by Mia Kayla
“Oh God. Here comes Barbie,” Brad whispered under his breath.
“Hey, guys!” Janice leaned into me and touched my cheek against hers, doing the same to Brad right after. “Where’s the birthday girl?”
I greeted Mason and answered Janice at the same time, “Over there. They were playing Skee Ball, but they’ve moved on to shooting hoops.”
Janice made a face. “Yeah, I’m not really good at games.” She lifted up a gift bag that said Burberry. “I picked her up a gift. I got her a scarf.” She beamed.
Whenever Janice was around, Brad’s eye would twitch, as if he had a tic. And when he smiled, it was so forced that it looked like it hurt.
I hated it, hated that Mason looked so unhappy despite his insistence on remaining loyal to her, but I wasn’t as vocal as Brad about it. Mason already knew how I felt. I’d told him in not so many words that he deserved better, but at the end of the day, he was a grown man. I wouldn’t want to be told what to do with my life, and I trusted that Mason could make his own decisions even if we didn’t agree with some of those choices.
“Uncle Brad,” Mary called out, rushing toward him, jumping in his arms.
Sarah strolled over with a roll of red tickets, waving them in the air. Becky trailed right behind her.
“Sarah made a killing at that ticket machine over there. She hit the jackpot.” Becky was smiling with such pride that you would’ve thought she’d won the tickets.
“Happy birthday, Becky,” Mason greeted her, followed by Janice, who went in for a hug.
“Here’s your gift! I think you’ll like it.” Janice handed her the gift bag.
Becky’s face flushed prettily. “Aww, you guys didn’t have to. Thank you.” Her smile was genuine and drop-dead beautiful.
“And hey, kiddos.” Janice awkwardly waved at the kids and then patted Sarah’s head, like she always did.
Sarah threw me a look, and I knew what she was thinking. Why does she keep patting me like I’m a dog or something?
“I’ve never actually been to this establishment before,” Janice said, turning her nose up as she examined our surroundings.
Mason slipped his arm around Janice’s waist. “I think you have. Weren’t you here for Mary’s second birthday? I’m pretty sure her birthday was here.”
She tilted her head. “No. I’d remember if I was somewhere like this before, Mason.”
Brad’s eye twitched again, and in about two seconds, he would say something that was undercover mean—like the times he played Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” every time Janice walked into the room.
“Let’s order the pizza.” I stood. “Come on, Becky. Birthday girl’s choice.”
I slipped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her toward me. Then, I stilled because we hadn’t spoken since this morning about my confession. I waited a moment to see if she’d pull away, but when she let me lead us to the front of the pizza joint, I smiled.
“Are you having fun?” I asked her, getting close to her ear and noticing the little shiver that went through her. I tried not to get too excited or hopeful.
Her smile was infectious. “Yeah. The girls are just so funny. I didn’t realize how competitive Mary could be at such a young age, and Sarah, she’s very meticulous about games. I swear she thinks there is a method to hit each game and maximize how many tickets you get.” She leaned into me, and my heart started racing like a teenager. “She’s a genius, Charles. Very bright. You should be proud.”
I nodded. There was no doubt that I’d hit the jackpot with my kids. Above being good students, they were kind. My kids were part of the future generation who were going to change the world.
“So, I know this is a nontraditional birthday party for a sophisticated woman like yourself,” I said with a chuckle. “But the girls wanted to give you the royal treatment, so thanks for going along with it.”
Becky laughed. “Please, this is great. I’d rather do this than go out for a fancy dress-up dinner any day.” She motioned to what she was wearing. “If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a jeans and gym shoes kind of girl.”
I’d already known this about her, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to her. She wasn’t the type of woman who tried so hard, which made me wonder why the hell I had engaged with Vivian for so long.
“So, taking you out to a nice dinner is out of the question?” I wasn’t the nervous type, not usually, but shit … I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
She visibly stiffened in my hold. “Charles … about earlier.”
I automatically went on the defense. “I get it. I pushed too hard and surprised you way too fast. That’s one of my faults. I can be a little aggressive sometimes. It’s the no-bullshit CEO in me, and I’m sorry.” Please don’t say no.
Her gaze went to the floor.
Which wasn’t a no … so I tried again. “We still have a lot of things to discuss and sort out, but first things first. Will you go out to dinner with me?”
Her eyes met mine, and I read her reluctance in her features. “Charles, there are things about me, about my past, that I don’t want to revisit, which means they’re off-limits.”
I swallowed. I didn’t like that answer. Normally, it would be a dead deal right here. But she was being honest, up front, telling me what she needed from me before she moved forward. The ball was in my court now, and I still had hope. We could revisit her past when she trusted me more.
I put on my most confident smile. “Dinner. This weekend. Just say yes.”
She glanced at me for a long moment, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Is it my birthday or your birthday, Charles?” she joked.
I shook my head and chuckled. “Well, it could essentially be an early birthday present from you. Mine isn’t too far off.”
It felt like forever, standing there, staring at each other until, finally, she nodded. “Okay. Dinner. One condition.”
I reined in the victorious full-on grin that wanted to take over my face. “What?”
