“Yes. We have to go.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your father and I said so.” He said harshly, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door.
“I don’t want to go without Marie!” Lacey whined.
“You can either come with me or stay here all by yourself,” Adam answered coldly.
“But what about school?”
“You’ll go to school in Boston.” He answered, getting annoyed.
“But all my friends are here. I like New York.” She was getting impatient, but Adam couldn't take it any more.
“Marie is never coming back and that’s the end of it. I don’t want to hear another word out of you until we’re at the airport. Got it?” Each word was colder than the next. He didn’t even bother to look at his little girl as he dragged her out the door. Tears streamed down her face as she walked quickly to keep his pace
***
After a short plane ride to Boston, they settled in their old, colonial home. It was quite a change from their New York apartment, but Adam had it constantly renovated so it wouldn’t go out of style. He sighed, sitting on his luxurious, white sofa.
Lacey stood in front of him with a sad look on her face.
“Don’t look at me like that. There was nothing I could do” Adam said sadly – sorry to disappoint Lacey for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
“ Now its time for us to get some rest, it’s been a long day,” He announced as he got up from the sofa and walked towards the bedrooms.
“Okay, daddy” Lacey’s voice sounded hollow before she rolled her carry-on into her room and closed the door. Music sounded from inside. Adam sighed, knowing this was his daughter’s way of telling him that she wanted to be left alone. She got that from her mother.
I just need to forget about her. I don’t need her to take care of my daughter. I can take care of her myself. Adam grumbled to himself as he made his way up the stairs to his own bedroom. He dropped his bags by the door and fell into his bed. It was already approaching midnight and he could definitely use some sleep. Love isn't worth it anyway. He buried his face in his pillow and let sleep carry him away.
As soon as he was asleep, the nightmare began. His mind brought him back to the last night he had ever spent with his wife. They had gone to the club together. There, Adam had been sure that he had seen his wife flirting with another man. He had confronted her about it, dragging her back to the car.
“Adam! I didn’t do anything. I was just dancing.” His wife crossed her arms over her chest, sitting in the passenger seat with an angry look on her face.
Adam started the car, his rugged face locked in a look of rage. “I saw you.” He shouted at her. “I saw you all over him. Don't try to deny it.”
“You can’t keep insulting me! I won’t stand for it. I’m your wife.” Ripping the keys out of his hand, she pushed past the valet and jumped into the car.
“Where do you think you're going?” Adam demanded, ripping at the locked passenger door. “Alexandra!”
She merely shook her head, pealing out as she left him in the parking lot.
He called one of his friends over and demanded that he follow his car. An app on his phone showed him just where to go, and they sped after her, running red lights and cutting cars off at each turn. Rage blinded him as he followed her trail, crisscrossing the city and out into the suburbs.
He was met with police lights when he got close to their home, and he quickly popped some mints to hide the liquor on his breath. His annoyance turned to dread as he recognized the crumpled heap of metal on the side of the road as his own car. He jumped out of the car, pushing past the firemen and trying to catch a glimpse of the scene.
The last thing he remembered before waking in a pool of sweat was a gurney, a body bag. Adam had tried his hardest to wipe that memory from his mind, but now, all he could think about was the pile of crumpled metal, his wife's body in the ambulance, the look on Lacey's face when she heard the news. Every day after that, he had drunken himself into a stupor in a desperate effort to forget her. Their marriage had not been perfect, but he had never wished his wife harm, much less death.
The nightmare repeated itself. The police lights blinded his vision, keeping him from seeing the details. However, this time, as he surveyed the damage, his wife was nowhere to be found. Instead, he saw Marie on the gurney. . “Don’t you love me, Adam? You know, I love you.” He heard those words on repeat, over and over again.
***
A soft rasping sound came from Adam’s door. He groaned, moving his pillow over his head. He had barely gotten a wink of sleep last night. He was exhausted.
