by Alison Mello
“Abbey, you’re going to make me blush in front of my girlfriend,” Michael says jokingly. “I’m glad I was able to keep you safe. I really like working for Seth, and it was an honor to be chosen to protect his family.”
“How’s Taylor?” she asks with sympathy in her voice.
Taylor was hit over the head while on detail at Abbey and Seth’s home. He was removed from the security detail after not following protocol. My understanding is Seth and Chase wanted to fire him but Abbey convinced him to move Taylor to another detail.
“He’s doing fine. He’s working one of the larger jobs that we have with a team of men on. He’s second in charge and is very happy where he is. I see him from time to time. He asked me to thank you for convincing Seth and Chase to give him another chance.”
Dinner arrives, and it becomes quiet as we start to eat. Chase asks the waitress to deliver one more round of drinks for us to enjoy with our meal, and within minutes she arrives with a barmaid to deliver our fresh drinks.
I look around the table as I finish eating and think that I’m so lucky to have become friends with such a great group of people. They have welcomed me into their group, and we’re like one big happy family. Everyone is laughing and chatting. It’s amazing to see everyone getting along so well and having so much fun. Sarah was best friends with Abbey but has become really close to Ellen and Mark, too. Tracey used to work with Sarah at the same psychiatric practice but after she helped Abbey deal with the situation her ex put her through, they are now really close now, too. The guys were all friends with the exception of Mark and Cole, but the guys have made them part of the crew. I can’t help but grin as I take it all in.
“What are you smiling about?”
I look at Chase who is also grinning ear to ear. “I’m just thinking about how lucky I’m to have such an amazing group of friends.”
The waitress interrupts our conversation to bring Chase the bill that he happily just signs, so he can hand it back.
“You didn’t even look at it?”
He chuckles. “I had to give them a credit card to reserve our table and the tip is automatically added in, so there is nothing to really look at.”
* * * *
We get to the club about eight thirty, and because we have a reserved VIP section, the limo pulls up lets us out and we walk straight through. We’re immediately escorted to our section, where there are beers and wine already waiting on ice. Chase informs the hostess that we need water, and a waitress to place a nonalcoholic order for Tracey. She nods and informs him one will be over shortly. The girls start taking selfies together and giggling as we post them to our social media sites.
We’re just about done with our first glass of wine when a good song comes on so we get up from your VIP section and head down to the dance floor. The guys stand over the railing to keep a close eye on us while we have our fun.
We are shaking our thing and having a blast in our own circle when a group of guys come over. “Hey, ladies!” they shout at us.
“We’re all taken,” Abbey shouts back and points up to the guys at the railing.
They give them a nod and the guys walk away not wanting any trouble.
We’re having a blast, the music is great, and the dance floor is busy but not overcrowded. Of course, this is a bit of an upscale club, so you won’t get a bunch of trash kids in here, which is nice, too.
Speaking of trash, I see Rob across the room and nudge Abbey. “Look who’s here?”
She gives me a look. “Who?”
I nod in his direction, and she spots him. “No way.” She tells me to keep my back to him and that she will keep an eye on him while we finish dancing, so I turn my back and continue to dance.
I realize that Chase has no idea that Rob is here or what he looks like to keep an eye out for him, so I’m relying on Abbey.
“He’s coming this way,” Abbey says.
So I make eye contact with Chase, giving him a look of worry and call him down. Chase, Michael, and Seth all come running down the stairs just as Rob reaches me and spins me around. Between the wine and my heels, I nearly fall on my ass, but Abbey catches me.
“Look who it is? The queen of Coastal. Miss I-Get-Anything-I-Want.”
“Rob, you’re wasted. Just walk away, and we can all have a good night.”
“Fuck you! I don’t work for you anymore, so you can’t tell me what to do.”
Chase bursts through the crowd. “Who’s this asshole?” he shouts at me.
“This is Rob, the employee I fired.”
He tells Chase to fuck off and takes a swing at him, but he’s drunk, and Chase is well trained in hand-to-hand combat, so he catches Rob and spins him. Security comes over as Chase has Rob’s hands pinned behind his back, and Seth explains what happened.
They grab Rob from Chase, and he starts screaming, “This isn’t done, Theresa!” He tries to head-butt one of the security guards as they are pushing him toward the exit, so Seth and Chase decide to give them a hand with the prick.
We continue dancing with Michael by our side to watch over us while our men put out the trash. We’re laughing and dancing when I realize the guys have been gone longer than I thought. Michael asks us to head up to the VIP section to take a break so we can wait for them to get back. We get to our seats, and as we start pouring ourselves more wine, the guys show up with the police.
One of them sits on the side of me. “Ma’am, do you know that man?”
I nod. “He used to work for me at Coastal Engineering. He was recently fired for poor performance and making deals with clients he shouldn’t have been making. He worked with me and Abbey.”
He nods. “Okay, well enjoy the rest of your night. We’ll be taking him into custody for drunk and disorderly conduct so he won’t be bothering you any more tonight.”
I thank him and he walks away so we return to our fun.
