by Natalie Ann
“I’m scared,” Mona whispered. “What if Amber hates me after I tell her the truth?”
His instinct was to wrap her in his arms and assure her they would work it out together, but instead he clenched the steering wheel and stared outside as an inebriated group stumbled down the street to a waiting taxi. He half-wished he was drunk. He could use a buffer for his topsy-turvy heart about now.
“Did Jacob know?” he suddenly asked. The man was his best friend. If he’d hidden…
“No! I told you, no one knew. I didn’t even fill out the father’s name on her birth certificate,” Mona cried, then clasped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Trace, I’m sorry.”
He glared at her. “So you were too ashamed to even put me down on a court document? That’s just great.”
She held her hand out, fingers trembling. “It wasn’t like that. I was young and scared. Af… after we broke up, it was the darkest time in my life. And then I found out I was pregnant. You were already engaged to that, that woman—I couldn’t tell you. Maybe, I wanted to hurt you, though you didn’t even know about the baby. My parents pressured me, and Jacob (your friend) swore he’d beat the crap out of whoever did that to me—don’t you see, I didn’t have a choice.” Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
He cursed Sally all over again. “Here’s the funny part. I only asked her to marry me because she said she was pregnant.” Mona gasped, her eyes going wide. “I didn’t find out until much later it was a lie. There was no baby. She didn’t like that I chose you instead of her, so she decided to break us up. And I let it happen. I take full responsibility for allowing that to happen. By the time I found out, Bailey was born. I couldn’t walk away from her. Turned out I didn’t have to.” He let his head fall against the headrest and closed his eyes. So many wasted years.
“What a mess,” she said.
They both sat silently for a while, the heater lulling them into a tentative peace. The stars were out on full display, twinkling diamonds in a velvet sky. The traffic had died down and the waves lapping against the quay seemed to beat a message of forgiveness into his heart. It was done. Neither one could change the past, but they could make a difference to their future. He just had to take the first step.
He lifted his head and looked at her. Maybe she wasn’t perfect, but then, neither was he. They had done something right though; they’d created a daughter together. It mattered. Mona mattered.
“Look—” he started.
“Oh, no,” Mona cried, sitting up and clutching his arm. “With everything else that happened, I forgot to tell you why I was looking for you.”
She’d been searching for him? Her face had gone pale again, and he’d have bruises from where she’d pinched his arm. His pulse kicked, a sick feeling invading his gut. “What is it? What happened?”
“She’s fine. Just shook up. I made sure he didn’t… She was in the bath and I thought I should tell you face-to-face, but then the other stuff happened, and…”
The words buzzed in his head. Shook up. Bath. Bailey. Something had happened to his baby girl.
He shook her off and ground the gearshift into reverse. “Where is she?” he roared. The car exploded out of the parking spot and accelerated down the road, mirroring his mood.
“M… My house. Amber is with her.” Mona scrambled to put her seatbelt on and huddled against her side of the car.
Good thing, because at the moment, murder was starting to seem pretty damn tempting.
Chapter Fifteen
Even though Amber’s mom wanted her to join them downstairs, Bailey stayed in the bathtub until her skin resembled a prune. As the water cooled, she used her toe to add more hot, though nothing seemed to rid her of the full-body shivers she’d endured since leaving Lena’s house. She was being silly, she knew that. Nothing even really happened. It’s just… it could have. Thank goodness her dad had insisted on Judo lessons when she was younger. She smirked, recalling Billy’s stunned look as he lay crumpled on the floor, hands cupping his groin.
The worst part came when she pulled her shirt together and opened the door to a crowd of shocked faces. Instead of the support Bailey had expected, she received taunts and criticism of her childish reaction.
“What did you invite him in there for, if it wasn’t to make out? You’re such a baby,” the blonde who’d been cuddled up to him earlier scoffed, as she and the rest of the circle brushed past to help the fallen anti-hero.
Stunned at the vicious words and shocked by Billy’s attack—because, that’s what it had essentially been—Bailey stumbled past the rest of the partygoers, head down, intent on getting far away. She flinched when Lena moved out of a guy’s arms and grabbed the front of her shirt.
“Whooee, looks like you had a good time.” She wobbled from side to side, her eyes glassy. “Come back whenever you want. We always have fun, don’t we?” She smiled up at the guy who’d wrapped his arms around her waist and was nuzzling her neck while watching Bailey with predatory eyes.
“Yeah,” he agreed with a wolf’s smile. “We’ll keep you… occupied.”
Seriously freaked out, Bailey unhooked the claws holding her shirt, and lurched for the stairs, positive she could feel their hot breath chasing her up the steps. The moment she escaped the foul odors and rapacious crowd, she ducked into the trees lining the drive and collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Finally, she pulled herself together enough to call Amber for help. There was no way she wanted her dad to see her like this—he’d ground her for life.
Mona had been so nice, not judgmental at all. She’d simply bundled Amber and Bailey into the car and taken them home to this bath, and tea waiting downstairs. Amber’s mom was the best. At least she cared about her kid, not like Bailey’s own mother.
