I looked at my watch, wondering what Elle and Colin were up to. If Colin had done what I’d asked, then right now he’d be sitting in front of a television with Elle by his side.
When it got to three-thirty, we were ready to begin, and I sat in the chair and made sure the microphone was straight. Sitting across from me was a striking-looking fifty-year-old with golden hair and large red lips. She beamed at me and nodded as the producer behind the camera counted us in. When he waved his hand, I heard theme music, and Melody Galvan lifted her head from her notes and looked right down the camera lens.
“He’s never been one to talk to the media, but this afternoon, joining me live from his prestigious New York office is none other than Liam Wilde. I’m Melody Galvan, and welcome to an exclusive interview with America’s most elusive man of the moment.”
Now she swung around in her seat and smiled sweetly, at me. “Liam, thank you so much for agreeing to the interview.”
I gave a tight smile in response. “Not a problem, Melody,” I said. “I believe it’s necessary today.”
“We’re certainly honored to have the chance to talk to you today, especially when you’re so busy.”
Damn right they were honored. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of America’s most obnoxious talk-show-host-cum-showbiz-leech. But, as a stroke of genius this morning, I’d called Stephen and demanded that he get me a live slot with Melody that afternoon.
The sight of the headlines that morning had made me feel physically sick. It was one thing for them to come after me with their lies and accusations of scandal, but it was another thing altogether to have them do the same to the people around me. The people who’d never let me down, and who’d been there for me during one of the most difficult periods of my life.
So, Melody Galvan had had to delay her piece on the First Lady’s most recent fashion looks and instead had torn down to my office for the impromptu interview. She might have been providing a service for me, but believe me, we were the ones doing her a favor. Not many reporters could hope for a scoop like this, and I had no doubt that she’d be able to note this interview down on her resume for a long time to come.
“Liam, with all the headlines in the news right now, why do you think it’s important to come forward and clear everything up for us? We were asking questions months ago, and nobody was available for comment? Why now?”
“Well, Melody, I don’t consider myself beholden to anyone at any time,” I said. “My private life is just that. Private. It’s nobody’s business. So, while some people might find it interesting to debate how much I’ve paid for my latest car, or who I’m dating at any given moment in time, I certainly don’t pay any attention to spurious gossip. But recently, I’ve been reading things that are not just grossly untrue but are nothing short of slanderous. And it’s not just affecting me this time, but the people I love.”
“People?” Melody asked, raising an eyebrow. “Could you be referring to your fiancée and perhaps your baby daughter?”
“Both,” I replied, without hesitation. “And it’s time for me to clear up the matter before anyone else is taken in by the disgusting lies about my family and me.”
“Of course,” Melody said, and she looked down at her papers, although there was no need to; she knew exactly what she was going to ask me, even if I didn’t. “Now, we were all a little shocked when you, an unmarried man, suddenly became a father in May. Were we right to assume the baby’s yours?”
“Absolutely. Her name’s Elizabeth and she was born on May ninth.” I couldn’t help but break into a smile when I said this. Just thinking of Lizzie made my heart swell.
“And her mom?”
At this, I paused and took a deep breath. I leaned forward and clasped my hands together. “Her mom was a friend of mine. An associate who I met last year. We had a brief introduction and went on one or two dates. Neither of us saw it as a serious thing, and I had no idea that she became pregnant. In fact, she didn’t know herself until she was nearly six months into the pregnancy.”
“So, despite the rumors, you didn’t use a surrogate?”
“No. It wasn’t in the plan to have a baby, you understand. As much as I knew that I always wanted to become a father one day, I felt that a child should always grow up in a stable environment with two parents who love both each other and the child. I was single when I became a father, and I can assure you that news of my daughter’s arrival came as quite the shock to me.”
“It certainly is a unique story. Can you tell us what happened?”
“Well, Melody, I woke up one morning to a baby on my doorstep. Literally. And attached to the baby was an envelope, and in that envelope was a letter from the child’s mother, telling me that the baby was now my responsibility and that I was to look after it. Naturally, I was astounded, and it took a while to sink in, but as soon as she was in my arms, I knew that my baby girl was safe and would be cared for without question.”
Melody nodded as I spoke and now looked into the camera. “For the viewers at home, I can confirm that there was indeed a letter, and here at KTLD, we’ve read it. In it, it clearly stated that the baby was being left there for Liam to look after, and the mother wanted no further contact. We’ve also been given footage, pulled from the security system at Mr. Wilde’s residence, which clearly shows the drop-off.”
She looked back at me. “So why don’t you make the letter or the footage public, Liam? This is more than enough to prove the mother to be a liar?”
“Well, Melody, it’s not my style. My aim isn’t to hurt Elizabeth’s mother,” I said. “She isn’t a bad person, and I’m forever grateful to her for ensuring not only that Lizzie was born safely, but was well looked after in the three days before she came to me. I will also be eternally grateful that she came to me with Elizabeth when she could have put her into the care system and my daughter could have grown up never knowing her parentage.”
“Do you think the baby would have ended up in care? Is this why you’re refusing to give her back, now that her mother wants her?”