“Daddy?” Lacey’s sweet voice floated into the room, as she knocked a little louder. “Daddy… I had a bad dream.” She whined, pressing her body against the door. “Can I come in?” She persisted when her father didn’t answer.
Adam finally got up and opened the door. His little girl stood there, holding her stuffed animal by its long, floppy ears. “What’s the matter, pumpkin?” He asked, squatting down and looking at her with concern in his eyes. The rage he had felt the day before was slowly dissipating. “What happened? Everything alright?” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he rested her head on his shoulders.
“I had a bad dream. I dreamt I’d never see Marie again…” Her voice wavered and her eyes grew big.
“Don’t think that, honey. Marie is fine. Safe and sound in her bed.” Adam tried to reassure her, gently caressing her hair. “I promise.” He pulled her a little closer.
“How do you know? Can we call her?” Lacey looked desperate, tears appearing in the corner of her eyes. “Please. I just want to talk to her.” The little girl blinked, trying her hardest to keep back her tears. Adam’s heart tightened at the sight of his weeping daughter.
“Don’t cry.” His jaw tightened.
“But I miss her…” Lacey buried her face into her father’s chest, now sobbing. Adam froze in place, feeling his daughter’s trembling body against his own. She was right. Marie was a part of their life. He couldn’t just push her away. He had to get her back and reunite the family they had built. He would never live with himself if he allowed her to slip through his fingers.
“C’mon.” He picked up his daughter and walked out of the bedroom.
It took Lacey a moment to look up, but when she did, she noticed her father already packing one of his luggage bags. “What are you doing, daddy?” She wiped her nose with the back of her arm, sniffling as she watched her father frantically gathering some travel essentials.
“We are getting Marie back. She’s part of our family now.”
***
Adam paced around JFK airport with a tense look on his face. He had already called Marie five times, but she never answered. He gritted his teeth and kept pacing back and forth. How was he supposed to find her in a giant city like New York? He racked his mind for answers as Lacey sat down, nervously swinging her legs. He could tell she was just as eager to find Marie as he was.
“Daddy.” She suddenly tugged on his shirt. “Where’s Marie?”
“I don’t know yet, pumpkin, but we’re going to find her. I promise.” Adam patted her head. His heart ached at the sight of his daughter's concern.
He made a call to his assistant, then to his lawyer, tasking them to call every production company in the city. If Marie were anywhere, she would be on stage. He was sure of it. The minutes crawled by at an agonizing pace as he continued to make phone call after phone call, searching for answers. Finally, someone called him back.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Tucker?” It was his lawyer.
“Did you find her?” Adam said urgently.
“Yes. It appears my assistant found her. She’s working as the lead in an off Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire.”
“Where. Tell me now!” Adam demanded, his heart racing with the possibility of finding her.
“The Roosevelt Theatre, nea
r the Market District…” Adam hung up before his lawyer could even finish his sentence. He would have to give him a hefty bonus later on for finding Marie, but right now, he had to go get her before it was too late. Lacey tugged at his arm, awaiting news.
“C’mon Lacey. Let’s go get Marie.”
***
Marie sat in her dressing room, a frown on her face. She felt numb, even here, where she felt the most at home. Try as she might, she couldn't keep her mind off of the events of the last week. She sighed and combed through her hair. “I wonder what he’s doing…” She whispered to herself, looking down at her hands.
Is he thinking of me? Was it all for nothing? Maybe it really was just a job. She sighed, resting her head on her arms. Maybe love really doesn't matter.
“Showtime in fifteen minutes!” The stage manager called.
Marie sighed again and got up. As she did, she was suddenly spun around. A pair of familiar brown eyes looked into hers. Her eyes grew big as she looked at Adam, her heart rampaging. Abruptly, she yanked herself away.
“What are you doing here?” She demanded.
