Christmas Connection

by Daria White

  Chapter 10

  A touch to her shoulder woke Bailey. Her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around noticing the paintings on the walls. This was her place. She was home.

  “Bailey?”

  She focused her eyes on her best friend.

  Noelle's gaze looked pained. “You scared me.”

  “What happened?” Bailey adjusted on the couch.

  “You passed out at work. We had to call 911.”

  Bailey rubbed her forehead. “I went to the hospital?”

  “No, but they recommended someone bring you home. Are you okay?”

  “I don't remember walking in here,” Bailey said.

  “The paramedics said you were in shock.” Noelle handed her a glass of water.

  Bailey sipped it, recalling the events that led up to her collapsing at work. “Oh, yeah.”

  “I called your mom,” Noelle said.

  “You mean my adopted mother.” She didn't mean to say the words, but it was the truth.

  “Don't be that way, Bailey.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “She told you?”

  Noelle nodded. “She knew she couldn't be here since she's sick, but she wanted me to be aware in case you were acting… differently.”

  Bailey let out a deep sigh. “I don't even know if I'm angry.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She wrung her hands together. “I always felt out-of-place growing up. I never seemed to fit in with the family, except my Dad.”

  “You know they love you.”

  Bailey nodded. “I assumed all families are like that in one way or another. Now… I know. “

  “What are you going to do?”

  Bailey opened her mouth to answer but a knock at her door disturbed her. “Who's that?”

  “I'll get it.” Noelle rose from her place beside her and answered the door. “Hi.”

  Bailey sat up on the couch.

  “I tried calling,” she heard Jackson say, “but there was no answer. Is she okay?”

  “Now's really not a good time,” Noelle said.

  “Let him in, Noelle.” Bailey brushed the stray hairs back that escaped her ponytail. She couldn't change fast enough from her sweat suit, so Jackson would see her comfy clothes. Oh well.

  “Hey,” he said as he entered her living room. “What happened? Are you sick?”

  “I'll be in the other room.” Noelle left them alone.

  Jackson sat beside Bailey on the couch. “What's wrong?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing I can change.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I've been living thinking my life is one way, and it's not. What's worse is I don't think I care. I feel… numb.” She adjusted in her seat to face him. “How did you know where I lived?”

  “I asked around. You collapsed at work?”

  Bailey’s gaze flicked upward. News in a small town traveled fast. “I blacked out, but I'm fine.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  Bailey nodded.

  “Okay. I wanted to tell you... we went viral.”

  “Viral?”

  “Our last performance. Over half a million hits on YouTube. There's talk of a record deal with Lee Records in New York.”

  Bailey's mouth fell open. “New York? A record deal?”

  “It's the opportunity of a lifetime.” Jackson’s eyes sparkled. “What do you think?”

  “How soon are they—”

  “Tommy's getting the dates from them now. Bailey this will be epic. We can—”

  She hurried to her feet. “I can't go, Jackson. I'm not even in the band officially.”

  “You are.”

  She shook her head. “Now's not a good time. A lot has changed in my life. I can't drop everything and go to New York.”

  “I'm not saying drop everything. I'm saying to at least hear what they have to say.”

  “What if they offer a deal? Will you be moving?”

  “We haven't gotten to that, Bailey. We can't know everything right away.”

  She pounded a hand to her chest. “I need to know! I've been lied to enough in my life. I can't live like this!”

  Jackson rushed over to her and grabbed her hands. “Talk to me. What's going on?”

  Bailey's bottom lip trembled. “I found out... I'm adopted.”

  Jackson's face fell. “Wow.”

  “No one told me. Almost thirty years of my life and no one told me the truth. Now I find out my real parents are dead. My mother is not mine. My father is not mine. Nothing is mine!” The knot inside her stomach increased.

  Jackson moved his hands to rub at her shoulders. “It‘ll be okay.”

  “No, it won't! What's worse is I don't think I care anymore!”