“Her mother put her own life ahead of the baby’s and while I don’t judge her for it, I certainly don’t feel that she’s shown Elizabeth the kind of selflessness and devotion that it takes to raise a child. I personally feel that while Lizzie’s mother may have gone to the papers to make a little noise, she doesn’t have the baby’s best interests at heart.”
“And what about her plans to file for full custody?”
I sat back in my chair and stared at Melody without blinking. “She’s welcome to file them, of course. But I will fight her every step of the way.”
Melody gave a little nod of approval at this and looked into the camera again. “Strong words indeed,” she said. Turning back to me, she continued, “but what of the next twist in the tale, Liam? The surprise engagement to a woman none of us had heard of?”
I chuckled. “You might not have heard of her, but I’ve known Elle since I was a teenager. We attended the same high school. I’ll admit that our engagement was hasty, but I only had my family’s best interests at heart. If anyone’s been a victim in all of this, it’s been Elle and not Elizabeth.”
“How so?”
“Elizabeth is growing up in a household full of people who love her. She doesn’t know any different, and by the time she’s old enough to know the truth, she’ll hear it from people she loves and whom she can trust. Elle, though, was flung into a den of vipers, and that’s as much my fault as everyone else’s. She’s a very strong, confident and capable woman who’s held her own with nothing but dignity, and I haven’t felt the need to speak out on her behalf until now, but it’s gone too far today.”
“By ‘too far,’” said Melody, holding up the paper she had on the table next to her, “you mean the accusation from the mother that Elle has stolen both her man and her baby?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” I said. “In all of this I’ve wanted to deal with the situation in private, but I won’t sta
nd back and let a woman I hardly know slander the woman I love.”
“The woman you love? Do you mean to say that the engagement wasn’t for show as some speculated?”
“Let me be very clear. I mean that Elle Evans is the woman I love and the only woman I want in my life, save for my little girl. I was never in a relationship with the child’s mother. Elle didn’t steal me from her, and Elle certainly didn’t steal the baby. Elizabeth was literally left on my doorstep as I’ve both explained and proved. And I’m willing to both explain and prove it all over again, in court.”
“And how soon till we hear wedding bells for you and Elle, Liam?”
I smiled. “No comment,” I said. “Why, would you like an invitation to the wedding, Melody?”
She giggled and then we made small talk for a little while about my latest business ventures. Once that was over, and the producer held up his hand to announce that we were now off the air, Melody came forward and shook my hand. “Great interview,” she said. “You came across perfectly.”
“I told the truth,” I said. “That’s what made it so easy.”
“I’m going to hold you to that wedding invitation,” she joked and left the room as the crew removed my microphone.
All I could hope was that there would, in fact, be a wedding one day. Saying out loud how I truly felt about Elle had felt wonderful. I desperately hoped that on the other side of the city, in my house, she’d been watching.
29
________
ELLE
For a whole ten minutes after the program ended, I sat with my mouth open, dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. It had to be part of the plan. It was part of the script. It couldn’t have been what he was really thinking.
Could it?
Colin seemed to think it was genuine. He was jumping up and down in the little movie theatre, so much so that the floor was shaking.
“Calm down,” I said. “I don’t even know why you had me watch this.”
My best friend sat next to me again and gave me a withering look. He pointed to the screen. “Come on,” he said. “Why do think I’m here? Do you honestly believe I just came over to swim in the pool and have your French chef rustle me up a steak? It was to die for, may I add.”
I raised one eyebrow. “You mean you didn’t come here just for the food?”
“Oh, of course not. Liam called me this morning and asked me to come over to make sure you watched the show. Why else would I choose to watch daytime television when I could be watching a real movie in here right now?”
“What?” I was so bewildered by everything happening at once, that I was confused. “I don’t get it. Liam sent you over here for that?”
“No, Liam brought me over here for that. I got a ride in that passion-wagon of his. Shit, driving in that car is like foreplay… without the ‘play’, of course.”
“I didn’t even know he had your number.”
“I sent it to him via email in case he ever changed his mind about women and wanted to bat for the other side instead.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding. He called me at home. We’re still listed, remember?”
“Oh.”
Colin seemed confused. “What’s wrong? He’s just declared his love for you on national television. To Melody-fucking-Galvan of all people. Do you think he really would have done it if he didn’t feel that way for real?”
But I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to believe anymore, because I’d been living what was essentially a fantasy for the last three months. Liam had never once told me to my face that he loved me, not even when we were in bed together. What? He couldn’t say it to me personally, but he could go on TV and tell the whole world? It didn’t make any sense to me, and I wasn’t about to believe it, no matter how much I wanted to.
Liam didn’t call me, and I didn’t want to disturb him. Colin was besotted with Lizzie and wanted to take her into the pool, so we got on our bathing suits and went for a swim. It was a good way to pass the time and the late summer afternoon was spent with Lizzie giggling at Colin as he pushed her around the pool in her inflatable ring.
My fingers were wrinkly and I was about to get out when I heard footsteps. At first, I hoped that Liam was home, but nothing could have prepared me for the person who walked through that door.
