My Sweet Isabella (The Ambassador Trilogy #3) (7 page)

S
hortly
after three in the afternoon, I heard the sound of cars crunching on the gravel road up to the house. We had been home for about a week before I felt well enough for visitors. Isabella thought family would help my constant irritation over the smallest things, my depression of being injured, and my sudden need to be left alone. I had finished up a call with the Angolian Prime Minister who planned a visit to D.C when I knew we were about to be invaded by company. I saw the cars coming up the long gravel drive in the distance. Two cars to be exact and one I recognized as my parents.

I was in need of a pain pill and a nap, and not exactly in the mood to play host, but having company would give me a good excuse to open a new bottle of wine and drown my sorrows. I could hear Isabella laughing and welcoming my mom and dad at the door. That made me smile for a second and I pulled myself up on my crutches to go and greet them when I heard another voice. I heard my brother’s voice. The voice was one I had not heard in a while and hoped to not hear again. The last time I heard that voice, he was trying to justify stealing thousands of dollars from me. What the fuck? I didn’t approve of his visit. I had no idea he was coming over. I was not prepared for his ass to be there. I decided not to open up the wine. I wasn’t going to waste a good bottle of wine on him.

I called for Isabella to come to my office before I went to greet them.

She walked in immediately, smiling.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked. That day she had on ripped jeans, an oversized sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. To me, she was perfect and more beautiful than ever. I couldn’t imagine another man having her the way I should be. She was mine.

“Why is he here?” I growled. He made my blood boil knowing he set foot on my vineyard again. How he had the balls to walk in this house was beyond me.

“I told you yesterday. You said dinner was fine. I even double checked to make sure you were okay with your brother coming.” She looked at me worried I was angry with her.

I don’t remember her asking me. The days were blending together, pain, work, sweat, sleep.

Unable to keep the anger from my voice, I took a deep breath to gather my thoughts. I hobbled over to her on my crutches. I leaned over and kissed the top of her head. I shouldn’t have raised my voice to her like that.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I don’t want him here. I don’t want him on this vineyard or near you.”

“Fabrice, you need to stop taking so many pain pills. I made sure yesterday you were okay with this and you said dinner was fine. What is wrong with you lately? I don’t have the patience for this. I can handle him.” She was giving me shit, and I liked when she did. I admired that she never cowered from telling me what she thought I needed to hear.

She pushed away from me and gazed into my eyes. “I have been cooking for them all morning. Who do you think I was cooking for?” She spoke in a whisper so no one would hear us.

I nodded my head toward the bedroom so she would follow me. I wanted to make myself more presentable for the guests and I needed her help. What I wanted was to make myself vanish. I didn’t want my brother to see me weak in any way. Him coming over here now while I was still not up to par, didn’t sit well with me.

She was right, something was wrong with me that I kept forgetting things. I needed to knock off the pain pills. They made me too drowsy. I could force myself to get through this without them.

I grabbed a clean pair of sweats and a white oxford from my closet. “Will you help me with these sweats?” I sighed, annoyed with myself. I didn’t let anyone help me other than Isabella. Her face showed me so much love even after I had yelled at her. My phone buzzed on my dresser. A text from Gustan.

Meeting in the am. I’ll be there at 7.

Fuck, what now? Maybe he found out who was in the coffee shop that day. I’d had him search for the child I tried to save from the terrorist.

“Is everything okay?” Isabella asked me as she helped me pull up my pants. I still had to wear sweats over my leg.

Her gaze locked onto mine. I held her hands in my hands and kissed her fingers.

“Yes, everything is fine. I love you.” I said to her. God did I love her.

“I love you. Now let’s go eat and please be nice,” she murmured, straightening my shirt and brushing my hair out of my eyes.

“You want a sweater?” She knew that since this happened, I froze all the time. Like a fucking eighty-year-old man, I needed a sweater.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you for helping me. I like you dressed like this,” I said looking her over.

