“What goes on between Kayla and me is our business. You have no right to interfere.”
Byron shook his head. “I disagree. You made it my business when you forced her into a marriage to save our family’s company, and I’m here to tell you that you can have it.”
“Have what?”
“Adams Cosmetics,” Byron stated. “You wanted it. You can have it lock, stock and barrel. That’s what I’m going to tell Kayla, so that she is free to leave you with a clear conscience and find someone who loves her and who she loves back.”
“You can’t do that!” Ethan rose to his feet. Fear coursed through him. Kayla would listen to Byron because she respected his opinion. She idolized Byron. And if she listened, Ethan could lose her.
“And why the hell can’t I?”
“Because I love her!” Ethan roared back.
Byron took a step backward, stunned by Ethan’s revelation. “Does my daughter know that?”
“No.” Ethan ran his large hands down his face, shaking with fear. “I haven’t told her.”
“What the hell are you waiting for?” Byron asked. “An invitation?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan said, grasping his head. Deep down he knew why. He was afraid, plain and simple. He was afraid of being rejected. Whenever he’d offered his love to Carter it had always been met with derision and disdain.
“Well, you’d better figure it out because her ex-boyfriend, Ayden, is back in the picture and sniffing around again, and I can promise you that if you snooze, you lose.” The same thing had happened years ago with him and Andrew Jackson. He and Elizabeth had dated in college, but Andrew had taken her for granted. But Byron realized what a gem Elizabeth was and had swooped in for the kill. They’d fallen in love, gotten married and had three beautiful children, which is why he and Andrew had been enemies ever since.
“I thought you didn’t want me with Kayla.”
Byron laughed. “I don’t, but you were right about one thing, Ethan. This isn’t about me. It’s about Kayla. You and Kayla. And if you truly love my daughter and she loves you, I won’t stand in the way. I want her to be happy.”
“Even if that’s with me?”
“Yes, even if that’s with you.”
The rest of the week since she’d been home had continued much as it had in years past for Kayla. She’d gone to the office, stayed late much and then came home to dinner with the family. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, maybe because they all knew if there were problems in her marriage; it would not bode well for the company.
It was her father who finally stopped into her bedroom on Saturday morning. He knocked on the door and poked his head inside the doorway. “May I come in?”
“Sure, Daddy.” Kayla motioned for him to come in. “What’s up?”
“Why don’t you tell me, baby girl?” Her father searched her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Kayla.” He sat down on her bed. “This is me you’re talking to.”
“Daddy, please don’t go there.” She turned away refusing to look at him. If there was one person she had to be truthful with when pressed, it was her father.
“I have to, Kayla.” He scooted closer to her on the bed. “I hate to see you so miserable.”
“I’m not miserable.”
“Yes, you are.” He pointed to her. “And don’t try to deny it. Why don’t we start with why you’re back home?”
She swallowed hard and managed the feeble answer, “I don’t want to get into it.”
“You don’t have to tell me, because I already know. You’re in love with Ethan.”
Kayla turned to face him. Tears bordered her eyes and she smothered back a sob. “How…how did you know?”
Her father brushed away her tears with the back of his hand. “I’m your father and I know you, Kayla. Perhaps better than you know yourself.”
“Ethan doesn’t love me, Daddy. You and I both know he coerced me into marrying him because he wanted our company. He knew I would do anything to keep Adams Cosmetics, even if it meant sacrificing myself.”
“And you did that even though I never asked you to. Why?”
“I guess it was easy because I’ve always loved him,” Kayla answered honestly. If she couldn’t be honest with her father, who could she be honest with? “I’ve loved him ever since I was a little girl. And I guess this was a way to have him, even if it was in the wrong capacity.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t share your feelings?” Byron asked. It wasn’t up to him to tell Kayla how Ethan felt about her, but he had to get her to see that there was hope for her marriage.
“Yes, I’m sure. There’s a lot you don’t know, Daddy.” He had no idea about Noelle and that Ethan had been carrying on with her for Lord knows how long. If he did, he would hate him even more, and Kayla couldn’t deal with that, so she remained mum. “I’ve been giving this some long, hard thought over the last week and I think it’s time I asked Ethan for a divorce.”
“If you love Ethan, there’s still hope. You need to be sure before you end your marriage. You should go and talk to him.”
Kayla was surprised to hear her father say she should try to save her marriage. She thought he despised Ethan. “Whose side are you on, Daddy?”
“Yours, of course. I only want what’s best for you and what will make you happy. Please take my advice, Kayla. You know I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”
“All right, Daddy. I’ll go talk to Ethan, but I make no promises.”
“Kayla, no matter what happens, this family will be okay. I don’t want you worrying about what could happen to Adams Cosmetics. You’ve done enough for this family and this company. We will not have you sacrifice any more for us. He can have Adams Cosmetics. Do what is best for you, baby girl. Promise me you’ll take that into consideration.”
Kayla crossed her fingers across her heart. “I promise.”
When Kayla arrived at the mansion later that afternoon, she found a sports car she didn’t recognize sitting outside. It gave her pause. Had she made the right decision to come? Perhaps her father was wrong. Maybe there was nothing salvageable in this marriage and she should just cut her losses. But she’d promised her Dad that she would try and so she would. Slowly, Kayla exited her Porsche and went to meet her fate.
