She was thinking of Natalie Harlow when she said it. If Celine ever found out how much cash her husband put down to spend just one night with a beautiful redhead who seemed as far removed from Celine Robertson-Fitzgerald as a woman could get, she’d lose her damn mind.
“We were happy,” Celine huffed indignantly before turning to look at Audra. “And we can be again.”
Audra shook her head. “He doesn’t want that.”
“Oh? Is there someone else?”
Audra had half a mind to tell her right then. To say, ‘As a matter of fact, yes. She’s younger and more beautiful than you. Though I’ve never actually talked to the woman, I’m willing to bet she’s nicer than you even on her meanest day. And it’s not because James spent a small fortune to spend the night in bed with her. It’s because for all intents and purposes she seems to be a genuinely good person. Something I wish I could say about you, sister.’
Instead, she said, “There is the hope for someone else, Celine. Someone who will love only him and give him the life he deserves. Don’t you want that for the man you claim to love? For the man who is more than happy to give up the home he built with you so that Frankie can remain in a place filled with love and memories? For the father who would pay any sum in child support for a daughter he has no biological relation to?” Her sister squirmed at the emphasis in her words, but Audra didn’t hold back. “Or are you so desperate you would chain him to you for the rest of your romantic attention span over something as fucking petty as money?” She held her sister’s eyes long enough to wonder if for once she was actually getting through to her.
“You have to know doing so would only feed his growing disdain for you. Love is out of the question as far as you and James Fitzgerald are concerned. The most you can hope for right now is his friendship, but you’re holding a lit match in your hand, and soon that bridge will be burned, too.”
Celine tugged her head back by her chin with an impertinent smile. “You almost sound like you’re in love with him, Audra. Are you sure you’re a dyke?”
And there she was. The sister Audra knew and loathed.
With her good looks and her money, Celine Robertson-Fitzgerald could convince just about anyone that she was as innocent and pure as a newborn doe in the frosty winter. But she was selfish and vain. Self-involved and self-righteous. And a bitch.
“I could be a cloistered nun and you’d still be jealous.”
Celine arched a perfectly groomed brow. “Of you and my husband?” she asked incredulously. But there was an unmistakable glint of ice in her stony eyes.
“Of every other woman in the world who gets so much as a smile from your soon-to-be ex-husband. Because they all have something that you don’t, even if they have no idea.” She waited for a breath, took in the sight of her sister’s ugly side showing through the façade of elegance and beauty. Then continued, “They have a chance. He could remain a bachelor and sleep his way through half of Los Angeles or fall in love with someone and spend the rest of his life making her the happiest woman in the world. And here you’ll be, the ex-wife who cheated on him then lied about the paternity of her daughter, who then had the audacity to ask for more money.”
She could see Celine fuming just beneath the surface, but she wasn’t done yet. She had held her tongue too many times over the years, had failed to say so much when she had been dying to. Now there was no holding back. The pretenses were dropped and Audra could care less how Celine felt about it. She wasn’t some fragile woman who would break and cry or feel remorse. She would harden, re-group, and come up with a new plan. If Celine’s machinations hadn’t imprisoned James in a world of pain and heartache Audra might have commended her sister for the strength that she would gather in the aftermath of the divorce.
But she suffered no love for her sister in that moment, for her unkind words or how she treated her best friend. All she really cared to do was stop giving Celine the satisfaction of her participation.
Audra stood and gathered her purse, ready to leave the house she’d barely spent any time in. She had no desire to stay a moment longer now that she got her feelings off her chest and Celine was looking at her with frost-dipped daggers for eyes.
“Stop dragging your feet and sign the divorce papers. Let him move on. It’s the very least that you owe him, Celine.”
ORIGINAL SIN
I t never occurred to Audra to apologize to Celine, as the courtesy certainly would not have been returned had the roles been reversed. The Robertson sisters seldom ever bit their tongue to keep from saying exactly what was on their mind, and apologies were a weakness neither would show the other.
The words they exchanged in New York bothered Audra only so long as the return trip to Los Angeles, and then they were forgotten, lost in the whirlwind of opening Eden in Vegas and the rest of the day-to-day operations of Fitson Entertainment Groupe. She said nothing to James of her conversation with Celine, and if the exchange had any effect, positive or negative, she might never know.
She hardly even mentioned the visit that night in Vic’s apartment in Chelsea. Not that Vic asked. She was nestled firmly into her new life as the hottest political news anchor on TV, and with the opening of Eden around the corner, neither were putting much effort into keeping their now even-longer distance relationship together.
Months passed by, and all Audra heard from Celine was the occasional text or brief phone call about something pertaining to Frankie. Always where Frankie was concerned Audra was nothing but friendly toward her sister. She loved that little girl, and even hoped to one day have a daughter of her own who was just as bright, just as lovely as Francine Robertson-Fitzgerald.
So it came as little surprise when Celine’s face graced the incoming call screen of Audra’s phone all those months later.
“Hi Celine,” Audra greeted half-absentmindedly as she scrolled through a lengthy report the accounting department had prepared for her.
“Hey, big sister.”