“I came back.” He was breathless, and his eyes sparkled in a way she'd never seen. “You were right. I love you, I was just too afraid to admit it. I didn’t think I was ready for the commitment, but now I know I can’t live without you.” He looked into her eyes, taking a step forward, trying to close the distance between them.
“I heard what you said. That you love me. You can’t lie and tell me you haven’t missed me too. So please, come back to our family.” He pleaded with her, his dark eyes sincere.
Marie hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him again, but as she looked down at Lacey, the girl suddenly lunged forward, hugging her tightly. “Please come home! I miss you! We both miss you!” She pressed her face into the woman’s legs, waiting for an answer. Marie’s lips turned into a smile.
“Only on a few conditions” Marie demanded, and taking Adam by surprise.
“What conditions, Marie?” asked Adam.
“You will wake up on time every morning to have breakfast with Lacey and me. Do you agree?”
“ Yes, I love that condition!” Lacey joined in as she giggled and looked at Marie.
“ Are you serious? Okay, Okay! God” gasped Adam. He hated to wake up early.
“Alright one more. Every evening you’re going to take Lucey and I for ice cream in the park” said Marie pointing at Adam.
“Yes!!!” screamed Lucey with a wide smile that went ear to ear.
“Are you serious? Ice cream every day? That’s not even good for you?” Adam responded candidly.
“ Yes or no, Adam?”
“Okay, Okay it’s a yes! If that keeps both my girls happy” said Adam as he pulled Marie towards him in a tight embrace.
Marie couldn’t stop herself as she leaned forward, her lips coming into contact with Adam’s, letting her emotions fly. Everything seemed to finally fit into place.
“ I love you Marie. I love you so much,” said Adam looking right into Marie’s beautiful eyes and feeling each one of those words from his heart.
Lacey looked up at them. “Does that mean you’re going to live with us again?” Lacey asked, hopeful.
“Yes. Now and forever.”
*****
THE END
BONUS STORY 2 ON NEXT PAGE
2. Quarterback’s Convenient Bride
The ball spun around in the air, twisting and turning. The crowds chanted. Bodies bruised against each other in a crunching struggle for ascendancy. Pinpoints of light flickered throughout the stadium as journalists and fans alike photographed the drama in all its bone crunching, sweat dripping glory.
While the noise of the opposing players shouting, and the crowds screaming was deafening, Claudio felt a calmness inside. In his mind, as he stood on that field, the world melted away. All that mattered was winning the game, and nothing could stop him in his pursuit of that.
He leaped up into the air towards the ball. To Claudio it played out in slow motion, but to the rest of the world it was fast, kinetic, and done in the blink of an eye. With a deft touch, he caught the ball in mid-air, with three opponents around him.
As he landed on the ground, the change began. For most receivers this would have been a dead end. No way to outrun, or outmaneuver that many players to make a touchdown; but Claudio wasn’t any ordinary player, nor was he any ordinary man.
Flashes of his life entered his mind as his feet touched the ground. He saw the city streets he was born to in his home city of Rio De Janeiro. He remembered watching his father come home each day with the weight of the world on his shoulders, doing any job, no matter how menial, to put food on the table for his family. Claudio saw in his mind the day he came home to tell his father that he’d won a scholarship to an American college. How proud his father had seemed, how he’d reveled in his son’s successes. All the pain, all the training, all the years of living in the shadows, now at this moment, with the game finely balanced, he had a chance to make a name for himself and win the division for his team.
As he pushed off with his right foot, holding onto the ball tightly, it began. He felt it deep within his calves and thighs. The tendons and muscles grew within moments, expanding out to create thicker legs underneath his football pants. Though they were hidden, Claudio could feel them as the hairs grew out through the skin, coating his legs in a blanket of black ape-like hairs.
This process was not painful, but exhilarating. The change had occurred, and it was now time for Claudio to show his true nature.