She was in the hall, checking the mail on the console, when she heard someone upstairs. Ethan was home! She had to go to him. She had to find out one way or another how he really felt about her. She was walking up the stairs when she encountered Noelle standing at the top of the staircase.
It was jarring to say the least, but Kayla didn’t let that deter her. “What the hell are you doing in my house?” she asked once she made it to the top.
Noelle chuckled. “I could ask you the same thing. I’d heard that you’d exited the premises.”
“Excuse me?”
“Everyone at the office is talking about how you and Ethan are sleeping in separate homes, and I just came here to see if there was anything that I can do.”
“You mean to help yourself to my husband. Do you think I’m a fool? I know what’s been going on between you two.”
“If you’re worried about your marriage, perhaps you should stay a little closer to home,” Noelle responded, “rather than blame me for your shortcomings.”
“My shortcomings?” Kayla replied. “You’re the one who’s sniffing around my husband like a cat in heat. Perhaps you should go back to your litter.”
“You little witch.” Noelle grabbed Kayla by the arm. “How dare you talk to me like that! Do you know who I am?”
“Let go of me.” Kayla tried to wrestle her arm free, but Noelle had a good hold of her.
“You don’t even have a real marriage with Ethan,” Noelle continued her tirade. “He only married you to get your company and everyone knows it. You mean absolutely nothing to him, make that less that nothing.”
It hurt to hear Noelle say the very thing she’d thought herself, which
was that she meant nothing to Ethan. Her father was wrong and she’d made a mistake in coming.
“You’re a despicable human being,” Kayla said. “And I don’t have to stand here and listen to one more word from you’re lying, cheating mouth. If you want Ethan, you can have him.” She yanked her arm free, but didn’t realize she was so close to the staircase. Before she knew what was happening or could stop it, Kayla felt herself tumbling down the stairs. Seconds later, she was unconscious at the foot of the stairs.
Ethan knew what he had to do. Speaking with Byron yesterday had only confirmed what he already knew. As he pulled into his driveway, he was determined to pull out all the stops to get Kayla back. He was going to wine and dine her and then he was going to tell her that he loved her and couldn’t imagine his life without her. He’d already put his plan into motion and called ahead to have a romantic dinner made.
He was unlocking the front door when he heard raised voices inside. As he entered the foyer, he could see Kayla and Noelle at the top of the stairs. What the hell was Noelle doing here, and what was she doing upstairs?
He didn’t have time to find out because Kayla came tumbling down the stairs and landed right at his feet. “Ohmigod, Kayla!” Ethan rushed to her side and Noelle came bounding down the stairs.
“Ethan, I…I don’t know what happened.” Noelle was screeching at the top of her lungs. “We were arguing and I grabbed her arm and…and then she pulled away too quickly…”
“Just shut up.” Ethan bent down and listened to Kayla’s breathing sounds and checked for a pulse. When he found both, he reached inside his pocket for his cell phone and dialed 911.
“I…I didn’t mean for her to fall.” Noelle tried to explain once he was off the phone, but Ethan didn’t want to hear it.
“Kayla, can you hear me?” Ethan pleaded in her ear. “Baby, please wake up, I need you.” But she was unresponsive. She was just lying there not moving, and it scared the bejesus out of him. He was happy when he heard the sound of the ambulance in the distance. This was all his fault! He should never have brought Noelle into their lives. He just prayed to God that Kayla would be all right.
Chapter 15
“How is she, doctor?” Ethan asked when the E.R. doctor came out to greet him and the entire Adams family, including Piper. Courtney had called Kayla’s best friend because she knew Piper would want to be there.
“We’re not sure yet,” the doctor replied. “She hasn’t woken up yet, which isn’t good in her condition. Did you know your wife was pregnant?”
“Excuse me?” Ethan was floored. “What did you just say?”
“Your wife is pregnant,” the doctor repeated. “I would say about two months along.”
“Are you sure?” Piper spoke up. She’d thought Kayla said she’d just had unprotected sex with Ethan a week ago.
Ethan turned and glared at Piper. “Do you know something I don’t, Piper?”
Piper shook her head fervently. “No, of course not.”
“Is the baby okay?” Ethan asked, turning back to face the doctor. “I mean after the fall.”
“For now, yes. The ob-gyn specialist on call tonight will come by and do an ultrasound later. In the meantime, we’re running a CT scan to make sure there’s no head trauma or concussion.”
“That won’t harm the baby, will it?” Elizabeth Adams asked. “Because Kayla wouldn’t want that.”
“No, it won’t,” the doctor replied.
“Can we see her?” Byron Adams asked. “Can we see our daughter?”
“For a few minutes, but I can only allow one visitor at a time.”
Byron walked toward the door first, but then remembered his place and turned to Ethan. “I guess that would be you.”
“But Daddy, he doesn’t even love her,” Courtney spoke up. She was tired of being silent and seeing her sister used. They had more of a right to be there than him.
“Hush your mouth, young lady,” her father replied, pointing to Courtney. “You don’t know the whole story here.”
