by Ali Parker
Chessie nodded her agreement.
Rick made for his office down the hall. “You won’t regret it! Fifteen minutes!”
After he closed his office door, Chessie and I turned to each other. She clasped her hands in front of herself and looked down.
She’s shy when her father isn’t here. We can change that.
I walked over to the mattress and sat down on the edge. “You know,” I said with a conspiratorial tone, “fifteen minutes is just about the right amount of time for you and me to surprise your dad with something I used to do all the time when I was a kid.”
She inched closer to me. “What did you used to do?”
“Well, it was never quite as cool as having a real bed in the middle of my living room, but I used to make forts with spare sheets and blankets.”
“A fort?” she asked excitedly.
I nodded. “Do you know where your father might keep extra linens like blankets and bed sheets?”
“In the hallway closet,” Chessie said.
“Okay,” I said, leaning in close to her. “Let’s make a game plan. First, we get the sheets. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“And then we need lights of some kind.”
“I know where there is a string of Christmas lights.” Chessie inched even closer. Now her hands were clasped under her chin and her eyes were wide with excitement.
“Perfect. After we get the lights, we put up the fort. We’ll probably need to use some kitchen chairs or something. Then we string the lights up inside and make sure we cover the TV so it’s in the fort with us. Sound like a plan?”
Chessie nodded.
“Let’s review. What’s the game plan?”
Chessie bit her bottom lip and concentrated to remember what I’d told her. “Step one, get the blankets. Step two, Christmas lights. Step three, chairs. Step four… put the lights up!”
“And step five,” I said, waggling my eyebrows. “Any guesses?”
She shook her head.
I leaned in close and whispered, “Snacks.”
Chessie giggled and clapped her hands together.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s do this!”
Chessie and I spent the next five minutes running around like goofballs, collecting everything we would need to build our fort. Once it was all out in the living room, I began using chairs to drape blankets over. Some of them I tied sheets to the back of so they stayed in place. The fort turned out pretty good. We made sure to cover the TV so it would be inside the fort with us, and I used the outlet behind the TV set to plug in the Christmas lights. As soon as they turned on, Chessie shimmied across the mattress to lie on her back and gaze up at them, her eyes shimmering with all the colors.
I crawled in beside her and lay on my back. “Cool, huh?”
Chessie nodded.
By the time Rick returned from his call, his daughter and I were giggling up a storm in our fort and throwing gummy candies into each other’s mouths. Neither of us caught a single one. When he poked his head in and climbed inside, Chessie squealed with delight. She climbed into his lap and told him all about how we’d made the fort.
His gaze slid to me and he wore a smile I’d never seen on his handsome face before. “This is pretty epic,” he said. “But there’s one thing missing.”
I frowned. “What’s that?”
“Pizza,” he said.
So within half an hour, we had a piping-hot cheese-and-veggie pizza in our fort. I hadn’t realized how ravenous I was until I took my first bite. Then my stomach grumbled as if begging for more. I obliged the hunger pangs and indulged in two more pieces before slumping back against my fluffed-up pillows to finish watching the first move we’d put in. It was a princess flick, of course. Chessie’s choice.
At quarter to nine, the three of us were lying contently under the sheets and starting our second movie. My eyes felt heavy and I fought to keep them open as Chessie snuggled up close to me. I ran my fingers through her hair while she held my other hand in her tiny fingers. I caught Rick watching us over the top of her head and smiled.
“Thank you for inviting me,” I whispered.
“I think you’ll be welcome at every movie night now,” he said.
If I received another invitation, I wouldn’t say no. I’d say hell yes and I knew exactly what snacks to bring with me should the occasion arise.
I was dozing off when I heard a soft click of a door closing. I frowned and looked at Rick, who hadn’t seemed to hear it. He was mindlessly watching the TV and Chessie had fallen asleep curled up between us.
Seconds after hearing what I thought was a door, the top of our fort was ripped off. The Christmas lights were torn from the wall with a sharp pop. The TV nearly fell off the stand, and Chessie woke startled when one of the chairs toppled over and hit the hard glossy floors, sending a crack through the house.
All three of us looked up.
There, with her hands on her hips, stood Verity.
She wore a scowl on her face of the likes I’d never seen before. She was dressed in a sleek black outfit. Her dark hair was slicked back in a high ponytail and her makeup was dark and smoky. She looked like a bombshell, albeit a mean, heartless one.
“What the fuck is this, Rick?” she spat.
I looked to Rick and Chessie grabbed the front of my sweatshirt. I pulled her in a little closer.
Rick was on his feet in seconds. “Watch your language,” he said.
“You’re lying here getting all cozy with our fucking wedding planner and you want me to worry about my language?”
“Verity,” he barked. “Enough. What are you doing here?”
Verity scoffed.
Chessie let out a nervous little sound.
I hugged her tightly. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” I said. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
Verity’s dark eyes slid to me and narrowed. I glared right back. “Not doing anything wrong?” she hissed. “Are you fucking kidding me, you slut? You’re cuddling with my fiancé!”
