Money

by Jillian Dodd

  The doctor and ultrasound tech are studying the screen intently. And the concern on both their faces is evident. I also haven’t heard a heartbeat. What if there isn’t one? What will I do if he tells me something is wrong? How would I tell Aiden?

  I look closer and try to figure out what they are seeing. All I see is what looks like static, but then the movement stops, and they focus on a dark circle.

  The tech nudges the doctor.

  “Is there something wrong?” I ask.

  “Do you see that, there?” The doctor points to the screen as it flickers, showing us the dark circle from a different angle. One that allows me to see there’s something inside it.

  “Ohmigosh, is that the baby? Is it okay?”

  “It is okay,” the doctor says. “Do you see that flicker? That’s the baby’s heart beating.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “And don’t worry. I expect your pregnancy to continue normally,” he tells me. “This will just cause a few wrinkles.”

  “A few—” I start to ask.

  The tech, who has been clicking away, interrupts me. “Eight weeks and two days for this one.”

  “This one?”

  “Yes,” the doctor says with a grin. “Show her.”

  The tech zooms out, and I can see that there are two little dark circles with two little flickers inside.

  “Twins,” the doctor says.

  “Twins?” I repeat in shock. “Is that why I’m starting to show so early?”

  “Yes. And it’s why your hormone levels are higher than normal. I suspected twins, since multiples run in your family, but wanted to be sure. Aiden will be pretty excited by this news, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, he will be.” I shake my head and look down at my the side of my hand, remembering when Inga read my palm in St. Croix years ago and predicted how many children I would have.

  “Um, hang on,” the tech says. “Look at this.”

  “Zoom back out,” the doctor instructs. “Well, will you look at that sight. Something doctors don’t see very often. Triplets.”

  “Triplets?”

  “Yes, your mother was one of only two naturally conceived sets of triplets I’ve had the pleasure of delivering. You will be number three. Congratulations. I’m glad you have some scheduled time off toward the end of your pregnancy. You’re going to need it.”

  When the ultrasound is over, he hands me a photo and sends me on my way.

  When I get inside the town car waiting to take me to the studio, I burst into happy tears as I think about how I’m going to tell Aiden the news.

  And when.

  Vanessa’s Estate - Holmby Hills

  VANESSA

  Peyton is at my house. I discreetly texted her on Sunday and told her I wanted to redecorate and asked if she was free today.

  “So, I want to get rid of everything and start over. Can we do it fast?”

  Peyton is surveying the family room. “Do you really want to get rid of everything?”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “But look at the lines on this.” She runs her hand across the back of a chair. “And this chair is leather. The fabric will stand up to kids and can be dressed down. You have so many amazing things to work with. I’ll take an inventory of all the furniture, move it out to the garage, and we’ll start over, bringing in pieces where they will work.”

  “I guess that’s okay, if you can use some of it in a casual way. I just want it to be comfortable.”

  “Do you want any formal rooms? What about your dining room, living room, and the ballroom?”

  “I can tell you that the only time I used those rooms were when Bam’s family came to town. I’m pretty sure his mother sleeps fully dressed and made up.” Peyton laughs. “You have kids. Make this house a place where they’d feel comfortable.”

  “I still think you need a few spaces that are more formal. For when you entertain, like during the holidays.”

  “That’s a good point. So a few sort-of formal spaces.”

  Peyton studies me. “Are you doing all this for Dawson?”

  “No, actually, I’m doing it for myself. I need a fresh start. Dawson and his girls were just the catalyst that made me realize it.”

  She gives me a smirk. “I like how you’re dressed today.” I look down at my cutoffs and bare feet. “I haven’t seen you in something like that since I met you on the beach. And I think that was the only time.”

  “These are probably the same shorts,” I laugh. “I need to find myself in this house, if that makes sense.”

  “It does,” she says, scribbling something into the margin of the list she’s making.

  “Can I ask you a personal question?” I inquire.

  “Sure,” she says.

  “If you and Damian divorced and you had never had children of your own—if you couldn’t have children—would you adopt or would you assume that if you couldn’t have them you weren’t meant to?”

  “I would adopt. Even if I were single. I wouldn’t let my circumstances get in the way of my desire to be a mother.”

  “I need to show you one of the rooms that I don’t want redone.” I grab her hand, take her upstairs, and show her the playroom. “I’d like this room to stay the way it is.”

  “This room looks nothing like the rest of the house,” she says, studying the decor.

  “Maybe that’s why I like it.”

  “Are you thinking about adopting, Vanessa?”

  I nod. Now that I’ve told Dawson about not being able to have children, I’m able to tell her, too. “After my miscarriage, the doctor told me that I couldn’t have children.”

  Peyton gives me a hug, her large baby bump crashing into me. “Oh, Vanessa, why didn’t you tell us? That’s such a devastating blow on top of losing your baby.”

  “Yeah, it was. It wasn’t just Bam’s infidelity that sent me on my downward spiral.”

  “I’m glad you’re back at the top.”

  “Me too.”

  “You seem really happy.”

  “I am. You and Dawson’s wife, Whitney, were close, right?”

