Even his mother seemed to be enjoying herself, dancing with one man in particular all evening. That was something he intended to question more thoroughly. In fact, he made it a point to interrupt both of his sisters and at least find out what they were up to.
With Riley occupied by Tyler, Ian headed onto the dance floor, where his mother and a silver-haired gentleman were dancing and had been for quite some time.
“Mind if I cut in?” Ian asked.
“Michael, this is my son, Ian. Ian, this is Michael Brooks. His insurance company is a big donor for tonight’s auction.”
Ian nodded.
The other man extended his hand, and Ian took it. “I’ve been hearing about you all evening. Your mother is your biggest fan. And I’m impressed with all you’ve done for the team during your tenure.”
“Thank you.” Ian hoped the other man wasn’t trying to impress him for his mother’s sake. He hated suck-ups.
“Unfortunately, I’m a Breakers fan,” Michael said with humor and honesty.
“That’s a damn shame.” So much for his concerns, Ian thought, admiring the man’s truthfulness even if his taste in football teams sucked. “And my mother’s dancing with you anyway? I’m surprised.”
“I’ve won her over with my charm,” Michael said. “She’s a lovely lady. Well worth the effort.”
“I agree.”
“I’ll let you have some time together. I’ll wait for you at the bar, Emma.”
His mother smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Nice to meet you, Ian.” Michael tipped his head and walked away.
His mother followed the other man with her gaze.
“Have you met him before tonight?” Ian asked her.
“We’re both on the Juvenile Diabetes Board that planned tonight’s event,” she said.
Ian pulled her into his arms, and they swayed in time to the slow music. “I’ll look into him,” he told her.
“You will not. I’m a big girl and—”
“What the hell are they doing here?” Ian asked, interrupting her as he caught sight of his father and Alex walking into the ballroom. Savannah was beside them.
“Who?” His mother glanced toward the entrance.
“My father, his wife, and Alex,” Ian said, any peace he’d been feeling this evening evaporating at the sight of them.
Ian had stopped dancing, but his mother pulled him back into their earlier positions. “Don’t let them rattle you or interrupt your evening,” she said firmly.
He acquiesced to her demands and forced himself to both relax and continue their dance. “I don’t understand how you do it.”
“How I do what, exactly?” his mother asked.
“Get past what Dad did? Go forward as if nothing happened?”
He met his mother’s gaze but saw no stress there, only understanding.
“Your father and I weren’t a love match, Ian. You know that already.”
“Is that an excuse?” he asked, hearing his bitter tone but unable to stop it.
“No, but it is a fact. The truth is, I was in love before I ever met your father. His name was Jonathan Daniels. He mowed our lawn,” she said, blushing.
Ian immediately realized where this conversation was going. “Mom—”
“No. You’re going to listen. You’re old enough to deal with it, so deal.”
He blinked and nodded, knowing when his mother used that tone he had no choice but to listen. Besides, she held him captive on the dance floor.
She had his ear, and nobody else could hear. “I’m listening.”
“We fell in love, but you know the world I lived in. Your grandparents would never have let me be with him, so we snuck around. Then my father was diagnosed with leukemia. He was terminal and needed someone to take over his hotels. My father and your father’s father had been friendly competitors for years. They agreed to merge their businesses and groom Robert to ultimately run both. Our marriage was a part of that deal.”
Ian winced at the cold bargain two men had struck at the expense of their children. Of course, Robert had benefited greatly from the merger. He’d become a hotel magnate.
“Did you ever think to say no?” Ian asked.
She shook her head, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I loved my father very much, and he was dying. He didn’t have a son, and I wasn’t the kind of woman to take over and run a business.”
Her heartfelt sigh broke Ian’s heart.
“I had to let Jonathan go.”
Ian swallowed hard. To him, it was unimaginable. Could he let Riley go?
Damn, he was in so deep with her he didn’t know how he’d ever get out.
“Do you know what happened to him?” Ian asked his mother.
“We agreed it was better if we said good-bye for good.”
“So you gave up the man you loved to marry Robert Dare, and he betrayed you.” Ian shook his head, his father’s behavior suddenly that much more reprehensible in light of what his mother had given up.
She sighed. “Your father and I had what I thought was a traditional marriage, much like many in our social circles. He was away often, and if he cheated on me, I didn’t want to know. But when he came to us about Sienna’s illness and revealed a whole other family?” She shook her head. “I think I was numb. I stayed that way for years. The only light, the only feelings I let in were for you and your brothers and sisters.”
“God, Mom.”
“Life isn’t always fair. We both know that. But I got five beautiful children out of the deal. I can live with myself because I was faithful. His behavior is on him. I just wish I could have protected you from the pain. And I hate that you’re still so angry and you expect the world to let you down.”
He tightened his grip on her hand as he led her around the dance floor. “I idolized him. I had him on a pedestal so high…” He shook his head, hating the memories.
“Your father was—is—just a man. And a flawed one, at that. But he loved Savannah, and he hasn’t, to my knowledge, cheated on her. Which tells me we were both at fault for agreeing to a loveless marriage to begin with.”
He blinked. “You made the same commitment. You were already in love with someone else, and you didn’t cheat on him. There’s no way to justify it.”
“I agree. I’m just saying, people have faults. You have to find a way to accept them and move on. You haven’t. And it’s eating away at you every single day.”