“I still get to wear my favorite jeans.”
The grin broke through anyway. “It’s a deal.”
Twenty minutes later, our pizza came. I sat back and watched the interaction of my family. I was amazed at how Becky just fit. And so easily too. She was laughing with Sarah while Mary played with the toy she had just won with the tickets. Mason was quietly annoyed with Janice. Again.
And Brad was on his phone, laughing.
“Who are you texting?” Mason asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
Brad cleared his throat, looking a bit guilty. “Sonia.”
Mason’s nostrils flared. “Why are you texting your secretary after hours?”
Brad hadn’t looked up from his phone, still smiling. “Because I told her we were going here, to Pete’s Pizza Palace, and she didn’t believe me. So, I sent her a picture of me and Pete the Pizza. The picture is pretty ridiculous.” He lifted his head, smiling bigger, showing us a photo of him and the guy in the pizza outfit.
“Are you dating her?” Janice asked.
“He’s not dating her,” Mason snapped. “Sonia is his secretary.”
“I was just asking,” Janice snapped back, turning her nose away from Mason and crossing her arms over her chest.
“No, I’m not dating her.” Brad dropped his gaze back to his phone. There was a long pause, where he stared blankly at his phone, and then he added sullenly, “She has a boyfriend.”
Mason tone hardened. “I hope you’re not planning on doing anything stupid.”
He shut his phone and gave Mason a pointed look. “I’m not dating her, okay? I’m not planning to date her. I just like to annoy her because she makes me laugh. It’s refreshing. When I’m not home or out, I’m at work, and so it makes sense that we’re friends since we see each other all the time.”
Mason finally chilled, and he smirked. “I’m pretty sure she hates you.”
“She only acts like she hates me because she secretly loves me.” Brad winked.
“I think I want to meet this Sonia girl,” Becky said, smiling.
As their conversation continued, I slipped out of the booth. I took out the candles from my back pocket and split the candles between Mary and Sarah.
The cake was a princess cake, which the girls had picked out for Becky. I positioned the chocolate cake with pink letters spelling out happy birthday on top in front of her.
Becky clasped her hands together and smiled so big that it warmed me from the inside out. “I love it.”
We all sang a loud, slightly out-of-tune rendition of “Happy Birthday,” after which Mary scooted onto Becky’s lap.
“Make a wish,” Sarah exclaimed.
After Becky closed her eyes tightly, she blew out her candles.
And as I gathered everyone for a family photo behind Becky, Sarah pointed to the cake. “Do you like it, the decorations? It’s an angel.” She pointed to the little pink figurine on top of the chocolate frosting.
At a closer glance, I realized the figurine had wings, so I’d been wrong about it being a princess, or maybe there was such a thing as a princess with wings.
My thoughts were brought back to the last time I’d visited Natalie at the graveyard. On that desperate day, I’d asked Nat, “Please … send us an angel.”
And just as I wondered what Becky had wished for, I wondered if this was my wish come true.
Chapter 22
Charles
By the time we put the girls to bed, it was almost ten in the evening.
I headed downstairs to give Becky her present.
I rubbed the back of my neck and cleared my throat. I’d racked my brain, trying to think of the perfect gift to give her, and I just hoped and prayed that she liked it.
“Hey,” I said, strolling in to the kitchen.
She wore her hair up in a sexy bun and her pink plaid pajama pants that I’d grown to love. No matter what she wore, she looked beautiful. She took out the cake from its plastic container and proceeded to put it in Tupperware.
“Did you have fun?”
She smiled up at me, and I swore everything else around me dulled to a buzz. Remember the lovesick-puppy syndrome? It was getting bad.
“I had an amazing time. It’s weird, but I don’t remember a birthday where I was celebrated by so many.” Her chin dipped down to her neck with almost-self-conscious gratitude. “Thank you, Charles.”
“You’re welcome.” I cleared my throat. “I realized I never gave you your gift.”
She peered up at me with amusement. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink, and she averted her gaze. “Charles, you don’t have to give me anything. You just don’t understand how much you guys have given me so far.”
I shook my head and approached her. Within my hands, I held an envelope. I didn’t know if she would take my gift, but I knew it was what she wanted.
I reached for her hand, and for a moment, I just halted, looking at her, noting how, earlier, she’d had on some eye shadow that highlighted her eyes. But now, she was barefaced and still astonishingly beautiful.
I opened her palm and placed the paper within her hands. Her eyebrows pulled in together, and her smile widened. “What’s this?” Her eyes squinted and lit with an inner glow. “Are you the sadistic type to take me out on my birthday and then fire me on my birthday? Is this a termination letter?”
I smirked because I couldn’t help it. “Just open it.”
She opened it gently, savoring it like it was already precious to her, and pulled out the single sheet of paper. Her eyes widened, and her mouth slipped ajar. Then, she folded the paper back up, her green eyes sparkling. “Charles … I can’t take this.”
I was already prepared for this. “Wrong answer. Your response should be … thank you.” What I had given her was a full ride to any nursing school, tuition paid. “You can go part-time. You can go to the university or the local community college. There’s no expiration to that. You said that you always wanted to finish nursing school.”
