Love Story Chapter 34

Light giggling filled the room. Quickly, it was followed by a moan. Than another. Brooke lay amid the sheets. “God, that feels soooo good.”
“ You like?” He grinned at her.
Stretching like a cat filled with cream she pushed every muscle of her body arching. The grin he was wearing on his face disappeared while a look of hunger replaced it. He stare down at her nipples fascinated at their shape, texture and size. He was already hard again. God, she was going to kill him. “ You need to stop moving like that or I won’t be able to finish.” He murmured against her foot as he pressed his lips against the inn sole of her foot. Nipping her toe playfully he then resumed the foot massage that he had promised her.
“ Nobody should be that good with their hands. They are a lethal combination.”
Placing her leg on his shoulders he held up his hands. “ I’ve been told that.”
“ I bet you have.” She seductively pulling his head down in a passionate kiss.”

“Grandma. It’s a smiling face.” Stephy clapped as she looked down at her chocolate pancake that had a whipped cream face.
“ And mine is a clown.” Phoebe chimed. She was delighted at her grandmother was able to do. Her mommy had never made things out of pancakes before. In fact, her mommy didn’t cook that much.
“How about you?” Stephanie looked at her grandson. Thomas shrugged for a second staring at her before he opened his mouth. “Cool.”
She laughed. There was nothing more that she enjoyed than being a grandmother. Taylor’s children were a pure delight for her. Kissing Thomas, the crown prince she went back to the griddle. “So what do you think that we should make for granddad?”
“ A clown.” Phoebe said with globs of whipped cream covering her little mouth a nose. Stephanie laughed as so did the Thomas and Stephy. “ A clown. Yes granddad is certainly a clown, isn’t he?”
“ Did I hear somebody calling my name?” Eric said as he stepped into the kitchen. “All right. Pancakes with whipped cream. My favorite.” He kissed his granddaughter on her sticky mouth before he headed over to kiss Stephanie with his now sticky lips. “Good morning my love. I see you are up and about early this morning.”
“ It’s the grandchildren she said smiling.”
Eric could see the pure happiness in Stephanie’s eyes. He loved seeing that look. She looked so young and attractive when she smiled. She also looked fantastic with her new look. She had finally stopped coloring her hair and had gotten a new look with her natural silver hair and a short hair cut. Not to mention a newer wardrobe. His wife was happier and in turn so was he.
“ What brought out the old griddle this morning?”
“ The children. I’m so thrilled that they have spent the night.” She turned the pancake over effortlessly looking to make sure it was brown and soft. “ Besides. I’m thrilled that Ridge and Taylor are finally taking some time for their marriage. Ridge has had too many responsibilities of late and has been ignoring his wife.”
“ The bad mood he has been in.”
“ Yes, I just don’t get it.” She whispered. “ He has the job of his dreams. His beautiful wife. Children who adore him. Finally that bitch in heat is finally gone.”
“ Stephanie.” Eric admonished. “Not in front of the children.”
She looked guilty at her children. As Thomas’s eye were wide. “Grandma said a bwad word.” Phoebe giggled. Stephanie turned red.
“Grandma is sorry she’s wrong.”
“ The corner.” Thomas said pointing to the corner of the kitchen. “ time out.”
“ Time out?” Stephanie looked at Eric.
“ Well” Eric looked at her. “ You did say a bad word.”
“ Grandmaaaa.” Thomas wailed looking angry that she could say the word and he couldn’t. Besides she had said a really bad one and about his aunt. “The corner.”
Stephanie made a face at Eric as she walked toward the corner. Eric watched on with disbelief as his wife stood in the corner. “ You know Thomas, I think that you need to be around more often.”

“ Don’t tell me you are still in bed.” Bridget came out of the bathroom brushing her hair. Deacon was lying across the bed still naked. He grinned at his beautiful wife. It was still early and she looked exceptional wearing her a white cotton robe supplied by the Inn. He pulled playfully at the belt of her robe. “ Why don’t you join me?”
“How can you think about sex at a time like this?” She said in an annoyed voice throwing the hairbrush down on the bed. “ Especially with my mother missing.”
Deacon sighed. “ Honey I don’t mean it like that.” He moved to kiss his wife’s neck softly.
“ It’s just that I miss you.”
She moved away slightly.“Honey I miss you too but we can’t think of making love at a time like this.” She caressed his hair sweeping the hair away from his brow. “ We will have to wait until we find my mother.” She kissed him. “Okay baby.”
Deacon sighed. When she looked up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers he knew that he couldn’t say no. Not when she was worried about her mother.
“ Babe, I’m sure that your mother is fine.”
“ Well I’m not. I’m not going to feel better until I find her.”
Deacon knew what that meant. No sex until she found her mother.

