The Right Bride: Book Three: The Hunted Series

by Jennifer Ryan

  Emma pulled off the cover from the large painting, nearly as big as her. When she saw the painting, she squealed, “It’s our tea party!”

  Marti smiled at the little girl and tried to ignore the flashbulbs going off from all the photographers.

  “Yes it is, sweetheart. Now you’ll always remember our special night.”

  The press went wild over the painting. It showed Marti and Emma sitting on top of a dining room table under a brightly lit crystal chandelier. On the table with them were an elaborate tea set and a plate of cookies. The two looked like princesses in their gold dresses and jeweled crowns. They appeared in the painting as they did tonight.

  “Everyone, Martina has another surprise for Emma.” Jenna took the two books being held by the security guard behind her.

  “Martina has written two new books, which won’t be available to the public for several months. The books feature Emma.”

  Jenna had Emma hold the books in front of her for the press to snap more photos.

  Shelly couldn’t believe all the attention Marti was getting. This was Cameron’s charity benefit and he was just sitting there watching. No one paid any attention to them. Jenna had taken over and turned the whole event into a worship-Marti fest.

  “I can’t believe Jenna is letting Marti push her books here tonight.”

  Jack wasn’t going to let Shelly get away with being rude. “If you’d shut up, you’ll see this has nothing to do with publicity for Marti and everything to do with Emma and this charity benefit.”

  “Martina has two advanced copies of the books available for all of you to bid on in the auction. The special edition books will be a limited release. Emma has the first copies, and copies two and three will be in the auction.”

  A cheer went up from the children and many of the parents.

  Jenna was going to take the books back from Emma, but she wouldn’t let them go. Jenna anticipated her desire to hold onto them and signaled the guard to stay with Emma.

  “Martina has also brought along autographed books from the Tina’s Travels series for all of the children here tonight.”

  Jenna waited for all the kids to stop cheering again.

  “She’s also donated five hundred copies to the Emma Shaw Foundation to be given to the children’s hospital.”

  Everyone applauded and Sam helped Marti over to where many of the children waited. She stood talking with them and handing out books to each child with a smile and special word to each of them.

  Emma jumped off the chair and ran to Elizabeth with her books. Elizabeth brought Emma back to the table where Cameron sat with Shelly looking perplexed.

  “Daddy, look. She put me in the books.”

  Emma stood next to her father and showed him the covers.

  Cameron read the title, “Tina and Emma’s Pirate Adventure.” The cover showed a picture of Marti’s ship with Marti and Emma standing on deck. The other book’s title was Tina and Emma’s Princess Party. The book cover showed Marti and Emma sitting atop a table having a tea party. The pictures of Marti weren’t an exact likeness, but more a likeness of her as a child Emma’s age. Cameron was surprised, and so very happy for Emma. Marti was an amazing artist and author. He’d read all of her books to Emma and he enjoyed all of the stories himself. It was a pleasure to go on an adventure in the Tina’s Travels books with Emma each night.

  “Those books are very special, Emma. Marti loves you very much. Isn’t it amazing, you’re in a book?”

  “It’s so cool.”

  “It sure is, Emma. May I see the books?” Shelly asked.

  “No. You can’t have my things.” Emma ran to Jack and hid behind him.

  Jack grabbed Emma and sat her on his lap. He held her in his arms. “It’s all right, sweetheart. You don’t have to let her see them. They belong to you and you can do whatever you want with them.”

  “She needs to learn how to share,” Shelly said.

  “You take things that aren’t yours.” Emma buried her head in Jack’s tuxedo jacket.

  “Emma, honey, what’s the matter with you? Shelly won’t take the books. She just wants to see them.”

  Emma didn’t answer. She looked at her aunt instead. “Aunt Elizabeth, can I stay with you tonight?”

  “Sure, sweetie. I’ll take you home with me and Uncle Sam can read your books to you and Grace, if she’s still awake when we get home.”

  Cameron looked at Elizabeth. “The wedding is tomorrow. I want her at home with me.”