  “Bailey—”

  She backed away from him. “Please leave. I can't think with you here.”

  “I'm not going anywhere.”

  “I need you to leave, Jackson. I'm not ready for this. I don't even know who I am. Anyway, this thing between us probably won't last.”

  He stood still for a moment. “What makes you think—”

  “Music doesn't work in my family. It never has and never will!” Heat flushed through her body. “I guess that doesn't matter. They're not even my family.”

  Jackson's features softened. “I can't imagine what you're going through.” He inched forward, closing the distance between them.

  Why wouldn't he leave? She was too vulnerable. Why didn't he walk away? “Go, Jackson. Please.”

  “Is that what you want?” he asked.

  All Bailey could do was nod.

  Jackson cleared his throat and headed for the door.

  ****

  “You ready for this?” Tommy asked.

  Jackson's eyes followed the janitorial employees, as they pushed their cleaning trolleys. Luggage wheels thudded as they hit the spaces between the tiles of the airport. He and Tommy were waiting for Alex to show. Their flight to New York to meet with Lee Records would leave soon. This was their ticket. His life would change if the label offered a deal.

  “I think so.” Jackson finished his cup of coffee.

  Tommy checked the time on his phone. “Alex better get here. Our flight leaves soon.”

  Jackson nodded. “I know.”

  Tommy squinted his eyes. “Man, you alright?”

  “I'm good.” He didn't want to talk about Bailey. It was over. He should have known it wouldn't last. Online dating was a joke. He gave it a chance, and it didn't work out.

  Jackson had other things on his mind. This was a huge career change. Then why did he hear Bailey's voice in his head? Her smooth, sultry voice. He blinked. He needed to forget her.

  “You think she's happy?”

  Bailey? “Who?” Jackson asked.

  Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. “Bailey's friend. Noelle.”

  Jackson raised an eyebrow. “She's getting married. I would think so.”

  Tommy shook his head. “I don't.”

  “You talked to her?”

  “I didn't have to.”

  Jackson sat back in his chair. “You probably thought you saw something. The woman's taken.”

  Tommy’s shoulders slumped. “You're probably right but...”

  “But what?”

  “I can't... get her out of my head.”

  “You only met her once.” Jackson chuckled. Was his friend serious? He hadn’t heard him talk this way about someone in a long time.

  “That's all it takes, right?”

  Jackson swallowed. He knew what Tommy meant. It only took one glance with Bailey. Then he kissed her, and his heart pounded. Should he have been more understanding? Bailey adopted? How would he feel if he found out his parents weren't his?

  He asked Tommy, “So... you know?”

  “I think I do.”

  Jackson blew out his cheeks. “All I can say is to be careful.”

  Tommy nodded. “I don't know what I'm thinking. We need to focus on getting this deal.” />
  “Yeah, we do.” Tony would be proud. Jackson was close to making it. When his cell rang in his pocket, he saw his father's face flash on the screen. “Dad?”

  “Have you left yet?” he asked.

  Jackson stood and walked over to a nearby large window. “Not yet. How's Mom?”

  “She's proud of you as am I. I saw the video.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Jackson said. He released a deep sigh.

  “Something on your mind, son?” his father asked.

  “Thinking about Tony.”

  “Tell me something. Did you do this for him or you?”

  “What?” He did it for his brother. He loved music but... this was his dream, right?

  “Both I guess.” Jackson scratched the back of his head.

  “Son, do this for you. I never pressed you to talk about your brother. He would want you to pursue music for you,” his father said.

  Jackson stared out the window. His father was right. “I hear you.”

  “Flight 249 is boarding. Flight 249 is boarding,” a voice over the intercom announced.

  “Dad, I have to go,” Jackson said.

  “Call us with the news.”

  “I will.” Jackson hung up and walked back over to seat.

  “You ready?” Tommy asked as he looked at his phone once more. “Alex is here.”

  “Let's go.”

