by Lexy Timms
“Holy shit!”
“I’ll be back on the third of July, and you better have my money. If not, someone will have to get hurt. I think you think I’m playing around, and I won’t have that kind of reputation looming over this decision,” Ben said.
My jaw was trembling as more tears crested my eyes.
“I would hate to see you become a single mother so soon in your life,” Ben said. “But I would also hate for you to be a mother that doesn’t wake up with your child.”
“If you lay a fucking finger on my child, I swear to the hea-”
“Shh,” Ben said. “No need for such strong language. One hundred thousand dollars is all it takes to clear up this little misunderstanding.”
He smiled at me with his rotting teeth, and his breath almost knocked me over. He pushed himself off my register counter and backtracked for the door, keeping his eyes trained on me. Tears were streaming down my face as my hands shook. I could feel my legs giving out from under me as I searched for my stool. My vision was blurring, and I could feel my face growing paler by the second. Ben started laughing as he finally exited my art gallery, leaving me an emotional mess as his threat loomed over my head.
He was going to hurt us if I didn’t get him his money. And something in the pit of my gut knew he wouldn’t stop at just Bryan or myself.
It wasn’t like I had that kind of money lying around. At least, not that kind of money that Bryan wouldn’t notice was gone. My stomach was still heaving even though there was nothing to bring back up. I put my face in my hands and sobbed, trying to figure out how in the world I was going to come up with that kind of money so quickly. I couldn’t drain any of the accounts because Bryan would know, but if I tapped into any of our investments, the surcharge alone for withdrawing that money would raise red flags with Bryan as well. I leaned back against the wall as my child rolled around in my stomach, using my bladder as a punching bag as I took deep breaths.
But then an idea came charging into my mind, an idea that broke a part of me that had always stood strong. There was only one way I could get that money without throwing immediate flags. There was only one way I could get that kind of money so soon without dragging Bryan into all this drama.
Holy hell, that man had been through enough.
I reached for my purse and dug out my cell phone. I toggled through my contacts as I wiped at my face. I cleared my throat as I dialed Ramon’s number, hoping he would pick up when he saw it was me calling.
But my nausea didn’t fade when he picked up the phone.
“Mrs. Hailey McBride. I was wondering when I would hear from you. How are you, darling?”
His smooth accent rolled over my ears, and I grimaced at what I was about to do.
“Hey there, Ramon,” I said.
“Hailey? You sound sick. Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. Just some fun morning sickness that apparently hasn’t died down yet. Listen, I have a proposition for you.”
“Please tell me you have decided to do another art tour,” he said.
“Maybe after I can give birth and raise my child a bit,” I said. “I was actually calling about John’s twin paintings.”
“Oh? What about them?” he asked.
I felt tears rise to my eyes as I swallowed the bile rising up my throat.
“Are you still interested in purchasing them?”
Chapter 15
Bryan
As I drove myself out to the house, my mind ventured back to Hailey. The sun was shining bright, and I knew things were almost ready for the furniture I was going to purchase, but something wasn’t right. Hailey had been working unusually late. She would lock herself away in her art studio at the house, and she would only emerge if she was hungry or needed some more paint. If I entered a room, she would exit a few minutes later, and I found that she didn’t return. I knew she had a great deal going on, what with hiring someone to help run the gallery and the looming idea of childbirth, but I felt like there was something else going on.
And I was tired of sitting in a home with her and still feeling alone.
I drove out to the house and saw Foreman Jack standing outside. Birds were chirping, and I could smell the ocean as it fluttered over the trees. Everyone was piling out of the house to greet me as I hopped out of my truck, and Jack came over to personally shake my hand.
“Let me show you around,” Jack said.
“Is it finished?”
“Just let me give you the grand tour,” he said.
He ushered me into the house, and I could smell the freshly dried paint on the walls. The hardwood floor underneath my feet was pristine, and it accented the walls perfectly. The house was so open and full of life. Sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating every corner of the house. There wasn’t an area downstairs that wasn’t somehow bathed in sunlight, and as Jack showed me around, I had to choke back tears.
Our new family home was done.
My surprise for Hailey was almost finished.
“The staircase is what separates the living room from the dining room. It has storage underneath and the kitchen looks out into the backyard. There are french double doors you can throw open to the patio, but the upstairs is my favorite,” Jack said.
We walked up the stairs, and the carpet was plush underneath my feet. My toes sank into the soft warmth of the light blue carpet as the staircase morphed into a hallway. One hallway went straight while two smaller hallways shot off to the left and the right, and I smiled as Jack began throwing open doors. Each bedroom had its own bathroom along with its own walk-in closet. He led me down the main hallway upstairs and kept throwing open doors, showing me the master bedroom and the fully-stocked bathroom they had installed.
I was in awe of how the house had turned out.
“But this is where I think Hailey will be spending most of her time,” Jack said.
He led me all the way down the hallway to a door at the very end. He threw it open, and I allowed the scent of the fresh coat of paint to hit my nostrils before I allowed my eyes to take in the sight of the room.
