by Jaime Lewis
She shut her mouth and felt how warm her cheeks got. Hell, it just wasn’t her cheeks that felt warm. Her body felt needy. How in the hell was she going to get through this weekend?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The following evening, everyone entered the hotel dragging their feet. Alejandra fell asleep on the boat ride, so Frost carried her, and Sienna was out cold in Irish’s arms. Spending over twelve hours in the “Happiest Place on Earth” would do that to an adult, let alone a child. It was a magical day, especially for Sienna, and that was what the trip was all about. Sienna got to meet all her favorite princesses, along with some other characters, and Bailey couldn’t help but splurge on the Bippity, Bobbity, Boutique for Sienna and Alejandra. They both got to be pampered and turned into princesses. Cody had fun, too, as his favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
As for the guys, their favorite part was when the ladies told them they were ready to go back to the hotel. Although they said they enjoyed themselves, the women knew they were uncomfortable in large crowds. Alex explained to Bailey how large crowds raise the guy’s level of anxiety. They can’t get a read on everyone around them, and when the crowd is too large, that interferes with getting to a safe exit, should something go wrong. Bailey completely understood.
They all set plans to meet for breakfast tomorrow morning, and then everyone went to their rooms. Bailey was hoping to catch the fireworks. As she had never been to Disney World herself, the fireworks were the one attraction she’d wanted to witness.
She and Irish got to their room, and Irish carried Sienna into the one bedroom. The other bedroom, Irish had given Bailey last night, and he slept on the couch. Bailey pulled the covers back, and Irish laid Sienna down. Her little eyes started to flutter open.
“Ms. Bailey, I am so happy that you came back to us,” Sienna’s tired voice said.
Bailey was stunned by her comment, and she looked to Irish, and he smiled. “That makes two of us,” he said, giving her hip a little squeeze.
She looked back down at Sienna and smiled, then kissed her cheek. “Me too, sweetie.”
Irish kissed Sienna next and pulled the covers up over her, and she was lights out in seconds. Bailey and Irish closed the door and walked out into the living room.
“You know, you are going to have to fight her to get that princess dress off her tomorrow morning, right?” Bailey told him as she walked toward the bedroom to drop her shoes.
“Well, it was your idea, so you can deal with it,” he said sarcastically, and Bailey just smirked.
“We’ll see.”
He held out his hand to her. He looked so good standing there, looking all casual in his cargo shorts, fitted V-neck t-shirt, and his bare feet. “Come on, the fireworks will start soon, and we have a perfect view from the balcony.”
She took his hand, and he led her to the balcony. She scanned the view. It was so beautiful. They could see the park lit up, and all of the other hotels across the lake looked absolutely stunning at night. Suddenly, the first sparkler went up into the air, over the castle, and exploded into various colors. Her breathing stopped at the magical sight, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was then that she realized she was grateful to have gotten to experience this for the first time with the people she loved.
She felt Irish’s arm go around her waist as he pressed his warm body against her side. She looked up, and he looked so serious but loving at the same time. He reached out and wiped the tear from her cheek. His breathing shuddered before he spoke. “You’re so beautiful.” He turned her fully, so she was facing him.
“I know I promised we would talk, and we really haven’t had the chance to. I can sit here and make excuse after excuse for how I treated you, but it won’t do any good. I fucked up, Bailey. I let something that happened on that mission eat at me until I couldn’t take it. Instead of just taking you aside and talking to you, I exploded and took all of my frustrations out on you. I am so sorry, sweetness. I’ve been miserable without you. I want you with me. I want us to live together; I want you, me, and Sienna to be a family.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Bailey. You and Sienna complete me.
“The night we met, not only were we in the right place at the right time, but we were both at a point in our lives where we were ready to test the waters. There may be a thousand loves out there that never happen, simply because two people who were meant to connect miss each other by just a couple of minutes. But we didn’t. We did meet, and damn if we didn’t connect. It was fate, Bailey. Please, baby. Please tell me that you forgive me, and I haven’t lost you.”
She needed to make him understand that he was her life, and without him, she would never be happy. “I hadn’t experienced true happiness until I met you, Ky. I got that from you, Sienna, and all of the wonderful friends I’ve made since moving to the beach. When you said those awful things to me, I felt like all of that happiness was ripped from me.” She heard her own voice crack, and she felt the tears well in her eyes. “You, coming into my life has meant so much to me.”
Bailey knew she had to look like a wreck with the tears streaming down her face. She had been expecting an apology of some sort, but never in a million years did she think Irish would be confessing his love for her. She loved him too and couldn’t see her life existing without him.
◆◆◆
Irish waited for what seemed like minutes as Bailey stared into his eyes. Those arctic blue eyes had caught his attention from the start. A tear fell and rolled down her cheek. Then another one fell, before long, the dam had burst, and she was sobbing and sniffling. She reached up and placed her delicate small hands against his cheeks.
