21. Georgia
21
Georgia
Now
T he rest of the day at the fair passes quickly with no ghostly events. I have felt on edge, though, searching for my mother's ghost in every crowd of fairgoers as Ian and I take turns riding the rides with Auden while she not-so-silently reminds Ian that he can hold my hand for as long as he wants.
And he does.
Throughout the rest of the day, he stays happily sandwiched between Auden and I, my hand clutched in one of his, Auden's clutched in his other.
This could be a forever kind of thing—I just need to be brave enough to tell him.
My heart is nearly bursting watching Ian and Auden together. They fit together so effortlessly, almost like they've known each other for their entire lives. The way Ian's eyes light up when she does something, anything really. His whole soul lights up from the inside out, especially when she smiles that big, goofy smile up at him.
The smile she usually reserves for me but inherited from him.
"Why don't we watch the fireworks and then call it a day?" Ian suggests as we watch Auden pet the goats in the small petting zoo portion of the fair. "They should start here in the next half hour, and it looks like Auden might finally be running out of gas." We both look over and watch her yawn the biggest yawn ever while she follows closely behind one of the rabbits.
I check the time on my phone and see that it's nearly 8:00 p.m. "Honestly, if we leave now, we can probably watch the fireworks from the dock at the house. How do you feel about a little wine, and maybe we can read some more of my mother's diary once Auden is tucked in?"
A soft smile tugs on Ian's lips before he leans over and places a kiss against my temple. "That sounds great. I'll go grab Auden."
"Make sure she washes her hands!" I remind him.
Watching Ian walk with Auden over to the handwashing station, laughing when he splashes her with his wet hands, her smile wide as she stares up at him and splashes him back...it cements something in me.
When he hates me after this, I just hope he remembers how much he adores her.
Because I can't put this off any longer.
Tonight I have to tell him that he's her father.
W hen we arrive back at Crane Manor, the house is brightly lit from the inside. We can see Mrs. Foster moseying around in the kitchen.
"Hey, Auden, why don't you run and grab a jacket from your room before we go sit at the dock and watch the fireworks," I tell her as I help her out of the back seat.
Ian glances down at his watch. "The fireworks should start any minute, so hurry up, ladies!" He flashes me a smile and ruffles Auden hair as she runs by. "Let's get some snacks before we head down to the lake." He holds his hand out for me, and grabbing it is almost like a muscle memory now as I slip my fingers between his.
We watch Auden run into the house; she waves hi to Mrs. Foster before disappearing through the doorway toward the staircase.
Ian heads toward the back steps, but I pull him back. "Thank you for today, Ian. I loved every moment of it. It's been a long time since we've had a day like this," I say. "Auden and I, I mean. A day of just fun and seeing her laugh and light up the world like she does. The hussle of the city doesn't allow for days like this very often. Most days, we are just rushing from one thing to the next. I loved having this day with the three of us."
"I told you, Georgie, I'm all in. I want you. I want Auden. I want this, this little family. Today just made me realize how much I screwed up by leaving you in that bed six years ago. I would do anything to rewind the time, change the past and all that. But then you wouldn't have Auden." He reaches up and cups my face, running his thumb softly over my cheek. "And I can't imagine not having her in my life. It's been less than a week, and that girl has me completely wrapped around her finger, just like her mom always has."
A warm tear slips down my cheek. I don't know if I'm crying because today was perfect, minus my mother's ghost haunting me from afar, or if I'm crying because I know after tonight, he may not look at me the way he is now. Like I'm everything he's ever wanted, the girl he's always loved. So instead of responding to him, I press my lips to his, hoping I can convey every feeling, every thought, and every apology that he deserves through our lips.
Ian pulls his lips away and rests his forehead against mine. His breathing is as rapid as my own. "Have you given any thought to what I said earlier?" he asks. "About you and Auden staying?"
I shake my head against him. "I want to stay, but there are things I need to tell you before we commit to this, to us. Whatever this is," I whisper. "You may not want me here after I tell you some...things."
He pulls back and gives me a confused look, his eyebrows pinching together with worry. "I don't know if there is anything you can say to make me stop wanting you, Georgia. To stop wanting this. But let's talk tonight after Auden goes to sleep. Deal?"
I give him a weak smile. "Deal," I tell him. My stomach is twisting in a thousand knots as he smiles my favorite smile down at me. "Let's go grab some snacks and a blanket before Auden comes down and yells at us for taking our sweet-ass time," I joke, pulling Ian toward the back door with me.
Mrs. Foster opens the back door for us with a strange smile on her lips, almost as if she's displeased.
"Hi, Mrs—Lydia," I correct myself quickly. " How is your night going?" I ask her as I take a seat on one of the barstools before watching Ian disappear into the walk-in pantry.
"Oh, you know, just staying busy keeping this house in order while your father is at the hospital," Mrs. Foster muses. "It's been quiet today, a little too quiet with you three gone all day. I don't know what I'm going to do with all the silence once you and Miss Auden leave to go back home next week."
