“I hope I don’t run into Harini anytime soon,” Cassidy said. “I will knock that witch all the way out.”
Bailey wiped her mouth on her napkin. “If she wasn’t pregnant…” She pushed away from the table. “I’ve never hated anyone, but Harini… I really hate that woman.”
“Don’t waste any emotion on her. She’s totally not worth it.”
After a moment, Bailey responded, “You’re right, Cass. Harini’s not worth it. But I have to say this—I’m going to make her pay for what she did to me. I mean it with every fiber of my being and it will be when she least expects it.”
Chapter 14
One month after moving back to Raleigh, Bailey received a call from her mother.
“Your aunt passed away this morning.”
“Mama, I’m so sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears. “How are you handling all this?”
“I’m going to miss June, but I take comfort that she’s no longer in pain and living with confusion. I’m bringing her home. She wanted to be buried next to our parents.”
“When will you get here?”
“We’re flying out in the morning. I’ve already contacted the funeral home. They will meet the plane.”
“I’ll be there, too.”
“I called your sisters. They’re coming home for the funeral.”
Although her aunt’s death was not a joyous event, she was excited for the reunion of family.
“I hope you don’t mind if I stay with you until I find a place of my own.”
“Of course not… Mama, you can stay as long as you like.” Bailey looked forward to seeing her mother.
“You okay, Bailey?”
She glanced over at her co-worker. “My aunt passed away.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. My mama’s bringing her body home tomorrow. The funeral will be here in Raleigh.”
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? It’s not really busy.”
Bailey forced a smile. “It’s always busy in the claims department, but I am going to leave. I can’t really think of anything other than my Aunt June.”
“Go home. I’ll cover your desk.”
“Thanks so much.” Bailey gathered her purse and keys.
She exited the building after a quick conversation with her supervisor.
The last time she’d visited her aunt, Colton had gone with her. He comforted her as she cried afterward. Bailey hated seeing her mother’s sister in such an incapacitated state.
Colton had reached out to her twice in the past month. She sent the calls straight to voicemail. There was nothing to be said at this point, she decided. Bailey could never trust him again.
“I was thinking we could go shopping,” Harini suggested when she and Colton left the doctor’s office.
“Don’t you think it’s too soon to buy baby stuff?” he asked.
She hid her disappointment that Colton didn’t seem as excited as she was about the baby. The pregnancy was confirmed, so he knew she hadn’t lied to him. “I thought we could get a few things or at least get an idea of how we’d like to decorate the nursery.”
“I’m not in the mood to shop,” Colton said. “And I’ll leave the decorating to you. You can even decorate the second bedroom at my place, too.”
“What are you talking about?” Harini inquired. “Why do we need to decorate a room at your apartment?”
“The baby will be with me sometimes. He or she will have a room there.”
Harini bit her bottom lip in frustration. “Colton, there’s more than enough room in my condo. It would make more sense for you to just move in there. We can have separate bedrooms if you want.”
“What about Pip?”
“He’s been talking about moving out. He fancies living somewhere in Europe. Colton, why are you being so difficult? You thought I was lying about the pregnancy. Now you know that I wasn’t.” Harini’s voice softened. “I know that you care for me.”
“When you took advantage of Bailey like that… that changed whatever I may have felt for you.”
“I didn’t do anything to that whiney little girl,” Harini snapped. “So, what… I took her story idea and made it mine. Do you think she came up with it all by herself? She didn’t. There are only so many plots in the world. My book is nothing like the one she wrote—the only difference is that mine is much better and it’s going to be published. I’m not saying she wouldn’t be able to get a publisher. It just won’t do as well as mine will.”
“You really are a piece of work, Harini.” Colton slipped on his shades. “If you weren’t carrying this child, I’d never have anything else to do with you.”
“Oh, now you want to play the loyal boyfriend,” she stated. “It’s too late now. You’re never gonna get Bailey back.”
“And you will never get me back into your bed. I’ll see you at the next doctor’s appointment.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t want anything to do with you. I am only here for my child.”
Harini’s eyes welled with tears. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yeah… I do,” Colton responded. “I’ll take the subway home.”
“I can drop you off.”
“The truth is that I don’t want to be around you right now.”
“Colton let’s go back to my place and talk. We can work this out.”
“No.”
“I have to avoid all stress,” Harini murmured. She placed a hand to her belly. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Then just let me go. I’ll give you a call later.”
“Colton, I really don’t want all this tension between us. I understand that you’re upset with me, but can we put all that aside until after the baby’s born?”
“I’ll call you later.”
Harini sighed. Colton was stubborn and not as easy to manipulate as she’d originally thought. I’m going to have to give him more time to get over Bailey. By the time I give birth, he and I should be much closer. Colton and I have to work this out. We have to raise our child together. Children deserve two loving parents. His gorgeous looks, my beauty and brains—our baby is very lucky.
