Chapter Fourteen

Sarah sat in front of the table she had put her toiletries on. She stared at her image. This was one of the times she wished her father was here. He’d know what to tell her. Help her think this through.

Conor pissed her off with his 'let’s go back to the way we were' comment. So much had changed since she arrived in Ireland. She had changed. Didn’t Conor see that?

Picking up the brush she worked on her hair. Now she had to date these three men. James was a jerk. There was no way she’d give him any kind of hope. If she could, she’d kick him out of her group of suiters. Then she heard her dad tell her keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If she knew what he was doing all the time she wouldn’t have to worry about him trying something.

Michael was sweet enough, but he didn’t hold a candle to Conor. Even mad at him she knew she wanted Conor. No one else would do, but she didn’t have to make it easy for him. Tomorrow, Siobhan was going to come by and present her new wardrobe. Sarah also planned on getting her help on how to handle this little wrinkle. Not knowing if there were special rules about werewolves dating put her at a disadvantage and she wanted to correct that as quickly as possible.

She looked at the big bed she had shared with Conor. Once again that damn thing was going to be very lonely.

***

“I hear my son made an ass of himself,” said Siobhan as she rolled a rack of clothes into the castle.

“I guess Nana filled you in.”

“She did, but it was the pout on Conor’s face that told me the real story.” She let go of the rack to remove her coat. “What stupid thing did my son say to upset you?”

“He wanted things to go back to the way they were.” Sarah noticed there were several more outfits. “There is a bit more here than we talked about.”

“I wanted to make a few garments for your upcoming dates.” She pulled the garment bags off a few of the garments. “I have one, in particular, to use when you’re with Conor. It should make him drool.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? I had planned on making my relationship with the three men platonic. I don’t know how easy that’s going to be wearing something that will make Conor drool.”

“You need to learn how to use your attributes to work for you with your mate. The men might be stronger but without a mate they are lone wolves. They need us. We complete them. Conor never tried to find a mate. He didn’t see himself as worthy.”

“Why?”

“Because he was born second. Conor is probably more alpha than his older brother. It happens in packs. He knows he won’t lead the pack. As he grew, he did learn with his brother. We have to do that just in case something happens to the oldest child. Once they were both adults, he realized his destiny wasn’t leading our pack. He was lost for a while. Then he found cooking, but Max was the one who helped him center himself. He gave Conor a goal once again. Something for him to focus on.

“Cooking became his passion. His cooks are the members of his pack. You don’t know how happy I was when he started cooking. He pushed himself until he became the best. The alpha in him wouldn’t allow him to be anything else.” She took ahold of the rack and gestured for Sarah to go in front of her. “Then you came along.”

Sarah took her to her room. “How did I change anything.”

“Conor never dated. He even created a fake family to get women to leave him alone. The fact that he befriended you goes against his code.” Siobhan pulled out one of the outfits. “When he brought you to our home, I knew you were special to him. He wasn’t ready to admit it, but we could see it.”

“I knew about the fake family, but not the rest.” Sarah touched the gossamer fabric. Siobhan had her turn around so she could help her into the dress. “Right now, I feel like I’m nothing more than an inconvenience because of this new wrinkle.”

“Oh, Sarah, you are his world. Conor might put his foot in his mouth but think about it. He is willing to go through this dating process. He wouldn’t do that for any other woman. He loves you. He just has no clue how to show it. He’s never had to do it before.”

Once the dress was on her Siobhan brought her to the floor-length mirror.

“This is beautiful.” Sarah twisted one way then another. The maxi dress flowed about her.

“That is the one for Conor.” She pulled out another two dresses. Siobhan held out one then the other. “This is for James, and this is for Michael.”

“And how do you recommend I handle your son?”

“I’d flirt with him until you know he is at the breaking point. Then give him a quick kiss goodnight and leave him hanging. It will show him you still care but you’re serious about seeing this through properly so no one will question when you choose your mate publicly.”

***

Sarah loved her new outfits. She had always bought off the rack but having clothes tailored for her figure would spoil her for buying from her local department store when she got back to the states. The thought made her pause. Sooner or later, she was going to have to go back to her old life.

