Chloe cried even harder and turned to me, throwing herself into a hug. I wasn’t sure how to handle her reaction. I knew she would be happy, but I didn’t think she would have a meltdown. It made me realize how much my daughter had been longing for a mother figure. She finally let go of me. I used my thumbs to wipe her tears away, my heart aching at the sight of my daughter’s tears. Happy or not, they killed me.
“Pumpkin, I don’t want you to cry.”
She nodded. “I’m just so happy, Daddy. This is the happiest day of my life.”
A few chuckles echoed in the room. One quick glance showed my sister Amelia crying. Corina was also dabbing at the corners of her eyes, trying her best not to let her tears fall. Across the table my mother was smiling, but a few tears trickled down her face. My father leaned over and wiped them away before taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it. April was also crying, while David held her to his side.
My heart felt like it had seized in my chest. We were home, and my daughter was surrounded by the most amazing people on the planet. I was blessed to have such a family in my life.
The doorbell rang. Clearing the frog from my throat, I stated, “That would be my second surprise.”
Peeking at Paxton, she winked.
“Who…who is it, Daddy?” Chloe asked, wiping the snot from her nose on her shirt.
I held up my finger and said, “Hold on. Everyone hold that thought!”
Rushing out of the formal dining room, I opened the front door. I put my finger to my mouth, but my sister Waylynn tackle-hugged me.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she said against my neck.
Squeezing her tight, I picked her up and spun her before putting her back down. “I’ve missed you. Come on. Mom is going to freak the fuck out.”
With her hand in mine, I led her to the dining room. “Look who I found at the door.”
Everyone turned and shocked expressions spread over their faces, except for Paxton’s. She’d been in on the plan to get Waylynn here.
My mother stood. She covered her mouth and shook her head.
Next to stand was my father. “Waylynn?” he said with his voice shaking.
“Fucking hell! You’re home!” Amelia cried out as she ran up and threw herself at Waylynn.
Chloe finally realized it was Waylynn and jumped off the chair and rushed over. I stepped back and let everyone take their turn giving our oldest sibling a welcome home hug and kiss.
Making my way to Paxton, she grinned. “When something amazing happens, I say it’s the best day of my life. At this rate, I’m going to have hundreds of best days!”
“I had no idea Chloe was going to break down like that.”
Paxton looked at me warmly. “It was beautiful. Raw and real. I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved.”
Leaning in, I whispered, “Wait until she finds out about the baby!”
I walked around the classroom and glanced at all the pictures the kids were coloring. The assignment was to draw one of their Christmas wishes. I was supposed to call it “winter break,” but I couldn’t bring myself to be politically correct right now. I was too happy.
As I strolled through the classroom I smiled. If Christmas break was anything like Thanksgiving break, there would be lots of laughter and a few tears of joy.
Waylynn had stayed only two days, much to her family’s disappointment. She needed to return back to New York to be with her husband for some charity event that Saturday night. Waylynn, Chloe, Amelia, and I all spent Friday in San Antonio. Shopping and getting our nails and toes done. It had been a blast, and Chloe had fallen in love with her Aunt Waylynn, but there was something in Waylynn’s eyes, the false smile she wore, that had me talking to Steed about it. She didn’t seem happy and even Amelia had noticed it.
One of the kids coughing pulled me from my thoughts.
Stopping at Timmy’s desk, I glanced at his drawing and attempted to keep my chuckle in. It was a picture of him holding Chloe’s hand. My heart warmed. Poor kid. He had no clue Steed would never let that wish come true.
I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing at what he was going to do when I told him about this.
Walking around the room, I stopped and glanced over Chloe’s shoulder. She was deep in thought as her crayon moved over the paper. It was a picture of an open field. The ranch, I was guessing.
Chloe was on a horse with a huge smile on her face and Steed and I were off to the side. My breath caught in my throat. She had drawn me with a bigger belly and Steed’s hand over the small round bump. My belly was colored half pink and half blue. I took a few steps back before I regained my composure.
There is no way she knows.
Steed and I hadn’t told anyone I was pregnant. Except for Amelia, Cord, and our mothers. And we hadn’t actually told our mothers officially. No one else knew. On Christmas day we were going to make the announcement.
I took another step and peeked at the drawing. Yep, I looked pregnant in it. Why was it half pink and half blue? Then it hit me.
Oh. Lord. She was hoping for twins.
Twins.
I spun around and tried to keep my body from shaking. Why hadn’t I thought about twins? My breathing picked up and I closed my eyes.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In. Out.
Twins? Oh, Lord.
“Ms. Monroe, are you okay?”
Snapping my eyes open, I looked at little Ricky. “Um…yes. I’m fine.”
My classroom phone started to ring. I made my way over to it and pushed the thought of twins far from my mind. Very far.
“This is kinder!” I said with a cheerful voice.
“Um…Paxton, I’m sending Mrs. Haas to your classroom. I need you to come down to the office.”
Mrs. Haas, the vice principal? That couldn’t be good.
My heart started to race as I watched the door to my classroom open and Mrs. Haas walked in. She gave me a smile but her eyes told me something was very wrong.