“I like to dress like this. It’s me.”

“I like you better in a dress, though, with nothing under but your bare pussy.” I grinned as I recalled the night of our engagement and I brought her to the vineyard for the first time. How I’d eased the soft dress up her body and took it off her… the hot candle wax I’d dripped across her perfectly toned thighs and stomach. She loved the hot wax and had been asking when we would do that again.

“How about when our guests leave? I could put one on and we head out to the vineyard. I bought a bunch of candles.” She smiled up at me wickedly. She knew me well and read what was on my mind. I didn’t get a chance to answer because I heard Romains obnoxious mouth echoing in the kitchen.

“Hey, little brother. Are you coming out?” His voice made me cringe.

I kissed my girl one more time and hobbled down the hall to the kitchen with my crutches. My eyes shifted from my mom and dad to Romain standing by the door, his arms crossed, his hair now short. He looked a lot older, with lines in his etched in his face. I wanted to keep my distance, but he was not going to allow that. He walked up to me and kissed me on both cheeks.

“Romain,” I said. My face was expressionless. I didn’t know how I felt. I tried to forget what he did to me. Isabella told me he was sorry and he was a new man. I didn’t know how to read him yet. Isabella also didn’t know him like I did. She believed in the good in everyone, even this idiot. After a while of being around him I would be able to tell if he was still taking drugs. I always knew when he was using. His voice changed, and his expressions were different when he was high. Over the years I had grown accustomed to his differences straight and fucked up. I hoped I could still tell.

“Fabrice, it’s so good to see you.” I didn’t answer. My eyes bore into him, taking in his demeanor.

I hobbled over to my mom and dad and greeted them. My mom was crying. She took my face in her hands and kissed me.

“My baby boy. I’m so glad you two are in the same room. This is so wonderful,” she whispered in my ear. That’s when I knew what I was doing was for someone else and not myself.

“Come on and let’s sit down outside. Isabella has been cooking all morning.” I limped over to her. “The house smells wonderful,” I said nuzzling her ear.

I whispered “Well pick up our previous conversation about the candles when everyone leaves.” She smiled not looking at me. She and my mom busied themselves in the kitchen and the rest of us went to sit out in the backyard. The day was beautiful and I loved to be outside on sunny days. The sun felt welcoming on my sore body.

“Can I get some drinks for everyone?” my dad asked.

“Water for me, Dad,” Romaine answered.

“Fabrice?”

“A coffee would be wonderful, Dad, thank you.” I was so groggy from working all morning and needed to wake up to deal with this family reunion. I needed caffeine in my body as soon as possible. My dad walked back into the kitchen and I could see him kiss my mom and hug Isabella from where I sat.

“So, how are you feeling?” Romain asked. He faced me with his same dark and tortured eyes.

“I’m fine. Not like I was, but I will get there. All those years in Special Ops and I get shot in a coffee shop.”

“You had Mamma beside herself. I’ve never seen her so upset. When I heard there was an attack on Paris, I never dreamed you would be involved. I thought you were in Washington.”

“I travel back and forth quite a bit.”

“The news won’t let the attack rest. They were calling Mamma and Dad yesterday trying to find out where you are.”

“They are hounding Isabella as well. She’s not used to this.”

“She’s an amazing girl, Fabrice.” The temperature in my face shot up.

“Yes, she is.” I was exhausted, but I wasn’t going to make this easy for him to saunter back into my life as if nothing happened.

“Congratulations on the engagement,” he said. I pulled my shoulders back to show him I was still the Ambassador and still pissed at what he did to me.

“Thanks. I’m blessed she said yes. Congratulations on yours. Isabella said you’re getting married, too.”

“Yes, Andrea. She is a wonderful woman. She keeps me grounded. Listen, I wanted to say this for a while now. I hope you will let me?” Romain asked, as he gripped the arms of the chair he sat in.

