Chapter 44: Welcome Home

Chapter 44: Welcome Home While Ryan drove them home, Josh fell asleep, and as Abigail sat in the backseat with him, she looked down at him, her heart filled with love for him. She could see how much he resembled Jamal. She sighed softly as she thought about Jamal and the possibility of running into him again. She knew she probably should have confided in him but she couldn’t make such a decision hastily. As much as she loved Josh and was happy to have him, one hasty decision years ago had brought her to this point where she had a son who didn’t even know she was his mother. He didn’t even know her real face or the sound of her voice. She loved Josh but if she could do it all again, she wouldn’t have a child under this circumstances. She wouldn’t have brought an innocent child into her mess. Hearing Josh refer to Ryan as Dad made her skin crawl. Ryan was a stranger to her. She didn’t even know who he was, and she hated that her son was referring to him as his father. "Abi, there’s a lot we need to talk about after you are well rested," Ryan said, and she turned to meet his gaze in the rearview mirror. What could he want to talk to her about? She mused. For a brief moment earlier she had been scared he might take a closer look at her face and realize she was wearing a mask, but she was glad he didn’t seem to notice. "I know you’re happy to be in Josh’s life again. I fulfilled my promise, didn’t I?" He said, and she forced a smile and gave him a nod. Abigail smiled when Ryan pulled the car to a stop in front of the house and she saw the familiar structure of the house. It has been five years since she left, and she was so happy to be back here. She couldn’t wait to see the familiar faces of the household staff. She got out of the car but before she could get to Josh’s side of the car, Ryan beat her to it and lifted him out of his seat gently. "Let’s go in. Someone will get your luggage," he called to her as he led her inside. The moment they walked into the house, Abigail gasped in surprise when she saw the domestic staff standing in the decorated living room with balloons, a cake, and in unison they said, "Welcome home." They paused and the smile on their faces froze when they saw her face and how different she looked. Ryan had made sure to change her line and she had not been in contact with any of them over the years so they had no idea that she had changed her looks. Abigail noticed their surprise, but she ignored it as she ran forward and embraced each of them, her gratitude evident in the smile on her face. "I missed you so much, darling," the cook said as she embraced her after she had recovered from her initial shock. Abigail smiled as she pulled back to look at the cook. Before she could type on her phone, Ryan cleared his throat. "I’ll leave you all to your little party. Let’s talk after you’ve settled in, Abi," he said, and she gave him a nod before he walked away with Josh, dialing Genevieve’s line as he left. Away from there in Genevieve’s office, Genevieve leaned forward in her seat as she looked at Stefan. "How long are you going to be in town?" Stefan exhaled, stretching slightly. "Not sure yet. I need to check my schedule with my assistant." "Alright. Let me know once you confirm your schedule. But I hope you’re not leaving before the weekend," she said, and then glanced at her watch. "You have to be somewhere?" Stefan asked, not missing the gesture. Genevieve flashed him an apologetic smile, "Yeah. Sorry. I have a meeting soon, but I’d really love to catch up properly. Could we have dinner later and talk some more?" she asked, and just then her phone rang. "I need to take this," she said when she saw it was her Dad. "Dad," she said as she received call, looking away from Stefan. "Abigail is home now. I expect you to join us for dinner. Let’s give her a little family welcome back dinner." Genevieve sighed, "I’m with a guest..." Ryan cut in before she could finish, "Genny, I don’t care about your guest..." Without letting him finish, Genevieve hung up the call and flashed Stefan a smile, "Sorry about that." Stefan smiled. "It’s fine." "So, as I was saying, how about dinner?" She asked, since having dinner with Jamal Jonas was more important to her than having dinner with a father who didn’t care about her in anyway. "I’d like that, but I’m a bit jet-lagged. I need to rest. How about tomorrow?" Stefan suggested, since he needed time to talk to Jamal and find out what his plan was. Genevieve nodded in understanding. "Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it," she said with a smile. Stefan met her gaze and smiled back, "Me too," he assured her, and then stood up, smoothing his jacket. "I should let you get back to work." Genevieve stood as well. "By the way, did you come with a car?" "No, but we planned to rent one." "We?" She asked, raising a brow. Stefan let out a short laugh. "I mean my assistant. Stefan. We flew in together but he’s back at the hotel." "I see," she said with a wide smile. "Yeah. I’ll take a cab back to the hotel and we will get a car later," he explained. Genevieve waved a dismissive hand. "No need for that. You can use one of mine." Stefan raised a brow. "Your car?" "Of course," she said. "No point in renting when I have more than enough. Besides, you’re here to see me, are you not? You’re my guest. I should make sure you’re comfortable." Stefan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thanks for the thoughtful offer but that really won’t be necessary. Stefan and I are not very familiar with the city, and honestly, I’m not a fan of Google Maps. I’ll prefer we rent a car and employ a driver for the duration of our stay." Genevieve smirked. "Then that settles it. My driver will take you around in one of my cars for the duration of your stay." Stefan narrowed his eyes slightly, as if piecing something together. "You mean your new driver? The guy I just saw out there?" "Yes," she said easily. "Will that be okay? Didn’t he just resume..." "As long as he’s being paid to drive, it shouldn’t matter who he’s driving," Genevieve cut in easily. "If you insist," Stefan said, glad that he would have time to talk to Jamal.