Tiny nodded his head in agreement as he navigated on to the freeway.
Pulling out my cell, I hit the button to call Danielle. “Hey, did you have any luck with the organizers?” Biting my lip, I silently prayed that they were able to do something with the house. If not, we were royally screwed.
“I love you, Molly. But this house is absolutely disgusting. There is crap everywhere and you don’t have enough space to put it all.” You could hear the irritation in Danielle’s voice, and I actually felt sorry for dumping this task on her.
“We live in a five bedroom house, Danielle. I’m sure there is space for some baby crap.” Rolling my eyes, I pointed to the exit ahead for Tiny to take.
“I’ve got this.” He laughed, shaking his head at my directions.
“No, you don’t just have a little bit of baby crap, Molly. You have a five bedroom house stuffed full of baby crap. Seriously, I already had most of the big crap put into the guest bedrooms, and Reid’s office has not one, but three cribs in the damn thing. Why do you need three cribs?”
“We bought one, you bought one, and then I think someone sent one as a gift. After this, I’ll go through all of it and weed out the extras.” Glancing in the mirror, I watched as Rain slept peacefully in her seat. What I would give for a couple extra hours of uninterrupted sleep.
“You owe me big time. I’m talking a week long spa vacation in Aspen kind of owe me.”
“I love you. Want a sandwich from the deli on Market?”
“Yes,” Danielle snipped before ending the call. Laughing, I placed my phone back in the bag and watched out the window.
“So, on a scale of one to ten, how pissed off is Danielle?” Tiny questioned.
“Well, she wants us to bring her back a sandwich, and those have lots of calories and carbs. I’d say we’ve hit a solid eight on the scale.” Laughter tore through the car as Tiny pulled up in front of the deli. “Your usual?” I asked while exiting the vehicle.
“You know me so well.” Tiny cracked a smile and signaled that he would cruise the block while I went inside. Stopping the car could result in Rain waking up, and once that happened she would scream until a bottle was placed in those tiny red lips of hers. Letting her sleep was the best option for all of our sanity’s sake.
***
The amount of food I walked out of the deli with was borderline crazy. But, I wanted to make sure we had enough to feed Tiny and Danielle, and then some things to lay out on the counter for the magazine people later. My mother always had an enormous spread laid out whenever someone was coming over. It didn’t matter if you were just swinging by to drop off some paperwork, there was always enough food and drink to feed an army. Of the few things I picked up from my mother along the years, always wanting to feed people wasn’t a horrible trait to have.
Carrying a couple bags on my good arm, I laid them down on the counter and started to pull out all the fixings. “Danielle!” I shouted down the hallway.
“Shh……she is still sleeping. Do you want to wake her up?” Tiny glared at me while setting Rain down on the table.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled out the enormous sandwich and slid it across the counter at Tiny. Giving me a thankful smile, Tiny grabbed the tasty morsel and headed down the hallway.
“So, I put the extra toys you had in the living room in the closet with the sex toys,” Danielle said as she entered the kitchen.
“Good spot, I guess.” Cocking my head to the side, I didn’t know if I should be more worried about the toys being in proximity to those items, or that Danielle knew what closet we kept those things in. Shrugging my shoulders, I pulled out her pasta order and handed it over with a plastic fork.
“Food is good, but you still owe me. I was attacked by a massive looking penis in the closet earlier. You really should put a harness on that thing; it’s dangerous walking into that closet.”
Rain started to whine in her car seat as Danielle walked over and wiggled the seat slightly. “I would whine, too, little one. Your mommy is a complete freak in the bedroom. I bet you’ll have a little sister before we know it.”
“Danielle!” I shrieked, shaking my head at her admission. Just because Reid and I enjoyed the use of some rather larger toys didn’t mean we would be procreating any time soon. “There are no babies coming out of my vagina ever.”
“Then you might want to stick to missionary style only. No one ever made any kids doing something so lame.” Hopping up on the counter, Danielle curled her legs up underneath her and opened her pasta. “This is so good.”
“I hate you.”
Chapter 23
Keep your damn hands off my cheese cake.
‘”You’re late,” I scowled at Reid as he rounded the corner in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Molly Anne.” Reaching out, Reid grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me close. Placing a harsh kiss on my lips, my legs went weak and everything that had been swirling around in my mind went completely blank. “I love you,” he mumbled on my lips, letting that devilish grin spread over his face.
“You still completely suck.” Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself away from him and went back to laying out the food.
“Are you planning a party?” Reid asked while picking up a mini cheesecake and popping it into his mouth.
Swatting his hand away from grabbing another, I sent him a challenging glare. “You damn well know who is coming over tonight, and I wanted to make a good impression.” Wiping my hands off on the towel I had draped over my shoulder, I shooed him away from the counter.
“Where’s Rain?”
“Danielle took her upstairs to get changed.” Thankfully, my best friend basically saved my ass today with the house and helping me get everything ready. She pulled an outfit for me, and even took Rain while I tried to get ready. Thankfully, it was a nice day in Seattle, so I didn’t have to restraighten my hair. “She laid out something for you to wear in the bedroom, too.”