  ****

  Bailey bypassed the wall of sinks with dark towels stacked in cubbies, large shampoos, and conditioner dispensers. After cleaning her station, she could leave. Once her last client left, Bailey didn't care to stay a moment longer.

  Though music played on the radio, she didn't care to hear it. She sat in her padded chair as she cleaned her workspace. She checked her phone. Jackson wouldn't call. He left.

  Returning her UV/LED light to her drawer, Bailey grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer. She needed to get home. Her mother wanted to talk to her, but she refused. She was glad her mother felt better, but Bailey only focused on her work. Mother? She didn't even know her real mother. While Bailey loved the woman who raised her, finding out they adopted her was too surreal.

  “Bailey?”

  She raised her head to see Mia. “I can't talk. I'm leaving.”

  “Bailey?” Her mother walked over.

  Bailey shook her head just as Kenya walked through the door, followed by her Aunt Celia. What was this? An intervention? She didn't want to talk to them.

  “I want to go home,” Bailey said. “I don't want to talk. I have nothing to say to you.” Heat flushed through her body as she stood to her feet. “You lied to me! All this time.” She faced her so-called cousins. “You couldn't tell me sooner? I thought we were...”

  Her Aunt Celia inched closer. “Sometimes families make mistakes. We never meant to hurt you.”

  “We're not...” Bailey couldn't bring herself to say the words.

  Her mother sat in a rolling chair. Diverting her eyes between Bailey and her cousins, she wrung her hands together. “I never meant to keep this from you. You've always been my little girl. Your father loved you so much.”

  Sensing weakness in her legs, Bailey sat down once more. She touched her temple while closing her eyes. “I don't understand why you kept this from me.” She lifted her chin and focused her eyes on them all.

  Her mother nodded. “I should have told you. I can't change that, but I'm hoping you can forgive me.”

  “Me too.” Kenya's expression looked pained.

  Mia's eyebrows gathered in. “I feel terrible.”

  Aunt Celia looked back and forth between her daughters. “The truth is... Kenya and Shawn are thinking about adopting.”

  “I didn't find out until a few weeks ago that I... couldn't get pregnant,” Kenya said.

  Bailey pressed a hand to her chest. “Why didn't you say anything?”

  Mia said, “She just told me. I didn't mean to say anything that day. I thought I was helping Kenya, and then you crossed my mind and how Aunt Helen...”

  “Took me in,” Bailey said.

  “I'm so sorry.” Mia’s tone sounded pleading. “We never meant to keep it from you.”

  Aunt Celia gave a faint smile. “We're family.”

  Bailey's mother stood and walked over to her. “We've been through so much, but I'm not losing you.” She then looked over at her nieces.

  Mia then came to stand by Bailey. “You're my cousin no matter what. You're actually more than that.”

  Kenya reached out her hand. “We're all sisters.”

  Bailey swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her eyes watered. “I don't know. Can you all...” She blew out her cheeks. “Can you give me some time? Please?”

  Mia nodded and dabbed at her damp eyes.

  “I don't blame you,” Kenya said. “I can't imagine what you're feeling.”

  Bailey's mother gripped her hand. “You are my daughter. We don’t have to share blood to prove that.” Her mother then diverted attention between her sister and nieces. “Can you give us a minute, please?”

  Bailey sighed and pulled her hand away from her mother. What more needed to be said? Once they were alone inside the salon, her mother wiped at her own damp cheeks.

  “I have two regrets in my life,” her mother said. “One was not telling you the truth, and... for making your father give up his dream.”

  Bailey released a deep breath.

  Her mother continued. “I loved your father's voice. It reminded me of Donny Hathaway.” Her voice cracked, but she continued. “I just... I was going through infertility alone. He called every chance he got, but I needed him. My heart broke every time I went to the doctor, and I wasn't pregnant. Then I went to a specialist, and we discovered I couldn't have children.”

