by Abbi Glines
“All right, April, stop your fangirling, and let these women breathe. They came for breakfast, not to be gawked at. Damn, girl,” Jimmy said as he walked up to our table.
Poor April scampered away.
“She’s new, but she’s sweet. I can work with that,” Jimmy said, then blasted a smile our way. “Look at you two gorgeous women without your overprotective men, eating here alone. I might take advantage and make my move.”
Blaire’s eyebrows rose, and she looked knowingly at Jimmy. “I think Clint might get a little upset if you did that, hmm?”
Jimmy laughed and shot her a wink. “You picked up on that one fast.”
“He was all smiles when I asked if you were here. I’d have to be blind not to pick up on it.”
Jimmy smirked. He knew he was beautiful, but he was one of the nicest people I’d met here in Rosemary Beach. “What can I get you two to drink? Coffee, maybe? Or cappuccinos?”
I had strict instructions to stay away from caffeine. “I’ll take an orange juice,” I told him.
“I’d love a cappuccino, thanks, Jimmy,” Blaire said, and glanced down at her menu.
I wondered if she even had to look at the menu. She had worked here until Rush had demanded she stop when she got pregnant. I assumed she knew the menu by heart at this point.
“The quiche is great, but then, so are the raspberry and cheese scones,” Blaire told me.
I decided quiche with a whole-wheat croissant would do. I was trying not to eat sugar—it was healthier for me to avoid it.
“Uh-oh, he looks like he’s on a mission,” Blaire said in a whisper, and I looked up to see Woods Kerrington taking long strides toward us. He looked concerned. He stopped at our table and turned his attention to me. Those dark eyes of his were serious, but Blaire was right: he meant business.
“Kiro just got past security. They said he was cursing and ranting about finding you. I’ve called Rush, and he said to get the two of you to my office and lock you up until he deals with Kiro. The guys working security said he was furious and has been drinking.”
My dad was here. He knew. That was the only excuse for him acting this way. Blaire immediately stood up and reached for her purse. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
“I need to be here,” Woods said. “He has a driver, but I don’t think he’s prepared to deal with him. Kiro’s liable to knock my valet guys out if they say the wrong thing to him.”
“I’ll get her to your office,” Blaire assured Woods, and she grabbed my arm. “Come on, I know a back way.”
I didn’t have to run from my dad. I had never run from him in the past. I wasn’t scared of his angry ranting. He never got mad at me. But if he thought the baby was harming me, he wouldn’t be happy. He wasn’t used to being told no, and this time, I would be telling him no.
“Do you think you can calm him down? Or maybe Rush can?” I asked Woods.
Woods nodded. “Finlay can handle him. You get out of here.”
I did what he said and ran from my dad. I felt horribly guilty about it. It worried me that he was drinking again. Was Emily OK? Had something happened with her? Did he need me? Maybe he didn’t know about the baby. Maybe he was just having a wild, drunken episode and missed me. It wasn’t like he hadn’t shown up in North Carolina like this when I was growing up. Whenever Kiro Manning missed me, he jumped on a plane and came to see me, even if it was after a concert and he was high as a kite. My grandmama had hated it when he showed up like that. The one time he had come to my school, still drunk from the night before, basking in his fame, had been humiliating. But he was my dad. I dealt with it.
“Where is she, and where is that stupid fuck who knocked her up!” Kiro’s voice was slurred, but it carried down the hall as he entered the restaurant. I cringed and said a silent prayer of thanks that Grant wasn’t around for this.
I couldn’t hear what Woods was saying, but his voice had a hard edge.
“Rush will be here any minute,” Blaire whispered as she led me into an elevator that would take us to the top floor.
I couldn’t look at her. This was humiliating. She and I hadn’t actually discussed my pregnancy yet or the complications. All she had said was congratulations when she had arrived this morning at Grant’s condo.
When we were safely inside Woods’s office, Blaire locked the door behind her and let out a sigh. “Wow, he’s upset. Did you just tell him?” she asked, turning to look at me.