  “She doesn’t want to go home with you. I’m taking her home with me.” Elizabeth didn’t care what Cameron said. After what Emma had told them about Shelly and her threatening Emma if she told Cameron what happened with Marti, she wasn’t about to let Emma be alone with Shelly. If Cameron was smart, he’d fix things with Marti and get rid of Shelly by tomorrow.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  * * *

  CAMERON SAT AND watched Marti for an hour. She talked to all the children and everyone else who came up to her. The entire time, Sam stood beside her, holding onto her. No one seemed to notice he was holding her up. Cameron watched closely, noticing as time went on Sam took up more and more of her weight, until Elizabeth brought her a stool.

  He wanted to get close to her, talk to her. The constant crowd around her kept him away and he didn’t think he’d ever get the chance. He had no idea what he’d say, but the one thing he knew for sure, she’d been right. He had no idea who she really is.

  “Emma, would you like to show me your painting. I’d really like to see it up close.”

  Emma jumped off Jack’s lap and came to him.

  Shelly stood to go with them, but Tyler grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat.

  “Hey.”

  “Sit down. Let Emma have some time with her dad. This is her night,” Tyler said.

  “I’m going to be Cameron’s wife tomorrow. I’ll be going to events like this with him in the future. I want to be by his side.”

  “You want everyone to see you by his side. If I were you, I’d be worried about whether the wedding is actually going to happen. Marti has another surprise for Cameron tonight, and it just might change everything,” Jack warned.

  Cameron studied the painting, amazed at how well she’d captured the moment in such detail. Emma looked so real in the painting he felt as if he could lean over and kiss her. The same was true of Marti. The table was set exactly as it had been that night. He remembered taking a picture for Marti and realized she’d wanted it to paint the painting.

  Every painting had a brass plaque on the frame. They all said: MARTINA BY SOFIA FAIRCHILD.

  Emma’s painting’s plaque read:

  MARTINA AND EMMA

  “PRINCESS PARTY”

  ARTIST: MARTINA FAIRCHILD

  OWNER: EMMA SHAW

  He picked up Emma and turned to go over to see Marti, but she was gone. He looked around and found Sam, alone, heading back his way from the side doors.

  “Mr. Shaw? Do you know who I am?”

  Cameron turned to the older gentleman and remembered him. “You’re Anthony Fairchild. Marti’s uncle.”

  “She asked me to give you this.” Anthony handed over an envelope Martina had entrusted to him.

  “You must be Emma. I’ve heard a lot about you over the last few days. Martina loves you very much. You are an amazing little girl. I owe you a big thank you.”

  “How come?” Emma asked, a soft smile on her pretty face.

  “Until today, Martina has never shown anyone one of her paintings. She used to paint with my mother, but she never showed them to anyone. She’s as great as my mother ever was, and it shows. Thank you. Because of you, I finally got to see one of my niece’s masterpieces.

  “You know, Cameron, she doesn’t do anything to draw attention to herself. She hides the Fairchild name as often as she can because she believes she should stand on her own merits. It used to make me angry. Now I see she brings honor to the Fairchild name because she doe
sn’t use it to get what she wants.

  “My mother used to say she was unique. I thought it was just a grandmother doting on her granddaughter. I was wrong. Martina is one in infinity.

  “You had her for a moment, but you lost her because you didn’t believe in her. I almost made the same mistake.

  “Now, instead of looking at her and only seeing the Fairchild name, I see her for the woman she is. You saw her for the woman she is and that wasn’t enough for you. It’s not often a man gives up such a treasure. I’m sure it won’t be long before another man discovers what a prize she truly is.” He paused before adding, “Have a nice evening.

  “Emma, it was a true pleasure to meet you. Marti was right. You are a princess. If that painting didn’t belong to you, I’d buy it, whatever the cost.”

  Emma smiled hugely. “I’m going to hang it in my princess room.”