“So, Tracey have you guys decided what to do about the wedding?” Sarah asks.
Tracey shakes her head. “No. I’m getting sick now, and I feel fat. Who wants to put on a wedding dress when they’re fat?”
She’s legit pouting right now. We look at Sean, who just shrugs and continues talking with the guys.
“First, you’re not fat and second, what about your baby shower? Do you want it to be a surprise, or do you want to know about it?”
She chews her lip as she thinks about it for a second. “I want to know the when and where but nothing else. I don’t want to be one of those fat pregnant ladies who show up unprepared and looking awful.”
We all start laughing. “Okay, we will talk to your mom and figure it out.”
We polish off another bottle of wine while talking about the baby, and then I realize that if I do not slow down, I’m going to be in really bad shape tomorrow when Katie gets home!
Chapter 12
“Who the hell is calling me?” I grumble when I realize my phone is ringing off the hook. “Oh shit, Daddy!” I sit up and answer it.
“Hello!” I look at the clock and see that it is only seven.
“Hey, sweetie, sorry to wake you, but I wanted to let you know Daddy is having a really bad day today. He’s so sick and is keeping nothing down. The nurses are going to inform the doctor and let me know what the plan is.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay, Mom. Keep me posted. I’ll get a sitter and come by with Chase to see you and the doctor. I just need to wait for Katie to get home, and she should be here in a few hours.”
“Take your time, sweetie. I’ll let you know what time the doctor is coming through as soon as I do.” My poor mom sounds so tired.
“I heard, baby,” Chase says. “I’ll call Sam in a little bit. Why don’t you lie down and try to get a little more sleep?”
I take another deep breath, trying to calm myself. “I won’t be able to sleep now. I’m going to go put on coffee.”
But before I can climb out of bed he snags me up and pulls me toward him. “I’m sorry you’re going throug
h this, baby, I’m not that close to my parents, so I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. I would be very sad if something happened to them, but it has to be tough when you’re as close to them as you are. I want you to know that I love you and will help you through this.”
That is my undoing. I bury my head in his chest and just sob. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to be strong and stay positive, but I’ve seen this so much over the years with my aunts and uncles. My strength is fading because I can’t help but feel like he won’t survive this. Part of me hopes he doesn’t suffer too much and he goes peacefully but the selfish part of me wants him around for so much longer,” I say as I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.
“Oh my, I have a bit of a headache from last night’s wine. I think I really do need some coffee,” I say as I rub my head.
He laughs as and start to climb out of bed.
“You make the coffee. I’ll grab the aspirin,” Chase says on his way to the bathroom.
I chuckle. “Deal.” I grab my phone as I head into the kitchen while slipping on my robe and place my phone in the pocket. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from Kyle soon, just so he can be an ass.
My phone pings and it is my mom.
Doctor is coming at three.
We will be there.
I focus on getting the coffee made and ask Chase if he wants something to eat.
“Yeah just a bagel or something light like that.”
I have bagels, so I take them out of the cabinet and toast two of them while I grab the cream cheese from the fridge. “My mom texted me. We need to be at the hospital by three.”
“I’ll text Sam after we are done eating and see if she can babysit for us so we can leave Katie here. I don’t think your dad will want her to see him that way.”
“Yeah, I would rather her have memories of him at his best not sick and a mess.” I shake my head, thinking about when my grandfather passed from cancer.
“I remember losing my grandfather. I got the call at my part-time job. I had only just got my license a short time before but was told he didn’t have much longer. I drove as quickly as I could while trying to be safe. I walked into the hospital, bumping into my aunt, who grabbed me by the hand and ran me down the hall to his room. I was there long enough to tell him that I was there and that I loved him. I squeezed his hand and watched him take his last breath. I sobbed into his leg until the doctors came and made us leave so they could do what they had to do.”
A tear escapes me as I remember the day, and Chase is again by my side, rubbing my back and telling me all will be okay. We grab our coffee and food so we can sit and eat and again my phone pings.
This time it is Kyle.
On my way, be there in five.
Okay.
“Shit, Kyle will be here in five minutes, and I know he is going to give me crap if he sees us both like this, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m so tired of worrying about what everyone fucking thinks.” I take a bite of my bagel and drink my coffee. “If he wants to drop her off this early then this is what he gets.” I take another bite of my food, as I watch Chase eat with an amused look on his face.
“What’s so funny?” I say, not quite so amused.
“You’re funny. You went from panic-stricken to fuck him in two seconds flat. T, if you want me to go get dressed, I will.”
“It’s not funny, but no I don’t. He’s dropping her off early to be an asshole, so I’ll be an asshole back. Now unless you don’t want to help me be an asshole, then you can go get dressed,” I say pissily.
“Oh no, T. I love helping you be an asshole, and I can’t wait to see Katie’s reaction when she sees me here.”
“And there they are,” I say following the knock on the door. I get up and answer it in my robe. No sooner do I open the door then Katie comes barreling in.
“Mommy! I had fun with Daddy!” she says as she gives me a hug.
“That is great, sweetie. Go ahead inside.”