During the drive home, she thought about Bailey. She’d managed to turn Colton against her, and that angered Harini.
“Stay calm,” she whispered. “You can’t upset the baby.”
Harini forced her thoughts to something more pleasant—a theme for the baby’s room.
“The service was nice,” Bailey told her mother. “Aunt June would have loved it. She always used to say that she wanted her homegoing to be a celebration of her life.”
“I didn’t expect so many of her friends to travel from Kansas. My sister made friends everywhere she went. That was the kind of person she was.”
Bailey agreed.
“Have you heard from Colton? I kinda expected him to show up for the funeral.”
“He’s reached out a couple of times, Mama but I haven’t talked to him. If I’d told Colton about Aunt June’s passing—he probably would’ve come.”
“What he did to you—it’s a hard pill to swallow, but I know he loved you, Bailey.”
“How could he?” she questioned. “He cheated with the same woman who took my idea—the woman I thought was my mentor. I thought she was my friend.”
“One thing for sure… you and she have different ideas about friendship.”
“You’re right about that, Mama. Harini doesn’t know what it means to be a friend. She simply uses people for whatever she wants, then discards their feelings like yesterday’s trash. If you’d seen her that night… she was actually gloating.”
“Better you find out now rather than later.”
“I feel so stupid,” Bailey said, “People tried to warn me about her, but I wouldn’t listen. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
“Ain’t no point in living in the past. You know the type woman she is now. As for
Colton—he wasn’t thinki
ng with his brain. I’m sure she manipulated him just like she did you.”
“They’re having a baby, Mama.”
“Girl, that was a trap plain and simple.”
“Well, it’s Colton’s problem. Not mine,” Bailey said with a slight shrug. “If he hadn’t been messing around with her—there would be no baby.”
“He’s human. He made a mistake.”
“Mama, I can’t trust Colton. Not after this.”
“He loves you, Bailey.”
“He’ll get over it,” she responded. “What we had ended when Colton got involved with Harini.”
“Do you still love him?”
Bailey thought about her mother’s question. “I don’t think so. This betrayal destroyed my feelings for Colton.” She closed her eyes as tears burned and the familiar taste of bitterness surged up the back of her throat. Deep down, Bailey hoped Colton and Harini would be miserable together for a lifetime.
Rebuilding trust and intimacy that has been stolen was not going to be easy, but Bailey knew it was doable. The truth was that she wasn’t ready to forgive either of them. Bailey was still too angry, and she didn’t know if she would ever stop feeling this way. It was her anger that fueled her—gave her the strength to crawl out of bed each morning.
Maurie came down to Raleigh to celebrate Bailey’s birthday in November. They went to the Big Easy in Cary for dinner.
“Remember I told you that I have a cousin living here,” Maurie said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my cousin. I haven’t seen Trace in a while.”
Bailey gave a slight shrug. “No, that’s fine.”
“So, how are you doing? Really?”
“I’m okay,” she responded. “Some days are better than others.”
“Have you heard from Colton lately?” Maurie asked in a tone that gave Bailey the impression she was testing the waters by bringing up her ex.
“No, but I don’t expect to hear from him anymore,” Bailey responded, settling back in her seat. “I haven’t responded to any of his calls since I left. He and Harini are having a child together. Colton needs to focus on them, because there’s no chance of us ever getting back together.”
“I always thought you two would get married. I know he doesn’t love Harini.”
“I thought we’d end up married one day, too,” Bailey confessed. “I never thought of Colton seeing someone else. I realize now that I was very naïve. I’ve been thinking about my dad lately and the conversations we used to have about purity. Maybe if I’d made him wait—we would’ve been married by now.”
“Here comes Trace now,” Maurie said, putting an end to their conversation.
Her friend never mentioned that her cousin had gorgeous black hair with just enough curl to make a woman’s fingers itch with the need to ruffle through it. Maurie never said that he had sexy eyes with long dark lashes that a woman might covet. Or that Trace had broad shoulders, a well-built frame and long legs that would easily turn a woman’s head in his direction.
Maurie made the introductions. “This is Trace Thornton. Trace, this is my friend Bailey Hargrove.”
She smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you, Trace.” Bailey could hardly take her eyes off him.
He smiled back at her and she felt the warmth of it deep in the pit of her stomach.
“Trace’s mom and my mother are sisters.”
“That must be Miss Peggy then,” Bailey said with a grin. “I met her when she came for Mrs. Raymond’s surprise birthday party. I picked her up from the airport.”
“Small world,” he murmured. “I hate I missed that party. I was in California for a wedding. Best man duties.”
“You missed a really nice party.”
“I heard,” Trace responded. His gaze remained on Bailey.
She pretended not to notice. It was too soon for her to think about dating. Bailey was afraid that she would never trust another man. Her heart was too fragile after the heartache inflicted by Colton.
