Songbird Freed

by Lisa Edward

  Her hand rested over mine. “Tara, I’ve told you before—I don’t gossip, especially about something as personal as that.” She patted my hand. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  IT HAD been six weeks since we’d returned from the tour, and I was feeling nauseous once more. I thought it had passed and I was completely better, but then, after a four week absence, it recurred again one morning, when I woke up and felt ill. Finally, Cole’s insistence that I went to the doctor wore me down. If it wasn’t food poisoning as I had first thought and was in fact something more serious, I needed to find out. It was also wreaking havoc with my monthly cycle, causing me to miss a period.

  What hadn’t ever occurred to me was the result of the urine test my doctor had me take. She asked me if I’d missed a pill at all which I hadn’t, but when I told her I’d been ill for a couple of days she nodded knowingly at me.

  Still numb from the test result, I wandered along the beach, letting the waves lap at my ankles as I made my way back to the apartment. Completely lost in thought, I was caught by surprise when an extremely friendly, soaking wet Border Collie came bounding towards me, carrying a stick. He dropped the stick at my feet, crouching down excitedly, waiting for me to throw it for him.

  “Here you go, boy.” I laughed, picking it up and tossing it as far as I could up onto the sand.

  I watched as he raced off after it, yelping happily, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted a familiar figure through the crowd, filling me with fear.

  The exuberant dog came bounding back up, nudging into my leg, and nearly knocking me off balance. I looked down at him, his tongue lolling to one side as he turned circles, waiting for me to play my part in the game. I tossed the stick, but my enthusiasm was gone as I scanned the beach again for the shock of red hair.

  He was gone.

  Spinning around to scan my surroundings, I felt a wave of dread churn in my gut. It was him; I was sure of it.

  It was Patrick.

  Deciding I wanted to get home as quickly as possible, I picked up the pace. My leisurely stroll on the beach while I tried to process my shocking news, had turned into a jog, which was fast becoming a sprint. By the time I reached the apartment building and raced inside as quickly as possible, I was in a sweat, my breath coming out in gasps.

  “Are you all right, Tara?” Phil asked, following my gaze to the beach through the glazed glass doors.

  He wasn’t there. Maybe I’d imagined it.

  Smiling, I tried to tell myself that my mind was playing tricks on me. “Yes, sorry, Phil, just thought I saw someone I really didn’t want to see.”

  During the ten-second elevator ride to the twelfth floor, I made a decision. I would tell Cole my news as soon as I saw him, and we would take it from there. How he would react, I had no idea. But what was playing on my mind more was the possibility that Patrick was back sniffing around. Of course he would be; no doubt he’d read the papers about my going to see Riley, and that Cole and I both had money, and he would try to extort some from us like all the other low lives had.

  Stepping out of the elevator, I took a deep calming breath.

  Okay, here goes.

  Entering the living room, I found Cole sitting on the couch surrounded by boxes. He was pouring over a letter with tears in his eyes as he flicked to the next page.

  Oh God, what’s wrong?

  “Are you okay?” I asked, worried that Cole had received bad news. From his saddened demeanour I realised now was not the time to be sharing life-changing news. It would have to wait.

  Cole’s gaze rose to greet me, his extended hand beckoning me to the couch beside him.

  “What’s all this?” I asked, eyeing the dozen or so boxes.

  “Pops’ estate has finally been released. Seemed they were waiting to see if I would go through with the engagement or not, as stipulated in the will.” The letter in his hand was placed carefully on the coffee table. “These,” he said, indicating to the boxes surrounding us, “are the books Pops left you in the will, and a few bits and pieces for me.”

  “Oh …” I looked around, wondering if I should open them yet.

  Cole watched my face. “They’re your books. Do you want to check them out?”

  We sat down on the floor, tearing the tape from the first box and sorting through the collection. There were old classics, first editions, and some modern-day spy novels.

  “We need a bookcase,” I commented, looking around the room for the best place to put them. “They’re too valuable to keep in storage.”

  Cole smiled. “I was thinking the same thing. We can rearrange some furniture, either build the shelves along that wall, or buy one.”

  As Cole spoke, his eyes kept shifting to the letter on the table.

  Finally, I needed to ask. “What’s that?” I indicated to the letter.

  Cole picked it up, then leaned his back against the couch, knees bent up. His arm went out to the side, waiting for me to join him.

  As Cole started reading the handwritten letter from Pops, I imagined the words in Pops’ voice. He told Cole how much he loved him, and how proud he was of him. Looking at his face, I saw Cole’s eyes mist over as he continued reading. He confessed that he knew all about his mother and how hard she was on him, and his real mother, and regretted never speaking up to put an end to the blackmail that had almost ruined Cole’s life. But it was his life and he was an adult now, so he should make the most of it and be happy.

  There was a lot of family stuff, most of which I didn’t really understand, and a lot of legal information. At the bottom of the page was a name and phone number. The note read, If you should ever wish to meet your real mother, I believe she would welcome you with open arms.

  The hand that was holding the letter dropped into Cole’s lap. It was a lot for him to process and I squeezed his arm, trying to comfort him.