Audra’s fingers froze over the trackpad, the once-scrolling document suspended on the screen. She could count on both hands the number of times in her life Celine referred to her as big sister, and almost all of them were because whatever her sister was about to confide in her was important. Monumental. Audra was big sister when Celine lost her virginity to Derek MacGregor and the experience had been anything but magical. She was big sister when Celine called from the bathroom of her friend’s apartment begging to be picked up because she was too drunk to call a cab and scared she might have alcohol poisoning. The last time she was big sister was the day Celine called, sobbing and practically incoherent, to confess she had cheated on James with her ex-boyfriend, Joe Gallo, and had missed her period.
That last memory was the one that flickered presently in her mind as those two words came across the line, and Audra’s imagination started spinning. No matter how they treated each other on the best or the worst of days, when Celine invoked the big sister card, Audra’s heart and ears were open.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, spreadsheet forgotten. Celine sniffled, and Audra knew that whatever she was about to hear, it wasn’t unimportant. Celine only cried when she was genuinely in trouble.
“I need to talk to you. Could you come to the house? Please?”
She said come to the house as if it didn’t involve a five-hour plane ride across the country. Audra glanced at her desk, at the piles of work that demanded her attention. James was gone, had been off in Vegas for weeks overseeing Eden. She had plans to join him that weekend to enjoy the resort they had built from the ground up – literally. Not that the trip would have been anything remotely resembling a vacation. Wherever she went, work came with her. There was a reason she never took vacations, and it wasn’t just because she never had the time. She knew she was the definition of a workaholic. But you didn’t get to be one of the most successful businesswomen in the country by your 30’s if you didn’t work your ass off.
“What’s wrong, Celine?” she pressed, hoping t
hat whatever it was she could manage from the phone and not have to call the pilot to re-charter a flight and... She sighed, waiting patiently for the other shoe to drop.
“I think...” More sniffles. She was most definitely crying. “I think I’m pregnant.”
Audra didn’t know what dropped more, her heart or her stomach.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
The entire flight to New York had Audra wringing her hands over those four words that carried so much weight. I think I’m pregnant. It was the affair with Joe all over again. Only this time Celine wasn’t a married woman cheating on her husband.
Granted Audra never cared to ask about Celine’s love life, especially when she and James were married. There were just certain things about Fitzgerald she did not want to know.
It was late in the evening when Celine let Audra into the home she’d shared with James and Frankie. Elegantly appointed and decorated, the home was like stepping through the pages of the luxury magazines Celine read religiously. The only thing out of place was Celine herself.
Audra almost gasped at the sight of her sister – who was usually bedecked in Chanel, Lanvin, and Oscar De La Renta – wearing yoga pants and a hoodie. Likely very expensive yoga pants and hoodie, but jarring nonetheless. Especially with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face clear of makeup. She looked like she was 22 years old all over again.
Celine’s typically crystalline blue eyes were dulled and lined with red veins; she’d obviously been crying. And in that moment, seeing her sister so utterly imperfect, Audra felt her heart twinge.
“Come here.” Audra wrapped her arms around Celine’s demure frame and hugged her tightly, all the negative words and condescension from their last fight all those weeks and months ago fading away into nothingness.
“I thought it would be different this time,” Celine cried into Audra’s chest. Audra smoothed her palm up and down her sister’s back and waited with preternatural stillness for Celine to say what she needed to say. “I thought-“ She let out a hard breath, the warmth of it clinging to Audra’s neck.
“It’s okay,” Audra said softly. “Let’s sit you down.”
She led Celine to the living room, settling her into the awaiting comfort of a plush white loveseat where she practically sank into the cushions. Audra sat on the couch adjacent to Celine and rested her elbows on her knees.
She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to come right out and ask Celine who the father was. Was it someone she’d been dating? Another man she cheated on James with? She wasn’t showing, so she couldn’t have been very far along. Years before when she was pregnant with Frankie, her body popped almost as soon as she entered her second trimester. There, sitting on the loveseat in athletic clothing Audra doubted Celine ever let anyone see her wearing in public, she was as lithe and fit as ever.
The divorce had been dragging on for months. It would make sense if Celine were already seeing someone else; instead, she was trying to prolong the process as long as she could.
Other thoughts – less kind thoughts – started rotating through Audra’s mind. She pushed them aside almost as soon as they appeared. Thoughts about manipulations and games Celine could be playing, but... No, now wasn’t the time to suspect the worst. Not when Celine was so obviously upset.
Big sister, she’d called her. She wanted Audra there. Wanted to talk to her, confide in her. And Audra wanted to believe it wasn’t some machination on Celine’s part, but that she really did need her big sister.
“Did you take a pregnancy test?”
Celine looked up, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. She nodded. “After I called you. I took both tests in the packages just to be safe.” Another sniffle. Her bottom lip trembled. “Both were positive.”
Audra let out a breath between her lips. “Okay. So you’ll see your O.B. next week to get confirmation. One thing at a time, Celine.”
Who is the father? Who is the father?!
“I don’t want to pry, but-“
“It’s James’,” Celine interrupted. Her eyes were flooded with tears waiting to fall, and utterly truthful in the words she just spoke. “We slept together a few weeks ago when he was here visiting Frankie.”