It was Hailey’s art studio, and it was perfect.
There were windows on every wall, so she had a view no matter where she went. It spanned the width of the house and had multiple built-in storage units with doors and shelves. There were two french double doors that opened up to a small balcony, and the view overlooked the forest that sat on three sides of the house.
“It’s the best view in the house. Just like you asked,” Jack said.
I was speechless, and I knew Hailey would be too. Everything about this place was perfect. I threw my arm around Jack and started laughing and then clapped him on the back with my palms. Even though I had designed it, laid it out, and drew up the plans, it was still better than I could’ve ever imagined.
“Thank you, my friend. Thank you so much,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it,” Jack said. “There’s a catch, though.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We just laid the hardwood floors late last night, so they’ll need another day or so to set. Don’t bring Hailey and start running around on the floors yet. And if you’ve got any furniture deliveries coming, try to postpone them.”
“I haven’t scheduled any deliveries yet. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ruin this wonderful work of yours,” I said.
“That’s all I ask,” he said, grinning.
“Holy shit, this place looks phenomenal.”
“You ready for that little one?” he asked.
Just the mention of the baby sank my heart a little bit. I was ready, but talking about the baby reminded me of Hailey, which reminded me of her current disposition. Which reminded me that I had an entire pile of bullshit to wade through when I got home.
“It’s natural to be scared, Bryan. Babies are new, they’re helpless, and they’re totally reliant on you. Take it a day at a time,” Jack said.
“Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”
<
br /> “All right. Let’s give these hardwood floors some time to settle and set,” he said.
“Sounds like a plan.”
I was in a daze of mixed emotions when I left the house. The project was done, and in a perfect world, I would have gone to the hardware store, cut her a set of keys, and given them to her over a fancy dinner tonight. I would’ve taken her out, presented her with the keys, and then come home and made sweet love to her as we dreamed of moving into our new place. But the whole point of this new place was to leave the old life we had behind and to leave all that drama in the past and leave all the hatred and anger behind us.
But it was still looming over our heads.
I walked into the house and tried to find Hailey. Her car was in the driveway, but she was nowhere to be found. I looked around downstairs before I headed to our room and then peeked into the bathroom in case she was taking a bath.
But again, she was nowhere to be found.
“Hailey? Where are you?”
I heard a light sigh come from down the hallway, and I headed for the room.
It was the room we had converted into a pseudo-art studio for Hailey, but the room wasn’t worth half a damn. It was small, it had poor lighting, and it had no storage space for her to stick anything. She had stuck a little ratty chair from her studio apartment in there so she had somewhere to sit, but that meant she was holding her canvas whenever she wanted to paint.
I couldn’t wait for her to see her new art studio at our new home.
“Knock, knock,” I said.
“Hey there,” Hailey said. “Where did you pop off to this morning?”
It was the tone of her voice that told me whatever she was hiding was still looming over her. She had her laptop in her lap as she scrolled through something on her screen, but her gaze was distant. Whatever she was working on, she wasn’t focused. She had retreated back into her mind and was mulling over whatever it was she was keeping from me.
Why couldn’t we get past this part of her personality? What was I going to have to do to get her to open up to me? To lean on me? To trust me with her bad as well as her good?
“Checking up on a worksite. You weren’t in bed when I woke up, so I assumed you had gone off to work today,” I said.
“Nope. Just sitting in here and going over some applications,” she said.
“Anyone jumping out at you?” I asked.
“A few. Four, to be exact. I’m flipping through their applications right now,” she said.
“Need some help?” I asked.
“If you don’t mind, I actually could.”
I was glad to be of any service. The only talking we did currently was me asking her what was wrong and her telling me she was only ‘stressed.’ She had closed herself off again to me completely, and it was draining me emotionally. So any conversation where she invoked my help for something gave me hope that she would open up to me eventually.
Hopefully, at least.
“All right. Shoot. First applicant,” I said.
“Twenty-nine years old, Masters in Art History from California State. Favorite type of art is sculpture, dabbles in watercolors, worked at the on-campus art museum all through her graduate studies, and no prior work history other than that.”
“Okay. Next applicant,” I said.
“Twenty-five years old, just graduated with a Bachelor’s in Art Education from California Tech. Favorite type of art is hyperrealism, dabbles in natural sculpture—”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Remember that museum we went to, and you called the outdoor sculptures a ‘glorified junkyard’?”
“Ah. Those. Okay,” I said.
“Dabbles in natural sculpture as well as woodworking and has a prior work history of two grocery store chains and some volunteer work at a donation-only children’s museum in upstate California.”
“Wow. Nice. Next one?” I asked.
“Thirty-three years old and currently pursuing a Master’s in Fine Arts for sculpting. Has a work history a mile long at places that don’t mean anything except for one.”
“Which one’s that?” I asked.
“This person got their bachelor’s degree in Paris and worked at The Louvre.”