She searched for the head of staff.

“I need to make a phone call to the states.”

“I’ll put the call through.”

“That’s okay. I can call on my cell, I just never did an overseas call and need a little help.”

“Oh sure. You have your phone with you?”

Sarah handed it over.

“It’s simple really.” She started tapping on the keys. “You dial zero, zero then one then your area code and number.” She handed the phone back to her once she got the first three numbers.

“Thanks.” Sarah typed her parents' number and listened to it ring. “Hi, Dad.”

“Sarah! How’s Ireland?”

“It’s beautiful here. You and Mom would love it.”

“And your grandmother?”

“Very sweet. You know that whiskey you like? The one that we laughed about because of how much it cost?”

“Sure. Did you get a chance to try it?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. It’s what the family makes.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, and I plan on bringing you home some when I come back.”

“When do you plan on coming back? I’m not trying to rush you or anything, but your mom has been asking about you.”

“I don’t know yet. Should I talk to her?”

“I don’t think she’s up to it.” Her father paused. “How about sending us some pictures? She does well with those. Especially if you’re in them.”

“Gosh, I never thought about doing that. I’ll start working on that now.”

“Thanks, I know your mom will love it.”

“Miss you, Dad.”

“Miss you too, sweetheart.”

Sarah hung up and tried to think.

“You know your Nana had a photographer here for your party. He’s brought the images for you and her to go through.” Moira, the head of staff, handed her an envelope. “I could also help you by taking a picture of you in front of the castle and the factory. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you. That would be perfect. I guess I need to have the car brought around as well so I can go show Nana the pictures.”

An hour later she was on her way to Conor’s house. Part of her wanted to see him, but part of her didn’t. It took her a half hour to figure out what to wear just in case he was there. Once she arrived, the door opened before she could put her hand on it, and a hand offered her help.

She stood and looked into Conor’s eyes.

“You look beautiful.” He stepped aside so she could have a little room.

“How long, ma’am?” asked the driver.

Right. He needed to know when to pick her up. “Um, I’m not sure. How about two hours?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you need me earlier just call.”

“Thanks.”

Conor closed the door and escorted her into the house.

“That does look good on you,” said Nana.

“Siobhan is a true artist and I’m getting spoiled having clothing made to order.”

“What brings you here, child?”

“The photographer brought the pictures by. I thought we could go through them?” Sarah set her purse down and pulled out her pad. “I downloaded the images into my pad so we could see them.”

“You can use the kitchen table,” said Siobhan. “I’ll make some tea and coffee.”

They moved to the table. Sarah set the tablet on the table and pulled up the images. She hadn’t had a chance to see any of them yet so had no idea what she would see. She was the center of most of the images.

“What did you do, tell him to follow me?”

Nana laughed. “You were the reason we had that party.”

One picture of her coming out of the doors was beautiful. The light bounced off the crystals in her hair and against the ones woven into the gown. It softened her features and made her eyes sparkle.

“Oh, mark that one. You look stunning in it.”

Siobhan brought Nana a cup of tea, then Sarah and Conor a cup of coffee. Conor had been standing behind Sarah’s chair until she begged him to sit down. Trying to see how he felt about the pictures was putting a crick in her neck.

Sarah did as her grandmother asked then went to the next picture. She liked that one because it showed her and her grandmother sharing a moment. There were pictures of her with Max, and Conor. There was one of them dancing that she loved so she marked that one as well. The hugs she gave Alicia, Catherine, and Stacey were captured.

“Your photographer was very good.” Sarah showed the image of her talking to James. “If I hadn’t been there and known what I said to him I wouldn’t have known I was angry.”

“He’s one of the best.” Nana swiped through a few more and marked the ones she wanted. Once she was done, she handed the tablet to Conor. “Mark your favorites as well.”

There was a knock. Conor opened the door then stepped aside. Sarah was surprised to see Max step into the room.

“I’m sorry to intrude.” He looked at Sarah. “You need to go home.”

“Home?” She stood. “What has happened?”

“I heard from the doctor. Your mother isn’t doing well. Your father knows this is important to you so won’t say anything.”

“Oh my god. I have to pack.”

