I froze as I brought the bottle to my lips, surprised. “Have I?” I asked nonchalantly and took a sip.
She pointed her knife at me. “I’ve known you your entire life – not much gets by me, missy.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I cautioned her. Talking about my relationship with Ben was off limits. To distract her, I mentioned, “Ben is gonna stop by for lunch.”
She loved Ben. After the first time she saw us together, she pulled me aside and gave me her approval. She said we’d make beautiful babies together. I happened to agree, but that was something to think about way in the future.
Mrs. Birdie raised a brow at me, knowing what I was doing, but didn’t comment.
“Is there enough for one more?” I asked sweetly.
“If it’s just Ben. I didn’t plan on Linc. That boy eats us out of house and home.” There was a doting twinkle in her eye.
She loved feeding that kid. I was positive there was plenty made for Linc.
“I don’t know if Linc’s comin’ today or not,” I told her. I made a mental note to text him and find out.
Linc had finally gotten his license, and though he was in trouble, his father caved when it came to driving. With Ben’s busy schedule at the clinic, it made more sense.
Just then, the kid in question came strolling through the back door.
“Hey,” I greeted him. “We were just talkin’ about you.”
Linc grinned at me. “That’s because I’m awesome.”
I rolled my eyes. “Workin’ today?”
He nodded. “Grey left me a list.”
I put my hands on my hips. “He must have done that last week, and today’s the first day you’ve been here since he left.”
He shrugged, unremorseful. “I’ve been chillin’ with Abby.”
“Abby?” I questioned. This was the first I’d heard of Abby.
Linc smiled a cocky smile and waggled his eyebrows. “The pretty chick from the wedding.”
Wonderful.
“Abby?” Mrs. Birdie chimed in. “As in the chief of police’s daughter, Abby Lawson?”
“Her dad is the chief of police?” Linc asked, his smile falling from his face. He gulped. “She didn’t tell me that.”
I bit back a laugh. “I’d be careful with that one.”
He scratched the side of his head. “No kidding.”
The bell at the reception desk rang. I sighed and sat down my bottle of water on the counter. “Duty calls.”
Of course our guest chose my lunch break to arrive.
“Need help?” Linc questioned.
“Nah.” I waved him off. “I’ve got it. You can start your list.”
His shoulders slumped.
Whatever Grey told him to do must have been a doozy if he’d been procrastinating this long.
“Have fun, klutz,” I called out, laughing as I left the kitchen.
I heard him grumble something in return, but I was already strolling down the hall.
When I entered the sitting room, where we had a small reception desk for checking in guests, a red-haired woman stood with her back to me. She drummed her fingers on the wood impatiently, the sound brash in the empty room. The woman huffed and flipped her long, board-straight locks over one shoulder. Before I could say a word, she hit the bell again.
“Welcome to Bliss,” I said, hoping to mask my annoyance. I hated the pompous types.
The woman looked over her shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. “Finally.” When I didn’t move, she pressed her plump red lips together. “Are you going to check me in?”
I could only gawk at her.
First off, she was absolutely breathtaking, with perfect porcelain skin, deep emerald eyes, and an outfit to die for – a high-waist white skirt with a blue silk blouse tucked into it, tall, strappy, and very expensive brown pumps, and a thick, braided belt. Every hair was in place, and her makeup was flawless – she emanated class and refinement. Secondly, I’d seen this woman before. I saw her with Ben in London, and there was a picture of her on my phone sent to me by Lyric. However, in Lyric’s picture, and even when I saw her with Ben, the woman radiated joy and happiness and had an innate kindness. This woman had a well-to-do stick up her ass and came off as a bitch.
Holy fuck.
Gwen.
Gwen was standing in front of me.
She was in Bliss.
Not only that, Ben had kept out a very important fact about Maggie. He never once, not ever, told me that she was Gwen’s sister or his ex.
How could I have been so clueless?
Images of Maggie and Ben flooded my brain, especially the way he looked at her. Even from afar, there was so much love in him when he observed her.
So much.
He told me that he didn’t love her like that anymore, but what if Ben only said that because he couldn’t have her?
The memory of him this morning, when he said Maggie always wanted to name her daughter Madeline, came to mind, too. Ben was sad. Was he thinking about the children they envisioned having together?
Oh, God.
What was I supposed to do with this?
“Hello?” Gwen waved an impudent hand in front of my face. “Are you deaf or something? My name is Gwendolyn O’Donnell. I have a reservation.”
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
She was G. O’Donnell?!
This wasn’t happening.
I cleared my voice. “I’m sorry, Miss O’Donnell.” I rushed around the reception desk and started fiddling with papers, my hands shaking. “Let me…let me take a look.”
Ben and I were going to have a very long talk about these secrets of his. I was officially done. Done. No more. I couldn’t believe he kept this from me. This! The betrayal felt like acid in my veins.
“Here we are,” I stated, my voice shaking. I was very close to freaking out or breaking down into tears. What would happen first was still yet to be determined, but they were neck in neck.
