by Lea Kinkade
With that realization, Samantha knew it didn’t matter if her story was splashed on the cover of a national tabloid or on the ten o’clock news. The majority of people would not blame an innocent child for the sins of her parents. Those who would didn’t matter. Samantha was finally going to stand up for herself. Tonya Michaels had negatively affected Samantha’s relationships from the time of her birth until now. Samantha wasn’t going to let her do it anymore. Enough was enough.
“Yes, it is, according to Uncle Marcus, but if we take this to the police, the story will get out for sure. We’re trying to avoid that for your sake.”
“You can’t be thinking of actually paying her, can you?” She was stunned at the lengths her new family would go to in order to protect her. “No! No way! She’s nothing to me anymore. Less than nothing. I won’t let her hurt your family, my family, like this. You’re not paying that woman a single penny, and we’re not messing around with her anymore trying to get her to keep her mouth shut.”
“Are you sure, darlin’? None of us want to see you hurt by this woman anymore.”
“She can’t hurt me anymore. No matter what she does or says. That woman gave birth to me, but she was never a mother. Cassie Chisholm is my mother and Alex Chisholm is my father. I have five great brothers and three wonderful sisters. I have more family then I ever thought possible.” Her utter conviction shone from her eyes.
“You do, you know. My family loves you like you’re one of their own. My mom and dad couldn’t love you more if you’d been born to them.” He swooped in and gave her a steamy kiss.
“We need to talk to Xander, Uncle Marcus, and your dad. I’m sure they have a way to contact her. I need to talk to the woman.” Samantha refused to call her “Mother.” She didn’t deserve that title. “She needs to know we’re prepared to go to the police and press charges if she doesn’t stop threatening our family. She needs to know that I don’t care if she gives a press conference and announces to the whole damn world that she’s a prostitute. The only person she can hurt anymore is herself.”
“You’re right, darlin’. She can’t hurt anyone but herself. But you don’t have to be the one to tell her that. Let me or Uncle Marcus handle it. Both of us would be happy to tell her to go to hell for you.” She knew he didn’t want her to have to say two words to the woman, let alone be in the same room with her.
“Thank you, Ryan, but I think I need to do this myself. It’s like writing the words ‘The End’ at the end of a book. I need to face the woman and end this myself. Of course I want you with me. I imagine Uncle Marcus will want to be there as well.” She wanted Ryan to be by her side as she fully embraced her new life.
* * * *
One week later, Samantha sat patiently in the overstuffed floral couch of the hotel suite in Corpus Christi, where she and Ryan were staying, waiting for Tonya Michaels to show up for her supposed pay off. Samantha refused to think of the woman as her mother. No woman worthy of the title “Mother” would attempt to do what Tonya was trying to do to her child.
Ryan sat right next to her on the couch, his body touching the length of hers, holding her hand. His thumb caressed her hand repeatedly in a calming show of support. Samantha knew he didn’t want her to be here. He’d told her he wanted to take care of Tonya himself so that Samantha would never have to see the woman again. Although she understood his desire to protect her from any further hurt that this woman might cause her, she needed to deal with this herself. She wanted Ryan there for moral support, but she needed to handle this in her own way.
Uncle Marcus was sitting at the desk in the room, quietly reviewing the information in the report they had received from the private investigator. The private investigator had reviewed the contents of the report on Tonya Michaels before he left their suite last night. Once she and Ryan had returned to their own room, Samantha had pored over the details in the report, searching for any information about her two half brothers the private investigators had discovered.
She didn’t give a flying fuck about Tonya Michaels. No. Any positive feelings Samantha may have had for the woman who had given birth to her had died a cold death when she had attempted to blackmail the Chisholms to keep quiet about her “profession” to save the Chisholms and Samantha any embarrassment that the information would cause.
Uncle Marcus had already prepared a written statement regarding the situation that would be released to reputable members of the press as soon as Samantha confronted Tonya about her demands. They had decided to go on the offensive and take any power that Tonya thought she had out of her greedy hands. The statement detailed Samantha’s childhood and how she had made something of her life despite all the obstacles. Although it didn’t come right out and say Tonya was a prostitute, it suggested that the reader look up her arrest record which was full of arrests for solicitation and theft.
Samantha looked at the clock on the bed stand. The woman was already nearly fifteen minutes late. Samantha decided to give her another five minutes before they packed up and left for home. Moments later, a loud knock sounded at the door. Ryan squeezed Samantha’s hand gently then got up to answer the door to the suite. As they had previously discussed, Samantha stayed out of sight on the couch.
Samantha heard the door open and she knew Ryan was ushering Tonya into the room.
“You must be Tonya Michaels. Come in,” she heard Ryan say in a strained voice. She heard the door shut.
“I ain’t got a lotta time. Just give me the dough so I can get outta here.” Samantha frowned. The raspy voice was not the voice she remembered from her childhood. Thirty years of smoking cigarettes and taking drugs had taken a toll on what used to be a sexy southern drawl.
“Who are you?” Tonya demanded, “Where’s the cash?”
