by J. L. Perry
She is so much stronger than I give her credit for, but that doesn’t mean I am going to tell her how I am feeling right now. I want to protect her. Her happiness is more important to me. I know if I tell her how I am really feeling, she will worry about me more than she already is.
“I am alright at the moment,” I reply. “Just tired. I promise, if I need to talk to someone, you will be the first person I turn to.”
She kisses my chest. “Please do that,” she says. “I want to be your rock, like you’ve always been mine.” She lifts her head up and brushes my lips again. “Get some sleep, hot stuff. I love you.”
I pull her in tighter against me. “I love you, too, babe,” I reply, as I close my eyes and try to fall asleep.
****
When I wake in the morning, I am actually surprised that I slept most of the night. I still feel like shit and my stomach is in knots, but I’m grateful that I managed to get some sleep. The repercussions these allegations are going to have on my business are playing on my mind. Today is Monday so I am sure that I will have some idea by the end of the day. The story has been plastered on the news channels and in the papers all weekend, so I am sure that most of my clients will have heard about it by now.
I look over at the clock next to the bed and am surprised to see it is already after eight. If I was going into the office today, I would have already been showered, dressed, and would be eating breakfast. Part of me wants to go to work, but the other part of me is glad that my dad suggested I stay home for a few days. There is still a lot of anger inside me, and losing my shit with someone at work won’t help my cause. Hopefully, once we know exactly what we are dealing with, I will be able to calm down a bit and focus on the task at hand.
Brooke is already up and, I assume, feeding Angel. I pull on a pair of jeans and make my way to the kitchen. I know just seeing my girls will brighten my mood a bit.
Sitting at the table, Brooke is nursing Angel when I get down there. Angel squeals, “Dada,” over Brooke’s shoulder. There is a huge, toothless grin on her face. Brooke turns in her chair to look at me, as Angel puts her arms out for me to pick her up.
I pull her into my arms and throw her in the air as she giggles. I kiss her chubby cheeks. “Good morning, princess,” I say to Angel, as I lean down and kiss Brooke on the mouth. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“How are you feeling this morning?” she asks, as her hand comes up to stroke my face.
“I’m feeling better now that I’ve gotten some sleep.” I hate hiding my true feelings from her, but both of us worrying about this isn’t going to help.
Jill comes out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. “Good morning. What would you like for breakfast this morning?”
My appetite is still non-existent, but I know I need to eat. “I’ll just have some toast, Jill.”
“Toast is not enough for a grown man. How about I make some scrambled eggs to go with it?”
“That’s fine. Thanks, Jill,” I say. I’m not in the mood to argue with her. Brooke’s eyes are also burning into the side of my head, so I need to play it cool. She is already thinking I am playing down my feelings, and I know she will be watching me like a hawk over the next few days.
Once I force my breakfast down, I tell Brooke I am going to go into my home office to call Claire. I know she will already be at work. She picks up almost immediately. “Logan,” she says, breathlessly, before I have a chance to speak. “I was just dialling your number. There are some detectives here with a search warrant. They want to search your office. They’ve also asked to look at any surveillance footage we might have. I explained that we only have cameras in the foyer downstairs. One of the detectives is down there now, getting the tapes. The other detective and a few uniformed officers are going through your office as we speak. I am really sorry, but they had a search warrant so there was nothing I could do to stop them.”
“You did the right thing, Claire. I have nothing to hide because I haven’t done anything wrong.” I ask her to call me back when they leave because I need to call my father and see how far away from the office he is.
Before I have a chance to call my father, my phone rings. It is security calling from downstairs in the lobby. They tell me that there are some officers with a warrant to search the penthouse.
“Fuck!” I snap. “Just send them up.” There is nothing I can do to stop it.
I’m not concerned that they will find anything because there is nothing to find. I just can’t believe that it is going this far. It is an invasion of my privacy because I am fucking innocent! However, I know how the law works and they have to cover all the bases, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I don’t know what Kristy could have possibly said that would make them feel the need to search my penthouse, though. Plus, I’m certain this is going freak Brooke out. That worries me more than anything.
I put in a quick call to my father. Thankfully, he is just arriving at the office. He tells me that he will handle things from that end, and he will send my uncle over to help with things here. I don’t really need him here, but maybe he can take Brooke and Angel out of the house for a while so the police can look for whatever it is they are hoping to find.
I walk into the kitchen to look for Brooke, and Jill says she’s taken Angel upstairs to change her. I quickly explain what is about to happen and ask her if she could wait by the elevator for the detective so I can quickly fill in Brooke. I don’t want her to come downstairs and freak out when she sees them searching the house.
She is visibly shaken when I tell her. I try to play it down a bit. “They are just doing their job, babe,” I say. “They are trying to gather all the evidence they can so they can form a case against me. You have nothing to worry about. They won’t find anything because there is nothing to find.”