She opened the paper again, looking astonished, as though she couldn’t believe it. And maybe she wasn’t used to people taking care of her, being spoiled, but she’d better get used to it because I wasn’t holding back.
Her eyes met mine again. There was a hopeless glint in them, clear and compelling, and it had me smiling. “Charles …”
“Just say thank you,” I said, gently prodding her to accept it.
Her bottom lip quivered, and she nodded slowly before propelling herself into my arms. I was unprepared, my body tensing up.
Eventually, my arms folded around her waist, and I brought her into me, breathing her in, sighing against her neck because she fit perfectly in my arms. “You’re welcome.”
She laughed against my shoulder, and it warmed me from the inside out. If this was what she really wanted, I wondered if money was the only issue that had stopped her before.
“Why did you quit nursing school?”
It was the wrong question to ask because she stiffened in my arms. A moment later, she stepped back, her face unreadable, the joy I’d put there gone, as though it’d never happened.
I ground my teeth together. I’d meant it as such a simple question, but now, by her reaction, I needed to know more. “I know money must have been tight for you …” I was fishing because my regular up-front tactics would get me shut down.
She took a step back. “It wasn’t the money.” Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the envelope.
I closed my eyes and exhaled a long breath. And when I opened them, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was like I had no control anymore, too much of me was involved now. “It was just a question, but when you freeze like that, I know it’s not a simple answer.”
I dipped my head, getting directly into her line of sight. Her face scrunched, and she closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head, as though she was trying to shake off a memory.
“What happened, Becky?” I urged, wanting desperately to fix it for her.
Whatever it was, I would fix it. That was my job. I was the fixer, and I’d be damned if I couldn’t do it for her.
When she opened her eyes, they were resolute. “I can’t take this, Charles.” She placed the envelope on the kitchen counter.
I gripped her wrist, not letting her leave me just yet. She could only get so far in my house. “Stop. It’s yours, no strings attached.”
She jerked back and let out a shaky sigh. I could read all the emotions on her face, unshielded to me now. Raw, unfiltered pain fired behind her eyes, and all of me wanted to erase the distance between us and hold her and take it away.
“You say that … but there are. There are always strings attached, and in this instance, what you want … I can’t give it to you.” Her breathing accelerated. “Because where you want me to go is somewhere it took me a long time to bury. It’s a place I don’t want to visit anymore when I’m awake because, as you know … it already haunts me in my sleep.” She shook her head. “So, no, Charles. I know you mean well. But no. I’m sorry.” Then, she stormed out of the kitchen, leaving me speechless and hurt.
My head dropped to my hands, and I rubbed at my brow, frustrated and sad and disappointed.
This was never going to work. None of it. Because she was right; there were strings attached. I wanted more, which meant I had to know her to love her. The woman who had stormed out of here had secrets buried deep, and although I wanted to know her, she was not letting me in. Maybe she never would.
So, any hope in a future together had disappeared the moment she shut me out and walked out of the room.
Chapter 23
Becky
I hated this. The silence, the distance, the unnatural way we floated around each other. For the past few days, we would go about our routine, but in separate headspaces, no longer connected, no longer enjoying each other’s company. It was misery. I was starting to question everything. But I couldn’t be forthcoming with Charles. I just couldn’t. Which meant this silence might continue for
ever.
I can do this, right? Stay here, with this tension in my chest every time I saw him?
I shook my head, watching the girls swim in their Olympic-sized pool.
I had to do this. This was my job. Now, all I had to do was keep things strictly professional between Charles and me, and I’d be fine.
I walked closer to the edge of the pool, seeing my reflection in the ripple of water. Just being this close made a hollow pit in my stomach. I hated the water. It held so much of my fears, brought back so many unwanted memories.
Paul.
I squeezed my eyes shut to dispel his name, his face, his memory. I wanted no part of him in my life, not even a sliver.
After school, the girls had asked if they could go swimming, and I wanted to tell them no. I wanted to take them anywhere else. I wanted to offer them ice cream instead or take them to the local fudge shop.
The first thing I asked was if they could swim, to which they both replied, “Yes.”
So, even though I didn’t know how to swim, I’d told them as long as they stayed in the shallow part, then I would allow it.
It was an unusually warm fall day. What I’d learned in the short time I’d lived in Illinois was that the temperature could change twenty degrees within a span of a few days. Today, it was eighty-five degrees, so the kids wanted to take advantage of the warmer weather. I guessed it really didn’t matter, as the pool was heated.
So, as the sun beat down fiercely on the exposed skin of my one-piece, I slathered Mary and Sarah with sunscreen and then myself and watched them swim back and forth, splashing, enjoying each other and the water, as they should.
I stood at the side, arms crossed like a lifeguard, knowing that if anything were to happen to the girls, I’d most likely die, trying to save them.
Sarah was on her swim team, so I wasn’t worried about her, and even though Mary had said she could swim, I wasn’t risking it and had her wearing floaties.
“Becky, get in,” Sarah tried to coax me, eyes alight, floating on her back.
