by Naomi West
The cameras zoomed in on the TV and the Domianos’ horrified expressions with glee. This wasn’t the engagement episode they had been hoping for, but they would still get something worth putting on TV.
Felice ignored the sudden uproar around her, her eyes locked on the screen.
In a horrified second, she realized her mistake. “What Clay has done is even worse than Pierce, and I was going to let him raise my child.” Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring the footage before her. “I never should have let him into my life or my house. I never should have left Pierce behind.”
The front door opened and slammed shut. Felice barely heard it over the sound of Dolores panicking and the sound of her own heart breaking into pieces. “What have I done?”
Breathing heavily, Clay tumbled into the living room, his pale face red from exertion. “Babe, you won’t believe what’s going on.”
Felice glanced at him and snorted indelicately. “I might believe it.” She pointed to the screen. “Tax evasion? Embezzling money? Drugs? All of this is true, isn’t it? This is how you made your greasy money?”
“I didn’t hear you complaining when I spent that money on you, Felice,” Clay snapped, his eyes on fire. “But come on, Babe. We’re going to have to make a run for it. Get out of the US government’s reach.”
Felice laughed. “Like I’d go anywhere with you now. Slimeball.”
Clay slapped her across the face, his eyes burning with hate. “So you can go back to your biker asshole? I don’t think so. You’re coming with me.” He grabbed onto her arm so hard Felice was sure she would have bruises.
Balling up her fist, Felice pulled back as hard as she could, punching Clay in the nose with all of her might. Blood spurted from his nostrils, and his head snapped back. Clay yelled out, releasing her arm as Felice scampered back away from him. She knew the cameras were still running, but she ran back to her fireplace and grabbed the fire poker off of the stand, holding it out like a sword in front of her. “Touch me again and I’ll brain you, you stupid douchebag. I don’t want you. No one wants you. You’re just a slimy asshole who can’t see past his own sense of entitlement. So get the hell out of my house. Now.”
Clay touched his face, seemingly shocked at the blood spilling from his nose. Tears streamed from his eyes as he turned them on Felice. “You broke my nose!”
“And next I’m calling the police to tell them where you are! Get out of my house!”
Sirens pulled up the road, screeching and loud, pulling into Felice’s driveway. Clay, looking panicked, stood up, his face full of rage. “This is your fault, you dumb bitch,” he screamed, blood still pouring down his face. “If I go to jail, it will be your fault!”
Felice laughed in his face, bitter and angry. “If you go to jail, it’ll be your own damned fault for all of the illegal stuff you did, Clay. None of it will be my fault.”
The police charged into the house, a thunder of boots on through her normally quiet kitchen. One of them men leapt forward, slamming hard into Clay’s knees and instantly bringing him to the floor. Dolores screamed and Matt dove out of the way and to the couch, not wanting to be caught in the line of fire if Clay tried to flee.
Felice dropped the poker. It clattered loudly to the floor as the police officers swarmed her home. She stared at the police and at Clay with dead eyes. She was exhausted; she felt like she hadn’t slept in a week. Cradling her stomach with her left hand, Felice watched as the police dragged Clay out of her house, kicking and screaming, his curses finally quieting as they shoved him in the back of car.
“This is amazing!” one of the producers gushed, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Nothing makes better TV, Felice!”
“Thank you for your concern; my life has just been ruined on camera, but at least you’re happy,” Felice snapped, her face a mask of rage. Tears poured down her face as she turned on the producers. “You people are the worst, and I want you out of my house. Now.”
There was something icy in her voice that made all of the crew fall silent. They packed up their electronics and cameras and lights and left, leaving Felice alone with her regrets.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Felice
“I almost made the worst decision of my life.” Felice stared out of the window, watching as the city streamed by. It hadn’t been long since she’d left Boston, but it felt a little like a homecoming. Some of the best days of her life had been in this place, discovering a whole other world she hadn’t known existed with Pierce. Memories of those beautiful moments filled her mind, blocking out the sounds and sights around her.
Memories of making love to Pierce on the campground, riding his motorcycle through the fall leaves, and meeting his people. These moments that she’d kept close to her heart this whole time. Sighing, Felice glanced out of the window again, noticing those pretty, fire-colored leaves had all tumbled to the ground, leaving the trees naked and empty. They looked like they were reaching for the sun with their empty branches, begging for the spring to come back again.
She wondered if Pierce still wanted her. It had been months since he’d even bothered to reply to any of her texts. Even if he still loved her, she did leave him for Clay.
Taking a deep breath, Felice ran her hands over her swelling belly, feeling the warmth of her son deep inside of her body. He was too small to feel just yet. But she knew he would soon be big enough to feel kicking around in there. And Felice wanted Pierce to be around when he did. “Even if — Even if he doesn’t want me, he should at least be part of his son’s life.”