  “Yeah, she was my best friend for most of high school. I saw in The Keatyn Chronicles movies how Keatyn sort of revolted against you. I did the same thing to Whitney. But, really, I was revolting against myself.”

  “I saw the movie. Um, did you stay in touch with her after all that? I get the feeling there’s something surrounding her death that Dawson isn’t telling me.”

  “I went to her funeral even though we didn’t stay friends. I felt bad for Dawson and his girls. All I really know is that she sent the girls to stay at his parents’ house the night she did it, and Dawson was the one to find her. But, other than the fact she took her own life, I don’t really know any other details. I’m still good friends with his older brother, Camden. He hated her, but after she died, he hated her more for what she did to Dawson.”

  “Right, but what did she do to him?”

  “Isn’t killing herself and leaving him with two small children to care for on his own enough?”

  “Yes, of course, but there’s more to the story. Last night, Ava said their mom spent all of their dad’s money and that’s why they moved in with their grandma.”

  “Now that you mention it, I did think it a little odd that Dawson moved in with his parents right after it happened. You’d think for the girls’ stability he would have wanted them to stay in their home. But I assumed he moved because he needed the emotional support of his family.”

  “But if he didn’t have money, why didn’t he work for two years?”

  “I know he quit to take care of the girls, but I assumed it was because he had the money to do so.”

  “Keatyn knows the whole story, but she won’t tell me. She says it’s his story to tell.”

  “Well, then, you should ask him,” Peyton says, moving out of the playroom and peeking into each bedroom as we talk. “When we redo the bedrooms, would you like something more suited to youn
ger guests?”

  “Yes, and Ava is almost a teenager, so let’s do this room in something she would think is way cool. And Harlow loves horses, so maybe something equestrian but still girly?”

  “Got it. How soon do you want this all done?”

  I raise an eyebrow at her.

  She laughs. “Yesterday, right?”

  “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  “Why don’t you get out of my hair, while I go spend some time in each room and think about what I want to do. Tomorrow, I’ll do some shopping and have workers empty everything out, so we can start with a clean slate. We’ll move everything out to the garages, and I’ll bring some pieces back in to use in different ways. It’s going to be a bit of a disaster for a few days. Can you handle that?”

  “I can.”

  “Seriously, Vanessa, is there anything in this house that you love?”

  I sigh. “I love my closet a lot, and I think all the oriental rugs are beautiful, particularly the golden one in the area off the billiards room.”

  “What do you like about your closet?”

  “It’s the one room that I decorated only to my tastes.”

  She squints her eyes and says, “Then that’s where I need to start.”

  Captive Films - Santa Monica

  RILEY

  I got up early this morning, finally giving up on trying to get a restful night’s sleep. Even though Ariela seemed to take the news well, I could hear the stress in her voice.

  As Tyler brings me coffee and a pastry, I absentmindedly pat my midsection, feeling guilty for skipping my usual morning workout with my trainer.

  “Raul said you bailed on him today. You feeling okay, boss?” Raul is Tyler’s life partner and my personal trainer. “Still recovering from the big homecoming weekend?”

  “I guess so,” I say, not wanting to talk about it. “What do we need to discuss before I start my day?”

  He studies me for a beat before looking down at the iPad he uses to keep track of everything. “Well, I took the liberty of ordering a gift for Dallas and RiAnne’s baby. It will be delivered tomorrow morning.”

  “What did I get them?”

  “A lovely Armani layette for the darling baby Farryn, a gorgeous Hermes bag for the new mother, and a golf outing with the new father.”

  “Are you talking about me?” Dallas asks from my doorway.

  “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home?” I ask him.

  “RiAnne is going to be in the hospital for a couple days. I took the rugrats to school and both the nanny and RiAnne’s mother are home with the little ones. I want to get the negotiations on the Captive deal done before Keatyn goes on her honeymoon.”

  “Wow, that’s fast.”

  “They want to move fast, and I was under the assumption that you were on board.”

  “I am.”

  “Then we need to come up with a new name if we’re going to give up Captive.”

  “Like what?”

  “I was thinking something to do with the three of us. Like Triad Films, maybe. Other synonyms for three are Trinity, Trio, Triplicity. Trivium. I actually like that one.”

  “Three, huh? Maybe we should go with Menage A Trois?” I joke. But then I think about Ariela’s face when Shelby suggested a threesome. “Um, I need to talk to both of you about something. Tyler, will you close the door and have a seat?”

  He does as I ask and then both he and Dallas sit in the chairs in front of my desk, looking at me expectantly.

  “There is a new development in my life that I need you both to be aware of.”

  Dallas looks at me shrewdly. “You find out you have a kid?”

  “Sort of. Shelby is pregnant.”

  “Do I know her?” Dallas asks.

  “She was my date for the L.A. premiere.”

  “Cheap champagne girl?”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  Dallas leans back, his hands forming a bridge as he thinks. “And you believe you’re the father?”

  “Part of me doesn’t know how it’s possible, since I used condoms, but the timing is right, and she is definitely pregnant. Aiden says there’s a paternity test that can be done at eight weeks. She’s about four weeks along.”

  “So, we wait until a paternity test determines you are the father then, once we know, we’ll deal with the outcome.”

