“Well I’m sure you don’t want to hear the exact words father used, basically that you made a big mistake and married some woman with a magic vag, and now she and her devil mother are going to take all of the family money and there isn’t a damn thing he can do about it.”
“Damn him.”
“Wow Nathan, you weren’t kidding, your father is a piece of work. That man doesn’t even know me.”
“Don’t worry about it sweet girl. He has no bearing on any decisions that I make in my life. He is just a bleep on the screen.”
We enter the cafe, and I grab a few coffees and Danishes while the girls take a seat. I can’t wait to be able to eat a decent meal. Waiting for the drinks I watch as the two most important women in my life get to know each other. Natalie throws her head back and laughs while Laney reaches out and touches her arm with a smile on her face. They look as though they are lifelong friends. “What are you gals discussing?” I sit down next to Laney.
“Oh, Laney is telling me how she thought you drugged her to get her to marry you.”
“I am Nathaniel Joseph Whitmore, there is no drugging needed to get a woman to marry me. I should be offended.” I give the girls a wink.
“Oh yes, stud.” She nudges my shoulder, “Women drop to their knees when you walk by hailing the sex gods, thanking them for the specimen that is Nathaniel Joseph Whitmore. I should be so lucky to have snatched you up. I should be worshiping at the altar of Aphrodite herself and sacrifice my first born for the precious gift she has bestowed upon me and my life. The gift that is the Nathaniel Joseph Whitmore, a.k.a. Mr. Sex God.”
“No baby, not Mr. Sex God, I’m Your Sex God.”
“Oh my gosh you guys, seriously. Laney, you handle this stud muffin so well. I’m so thankful that he found you. You both have my support one hundred percent.”
“Thanks, sis, but you of all people should know that I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. I do what I want when I want, but hearing your approval means a lot to me.” Laney puts her head on my shoulder.
“Well, you will always have a supporter in me, Nate. Father is another issue. Not to mention the media and whoever decides to come out of the woodwork. Have you heard from Diane since the news broke?”
I could feel Laney tense next to me. Her warm body now sits rigid next to me. There is no reason why she should be reacting like this. But of course it’s only natural when you don’t know the story behind a name. “I turned my phone off after I spoke with father. I haven’t turned it on and even if she were to call there is no reason for it. She and I have been over for months now. She has no business in my life or making a presence in it.”
“I know that Nate, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try to stir the pot.”
“Can you tell me who Diane is, please?” Her voice was short.
“Diane is someone who I was involved with after I came back when my mother got sick. I didn’t have the time for her because I was caring for my mother. That didn’t stop her though. For the next few years, we would see each other on and off. I didn’t want to make the commitment that she wanted. I had this feeling that there was more to her than what she was telling me. So I had her investigated. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t think I would since I do own a security firm. Maybe she thought that she had me snowed, but needless to say I got enough dirt on her, and my father. Evidently my bed wasn’t the only Riley bed she was occupying. She was warming my father’s bed when she wasn’t fucking me.” I heard Laney gasp. “It seems my father thought she could get me to marry her; then she could leave me and take what my mother left me and handed it over to my father. It didn’t work. I didn’t play into her hand. The breakup was anything but pleasant. Even with the videos, surveillance and photos she denied it. She tried to turn it around on me and blame me. She said that I doctored it all because I wasn’t a man who could stand by his responsibilities. That I was walking in the perfect footsteps of my father.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, but since they have been off, she still insists on going to every charity function my family throws. She still thinks she has some sort of say in my brother’s life. It’s pathetic really. She is a sad sad woman, who has fallen flat on her face more than once. You would think she would learn by now.”
“She’s in my past. There is no reason why she should step foot in my present, let alone my future. There was never any love when it came to her. Not one time did I tell her that I loved her, that I saw a future with her. Not. Once. If she says anything else, then she’s a bitch liar.”
“I need to get back to the girls. Natalie, it was nice chatting with you. I’ll be seeing you.”
“It was so nice meeting you, Laney. I look forward to getting to know you. I’m so happy that I have a sister now. No offense Nate, but you suck at girl talk.”
“No offense taken. Knowing that I can’t do the girl talk is a sure way to keep my man card securely in my back pocket.” I turn to Laney and put my hands on her shoulders. “Listen, sweet girl, I need to discuss some things with my sister and I don’t want to hold you up seeing the girls. I’m going to head to my house with Nat, get cleaned up and then I’ll head back. Alright?”
“Yeah, no, go. I’m fine here with the girls. You go and take care of whatever you need to take care of. I’ll see you in a little while. I know Brad will be here shortly anyway if he isn’t already here.”
“Alright, love, I’ll be back shortly. I Love you, Laney.”
“I love you, Nathan.” I watch Laney walk away and go into the girl’s room.
“Alright, sis.” I turn to her once Laney was safely inside the room. “I need your help with turning a few of the rooms in my house from bleak to purple, frilly and pink. Come home with me, so I can show you what I want and what rooms.”
“You’re changing up your penthouse?”
“Yes. Those girls are all coming home with me. They may think it’s only until Addie is okay with getting around, but I know for a fact that once I get my family inside my home they aren’t going to want to leave.”