Hot water sprayed down on Brooke naked back when Ian stepped into the steaming shower. “How about a professional back washer?” She smiled turning around looking at his hard body.
“ I’d love it.”
She turned back around giving him her back. Ian soaped the lufa sponge and made gentle massaging patterns on Brooke’s back. “Mmm.” Brooke sighed. “That feels wonderful.”
Ian kissed her shoulder. “The pleasure is all mine.” Ian took his time soaping her back when she turned around he soaped her nipples and took his time washing the rest of her body starting at her legs and worked his way up. Brooke’s breath caught in her throat. Steam billowing all around them and she could see was Ian’s wet body. He started at her foot and worked his way up her thigh.

Bridget turned red with embarrassment as Deacon gave her a knowing grin. “I can’t believe it.”
Deacon pulled his pants on and gave the other room a knowing grin. “ I told you.”
Bridget heard another moan. “ They are at it again. You’d think that they’d come up for air. It’s almost embarrassing they way they keep going at it.”
“ No it’s not. They are simply enjoying themselves and I for one don’t blame them.” He pulled a black turtleneck over his head. “ This place will freeze your balls off anything to keep them warm I say.” He winked.
Bridget couldn’t help but to giggle at him. True Vegas was more of Deacons style along with the flashy setting of L.A, not the cold mountains. Still she appreciated the fact that he had come with her. “ I know that this place is cold and unfamiliar to you but honey I appreciate you coming with me to try to find my mom.”
Deacon moved next to his sweet wife. “There is no place that I’d rather be.”
“ Liar.”
He laughed. “Okay so I’d rather be in Vegas but I know how important your mom is to you.”
“ I’m worried about her. She left so confused and we weren’t on the best of terms.”
“ You were angry with her honey. But she knows that you love her.”
“You think?” The light freckles on her face devoid of makeup and her long hair laying against the collar of her robe made her look so young and so innocent. Hell she was an innocent. The way that had met and the way he had used her was deplorable. He honestly was ashamed at things that he had done to her. There were times that he thought that he ought to just leave so she could be with someone who deserved her but he couldn’t do it. She made him feel like he could be a better man. She made him a better man. Now he had to do this for her. She was worried to death about her mother. Honestly he was a little worried as well. His mother-in-law could be hell on wheels when she wanted to be. It wasn’t like her to disappear for to long. But hell, the way that Bridget’s family had it in for her, he didn’t really blame her for wanting to take a time out. Deacon pulled his wife in his lap and on his lap. “ Your mother loves you. Believe me. I know that she does.”
“ But.”
“ No buts. She’s loves you no matter what kind of argument you had. Okay. So no more negative talk. Let’s finish dressing. I’m hungry.”

Ridge poured himself another glass of juice and walked toward his wife who was looking over the balcony from their private bedroom. “ A penny for your thoughts.” He whispered lovingly as he kissed the top of head.
“ Just a penny?” She teased looking at him.
“ You look so beautiful this morning. Especially in with those.” He touched her earrings.
She reached up and touched her present. “ They are beautiful.”
“ Not as beautiful as you.” He teased before kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer to the confines of his body. “This was just that I needed. This morning, the dinner last night. Somehow I feel a sense of freedom.”
She raised eyebrow. “Maybe it was because of your confession.” She stated.
Ridge looked away for a moment. “ Yes. My confession.” He turned her toward him. “Doc, I can’t tell you how sorry that I am for what I risked. Our marriage. Our children. I promise that I’ll never jeopardize our future again. Especially for that woman.”
Taylor felt a sense of satisfaction that he finally saw Brooke for the slut that what she was. “ You won’t have to. Between you and mother and I we will see that Brooke doesn’t do a thing to try and destroy our marriage.”
“ She won’t.”
“ I know she won’t.” Taylor looked up into her husband’s eyes. “ Especially with my new job at Forrester if and when she comes back I’ll be ready for her.”
Ridge saw the fire in Taylor’s eyes. “Honey, I don’t want you to fight my battles for me. I’m capable of taking care of myself. I can certainly handle Brooke.” He moved away turning his back on her.
“ But you shouldn’t have to endure whatever scheme she has up her sleeve. That woman is capable of anything.”
“ I doubt that Brooke has anything planned.”
“ Please. She always has something planned. Always when we think we are safe and happy she tries something. Now that you’ve scorned her. She’ll try something believe me.”
Ridge honestly didn’t want a war between Brooke and Taylor who knows what Brooke would say to Taylor when pressed. He wasn’t about to let it happen. He was going to do his best to keep Brooke the hell away from his wife. “ I don’t want to talk about her anymore.”
“ But we need to be prepared.”
“ No.” He took Taylor’s hand in his. “What we need to do is to make the most of the day we have. I haven’t had much time with my wonderful wife and I don’t plan on wasting the day by talking about Brooke.” He pressed kisses up on her wrist. “Besides, there are things that I rather be doing with you today.”