I rolled my eyes and sat up. Chessie sat with me and clung to my sweatshirt. I cupped her cheek and gave her a warm smile—which wasn’t easy to achieve when an angry little rabbit was pounding against the inside of my skull, desperate to grab Verity by her stupid fake ponytail, drag her outside, and kick her skinny little ass. Maybe I’d be able to beat some of the entitlement out of her.
Not likely.
“Chessie, I had a wonderful time with you tonight,” I said. “Thank you for letting me stay. But I think I should go. Your dad and Verity have some talking to do.”
Chessie nodded. Her bottom lip trembled.
I put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at me. “Hey, it’ll be okay. You trust me, right?”
She nodded again.
“Good girl,” I said. Then I kissed her forehead, stood up, and moved to the front door to put on my shoes.
Verity followed.
I heard Rick talking to Chessie. He was probably telling her to sit tight and finish watching the movie. Then he followed after Verity, who was lighting me up with accusations.
“You fucking whore,” Verity spat. “I knew I couldn’t trust you. I knew you had an ulterior motive. I knew you wanted Rick for yourself.”
I grabbed my purse and pulled open the front door.
Verity followed me out. Rick yelled at her to stop, but she acted like he wasn’t even there.
She grabbed my elbow and spun me around. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, you bitch!”
I looked at her hand on my elbow. Her nails were long and ruby red. I lifted my gaze and stared evenly back at her. “Take your hand off me.”
Chapter 25
Rick
I nearly tripped over the threshold as I hurried out onto the driveway after Verity and Kim, who was glaring so fiercely at Verity that I could have sworn there was smoke coming out of her nose and steam coming out of her ears.
“Take your hand off me,” Kim spat vehemently.
For a moment, the two women stood there, squaring off like two lionesses ready to come to blows. For a brief reckless second, I thought that might be an interesting thing to witness.
Then I gave my head a shake and came between them. “Let Kim go, Verity.”
Verity’s dark eyes never left Kim, but she released her elbow.
Kim shook her head and rummaged around in her purse to pull out her cell phone.
Meanwhile, Verity stepped in close to her and spat insults. “Of course, I find you here. Precious little Kim. No wonder Rick always wanted me to be nice to you. It’s because he wanted in your pants.” She spun to me and shoved me in the chest. “Did you fuck her, Rick? Hmm? Did you get your cock wet like you’ve been dreaming about for the last year?”
I caught her wrist when she made to shove me again. “Enough, Verity.”
She yanked her hand away and rounded on Kim, who was now on the phone with a taxi company and giving them my address.
Verity reached for Kim’s phone.
Kim pulled back, ended the call, dropped her phone in her purse, and moved in on Verity so quickly I didn’t even have time to blink. She pointed an accusing finger in the face of the woman I thought I wanted to marry.
“Listen,” Kim hissed. “I never came around here to steal your man. I was here to cater to every single one of your self-involved, entitled, vain, petty requests. And I did so without ever batting an eyelash because my only role was to give you the wedding of your dreams.”
“Get your hand out of my face you—”
“And,” Kim continued, dropping her hand to press her finger into Verity’s chest and push her back a step. “Lo and behold, you’re the coward who runs off with her tail tucked between her legs when said wedding day finally arrives. You leave Rick standing at the altar, wondering what the fuck went wrong, while all of your guests stared up at him thinking the same thing. After they flew from every corner of the world to celebrate with you, you left them high and dry because nobody means a damn thing to you, Verity. You’re selfish and mean. You’re a bully. You have a shitty, hideous personality, and if you ask me, Rick came out on the winning side of this mess because he doesn’t have to wake up every day for the rest of his life to your chameleon smile or blow all of his money fixing your lips and your tits and your hair. No amount of money will fix how wicked you are, Verity. No amount.”
I stood there like a fool with my mouth hanging open in the silence that followed Kim’s beratement of Verity.
Verity stood in stony silence too. When she finally found her voice, it lacked the confidence she had when she’d first stormed after Kim. “How dare you speak to me that way?”
“How dare I?” Kim hissed. “How dare you? You never cared about Rick. Or Chessie. You cared about having your face on magazine covers. You cared about ensuring your bank account was always full so you could buy all the designer shoes and handbags your shriveled little heart could ever desire. You cared about fancy dinner parties and what everyone else on the outside thought about you. Well, let me make one thing perfectly clear, Verity.” Kim moved in close. I could have sworn her eyes flashed red. “Nobody is talking about how much they love your closet or your fake tits. All they’re talking about is what they gain from knowing you. Just like you did with Rick. Because any person who can stand your company is as self-involved as you are. Go back to your daddy in the Bahamas, little girl. Maybe he can still love you for what you are.”
Oh snap.
Verity stomped her foot and let out a shriek of rage when Kim turned her back on her.
I stood in paralyzed silence for a second before hurrying after Kim and catching up with her. “Fuck, Kim. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“This isn’t your fault. Don’t apologize for her.”