  “I told her I would find her somewhere nice to live.”

  “Why did you do that?” Tyler asks.

  “Because I’m a nice guy, and if she is having my baby, I’m not going to be some asshole baby daddy. She lives in a shitty place, and I don’t want the possible mother of my child living somewhere like that. She is also short on her rent this month because she’s been sick.”

  “She’s already asking you for money. That’s a red flag, Riley,” Dallas states.

  “She wanted to move in with me.”

  “Oh dear,” Tyler says.

  “And suggested we get married,” I confess.

  “Gold digger,” Tyler coughs.

  “That was my first thought, as well,” Dallas says.

  “It was my first thought, too, but she told me she grew up with nothing and doesn’t expect anything from me other than for me to be a good father. Apparently, her father wasn’t around growing up.”

  “Well, that explains a few things,” Dallas says with a chuckle. “Okay, serious advice from both your friend and your lawyer. Tyler, find her a place to live. I’ll draw up a document for her to sign before she’s allowed to move in that will spell out what happens if a paternity test doesn’t prove you are the father. If that happens, we’ll give her thirty days to vacate the premises. We’ll deal with anything else once the results come back.”

  “That sounds good,” I agree. “Tyler, find her a place that is furnished somewhere close to me but not too close. And I’d like it right away. Somewhere nice.”

  “I’m on it, Boss,” he says. “Do you have anything else pressing for me this morning?”

  “Take care of this first. Everything else can wait.”

  Tyler heads out, and Dallas goes over to the bar, grabs a bottle, and pours a shot in both our coffees. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m in shock. I can’t believe something like this would happen just when Ariela is finally back in my life.”

  “Did you tell her?”

  “Yeah. She said it didn’t matter. That she would love any baby of mine. I want to have children with Ariela, not Shelby.”

  “How’s her divorce coming?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s not something we’ve talked about. Mostly because we weren’t talking after the Vegas fiasco. Then at Eastbrooke, it wasn’t the right place. Since she’ll be working at the vineyard all week and I’ll be here, we promised each other we’d have nightly phone conversations to get to know each other better. I’m sure the divorce subject will come up.”

  Knox strolls in with Jennifer, not bothering to knock. “Heard you knocked up the blow job chick.”

  “That is not for public knowledge,” I say. “Tyler, get in here!”

  Tyler comes rushing in. “What?”

  “You are not to tell anyone about this until we get a paternity test.”

  “I haven’t told anyone.”

  Jennifer sets a newspaper down in front of me. A headline is circled in red. Captive Films’ Riley Johnson’s Baby Mama Drama.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I yell.

  “The article got a lot of other stuff right,” Jennifer says as I start reading.

  Captive Films’ Riley Johnson’s Baby Mama Drama

  Well, people. The goings-on at Captive Films just continue to get more exciting. We’ve learned that the playboy CEO, fresh back from his crazy Vegas publicity stunt with Knox Daniels, Jennifer Edwards, and his equally sexy brother, Dawson, is going to be a father.

  The baby mama is a cocktail waitress at one of the establishments Riley frequents. Our source tells us that RBM (Riley’s Baby Mama) was his date for all
three of the world-wide premieres for The Keatyn Chronicles trilogy. Although it’s doubtful RBM will be hearing wedding bells soon with this notorious bachelor, the sounds of a wailing child should keep her occupied.

  Speaking of babies, Captive Films’ CLO Dallas MacMahon welcomed a new addition to his family just yesterday. Mama and Baby number FIVE are said to be doing well.

  Excitement surrounds this group. We’re told by a source at the hospital that Dallas was out of town partying with Keatyn, Knox, and Riley when his wife went into labor. After a call that involved a whole lot of yelling, the friends flew home as fast as they could and were helicoptered to the hospital just in time for the birth.

  All I know is this. I am not stepping foot in Captive Films. That pregnancy thing might just be catching.

  Which brings me to my next revelation.

  Hold on to your skirts, ladies. This is big news.

  I believe I may have been wrong. (I know, right? That never happens.)

  But my being wrong leads to a whole lot of right.

  Because this is juicy.

  I have come to the conclusion that Keatyn’s recent breast enhancement may NOT have been the result of plastic surgery.

  I’m going on record. I’m going to be the first to call it.

  Keatyn Douglas is pregnant.

  Upon further inspection of all the photos from the recent Daddy’s Angel event, where Keatyn clung to Knox Daniels all night in a beautiful, tight Herve Leger bandage dress, I realized that I was too focused on her boobs to notice her small baby bump. Check out this side shot. Do you see what I see?

  Let the baby bump frenzy begin!

  Now the question becomes—what kind of baby daddy drama will Keatyn have? Is the father of her child her fiancé, vintner Aiden Arrington, or is it Knox Daniels, her sexy costar, with whom her tangled relationship has burned bright for years?

  Can you even imagine how beautiful a Knox—Keatyn spawn would be?

  With Knox and Keatyn set to be on location together over the next few months, I predict that the two will work out their issues, that Keatyn will break her engagement, and Knox and Jennifer Edwards’ fledgling relationship will fail.