Bridget hung up the phone. “I’m going to go downstairs to write an e-mail to Rick. I don’t know why he isn’t answering his cell phone. I just want to know that we are okay.” She picked her day planner. “ Meet me downstairs in a few minutes so we have breakfast. Okay.
“ Okay.” Deacon kissed his wife turning back to combing his hair.
Bridget picked up her key and headed out of the room closing the door behind her when the door to the room next to her opened. She looked to see a very handsome man wearing blue jeans and a buttoned up blue shirt that fitted nicely against his chest leave the room. My god, she thought. He was the one who had been up all night…Bridget turned red. He smiled at her. “Morning.”
“ Good morning.” She followed him down the hallway toward the elevator. She couldn’t help noticing how nicely his butt looked in his jeans.
Ian turned to look at the young woman. She was blushing. He chuckled to himself because he thought she might be checking him out. “ Are you going down?”
“ What?” Bridget looked at him with confusion.
“ Are you going down or up?”
“ Down.” She said slightly preoccupied.
They rode down the elevator together. When they stepped out Bridget was a bit confused about where to go to find the Internet. Seeing the young woman’s confusion as she looked around Ian offered his help.
“ First time here?”
“ Yes. I’m visiting with husband. Do you know where I can use the Internet? I saw it on the brochure but I don’t know where it is.”
“He nodded.” Ian took her around the corner to a quiet room where there were three computers set up. “Thanks.”
“ No problem.”

Brooke looked at the quaint dinning room in the Inn. Just like the rest of Inn it was very cozy. Taking the menu she glanced at the offerings for the morning’s breakfast. “Pancakes certainly look good to me.” She said to herself. The waitress can by and filled her cup with coffee. “ Are you ready to order yet?”
Brooke looked around. Ian was nowhere in sight. He had gone to the store to see if the order was ready. “ No. I’m waiting for my guest. The coffee is just fine for right now. I’d like to order a glass of orange juice.”
“I’ll have hot muffins ready for you. They are homemade poppyseed and blueberry muffins.”
“ That sounds wonderful.”
The waitress walked away leaving Brooke to consider her meal.

Deacon came off the elevator and headed straight to the breakfast room. Lots of people were eating and the aroma of food made his stomach grumble. “Come on Bridget. I’m starving.”
He looked around for his wife. She were nowhere to be found. Sighing heavily he headed to the hostess.
“ Yes.”
“ I need one table for two.”
“ Sure. Right this way.” She lead him to a table in the middle of the room. “ I’ll get you a menu.”
“ Good honey.” He winked.
She blushed and hurried to get the good looking stranger a menu. Deacon pulled out a pack of cigarettes and was just about to light it when the hostess came back. “Sorry but it’s a no smoking policy.”
“ What? Oh.” He put the cigarette giving sympathetic look. “Sorry. It’s a habit”
“ One I have as well. You can smoke in the parlor. Just not in the restaurant.”
“ Thanks sweetheart.”
“ You are new in town?”
“ Does it show it show?”
“ Yeah it does.” She leaded against the table smiling at the handsome looking stranger in all black.in his cashmere turtleneck and the black jeans. Not to mention his expensive Kenneth Cole watch and matching belt. “ Are you here for the ski resort?”
“ Skiing. Me? Honey that’s more like my wife’s style. Not mine.”
“ Your wife.” She said clearly disappointed.
He wiggled his finger. “Yeah. My wife.”
“ Too bad. I could have helped you around. I’m really good at sightseeing.
Deacon gave her a appreciative once over. “ I bet you are honey. But I’m happily married.”
“The best ones always are. I’ll go get your waitress.”

