All for Love - Prequel

by Natalie Ann

  “You’re not causing anything. This has nothing to do with you, really, but rather someone that can’t give up any control over things. Someone who feels powerful telling his wife and daughter what to do. Edward Carmichael has always been that way, and it’s well known. He isn’t liked at all. Superficial at best, an asshole at worse. You should be so lucky that Isabel is willing to defy him and do it so blatantly.”

  “What does that mean?” William asked. He didn’t know anything that was going on other than a few conversations that Isabel had with her mother. Thomas made it seem like something more was happening…

  “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything more and let you and Isabel talk it through.”

  “Oh, you’re a lawyer. You guys never shut up. Keep talking.”

  “It’s no wonder I like you. Very well,” Thomas said, getting up from behind his desk, looking at the clock, and then grabbing his jacket. “Let’s go grab some lunch and talk outside the office.”

  “It must be bad if you want to leave.”

  “More like I’m hungry. Come on, I know just the place. And no, nothing bad. Just some personal life experience I’d rather not repeat in my office.”

  They got in Thomas’s car and started to head out of town. “Where are we going?”

  “I know this little place in Troy. They’ve got great Reubens.”

  It seemed like William was just along for the ride, and he was hungry, so why not? He had nothing else planned for the day.

  They’d been at the restaurant for a few minutes, their orders placed. “So give me some advice. Should I just drop it? Should I tell Isabel even though I don’t want to?”

  “Do you plan on a future with Isabel?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then you know you’ll do everything you can to avoid her getting hurt. But you can’t always do that. Trust me. Michele’s parents didn’t care too much for me in the beginning.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “They were thrilled she was dating a future lawyer, elevating Michele’s status in life. And yes, I laughed when I heard it phrased like that too. They weren’t so thrilled when we decided to get married while I was still in school. When I didn’t have much more of an income than working part time as a clerk at my father’s law office. They were completely pissed off that Michele was pretty much supporting us. Then when she got pregnant, all hell broke loose.”

  William could only imagine. The old-fashioned thinking that a man had to support his wife. He was guilty of that as well. Thinking that he had to work so hard to give Isabel everything she had growing up. The difference was, he wanted her to have her own career, too. He wanted her to do what she wanted, what made her happy.

  “Did they come around at all?” William asked.

  “Michele stood up to them. She wasn’t going to back down. She picked a side and thankfully it was mine. That’s what I mean about being lucky. Isabel is doing the same thing. After Lucas was born, they realized they had to make peace and let it go. They dote on their grandson now. They came to realize that sometimes people make sacrifices in life for the greater good. The bigger picture. It probably wasn’t smart to start a family so early. Not when we could barely support ourselves, but if you love each other enough, you make it work.”

  “And you did.”

  “We did and we do. Just go with your gut. That’s my advice to you.”

  ***

  “How are you feeling?” Isabel asked Michele. It was Saturday morning and the two of them decided to do a little shopping for the new baby.

  “I’m feeling better. I was sick earlier on, but now it’s not so bad. At least once I get some food in my stomach. I swear I’m going to blow up like a balloon this time.”

  Isabel giggled. She’d really come to care for Michele in such a short period of time. They had so much in common, got along well, and their sweethearts spent a lot of time together, too. It couldn’t have worked out more perfect in her eyes.

  “It will be worth it in the end though, right? I mean it’s just for a short period of time and then you get to hold your baby.”

  “Very true. I was so excited when I found out I was pregnant with Lucas. We thought we’d wait until Thomas was done with school and started working, but sometimes things don’t always work as planned. Then with this child, we just decided to see what happened. No use protecting against it when I thought it’d be nice to have them close together. My sister is so much older than me, so it was like being an only child growing up.”

  “I know the feeling,” Isabel said. “I want a lot of kids. I want them to be able to have each other when they need someone to talk to. I never had that growing up.”

  She’d had friends in school, but it wasn’t the same thing. She hadn’t lived at Emma Willard like so many other girls did. She went to school every day with her father. It was hard to form strong bonds when everyone else lived there, but her father wouldn’t allow it.

  She’d never dated either, because there weren’t that many boys she was ever exposed to. It wasn’t until she was in college that she started to date, and even then she kept that information from her parents.

  “The better question is, how are you feeling right now?”

  “Me? Why are you asking me?” Isabel said, looking nervous.

  “Thomas told me that your father has been trying to cause problems for William at work. I thought that was why you wanted to go shopping today. That it was an excuse to talk about it.”

  “What?!” Isabel said. No way. Her father wouldn’t. He couldn’t. How dare he?

  “Oh boy. Guess you didn’t know. You didn’t hear it from me. I shouldn’t have said that,” Michele said, looking distressed. “I just figured if Thomas knew that you did too.”

  Michele was looking so upset that Isabel reached for her and gave her a hug in the store. “Don’t worry. No, William didn’t tell me, but I’m guessing he has his reasons. Believe me, I’ll find out what they are, though.”

