Gabby's POV
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I kept the album on the drawer beside my bed. I saw it every night before I went to sleep and to be honest it made me feel like I was young again. Young and naive, wild and so in love with the same person who gave my daughter her best childhood memories even though I ripped her heart out because I had something to deal with Jordan and now Allison had to pay the price.
I didn't know which one was cruel the most, shut Jordan out all of sudden or torturing Allison because she loved Jordan still until now even though it had been ten years. I was so amazed by Allison's memories because she was only a kid but her memories was strong. I knew she was a smart kid but I didn't know she was this smart.
I sighed, looking at the ceiling of my room. Day sixty of living with my daughter in this town, and it had been a month since Allie met Jordan again back in our town and I found myself still doing that thing, looking at the album before I went to bed and actually it helped me to sleep. It helped me to relax my mind by thinking the good time I had with them.
Damn, I didn't even think about the good times I had with Thomas though.
Well, maybe the happiness when I was with Jordan wasn't comparable and I still cursed myself why I started to think about what had happened ten years ago all of sudden.
I needed to let it go. I really needed to move on. She was married. I was single and I needed to settle down with one person. I was no longer young and Allison was a teenager and I needed help someone to raise Allison, to protect Allison and to teach her what adult was about.
It wasn't because I wasn't capable of doing that on my own, but I needed a partner too. To rely on, to share and to love each other unconditionally when life started to give me another shit like it always did. And it wasn't easy because I, once again, let my heart broken.
My eyes began to close slowly before I realized I had fallen asleep with the thought of someone that I used to love. It wasn't Steven. It wasn't Thomas.
Yeah, you know it very well, it was Jordan.
*
"Eggs, flour, milk, bread." I mumbled, looking at the cart and made sure I already placed all the stuff I needed to buy.
I pushed my cart carelessly and it crashed into someone's. I looked up to see an older woman who just shook her head when she saw me being clumsy.
"I'm so sorry." I said. "I didn't mean to hit your cart. Are you okay? Is your body hurt? I know I pushed it too hard. Once again, I'm sorry."
"You weren't this clumsy back there." The older woman smiled and I furrowed my brows.
Did I know her? She, somewhat, looked familiar but I had no idea who it was.
"I-I am sorry. Do I know you? I can't remember who you are." I said.
She raised her brows. "Darling, I am the older one here, yet you didn't remember me. Oh! I know, it's been ten years and we met once so it's okay if you didn't remember me."
Seriously, who was this woman?
"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to forget you but I have no idea if we have met before let alone ten years ago."
"Does Miller ring a bell for you?" She smiled.
I pushed my cart to the side and she imitated me since we stood in the middle of an aisle. I tried so hard to remember her then my eyes bulged open and she was laughing her ass off. Old woman!
"Oh. My. God. Logan Miller?!" I exclaimed. I was sure she was Logan because she had blonde hair, and her wife Alex was a brunette. Now I realized why she looked so familiar. She just looked like Jordan.
"Shush." She placed her index finger on her mouth. "Keep it down, darling. You're not in a forest."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry if I didn't recognize you and I'm sorry I crashed your cart earlier. I have no idea at all and I didn't remember you." I chuckled awkwardly.
"It's okay, darling." Logan smiled. "How are you by the way? It's been a long time since the last time we met."
"I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" I asked her back.
"I'm fine. I met your daughter a month ago when we had family dinner at Jordan's place." Logan said.
"Yes, Becca invited her and why not?" I chuckled awkwardly.
"Do you have time? We should catch up, darling. I missed you." I could feel something in her voice but I was too afraid to ask.
"I'm sorry but I need to go to work after I drop this off. I split my shift so I need to go back to work." I said apologetically.
"Nah, it's okay. We can catch up sometimes, we're still in the same town anyway." Logan laughed.
I nodded. "Have you done?" She nodded. "Let's go to the queue then."
I let Logan walked first and I followed her. In her sixties, Logan was still beautiful and I wondered how did she still look so young.
"Gabby?" Logan called me, damn, she did still remember my name though.
"Yes?" I turned my head to see her.
"What day is your day off?" Logan asked me.
"Uh, Sunday. Why?"
"Do you still remember my house?"
I shook my head no, she imitated me in a funny way and I couldn't help but smiled. "I'm sorry, it was ten years ago and Jordan drove us there."
Mentioning Jordan's name was like having a big lump in my throat. It was hard to let it out but I managed to say it in normal tone. I saw she wrote something and gave the paper to me. It was an address, the complete opposite direction from my house. Maybe it took thirty minutes or so to get there.
"Be there on Saturday at 7pm, it's a family gathering. Miller Industry has a big announcement and I want you to be there to celebrate it with us." Logan said. "And believe me darling, I'm still considering you as a family."
My heart fluttered. I unconsciously nodded because she looked so serious.