“Don’t worry about that right now, Sarah,” said Conor.

“I have my plane standing by.”

“We need to keep James from the castle first. He’ll take advantage of my and Nana’s absence.”

“Let me handle that,” said Max. “You need to see your mother.”

Sarah nodded.

Conor placed his hand on her arm. “I want to go with you.”

She gave him a watery smile. Sarah was fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

Conor wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be okay.”

She burst into tears.

“Sarah, it’s okay.” Nana wrapped her arms around Sarah and Conor. “Go take care of your mum. I’ll stay with Siobhan and her mate, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Thank you, Nana.”

Max urged Conor and Sarah to follow him so he could get them to the airport quickly.

The flight was long for Sarah. Not knowing what was going on at home made her antsy. Conor sat beside her, holding her hand and giving her the silent strength she knew she would need to face whatever was happening with her mom. As mad as she was at him, she was happy he was there with her.

It felt like it took forever before they landed and headed to the hospital near the college. The fact they were going to the hospital frightened her. Just how bad was her mom? Her heart pounded in her chest, and she feared the worst when they walked through the sliding glass doors. The antiseptic smell of the place filled her nostrils, and she fought the desire to gag.

Max’s doctor met them in the hallway near her mom’s room.

“Sarah, I’m sorry to make you rush home.”

“What happened?”

“Your mom had a stroke yesterday. Your father hasn’t left her side since she was brought in.” He touched her shoulder. “She has lost movement on one side of her body. She has also stopped eating.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“She’s getting nourishment intravenously for now.”

“How’s Dad doing?”

“I think he’ll be much better now that you’re here.” The doctor opened the door to her mom’s room and ushered her in.

“Mom?” Sarah went to her mom and took her hand. “I love you, Mom.”

“Sarah?”

She turned and saw her father standing there. He looked tired and worn. She took the few steps that separated them and hugged him close. “Why did you keep this from me?”

“You were doing something important for you.”

“You and Mom are important to me.” She leaned back to look at him. “I’m learning about my history but you’re my family, my heart. When you’re hurting, I’m hurting. Please don’t shut me out again. I feel guilty enough that it took me almost a week to contact you.”

“There is no reason for you to feel guilty. Your mom has been doing great. I didn’t think your mom was that bad until last night. When we talked she was sleeping peacefully. I didn’t know she was having a stroke.” His voice caught. “She has been through so much already. I hate this.”

“Me too.” She rested her head on her father’s shoulder. Tears slid down her cheeks. “She doesn’t deserve this. Mom was a sweet, wonderful person before this disease attacked her. Why was she the one who got dementia? It’s just not fair.”

A nurse came into the room to check on her mom. She was quiet and worked as quickly as she could.

Sarah stepped away from her father. “What can you tell me?”

“And you are?” asked the nurse.

“Her daughter.”

“The doctor will give you an update in a few minutes. I’m only here to get your mom’s latest vitals. My readings say she’s stable.”

“Thank you.”

The young woman dipped her head and then headed out of the room.

While she was talking to the nurse her father acknowledged Conor. Her peripheral vision let her see them shake hands.

“How are you doing, sir?”

“Better now that you two are here.”

Sarah knew he meant it. She hated interrupting them, but she wanted to ask one simple question. “Can Mom hear me?”

“Don’t know, but that hasn’t stopped me from talking to her,” her father said.

“I’m going to get some coffee, would either of you want one?” asked Conor.

“Thanks, Conor. I’d love some,” said Sarah.

Her father nodded as well.

Conor gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then went looking for the cafeteria.

“Do you love him?”

Her father’s question caught her off guard. “I…yeah. I do.”

“How does he feel about you?”

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she pulled out the necklace Conor gave her. She had put it on to give back to him when she went to show Nana the pictures but chickened out when she saw him.

“This is beautiful.”

“It belongs to Conor’s mom. It was a gift from her future mother-in-law, who got it from her future mother-in-law.”

“And she gave it to you?”

Sarah nodded. “I know he loves me, but he’s used to people doing what he tells them to do. I’ve pushed back a little and told him he needed to woo me. I’m not going to go along with things just because he told me to.”