  “I’m thinking William isn’t going to enjoy that conversation one bit. Your eyes just got very dark.”

  “I’m sure he won’t think it’s a pleasant conversation in the least, but that’s just too damn bad.”

  About Control

  “When did you plan on telling me?” Isabel said when William walked into his apartment a few hours later. He’d been out with Thomas doing God knows what. He hadn’t said much about their plans before he’d left and she’d thought he was being secretive about it, but brushed it off earlier. Now she was wondering what other things he may be keeping from her.

  “I was going to tell you when I got back. I didn’t know you’d find out so soon. How did you find out?” he asked, looking confused.

  “Michele told me when we were shopping,” Isabel said, crossing her arms.

  “How did she find out?”

  “Thomas told her. I want to know why you told Thomas and not me?”

  “Wait. Back up. Michele doesn’t know what we were doing today so she couldn’t have told you. What are you talking about?”

  “Tell me what you did today first,” she said. No way she was giving anything away just yet.

  He hesitated a second longer than she wanted, her teeth starting to grind. Then, finally, he said, “You can’t say anything to Michele. Thomas showed me a piece of land he wants to buy for Michele. He wanted to surprise her. They’ve been talking about a bigger place with the baby coming and he was thinking it’d be better to build what they wanted. He wants to live on the lake.”

  That was sweet of Thomas, but it wasn’t changing her mood in the least at this moment. She was furious with William and he was going to know it. “Okay, but that isn’t what I’m talking about,” she said.

  “Tell me what then, because obviously you’re ticked off. I’ve never seen you this way before. I didn’t even know you had it in you to get angry, but you look like you want to rip my head off and feed it to a pack of dogs.”

  It was a good description. “You’re da
rn right I want to. Why didn’t you tell me it was my father that was making trouble for you at work?”

  “Who told you that?” he asked, his eyes going wider than she’d ever seen.

  “Michele. Obviously Thomas tells his significant other things. She thought I knew. The question is why didn’t you tell me?”

  He started to pace around the room, only there weren’t too many places for him to go without walking into a wall or furniture. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

  “And yet here I am, upset and pissed off.”

  “Isabel! You never talk like that.”

  She held the laugh back, kind of sick of everyone thinking she was some angel. All that was going to change soon enough.

  “Get used to it. I’ve never been this mad before. Did you think you were protecting me? Protecting the little lady of the house so she wouldn’t get upset? That I couldn’t handle it?”

  “Yes. I mean no,” he said rapidly when she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Well, which is it?” she asked, stalking toward him.

  “I’m not sure with the way you’re looking at me right now. Let’s sit down and talk about this.”

  “I don’t want to sit down. I want to stalk around like you, but it’s hard to do in this tiny little place without bumping into each other.”

  This time he narrowed his eyes. She’d hit a nerve, she saw, but didn’t care in the least. “I’m looking for a new place soon, you know that.”

  “Really, William. You’re thick. That isn’t what I meant. I meant if I bumped into you I might punch you in the arm. I don’t care that you live here. I don’t care that it’s tiny. What I care about is that you are no better than my father if you thought you could keep this from me.”

  “Now, listen here,” he said, coming to stand in front of her. “There is no reason to insult me. You’re the one that doesn’t want me to meet them. You’re the one who isn’t making the effort.”

  “Me! Look at what he did. Do you get it now? Do you understand? I was trying to protect you! Little good that did me, though. Not that I thought he’d do this. I thought it was bad enough the way he was treating me, but he has no reason to come after you. He doesn’t even know you.”

  “What’s he doing to you?” He took a hold of her arm and sat her on the couch, confusion mixed with anger brimming at the surface. “Stop moving around and talk to me.”

  She wished she hadn’t said what she did, because now she’d have to be honest and tell him things she was hoping he’d never find out. She hated airing dirty laundry to anyone. But she didn’t want to lie, either. She was never very good at it. “He’s giving me the cold shoulder,” she said simply.

  “There has to be more than that. You’ve said he’s done that to you before. What else is going on? Is something going on at work?”

  He was too perceptive. She sighed. This was what she got for letting her emotions get the best of her. Now the tables were turned on her, and she was the one on the spot. “He would never do anything at work. He would never want anyone to think that his daughter is defying him, or not doing what she was told.”

  “Then what?” William asked.

  She held her tongue until he squeezed her hand, nudging her to speak. “He’s being difficult with my mother. He’s making it hard for her and me to see each other. He’s planning their lives so much that they aren’t apart, or he’s assigning me things to do at night when he’s out of the house. It’s blatantly obvious to my mother and me that he’s doing everything he can to keep the two of us apart. He knows where to hit my mother and me where it hurts the most, and that’s exactly what he is doing.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “He’s a ridiculous person. It’s all about control, William. I told you that. He doesn’t have much over me and he knows it now. So he’s doing the next best thing. He’s controlling my mother…and if she’s hurting, then he knows I will be too.” She took a deep breath, knowing what needed to be done now. “Don’t worry about it anymore. I’ll be taking care of it.”