Snatching another cheesecake, Reid blew me an air kiss before heading down the hall for the stairs.
“Stop eating the damn food!” I yelled after him. Now there was a gap on the plate, and I didn’t buy really an extras to fill it.
“Damn, these are so good,” Tiny exclaimed as he picked a cheesecake off the plate.
“Stop eating my fucking cheesecake!” Throwing the towel in the sink, I stomped my foot in frustration. Tiny only looked over while chewing the morsel and let out a snort. I knew I probably looked absolutely ridiculous throwing that mini tantrum, but they needed to keep their damn hands off the food spread.
“What else needs to be done, Molly?” Tiny asked after he was done chewing. I really wanted to walk over and punch him in the gonads, but all this hostility wasn’t good for my mood this evening. With my luck, I would snap at something the interviewer said, and then crazy Molly would be splashed over the next issue.
“Hey, Molly! I think she’s hungry,” Danielle said as she carried a crying Rain into the kitchen.
“Of course she is. When doesn’t this girl eat?” Grabbing a bottle, I stuck it under the mixer and waited anxiously for it to fill. Looking at the clock, I silently willed the machine to go faster. The magazine people would be there any minute, and I doubted if Reid had even changed his clothes yet.
Twisting the top off the bottle, I gave it another shake and motioned for Danielle to fork over the child. “Will you go see if Reid’s changed, please?”
“Oooh, a chance to peek at his pecker. Maybe I can help him get dressed.” Danielle smiled and winked suggestively at me.
“Please, don’t act like you don’t Google my fiancé’s penis on your down town, you filthy slut muffin.”
“Shh….not in front of the baby.” Danielle laughed.
“Um……Molly, People Magazine is here,” Tiny announced as he tried to offer an ‘I’m sorry’ kind of glance.
Laughing nervously, my eyes shot over to Danielle and motioned for her to head upstairs quickly. “Hi. Please ignore the chatter betwee
n Danielle and I. Lack of sleep can make you say some crazy things,” I mentioned while hoisting Rain up in my arm further. Of course they would show up the moment we were talking about Reid’s peter. Seriously, how in the fuck did I not hear the damn doorbell?
“Hi, I’m Jean with People Magazine, and this is Joseph our photographer.” Jean extended her hand for me to shake, but then quickly pulled it back when she realized I didn’t have any free hands. “Sorry, can I help with something?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.” Forcing a smile, I motioned for them to have a seat at the bar while signaling for Danielle to check on Reid. “It’s nice to meet you both. Obviously, I’m Molly, and this is Rain.” Looking down at our baby, I couldn’t help but smile as she sucked down her bottle swiftly.
“She’s beautiful,” Jean commented, looking over at Joseph, who had already started to dig his camera out. “I’m so happy that you both chose People to be the first to capture this special moment with the world.”
“Of course.” In reality, I didn’t want to do this stupid thing, but the PR department thought it was a good deal, and everyone loved money. I wanted to wait until after the wedding, but obviously my vote mattered about as much as neutered cat balls.
“I know this must be a hard time for your family and all with the death of Rain’s mother, but we really want to tell the story of your now blended family.”
Jean’s fake smile was starting to grate on my nerves. All they wanted was, truthfully, some horrible scandal. They wanted the headlines to read something wretched, so they could do plenty of follow up stories. I knew the drill, and this wasn’t my first rodeo with them.
“So sorry I was late,” Reid announced as he rushed into the kitchen. Offering his hand out to Jean and Joseph, he introduced himself then came around the kitchen island. “Sorry, babe,” he whispered in my ear.
“Mmhmm,” I mumbled through my perfectly fake smile.
“Aren’t they just the most beautiful girls you have ever seen in the entire world?” Reid gushed as he ran his hand over Rain’s little arm, then brought it up to gently caress my cheek.
The laughter was almost too much for me to hold back. Reid had no romantic bone in his body, and if it somehow it did appear it only lasted a few fleeting moments. He was blowing smoke right out that perfect ass of his, and the stupid reporter was lapping every word he threw out there.
Passing Rain off to Reid, I excused myself to rinse out the bottle in the sink. I’d dealt with drunk rock stars that had vomited everywhere along with other bodily functions, and still nothing compared to a nasty formula bottle that you forgot to rinse out. Seriously, that smell could bring an elephant to his knees.
“Obviously, we are here to capture some intimate family moments to share Rain to the world, but we also want to talk about the whole situation surrounding her birth and what that has done to your family,” Jean commented as she pulled out a large notepad from her messenger bag.
“Should we take a seat in the living room? I can’t image those bar stools being too comfortable.” Reid’s fake charm for the media was flawless. He could charm the pants off an eighty year old nun and she wouldn’t even bat in eye for the wrong doing. Why he only functioned like that for media outlets completely baffled me, but that man knew exactly what he was doing. “Do you need any help, Babe?”
Rolling my eyes, I turned my head and flashed a fake smile. “I’ve got it, but thanks. Does anyone need anything to drink before we sit down?” Wiping my hands off on a paper towel, I turned my attention to the home invaders, waiting for their response.
