50 Shades of Drake 3 and 4

Chapter Seventy-Four

    Sandi pulled her hand away from her mouth and lowered it, tilting her head to the side. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. "I can't place judgment on you for failing to know that my son wouldn't send that message to you. He sent me a similar message and I took it at face value, too." She paused and turned her head. "I haven't had the chance to talk to you for a long period of time, haven't had the chance to get to know much about you, other than what Aubrey has told me. But do you know why I say that I like you so much?"

    Destiny shook her head.

    "You seem like a nice enough girl, a sweet enough girl. But the reason that I really like you is because of the effect you have on my son." A wave of emotion surged up within Sandi, and she fought to control her voice. "For years, I've had to watch my son deny himself the chance to fall in love because he didn't believe in it. It was the saddest thing, the opposite of what any mother wants for her baby boy. There are some very valid reasons as to why he felt that way, as you know by now. My failed relationship with his father is one of those reasons. A more recent relationship he had with that...emotionally abusive wretch... was another."

    Destiny's brows drew together.

    "So many women tried to break through to him," Sandi said with a sad smile. "Even after his entertaining days, the women still came calling, still wanted a piece of him. Although he was upfront with his need to keep his relationships casual, there were many women who thought they could change his mind. I knew that he was serious about keeping his relationships casual when he stopped bringing women around me. Before, I usually got to meet anyone he considered halfway serious. But within the past few years, he stopped bringing women to meet me. That's when I knew just how emotionally detached he'd become from the women he dated. And... I mean, he wasn't a stranger to casual relationships. I can't pretend that he was. But even when his relationships were casual, he was still a sweetheart, still caring - from what I could see, anyway. After he got his heart broken, though, he was very...devoid of emotion. Seeing as his entire career stemmed from him being very open with his feelings, it broke my heart to see that."

    "I listened to a lot of his music," Destiny said. "I still do, and when I first met him, I was kind of surprised at how different he seemed from the days when he performed and interviewed."

    "Once he shut out women, it didn't take that much time for him to shut out most other people," Sandi explained. "The media included. He became very sensitive when it came to anyone who was using him, or anyone who seemed to have an agenda. Then he met you. I heard about you before I met you. Not from him, not at first. From Oliver, who is still close with him. The way Aubrey talked about you, even when trying to deny his feelings, I could tell that he was beginning to open up. And it touched me to see that in him. It had been so long since I'd seen any signs of that. When he brought you here, I got to see it for myself, how he feels about you. He feels for you so strongly. I see the love that you feel for him, too." Sandi paused and narrowed her eyes. "I know that you love my son, Destiny - no matter what you may have done in his absence."

    The girl's cheeks burned red.

    "I've made mistakes myself," Sandi said. "Everyone makes them. What I want to make sure of, though, is that you don't allow this mistake to hurt everyone involved. Including yourself. Including my son, who has already closed himself off to love before."

    "I would never hurt him," Destiny said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her lap. "If I'd known - if I'd had any idea that he was being held against his will-"

    "Do you really believe that?" Sandi questioned, leaning back in her seat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you? Because in my experience, if a woman becomes involved with a man, she has feelings for him. Especially you. And - again - I haven't gotten the chance to know you, but you do not strike me as the type of girl who would just bounce from man to man. Even if you thought that text message from Aubrey was real, and even if you were beyond hurt, I don't think you would just randomly decide to... involve yourself with someone else. Unless...you had feelings for that someone else, feelings that were already there."

    Destiny drew back.

    "I am not judging you," Sandi said softly. "I was a young girl once. I remember how it was. You're still young, younger than my son usually dates. You're still figuring everything out. I am poking my nose into business that it doesn't belong in, but know that I am doing it out of concern for you and concern for my son. While I cannot judge you for what you've done in his absence, what I do ask of you is that you take the time to think about who you will choose once he returns. Because come hell or high water, my son will be returned to Toronto safely. When he is, you have a choice to make, my dear. And all I'm telling you is that you need to make the right one. Brian is a nice young man. He really is. Nothing against him. But I've seen you and my son together. In my mind, it isn't a question of who you should choose. There is only one choice, really. I wholeheartedly believe that if you search within your heart, you would agree."

    Tears brimmed in Destiny's eyes. She lowered her gaze again.

    "Ultimately, I cannot tell you who you should choose," Sandi said, all of a sudden feeling exhausted. "I know better than to think I can. I just...I wish you could see yourself and Aubrey through my eyes. The two of you together is the type of love story you read about, or watch on the silver screen. Then again, these are just the rambling thoughts of an old woman. Regardless of what I tell you, I know that you need to make the best choice for yourself."

    "I appreciate everything that you've said," Destiny told her sincerely.

    Sandi stood up from her chair. "And I appreciate everything that you've done for my son. I also appreciate you coming here today. I'll walk you to the door. We wouldn't want to keep Brian waiting too long."