I enter the girls’ room, and they are both sitting in their beds watching television. “How are you gals doing?”
“I’m good mommy; my leg is a little sore. It’s starting to itch, and I want to scratch it, but I don’t want to get any owies.”
I walk over to Addie and look at her leg. I see the reddening, swollen skin that is around her pins where the brace is attached. I know they want the specialist to have easy access to the pins and the growth plate to make sure everything is as he wants it, but I’m not sure if the pain she’s going through is worth it. Seeing my baby’s thigh and knee encased in metal bars with pins drilled into her skin physically makes me sick. I don’t want to see my baby suffer, I can feel the anger rush through my body as I see her. I hope the specialist that Nathan found will give us great news. “Alright, baby. Hopefully after the doctor that Nathan found, will see the emergency room doctors did their job right, and they can do ahead and put a cast on your leg. We just need to make sure that everything looks good so we can make you good as new.”
“Is Bug gonna be okay momma?” I look over to Amanda. She has such worry on her face.
“Yes baby, Bug is gonna be good as new and chasing you around before we know it.”
“Good cuz Nafin and Auntie Nat and daddy can't play wif us if Bug is broken.”
“I’m not broken Bear; I’m just hurt. I’ll be able to play as soon as I can. Don’t you worry about me? I’m gonna be alright. Good as new.” I smile at her reassurance to her sister.
“So I take it you girls are excited to get to know Nathan’s sister? She seems like a really nice lady.”
“Oh momma, she is gonna be the bestest auntie ever! I’m so excited, aren’t yous excited Bug?”
“Yes, I think it’s super neat. We are going to have so much fun together. She knows all about princesses, and I think it’s so funny that Nathan used to play dress up. That is so funny.” She gives a little la
ugh. “Even daddy doesn’t play dress up with us.”
“Momma, do yous thinks daddy wilf now that Nafin wilf?”
“Yes baby, I think you are going to have lots of grown-ups playing dress up with you girls.”
“Nathan is comfy mommy. He took good care of us last night. I like him a lot.”
“Yeah, Nafin is super.”
“I’m glad you girls think so. I have something that I want to tell you guys. Daddy and I decided that once Amanda is released today we aren’t going to go home. Once Bug is released, we will all go stay at Nathan’s until Addie is feeling better. Then when Addie is all better, then we can go home.”
“Why can’t we go home now?”
“Well Adele, you can’t get up and down the stairs. I didn’t want you to have to stay on the couch because I’m not sure how long it will be until you’re feeling better. Nathan’s home is big, and one story so there aren’t any stairs. Will it be okay if we moved in with him for a while? I’ll make sure all your favorite toys come with us.”
“I don’t mind mommy, but will daddy be able to come and see us at Nathan’s? Can I still go to daddy’s apartment?”
“Yes of course you can go see your daddy. I would never tell you no if you want to see him. He can come over whenever he wants. He’s your daddy, and that doesn’t change because Nathan is in our lives now. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, momma.”
“Yes, mommy.”
“What if wes want to stay at Nafin’s? What if wes like it there. Are wes gonna have to leaves then?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves Bear. Let's just worry about Bug getting better. We will see how things go when we are staying with Nathan.”
“So we’re moving in with Nathan?”
I smile. “Yes, I guess we are. We are moving into Nathan’s.”
“Over my dead body are you going to move my grand girls in with that overbearing maniac?” I see my mother standing at the door looking like walking perfection. Her reddish brown hair is styled with long curls that fall just past her shoulders. Her face is a work of art, probably from her on call makeup artist. Her pencil dress is her typical navy blue color. The diamonds my father bought her over the years hang from her neck and her earlobes. “Have you seen the latest headlines, Laney?” She holds up a paper walking into the room completely letting the door close behind her. The headline is bold. ‘Mr. Whitmore May Be Off the Market, but his Temper is Still Going Strong. “Not only do I have to deal with the fact that you were called a Ms. Nobody in last night’s edition, but now I have to read how your so-called husband is manhandling people and tossing them off your porch. He could have seriously injured Michael, Laney.”
I grab the paper from my mother’s hands and continue to read the article.
Sources say that Nathan Whitmore physically threw an unidentified man out of his new wife’s home. Some say the man has been known for recently dating the new Mrs. Whitmore. People close to the gentleman say that Mrs. Whitmore refuses to let go of her side piece causing Mr. Whitmore’s rage to get out of control. A close family friend said that Laney has made it clear to Nathan that she would not be letting go of her recent relationship despite their current union. After catching his new wife in the arms of said man, Nathan picked the man up and tossed him out her front door. Sad really. Laney has the nerve to not only marry the hottest New York bachelor, but she has the gall to cheat on him and do it all the while her daughters are suffering in the hospital. We have not yet been able to confirm when the girls will be released. With Nathan Whitmore’s past of bed hopping, no wonder he has been captivated by this vixen. Maybe Nathan has finally met his match. Let’s see if this marriage falls apart as quickly as it came together.