“I don’t want to lose you either. You, Sienna, and your friends have been more of a family to me in the few weeks we’ve known each other than my parents have been my entire life. But dammit, Ky, you hurt me. Those hateful words you threw at me were not only hurtful but humiliating.” She paused, and his grip tightened around her waist. “The days we spent apart made me think a lot. Mainly about what I missed. I missed how happy you made me feel when we were together. I missed the warmth of your face and sparkle in your eyes when you would look at me. I missed how safe I felt being with you.”
He pulled her closer and studied her closely. “What are you saying, Bailey?”
She shook her head and looked away for a second before turning her stunning, sparkling eyes on him. “I must be crazy, but I have to go with what my heart is telling me. I love you, Ky. I love Sienna too, and I want us to be a family as well.”
That was all he needed to hear. He lifted her and kissed her as the fireworks continued to explode all around them. Who knew coming to Disney World would turn into their own fairy tale with a “happily ever after.”
Irish set her back down onto her feet and pulled her close. “You know, you are pretty cute when you get all fired up.”
She looked up at him and gave him an incredulous look, and he grinned. “What? You do.”
“Well, just don’t go pissing me off too much because this cuteness can turn real ugly fast,” she stated, and he barked out a laugh and kissed her again and again and again. Nothing mattered at the moment because he was with the woman he loved.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bailey ended the call with her mother and was so confused by the conversation they just had. She walked into the living room where Irish and Sienna were watching a cartoon together. They were getting ready to head downstairs for breakfast. Today, they had planned to go to Universal Studios. She had been looking forward to it, but then she got a call from her mother. At first, she was hesitant to answer because she was most likely calling to ream her a new ass because they got served with the papers. On the other hand, she wanted to know if they had been served.
She sat down next to Irish, and he put his arm around her, and she leaned into him. They had kissed and made up last night, and she was still feeling the high from all of the snuggling and pampering Irish had given her.
&nb
sp; “Who were you talking to?” He asked.
“My mother,” she said and felt his arm around her tense. She looked up at him and saw just how fast his happy expression morphed into a frown. Irish hated her parents, and he made it known any chance he got. “She called to tell me that my dad had a heart attack yesterday while he was at the office.”
“Shit.” Then he asked, “What does she want from you?”
“She said that my dad wanted to speak with me. In-person.”
“What are you going to do?”
She thought about the papers that she’d filed with the court. Her mom hadn’t mentioned them, so she didn’t think they had been served them yet. If she went to see him now before they were served, there shouldn’t be any problem.
“I’m torn. One part of me wants to say fuck you to him because of how he has treated me my entire life, but the other part is telling me to be the better person.” She hadn’t told Irish yet about the paperwork. This wasn’t the time to get into it either. She would explain once they got home and were alone. “But I won’t really know unless I go.”
“When do you need to leave?”
“I would have to leave this morning and drive.”
She could tell he wasn’t happy she was considering going. But she knew he wouldn’t stop her either.
◆◆◆
Irish kissed Bailey. “Be safe, and call me when you get there, okay?”
“I will.” She hugged him again, and he squeezed her tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetness.” He kissed her temple. She said bye to the others, then got into the car. Before she drove off, she looked at him and smiled and waved.
As she drove out of the parking lot, Irish watched until he couldn’t see the car anymore. Ace and Frost were standing there with him.
“Don’t worry; you’ll see her in a few days, Romeo,” Frost said, slapping his back, and Ace chuckled.
Irish tried to laugh at his buddy, but something deep down told him that he’d made a huge mistake in letting her go see her parents alone.
◆◆◆
Bailey pulled the car into her parents’ driveway. It had taken her an extra two hours to get there because of an accident on the highway.
It was going on six o’clock. Her parents were probably upset that she hadn’t made it in time for dinner. They ate dinner at five o’clock sharp every night. It was like clockwork, and they never deviated from it. Even if they had dinner at the country club, it was always a five o’clock reservation. She only hoped they had saved her a plate of food because she was starving.
She took a deep breath and got out of the car. She decided to leave her bag until she saw how things would pan out. There was no use lugging it inside if things went south, and she left. As she walked up the front pathway to the front door, she noticed a white BMW sedan parked by the garage. She wondered who’s it was because her parents would never leave one of their cars parked in the driveway. She blew it off, assuming it was one of her dad’s associates checking on him.
When she got to the front door, she rang the doorbell. Yep, pretty sad, she had to ring the doorbell to gain admittance into her childhood home. She looked at the designer doorbell and snorted. Only her mother would have had something that obnoxious installed.
She heard footsteps on the other side of the door. The oversized door opened, and she expected to see her mother but was shocked to see her favorite housekeeper Ms. Kay. Ms. Kay had worked for her parents since Bailey was a little girl. She had to be in her late sixties now and a person Bailey would call a friend for life.
Ms. Kay smiled wide and pulled Bailey into a crushing hug. “Oh, sweet child! It is such a blessing to see you!” She exclaimed in that deep southern accent she’d carried all her life.
Bailey smiled and hugged her back. Well, as far as her arms would reach around the heavy-set woman. Ms. Kay had somewhat of a sweet tooth, you could say. “Hi, Ms. Kay.”