Jenny sat next to Felice in the rental, driving like Felice was an antique glass sculpture that would shatter at a touch rather than simply a lady carrying a baby. Her concern was touching, if a little excessive; Felice was just happy that Jennifer was around to show her where the garage was. She needed the moral support now more than anything.
“It’s going to be fine; he still loves you, I promise.” Jennifer patted Felice’s leg gently, her wrists jangling with a massive assortment of bangles. The sun was beginning to set over the road and the sky turned a deep, rich orange sherbet and wine color, but Jennifer was still wearing her sunglasses.
Felice’s mouth dried up as Jennifer slowed to a halt outside of a big, warehouse looking building. There was a sign on the outside that looked like handmade graffiti that read “the Millennium Mayhem Bike and Car Repairs.” The parking lot was all gravel, which Felice nearly groaned at. Her shoes were not going to like this trek.
“Too bad for the shoes I care more about Pierce.”
Heart racing, pounding against her ribs, Felice stared at the building. Her eyes were too wide, her fingers shaking as she stared at the metal gray siding of the warehouse. “Pierce is inside of this building, right now.”
Feeling a little dizzy, Felice opened the car door and stood up, feeling the icy-cold Boston air steal away all of her heat. It didn’t seem to matter how sensibly she dressed for the weather here, it was never warm enough.
Footsteps on the gravel made crunching noises that woke Felice out of her trance. The camera crew spilled out of the van that had followed them all the way up there, quickly double-checking their equipment before giving Felice the sign to go ahead.
But she wasn’t ready to go ahead.
The thought of rushing into the garage and shouting Pierce’s name for the TV cameras made Felice a little ill, but this was her contract. They needed a pretty ending to the season. Since there weren’t going to be wedding bells between her and Clay, she felt she owed them something to close off the final episode with. She’d given them a pretty, tear-filled love confession they would most likely cut into this one. It felt a little bit violating, always having the cameras there for her most vulnerable moments. But it was too late to regret that now.
Right now, she had to focus on Pierce and herself and the child that would be theirs.
Holding her hands protectively over her stomach, Felice stared up at the imposing building, and took a long, deep b
reath.
# # #
Pierce
Piece stopped breathing when he looked outside to see what all of the commotion was about. All of his boys stood around him, pressing closer to the glass, their fingerprints turning to rainbows as the lights from outside shown through them. Every detail of that moment, from the icy cold glass under his fingers to the warm feeling spreading through his chest seemed important. Every little thing about this second was some of the most important of his life.
Because somehow, Felice Domiano, wrapped up in a massive pile of winter coats and scarves, was standing in front of his store. Lights glittered off of the silver embroidery on her solid white jacket. Her heels sunk into the gravel as she wobbled across the parking lot from the car, her face wary but determined.
She posed herself in front of the well-lit storefront, and it took a moment for Pierce to realize why. The cameras. They surrounded her like sharks smelling blood in the water. The lighting must have been particularly good where she stood.
Pierce’s heart turned to ice, the blood draining from his face. “Of course she would bring cameras. This is some kind of publicity thing for her. I guess it’s best to just go out there and find out what the hell she wants so I can go back to my life. I’m so fucking tired of these cameras. I don’t know how her family stands them.”
Taking a deep breath, Pierce braced himself. Then he pushed the door open.
A flood of light passed over him as he pushed past the threshold, the cold air instantly pulling all of the heat from his body as he stepped out into the cold. Felice was there, her beautiful body posed in the gravel, her liquid green eyes watching him like a hawk would her prey. Pierce could feel a lump form in his throat that he wasn’t quite sure he could speak around. But he needed to try.
“What are you doing here, Felice?” Pierce gestured to the cameras which seemed to all be rolling, pointing at him expectantly. “Did you bring the crew along to make me look like the bad guy again? Because I’m tired of playing the lawless loser for you.”
No matter what Jennifer said about Felice being miserable with Clay, it couldn’t have been true. She didn’t look miserable, standing in the center of the circle of light in the parking lot. In fact, she looked perfect, poised. Just as she always had. Her green eyes were as hard as emeralds as she stared at him, her breath puffing in the cold December air. “Felice hadn’t even said a damned thing when I sent the bassinet to her. Not a single damned word.”
Heart as hard as ice, Pierce stared the woman who had come two thousand, seven hundred miles for some kind of publicity stunt.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Pierce waited for an answer.
Felice seemed to be frozen where she stood, her feet stuck to the ground. Her face was empty of any emotion as she stared at him, her mouth moving but no words coming out. Suddenly, tears spilled down her beautiful face. A sob spilled out of her throat and she took one, wobbly step forward.
She ran to him as quickly as a woman in heels could ever run on gravel, her words completely incoherent through her sobs.
