I tried to feign surprise. “Oh! Well, congratulations. Guess it’s a good thing I was just leaving. Thanks for finding my sweater,” I said lamely. I kept my back to them, afraid the tears would spill over at any moment. Damien grabbed Ava by the wrist and stalked out the door, closing it behind them. As soon as they were gone, I ran into the bathroom, quickly trying to dry my eyes and compose myself. I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. I was so disappointed, but I couldn’t quite be upset with Damien. He had been in a long-term relationship before I contacted him with all this craziness and turned his world upside down. She got pregnant before they broke up, and now they had to deal with it. All I wanted to do now was go home and deal with my own feelings.
The bedroom door opened again and Damien came storming in. He looked even taller somehow and formidable in his state of anger. It was intimidating and sexy. I desired him immensely, and my heart ached at the thought. All my feelings for him no longer mattered because everything between us had abruptly come to an end. I squared my shoulders and walked over to the bed. I rested my hands on my suitcase and tried smiling at him.
“Madelyn, I’m so sorry,” he said, his eyes wild with all the emotions raging within. “This… this isn’t going to change anything. I mean, yes it will change things a bit, but I promise I’m going to figure it out. I swear, I’m going to… I don’t know yet, but I’ll try anything, do anything.”
“Damien, please,” I interrupted. “I understand this was not planned, and I can’t even be upset because I know you had a relationship before I came along and turned your life upside down. But now, you have a baby to think of. A new and very big responsibility. And I… well, I am just a ‘distraction,’ as Ava kindly put it,” I said, sarcasm and bitterness seeping into my words. I felt instantly contrite. Damien didn’t deserve that and I didn’t want to leave on a bad note. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I want to thank you for an amazing weekend, Damien. I will cherish these memories always.” I picked up my bag and smiled as genuinely as I could, trying to show him that my disappointment wasn’t with him, just with the turn of events.
“Please wait, Madelyn. This isn’t goodbye. It can’t be.” Damien’s haunted expression cut me to the core and I knew it would forever stay with me. I walked over to him and gave him a big hug, trying to commit to memory the feeling of his body pressed against mine.
“I’m sorry, Damien, but I think it has to be. Ava is pregnant. With your child. What are you going to do? Ignore the fact that this will be all over the news before the first ultrasound? Where does that leave me in this little love triangle? Will they make me out to be the homewrecker? You don’t want me to treat you like a celebrity, but the fact of the matter is, you are a celebrity and everything you do is going to be plastered all over every station, publication, and social media outlet. You have to try to make this work. You have no choice. It’s not only your job, but your life.” I started to make my way out of the room, but then it dawned on me, “Maybe this is our soul’s fate; to get close enough to discover our love, just to have it ripped away again. At least we were able to have this weekend together. I had an amazing time and I will never forget it.” With that, I took a deep breath and prepared myself to walk away from the only man I believe I ever truly loved.
CHAPTER 25
DAMIEN
I did everything I could…
I tried convincing her to stay awhile longer so I could explain things, but I could barely wrap my head around what was happening. How could Ava be pregnant? We hadn’t had sex in weeks and we were always careful. She was on the pill, or so she said. How did I let this happen? The timing couldn’t have been any worse. The last thing I wanted was for Madelyn to get hurt. I could tell she was trying to keep it together; trying to reassure me that she wasn’t upset, and all the while Ava sat in the kitchen, tapping her long fingernails on the counter, waiting for Madelyn to leave. I pleaded with Ava to get out, to come back later so we could discuss the whole situation after Madelyn had gone, but she refused to leave. If she hadn’t been pregnant, I would have physically picked her up and thrown her out on her ass.
Madelyn insisted on leaving immediately for the airport, even though she would be arriving far too early for her flight home. I begged her to let me take her, so we could at least talk on the drive over, but she refused. Bentley drove her and I prayed he would be able to convince her not to say goodbye forever. I watched them drive off - Madelyn taking a piece of my heart with her.
I tried gathering any control I had left in body and turned it on Ava.
“Alright, please explain to me how the hell this happened,” I said angrily, standing over her. She continued her incessant drumming with her fingernails. I smacked my hand down on top of hers. “Stop! That’s so irritating.”
“Geez, lighten up, babe,” she said laughing.
“Answer the goddamn question, Ava.” I was losing my patience with her. How the hell would I ever be able to raise a baby with this woman?
“Damien, didn’t you take Sex-Ed? When two people have sex, sometimes they make babies,” she said smiling.
“Enough with the sarcasm. What I want to know is how - with you on the pill and the two of us barely having sex the last few months of our relationship - you got pregnant? I mean, is it even mine?”
“Excuse me? I can’t believe you’re implying that I cheated on you! Do you want a paternity test, Damien? Because I’m more than willing to do one and prove to you it’s yours,” Ava replied angrily. “Wouldn’t that be a great headline?”
I was speechless for several moments. I couldn’t quite process how quickly my life had been turned upside down. One minute, I felt completely blissful and at peace with Madelyn now in my life, and the next minute I find out I’m going to be the father to a baby whose mother I no longer loved.