  “Excellent idea. Marti told me she painted it for you. You’re a very lucky girl.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  * * *

  CAMERON SAT AT their table, staring at the envelope from Marti afraid to open it.

  “Just open it, Cameron. It’s not going to bite you,” Jenna teased, though it didn’t hold a lot of amusement.

  “What’s in the envelope? Who gave it to you?” Shelly asked, confused as ever by everyone’s odd behavior.

  Emma went back to giving him the silent treatment, watching Shelly like a hawk from Sam’s lap.

  “It’s from Marti.” Cameron held the envelope, stared at his name scrawled in Marti’s flowing script, unable to make himself open it. He didn’t want it to be goodbye, anything but that. He’d been hard on her in the hospital. He hadn’t slept much since. All he thought about was their baby. He didn’t even know if Marti had been upset by the loss. She looked okay tonight. She was in public though, so he couldn’t tell if she was in pain or grieving for their child. Worse, he didn’t know if she wasn’t grieving their child.

  That wasn’t the worst. He hadn’t even talked to her about it. He’d yelled at her. She loved him. She must have been devastated to lose their baby, and he hadn’t been there for her, hadn’t sought his own comfort in her arms over their shared loss.

  He felt like his brain was in some kind of whirlwind with his thoughts spinning around. He didn’t know what was right or wrong.

  Everyone kept telling him to see Marti for who she was. She would be devastated if she lost the baby. He knew that for sure. He needed to get to her and talk to her. If she was feeling as bad as he was, she needed him as much as he needed her.

  He knows her. She loves him and Emma. She keeps her promises, never lies. He put her through hell by choosing to be with Shelly because of the baby, and not because he loved Shelly over Marti.

  He wanted the baby. He didn’t want Shelly. He wanted Marti.

  “Who cares what she has to say. She tried to hurt me. Tomorrow, when we’re married, she won’t be able to come between us ever again. She’ll realize you belong to me.”

  Cameron winced. The only people he belonged to, heart and soul, were Emma and Marti. The only thing he wanted from Shelly was his baby, if there was a baby. He wasn’t so sure anymore, he hadn’t been for a while, but hated to admit to such a colossal mistake. Pride be damned, he needed some straight answers.

  He looked around the table at his friends, who he considered his family. Emma called them aunt and uncle. They told it like it is. They’d kicked him out of Marti’s hospital room and Sam and Jack had punched him. They considered him their brother, and yet they’d taken Marti’s side after the whole stairs incident. Why would they side with her over him?

  “Okay. Enough of all this crap. Tell me what you know, and I keep missing.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Jenna said.

  “You’re stupid,” Jack said.

  “You’re an asshole,” Sam said while he covered Emma’s ears.

  Elizabeth offered up something less irritating. “You’re engaged to the wrong person.”

  That was the only thing that made sense to him. Yeah, he was being an idiot and stupid for not sorting this mess out sooner. He could even admit he’d been an asshole to them and to Marti. He’d finally had enough. He wanted his life back in order. He wanted his daughter to smile again. He wanted to stop living with this all-encompassing grief over losing George and his baby in a matter of weeks. He couldn’t think straight anymore.

  “Tell me the truth.”

  “We just did,” Sam said and smiled. “You want the truth about Marti? We’ll tell you, even though you already know. Shelly’s confused you over the last two months by feeding you lies. You believed the lies and refused to accept the truth. The truth is simple. Marti loves you. She isn’t a liar.

  “It’s also interesting to note Shelly claims Marti fell forward down the stairs. She doesn’t have a single mark on the front of her, but her back looks like a set of stairs hit her.”

  “Those are the marks on her back. You pulled down her wrap when her back was to me, so I’d see the bruises across her shoulders.” They were the perfect image of where she must have hit the stair ledge when she’d fallen.

  “I made sure you saw her back. You were so busy telling her what you thought you knew in the hospital, you never even asked her what happened. You weren’t even concerned about her well-being. You left her in the hospital hurting and thinking you don’t love her, when she hasn’t done anything wrong. You left her on the goddamn stairs,” Sam snapped. “Open the damn envelope. If you don’t sort this out now, I’ll pound it into you with my fists.”

