Chris stood up and Hailey had to look up to see him. “Darling, I know you probably are not up for a traditional wedding night due to the late stage of your pregnancy. But just know that I am more than willing if you decide it is what you want. Otherwise, we will wait until after the birth to consummate our marriage.” He bent over and kissed her on the head. “I intend for this to be a real marriage and a real family. That means I promise to be a husband to you in every way. Unfortunately, Erin could never quite get used to what that entailed but you have always been a family person, Hailey. I know that losing your grandmother was hard on you. We will raise our daughter in her memory. You will see.”
Chris left the room and Hailey realized that she hadn’t even said anything in the entire time that Chris came in and announced that her life was going to change once again. She knew that Chris was all about appearances and a wife is certainly a better appearance than a surrogate. Hailey was devastated. She was like any other girl who had dreams of walking down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams. But that was Chuck, not Chris. A part of her had hoped that Chuck would swoop in and save her and they would be together. But this new change further solidified in her mind the fact that Chris was in control.
It was time to say goodbye to her dreams. Tomorrow she would fire “Cassandra” so that Maggie could go home and be safe with John. She would urge her to take Chuck with her. All was lost for them. She could really see that now, down in her heart. She had been remiss before to allow Chuck and Maggie to put themselves into danger thus far. It was selfish and she could not afford to think selfishly. That kind of thinking would put the baby in the line of fire. That was something she could not allow.
Hailey turned off the light in the nursery and made her way back to her room. She had dreaded coming back to this room but now it seemed like an oasis compared to sharing a room with Chris. There would be no privacy for tears there. She would take these last few days and say her goodbye to the people she loved most in this world. She would make her peace with the fact that her future with Chuck was not meant to be. She would find a way to let go of her friendship with Maggie and John. She would pray that Gram and Erin would know how sorry she was that she couldn’t save them. She had only two days to find a way to let go of the hurt and fear so she could find her strength to do what she had to in order to protect this baby.
Fifty Two
Chuck shut the door to his motel room and turned on the years old coffee pot. He needed to give his mind some kind of sustenance and coffee would have to do for now. He pulled out the notebook from the club and started to flip through it. In addition to numerous unrelated entries, there were lots of notes of Dalton’s everyday life. Gamboli’s boy had documented every cup of coffee that Dalton had stood in line for, every chinese delivery that was sent to his office, and every time that he ran into a designer store for a new accessory for his lavish lifestyle. None of that was going to be helpful to Chuck so he flipped through faster to find the first mention of the redhead. He finally found an entry that mentioned her:
1:29 pm - Dalton has lunch again at Thai place by the University of Washington. Not alone this time. Tall redhead in jeans with amazing ass and tall red heels with Dalton. Dalton’s piece on the side? He seems very familiar with her. Clearly not first meeting. He keeps reaching over to touch her hand and she responds with a suggestive smile. Note to self: fuck a redhead. Before Dalton and redhead leave, she hands him a file, which he opens and smiles. Business partner?
Chuck flipped to the same day in Erin’s journal. Maybe Dalton’s interactions with her after the encounter would give him some clues. Erin was much more of a wordsmith than the mob son and it took him a few tries to find the right entry.
Chris has been so distant again. I am pretty sure he’s lost all interest in loving me. It’s been so different. Growing up my mom used to say that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. I know that cooking for Chris isn’t going to fix our marriage but maybe if I make a nice meal for him he’ll at least see that I’m trying and maybe try too. I went to three different speciality stores today to get all of the perfect ingredients for the crab cakes that he loved when we went to Maryland. We were so happy on that trip. We had to cancel almost all of our plans and arrangements because we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other long enough to leave the room. Back then I was convinced that nothing could ever come between us. Now I’m not so sure.
I googled every cooking segment that I could find that featured crab cakes until I was sure I had the perfect techniques to complete them. They had just finished cooking and were ready to put on the plate when Chris came home. As I turned off the stove, Chris ran up behind me and started to kiss my neck. It was just like Maryland. He carried me off to the bedroom all smiles and laughter and we made love for two hours straight. By the time we got to the crab cakes, they were cold but they were the best crab cakes I have ever tasted. They tasted like life was good again, like our happily ever after was possible.
