by Lexi Wilson
“Do you think Stella will let me keep her dog with me in my room?” Kellie asked as she rose and gathered her things. She was walking to her bedroom with the dog following close at her heels, and I nodded.
“I’m sure she would be happy to. You can ask her when she gets off work tonight. Since you aren’t in the hospital anymore, you can see her whenever she gets home.” I smiled, and she nodded.
I spent the afternoon helping Kellie get adjusted back to life outside the hospital. It was good to see her without all the tubes and needles in her arms, though I had to admit, I still didn’t know how she would feel when Stella got off work. It was one thing to talk about when Stella got home, but it was another thing when it happened.
But once again, I proved to be worrying about something that didn’t matter. As soon as Stella got home, Kellie lit up.
“Stella! I’ve been hanging out with Bella all day. Daddy says that it’s okay for her to sleep in my room as long as it’s okay with you. Is it okay with you?” She spoke quickly, not giving Stella time to answer in between. I was going to say something, but I could see Stella wasn’t bothered by it. She bent down on her knees, hugging both Kellie and her dog at the same time.
“What a surprise! Your dad didn’t tell me that you were going to be home today. How are you?” Stella put her hands on Kellie’s and looked warmly into her eyes.
Kellie laughed. “I’m feeling so much better. The doctor says that the new medication is working, and this time the cancer might not come back!”
“I’m so very glad to hear that. And, yes, Bella is more than welcome to stay with you in your room, if that’s what you want. But if she bothers you, all you have to do is say so, and I’ll keep her out here.” She smiled, and Kellie quickly shook her head.
“She’ll never bother me!” She picked up the dog and headed for her room, and Stella rose once more. She picked up the bags she had dropped when she walked in the door, and I raised my eyebrows as I walked over.
“What’s that?” I asked. She held up the bags with a smile.
“I thought I would make dinner and bring it down to surprise you guys, but since I’m the one who’s surprised, I think we’ll make dinner here. How’s spaghetti and meatballs sound?” She winked at me, and I smiled.
“My favorite. Just ask Kellie.”
I sat at the table, watching as the two of them put dinner together. They were laughing and talking, and I couldn’t help but shake my head. Maisie had missed out on so much by choosing not to be part of Kellie’s life. I couldn’t believe there were mothers out there who would do such a thing, and I was grateful there were women out there like Stella who were able to rise to the challenge and step in.
Stella scooped spaghetti onto three plates, and Kellie followed it with sauce and meatballs. The three of us sat at the table to enjoy the meal, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like we were a real family. I had thought about Stella being that person for a long time, but this was the first time that we were actually all together in one house, under one roof.
Kellie was eating with such a voracious appetite, I couldn’t help but smile. In a way, it was as though she wasn’t even sick. She was laughing and talking, keeping up with the conversation and adding to it, even telling Stella what she wanted to do over the course of the next few weeks. It was like it once was, and I felt happier than I had in a long time.
I did the dishes with Stella once dinner was finished, and Kellie disappeared into her room to spend more time with Bella. I was happy she had that dog, and I hoped Stella would be with us for quite some time. The doctor had encouraged me to do what I could to give Kellie purpose in life.
He’d suggested giving her a project that would take her time to complete, but the kind of project that would show her progress along the way. Something that would give her purpose, as well as something that she could fall in love with. The problem was, I didn’t want to force her into doing anything she didn’t want to do. The perfect answer seemed to be in that little dog, and I couldn’t be happier seeing her run around with Bella in tow.
“I’m going to take a shower, then I think we should all settle in for a movie before bed,” I suggested once the dishes were done. Stella looked at me with a smile, but she looked a little embarrassed, too.
“There are still a few things that I need to get out of your room. I was sleeping on the couch, I promise, but then one night I thought I might try out your bed, and, well, it’s got the couch beat.” She smiled sheepishly, and I laughed. She was drying the last of the dishes and setting them in the cupboard, and I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her.
“You know, I would have to agree with you on that one. And, I have to insist being a guest in my house you get only the best of what I have to offer. Which means there’s no way I can have you sleeping on the couch.” I was talking into her shoulder, speaking softly.
She looked over her shoulder with a smile, and I could see the same mischievous gleam in her eye I knew I had to also have in my own.
“You know, I don’t think I’ll argue with you on that one,” she said with a smile. I gave her a light squeeze before turning to go to my bedroom.
“Good,” I replied.
Chapter 24
“Why don’t you work on the Letterman project and leave the Berkshire for Molly?” I asked with a sly grin. I already knew the answer, but I liked to make Jace squirm. The two had done their best to hide their office romance, but it didn’t always work according to plan, and I couldn’t help but tease them whenever possible.
The fact of the matter was that I didn’t care whether or not they were screwing around, nor did I care if they were keeping things under wraps. I didn’t think love was something that should be discouraged, but at the same time, I did prioritize work over all else.
