaves my gift,” my father said. He handed her an envelope and smiled.
“Happy birthday, darling.”

She
opened it and her eyes went wide. “Greece? You’re taking me to Greece?”

“Just
like we always wanted,” he said, and my mother leaned in and kissed him.

“I
love you, Grayson Tanner.”

“I
love you too, Vivian.”

“Oh,
this has been the best birthday I can ever imagine.” She turned to my father.
“Dance with me?” My mother’s favorite song, “The Way You Look Tonight”,
happened to be playing.

“Of
course, dear.” He stood and held out her chair, and they both walked out onto
the dance floor.

Rory
turned to me. “Are you doing okay?”

My
brows furrowed. “Yeah, I’m doing all right.”

“Your
father seems nice.”

“I
know. It’s strange. I have never seen him be this nice to anyone. I mean, he
can be a charming bastard when he wants to be, but it’s usually a front. When
you went to the restroom with Mom, I expected him to belittle me or say
something rude about you, but he didn’t. He likes you a lot, and told me he was
proud of me. It’s just…unsettling.”

“Well,
maybe he’s trying to make things right.”

I
looked at her. “Rory, come on. Wouldn’t you be the least bit suspicious if your
parents came to your door and said they wanted to get along and be a happy
family again?”

She
looked angry for a moment, but then softened. “Well, when you put it that
way…but believe me, our situations are different. I think this whole evening
has been great. Maybe you really are on your way to reconciling with him.”

“Maybe.”
We sat in silence for a moment, before another song came on. It was Adele’s
“One and Only.” “Dance with me?” I asked, holding out my hand.

She
smiled at me. “Sure,” and we both stood and walked out to the dance floor. I
pulled her into my arms and held her close while the music filled the air. I
traced my fingers up and down her spine and felt her shiver under my
fingertips. She smelled like heaven and fit up against me like a glove. I smiled
as she mindlessly hummed along with the music. Before I realized it, the song
was over and she was pulling away.

“Hey,
wait, where are you going?” I asked, still holding her waist.

“Back
to the table. I have a bite of crème brulee left. I don’t want to waste it,”
she said, and I smiled. Rory had a beautiful body, and she wasn’t shy about
eating around anyone. I loved that she wasn’t self conscious about her curves
as some women can be. I followed her to the table and took my seat next to her
as she scooped up the last bite. She turned to me and smiled. “There, all
done.”

I
leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder. “Is it time to leave yet?”

“Why
are you so antsy? I’m not going home with you,” she said, smirking.

“You’re
not, huh?”

“Nope.”

“And
why is that?”

“Because
you said you want to take things slow with me. Well, that’s exactly what I
intend for us to do,” Rory said. She raked her finger across her plate, picking
up the remaining bits of her desert, and raised her finger to her lips. She put
her finger in her mouth and lightly sucked on it, moaning. Damn it, she was
good. Why on earth did I tell her I wanted to wait for us to sleep together again?

“Oh,
it’s like that, huh?” I groaned into her ear.

She
turned her face to me. “It’s like that,” she whispered. I was about to claim
her lips on mine when my parents interrupted us.

“Well,
I think it’s safe to say that this part of the evening is over,” my mother
laughed. “You two can’t take your eyes off each other.”

I
sighed and Rory giggled, blushing. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Oh
don’t apologize dear. I am beyond delighted to see you two together,” my mother
said. She walked around the table as Rory stood to meet her. Pulling her into a
hug, she said, “I am so happy that you came tonight dear. What a wonderful surprise.”

“It
was my pleasure, Vivian.” Rory said, and then turned her face to my father. “I
had a great time this evening.”

“I’m
glad, dear.” He walked over and took her hand. “It was wonderful to meet you,
Rory. We should all do this again sometime,” he said, kissing her hand. Rory
just smiled at him. “Maybe next time you can come have dinner at our house.
We’d certainly love to have you.”

“That
sounds nice,” Rory said.

Mom
walked over to me and I pulled her into a warm hug. “I’d like that. Thank you
for this, Liam. It meant the world to me.”

“Any
time, Mom.” My father turned to me and extended his hand. I took a deep breath
and shook it firmly. “Father,” I said.

“Liam,
it was nice to see you son.”

I
pulled Rory close to my side, relishing in the fact that she fit there to
perfectly. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. We all said a final
round of goodbyes and then Rory and I walked out the restaurant hand in hand. “Well,
weren’t you just the belle of the ball tonight?”

She
smiled at me and did a curtsy. “I try,” she joked.

“Seriously…you
were amazing tonight. My mother already loves you, and now you have my father
wrapped around your finger too.”