I didn’t want to say or do the wrong thing to break the mood. But I couldn’t help myself from asking. I just wanted to know. “That was amazing, Chris. So amazing. Did something good happen today to spark that?” I held my breath and prayed it wasn’t another woman who had gotten his juices going. If it was anything but that, I would do everything in my power to make sure it happened every single day.
Chris just smiled at me. “I got some good business news today. I’m thinking of taking on a new venture. Just reminded me of how good my life is.” He reached over and pulled me close so he could kiss my forehead. “Have I mentioned that these are the best crab cakes I’ve ever had?” We laughed because we both knew we he wasn’t talking about the crab cakes. I just hoped that whatever this new business deal was, it was successful and kept him happy like this for the rest of our lives.
Chuck brought out some paper and pen of his own and decided to notate every time that both the notebook and the journal correlated responses when Gamboli’s son tracked Dalton with the redhead. There were a few times when Dalton was seen entering a hotel with the redhead. Chuck guessed that Dalton wasn’t the one paying for the visits. First of all, the hotel in question was seedier than Dalton’s preferred luxury. Second, a suspicious wife would have been looking for hotel charges on the credit card.
Chuck picked up the phone and called John. Maybe he could use some of his police connections to get the credit card transactions and get a name. He couldn’t use his own contact at Seattle PD or he would risk drawing attention to his working relationship with the mob before he was ready to make a move. John seemed eager to finally have a task to distract himself from worrying about his wife’s undercover work. Chuck gave him the description of the redhead as well as the dates he found in the notebook.
While John worked his magic to get some info on the redhead, Chuck turned off the lights to get some rest. He had been working around the clock to get any information he could and now that he finally had a lead, he could use some rest. He knew that the second John called with the info, he was going to want to move on it. It would be better if he could do that with a clear head. And maybe, just maybe, he could see Hailey in his dreams. Chuck was anxious for any opportunity to see her again, even in his own dreams.
Fifty Three
Hailey was surprised to find that Chris was still home in the morning when she came into the kitchen. Maggie was there and had hot chocolate on the stove with a croissant on a plate for her with fruit. As Hailey sat at one of the stools at the breakfast bar as gracefully as her pregnant body would allow, Chris put down the newspaper and smiled. “You sure look lovely this morning, darling. You are simply glowing.”
“I think that’s all the baby. I’m surprised you are still home. You usually leave so early.” Hailey tried to make it seem like a casual question, like how a doting wife would ask when pleasantly surprised for extra time with her husband. After all, she was going to need to be ready to fake it for a lifetime.
“True.” Chr
is got up and came towards her with the a smile. “But my publicist thought a candid picture for the announcement would be more appropriate. She said it would show the public that we really are just two people who fell in love despite tragedy.” Chris pulled out his iPhone and put his head to Hailey’s as he snapped the picture of them smiling together. Hailey had always imagined framing the newspaper announcement of her wedding one day. But this wasn’t what she hoped. She never wanted to see that picture.
Maggie set the mug of hot chocolate in front of Hailey. “Cassandra, you’ll be one of the first to know the happy news. My beautiful Hailey has agreed to become my bride this Saturday. It’s very romantic as we will be eloping. But every beautiful bride deserves a beautiful dress. I trust that you can accompany Hailey and help her pick the perfect one.” Chris grabbed his car keys and kissed Hailey on the forehead. “Have a good day, ladies.”
Hailey watched Chris walk out the door and turned to look at Maggie once he was gone. Maggie was looking at the large rock on Hailey’s left hand. Hailey was not a huge jewelry person but she estimated the diamond had to be somewhere between 2 and 3 carats. Plus it was stamped Tiffany & Co inside. Hailey knew that the ring was a reflection on Chris so he would want to show that he had the means and the love enough to shower her. All Hailey wanted was to throw it down the garbage disposal.