I went home and met Allie. She was studying in the living room. Once she saw me, she helped me unpacked. I stood there when we were done, Allie was drinking an orange juice while looking at me weirdly.
"I didn't do anything today, Mom." She laughed awkwardly.
I smiled. "No, baby. I, uh, wanted to tell you something."
"Okay?" Allie sat down.
"Do you have a plan on Saturday night?"
She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Beside planning on watching a movie marathon, I don't think I do. Why?"
"Do you want to go with me to Logan's house? I met her today. She invited me, she said there will be a big announcement but I don't want to go there alone." I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Oh, that!" She seemed to realize about something. "Becca mentioned that her au––" Allie stopped all of sudden and I was curious as to what was she trying to say. "Yeah, I'd love to, Mom. I'll go with you."
"What are you trying to say earlier, baby?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"No-nothing, Mom." She smiled awkwardly.
I looked at her in the eyes for a moment. "Did Becca invite you too? It's weird if she didn't because you both are very close and it is about Miller Industry. I'm sure she and her family come to attend this something. And the fact that you will run a movie marathon on Saturday night is another ridiculous thing."
She seemed uneasy. She shifted her body on the seat uncomfortably. "Y-yeah, she invited me but I rejected her because it will be awkward if I––"
Again. Allie didn't finish her sentence and it made me groaned in frustration. I didn't want to pry as to why she acted like this but I was so curious. Why did she keep something from me, from her own mother?
*
I got the answer when we arrived at the party a little bit late because of my job. I told Allie earlier if I would stay a little bit longer at the bar because my coworker was sick so I backed them up before another employee came to replace them.
Allie wasn't mad when I was an hour late. We both wore a black dress and we both were a little bit confused what this party was about. I felt Allie knew something but she didn't tell me and I had to find the answer on my own and it was right in front of me.
Allie seemed to know these people because apparently it was only a family party and I was like a lost sheep in the night. I didn't know these people at all. Then my eyes met Logan, she grinned from ear to ear when she saw me.
She hugged me, kept thanking me because I was here and she, soon, started the dinner. Wait. Did they wait for me? Well, not exactly because the person they were waiting for was also late.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
I heard her voice again. I turned to see her standing in all her glory, maroon dress just above her knee, her hair was up in a ponytail and she was gaining all of the attention of these people, well, her own family. I didn't see her wife and she told everyone that her wife was busy so she was absent. I was curious to be honest, as to who she was married to.
Who was the woman who could make Jordan fell in love again?
"Let's begin the dinner then." Logan announced.
Allie and I sat next to each other. The dinner went well and damn, she was sitting right in front of me though. I knew she stole glances at me some of the time but I ignored her because I could feel all eyes were on me tonight. Yeah, who was I? I was no one yet here I was, attending some family party or something. I wondered what was Logan thinking when she said she considered me as a family, clearly I wasn't one of them because I had no idea who they were.
"Alright, attention ladies and gentlemen." Now it was Alex's turn to speak. "As we know why you are invited to this family gathering, I have something big to announce to all of you." All the attention went to Alex, she spoke confidently, looking all of us one by one.
"I'm getting old even though I do still want to work my ass hard as long as I want," Alex paused, everyone was giggling and some of them were chuckling, "but I've come to realize that my body doesn't allow me to do those activities again, so tonight I announce you that I will retire from Miller Industry."
I saw they all were smiling. What was going on here?
"And I will give the CEO spot to my one and only daughter, Jordan Miller." With that statement, everyone was applauding, including Allie and I knew why she kept it for herself.
She knew Jordan was here. She knew Jordan would be the next CEO of Miller Industry. And I knew why she didn't tell me, she didn't want to shock me with the fact that she would meet Jordan again.
Oh my god, why was my life so complicated? I should've be mad at my daughter because she kept the news from me but somehow she was right. She didn't want me to act like a crazy woman just because I met my ex lover again.
Then we had dessert while enjoying the night. We were talking to each other and I happened to talk to Adrianna, Lewis Hadwick's last child and she was about my age. I saw Allie was talking to Becca, as always, and I let her because I knew what it was like when we liked someone.
"I can't believe she finally agree to take over the company." Adrianna chuckled.
"Maybe she realized that her mother really needed to take a rest, to enjoy her life more." I commented.
"True. But Jordan always disagree when she was asked about this, but somewhat, a month ago when we had family dinner together at her place and Alex brought it up, she suddenly agreed to take care of the company and move here." Adrianna said.
I choked on my drink and Adrianna helped me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded because I couldn't speak. The water was stuck in my throat and I needed to clear it before I died choking.
The information was too much for me because it meant Jordan would live in the same town as me. I didn't know what to think but I could see Allie's happiness in her eyes when she talked to Jordan right now.
"And she is so close to that teenager. I started to think she is a paedo if my niece isn't close to her too." Adrianna laughed.
I laughed along before I told her the truth. "The teenager is my daughter."
"Holy shit!" Adrianna commented.