“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Ari. Thank you.” The wind was taken out of Ari’s sails when Rafe walked right up to her and tugged her into his arms, giving her a long, scorching kiss in front of his family. He wasn’t leaving any doubt to his sisters and Shane that he and Ari were a couple.
When Rafe drew back, Ari wobbled a bit on her feet before she managed to pull herself together. The man just really knew how to kiss.
“As for you, Lia, if you so much as hint at doing something so foolish again, I’ll personally lock you up and throw away the key. You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“I’ll help him do it,” Shane said as the two men flanked Lia’s bed.
“You’re both Neanderthals — and I couldn’t love you more. Thank you for caring about me, and trust me, I will never do anything so dumb again. I’ve learned my lesson,” Lia said with a thoroughly innocent expression.
Ari had a feeling the girl was only just getting started. From the adoring looks on both Rafe’s and Shane’s faces, it looked as if the men were buying into her heartfelt apology — hook, line and sinker.
“Now that it seems everything is under control, I’m going to go visit my mother,” Ari said as she backed away from Rafe toward the door. She wished her voice sounded a little less breathless.
“I’ll come with you.”
“No! I mean, that’s OK; you stay and visit with your sister. I’ll meet you back here, Rafe. Thanks for the offer, though.” Ari bolted out the door and down the hall.
The last thing she wanted was for her mother to see her with Rafe. Not only couldn’t she seem to sort out her tumbling emotions toward the man, but she in no way wanted her mom to know what she’d done.
Ari’s mother, Sandra, would get to leave the hospital in two more days, and because of Rafe, she’d be returning to her home, never the wiser that Ari had sold it. Rafe had hired men to move her mother’s furniture and other possessions back into the house, and Ari would just explain that any missing items had been sold for medical costs. It was a small price to pay for her mother’s health.
She stopped by the bathroom to freshen up and make sure none of the inner turmoil coursing through her was displayed on her face. Her mom had been through more than enough and didn’t need to see Ari looking as if she were about to fall apart.
When Ari finally considered herself ready, she went to the elevators and traveled up to the sixth floor, where her mother’s room was located.
As she stepped inside and saw her mother looking so much healthier and sitting up in bed, much of her stress evaporated. Her wonderful mom would be back to normal soon, even working in her beloved floral shop!
The creations her mother made were unique and beautiful, and customers came from near and far to snap them up. On top of her talent, she made each person among her clientele feel as if they were her top priority.
Sandra ran herself ragged, but she was happy, and Ari would do anything to ensure that she stayed that way, even if it cost her some of her own happiness. Her mom had sacrificed so much for her — it was now Ari’s turn to return the favor.
“I thought you weren’t going to be back until tomorrow, sweetie.” The sound of her mom’s voice prodded her into action and she moved forward.
“Mr. Palazzo’s sister had an accident and we had to come back early,” Ari said as she went her mother’s bed and leaned down to give her a hug.
“Is she all right?”
“Yes. She’s fine. Her family is there with her now, so I wanted to come see you. It’s only been a few days, but I missed you. I bet you can’t wait to get out of here. It has seemed like forever.”
“It’s felt like an eternity. I just want my own bed again,” Sandra said as she reached for her cup of water. “How was New York?”
“It was amazing. We were there only a few days and didn’t get much work done, but I was able to spend an afternoon in Central Park! I also got to ice-skate at Rockefeller Center. I’m terrible at it, but I’d do it all over again. I hope to go back someday and explore more.”
“We’ll have to go together. I’ve never been to the East Coast. We’ll make it a nice little vacation and stop in to see Niagara Falls, too.”
“That sounds like a date, Mom. We’ll want to do it in the summer because I’ve heard those falls get pretty cold.”
“Do you like your new job, Ari? Are you going to be able to finish school while doing it?”
When Ari was in New York, she had told her mother only that she’d received a promotion in the company she’d been hired at originally and was now working directly for Rafe. She hadn’t known what else to tell her. Sandra absolutely didn’t need to know the whole truth.
“I love the job, not that I really know what I’m doing yet. I think it will be a good experience. I’m going to try to get back to school soon, Mom. I promise. I will finish that degree so you can be proud when I accept my diploma at the department of history ceremony.”
“Ari, don’t you know that I’m proud of you no matter what you do in life? I just want this so badly because you worked your tail end off and deserve to finish. It’s a shame to stop now when you’re so very close. I’d never forgive myself if you didn’t graduate because of me.”
“Mom, the accident was my fault, so none of this is because of you!” Ari insisted.
“We can go back and forth all day long about whose fault it is, but the bottom line is that I won’t be happy until you have that diploma in your hand. You gave up a lot of your childhood so you could earn scholarships to go to school, and now it’s time for you to shine.”
“I am shining, Mom. You know, most college kids dream of getting a job for a company as prestigious as the Palazzo Corporation. They are high up there on the food chain. I see that look in your eyes, so you don’t have to say it. I won’t settle. I promise you, I’ll be there no more than six months, and then, even if I have to pimp myself out for college tuition, I’ll get back in the classroom.”
Ari winced at how close to home her statement was. She might not be selling her body for tuition money, but she was for her mother’s security. The worst part was that she was developing feelings for her captor.
“Ari! Don’t even joke about such a thing,” Sandra exclaimed. “But you know,” she went on in a deceptively even tone, “you need to tell me more about your boss — this Mr. Rafe Palazzo, who was so kind to me.”