“Wow,” I said.
“Wow, indeed. Last one. Thirty-one years old with a bachelor’s degree in music and a minor in art education. Volunteered the last three summers at an art camp for disabled children and spent what looks to be their winter breaks working at The Metropolitan Art museum as a ticket-taker. Has no art specialty, but enjoys helping others express themselves through the fine arts.”
“Sounds like someone who fits in with your motive for starting your art gallery in the first place,” I said.
“You think?” she asked.
“That the one you’re leaning toward?” I asked.
“Honestly? Yes. But I wanted your opinion as well. All of the applicants are wonderful and very qualified, and I wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. You’re always so confident in the decisions you make,” I said.
“I know. I’m just—”
I watched tears quickly spring to Hailey’s eyes before they dripped down her cheek. She didn’t even get a chance to bring her hand up to wipe them away before they started barreling down her cheeks. The onset of emotion was so abrupt and so quick that it caught me off guard, but the moment she sniffled, I dropped to my knees. I took her laptop off her lap, wrapped my hands around hers, and then brought them to my lips to kiss.
“Hailey, please talk to me,” I said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I should’ve done this earlier. I’m so tired, and I’m so stressed and overrun with so much.”
She was trying to stifle her sobs as they hiccupped her chest.
“Come here,” I said. “Come here, beautiful.”
I pulled her against me and stood her up. I walked her down the hallway and back into our bedroom before I laid us down in bed. I threaded my arms around her and pulled her close to me, leaning in so I could kiss away her tears. Her body was trembling as the tears continued to come in droves, and worry clenched my heart.
This was so much more than just stress.
“The baby is almost here, and I’m only now hiring someone. I’ll have to train them all the way until my due date, and I can hardly stand on my feet as it is.”
“Is that what’s had you so worried lately?” I asked. “Finding an assistant or someone to help you out?”
“Bryan,” she said, groaning.
“No, now look. You have the penchant for keeping things from me because you think you need to save me from something. And maybe that comes from you not being able to save John, but we’re partners, Hailey. I’m your husband. The father of your child. I’m the one who holds your hands, kisses your lips, and tells you I love you every single night we lie down together. Now, enough is enough.”
She pulled her hands away from me, but she didn’t make any effort to back away.
“It’s a lot of things, Bryan,” she said breathlessly. “So many things.”
“Then tell me about those things. That’s what I’m here for,” I said.
“Hiring this new person and training them. Being a new mother soon. My parents still don’t talk with me much, and things with your mother aren’t getting any better. Michael said he was going to stop by today so we could talk about Europe but canceled this morning, and I know your mother had something to do with that. I feel isolated from the family that’s supposed to be surrounding this child. I’m already failing this child, and it’s not even here yet.”
I didn’t actually expect her to open up to me like that. If there was one thing Hailey was, it was a fortress. But her hormones must be getting in the way so badly that it was crumbling even her own walls she threw up sometimes.
And for once, I was thankful for those hormones that had been turned on me so many times over the past few months.
She grimaced as she swallowed like she was choking down some disgusting flavor.
“Hailey, take a few deep breaths. Don’t make yourself sick. I’m right here, and everything’s going to be okay,” I said.
“So you want me to express myself, but you don’t want my emotions in the process?” she asked.
“That’s not what I said. Hailey, you have to calm down. You’re making yourself sick.”
“I want to be happy with you. To be happy together. That’s it. And all I’ve ever brought into your life has been bullshit. My past with your brother and my cancer and building my art gallery partially out of your pocket.”
I watched her heave again, and I knew she was going to make herself sick.
“Here. Sit up, sweetheart. Come on,” I said.
“And I can’t help but think that I’m more trouble than it’s ... it’s ...”
I reached for the small trash can we kept on her side of the bed. I put it in front of her mouth, and she heaved into it, spewing what I assumed was her breakfast. She sobbed and heaved. Sobbed and heaved. Her body was in an uncontrollable state, and the tears were still pouring down her face.
My heart shattered into a million pieces as she continued to vomit in the trash can.
I listened as she breathed heavily, my hands trying to hold her hair back. I blew on her sweating forehead as she groaned. Then I set the trash can off to the side. I pulled her into my lap and wrapped my arms around her pregnant stomach as she took deep breaths. Her tears were finally drying up, and her shaking body was finally settling.
Then, I put my lips to her ear.
“Do you have your imperfections? Yes,” I said. “But so do I. I’m stubborn, I’m hard-headed, and I’m determined. Even about things I shouldn’t be determined about. But the point is we work through it as a team. Together, as a couple. Have we been through some serious trials? Yes, we have. More than most. But we eventually tackled them together, and we’re better for it. I am happy with you, Hailey. And we will be happy together. I found a life partner in you. I found a lover in you. I found a kindred spirit in you, and we’re about to bring a child into this world. And if our families don’t want to be around that child, then it’s their loss. We have plenty of other people in our lives who love us, and they will love this child no matter what.”