  Bailey hated that she wanted to know more.

  “I made him choose. I didn't think it was selfish then, but it was. I should have encouraged him to keep going, but I thought our family was more important. But… he could have had both.”

  “Did you ever tell him that?” Bailey asked.

  “By the time I did, he said he was glad he chose us,” her mother said. “I didn't believe him. When you love something as much as he loved music, it doesn't go away.”

  “He must have loved you more,” Bailey said.

  “And you.” Her mother no longer wiped her tears away. They rolled down her cheeks. “His love for music came back with you.”

  Bailey stared at the floor.

  “I always dreamed of being a mother. What I didn't realize is that I made your father give up his dream. I won't do that again. I won't let you sacrifice yours the way he did for... me.” She reached for her daughter's hand once more. “If music is what you want, I won't hold you back.”

  “I just can't believe any of this,” Bailey said.

  “I know.”

  Bailey released her mother's grip and stood to her feet. “I need to go.” Her mother didn't stop her as she walked out of the salon.

  Chapter 11

  The snow slightly gave underneath Bailey's feet as she walked to her father's gravesite. She blew inside her gloved hands to add more warmth. No help. Her breath fogged the air.

  She passed many carved headstones. Some made from marble, while others of granite with white hues. Bailey inhaled the crisp air of winter as she came to her father's polished smooth headstone.

  She knelt to the ground, ignoring the growing numbness in her fingers and toes. A quiet hush passed over as she stared at Robert Cummings' name. The man she called daddy.

  Bailey's bottom lip trembled. “Daddy...” Her shoulders shook, and her head dropped into her hands. Her lungs constricted, making it hard to breathe. It was no use. No matter how shocked and angry she was, he was her father. He was there for her. He encouraged her. He chased the monsters out of her closet and hugged her tight when she was afraid. Bailey sniffled.

  “I don't know what to say.” What could she say? She loved him. That would never change.

  Bailey ran her hand acr
oss his name etched in the stone. She gave a weak smile. He'd tell her to dream big. He'd tell her to sing and pursue her passion. He’d also tell her to... forgive her mother. He always brought peace between them whenever they butted heads.

  Bailey then recalled how her father comforted her when she returned home after her failed attempt at the talent show. The kids had laughed at her as she ran out of the auditorium. All except... Noelle and another kid. How could she forget?

  He even came after her to check on her. By the time Noelle showed, he had left. Bailey's lips parted as a lightbulb went off in her head. Whiskey eyes and a soft smile.

  Jackson. He was the boy. He had to be. He said they had lived in Bridge Point when he was younger. He'd been so sweet that day. What were the chances of them meeting years later and online of all places?

  Bailey sat on her heels. Her fingers touched her parted lips. Jackson. Was it too late?

  ****

  Soft duffels and backpacks dropped to the floor. Canceled. What were the chances of a blizzard? Jackson stared at the TV mounted on the wall inside the airport. The storm grew worse within the last hour. The pilot turned the plane around. They wouldn’t make it to New York—not now.

  Large flakes of snow caused white-out conditions. The wind howled like a wolf. Perhaps this was an early Christmas present. Christmas? It was next week. Jackson's hand ran down his face. His heart felt as if it was shrinking.

  “His assistant said we can call after Christmas to reschedule. Mr. Parker is out for the holiday,” Tommy said as he stuffed his phone inside his coat pocket.

  Jackson lowered his head. What if they missed their shot for a deal with Lee Records? They couldn't control the weather, but these major producers didn't like their time wasted.

  Would Mr. Parker understand the circumstances, or pass them over for a band that was available? Tommy sat next to Jackson in the lounge area. He hoped that they didn't have to spend the night in the airport, but the heavy snow obscured the roads.

  Alex joined them. “I don't think we’re going anywhere for a while.”

  “Too bad,” Jackson said.

  “Why don't we make the most of it?” Alex asked.

  Tommy and Jackson looked over at him.