My dad walked outside and handed us our drinks and walked back inside again. I took a sip of my steaming coffee. The coffee tasted perfect. Romain took a long sip of his water and stared at his glass.

“I want you to know I’m truly sorry for what I did to you. I know you probably won’t forgive me. I probably wouldn’t forgive me for embezzlement if I were you.” He hesitated, waiting for me to respond. I didn’t. My eyes bore in to him. I wasn’t going to be easy on him. He was going to work for my forgiveness.

“I know you hate me. I could feel the tension as soon as you looked at me. What I did to you was pathetic, I know. I’ve received help, met a wonderful woman, and I’m working now. I don’t ever want to go back to that lifestyle again. I hope you know that.” Still I did not respond. I used my techniques I learned in Special Ops to intimidate him. He was uncomfortable and groveling for my forgiveness, and that is exactly what I wanted.

“I hope you can forgive me, Fabrice.”

I decided to speak now that he was done.

“This time last year, I would have bodily thrown you out of my home. I had no intentions of ever seeing you again, nor did I want to. Now that I have been with Isabella, I have a different outlook on what you did. She’s taught me to forgive. But, you’ll understand if I’m still leery of you.

“She’s a wonderful girl.” He smiled. I wanted to punch him for saying that a second time.

“I’d appreciate it if you left her alone.” I said, sternly.

“Come on, Fabrice. I’m getting married.” He finished off his glass of water and set the glass down on the grass. I noticed his hands shook a bit. I didn’t know if his shaking was because he needed a fix or he had some damage done from the drugs. He was wearing designer clothes and Gucci shoes, I’m sure my mother purchased them for him to come here.

“Trying to take my woman didn’t stop you before,” I said not taking my eyes off him. I remember the time I walked in on him getting too close to Celeste, making her uncomfortable.

“Well, I was messed up. You know that. Those days are behind me. I have made a change Fabrice and I know you don’t believe me, but I have. Later, I would like you to meet Andrea. I met her in Rome last year and she has helped me become a better man.” I ignored him, trying to think of ways to get her last name out of him. I had met so many women he said were turning his life around I didn’t care to meet another.

“Where is she from?” then before he answered I thought of something else. He dated another Andrea when he was in college. I remembered her name.

“This isn’t Andrea Montinique from college?” He looked at me shocked I remembered. He was so in love with her then. We thought for sure he would marry this girl.

He nervously chuckled. “No, this is not her. Andrea Noir is from Paris but was born in England.” Yes, he fell for the trap. He was so easy. I made a mental note to remember her name and have Gustan look her up later.

“You know I can tell if you’re using. I always could. Your face gives you away. Don’t think you can come back into my life and buffalo me again. This time I will kill you. I will give you one more chance because of Mamma and Dad, but if you fuck with me again, you will regret you ever stepped foot back in this house.” I responded. I had to get him to shut up. I fought off the urge not to lunge at him and beat the shit out of him. Looking at him put me in a worse mood and one I didn’t care to be in. The last thing I cared about was if my brother and I were on good terms or who his latest fuck was. My main concern was getting well so I could be the man I used to be.

“I understand, and another chance is all I ask. I want you to know I’m different now. I guess the love of a good woman can do that to you.”

I shrugged.

How right he was, though. The love of Isabella was so strong she could make me lose my mind if I didn’t have her. I looked in the kitchen and watched her interact with my mother. How beautiful to see the two of them laughing and cooking. My two favorite girls in my life together taking care of me. I may not be much of a man, but I had enough to make me happy. Isabella was a gift.

Romain shifted in his chair. I loved seeing him nervous. “You’re so angry, Fabrice. You have to let the shit go. It’s not good for you to keep holding grudges and being pissed off.”

Was he seriously trying to provoke me? He had no idea the rage I had pent up inside me waiting to come out. I grabbed onto the arms of my chair and pulled myself up. I had to get away from him before I ruined the night.