“Maybe I should talk to him.”

“I don’t know about that.” Sarah moved over to her mother’s bed. “This is between us.”

“I hear you.” He rocked back on his heels. “If you’re going to sit with your mom, I’m going to stretch my legs a little.”

“Okay.” She took her mom’s hand in hers. “But don’t harass Conor too much.”

***

Conor had just paid for the cafeteria coffee when Sarah’s father came in.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

Conor knew he wasn’t going to like this conversation, but he also knew he couldn’t avoid it either. “Sure.”

Jon sat at a nearby table and waited until Conor joined him. He sat there, so still for about a minute then came right out with it. “Do you love my daughter?”

“Very much.” He wasn’t going to lie to Sarah’s father. Jon would never forgive him if he figured it out.

“Then why did you do something stupid?”

“What makes you think I did something stupid?” He handed a cup of coffee to Jon.

“I know my daughter. Even though she is grateful you’re here for her, she’s quiet. Too quiet. I’ve been married too long not to notice the cold shoulder when it’s being used.”

Conor laughed. “Your daughter wants me to woo her. Prove to her that I do love her.”

“I don’t know what you said but it must have really pissed her off.” He shook his head. “Sarah doesn’t want you to prove anything. She knows you love her. What she wants is to be sure she’s the center of your world.”

“Over my cooking?”

“In a way, yes.” He took a sip of his coffee. “When I met Liz she wouldn’t give me the time of day. School was her focus. She didn’t want to be distracted by anyone unless she was sure they’d be there for good. So I had to prove myself. Every day for a month I gave her a red rose. It’s her favorite flower. It started with a rose given to her at lunch. I wanted other people to make her realize that the flower was special. As special as she was. Then once I knew what car she drove I waited for her to pull into the parking lot. She had a habit of putting her books in the trunk of her car. I was lucky that she never put her books in a backpack, and she normally came back to her car after each class to get the books for the next one. I had a break after my second class, and I’d wait until five minutes before her class ended and slip a rose under her wiper.”

“You basically stalked her.”

“Yeah.” He grinned as he nodded. “One day she didn’t come to school. I had been caught by enough people with those roses and they started to help me out. One told me she was sick at home. They knew her address and offered to drive me there.”

“You had fans?”

“They knew she was that special to me. The women loved how I was working at getting her attention. Men started to ask for help with their ladies when they realized what I was doing was very romantic.” He took another sip. “Anyway, her mom answered the door. I handed her the flower and asked that she give it to Liz.”

“She asked me, ‘Are you the one who has been giving her roses? She loves the attention.’ What could I do? I told her the truth. ‘Yes Ma’am. That’s my goal.’ Then she asked me if I wanted to come in and see Liz. As much as I wanted to, I knew she wouldn’t be very happy to know who was sending her flowers if she looked sick so I said no.”

“Then it worked?”

“For me it did. The next day she didn’t come in again, but when I took the rose to her house, she was the one who opened the door. I think she did it to put a face to the roses. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. Then I thrust the rose at her and turned to leave, but she stopped me. That was when we started dating.”

“And you think I need to do something like this?”

“You need to find something that you can do that would show Sarah how much you love her and want her in your life. You know what makes her smile. Make it work for you.”

***

Conor pondered Jon’s words as they walked back to the hospital room. He knew he couldn’t copy what Jon did. Sarah would recognize it immediately. What could he do? Then he grinned. He could cook. He could use his talents to show how he felt about her. What was the saying? The way to someone’s heart was through their stomach.

They walked back into the room to find Sarah holding her mother’s hand and talking to her quietly. Conor’s hearing allowed him to hear what she was saying to her mother. It was sweet. She spoke of simple things. Things she and her mom probably talked about when she was healthy. She told her about her trip to Ireland. How awful her cousin was and how wonderful her grandmother was. She also spoke about his family, sharing the love she had for them.

She looked up at him when they came into the room. “Mom, Dad is back. So is Conor. He wants to say hi.”

He went to her side. “Me mum loves your daughter, Liz. I’ve never seen her take to someone so fast. If Sarah is upset about something she automatically assumes I’ve done something wrong.”