His heart twisting, Pierce caught Felice as she nearly stumbled into him. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close, the scent of her filling up his senses. It was like heaven to have her arms around him again, and in that moment, the cameras, the shop, and his boys all disappeared in the warmth of her embrace.
“I love you, Pierce,” she whispered, her voice so quiet, he almost couldn’t hear her over the thundering in his blood. Taking a step back, Felice looked up at him, her green eyes so much brighter with tears in them. She seemed to be searching his face for something. “I never should have left you. Clay isn’t who my baby needs to raise him; he needs his father. His real father. I was so stupid to leave you.”
Felice glanced to the side, fresh tears spilling over her long, black lashes and down her beautiful face. “I made the biggest mistake of my life when I went back to him. I — I would — I want you to come back to me. No matter what that means.” She swallowed hard, her eyes coming to rest on his face again. “Please.”
Pierce, caught up in the beauty of Felice’s face, opened and closed his mouth several times. He seemed unable to answer. The blood rushed hot through his veins, his heart thundering back to life like someone had started up a bike’s engine. Emotion filled up his throat, blocking off anything he might have said.
Felice’s eyes searched his face for some hint of the emotions that had him all tangled up, but Pierce wasn’t even sure he knew how he was feeling. Every cell in his body seemed to be reaching out to Felice, wanting to wrap her in his arms. But she’d left him.
And then owned up to her mistake.
So Pierce did the only thing he could do: wrap his arms tightly around her most precious body, and pray she understood the words he couldn’t seem to say.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Felice
Tears spilling down her face, Felice wrapped her arms tighter around Pierce. She never should have left this embrace. Everything about it felt perfect, like two puzzle pieces coming together to form a whole. Ever since Pierce and Felice had been separated, something had felt like it was missing from her life. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it. But now, with him so close, it was nearly impossible to deny her mistake at leaving him in the first place. No, this is where she belonged. This is where their child belonged.
Smiling, Felice snuggled a little closer, ignoring the audience to their private moment. She was used to having an audience. Every single camera in the world couldn’t ruin this moment. Nothing could.
But Felice was wrong. Something could ruin it. And Clay Patterson was going to try his hardest to do so.
The sound of a car driving too fast on gravel tore through the parking lot, followed by the unmistakable sound the skittering of tires. A car door opened and slammed closed, pulling Felice out of Pierce’s arms to investigate who could be pulling into the shop like a madman.
She instantly regretted looking.
“Felice!” Clay shouted, his voice thick with something crazy. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Leaving your ass behind like she should have done a long time ago,” Jennifer snapped. Felice’s heart dropped down into her toes, her whole body shivering in the freezing cold weather. “Hey, you!” she said, pointing to one of Pierce’s boys. “Go call the damned police. Please.” The kid looked shocked for a second, then disappeared back into the building.
Clay’s pale skin was red with rage, his red hair looking like his scalp was on fire from his rage. A blood vessel popped out on his forehead as he took another step towards Felice and Pierce. “You stupid bitch! How dare you break up with me? After I supported you through this embarrassing pregnancy because biker dude couldn’t step up? You have got to be kidding me.”
Felice could feel her own anger rising in her blood and her eyes narrowed more with every word. Spinning on her heel, she stood beside Pierce, who loomed over her like a protector. “You supported me? By what? Sleeping with the whole world? Making a fool of me by getting arrested on national television? How did you get out anyway?”
Several of Pierce’s boys had come out of the garage and stood behind them. They were all pretty threatening individually, and together, they should have sent Clay running back to his car with his tail between his legs. But he had lost it by then and seemed to see nothing but Felice.
He sneered at her. “I posted bail and walked out of the jail.”
Jennifer snorted. “You’re breaking the law by being out of the state aren’t you?”
Clay’s face got impossibly redder as Felice watched. Pierce’s muscles seemed to tense a little more with every crazy sentence out of Clay’s stupid mouth. “Who cares? I thought you liked bad boys, Felice? Come, don’t you find me hot now, just like your pet inmate?”
Felice’s eyes darkened with rage. “Shut up, Clay, and go back home before they miss you and throw you in jail forever. Not that wouldn’t make me happy; you have li
terally ruined the last year of my life.”
“I ruined your life?” Clay screamed, his voice cracking as he nearly started foaming at the mouth. “You think I ruined your life? Don’t you think you have biker boy to blame for ruining your fucking life when he knocked you up?”
Pressing her hands protectively to the precious life inside of her belly, Felice took a step back, staggering back from the barrage.
But Jennifer stepped forward. “You stupid cow, of course not. You’re the one who made her miserable. You’re the one cheated, who lied to me to get me to cheat with you. You’re the one who stole all of that money and made a fool of yourself. You’re the one that ruined your chances with Felice by being a selfish prick. Felice only stuck by you because she thought you would be a good father to her kid, no matter how you treated her. She thought you had integrity. Obviously she was wrong, because you’re just a piece of trash.”
