"You can deny this all you want. I don't need you to confess, I have proof."
Keeping her cool, Helen continues to stare at me with a look of shock on her face. I'm still shocked that this sweet old lady is behind all the negativity spread through that office. So many of her rumors could have destroyed relationships, reputations, friendships. It astounds me.
"Miss Brianna—"
"No. Unless the next words out of your mouth are either I'm sorry or I'll stop talking shit about people, I don't want to hear what you have to say. Because we both know the truth, and what you've been doing, all the lies you've been spreading and the drama you've stirred up, it has to stop. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not after one more rumor. It ends today."
"I swear—"
"Helen, let me clue you in on a few things," I start, checking the time on my phone before leaning back in my chair. I have ten minutes before I have to head home. It's going to take me close to forty minutes to get there, and I don't want to be late. The rumors have caused me enough stress the last few months.
"First of all," I continue, "you were the only person I told I was coming home early. You were the only person that knew I was concerned about Hunter's secret meetings. I didn't even tell Megan until she called to ask me about it. That was only the first clue, though. I really started to put it together on the plane ride home.
"You see, you're the hub of information at the office. You see and hear everything. You always know where everyone is, what they're doing, and who they're with. Not just the guys but their assistants. You get to the office before most people in the morning and leave after everyone else.
"And then there's the fact that you sit alone all day. You have time to formulate the rumors, to decide whose head is next on the chopping block. What will be the most interesting thing to say and about whom. What's believable and what's not. So, it's you. I know it is. You have help, of course. And there's only one other person who knows your secret. Ally. Which doesn't surprise me. I'm sure you have some sort of deal where her stories never shared. It keeps her appearance clean.
"I would have made that deal with you if I were her. It would explain why no one is ever talking about her. Why we never hear rumors about Ally, her excessive dating life, or the many men that come and go. Because it wouldn't be gossip or speculation. It would be facts, and the real life is always less interesting than the shit people make up. Sound about right?"
She didn't say anything after that. Instead, she hung her head while I signaled for the check.
"Before we go, there's one last thing I need to say." I wait for her to make eye contact before I continue. Once she finally does, I stare into her misty eyes for a moment. I expect her to look apologetic, but all I see is sadness. She's been caught, and that makes her sad. "After today, there will be no more rumors. Not a single line of gossip. Are we clear? Because if I hear anything, and I will, I'll stand in the middle of the office and rat you out without a second thought."
Helen nods her head in understanding before reaching for her purse and excusing herself.
This conversation is over. She may not have confessed to anything, but I don't need her confession. I'll be talking to Ally the next time I see her. I'll let her confirm my suspicions. She'll fold once she realizes the cat is out of the bag.
The source is dead.
There will be no more rumors after today. The office is going to be a quiet, drama free, place to work. And if I hear of anything floating around, I'm going to out Helen and her devious ways to everyone.
With Vanessa living here now, people are constantly coming and going. We've hosted two family dinners since she's has moved in, and my father and the good doctor are coming to visit next week.
Everyone loves her, myself included.
She's sweet and smart and kind. She would have made a wonderful mother if her situation was different.
There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to adopt her baby. It wasn't for her; it was for me. For us. It was a purely selfish move. I'll forever be in her debt for giving me, for giving Hunter, the one thing we've been waiting so long for. A family of our own.
Herman and Margoret may be even more excited than we are. They'll have another grandbaby to spoil rotten. In fact, they offered to pay for the adoption, but we declined. Instead, they set up a college fund, something they did for Amara before she was born as well.
Still, this situation helps Vanessa, as well, and it's been amazing getting to know her better as we wait for our little bundle of joy to arrive.
She's going to live with us for the next year. Adoption takes time. It's not something that happens overnight, and this way, we won't miss out on a moment of anything since the baby can't legally live with us alone until the ink has dried on the paperwork. It will also give Vanessa time to bond with the baby and to save money to get back on her feet. She has to stay in school while she's here and help around the house, but other than that, she's free to do as she pleases. She can be a twenty-year-old college student, which is what she wants and needs to be right now.
After she moves out, she'll still be a part of our lives. Of the baby's life.
I want that for both of them.
This child will know both of her mothers. The one that gave birth to her and the one that raises her. I never want her to wonder where she came from. When she's old enough, we'll tell her the story, but at the end of it, all I care is that she knows she was wanted. That she's loved.
Our next hurdle is Vanessa's family. She's been talking with her mother more since she called to tell her about the adoption. It took a few phone calls before she was able to get them to listen, but now that they are, their relationship seems to be on the mend. We're trying to get them to come over so we can meet them, but so far, they won't budge. They want nothing to do with the baby, even if Vanessa's not going to be ‘stuck’ with ‘it’ for the rest of her life.
Her mother's words, not mine.
I think once she lays eyes on her grandbaby, her tune will change. That's probably why she's hesitant to come meet us. I'm just hoping the adoption papers go through before then so she doesn't try and steal her from us. Things may get violent if that happens.