Maggie seemed to be struggling to find the words. “So, now what? What are you going to do? You can’t marry that creep.” Maggie waved her hand at her face to try to fight the panic and debating calling John and Chuck to just come and steal them out of there. It was one thing for Hailey to play house with Chris to keep the peace but marrying the guy was a whole new ballgame.
“Actually, I have to. He’s just too powerful, Mags. If I want to keep the baby and everyone else I love safe, I need to go along with it. He’ll never give up otherwise. I can’t lose someone else like I lost Erin and Gram.” Hailey started to cry and Maggie came around to put hug her. Maggie knew Hailey was trying to protect everyone but she was the one who needed the most protection. She wouldn’t argue with Hailey because she knew that would just put more stress on her. But she did need to find a way to get a message to John and Chuck.
“Well, then I guess we need to find you a dress and make the best of today. We’ll worry about tomorrow later.” Hailey smiled at Maggie and Maggie pulled out her cell phone and dialed Chuck’s burner cell. Chuck saw that Maggie’s number was on the caller ID. He knew that Maggie wouldn’t chance calling him unless it was an emergency. He would need to follow her lead in case someone else was listening in.
“Hello.” It was all Chuck said. Any other identifying information could blow whatever cover Maggie was going for.
“Hi, yes, is this Susan’s Bridal on 97th? My name is Cassandra and I am the housekeeper and assistant for a very wealthy bride. I was hoping you could squeeze us in for a bridal appointment this morning at 10:00 am. The bride is quite a bit pregnant and will need the dress for the ceremony this Saturday. I know that this is not your usual turnaround time but the groom is quite anxious and I have no doubt he would be willing to compensate you for your trouble.” Maggie bit her lip and hoped that Chuck would get what she was trying to do.
“Yes, ma’am. I believe we can accommodate that.” Chuck knew that Dalton would pull something like this eventually but he thought he had more time. Hopefully John would have some information for him after his trip to the bridal store.
Maggie sighed loudly in relief, catching Hailey’s attention. Maggie nodded that everything was going to be handled. “Thank you. We will see you at 10:00 am then.” She hung up the phone and reminded Hailey to finish her breakfast. She just hoped she could keep Hailey distracted long enough that she wouldn’t see how nervous Maggie was. She was no Jane Bond and this was going to push her to her limits when it came to worry.
Chuck called the real Susan’s Bridal to make the appointment and necessary arrangements so that Hailey wouldn’t balk by going into the store and finding she had been played. Luckily, they had a cancellation for 10:00 am and the saleswoman was very excited about the possibility of a large commission and was willing to set everything up as requested. Chuck might not be able to free Hailey yet but at least he was going to get to see her.
Fifty Four
Hailey and Maggie waited as the chauffeured car maneuvered its way to the bridal shop. Chris had left his usual driver for them because he said that he didn’t want the photographers to bother them at the bridal shop. However, Hailey knew it was really because he hoped that photographers would actually bother them and catch pictures of his “happy bride” at the bridal store. He would want it shown that she was in a driven car to show Chris’ wealth and status. It had nothing to do with her comfort or safety and everything to do with Chris’ appearance. Either way, Hailey was relieved that Maggie didn’t have to drive. She was putting on a happy face for Hailey’s sake but Hailey could tell that Maggie was shaken from the news of her impending wedding.
They pulled up in front of the bridal shop and Hailey saw that her suspicions were correct. The photographers were out in full force to get a shot of her shopping for her wedding dress. She looked at Maggie and was relieved that her disguise was perfectly in place. The last thing they needed was an old friend from New Mexico blowing Maggie’s cover and putting her even more in danger. The both looked at each other and didn’t need words to convey their annoyance at being a spectacle. Together they got out of the car with the chauffeur helping Hailey under the weight of the pregnancy. The flashes went off continuously until they made it inside of the bridal shop. Hailey was relieved to see that the saleswoman had closed the curtains to the windows to give her some privacy.
