by Jillian Dodd
“Yes.”
“I’ve kissed a lot of boys, but that kiss was memorable.”
“Vanessa, one of the things I’ve always admired about you is your confidence and knowing what you desire and going for it.”
“Having Bam cheat on me and losing the baby, made me lose my confidence.”
“You didn’t lose it. It’s still in you. What you went through has just made you more compassionate. And compassion is not a weakness. When I came back from Europe and was confused about Brooklyn, you gave it to me straight. You told me he just wasn’t into me. I’m going to return the favor. Vanessa, Dawson is into you. Don’t let Bam or anything that may have happened in the past get in the way of what matters.”
“What matters? I’m not sure I even know anymore.”
“It’s all that ever matters. Love. Why are you even hesitating? You love him. You asked him to move in with you. You adore his daughters.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“And while you’re at it, tell Bam to pound some sand up his ass, for me, when you send him back to his yacht.”
She kisses my cheeks, laughing, as she leaves.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16th
Captive Films - Santa Monica
DAWSON
I’m in a bad mood. I haven’t spoken to Vanessa since yesterday morning. I know I was a dick to her, but whatever. She wants to be with Moneybags, I hope she’s happy.
Actually, that’s not true. I hope she’s miserable with him.
“You have a really bitchy and demanding woman calling for you,” Tyler says over the speaker in my office. “I’ve already told her you were busy twice, but I think she’s going to keep calling until you talk to her.”
“Who is it?”
“She says she’s your mother-in-law. Do you have a moment to find out what’s so important?”
“Sure, put her through.” I take a deep breath, pick up the handset, and greet her. “Mrs. Clarke, how are you?”
“Not very well, actually. I just heard that you’re thinking of moving my grandchildren to that wretched place.”
“You mean Los Angeles?”
“Yes, the Land of Make Believe. I won’t allow it.”
“I’m afraid you don’t really have a say in it, Mrs. Clarke. My job is here, and the girls are excited to go to their new school.”
“And just what kind of school is it?”
“It’s a private school very worthy of your grandchildren. You would approve.”
“Were you going to consult me on this?”
“Um, no. I wasn’t.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“As soon as it’s official. They visited the school this week, and we’ve had our interview, but we’ve yet to get a final response as to their acceptance.”
“Ava told me she’s moving. That she’s going to be allowed to wear makeup. What are you thinking? Do you want your daughter to end up on a pole?”
I try really hard not to sigh audibly. It will just get her going more. “No, I’m not. And it’s just clear mascara and some lip gloss. Not a big deal.”
“I’m going to fight the move.”
“And how are you going to do that?”
“I’m going to sue for custody. I have rights as a grandparent.”
“You threatened to do that after Whitney killed herself. You didn’t do it then, and you aren’t going to do it now. You don’t want to have to deal with the girls on a daily basis, and you know it.”
“That’s not true. I only want what’s best for them. There’s no reason you can’t get a job here.”
“I like my job in L.A. and, honestly, I think the change will be good for the girls. A fresh start for all of us.”
“So they can forget about their mother?”
“They are never going to forget about their mother.”
“I don’t know why you can’t just stay here.”
“Because my job is here, and I need to support them. You know, since your son-in-law stole all of my money.”
She ignores my jab. “I assume you will all be here for the fundraiser on Whitney’s birthday?”
“The girls will not be coming to the fundraiser this year. It wasn’t an appropriate event for children. All you did was parade them around.”
“You want them to forget her!”
“No, I don’t!”
“Well, you had better be here!”
“I’m going to try to attend, but I’m not making any promises.”
“Try to attend? No. You will be in attendance along with my granddaughters, and that is final!”
“The girls will definitely not be attending. They will be starting their first week of school.”
“Already? I assumed you would let them finish the semester!”
“I’m afraid not.”
“This is asinine. I won’t allow it. I expect the girls to finish the semester here, attend the fundraiser, and join the Clarke family for the holidays.”
“Not gonna happen, sorry.”
“Then you will be hearing from my attorney. I’m taking you to court.”
“Oh, hey, speaking of court. I heard William had his sentencing.”
“Yes, he got four years in prison.”
“That’s not nearly long enough, but I’m glad to know my testimony helped put him away.”
“You shouldn’t be so hard on him. He has a wife and three children.”
“He stole all our money and your daughter killed herself because of it. You should hope he rots in jail like I do. And if you even think about suing me for custody, I will come to the fundraiser and tell all your friends the truth about why Whitney killed herself.” I slam the phone down, hanging up on the bitch as my brother walks in my office.
“What’s wrong?” he immediately asks. “Are the girls okay?”
“They’re fine.”
“You look upset.”
“Mrs. Clarke just called. Threatened to sue me for custody.”
“Will she?”