The water had grown cold again, it was time to face the music. She climbed out and dressed in the cozy pajamas Amber found for her, smiling at the pizza and unicorn images on a powder blue background.
The house was quiet, and she had to subdue the urge to tiptoe down the stairs. She was safe now even if her poor heart hadn’t caught up to the program yet. That was the last party she planned on attending—ever.
“Amber?” she called, glancing up and down the short hallway.
“In the kitchen,” her friend replied.
Bailey clasped the material within the too-long sleeves and entered the room, opening her mouth to tease Amber about her taste in sleepwear. Except she wasn’t alone. Mona sat at the oversized kitchen table, a steaming cup clasped between her hands and a worried frown marring her normally cheerful face, and across from her—Bailey’s dad.
He rose as soon as she appeared, his eyes dark and inscrutable. “I thought you were staying at a friend’s house?”
She shot Amber a panicked glance and tried to take heart from her encouraging look. “Lena invited me over, but I didn’t know she was having a party, Daddy.” Her hands were sweaty, and she refused to meet his gaze, sure guilt was stamped on her forehead.
“Well,” he said, coming to stand in front of her, “that’s funny. When I called her, she didn’t know anything about a sleepover, just that you were ‘stoked’, her word, for her big spring break party.”
Yup, grounded for life. She lifted her eyes to his face and the compassion and love she saw there made her chest hurt. “I’m sorry, Dad. I never should have lied.”
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her brow. “No, you shouldn’t have, and we will be talking about that, but right now I need to know my baby girl is all right—are you?”
So many times in the past, her father had been there when she tripped and fell. He was her rock, but this was something she had to handle on her own. Guess that meant she was growing up—and she’d thought being a kid was tough.
“I’m going to be, now that you’re here.” She turned to Mona. “Thanks for coming to get me, and for breaking the news to my dad. It means a lot.”
Mona’s smile trembled on her lips. “You’re welcome, honey, anytime.” Her gaze went t
o Bailey’s dad with sad acceptance. “Can you girls sit down for a minute, please? We have something to tell you.”
Amber moved to her mom’s side. “What’s wrong, Mom? You look upset.”
Mona took her hand and kissed the palm, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “Not upset, honey, just… overwhelmed, I guess.”
Concerned, Bailey searched her dad’s face, but for once, his expression was stoic. “Sit down. This is going to be a bit of a shock,” he warned.
She took a chair across from Amber, her stomach in knots over the palpable tension in the room. “It’ll be okay,” Bailey whispered, reaching out to grasp her hand in comfort. Please don’t let it be cancer or some other horrible news.
Amber’s smile trembled. “I hope you’re right.”
Mona started to rise. “How about some tea? I could use…”
“After,” Bailey’s dad said, crossing and then uncrossing his arms. “Let’s get this over with.”
Mona’s jaw clenched, but she resumed her seat. “Fine. Would you like to start?” Her eyes shot sparks, and Amber’s overly warm hand squeezed Bailey’s.
“Amber, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but your mother and I dated back in high school.” Bailey’s dad said, his gaze ping-ponging between the three women.
Amber nodded and swallowed hard. “I… I know,” she said, half under her breath.
Mona leaned forward. “How did you find out?” she asked. “It was a long time ago.”
Amber turned to her mom. “People talk, Mom. It’s hard to keep anything secret these days.” She let go of Bailey’s fingers and placed her hands in her lap. “It’s no big deal, right?”
Bailey’s brows scrunched together. It almost sounded as though Amber didn’t want to hear about their parents’ old love affair. She thought it was kind of cool. No wonder she’d felt an immediate connection to the Samuels family.
Obviously, Mona picked up on her daughter’s reluctance as well. “What else did you hear, Amber?”
Surprising Bailey, her dad moved around the table and crouched by Amber’s side, his arm resting on the table. “Whatever it is, we’ll work it out together. Okay, sweetheart?”
Amber looked at him and nodded, her lips trembling. “Are you my dad?” she asked.
***
Mona gasped, her heart threatening to take wing right out of her chest. “How long have you known?” she whispered, tears thick in her throat.
Amber’s blue eyes—so like her father’s—widened. “It’s true then?” She pushed her chair back, almost knocking Trace over, and rose to confront them. “All these years and you kept it from me?” She glanced across the table. “From Bailey? What the hell?”
“Amber, don’t talk to your mother that way.” Trace reprimanded, rising to face her. “There were… reasons she kept quiet about me. What matters is that she’s telling you, us, now.”
“Please, baby,” Mona begged, her face drawn. “I would never do anything to purposely hurt you.”
“Wouldn’t you, Mom? Really?” Amber brushed away tears with angry swipes that threatened to take the skin from her cheeks. “Do you know how tough it was to go to a father/daughter dance with Uncle Jacob when everyone else was there with their dads? And what about baseball camp, huh, Mom? I couldn’t go because you had the damn restaurant and U… Uncle Jacob had a new baby.” She was openly sobbing now, her eyes red and nose blotchy. “And all the time he’s been right here!”