I glanced across the desk at Gwen, my heart clenching. She really was beautiful. There was no doubt in my mind that she knew it, though, and it was clear that she thought I was beneath her. She stared at me as if I were scum under her shoes, those emerald eyes of hers insolent and repulsed by my presence.
And she was Ben’s, my Ben’s, ex-wife.
I can’t do this.
She couldn’t stay here.
I couldn’t tell her to go away, though. Grey would kill me if he found out I turned away a customer. That sort of thing got back to other customers, and bad reviews hurt our livelihood.
You can be professional, Sam.
I took a deep breath and smiled. “Here we are,” I repeated and laid out the paperwork for her.
Before I could go on, heavy, solid footsteps came down the hall.
Linc!
Oh, Jesus.
This was bad.
“Sam, where are the-” Linc stopped at the doorway and stared at his mother, his jaw dropping. His skin took on a nasty pallor as he glanced between us.
Surprise registered on Gwen’s face, but then it became calculating. She turned back around and stared at the reception desk, morphing in front of me.
Gwen changed into a woman that was unsure and broken. The difference was so dramatic, even her posture changed – her shoulders slumped and curled into her body, her eyes appeared lifeless, and she held herself as if she was delicate and would break at any moment.
If I hadn’t seen the radical transformation with my own eyes, I would have never believed she was anything but what she portrayed. It was effective and entirely convincing.
Gwen turned towards Linc. “Lincoln,” she whispered, her voice wobbling, and took an uncertain step closer. “My beautiful boy.” She held out her arms. “I’m here, baby.”
Oh, Linc.
“Mom?” Lincoln asked, his voice gruff, and walked a little closer. “What…what are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here.”
Gwen sniffed, and her voice became wate
ry. “You haven’t seen me in almost a year, and that’s all you say to me?” She wiped her fake tears. “He’s turned you against me, hasn’t he?”
Wonderful.
Agony flashed in Linc’s expression, the deep and brutal kind. “Mom…don’t.”
I was through watching.
“Linc, go into the kitchen,” I demanded, my temper flaring.
How dare she come here and do this to him?!
Gwen whirled around and shot me a glower that could kill. “Excuse me? Who do you think you are?”
I ignored Gwen and gave Linc a stern look. “Now, Linc. Go. I’m callin’ your father.”
“But…” he whispered, an internal struggle written in his eyes.
“You will go nowhere, Linc,” his mother insisted, glaring at me. “How do you know Ben?”
I walked around the counter, positive I was crossing a huge line. Ben told me Gwen liked to play with her son’s mind, and that performance of hers proved he wasn’t exaggerating – I didn’t care if it was my place or not, every instinct in me screamed to protect Linc.
And I would at all costs.
I stood in front of Linc, putting myself between the two of them. I reached behind me and gripped his hand, offering my support. “Like Linc said, you are not supposed to be here. I need to call his father.”
“I see what’s going on here.” Gwen whimpered, and new tears welled in her eyes. “You’re the new one, aren’t you?”
“Mom, don’t,” Linc warned.
“Who I am is none of your concern,” I told her, squaring my shoulders. “All that matters is that Ben trusted me with his son’s care, and right now you’re upsettin’ him. You can work this out with Ben when he gets here, but Linc is not stayin’ for this.”
Gwen continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “Has he told you about the others?”
“Shut up!” Linc bellowed. “Don’t you dare do that to Sam!”
I had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, I was proud that Linc was standing up to her.
Gwen swayed as if he struck her. “Linc,” she murmured, clutching her throat. She played the perfect victim.
Linc took a step forward, crowding my back. He looked over my shoulder at his mother, his eyes scoring hatred. “I know,” he whispered and clasped my shoulders with bruising force. “I know what you did to Dad and Aunt Mags. I know that all you’ve ever told me were lies.”
Fuck me.
Aunt Mags.
It was there the entire time, but I never once figured it out.
There were more important matters, though.
“Linc, go,” I demanded, wincing slightly as his hold on me tightened. “This isn’t the time.”
Gwen ignored me, but her inner self, the true one that was vile and deeply troubled, was coming to the forefront. “He’s lying. You know what a good liar your father is.”
“Excuse me?” I whispered, my rage burning inside me. She, of all people, should never call Ben that. “How dare you?!”
Gwen sneered. “You’re nothing special. You’re just one in a long list of others, and like always, he’ll come back to me. Both of them will. Now step aside and let me talk to my son.”
That might have been an insecurity I had months ago, but Ben had proven otherwise. He was far from the man she described.
My mouth got the better of me, and I found myself saying, “I know that Ben is the type of man that would move heaven and hell for his son. He’s good and givin’ and so remarkable that he blows my mind. And I’ve seen the destruction you’ve left behind with not only him but with Linc too. Don’t you dare spew your hatred and lies about Ben at me.”
Gwen’s laugh was brittle and full of ice. “Oh, that’s rich.”
To make the scene even more volatile, Ben walked through the front door. He noticed me first, and his face gentled, but then he discerned my protective stance as I stood in front of his son and Linc’s hold on me. His brows scrunched in confusion as he took a few steps and glanced into the sitting room.
One look at Gwen and fury, plain and simple, contorted Ben’s face. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he growled and stalked into the room.
