Sway With Me(64)
She was used to her mother speaking like a message from a fortune cookie, but this hit a little too close to home. How did her mother know? Sometimes Portia thought her mom had hired detectives to trail her every move.
Portia rubbed her temple. “He kissed someone else. I don’t see how—”
“I know what you saw, because I dreamed about it last night, but remember, you can’t always believe your eyes.”
She sat up and rested her back against the headboard. Zeus watched her from his perch on a pillow. “No, my eyes work just fine. I’m sure he was kissing another woman.”
Her mother chuckled. “So?”
Clasping the sheets, frustration coursed through her. How could her mother laugh at the situation? No wonder she was single. “He obviously doesn’t care enough about me not to suck face with his ex-girlfriend. He pretended to have feelings for me so I’d sell my share of the house and he could win back the love of his life.”
“Really? Is that what he said when you confronted him?”
Portia paused, taking the time to consider her mother’s question. Why had she run last night without allowing Ryan to explain? She’d jumped to the worst-case-scenario without giving him even the slightest benefit of the doubt, and when he’d tried to speak with her, she’d turned him away at the door.
But seeing him with Samantha had brought all her insecurities to the forefront. Last night had proven to her she didn’t belong in Ryan’s high society world. He belonged with a sophisticated woman from the right side of the tracks and not someone like her.
Had she fled because she didn’t want to hear him confirm what she’d feared most? That she wasn’t good enough for him? Only Ryan had never made her feel that way. Even his parents had accepted her with open arms. In fact, since moving to Michigan, no one ever made her feel inferior; she did that all on her own.
Portia shifted to pet Zeus who continued watching her with a fixed gaze. “I didn’t confront Ryan,” she admitted. “And when he tried to explain, I refused to listen.”
Her mother tsked. “Forget your eyes and ears. What does your heart tell you?”
For years she’d dreamed of owning a house. Of course, she’d pictured something small with a yard and a flower garden—not a seven thousand square foot mansion on acres of land with an apple orchard. But did the size of the house matter? Whether she lived in a cottage or a mansion didn’t matter because without Ryan, it was only a house—not a home. She’d gladly live in a tent if she slept beside Ryan each night.
She loved him. Ryan was her home.
“He’s my destiny.”
“And you are his Muse. There are no coincidences in life. Every decision, every mistake, brought you one step closer to your fate. You were always meant for one another. I’m assuming you both had the dreams of your past life together?”
How could she have known about that? Could Portia really be Ryan’s Muse?
Zeus stretched beneath Portia’s fingers then stalked to her lap, bringing his face within inches of hers as if confirming Reina’s words. Which was ridiculous, right?
“Yes, we have.” She pushed the cat off her legs. “Mom, I want to apologize to you. I’ve spent years craving a home when I had one all along with you and Viola. I may not understand why you moved us from place to place, but I’m grateful I always had you and Viola to love and care for me.”
Her mother sniffed. “Thank you. I know things were tough for you growing up the way you did and I wish fate could’ve chosen a less complicated path for us to follow. Along with your acceptance of your responsibilities as Ryan’s Muse, you’ll learn to see things in a different light. If I had ignored the signs, you wouldn’t be where you are at this moment and Viola wouldn’t be where she is, either. But it wasn’t time for us. I’ll come to visit you soon and we’ll talk. My daughters aren’t the only ones with a destiny.”
The cat meowed, jumped off the bed, and prowled to the door like he wanted her to follow. Maybe he wanted her to feed him.
Come to think of it, how had he gotten in the room? After she’d gotten home last night, she’d locked herself in the bedroom without the cat and then somehow he’d appeared in the middle of the night.
She shook her head and laughed. He must have been hiding under the bed and gotten locked in with her.
“I miss you, Mom. And thank you.”
They said their goodbyes and Portia hung up with her mind clear. She got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. She needed to find Ryan and apologize for failing to trust and listen to him. Her mother was right. He wouldn’t have cheated on her. They were destined for one another.