by Thomas, C. M
“Why do I need a new number? They don’t now I’m her mother, do they?”
“No, they don’t. It’s just to be safe. I’m surprised my phone didn’t wake you up. I forgot to take it with me earlier, and when we came back, there were over fifty missed calls.”
“Really? How did they get your number?” She looked surprised. And really, I was too. Never before had so many unknown numbers gotten a hold of mine or any of the other band members’ numbers. Someone close to us was the leak, I was sure of it.
“I don’t know. Hopefully when they find out who leaked the story, it will all make sense. I still think that someone at our manager’s office leaked the story. And they have access to our numbers. But for now, I get a new number, and no one beside you, Dax, and my family gets that before this blows over.”
“I’m sorry I brought all this mess with me.”
“I’m not. I wouldn’t be without you or Alana, okay?”
“Okay.” She got up and walked over to the kitchen to get something to eat. I loved having her here. She belonged here, I just needed to make her understand that. Baby steps, Liam. I kept telling myself that because I really just wanted to move her and Alana in and then take things as they came after that.
“Mommy. Daddy,” Alana yelled from her room. Guess our baby is awake. I looked at Evie. She was sitting on the couch beside me. We had been sitting here talking for almost two hours.
“I will get her,” Evie said. When she got up, I heard someone knocking on the door. She looked at me over her shoulder.
“I think it’s Dax. Go get our baby and I will see who is at the door,” I said, and she smiled at me before she walked down the hall to Alana’s room. I could hear them talk and couldn’t help but smile. I walked over to the door and opened it. Both Dax and Bear were standing outside.
“Someone would like to come in,” Dax said, and looked down at Bear.
“Guess so. Come on in.” I gestured for Dax to come in, but Bear ran in before him. We both laughed.
We walked into the living room and sat down. Moments later, Alana came running into the room and smiled when she saw me.
“Hey, baby girl, you sleep okay?” She nodded. I lifted her up and sat her on my lap. Evie came walking behind her and said hello to Dax before she sat down beside Alana and me.
“Nice to meet you, Evie, and you, Alana,” Dax said. Alana looked at him before she smiled at him. Guess she accepted him too, just like the rest of the family.
“Nice meeting you too. And sorry for interrupting your vacation,” Evie said.
“No problem. This is my job. I know this is all new for you, but I need you to work with me.”
“I just want her safe, that really is all that matters,” Evie said while she looked at Alana.
“I understand and agree. But you also need to be safe. The reporters don’t know about you, at least not your identity. They think Liam had a one-night stand with a groupie and got her pregnant… My advice is that we just let them believe that, at least for a while. The longer we keep your identity secret, the better it is. That way you guys can make a statement when you’re ready.”
I took Evie’s hand in mine. “I talked to Anna earlier. She said the reporters are in town.” I looked at Dax. It was not a question, but I needed him to confirm it.
“They are. A horde of them are standing just outside the gates. Thank God for the gate, it makes my job a lot easier. If they get through it they are trespassing, so hopefully they will keep standing on the other side.” Dax smiled. “I talked to your father, and he told me that you could drive out from the ranch another way, if it was necessary. I hope it’s not, but I think it’s nice to have the option. Also, I got Mark to make sure that the windows in your car are tinted. That way Evie and Alana will be safe driving with you, as long as they are seated in the back.”
“What about my car?” Evie asked.
“You drive mine if you need to go somewhere,” I said.
And Dax added, “I would really like it if you never drive alone. Just to be safe, have one of my guys with you. Also, if Liam is with you, they can follow in a car behind if you prefer that.”
“This is so much. Do you really deal with this all the time?” Evie asked me.
“We do. It’s part of the life. And after what happened to Anna, we have even more security,” I said, and smiled at her.
“We will try to stay out of your way. As long as you’re here on the ranch, we won’t bother you. But when you leave, we will go with you. I would like to take a look at the security at your house, unless you are staying here all summer?” Dax looked at Evie then at me.
“I don’t know about that. But you are welcome to look at my house. You want me to go with you?” she asked.
“You don’t have to. Just give me the key and I will look it over with a couple of the guys,” Dax said.
Evie walked over to the kitchen counter and got her keys from her purse. She gave them to Dax and sat down beside me again.
“I will get going. Your new numbers are in the bag.” He gave Evie the bag. “Make sure she has my number and Ryder’s. It’s always one of us on call.”
“Do you need the keys to my car too?” I asked.
“Yes, that would be great. That way I don’t have to walk all the way back.” He laughed. I laughed with him and took out my keys from my jeans pocket.
“Daddy,” Alana squealed when I moved around under her. She crawled over to Evie’s lap.
“Dax needs to have my keys,” I told her before giving Dax the keys and walking him out.
“She is adorable, that little girl,” he said.
“She really is,” I said. “Her mom too.”
“You plan on having her around?”
“I do. I just hope all of this doesn’t scare her away.”