  “There’s a message for you too,” he said, passing me the last page.

  The penmanship was beautiful, and I knew the sentiment before I read the first word.

  “Have you read it, or do you want me to read it to you?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I saw it was for you, so waited.”

  Clearing my throat, I took one final look at Cole’s expectant face before reading aloud.

  To my dearest Tara

  If you are reading this letter, it means we have won.

  We, or should I say, you have gotten my grandson away from that monstrous woman and the influences that have plagued him his entire life. That is no small feat, but I had faith that you could do it. Why, you may ask? Because he is in love with you and you with him, and love is the strongest emotion of them all, dear girl. It can make us scared, it can make us completely vulnerable, but it can also fill us with hope and strength, and when that love is returned, it can make us invincible.

  So all I ask of you is this: love him and take care of him, and in return, he will cherish you with every beat of his heart, until the last.

  May all your dreams come true, my dear girl. It was an absolute joy meeting you and getting to know my future granddaughter-in-law.

  Until we meet in the heavens, keep the music in your heart alive,

  Pops xx

  PS If an old friend of mine happens to call you one day, please consider his offer. I have sung your praises to many, hopefully some have listened. Your talent is too special to be confined to a piano bar.

  We unpacked a few more boxes, Pops’ words replaying in my mind. He was such a wonderful man and I was so lucky to have met him and gotten to know him before he passed away.

  “This one’s for me,” Cole said, pulling a box closer. It had files and folders in it. Sitting on top was another sealed envelope with his name on it.

  His eyes scanned the letter, a small smile tipping the corner of his mouth.

  “Seems Pops had more than anyone knew.” He waved the letter at me briefly. “Apart from the house, which we’ll go take a look at one day soon, he also had property in Tu
scany, on the Amalfi Coast, and in England.” Cole beamed at me. “Looks like we’ll be travelling the globe, checking out all our newly acquired holiday homes.”

  I couldn’t help smiling. The way Cole said we whenever he spoke of the future, like it was a foregone conclusion that we would be together forever, filled my heart with so much happiness. But for him to be referring to everything as ours just blew my mind. There was never any talk of ownership, or that I had moved into his apartment. Everything in his eyes had instantly become ours, no questions, no clauses in a contract—for him it just made perfect sense.

  I was still unpacking books. There seemed to be a never-ending supply and I examined every one, reading the blurb or running my hand over the beautifully leather-bound spine. Something in the box caught Cole’s eye. He leaned over, taking out a novel from under the box flap.

  “Saucy old devil,” he joked, holding up a copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

  Climbing up onto the couch, he made himself comfortable before calling me up with the inclination of his head to join him.

  Cole flicked to a random page, reading out loud the old English that the novel was written in. It was mild compared to the books that were now readily available, but in its day, it would have been scandalous.

  After reading to me for a few minutes, he closed the book, placing it down on the couch beside him.

  “I like this story better,” he announced with a grin. “Once upon a time, there was a dashing, young Prince.”

  “That’s you.”

  He chuckled. “His father, the King, had been put under a spell by an evil enchantress so he could only see the good in her.”

  “Well, that explains a lot,” I commented.

  “The evil Ice Queen raised the King’s son as her own, but because she could feel no love towards him, it filled the Prince’s heart with ice as well. Over the years, the Prince searched for love but could feel nothing, until one day he met a beautiful Princess.”

  “That’s me.” I laughed.

  Cole rubbed my arm while kissing the top of my head. “She was so kind and gentle, that she melted the Prince’s frozen heart, and filled it with love and hope and laughter. But she was promised to a brave knight and the Prince had to be patient, waiting until the Princess was ready to open her heart to him, and in return, she taught him to dream of a better life and made him want to be a better man. The end.”

  “No, not the end.” I raised my head so I could see Cole’s face. “Then, one day, the Princess came home to their beautiful castle with some news for her Prince. She told him they were going to have a little Prince or Princess of their own.”

  Biting my lip nervously, I watched as Cole slowly sat up, hanging his legs over the edge of the couch.

  “You’re … you’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice cracking as he ran his hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he breathed out slowly. His hand went to his messy hair and stayed there.

  My heart felt like it was in my throat as I nervously sat up beside him. “I … I know it’s sooner than we spoke about.”

  Cole stood and started pacing, stopping at the window with his back to me.

  I was so anxious my throat was constricting. “How does the dashing young Prince feel about that?”

  Cole looked over at me, his eyes misted over. “Overwhelmed.” He shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “Overwhelmed with happiness,” he said huskily. “You’ve already given me so much, but this is more than I’ve dreamed of.” He swiped the tears from his eyes. “A family of my own, babe.”

  He strode back over, pulling me up out of my seat and into his big, loving arms. “Thank you.”

  It was such a relief. I buried my face in his chest, melting into the embrace as much as possible.

  “So that’s why you’ve been so sick?” He chuckled. “And here I was thinking it was my cooking.”

  He sat back down on the couch, guiding me onto his lap. “When is bubs due?” he asked, already doing the calculations in his head.

  “Um, I’m eight weeks, so the baby should be here early December.”