Do you remember the nightmare when you’re back in high school and your worst enemy, the one who made your life hell, slithers into your dream only to torment you once more? Well, that’s exactly what happened now. Only, this wasn’t a nightmare, but real life.
Catherine Wilde stood with her hands on her hips, clad in a black Versace dress and a pair of Louboutins. She was looking down at me in the water, and there was a cruel sneer on her face.
“And here’s me thinking you might have made new friends in the last ten years, Sarielle,” she said, indicating to Colin with a short nod of her head.
I got out of the water, feeling very vulnerable and exposed in my bikini, and I wrapped a towel around my waist. “Catherine,” I said, forcing a smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I think I could ask you the same question,” Catherine replied. “Only, I know the answer.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve been in London for the past few years, but seeing all this nonsense with my dear brother, I felt I had no choice but to come home and sort things out once and for all.” She clicked her fingers and with respectful dignity, Edward stepped forward.
“Champagne,” she barked at him, not bothering to look him in the eye. “And make it the good stuff. I feel I might have a reason to celebrate by the time this is all over.”
I found that I was shaking, back to being the eighteen-year-old intimidated by the most popular girl in school. And Catherine hadn’t changed much at all. Her dark hair was curled around her shoulders, and she stood in the same entitled pose she always had. From the corner of my eye, I could see Colin getting out of the pool with Lizzie and wrapping her in a towel, but Catherine hadn’t even glanced over at her niece.
She wouldn’t speak until her drink came, carried out by Edward on a silver platter. She sipped the champagne and walked into the house. She looked back at me. “We need to talk,” she said. “Inside. We’re not animals.”
And, of course, I followed her into the day room, where I stood dripping on the floor. “You have to understand that it was quite the surprise for mother and I to see that Liam had asked someone to marry him and that that someone was no other than you,” Catherine said. “Of course, we immediately called him and insisted he put a stop to it, but he told us it was all part of his grand plan and that we weren’t to worry.”
She perched on the edge of a chaise longue. “You see, it matters to us who marries into the family. I don’t expect you to understand it, given that you haven’t had the life we have. My father died at the peak of his success and yours seems to have frittered away his fortune on the horses, if I’m not mistaken. Or was it the slot machines?”
The blood in my veins ran as cold as ice and had I looked at my reflection at that moment, I would have seen my face turn white.
How on earth did Catherine know about that?
From the smirk on her face, it was clear that she knew she’d hit the perfect spot to rile me. “Oh, I know all about it,” she said. “How Liam paid off your daddy’s debt and gave you a tacky diamond so that you’d come do his bidding. It’s what we do, Sarielle. We pay people like you to do the dirty jobs in life.”
She sipped at her drink again. “Of course, I wasn’t keen on the idea, but it made sense. You’re not the ugliest rock in the sea, I’ll grant you that. And he got a free babysitter, too, from what I hear. But I just came over to tell you that it’s all over now. The secret’s out and there’s really no need for you to stay.”
The anger was beginning to bubble inside me. “I don’t think it’s any of your business,” I said, in a low voice. “And I’d like for you to leave, now.”
Sh
e stood up, angrily. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she spat. “You think that Liam really does love you, don’t you? Do you have any idea the number of times he’s called me to laugh about how pathetic you are? About how you drive to see him at work when you need new clothes or want an increase in your allowance? How you have nothing better to do but sit in the pool room and draw your silly little drawings while the rest of us live in the real world?”
“Liam doesn’t call you and laugh about me,” I croaked, but I was desperately trying to convince myself, rather than her. “He loves me. You heard him. And you’re jealous because he wants me in his life and not you.”
“Oh, Sarielle.” Catherine shook her head, as though she felt sorry for me. “You poor, poor thing. You have no idea, do you? He chose you because he knew you’d say yes. He always knew you were in love with him and that you’d be as pathetic now as you were in high school. Always so eager to please. Just like your father. Hanging onto the Wildes in the hopes of receiving a few crumbs from the top table. But I’m afraid it’s all over now, dearie. Because he doesn’t need you anymore.”
At that moment, the door opened, and in came Edward. He walked between Catherine and me.
“Miss Catherine, this has gone far enough. I’m afraid I must ask you to leave,” he said, in a calm, but serious voice. “Otherwise I will have no other choice but to escort you out personally.”
“Fuck off,” Catherine said, rudely. “Escorted from my own brother’s house by the help?”
“Mister Liam would not appreciate you speaking to Miss Elle in such a way and neither do I,” Edward said, firmly. “I must ask you to leave immediately.”
“Yeah, Cruella. Time to see the back of you,” said Colin, who’d also appeared at the door, still in his bathing suit, still holding Lizzie. “You’ve not changed a bit since school. If you were any more of a bitch, you’d have had puppies.”
Catherine gave a high-pitched laugh. “A bitch? I’d rather be a bitch than a whore.” She stepped toward me, but while she didn’t touch me, she pointed a finger just inches from my chest. “He bought you like a common whore. You’re nothing more than a cheap slut who’ll do anything for his money. Don’t try to convince yourself you’ll ever be anything more than that, Sarielle. You’re no better than the bitch who sold him her baby.”
FIRST LOVE_A Single Dad Second Chance Romance Page 18