I walked over to the plush leather sofa, sank down into it, and dropped my head into my hands. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be down there dealing with him. He wasn’t going to calm down until he saw me. I just couldn’t face him yet. I didn’t want to hear him tell me to abort my baby.
“No. I think there were media people at the doctor’s office yesterday. Paparazzi, perhaps. Not sure. They snuck us out the back.”
Blaire walked over and sat down beside me. Her hand rested on my back. “It’s in all the gossip news. Your ‘visit to the ob-gyn with boyfriend Grant Carter.’ They had some woman outside the office saying she knew Grant and was positive it was you in there.”
I let out a frustrated groan. I was afraid that would happen. Stupid woman had to recognize me. “I should go talk to him.”
“No. Absolutely not. You aren’t dealing with him like this. Rush can get him back to our place and let him sleep it off. When he’s sober, Rush can bring him over to see you, but Grant will be with you when that happens.”
Blaire sounded like a mother. I would have smiled if I could manage it. Knowing my dad was downstairs, yelling my private business to the entire club, had me on the verge of tears.
My phone started ringing, and Blaire reached for my purse and pulled it out. After checking it, she handed it to me. “It’s Grant,” she said.
My heart ached. I wanted him here so badly. “Hello,” I said, my voice cracking, tears filling my eyes.
“I’m on my way. Rush has Kiro in his car, and he’s taking him to his house. Woods will be up to get you in a minute. He’ll drive you home. Blaire can stay with you until I get there. Are you OK?”
I nodded and sniffled, then realized he couldn’t see me nod. “Yeah, I think.” I replied.
“No, you’re not. Shit. I shouldn’t have left you,” he said, and I heard him curse and hit something. “I’m on my way, baby. I’m on my way. Be strong for me, OK?”
“I will,” I assured him. “Drive safe.”
“Always.”
Grant
Fucking Kiro. If the man wasn’t Harlow’s father, I’d bury my fist in his stupid-ass face. He’d come barreling into the club and upset her. Drunk motherfucker didn’t even think about how it would affect Harlow.
It took me half the time to get home than it normally did. I ran three stoplights and broke every speed limit, but I was here now. Slamming the car door behind me, I took off running up the stairs to my apartment. Harlow didn’t need to get upset. She needed to be calm and happy.
I opened the front door and headed toward the voices. Blaire was fixing two glasses of water, and Harlow was siting on the sofa with her legs curled up under her. When she saw me, her eyes went wide with relief. I closed the space between us with three long strides and pulled her up into my arms.
“I’m here. You’re OK.”
And then she began to sob.
I was going to kill Kiro Manning.
I ran my hand over her head and whispered sweet words to her, reassuring her that I was here and it was fine. I begged her not to cry, but she clung to me, and her tears soaked my shirt. Again, I was helpless. I wasn’t sure why she was crying so pitifully, but I knew it had to do with her dad, and that was enough to put him on my shit list.
“This isn’t good for you,” I reminded her. I couldn’t say it wasn’t good for the baby, because I honestly couldn’t bring myself to care about anything other than Harlow’s health.
“Or the baby,” Blaire said, walking up behind us. I looked at her over Harlow’s hea
d, and she stared pointedly at me, scolding me for the thoughts she seemed to know I was thinking. “Drink the water, and take some deep breaths,” Blaire said as she touched Harlow’s arm.
Harlow sniffed and hiccupped, but she stopped sobbing and reached for the glass of water. Blaire had said the magic words. At this point, I didn’t care what those magic words were, I was just thankful she was calming down.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and took a small sip of the water. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was blotchy and wet.
“No, don’t apologize. I just want you calm,” I told her. I kept my arm around her and caressed the skin on her bare arm and shoulder, trying to soothe her.
“I just ran from him. I never run from my dad, but I just ran and hid. He must think . . . I don’t know what he thinks. I just wasn’t ready to face him about this.”