Ian finished looking over the list of supplies that he had made. “ As you can see. Everything’s here. Even…” Grace threw him the box of condoms that he asked for. “ Your personal stash.”
“Thank you.” He dropped the box into the bag.
“So, do you want to tell me about her?”
“ About who?”
“ Don’t play coy with me. You’ve never had company the entire time that I’ve known you and all a sudden you do. Not just any woman but a beautiful woman that is living at your home.”
“ We aren’t living together.” He said looking through the boxes.
“ You stayed here in town giving her a romantic dinner from what I hear.”
Ian looked up. “ How did you….” He frowned. “Never mind. The gossip around this place is crazy.”
“ Stalling, aren’t you?”
“ I’m not stalling.”
“ You aren’t talking about your relationship with Brooke.”
“ There isn’t anything to discuss.”
“ She’s special to you. I can see that the way that you were looking at her.
“ She’s a pretty special woman.”
“How so?”
Ian wasn’t used to putting things together in words. At least not about his relationships. Ian slid on the stool. “ She’s different. When you look at her you see a classy woman, elegant and refined and you think that you can’t touch someone like her because you’ll break her. But she isn’t like that. She’s way more than a beautiful face and body. She’s a beautiful person. The way she listens. The way she has a way of staring at you and understanding you when she shouldn’t. I love being around her even when she is pushing at me.” He ginned. “ Or even yelling at me. She doesn’t back down. She isn’t afraid to be real or get dirty. Brooke is full of life and fire. I’ve never met anyone like her.”
“ And happy with you.”
“ Yeah. I guess she is.”
“ You guess? It’s written all over her face when she looks at you. And you…” She gripped his clean shaven face. “I’ve never seen you look like this. Happy. You deserve it. So.” She hit him with a hand towel. “ I’ll hold your things and get back to that Inn and have breakfast with your sweetheart.”

Bridget finished sending an e-mail to her brother and headed to the lobby phone. Calling up to the room she didn’t get an answer. Knowing Deacon he headed to the restaurant and found her husband drinking a cup of coffee. “There you are.” Deacon stood when he saw his wife and kissed her. “ I ordered some cranberry juice for you.”
“ Thank you.”
“ So did you e-mail Rick?”
“ Yes. I also sent my assignment to Dr. Phelps.”
“Good. You shouldn’t let this thing get in the way of your school work. You doing really well in in school and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.”
“ I know honey. It’s funny.”
“ What is?”
“ That you and my mom say the same thing. She was worried about me doing well in school. If only she knew how many times you’ve made me sit down and study she’d be surprised.”
“ I think that your would be surprised by many different things.”
Bridget looked up over her husband’s shoulder. “That’s him.”
“ What is it?” He turned to see what his wife was looking at.
Turn around. “He’ll see you looking at him.”
Deacon looked at his wife. “Who is he?”
“ He occupied the room next to us.”
“ You mean he’s the one who was up all night…”
“ Shh. Yes. Don’t look.”
“ Well I must say that he looks in good shape but you have to be to go all night long like that.”
Bridget stared as she saw the man talking to the hostess. “ I’m dying to see what his wife looks like.”
“ Wife? They weren’t married.” Deacon supplied.
“How do you know.”
“ I’m married. You don’t go on and on like that with your wife.”
Bridget frowned. “That isn’t true. How can you say something like that. We are married and I thought that we had a pretty good sex life.” At that moment the waitress arrived making Bridget even more embarrassed. “ Your order.” She smiled at the young couple. Bridget looked uncomfortable before ordering. “ Yes. I’ll have two eggs and bacon.”
“ Grits or home fries with that?”
“Grits?”
“ You don’t know what grits are?” The waitress looked surprised.
“ It’s like cream of wheat but gritter.” Deacon supplied his wife. “Never mind. She doesn’t like that. Give her the home fries and she wants her eggs scrambled light with cheese.” Right sweetheart.” She nodded happily that Deacon knew what she liked.
“ That’s fine. I also want a cup of hot tea.”
“ Toast?”
“ English muffins.”
“And you?” She looked at Deacon.
“ I want the steak and eggs. Eggs scrambled hard with cheddar cheese and tobacco sauce. I’ll have the steak cooked medium. The toast, home fries with a side of grits. Also I’ll have a large glass of orange juice.”