My life had been perfect since Kellie had come home. The three of us had been a family, and I was happier than I had ever been before. Nothing could touch me, and for the first time in a long time, I was looking forward to the future.
“Why would we work on it separately when we could work on it together?” he asked with a grin. I shook my head.
“Are you going to get it done if you work on it together? I mean both of them, done today? I know if I set you both to working on them separately that wouldn’t be an issue.” I put my hands on my hips and looked at him with mock seriousness on my face. Of course, I was serious that I wanted it to get done, but I wasn’t going to throw a fit about it if they didn’t.
“Stella, I’m hurt. Since when did you have to tell me to get something done the same day you asked me to do it? I’ve always had things done the same day. You know that as well as I do.” As always, Jace made a show of being dramatic. He put one hand on his chest and his other on his forehead, then leaned back as though he had been stabbed in a theatrical play.
“What’s your problem?” Molly asked as she walked in the door. She looked from me to Jace and back again, and I shook my head.
“Romeo here is feeling offended that I’m requiring him to work hard today,” I teased.
“Oh, because I totally hate hard work,” he replied as he rolled his eyes. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I shook my head. It was always fun and games with those two, made even more so when they were together. I liked being caught up in the middle of their flirting. Though they were both quite a bit younger than I, it did make me feel closer to them.
“Well, if you want, I can supervise to make sure he gets it all done,” Molly volunteered. I looked at her with the same look I had given Jace just moments before.
“You know, I think that’s a great idea. Perhaps my problem is that I’m not supervised properly,” Jace said with a grin. I laughed as I crossed my arms and looked at Molly.
“I was just telling him the reason I didn’t think it was going to get done was because the two of you would be on it together. At least, that’s what he wanted.”
She looked first at him, then at me, then shrugged. “
I think it’s a great idea, to be honest.”
“Alright, you two, you can work on it together. Both of them together, in fact. Don’t forget that I want both of those done before the day is out.” I looked them both in the eyes, and Jace made a show of crossing his heart with his finger.
“Cross my heart and hope to cry,” he said.
“Hope to die,” Molly corrected.
“I wasn’t going to be that bleak. Maybe you should lighten up,” he said. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as I chuckled. I didn’t have any doubt in my mind they would get the job done, but I did wonder how they managed it. They were great together, but to me, it seemed they spent more time talking and flirting than they did working. Yet, everything always got done.
And, it got done well.
“Well, the sooner you get that done, the sooner you’re going to be free to move on to something else. Why don’t you get started?” I asked as I looked at them. I sensed I was about to get another smart reply from Jace when the door suddenly opened, and a woman came huffing in.
She had black hair and wore a lot of makeup, though it appeared to me most of the makeup she wore was meant to hide her age rather than enhance her beauty. I didn’t want to judge her, but it was difficult for me not to with the low cut dress she was wearing. There were women who dressed very well for their age, and there were women who needed to dress their age.
This was definitely a woman who needed some help in how to dress. Molly and Jace turned at the same time I had, and I noticed an immediate change in both. It was subtle, but it was definitely negative. Neither of them spoke, and the woman gave them both a look that clearly showed how little she approved.
“Can I help you?” I asked, coming to their rescue.
“Who are you? What are you doing in Anthony’s office?” the woman asked, not bothering to answer my question.
“My name is Stella, and I’m something like a cross between the secretary and the manager. Can I help you?” I repeated. I didn’t know what else to say.
“Well, Stella, you can tell Anthony that his daughter’s mother is here to see him, and she would like to as soon as possible. There is something important that I need to discuss with him. When will he be in?” She was speaking so quickly, it was impossible for me to answer anything before she moved on to the next.
As soon as she told me who she was, my heart sank. It was as though the perfect life I had been enjoying was coming crashing down around me. My dream of having a family — my dream of being part of a family — was being threatened, and I knew it. There were so many things that I wanted to say to this woman, but I knew my tongue was tied. If I were to say a single word to her about Kellie, she would know how involved I was with her daughter’s life.
If I really was nothing more than a secretary or someone working for her ex-husband, then there should be no way that I would know she was a shitty mother. But as it stood, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything to her on the subject. It wasn’t my place to put her in hers, and I knew it. All I could do was tell her where Anthony was, and pray that he would handle it in the same way I would.
“He’s not here right now. His daughter — your daughter — has been in the hospital a lot recently, and he’s been taking the time to spend with her. That’s why I’ve been here in his office. I’m doing what I can to help out around here so he can be with his daughter when she needs him to be.” I hoped I was getting my point across, though by the way she was looking at me, I could see she wasn’t in the least bit moved.
At least, she wasn’t feeling any kind of guilt.
“Where? I asked you where he was, not what he was doing. Is he still in the hospital?” she asked. It was more of a demand than a genuine question, and I got the impression she was more worried about getting to talk to Anthony than she was about how Kellie was doing.