The eager saleswoman rushed over to Hailey and grasped her hands. “Hailey, my name is Cate and I am so excited to help you find your perfect dress. We have cleared the schedule of our best seamstress so we can tailor your dream dress to your exact specifications in time for your special day. Normally I would offer you champagne but given your present state, I thought sparkling cider might be more appropriate. Shall we?” Cate handed over a flute of sparkling cider to both Hailey and Maggie and lead them into a room with white dresses on every wall. “This is what we like to call our celebrity room. All of the dresses in here are one of a kind originals by some of the top designers. Anything you prefer can be made to accentuate your pregnancy in all the right ways so you will look like a goddess. Normally I try to recommend what I think would most suit the bride but since we don’t really have much time to get to know each other, I thought you might like to start by browsing for your favorites and then we can go from there.” Hailey nodded and Cate left the room to give them some time to look at the dresses.
She and Maggie started at opposite ends and started pulling dresses. They took turns admiring the dresses and laughing at some that were clearly more couture than anything they pictured as a wedding dress. “Whatever happened to good old fashioned puffy sleeves with a butt bow, Hailey? I think that’s exactly what you need.” They both laughed at the mental image and then sobered. If they were picking out Hailey’s dress so she could be married to Chuck, this would be a dream come true. But with Chris as her fiance, it was more like a nightmare.
Cate came back into the room and saw that they had pulled a few choices. “Oh, those will be lovely on you. Let me take you back to the fitting area so you can try them on.” Cate carried the dresses as Hailey walked, or more accurately waddled, behind her. “Usually I stay to help the brides get into the dresses but I think you’ll be just fine.” Cate hung up the dresses and walked out of the room, leaving a confused Hailey behind. Surely a very pregnant woman would need more help to get into a wedding dress so why was Cate leaving?
“I know it’s cliche to say that you get more beautiful each time I see you but I can’t think of any other words to describe it.” Hailey turned to see Chuck walk into the fitting room from the back door. She was so overcome with emotion that she just sunk into the nearb
y chair. Chuck rushed to her and grabbed her into his arms as she cried. “It’s okay, honey. It’s all going to be okay.”
“No, Chuck. It’s not. I have to marry him. I have to marry Chris to keep the baby safe. To keep you safe. And Maggie and John. He’ll kill you all like he killed Erin and Gram. I can’t lose anyone else. I just can’t.”
“Hey, just calm down. No one is going to let you sacrifice yourself to Dalton. I’m working on something and it’s big. It could be enough to take down Dalton for good. So all I need you to do is find a way to put off Saturday, okay? When you walk down the aisle, I want it to be to me and I want it to be the happiest day of your life.” Hailey smiled up at him and allowed herself to hope, just one last time.
“Is Erin’s journal helping?” She wiped her eyes and just looked at him.
“It is actually. Erin was onto Dalton more than she probably realized. She gave me a huge lead. Have you ever seen a redheaded woman around the house? Maybe since you’ve been back?”
“No, it’s just me and Maggie most of the time. Chris doesn’t even tell me who he is meeting. Why?”
Chuck figured that had probably been the case. Erin had caught him before and Chuck figured she probably confronted him about it in the end based on the woman he was getting to know by her journal. If she did, Dalton was bound to be more careful about getting caught again. “I don’t think Dalton was just cheating on Erin. The woman may have been a business partner as well. And that could be the key to taking Dalton down.”
Hailey felt a chill go down her spine. “So Erin was right all along. He was cheating. I just thought she was picking up on the fact that he was a jerk. Poor, Erin.”
“Hailey, I know you want to protect the people you love and preserve Erin’s memory. But Erin didn’t just want to protect the baby. She also wanted to protect you and take Dalton down. And we will do that. Just have a little faith, okay?” Hailey nodded and kissed Chuck long and hard. “Hailey, I love you and I wish we could just stay in here forever but we can’t raise Dalton’s suspicions. Choose one of the dresses and walk out with it as ‘the one.’ Go through the motions to make him happy but do not marry him, Hailey. I know it’s selfish but I can’t stand the thought.”
Last Chance Baby Page 13