“I will do my best to make sure she is safe. Both of them. The rest is up to you.”
“I know. Thanks for coming by. And sorry about your vacation.”
“Don’t be. My daughter is coming here instead. I talked to your mom and she said that they have plenty of room if she doesn’t want to stay in one of the cottages.” Of course my mom did—she always wanted to do what was best for everyone, and help where she could.
“Great. Both Caleb and Cole have rooms too.”
“Don’t want my baby anywhere near any of those two.”
“They will be around anyway. But I get you. Can’t wait to meet her. When is she coming?”
“I think she is planning on coming next week. She wasn’t sure last time I talked to her. She hadn’t bought her plane ticket yet. I told her I would buy them, so now I just need her to decide when she wants to travel.”
“I’m glad she is coming here, so you get to see her anyway,” I said, thinking that the plane ticket would be paid by us, and not Dax. I didn’t tell him that, though. I needed to get Anna on that when he left.
“Me too. I will come by with your keys and car later.” With that, he left.
When I closed the door, I called Anna.
“Hey, everything okay?” she answered.
“Hey, yep, everything is fine. Just talked to Dax. He told me his daughter is coming here, instead of him traveling to Paris.”
“Yes, he told me earlier.”
“I want us to pay for her airfare. Can you make sure we do that?”
“Of course. He asked me if I would buy them for him when she decided when and how long she would be staying here. I will just pay them with the band’s credit card instead. Did you tell the others about this?”
“No, he just left here.”
“Okay, I will tell them. If they have a problem with it, then I will kick their asses.”
“Whose ass are you going to kick, baby?” I heard Zane ask her.
“Yours and your brothers’ if you don’t agree with Liam
and me,” she said.
“Since when did you and Liam get to decide something without us? Hey bro.”
“Shut up, Zane. I will make sure her ticket gets paid, okay?” Anna said.
“Thank you. See you later.” I hung up and let Anna deal with Zane. I knew neither he nor the rest of the guys would mind, but they still had to know about it.
I walked into the living room and saw my girls on the floor playing with Alana’s dolly and some other things. Evie had brought over more of Alana’s toys, which reminded me that we really needed to get her some toys for her room here.
Chapter 13:
Evie
“Are you okay?” Liam asked. I looked up at him. We were lying in bed after a very long day. First someone leaked the story about Alana to the press, then we talked to Dax, got new numbers, and he checked up on security in my house. Then we had dinner, and Alana was just in the worst mood. I guessed that everything that had happened during the last few days was finally catching up to her. Getting her to sleep tonight was rough. She was so tired, but at the same time she really didn’t want to sleep. Kept screaming and crying. It took us almost three hours to get her to calm down and sleep.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her like that before.” I let out a deep breath.
“Maybe she needs a couple of days, just with you and me. It has been some overwhelming days.” Liam smiled. We were watching a movie, although I couldn’t focus on it. My thoughts were flying around in my head, and at the same time my feelings for Liam were getting stronger and stronger. He made me feel so safe, but I was still afraid that this was just temporary.
“It sounds like a great idea, she needs that. I need that.” I closed my eyes and snuggled closer to him. “But I still think I will go talk to your mom tomorrow, is that okay?”
“Sure, Sunshine. You also need that. Alana and I will start cleaning her room, and then I hope we can do some online shopping, so she can have her own room here.”
“She will love that. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money on her, she doesn’t need all those toys. I know your mom will go shopping for her too.”
“She’s my daughter, I want to spend my money on her and her mom. Please let me do this.”
“Fine. But just so you know, I don’t care about your money and neither does she.”
“I know. That’s why I want to do it.” He smiled at me. I looked him in the eyes and hoped that he was feeling just half of what I was right now. I really wanted him, all of him. I’d missed him so much, missed being in his arms.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
He did as I asked and kissed me. But not like the other kisses we had shared the last two days. This kiss was full of emotions, lust, and hunger. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. I could feel one of his hands on my hip, then up under my shirt. Or actually his shirt. After my shower, I put one of his shirts on. I moaned into his mouth, loving the way his hands felt on me. We should stop before this went any further, but I didn’t want to.
“God, you’re so beautiful.” Liam broke the kiss to pull my shirt over my head. I was now naked from the waist up, although the thong I was wearing was not hiding much. I didn’t want him to see my stretchmarks, so I tried to turn off the light, but he stopped me.
“Don’t, Sunshine. Your body is beautiful, don’t hide it from me.” His hand came up and cupped my cheek before he kissed me again. I forgot everything about being ashamed of my body and just melted into his kiss. I was just about to take off his shirt when I heard Alana cry. And not just sobbing, but more like screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Sorry, I guess we’re back to being parents.” I smiled and put my shirt back on.
“Guess so. Wait here, I will get her. She can sleep with us tonight. Maybe that will help her calm down.” He kissed me one more time before he walked out of the room.
