FOR THE LOVE OF DAHLIA

🌹Chapter 47🌹

WRITER'S POV

"I really can't help you now Nonna, I'm stuck at work. Why don't you just ask one of the maids at home to help you anyway? I mean I pay them for that." Ian said in frustration as he typed away on his MacBook, the call on speaker because he was too busy to hold it. With what had been happening, he realized that he had missed a lot of work and needed to catch up before his businesses collapsed.

He heard Nonna whine. "That's why you're my grandson. If you do not help me, then who will? C'mon boy, it's just for you to buy some flowers and take it to my old house. My cousin who now lives there had an accident and that's my way of reaching out to her. I'm stuck at home and I don't want no maid or flower delivery guy doing something so personal for me."

Ian scoffed. "I never knew someone lived in that house. How am I only hearing about this just now?"

"You're hearing about it just now cause I'm telling you about it now. But you know what, just let it slide since you're too busy to help your grandmother. I'll do it..."

Ian rolled his eyes because he knew his grandmother couldn't see him. "Fine Nonna, I'll become the delivery guy for your sake. What kind of flowers?"

"Tulips." He heard his grandmother say in excitement. He knew another person who always got excited about tulips but he refused to dwell on it. She wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't keep fighting for someone who never loved him the way he loved her. For someone who would always accuse him of a crime he didn't commit. He had to focus on their daughter however. That seemed to be the only person who gave him peace.

"Okay Nonna. Tulips it is. I'll get them when I leave work and take it to this grand aunt or uncle I'm just hearing about now."

He heard his grandmother scoff. "Be polite. It's a female and she's family."

"Yeah, whatever." Ian muttered underneath his breath before dropping the call and drowning himself in work to forget about a certain brunette all the way across the city. If she wasn't willing to fight for him, then he wasn't going to fight for her either. He needed to be sure Tori genuinely loved him, not just being with him out of pity.

~~~

Tori kept bouncing her feet in anticipation as she waited for Ian. She hoped he fell for his grandmother's lie. She hoped he showed up at the doorstep. But most importantly, she hoped he stayed when he saw her cause she had a lot of things to tell him. This was her opportunity to make things right. She just had to make things right because her heart could only recognize one man and she didn't want to loose him.

With some time to spare, she started decorating the house to suit the mood she wanted. She hung up balloons that spelled out 'I am sorry' and 'I love you'. Earlier that day, she had also baked his favorite cake. She just had to do something. She didn't want to loose him. She spent the rest of the day trying to come up with a romantic ambiance and thinking of the perfect speech.

An hour later, she heard the sound of the doorbell and with a palpitating heart, she walked to the door. She opened it slowly and her heart dropped when she saw Ian standing there. Yes, she expected him to show up but what she wasn't expecting was for him to show up with tulips. Her favorite flowers in the world.

"Tori?" Ian asked in shock, blinking his eyes in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" He never, not even in a million years, expected to see her in his grandmother's house. "Why are you... wait? Did my grandmother..."

"Ian please just hear me out." Tori cut him shut in desperation.

Ian scoffed and was about to turn around when Tori held his hands. "Please Ian, don't leave me. I don't know what I would do if you go away. Please just hear me out."

Ian turned back around, his heart softening but his facial expression still rock hard. "Hear you out? All those months you never cared about what I had to say and you expect me to care about what you have to say? Am I a joke to you?"

Tori shook her head in disgrace. "I'm so sorry Ian, I really am. Please forgive me. Just come in so we talk." She pleaded with him. "Please."

Ian scoffed. "Fine." He said and walked past her. He stopped when he saw all that she had done. It melted his heart. Actually, even if she didn't do anything, she always had a soft spot in his heart. Just her mere apology out there already pricked his heart. But he didn't want her to know. He needed her to know she made a huge mistake by driving him away, so he turned to her with the same stone cold expression. "What's with all these things in my grandma's house? You think I'll be moved by this?"

It broke his heart to see the sadness in her eyes as she shook her head in shame. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to do something."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't get it. One minute you tell me to leave you alone, then the next minute you're sorry and begging me. What I want to know is what exactly are you sorry for and why are you begging me?"

Tori stayed silent.

Ian softened his voice. "Tell me Tori, I want to know."

He heard her sniff and knew she was crying silently. He wanted to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms, to kiss her and tell her he loved her and always will. But he stood still. "Tell me Tori."

She looked up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for all the mean things I said to you. I'm sorry for telling you to stay away from Dahlia and I. I'm sorry for pushing you away. I'm sorry for always making you look like the bad guy. Ian I'm sorry for making it look like I do not love you when truth be told, I know I can live without you but I just don't want to. I don't want a life without you. I don't want to be all alone in this very wicked world. I do not want to raise Dahlia all by myself. I want us to raise her together. I want us to grow old together. So that's why I'm begging you, please don't leave me. Don't leave us. Dahlia loves you. And to be totally honest, I love you even more." She ended and wiped her runny nose.

Ian couldn't control himself as he thought he could. So without thinking twice, he walked over to her and pulled her into a warm hug. He hugged her so tight that he could feel her heartbeat. Her tears soaked his shirt and he patted her head so that she could stop crying. "No matter what I tell myself, it's you I love. You're the Tori for Ian. It's you and me, it's always been and will always be. I forgive you for everything you did. I want you and our daughter forever and a day too."

Tori could not believe her ears. She pulled away and looked in his eyes. "You really forgive me?"

He nodded with a smile.

"And want me?"

He answered with a peck on her lips. "Of course."

Another tear slipped out of her eye. "How could you be so kind and nice after everything that happened?"

Ian looked at her. "It's because of everything that happened that made me sure you're the one for me. Everything aside, I want you baby, you're my peace. You're my everything."

Tori smiled up at him. "Thank you for always being the sweetest man in the world. I love you so much Ian. I love you desperately."

"And I love you much more than you would ever realize."

Tori stood on her tip toes and connected her lips to his in a passionate kiss. This went way better than she expected. She was the one for Ian and Ian was the one for her and that was on period!

They spent the rest of the evening eating cake and making love and talking about how they will tell Dahlia they were back together.

Oh, Ian's grandmother really did help her. Almost like her fairy godmother.