Chapter Nine

When her mother walked in with a man she vaguely recognized but couldn’t place, her stomach started cramping, and she felt like she would throw up.

Larkin squeezed her hand. “Don’t you dare let that woman scare you. There is nothing she can do. Get your chin up, and don’t show any fear. It will just make her happy to see you upset.”

Courtney nodded, took a deep breath, and felt some of the tension release its hold on her.

Her mother, the man she came with, Darian, and the cop stood talking by the door. Ronin was standing behind them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The look on his face made a shiver run down her back.

He looked so different. He looked hard and menacing, and it almost frightened her. When he turned to her and winked, she knew he was pretending to be mean to scare her mother.

Darian turned to her and waved her over. Courtney stood and glanced back at Larkin.

“Daddy said I had to stay here, but you won’t be alone,” Larkin said.

Courtney nodded, turned, and walked to Darian’s side. She made herself look at her mother, Diana, but she didn’t show any fear.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Dear. Do you know how much you scared me?” the older woman said and patted her own chest.

“I don’t know why. I left you a letter, and I’d bet you read it. So why all of this?”

“Because you don’t know what you’re doing, Dear,” Diana said.

“I might not know everything, but I have friends who will help me,” Courtney said.

“Let’s go home and we’ll talk about it,” Diana said, reaching out to take her hand.

Courtney immediately took a step back and was stopped by an immovable object. She looked over her shoulder to see Ronin. He’d been at her back the whole time.

Any other tension she’d felt drifted away. She shook her head. “No. I’m going home with these guys. I’ll call in a few days, and we can talk then.”

She saw her mother’s lips thin in aggravation. “Courtney…”

Courtney shook her head. “No. Mother, stop. I’m twenty-three years old. You can’t make me do anything.”

“Can we speak alone for a moment?” Diana asked.

Darian stepped forward. “That’s not going to happen. You need to say goodbye to her, and she’ll call you when she’s ready.”

Her mother’s brows snapped together. “Who are you to tell m e— ”

“Ma’am,” the man with her interrupted. “That’s Mr. Marsh and Mr. Blackwood.”

Her mother’s eyes widened, and a look of delight crossed her face. “Oh, my.”

Courtney couldn’t keep from being disgusted now that her mother was all smiles and trying to be charming because she realized she was standing in front of two of the top elite men she knew.

“Well, then, I won’t worry,” Diana said.

Courtney heard Ronin snort behind, and it almost made her smile.

The man who came with her mother took a step forward to shake Darian and Ronin’s hands.

“It’s nice to see you both again.”

“Mr. Stewert,” Darian said. “It’s been a while. How’s your golf game?”

The older man chuckled. “Oh, it’s better. Just watch the next time we get together. This time, I might win.”

Some of the people in the room chuckled.

“We’ll have to see about that. When I win, I’ll want a bottle of that Russian vodka you have,” Darian said.

“When I win,” James said and grinned. “I’ll take a bottle of rum you’ve got.”

“It’s a deal,” Darian said.

“Let’s go, Diana,” James said. “There’s no need to worry about your daughter with friends like this.”

Courtney’s mother looked at her one more time and nodded. “Very well, Dear. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

Courtney just nodded. She was a bit shocked. Was it over? Would her mother really leave her alone?

Larkin came up to her and grabbed her hand. “See, I told you. You should always listen to me.”

Courtney looked at her friend and giggled. “Why does itmake me nervous?”

Darian grunted. “Maybe because you know she likes to cause trouble.”

Larkin gasped. “Daddy. I can’t believe you would say that?”

Darian tucked her against his side and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Pet.”

Courtney hid a smile behind her hand when Darian winked at her over Larkin’s head.

“Let’s go and celebrate,” Larkin said.

Ronin shook his head. “I can’t. I have a meeting in an hour.”

Courtney couldn’t believe how disappointed she was, but she hid her expression.

She listened to the three in the car on the way back to the house.

“Why don’t I make a reservation at The Winstonian for you two and some of your friends? Would you like that?”

Larkin squealed and clapped. “Yes. How many friends can we have?”

Darian rolled his eyes. “How about you invite up to ten? It will make an even dozen littles.”

Larkin giggled and started punching away at her sparkly pink phone. She looked up at Darian. “What time, Daddy?”

Darian glanced at his watch. “Let’s make it at one. That will give you two time to change and your friends to get there.”

“Yes. We’ll do that,” Larkin said.

They pulled up to Larkin’s house.

Courtney stood beside Larkin as the two men talked. She was waiting to see what would happen, and she was relieved when Ronin walked over to her.

He laid his hand on her shoulder. “I hope you feel better, Honey.”

She nodded and tried to sound casual, but it was hard when her anxiety rose again, and it had nothing to do with her mother this time and everything to do with Ronin. “I do. Thank you for everything.”

He kissed the top of her head and walked off toward a car parked to the side. She waited a moment longer to see if he’d look at her again, but he just drove off. It was ridiculous, but it felt like her heart was going with him.

Larkin wrapped her arm around hers, leading her into the house and up the stairs. “It’s okay, Girlfriend. Guys can be stupid sometimes, but the ones I know usually can get their heads out of their asses quickly.”

Courtney tried to smile. “It’s okay. I’m being silly. We only just met, and he stayed to help me because he’s a nice guy.”

Larkin snorted. “Let’s get dressed up. We have something to celebrate, don’t we?”

Courtney decided to put Ronin in the back of her mind and enjoy the day and her victory over her mother.