The older lady pulled back. “Let me get a good look at you.” She looked Bailey over and cupped her cheek. “You look good, child. You look relaxed and happy. Kind of glowing. Have you met a man?” Bailey felt her cheeks heat up, and Ms. Kay smiled wide. “Oh, you and I are going to talk later, little lady. Considering the pink in your cheeks, I want to hear all about this man of yours,” Ms. Kay said, as she smiled and gave Bailey a wink.
Bailey laughed but then got serious. “I am happy, but I’m here because of my dad. How is he doing?”
Ms. Kay scrunched her eyebrows together and gave Bailey an odd look. She went to say something, but the sound of her mother’s shrill voice interrupted the conversation.
“I thought I heard the doorbell.” Bailey turned toward the doorway as her mother waltzed into the room. Dressed in a red pantsuit paired with a pair of heels, you would think she was on her way to one of her country club meetings. This was everyday wear for her. God forbid she didn’t look less than a million bucks at any time of the day.
“Hello, mother.”
Her mother looked her over like she was under a microscope. Then she turned and looked at Ms. Kay. “You can get back to your duties. I’ll escort Bailey to her father’s office as he is waiting to see her.”
Bailey noticed the odd look that Ms. Kay gave her as she exited the room. It almost seemed like a warning.
Once Ms. Kay was gone, her mother turned back to her, and it didn’t take long for the insults to start flying. “You look like shit. You’re gone for a matter of a few months, and you let yourself go. Randy won’t be happy with your appearance.”
Bailey looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she wore no make-up. She hated wearing makeup, and if she did feel like wearing it, she didn’t put too much on other than a little eyeliner and mascara. But it wasn’t the insult that had her stomach clenching. It was the comment her mother made about Randy.
They started walking down a long hallway toward her father’s study. It was located on the main floor of the house in the left-wing. The house was a mansion. Actually, more like a museum. Growing up, she wasn’t even allowed in certain areas of it. But that wasn’t to say she never broke the rules and explored when her parents weren’t home.
When they got to the end of the hall, she pushed the large wooden door open that led to her father’s office. She hated this room and was always fearful when entering it. Mostly because she was only summoned here when she was in trouble for something, and it usually ended with her getting a beating from her father. A slight tremor shook her body as she stepped over the threshold.
She looked around, seeing nothing had changed. It was still the very cold room that she remembered. It was painted dark forest green, accented with dark wood furniture and trim to match. His huge desk sat to the right in front of a large window that was covered with dark green curtains to match the walls. To the right was a fireplace with a seating area.
There were family pictures around the room, but not a single one of them included her. She stared up at the large portrait of her mom and dad that hung above the fireplace. She remembered when the artist met with them to do the painting. The artist had been a little taken back when her parents had informed that they didn’t want her in the portrait.
When she looked back toward the other side, there stood her father standing in front of his desk. The drink in his hand had her doing a double take. Was he drinking brandy?
The door behind her slammed, and she jumped. That’s when she saw Randy, standing about a foot behind her. She had been set-up and was royally screwed.
She reached for her back pocket to pull out her phone, but it wasn’t there. Dammit, she must have left it in the car. She took a step back when Randy came closer. She turned her body, so she had both her father and Randy in her line of sight.
“What is going on? Mother said that you had a heart attack and wanted to see me, but considering you’re standing here drinking a brandy and look like tota
l shit, I’m going out on a limb to say that she lied.” She could hear the shakiness in her voice, and she knew her father would feed off that. He was a pit bull who fed off of people’s weaknesses.
Her father smirked and set his drink down on the edge of his desk. He reached for a packet of papers behind him. “Your mother and I were served these on Friday.”
Bailey’s eyes widen. Oh shit, it was the emancipation papers.
He picked up another set of papers and took a few steps toward her. These are papers of my own that you are going to sign.
She gave him a ridiculous look. “I’m not signing anything that comes from you. At least not until I have my attorney look it over.”
He took another step toward her, and he looked angry. “Oh, you’re going to sign these before you leave here.”
“Oh, yeah. And how are you planning on making me.”
“I’ll let Randy tell you. After all, you belong to him.”
Her eyes widened, and she shouted back. “The hell I do. I don’t belong to anyone.”
“She’s all yours, Randy. Do what you want with her. Just make sure she signs the fucking papers.” With that, her father walked out of the room, leaving her alone with Randy.
Bailey tried to make a run toward the other side of the room, where she knew there was a secret door that led to the outside. She only got a few steps before she was yanked back. She broke free from Randy’s grasp but lost her footing, and Randy used that to his advantage. He pushed her backward, sending her into the sofa table. Her back slammed into the wood table, and she cried out.
“This is just the beginning,” Randy stated as he licked his lips and then covered her mouth with his. He held her around the waist with her arms pinned to her side. Without the use of her arms, it was difficult for her to make him stop. She bit his lip, and he released her mouth.
“Now that is no way to treat your husband?”
“Husband? Are you delusional?”