“Sure, Mrs. Haas walked in so I’m on my way.”
Hanging up, I called out, “Shave and a haircut.”
“Two bits!” the class said as one.
All eyes were on me. “Class, I have to run to the office, but Mrs. Haas is here to keep everyone working on their projects. I want you to continue drawing, and when I get back, we’ll chat about them. Then it’s story time.”
The kids nodded; some responded with yes ma’ams. Making my way past Mrs. Haas, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me outside the classroom.
“I feel you need a warning about what you’re walking into.”
Swallowing hard, I said, “Okay.”
Did the school find out I was pregnant? There was no way…unless someone saw me buying the test or someone at the doctor’s office spilled the beans.
No, that wasn’t it. What if Chloe voiced her thoughts about a baby. Shit!
“Chloe’s mother is in the office…making a scene.”
I stared at her, unsure I had heard correctly. My hands covered my mouth and dread hit the pit of my stomach. “What?”
“I’ve already called Steed, but he didn’t answer. I remembered from Chloe’s paperwork that the mother was not allowed any contact, so I looked it up and I was right. I’m so sorry, Paxton. We didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t sure y’all wanted a scene with the police.”
Dropping my hands to my sides, I took in a deep breath. “No, you did the right thing. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded and went back to my classroom, disappearing on the other side of the door.
I should have been more freaked out, but a part of me was beyond pissed off that that woman had the nerve to show her face at Chloe’s school. I took off at a fast pace down the hall, my high heels clicking on the tile floor and my heart pounding in my ears.
Walking into the office, Marge, the receptionist, pointed to the conference room Mr. Hines used.
“Marge, call Mitchell and tell him what’s going on. If you can’t
get a hold of him, call the police.”
“Oh, okay. Sure…right.”
I wasn’t sure where in the hell I was getting my balls from, but I pushed the door open and walked in like I freaking owned the room.
There she sat. The woman who had been married to Steed. Who birthed his child. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun. Her perfectly done make-up was a tad on the heavy side, but she was able to pull it off. Blood red nails tapped on the conference table but paused when I walked in. Her eyes moved over me as hate oozed off her body.
“Kim,” I said with a curt nod.
Her eyes squinted then opened wide. She was surprised I had used her first name. She also recognized me. Steed had told me he carried a picture of me in his wallet, and she had found it and had threatened to burn it.
“You must be the whore who my husband pined over all those years.”
Mr. Hines stood and I held up my hand for him to calm down.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but you need to leave before I tell the office to call the police.”
She lifted a brow. “You’re not even going to respond to me calling you a whore?”
“You were served with a restraining order to say away from Chloe.”
Kim stood, trying to intimidate me. “She’s my daughter, so back the fuck off, slut.”
“That will be enough of the name calling! I’m having Marge call the police.”
Mr. Hines stormed out of the conference room. I knew they didn’t want to cause a scene, but a parent with a restraining order at the school should have been an immediate phone call to police. That was something I intended on taking up with Mr. Hines. For now, though, I had a bitch to deal with.
Leaning my hands on the table, I stared her in the eyes. “Let me remind you about how you signed over all of your parental rights to Chloe. You have no rights to her. None.”
Her eye twitched. “He lied to me. The moment I found out that asshole was back in Texas and living on his rich daddy’s plantation, I took the first flight out. I want him back, and I want Chloe back. I’ve changed my mind.”
I snickered. “First off you twit, it’s a ranch, not a plantation. This isn’t Gone with the Wind. Second, he doesn’t want you and neither does Chloe.”
“We’ll see. I have no intentions of leaving.”
This woman had made Steed and Chloe’s life a miserable hell all those years. Now that she saw money again, her delusional mind thought she could walk back into their lives as if nothing had happened.
“You know, we used to fuck like rabbits. All the time. It was especially good when I was pregnant. Steed would rub my stomach while pounding in and out of me telling me how excited he was for the baby.”
Even though I knew it was a lie it caused a sharp pain in my chest.
What. A. Bitch.
“I wonder…Paxton… Does he fuck you from behind? It seemed to be his favorite position.”
I’d had enough of this crazy ass lunatic. Walking around the conference table, I made my way towards her. My reaction caught her off guard, and she started to back up.
“Probably because he couldn’t stand to see your face.”
She gasped and jerked back like I had slapped her.
“Listen here and listen good, Kim.” I dragged her name out like she had mine. “He was never yours, he’ll never be yours, and if you so much as step within seeing distance of either him or Chloe, I will make sure the rest of your life is spent in prison.”
As she stood before me speechless, I felt my lady balls growing.
A slow smile moved over my face. “Did I mention my future brother-in-law is a top law enforcement officer for the State of Texas? I don’t know how things are done up in Oregon, but here in Texas things are handled on a more…personal level. Family comes first. Don’t. Fuck. With. My. Family.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you threatening me?”
“I don’t make threats, Kim. You can bet your fake tits and eyelashes that every single word I say is set in stone. I love Steed and Chloe, and I’d risk my entire life for their happiness. So I suggest you get your skinny ass out of the state of Texas and never come back. Because if you do…I will personally kick your ass all the way to your jail cell.”