“You are your mom’s favorite. You can do no wrong in her eyes.” Sarah looked up at him.

“Maybe before, but you are now her favorite.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “If she were to find out I have upset you somehow she will get after me.”

“That’s something I’d like to see.”

He laughed at that. “And you just might.”

The nurse came in and let them know that visiting hours were over. Jon refused to leave, but he practically pushed them out the door. “Mom does therapy mid-morning, but you can come around lunchtime.”

Sarah hugged her father, then turned to look at him. Conor knew what she was thinking because he was thinking the same thing. What happens now?

He escorted her out of the hospital and to the car they had rented. He opened the door for her then walked around and climbed in the driver’s seat. “Did you want to get a hotel room close to the hospital? I believe there is one nearby and it’s run by our people. If not, we can go back to the college.”

“I don’t know what to do right now.” Her voice sounded wobbly. He knew she was close to tears. “I want to scream, but I’m going to cry. This just breaks my heart.”

He drove to the hotel nearby and booked a suite. Sarah stood beside him, lost in her thoughts. One of the bellboys brought in their luggage and brought it up to the suite. Max said he would take care of everything. Someone had packed Sarah’s things so she had something to wear while in the states. Someone must have gone to their place at the college to make sure he had something to wear as well. The man was amazing to get their luggage to the hotel before they arrived. He knew better than to question how he knew where they would spend the night. Conor guided her to the rooms and urged her to sit in one of the chairs. From that point he did everything. After opening her suitcase, he found the outfit he expected to find. It was something she wore when she was sad or upset. It gave her comfort, and he knew she needed that right now.

Taking her hand, he helped her change, then led her to the couch in the room. He pulled an extra blanket out of the closet and wrapped it around her. He got into something more comfortable and sat next to her, drawing her into his arms, and turning the TV on. He was lucky to find one of her favorite rooms on and they sat back and watched.

She did cry, but she also laughed at the scenes she always laughed at. It took her a while to fall asleep, but he was happy when she curled up against him. Tonight, she needed a friend.

***

They arrived in time for lunch. Sarah had dark circles under her eyes, but she used some makeup and hid any imperfections. She did it to hide the signs of crying. He knew, but her father might not.

They walked in and her father looked up. The frown on his face showed he wasn't fooled by anything. “Sweetheart, you’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine, Dad. How’s Mom?” She pulled the attention from her face to her mom.

“About the same.”

The nurse came in.

“Why don't we go down to the cafeteria while the nurse works with Mom?” He gestured for his daughter to exit the room. She sighed but stepped out the door with Conor right behind her. Conor went and got coffee for the three of them while Sarah and her father picked a table.

He set one in front of Sarah before he handed another one to her father.

“The doctor came by earlier,” said her father.

That caught her attention. “Did he say when Mom could go home?”

“Sarah.” He reached for her hand. “Your mom isn’t coming home.”

“Wha-what do you mean?” She pulled her hands back, shutting down her emotions from the news she knew she didn’t want to hear.

“Your mom is slipping away from us. We’re keeping her alive with tubes and monitors. That’s not what your mom wanted. We need to let her go.”

Tears filled her eyes. She blinked and they started to fall. Once they started, she couldn’t stop them. Conor scooted his chair over and took her into his arms. It took her a few minutes to get herself under control. She sniffed and her father handed her a napkin.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ve cried a lot myself. Your mom is my world, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive without her.” His eyes got a little glassy. “But I don’t want to keep her alive with machines. I wouldn’t want that, and I know she doesn’t want it either. I don’t want to let her go any more than you do, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Sarah nodded, fighting tears once again. “When?”

“The doctor will turn off the machines when we get back to the room, then we wait.” Her father looked away as he fought his tears.

Sarah jumped up and went to her father who stood as he pulled her into his embrace. They cried on each other’s shoulders as they hugged. She didn’t want this. Her father didn’t want this, but Mom didn’t deserve this.

Wiping her eyes, Sarah stepped back and grabbed a napkin that Conor handed her. “I wish I would wake up and find that this is just a horrible dream. But it’s been going on too long to be a dream.”