“ So what looks good besides you.” Ian said sliding into the seat across from Brooke. She did indeed look beautiful dressed in light blue jean and white rabbit and acrylic sweater.
“ Everything. I’ve been waiting for ten minutes. Is everything alright with the groceries.”
“ Everything’s fine. The order is in and after we eat. We’ll head home.” Brooke felt a light vibrating in her purse. She looked at her phone. “ Oh. It’s the call that we’ve been waiting for. Order me the pancakes with the strawberries and whipped cream.” She kissed him and left the table leaving him wondering why.

Brooke headed out of the dinning room and to the lobby to the “ You have a delivery for me.”
“ Yes Miss Logan. Right there.” He handed her the package after she signed for it. “Thank you.” It was the present that she had ordered for Ian she had delivered the hotel. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he opened. Dialing a number on her cell phone she called her partner in crime. The phone range three times before it was picked up.
“ Ace here.”
“ Ace it’s me.”
He smiled at her voice. “ Hello Princess. How are you doing?”
“ Just fine.”
“You taking good care of him?”
“I’m trying. You know he isn’t he best patient.”
“ I’m surprised if you are looking after him. I almost wish that I was sick so you could take care of me.”
Brooke laughed. “ I just wanted you to know that I got his present. I had it delivered to the Inn.”
“ The Inn?”
“Yes. We came into town. We had a very romantic dinner and stayed at the Bed and Breakfast.”
“ Bread and Breakfast. Are you sure that Mac you are talking about? That isn’t his style.”
“ Well it was yesterday.”
“ You are good for him. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard of him doing anything remotely romantic. I can’t thank you enough.”
“ There is nothing to thank me for. I love being here.. Being with Ian is almost natural to me. I’ve never connected with anyone so quickly.”
“ It sounds like what you two have is pretty special.”
Brooke looked toward the dinning room. “ Yes. It is.”
“ Good. Hold on to it Brooke. Mac’s been through a lot with Sasha. He’s got a lot of baggage but he’s opened up to you. He doesn’t do that lightly. You are a very special to him. Don’t forget that.”
“ I won’t. Thanks Ace for all the support.”
“ No problem Princess. You just keep taking care of my friend.” Brooke hung up the phone with a smile on her face when she carried the present to the elevator pressing the up button.

Bridget got up from the table. “Where are you going?”
“ I’ve got to make a call.”
“ But you’ve just sat down.”
“ I know. If the food comes start without me.” She kissed him on the cheek and headed to the lobby.

Brooke was smiling as she stepped off the elevator. She was so caught up on her thoughts that she didn’t pay attention to the fact that she walked right past her own daughter. Bridget hung up the phone she was using when she noticed the back of a woman who looked. No walked just like her mother. She looked at her. “Mom?” She dropped the phone.
“ Mom!”
Brooke stopped and turned around when she heard her name being called. Her heart leapt at the sight at her daughter. “Bridget. Honey?” Her face lit up when she saw her daughter. Bridget ran to her mother and hugged her. Brooke held on tightly to her daughter. The people around them in the lobby were clearly surprised by the overjoyed squeals coming from the two women. Brooke pulled away. “Let me look at you.” She studied her daughter’s pink and cream colored sweater to her jeans. “ You look beautiful.”
“ And you look….wow. Mom.” She paused. “You look great.” It had been a long time since she had seen her mother in jeans. Not only that the worry that she sometimes behind her eyes was gone replaced with something else. Brooke took her daughter’s arm heading toward the quiet sitting room.
“ Honey what are you doing here?”
“ What am I doing here?” She pushed her hair back away from her eyes. “ What are you doing? I’ve been worried sick about you. I came here to find you.”
“ Why?”
“How can you ask why? You go to Paris for months. Then you come here. End up stranded in some strange man’s house and disappear.”
“ Disappear. Honey. Didn’t you get my message?”
“ What message?”
“ I called Rick. I know that I disappeared for a couple of days but it was because I had to go to Florida.”
“ Florida? Why were you in Florida.”
“ It’s a long story.”
Bridget didn’t understand what was going on. “Mom. I took off school and Deacon took off work to come all this way to look for you because we were worried that something happened to you. I think that you ought to tell me why you were in Florida.”
“ I will honey. But think that this is a conversation that we want to have over breakfast. Come on sweetie. There is somebody that I want you to meet.”

