Just To Be With You (The Sullivans #12)(9)

Claudia’s laughter was just as warm as the arms that enfolded Tatiana into a hug. “He’d be a fool not to fall for you, sweetie. And the one thing I know for sure is that I haven’t raised any fools.”

“No, you most certainly haven’t,” Tatiana agreed, “but even so...” She paused, trying to think of a tactful way to put it. “Ian’s already made it pretty clear to me how he feels about romance.”

Claudia simply nodded as she turned back to the stove. “Tell me, for most people who want to act for a living, once they realize just how difficult it is to get any parts at all, let alone good ones, how long does it take them to give up their dreams?”

“Usually, it’s a matter of months. Although there are some who stick it out for a couple of years before they throw in the towel.”

“Did you ever consider giving up, Tatiana?”

“No.” It had never even been a possibility. “Acting is such an integral part of who I am, I’ve never even thought about doing anything else. I love it that much.”

“And you’ve always been determined to make it work?”

Tatiana thought about how hard she’d been working to get at the heart of her new character, and the fact that she wouldn’t let up until she did. “Yes, I’ve always been determined.”

“Well, people always say that if you follow your heart, you’ll never regret it, which I agree with. But what I learned when Ian’s father and I were trying to make things work between the two of us way back when, was just how much determination it can sometimes take to stay on your heart’s path. I also learned that love is worth the struggle. Always.”

It was, Tatiana thought as she slipped the pasta into the boiling water on the stove, both an encouragement and a warning from a mother who clearly knew her eldest son very, very well. Well enough not to shy away from words like struggle and determination.

Before either of them could say anything more, Max walked into the kitchen, handed Tatiana the glass of wine she hadn’t yet had a chance to drink, and asked if she could go tell the boys to finish stacking the wood and wash up, because dinner would be ready in a few minutes.

* * *

As soon as they were alone in the kitchen, Claudia stepped away from the stove and put her arms around her husband. “You know how much I’ve worried about Ian. Not just since his divorce, but even before that.”

“We all have.”

“Suddenly, I don’t feel like I need to worry quite so much anymore.”

Max brushed his wife’s hair away from her face, after all their years together still the most beautiful one he’d ever set eyes on. “Because he’s back here in Seattle with all of us again?”

She smiled up at the man she’d loved with every single breath from the first moment he’d held her in his arms, just the way he was now. “Because something tells me that he’s going to fall in love. For real this time. And that it’s going to change everything for him, in the best possible ways.”

“Ian? In love? Did he say something to you?” But Claudia knew it wouldn’t take him long to figure it out, and a moment later, he said, “Tatiana?”

Ian and Tatiana had been seated together at Marcus and Nicola’s wedding, and though Claudia had been seated at the next table, she’d noted the way Tatiana’s gaze had continually returned to her son’s handsome face. And it had seemed to Claudia that his normally steely self-control had been hanging by a thinner thread than usual around the pretty actress. Tonight when they’d come inside the house, Claudia had seen all of the same signs, on both their parts. Only this time, her son hadn’t seemed quite as good at pushing away his obvious attraction.

“Tatiana,” Claudia confirmed for her husband, her brain already a half-dozen hopeful steps ahead to another wedding and babies and, most of all, the happiness Ian had always deserved, but had never quite been able to find.

It suddenly occurred to her that if she could have picked out a woman for her son herself, she couldn’t have chosen better. Tatiana would never need Ian’s power or influence to help her achieve success. She would never need his money. All she would ever ask him for was a love that matched her own for him. Granted, that was the one thing Ian didn’t seem to think he had to give. But Claudia was confident that in time, he’d realize the truth of what was in his heart, that there was not only enough love for her and his father and siblings...but endless love for a woman who would finally make his life truly whole.

“She’s very pretty and obviously talented,” Max said in a considering voice, “but do you really think she’s strong enough for Ian?”

Claudia looked toward the door through which Tatiana had just exited. “Something tells me she’s going to end up surprising everyone with just how strong and determined she is. Ian, most of all.”

Max’s arms tightened around his wife. “I hope you’re right.”

“When,” she said with a saucy little grin, “have I ever been wrong?”

Knowing better after several decades of marriage than to answer that one, he simply covered her mouth with his. When the sound of the pasta boiling over forced her out of his arms, both of them knew without a word being said that as soon as dinner was over and the kids all went home, they would be right there in each other’s arms again.