“Thank you, Byron.” Ethan patted his shoulder and rushed inside to check on Kayla.
“Would you care to fill us in, Dad?” Shane returned, turning to his father. “Because from where we stand, Ethan has no place by her bedside. He’s the reason she’s here.”
“He’s also the man who loves her.”
“Say what?” Piper jumped into the fray. “Are you sure, Mr. Adams? Kayla has always wondered if what she felt for Ethan was reciprocated.” Piper felt horrible for revealing Kayla’s confidence, but she just couldn’t keep silent any longer.
“Oh, I’m sure,” Byron Adams stated. “He told me himself.”
Shane rubbed his jaw. “I always suspected. Remember, Courtney, I said as much at the wedding.”
Courtney nodded as she remembered the conversation they’d shared on Kayla’s wedding day.
“But why this whole charade? Why didn’t either one of them just admit how they felt? It would have saved them both a lot of anxiety,” Shane commented.
“Because sometimes young folks have a hard time getting out of their own way,” Elizabeth Adams responded.
“So what do we do now?” Courtney asked.
“Get out of the way and let them find their way to each other,” Byron replied. “That is what we can do for your sister.”
Ethan walked very quietly into the room because he didn’t want to disturb Kayla. She was hooked up to all sorts of machines, but he was only interested in one of them. It was monitoring the heartbeat of the baby. It was strange, because he’d thought about having a child with Kayla before but now it was a reality. They were going to be parents and he would have to tell Kayla. Or did she already know? Is that why she’d left him, because she’d known she was pregnant and thought he didn’t love her? No, no, Kayla would never do that. She would never deny him his child, would she?
Ethan grasped Kayla’s small hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed it lovingly. He had to make things right between them. He had to tell her how much he loved her. Otherwise, he risked their child being brought up in separate homes and he couldn’t have that. He wanted his child to be raised in a two-parent home with parents who loved and respected each other and who loved their child. He didn’t want any child of his to be raised like he was, by an unfeeling father.
Kayla’s eyes began to flutter and she slowly began to open them. “Kayla?” Tears of joy sprung in Ethan’s eyes. “Oh, thank God!”
“Ethan.” Kayla’s voice was barely a whisper. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital.”
“Wh-what happened?” Kayla looked around frantically.
“You fell down the stairs at the mansion,” Ethan replied. “But you’re okay.”
“Are my parents here?” Kayla looked toward the door.
Ethan nodded. “Yes, your family and Piper are outside. We’ve all been eager for you to wake up and show us those beautiful brown eyes.”
Kayla attempted a halfhearted smile.
“Listen, I have some news for you…” Ethan began.
“News?” Kayla’s eyes grew wide with fear.
“It’s nothing serious,” Ethan assured her, patting her hand. “You have a concussion and they’re running some tests…”
Kayla stared back at Ethan, trying to figure out what he wasn’t saying. “But there’s something else?”
Ethan grinned broadly. “Yes, there is.”
“Well? Spit it out,” Kayla said. Her stomach was already uneasy from the fall, and he was making it worse. “You’re making me nervous.”
Ethan grasped both of Kayla’s hands in his. “We’re going to have a baby.”
“Baby?” Kayla’s eyes grew wide with fear and she started moving around. She stopped when she noticed the monitor by her bedside. “What baby? What are you talking about?”
“You’re pregnant,” Ethan said.
“Pregnant.” Kayla’s mind began to race. How could that be? They’d only had unprot
ected sex a week ago.
“Yeah, you’re about two months along, which means we probably conceived on our honeymoon.”
Kayla nodded as understanding dawned. She hadn’t thought about that. Of course, it had to be then. She and Ethan had made love dozens of times in Bora Bora, and they’d always been supercareful, or so they’d thought. A condom must have broken. How else to explain that she was pregnant?
“How are you feeling?” Ethan inquired, brushing a tendril of hair off Kayla’s face.
“I have a bit of headache and feel a little sore,” Kayla murmured, “but otherwise I feel okay, I guess.”
“I’m going to get the doctor.” Ethan rose from the chair. “Let him know you’re awake.”
“Ethan, we need to talk about what comes next.”
“I know.” Ethan kissed her forehead. “And we will. Once you get some rest.”
“I’m okay,” Kayla reassured her parents a short while later, after the E.R. doctor had given her the once-over.
“Are you sure?” Her mother asked, brushing her hair across her forehead. “We were worried about you.”
“I know. And I’ll be fine.” Kayla struggled to sit up.
“Have you spoken with Ethan?” her father inquired. He hoped the young man had told Kayla how he felt. Life was too short to waste another second.
“You mean did he tell me I’m pregnant?” Kayla asked. “Yes, I know.”
“Did you have any idea, darling?” her mother wondered as she fluffed several pillows behind Kayla to help her sit upright.
“I had an inkling, though I didn’t think I was that far along.”
“Are you happy, excited, indifferent?” her mother asked.
Kayla didn’t answer, so her father spoke up. “Elizabeth, give her a chance to process it. She only just found out.”
“I’m sorry, darling.” Her mother kissed her forehead. “You get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, I will.”
Need You Now Page 18