“Have you seen a doctor yet?” I finally asked.
Ava smiled excitedly. “Yes, I saw the doctor a few days ago. She said I was probably about 6 to 8 weeks along.”
It was about two months since she and I had been intimate… I couldn’t really remember, since our physical interactions had become so few and far between. I was so disheartened. The last thing I was prepared for was a child, especially with Ava, who I never even suspected had any maternal instincts whatsoever. Oh man… my mother was going to be so disappointed in me. My heart ached at the thought of breaking the news to her. As if she was reading my thoughts, Ava suddenly exclaimed:
“Oh honey, I can’t wait to tell your parents. Your mom is going to be so excited to be a grandma! I wonder if she will want to be called ‘grandma’ or ‘nana’ or… ”
“Hold on! We are not going to tell anyone yet, Ava. I think we need to wait a few more weeks before we do that, and I think we need to talk to both our agents first about how to proceed. I want to keep this from becoming splashed all over the place,” I told her.
“Ugh! Why? I think this kind of news is exactly what people want to hear. Their two favorite celebrities are about to start a family. It’s perfect!” she exclaimed, staring off into the distance as if already seeing the headline plastered on the tabloids.
“The only problem is that we aren’t together anymore, Ava. Remember? So the whole happy couple thing is irrelevant.”
‘Well, the fans don’t know that. And, if you would just be a little more open minded, we could be that happy celebrity couple everyone envies.” Ava still only cared about her image and her fame. My disgust for her grew.
“Listen, I will be here for you and the baby. Especially the baby. I was raised to be the kind of person who takes responsibility for their actions - good and bad. So don’t worry, I would never abandon the child; I will do whatever it takes to help raise him or her. However, I won’t marry you, if that’s what you’re after. Nowadays, people can raise children successfully without actually having to be married or in a committed relationship.”
“Wait, what? You’re not going to try and make this work between us for the sake o
f the baby? For the sake of the public, who will totally be judging us by the way!” Ava shouted.
“No. I don’t care what the public or the fans think.”
“But…” Ava tried to interject.
“Right now, we can agree to disagree, Ava. I need you to go. I need to be alone. Let me know when your next doctor appointment is. I’ll see you then.” And with that, I turned my back to her and walked away, toward the garage. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to get as far away as possible from everything.
***
Bentley rounded the corner just in time to catch the tail end of their argument. When Damien stalked out, Bentley could practically see the smoke coming out of Ava’s ears. He was about to walk into the kitchen and happily usher her out of the house when she whipped out her cell phone and angrily pressed the screen, turning her back to where he stood listening.
“Ugh, what the hell! You said that if I told Damien I was pregnant, he would get back together with me,” she whispered conspiratorially. “No. He said he would take care of the baby, but that I was out the door. What are we going to do now?” She listened for a few minutes, nodding intently every few seconds. “You better be right about this… for both our sakes.”
Bentley slipped away from his eavesdropping spot and hid himself behind a large areca palm just in time to miss her as she sashayed out of the kitchen towards the front door, her heels click-clacking on the wood floor echoed loudly throughout the space. There was no way he was going to tell Damien about that phone conversation… at least not right now. First he had to figure out just how odious a human being she was. Did she really think getting pregnant would fix everything?
CHAPTER 26
MADELYN
It had been a long flight back to Miami, my mind reeling from everything that had occurred in the last few moments of my time with Damien. I couldn’t believe how quickly things had unraveled. It had been a magical weekend and now he was going to be one-half of a famous mommy/daddy duo and I was left with a shattered heart and a wisp of a dream of what could have been. Then again, what the hell did I think was going to happen? Did I really think we were going to live happily ever after?
The minute I walked through the door, I dumped my carry-on and purse on the floor and sunk into my favorite spot on my fluffy white and venetian blue striped sofa as the resolve that I had carefully established over the past few hours melted away and I was faced with the truth: Yes, I had thought we would live happily ever after. After a lifetime of never truly having a connection with any man, I finally felt alive when I was with Damien. We were soulmates, destined to be with one another, our souls literally fighting to be together. Was finding each other only to be ripped apart our true fate? Was this the destiny of the souls that inhabited our bodies? We saw it for ourselves in our dream, didn’t we? The tears started to flow down my cheeks without invitation and I did the only thing I could think to do at a time like this: I cried. I cried until there was nothing left in me. I cried until the sobs lulled me to sleep.
***
I awoke curled up on my couch hugging one of my cushions as if it were a life-preserver, which was only fitting since I was drowning in my own misery. I grabbed my phone and saw that I had a few calls and text messages, some of them from Emily and some from Damien. I quickly deleted the ones from Damien and got up, forcing myself to get ready for work. If I was going to have to live without him, then I would have to do so completely. I was not going to be the competing female in this little drama where I would inevitably lose to the fabulous Ava Richardson. I walked into my bathroom and began brushing my teeth. One look in the mirror revealed swollen eyes and dark circles. Not a great look for someone who has just come back from vacation. I went to work trying to look refreshed and vowed to tell my coworkers that I had “an amazing trip.” Hopefully, Lillian will keep me so busy that I won’t have time for them to question me further.
