"It said that he was sorry, he loved me, and he wanted to have a family together."
"That motherfucker," he snapped.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said anything. Shit! I should have deleted it and forgotten about it. I'm so sorry, Cliff. I hope I didn't ruin your day. Please, just let it go."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rachel. You didn't do anything wrong. He did. He knows that he's supposed to leave you alone. I'm not taking any chances with you. You're my love. He's not getting anywhere near you. Are you okay? I'm coming to the school."
"No," she said cutting him off. "I just felt nervous and sick to my stomach when I read it. I don't think he'll do anything, but I can't be sure after the last time. Do you think he knows I moved in with you? Why else would he text out of nowhere? I'm okay. Don't leave work. I've put you through enough. I'll go by the police station after work. I just needed to hear your voice. It makes me feel safe."
"The only way he would know that we live together would be if he violated the order. We can't prove that, but the text sure does. I'll meet you at four o'clock and go to the station with you. I'm glad you told me. I would never want you to keep something from me so it wouldn't upset my day. I will always protect you and keep you safe. He's going to regret the way he's been to you. I love you. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine now, thank you. I'll see you at four. Thank you for everything, Cliff. I seriously don't know what I ever did to deserve you. You're my everything. I hope you know how much I love you, babe."
They filed a report at the police station after work and went home. She didn't respond to the text but kept it in case they needed it. The officer told her they would be paying a visit to Jake and to let them know if he contacted her again.
Chapter 14
Rachel took a bath as soon as they got home. Rose had dinner waiting for them. When Rachel showed up for dinner in her bathrobe, Cliff had a look of concern.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I'm just feeling a little sick. I think it's just from the stress of the day. I'll be fine after I eat."
After dinner they relaxed in bed for the rest of the night. She noticed Cliff had been working less in the evenings and decided to bring it up.
"You can work if you need to," she said.
"I'm good right here," he answered.
"Please don't put your company in jeopardy because of my problems. You've been working less at night since I moved in."
"You noticed that?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I have people to do most of the things I do myself. It's a control thing. I'm worried they won't do it right. I've made some changes lately and am handing over more of the things I was doing. I want to be able to work much less than I was before. I just have to figure it all out and make sure the firm is running smoothly. I want to spend more time with you. I don't want to wake up one day with regrets. I don't want to think of all of the things I should have been doing when I was at the office. I could have lost you that day. I know it wasn't like that, but we never know when we'll be gone. I used to work just to pass time, but it's not like that anymore. You're the one I want to spend my time with. I own the company. I shouldn't work more than everyone there. I should be able to let the company run itself. It has nothing to do with anything but the fact that I love you and want to spend time with you."
They were in bed when Rachel felt like she was going to be sick and ran for the bathroom. Cliff was right behind her to make sure she was okay. It didn't last long, but she was exhausted. They climbed back in bed, and he held her as she fell asleep.
The next few days were fine. Rachel was getting in the swing of being back in the classroom and coming home to her man. She worked hard the few hours her kids were at their special classes so she wouldn't have to take as much work home.
That Friday night, Rachel brought home some stuff to get a craft ready for the following Monday. She was sitting on the living room floor with stuff spread all over the place when Cliff walked in from work. Something seemed off with him. There was no color in his face. Rachel jumped from the floor and ran over to greet him.
"Are you okay? You look rough. Did I give you whatever I had the other day?" she asked.
She grabbed his laptop bag from his shoulder and put it on the chair closest to the door. Then she slid his suit jacket from his shoulders and loosened his tie.
"Come sit down, babe," she said. "I'll get you a glass of water."
She held his arm while he walked through her mess and sat down on the couch. Then she took off for the kitchen. When she got back to him with a glass of water, he still hadn't said a word.
"Sit with me," he said.
Rachel sat down next to him, set the water on the table, and took his hand in hers. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Cliff, babe," she said. "Are you feeling okay?"
He shook his head no, took a deep breath, sat back up, and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger.
"I have to tell you something," he said. "This is not easy for me to say."
Rachel pulled back a little.
"I just moved in," she started.
"It's nothing like that, baby. I love you more than you will ever know. It's about Jake."
"What did he do?" she asked.
"It's not about you. It has to do with my sister. She called me in tears while I was driving home."
"Oh no," she said. "What happened."
Rachel rubbed his back as she waited for him to continue.
"I don't know how to say it."
"Just say it," she said. " I don't think anything would surprise me."
He turned and took her hands in his.
"She's pregnant, Rachel."
Rachel gasped for air. She felt like her lungs were closing in on her. Did he really say what she thought, she wondered? Her stomach started to turn and she took off up the stairs for the bathroom with Cliff on her heels. After a few minutes, she stood back up and brushed her teeth.
"My nerves are getting to me," she said. "She's really pregnant."
He pulled her into his arms.