I heard the door open and close about halfway through all of that, sure it had been Mr. Hines. I was mentally prepared to get fired, but it was worth it. There was no way this bitch was going to come back into Chloe and Steed’s life if I had anything to say about it.
Pushing her shoulders back, she glared. “This is so not worth it. They’re not worth it. Good luck, sweetheart.”
Grabbing her purse, she stepped around me and stopped. A smirk crossed over her face. “Is that Steed’s ring on your finger?”
I smiled. “Yes. And I’ll let you in on another little secret, I’m also carrying his child.”
Her mouth went slack and anger filled her eyes. Then she laughed. “Oh, Jesus Christ. That’s perfect! Didn’t take him long to knock you up. Well, I guess there is no use trying this avenue. Maybe I’ll find an oil billionaire here in Texas.” She rolled her eyes and huffed. “What a waste of seven years. I hope you enjoy the stretch marks the little fucker will leave behind. That little brat changed my body, and I’ll never get it back to the way it was before I popped her out. Nothing but a waste.”
Her words stunned me into silence. She pushed past me and walked out the door. I couldn’t move. Feeling sick to my stomach, I took in a deep slow breath.
“I cannot believe she said that.” Mr. Hines stood there with a horrified look.
With my hand on my stomach, I barely said, “She’s more vile than I ever imagined.”
I realized slowly that he had overheard me saying I was pregnant. Our eyes met and he nodded. “Well talk after the break, Paxton.”
Shit. She just cost me my job. No. I had when I opened my big mouth and told her I was pregnant.
The only thing I could do was nod. “I…I better get back to my classroom.”
Feeling numb, I headed out of the conference room and through the office. Mitchell and Steed rushed through the front door of the school, causing me to stop.
“She’s gone,” I said. I was all of sudden so tired. Exhausted, really. The only energy I seemed to have left was quickly fading.
Steed studied me, his eyes roaming over my body. “Are you okay?”
“Do you know what kind of a car she was driving?” Mitchell asked.
Shaking my head, I whispered, “No.”
“It was a BMW. I wrote down the license plate,” Marge said.
“Great! I’m going to run it and find her. This bitch is going to jail for violating her restraining order.”
Steed never took his eyes off of me, but said to Mitchell, “Good. I want her in jail, with a clear message to never step foot in Texas again.”
I forced a smile. “I’m pretty sure I got the message to her.”
The room started to feel like it was rocking back and forth.
“Steed, I’m not feeling very well.”
Walking into the room, I fisted my hands when I saw Kim sitting at the table. Mitchell shut the door and stood off to the side.
“You had me fucking arrested?” Kim shouted.
I grinned. “You broke the law. Of course you were going to get arrested.”
Her eyes flickered back and forth between Mitchell and me. “You did this on purpose.”
“No, you did this. You gave up any right you had to Chloe. I got a restraining order against your ass, and you ignored it.”
“You illegally got it.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Think whatever you want, Kim. I’m only going to tell you this once. If you ever set foot back in the state of Texas, I’ll make sure you rot in jail.”
Her brow lifted. “And how exactly would you do that?”
Placing my hands on the table, I leaned closer. “My parents are one of the richest families in Texas. My brother is a Texas Ranger. I
f you doubt for one moment that I couldn’t make your life a living hell, you’re crazy.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
“After you spend the evening here in this nice jail of ours, I expect your ass to be on the next plane out of the state. Don’t test me, Kim. I’ve put up with your shit for too long.”
Her eyes narrowed into two thin slits. “I cannot even begin to tell you how much I hate you.”
I moved closer, causing her to lean back. “Back at ya, Kim.”
After I poured a mug of coffee, I ran my fingers through my hair and stared out the kitchen window. A heaviness filled my chest, and I tried like hell to push it away. My mind had been racing all afternoon and evening. It had taken everything out of me not to lose my shit on Kim.
I couldn’t believe she had the fucking nerve to go to Chloe’s school. Did she really think they would just hand her over? Of course she did. She never once dropped off Chloe or picked her up from day care. Kim had no idea how any of it worked because she left it all up to me. The one time she took Chloe to a playdate she forgot to pick her up, and they had to call me to come get her.
I was glad Mitchell had her arrested. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she was sitting in that cell tonight. Chuckling, I shook my head and rubbed the back of my neck. What an idiot.
“Hey, how’s Paxton?” Amelia asked while walking into my kitchen.
“I didn’t even hear you come in.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I kind of snuck in. I wasn’t sure if you would be sleeping or not.”
The tension in my neck increased, and I found myself rubbing it again.
“Paxton’s doing good. The doctor stopped by and assured us that everything was fine with the baby, but it was best if Paxton took the next few days to rest.”
“That’s good the baby is okay,” she replied.
“Yeah. It’s really good. Luckily, she’ll only miss half a day of school with it being Christmas break and all.”
Her arms wrapped around her body. “That’s true.”
Making her way over to me, she smiled and grabbed a mug. She poured herself a cup of coffee and asked, “Do you want to sit on the back porch?”
Lost Love Page 25