"Do you need any help?" I ask as Vanessa pushes herself out of the chair.
"I think I've got it," she insists, the words forced through gritted teeth as she attempts to stand.
Grabbing her elbow, she takes my help without a fight. She's a very independent person. She likes to do things herself, but I hope she's learning that asking for help isn't always a bad thing. We all need an extra set of hands from time to time.
"Thanks," she says as we get her to her feet. "I really have to pee, and I'd hate to stain your nice furniture."
"I hate to tell you this, but I think you already went," I inform her, motioning to the puddle between her feet. My toes felt the splash a moment ago, catching me by surprise, but I was in the middle of pulling her up and didn't want to stop.
"I'm so sorry," she groans, gripping her large, round midsection. "I don't think that's pee, though."
Frozen in place as the meaning behind her words hits me, it takes a loud moan from Vanessa before I spring into action.
Holy Shit! The baby's coming. My baby. Our baby.
Reaching for my phone, it rings in my hand as I'm about to make the call Hunter's been waiting on for the last three days. As soon as Vanessa starting having contractions, he started freaking out. Preparing. I'm pretty sure we have the biggest bag of stuff to take with us to the hospital.
"I was just going to call you," I frantically say, shoving the phone between my shoulder and ear.
"Really?" Not Hunter. "I was calling to tell you I finally decided on a date for the wedding. Why were you calling me?"
"Sorry, I thought you were Hunter. Now is not a good time. Vanessa's water just broke."
"Oh, shit! What can I do?"
Emerson sounds frazzled. I'm sure I do, as well, but I'm trying to keep it together for Vanessa
's sake. She has enough to worry about right now. Like a huge baby coming out a tiny hole. If I don't get her to the hospital soon, she may have to make that happen without the aid of drugs.
We have her birthing plan all worked out. An epidural is part of it, but only if we leave right now.
"Can you run down the hall and tell Hunter to meet us at the hospital?"
"I'm on it," Emerson says before she hangs up on me.
"Okay, let's get you to the hospital," I say to Vanessa, who's shrieking in pain again.
That was close, wasn't it? I should be timing her contractions.
I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't that.
Ten hours.
Vanessa moaned and hollered for ten hours before our sweet baby girl made her grand entrance. With the amount of pain she was in, and as close as her contractions were when we arrived at the hospital, I thought Hunter might miss her birth at first.
Nope.
The entire family was gathered in the waiting room most of the night in anticipation of her arrival. And when she was finally here, and Hunter made the announcement, you heard them all cheering from down the hall.
Bethany Hope Dixon.
My mother's legacy will live on in my daughter.
The moment they put her in my arms, I almost lost it. There's this feeling you get the first time you see your child, whether you gave birth to them or not. It's a mix between love and shock, and you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, of your heart, in that moment because you gave it to your child. A piece you'll never get back and you’ll never want to.
They own you.
You'd do anything for them.
And then the damn nurses rip the baby away. Rip is a strong word. I get that they need to check her out, make sure she's okay, but still. A minute in my arms will never be long enough. I want to hold her forever and never let go.
"How are you feeling?" I ask Vanessa the next morning as I rock Bethany back and forth next to the bed.
"Good. There's a little discomfort, but I'll be fine in a few days. How's she doing?"
"Amazing. She's perfect." Carefully lowering Bethany into Vanessa's waiting arms, I smile when I notice the similarities. "She has your eyes. And your nose. And your smile, I think."
"She's so tiny."
"Yeah. You should have seen when they brought her back in and Hunter held her. You could tell he thought he was going to break her. He was so careful."
Vanessa fell asleep shortly after they cleaned her up and took Bethany to the nursery. She was exhausted after laboring for so long. Hunter and I stayed until they brought Bethany back in to nurse, wanting to hold her one last time before we left for the night.
"I can only imagine. He's huge compared to her," Vanessa laughs. "I'm so glad you guys are doing this for her. You're going to be amazing parents. She's one lucky little girl."
"She sure is because she not only gets to have us in her life but you're going to be a part of her life as well. Not many kids can say they have two moms who love them unconditionally."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bethany is perfect in every way imaginable. She's a happy baby unless she's hungry. Something only Vanessa can take care of right now.
Every other moment of the day, though, she's the blessing we had been hoping for. Even when she's crying or sleeping, I still find myself overwhelmed with love for our tiny girl. Hunter's even more in awe of her than I am. She has him wrapped around her little finger already.
Excited to finally be a dad, he's taking an extended vacation to be home with her. Two weeks. My first thought was how much of a mess the office was going to be when he returns. So much happens there every day. Then, I figured they would just call him day and night, drop by to get his signature, or generally be a nuisance with wants and needs.
Not one phone call in the last six days.
"Did you turn off your phone?" I ask as we crawl into bed after turning the monitor to Bethany's room on.
Hunter insisted on getting the fancy, high-tech one with the screen so we can not only hear her but we can see her as well. I have a feeling this will come in handy once she's a little older. Maybe when she tries to crawl out of her crib in the middle of the night.