“I’m Ryan Chisholm. I’m Samantha’s fiancé. This is my uncle, Marcus Chisholm. He’s our family attorney. Do you want to sit down?”
“Holy shit! The picture in the paper didn’t do you justice. I gotta give that girl a hand. She sure got her hooks into the right family. Rich and good-looking, too. You sure ain’t hard on the eyes. I been trying to land a rich, good-looking man like you for thirty years. Always did have the worst luck. Birthed me three brats trying to get a good payoff. Social Services took all of ’em away from me. Not like I wanted them anyways. They didn’t get me nothin’ but another mouth to feed.
“Sure took ’em long enough to take Sammy away from me for good. I thought they’d never get it done. After her prick of a father refused to acknowledge the little brat, there was no reason to keep her around. I got smarter with the boys. Soon as I found out their asshole fathers weren’t going to pony up, I managed to get ’em taken away from me so I didn’t have to take care of ’em no more. Kids cramp my style, if you know what I mean. Hard to earn money in my profession when you’re babysitting a brat.”
“I would imagine so,” drawled Uncle Marcus. Samantha could hear the anger simmering just below the surface. So far, Ryan hadn’t responded to Tonya’s diatribe.
“Let’s get this show on the road already. I got places to be,” said Tonya brusquely.
“You’re the one that was nearly twenty minutes late, Ms. Michaels. We thought maybe you’d thought about what you were trying to do and had second thoughts. I’m sorry to hear we were mistaken,” said Uncle Marcus.
“Change my mind? Are you nuts? This is my ticket out. One of my brats is finally taking care of her momma like kids are supposed to. I ain’t gettin’ any younger, ya know?”
“Well, Ms. Michaels, I’m afraid there has been a slight change in plans,” said Uncle Marcus stiffly.
“The hell you say. What are ya’ll trying to pull? I got the phone number for the Inquisitor right here in my pocket. One call and the Chisholms will be the laughingstock of Texas. Maybe even the whole damn country. Don’t fuck with me. I’ll do it. I’m not jackin’ around. Now, where’s my money?” Tonya demanded.
Samantha had heard enough. She thought she had prepared herself fo
r the ugliness that was Tonya Michaels. She’d been fooling herself. Nothing could have prepared her for the vitriol spewing out of this woman’s mouth. Samantha was both sick at heart and sick to her stomach. She needed to end this now before she was physically ill.
“I’m afraid there’s not going to be any payoffs for you, Tonya, so you can start figuring out a new retirement plan,” said Samantha coldly as she stepped into view. Although there had been pictures of Tonya in the private investigator’s report, they had been taken from a distance and were slightly grainy. Samantha wasn’t prepared to see what thirty years of selling her body, too much booze, and drugs had done to Tonya. Although nearly fifty years old, the woman was dressed in a halter top and a miniskirt. Her complexion was sallow and there were wrinkles on her face and body from hard living. Her hair, once luxurious and thick, was now thin and wispy. She bore very little resemblance to the beautiful woman Samantha remembered from childhood. Life had not been good to Tonya Michaels.
“Sammy? Is that you? Lord girl you turned into a real beauty. Reminds me of myself at your age. How old are you now anyway, twenty-two, twenty-three?”
“Hello, Mother. I’m twenty-seven actually, and I hope to God that, genetically, I got nothing from you. Even if I did, I thank the Lord that Social Services took me away from you so I don’t take after you in any other way but my physical appearance.” Walking closer to the woman, Samantha went on, “You’ll get nothing from the Chisholms today, Tonya, or any other day for that matter. The only reason they even considered giving you money was to protect me. They couldn’t care less how your story will affect them either financially or socially. The only thing they care about is protecting me.”
“Well, I see you haven’t changed all that much. Still a prudish little brat ain’t ya? Always did think you were better’n me, didn’t you, Sammy? Even as a little girl you thought you were better than where you come from.”
Samantha had heard more than enough. She had thought she might be able to get some information from Tonya about her half brothers but realized she wouldn’t be getting any help from this woman to find her half brothers and she just wanted this to be done.
“I am better than you, Tonya. I would never get pregnant for the sole purpose of milking the father for money. I would never sell my body for drugs and money. I would never let someone take my child away from me without doing everything I could to get her back. I am nothing like you and, in my estimation, that makes me better than you. You’re not getting a dime. Get out of here and go back to the hole you crawled out of.”
“I’m not pissin’ around with you people. I got nothing to lose. That reporter at the paper guaranteed me at least a hundred thousand for any dirt on one of the Chisholms. I bet my story will be worth a whole hell of a lot more than that once he knows everything. I was being nice giving you a chance to pay me to keep quiet, but if you don’t give me the money, I got no reason not to go back to that reporter.”
Ryan, who had been unusually quiet throughout the exchange, came forward to take Samantha’s hand in his and spoke for the first time.
“The full, unbiased story will be released to the press tonight and be in the papers tomorrow morning. It’s a great human-interest story about overcoming great obstacles and making a life for yourself despite having very little. Successful business woman. Upstanding member of the community. Getting married to the man she loves.