Mona tried to take Amber in her arms, but she was too worked up. Instead of protecting her daughter, she’d broken her heart—and her own in the process.
“You need to calm down so we can talk this through,” Trace said, attempting to pat her back.
“Leave me alone,” she cried, dropping to her knees and covering her face with her hands.
“Quit fighting,” Bailey yelled, toppling her chair as she pushed away from the table. “It doesn’t matter, don’t you see? We aren’t alone anymore.” She knelt beside Amber and wrapped an arm around her shaking back. “We aren’t alone. You have a dad now, and I have a mom, and we have each other. Sisters.” She rested her cheek on Amber’s shoulder. “We’re sisters, Amber.”
Mona covered her mouth to hold back the hiccupping cries as Amber slowly raised her head and looked from one to the other of them before finally coming to rest on Bailey.
“How did you get so smart?” she asked, returning her embrace.
“I have a pretty great family,” Bailey answered, her smile wiping away the ugliness of the past few moments.
Mona’s gaze went to Trace and the next moment they were huddled over their girls in the most wonderful hug of all.
She knew there would be questions and a learning curve in their future, but for once, she wasn’t afraid. Whether she and Trace sorted out their past and gave the future a try or not, they had each other’s back and that was a pretty damn good feeling.
Epilogue
One Month Later,
Mona tightened her grip on Trace’s arm. “This better be worth it, Mister. I’m getting vertigo.” He’d placed the blindfold over her eyes before they’d started out on their journey. They’d driven for a ways, laughing and talking, then he’d helped her from his car and led her down this unknown trail. She had a feeling they were near water, she could hear the squawk of gulls and smell the fresh, briny scent of the ocean.
“It’s not far. Now be patient,” he promised.
A playful breeze teased her hair and slid beneath her blouse, lifting it to dance around her body. “What’s with all the secrecy, anyway?”
The past few weeks had been a whirlwind, what with her resigning from the mayoral race—with the council and Trace’s promise to look into her concerns—and planning family excursions so Amber could get to know her father. Every steppingstone in their relationship was a blessing for Mona. Her greatest fear had been realized—Trace knew about her deception—and surprisingly enough, the sky hadn’t fallen. If anything, once the shock was over, they were learning to fit into each other’s lives better than she could ever have expected.
He stopped and grasped her arm with his other hand. “We’re here. Are you ready?” He moved to stand in front of her, and as he lifted the blindfold from her eyes, he leaned in and brushed her lips in a tender kiss. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”
Lost in the feel of his mouth on hers, it took a moment for Mona to process what he’d said. She opened her eyes, smiling into his beloved face, then glanced around, her gaze widening in surprise. “You brought me to Sunset Beach? I thought you said you never come out here?”
He nodded and led her to a blanket laid out on the sand with a picnic basket, wine and two glasses, set nearby. “That’s true, but I plan on changing that in the future.” He kissed her again, their lips melding together—two halves of a whole. “Look in the basket, honey.”
Heart thumping madly, Mona met his encouraging look, then slowly opened the wicker lid. She tried not to be disappointed by the sheaf of papers bundled within, but for a moment there…
“What is this?” she asked, drawing the stack out. She glanced through them, but her eyes weren’t tracking, and she soon gave up to look at Trace. “It seems to be a sales agreement, is it?”
His mouth quirked. “Good deduction, Watson. I should have remembered how impatient you can be.” He took the papers and set them aside to draw her into his arms. “How do you feel about a house with a waterfront view to rival your brother’s?”
She stared at him as the implications began to set in. “Did you buy this land?” She gazed around them at the gently swelling surf, the long stretch of sandy beach, the privacy. “Oh, my God, you did. You bought Sunset Beach.”
“Well, technically we did,” he murmured. “That’s what I was trying to show you. We own equal shares, Mona. This is your land as much as it is mine.”
Stunned, she could only stare at him, trying to take in what he’d done for her. She’d always dreamed of having her own land, a place whe
re she could leave her mark for future generations, and now… “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
His smile faded, replaced by intensity. “There’s something else in the basket, take a look.”
Her hands shook so badly she could barely draw out the blue velvet box nestled in the bottom of the hamper. She turned to Trace, holding it in her palm like it was a precious treasure, only to see him bowed before her on one knee.
“I know this is probably too soon, but when it’s right, it’s right. I’ve never met anyone like you, Mona. You’re kind, generous, a wonderful mother, and so beautiful you take my breath away. I love you, sweetheart. Will you please, please do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
Tears fell and she blinked them away, not wanting to miss a second of this dream, because that’s what it felt like. How did she get so lucky?
With a little yelp of joy, she threw herself into his arms and they both fell onto the blanket laughing. “Yes, yes, a million times yes,” she cried, kissing every square inch of his face. When their lips met, she sighed. Home indeed.
The End
A Note from the Author
Reviews are the lifeblood of any successful author. Without you, we can’t be heard.
If you enjoy the story, please consider sharing on your favorite social media sites, as well as GoodReads and from wherever you’ve bought the book.
Thank you,
Jacquie Biggar
Jacqbiggar.com
Other Books by Jacquie Biggar