Oh, wait, he has a solution for that as well.
Some type of monitoring system that's attached to the crib. I didn't ask. I don't need to know how it works yet since it’s disabled.
"No, why?" Hunter pulls my body against his and wraps his arms around me.
"It hasn't rung once since you've been home. The guys must be doing a great job keeping the place running. I figured they'd be at each other's throats by now, fighting for rank."
When Herman stepped down, no one fought the decision to promote Hunter to his position. It was the obvious choice. He'd been there the longest, was the most knowledgeable, and is the eldest son. But now… I wonder which little brother is running the show.
"Dad's keeping them in control. He said they've managed not to kill each other yet, but it could happen soon," he mumbles against my neck before placing a kiss where his lips are resting.
"You're dad's running the office?"
"From home. They each get one hour a day to call and ask for his help. The only one that hasn't called him yet is Vinnie, I guess."
"Do you think you should go back sooner? Two weeks is a long time to let the two of them fight it out."
I can picture it. Ryder and Tyler vying for dominance. Tyler's so laid back, go with the flow, he's probably only fighting for it because Ryder wants it. Just to push his buttons.
I'm surprised the girls haven't mentioned anything about it. Not that I've seen them recently. Since Bethany's been home, everyone's come over once to meet her. No one mentioned the office or the drama. They were all entranced by the newest little member of the Dixon family.
Tomorrow is girls’ night. My first since my life's done a complete one-eighty. I'm excited for it, to see my friends. I'm also nervous as hell to leave Bethany. She's not going to be alone. Vanessa is going to be here. Hunter and the guys are playing golf in the afternoon and should be home shortly after I leave.
She'll be well taken care of, just not by me.
I have to go, though. We're celebrating, and it's the first opportunity I’ll have to talk to Allison. She's the only person who didn't come over to meet Bethany. She was 'busy' that night. Probably another date, but there's really no telling what she's up to these days.
The day before Vanessa went into labor, I had lunch with Megan. She was telling me how odd and distant Ally had been acting. Disappearing most weekends. Not answering her phone or shutting it off. She was worried about her.
I wanted to tell her what I knew. That she was probably embarrassed about what she had done and was lying low until it blew over. I didn't because I promised Helen I would keep her little secret as long as she kept her mouth shut, and as far as I know, no one is talking about anything at the office.
Well, anything negative, that is.
When Hunter ran out of the office, frantic, because Vanessa had gone into labor, there was a little chatter, but Emerson put a stop to it immediately. She called an entire office meeting, laid out the facts for everyone, and put a stop to any speculation there might have been.
I laughed when I heard what she did. Only Emerson could pull that off in the middle of the day. I like it when she wears her bossy pants and puts her foot down.
We've all had enough of the rumors, and that's all Emerson has heard about since she started working for Dixon. Of course, they were circulating long before she came on board, but that's over now. For good.
"Dad seems to think that letting them fight is making them stronger. They're working harder to try and outdo each other and he says their work is top notch right now. I'm actually thinking of extending my vacation if he agrees to oversee things for a little while longer. I'd like to be home when you're dad's here."
Ah, yes. My dad. He planned a visit for this week but, with everythi
ng happening so fast, decided to postpone it until we were settled a little bit. The thought of having a house guest, two actually, is overwhelming right now. I'm excited he's coming but glad it's not for another ten days or so. They're scheduled to arrive a few days after Hunter goes back to work.
"You know you can't watch her like a hawk forever, right," I joke.
"I sure as hell can try," he growls.
"Fine, papa bear. You protect your baby for as long as you feel necessary, but you might want to save your energy for her teen years, dating, and all that good stuff."
"Can we not talk about that yet? I don't know how Ryder is so calm all the damn time. Amara is going to be seven soon. Seven! She's in school. She's around boys. He can't watch her every minute of the day. What if something happened to her? Bethany has barely left the house, and I'm already worried about the world she's growing up in."
He's serious. I can hear the panic in his voice.
A good wife would comfort him and help calm his fears.
That's not me tonight. Apparently, I'm the opposite because I start laughing uncontrollably so hard it hurts.
"You've got to be kidding me," Hunter groans as he rolls away from me.
"I'm. Sorry. Babe," I say between exasperated breaths. I can't stop laughing, even though I'm really trying because I know he's getting pissed at me.
"No, you're not, because I'm overreacting. I get it. But when the time comes, I swear to God I will protect that child with everything in me. She's going to grow up beautiful and caring and strong. She'll know right from wrong, but she also needs to know how to defend herself and how to stand up for herself. No ballet for her; she's taking kickboxing or something."
Laughing harder, Hunter continues his rant. He goes on and on about how she's not going to be a girly girl who thinks everything in life is pretty or neat. She's going to know the truth about life, that it's hard, but if you're strong, you can overcome anything. She's going to have to work for everything she has, just like his parents made him do. Nothing will be handed to her.
Rumors: Brianna & Hunter Page 15