“The Inquisitor isn’t going to give you jack for a story that every reputable newspaper has already printed. The only person who will lose is you. You’ll lose what little speck of self-respect you might have left after all that you’ve done. The police have already been advised of your threats and attempt at extortion. This entire conversation has been recorded. If you go to anyone with this story, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“You may go now, Ms. Michaels. I’d say it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but that would be a lie. Remember that Samantha has family now. Family that will protect her. Don’t try to contact her in any way. If you contact the Chisholms again, you will be charged with extortion and harassment. You’re on notice.” Uncle Marcus went to the door as he spoke and opened it wide.
Looking confused at how things had gone so horribly wrong with her little scheme, Tonya headed for the door. As she crossed the threshold, she turned back for one last parting shot.
“This ain’t the end of this. I’ll get what I got coming to me one way or another.”
“Yes, it is, and yes, you will,” said Ryan as his uncle slammed the door shut in Tonya’s face.
Chapter 16
Samantha, Cassie, Taylor, Jessie, and Jordan were all piled into Jessie’s Escalade on their way to Corpus Christi to shop for a wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Cassie shared stories of the Chisholm boys’ childhoods with the women and they laughed until they nearly peed their pants. Cassie told Samantha she was making a scrapbook of Ryan’s childhood just as she had for Taylor and Jordan.
They hit the road at 8:00 a.m. in order to get to the first store when it opened at 9:00 a.m. Samantha and Jordan had scoped out five dress shops on the Internet to visit. The girls were having a wonderful time making girl talk on their way to their first stop, the dress shop where Jordan had found her wedding gown. Samantha didn’t really know what she wanted in a dress. She just knew she’d know it when she saw it.
The women had already been to three of the shops when they decided to stop for lunch. Samantha had found two dresses that would work, but the rest of the women encouraged her to keep looking for the dress. Though Jordan had found her dress at the first shop she had gone to, she had wanted to check out another shop before she decided to go back and get it, to be sure. She urged Samantha to be patient and find the right one.
Although the ceremony was taking place outside, it would be held in a giant, heated tent set up in the backyard of the big house just in case the weather didn’t cooperate and it was too cold. After all, it was a nighttime wedding in late December. The reception would also be held in a heated tent, so Samantha didn’t have to worry about the style of wedding dress she chose. She was looking for a strapless or a halter-style bodice and was glad the cooler winter temperatures wouldn’t keep her from getting the dress she wanted. Now, if only she could find the right one.
They had a leisurely lunch at an upscale restaurant suggested by Cassie. The restaurant was well-known for its delicious and hearty salads, so each of the women ordered a different salad and they sampled from each other’s plates. As advertised, the salads were delicious and quite filling. Jordan wasn’t able to eat all of her crispy chicken salad with bacon and honey-mustard dressing, but she gave it her all.
“Samantha,” asked Cassie quietly, “have you heard anything more from Tonya Michaels?” At Samantha’s surprised look, Cassie continued. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should just butt out.”
“No, Mom. It’s okay. You can talk to me about anything. Besides, she can’t hurt me anymore. And, no, we haven’t heard a peep from her since Ryan and I confronted her a few weeks ago.”
“Good. She doesn’t know what a gem she’s missed out on, Samantha. She’s got to be the dumbest woman in the world to have given you up.”
“I told you that the private investigators have verified that she had two other children, didn’t I? My half brothers. They were taken from her by the state, too.”
“Yes, you did. Do you know yet whether or not they have been adopted? How old would they be now?”
“They’d be sixteen and eighteen now. The investigator hasn’t been able to verify if they’ve been adopted or not . He’s still digging.”
“You want to find them a lot, don’t you?” asked Jordan.
“Yes. I do. I want to know they’re all right. On one hand, I hope they’ve both been adopted by loving families. On the other hand, I would like to get to know them and I hope there’s a way to do that someday.” Not wanting to spare Tonya Michaels a second thought, Samantha shook off her longing to get to
know her half brothers and got back into the spirit of shopping for her wedding dress.
After lunch, the women headed out to the fourth shop, Patsy’s Bridal Shoppe. While Samantha explained what she wanted in a wedding dress, the rest of the women looked for bridesmaid dresses. Patsy herself waited on Samantha, and they went back to the dressing area. After listening to what Samantha told her about her dream dress, Patsy went out into the store and grabbed three dresses, returning with them within a few minutes. She gave them to Samantha and told her to try them on in the order she had given them to her. Curious, Samantha did as she was told and tried on the first dress.
The first dress was beautiful. It was a strapless, A-line, white organza dress. The heart-shaped bodice had pearl beading at the center of the top of the bodice which wound its way down to the waist. The organza skirt had a petticoat look with a swatch of organza pulled tight from the bottom right up to the hip on the left of the dress. There was no train. All of the women oohed and aahed over the dress. It was lovely, but not exactly what Samantha wanted.
The second dress was an elegant empire-waist strapless organza floor-length wedding gown. The organza was covered in lace from breast to thigh with a simple and elegant silk skirt that had no train. Once again, it was a beautiful dress, but it wasn’t the one.
