Gordon's Dawn(25)

“Son, have you thought of what everyone will say? What they will think?”

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“Gordon, she’s a nobody. She has—”

“I know, and I told you I don’t care. Dawn is what I want.”

Dawn seethed. Gordon spoke like she wasn’t sitting right next to him. She didn’t bloody well care about his money. She wouldn’t have cared even if he told her when they were in Australia. Sure, she properly wouldn’t have started this with him, but she still deserved to know. They kept talking about her like she wasn’t sitting there, and the more they spoke, the greater her anger rose. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and imagined hitting something a lot to calm her raging anger, but the more she listened, the higher her anger rose. Dawn wished she was home in Australia. She was never a violent person until she met Gordon. He seemed to bring out anger issues she didn’t know she had.

Catherine laughed, and it seemed so out of place. Her demeanor seemed to change with that laugh, too. “Oh, son, that explains her face now. I think you’re in trouble.” The woman, who she thought not long ago expressionless and cold, did what Dawn would call a smile if she weren’t full of Botox. “Dawn, I am sorry. You must excuse me as I haven’t seen my son in over a year, and I would never go to the cesspool that is Vegas. The phone calls I received were always when he had no time to talk. I knew he had this silly idea of finding a woman in Australia. I really didn’t think he’d do it. I must say though, you are quite pretty. You have lovely porcelain skin and the rest…” Catherine’s gaze roamed over her, and Dawn saw the calculating appraisal. “I’m sure we can work on.” She gave a fake chuckle, and Dawn’s anger diminished to be replaced by unease. “I’ll organize a time tomorrow to take you shopping to get the right clothes and accessories. I’ll talk with my trainer, and we can get you on a great routine and help lose some of that baby fat.” Catherine reached across and patted her on the knee, and Dawn stared down at the perfectly manicured hand draped in expensive jewelry and felt panic join the uneasy feeling. What the hell had just happened? Gordon’s mother Catherine had changed her tune in an instant and was now talking a mile a minute about organizing things Dawn wanted nothing to do with. Dawn felt like she’d just landed in the twilight zone.

“We’ll have dinner tonight, and I’ll see your dining skills and what needs work. I’ll have you ready for soc—”

Hell, no, Dawn had heard enough. She gazed at Gordon to find him staring at her with a confused expression. Fuck it, if this was what he wanted, a woman like how his mother was describing, he could go shove it. “No. I’m sorry, Catherine, I won’t be dining with you.” Turning to Gordon, Dawn gave him her best glare. “If this is what you want in a woman, you’ve married the wrong one. I am not, nor will I ever be, like your mother. I like my style, I am happy with my weight, and I don’t need lessons on dining skills or any such shit.” Anger consumed her. How dare he just sit there while his mother organized her life and what Catherine wanted Dawn to do and to be? “If this is what you want, then you can have it, just not with me. When we arrive at our destination, I’ll be booking a flight home.” There, she’d said it. She was done.

Gordon scrubbed his face and rubbed his forehead. Then he got off the seat and went to the front where he pressed a button, and the divider came down. “Henry, change of plans.” Dawn felt her heart sink, and tears threaten to leak out at Gordon’s words. Even though she was angry and upset with how his mother was treating her, she still loved him. She may have just said she wanted to go home, but she would rather stay with Gordon. She knew he would break her heart. “The Southlake estate is close. Take my wife and me there, and you may then drop my mother wherever she wants to go.”

“Yes, sir. We are less than ten minutes from Southlake.”

Gordon didn’t reply but moved back and sat next to her again. Dawn relaxed slightly when he grabbed her hand and held it in his own. “Mother, listen, and listen well because I will not repeat myself. Dawn is not yours to instruct and manipulate. She is my wife. One of the reasons I chose her is because she is and never will be anything like you or the socialites with whom you associate. I love Dawn just the way she is, and if you can’t deal with that, then we don’t need you in our lives.” Gordon squeezed her hand, and the more he spoke, the more her anger deflated. “But if you’re willing to not interfere and try to bend things the way you want them, then you’re welcome to be a part of our lives and the lives of any children we have in the future.”

Catherine’s shrewd gaze darted from Gordon to her, and Dawn knew she was assessing her next move. “Well, if that’s how you feel, I think I need to talk to your father.” She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Sprite, I’m proud of you. Mother’s a handful, and you handled her beautiful,” he whispered in her ear. “I knew if you could handle her, then you’ll be fine in my world.”

What the fuck? Leaning into him she mumbled, “You’re joking, right? Please tell me you didn’t say anything for the first ten or so minutes because you were waiting for me to stop her bullshit.” By the end, Dawn knew her voice was more a screech. The woman in question smirked at her and did what Dawn thought was an attempt at a raised eyebrow, but it barely lifted as her forehead was so tight.

Gordon winced, but Dawn didn’t care. Right now, she wanted out of the limo and time away from the two people with her. Dawn slid away from Gordon and took the same stance as his mother, but looked out the window. She didn’t really see the scenery. She went through her latest choices and wondered if she’d made the biggest mistake of her life.





Chapter Seven


The house, or more like mansion, was amazing. Dawn had been speechless when the limo had pulled up almost a week ago. It was massive with its three levels, six bedrooms and a study, an entertainment room, lounge room, dining room, a massive dream kitchen and a playroom with a pool table, dartboard, and bar. That was just the mansion. There was also a pool slash guest two-bedroom house. The grounds were elaborate with fancy carved bushes, flowering gardens, and lush green lawns.

She’d spent the first day wandering around in awe of what she was seeing. Then anger at another thing Gordon had kept from her, and the last couple of days she’d spent doubting she was good enough for Gordon. It kept her away from him. Dawn hated how, since being with Gordon, she’d gone from a pretty, confident woman to someone with a bunch of doubts. Her self-esteem had yo-yoed.