Taylor watched with delight as her daughter’s splashed around in the pool. “They are having a wonderful time.”
“ They aren’t the only one.” Stephanie said smiling at her grandchildren. “ I loved having them stay with us. Besides I saw the way that my son looked at you when you came in this morning. He’s very happy.” She murmured sipping her coffee.
Taylor thought about the night of love making.“ I know.” She said with a secretive smile.
“ So, things went well last night?”
“ Things went well. Better than I expected.”
“ Oh. How so?”
“You are looking at the newest member of the Forrester Board.”
“ What?” Stephanie was delighted. “ You are on the board.”
“ Yes. Ridge agreed to let me on the board. That way we can help him see that Forrester is brought back to the glory that used to be when Brooke was in charge. I’ll have an office and more importantly be ready when that bitch comes back.”
“ Be careful Taylor or you’ll be standing in the corner just like me this morning.”
She laughed. “ I know. I heard all about it.” Taylor played with her coffee cup.
“ What is it?”
She put her cup down.“ It’s nothing.”
“Honey I’ve seen that look before. Tell me what’s happened?”
Taylor needed to talk to someone who was on her side and who better than Stephanie. “Let’s go into the den to talk. Stephanie eagerly followed her daughter-in-law to the den. She quickly sat down. “ Now tell me what this is all about.” Taylor saw the concern in Stephanie eyes and was put at ease.
“ It’s about Brooke.”
“ Brooke. Don’t you worry. If Ridge put you on the board then you’ll stay there.”
“No. Stephanie it’s not that. It’s something that happened when Ridge when in Paris. Something that happened between he and Brooke.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes in disgust. “What in the hell has that bitch done now?”

Deacon looked up from the newspaper to find his wife striding over toward him with amazingly his mother-in-law in tow. “Brooke.” He stood up. “ Thank God.” He stepped forward hesitantly for a moment before hugging her. Brooke was clearly surprised by his actions. She patted him lightly on the back before she untangle herself. “ Bridget was really worried about you.” He explained.
“ I didn’t mean to scare you are Bridget.
He turned to his wife. “ See. I told you she was fine.”
Brooke turned to her daughter. “ I’m very sorry that I worried you.”
“ You still haven’t explained what happened. Why are you still here?”
“ I told you it’s long story.”
“ We will discuss it over breakfast.” Bridget pulled out a chair.
Brooke hesitated for a moment. “Actually do you mind if we eat somewhere else?”
“ No.” She was confused at why her mother wanted to eat somewhere else.”
“ Good because I want you to meet Ian.”
“ Ian?” “
Oh the guy that you stayed with. He’s here?” Deacon asked
“ Yes.” Brooke gushed. Bridget looked at her mother not liking what she was seeing.
“ Come on. I want you to meet him.” Brooke guided Bridget and Deacon to her table that was far off in the back of the dinning room.