  “This is outrageous,” Shelly complained. “I’m carrying Cameron’s baby. We’re getting married tomorrow. She tried to kill me to stop me from marrying you.”

  Sam glared, his eyes cold as steel. “Wrong on all counts.”

  Cameron studied Sam and considered everything he’d said. He wouldn’t do this just to hurt him. He meant what he said. They all felt the way Sam did. How could he have been so wrong about everything?

  He opened the envelope and pulled out the note.

  Cameron,

  You know my last name. You know what I do for a living. You know I love you and Emma. I never lied to you. I never tried to hurt Shelly. I was protecting Emma.

  I didn’t lose our baby.

  Now, you know everything.

  You told me the morning we first made love, you’d spent the night holding the world in your arms. I took a piece of that world with me, and I’ll forever be grateful. If I couldn’t have you, at least, I have our child. The proof you need is in the envelope.

  I’ll always love you.

  Marti, Martina, Tina

  Whoever it is you think I am, because you don’t seem to know me.

  He pulled out the pregnancy test from inside the envelope. She’d written today’s date on it. The test was positive.

  The relief he felt holding the positive test in his hands might have felled him if he’d been standing up. Their baby was still alive, tucked in his mother’s belly safe and sound. He held the test in his hands and closed his eyes and savored the moment of pure joy and overwhelming relief.

  “She didn’t lose the baby,” Cameron said it out loud. He needed to hear it to believe it. His wish come true.

  “No,” Sam confirmed. “We don’t know what you overheard, but she didn’t lose the baby. It was touch and go the first day, but the doctor gave her and the baby the all clear. She was at a complete loss when you came into the room yelling at her.”

  Sam narrowed his gaze on Shelly. “You look disappointed. Funny, you don’t look surprised to hear Mari is pregnant with Cameron’s baby.”

  Shelly was smart enough to remain silent. She didn’t want to give anything away. She was holding on to Cameron by a thread. She just needed to get to tomorrow and the ceremony.

  Emma looked up at her uncle. “Marti is having a baby too?”

  “Not too, sweetheart. She’s the only one. At least, the only one willing to prove it. Again. And again.
And again.” Sam held Emma tightly to his chest.

  “I’m not going to sit here and take this. Cameron, you can’t let them talk to me this way. I’m going to be your wife.”

  Cameron didn’t answer her. He kept staring at the test in his hand and reading the note from Marti.

  He knew her. He knew he knew her. She was right; he was the stupidest smart person. He had all the answers in business and with other people, but he’d screwed it all up with Marti. He swore he’d fix it all.

  “Cameron, aren’t you going to set your friends straight?”

  “I think they already know the score and I’ve come to the game late.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  He didn’t answer her. “How long do I have?” he asked the table at large.

  “She’s not stupid. You have time. A lifetime if you’re smart.”

  Sam and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

  He held onto the test and the note, tucking them into his coat pocket next to his heart for safe keeping. The auction began and the books were up first. He watched them both go to families with children and for over ten thousand apiece. Several other items sold well. Cameron was impressed with how much money they were raising for the foundation.

  A painting came up for auction and the sound of clapping drew Cameron’s attention. He looked up at the painting and saw that it was of Marti’s ship on a calm sea with the moon high above and the stars shining bright. Marti stood on deck facing the moon with her dark hair and white gown blowing in a soft wind. He couldn’t see her face, but there was no mistaking the woman he loved.

  “Daddy, I want the painting,” Emma said, excited.

  “I want the painting too,” he replied and raised his hand at the next bid.

  The bidding went back and forth and around the table. Jack, Jenna, Elizabeth, and Sam were all making sure he paid big for the painting and the things he’d done to Marti. Petty revenge, but he deserved it. They finally relented and he got the painting for an astronomical three hundred thousand dollars. He’d have paid any price to get it regardless of the fact the money was going to the foundation.