“You’re coming for Thanksgiving, right?” Maurie asked her cousin. “Your mother and brothers will all be in Philly. We’re going to the parade that morning.”
“I’ll be there,” Trace responded.
“I’ve always wanted to see it in person,” Bailey said. “I was looking forward to going this year, but I’m back in North Carolina.” She gave a small laugh. “At least I’ll be nice and warm and not wading through a crowd.”
“Why don’t you come up for the holiday?” Maurie suggested. “You and your mother. We’d love to have you.”
“Thanks for the invitation, but Mama just wants to have a small dinner at home. She really misses Aunt June and my sisters. I think she’s missing my dad most of all. Thanksgiving were a big deal when he was alive.”
While they ate, Trace actively engaged her in conversation. Bailey was surprised they shared so many common interests.
“Bailey, I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity to see you again,” Trace said after paying the check.
She smiled. “I work long hours but here’s my number.” Bailey handed him a business card.
“Well now…,” Maurie said.
“Are you playing matchmaker?” Bailey asked. “Did you invite Trace to see if we’d hit it off?”
“No, I simply wanted to see my cousin while I was in town. I wasn’t trying to hook you two up.”
“I believe you.”
“It wasn’t my intent, but I like the way you two were interacting.” Maurie paused a moment before asking, “So, is there a tiny grain of interest in my cousin? Did I tell you that he’s a psychiatrist? He has a good job, girl.”
Laughing, Bailey responded, “He’s gorgeous, but I have to be honest. I’m not sure it was a good idea giving him my number. I’m just not in the frame of mind to start dating again.”
“Give him a chance, Bailey. Just get to know Trace. It’s not like you’re making a lifelong commitment. I know he’s my cousin, but he’s a really good man.”
“I thought the same thing about Colton.”
“Trace is honorable. He’s always been that way.”
“I’m not promising anything, Maurie, but the most that can come out of this is friendship.”
“You’re going to find love again.”
“Maurie, I’m fine. Love is how people manipulate you. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.” Bailey stole a peek at her. “Don’t give me that look. I’m good.”
They left the restaurant and drove back to Bailey’s apartment.
Her mother was in the living room reading the Bible when they walked inside.
“I bought you dinner,” she announced.
“You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”
“Mama, you’re too thin. I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine, sugar.”
“You’d tell me if you’re not feeling well.”
“I would,” her mother responded. “I think I’m still just dealing with June’s death. You know we were real close.”
“I know, Mama. It’s just that you don’t seem like yourself.”
“I’ll be fine, baby girl.”
“I can tell that you think something’s going on with your mom,” Maurie said when they were upstairs in Bailey’s bedroom.
“She doesn’t have much of an appetite and she’s not sleeping at night. At first, I thought that it was just grief from losing her sister. Now, I’m not sure…”
“Your mom might be going through a little depression,” Maurie stated. “My mother went through it when she lost her father and my dad.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Bailey said. “My emotions are still all over the place. I don’t think I can handle anything else.”
“Don’t let this bitterness eat you up. I know you’re hurting and it’s hard to forgive, but fight through it, Bailey.”
“I’m filled with fury. I’m still very angry with Colton and Harini.”
“I know,” Maurie said. “Anybody would feel
the same way, but you’re staying there in all that pain. You need to move on.”
“Since everything happened, I’ve thought about all that my father used to tell me—what he preached on. I’ve even tried to give it to God, but all I want to do is find a way to hurt Harini.”
“You want revenge.”
“I do.”
“You know what the Bible says, Bailey. You have to trust that someday it will come full circle—Harini will get exactly what she deserves. Colton’s probably already getting his—he has that witch for a baby mama.”
They burst into laughter.
Chapter 15
There was a sharp twinge of pain in her back, and Harini swayed dizzily. She reached quickly for her desk and held on to it until the dizziness passed.
The dizzy spell passed, and she went back to working on the new book. Harini wanted to have it completed a couple of months before her June due date, even though the deadline wasn’t due until August. She wanted to focus entirely on her child when he or she was born.
When the dizziness didn’t completely dissipate, Harini decided to lie down for a while and try to rest.
The condo was very still, and in the dark of her room, Harini found herself listening for every sound. She wondered if Pip had vanished to someplace secret. He never told her where he went in those times he left her alone.
She wanted to call Colton, but Harini knew he would think she was trying to manipulate him.
After a few minutes, the pain in her back subsided and she began feeling better. Harini forced herself to remain calm. She refused to let fear take control.
Harini considered calling her doctor but decided to wait. I’ve been under a lot of stress. I’ll just stay in bed for the rest of the day. Tomorrow even. I’ll do whatever I have to do to save this baby.
“Positive vibes…” she murmured. “Everything is gonna be alright.”
Harini drifted off to sleep.
Intense cramping woke her out of her nap, forcing a wave of panic to wash over her. “Nooo…”
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