Ian wondered what was taking Brooke so long. He had just stood to go and find her when he saw her coming his way followed by the young woman from the elevator and a man dressed in black.
“Hey.” He gave her a quizzical look.
“ Ian.” Brooke moved toward him smiling.
“ I was just coming to look for you. Breakfast will be here in no time.”
Bridget couldn’t believe her eyes. It was the man who was in the room next to them. The it hit her, the man and the woman who had been up most of the night moaning with pleasure when they have been making love. Bridget looked at the glow on her mother’s face and now she knew where it was coming from.“ Oh my god.”
Brooke turned to her daughter. “ Bridget what’s wrong.”
“ Bridget?” Ian looked at the pretty young woman. “ She’s your daughter?”
“ Yes, this is my daughter Bridget.” Brooked saw the pale look in her daughter’s eyes. “ Honey are you alright? Do you need water or something. Maybe you need to eat.” Brooke pushed her daughter into the chair. “ Here drink this water.”
“ Mom. I’m fine.” Bridget was embarrassed by her mother’s mothering and pushed the glass away.
“ You don’t look fine to me.”
Deacon chuckled for a moment before he caught a gleem in the man’s eyes. “ It’s the mothering thing. She does it well.” He held out his hand. “ Deacon.”
Ian shook is hand. “ Nice to meet you.” Seeing the concern and worry in Brooke’s eye Ian turned to Bridget. “Are you alright?”
“ Yes. I’m fine. It’s just.” She laughed nervously. “ I’m Bridget.”
“ I should have recognized you from the photos in your mother’s wallet.”
“ I’m sorry.” Brooke stood up. “ Bridget . Deacon . This is Ian.”
“ You’re the guy she got stranded with. Right?” Deacon asked
“ Yeah. She did.” He said looking at Brooke not sure what to make of this.
Deacon sat down in the seat next to his wife. “So. What happened?”
“ It’s a long story.” Brooke said looking at Ian. The warmth that was normally there was masked just like he was when she had first arrived.
“ That’s what you said before. I don’t understand. You are obviously fine. Why did you go to Florida? Why are you still here?”
“ Bridget…” Deacon tried to stop her but he wasn’t successful.
“ No. She has a lot of explaining. I was worried about you. Do you even care about that?”
Brooke was alarmed. “Honey I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“ You disappeared on us mom. What do you think was going to happen.. We didn’t know where you were.” She gave Ian a disapproving look. “ Or who you were with.”
Ian had a bad feeling. Brooke’s daughter didn’t approve that was clear by the look on her face.
“ Listen. Maybe I should ah…go and let you and your family need to talk.”
“No. You don’t need to go.” Brooke slid her hand into Ian’s. “ I want you to stay and meet my family. Please.”
He saw the look of panic in her eyes. He’d never seen hr look that way before. He didn’t want to get in the way but he didn’t want to leave either. “ Alright Princess.”
Brooke smiled. Bridget frowned. Obviously her mother was doing more than getting trapped with man. Now he was one of her legions of lovers. Brooke sat down while Ian took the seat next to hers. “ Now Bridget. I’m sorry that I worried you but I was okay. I was in Florida with Ian.”
“ That doesn’t make me feel better that you just ran off with some man you’ve just met.”
“ Your mother didn’t run off with me.” Ian finally spoke. He looked directly at Bridget. “ I was in an accident. She came to make sure that I was okay.” He squeezed Brooke’s hand. “If you want to be angry at anybody be mad at me not your mother. She’s a very caring woman.”
Bridget felt as if she had been dressed down and she didn’t like it. “ I know my mother and I know what kind of person she is.” Brooke looked away not wanting to see the disappointment in her daughter’s face. She had been upset with her months ago for dissolving her marriage to Thorne and her interference in Taylor and Ridge’s marriage. “ You are correct. She is a very caring woman.” Bridget had seen the look on her mother’s face and wanted to assure her that she loved her. “But I don’t know anything about you. So who are you?”
“ Bridget.” Brooke stated.
“ It’s alright.” Ian knew her daughter was concerned. “What do you want to know?”
Bridget looked directly at her mother’s lover. “What’s been going on the last couple of weeks and why my mother has stayed here when she’s needed at home?”


“ So it was a kiss. I should have know that she would try something the moment she was alone with him.” Stephanie ragged. “ She concocted that entire trip just to try to break up your marriage.”
“ I know it. I can’t tell you how angry it makes me that she won’t give up.” Taylor frowned. “It also hurts me that Ridge keeps falling into the same trap with her. He won’t see her for what she is. Worse yet, they shared a kiss.”
“ That’s all it was. A kiss. Nothing more.”
“ I know. But…”
“But what?”
“ I don’t know. It’s Ridge. He’s changed his opinion about Brooke overnight. Not that I’m complaining but he doesn’t want to talk about her or even mention her name.”
“ That’s because he now knows the pain that she was willing to cause all of us. You, me. Your children.” She shook her head. “That woman is nothing more than trouble. There is no way that she would have won. I would have killed her first before I let her get her claws into my son again.”
“ I know that you would do anything to protect all of us.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” Stephanie argued grasping onto Taylor’s arms.
“ You know what she’s capable of.”
“ Yes but I fear that there something more going on.”
“ More? Ridge told you he and Brooke kissed and she tried to seduce him. Although I’m disappointed tin knowing that he messed up I’m not surprised.”
“ I think that there may be more to the story than I know.”
“ More to what?”
Taylor turned away from Stephanie. “ More to what happened between my husband Brooke in Paris. You see. I found something.”
“What.”
“ A receipt in pocket of one Ridge’s tuxedo.”
“ A receipt for what?”
“ For a pink diamond ring that Ridge bought in Paris.”
“He bought you a gift he clearly wants to surprise you.”
“ That what I thought originally. But last night my husband me a gift.” She fingered her earrings.”
“ They are beautiful.”
“ But not the ring.” She whispered bitterly. “And I can’t help to wonder if Ridge bought it for me at all.”