She’s in the house two seconds and all I hear is her scream, “Chase, you’re here!”
He laughs. “Hey, sweetie. How was your night with Daddy?”
I look at Kyle with a smirk and say let me know about next weekend.
“Oh I will.” He storms out the door all pissed off.
I shut my door, and all I can hear is Katie and Chase talking. He tells her, “Guess who’s coming to hang out with you today?”
“Sam?” she asks, excited.
“You got it! Mommy and I have to go have an important meeting, so Sam is going to come over to hang out with you. Can you be a good girl for her?”
I smile as I watch my daughter sitting on Chase’s lap nodding at him.
“Good. Why don’t you go put your dirty clothes in your laundry for Mommy so we can finish breakfast and take a shower.”
She jumps off his lap. “Okay but I haven’t had breakfast yet either.”
He takes a deep breath trying to control his anger. “Would you like me to make you a bagel like we’re having?”
She shouts, “Sure!” as she runs to her room.
“You really are amazing with her,” I say as I saunter into the room. I place one hand on each side of his face and pull him up as I bend down to meet him for a kiss.
“Eeewww,” we hear as Katie walks back into the room.
We both start laughing, and I walk off to my make my daughter a bagel.
Once I have Katie settled, we quickly finish eating and then head off to shower so that we will be ready to go as soon as Sam gets here. I’m anxious to get to the hospital so I can see my dad.
Sam walks in the door at eleven thirty, and it is perfect timing. I promised my mom I would bring her some lunch so she wouldn’t have to leave my dad. Chase and I have packed sandwiches, chips, grapes, and cookies. I also threw a few bananas and some apples in there. My dad likes each of those. I’m hoping may be he’s willing to try one. I was going to make her something warm but was afraid the smell would upset my dad’s stomach so I stuck with cold stuff, except for the soup I have in a thermos for him.
“I’m sorry to hear your dad is not doing well,” Sam says as she walks into the living room. “I have done all my homework, and I’ve no plans for today, so please take your time. I’ll take good care of Katie.”
“You’re a sweet girl. Thank you, Sam. There’s easy mac and other easy stuff you can make her for lunch. She had a full bagel early this morning, so she’ll probably be hungry soon.”
She nods. “No worries, Theresa. I’ve it all under control.”
“Katie,” I call my daughter into the room.
“Listen, I’m sorry, but Mommy and Chase have to get to the hospital to check on Grampy and show him the little recording you made him. I’ll be home as soon as I can so we can all spend some time together, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy!” She runs off to play with Sam.
“Come on, baby,” Chase says as he encourages me toward the door. We climb into his truck and head toward the hospital.
“I feel like we need to do something special with her. I haven’t spent much time with her lately, and I’m starting to feel bad.”
“Yeah. It’s hard at her age. She doesn’t really understand what is going on, and she’s used to having you around. Why don’t we take her to that restaurant up the street for dinner tonight that has the kid’s meals with a build your own sundae for dessert?”
“That sounds good, and then if it isn’t too late maybe we can play a game with her at home.”
“Sure.” He nods.
“So, is this what you imagined your next relationship would look like?”
“To be honest, I haven’t been in a relationship in so long that I had no idea what I was looking for. For some reason, when I saw you walk into Abbey’s backyard I had this pull toward you, and I just had to meet you. Even after finding out you had a little girl and that you manage on your own, it just made me want to be with you more.” He smiles and shrugs. “Now I just want to take care of the two of you.”
“Well I know it must be hard taking care of someone else’s child, but I appreciate it.”
“It’s an adjustment, especially where Kyle is such an ass, but I’m doing the best I can. I just need you to talk to me if you feel I overstep my boundaries on any decision I make. Remember I always have her best interests in mind.”
“I’ll do my best to talk to you about things, but so far I think you’re doing a great job.”
“Thanks, T.”
We arrive at the hospital as we’re finishing our conversation, so he parks the truck and we head in with the food. Just as we’re getting outside the door, a bunch of people go running into the room and Chase grabs my arm.
My mom comes out crying, and I ask her what is happening.
“Dad started having trouble breathing. It was like he was choking, so I pressed the nurse’s button, and they all went running into the room. I came out so I could get out of the way.”
“Stay here and try to calm your mom down. I’m going to peek my head in and see if I can tell what is going on.”
I nod as Chase walks away. Some of the nurses come out, and I can hear talking going on in the room. I hear Chase talking to my dad, who is obviously breathing better.
“How’re you feeling, Mr. Anderson?” Chase asks him.
“Like shit.” My dad grunts.
I realize I’m only half listening to my mom. “It’s okay, Mom. He will be okay.” I hug her and rub her back as I go back to listening.
“Theresa is in the hall calming down Mrs. Anderson. They will be in in just a minute,” he tells my father.
“Listen, Chase, I need you to do me a favor. Promise me you’ll take care of Theresa. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here, and I need to know she’s taken care of. She’s my baby.”
I’m now crying at my daddy’s words.
“I plan on marrying her with your permission, sir.”
There is silence for a minute. “Do it and soon. I want to see my baby girl get married before I go.”