He surged forward at a speed no normal human could muster. His explosive power took his opponents by surprise as they attempted to grab hold of him and stop his momentum. With a subtle feint, he moved out of the way of one large, hulking player who dived towards Claudio; but Claudio was just too fast, his athletic ability matched only by his intellectual prowess - he was just as quick in his mind as he was on the field.
The large figure crashed to the ground as Claudio left him in a sea of dust, grass and soil. The last two players who could have possibly stopped him were running as fast as they could; but no one could keep up with him. Even a world champion runner would have struggled to match Claudio’s speed.
Everything was floating in slow motion, and the outside world, that place of cars and planes and financial worries melted away further into the recesses of Claudio’s mind. This was when he was most free, like an uncaged bird, soaring above and finally unleashed on the world.
Claudio saw the goal line come into view. No one was near him now, and as he neared his goal, he thought of his father again, and of how proud he would be of his son. That was all Claudio wanted in the world. He’d always been given love, but to make his family proud and lift them out of poverty in doing so, that was the dream to which he aspired.
A wave of noise filtered through the air, as Claudio let the outside world back into his awareness. Just for a moment. He wanted to savor this moment, as he knew that it would change his life forever.
The anticipation was palpable. Each feverish stride pounded on the ground as his heart answered in kind. As he crossed the goal line, he slammed the ball onto the ground and looked up, not to the sky, but to where his father was sitting in the stadium.
Thousands cheered Claudio’s name. The final whistle sounded, and the place went wild. His teammates ran to his side and lifted him up on their shoulders. But none of that mattered. There was only one person’s applause that he sought.
As Claudio was carried away through a rain of confetti and to the sound of music, he never took his eyes off of the stand where his family sat. Finally he saw them, his father clapping and on his feet, his grey hair ruffled by a breeze. It was a sight Claudio would never forget, one he would turn to when times were rough.
And so Claudio was happy. Yet dark clouds were brewing ahead, and soon those scenes of joy would be lost in an uncertain cloud of pain, loss, and love.
***
<
br /> Two years had passed almost as quickly as Claudio could run. In that time the New York Giants had snapped him up. They’d been floundering for the previous few years, but Claudio had taken the league by storm, winning them the NFC and a Super Bowl in the process, almost single handedly.
His face was known throughout the USA. Posters adorned walls, books were being written about his rags to riches story, and legions of fans followed his exploits as he was now generally accepted as the world’s greatest competing sports person. It was a great time for Claudio and his family. He had been able to lift his family out of a slum and buy them a fantastic house in a more prosperous area of Rio De Janeiro, even a villa on the outskirts of New York. He had been able to help his brother, Cristiano, not only by buying him and his wife a house also, but having him work as an advisor on his training team.
More than all of that, however, was the pride his father had in his son’s exploits. Wherever he went he wore his son’s team colors it brought him even more joy than it did Claudio.
After Claudio’s first game for the Giants, his father, Maxwell, had said to him: “I wish my father and his father were here to see how you’ve restored our family name. Remember son: above all else wear the name Vega with pride, because family is more important than anything else in life. I’m so proud of you.”
Claudio had carried those words in his heart across two years of playing for the NFL. Yet there was a price to his success, and with the focus and worship of his feats, it was only a matter of time before someone realized he was a mutant. There had been whispers among fans and the other players that Claudio had an unfair advantage, yet no one had been able to prove it.
Claudio was the first case of a high profile person with mutant abilities, and it was getting hard to hide that fact, especially considering the records he was breaking across the league.
***
The hotel room was small, seedy, and cheap. Not the type of place that some of the NFL’s team owners and backers would normally meet; but this was no normal meeting. It was a plot. Wilfred Samuels was the ringleader. A stout, balding man in his 50s, he sat at a small table, the sweat from the summer heat dripping from his double chin. Several other men in suits sat or stood in the room, waiting with anticipation for Wilfred’s suggestion.
Romance: Marriage of Convenience Romance: Billionaire's Inheritance Bride ( Billionaire Bad Boy BBW Romance) Page 6
