with your flight information,” Ashton said.
“It’s more like morning here, five-thirty in the morning, but I won’t hold that against you, Ashton.”
Ashton let out another guffaw. “Thank you, Jane. I appreciate that.”
When the call ended Ashton pulled me into his arms.
“You planned an engagement party, my dove?”
“Yes.”
“I am surprised,” Ashton admitted.
“Not as surprised as my mother is going to be. I think you may need to hold on to me while I make this call.”
“Is this your wish, Lady Archer?”
“Yes it is,” I assured, dialing my mother’s phone number.
Chapter Seven
“Mom,” I said, hearing her voice on the other end of the phone.
“Trinity Lane Winslow, I want to shake you. Do you know how worried I have been? You promised to call me every week, and it has been weeks. I don’t know if I should cry or laugh at hearing your voice.”
“Mom, please calm down. I promise, I’m fine.”
“Put Jane on the phone. I am going to give her a piece of my mind.”
“Mom, I can’t put Aunt Jane on the phone because I’m not with her.”
“What do you mean you are not with Aunt Jane, Trinity?”
“Mom, I need you to take a breath, sit down, and listen to me with an open mind.”
“Trinity, what is going on?”
I figured if my mother’s voice got any higher in pitch, the neighborhood dogs would start howling.
“Breathe, mother.” I heard her take a breath. “Are you sitting down?”
“Yes! What is going on?”
“I’m in France ,” I stated without preamble.
My mother broke into hysterical laughter. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard that sound come from her before.
“This isn’t funny, young lady. I don’t know why I’m laughing, but it’s not funny.”
“Mom, I am in France . I have never been with Aunt Jane. I followed Reid to France .”
“What! How in the name of Pete did you get to France ?”
“I took a flight, mother.”
“Are you pulling my leg?”
“No, mother, I’m serious. I took a flight to France in order to see Reid.”
“I knew there was something going on between you and Reid. Is he there?” she asked me. “Put him on the phone.”
“There’s nothing going on between Reid and me, and no, he’s not with me.”
Ashton was rubbing my back as I spoke.
“What in creation is going on, Trinity?”
“Mom, I came to France to see Reid. I thought there might be something between us, but I was wrong. There will never be anything but a friendship, and right now even that is iffy. I had to make changes, mom. You know I had no life. I had to find a life; I had to be better than Bentley’s scared little mouse or Reid’s baby bird.” I puffed out my cheeks with air then released it. “Hmpf… The thing is mom, I went looking for a life, and I met someone. Someone who truly loves me. You always told me that someday a man would see me for who I was and fall in love with me. I didn’t believe you, but you were right, and if I hadn’t come here I might have never met him. So I guess what I’m saying is, even though I thought it was Reid, it never was. I came for him. It was him, mom; it was always him.”
“Oh, Trinity.” She started to cry.
“Please don’t cry, mom.”
“I’m so happy for you, but I also want to kill you. You should have told me you wanted to go to France . I would have supported you.”
“I couldn’t tell you because I’ve failed at so much, and if I failed at this, I didn’t want you to know. You’ve watched me fail at living for nine years. Nine years is a long time to be a failure, and I wasn’t sure I could beat my fears. I didn’t want to see the hurt upon your face if I couldn’t do better, be better.”
“Trinity, I have never been disappointed in you, never.”
“But I was disappointed in myself. I needed to prove something to myself by coming here.”
“Tell me about this boy you have met.”
“He is not a boy, mother. His name is Lord Ashton Braeden Willmont
“It’s more like morning here, five-thirty in the morning, but I won’t hold that against you, Ashton.”
Ashton let out another guffaw. “Thank you, Jane. I appreciate that.”
When the call ended Ashton pulled me into his arms.
“You planned an engagement party, my dove?”
“Yes.”
“I am surprised,” Ashton admitted.
“Not as surprised as my mother is going to be. I think you may need to hold on to me while I make this call.”
“Is this your wish, Lady Archer?”
“Yes it is,” I assured, dialing my mother’s phone number.
Chapter Seven
“Mom,” I said, hearing her voice on the other end of the phone.
“Trinity Lane Winslow, I want to shake you. Do you know how worried I have been? You promised to call me every week, and it has been weeks. I don’t know if I should cry or laugh at hearing your voice.”
“Mom, please calm down. I promise, I’m fine.”
“Put Jane on the phone. I am going to give her a piece of my mind.”
“Mom, I can’t put Aunt Jane on the phone because I’m not with her.”
“What do you mean you are not with Aunt Jane, Trinity?”
“Mom, I need you to take a breath, sit down, and listen to me with an open mind.”
“Trinity, what is going on?”
I figured if my mother’s voice got any higher in pitch, the neighborhood dogs would start howling.
“Breathe, mother.” I heard her take a breath. “Are you sitting down?”
“Yes! What is going on?”
“I’m in France ,” I stated without preamble.
My mother broke into hysterical laughter. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard that sound come from her before.
“This isn’t funny, young lady. I don’t know why I’m laughing, but it’s not funny.”
“Mom, I am in France . I have never been with Aunt Jane. I followed Reid to France .”
“What! How in the name of Pete did you get to France ?”
“I took a flight, mother.”
“Are you pulling my leg?”
“No, mother, I’m serious. I took a flight to France in order to see Reid.”
“I knew there was something going on between you and Reid. Is he there?” she asked me. “Put him on the phone.”
“There’s nothing going on between Reid and me, and no, he’s not with me.”
Ashton was rubbing my back as I spoke.
“What in creation is going on, Trinity?”
“Mom, I came to France to see Reid. I thought there might be something between us, but I was wrong. There will never be anything but a friendship, and right now even that is iffy. I had to make changes, mom. You know I had no life. I had to find a life; I had to be better than Bentley’s scared little mouse or Reid’s baby bird.” I puffed out my cheeks with air then released it. “Hmpf… The thing is mom, I went looking for a life, and I met someone. Someone who truly loves me. You always told me that someday a man would see me for who I was and fall in love with me. I didn’t believe you, but you were right, and if I hadn’t come here I might have never met him. So I guess what I’m saying is, even though I thought it was Reid, it never was. I came for him. It was him, mom; it was always him.”
“Oh, Trinity.” She started to cry.
“Please don’t cry, mom.”
“I’m so happy for you, but I also want to kill you. You should have told me you wanted to go to France . I would have supported you.”
“I couldn’t tell you because I’ve failed at so much, and if I failed at this, I didn’t want you to know. You’ve watched me fail at living for nine years. Nine years is a long time to be a failure, and I wasn’t sure I could beat my fears. I didn’t want to see the hurt upon your face if I couldn’t do better, be better.”
“Trinity, I have never been disappointed in you, never.”
“But I was disappointed in myself. I needed to prove something to myself by coming here.”
“Tell me about this boy you have met.”
“He is not a boy, mother. His name is Lord Ashton Braeden Willmont
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