She knew he would want her to have an abortion. Telling her dad no was going to be difficult. She loved that man. I wasn’t sure why, because he was the shittiest father on the face of the earth, even though he had sweet Harlow for a daughter. All I could figure was that Emily Manning must have been an amazing woman for Harlow to overcome inheriting that man’s genes.
God knew Nan got all his bad traits, along with Georgianna’s.
“You needed to let him sober up. You did the right thing,” Blaire assured her.
Harlow sipped her water as she stared straight ahead at nothing. I hated seeing her like this, but facing her dad wasn’t something I could stop her from doing. Kiro was above the law. He had proved that with his latest mishaps. No one wanted to press charges.
“When he wakes up, I want to see him. I won’t feel better until I’ve seen him,” she said in a whisper, not looking at Blaire or me but still straight ahead.
“Rush is going to call the second he thinks Kiro is ready to come over here,” I told her. I had spoken to Rush on my way back home. He had been dealing with Kiro, but he’d promised to let me know the minute he’d sobered him up. Bethy had come over to take care of Nate. I knew it was only a matter of time before Blaire left to get Nate.
“He’s going to demand I get an abortion,” Harlow said, finally turning her gaze up at me.
I couldn’t tell her that he wouldn’t. I had no doubt that he’d all but throw her into his limo in an attempt to get her to the best abortion clinic in L.A. I realized he wanted what I wanted, but the difference was that I refused to let him force her to do anything.
“Why don’t you rest? Let Grant hold you and try not to think about it. Just remember, the baby needs you to stay calm. And Grant needs you to be OK,” Blaire told her. “I’m going to get Nate from Bethy. It’ll be his nap time soon, and Bethy won’t be able to get him to sleep.”
Harlow nodded and stepped away from me to hug Blaire. “Thank you for everything. I’m sorry our day got messed up.”
“I’m sorry, too, but we’ll make it up. You worry about taking care of you and the baby right now. Let Grant take care of you.” Blaire’s words were gentle but firm. She seemed to know how to talk to Harlow.
“Thanks,” I told her.
She smiled and patted my arm. “You got this. It’s going to be OK,” she said softly before leaving.
When the door closed behind Blaire, Harlow turned to me and let out a weary sigh. “I think I want a nap, too.”
Good. She needed to rest. “Come on, sweet girl. We’ll get you into bed, and I’ll even let you use me as your pillow.”
A small smile tugged on her sad face. “That’s a deal any girl would have a hard time turning down.”
I slipped my arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, but you’re the only girl I’d offer my chest as a pillow to.”
“Lucky me,” she said in a teasing voice.
“No, lucky me,” I replied.
My ringing phone woke me up hours later. I eased out from under Harlow and silenced it until I could get out of the room. Glancing down, I saw my dad’s name. He was pissed. I hadn’t seen the work problem through today, and he was probably just now hearing how I’d run out of there with no explanation.
“Hello,” I said, preparing to hear him yell at me.
“Is it true?” he asked, and I glanced back down at my phone to make sure I had read the caller’s name correctly. I had. This was my father.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
“Did you get Kiro Manning’s daughter knocked up? The one with the heart condition?”
Shit. When did my dad start listening to celebrity gossip news?
“Don’t call her knocked up. I’m in love with her. This wasn’t some cheap fling. We were in a committed relationship when this happened.”
He was silent a moment, then let out a groan of frustration. “Son, if the news is right, she has a congenital heart defect. Having a baby isn’t recommended. It could be fatal.”
Did he think we didn’t know that? I wasn’t an idiot. “I know that,” I replied through clenched teeth.
“And Kiro Manning’s daughter? Really? Have you learned nothing from watching that crowd and hanging out with Rush?” My dad was once married to Rush’s mother, Georgianna. I was a little kid when they were married, and it was a short marriage. He wasn’t a fan of anyone connected to them.