  She got up and grabbed her jacket before he could stop her.

  “Wait. Where are you going? I’m going with you,” William said.

  “No. You’re staying here. This is about me and it’s about time I did something about it.”

  She slammed out the door and all but ran to her car.

  ***

  “Isabel, what are you doing here?”

  “Mom, I’m sorry to barge in like this. Is Dad home?”

  Her mother looked concerned, but Isabel was just going to ignore that for now. “He’s in his office working. I’m not sure it’s a good time.”

  “It’s never a good time when he’s giving me the cold shoulder. So I’m going to make it be the right time now.”

  She marched into her father’s office. He didn’t lift his head, just shifted his eyes upward, glanced at her, and went right back to what he was doing. So childish. She stood there and stared at him, tapping her foot, until he stopped and looked up at her again. What an ass, she was thinking. How could she share the same gene pool as him? She didn’t think she could be a fraction of that cold to anyone, let alone a family member.

  “Is there something you wanted, Isabel?”

  Might as well get right to the source of this visit. “What is your problem with William?”

  “I don’t have much of a problem with him personally,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Other than he isn’t good enough for you. That people are talking that you’re dating down and it doesn’t look good for the family. I told you this would happen, but you never listen to me.”

  “No, you didn’t tell me this would happen. And if you did, I still wouldn’t care. If you got to know him, then you could defend him, rather than jump on the bandwagon with all the other shallow people. You would see he was going to make something of himself. Instead you’re too busy spreading rumors and trying to get him fired.”

  “Edward,” her mother asked, appearing in the doorway. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “It’s not your concern, Patrice. Go back into the kitchen and let Isabel and I finish this conversation.”

  “No. Mom can stay here because I want her to hear what I’ve got to say. That way I only need to say it once.”

  “You will not use that tone of voice with me, young lady,” her father said, his dark eyes flashing with anger she’d never been exposed to before.

  “I’ll use any damn tone I want.” Her mother gasped. “Yep, I’m going to swear, too. Because when people get mad that’s what they do. Just like when people love each other they stand up for them. They stand behind them. But you don’t get that, Dad. You don’t understand. It’s not about standing up or behind anyone for you. It’s about showing the world you’re in control. That you’ve got the power. That you can grab someone by the balls and squeeze as hard as you want.”

  Her father started to stand up from his chair. She’d hit a big nerve. She’d never raised her voice before. Never spoken even a whisper of the words she’d always wanted to say. Damn, it felt liberating. “Isabel, if you can’t speak respectfully in front of your mother and lower your voice, then you can leave this house and not come back until you get better control of yourself.”

  She felt her eyes fill up with tears. It wasn’t worth it. She realized it right then. Her father was just trying to hurt her. He didn’t care about anything else other than calling all the shots. He didn’t care she was upset. He didn’t care his actions were wrong. He only cared about himself.

  “I’ll leave. And I won’t be back and it has nothing to do with my control. I won’t be back until you apologize for what you did. Not until you accept William into our family.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Edward stated firmly. “Never. You’ll come to your senses soon enough and we’ll get past this little misunderstanding.”

  She started to laugh. There was nothing else left for her to do. “Then I’m sorry you aren’t going to get to know your
grandchild. But that’s your problem. Not mine.”

  She turned and stomped out of the house. Now she needed to go tell William he was going to be a father.

  All the Rest

  “What?” William asked. He knew he’d paled. He had to have. He felt pretty dizzy and lightheaded at the moment. He was actually surprised he could even form a word, let alone a thought. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I went to see the doctor on Thursday.”

  Two days ago. “And you’re just telling me now?”

  Her eyes filled and he realized she wasn’t as calm as she was sounding. She’d left the house over two hours ago and he suspected she was going home. He’d thought she’d cooled off by now, since she walked back in calmer than she left, but her hands were shaking as she sat next to him. He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t know what he was feeling. He was just plain numb.

  “I needed to take it in.”

  “You’ve had two days to take it in. So if I say something wrong, don’t hold it against me.”

  She laughed, a not-so-happy sound, either. “Not a problem.”

  “No one else knows?” he asked.

  “I wanted to tell Michele this morning. I thought I was going to. Just to talk to another woman. To see how it felt, what I should feel because right now I don’t feel anything different at all physically.”

  “So you didn’t tell her?” He was trying to keep track of the conversation.

  “No. I couldn’t. It didn’t feel right saying it to her and not you first.”

  He nodded. “So I’m the first you’ve told?” He couldn’t seem to think of much more to say, wondering if he was imagining the whole day.

  Her eyes filled some more, a few tears escaping this time. “I just ended up blurting it to my parents as I stormed out the door. I sort of told them, I think. I’m not sure because all I had was this red haze in front of my eyes.”