The girls are both wide-eyed looking between my mother and myself. There is no reason for them to hear this; to even know the situation happened. I am so pissed that my mother has not only continued to speak down to me in front of my children, but now she is talking nonsense about Nathan. She’s throwing this stupid rag in my face like it has all the freakin’ answers in it. She’s acting like it’s the Holy Bible. It’s just a gossip paper, and I am not going to allow her to damage the security those girls feel in Nathan’s presence. “Get out!” My tone is harsh as I shove the paper into her chest.
Her eyes grow wide with shock. “Excuse me?”
“I said get out, mother! Now! Get out of my daughters’ room! Now!” I point and walk towards her placing my hand on her shoulder ushering her out of the room. I turn to the girls. “Grandma and I are going to have a little talk. When daddy gets here, let him know I’ll be right back.”
I continue to push my mother out of the room and down the hall. “Get your hands off me, Laney. What has gotten into you?”
“Nothing mother. But I’m not going to have you belittle me, my husband, or my decisions when it comes to my daughters. You have no say and no right to do so. Your opinions and your thoughts on my life are not wanted from you, so you can stop wasting your breath on how you think I should live it.” I hit the button on the elevator to head down the staff lounge where Brad and I spoke the night before.
“Where do you think we’re going, oh daughter of mine?” I push her onto the elevator. “The front entrance is surrounded by reporters and paparazzi. I almost lost an arm having to walk through that crowd this morning.” I laugh at her.
“Oh, I’m sure you’re so surprised that the media has been camped out since the news broke last night that Nathan and I were married.” The elevator doors close. “I know it was you, mother. I know you were the one to leak the story to the press.”
“If I ever.” She sounded shocked.
“For the love of Godmother, didn’t you think about what this would do to your granddaughters? Or were you just too thrilled with the opportunity to have the Jacob’s name in the headlines again. You forget mother that last name is no longer yours. You're married. Jacobs and Vivian no longer go together. You are so damn laughable. You say I don’t put their best interest in front of my own, but you are so full of it. You’re the queen of selfishness. I’m actually shocked that I didn’t turn out to be a selfish bitch since I had such a prime example of what selfish looks like.”
“Laney, you have no right disrespecting me.” I put my hand up telling her to stop.
“We can finish this conversation once we go somewhere private.” I walked to the desk in front of the staff lounge where I came with Brad the night before. “Hi, I’m Laney Whitmore, I was wondering if it would be alright to use the staff lounge for a while.”
“Of course, Mrs. Whitmore. Mr. Whitmore wanted to make sure you had everything you needed while your daughters are here. Go on in, I’ll make sure you have some privacy.”
“Well, for despising me so much for using the power your father’s name, you sure know how to do the exact same thing.”
“I am nothing like you, mother. I would never use my father’s name or Nathan’s name for my own personal gain.” I sit down at the table and gesture for my mother to sit as well. She looks over the seat like it’s going to bite her. “Just sit mother. It’s not going to kill you to sit on an actual wooden bench.”
“I don’t even know why we are here anyways. This is a waste of my time and yours. You should be up in the room taking care of your girls.”
“Yes, mother, exactly, but you feel that it’s alright to voice your opinions whenever you feel like it, and I feel that I need to make certain your opinions are no longer verbalized in front of the girls. Those days of bullying, me are over.”
“You think I bully you, Laney? You are very comical. You are my daughter. I have every right to tell you what you’re doing wrong when it comes to mothering. I have been a mother for a lot longer than you have dear. You should be so lucky to still have your mother around to lend a hand when you obviously lack in the maternal instinct department.” Did I just hear her right? Boy, she sure has some nerve.
“You have the nerve to talk to me about matern
al instincts. Have you finally cracked mother? Have you finally fallen off your rocker? Let me ask you, what color is the sky in the world in which you live in, because where I live it’s blue. Where I live, I grew up with a mother who was more concerned with getting her name out there in the city. She had no concern with whether or not her daughter was properly cared for. It’s you mother who was born without an ounce of maternal instinct. It’s you who has no right to tell me what I’m doing wrong when it comes to my kids.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Laney.”
“I have no idea, mother? Where were you when I was sick? Was it you who took care of me? Was it you who rushed me to the hospital when my fever peaked? Was it you who slept with me to make sure that I was alright while my fever broke? I don’t think so mother, not once did I remember you caring for me. It was always my father who did those things for me. You never had time for me.”
“The view of how your childhood was is outrageous. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You seriously need to stop living in the past daughter and figure out what you are doing with your life in the present. I’m sure thinking about the future is far too much for you. I don’t want to overwhelm you with life, Laney, so like I just said, why don’t you think about those girls and how your life is affecting them now.”
“I am thinking mother. I am well aware of what I’m doing. I have no qualms on what I’m deciding when it comes to them. Neither does Brad.”
“The first qualm you should have had was leaving their father in the first place. That was your first mistake of many. Well, I shouldn’t say the first. The first was getting yourself knocked up.”
“And it’s those comments right there that should have me keeping my girls as far away from you as possible. How the hell can you tell me you’re concerned about the girls and then turn around and tell me they were mistakes.”
“Those girls would have been better off being born to a couple who didn’t just give up Laney. You should have put their needs first instead of your own.”
Accidentally Perfect Page 10
