Dylan (30 page)

I tuck her close again and lead her away as
others follow her lead and begin tossing the dirt into the hole.
From the corner of my eye I see Addie fall against Travis in a fit
of tears, but I don’t turn back to make sure she is okay. It’s
Travis’s responsibility to look after her now. I have bigger things
to worry about. I give my full attention to my mother. I love my
sister, but I am in no mood to deal with her psycho shit today.

As we make it to the limo I see an older
woman who looks to be dressed just as expensively as my mother
walking toward us. The breeze is blowing her silver strands of hair
softly around her face, and the sun is sparkling brightly off of
her jewelry. She reminds me of old pictures I’d seen of my
grandmother. I never met her, she died before I was born, but this
woman closely resembles the pictures that I’d seen.

My mother hasn’t noticed her and part of me
wants to pretend that I haven’t either. This day has been
exhausting and depressing. Honestly, I’m just ready for it to be
over. I want nothing more than to climb into the back of the limo
with my mother, take her home, and get drunk on the bitter taste of
whiskey, but good manners and curiosity stop me. I quit walking,
but my mother doesn’t even lift her head to see why I’ve stopped.
That is until a shrill voice reaches us.

“Deirdre!” Mother lifts her head slowly as
she searches out the person who has now shouted her name.

I watch her eyes brighten slightly as they
land upon the silver haired woman. It’s the first spark of life I
have seen in her gaze in what feels like a lifetime, and it makes
me so fucking happy. I hold my mother up as the woman stops in
front of us, and for the first time I notice the slender blonde
woman that’s standing next to her.

Naturally, my eyes roam over her instantly.
She’s pretty in a classic sort of way. Her skin is flawlessly pale,
her eyes a bright emerald, and she carries her willowy figure with
a confidence any man would find sexy. Even if she didn’t look like
a swimsuit model, her quiet sophistication would have captured my
interest. There was nothing better than making a quiet girl scream
as you fucked the proper right out of them.

“Deirdre, darling, how are you my dear. I am
so very sorry for your loss.” This woman drips money down to the
high pitch of her voice, but who am I to judge someone for having
money?

Pot, meet kettle.

“Marian! I had no idea you would be here. I
am so glad you could make it.” My mother releases her hold on my
suit jacket as she steps forward to kiss Marian’s, cheeks.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,
Darling.” Marian steps back and puts one hand on the young woman’s
elbow to bring her forward. “This is my daughter, Isabelle.”

I shove my free hand in the pocket of my
slacks as I keep my gaze on Isabelle. The name fits her
sophisticated appearance, but seems like a lot of work to shout in
the throes of a climax. I cock my head to the side as I stand there
blatantly checking her out. I know she can feel my gaze by the
pinking of her cheeks. That’s pretty adorable.

“Oh, Marian!” My excitement in my mother’s
voice has me breaking my gaze and looking at her with a smile.
“What a beautiful young woman she has become.” My mother gushes and
then looks back at me. “I haven’t seen her since she was a
baby.”

My smile grows at her enthusiasm and obvious
reminiscent features. All I can do is smile though, because even
though I now know their names, I still have no idea who these
people are. I have no memories of them to join add to the
conversation. As if this fact has only know settled into my
mother’s grief stricken mind, she shakes her head and speaks
again.

“Where are my manners?” Mother holds a hand
to her forehead before looping it through the cook of my arm.
“Ethan, this is Marian and Isabelle. Marian was a college friend of
your father’s.” She holds her opposite hand to her lips as if she
can physically force the pain at the mention of my father away.

“Marian, Isabelle, this is my son,
Ethan.”

“Oh, Darling. He is a striking young man.
He’s the spitting image of his father, but with your beautiful
eyes.” Marian moves her hands around her face as she speaks, but
I’m not paying attention to her anymore.

All I can focus on now is the very
interested look in Isabelle’s eyes as she shyly looks me over. Her
cheeks are burning brighter, and her emerald eyes seem to shine
even brighter. I can feel the caress of those eyes burning over my
skin, lighting me on fire. I haven’t fucked anyone since Trisha
left me, and I was done feeling sorry for myself. I need this.

Mother must have noticed Isabelle’s
attention on me as well, because I feel her elbow nudge into my
side. I tear my gaze away from the striking woman before me and
look over at her. My heart freezes in my chest at what greets me.
My mother has the brightest smile on her face. My mother is
smiling.

I don’t even try to stop the grin that
spreads across my own face. That is the smile I remember, the one
that belongs on her. I vowed to make my mother smile, and if being
with Isabelle makes her happy, then it’s worth a try. It’s not like
it would be a hardship on my part.

I glance back to see
Isabelle’s eyes are still on me. She looks awe struck, and that is
a huge fucking ego boost. She also looks way too proper to be
having the thoughts I see reflecting in her eyes. Isabelle isn’t
the sex kitten Trisha is, but she is gorgeous.
Fuck, Ethan! Stop thinking about her!

Trisha isn’t here. She left me, she hasn’t
even called. I hate myself for what I did to her, but even though I
fucked her over in the worst way possible, she isn’t here when I
need her the most. I know Raven has talked to her. She knows my
father is dead, but she isn’t her. She isn’t fucking here. Trisha’s
absence is all that I can feel now.

I shake away thoughts of the one woman who
owns me completely, and focus instead on the woman in front of
me.

Isabelle is here.