"Yes," he said. "She's putting me in a very shitty position."
"Does he know?" she asked.
Cliff held her as they walked to the sit on the edge of the bed.
"She said she told him last Sunday," he said.
"The day before he sent me the text about having a family with me," she said.
"She said that he told her he wanted nothing to do with the situation. He told her to figure it out herself."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" she yelled and took off for the bathroom again. "I think I need to eat something."
They ate the food Rose had prepared for them and talked. It was Friday night and they were at home talking about his sister and her ex's baby. What a mess.
"Do you want to go out and get your mind off of it?" she asked, feeling bad they were home.
"No," he said. "I just want to hold you."
They moved into the living room and cuddled together on the couch.
"I can't believe he would just walk away from his own baby," she said. "I can't believe he would send me a text like that after walking away."
"I'm in a bad spot," Cliff said. "I don't know what to do. He's an ass. I feel like I have to help her. I also feel like if I help her I'm going against you. I don't know how to explain it. I didn't want to tell you. I know what happened between the two of you."
"Don't feel like that, babe. You need to think about your family. That has to separated from what happened to me. I thought they hadn't seen each other since I told you in Vegas?"
"They haven't," he said. "She said something because she's starting to show. She was afraid to tell him after the whole getting fired thing. He turned her down completely and told her to stop calling him. I have to help her. She's my sister. Please understand. I don't expect you to be there or have anything to do with her. I just need to know
you're okay with me helping her. I can't let the baby suffer because of yet another one of his mistakes."
Cliff held her tight. She felt like he was afraid to let go. How could he think after everything he had been through with her that she would turn away from him? There was no way she was giving him up because of Jake.
"I would never expect you to turn her or the baby away. She's your family," she said, as she looked up at him. "I'm okay with you helping her. It's not really my business. It's your family and your money."
"It's our money," he said. "I told her about us. She knows we live together."
"That must have been an interesting conversation. All that on the drive home from work."
She rubbed his arm and snuggled into his chest.
"She said she didn't know the two of you were together. He told her you were separated. After you walked in on them, he told her you were jealous because he wasn't with you anymore and you weren't supposed to be in the house. She sounded shocked when I told her the two of you were together at the time. She had no idea that he had been to jail for being in your apartment. I want her to go after him in court. He needs to take care of his child."
"I agree. I don't want a baby to suffer because of him," she said. "Has she been to the doctor?"
"She went once," he said. "I freaked out about it. She should have gone several times already I think. She doesn't have insurance anymore. It ended when I fired her."
"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked with genuine concern. "Doesn't she realize how important that is? I don't understand women sometimes. Some of them just don't get how lucky they are."
"I'm putting her back on the payroll. I told her she could work from home doing things I don't want to do. It pisses me off. She should be gone. I would never let anyone else come back. I just don't know what else to do. I'm not giving her insurance while she sits on her ass and does nothing. I can't do it. I don't want her in the building either. She needs the money and will be able to go to all of the appointments she needs. This baby didn't ask for her or him for parents. I'm not doing this over the weekend. I'll do some research on Monday, but I'm sure we'll need a DNA test before she can take him to court. If he denies the baby, she'll need proof. There is no way she is putting that baby through any kind of test before it's born. I don't even know how it all works. I don't want to contact him. If I do, it may do something against your order. I don't want to give him any advantages when it comes to you. You are my number one priority in all of this. I just want to hold you right now. When I'm with you, everything else disappears."
"You're a good man, Cliff. I'm the luckiest woman in the entire world. You care so much. I really like that about you."
"I try to be, but he is testing every boundary I have. I guarantee, he will never work as a lawyer in this state again," Cliff said.
"Just let him go for now," she said, as Cliff's eyes widened and she felt him stiffen in her arms. "He needs a job for her to get support from him, babe. She's lucky to have you as her brother. I hope she appreciates you."
"Are you okay with this?" he asked.
"I don't have a choice," she answered. "I can't live in the past. I'm done with it all."
Cliff looked down at the floor and laughed.
"What in the world is all over the floor? I can't believe I didn't notice it when I came in."
"I was getting a craft ready for Monday," she said with a smile. "I planned on having it done before you got home. It was a bigger job than I thought. I'm sorry. I'll clean it all up."
She moved to stand, and he pulled her back to him.
"Were you finished with it?" he asked.
She shook her head no.
"Come on," he said, as he scooted onto the floor from the couch. "Show me what we need to do. Then we'll go to bed and stay there the entire weekend. We're turning off our phones and shutting out the rest of the world."
"Really?" she asked in an excited tone. "You really want to help me?"
She sat down on the floor next to him and started moving things around.
"Of course," he said.