“I don’t think so. She is upset because I’m moving the girls to this wretched place and is convinced Ava will end up dancing on a pole because I’m going to let her wear clear lip gloss.”
Riley laughs out loud. “She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is. The Whitney Clarke Memorial Fundraiser is next week. She wanted the girls to go again this year.”
“After last year, you said you wouldn’t let them.”
“I won’t.”
“So are you ready for the board meeting tomorrow?”
“I guess. It sounds like the investors are in for a bit of a shock.”
“They will be surprised, but they’ll be getting a really high return on their investments, so I highly doubt you will hear any complaints.”
“So how did Ariela take the news about Shelby’s pregnancy?”
“She took the news fine.”
“So does that mean things are going well between the two of you?”
“Things are not going anywhere between us.”
“Why not?”
“Get this. She had me read the note she was going to give me on graduation day. It basically said she was going to Princeton, and she hoped we could stay together.”
“What?”
“Exactly. If she really felt that way, why didn’t she let me know? It’s bullshit, and I’m done with her.”
“Riley, are you sure?”
“No, not really, but I’m moving on. With Shelby.”
“Shelby? The baby mama? Why?”
“Hey, you’re one to talk. You married Whitney.”
“You’re thinking of marrying her?!”
“I don’t know, maybe. She’s not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Well, when we were at the premieres, she was maybe not the most classy date I’ve ever had, but I sent her to a personal shopper and to the spa and now she looks amazing. She seems to want to learn more. She didn’t h
ave the best upbringing, and she’s really sweet. Not to mention she’s a hellcat in the bedroom.”
I rub my face and now understand why when I wanted to marry Whitney my family was so upset. They believed I should marry for love. “I know it sounds hypocritical of me, but you should marry for love, Riley.”
“Do you regret marrying Whitney?”
“That’s a difficult question to answer. If I wouldn’t have married Whitney, we wouldn’t have had Harlow.”
“And she’s an amazing little girl.”
“Exactly.”
“If you had a do-over, would you do the same thing? After all you went through?”
“I want to tell you I wouldn’t. That I shouldn’t have married her. That I should have thought of myself. That I should have married for love. And now that I know what that feels like—”
“With Vanessa?”
I nod. “I wish I would’ve married someone I really loved. I want that for you, Riley. For you to be married to the love of your life.”
“I’m not so sure that’s Ariela.”
“Only you know who it is, Riley. I’m just saying, don’t settle. Fight for her if you love her. It sounds like you got mad at Ariela over something that happened more than a decade ago. You’re going to have to let all that go if you’re ever going to be able to move forward with her.”
“Sounds like the advice you should be giving yourself.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I had a call with Vanessa earlier today. She said you won’t talk to her.”
“Did she tell you her ex spent the night?”
“In the guest house. You have no idea how much he hurt her. There’s no way she’d ever take him back.”
“You didn’t see the ruby he gave her.”
“He also proposed.”
“He what? What did she say?”
Riley smirks at me. “She hasn’t given him an answer yet. Sounds like you need to take your own advice, bro, and fight for what you want.”
Shelby’s Bungalow - Sunset Boulevard
SHELBY
After a morning prenatal massage, a blowout and makeup application, and a lovely poolside lunch, I have the hotel driver take me to the sports bar where Marcy works. I purposely dressed in my old clothes so I wouldn’t stand out. If I came in all classy, the people I’m friends with who work here would ask questions. Dressed like this, me sitting at the bar while Marcy works is a normal occurrence. There are two customers eyeing me from the end of the bar. Businessmen, in town for one of the conferences held at the hotel up the street, most likely. I’m wearing a pair of skintight jeans, cheap black booties, and a white T-shirt that shows off the cleavage God blessed me with.
Really, the cleavage is what they are staring at.
Bleach-blonde Shelby would have flirted with them.
The new Shelby will not.
I ignore them and sit down in front of Marcy, who is filling glasses from the tap.
“Hey,” she says, sliding one of the beers in front of me. “What’s up? You decide to slum or is the gig up, and you need a place to stay?”
“I have something for you.” I smile at her and hand her an envelope. She sets it on the wet counter, delivers beer to the men, and then comes back.
“It’s not even my birthday,” she says, ripping the envelope open. When she sees the check, her eyes widen. “Is this a joke?”
“No, I’ve had incredible fortune lately and am living my dream, and I want that for you too. I didn’t have much of a family and being able to send you back to yours would mean a lot to me.”
She runs out from behind the bar and throws her arms around me in an uncustomary show of emotion.
“Oh my God! I’m so excited! My parents will be so happy!”
“And you can do what you love.”
She jumps up and down.
“Is this for real? Will the check bounce?”
“No, it won’t,” I say, holding up my hand to discreetly show off a very large, but very fake engagement ring.
“What is that?” she asks, pulling my hand into the light. “It’s so big it almost doesn’t look real.”