I lay back on the bed and touched my lips with my fingers. If she hadn’t interrupted us, I wouldn’t have been able to stop. I wanted him so bad. I looked up and saw him walking back into the room with Alana in his arms. Her eyes were all red and she was still crying, not so much as before but still. My heart broke a little seeing my baby like this.
“Mommy.” She sobbed and reached out for me. I took her from Liam and held her close to me. Liam walked over and turned off the light and then came back to bed.
“Shhh. Go back to sleep, baby girl.” I gave her a kiss on her forehead and held her close. I looked over her head at Liam. He looked so lost, like he had no idea what to do to help her. I kind of felt the same way, but I didn’t think there was a manual for comforting toddlers, so I just worked with my instinct. “You can sleep here with Mommy and Daddy.”
“Daddy?” She looked up at me.
“Right here, baby girl.” He moved closer to us and pulled us both into his arms. “Go back to sleep, baby girl. Love you.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then looked over at me, smiling. I wasn’t sure if the “love you” was for her or me. But it had to be for her, right?
“Good night,” I whispered to him.
“Night, Sunshine.”
“Good morning, Evie,” Brent said. He was sitting in their kitchen at the table with his coffee and a newspaper.
“Is it still morning?” I asked him. We had been up with Alana the last three hours. She slept in the bed with us, but it still seemed like she couldn’t find the peace she needed to get some sleep. At least, not for more than thirty minutes at a time. To say that I was tired was an understatement. I hoped Liam had luck with her while I talked to Coleen. I asked him if I should wait, but he insisted that I should go talk to his mom, and that he would be fine.
“That bad?” Brent smiled and took a sip of his coffee.
“Worse. I think everything is crashing down around Alana. She wouldn’t sleep last night. And I think Liam is thinking twice about having us staying at his house.” I tried to joke, but I really feared that this would be too much for him.
“Nonsense. She is his daughter too. He needs to learn the hard way that having children isn’t always a walk in the park.” He chuckled. “And she will be fine, you know that, right? All these new people, and a new place to sleep has to be tough for her.”
“I know. I just wish I knew how to help her.” I shrugged.
“You do what you’re doing right now. Ask for help. I will go down to them while you talk to Coleen. Maybe seeing her grandpa will help her. And Liam asked if I would come help him with something anyway.”
“You can try, but just so you know, she can be a diva, and right now that is exactly what she is.”
“Remember, I raised Amy.”
“Right. And thank you for this. For helping. You guys didn’t have to do this.”
“Nonsense. We’re your family, not just Alana’s. Always remember that, no matter what happens with you and Liam. We will always be your family.” He walked over and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “Coleen is just finishing a phone call, you can go into the living room and wait for her if you like. I will go to Liam’s and see if I can get a smile on the diva’s face.”
“I hope you can. We talked about just being us and her for the next days, but I think we could use some help. At least from you and Coleen.”
“All you have to do is ask, okay?”
“Thank you.” I smiled at him before he walked out of the kitchen. I got up and walked into the living room.
“Oh, you’re here. I hope you haven’t waited long for me, I just had to make a phone call.” Coleen came walking out from her office.
“I didn’t. I just talked to Brent before he went to Liam’s house.”
“Good. You look tired, honey, are you okay?” She came over and gave me a hug before sitting down on the couch beside me.
“Alana just had a really hard time sleeping last night, so I really haven’t slept much.”
“I’m sorry. Hopefully Liam helped you?”
“He did. Even though he looks lost sometimes, he is doing everything he can to help me.”
“Good. I raised him right,” she said with a smile on her face. “So, how are you really doing with everything that has happened the last three years?”
“I don’t know. I hate my parents for making me leave, for sending me away like I’m just some mess they could put away and not deal with… But at the same time, I think that if I say it out loud that people will judge me for feeling like that about them. They are dead and can’t defend themselves.” I could feel the tears coming. I blinked a couple of times, hoping to hold them back. Coleen just looked at me and took my hand, waiting for me to continue. “And the pregnancy was so horrible, I was sick, and not just morning sickness. I was more in bed than up from it for the last months of the pregnancy… Then, giving birth was really amazing… hurt like hell, but it didn’t take more than seven hours. For that, I’m grateful. And I did get the most amazing daughter.”
“Was there anyone with you when you gave birth to her?”
“One of the other girls who lived there was with me, but I think it was more for show than anything. Then there was a midwife and a doctor.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. I wish I could have been there helping you, or at least Liam could have been there.”
“Me too. I was crying for him every night, hoping that at some point I would get a chance to tell him. To explain that I didn’t leave him. That I loved him, still do. I just don’t know if we ever will be able to move past this. If I will. I feel like the last three years have been taken from me… That someone else was in control of my life, which my father was. He was paying for them to keep me there… I didn’t think places like that existed, although we sometimes hear about places like that on the news. I still don’t understand what made them choose to just send me away. I just can’t understand how he could do that to his own child. How my mother could do that to me?” I cried.