I was on my way to work when my cell phone rang for the third time that morning. I could no longer avoid people, so I answered it.
“Hello,” I muttered.
“Hey! Why are you avoiding my calls? I have been trying to get ahold of you since last night. How was your trip with Mr. Dreamy? You two obviously didn’t spontaneously combust when you met. Did you feel the soul connection, like Madame Yelena predicted? Do you loooove him? I need details!” Emily gushed.
“One question at a time, Emily! My trip was fine… well more than fine, it was perfect. No cataclysmic event occurred when we were in the same room, but there were sparks, and it was amazing. Oh Emily! The connection between us is real and perfect and I had the best time ever, until Ava Richardson came by to say she was knocked up!” The words fell out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.
“What?! Are you kidding me?” Emily asked.
A scene-by-scene account of the entire weekend uncontrollably spewed from my mouth, minus the intimate details of our romantic rendezvous on Saturday night.
“Wow. Madelyn, I am so sorry. What horrible timing. I officially dislike that woman and will not entertain the idea of watching any film she is in for the rest of my life,” Emily vowed.
“That doesn’t exactly make me feel better, but I’ll take it,” I laughed weakly.
“I know, honey. I really am sorry about what happened. But, if it was meant to be, it will be. And if this connection between the two of you is as real as it sounds, and as real as that dream you both had, then nothing should keep the two of you apart. Don’t lose faith yet, okay?”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed, but I appreciate the encouragement.”
“You know what? You should call Madame Yelena again and tell her about all this. She nailed the whole connected souls/past lives thing, so maybe she will have more good advice for you. And if not, well hell, at least you got a chance to spend a romantic weekend with Damien Pierce. That has to count for something, right?”
“I guess so.” I know Emily was trying to help, but I felt like nothing could lift my spirits. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.
“Want to get together tonight and talk smack about Ava Richardson?” she asked. I could almost hear the hopeful smile in her voice and didn’t want to disappoint her when she was trying to help.
“Sure. That sounds great,” I lied.
“Perfect. I’ll swing by your house around seven with a bottle of wine and those dark chocolate truffles from that bakery you like on Brickell Ave.”
“Thanks for being you, Emily.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for,” Emily assured me before hanging up.
CHAPTER 27
DAMIEN
I called and sent a text to Madelyn as soon as I walked out on Ava, and then several times more over the course of the next few days, but she never answered. She was ignoring me and I couldn’t fathom why. I can understand her being upset by the news of Ava’s pregnancy, but she knew it wasn’t my intention for this to happen. I just wish I could talk to her; tell her how nothing has changed the way I feel about her. Our souls were intertwined. How could she walk away from that? Then again, how could she not after what transpired here on the day she left... I missed her. Despite only knowing her a short time, I desperately and irrationally missed her.
Nick called Monday afternoon to see if I had couriered the papers over: “Crap! I totally forgot. Sorry Nick, I’ll get those documents over to you as soon as I can,” I told him.
“You know what, don’t worry about it. I’ll come by tomorrow or Wednesday and pick them up. I have some things to discuss with you anyway.”
“Yeah, so do I,” I remarked bitterly.
“Oh? What’s going on?” Nick asked.
“Ava’s pregnant.”
“She’s what?!” Nick shrieked in surprise.
“Yep. She came by yesterday and dropped that bomb on me. She’s apparently six to eight weeks along. Dude, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“That is some big news, Damien. Well, if you look at the
bright side, this can completely boost your public image. Your fans already love the idea of you and Ava, and now the hottest celebrity couple are happily expecting? This could be great…”
“Geez, Nick! You and Ava are exactly alike. All the two of you care about is what the public thinks. At what point is my life my own?”
“It’s not your own. Not when you’re famous and your status depends on what the public thinks of you. You are constantly in the spotlight, and therefore your image is your life,” Nick said, matter-of-factly.
“Ugh, I can’t deal with this right now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nick,” I grumbled, hanging up. Images of Madelyn’s beautiful face bloomed in my mind suddenly. I could see her sparkling green eyes framed by her thick, dark lashes. I could almost feel her silky hair between my fingers. My heart ached with longing as I let out an exasperated sigh. I stood and shoved both hands into the front pockets of my jeans and began pacing the house restlessly. Finally, I gave up my pacing and picked up the phone in a futile effort to call her one more time.
CHAPTER 28
MADELYN
My phone vibrated loudly against the table’s surface. I quickly hit the button to silence it, but not before seeing that it was Damien trying to contact me again. My heart clenched momentarily as his face filled my mind. I missed him terribly.
“Lillian, I’m so sorry for the interruption!” I said, stowing my cell phone away and getting back to business. Lillian and my team were in the conference room having a meeting to discuss the completion of our project.
“With only two weeks before Christmas, I want as much done on the MacMahon house as possible. Everything else can wait until after the holidays, understood?” Lillian ordered.
“Yes, of course.”
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