“I know. It’s crazy. The bigger they are, the faker they look. But, trust me, it’s real. We’re getting married!”
“Really? God, you work fast, girl. When is it? I want to come!”
“Oh, I so wish you could,” I lie. “But we’re going to the Maldives. Just the two of us.” I quickly change the subject. “So when will you leave for home?”
“As fast as I can pack my shit up and go. Thank you, Shelby. You’re an amazing friend.”
“You’re welcome, and don't be a stranger. Text me with lots of updates!”
“I absolutely will,” she says sincerely.
The second I leave the bar, I drop my phone on the concrete, causing the glass to shatter.
I carefully pick it up and call Tyler.
“I’m so klutzy. I dropped my phone, and it broke.”
“I’ll order you a new one,” he says.
“Do you think you could get me a new number? Mine is one digit off a pizza place, and I get so many wrong numbers.”
“Sure thing. Anything else you need?”
“No, but I didn’t get a chance to thank you for setting me up with the personal shopper. She was really nice.”
“It was my pleasure,” he says, then ends the call.
I get in the town car, pour myself a glass of complimentary champagne, roll down the window, and chuck the fake ring out.
Then I lean back into the plush seat.
The only person who knows the baby isn’t Riley’s is gone.
Now, I just need to figure out how to manipulate a paternity test.
And get him to put a ring on it for real.
Keatyn & Aiden’s home - Malibu
KEATYN
“That was some birthday party,” Aiden says as we’re getting in the car to head home.
“I feel like I didn’t really get to spend much time with the girls but, then again, this party was more for their friends.”
“And apparently they have a whole lot of them. The place was packed,” Aiden says.
“Well, that’s to be expected. All three girls have such different interests, so you had guests from the music, fashion, and movie industries. Tommy and Mom went a little crazy on their gifts, but it’s their eighteenth birthday, of course they’d do it up big.”
“Most of the night, I was reminiscing about your eighteenth birthday party. Remember how we danced all night long?”
“I wish we could have danced more tonight.”
“Why didn’t you want to?”
“I’m tired, for one, but I also felt kinda old.”
“You’re not old.”
“I know, it’s just that in my head I still feel like I’m eighteen, but when you are at a party with people that age, you realize you’re not really as young as you think.”
Aiden wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. “I’m glad we aren’t that young. I much prefer our life now to our life then.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do.” He tilts his head slightly. “I take that back. We did have a lot of fun. It’s just that I’m really looking forward to what’s next for us—a slower pace, spending more time together, and raising a family.”
“I’m excited too. Did you notice Gracie was dancing with that Dylan kid?”
“He’s in that boy band, right? Isn’t that how you said she got to Eastbrooke’s homecoming? She hitched a ride on their plane?”
“Yeah, which was kind of weird. At homecoming, she seemed all into Baylor Hawthorne.”
“I know his dad. He’s a good kid. But you remember what it’s like to be that age. You like a different person every week.”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“The boy band guy seems a little old for her though.”
“He’s seventeen.”
“And she’s fourteen.”
“She’ll be fifteen in a few weeks.”
“I know, but I just didn’t like where his hands were. I’m surprised Tommy allowed it. I’m not even her dad, and I was ready to go kick his ass.”
“That’s pretty sweet of you,” I tell him. “What are you going to do when it’s your daughter out there?”
“I’ll definitely be kicking some ass. No way is some little punk going to get away with that shit.”
“You danced like that with me when we were in high school,” I tease.
He waves his hand, like whatever. He’s so cute, and I am dying to tell him about the triplets, but now doesn’t feel like the right time. When I tell him, I want it to be special, not when we’re both exhausted after a long day.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going on our honeymoon,” I pout. “How am I supposed to know what to pack?”
“You’re going to be naked the entire time. No need for clothes,” he says, sounding serious.
“Come on, Aiden. Give me a hint. Or at least a rough idea of the climate so I can pack.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, actually. Kym is already at the vineyard, and she’s packing for you.”
“Can’t I at least have a hint?”
He kisses me, which still fills my head with cotton candy, making me forget my question and focus solely on the feel of his lips on mine.
When we get home, a little ball of fur races toward us, barking.
“This dog is a—how you say it—hell raiser?” Marvel says in greeting.
“What did she do now?” Aiden says, laughing, while I cuddle with our new puppy. I still can’t believe Aiden surprised me with her the other night.
“She shredded one of my dishtowels, but then she fell asleep on my lap, and I can’t be angry further. On that note, I bid you bonne nuit.”
The puppy is on our heels as we head into our bedroom suite.
“We need to decide on a name for her,” Aiden says as we’re getting ready for bed.
“I thought you had a list of possible names.”
“I do. I’ve narrowed it down to three and want you to choose.”
“Okay,” I say, snuggling next to him in bed, the dog in between us, licking our faces with its rough little tongue.