Clearing the anger from her expression, Gwen lifted her chin and braced herself. “Ben.” A loving smile graced her lips. “I’ve missed you.”
Gag me.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Ben roared.
Gwen’s mask slipped. Snarling, she pointed at me. “You need to tell your new floozy to back off and get away from my son.”
Ben folded his arms over his chest, his presence exuding intimidation. “Floozy?” he asked, his tone dark and malicious. “You have some nerve, Gwen.”
“She’s standing between my son and me!” Gwen yelled, stomping a foot.
“Looks to me like Samantha’s protecting him from you,” Ben stated, leveling her with a glare. “What are you doing in Bliss, Gwen? You’re supposed to be in rehab.”
Rehab?
I froze, realizing there was a whole lot about Gwen he’d left out.
You’re surprised, Sam?
Even though I shouldn’t be, I was.
Thoroughly.
She shrugged. “I got out.”
“The courts said you had to do a full year,” he added, his nostrils flaring with impatience. “Again, what are you doing in Bliss?”
Courts?
This just keeps getting better.
My anger scorched hot inside me.
“Daddy pulled a few strings,” Gwen revealed with another shrug.
Ben’s laugh was cutting. “Why am I not surprised?”
I didn’t believe this was healthy to do in front of Linc, so I pushed against him, forcing Linc to walk backward with me. “You two can finish this, but I’m takin’ Linc to the kitchen with me.”
“You’ll go nowhere,” Ben rumbled, flashing me enraged eyes. “Do not take one more step.”
Lync and I stopped immediately.
That was far from the man I knew, and it scared me.
Have I known him at all?
Ben’s eyes swung to Gwen. “But you are.” He prowled to her, grabbed her suitcase and purse, and marched to the front door.
Gwen scrambled behind him, her voice shrill. “Ben! What…what are you doing?!”
He opened the door and threw her belongings onto the porch. “You are not welcome here. Go back to Portland.”
Gwen stomped a foot by the door. “You can’t do that!”
“Yes, I can,” he snapped and pointed a finger outside. He leaned in and glared at her with nothing but hate. “Get. Out.”
“I have a reservation!”
“And it became null and void when you made a scene in Samantha’s establishment. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the cops.”
Gwen’s shoulders slumped, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “But…Ben.” She placed a hand on his chest. “Please, darling.”
Ben took a step back, letting it drop. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
Sobbing, Gwen put her head in her hands.
“That won’t work on me,” he warned.
The tears disappeared immediately, and Gwen glowered at him. “Damn you, Ben.”
“Out.”
“This isn’t over,” she vowed, screwing up her face.
“It never is with you.”
Gwen huffed and stomped out the front door.
Ben slammed the door behind her and hung his head, taking a few deep breaths.
Linc released my shoulders and stepped around me. “Dad?” he whispered, his voice agonized.
Ben straightened and met his son’s gaze, his tormented. “Come here, Linc.”
Linc rushed to him and slammed into his father, wrapping his arms around him, his body shuddering. “I told her, Dad,” Linc whispered, sounding broken. “I told her I know.”
“Linc-”
“She won’t do it again, will she?”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but the fear in his voice un
did me. No matter what, he loved his mother.
“If she does, it isn’t on you,” Ben murmured, running a hand down his son’s head. “It never was. She’s sick, Linc.”
“But-”
“Get it out of your head. I’ll deal with this,” Ben assured him, continuing to comfort his son.
There were so many different emotions swirling inside of me that I couldn’t think straight. I was pissed and hurt and so damned overwhelmed by what just happened. And it wasn’t only Gwen. I could have handled Gwen. It was what she represented – all the half-truths and secrets Ben kept from me.
And it was at that moment that I realized how well and truly in love I was with Ben and how much his secrecy was slowly breaking me. I was turning into someone that wasn’t me to give him everything he needed, all the time and space to come to terms with his past.
Well, it was time to take care of myself for once.
I deserved better than a man that wouldn’t give me all of him, especially when he had all of me.
I spun around and rushed back into the kitchen.
Mrs. Birdie was waiting by the door for me, having overheard the ruckus. “Are you okay?”
“I…” I combed my hand through my hair, not able to find the words. “I can’t do this.”
She stepped forward, concerned. “Sammy dear?”
“Can you call Mom or Teresa to help out for the rest of the day? I need to get out of here.”
“Don’t run, sweet girl. Stay and talk to him,” she advised, shaking her head.
My voice broke. “I can’t.”
She nodded, her eyes teeming with sadness. “Then go. I’ve got everythin’ under control. Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Birdie.”
I left after placing a kiss on her cheek, running out the back door as if the hounds of hell were after me.
Chapter 28
Ben
I fucked up.
Huge.
Samantha deserved the truth. She deserved a man that could grow a pair and merely talk to her.
I had more moments than I could count to open my mouth and finally tell her everything, but yet again, I was a coward and thought I had more time.
Well, I was out of time…yesterday.
Gwen decided to show up and ruin everything, and now, not only had my girlfriend run from me, my son was an emotional wreck.
Fated Bliss (The Bliss Series Book 2) Page 33