  “Right.” He frowned. “Eight weeks is right when you— “

  “Came back from Afghanistan, and we got back together,” I interrupted. “Yep, must have been the awesome makeup sex.” I could feel myself perspiring. Having done the maths myself I knew the odds were in Cole’s favour, but there was the slimmest chance that the baby was Riley’s.

  Cole’s hand slid down to my belly, where he patted gently. “That must be it, right after you got home.” He continued rubbing my flat stomach. “Was I too rough with you the other night?”

  I looked up at his concerned face. “No, you’re never too rough,” I reassured him.

  He relaxed. “Sometimes I get a bit carried away. I forget how much bigger and heavier than you I am. I just get lost in the moment, you know, and how good you feel.”

  Cuddling into him, I kissed his lips chastely. “You’ve never hurt me. I’m tougher than I look.”

  Cole wanted to tell everybody, and I mean everybody.

  Whenever we were sitting around at Songbirds or catching up with friends, I could see from Cole’s expression that it was always on the tip of his tongue, just waiting to burst out.

  Finally, he caught me in a moment of weakness and after hounding me for the one hundredth time, trying to convince me that he wanted to share our amazing news with people so they could be happy for us, I gave in.

  “You know there’s an order of events that should happen here,” I joked. “First, I tell you, then you have a meltdown. Next, I have an ultrasound to ensure everything is okay with the baby. After that we tell our parents, then we tell our friends.”

  “So, do you want to tell your parents first, or should we go tell mine?” He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, knowing perfectly well the thought of telling either side of the family made my stomach churn.

  “Ultrasound first.”

  He shrugged. “You’re young and healthy. No harm telling just a few close friends.” He pulled a face at me. “And I may have already let it slip to Mal the other day.” He cringed. “Sorry.”

  I shook my head. There was no point fighting this. He was going to let it slip to everyone eventually, and I guess I should be happy that he was so excited about it.

  I sighed. “Okay, let’s have a dinner party and make the big announcement.”

  I’m guessing it was the pregnancy, but I felt like I could sleep for a week. I tried exercising when I could, doing yoga and stretches most days, and going for an easy jog on the beach every other day. The doctor had given me the all clear and told me that if I was used to regular exercise then there was no need to stop now just because there was a tiny baby the size of a grain of rice growing in my belly.

  Going out made me feel anxious, though, ever since I thought I had seen Patrick. I tried to convince myself that I had imagined it, that it was just some random guy with red hair and my imagination had gone into overdrive, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

  I hadn’t told Cole about my maybe sighting. If I was positive, I would have told him straight away, but I wasn’t positive and I knew Cole would overreact, trying to keep me safe by keeping a twenty-four-hour vigil and not wanting me to go out.

  But I needed to go out. Reds was going so well, and we were booked to capacity every night we were open. Songbirds had benefited too from Reds’ popularity, with diners drinking downstairs before coming upstairs for the late night show. Yes, business was good. The show had been refined since we’d returned from our overseas tour and was going from strength to strength, and the restaurant was booked out weeks in advance. Lincoln was such a great find, a real asset to the team, but he was quickly becoming more than that—he was becoming one of our close-knit group of friends.

  The morning that we were to have the dinner party, I awoke feeling nauseous and tired. I knew I had to get up early to go to the market, but my motivation
was seriously lacking. Cole came back into the bedroom after his morning shower, a fluffy white towel wrapped around his hips.

  He took one look at my face and smiled sympathetically.

  “Not feeling too good this morning, babe?” he asked as he reclined on the bed beside me. “Do you want to call off the dinner party tonight, just have a lazy day in bed?”

  That sounded wonderful, but we’d invited everyone already, and told them we had an announcement. I was sure they thought we were getting engaged, so a baby would be a massive surprise.

  “No, I’ll be fine.” I tried to drag my tired body out of bed but flopped back down.

  “Okay, here’s a thought—why don’t we ask Linc to cook instead?”

  It was a great idea, except I wanted him to come as a guest, not as the hired help.

  “Maybe we could ask everyone to bring something?” I suggested.

  Cole grinned. “Perfect. I’ll get onto it.”

  By the time the guests started arriving I was feeling better, with the nausea passed—at least for the time being. I tried to pick out something to wear that wasn’t too tight fitting as I had already noticed my curves were a little curvier than they used to be.

  The elevator dinged, signalling the first of our guests. It was Nicole and Marcus. They handed Cole a bottle of champagne and placed a seafood platter on the kitchen bench.

  Nicole gave me a hug. “We brought some champagne for toasting,” she said, giving me a sly grin. “I’m assuming we’ll be toasting the big announcement?”

  I giggled. “Well, I’m sure there will be toasting at some stage during the night.”

  Jason and Kelli arrived next, with Noah wrapped in a bundle. He was growing so fast, and was starting to look like a miniature version of Cooper, which made me happy and extremely sad at the same time.

  Cole came over as soon as he saw them, gave Kelli and Jason a hug, then scooped up Noah, bouncing him in his arms as he cooed away.

  “He just loves Noah so much,” Kelli observed. “And he’s so good with him. Just imagine what he’ll be like with his own kids.”