“She’s nothing like them. She’s . . . wonderful, Dad. She’s too damn good for me, but she loves me.”
“Her heart—”
“I know about her heart! Dammit, I understand what could happen. I don’t want her to have this baby. I want to save her, but she’s determined. She loves this baby so much already, and she refuses to listen to anyone tell her she can’t bring it into this world. And I love her too much to walk away just to save my heart from being destroyed. I can’t leave her, so if this is what she wants, I will take this chance and ride this ride and pray like hell I don’t lose her.”
Dad didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “I’ve never loved a woman like that. But I’m glad you found it. Just be careful. Call me if you need me. And get your ass back to Sandestin tomorrow and straighten out that order.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“’Bye,” he said, then he was gone. Call ended.
He never said he loved me, and he never got very deep with me. Our relationship was based on business. I often wondered if he’d even call me at all if I didn’t work for him, so I was stunned by our conversation. This was the first time he’d admitted to not loving my mom. I always thought he had. I thought she’d ruined him. She was a beautiful, selfish, ambitious woman who traded up for husbands with more money on a regular basis. Sometimes she settled for sugar daddies to keep her in luxurious surroundings. The last time I had spoken to my mom, she’d been . . . hell, I wasn’t even sure where she lived now. It had been that long.
I set my phone down and headed back to the bedroom. I wondered if my dad would ever ask about Harlow and the baby again.
To my precious baby,
You came into this world with something special that many kids aren’t blessed with: a wonderful father. I know that by the time you read this letter, you will know just how amazing your dad is. To be loved by him is to live. And I lived because he loved me.
You have his love now, too. We may be sharing it together. If we are, then we’re the two luckiest people on earth.
My experience with my own daddy was more complicated. He was just a different kind of daddy. He loved me, which I never doubted, but he’s unique, as I’m sure you already know. Being Kiro Manning’s grandchild would be interesting, I imagine. I hope you won’t be the only one for long. Uncle Mase will have kids one day, and I know you’ll have a close relationship with them.
Your grandfather might do things that make you question him, but when you’re having mixed feelings about him, know that I love him. He was my world for a very long time. He became a different man once he lost your grandmother, and he has never been the same since. It changed him. So, love him anyway. Even when he’s crazy, love him. Love hi
m because I love him. Because he loves me and because he won’t be able to help but love you.
I hope one day, we can curl up in your bed together and giggle about something he said or did. He’s an unforgettable character, and he will love you. I know he will.
Love you always,
Mommy
Harlow
My eyes opened, and I was in bed alone. My Grant pillow was gone, but I was tucked in, and the pillow Grant had slept on was still warm. Then I heard him.
My dad was here.
Grant was talking, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I sat up and took several deep breaths. I had to stay calm. Getting upset wasn’t good for the baby. I had to protect the baby. And I had to protect myself. Standing up, I ran my hand through my hair and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were still slightly swollen from earlier, but I looked rested.
Kiro started raising his voice, and I knew Grant needed me to rescue him. My dad was in a foul mood. I had to remember he was just scared. He’d already lost so much in life.
The room fell silent when I opened the door, and both men turned to look at me. I gave Grant a reassuring smile before turning my attention to Kiro. He looked awful. He had lost weight since I’d seen him last, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He wasn’t wearing any jewelry. If he weren’t covered in tattoos, he’d look like an average older man. But he was a rock god. The world’s rock god. My dad.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.
Pain contorted his face, and he shook his head. “You can’t do this, baby girl. I won’t let you. I need you. Gambling with your life sure as hell ain’t gonna fly. I’m taking you to get this fixed.”
“No,” I interrupted him. I had known what he would say, but hearing him actually say it was too hard. “No,” I repeated for emphasis. “I’m staying here. I have an obstetrician who specializes in pregnancies like mine. He’s teamed up with a cardiologist, and I will see him weekly. Yes, this is a high-risk pregnancy compared with normal ones, but I’m considered low-risk in my category. The doctor is positive about this.”