“He’s back at his apartment, as far as I know,” I said with a cold tone. I didn’t want to go into any details with her, but I felt I had no other choice. This was Kellie’s mother. I had to tell her the truth. She was going to find out about it one way or another, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“His house,” she said flatly. She turned on her heel and walked out the door, not bothering to even thank me for my time. I shook my head. The woman disgusted me, but there was a part of me that felt jealous. I knew Anthony hated her and didn’t want anything to do with her, but at the same time, I hated that he had a history with her.
I hated that she was Kellie’s mother, and I wished there was a way I could erase her existence.
“What a bitch,” Molly muttered to Jace. He said something I couldn’t hear, but my heart was racing so fast I didn’t bother to ask him what it was. I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted to go racing after her. I wanted to follow her to the apartment and listen in on what Anthony had to say.
I wanted to be there when he told her she was an unfit mother who didn’t have any right to Kellie. There were so many things I wanted to tell her myself, but I knew it was impossible.
I sat down at the desk, looking over the papers I had stacked on the corner. I knew I should get through them, but I also knew that my concentration had been blown. There would be no way I could focus now that I knew that woman was at the apartment with Anthony.
My perfect family was about to be ripped apart, and I was going to have to move on with my life as though none of this had ever happened. I was the stranger in this situation — they were the family.
Jace and Molly knew better than to say anything about it to me, and the office fell quiet for the afternoon. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had built up in my chest. I felt like the shoe was about to drop, and there was no way I could stop it. I was the fly trapped in the spider’s web, and the spider was a monster that had no mercy.
The words on the papers in front of me jumbled together, and I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me. I had been considering going to lunch, but now I felt like I was going to vomit. I wanted to break down in tears. I wanted to scream. I wanted answers, but at the same time, I wanted to pretend like that woman hadn’t walked into the room and everything in my world was just as perfect as it had been that morning.
I was concentrating so hard on what was going on at the apartment, I lost track of time. I couldn’t think straight, and I knew all productivity was gone.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door opened and Anthony stepped in. My heart was racing, and I wanted to rush to him. I wanted him to take me in his arms and tell me everything would be alright. I desperately wanted to be comforted.
But, I could see by the look on his face he was about to confirm my fears. My life was going to fall apart, and it was only seconds before I found out.
“What happened?” I asked.
I braced myself for the answer.
Chapter 25
I felt my heart pounding in my chest so hard, there was a part of me that was concerned I was having a heart attack. I was so upset, I felt like I would throw up. Or pass out.
I had nearly fallen over when I saw Masie standing outside my door, and there was a part of me that wanted to just slam it in her face. But, I knew I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t turn her away when she was the mother of my child. I wished I’d had some sort of warning that she was coming. Anything that could have prepared me for her just standing right in front of me.
But, just like always, Maisie did what she did without warning and without giving me time to prepare. If I was honest with myself, there was something about the unpredictability that had made me fall in love with her in the first place. Sure, it was something that I resented about her now that we had Kellie to think about, but at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to be pissed off at her, either.
I was glad Kellie was closed in her room doing her homework. She did a lot of her school at home with the frequent visits to the hospital, and I was glad she didn’t have to deal with the shock I was subjected to when Maisie sh
owed up outside my door.
“I miss Kellie. I miss our family. Hell, I even miss you,” Maisie had said. Though I resented her with every fiber of my being, there was something in me that missed…not her, but what we had. I missed the person I’d thought she was. I missed the person I wished she could be.
Though I told myself I didn’t care if she was in Kellie’s life or not, having her here right in front of me proved to me I did. I did want her to be there. I did want her to at least have a small part of it. Not for me, not for her, but for Kellie. She deserved to have her mother in her life. Even if that meant I was going to have to do the hardest thing I had ever done.
I was going to have to break things off with Stella.
The thought of it alone was enough to make me want to vomit, but at the same time, I didn’t see where I had the choice. I had to put Kellie first. That was the way we agreed it would be when I started seeing Stella. We had both decided we were going to focus on Kellie’s happiness above our own.
And if that meant Maisie was going to be back in the picture, that’s what it meant.
“Kellie hasn’t ever seemed happy when she comes back from you,” I’d argued. I was going to try everything I could to change her mind, but Maisie had me beat. Time and time again, she countered that she had changed and wanted to try again.
I didn’t believe her, but with the stress of what was going on with our daughter, I didn’t have the energy to argue with her. I had to be there for Kellie; I had to think of Kellie.
“Come on, Anthony. I know I haven’t been the best, but then, neither have you. You know there were things you could have done that could have helped our family. You know being married to your laptop certainly hasn’t done much to help any of us. Now, I’m ready to step in and make this work, and I talked to some woman down in your office today who said she’d been doing a lot of the things down there. There’s no reason why you can’t make it work, too.” Maisie smiled at me with the same mischievous look I had fallen in love with years before, and I found it nearly impossible to say no.