I swear I can feel her eyes on me, questioning me from across the island. I fail to meet her gaze, instead looking down at my clenched fists that are resting on the countertop. "Yeah, I uh, I'm not sure when we will be heading back yet. With Dad being in the hospital and everything, I'm not sure if we should go back yet. I'm debating pulling Auden out of school in California and transferring her to a school here so I can keep a closer eye on Dad."
Mrs. Foster clicks her tongue, forcing me to look up at her. She's leaning against the sink with her arms crossed and the oddest look on her face.
"Is everything okay, Mrs. Foster? Are you okay with us staying a bit longer if needed?" I ask gently.
She lets out a loud laugh. "Oh, dear, even if I didn't want you here, which is not the case, I wouldn't be the one to make those decisions. Those decisions would fall on Mr. Harris. And we both know how much he would kill to lock you and Auden up here forever," she says. "Plus, you don't think I'd ask you to leave after going through the hassle of making sure you came home to see your father. He was nowhere near as ill as he is now, so it would seem silly to want you gone now. Right?" She shoots me a wink and lets out another loud laugh.
Now I know where Ian got his penchant for sly winking.
Speaking of the devil, Ian steps into the kitchen with a bag and the yellow quilt from the couch, both slung over his shoulder.
"What are you ladies laughing about in here?" Ian asks with a smirk as he leans against the counter next to his mother.
"Oh, nothing important. Just that Georgia here is trying to stay forever, did you know?" Mrs. Foster sneaks a peek at Ian, and the smile that was on her face moments ago completely disappears.
Ian lets out a surprised breath. "Yeah, I keep trying to convince her to stay, but she's tough to tie down."
Mrs. Foster lets out a snort and claps her hands together. "What are you doing with all that anyways, Ian?" She points at the bag of snacks that he placed on the countertop.
"The fireworks are about to start," he says and looks down at his watch. "Well, now they've probably already started. We're going to take Auden down to the dock and watch them before she has to go to bed."
It's almost as if all of the air gets sucked out of the room when Mrs. Foster lets out a startled, strangled-sounding breath.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to take that little girl to that lake!" She snaps at him before pointing a finger at me. "I didn't call you back here to start up this nonsense again with my son. You hurt him enough when you pushed him away all those years ago! Do you know how broken he was because of you? You don't get to waltz in here and take him from me like you did Ire—" She shakes in anger across me, her finger inches from my face with a look of pure hatred in her eyes.
A look I've never seen out of her normally kind eyes.
"Mom, Georgia hasn't done anything wrong. You're completely out of line talking to her like this," Ian says sternly, a poor attempt to get his mother to calm down.
"You're supposed to be here to help your father. Not lusting after my son again! You have a daughter to think about now, Georgia. Do not make the same mistake with yours as you did with mine." She gives Ian a pointed stare. "And you! You should be focusing on your patients, not playing hooky to hang out with this one. Isn't Auden proof enough that she's moved on, Ian?" She looks me up and down with disgust before stomping out of the house and into the dark night, slamming the door hard behind her.
We watch in stunned silence as she disappears from view, heading to their house on the property that sits behind the manor.
"Ian," I say quietly as he says at the same time, "Georgia, I'm so sorry about her. Don't listen to anything she says. Irene's death has turned her colder and colder throughout the years. It's like she doesn't know how to exist in my happiness because Ree won't ever have any for herself."
Ian steps around the island and cups my face, gently forcing me to look up at him. "Don't listen to her, Georgia. We know this is real. I don't care that you moved on after I abandoned you. None of that matters now. The only thing that matters is us. You, me, and Auden. Never forget that." He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead before pulling away and looking at me as though he can see directly into the broken, shattered pieces of my soul. "Tonight, I promise to tell you everything, Georgia. No more secrets. Once you know everything, you'll be able to decide what this is moving forward."
The look we exchange isn't filled with the typical type of tension we usually share. This look, this one is full of questions and sorrow for each other, while also being congested with lies and secrets we've refused to say out loud.
I take one last look out the window, at the spot where Mrs. Foster disappeared out of sight. I understand the instinct to protect your child, so I'm not upset about her going off on me about hurting Ian. We've both left our fair share of scars on each other over the years.
But what I don't understand is how she knew that it was my fault that Irene died. The only three people who know the truth about that day are myself, Irene, and my mother.
And two of them are dead.
So how does Mrs. Foster know?
Before I can really sit and think on that, Auden comes strolling into the kitchen with Horton snuggled in her arms.
Ian pulls away from me and gives Horton a few head scratches. "Ready to go see the fireworks?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Auden shouts, scaring Horton out of her arms. We all laugh as he struggles to get traction on the tiled floor before he runs out of the room. "I guess Horton doesn't want to see the fireworks," Auden says with a shrug. "Oh well, more snacks for us! I already saw some of the fireworks from my bedroom window, so we gotta hurry!"