I pull her into my arms when I notice the tears in her eyes. “Don’t worry, baby. It will be fine. I promise,” I say in the calmest voice I can muster. I am finding it hard to keep my temper under control, but I don’t want her to see that. “Your father should be here soon. I want you to take Angel and get out of the house for a while. I don’t want you getting upset when they start going through our things.”
“I am not leaving you,” she replies sternly. “We are in this together. We are supposed to be a team, remember? I am not leaving you to face this on your own.”
“Brooke, this isn’t up for negotiation. You have been through enough,” I plead. “I don’t want you to be under any more stress than necessary, baby. You are going to get out of the house for a little bit. It will do you good. As soon as the search is over, I will call you and you can come back.”
I can tell by the look on her face that she isn’t happy. I pull her into my arms. “Please, babe. I have enough on my plate right now without having to worry about you or the baby,” I beg, holding her tight.
“I don’t want to leave you,” she replies, “but if it will make you happy, I will go.” She sounds so sad, but I know it is for the best.
“Thanks, beautiful,” I say, forcing a smile. “It’s not that I don’t want you here. It’s just that I know how brutal these searches can be, and I don’t want to take the chance of it upsetting you.”
By the time the search is over, I am so fucking stressed out. They went over the entire house and came up with nothing. I knew they wouldn’t find anything, but the thought of them going through everything we owned pissed me off. They even searched the nursery. I am thankful that they showed some respect for our things and didn’t leave too much of a mess in their wake.
My mother came over right after my father called her, informing her about the search warrant. I am thankful that she is here because between my mother, Jill, and myself, we are able to get the penthouse back in order before Brooke comes back.
Jill cooks a nice lunch for us and we all sit down to eat. Nobody mentions what happened here today and I am grateful for that. I just need to turn my brain off for a while because I have a
massive headache.
After the detective leaves, I call my dad so I can get some insight into what has been happening at the office. I know they won’t find anything, but I still want to make sure. After all the shit that Kristy is accusing me of, I wouldn’t be surprised if she planted something in my office to frame me.
I am also curious to know what kind of fallout we are having with our clients. My father tells me that Rose came back from leave early. He says that she wants to show her support for me. I am so fucking blessed by the people in my life. So far, not one of the people close to me have shown any signs of not believing my side of the story.
He tells me that the phones have been ringing off the hook all morning, with Claire and Rose doing damage control. He informs me that we already have had a few clients pull their business and, unfortunately, it is still early. But he also explains that there is a lot of support for me, as well.
If I can’t prove my innocence, though, the damage to my company could get a lot worse. I’ve put my heart and soul into that place, and I will do everything in my power to stop that from happening, even if that means walking away from it altogether.
Later that afternoon, I find Brooke in the kitchen. She is standing in front of the fridge, her shoulders slumped and head leaning up against it. I can’t see her face, but I can tell that she is upset. I stand there for a few minutes, watching her. When she puts her hand to her face, I can tell she is wiping away a tear.
As I am about to make my way to her, she takes a step back and opens the fridge. She grabs a bottle of water before turning around. When she notices me standing there, she smiles. She has such a beautiful smile, but her eyes look so sad. I know the smile is forced.
“Are you alright, baby?” I ask. She shrugs, then puts her head down. I can tell she doesn’t want to look at me and I get a sinking feeling. Maybe, after everything that happened here today, she is having doubts about my innocence.
“I don’t know if you are having any doubts after the search here earlier,” I say, taking a step towards her. “I just want you to know that from the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me. You are it for me. You consume every space in my heart. There would never be room for anyone else. I’m saying this just so you know…I could never do what she said I did. The thought of being with anyone but you just sickens me. Please believe me, baby. I would never consciously do anything that would hurt you, or jeopardise what we have.”
“Stop, just stop!” she snaps, holding up her hand. “I told you that I believed you so stop doubting me!”
I watch her closely as she takes a step towards me. She puts her arms out like she is going to wrap them around my waist, but then she scrunches up her face and clutches her stomach. I quickly close the distance between us and put my hands on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
She looks up at me and I can see the panic in her face. She tries to smile at me, but I can tell it is forced. “I’m fine,” she whispers, releasing her stomach.
“Don’t bullshit me, Brooke!” I snap. “Is it the baby? Is something wrong?”
“It’s just a little pain. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not taking any chances when it comes to you or the baby,” I say sternly. “I will get your father and Jill to watch Angel while I take you to the hospital to get checked out.”
“I am not going to the fucking hospital, Logan,” she says angrily. “I am going to lie down for a bit. I’m just tired, that’s all.” Arguing with her when she is like this will get me nowhere. She is as stubborn as all hell. So, I gently scoop her into my arms and carry her to the bedroom.
“Promise me that if you get another pain, you will let me take you to the hospital.”
“I promise,” she replies, wrapping her arms around my neck and snuggling into my chest.
Once we are both lying on the bed, I hold her in my arms as she drifts off to sleep. I need sleep, too, but my mind is racing so I know it won’t happen.
After about an hour, I quietly get up. Lying there isn’t helping me, so I leave Brooke there to rest. My mum had left earlier, but my uncle and Jill are still downstairs.
