“Mrs. Windsor.”
I look up at the guard standing in the doorway and tip my head in question.
“Your mother is here to see you. Mr. Windsor instructed us not to let any of your family members in without your express permission. What would you like me to do?”
I hesitate for a moment before nodding. “Send her in.”
I sit back as I wait for my mother, a dull ache spreading from my heart. In the week I spent with Silas and Alanna, I’ve thought about her a lot. Hannah isn’t the only one I’ve been making excuses for.
“Raven,” Mom says, a hint of panic in her voice. I frown as I take her in. Her clothes are wrinkled, and her hair looks disheveled. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother look anything short of perfect. Despite her age, she still conducts herself as the popular actress she used to be.
“What can I do for you, Mom?”
She approaches me with fury blazing through her eyes. “How could you be sitting here so quietly when there are countless rumors circulating about your sister? I can’t leave Dreamessence to you if you can’t even handle a PR crisis.”
I cross my arms and smile at her. “And what exactly did you do to handle the PR crisis I experienced just two weeks ago? You didn’t even call me to check if I was okay. Did you know Dad tried hiring Silas Sinclair to find and protect me when he couldn’t reach me? What did you do?”
Mom hesitates, surprise flickering through her eyes. “Well, it was hardly a crisis. I knew you had Ares to help you take care of it.”
I laugh, the sound hollow. “I was getting dead threats. People were burning my designs on the streets, calling me a home wrecker, declaring they could never support a woman like me. All of that, and you didn’t even think to check up on me?”
Mom nods slowly. “You made it through just fine, didn’t you? Since you were able to dispel the drama, you should be able to do the same for your sister.”
I smile at her. “Why would I, when it’s my husband who created this scandal in the first place?”
“What?”
“If you’re just here for Hannah, I’ll need to ask you to leave. I won’t help her.” I pause for a moment. “And if you want to remain in my life, you’ll need to respect that. You have your moments, Mom, but for the most part, you’ve never really been a mother to me. Your only concern has always been Hannah, and I’m tired of it. I don’t need you to prioritize me, mother. But I do need you to stop tearing me down in favor of her. I’m tired of the constant comparison, the snide remarks. If we’re going to have any kind of relationship at all, it’ll be on my terms.”
She stares at me wide-eyed. “What has gotten into you, Raven? I know you’ve always been jealous of your sister, but you’re being unreasonable.”
I huff and shake my head. “It’s clear you heard me speak, yet you’re not listening. Maybe you will, someday, but I’m not going to sit around and wait for a moment longer.”
I rise to my feet and nod at Ben, who is standing in the corner of the room. “Please see my mother out. Deny her access to my home going forward.”
“Raven!” she snaps. “Have you completely lost your mind? If you’re going to continue acting this way, I won’t give you the shares I hold in Dreamessence.”
I smile and lean back on the sofa. “I don’t need them. I never had any interest in your company, Mom. And let’s be real. You never wanted me to inherit it in the first place. This is just another excuse to give Hannah the company. She’s welcome to it.” I stare her down. “I suppose that does mean Ares will walk away from the merger, but so be it. Anything for your precious daughter, huh? Good luck to both of you.”
I nod at Ben, and he approaches her. Unease flickers through my mother’s eyes, but I don’t have it in me to care anymore. I have nothing left to give.
My heart breaks as I watch her walk away. Part of me hopes that she’ll eventually realize how she pushed me away, but a larger part of me knows she won’t.
“I’m proud of you, Cupcake.”
My eyes widen, and I look behind me to find Ares leaning back against the wall. He pushes off it and approaches me with a sweet smile on his face.
His eyes never leave mine as he kneels in front of me, his hands reaching for mine. “There’s somewhere I want to take you today. Will you let me?”
I grin at him. “Surely by now you know that I’ll follow you to the ends of the world?”
He smiles back at me and grabs my chin, leaning in. “I’m counting on it,” he whispers, his lips brushing against mine.
Chapter Seventy
Ares
My heart is pounding wildly as I lead Raven to the helicopter that’s waiting for us. I’ve negotiated more multi-million dollar deals than I can count, and never before have I felt fear like I feel today.
“Are you okay?” she asks as I buckle her in. “You’re so quiet.”
I nod, unable to suppress my nerves as I sit down next to her.
“Where are we going?” Raven asks through the headphones.
I smile at her. “You’ll see.”
I hold her hand tightly as we fly toward the cabin where our story started. I know that there’s no point in pondering on what-ifs, but lately I can’t help but wish things had played out differently. What if I’d drank a little less and actually remembered my night with Raven? Would we have been happily married years ago? We’d have made so many more memories together, and we’d both have saved each other from so much pain.
“Wow!” Raven points out the window, a huge smile on her face when she sees the hundreds of flowers spread across the lawn. She’s so ridiculously beautiful. I still can’t believe she’s finally mine.
“Come on,” I tell her once we’ve landed, offering her my hand. The way she looks at me… yeah, I’ll never get enough of it.
My heart races as I walk her to the platform I had built, hundreds of flower arrangements surrounding us. I’ve tried my best to make the scene look as romantic as possible, but I’m scared it’s not enough.
Raven giggles when I turn toward her. “What is this, Ares?”
I bite down on my lip for a moment, gathering my courage. Fucking hell. My fucking palms are clammy, that’s how nervous I am. This is definitely a first for me. But then again, it’s only fitting, since she’s the only one I ever lose my cool over.
“Raven,” I tell her. “I wanted to take you back to the place where it all started, because there’s something I need to ask you.”
I take the ring box I’ve had for far longer than I care to admit out of my pocket and pop it open. Raven’s eyes widen, and I drop down on one knee.
“Raven Windsor, you are the love of my life. If you were to ask me when I fell in love with you, I’m not sure I could answer… because the truth is that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. All I can tell you is that with each passing day, I love you more. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, the light of my life, my favorite part of every day. You are the woman of my dreams, the one I thought got away. I wish I could go back in time and right the wrongs we’ve endured, but I can’t, baby. All I can do is promise you that I will make up for the time we lost, each and every single day we spend together. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to protect your smile, to bring you happiness. There is nothing I won’t do for you, Raven.”