“Please. Let me drive you. You don’t have to take a cab.”
Kim shook her head and stopped when she reached the end of the drive. “No. You have things you need to work out with Verity. And I suggest you get crystal clear with her about what you want going forward. Otherwise, she’s going to cling to you for dear life and make you wish you were dead.”
Was Kim angry with me? Did she feel threatened now that Verity was back?
I shook my head. Kim wasn’t insecure like that.
Kim took a deep steadying breath. “Besides, you need to stay here with Chessie. This scared her, Rick.”
I hung my head. “I know.”
Kim put her hand lightly on my chest and peered up into my face. “I’m fine. And Chessie will be fine too. Just figure your shit out with Satan’s spawn over there. Okay?”
She let her hand fall from my chest and walked off down the sidewalk, clearly wanting nothing more than to be away from my psychotic fiancée.
Ex-fiancée.
As of right fucking now.
I turned and marched back up the drive and met Verity by my car. She was furious. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were glassy.
“I don’t want to see any crocodile tears,” I told her. “You started this. Kim had no choice but to set you straight.”
“Set me straight? Rick, she went after me! She attacked me!”
“No,” I said firmly. “You attacked her. And you finally went after someone who wasn’t afraid of you, and now you don’t know how to handle that.”
“Whose fucking side are you on?”
I almost said nobody’s. Then I regrouped.
“I’m on my own goddamn side, Verity. I made a mistake when I asked you to marry me. So I owe you my gratitude.”
She blinked. “Gratitude?”
“For walking out on me at the wedding. Come on, Verity. How long would we have been happy together if we actually got married? A month? Maybe two? Then you would have found a way to make us implode and I’d be left standing in the rubble. Just like last time.”
“I’m not your ex-wife,” Verity growled.
“No, you’re not. You’re my ex-fiancée.” I held out my hand. “Give me the ring back.”
She pulled her left hand against her chest. “Rick, please. Let’s talk about this. I made a mistake. I got scared and I ran and I didn’t know what I was doing. But now that I’ve had time to think, I know what I want.” She stepped toward me. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. You’re my better half. You’re the man—”
“Stop.”
“Please!”
I shook my head. “No. We’re done. I can’t forgive you for what you did. Or trust you. I feel guilty enough for having exposed Chessie to this shit. I won’t do it again. I want your stuff out of my house by the end of the month. Send whoever you want to come move it out or come yourself. If it’s not gone by the first of March, I’ll move it out myself.”
“And where would you put it?” she asked. “In storage?”
“In a donation bin,” I growled.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I can give you less time, if you prefer.”
Verity’s face screwed up with rage. “You’re a fucking asshole, Rick. You know that?”
“Maybe. But at least I’m not going to be a miserable asshole married to you.”
Verity ripped her engagement ring off and threw it at me. It bounced off my chest and rolled three feet down the driveway before rolling up against the grassy edge and coming to a stop. She spun on her heel and stormed off. She wobbled a bit on her six-inch stilettos as she made her way to the black luxury car parked at the curb. She opened the back door and turned to look back at me.
“You’re going to wish you never lost me, Rick,” she called. “It doesn’t get better than this for you.”
“It got better for me the moment you left The Plumeria.”
Her shriek was shrill and furious—the sort of sound a provoked female villain might make in a child’s movie. Then she got in the car, slammed the door, and the driver pulled away.
I let out a shaky breath. “Jesus.”
Guilt crawled around in my gut as I walked over to pick up the ring and th
en turned back to the house and tried to think of the best way to explain this to Chessie so she would understand that this wasn’t right and that I was sorry. Parents made mistakes all the time but this was the biggest one I’d made in a while.
I owed her an earnest apology and a promise that I would never let someone like Verity get close to us again.
It was a promise I owed to myself as much as I did to my daughter.
Chapter 26
Kimberly
“What a fucking cow,” I grumbled as rain started pattering on the windshield and roof of the yellow taxi.
The driver, a middle-aged woman wearing floral-printed leggings and a knit purple sweater, cast a glance over her shoulder at me as we stopped at a red light. “Did you say something, dear?”
“Sorry. Talking to myself. Had a bit of an argument with someone before I got in your car.”
“Did you win?”
I caught her eye in the rearview mirror and couldn’t tell if she was smiling or not. I shrugged one shoulder. “I think so.”
“Good.”
I smiled and pulled my phone out of my purse. It would have been nice to see a text message from Rick, but there was no such text. Then again, I’d only been gone for fifteen minutes. He and Verity had a lot of shit to sort through and I doubted they’d get through it all in such as short amount of time.
I was going to have to wait.
In hindsight, I probably should have still been waiting. I never should have been at his place. I never should have had sex with him—eleven times.
Maybe I am a whore, I thought with a sharp pang of guilt.
Had I crossed lines? Had I made a mistake and moved too quickly with him? What if he took Verity back? What if he realized he didn’t want to throw away everything they had together—regardless of whether that everything was really just insane codependences—and he wanted to try again?
“You look like you’re in your own head,” the driver said.