Audra was grateful her arms were already steadying her, otherwise, she might have fallen over. Or reached for her cell phone to dial up James Fucking Fitzgerald and ask him just what the hell he was thinking when he slept with the woman who broke his goddamn heart.
How? How could he have slept with her? After everything they went through. Cheating on him with Joe. Lying about being Frankie’s dad. And not just for a day, but for years. Years! Acts so despicable Audra often questioned whether there was any love left in her heart for the woman who shared her DNA, who had driven her crazy on the best of days and driven her mad on the worst. A sister who could invoke a simple term of endearment and alter Audra’s entire weekend plans.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Celine started.
Audra let her go and stood to pace around the room. “No, I really don’t think you do.”
“It’s not like I slept with some random guy! He is my husband! I love him. I will always love him, Audra.”
“But you didn’t love him enough to remain faithful to him!” Audra exploded. “You didn’t even respect him enough to tell him right away that you thought Frankie wasn’t his. You let him believe a lie for years. Do you have any idea how much that fucked with his head, or are you truly that selfish?”
“Stop yelling at me!” Celine cried, hands covering her face. More tears fell, tears that both angered and upset Audra. Because she didn’t want to feel sorry for her sister, she wanted to hate her. To hold her accountable for every self-centered thing that came out of her mouth. “I know what I did. I know how badly I screwed things up with James. Believe me when I say there are moments when I hate myself for what I did to him.”
Good, Audra thought, fighting like hell to keep the word from spitting out of her mouth. So there was hope for Celine yet. Better late than never.
“What should I have done? Denied him what he wanted?”
Audra scowled as she tried not to let that mental image take hold in her mind. The very last thing she wanted was to be privy to her sister’s sex life.
“What we both wanted? It felt like I had my husband back again, Audra. You don’t know. You couldn’t possibly know what that felt like for me.”
Audra rolled her eyes so hard they ached. Thankfully her back was to Celine so she couldn’t see the action, or how the subtle dig at Audra’s own love life stung her. Of course Celine could take her pain and use it as a weapon against her.
“So let me guess,” Audra sighed, turning to face her sister, feeling like she suddenly had a crystal clear picture of the reason Celine was so distraught. “You sleep with James and think that everything is going to go back to the way it was when you were married. Only it doesn’t. He’s still divorcing you, and now you aren’t sure that being pregnant won’t change his mind about it.”
“Why shouldn’t it change his mind? This child is his! And I know he loves Frankie regardless. This could be a second chance for us! To right the wrongs that made everything fall apart between us.”
“Having a baby isn’t going to fix what you did, Celine!” It was a struggle for her to not yell. She wanted to throttle some sense into her sister, to make her see that she couldn’t just use a child as a Band-Aid for her mistakes. She sighed and resumed her place on the couch, feeling like the world was topsy-turvy beneath her feet. “When are you going to tell him?”
Celine looked up but barely met Audra’s gaze. Her lips pillowed into a small pout – a look Audra had seen more times than she had ever cared to. She knew what that look meant; even when she was crying crocodile tears about fixing the wrongs in her marriage, Celine was still plotting, still manipulating reality to her benefit.
“You can’t not tell him, Celine.” Keeping secrets from James was what had gotten Celine into trouble in
the first place. Or had one night in bed with him made her forget that?
“I’m going to tell him,” Celine said, though it lacked enough conviction to convince Audra. “But it’s going to be on my time, Audra. You don’t know what this feels like for me! You’re not a mother.”
There it was again. Another dig at Audra. Celine’s pain turned into a weapon. She might as well have called her a dyke again. Or worse. She’d never married, never had kids, never experienced what being a woman was all about according to Celine Robertson-Fitzgerald.
No, Audra couldn’t possibly fathom what it was like to be a woman. She was just a lesbian. Why bother even having reproductive organs in the first place, right? She scowled at her sister’s implications. And suddenly, all remorse she felt, all the compassion from those two invoked words were gone. It was a mistake to come to New York. A mistake to drop everything in her life just to come to her sister’s aid and be reminded that she wasn’t what Celine wanted her to be. Especially when Audra had exactly zero fucks to give about what her sister thought.
With a clear mind and a foul pain in her heart, Audra stood from her seat on the couch and said, “You’re going to tell him sooner, not later. If you don’t, then I will.”
“Where are you going?” Celine called out after her as she grabbed her purse and turned for the front door.
“Home.”
“Audra. Audra!” Celine called out for her. But she was already gone.
She managed a quick text message to her driver and was in a car headed back to the airport five minutes later. Even as she stood waiting for her driver Celine made no effort to step outside and talk with Audra. The moment she shut the door and the car was in motion, she vowed to never again allow Celine to invoke the Big Sister card.
Coming to New York was a waste of time, if for no other reason than because now she had information she had to keep from James; at least until Celine came clean and confessed to him she was carrying his child. Audra hated the thought of not telling him. Of knowing that her sister was carrying his baby and he had absolutely no idea. Under normal circumstances, her loyalty would be to James, not to Celine.
The Other Woman: A Steamy Contemporary Romance (The Bidden Series Book 6) Page 4