Rachel was so happy. It was something simple, but it meant the world to her. He helped her cut and package the parts and directions. They talked and joked the entire time. She told him she needed samples of the project and asked if he would sit with her while she made one. He got up to get a few of the things she needed to finish it and grabbed one for himself. They sat together on the living room floor making crafts. When they were finished, she looked over at him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you so much," she said, as she reached over and took his face in her hands. "That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't remember the last time I've had that much fun. You probably think that's crazy. I'm sure you're used to fancy dates out, but this was better than any date I've ever had."
She kissed him softly.
"Better than Elton John in Vegas?" he asked.
"That was awesome," she said. "I will admit that. I was so nervous that night. I was worried about disappointing you. I never imagined you'd be the one. What you just did for me was amazing. You work hard all day. I can't believe you came home, got on the floor, and helped me with something for school. You're so supportive. I hope you know how much I appreciate you."
She pushed him back, and he pulled her down with him.
"Those kids are important to you, and you're important to them. I'm happy that you care so much about your job. The world needs more teachers like you. They spend more time with you than they do with their own parents. You're good at what you do. I have to admit, me helping was a bit selfish as well. The faster you got done, the faster I could get you in bed. If this still needed done, you'd think about it all weekend. I want all of your attention."
Cliff pulled her down and kissed her, as he rolled her onto her back.
"Don't tell my staff I was on the floor doing crafts. It was actually fun," he joked. "I have a reputation to uphold. I'm not sure that would help it."
Rachel burst into laughter, as he started to tickle her sides.
"You're pretty good at it," she joked back. "I think you're my new sample maker."
"Anytime, baby," he said. "As long as your next to me."
Cliff stood up, pulled her up from the floor, and pointed to the stairs.
"Bed, woman," he snapped.
Rachel laughed and headed for the stairs. Cliff smacked her on the ass as she passed him. He shut everything off and checked the doors before following up the stairs.
Chapter 15
The weekend went exactly as Cliff said it would. Rachel shut her phone off. He left his on for work but never answered it. They never left the house and barely left the bedroom. She could never remember a time in her life that she was as happy as she had been since she met Cliff. No matter what came her way, she knew she would get through it with him by her side. He made her feel loved, cherished, safe, and so wanted. She had never felt sexy before. Cliff made sure she felt sexy every chance he could.
Monday morning came and their alarms began to beep. They both hurried to turn them off. Neither of them wanted to leave the comfort of their bed. She had thought back on the weekend they had just had.
"I was thinking," she said. "Do you think you could give Rose Sunday off each week?"
"What?" he asked, as he got up from the bed. "Why?"
"I just thought it would be nice to have one day of the week completely alone. I want to make you breakfast on Sunday mornings and dinner on Sunday nights. I'll do the dishes and keep up everything those days. I don't want you to cut her pay or anything. The poor woman works seven days a week."
"Don't make it sound like that," he said. "There are times I'm out of town. Sometimes I tell her to take days off if I won't be around. She's had more time than ever off since we started dating. All those times I stayed at your house, she had time to herself."
"I know," she said. "She's always on call with you. If you were busy she got time off. Don't you think it
would be nice for her to know ahead of time that she was off every Sunday. I just want to be able to do things for you too. At my place I could. I'm not asking you to do it. You work your ass off. I wouldn't expect you to cook or clean. I just wanted to be able to do some of the normal life things for you too. I don't know."
"I'm sure you're right," he said, as he buttoned his dress shirt. "She'd like a scheduled day off each week. I never really thought about it like that. She's visited her family a few times. She'd probably like to do it more often. I've never heard her complain about anything. I've been thinking lately about not letting life pass me by. I don't want her to feel like it passed her by while she was working for me either. You ready to take on all of my needs every Sunday?"
"Most definitely," she said with a wink before jumping out of bed and running for the bathroom.
He was right behind her. Cliff held her hair and rubbed her back, as he threw his tie around his neck.
"I'm making you an appointment," he said. "It's been a week and you've gotten sick five times. Have you been sick at all when I haven't been with you?"
Rachel stood up and began to brush her teeth.
"No," she said. "It's just nerves. So much has been going on the past few weeks."
"I want to know that it's just nerves. I'll feel better when a doctor confirms it."
"Cliff," she snapped. "I'm fine."
"Stop," he said. "It's not negotiable."
"Don't pull that lawyer shit on me," she said.
He walked up behind her, turned her around, and held her chin in his hand.
"It's my job to keep you safe. I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you. If you don't go to the doctor, I'll worry about you. I need to know that everything's okay. Could you please not argue this with me. We'll go, and they will say it's just nerves. I'll feel much better. Would you do that for me?"
She shook her head in his hand with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.
"Good," he said with a smirk. "I'll make an appointment for after work today. I'm going with you. That way I can hear it for myself. Now, get that sexy, naked ass ready for school before I spank it."
What Happened After Vegas? (Unexpected Love #2) Page 9