Jill is busy with Angel, so my uncle and I sit at the bar. He pours us both a drink. We talk about everything that had happened today. “I’m worried about Brooke,” I say.
He sighs and stares at his glass. “When we left earlier, we went to the studio. A couple of the parents have pulled their daughters out of classes.”
“Fuck,” I say in frustration, running my fingers through my hair. This whole situation is a fucking mess. I am affecting all of us, one way or another.
“I don’t think she planned on telling you,” he adds, “but I thought you would want to know. She seemed pretty upset when she got off the phone with them. She actually threw something across the room and screamed ‘SHIT’ after the last call. I quickly got her out of there after that because I knew the stress wasn’t good for her.”
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Brooke
A few hours after falling asleep, I wake with cramps. All the stress Logan and I are going through is getting to me, and I know it isn’t good for the baby. Immediately, I start to worry and wonder if it is the reason for my pains.
After getting up from the bed to go to the bathroom, I notice a bit of blood on my underwear. I freak. Am I miscarrying?! I’m not sure what to do because I don’t want to tell Logan. The pressure he is already under is just too much. If something happens to the baby because of this, I know it will crush him.
I jump in the shower and clean myself up. After I change into some clean clothes, I grab my phone and call the doctor. There is no point in upsetting Logan until I know what we are facing.
The doctor says that spotting is sometimes common during pregnancy, but he is concerned about the cramps. He advises me to go to the hospital to get checked out. “It could be nothing,” he says, “but it is better to be on the safe side. I read about the charges against Logan in the paper, so I presume you are under a lot of stress at the moment, Brooke. I am sure you know that stress isn’t good for you or the baby. You haven’t been my patient for long, but I’ve been Logan’s doctor for many years. If there is anything I can do to help either of you, please let me know.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“Please let me know when you go to the hospital. You can call me anytime if you have any concerns, or if you just need to talk,” he adds. I thank him again before ending the call.
I sit on the bed for a few minutes, weighing my options. Telling Logan isn’t one of them, but I know I won’t be able to get out of the house without lying to him. That is something I’m not prepared to do. Besides, he will be angry if I keep this from him. I just don’t want to cause him any unnecessary stress. He keeps telling me that he is alright, but I know that he isn’t. I put my head in my hands, contemplating what to do. If I am miscarrying, I’m afraid that it will send him over the edge.
Before I have a chance to go and find him, he comes into the bedroom and notices me sitting on the side of the bed, my head in my hands. He quickly walks over to me. I lift my head up to look at him, and he pulls me up off the bed and folds me into his arms.
“Are you okay, baby?” he asks. The concern in his voice is evident.
There is no way to break this gently, so I just blurt it out. “I just got off the phone with the doctor. He’s advises me to go to the hospital and get checked out.”
He pulls me away from his body so he can look at my face. I can see the confusion in his eyes. He also looks hurt. “What the fuck, Brooke?!” he snaps “Is there something I am missing here?”
I know the moment he realised what is going on because his face drops. “Is there something wrong with the baby? Are you alright?” he asks in a panic.
I put my head down and sigh. I hate to see that look on his face. I am just as scared as he is. We are both looking forward to a normal pregnancy this time round. My thoughts have to stay
positive, though. The doctor said that bleeding is not uncommon.
When I tell Logan that I had some bleeding, the colour drains from his face. He lets go of me and runs his hands through his hair. After standing up, he starts to pace the room. I sit back down on the bed and watch him as he contemplates what I just said. About a minute later, he scoops me into his arms and makes his way downstairs.
My father’s face falls when he sees us. “What’s going on?” he asks, quickly walking towards me. “Is everything alright, sweetheart?”
“I need to get her to the hospital,” Logan answers. “She’s bleeding.”
“Dad, I’m fine. The doctor just wants me to go as a precaution.”
My dad turns around and says, “I will get Jill to watch Angel, and I will drive you.” I am grateful that he is going to drive us. Having Logan behind the wheel when he is so worried about me and the baby is not a good idea.
Once we arrive at the hospital, Logan scoops me out of the car. My father had stopped in front of the Emergency doors. “I will park the car and then I will meet you inside,” he explains. Logan nods, then carries me inside.
“Can you please put me down?” I ask. I feel stupid being carried into the hospital like this. I know he is concerned, but he is really overacting.
“I am not putting you down until I get you into a bed.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Brooke,” he snaps.
“Then…put…me…down,” I say through gritted teeth. “There is nothing wrong with my friggin legs.”
“I am not going to argue with you, baby,” he says in quiet voice. “But am I not putting you down until we have seen the doctor.”
“Stubborn arse,” I mumble under my breath.
It doesn’t take long to get in to see the doctor. I’m not sure if it is because Logan is being so pushy and demanding, or because I am pregnant and bleeding. Either way, I am examined and an Ultrasound is performed. We are told that the baby is fine. The doctor tells me to stay in bed for a week and avoid stressful situations. I almost laugh at him. No stress is going to be hard with everything going on in our life at the moment.