“ So mom got stranded at your house. And you just let her stay?”
“There was a flood Bridget. Believe me he didn’t want me staying when I got there.”
“ You didn’t?”
Ian sipped his coffee. “ I don’t take much to strangers especially the ones looking like you.” He said to Brooke.
“ I wasn’t so bad. Just drenched in that silk dress.”
“I was thinking you were way out of your element.”
“ So instead of being a gentlemen you were going to leave her out the cold?”
“ I don’t like strangers.” Ian stated.
“ But you changed your mind right.”
“ Like you said. It was cold. Besides she was bagging on my door all night. She wouldn’t give up. So I let her in.”
“ So you let her in.” Bridget didn’t know what kind of person this man was who didn’t seem admitting to being an asshole.
“ Yeah I did.”
“ And hardly said a word to me in days.”
Ian shrugged. “ I was pissed.”
“ About what?” Bridget asked.
“ The snow. It came down hard and I knew she’d be stuck. I’m not used to having people around.”
“ So you live by yourself. No wife or girlfriend.”
Ian put his mug down. “No. No wife or girlfriend just me and my dog.” A muscle ticked on the side of his face. The young woman was making it clear that she didn’t approve of him at all. “I’m used to living alone. I wasn’t too happy to have someone invading my solitude.”
“ But you changed your mind. Huh?”
“We both did. We got lots of time together and I found there was a lot more than the growling snapping man that I met.”
Ian almost cracked a smile. “ I found out that there was a lot more to your mother than some useless socialite who wanted to go skiing. She was a woman of character who wasn’t afraid of pulling her own weight. I found there is a lot to her. So things changed.”
“ It changed enough for her go to Florida with you. You don’t seem like the type of man to go having fun in the sun. So why were you there?”
Brooke looked at Ian and saw how his face darkened. “ There was an accident. She came to see if I was alright.”
“ Instead of coming home.”
“ I was worried Bridget. Ian was hurt.”
“ Why were you in Florida?”
“ I really can’t talk about it.” Ian pushed his plate away. “ Listen, it’s very nice meeting you but I’ve got some errands to run before I head back home.” He stood up letting go of Brooke’s hand.
“ It was nice meeting you. And you.” He said to Deacon. He threw a couple of bills on the table and headed out of the dinning room without looking back.

Brooke was surprised by Ian’s behavior. It was as if he was shutting himself off. Building barriers around himself and his heart. She stood to follow him.“ Mom.” Bridget jumped up to stop her mom. “ What are you doing? You are not going to run after him are you?”
“ You were very rude to him.”
“ Rude. I don’t know him.”
“That’s right you don’t.”
“ How can I? All I know is that you started off disliking this man and suddenly you’re sleeping with him.
“Bridget. How did…”
“ Deacon and I have the room right next to yours. We were really embarrassed about the couple that was doing is loudly all night long. My God, mother. Have you no shame or are you that hard up to get it that you’ll fu(k any stranger that takes interest in you.” Brooke slapped Bridget before she could finish her statement. This surprised both Bridget and Brooke. People around the Inn stared at them. Bridget held her face while Deacon stood up. “ Brooke I think that you need to cool down.”
“ I’m sorry Bridget. I shouldn’t have hit you. But you have no right to pass judgment on me and what I do and whom. Ian’s is a very special man. I’m very disappointed at the way that you’ve treated him and me. Do me a favor. Go home Bridget. As you can see. I’m fine.” Brooke stormed out dinning room.
“ Mom.” Bridget moved but Deacon pulled her back. “Let her go.”
“ I can’t she’s going to follow him.” Bridget turned to Deacon. “ I’m not going to let that happen. My mother is coming home with us!”

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