Jean and Joseph both declined my offer. Thankfully, I had kept my smile going the entire time I had been cursing them out inside my head. It wasn’t their fault they were given this task for the magazine, but I knew that all this bullshit would soon come to an end. All interviews start off soft and tame. They try to get the celebrity to warm up with them, make them feel comfortable with their noninvasive questions. Then, once that person let down their guard……boom. Whatever you planned on not saying came spilling out and you had to print a damn retraction in the papers tomorrow.
After getting settled on the couch, I offered to take Rain from Reid, who shook his head adamantly.
“It’s so refreshing to see a father doting on his daughter. It seems like everyone in Hollywood has nannies, and there is very little time spent actually being a family.” Jean nudged Joseph, and he instantly started snapping away with the massive camera in his hands.
“It would be better if you could manage to get up in the night with her,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Did you say something, Molly?” Jean asked, giving me a suspicious look.
“No, I was just saying how much I absolutely loved the sight of the two of them together.” Leaning over, I pressed a quick kiss to Reid’s lips and gently caressed Rain’s little hands. I didn’t think I had every loved him more, but I still really wanted to kill him in his sleep for not helping.
“So, Reid, I’m just going to start with some tougher questions.”
Wow, obviously there is no relationship being built before getting down and dirty.
“The readers really want to know why you so publicly denied any involvement with the pregnancy. We know you got engaged to Molly after finding out that Cassy was carrying your child, but to the rest of the world it seemed like a cover up for the relationship with Cassy.”
“Huh?” I said out loud, shooting Jean a questionable glance.
Reid reached over and squeezed my knee. “Molly Anne and I were together before the little PR stunt with Cassy. During a time at which we were taking a break from our relationship, I didn’t use the best of judgment and let my anger and sorrow of the split with Molly get the better of me. Like they say, it only takes one time, and even with precautions, Cassy became pregnant.”
“We all know that contraceptives are not completely fool proof, but it still doesn’t give an answer to why you denied fathering the child?”
I caught myself before rambling on about Cassy being a little loose in her morals, and Reid wasn’t the only man she had been sleeping with during that time. But, she was no longer with us, and the angry fianceé throwing stones at the deceased mother of the child she was now raising wasn’t a good color on me.
“Cassy was seeing other people at the time, and since we took proper precautions I didn’t see how I could have possibly been the father of Rain.” Reid shifted Rain to the other arm, and wiggled in his seat. I knew he was getting uncomfortable with such direct questions, but did he really think they were just going to do a four page spread on how cute Rain was?
“Reid was very diplomatic in the situation when Cassy was pregnant. Now, he didn’t claim the baby as his, but he also didn’t deny the relations he shared with Cassy. Reid paid all of her medical bills from the time she announced she was pregnant. He might have thought that his baby wasn’t his, but he certainly didn’t abandon the situation and just wash his hands of it.” My voice started to shake with anger, knowing that these questions were just going to continue to get more unpleasant as the time passed by.
“I apologize Reid if my question came off a little insensitive, but to the rest of the world, every comment made to the public was stating that you were not the father and had nothing to do with the pregnancy.” Jean crossed her legs in her tight pencil skirt, making me want to reach out and slap the bitch. There was no reason for me to get this angry over her damn skirt, but her entire presence was starting to grate on my nerves.
“It’s hard to get invested in something that you truly don’t feel like the ending result will lean in your favor. Reid provided financial support when the emotional part couldn’t have been given, and always stated that if the child ended up being his, he would completely devote his life to raising said child.”
Taking a deep breath in, I slowly let it out and enforced the mandatory happy face……… when I really just wanted to boot the both of them out.
Chapter 24
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br /> Waterlogged bodies tend to float.
There was something incredibly annoying about nasty questions being rephrased into something more pleasant. In no way, shape, or form could a question about casual fucking, and my feelings on the matter, sound any more proper than a whore on Bourbon Street. Not to mention, it took everything in me to bite my damn tongue and not scream at the idiot sitting across from me. I had met some interesting journalists since working in the industry, but that woman would be proudly be claiming the title of insensitive, story hunting, crotched nose, tight skirt skank.
“I know how late it is, but we hadn’t even discussed the wedding. How in the world did you find the strength to not cancel the whole thing?” I knew the smile Jean was portraying was about as fake as her platinum blonde hair.
“Who colors your hair, Jean? They do a fantastic job since you couldn’t be a natural blonde; really a marvelous job.”
“Wow, yes, well………look at the time. We really should be winding down for the evening. I trust the magazine received their invite to our nuptials next week? We were so happy to hear that you would be there to capture our moment for all the fans.” Reid stood quickly, and offered his spare hand to help me up. Thankfully, the man knew me well enough to end the interview before I went all southern on their meddling asses; and they thought the purse wielding church ladies were bad.
“Yes, I am so glad you guys could splash the wedding all over your pages, and sell even more copies in the upcoming issue. Now, if you both excuse me, I really need to get Rain to bed, goodnight.” Holding my good arm up, Reid gently laid the still sleeping baby into my arms.
Nodding my head, I scowled the moment I turned away from the group and headed for the stairs.
“Is it over?” Tiny asked as I passed him in the hallway.
Invisible Crown Page 16
